Aerial vehicle using motor pulse-induced cyclic control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11345469-B2
Application number	US-201916688970-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2019
Priority date	Nov 19, 2018
Publication date	May 31, 2022
Grant date	May 31, 2022

Abstract

An aerial vehicle that uses motor pulsed-induced cyclic control is provided. In example embodiments, the aerial vehicle comprises a fuselage incorporating a battery system and a payload bay for operatively receiving and holding a payload and at least one mono-blade rotor coupled to an electric motor and an electric motor control system. The electric motor control system controls the electric motor using pulse-induced cyclic control. The aerial vehicle further includes at least one wing, at least one cruise propeller, and an avionics system. The avionic system is configured to transition the aerial vehicle between a vertical take-off and landing mode in which the at least one mono-blade rotor is primarily engaged to propel the aerial vehicle vertically and a cruising mode in which the at least one cruise propeller is primarily engaged to propel the aerial vehicle horizontally.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aerial vehicle comprising:
a fuselage incorporating a battery system and a payload bay for operatively receiving and holding a payload;
at least one mono-blade rotor coupled to an electric motor and an electric motor control system, the at least one mono-blade rotor to propel the aerial vehicle in a vertical direction, the electric motor control system using pulse-induced cyclic control that involves modulating torque applied to the at least one mono-blade rotor to control the at least one mono-blade rotor;
at least one wing;
an inverted Y-tail having three rear blades and being located at an aft end of the fuselage;
three cruise propellers to propel the aerial vehicle in a horizontal direction, each propeller of the three cruise propellers being mounted on one of the three rear blades of the inverted Y-tail; and
an avionics system to transition the aerial vehicle between a vertical take-off and landing mode in which the at least one mono-blade rotor is primarily engaged to propel the aerial vehicle and a cruising mode in which the three cruise propellers are primarily engaged to propel the aerial vehicle.

2. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the at least one mono-blade rotor comprises a first mono-blade rotor and a second mono-blade rotor each of which are mounted to the fuselage so as to be height offset relative to each other.

3. The aerial vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the first mono-blade rotor comprises a front mono-blade rotor coupled to a front of the fuselage and the second mono-blade rotor comprises a rear mono-blade rotor coupled to an aft of the fuselage, the rear mono-blade rotor being mounted higher with respect to the fuselage than the front mono-blade rotor.

4. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a lock system to lock the at least one mono-blade rotor, while stopped, into a locked position.

5. The aerial vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the lock system comprises at least one of an electromagnet or a magswitch.

6. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the avionics system includes a proximity detection system and a voice annunciator to announce commencement of an operation of the at least one mono-blade rotor.

7. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:
a counterweight coupled to the at least one mono-blade rotor; and
sensors located in the counterweight.

8. The aerial vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the sensors include at least one of a LIDAR sensor or a radar sensor.

9. An aerial vehicle comprising:
a fuselage;
at least one mono-blade rotor, the at least one mono-blade rotor to propel the aerial vehicle in a vertical direction;
an electric motor and an electric motor control system coupled to the at least one mono-blade rotor, the electric motor control system using pulse-induced cyclic control that involves modulating torque applied to the at least one mono-blade rotor to control the at least one mono-blade rotor;
an inverted Y-tail having three rear blades and being located at an aft end of the fuselage; and
three cruise propellers to propel the aerial vehicle in a horizontal direction, each propeller of the three cruise propellers being mounted on one of the three rear blades of the inverted Y-tail.

10. The aerial vehicle of claim 9 , further comprising:
an avionics system to transition the aerial vehicle between a vertical take-off and landing mode and a cruising mode.

11. The aerial vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the at least one mono-blade rotor comprises a first mono-blade rotor and a second mono-blade rotor each of which are mounted to the fuselage so as to be height offset relative to each other.

12. The aerial vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the first mono-blade rotor comprises a front mono-blade rotor coupled to a front of the fuselage and the second mono-blade rotor comprises a rear mono-blade rotor coupled to an aft of the fuselage, the rear mono-blade rotor being mounted higher with respect to the fuselage than the front mono-blade rotor.

13. The aerial vehicle of claim 9 , further comprising a lock system to lock the at least one mono-blade rotor, while stopped, into a locked position.

Assignees

• Joby Aero Inc

Inventors

• Mcdonald Robert Alan
• Moore Mark
• Villa Ian Andreas

Classifications

• B64D31/16

  for electric power plants · CPC title

• B64U50/13

  using external fans or propellers · CPC title

• B64U30/20

  Rotors; Rotor supports · CPC title

• B64D9/00

  Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like · CPC title

• B64C27/26

  characterised by provision of fixed wings · CPC title