Patent Document

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST  
       [0001] The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for government purposes without the payment of any royalties therefor. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    When an aircraft is scheduled to embark on a reconnaissance mission it is outfitted with one or more sensors to accomplish the particular mission. In one scenario the sensors are carried in one or more pods which are hard mounted to points on the outside of the aircraft, typically located on the wing, nose or belly of the aircraft. With this configuration, access to the pods while in flight is practically impossible. Any change in sensors, due to a mission change, for example, would require the aircraft to return to base for a changeover.  
           [0003]    An alternative approach would be to have a fleet of aircraft, each with a different sensor suite arrangement. This approach, however, is rather expensive in initial purchasing and subsequent maintenance of the equipment. In addition, each aircraft would have to be modified to install a pod, or pods, and would restrict the particular aircraft to one or two different mission types. If the type of mission is no longer required, the aircraft may have to be modified to accommodate another type of mission.  
           [0004]    A sensor pod may be carried in a large aircraft and deployed when approaching a particular area to be surveyed, and retrieved back into the aircraft after the mission. In general, a change in mission while in flight would require a return to base since such systems are not reconfigurable in the air. In addition, when the sensor pod is deployed out the door of the aircraft, the aircraft cannot be pressurized, so as to attain higher altitudes, without significant structural modifications to the aircraft.  
           [0005]    It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a reconnaissance pod system which can accommodate various sensors operating at different wavelengths, with the capability of changing sensors in flight. Further, the apparatus can be deployed at low altitudes and the aircraft may then proceed to higher altitudes, and be pressurized, with minor, or no modifications to the carrying aircraft.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    A reconfigurable reconnaissance pod system of the present invention is adapted to be carried by an aircraft and includes a pod having an interior for placement of one or more sensors, selected from a suite of sensors. The pod structure includes a middle section and first and second end sections connectable with the middle section, and selected from a suite of end sections as a function of particular sensors used within said pod. The middle section includes at least one window aperture into which is placed an insert, selected from a suite of inserts as a function of particular sensors used within said pod. At least some of said suite of end sections are selected from the group including a) end sections having a window to transmit wavelengths in the visible portion of the spectrum, b) end sections having a window to transmit wavelengths in the invisible portion of the spectrum and c) end sections having no window. A deployment arrangement is included for deploying and retrieving the pod from the aircraft. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    The invention will be better understood, and further objects, features and advantages thereof will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a view of one embodiment of a pod in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a pod with different window arrangements.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2A is a view along line  2 A- 2 A of FIG. 2.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is an exploded view of another pod configuration.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 is a view of a pod deployment arrangement.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate the pod in a deploying condition.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 7 illustrates the apparatus on board a large aircraft.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 8 is a closer view of the apparatus of FIG. 7. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0016]    In the drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, like or corresponding parts are denoted by like or corresponding reference numerals.  
         [0017]    In FIG. 1, pod  10  includes a middle section  12 , and first and second end sections  13  and  14 , collectively defining an interior for carrying one or more sensors, selected from a suite of sensors designed for various missions. These sections may be fabricated from a lightweight metal such as aluminum or a composite material, by way of example. Middle section  12  is secured to a strongback member  16 , which is carried by a mounting yoke  18  having a plurality of depending arms  20  which straddle the pod and cushion it by means of cushioning elements  22 . End sections  13  and  14  are easily attached and detached by means of clamping ring arrangements  24  and  25 . In the embodiment of FIG. 1, a turret  26  is mounted to the bottom of the pod  10  for carrying a sensor, or optical system for a sensor within the pod.  
         [0018]    Some sensors in the suite of sensors may operate in the visible portion of the spectrum, while others may operate in the IR portion. These different sensors require different apertures, or windows, of different transparent materials for the transmission of the particular electromagnetic energy. The middle section  12  includes, on either side, a frame  30 , which has a removable panel  32 , to allow for the insertion of such different transparent windows. Although panel  32  itself is not transparent to visible or IR energy, it is transparent to radar frequencies.  
         [0019]    End sections  13  and  14  are selected from a suite of end sections which include end sections having a window to transmit visible light, end sections having a window to transmit invisible light, and end sections having no window. In the exploded view of FIG. 2, the top of middle section  12  can be seen as including a series of holes  40  for insertion of fasteners for mounting to the strongback  16  illustrated in FIG. 1. Middle section  12  includes transparent windows  42  and  43  on either side thereof, and end sections  13 ′ and  14 ′ include respective transparent windows  44  and  45 , each for the selective transmission of either IR or visible light.  
