Three-wing, six tilt-propulsion unit, VTOL aircraft

• US 8,708,273 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2011
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oliver VTOL LLC
• Original Assignee: Oliver VTOL LLC
• Inventors: Oliver, Richard David
• Primary Examiner(s): Sanderson, Joseph W
• Application Number:
  US13/168,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20110303795A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 244/7.R, 244/7.C, 244/12.4, 244/12.5, 244/17.23, 244/17.25, 244/23.R, 244/23.B, 244/23.D, 244/65, 244/66, 416/131, 416/132.R, 416/141
• US Class Current: 244/12.4
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/0033 the propellers being tiltable relative to the fuselage
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/0075 the motors being tiltable relative to the fuselage
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/08 having multiple wings
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/06 within, or attached to, wings
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/12 within, or attached to, wings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction

Abstract

A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft having a fuselage with, preferably, three wings and six synchronously tilt-able propulsion units, each one mounted above, below, or on each half of the aforementioned three wings. The propulsion units are oriented vertically for vertical flight and horizontally for forward flight. Each propulsion unit comprises a propeller having a plurality of blades, where the pitch angle associated with the distal end of each blade and the proximal end of each blade are independently adjustable. As such, each of the propellers can be adjusted to exhibit a first blade pitch angle distribution optimized for vertical flight and a second blade pitch angle distribution optimized for forward flight.

Claims

1. A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft comprising:

a fuselage;

three wings attached to the fuselage;

six synchronously rotatable, thrust producing propulsion units located at approximately equal angular positions about a yaw axis of the aircraft;

wherein one propulsion unit is mounted above, below, or on each half of the three wings, and each propulsion unit is independent from the other propulsion units, and wherein each rotatable propulsion unit comprises a propeller and a propeller hub, and wherein each propeller comprises;

a plurality of blades, wherein each of the plurality of blades comprises a hole along a longitudinal axis of each blade; and

a plurality of rotatable rods, wherein each of the plurality of rods extends into the hole of a corresponding one of the plurality of blades, wherein a proximal end of each of the plurality of blades is enclosed in or adjacent to the propeller hub and rotatable around the corresponding one of the plurality of rotatable rods, and wherein a distal end of each of the plurality of rods is fixed to a distal end of the corresponding one of the plurality of blades.

2. The vertical takeoff and landing aircraft of claim 1, wherein each of the propulsion units further comprises:

a first actuator in mechanical communication with each of the plurality of rods, the first actuator configured to impart a rotational force on each of the plurality of rods; and

a second actuator in mechanical communication with each of the plurality of blades, the second actuator configured to impart a rotational force on the proximal end of each of the plurality of blades.

3. The vertical takeoff and landing aircraft of claim 2, wherein the first and second actuators are operationally independent of each other.

4. The vertical takeoff and landing aircraft of claim 3, wherein each of the rotatable propulsion units has a substantially vertical orientation for vertical flight and a substantially horizontal orientation for forward flight, and wherein the first and second actuators are configured to adjust each of the plurality of blades so that the blades exhibit a first pitch angle distribution optimized for vertical flight and a second pitch angle distribution optimized for forward flight.

5. The vertical takeoff and landing aircraft of claim 1, wherein the three wings include a front wing, a middle wing, and a rear wing, relative to the fuselage.

6. The vertical takeoff and landing aircraft of claim 1, wherein the proximal end of each of the plurality of blades comprises blade retention structures.

7. The vertical takeoff and landing aircraft of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of blades comprises carbon fiber composite material.