Aircraft having a Fault Tolerant Distributed Propulsion System
First Claim
1. An aircraft comprising:
- a flying frame including an airframe;
a distributed propulsion system attached to the airframe, the distributed propulsion system including a plurality of propulsion assemblies; and
a flight control system operably associated with the distributed propulsion system, wherein, the flying frame has a vertical takeoff and landing mode and a forward flight mode;
wherein, the flight control system is operable to independently control the propulsion assemblies; and
wherein, the flight control system is operable to detect faults in individual propulsion assemblies and to perform corrective action responsive to detected faults at a distributed propulsion system level.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In some embodiment, an aircraft includes a flying frame having an airframe, a distributed propulsion system attached to the airframe, the distributed propulsion system including a plurality of propulsion assemblies and a flight control system operably associated with the distributed propulsion system. The flying frame has a vertical takeoff and landing mode and a forward flight mode. The flight control system is operable to independently control the propulsion assemblies. The flight control system is also operable to detect faults in individual propulsion assemblies and to perform corrective action responsive to detected faults at a distributed propulsion system level.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An aircraft comprising:
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a flying frame including an airframe; a distributed propulsion system attached to the airframe, the distributed propulsion system including a plurality of propulsion assemblies; and a flight control system operably associated with the distributed propulsion system, wherein, the flying frame has a vertical takeoff and landing mode and a forward flight mode; wherein, the flight control system is operable to independently control the propulsion assemblies; and wherein, the flight control system is operable to detect faults in individual propulsion assemblies and to perform corrective action responsive to detected faults at a distributed propulsion system level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An aircraft comprising:
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a flying frame including an airframe; a distributed propulsion system attached to the airframe, the distributed propulsion system including a plurality of propulsion assemblies; a triply redundant flight control system operably associated with the distributed propulsion system; and a passenger pod assembly selectively attachable to the flying frame, wherein, the flying frame has a vertical takeoff and landing mode and a forward flight mode; wherein, the flight control system is operable to independently control the propulsion assemblies; and wherein, the flight control system is operable to detect faults in individual propulsion assemblies and to perform corrective action responsive to detected faults at a distributed propulsion system level.
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Specification