Aerodynamically stable, VTOL aircraft

• US 7,249,732 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2006
• Issued: 07/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: UFOZ LLC
• Original Assignee: UFOZ LLC
• Inventors: Sanders, John K. Jr., Aviles, Arturo Jr., Sanders, J. Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Collins; Timothy D.
• Application Number:
  US11/379,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20070034738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 244 121- 123, 244/17.19, 244/60, 244/23.R, 244/23.A, 244/23.B, 244/17.11, 310/46, 310 61- 63, 417/350, 417/420, 417/423.1, 417/423.7, 416/170
• US Class Current: 244/23.00A
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/12 Rotor drives
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/20 Vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft flying platforms B64U10/13; helicopters B64U10/17
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/65 Composite materials
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/31 for surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/24 Coaxial rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors

Abstract

A hover aircraft employs an air impeller engine having an air channel duct and a rotor with outer ends of its blades fixed to an annular impeller disk that is driven by magnetic induction elements arrayed in the air channel duct. The air-impeller engine is arranged vertically in the aircraft frame to provide vertical thrust for vertical takeoff and landing. Preferably, the air-impeller engine employs dual, coaxial, contra-rotating rotors for increased thrust and gyroscopic stability. An air vane assembly directs a portion of the air thrust output at a desired angle to provide a horizontal thrust component for flight maneuvering or translation movement. The aircraft can employ a single engine in an annular fuselage, two engines on a longitudinal fuselage chassis, three engines in a triangular arrangement for forward flight stability, or other multiple engine arrangements in a symmetric, balanced configuration. Other flight control mechanisms may be employed, including side winglets, an overhead wing, and/or air rudders or flaps. An integrated flight control system can be used to operate the various flight control mechanisms. Electric power is supplied to the magnetic induction drives by high-capacity lightweight batteries or fuel cells. The hover aircraft is especially well suited for applications requiring VTOL deployment, hover operation for quiet surveillance, maneuvering in close air spaces, and long duration flights for continuous surveillance of ground targets and important facilities requiring constant monitoring.

Claims

1. An aerodynamically stable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft comprising:

(a) a main fuselage body symmetrically balanced about a centerline axis in a main horizontal direction and adapted for VTOL flight while oriented substantially in a horizontal plane with respect to the ground;

(b) an air-impeller-rotor engine mounted in a forward position of said main fuselage body in symmetric relation to said centerline axis, said air-impeller-rotor engine being oriented substantially along a vertical axis normal to the horizontal plane and having dual impeller rotors which are mounted within a vertically-oriented air channel duct to impel air thrust in a substantially vertically downward direction for supplying vertical lift to the aircraft, and which are driven to rotate in opposite rotational directions so as to balance engine torque forces;

(c) at least one air-impeller-rotor engine mounted in a rearward position of said main fuselage body arranged in symmetric relation to said centerline axis and provided so as to balance engine torque forces, said at least one air-impeller-rotor engine being oriented substantially along a vertical axis normal to the horizontal plane and having a rotor which is mounted within a vertically-oriented air channel duct to impel air thrust in a substantially vertically downward direction for supplying vertical lift to the aircraft, and

(d) said at least one rearward air-impeller-rotor engine having an air directing assembly for directing at least a part of the impeller thrust flow of air from the 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.

2. An aerodynamically stable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft according to claim 1, wherein said forward air-impeller-rotor engine is a single engine, and said at least one rearward air-impeller-rotor engine is a single engine having dual impeller rotors which are mounted within a vertically-oriented air channel duct to impel air thrust in a substantially vertically downward direction for supplying vertical lift to the aircraft, and which are driven to rotate in opposite rotational directions so as to balance engine torque forces.

3. An aerodynamically stable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft according to claim 1, wherein said forward air-impeller-rotor engine is a single engine, and said at least one rearward air-impeller-rotor engine comprises a pair of air-impeller-rotor engines spaced apart and symmetrically positioned on opposite sides of said centerline axis in a horizontal direction transverse to the main horizontal direction.

4. An aerodynamically stable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft according to claim 3, wherein said pair of rearward impeller-rotor engines are mounted on an overhead wing above the main fuselage body on opposite transverse sides thereof extending in the transverse horizontal direction.

5. An aerodynamically stable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft according to claim 3, wherein each one of said pair of rearward air-impeller-rotor engines is provided with an air directing assembly for directing at least a part of the impeller thrust flow of air from the engine in a desired angular direction with respect to the horizontal plane to generate a horizontal thrust component on each transverse side of the main fuselage body complementary to the other transverse side for maneuvering or translation movement of the aircraft.

