Aerial vehicle with a flight module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11014663-B1
Application number	US-201816040919-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jul 20, 2018
Priority date	Oct 31, 2017
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

An aerial vehicle includes a body defining a stowage compartment, and a flight module supported by the body in the stowage compartment. The flight module includes rotors operable to generate aerodynamic force, and is reconfigurable between a stowage configuration and a flight configuration. In the stowage configuration, the flight module is housed by the stowage compartment, with each rotor tucked inboard the body in a stowage position. In the flight configuration, each rotor is perched outboard the body with a skyward-facing orientation in a flight position. Aerodynamic force generated by the rotors is thereby usable for flying through the air.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aerial vehicle, comprising:
a body defining a stowage compartment; and
a flight module supported by the body in the stowage compartment, the flight module including rotors, each rotor including elongate blades and operable to generate aerodynamic force by rotating the blades, and reconfigurable between a stowage configuration, in which the flight module is housed by the stowage compartment, with each rotor tucked inboard the body in a stowage position, and a flight configuration, in which each rotor is perched outboard and overhead the body with a skyward-facing orientation in a flight position, with aerodynamic force generated by the rotors by rotating their blades thereby usable for flying through the air.

2. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein in the flight configuration, aerodynamic force generated by the rotors by rotating their blades is usable for vertical takeoff and landing.

3. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein:
each rotor has a packaged configuration and an open configuration; and
in the stowage configuration, each rotor is in its packaged configuration, and in the flight configuration, each rotor is in its open configuration.

4. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:
a switching system mechanically connected with the flight module, the switching system operable to reconfigure the flight module between the stowage configuration and the flight configuration.

5. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein:
the body defines a hatch opening that opens from the stowage compartment, the hatch opening allowing clearance for reconfiguring the flight module between the stowage configuration and the flight configuration; and
the body includes a hatch, the hatch closable over the hatch opening when the flight module is in the stowage configuration.

6. The aerial vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the hatch is closable over the hatch opening when the flight module is in the flight configuration.

7. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:
a comparably sized exterior as a ground-only vehicle; and
a drivetrain with at least one wheel usable for driving along the ground with comparable driving dynamics as a ground-only vehicle.

8. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein:
in each rotor, the blades are unshrouded; and
in the stowage configuration, each rotor has the blades rotated into rotational alignment along an upright axis in its stowage position.

9. An aerial vehicle, comprising:
a body;
rotors, each rotor including elongate blades and operable to generate aerodynamic force by rotating the blades; and
a rotor frame mounted to the body and carrying the rotors relative to the body, the rotor frame reconfigurable between a collapsed configuration, in which the rotor frame congregates inboard the body, where the rotor frame serves as a stowage platform for the rotors, and retentively carries each rotor inboard the body in a stowage position, and an expanded configuration, in which the rotor frame reaches from the body to outboard the body, where the rotor frame serves as a flight platform for the rotors, and retentively carries each rotor outboard and overhead the body with a skyward-facing orientation in a flight position, with aerodynamic force generated by the rotors by rotating their blades thereby usable for flying through the air.

10. The aerial vehicle of claim 9 , wherein in the expanded configuration, aerodynamic force generated by the rotors by rotating their blades is usable for vertical takeoff and landing.

11. The aerial vehicle of claim 9 , further comprising:
a switching system mechanically connected with the rotor frame, the switching system operable to reconfigure the rotor frame between the collapsed configuration and the expanded configuration.

12. The aerial vehicle of claim 9 , wherein:
the body defines a stowage compartment;
the rotor frame is mounted to the body in the stowage compartment;
in the collapsed configuration, the rotor frame is housed by the stowage compartment, and each rotor is housed by the stowage compartment in its stowage position; and
in the expanded configuration, the rotor frame reaches from the body, beyond the stowage compartment, to outboard the body.

13. The aerial vehicle of claim 12 , wherein:
the body defines a passenger compartment and the stowage compartment rear of the passenger compartment, and has an upright side;
at the upright side, the body defines a door opening that opens from the passenger compartment and a hatch opening that opens from the stowage compartment, the door opening allowing ingress into and egress out of the passenger compartment, and the hatch opening allowing clearance for reconfiguring the rotor frame between the collapsed configuration and the expanded configuration; and
as part of the upright side, the body includes a door and a hatch, the door closable over the door opening, and the hatch closable over the hatch opening when the rotor frame is in the collapsed configuration.

14. The aerial vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the hatch is closable over the hatch opening when the rotor frame is in the expanded configuration.

15. The aerial vehicle of claim 9 , further comprising:
a comparably sized exterior as a ground-only vehicle; and
a drivetrain with at least one wheel usable for driving along the ground with comparable driving dynamics as a ground-only vehicle.

16. The aerial vehicle of claim 9 , wherein:
in each rotor, the blades are unshrouded; and
in the expanded configuration, the rotor frame retentively carries each rotor with the blades rotated into rotational alignment along an upright axis in its stowage position.

17. An aerial vehicle, comprising:
a body defining a passenger compartment and a stowage compartment rear of the passenger compartment;
a flight module, the flight module including:
rotors, each rotor including elongate blades, and reconfigurable between a packaged configuration and an open configuration in which the rotor is operable to generate aerodynamic force by rotating the blades; and
a rotor frame mounted to the body in the stowage compartment and carrying the rotors relative to the body, the rotor frame reconfigurable between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration; wherein
the flight module is reconfigurable between a stowage configuration, in which each rotor is in its packaged configuration, and the rotor frame is in the collapsed configuration, in which the rotor frame congregates inboard the body and is housed by the stowage compartment, where the rotor frame serves as a stowage platform for the rotors, and retentively carries each rotor in its packaged configuration inboard the body in a stowage position, where the rotor is housed by the stowage compartment, and a flight configuration, in which each rotor is in its open configuration, and the rotor frame is in the expanded configuration, in which the rotor frame reaches from the body, beyond the stowage compartment, to outboard the body, where the rotor frame serves as a flight platform for the rotors, and retentively carries each rotor in its open configuration outboard and overhead the body with a skyward-facing orientation in a flight position, with aerodynamic force generated by the rotors by rotating their blades thereby usable for flying through the air; and

a drivetrain with at least one wheel usable for driving along the ground.

18. The aerial vehicle of claim 17 , wherein, with the aerial vehicle having a center of mass:
in the stowage configuration, the rotors are circumferentiall

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Neuman Tom M

Classifications

• B64C1/063

  Folding or collapsing to reduce overall dimensions, e.g. foldable tail booms · CPC title

• B64C27/08

  with two or more rotors · CPC title

• B64C27/59

  mechanical · CPC title

• B64C27/12

  Rotor drives · CPC title

• B64C37/00

  Convertible aircraft · CPC title