Multicopter with wide span rotor configuration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10870485-B2
Application number	US-201816115427-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2018
Priority date	Aug 26, 2016
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

A multicopter aircraft with a wide span rotor configuration is disclosed. In various embodiments, a multicopter as disclosed herein includes a fuselage and a plurality of rotors. The plurality of rotors includes inner rotors and outer rotors, with the inner rotors being substantially surrounded by the outer rotors or the fuselage. The inner rotors and the outer rotors may be tilted based at least in part on their arrangement in relation to the fuselage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multicopter comprising:
a fuselage; and
a plurality of rotors,
wherein the plurality of rotors comprises inner rotors and outer rotors, and
wherein the inner rotors are substantially surrounded by one or more other rotors, the fuselage, or a combination of one or more other rotors and the fuselage,
wherein the plurality of rotors are arranged to provide an overall width to length ratio ranging from 1.7 to 3 for the multicopter, wherein a first flotation device is attached to a first side of the fuselage and a second flotation device is attached to a second side of the fuselage, wherein at least a first inner rotor is attached to the first flotation device and at least a second inner rotor is attached to the second flotation device, and wherein the inner rotors alone are used during lift off of the multicopter.

2. The multicopter of claim 1 , wherein the inner rotors are tilted.

3. The multicopter of claim 1 , comprising a wide span rotor configuration.

4. The multicopter of claim 1 , comprising ten rotors.

5. The multicopter of claim 4 , comprising three rotors adjacent to a side of the fuselage, two rotors adjacent to the three rotors, three rotors adjacent to an opposite side of the fuselage, and two rotors adjacent to the three rotors adjacent to the opposite side of the fuselage.

6. The multicopter of claim 4 , wherein the inner rotors comprise a middle rotor of the three rotors adjacent to the side of the fuselage and a middle rotor of the three rotors adjacent to the opposite side of the fuselage.

7. The multicopter of claim 1 , wherein the multicopter is optimized to fly over water.

8. The multicopter of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the outer rotors is attached to the first or second flotation devices.

9. The multicopter of claim 1 , wherein a corresponding height of the first and second flotation devices is greater than a corresponding width of the first and second flotation devices.

10. The multicopter of claim 1 , wherein the multicopter is able to be driven by the inner rotors.

11. The multicopter of claim 1 , wherein the inner rotors are tilted forwards.

12. The multicopter of claim 1 , wherein the inner rotors and the outer rotors rotate in differing planes.

13. The multicopter of claim 1 , wherein tips of the inner rotors and the outer rotors are overlapped.

14. The multicopter of claim 1 , wherein four rotors closest to a front of the multicopter are tilted backwards, four rotors adjacent to the four rotors closest to the front of the multicopter are tilted forwards, and two rotors closest to a back of the multicopter are tilted backwards.

15. The multicopter of claim 1 , wherein the fuselage comprises an enclosed cabin.

16. The multicopter of claim 1 , comprising a steering mechanism.

Assignees

• Kitty Hawk Corp

Inventors

• Reichert Todd
• Robertson Cameron

Classifications

• B64D27/34

  All-electric aircraft · CPC title

• B64C29/0025 Primary

  the propellers being fixed relative to the fuselage · CPC title

• Y02T50/60

  Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft · CPC title

• B64C35/00

  Flying-boats; Seaplanes · CPC title

• B64D27/24

  using steam or spring force (jet aircraft B64D27/16) · CPC title