Articulated electric propulsion system with fully stowing blades and lightweight vertical take-off and landing aircraft using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10315760-B2
Application number	US-201514660838-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2015
Priority date	Mar 18, 2014
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

An aerial vehicle adapted for vertical takeoff and landing using pivoting thrust producing elements for takeoff and landing. An aerial vehicle which is adapted to takeoff with thrust units providing vertical thrust and then transitioning to a horizontal flight path. An aerial vehicle with pivoting thrust units with propellers, wherein some or all of the propellers are able to be stowed and fully nested during forward flight.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A stowable propeller system, said stowable propeller system comprising:
a central hub, said central hub comprising a first rotation axis;
a drive motor, said drive motor rigidly coupled to said central hub;
a plurality of propeller blades, said plurality of propeller blades pivotally attached to said central hub; and
a nacelle body, said nacelle body comprising recesses in its outer surface when said propeller blades are in a deployed position,

wherein said propeller blades are adapted to stow into said recesses in the outer surface of the nacelle body, said blades when stowed comprising all or most of the effective wetted area of portions of the nacelle.

2. The stowable propeller system of claim 1 wherein said stowable propeller system further comprises a first principal axis along its center, and wherein said propeller blades are adapted to pivot from a stowed position in the recesses of the nacelle body to a deployed position to a deployed position substantially perpendicular to said first rotation axis.

3. The stowable propeller system of claim 2 further comprising a rotary positional sensor adapted to sense the rotary position of said propeller blades relative to said nacelle body.

4. The stowable propeller system of claim 2 further comprising a stowing mechanism, said stowing mechanism adapted to stow said propeller blades into said recesses in the outer surface of the nacelle body.

5. The stowable propeller system of claim 3 further comprising a stowing mechanism, said stowing mechanism adapted to stow said propeller blades into said recesses in the outer surface of the nacelle body.

6. The stowable propeller system of claim 4 further comprising a spring system adapted to deploy the propeller blades from their stowed position.

7. The stowable propeller system of claim 5 further comprising a spring system adapted to deploy the propeller blades from their stowed position.

8. The stowable propeller system of claim 1 further comprising a rotor deployment mechanism, said rotor deployment mechanism coupled to said central hub on a first end, said rotor deployment mechanism coupled to mounting points within said nacelle body on a second end, wherein said rotor deployment mechanism is adapted to deploy said central hub and said drive motor.

9. The stowable propeller system of claim 8 wherein said nacelle body comprises a first principal axis along its center, and wherein said rotor deployment mechanism comprises one or more linkage assemblies adapted to deploy said central hub and said drive motor from a first position wherein said first rotation axis and said first principal axis are parallel to a second position wherein said first rotation axis and said first principal axis are substantially perpendicular.

10. The stowable propeller system of claim 6 further comprising a rotor deployment mechanism, said rotor deployment mechanism coupled to said central hub on a first end, said rotor deployment mechanism coupled to mounting points within said nacelle body on a second end, wherein said rotor deployment mechanism is adapted to deploy said central hub and said drive motor.

11. The stowable propeller system of claim 10 wherein said nacelle body comprises a first principal axis along its center, and wherein said rotor deployment mechanism comprises one or more linkage assemblies adapted to deploy said central hub and said drive motor from a first position wherein said first rotation axis and said first principal axis are parallel to a second position wherein said first rotation axis and said first principal axis are substantially perpendicular.

12. The stowable propeller system of claim 8 wherein said nacelle body comprises a first principal axis along its center, and wherein said rotor deployment mechanism comprises one or more linkage assemblies adapted to deploy said central hub from a first position wherein said first rotation axis and said first principal axis are parallel to a second position wherein said first rotation axis and said first principal axis are perpendicular, and further wherein the deployment of the central hub deploys said central hub away from said main rotor mounting nacelle body, wherein the deployment of the central hub deploys said central hub away from said first principal axis.

13. The stowable propeller system of claim 10 wherein said nacelle body comprises a first principal axis along its center, and wherein said propeller deployment mechanism comprises one or more linkage assemblies adapted to deploy said central hub from a first position wherein said first rotation axis and said first principal axis are parallel to a second position wherein said first rotation axis and said first principal axis are perpendicular, and further wherein the deployment of the central hub deploys said central hub away from said nacelle body, wherein the deployment of the central hub deploys said central hub away from said first principal axis.

14. A stowable propeller system, said stowable propeller system comprising:
a first propeller portion, said first propeller portion comprising:
a central hub, said central hub comprising a first rotation axis;
a drive motor, said drive motor rigidly coupled to said central hub;
a first plurality of propeller blades, said first plurality of propeller blades pivotally attached to said central hub;
a main rotor mounting nacelle, said main rotor mounting nacelle comprising:
a first principal axis along the center of said main rotor mounting nacelle;
a hub support coupled to said central hub;
a nacelle body, said nacelle body comprising recesses in its outer surface when said first plurality of propeller blades are in a deployed position, wherein said first plurality of propeller blades are adapted to stow into said recesses in the outer surface of the nacelle body, said first plurality of propeller blades when stowed comprising all or most of the effective wetted area of portions of the nacelle, and

a second propeller portion, said second propeller portion comprising:
a second plurality of propeller blades, said second plurality of propeller blades coupled to said central hub.

15. The stowable propeller system of claim 14 wherein said first plurality of propeller blades are adapted to pivot from a stowed position in the recesses of the nacelle body to a deployed position to a deployed position substantially perpendicular to said first rotation axis.

16. The stowable propeller system of claim 15 further comprising a stowing mechanism, said stowing mechanism adapted to stow said first plurality of propeller blades into said recesses in the outer surface of the nacelle body.

17. The stowable propeller system of claim 1 wherein the blades of said plurality of propeller blades are forward swept blades.

18. The stowable propeller system of claim 8 wherein the blades of said plurality of propeller blades are forward swept blades.

19. The stowable propeller system of claim 12 wherein the blades of said plurality of propeller blades are forward swept blades.

20. The stowable propeller system of claim 14 wherein the blades of said first plurality of propeller blades are forward swept blades.

Assignees

• Joby Aviation Inc
• Joby Aero Inc

Inventors

• Bevirt Joeben
• Stoll Alex

Classifications

• B64C39/068

  having multiple wings joined at the tips · CPC title

• B64C29/0033 Primary

  the propellers being tiltable relative to the fuselage · CPC title

• B64C27/30

  with provision for reducing drag of inoperative rotor · CPC title

• B64C7/02

  Nacelles · CPC title

• B64C27/28

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