Hover delivery of cabin payload in tilt-rotor and tilt-wing aircraft

• US 8,366,049 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2009
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abe Karem
• Original Assignee: Abe Karem
• Inventors: Karem, Abe
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P
• Application Number:
  US12/576,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20100171001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 244/137.1, 244/118.1, 244/137.4, 294/82.26
• US Class Current: 244/137.1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/0033 the propellers being tiltable relative to the fuselage
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/08 the articles being load-carrying devices
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/10 Stowage arrangements for the devices in aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0858 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft

Abstract

A payload or cargo is delivered from a cargo hold of an aircraft during flight, by orienting the fuselage into a nose-up and tail-down position of at least 30 degrees off horizontal, and lowering the cargo from a cargo hold in the fuselage by means of one or more lines. Preferred vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft include tilt-rotor or tilt-wing aircraft, and especially preferred aircraft are capable of generating control moments with their rotors to assist in orientating the fuselage of the aircraft into a nose-up and tail-down position.

Claims

1. A method of delivering an item of cargo from a cargo hold of an aircraft during flight, comprising:

orienting the aircraft into nose-up and tail-down position at least 30°

off horizontal;

lowering the cargo from the cargo hold using a line; and

uncoupling the line, wherein the aircraft is a tilt rotor aircraft having an airframe and first and second rotors, each having an axis of rotation, further comprising the step of operating a control interface that assists in tilting the airframe while the rotor axes of rotation remain within 15 degrees of vertical.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of orienting comprises pointing the nose to within 15°

of vertical.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of orienting comprises pointing the nose in a range from 45°

to 100°

nose up.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft is a VTOL aircraft.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft is a tilt-rotor aircraft.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft is a tilt-wing aircraft.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting the aircraft from a wing-borne flight mode to a rotor-borne flight mode.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing the step of orienting after beginning conversion of the aircraft from a wing-borne flight mode to a rotor-borne flight mode.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing the step of orienting after completion of conversion of the aircraft from a wing-borne flight mode to a rotor-borne flight mode.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a guide that biases the cargo against a floor of the cargo hold.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a guide that biases the cargo away from a wall of the cargo hold.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing an at least partially automatic control to execute the step of orienting.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the cargo has a wheels-down or track-down configuration, and further comprising operating a second line to help position the cargo in the wheels-down or track-down configuration.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of using a horizontal movement of the aircraft to help position the cargo in the wheels-down or track-down configuration.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of an operator trying to maintain a position of the aircraft stationary with respect a loading zone during the step of lowering the cargo.