Vertical take-off and landing aircraft

• US 6,293,491 B1
• Filed: 06/16/1999
• Issued: 09/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aloys Wobben
• Original Assignee: Aloys Wobben
• Inventors: Wobben, Aloys
• Primary Examiner(s): Barefoot, Galen L.
• Application Number:
  US09/334,696
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 244/26, 244/17.11, 244/17.23, 244/23.R, 244/23.A, 244/60, 244/55
• US Class Current: 244/17.23
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/00 Rotorcraft; Rotors peculiar thereto
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/00 Aircraft capable of landing or taking-off vertically, e.g. vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft rotorcraft B64C27/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/0025 the propellers being fixed relative to the fuselage
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 31/00 Aircraft intended to be sustained without power plant; Powered hang-glider-type aircraft; Microlight-type aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/24 using steam or spring force jet aircraft B64D27/16
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

The invention concerns a vertical take-off and landing aircraft (10) with a plurality of lift (26a-26p) and thrust rotors (20a,20b), in which all rotors have their own electric motor (48a-48p,50a,50b) as a drive.

Claims

1. A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft comprising a plurality of lift and thrust rotors each with its own respective electric motor as a drive wherein each electric motor has its own respective frequency converter connected upstream thereof and wherein the frequency converters are connected to dc systems for supplying power to the frequency converters which are supplied by a respective internal combustion engine with a generator and can be connected together.

2. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 1, wherein the generators are polyphase generators each of which has a rectifier on an output side of the generator.

3. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 1, wherein each lift rotor is a single blade rotor.

4. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 1, wherein at least four of the lift rotors are pivotable about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft.

5. A vertical take-off and landing aircraft comprising:

at least one internal combustion engine;

at least one polyphase electric current generator driven by each internal combustion engine;

at least one rectifier connected to each polyphase current generator for converting the polyphase current to direct current;

at least one direct current power distribution network, wherein the network receives current from the rectifier for distribution;

a plurality of single blade lift rotors and multi-blade thrust rotors;

one electric motor directly coupled to each of the lift and thrust rotors;

one frequency converter directly coupled to each electric motor, wherein each frequency converter controls the speed of its respective motor; and

the direct current power distribution networks supplying current to each electric motor via the frequency converters.

6. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 5, wherein at least four of the lift rotors are pivotable about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft.

7. A vertical take-off and landing aircraft comprising:

two direct current power sources, each source comprising;

an internal combustion engine;

a polyphase current generator driven by the internal combustion engine;

a rectifier connected to the generator for converting polyphase current to direct current;

two direct current distribution networks, each network receiving power from one of the direct current power sources;

the distribution networks being switchable between the power sources, wherein if one power source fails both distribution networks may be driven by the remaining power source;

each distribution network driving a plurality of electric motors, via frequency converters;

each electric motor being directly coupled to a rotor.

8. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 7, wherein each rotor is selected from the group consisting of lift and thrust rotors.

9. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 7, wherein each lift rotor is a single blade rotor.

10. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 7, wherein each thrust rotor is a multi-blade rotor.

11. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 7, wherein at least four of the lift rotors are pivotable about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft.