UAV with distributed propulsion and blown control surfaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12091173-B2
Application number	US-202217957679-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2022
Priority date	Sep 30, 2022
Publication date	Sep 17, 2024
Grant date	Sep 17, 2024

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes a fuselage, a pair of fixed wings attached to the fuselage, a tail assembly attached to an aft portion of the fuselage and including a pair of stabilizers, a plurality of distributed propulsion units having first propellers that rotate about first rotational axes positioned below the fixed wings, and a plurality of tail propulsion units having second propellers that rotate about second rotational axes each positioned inline with one of the stabilizers. The first propellers are mounted fore of the fixed wings and the second propellers are mounted fore of a corresponding one of the stabilizers. Three or more of the distributed propulsion units are mounted to each of the fixed wings.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:
a fuselage;
a pair of fixed wings attached to the fuselage and each shaped to provide aerodynamic lift;
a tail assembly attached to an aft portion of the fuselage and including stabilizers;
a plurality of distributed propulsion units having first propellers that rotate about first rotational axes positioned below the fixed wings, wherein the first propellers are mounted fore of the fixed wings, and wherein three or more of the distributed propulsion units are mounted to each of the fixed wings; and
a plurality of tail propulsion units having second propellers that rotate about second rotational axes each positioned inline with one of the stabilizers, wherein the second propellers are mounted fore of a corresponding one of the stabilizers,
wherein distal tips of the first propellers of the distributed propulsion units trace out a circle having an upper limit that is inline with the fixed wings.

2. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the tail assembly includes a pair of horizontal stabilizers, and wherein the plurality of tail propulsion units includes horizontal tail propulsion units each mounted to a corresponding one of the horizontal stabilizers, wherein the second propellers of the horizontal tail propulsion units do not extend out horizontally past distal tips of the horizontal stabilizers.

3. The UAV of claim 2 , wherein the horizontal tail propulsion units are each mounted in front of a corresponding elevator to blow air across the corresponding elevator.

4. The UAV of claim 2 , wherein the horizontal tail propulsion units are mounted to elevators of the horizontal stabilizers and pivot with the elevators to provide a vertical thrust vectoring to the tail assembly.

5. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of distributed propulsion units comprises five distributed propulsion units mounted per one of the fixed wings.

6. The UAV of claim 1 , further comprising:
a pair of outboard propulsion units each mounted to a corresponding one of the fixed wings outboard of the distributed propulsion units, wherein the outboard propulsion units include outboard propellers having a larger diameter than the first propellers of the distributed propulsion units.

7. The UAV of claim 6 , wherein the first propellers of at least a portion of the distributed propulsion units include hinged propeller blades that passively fold back to reduce a wind resistance when the portion of the distributed propulsion units is idled during a forward cruise of the UAV under power of the outboard propulsion units, wherein the first propellers are oriented to provide forward propulsion to the UAV.

8. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the distributed propulsion units include motor mounts that align the first propellers with a zero cant such that the first rotational axes are each parallel to a corresponding wing chord extending from a leading edge of a corresponding one of the fixed wings to a trailing edge of the corresponding one of the fixed wings.

9. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the fuselage comprises:
a center structural tube extending along a fore-to-aft longitudinal axis of the UAV;
bulkhead ribs mounted to and encircling the center structural tube at a plurality of different locations along the fore-to-aft longitudinal axis; and
a fuselage skin disposed around the bulkhead ribs,
wherein the fixed wings and the tail assembly are mounted to the center structural tube.

10. The UAV of claim 1 , further comprising a controller coupled to the distributed propulsion units and the tail propulsion units, the controller including logic that when executed causes the UAV to perform operations comprising:
reverse spinning at least a portion of the first propellers or the second propellers after a touchdown to reduce a ground roll distance during a landing of the UAV.

11. The UAV of claim 1 , further comprising a controller coupled to the distributed propulsion units and the tail propulsion units, the controller including logic that when executed causes the UAV to perform operations comprising:
biasing a greater thrust to each of the distributed propulsion units positioned in front of flaps of the fixed wings compared to each of the distributed propulsion units not positioned in front of the flaps during an approach to a landing.

12. The UAV of claim 1 , further comprising a controller coupled to the distributed propulsion units and the tail propulsion units, the controller including logic that when executed causes the UAV to perform operations comprising:
blowing air across tail control surfaces with the tail propulsion units during a landing segment and a drop-off segment of a package delivery mission of the UAV; and
idling the tail propulsion units during a cruise segment of the package delivery mission.

13. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:
a fuselage including a center structural tube extending along a fore-to-aft longitudinal axis of the UAV;
a pair of fixed wings mounted to the center structural tube and each shaped to provide aerodynamic lift;
a tail assembly mounted to an aft portion of the center structural tube and including stabilizers;
a plurality of distributed propulsion units having first propellers that rotate about first rotational axes positioned below the fixed wings, wherein the first propellers are mounted fore of the fixed wings, and wherein three or more of the distributed propulsion units are mounted to each of the fixed wings; and
bulkhead ribs mounted to and encircling the center structural tube at a plurality of different locations along the fore-to-aft longitudinal axis, wherein the center structural tube comprises a single tube that is the primary structural member of the UAV and extends from the tail assembly to fore of the fixed wings.

14. The UAV of claim 13 , wherein the fuselage further comprises:
a fuselage skin disposed around the bulkhead ribs.

15. The UAV of claim 13 , further comprising:
a plurality of tail propulsion units having second propellers that rotate about second rotational axes each positioned inline with one of the stabilizers, wherein the second propellers are mounted fore of a corresponding one of the stabilizers.

16. The UAV of claim 15 , wherein the tail assembly includes a pair of horizontal stabilizers, and wherein the plurality of tail propulsion units includes horizontal tail propulsion units each mounted to a corresponding one of the horizontal stabilizers, wherein the second propellers of the horizontal tail propulsion units do not extend out horizontally past distal tips of the horizontal stabilizers.

17. The UAV of claim 16 , wherein the horizontal tail propulsion units are each mounted in front of a corresponding elevator to blow air across the corresponding elevator.

18. The UAV of claim 16 , wherein the horizontal tail propulsion units are mounted to elevators of the horizontal stabilizers and pivot with the elevators to provide vertical thrust vectoring to the tail assembly.

19. The UAV of claim 15 , wherein the tail assembly includes a vertical stabilizer, and wherein the plurality of tail propulsion units includes a vertical tail propulsion unit mounted to the vertical stabilizer, wherein one of the second propellers of the vertical tail propulsion unit does not extend out vertically past a distal tip of the vertical stabilizer.

20. The UAV of claim 13 , further comprising:
a pair of outboard propulsion units each mounted to a corresponding one of the fixed wings outboard of the distributed

Assignees

• Wing Aviation Llc

Inventors

• Woodworth Adam
• Pantalone Giulia
• Suen Michelle
• Prado Luis

Classifications

• B64U2101/64

  for parcel delivery or retrieval · CPC title

• B64U70/60

  Take-off or landing of UAVs from a runway using their own power · CPC title

• B64U50/19

  using electrically powered motors · CPC title

• B64U30/20

  Rotors; Rotor supports · CPC title

• B64U30/10

  Wings · CPC title