Aircraft with pivotable wing and arrestable propellers

• US 4,923,144 A
• Filed: 09/03/1987
• Issued: 05/08/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Karl Eickmann
• Original Assignee: Karl Eickmann
• Inventors: Eickmann, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Barefoot, Galen
• Application Number:
  US07/092,823
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 244/6, 244/7 R, 244/7 B, 244/7 C, 244/17.23, 244/8, 244/48
• US Class Current: 244/7.00R
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/0033 the propellers being tiltable relative to the fuselage

Abstract

The invention provides an aircraft with propellers with vertical and horizontal axes in combination with pivotable wing portions. At vertical take off and landing the propellers with vertical axes bear the craft while the wing portions are set with their chord parallel to the airstreams through the lifting propellers. When the aircraft flies forward with enough speed, driven by the propeller(s) with the horizontal axis (axes), the lift propellers are set to rest parallel to the forward flight direction of the craft while the wing portions then pivot under the airflow over them into a horizontal position with their chords, at which they are prevented from further pivoting by stoppers in order that the wing portions then carry the craft at the forward flight. The actions of the lift propellers and the wing portions can be effected by power division means between the propellers with vertical and horizontal axes with the result that the wing portions adjust their positions automatically according to the flight behavior of the craft.

Claims

1. An aircraft for vertical and horizontal movement through air,

comprising, in combination,

a body substantially symmetrically arranged about a medial longitudinal vertical plane with therefrom laterally extending holding arrangements with one of the arrangements extending to the left and the other to the right of said body, at least one power plant, transmission means between said power plant and propellers which are provided on said aircraft, directional control means for the control of the attitudes of the craft in the air, at least four propellers with substantially vertical axes at least one propeller with a substantial horizontal axis,

and an improvement which includes at least one wing portion on each of said holding arrangements, forward and rearward from said holding arrangement extending propeller holding arms, propellers with substantial vertical axes provided on the tips of said arms, transmission means between said propellers of said arms and said power plant, a power supply means to said propeller with said substantial horizontal axis, pivot means including stopper means for the provision of a possibility to said wing portions for pivotal movement from a substantial vertical chord to a substantial horizontal chord, and vice versa,

means to revolve and to stop said propellers with substantial vertical axes for setting them to rest with their longitudinal extensions in the direction of movement of said craft at horizontal forward flight, and said transmission including rotary angular velocity equalization means for said propellers with said substantial vertical axes.

2. The aircraft of claim 1,

wherein said four propellers with said substantially vertical axes are two-bladed propellers with from their centers in opposed directions extending propeller-blades,

wherein said holding arrangement extends about a laterally extending axis which extends in perpendicular directions through said medial vertical plane of said body,

wherein said propeller holding arms are provided between the right and left- tips of said holding arrangement but medialwardly distanced from said left- and right- tips.

wherein the axes of said forward and rearward extending holding arms of said to the right from said body extending holding arrangement form a first single axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of said body, while the axes of said forward and rearward extending holding arms of said to the left of said body extending holding arrangement form a second single axis parallel to said longitudinal axis of said body with said first and second single axes symmetrically located respective to said medial longitudinal vertical plane of said body and,

wherein the axes of said propeller blades extend parallel to said first and second single axes when said four propellers are stopped.

3. The aircraft of claim 2,

wherein said means to stop said propellers are provided on said propeller holding arms.

4. The aircraft of claim 3,

wherein said means to stop said propellers are provided with arresting portions which are extendable from said propeller holding arms and retractable towards said propeller holding arms to arrest and to free said four propellers.

5. The aircraft of claim 2,

wherein said wing portions extend in lateral directions relative to said medial longitudinal vertical plane of said body beyond said propeller holding arms.

6. The aircraft of claim 2, p1 wherein said stopper means to stop said wing portions at the substantial horizontal direction of their chords are provided on said propeller holding arms to meet respective face portions of said wing portions at their situation of said substantially horizontally directed chords of said wing portions.

