US 12,237,570 B1
Tethered unmanned aircraft antenna
Christopher P. Henry, Malibu, CA (US); Walter S. Wall, Malibu, CA (US); Carson White, Malibu, CA (US); and Richard Berg, Driggs, ID (US)
Assigned to HRL LABORATORIES, LLC, Malibu, CA (US)
Filed by HRL Laboratories, LLC, Malibu, CA (US)
Filed on Feb. 16, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/444,574.
Application 18/444,574 is a division of application No. 17/326,266, filed on May 20, 2021, granted, now 11,949,150.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/029,352, filed on May 22, 2020.
Int. Cl. H01Q 1/28 (2006.01); B64C 39/02 (2023.01); B64F 3/02 (2006.01); B64U 10/13 (2023.01); B64U 50/19 (2023.01); B64U 50/34 (2023.01); H01Q 1/46 (2006.01)
CPC H01Q 1/28 (2013.01) [B64C 39/022 (2013.01); B64C 39/024 (2013.01); B64F 3/02 (2013.01); H01Q 1/46 (2013.01); B64U 10/13 (2023.01); B64U 50/19 (2023.01); B64U 50/34 (2023.01)] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A tethered unmanned aircraft antenna system comprising a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) system, which is constrained, in use, by a tether connected at one end to a maritime or land-based platform or vehicle and at another end to the VTOL UAS, the tether also being used as an RF antenna; wherein the tether includes a coaxial cable having a core and an exterior sheath, the coaxial cable being provided for transmitting DC power to the UAS at a desired antenna height by applying said DC energy between the core and the exterior sheath; where the coaxial cable simultaneously supports RF power transmission via the exterior sheath to radiate a desired RF pattern from the exterior sheath.