6. An aerodynamically stable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft according to claim 1, wherein said forward air-impeller-rotor engine comprises a pair of air-impeller-rotor engines spaced apart and symmetrically positioned on opposite sides of said centerline axis in a horizontal direction transverse to the main horizontal direction, and said at least one rearward air-impeller-rotor engine comprises a pair of air-impeller-rotor engines spaced apart and symmetrically positioned on opposite sides of said centerline axis in a horizontal direction transverse to the main horizontal direction.

7. An aerodynamically stable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft according to claim 6, wherein said at least one rearward air-impeller-rotor engine further comprises a third rearward air-impeller-rotor engine positioned at a rearmost position on said centerline axis for a five-engine configuration.

8. An aerodynamically stable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft according to claim 7, wherein said three rearward impeller-rotor engines are mounted on an overhead wing above the main fuselage body with a pair of engines positioned on opposite transverse sides thereof extending in the transverse horizontal direction and the third engine positioned on the centerline axis.

9. An aerodynamically stable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft according to claim 6, wherein said forward air-impeller-rotor engine further comprises a third forward air-impeller-rotor engine positioned at a foremost position on said centerline axis, and wherein said at least one rearward air-impeller-rotor engine further comprises a third rearward air-impeller-rotor engine positioned at a rearmost position on said centerline axis for a six-engine configuration.

10. An aerodynamically stable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft according to claim 9, wherein said three rearward impeller-rotor engines are mounted on an overhead wing above the main fuselage body with a pair of engines positioned on opposite transverse sides thereof extending in the transverse horizontal direction and the third engine positioned on the centerline axis.

11. An aerodynamically stable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft according to claim 1, wherein said main fuselage body is provided with a pair of lateral wings extending in the transverse horizontal direction on opposite sides of the centerline axis.

12. An aerodynamically stable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft according to claim 11, wherein said pair of lateral wings are provided with respective adjustable flaps for controlling flight stability.

13. An aerodynamically stable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft comprising:

(a) a main fuselage body symmetrically balanced about a centerline axis in a main horizontal direction and adapted for VTOL flight while oriented substantially in a horizontal plane with respect to the ground;

(b) an air-impeller-rotor engine mounted in a forward position of said main fuselage body in symmetric relation to said centerline axis, said air-impeller-rotor engine being oriented substantially along a vertical axis normal to the horizontal plane and having dual impeller rotors which are mounted within a vertically-oriented air channel duct to impel air thrust in a substantially vertically downward direction for supplying vertical lift to the aircraft, and which are driven to rotate in opposite rotational directions so as to balance engine torque forces;

(c) at least one air-impeller-rotor engine mounted in a rearward position of said main fuselage body arranged in symmetric relation to said centerline axis and provided so as to balance engine torque forces, said at least one air-impeller-rotor engine being oriented substantially along a vertical axis normal to the horizontal plane and having a rotor which is mounted within a vertically-oriented air channel duct to impel air thrust in a substantially vertically downward direction for supplying vertical lift to the aircraft, and

(d) said at least one rearward air-impeller-rotor engine having an air directing assembly for directing at least a part of the impeller thrust flow of air from the 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 impeller rotor is formed with impeller blades having inner ends fixed to a central hub and outer ends fixed to an annular impeller disk rotatable about a rotational axis substantially aligned with the vertical axis to propel a downward vertical flow of air to provide vertical lift to the aircraft, and a magnetic induction drive for driving the impeller rotor substantially friction-free within the air channel duct.

14. An aerodynamically stable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft according to claim 13, wherein said magnetic induction drive is 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 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 wherein said annular impeller disk is formed as a hollow annular channel containing pitch change mounting means therein coupled to the outer ends of the rotor blades for varying the pitch of the rotor blades and providing gyroscopic stability via rotation of the annularly-positioned weight thereof.

15. An aerodynamically stable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft according to claim 13, wherein said magnetic induction drive is powered by electric power provided by fuel cells carried on said main fuselage body.

16. An aerodynamically stable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft according to claim 13, wherein said magnetic induction drive is powered by electric power stored in batteries carried on said main body.

17. An aerodynamically stable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft according to claim 13, wherein said magnetic induction drive is powered by electric power provided by lightweight batteries which are recharged by fuel cells carried on said main fuselage body.