Multi-rotor vehicle with yaw control and autorotation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10315759-B2
Application number	US-201615089576-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 3, 2016
Priority date	Apr 4, 2015
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

A vehicle with superior performance and reliability. The vehicle, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle, is capable of vertical takeoff and landing, uses three swashless, variable-pitch vertical lift main rotors with a yaw tail rotor system. Two rear main rotors are optionally tiltrotors, which pivot to increase forward speed without the increased coefficient of drag inherent in tilting the entire vehicle. The three main rotors are positioned in an equilateral triangular configuration, improving balance, increasing load-bearing strength, and making it more compact in size. Movements are controlled through changes in pitch of the rotors, allowing the motors to maintain constant governed rotations per minute, maximizing drivetrain efficiency. Various embodiments allow for smaller vehicle size with greater performance than prior art vehicles.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. A passenger vehicle comprising:
a fuselage having a front portion and a rear portion;
a main rotor system connected to the fuselage, wherein the main rotor system further comprises a front independent rotor system disposed on the front portion of the fuselage and a first and second rear independent rotor systems disposed on the rear portion of the fuselage, wherein each of the independent rotors systems are positioned on the fuselage in a fixed equilateral triangular configuration and wherein each of the independent rotor systems comprises a swashless variable pitch rotor and a variable speed motor; and
a yaw rotor system disposed on a distal end of an elongated yaw arm wherein the yaw arm is connected to the rear portion of the fuselage at a proximal end such that the yaw rotor system is in a fixed position distal to each of the first and second rear independent rotor systems and wherein the yaw rotor system comprises a swashless variable pitch rotor and a variable speed motor.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the first and second rear independent rotor systems are tiltrotor systems.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each of the independent rotor systems of the main rotor system comprises an actuator for controlling the pitch of the variable pitch rotor.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each of the independent rotor systems of the main rotor system comprises multiple actuators for controlling the pitch of each of the associated variable pitch rotors.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each of the independent rotor systems of the main rotor system further comprises an autorotation hub.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each of the independent rotor systems of the main rotor system comprises a gear, where the variable speed motor associated with each of the independent rotor systems drives the gear, where the gear in turn drives the variable pitch rotor.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each of the independent rotor systems of the main rotor system further comprises an autorotation hub and a gear, where the variable speed motor associated with each of the independent rotor systems drives the gear, where the gear in turn drives the autorotation hub, which in turn drives the variable pitch rotor.

8. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each of the independent rotor systems of the main rotor system is one-hundred twenty degrees away from the other two independent rotor systems of the main rotor system.

9. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the yaw rotor system provides rotational control over the vehicle.

10. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the variable pitch rotor of each of the independent rotor systems of the main rotor system comprises a pitch slider.

11. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each of the independent rotor systems of the main rotor system comprises multiple actuators, wherein the variable pitch rotor of each rotor system of the main rotor system comprises a pitch slider, where each actuator drives the pitch slider of its respective rotor system of the main rotor system.

12. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the rotors of each of the first and second rear independent rotor systems rotate in counter directions to each other.

13. An unmanned aerial system comprising:
a fuselage having a front portion and a rear portion;
a main rotor system connected to the fuselage, wherein the main rotor system further comprises a front independent rotor system disposed on the front portion of the fuselage and a first and second rear independent rotor systems disposed on the rear portion of the fuselage, wherein each of the independent rotors systems are positioned on the in a fixed equilateral triangular configuration and wherein each of the independent rotor systems comprises a swashless variable pitch rotor, multiple actuators, a variable speed motor and an autorotation hub
wherein the multiple actuators control the pitch of the variable pitch rotor; and
a yaw rotor system disposed on a distal end of an elongated yaw arm wherein the yaw arm is connected to the rear portion of the fuselage at a proximal end such that the yaw rotor system is in a fixed position distal to each of the first and second rear independent rotor systems and wherein the yaw rotor system comprises a swashless variable pitch rotor and a variable speed motor.

14. The unmanned aerial system of claim 13 , wherein the first and second rear independent rotor systems of the main rotor system are tiltrotor systems.

15. The unmanned aerial system of claim 13 , wherein each of the independent rotor systems of the main rotor system further comprises a gear, where the associated variable speed motor drives the gear, where the gear in turn drives the autorotation hub, which in turn drives the associated variable pitch rotor.

16. The unmanned aerial system of claim 13 , wherein each of the independent rotor systems of the main rotor system is one-hundred twenty degrees away from the other two independent rotor systems of the main rotorsystem.

17. The unmanned aerial system of claim 13 , wherein the yaw rotor system provides rotational control over the unmanned aerial system.

18. The unmanned aerial system of claim 13 , wherein the variable pitch rotor of each of the independent rotor systems of the main rotor system comprises a pitch slider, where the multiple actuators drive the pitch slider to control the pitch of the variable pitch rotor.

19. The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the rotors of each of the first and second rear independent rotor systems rotate in counter directions to each other.

Assignees

• California Inst Of Techn

Inventors

• Nemovi Reza
• Bartlett Robert

Classifications

• B64C2027/8254

  Shrouded tail rotors, e.g. "Fenestron" fans · CPC title

• B64C27/68

  using electrical energy, e.g. having electrical power amplification · CPC title

• B64C27/28

  with forward-propulsion propellers pivotable to act as lifting rotors · CPC title

• B64C27/14

  Direct drive between power plant and rotor hub · CPC title

• B64C2027/8209

  Electrically driven tail rotors · CPC title