Multirotor flying vehicle

• US 10,131,423 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2018
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David Geise, John Geise
• Original Assignee: David Geise, John Geise
• Inventors: Geise, David, Geise, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Benedik, Justin M
• Application Number:
  US15/995,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20180273164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 172 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/061 Frames
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/08 with two or more rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/14 Direct drive between power plant and rotor hub
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/20 Rotorcraft characterised by having shrouded rotors, e.g. flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/52 Tilting of rotor bodily relative to fuselage of see-saw type construction B64C27/43
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/10 Manufacturing or assembling aircraft, e.g. jigs therefor

Abstract

A multirotor flying vehicle including at least one rotor support frame organized on a geometric grid, with a plurality of rotor assemblies coupled to the at least one rotor support frame. At least one power supply is coupled to and powers the rotor assemblies. A control system is coupled to the rotor assemblies and is configured to operate the vehicle.

Claims

1. A multirotor flying vehicle comprising:

a fuselage;

a structural frame oriented only in a horizontal plane and organized on a horizontal geometric grid on the horizontal plane, wherein the structural frame comprises a plurality of horizontally-oriented linkage arms, each linkage arm comprising a vertical truss section, the linkage arms coupled end-to-end such that each linkage arm spans between two adjacent vertices of the horizontal grid, and wherein the structural frame is coupled to the fuselage at a plurality of grid vertices;

a plurality of rotor assemblies providing vertical thrust and coupled to the structural frame, each rotor assembly including a rotor and a motor coupled to and powering the rotor;

at least one power source coupled to the fuselage and coupled to each of the plurality of rotor assemblies, whereby power is supplied to each of the rotor assemblies; and

at least one flight control system coupled to the motors and the at least one power source and configured to operate the vehicle.

2. The multirotor flying vehicle of claim 1, wherein the geometric grid is one of a triangular grid, a square grid, a diamond grid, and a hexagonal grid.

3. The multirotor flying vehicle of claim 1, wherein one rotor is coupled to the structural frame at each vertex of the horizontal geometric grid not coupled to the fuselage.

4. The multirotor flying vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vertical truss section is formed from at least one plate.

5. The multirotor flying vehicle of claim 1, each linkage arm configured to directly couple to adjacent linkage arms to form a triangular geometric grid.

6. The multirotor flying vehicle of claim 1, wherein the coupling of the structural frame to the fuselage includes at least one horizontally pivoting connection.

7. The multirotor flying vehicle of claim 6, further comprising at least one actuator configured to pivot the structural frame with respect to the fuselage.

8. The multirotor flying vehicle of claim 1, wherein the structural frame comprises a first frame and a second frame, wherein the first frame and the second frame are not directly coupled together.

9. The multirotor flying vehicle of claim 8, the structural frame further comprising a third frame, wherein the third frame is not directly coupled to the first frame and the second frame.

10. The multirotor flying vehicle of claim 1, further comprising at least one perimeter shroud coupled to the structural frame and encircling at least a portion of the plurality of rotors, the perimeter shroud configured to increases an air recirculation path for the portion of rotors encircled by the perimeter shroud.

11. The multirotor flying vehicle of claim 1, wherein at least one rotor assembly includes an air scoop coupled to a center of the rotor and configured to direct air flow to the motor.

12. The multirotor flying vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one power source includes at least two redundant power subsystems.

13. The multirotor flying vehicle of claim 1, wherein the flight control system includes at least two redundant flight control subsystems.

14. The multirotor flying vehicle of claim 1, wherein a number of the plurality of rotor assemblies provides airworthiness of the flying vehicle when at least two rotors are inoperable.

15. The multirotor flying vehicle of claim 1, the motor including a heatsink including a plurality of exterior diagonal radiator fins configured to provide passive cooling for a magnet assembly of the motor.

16. The multirotor flying vehicle of claim 1, the motor including a coolant circulator comprising piping arranged in a spiral tubular configuration that fits within a stator of the motor, wherein the piping is fluidly coupled to a radiator.