Vertical take-off and landing detachable carrier and system for airborne and ground transportation

• US 10,040,553 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2017
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sunlight Aerospace Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sunlight Photonics Incorporated
• Inventors: Frolov, Sergey V., Cyrus, Michael, Moussouris, John Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Sanderson, Joseph W
• Application Number:
  US15/620,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20170274996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: 415 91
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 2211/00 Modular constructions of airplanes or helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/0025 the propellers being fixed relative to the fuselage
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 37/02 Flying units formed by separate aircraft towing B64D3/00; aircraft transported by aircraft B64D5/00; air-refuelling B64D39/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/10 All-wing aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 9/00 Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like emergency equipment B64D17/00, B64D19/00, B64D25/00; structures integral with fuselage to facilitate loading, fuselage floors specially adapted for freight, steps mounted on and retractable within aircraft B64C; ground installations B64F
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/102 adapted for flying in formations
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/16 movable along the UAV body
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/40 Empennages, e.g. V-tails foldable or collapsible UAVs B64U20/50
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/13 using external fans or propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/80 Vertical take-off or landing, e.g. using rockets rotorcrafts B64U10/10; VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/87 using inflatable cushions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/005 by providing the operator with signals other than visual, e.g. acoustic, haptic
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0669 specially adapted for vertical take-off
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 : specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 : involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 : with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 : with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 : located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0065 : for taking-off
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 : specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 : Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 : Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 7/02 : Anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/10 : Drag reduction

Abstract

An aircraft assembly includes at least one first wing portion providing a lift force during a horizontal flight, at least one wing opening disposed on a vertical axis of the at least one first wing portion, at least one vertical thruster positioned inside the at least one wing opening to provide vertical thrust during a vertical flight, and a mounting system including an open frame portion in a frame of the aircraft and at least one attachment member disposed in the open frame portion to attach at least one pod to the open frame portion in the aircraft frame. The aircraft assembly can further include at least one pod including a mounting frame to attach to the mounting system and a cabin to contain at least one of cargo and passengers.

Claims

1. An aircraft for vertical take-off and landing, comprising:

at least one first wing portion providing a lift force during a horizontal flight;

at least one wing opening disposed on a vertical axis of the at least one first wing portion;

at least one vertical thruster positioned inside the at least one wing opening to provide vertical thrust during a vertical flight;

at least one pod, wherein the at least one pod comprises a mounting frame and a cabin to contain at least one of cargo and passengers, and wherein the at least one pod is separable from the aircraft; and

a mounting system including an open frame portion in a frame of the aircraft and at least one stationary attachment member disposed across the open frame portion configured to attach the at least one pod to the open frame portion in the aircraft frame.

2. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the at least one pod further comprises a ground transport system.

3. The aircraft of claim 2, wherein the ground transport system is separable from the at least one pod.

4. The aircraft of claim 2, wherein the ground transport system further comprises wheels and a powertrain.

5. The aircraft of claim 2, wherein the ground transport system is an autonomously controlled system.

6. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the at least one attachment member of the mounting system further provides structural support to the aircraft frame when the pod is detached.

7. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the mounting system is a part of the at least one first wing portion.

8. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising a tail, wherein the mounting system is a part of the tail.

9. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising a fuselage, wherein the mounting system is a part of the fuselage.

10. The aircraft of claim 9, wherein the fuselage is segmented into a plurality of sections each containing a mounting system.

11. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the at least one pod comprises multiple pods.

12. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising a flight control system wherein the flight control system provides and performs a method for mounting the at least one pod onto the aircraft.

13. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the at least one vertical thruster is one of a jet propulsion thruster or a propeller-based thruster including a propeller.

14. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising a horizontal propulsion system.

15. The aircraft of claim 14, wherein the horizontal propulsion system comprises at least one horizontal thruster positioned along a horizontal axis of the aircraft for providing horizontal thrust during flight.

16. The aircraft of claim 15, wherein the aircraft is configured to fly vertically using vertical thrust provided by the at least one vertical thrusters and to fly horizontally using horizontal thrust provided by the at least one horizontal thruster and the lift force of the at least one first wing portion.

17. The aircraft of claim 15, comprising a flight control system providing independent and synchronous flight control capabilities for the at least one vertical and the at least one horizontal thrusters.

18. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising air vents positioned inside at least one of the at least one wing opening.

19. The aircraft of claim 17, wherein the air vents comprise louvres positioned inside the at least one wing opening to close the opening during flight.

20. The aircraft of claim 19, wherein the closed area of the at least one wing opening provides a lift force during horizontal flight.

21. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the at least one first wing portion comprises a foldable section and the foldable section can be folded to reduce wingspan.

22. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the at least one vertical thruster has the ability to provide control of at least one of pitch, roll, or yaw during flight.

23. The aircraft of claim 1, comprising a plurality of wing openings and respective vertical thrusters positioned in the plurality of wing openings, wherein the respective vertical thrusters are individually controlled to provide control of at least one of pitch, roll, or yaw for the aircraft.

24. The aircraft of claim 23, wherein a thrust of the respective vertical thrusters can be controlled individually.

25. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising an autonomous flight control system.

26. An aircraft for vertical take-off and landing, comprising:

a first wing providing a lift force during a horizontal flight;

a plurality of wing openings;

at least one horizontal thruster to provide horizontal thrust;

at least one propeller-based vertical thruster positioned inside at least one of the plurality of wing openings to provide vertical thrust during a vertical flight;

wherein at least one propeller of the at least one propeller-based vertical thruster is configured to auto-rotate and produce a lift force during horizontal flight;

at least one pod, wherein the at least one pod comprises a mounting frame and a cabin to contain at least one of cargo and passengers, and wherein the at least one pod is separable from the aircraft; and

a mounting system including an open frame portion in a frame of the aircraft and at least one stationary attachment member disposed across the open frame portion configured to attach the at least one pod to the open frame portion in the aircraft frame.

27. The aircraft of claim 26, wherein the aircraft is configured to fly vertically using vertical thrust provided by the at least one propeller-based vertical thruster and to fly horizontally using horizontal thrust provided by the at least one horizontal thruster and the lift force of the first wing and the auto-rotating at least one propeller-based vertical thruster.

28. An aircraft for vertical take-off and landing, comprising:

at least one first wing portion providing a lift force during a horizontal flight;

at least one wing opening disposed on a vertical axis of the at least one first wing portion;

at least one vertical thruster positioned inside the at least one wing opening to provide vertical thrust during a vertical flight;

wherein the at least one vertical thruster provides roll, pitch, and yaw control during a horizontal flight;

a mounting system including an open frame portion in a frame of the aircraft and at least one stationary attachment member disposed across the open frame portion configured to attach at least one pod to the open frame portion in the aircraft frame; and

at least one pod, comprising;

a mounting frame to attach the at least one pod to the mounting system;

a cabin to contain at least one of cargo and passengers; and

a ground transport system including wheels and a powertrain.

29. The aircraft of claim 28, wherein the aircraft is configured to fly vertically using vertical thrust provided by the at least one vertical thruster to fly horizontally using horizontal thrust provided by at least one horizontal thruster and the lift force of the first wing, and to control the direction of the horizontal flight using the at least one vertical thruster.