SOLAR POWERED WING VEHICLE USING FLYWHEELS FOR ENERGY STORAGE
First Claim
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1. An aircraft comprising:
- a horizontally extending wing section;
a plurality of solar collecting cells disposed on at least a top surface of said horizontal extending wing section;
at least one motor electrically connected to said plurality of solar collecting cells and disposed within or on said horizontal extending wing section that is engaged onto a propeller that provides propulsion, andat least one motor/generator electrically connected to said plurality of solar collecting cells and coupled to at least one flywheel means for a function to store and discharge energy that provides said propulsion.
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Abstract
A solar powered air vehicle that can stay aloft for indefinite periods of time. The vehicle employs photovoltaic solar cells for primary power and high speed counter-rotating flywheels for energy storage and steering of the vehicle. The flywheels are placed in the wing to reduce airfoil drag. A control law provides three-axis stabilized control of the vehicle by controlling propeller pitch to vary the speeds of the flywheels.
32 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An aircraft comprising:
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a horizontally extending wing section; a plurality of solar collecting cells disposed on at least a top surface of said horizontal extending wing section; at least one motor electrically connected to said plurality of solar collecting cells and disposed within or on said horizontal extending wing section that is engaged onto a propeller that provides propulsion, and at least one motor/generator electrically connected to said plurality of solar collecting cells and coupled to at least one flywheel means for a function to store and discharge energy that provides said propulsion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification