Aircraft having split wing and monoplane configurations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10864988-B2
Application number	US-201815957148-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2018
Priority date	Apr 19, 2018
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

An aircraft includes a fuselage coupled to a wing having a root section and first and second outboard sections each having first and second wing layers pivotably coupled to respective outboard ends of the root section. A thrust array is coupled to the wing. A power system is operably associated with the thrust array to provide power to each of a plurality of propulsion assemblies. A flight control system is operably associated with the thrust array and the wing. The flight control system is operable to control the thrust output from the propulsion assemblies and the configuration of the wing. In a thrust-borne vertical lift mode, the wing has a split wing configuration such that the thrust array forms a two dimensional thrust array. In the wing-borne forward flight mode, the wing has a monoplane configuration such that the thrust array forms a one dimensional thrust array.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aircraft having a thrust-borne vertical lift mode and a wing-borne forward flight mode, the aircraft comprising:
a fuselage;
a wing coupled to the fuselage, the wing having a root section with first and second outboard ends, a first outboard section having first and second wing layers pivotably coupled to the first outboard end of the root section and a second outboard section having first and second wing layers pivotably coupled to the second outboard end of the root section, the first wing layer of each outboard section including an inboard nacelle and an outboard nesting slot, the second wing layer of each outboard section including an outboard nacelle and an inboard nesting slot;
a thrust array coupled to the wing, the thrust array including an inboard propulsion assembly extending from each of the inboard nacelles and an outboard propulsion assembly extending from each of the outboard nacelles;
a power system operably associated with the thrust array and operable to provide power to each of the propulsion assemblies; and
a flight control system operably associated with the thrust array and the wing, the flight control system operable to control thrust output from each of the propulsion assemblies and operable to control wing configuration;
wherein, in the thrust-borne vertical lift mode, the wing has a split wing configuration with the wing layers of the first and second outboard sections separated such that the thrust array forms a two dimensional thrust array; and
wherein, in the wing-borne forward flight mode, the wing has a monoplane configuration with the first and second wing layers of the first outboard section forming upper and lower portions of the first outboard section of the wing and with the first and second wing layers of the second outboard section forming upper and lower portions of the second outboard section of the wing such that the thrust array forms a one dimensional thrust array with the inboard nacelles of the first wing layers respectively received within the inboard nesting slots of the second wing layers and the outboard nacelles of the second wing layers respectively received within the outboard nesting slots of the first wing layers.

2. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the thrust array further comprises at least four propulsion assemblies.

3. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, in the split wing configuration, the two dimensional thrust array further comprises a symmetric thrust array.

4. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, in the split wing configuration, the two dimensional thrust array further comprises an asymmetric thrust array.

5. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the propulsion assemblies further comprise variable pitch rotor blades operable to change thrust output responsive to changes in rotor blade pitch and changes in rotational speed.

6. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the propulsion assemblies further comprise fixed pitch rotor blades operable to change thrust output responsive to changes in rotational speed.

7. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the power system further comprises at least one internal combustion engine and a drive system coupling the at least one internal combustion engine with the plurality of propulsion assemblies.

8. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the power system further comprises at least one battery and a plurality of electric motors each of which is operably associated with at least one of the propulsion assemblies.

9. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the power system further comprises a hybrid power system including at least one internal combustion engine, at least one alternator driven by the at least one internal combustion engine and at least one battery charged by the at least one alternator.

10. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, in the thrust-borne vertical lift mode, the flight control system is operable to control pitch, roll and yaw responsive to differential thrust output from the propulsion assemblies of the thrust array.

11. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, in the wing-borne forward flight mode, the flight control system is operable to control yaw responsive to differential thrust output from the propulsion assemblies of the thrust array.

12. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the first outboard section of the wing further comprises a first aerosurface, wherein the second outboard section of the wing further comprises a second aerosurface and wherein, in the wing-borne forward flight mode, the flight control system is operable to control pitch and roll responsive to operation of the first and second aerosurfaces.

13. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, in the split wing configuration, minor angles between the first wing layers of the first and second outboard sections and the root section are less than minor angles between the second wing layers of the first and second outboard sections and the root section.

14. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, during transitions between the thrust-borne vertical lift mode and the wing-borne forward flight mode, the wing transitions between the split wing configuration and the monoplane configuration.

15. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein, prior to transitions from the wing-borne forward flight mode to the thrust-borne vertical lift mode, the wing transitions from the monoplane configuration to the split wing configuration.

16. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the root section of the wing further comprises a dihedral root section.

17. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the flight control system further comprises a remote controlled flight control system.

18. The aircraft as recited in claim 1 wherein the flight control system further comprises an autonomous flight control system.

19. A multi-aircraft system including at least first and second aircraft connectable wingtip-to-wingtip during flight, each aircraft having a thrust-borne vertical lift mode and a wing-borne forward flight mode and each aircraft comprising:
a fuselage;
a wing coupled to the fuselage, the wing having a root section with first and second outboard ends, a first outboard section having first and second wing layers pivotably coupled to the first outboard end of the root section and a second outboard section having first and second wing layers pivotably coupled to the second outboard end of the root section, the first wing layer of each outboard section including an inboard nacelle and an outboard nesting slot, the second wing layer of each outboard section including an outboard nacelle and an inboard nesting slot;
a thrust array coupled to the wing, the thrust array including an inboard propulsion assembly extending from each of the inboard nacelles and an outboard propulsion assembly extending from each of the outboard nacelles;
a power system operably associated with the thrust array and operable to provide power to each of the propulsion assemblies;
a female wingtip coupling assembly at the outboard end of the first outboard section;
a male wingtip coupling assembly at the outboard end of the second outboard section; and
a flight control system operably associated with the thrust array, the wing and the wingtip coupling assemblies, the flight control system operable to control thrust output from each of the propulsion assemblies, wing configuration and wingtip coupling;
wherein, in the thrust-borne vertical lift mode, the wing has a split wing configuration

Assignees

• Textron Innovations Inc

Inventors

• Gaffney Sean Robert
• Graham Jr Robert Rex

Classifications

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title

• B64U2201/10

  autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS] · CPC title

• B64U70/80

  Vertical take-off or landing, e.g. using rockets (rotorcrafts B64U10/10; VTOL aircraft B64U10/20) · CPC title

• B64U10/20

  Vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft (flying platforms B64U10/13; helicopters B64U10/17) · CPC title

• B64U30/16

  movable along the UAV body · CPC title