Ducted fan vertical take-off and landing vehicle

• US 20060226281A1
• Filed: 11/15/2005
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Joh-Paul Christopher Walton
• Original Assignee: Joh-Paul Christopher Walton
• Inventors: Walton, Joh-Paul Christopher
• Application Number:
  US11/274,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20060226281A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/17.230
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/20 Rotorcraft characterised by having shrouded rotors, e.g. flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/0033 the propellers being tiltable relative to the fuselage
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/20 Vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft flying platforms B64U10/13; helicopters B64U10/17
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/14 ducted or shrouded
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/20 Transmission of mechanical power to rotors or propellers

Abstract

A vertical take-off and landing vehicle comprised of a fuselage having a front, a rear, and two lateral sides and a set of four thrusters set to the front, the left, the right, and the rear of said fuselage. The thrusters are either independently powered thrusters or could utilize a single power source. The thrusters, which are ducted fan units capable of providing a vertically upward force to the aircraft, are provided with such redundancy that the aircraft can hover with up to two thrusters inoperative. The thrusters are comprised of a set of two counter rotating propellers both of which creates lift. The two counter rotating propellers cancel out the torque effect normally created by using only one propeller. The Ducted fan units being movable between a first position in which they provide vertical lift and a second position in which they provide horizontal thrust using a set of servos and gears.

Claims

1. A vertical take-off and landing vehicle comprising:

(a) a fuselage forming a passenger compartment or mount and having a four sides, including a front side, a rear side and two lateral sides, said fuselage defining a central longitudinal axis of said vehicle;

(b) four thruster units capable of providing both vertical lift and horizontal thrust to said vertical take-off and landing vehicle, said thrusters being located around said fuselage as such, a front thruster unit located in front of said fuselage, a left thruster unit located to the left of said fuselage, a right thruster unit located to the right of said fuselage, and a rear thruster unit located to the rear of said fuselage. Said thruster units being movable between a first position in which they provide vertical lift and a second position in which they provide horizontal thrust.

2. The vertical take-off and landing vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said fuselage contains at least one power source.

3. The vertical take-off and landing vehicle according to claim 1, wherein each of said four thruster units are enclosed inside a duct as such to create four individual ducted thruster units, a front ducted thruster unit, a rear ducted thruster unit, a left ducted thruster unit, and a right ducted thruster unit.

4. The vertical take-off and landing vehicle according to claim 3, wherein each of the four ducted thruster units are comprised of two counter-rotating propellers, and a means of transmitting power from said power source to said propellers.

5. The vertical take-off and landing vehicle according to claim 3, wherein said ducted thruster units are connected to said fuselage by means of a hollow pivot shaft located as such:

the front ducted thruster unit hollow pivot shaft is located to the rear of the ducted thruster unit in relation to said fuselage, the rear ducted thruster unit hollow pivot shaft is located to the front of the ducted thruster unit in relation to the fuselage, the left ducted thruster unit hollow pivot shaft is located to the right of the ducted thruster unit in relation to the fuselage, and the right ducted thruster unit hollow pivot shaft is located to the left of the ducted thruster unit in relation to the fuselage.

6. A vertical take-off and landing vehicle according to claim 3, wherein a means of maintaining position of said ducted thruster units around said fuselage is achieved.

7. The vertical take-off and landing vehicle according to claim 3, wherein said ducted thruster units are rotatable as such:

said front ducted thruster unit is rotatable on its axis perpendicular to said fuselage, said rear ducted thruster unit is rotatable on its axis perpendicular to said fuselage, said right ducted thruster unit is rotatable on its axis parallel to said fuselage, and said left ducted thruster unit is rotatable on its axis parallel to said fuselage.

8. The vertical take-off and landing vehicle according to claim 7, wherein a means of providing rotation of said ducted thruster units is provided.

9. The vertical take-off and landing vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said fuselage contains a passenger compartment or a passenger mount for at least one person.