         [0020]    Various end sections may be connected to the middle section  12  quickly and with facility by the quick disconnect clamping ring arrangements  24  and  25 . More particularly, and with additional reference to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2A, the clamping ring arrangement  24  includes a former ring  50  affixed to end section  13 ′, and having an upstanding flange  51 . A complementary former ring  52  is affixed to middle section  12 , and includes an upstanding flange  53 . A U-shaped clamp  54  completely surrounds the upstanding flanges  51  and  53  and draws them, and consequently the middle and end sections  12  and  13 ′, together when bolt  55  is tightened.  
         [0021]    In an identical manner the clamping ring arrangement  25  includes a former ring  60  affixed to end section  14 ′, and having an upstanding flange  61 . A complementary former ring  62  is affixed to middle section  12 , and includes an upstanding flange  63 . A U-shaped clamp  64  completely surrounds the upstanding flanges  61  and  63  and draws them, and consequently the middle and end sections  12  and  14 ′, together when bolt  65  is tightened.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 illustrates a pod arrangement which includes end sections  13 ″ and  14 ″, selected from the suite of end sections, and wherein end section  13 ″ includes a more pronounced nose portion  68  than end section  13 ′ of FIG. 2. This particular shape may be used to accommodate a somewhat larger sensor in the forward portion of the pod. In addition, end sections  13 ″ and  14 ″ also include respective transparent windows  70  and  71 .  
         [0023]    The pod may be assembled on the ground before a mission, or, by the nature of its design, may be assembled in the air while enroute to an area of interest. Typically the aircraft would carry a suite of sensors, inserts and end sections to accommodate potential mission changes. When approaching the area of interest, the pod may be deployed from the aircraft, obtain desired data at the area of interest and then be retrieved back into the aircraft. Thereafter the pod may be reconfigured for another mission while in flight, or the aircraft may return to base. The deployment and retrieval function is performed by a deployment arrangement which is illustrated in FIG. 4.  
         [0024]    The deployment arrangement  78  includes a pod support arm  76  having an outer end to which is attached the pod  10  by means of the mounting yoke  18 . The inner end of pod support arm  76  is connected to a moveable carriage assembly  78  having first and second sides  79  and  80  mounted on rails  82  so that the carriage assembly  78  is moveable horizontally in the directions of arrow  84 . The rails  82  may be mounted on a base such as pallet  86 , or optionally, as illustrated in FIG. 4, on a rotary table  88  moveable in the directions of arrow  90 , and lockable at a desired position.  
         [0025]    With additional reference to FIG. 5, the sides  79  and  80  include respective vertical tracks  94  and  95  by means of which the inner end of pod support arm  76  can be lowered and raised vertically by a motor (not illustrated) or by hand cranking. FIG. 5 illustrates a deployment situation wherein the carriage has been moved to its extreme end along rails  82  and the pod support arm  76 , along with pod  10 , has commenced lowering. FIG. 6 illustrates the apparatus in its fully deployed position, which may be out the side door of an aircraft such as illustrated in FIG. 7.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 7 shows a relatively large aircraft  100  having a deployed sensor-carrying pod  10  hanging out the side. A closer view of the deployment arrangement  74  within the aircraft  100  is illustrated in the broken-away view of FIG. 8. Prior to arriving at the mission site, the pallet  86  is secured to the floor of the aircraft  100  and the remainder of the deployment arrangement  74  is attached. At low altitudes the aircraft door  102  is moved up on its track and the pod  10  is deployed into the airstream through the door opening.  
         [0027]    The door  102  may remain open for low altitude missions, however it may be necessary to go to altitudes which require aircraft pressurization. For this purpose a closure  104 , suitably notched to fit over the pod support arm  76 , seals the door opening. Alternatively, the door  102  itself may be suitably modified to perform this function. With aircraft having doors on both sides, the rotary table  88  would allow for the deployment out either door.  
         [0028]    Also shown in FIG. 8 is a cargo container  106  which houses all of the equipment used for and by the pod  10 , as well as operator manned control consoles. The concept is to put everything needed for one or more missions within the container. This reduces the need for outside storage space, reduces on-hand inventory requirements and keeps everything associated with the pod in one central location.  
         [0029]    It will be readily seen by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention fulfills all of the objects set forth herein. After reading the foregoing specification, one of ordinary skill in the art will be able to effect various changes, substitutions of equivalents and various other aspects of the present invention as broadly disclosed herein. It is therefore intended that the protection granted hereon be limited only by the definition contained in the appended claims and equivalents. Having thus shown and described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that the same has been made by way of illustration and not limitation. Accordingly, all modifications, alterations and changes coming within the spirit and scope of the present invention are herein meant to be included.

Technology Category: b