Patent ID: 7762495

Claim:
A solar powered aerial vehicle, comprising: an elongated airframe having a roll axis and incorporating lifting and control surfaces; a mechanism for propelling the airframe through the air such that lift developed by the lifting surface is equal to or greater than the weight of the vehicle; a planar solar panel rotatably coupled to the airframe and lying in a plane passing through the roll axis thereof, the panel having solar cells mounted on one side and being arranged to rotate about the roll axis and relative to the airframe while maintaining the lifting surface constantly horizontal such that the side of the panel mounting the solar cells continuously tracks the elevation of the sun during the day while the vehicle remains disposed in level flight so as to collect solar energy during the day and to power the propelling mechanism with a first portion of the energy collected; an X-tail having two laterally extending surfaces disposed perpendicular to each other and coupled to an aft end of the airframe, one of the two surfaces having solar cells mounted on one side thereof; and, an apparatus for storing a second portion of the solar energy collected by the solar panel and the X-tail during the day and for powering the propelling mechanism with the stored second portion of energy during the night.