Aerodynamically efficient lightweight vertical take-off and landing aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11866186-B2
Application number	US-202217734114-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2022
Priority date	Mar 18, 2014
Publication date	Jan 9, 2024
Grant date	Jan 9, 2024

Abstract

An aerial vehicle adapted for vertical takeoff and landing using mounted thrust producing elements. An aerial vehicle which is adapted to vertical takeoff with the forward rotors in a rotated, take-off attitude then transitions to a horizontal flight path, with the rotors rotated to a typical horizontal configuration. The aerial vehicle uses one or more thrust producing elements on both of the right and the left sides. The aerial vehicle may have one or more front thrust producing elements and one or more rear thrust producing elements on both of the right and the left sides of a main vehicle body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aerial vehicle adapted for vertical take-off and horizontal flight, said aerial vehicle comprising:
a main vehicle body;
a wing coupled to said main vehicle body, said wing comprising a protrusion to the right and to the left of said main vehicle body, said wing comprising a right side trailing edge, a right side leading edge, a left side trailing edge, and a left side leading edge, wherein said right and left side trailing edges are forward swept; and
four or more wing rotor assemblies, said four or more wing rotor assemblies comprising a propeller and a motor,
wherein two or more wing rotor assemblies are attached to said rightward protrusion of the wing along a middle section of the wing span, and wherein said two or more wing rotor assemblies protrude forward of the right side leading edge of said rightward protrusion of the wing, and
wherein the centers of mass of each of the two or more wing rotor assemblies are forward of the right side leading edge of said rightward protrusion of the wing,
and wherein two or more wing rotor assemblies are attached to said leftward protrusion of the wing along a middle section of the wing span, and wherein said two or more wing rotor assemblies protrude forward of the left side leading edge of said leftward protrusion of the wing,
and wherein the centers of mass of each of the two or more wing rotor assemblies are forward of the left side leading edge of said leftward protrusion of the wing.

2. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 wherein each of said four or more wing rotor assemblies are attached to said wing by a deployment mechanism adapted to deploy said four or more wing rotor assemblies from a forward facing horizontal flight configuration to a vertical take-off configuration.

3. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 wherein said motors of said four or more wing rotor assemblies are electric motors.

4. The aerial vehicle of claim 2 wherein said motors of said four or more wing rotor assemblies are electric motors.

5. An aerial vehicle adapted for vertical take-off and horizontal flight, said aerial vehicle comprising:
a main vehicle body;
one or more electric power sources, said one or more electric power sources coupled to electric motors;
a right side wing, said right side wing comprising three or more right wing rotor assemblies attached to said right side wing by a deployment mechanism adapted to deploy said right wing rotor assemblies from a forward facing horizontal flight configuration to a vertical take-off configuration, said deployment mechanisms enclosed within a rotor mounting nacelle covering said deployment mechanism, each of said right wing rotor assemblies comprising an electric motor, said electric motors electrically coupled to said one or more batteries;
a left side wing, said left side wing comprising three or more left wing rotor assemblies attached to said second left side wing by a deployment mechanism adapted to deploy said rotor assemblies from a forward facing horizontal flight configuration to a vertical take-off configuration, said deployment mechanisms enclosed within a rotor mounting nacelle covering said deployment mechanism, each of said left wing rotor assemblies comprising an electric motor, said electric motors electrically coupled to said one or more batteries;
one or more right side rear rotor assemblies, said right side rear rotor assemblies attached to the aerial vehicle rearward of the trailing edge of said right side wing, said right rear rotor assemblies comprising an electric motor, said electric motors electrically coupled to said one or more batteries; and
one or more left side rear rotor assemblies, said left side rear rotor assemblies attached to the aerial vehicle rearward of the trailing edge of said right side wing, said left rear rotor assemblies comprising an electric motor, said electric motors electrically coupled to said one or more batteries.

6. The aerial vehicle of claim 5 wherein the spin axis of each of said right side wing rotor assemblies is forward of the leading edge of the wing in the vertical take-off configuration, and
wherein the spin axis of each of said left side wing rotor assemblies is forward of the leading edge of the wing in the vertical take-off configuration.

7. The aerial vehicle of claim 5 wherein said aerial vehicle further comprises a tail structure at a rearward end of said aircraft body, and wherein said right said rear rotor assemblies are structurally coupled to a right side of said tail structure, and wherein said left side rear rotor assemblies are structurally coupled to a left side of said tail structure.

8. The aerial vehicle of claim 6 wherein said aerial vehicle further comprises a tail structure at a rearward end of said aircraft body, and wherein said right said rear rotor assemblies are structurally coupled to a right side of said tail structure, and wherein said left side rear rotor assemblies are structurally coupled to a left side of said tail structure.

Assignees

• Joby Aero Inc

Inventors

• Bevirt Joeben
• Stoll Alex

Classifications

• B64D27/34

  All-electric aircraft · CPC title

• B64D27/31

  within, or attached to, wings · CPC title

• B64D27/357

  using batteries · CPC title

• B64C11/28 Primary

  Collapsible or foldable blades · CPC title

• B64D27/24 Primary

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