Electric tiltrotor aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10974827-B2
Application number	US-201916409653-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2019
Priority date	May 10, 2018
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

An aircraft including an airframe and a plurality of propulsion assemblies coupled to the airframe, wherein each propulsion assembly includes an electric motor, a propeller coupled to the electric motor, and a tilt mechanism that connects the propulsion assembly to the airframe and transforms the propulsion assembly between a forward configuration and a hover configuration; wherein the plurality of propulsion assemblies is transformable between a forward arrangement and a hover arrangement, wherein each of the plurality of propulsion assemblies is in the forward configuration in the forward arrangement, wherein each of the plurality of propulsion assemblies is in the hover configuration in the hover arrangement, wherein the spacing between at least two of the propellers of the plurality of propulsion assemblies changes between the forward arrangement and the hover arrangement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aircraft comprising:
an airframe comprising a forward-swept left wing, a forward-swept right wing, a fuselage, and an empennage, wherein the airframe defines a yaw axis, a pitch axis, and a roll axis;
a plurality of propulsion assemblies coupled to the airframe, wherein each propulsion assembly comprises:
an electric motor,
a propeller coupled to the electric motor, wherein the propeller defines a disc area, a hub at a center of the disc area, and a disc plane containing the disc area, and
a tilt mechanism that connects the propulsion assembly to the airframe and transforms the propulsion assembly between a forward configuration and a hover configuration, wherein the disc plane is perpendicular to the roll axis in the forward configuration, and wherein the disc plane is perpendicular to the yaw axis in the hover configuration;

wherein the plurality of propulsion assemblies comprises:
a left outboard propulsion assembly coupled to the left wing,
a left inboard propulsion assembly coupled to the left wing between the left outboard propulsion assembly and the fuselage,
a right outboard propulsion assembly coupled to the right wing,
a right inboard propulsion assembly coupled to the right wing between the right outboard propulsion assembly and the fuselage,
a left rear propulsion assembly coupled to a left side of the empennage, and
a right rear propulsion assembly coupled to a right side of the empennage;

a left inboard pylon extending forward from the left wing and coupled to the left inboard propulsion assembly; and
a right inboard pylon extending forward from the right wing and coupled to the right inboard propulsion assembly;
wherein the plurality of propulsion assemblies is transformable between a forward arrangement and a hover arrangement, wherein each of the plurality of propulsion assemblies is powered in the forward configuration in the forward arrangement, wherein each of the plurality of propulsion assemblies is powered in the hover configuration in the hover arrangement, wherein the hub of the left inboard propulsion assembly is separated from the hub of the left outboard propulsion assembly by a first distance in the forward arrangement, and wherein the hub of the left inboard propulsion assembly is separated from the hub of the left outboard propulsion assembly by a second distance greater than the first distance in the hover arrangement;
wherein, in the forward arrangement, the disc areas of the left inboard propulsion assembly and the right inboard propulsion assembly are contained by a first plane, the disc areas of the left outboard propulsion assembly and the right outboard propulsion assembly are contained by a second plane displaced rearward along the roll axis from the first plane, and the disc areas of the left rear propulsion assembly and the right rear propulsion assembly are contained by a third plane displaced rearward along the roll axis from the second plane.

2. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the electric motor comprises a stator and a rotor, and wherein a portion of the propeller comprises the rotor of the electric motor.

3. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the tilt mechanism of the left inboard propulsion assembly and the right inboard propulsion assembly each comprise a linkage that displaces the electric motor and propeller away from the left wing and the right wing, respectively, in the hover configuration.

4. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the tilt mechanism of the left outboard propulsion assembly and the right outboard propulsion assembly each comprise a pivot that rotates the left outboard propulsion assembly and the right outboard propulsion assembly, respectively, between the forward configuration and the hover configuration.

5. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the tilt mechanism of the left rear propulsion assembly and the right rear propulsion assembly each comprise a pivot that rotates the left rear propulsion assembly and the right rear propulsion assembly, respectively, between the forward configuration and the hover configuration.

6. The aircraft of claim 5 , wherein the empennage comprises a forward-swept vee-tail, and wherein the left rear propulsion assembly is coupled to a forward-most region of a left side of the forward-swept vee-tail and the right rear propulsion assembly is coupled to a forward-most region of a right side of the forward-swept vee-tail.

7. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein in the hover arrangement, at least three propulsion assemblies are arranged on each side of the roll axis and at least two propulsion assemblies are arranged on each side of the pitch axis.

8. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein each propeller of the plurality of propulsion assemblies is unenclosed.

9. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein, in the hover arrangement, the disc areas of the left inboard propulsion assembly and the right inboard propulsion assembly are contained by a first plane, the disc areas of the left outboard propulsion assembly and the right outboard propulsion assembly are contained by a second plane displaced upward along the yaw axis from the first plane, and the disc areas of the left rear propulsion assembly and the right rear propulsion assembly are contained by a third plane displaced upward along the yaw axis from the second plane.

10. An aircraft comprising:
an airframe comprising a left wing, a right wing, a fuselage, and an empennage comprising a vee-tail, wherein the airframe defines a yaw axis, a pitch axis, and a roll axis;
three or more propulsion assemblies coupled to the airframe, wherein each propulsion assembly comprises:
an electric motor,
a propeller coupled to the electric motor, wherein the propeller defines a disc area, a hub at a center of the disc area, and a disc plane containing the disc area, and
a tilt mechanism that connects the propulsion assembly to the airframe and transforms the propulsion assembly between a forward configuration and a hover configuration, wherein the tilt mechanism pivots the propulsion assembly relative to the wing, wherein the disc plane is perpendicular to the roll axis in the forward configuration, and wherein the disc plane is perpendicular to the yaw axis in the hover configuration;

wherein the three or more propulsion assemblies is transformable between a forward arrangement and a hover arrangement, wherein each of the three or more propulsion assemblies is powered in the forward configuration in the forward arrangement, wherein each of the three or more propulsion assemblies is powered in the hover configuration in the hover arrangement, wherein the spacing between at least two of the hubs of the three or more propulsion assemblies changes between the forward arrangement and the hover arrangement.

11. The aircraft of claim 10 , wherein the tilt mechanism of at least one of the three or more propulsion assemblies comprises a linkage that displaces the electric motor and propeller parallel to the roll axis in the hover configuration.

12. The aircraft of claim 10 , wherein the vee-tail is swept forward.

13. The aircraft of claim 10 , wherein each propeller of the three or more propulsion assemblies comprises a set of propeller blades attached to the hub by a variable pitch linkage that rotates each propeller blade about a long axis of the propeller blade and constrains propeller blade motion normal to the disc plane.

14. The aircraft of claim 10 , wherein the three or more propulsion assemblies comprise: a left inboard propulsion assembly and a right inboard propulsion assembly, wherein the disc planes of the left inboard propulsion assembly and the right inboard propulsion assemb

Assignees

• Joby Aero Inc

Inventors

• Bevirt Joeben
• Stilson Edward
• Stoll Alex
• Mikic Gregor Veble

Classifications

• B64D27/34

  All-electric aircraft · CPC title

• B64D27/31

  within, or attached to, wings · CPC title

• B64C27/28

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

• B64C11/46

  Arrangements of, or constructional features peculiar to, multiple propellers {(B64C11/306 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B64C29/0033 Primary

  the propellers being tiltable relative to the fuselage · CPC title