Vertiport including wind power generation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12492680-B2
Application number	US-202418641664-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2024
Priority date	Dec 18, 2023
Publication date	Dec 9, 2025
Grant date	Dec 9, 2025

Abstract

An embodiment vertiport includes a body portion, a take-off and landing portion disposed in the body portion and spaced apart from the body portion by a predetermined gap, a door portion disposed in the gap between the take-off and landing portion and the body portion and configured to be opened and closed, an elevation portion disposed in the body portion and configured to be raised and lowered with respect to the body portion, and a power generating unit slidably coupled to the elevation portion, wherein the power generating unit is configured to produce electrical energy using a downdraft generated by a take-off and landing operation of an aircraft on the take-off and landing portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vertiport comprising:
a body portion; a predetermined gap; a take-off and landing portion disposed in the body portion and spaced apart from the body portion by the gap; a door portion disposed at the gap between the take-off and landing portion and the body portion and configured to open and close the gap; an elevation portion disposed in the body portion and configured to be raised and lowered with respect to the body portion; and a power generating unit slidably coupled to the elevation portion, wherein the power generating unit is configured to produce electrical energy using a downdraft generated by a take-off and landing operation of an aircraft on the take-off and landing portion, and wherein the elevation portion comprises a rail portion along which the power generating unit is configured to slide horizontally and a guide portion configured to guide a vertical movement of the rail portion.

2 . The vertiport of claim 1 , wherein:
the vertiport is configured to be switched between a default mode and a power generation mode; in the default mode, the door portion is in a closed state, the elevation portion is in a lowered state, and the power generating unit is located below the body portion; and in the power generation mode, the door portion is in an opened state, the elevation portion is in a raised state, and the power generating unit is exposed between the body portion and the take-off and landing portion.

3 . The vertiport of claim 2 , wherein the power generating unit is configured to produce the electrical energy based on the take-off and landing operation of the aircraft in the power generation mode.

4 . The vertiport of claim 1 , wherein:
the rail portion comprises a rail configured to guide sliding of the power generating unit; and the power generating unit is configured to slide along a section of the rail portion along the rail.

5 . The vertiport of claim 1 , wherein:
the power generating unit comprises a plurality of power generating units; and the rail portion comprises a plurality of movement sections, a number of the plurality of movement sections corresponding to a number of the plurality of power generating units.

6 . The vertiport of claim 5 , wherein:
the rail portion has a circular shape; each power generating unit of the plurality of power generating units is assigned to a corresponding one of the movement sections of the plurality of movement sections; and each of the movement sections of the plurality of movement sections has an angle range determined by dividing 360 degrees by the number of the power generating units.

7 . The vertiport of claim 1 , wherein the power generating unit comprises a wind turbine.

8 . The vertiport of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to control an opening and closing operation of the door portion, an elevation operation of the rail portion, and a sliding operation of the power generating unit.

9 . The vertiport of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to:
determine an operating position of the power generating unit based on aircraft information and status information of the aircraft performing the take-off and landing operation on the take-off and landing portion; and move the power generating unit to the operating position.

10 . The vertiport of claim 9 , wherein:
the aircraft information comprises a model of the aircraft and a rotor position of a rotor of the aircraft according to the model; and the status information comprises a landing position of the aircraft with respect to the take-off and landing portion and a landing direction of the aircraft.

11 . The vertiport of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to:
calculate a relative position of the rotor with respect to the take-off and landing portion or the rail portion based on the landing position, the landing direction, and the rotor position; and calculate and determine the operating position to correspond to the relative position of the rotor.

12 . The vertiport of claim 9 , wherein the operating position is a position at which the power generating unit is expected to produce the electrical energy with maximum efficiency.

13 . The vertiport of claim 1 , wherein the vertiport is configured to use the electrical energy produced by the power generating unit to charge the aircraft.

14 . The vertiport of claim 1 , wherein the gap entirely surrounds the take-off and landing portion in a top view.

15 . The vertiport of claim 1 , wherein the take-off and landing portion is circular, and wherein the gap is circular.

16 . A method of landing an aircraft at a vertiport equipped with a power generating unit, the method comprising:
determining whether the aircraft approaches the vertiport; opening a door portion in the vertiport and raising the power generating unit in response to a determination that the aircraft approaches the vertiport; producing electrical energy by the power generating unit in an operation in which the aircraft descends toward the vertiport, wherein the power generating unit produces the electrical energy using a downdraft generated during the operation in which the aircraft descends toward the vertiport; and lowering the power generating unit and closing the door portion in response to the aircraft landing on the vertiport and reaching a take-off and landing portion of the vertiport, wherein the vertiport comprises
a body portion, and
an elevation portion disposed in the body portion and configured to be raised and lowered with respect to the body portion, and
wherein the elevation portion comprises a rail portion along which the power generating unit is configured to slide horizontally and a guide portion configured to guide a vertical movement of the rail portion.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein:
determining whether the aircraft approaches the vertiport comprises determining an operating position of the power generating unit based on aircraft information and status information of the aircraft; and raising the power generating unit comprises moving the power generating unit to the operating position.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein:
the aircraft information comprises a model of the aircraft and a rotor position of a rotor of the aircraft according to the model; the status information comprises a landing position of the aircraft with respect to the take-off and landing portion and a landing direction of the aircraft; and the operating position is a position in which the power generating unit is expected to produce the electrical energy with maximum efficiency.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein determining the operating position of the power generating unit comprises:
calculating a relative position of the rotor with respect to the take-off and landing portion based on the landing position, the landing direction, and the rotor position; and calculating the operating position to correspond to the relative position of the rotor.

20 . A system for obtaining electrical energy from a downdraft of an aircraft, the system comprising:
the aircraft comprising a rotor; and a vertiport configured to be switched between a default mode and a power generation mode, the vertiport comprising:
a body portion;
a take-off and landing portion disposed in the body portion and spaced apart from the body portion by a predetermined gap;
a door portion disposed in the gap between the take-off and landing portion and the body porti

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Corp

Inventors

• Chung Jae Hoon

Classifications

• E01F3/00 Primary

  Landing stages for helicopters, e.g. located above buildings (layout of airfields B64F; buildings or like structures for special purposes E04H) · CPC title

• F05B2260/503

  using gears · CPC title

• F05B2240/9113

  which is a roadway, rail track, or the like for recovering energy from moving vehicles · CPC title

• Y02E10/70

  Wind energy · CPC title

• F05B2220/706

  an electrical generator · CPC title