Flight module for an aerial vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11292590-B1
Application number	US-201816040953-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jul 20, 2018
Priority date	Oct 31, 2017
Publication date	Apr 5, 2022
Grant date	Apr 5, 2022

Abstract

A rotor includes a rotor axis, two elongate blades, a hub on the rotor axis, and a rotational drive system on the rotor axis. The hub supports the blades for pivotation relative thereto, including folding one blade over the hub between radial opposition with the other blade about the rotor axis and alongside the other blade. The rotational drive system supports the blades on the hub for rotation about the rotor axis, and supports the blades on the hub for teetering.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotor, comprising:
a rotor axis;
two elongate blades;
a hub on the rotor axis, the hub supporting the blades for pivotation relative thereto, including folding one blade over the hub between radial opposition with the other blade about the rotor axis and alongside the other blade; and
a rotational drive system on the rotor axis, the rotational drive system supporting the blades on the hub for rotation about the rotor axis, and supporting the blades on the hub for teetering.

2. The rotor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a folding actuator mounted between the hub and the one blade, the folding actuator operable to fold the one blade over the hub between radial opposition with the other blade about the rotor axis and alongside the other blade.

3. The rotor of claim 2 , wherein the folding actuator is operable to fold the one blade over the hub from radial opposition with the other blade about the rotor axis to alongside the other blade, and thereafter retentively hold the one blade alongside the other blade.

4. The rotor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a teetering actuator mounted between the rotational drive system and the hub, the teetering actuator operable to teeter the blades on the hub.

5. The rotor of claim 4 , wherein the teetering actuator is operable to teeter the blades on the hub from perpendicular to the rotor axis to non-perpendicular to the rotor axis, and thereafter retentively hold the blades on the hub non-perpendicular to the rotor axis.

6. The rotor of claim 1 , wherein the rotational drive system includes an electrically powered rotor motor with an output shaft on the rotor axis, the rotor motor supporting the blades on the hub on the output shaft for rotation about the rotor axis, and supporting the blades on the hub for teetering.

7. A method of reconfiguring a rotor with a rotor axis, two elongate blades, a hub on the rotor axis, and a rotational drive system on the rotor axis, comprising:
with the blades perpendicular to and radially opposed about the rotor axis, and the rotational drive system operable to power the rotor to generate aerodynamic force along the rotor axis by rotating the blades on the hub about the rotor axis:
teetering the blades on the hub to non-perpendicular to the rotor axis; and
folding one blade over the hub to alongside the other blade.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
teetering the blades on the hub to non-perpendicular to the rotor axis during folding the one blade over the hub to alongside the other blade.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
after teetering blades on the hub to non-perpendicular to the rotor axis, retentively holding the blades on the hub non-perpendicular to the rotor axis.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
after folding the one blade over the hub to alongside the other blade, retentively holding the one blade alongside the other blade.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
after teetering the blades on the hub to non-perpendicular to the rotor axis, and folding the one blade over the hub to alongside the other blade:
retentively holding the blades on the hub non-perpendicular to the rotor axis; and
retentively holding the one blade alongside the other blade.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
with the blades non-perpendicular to the rotor axis and the one blade alongside the other blade:
teetering the blades on the hub to perpendicular to the rotor axis; and
folding the one blade over the hub to radial opposition with the other blade about the rotor axis.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
teetering the blades on the hub to perpendicular to the rotor axis during folding the one blade over the hub to radial opposition with the other blade about the rotor axis.

14. A flight module, comprising:
an elongate rotor arm; and
a rotor with a rotor axis carried by the rotor arm, with the rotor arm crosswise but non-perpendicular to the rotor axis, the rotor including two elongate blades and a rotational drive system supporting the blades for rotation about the rotor axis, and reconfigurable from an open configuration, in which the blades are angularly misaligned with the rotor arm and radially opposed about the rotor axis, and the rotational drive system is operable to power the rotor to generate aerodynamic force along the rotor axis by rotating the blades about the rotor axis, to a packaged configuration, in which the blades extend from the rotational drive system along the rotor arm, by teetering the blades into angular alignment with the rotor arm, and folding one blade to alongside the other blade.

15. The flight module of claim 14 , wherein in the packaged configuration, the blades are alongside the rotor arm.

16. The flight module of claim 14 , further comprising:
a switching system mechanically connected with the rotor, the switching system operable to teeter the blades into angular alignment with the rotor arm, and fold the one blade to alongside the other blade.

17. The flight module of claim 14 , further comprising:
a switching system mechanically connected with the rotor, the switching system operable to teeter the blades into angular alignment with the rotor arm, and fold the one blade to alongside the other blade, and thereafter retentively hold the blades in angular alignment with the rotor arm, and retentively hold the one blade alongside the other blade.

18. The flight module of claim 14 , wherein the rotor is reconfigurable from the packaged configuration to the open configuration by teetering the blades into angular misalignment with the rotor arm, and folding the one blade to radial opposition with the other blade about the rotor axis.

19. The flight module of claim 14 , wherein the rotor is electrically powered.

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

• B64C27/50 Primary

  Blades foldable to facilitate stowage of aircraft · CPC title

• B64C37/00

  Convertible aircraft · CPC title

• B64C25/34

  wheeled type, e.g. multi-wheeled bogies · CPC title