An autonomous marine vehicle is disclosed, the vehicle comprising a rigid hull having an interior and a periphery, a deck joining the rigid hull at the periphery; and a rigid mast pivotally attached to the deck, the mast housing a plurality of sensors capable of effecting communication to and from said vehicle. In preferred embodiments, the vehicle further comprises various sensors and mission-specific hardware. Sensors include mast-mounted audio/video devices, radar, GPS and RF antennas, and other positioning and collision avoidance devices. Mission-specific hardware include refueling probes, fire protection systems, towing assemblies, flame thrower assemblies, liquid spray assemblies, and work pup assemblies.

Autonomous marine vehicle

A vehicle including a fuselage having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis, two Ducted Fan lift-producing propellers carried by the fuselage on each side of the transverse axis, a pilot's compartment formed in the fuselage between the lift-producing propellers and substantially aligned with one side of the fuselage, a payload bay formed in the fuselage between the lift-producing propellers and opposite the pilot's compartment, and two pusher fans located at the rear of the vehicle. Many variations are described enabling the vehicle to be used not only as a VTOL vehicle, but also as a multi-function utility vehicle for performing many diverse functions including hovercraft and ATV functions. Also described is an Unmanned version of the vehicle. Also described are unique features applicable in any single or multiple ducted fans and VTOL vehicles.

Ducted Fan Vtol Vehicles

Flight control systems have plural control subsystems with redundancies organized so as to provide continued but degraded control power over critical aircraft flight operating parameters even if any one complete control subsystem catastrophically fails. One example described in detail for a VTOL craft includes four groups of controls, each group comprising inputs relating to six degrees of freedom of the vehicle, at least one control computer and a plurality of actuators; each group utilizing 25% of required flight control power for the vehicle.

Flight control system especially suited for VTOL vehicles

A vehicle including a fuselage, at least one lift-producing propeller carried by the fuselage on each side of its transverse axis a pilot's compartment formed in the fuselage between the lift-producing propellers and substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis, and a pair of payload bays formed in the fuselage between the lift-producing propellers and on opposite sides of the pilot's compartment. Many variations are described enabling the vehicle to be used not only as a VTOL vehicle, but also as a multi-function utility vehicle for performing many diverse functions including hovercraft and ATV functions.

Vehicles particularly useful as vtol vehicles

A vehicle, including a vehicle frame, a duct carried by the vehicle frame with the longitudinal axis of the duct perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame, a propeller rotatably mounted within the duct about the longitudinal axis of the duct to force an ambient fluid therethrough from its inlet at the upper end of the duct through its exit at the lower end of the duct, and thereby to produce an upward lift force applied to the vehicle, and a plurality of parallel, spaced vanes pivotally mounted to and across the inlet end of the duct about pivotal axes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the duct and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame, the vanes being selectively pivotal about their axes to produce a desired horizontal force component to the lift force applied to the vehicle.

Ducted fan vehicles particularly useful as vtol aircraft

A transient surface contact vehicle for transporting a load from a surface starting point to a surface end point has a structure for carrying the load from the starting point to the end point. A vehicle support extends from the structure. A buoyancy control device mounted in the structure is coupled to the vehicle support for selectively making the support buoyant and non-buoyant whereby when the support is buoyant it abuts the surface of a body of water thereby supporting the vehicle at a predetermined distance above the surface of the body of water. An acquisition sensor mounted on the structure initiates water surface operations. A sensor is mounted on the structure and cooperates with the acquisition sensor to energize upon tracking of the target and to move the vehicle along the water surface to impact with the target at the end point. A position control mounted on the vehicle produces a negative pitching moment to maintain the structure in surface-following contact with the body of water.

Transient surface contact vehicle

A transient air and surface contact vehicle for transporting a person has a fuselage structure for carrying a person. A vehicle support extends from the structure and abuts a surface and thereby supports the vehicle at a predetermined distance above the surface. A buoyancy control device mounted on the structure and on the vehicle support provides for the buoyancy required to keep the vehicle afloat while stationary and at low speeds. At high speed the dynamic pressures generated at the bottom of the struts provide the supporting forces. A power source is mounted on the structure for moving the vehicle along the surface at the predetermined distance above the surface. A position control mounted on the structure produces a positive pitching moment to cause the vehicle to become airborne, a negative pitching moment to maintain the vehicle in surface-following contact with the surface and both moments to control the altitude of the vehicle when it is airborne. It is the pre-determined negative pitching moment that enables stable "open loop" pitch performance in the presence of high speeds and irregular surfaces.

Transient air and surface contact vehicle

A terrain-following transient surface contact vehicle for transporting a load from a surface starting point to a surface end point has a structure for carrying the load from the starting point to the end point. A vehicle support extends from the structure and abuts the surface and thereby supports the vehicle at a predetermined distance above the surface. An acquisition sensor mounted on the structure initiates surface operations. A sensor is mounted on the structure and cooperates with the acquisition sensor to sense and track a target at the end point upon initiation of surface operations. A power source is mounted on the structure and cooperates with the sensor to energize upon tracking of the target and to move the vehicle along the surface to impact with the target at the end point. A position control mounted on the vehicle produces a negative pitching moment to maintain the structure in terrain-following contact with the surface.

Michael Sturm

Papers

Transient surface contact vehicle

Transient air and surface contact vehicle

Terrain-following transient surface contact vehicle