Aircraft

• US 7,364,114 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aloys Wobben
• Original Assignee: Aloys Wobben
• Inventors: Wobben, Aloys
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, TIEN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US10/934,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20050061910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 244/23.R, 244/17.11, 244/17.23, 244/12.1, 244/12.3, 244/12.2, 244/23.B, 244/54, 446 36- 38
• US Class Current: 244/12.3
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/20 Rotorcraft characterised by having shrouded rotors, e.g. flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/00 Aircraft capable of landing or taking-off vertically, e.g. vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft rotorcraft B64C27/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/022 Tethered aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/16 with five or more distinct rotor axes, e.g. octocopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/60 Tethered aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• 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 50/23 with each propulsion means having an individual motor
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 19/00 Hoisting, lifting, hauling or pushing, not otherwise provided for

Abstract

The present invention concerns an aircraft having a plurality of lifting and thrust rotors, with an electric motor and an inverter for each motor. In order to provide an aircraft having a greater payload, connecting bars are provided between the motors. In that respect the invention is based on the realization that, if such connecting bars are arranged in the manner of a latticework, they can provide a light but nonetheless stable structure for the aircraft, and that structure can carry correspondingly greater loads.

Claims

1. An aircraft to carry loads, comprising:

a plurality of lifting rotors and a plurality of thrust rotors;

a plurality of electric motors, each motor associated with one of the rotors;

a plurality of inverters, each inverter associated to one of the electric motors, to individually control each electric motor;

an electric motor-operated cable winch to raise or lower external loads that can be carried by the aircraft;

at least one connecting bar provided between at least two of the electric motors;

a lifting cable attachable to an external load, wherein the external load is a component of a building; and

a spring leg to resiliently mount a support plate to an end of each electric motor respectively associated with each lifting rotor, said support plate being remote from a shaft that connects each electric motor to their associated lifting rotor, wherein when said aircraft lands, said support plate is adapted to come into ground contact and the electric motor having said support plate resiliently mounted thereto moves downwardly against pressure of said spring leg, so as to prevent a housing of said electrical motor from being exposed to ground contact.

2. The aircraft according to claim 1, further comprising at least one trailing cable permanently coupled to a ground and coupled to the aircraft to supply power to the aircraft from the ground.

3. The aircraft according to claim 1, further comprising a wired remote control system.

4. The aircraft according to claim 1, further comprising two remote control systems which can act alternately on the aircraft.

5. The aircraft according to claim 1, further comprising a control device for automatic control of flight attitude.

6. The aircraft according to claim 5, further comprising additional connecting bars between at least two electric motors and the control device.

7. The aircraft according to claim 5, further comprising a GPS system to provide data to the control device to cause the aircraft to head for a predeterminable position.

8. The aircraft according to claim 5 wherein the control device is arranged beneath a plane in which said at least one connecting bar extend between the electric motors.

9. The aircraft according to claim 1 wherein each motor and inverter form a structural combination.

10. The aircraft according to claim 1 wherein said at least one connecting bar is hollow, the aircraft further comprising wires arranged in an interior of the hollow connecting bar to provide electrical power to said electrical motors.

11. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein said at least one connecting bar is fixedly but releasably connected between the electric motors.

12. The aircraft according to claim 1, further comprising an energy storage device arranged on the aircraft.

13. The aircraft according to claim 1 wherein said at least one connecting bar comprises a plurality of connecting bars, and wherein the aircraft has a chassis which is constructed substantially from said hollow connecting bars.

14. The aircraft according to claim 1 wherein the lifting rotors are substantially double-blade rotors.

15. The aircraft according to claim 1, further comprising a wireless remote control system.

16. The aircraft according to claim 1, further comprising two remote control systems which can act simultaneously on the aircraft.

17. The aircraft according to claim 1, further comprising a control device for automatic control of flight height.

18. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the at least one connecting bar composes a plurality of connecting bars that together form a generally triangular shape.

19. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the building is wind power installation.

20. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein the at least one connecting bar comprises a plurality of connecting bars positioned along a periphery of the aircraft to form a polygonal shape.

21. The aircraft of claim 1 wherein each of said lifting rotors provides more power than each one of said thrust rotors.

22. An aircraft, comprising:

a frame having connecting bars;

a plurality of electric motors coupled to said connecting bars of the frame;

at least one lifting rotor mechanically linked to one of the plurality of electric motors;

a plurality of inverters each associated to one of the electric motors to individually control each electric motor;

at least one thrusting rotor mechanically linked to one of the plurality of electric motors;

a lifting cable attachable to a load, wherein the load is a component of a building; and

a spring leg to resiliently mount a support plate to an end of each electric motor respectively associated with each lifting rotor, said support plate being remote from a shaft that connects each electric motor to their associated lifting rotor, wherein when said aircraft lands, said support plate is adapted to come into ground contact and the electric motor having said support plate resiliently mounted thereto moves downwardly against pressure of said spring leg, so as to prevent a housing of said electrical motor from being exposed to ground contact.

23. The aircraft of claim 22 wherein the cable is mechanically linked to one of the plurality of electric motors to raise and lower the load.

24. The aircraft of claim 22, further comprising a power cable, that can be coupled to a power supply on a ground and to the aircraft, to provide electrical power to the aircraft from the power supply on the ground rather than from an energy storage device carried on the aircraft, if the power cable is coupled to the power supply, the energy storage device carried in the aircraft being capable to provide electrical power to the aircraft if the power cable is decoupled from the power supply, wherein said electrical power provided to the aircraft is carried by wires arranged inside at least one of said connecting bars, which is hollow.

25. The aircraft of claim 22, further comprising one or more control systems to position the aircraft.

26. The aircraft of claim 25 wherein said one of the one or more control systems is wirelessly connected to an input device to send commands to the one of the one or more control systems.

27. The aircraft of claim 25 wherein said one of the one or more control systems comprises a computing system capable of autonomously positioning the aircraft.

28. The aircraft of claim 25, further comprising a Global Positioning System capable of providing data to said one of the one or more control systems.

29. The aircraft of claim 22 wherein said frame having connecting bars comprises a frame constructed substantially from hollow ones of said connecting bars, said hollow connecting bars being fixedly but releasably coupled to said electric motors.

30. The aircraft of claim 29 wherein at least one of the lifting rotor and the plurality of thrusting rotors is connected to the frame.

31. The aircraft of claim 22 wherein the one or more of said plurality of thrusting motors rotates substantially in a vertical plane.

32. The aircraft of claim 22 wherein the frame having the connecting bars together form a generally triangular shape.

33. The aircraft of claim 22 wherein the building is a wind power installation.

34. The aircraft of claim 22 wherein the connecting bars are positioned along a periphery of the frame to form a polygonal shape.

35. The aircraft of claim 22 wherein said at least one lifting rotor provides more power than said at least one thrusting rotor.