×

Quiet vertical takeoff and landing aircraft using ducted, magnetic induction air-impeller rotors

  • US 7,032,861 B2
  • Filed: 01/22/2004
  • Issued: 04/25/2006
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2002
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
Patent Images

1. A vertical take-off and landing aircraft, comprising:

  • (a) a main body adapted for flight while oriented substantially in a horizontal plane;

    (b) at least one air impeller engine mounted in said main body oriented substantially along a vertical axis normal to the horizontal plane having an impeller rotor mounted within an air channel duct or shroud formed in said main body of said aircraft, said impeller rotor being formed with impeller blades with inner ends fixed to a central hub and outer ends fixed to an annular impeller disk rotatable about a rotational axis aligned with the vertical axis to propel a downward flow of air to provide vertical lift to the aircraft and a magnetic bearing system for suspending the impeller rotor substantially friction-free within the air channel duct or shroud;

    (c) a magnetic induction drive formed by one array of magnetic induction elements arranged circumferentially on the annular impeller disk of said impeller rotor and another array of magnetic induction elements arranged on a wall of said air channel duct or shroud facing opposite the array on the annular impeller disk across a small air gap therebetween for driving the impeller disk in rotation by magnetic induction; and

    (d) an air directing assembly for directing at least a part of the thrust flow of air from the air impeller engine in a desired angular direction with respect to the horizontal plane to generate a horizontal thrust component for maneuvering or translation movement of the aircraft,wherein said air directing assembly is an air vane assembly mounted below said air impeller engine having one or more rotatable vanes in a parallel array mounted to a rotatable support ring, a first actuator means for rotating the vanes at a selected deflection angle on an axis in the horizontal plane, and a second actuator means for rotating the support ring on the vertical axis, for directing the thrust flow of air in a desired angular direction.

View all claims
  • 0 Assignments
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×