Aircraft with integrated single sensor

Abstract

An aircraft is provided and includes a single sensor and wings extending outwardly in opposite directions from a fuselage. Each wing includes a main section, an engine section supported on the main section and tail surfaces extending transversely relative to the main section. The single sensor is mountable to one of the tail surfaces with a field of view (FOV) representable as a spherical wedge having a dihedral angle exceeding 180°.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An aircraft, comprising:
 a single sensor; and   wings extending outwardly in opposite directions from a fuselage, each wing comprising a main section, an engine section supported on the main section and tail surfaces extending transversely relative to the main section, and the single sensor being mountable to one of the tail surfaces with a field of view (FOV) representable as a spherical wedge having a dihedral angle exceeding 180°.   
     
     
         2 . The aircraft according to  claim 1 , wherein the aircraft is configured to perform unmanned vertical and horizontal flight, the FOV being horizontally and vertically directable during the vertical and horizontal flight, respectively. 
     
     
         3 . The aircraft according to  claim 1 , further comprising alighting elements disposed on the tail surfaces. 
     
     
         4 . The aircraft according to  claim 1 , further comprising a rotor defining a rotor disk, wherein the single sensor comprises:
 a pylon coupled to a distal end of the one of the tail surfaces and disposed to extend toward the outer diameter of the rotor disk;   an aerodynamic fairing disposed along the pylon; and   a sensor element coupled to a distal end of the pylon.   
     
     
         5 . The aircraft according to  claim 4 , wherein the FOV is bound by the rotor disk, a surface of the fairing and the other rotor disk. 
     
     
         6 . The aircraft according to  claim 1 , further comprising a flight computer to which the single sensor is operably coupled via the tail surface and the main section. 
     
     
         7 . An aircraft, comprising:
 a fuselage;   wings extending outwardly in opposite directions from the fuselage, each wing comprising a main section, a rotor defining a rotor disk, an engine nacelle supported on the main section and configured to drive rotor rotation and tail surfaces extending transversely relative to the main section; and   a single sensor mounted to one of the tail surfaces for disposition in substantial alignment with an outer diameter of the rotor disk.   
     
     
         8 . The aircraft according to  claim 7 , wherein the aircraft is configured to perform unmanned vertical and horizontal flight. 
     
     
         9 . The aircraft according to  claim 8 , wherein a field of view (FOV) of the single sensor is horizontally directable during the vertical flight and downwardly directable during the horizontal flight. 
     
     
         10 . The aircraft according to  claim 7 , further comprising alighting elements disposed on the tail surfaces. 
     
     
         11 . The aircraft according to  claim 7 , wherein the tail surfaces extend perpendicularly relative to the main section. 
     
     
         12 . The aircraft according to  claim 7 , wherein the single sensor has a field of view (FOV) representable as a spherical wedge with a dihedral angle exceeding 180°. 
     
     
         13 . The aircraft according to  claim 7 , wherein the single sensor comprises:
 a pylon coupled to a distal end of one of the tail surfaces and disposed to extend toward the outer diameter of the rotor disk;   an aerodynamic fairing disposed along the pylon; and   a sensor element coupled to a distal end of the pylon.   
     
     
         14 . The aircraft according to  claim 13 , wherein a field of view (FOV) of the single sensor is bound by the rotor disk, a surface of the fairing and the other rotor disk. 
     
     
         15 . The aircraft according to  claim 7 , further comprising a flight computer to which the single sensor is operably coupled via one of the tail surfaces and the main section. 
     
     
         16 . An aircraft, comprising:
 fuselage;   wings extending outwardly from the fuselage,   the wings comprising a main section, an engine section supported on the main section with a rotor defining a rotor disk and tail surfaces;   a pylon coupled to a distal end of the one of the tail surfaces to extend toward an outer diameter of the rotor disk; and   a sensor element coupled to a distal end of the pylon.   
     
     
         17 . The aircraft according to  claim 16 , wherein:
 the aircraft is configured to perform unmanned vertical and horizontal flight, and   a field of view (FOV) of the sensor element is horizontally and vertically directable during the vertical and horizontal flight, respectively.   
     
     
         18 . The aircraft according to  claim 16 , further comprising alighting elements disposed on the tail surfaces. 
     
     
         19 . The aircraft according to  claim 16 , wherein a field of view (FOV) is partially bound by the rotor disk. 
     
     
         20 . The aircraft according to  claim 16 , further comprising a flight computer to which sensor element is operably coupled.