Aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10752372-B2
Application number	US-201715607668-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2017
Priority date	Feb 22, 2012
Publication date	Aug 25, 2020
Grant date	Aug 25, 2020

Abstract

A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft ( 101 ) for transporting persons or loads, including a plurality of preferably equivalent and redundant electric motors ( 3 ) and propellers ( 2 ), substantially arranged in one surface, wherein each propeller is assigned an individual electric motor to drive the propeller, the aircraft being characterized in that at least one attitude sensor is provided for attitude control of the aircraft ( 101 ) in an active signal connection to at least one signal processing unit which is designed or set up to automatically perform the attitude control based on measurement data from the attitude sensor by regulating the speed of at least some of the electric motors ( 3 ), preferably with signal actions of the speed controller assigned to each electric motor such that the aircraft ( 101 ) is positioned in space with the surface defined by the propeller ( 2 ) substantially horizontal at all times, without control input by a pilot or a remote control.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vertical take-off and landing aircraft for transporting people or loads, comprising:
a plurality of electric motors and propellers arranged on a frame support structure, the electric motors driving the propellers,
at least one attitude sensor for attitude control of the aircraft is provided in active signal connection to at least one signal processing unit,
wherein said signal processing unit is configured to automatically perform attitude control based on measurement data of the attitude sensor by controlling a rotational speed of at least one of the electric motors so that the aircraft is always positioned essentially horizontally in space with a surface defined by the propellers without control inputs of a pilot or a remote controller,
wherein the frame structure is at least partially disassemblable into several modules, each module having three arms arranged in a Y-configuration with a propeller located at a distal end of each of the arms, and the aircraft is movable between an operation mode in which the several modules are assembled such that the propellers form a hexagonal arrangement and a transport mode in which the several modules are at least partially disassembled.

2. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the frame structure is at least partially disassemblable by hinges provided at module connection points.

3. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the frame structure is at least partially disassemblable by a connection mechanism, a pivoting mechanism, or a folding mechanism.

4. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the modules comprise a plurality of bars that form the arms that are connected by nodes.

5. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the modules comprise a plurality of beams that are disassemblable from a primary support structure of the aircraft.

6. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the modules comprise a plurality of beams that are horizontally pivotable relative to a primary support structure of the aircraft.

7. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the modules comprise a plurality of beams, each having an angled connection end, and the aircraft further includes a primary support structure with a plurality of receptacles in which the angled connection ends are received in order to allow horizontal pivoting of the beams.

8. The aircraft according to claim 7 , wherein the receptacles each include a tubular portion and a groove-shaped portion, the beams each include a first one of the arms extending from the angled connection end, and the angled connection end is inserted in the tubular portion and the first one of the arms rests in the groove-shaped portion.

9. The aircraft according to claim 8 , further comprising a cover element having a shape complementary to the first arms in the groove-shaped portions of the receptacles fixed over the first arms.

10. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the propellers are arranged in a double hexagonal arrangement with an open center over a cockpit area.

Assignees

• Volocopter Gmbh

Inventors

• Senkel Thomas
• Wolf Stephan
• Zosel Alexander

Classifications

• B64D31/06 Primary

  actuated automatically · CPC title

• B64D27/34

  All-electric aircraft · CPC title

• B64D27/31

  within, or attached to, wings · CPC title

• B64D31/16

  for electric power plants · CPC title

• B64C27/08 Primary

  with two or more rotors · CPC title