US 11,837,102 B2
Deep stall aircraft landing
Christopher E. Fisher, Simi Valley, CA (US); Thomas Robert Szarek, Oak Park, CA (US); Justin B. McAllister, Seattle, WA (US); and Pavel Belik, Simi Valley, CA (US)
Assigned to AeroVironment, Inc., Simi Valley, CA (US)
Filed by AeroVironment, Inc., Simi Valley, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 19, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/073,412.
Application 17/073,412 is a continuation of application No. 16/271,916, filed on Feb. 11, 2019, granted, now 10,810,894.
Application 16/271,916 is a continuation of application No. 15/611,723, filed on Jun. 1, 2017, granted, now 10,204,522, issued on Feb. 12, 2019.
Application 15/611,723 is a continuation of application No. 14/936,632, filed on Nov. 9, 2015, granted, now 9,672,748, issued on Jun. 6, 2017.
Application 14/936,632 is a continuation of application No. 13/261,814, granted, now 9,208,689, issued on Dec. 8, 2015, previously published as PCT/US2012/000358, filed on Aug. 16, 2012.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/575,417, filed on Aug. 19, 2011.
Prior Publication US 2021/0209957 A1, Jul. 8, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G08G 5/02 (2006.01); B64C 39/02 (2023.01); G05D 1/06 (2006.01); B64D 31/00 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01); B64U 10/25 (2023.01); B64U 30/10 (2023.01); B64U 50/13 (2023.01); B64U 50/19 (2023.01); B64U 70/00 (2023.01); B64U 101/30 (2023.01)
CPC G08G 5/02 (2013.01) [B64C 39/024 (2013.01); B64D 31/00 (2013.01); G05D 1/0011 (2013.01); G05D 1/0676 (2013.01); B64U 10/25 (2023.01); B64U 30/10 (2023.01); B64U 50/13 (2023.01); B64U 50/19 (2023.01); B64U 70/00 (2023.01); B64U 2101/30 (2023.01); B64U 2201/00 (2023.01); B64U 2201/20 (2023.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of rapidly descending an aircraft to land at a landing location, the aircraft having a wing including an upper surface and a lower surface defining an upright orientation for normal aircraft flight, and an inverted orientation for inverted flight, the upper surface being gravitationally above the lower surface while in the upright orientation, and the lower surface being gravitationally above the upper surface while in the inverted orientation, comprising:
(a) controlling the operation of a control surface to approach the landing location while the aircraft is flying in the upright orientation;
(b) controlling the operation of the control surface to invert the aircraft such that it is controllably moving in an inverted orientation;
(c) controlling the operation of the control surface to at least partially stall the wing while in the inverted orientation to provide for the aircraft to descend in a rapid descent; and
(d) after step (c), further controlling the operation of the control surface that inverted the aircraft, to control the rapid descent of the aircraft.