Flying vehicle

• US 8,827,200 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Radu, Bogdan
• Original Assignee: Radu, Bogdan
• Inventors: Radu, Bogdan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Badawi, Medhat
• Application Number:
  US13/618,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20130068876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 244/2, 244/12.4, 244/23.A, 244/23.B, 244/55, 244/56
• US Class Current: 244/2
• CPC Class Codes: B60F 5/02 convertible into aircraft

Abstract

A vehicle has a roadable configuration similar to an automobile in which multiple rotors are stowed within the vehicle, and a flying configuration in which the rotors are deployed from the vehicle, allowing it to fly like a VTOL/STOL aircraft or a helicopter.

Claims

1. A flying vehicle having a flying configuration and a road configuration, said vehicle comprising

a body having the shape of an automobile or amphibious vehicle, said body defining a passenger compartment,

at least one powered wheel for propelling the vehicle on land in said road configuration,

at least two pairs of rotors for providing lift and propulsion to the vehicle in said flying configuration,

said body further comprising a pair of side storage compartments, each of said storage compartments being adapted to house a pair of rotors when the rotors are not in operation,

wherein each of the rotors can be moved between a stowed position inside a respective storage compartment and a deployed position outside said respective storage compartment,

wherein when the rotors are in their stowed position, the rotors are in a vertical orientation, one pair of the rotors being stowed within each compartment, with one of the rotors behind the other in the lateral direction of the flying vehicle, and

a pair of side doors hinged to body, said side doors being movable between an open door position permitting movement of the rotors between said stowed and deployed positions, a closed door position covering said compartments when the rotors are either stowed or deployed.

2. The flying vehicle of claim 1, further comprising an electromechanical system for opening and closing said side doors.

3. The flying vehicle of claim 1, further comprising an electromechanical system for moving each of the rotors between said stowed position and said deployed position.

4. The flying vehicle of claim 1, wherein each of said rotors can be rotated about an axis, transverse to an axis of rotation of the rotor, from a lift configuration to a thrust configuration, and further comprising an electromechanical system for moving each of the rotors from said lift configuration to said thrust configuration.

5. The flying vehicle of claim 1, wherein each of said rotors comprises at least one rotor blade having a fixed or adjustable blade pitch.

6. The flying vehicle of claim 1, further comprising an emergency parachute which may be deployed for emergency landing.

7. The flying vehicle of claim 1, wherein said body has a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis extending between opposed side rotors, and each rotor has a rotational axis, each rotor being configured to tilt relative to said transverse axis.

8. The flying vehicle of claim 1, further comprising at least two arms connected to said vehicle body, each arm including an outer part connected to a respective rotor and an inner part connected to the body, wherein each outer part can be rotated relative to a corresponding inner part to tilt its rotor independently of other rotors about a second transverse axis of the inner part.

9. The flying vehicle of claim 1, further comprising at least two hinged arms connecting the body to each respective rotor, whereby each rotor'"'"'s axis can be vertically aligned relative to the ground and at non-vertical angles.

10. The flying vehicle of claim 1, wherein each of said motors is driven by an independently controllable motor.

11. The flying vehicle of claim 1, further comprising side rotors powered by electric motors from a battery or a generator driven by a combustion engine or having a connection coupling the combustion engine to said rotors or powered by air motors driven by compressed air.

12. The flying vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a steering mechanism for controlling flying direction by adjusting the speed, orientation, or blade pitch of the rotors.

13. The flying vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a speed control system, said control mechanism being adapted to vary the pitch of the rotor blades and the speed of the rotors.

14. The flying vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a power unit for driving said at least one powered wheel, said power unit being selected from the group consisting of:

a) a combustion engine driving the powered wheel through a mechanical drive train,

b) at least one electric motor connected to the powered wheel, and

c) at least one air motor connected to the powered wheel.

15. The flying vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a power unit for driving the rotors during flight of the vehicle, said power unit being selected from the group consisting of:

a) a combustion engine driving the rotors through a mechanical drive train,

b) at least one electric motor connected to the rotors, and

c) at least one air motor connected to the rotors.

16. The flying vehicle of claim 1, further comprising an air compressor and jet nozzles connected to said compressor, said nozzles being disposed on both sides of the vehicle so as to produce lateral movement of the vehicle.

17. The flying vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a stabilizing and navigational system comprising a computing processor, an altimeter, motion detectors, a gyroscope, and a Global Positioning System.

18. The flying vehicle of claim 1, further comprising radar and motion sensors situated inside and outside of the said vehicle body for the stabilization and navigation system, to provide 360 degree coverage and detect the presence of a nearby object that might present a threat to the vehicle.