Ducted fan vehicles particularly useful as VTOL aircraft

• US 20090140102A1
• Filed: 08/22/2007
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Urban Aeronautics Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Urban Aeronautics Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoeli, Rafi
• Granted Patent: US 7,918,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/23.D
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/20 Rotorcraft characterised by having shrouded rotors, e.g. flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/0025 the propellers being fixed relative to the fuselage

Abstract

A vehicle, including a vehicle frame, a duct carried by the vehicle frame with the longitudinal axis of the duct perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame, a propeller rotatably mounted within the duct about the longitudinal axis of the duct to force an ambient fluid therethrough from its inlet at the upper end of the duct through its exit at the lower end of the duct, and thereby to produce an upward lift force applied to the vehicle, and a plurality of parallel, spaced vanes pivotally mounted to and across the inlet end of the duct about pivotal axes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the duct and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame, the vanes being selectively pivotal about their axes to produce a desired horizontal force component to the lift force applied to the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle frame;

a duct carried by said vehicle frame with the longitudinal axis of the duct perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame;

a propeller rotatably mounted within said duct about the longitudinal axis of the duct to force an ambient fluid therethrough from its inlet at the upper end of the duct through its exit at the lower end of the duct, and thereby to produce an upward lift force applied to the vehicle;

and a plurality of spaced vanes pivotally mounted to and across the inlet end of the duct about pivotal axes perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of the duct and selectively pivotal about their axes to produce a desired horizontal control force in addition to the lift force applied to the vehicle.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said vanes are substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said vanes have a symmetrical airfoil shape.

4. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said vanes are spaced from each other a distance approximately equal to the chord length of the vanes.

5. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein each of said vanes is pivotally mounted as a unit for the complete length of the vane to produce a desired side force component.

6. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein each of said vanes is split into two halves, each half of all the vanes being separately pivotal from the other half of all the vanes, whereby the force component to the lift force applied to the vehicle is a rotary moment force about the duct longitudinal axis.

7. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein each of said vanes is pivotally mounted about an axis passing through the vane.

8. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein each of said vanes includes a fixed section and a pivotal section pivotally mounted at the trailing side of the fixed section.

9. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said duct includes a second plurality of parallel, spaced vanes pivotally mounted to and across said inlet end of the duct about pivotal axes perpendicular to said pivotal axes of the first-mentioned plurality of vanes and perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of the duct.

10. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the pivotal axes of said second plurality of vanes are in a plane vertically spaced from the pivotal axes of said first-mentioned plurality of vanes.

11. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the pivotal axes of said second plurality of vanes are in a common plane with that of the pivotal axes of said first-mentioned plurality of vanes.

12. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said vanes include:

a first group of parallel vanes extending across one half of the inlet of said duct and pivotal about axes at a predetermined acute angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame;

and a second group of parallel vanes extending across the remaining half of the inlet end of said duct and pivotal about axes at said predetermined angle, but in the opposite direction, with respect to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame;

said first and second groups of vanes being selectively pivotal to produce a desired net control force in addition to the lift force applied to the vehicle.

13. The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein said predetermined angle is 45°

.

14. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said duct includes a second plurality of spaced vanes pivotally mounted to and across said exit end of the duct about pivotal axes perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of the duct and selectively pivotal about their axes to produce another desired side control force, or a rotary moment in addition to the lift force applied to the vehicle.

15. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said duct, propeller and plurality of vanes are carried by said vehicle at one end of the vehicle, and said vehicle includes a second duct, propeller and plurality of vanes at the opposite end of the vehicle.

16. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle carries the duct, propeller and plurality of vanes at the center of the vehicle.

17. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said vanes are pivotal no more than 15°

in either direction.

19. The VTOL air vehicle according to claim 15, wherein said vanes have a symmetrical airfoil shape and are spaced from each other a distance approximately equal to the chord length of the vanes.

18. A VTOL air vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle frame;

a duct carried by said vehicle frame with the longitudinal axis of the duct perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame;

a propeller rotatably mounted within said duct about the longitudinal axis of the duct to force air therethrough from its inlet at the upper end of the duct through its exit at the lower end of the duct, and thereby to produce an upward lift force applied to the vehicle;

and a plurality of parallel, spaced vanes pivotally mounted to and across the inlet end of the duct about pivotal axes perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of the duct and substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame, said vanes being selectively pivotal along their axes to produce a desired horizontal control force in addition to the lift force applied to the vehicle.

20. The VTOL air vehicle according to claim 18, wherein said duct includes a second plurality of parallel, spaced vanes pivotally mounted to and across said exit end of the duct about pivotal axes perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of the duct and substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame to thereby produce another desired side control force or a rotary moment in addition to the lift force applied to the vehicle.