7. An aircraft, comprising, in combination,

a power plant and a transmission to transfer the power of said

power plant from said plant to a plurality of propellers,

at least one forward driving propeller with a substantially horizontal axis to drive said aircraft forward at substantially horizontal flight and at least two lifting propellers with substantially vertical axes provided laterally of the body of said aircraft with said lifting propellers provided for hovering as well as for vertical take off and landing,

wherein said lifting propellers with their substantially vertical axes consist of two from the medial portions of the propellers in opposed directions extending propeller blades with said lifting propellers provided with means to set them to rest with their longitudinal extensions parallel to the direction of the horizontal flight of said aircraft,

wherein holding means are provided to extend in both directions laterally from the body of said aircraft,

wherein wing portions are pivotally provided on said holding means with a pivotal movement enabling provision to let the chords of said wing portions set themselves substantially vertically at vertical take off, landing and hovering, while setting themselves substantially horizontally at forward flight of said aircraft to carry said aircraft at forward flight on said wing portions,

wherein said wing portions are provided with interior spaces which are boardered by interior annular bearing faces,

wherein said holding means are provided with cylindrical outer faces which meet said interior bearing faces of said wing portions,

wherein said bearing faces are capable of pivotal movement along said cylindrical outer faces,

wherein transmission portions extend through said holding means with said transmission portions being pipes which revolve around the axes of said cylindrical bearing faces,

wherein said transmission includes a rate of power adjustment device for the stepless control of the rates of power to said propellers for the variation of the portions of power to the driving propeller(s) relative to said lift propellers,

wherein pivotal movement stoppers are provided at fixed locations in said aircraft,

wherein said wing portions are provided with stopper faces to meet said stoppers when the force of airflow pivots said wing portions into their horizontally directed positions of their chords, and,

wherein retractable and extendible propeller stoppers are provided on said aircraft to meet, hold, and release a respective blade of a respective propeller of said lifting propellers.

8. An aircraft, comprising, in combination,

a power plant and a transmission to transfer the power of said

power plant from said plant to a plurality of propellers, at least one forward driving propeller with a substantially horizontal axis to drive said aircraft forward at substantially horizontal flight and at least two lifting propellers with substantially vertical axes provided laterally of the body of said aircraft with said lifting propellers provided for hovering as well as for vertical take off and landing,

wherein said lifting propellers with their substantially vertical axes consist of two from the medial portions of the propellers in opposed directions extending propeller blades with said lifting propellers provided with means to set them to rest with their longitudinal flight of said aircraft.

wherein holding means are provided to extend in both directions laterally from the body of said aircraft,

wherein wing portions are pivotably provided on said holding means with a pivotal movement enabling provision to let the chords of said wing portions set themselves substantially vertically at vertical take off, landing and hovering, while setting themselves substantially horizontally at forward flight of said aircraft to carry said aircraft at forward flight on said wing portions, and,

wherein said holding means includes three substantially parallel pipes fastened relative to each other at the tips of an imagined triangle and a medial pipe, which constitutes a portion of said transmission, is located in the middle of said three pipes and parallel thereto, while said medial pipe is borne in bearings to permit the revolution thereof relative to said three pipes.

9. The aircraft of claim 8,

wherein said pivotal movement enabling provision includes stoppers (72) on at least one of said pipes for the meeting of end faces of recesses (71) of said wing portions at said substantial horizontal and vertical directions of said chords of said wing portions.

10. An aircraft, comprising, in combination,

a power plant and a transmission to transfer the power of said

power plant from said plant to a plurality of propellers, at least one forward driving propeller with a substantially horizontal axis to drive said aircraft forward at substantially horizontal flight and at least two lifting propellers with substantially vertical axes provided laterally of the body of said aircraft with said lifting propellers provided for hovering as well as for vertical take off and landing,

wherein said lifting propellers with their substantially vertical axes consist of two from the medial portions of the propellers in opposed directions extending propeller blades with said lifting propellers provided with means to set them to rest with their longitudinal extensions parallel to the direction of the horizontal flight of said aircraft,

wherein holding means are provided to extend in both directions laterally from the body of said aircraft,

wherein wing portions are pivotably provided on said holding means with a pivotal movement enabling provision to let the chords of said wing portions set themselves substantially vertically at vertical take off, landing and hovering, while setting themselves substantially horizontally at forward flight of said aircraft to carry said aircraft at forward flight on said wing portions, and,

wherein said pivotal movement enabling provision includes stoppers on said holding means for meeting of end faces of recesses inside of said wing portions when said wing portions are pivoted into said substantial horizontal and vertical directions of said chords of said wing portions.