An aircraft for capturing drones includes an airframe having a drone channel with first and second wings extending outboard thereof. A two-dimensional distributed thrust array includes a plurality of propulsion assemblies coupled to each of the first and second wings such that the rotor disc of each propulsion assembly is outboard of the drone channel. A flight control system is coupled to the airframe and is operable to independently control each of the propulsion assemblies. A mesh bag is coupled to the drone channel forming a drone capture net. The aircraft is configured to convert between thrust-borne lift in a VTOL orientation and wing-borne lift in a biplane orientation. The aircraft is also configured to overtake a drone during flight in the biplane orientation such that the drone passes through the drone channel into the mesh bag, thereby capturing the drone in the drone capture net.

An aircraft includes an airframe and a distributed thrust array coupled to the airframe including at least six propulsion assemblies. A flight control system is operably associated with the distributed thrust array and is operable to independently control each of the propulsion assemblies. A package delivery module is coupled to the airframe. In a VTOL orientation utilizing thrust-borne lift, a first pair of propulsion assemblies is forward of the package delivery module, a second pair of propulsion assemblies is aft of the package delivery module and a third pair of propulsion assemblies is lateral of the package delivery module. In a forward flight orientation utilizing wing-borne lift, the first pair of propulsion assemblies is below the package delivery module, the second pair of propulsion assemblies is above the package delivery module and the third pair of propulsion assemblies is lateral of the package delivery module.

A vehicle can be configured to include a body having a body bottom conjoined with a body sidewall and a body top forming a body cavity. The body top includes a body top opening and the body sidewall includes a body sidewall opening. The vehicle can include a payload housing having a payload bottom conjoined with a payload housing sidewall and a payload housing top forming a payload housing cavity, wherein the payload housing cavity is configured to hold at least one operating module for the vehicle. The vehicle can include at least one arm. The vehicle can include at least one interlocking arrangement of the body top opening or body side wall configured to removably secure the payload housing and the at least one arm to the body. Each of the body, the payload housing, and the at least one arm can be structured with additive manufactured material.

A UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) arm mechanism includes an arm fixed device, a control device, a limiting device, and an arm connecting device, wherein the control device is adapted for controlling an assembly and disassembly of the arm fixed device and the arm connecting device, the limiting device is adapted for relatively fixing the arm fixed device and the arm connecting device; the control device is adapted for driving the limiting device to be detached from the arm connecting device, so as to achieve that the arm fixed device and the arm connecting device switch among at least three different states through a relative rotation. The UAV and the UAV arm mechanism can be locked up through the positioning pins, and also can be folded and disassembled after pressing the controlling device.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a rotorcraft-assisted system and method for launching and retrieving a fixed-wing aircraft into and from free flight. The launch and retrieval system includes a modular multicopter, a storage and launch system, an anchor system, a flexible capture member, and an aircraft-landing structure. The multicopter is attachable to the fixed-wing aircraft to facilitate launching the fixed-wing aircraft into free, wing-borne flight. The storage and launch system is usable to store the multicopter (when disassembled) and to act as a launch mount for the fixed-wing aircraft by retaining the fixed-wing aircraft in a desired launch orientation. The anchor system is usable with the multicopter, the flexible capture member, and the aircraft-landing structure to retrieve the fixed-wing aircraft from free, wing-borne flight.

Disclosed is a system and method for reducing the total latency for transferring a frame from the low latency camera system mounted on an aerial vehicle to the display of the remote controller. The method includes reducing the latency through each of the modules of the system, i.e. through a camera module, an encoder module, a wireless interface transmission, wireless interface receiver module, a decoder module and a display module. To reduce the latency across the modules, methods such as overclocking the image processor, pipelining the frame, squashing the processed frame, using a fast hardware encoder that can perform slice based encoding, tuning the wireless medium using queue sizing, queue flushing, bitrate feedback, physical medium rate feedback, dynamic encoder parameter tuning and wireless radio parameter adjustment, using a fast hardware decoder that can perform slice based decoding and overclocking the display module are used.

A multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes a central body, a plurality of branch members connected to the central body, each branch member configured to support a corresponding actuator assembly, a communication module disposed within the central body and configured to establish a communication channel between the UAV and a remote device, and an indicator light disposed on one of the plurality of branch members. The indicator light is configured to indicate whether the communication channel is established.

An aircraft operable to transition between thrust-borne lift in a VTOL orientation and wing-borne lift in a biplane orientation. The aircraft includes an airframe having first and second wings with first and second pylons coupled therebetween. The airframe has a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis in hover. A two-dimensional distributed thrust array is coupled to the airframe. The thrust array includes a plurality of propulsion assemblies each operable for variable speed and omnidirectional thrust vectoring. A flight control system is operable to independently control the speed and thrust vector of each of the propulsion assemblies such that in an inclined flight attitude with at least one of the longitudinal axis and the lateral axis extending out of a horizontal plane, the flight control system is operable to maintain hover stability responsive to controlling the speed and the thrust vector of the propulsion assemblies.

An example unmanned aerial vehicle includes a housing; a wireless communication module; a plurality of propulsion systems; and a navigation circuit. At least one of the plurality of propulsion systems includes a motor; and a propeller assembly rotatably connected to the motor. The propeller assembly comprises: a hub structure including a surface facing away from the motor; a first connecting member including a first post and a second post extending in parallel to and spaced apart from the first post, and the first post and the second post are fixed to the surface and are able to move elastically in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; a first blade detachably coupled to the first connecting member and comprising an opening to which the first post and the second post are coupled; and a cap detachably coupled to the top of the first connecting member.

The invention provides systems and methods for isolating one or more sensors within an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The method may comprise providing a UAV that includes a housing forming a central body of the UAV. The UAV may also include a first compartment of the central body with one or more electrical components (1) disposed therein, and (2) adapted to affect operation of the UAV. Further, the UAV may include a second compartment of the central body that is isolated from the first compartment such that the barometric pressure in the second compartment is independent of the barometric pressure in the first compartment. Additionally, the method may comprise disposing the one or more sensors within the second compartment of the UAV.