Systems and methods for efficient cruise and hover in VTOL

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12269581-B2
Application number	US-202217655296-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2022
Priority date	Mar 17, 2021
Publication date	Apr 8, 2025
Grant date	Apr 8, 2025

Abstract

A system of a multi-rotor aircraft that capitalizes on the advantages of fixed wing elements combined with rotary wing structures. The fixed wing elements can help to generate lift once the aircraft is airborne and can thus reduce the need for larger lifting rotors which can allow for longer flight times and distances. Additionally, the systems disclosed herein take advantage of a partial in-wing configuration with a number of rotors to reduce the overall footprint of the vehicle while maintaining the flight efficiency that comes with combining features of fixed and rotary wing elements, and increasing operator safety by shrouding rotating parts. The unique configurations allow for a decoupling of the pitch, yaw and roll authority to reduce the complexity in control systems and improve the flight efficiency of the aircraft. Additional configurations implement the use of smaller thrust rotors that can be used to generate thrust as well as control yaw and thus counteract any remaining unbalanced torque.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-rotor vehicle comprising:
a body structure,
at least two main rotors connected to the body structure wherein the at least two main rotors are symmetrically disposed about a symmetry plane of the multi-rotor vehicle having at least one propeller and wherein each of the at least two main rotors are configured to generate lift for the multi-rotor vehicle;
at least one auxiliary rotor connected to the body structure disposed centrally along the symmetry plane being separated from the at least two main rotors by a distance greater than a diameter of the at least two main rotors such that a downwash from the at least two main rotors and a downwash from the at least one auxiliary rotor does not interfere;
at least two horizontal thrust rotors connected to the body structure and evenly disposed about the symmetry plane and configured to generate thrust in a forward direction such that a rotational plane of the at least two horizontal thrust rotors is perpendicular to a rotational plane of the at least two main rotors; and
at least one fixed wing element removably disposed on the body structure and configured to provide additional lift for the multi-rotor vehicle, the at least one fixed wing element comprising a wing planform spanning symmetrically across the symmetry plane and including at least one opening therein, the opening fully surrounding at least one of the at least one auxiliary rotor and the at least two main rotors to form a rotor-in-wing configuration, and wherein the other of at least one of the at least one auxiliary rotor and the at least two main rotors are partially enclosed by the wing planform of the at least one fixed wing element to form a partial in-wing rotor configuration, such that the at least one fixed wing element forms a shroud.

2. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the at least two horizontal thrust rotors can be used to affect a yaw moment in the multi-rotor vehicle through adjusting a rotational speed of each of the at least two horizontal thrust rotors.

3. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the body structure is a plurality of elongated structural support elements and disposed such that at least one structural support element interconnects the at least two main rotors and additional structural support elements interconnect the at least two main rotors to the at least one auxiliary rotor.

4. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the at least one auxiliary rotor is smaller than each of the at least two main rotors.

5. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of control surfaces disposed in an aft portion of the at least one fixed wing element, wherein each of the plurality of control surfaces can be adjusted to control a movement of air around the at least one fixed wing element thus enabling flight control or control of the pitch, roll, and yaw of the multi-rotor vehicle.

6. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 5 , further comprising a control system disposed within the body structure of the multi-rotor vehicle and wherein the control system is connected to each of the at least two main rotors, the at least one auxiliary rotor and the at least two horizontal thrust rotors such that the control system can transmit control signals to each of the rotors and each of the plurality of control surfaces and thereby control the lift, pitch, yaw, and roll of the multi-rotor vehicle.

7. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a second auxiliary rotor wherein the at least one auxiliary rotor is disposed forward of the at least two main rotors and the second auxiliary rotor is disposed aft of the at least two main rotors.

8. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 7 , wherein each of the at least one and second auxiliary rotors are smaller than the at least two main rotors.

9. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising at least one empennage disposed on at least an aft portion of the at least one fixed wing element.

10. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the at least one empennage further comprises at least on control surface.

11. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 9 , further comprising at least two empennages.

12. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least two main rotors has at least two propellers coaxially aligned wherein at least one of the at least two propellers is located directly above another of the at least two propellers.

13. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a horizontal stabilizer wing disposed on the body structure and located aft of the at least two main rotors.

14. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 13 , further comprising at least one control surface disposed within the horizontal stabilizer wing.

15. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a control system disposed within the body structure of the multi-rotor vehicle and wherein the control system is connected to each of the at least two main rotors, the at least one auxiliary rotor and the at least two horizontal thrust rotors such that the control system can transmit control signals to each of the rotors and thereby control the lift, pitch, yaw, and roll of the multi-rotor vehicle.

16. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 15 , wherein the control system is managed remotely by a computer.

17. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 16 , wherein the control system is managed remotely by a human.

18. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fixed wing element fully encloses the at least two main rotors and the at least one auxiliary rotor.

19. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising at least a second fixed wing element disposed on the body structure wherein the at least a second fixed wing element is disposed aft of the at least two main rotors and aft of the at least one fixed wing element.

20. The multi-rotor vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fixed wing element has a front leading edge with a swept back design.

Assignees

• California Inst Of Techn
• Toofon Inc

Inventors

• Ol Michael V
• Gharib Morteza

Classifications

• B64U50/13

  using external fans or propellers · CPC title

• B64U30/24

  Coaxial rotors · CPC title

• B64U30/295

  Rotors arranged in the wings · CPC title

• B64U10/20

  Vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft (flying platforms B64U10/13; helicopters B64U10/17) · CPC title

• B64U30/10

  Wings · CPC title