Convertible compounded rotorcraft
First Claim
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1. A compound rotorcraft comprising:
- a rotary wing aircraft comprising a fuselage and at least one rotor; and
a fixed-wing aircraft releasably coupled to an underside of said fuselage of said rotary wing aircraft, said fixed-wing aircraft comprising;
a center body;
a left wing extending outwardly from said center body;
a right wing extending outwardly from said center body away from said left wing;
a left proprotor mounted on said left wing; and
a right proprotor mounted on said right wing,wherein said left wing and said right wing are rotatably attached to said center body and translatable between a generally horizontal position and a generally vertical position,wherein said fixed-win aircraft augments vertical flight of said rotary wing aircraft when said left wing and said right wing are in said vertical position, andwherein said fixed-wing aircraft augments horizontal flight of said rotary wing aircraft when said left wing and said right wing are in said horizontal position.
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Abstract
A compound rotorcraft including a rotary wing aircraft having a fuselage and at least one rotor and a fixed-wing aircraft coupled to the rotary wing aircraft, wherein the rotary wing aircraft can fly on the rotor or the fixed-wing aircraft, and wherein the fixed-wing aircraft is detachable from the rotary wing aircraft to fly independently.
116 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A compound rotorcraft comprising:
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a rotary wing aircraft comprising a fuselage and at least one rotor; and a fixed-wing aircraft releasably coupled to an underside of said fuselage of said rotary wing aircraft, said fixed-wing aircraft comprising; a center body; a left wing extending outwardly from said center body; a right wing extending outwardly from said center body away from said left wing; a left proprotor mounted on said left wing; and a right proprotor mounted on said right wing, wherein said left wing and said right wing are rotatably attached to said center body and translatable between a generally horizontal position and a generally vertical position, wherein said fixed-win aircraft augments vertical flight of said rotary wing aircraft when said left wing and said right wing are in said vertical position, and wherein said fixed-wing aircraft augments horizontal flight of said rotary wing aircraft when said left wing and said right wing are in said horizontal position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A compound rotorcraft comprising:
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a fixed-wing aircraft comprising a wing and a propulsion drive, said fixed-wing aircraft being configured to be coupled to a rotary wing aircraft, said rotary wing aircraft initially having a fuselage and at least one rotor, said fixed-wing aircraft comprising; a center body; a left wing extending outwardly from said center body; a right wing extending outwardly from said center body away from said left wing; a left proprotor mounted on said left wing; and a right proprotor mounted on said right wing, wherein said left wing and said right wing are rotatably attached to said center body and translatable between a generally horizontal position and a generally vertical position, wherein said fixed-wing aircraft augments vertical flight of said rotary wing aircraft when said left wing and said right wing are in said vertical position, and wherein said fixed-wing aircraft augments horizontal flight of said rotary wing aircraft when said left wing and said right wing are in said horizontal position, wherein said rotary wing aircraft can fly on said rotor of said rotary wing aircraft or said propulsion drive of said fixed-wing aircraft, and wherein said fixed-wing aircraft is detachable from said rotary wing aircraft to fly independently of said rotary wing aircraft. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. A method of compounding a rotary wing aircraft comprising a fuselage, at least one rotor, and a docking bay disposed on an underside of said fuselage, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a fixed-wing aircraft comprising; a center body; a left wing extending outwardly from said center body; a right wing extending outwardly from said center body away from said left wing; a left proprotor mounted on said left wing; and a right proprotor mounted on said right wing, wherein said left wing and said right wing are rotatably attached to said center body and translatable between a generally horizontal position and a generally vertical position; and releasably coupling said fixed-wing aircraft to said docking bay of said rotary wing aircraft to form a compound aerial platform, wherein said rotary wing aircraft can fly on said rotor of said rotary wing aircraft or said propulsion drive of said fixed-wing aircraft, wherein said fixed-wing aircraft augments vertical flight of said rotary wing aircraft when said left wing and said right wing are in said vertical position, wherein said fixed-wing aircraft augments horizontal flight of said rotary wing aircraft when said left wing and said right wing are in said horizontal position, and wherein said fixed-wing aircraft is detachable from said rotary wing aircraft to fly independently.
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Specification