Vehicles particularly useful as VTOL vehicles
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A vehicle, comprising:
- a fuselage having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis;
at least one lift-producing propeller carried by said fuselage on each side of said transverse axis;
a pilot'"'"'s compartment formed in said fuselage between said lift-producing propellers and substantially aligned with said longitudinal axis;
and a pair of payload bays formed in said fuselage between said lift-producing propellers and on opposite sides of said pilot'"'"'s compartment, wherein the cover of each of said payload bays is pivotally mounted to the fuselage alone an axis parallel to said longitudinal axis of the fuselage at the bottom of the respective payload bay, such that when the cover is pivoted to said open position it serves as a support for supporting the payload or a part thereof in the respective payload bay.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle including a fuselage, at least one lift-producing propeller carried by the fuselage on each side of its transverse axis a pilot'"'"'s compartment formed in the fuselage between the lift-producing propellers and substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis, and a pair of payload bays formed in the fuselage between the lift-producing propellers and on opposite sides of the pilot'"'"'s compartment. Many variations are described enabling the vehicle to be used not only as a VTOL vehicle, but also as a multi-function utility vehicle for performing many diverse functions including hovercraft and ATV functions.
107 Citations
16 Claims
-
1. A vehicle, comprising:
-
a fuselage having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis;
at least one lift-producing propeller carried by said fuselage on each side of said transverse axis;
a pilot'"'"'s compartment formed in said fuselage between said lift-producing propellers and substantially aligned with said longitudinal axis;
and a pair of payload bays formed in said fuselage between said lift-producing propellers and on opposite sides of said pilot'"'"'s compartment, wherein the cover of each of said payload bays is pivotally mounted to the fuselage alone an axis parallel to said longitudinal axis of the fuselage at the bottom of the respective payload bay, such that when the cover is pivoted to said open position it serves as a support for supporting the payload or a part thereof in the respective payload bay. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16)
-
-
15. A vehicle, comprising:
-
a fuselage having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis;
at least one lift-producing propeller carried by said fuselage on each side of said transverse axis;
a pilot'"'"'s compartment formed in said fuselage between said lift-producing propellers and substantially aligned with said longitudinal axis;
and a pair of payload bays formed in said fuselage between said lift-producing propellers and on opposite sides of said pilot'"'"'s compartment, wherein the vehicle is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle, and wherein said VTOL vehicle includes a pair of stub wings each pivotally mounted under one of said payload bays to a retracted, stored position, and to an extended, deployed position for enhancing lift.
-
Specification