Personal hoverplane with four tiltmotors

• US 6,655,631 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2002
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: John Frederick Austen-Brown
• Original Assignee: John Frederick Austen-Brown
• Inventors: Austen-Brown, John Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): Barefoot, Galen L.
• Application Number:
  US10/201,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20030094537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: 244/12.4, 244/12.3, 244/23.D, 244/7.R, 244/17.23, 244/56, 244/66, 244/6
• US Class Current: 244/12.4
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/28 with forward-propulsion propellers pivotable to act as lifting rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/0033 the propellers being tiltable relative to the fuselage
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 25/00 Emergency apparatus or devices, not otherwise provided for parachutes B64D17/00, B64D19/00; jettisoning of fuel tanks or fuel per se B64D37/00; specially adapted for protection against criminal attack, e.g. anti-hijacking systems B64D45/0015 ; safety belts or body harnesses in general A62B35/00; safety belts or body harnesses for land vehicles B60R22/00; jettisonable parts of fuselage facilitating emergency escape B64C
• 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

A vertical take-off and landing aircraft having a wing fitted, in the preferred embodiment, with two nacelles one port and one starboard, each nacelle having two tiltmotors in tandem, one forward and one aft of the wing. A conventional rudder and high set tailplane is fitted or, in another embodiment forward canards or in yet another embodiment the aircraft is a flying wing.

Forward tiltmotors can be tilted up past the vertical and the aft pusher tiltmotors can be tilted down past the vertical so that the aircraft can maintain a steep descent with the propeller discs horizontal and a low angle of attack of the wing.

Each engine is fitted with a two bladed variable pitch propeller that feathers to stop vertically, other embodiments have cyclic pitch propellers. The tiltmotors, have a sideways cant in the tilted positions to reduce engine side loads in translation.

All the tiltmotors are equipped with emergency electric motors that can be used to shift the center of lift in hover and assist in gust control.

A small wing is provided with very large flaps that are moved in synchronization with the tiltmotors to allow a clear downdraft and also act as a dive brake.

A tricycle undercarriage has long nacelle legs to provide ground clearance for the aft propellers and is equipped with side-load sensors for weathercock control.

An auto-pilot controls all phases of flight and has a manual back-up control system.

Special programs control weathercock effects on landing and take-off, and operation of the emergency electric motors.

Claims

1. A VTOL tiltmotor aircraft, comprising a fuselage having a forward cockpit set directly in front of a shoulder mounted wing, a conventional rearward tail with fin and rudder and having a high set tailplane and elevators, large flaps mounted on said wing usable as dive brakes and having means to effect their deployment in synchronization with motor tilt, two nacelles mounted on said wing, one to port and the other to starboard each with a forward motor tiltable up beyond the vertical through an arc greater than ninety degrees and an aft motor tiltable downward beyond the vertical through an arc greater than ninety degrees such as to permit a nose down flight attitude with propeller discs horizontal, an electric motor fitted to each engine to provide emergency power with means to unfeather said propellers and disengage them via a clutch mechanism from any failed engine as emergency power is applied, and means under autopilot or manual control to maintain the center of lift, said propellers being variable pitch fully feathering and thrust reversing and having means for their control and means to stop with blades vertical when feathered in horizontal or translational flight.

2. An aircraft as defined in claim 1, having long rear landing gear legs with means for their extension and retraction into said nacelles providing ground clearance for the said propellers and a retractable steerable nosewheel, all with provision for flotation equipment and having means to detect weathercock forces and allow or direct the aircraft to swing automatically into wind while on the ground using asymmetric tilt or power or steering, and having the tilt axes of the said engines inclined about the fore and aft axis of said nacelles providing sideways tilt of the said propellers to reduce uneven wear and hub loads in loiter or transitional flight.

3. An aircraft as defined in claim 1 or 2, in which the said propellers have their pitch automatically set as the tilt angle of the said motors are varied, by means of offset arms or cams secured to the nacelle, which arms or cams drive a control linkage system to the pitch changing mechanism.

4. An aircraft as defined in any of claims 1 or 2, in which a manually operated tilt and yaw system for hover and translational flight has a cockpit control lever mounted on a swinging platform, which is connected by linkages to the flaps and tiltmotors such that their angles of deflection are synchronized, equipped with means to lock the lever, flaps and tiltmotors in their selected position upon release, and having a rudder bar type control with limited action connected to the said swinging platform in order to effect asymmetric tilt of said motors and provide yaw control of the aircraft.

5. An aircraft as defined in any of claims 1 or 2, having a low cost manual throttle system that simplifies control of the throttles for attitude changes in transitional flight and hover, by use of an articulated master throttle linked to the engine throttles so that the upper section controls fore and aft attitude, sideways movement controls lateral bank attitude and movement of the lower section increases power simultaneously to all of the said engines for altitude changes.

6. An aircraft as defined in any of claims 1 or 2, of tailless design having zero or low twist forward propellers with means to feather and stop horizontally and act as canards in level flight controlling climb or dive by changing motor tilt to alter the canard incidence, or turn port or starboard by using assymetric motor tilt, and having optional electric forward primary engines.

7. An aircraft as defined in any of claims 1 or 2 having cyclic pitch propellers and six axis inertia sensors at or near each engine trunnion support with means to apply for tiltmotor control, flight control, and external force reaction control for both full size and miniaturised versions.

8. An aircraft as defined in any of claims 1 or 2 having a fixed undercarriage or skids.

9. An aircraft as defined in any of claims 1 or 2 having a remotely operable refuelling probe, sampling probe, tranquilizer dart gun or other such projectile device and means for its manipulation and operation, and having a remote camera aiming system with means for either cockpit or remote operation.

10. An aircraft as defined in any of claims 1 or 2 having slipstream deflectors under the nacelles with means for their action in combination with a master throttle or hovering controls, to provide lateral displacements of the aircraft in hover.

11. An aircraft as defined in any of claims 1 or 2 having drag flaps attached to the nacelles in order to balance aerodynamic tilt forces.

12. An aircraft as defined in any of claims 1 or 2 having a moveable trunnion mount for the engines operated by a cam so that the thrust line is changed, and having the cam operating lever connected to the tilt control column so that offset thrust is applied to assist motor tilt.