VTOL Aircraft having Multifocal Landing Sensors

Patent №

US 11,630,467

Granted

2023-04-18

Filed 2020

Owner

BELL TEXTRON INC.

+1 more

Lab

AI components

1

planning

Assignment

Recorded

Dataset

AIPD

2023_r1 edition

Application

17133229

An aircraft includes an airframe with a thrust array attached thereto. The thrust array includes a plurality of propulsion assemblies that are independently controlled by a flight control system. A landing gear assembly is coupled to the airframe and includes a plurality of landing feet. An altitude sensor array includes a plurality of altitude sensors each of which is disposed within one of the landing feet such that when the aircraft is in the VTOL orientation, the altitude sensor array is configured to obtain multifocal altitude data relative to a landing surface. The flight control system is configured to generate a three-dimensional terrain map of the surface based upon the multifocal altitude data.

PlanningG06V 20/13B64C 29/0091B64C 29/02B64U 10/13B64U 30/10B64U 30/20B64U 70/80G01S 13/882+9 more

AI classification

Planning1.00
Vision0.00
Knowledge representation0.00
Machine learning0.00
Natural language0.00
Evolutionary computation0.00
Speech0.00
AI hardware0.00

Ownership

BELL TEXTRON INC.

assignment · 549230692

TEXTRON INNOVATIONS INC.

assignment · 556580042

Assignors

WITTMAAK, JOHN ROBERT, JR., PETERS, RUSSELL C., HITCHCOCK, AARON, JOHNS, WILLIAM BEN, HEFNER, LEVI CHARLES, LOUIS, ANDREW VINCENT

On an employer assignment, the assignors are typically the inventors.

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