Aircraft for vertical take-off and landing

• US 9,714,090 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2016
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sunlight Aerospace Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sunlight Photonics Incorporated
• Inventors: Cyrus, Michael, Moussouris, John Peter, Frolov, Sergey V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sanderson, Joseph W
• Application Number:
  US15/252,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20160368600A1
• Time in Patent Office: 328 Days
• Field of Search: 415 91
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 2211/00 Modular constructions of airplanes or helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/0025 the propellers being fixed relative to the fuselage
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 37/02 Flying units formed by separate aircraft towing B64D3/00; aircraft transported by aircraft B64D5/00; air-refuelling B64D39/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/10 All-wing aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 9/00 Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like emergency equipment B64D17/00, B64D19/00, B64D25/00; structures integral with fuselage to facilitate loading, fuselage floors specially adapted for freight, steps mounted on and retractable within aircraft B64C; ground installations B64F
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/102 adapted for flying in formations
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/16 movable along the UAV body
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/40 Empennages, e.g. V-tails foldable or collapsible UAVs B64U20/50
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/13 using external fans or propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/80 Vertical take-off or landing, e.g. using rockets rotorcrafts B64U10/10; VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/87 using inflatable cushions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/005 by providing the operator with signals other than visual, e.g. acoustic, haptic
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0669 specially adapted for vertical take-off
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 : specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 : involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 : with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 : with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 : located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0065 : for taking-off
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 : specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 : Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 : Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 7/02 : Anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/10 : Drag reduction

Abstract

An aircraft for vertical take-off and landing includes an aircraft assembly which includes at least one first wing portion providing a lift force during a horizontal flight, at least one wing opening disposed on a vertical axis of the at least one first wing portion and at least one propeller-based thruster positioned inside the at least one wing opening to provide vertical thrust during a vertical flight. The aircraft assembly can further include air vents positioned inside at least one of the wing openings. The air vents can further include louvres positioned over or under the air vents to open and close the wing openings. The thruster can further be used to provide flight control for the aircraft.

Claims

1. An aircraft for vertical take-off and landing, comprising

at least one first wing portion providing a lift force during a horizontal flight;

at least one wing opening disposed on a vertical axis of the at least one first wing portion; and

at least one propeller-based thruster including a rim-mounted propeller having no central hub and positioned inside the at least one wing opening to provide vertical thrust during a vertical flight.

2. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising a horizontal propulsion system.

3. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the propeller-based thruster comprises counter-rotating coaxial propellers.

4. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the propeller is configured to auto-rotate and produce a lift force during horizontal flight.

5. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising air vents positioned inside at least one of the at least one wing opening.

6. The aircraft of claim 5, wherein the air vents comprise louvres positioned inside the at least one wing opening to close the opening during flight.

7. The aircraft of claim 6, wherein the closed area of the wing opening provides a lift force during horizontal flight.

8. The aircraft of claim 6, wherein the louvres in a closed position provide at least one surface that follows a shape of an airfoil of the at least one first wing portion.

9. The aircraft of claim 6, wherein the louvres in an open position provide an air passage for the at least one vertical thruster.

10. The aircraft of claim 1, comprising a modular fuselage, wherein the fuselage comprises at least one pod and wherein the pod is separable from the fuselage and is used to contain at least one of cargo and passengers.

11. The aircraft of claim 10, wherein the at least one pod comprises multiple pods.

12. The aircraft of claim 10, wherein the at least one pod comprises means for ground transportation.

13. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the at least one first wing portion comprises a foldable section and the foldable section can be folded to reduce wingspan.

14. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising a tail.

15. The aircraft of claim 14, wherein the tail comprises a foldable section and the foldable section can be folded to reduce a length of the aircraft.

16. The aircraft of claim 1, further comprising a second wing portion, wherein the second wing portion is offset from the at least one first wing portion in at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions.

17. The aircraft of claim 16, wherein an end of the first wing portion and an end of the second wing portion are connected.

18. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the at least one propeller-based thruster is mounted on a vertical propulsion frame.

19. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the at least one propeller-based thruster has the ability to provide control of at least one of pitch, roll and yaw during flight.

20. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the at least one wing opening comprises a plurality of wing openings and the at least one propeller-based thruster comprises a plurality of respective propeller-based thrusters positioned in the plurality of wing openings, wherein the respective propeller-based thrusters are individually controlled to provide control of at least one of pitch, roll and yaw for the aircraft.

21. The aircraft of claim 20, wherein a thrust of the respective propeller-based thrusters can be controlled individually.

22. The aircraft of claim 1, comprising at least one horizontal thruster positioned along a horizontal axis of the aircraft for providing horizontal thrust during flight.

23. The aircraft of claim 22, comprising a flight control system providing independent and synchronous flight control capabilities for the at least one propeller-based and the at least one horizontal thrusters.