VTOL aircraft with dual propellers and directional clutch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12497158-B2
Application number	US-202318401316-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2023
Priority date	Mar 18, 2014
Publication date	Dec 16, 2025
Grant date	Dec 16, 2025

Abstract

An aerial vehicle adapted for vertical takeoff and landing using a set of wing mounted thrust producing elements for takeoff and landing. An aerial vehicle which is adapted to vertical takeoff with the 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 may have deployment mechanisms which deploy electric motor driven propellers from a forward facing to a vertical orientation. The deployment mechanisms deploy the rotor forward and up as they deploy from a forward flight configuration to a vertical thrust configuration. A single motor may drive two co-axial propellers, with a first propeller driven when the motor spins in a first direction, and a second propeller driven when the motor spins in a second direction.

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 plurality of electric motors; a right side wing, said right side wing comprising:
one or more right wing rotor assemblies, each of said right wing rotor assemblies comprising:
an electric motor; a VTOL propeller; a forward flight propeller; and a clutch, wherein said VTOL propeller is powered when said clutch operates in a first mode wherein the motor is rotated in a first direction, and wherein said forward flight propeller is powered when said clutch operates in a second mode wherein the motor is rotated in a second direction; and
a left side wing, said left side wing comprising:
one or more left wing rotor assemblies, each of said left wing rotor assemblies comprising:
an electric motor;
a VTOL propeller;
a forward flight propeller; and
a clutch, wherein said VTOL propeller is powered when said clutch operates in a first mode wherein the motor is rotated in a first direction, and wherein said forward flight propeller is powered when said clutch operates in a second mode wherein the motor is rotated in a second direction.

2 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 wherein said right side wing and said left side wing are partially forward swept wings.

3 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 wherein said right side wing and said left side wing are forward swept wings.

4 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 wherein said aerial vehicle is a tilt-wing aircraft, wherein said right side wing and said left side wing pivot from a vertical thrust configuration to a horizontal thrust forward flight configuration.

5 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 wherein the blades of said VTOL propellers of said right wing rotor assemblies and said left wing rotor assemblies are configured to stow.

6 . The aerial vehicle of claim 4 wherein the forward flight propellers of said right wing rotor assemblies and said left wing rotor assemblies are forward of said VTOL propellers of said right wing rotor assemblies and said left wing rotor assemblies while in a forward flight configuration.

7 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 wherein said right wing rotor assemblies and said left wing rotor assemblies further comprise a clutch, wherein said VTOL propeller is powered when said clutch operates in a first mode, and wherein said forward flight propeller is powered when said clutch operates in a second mode.

8 . The aerial vehicle of claim 7 wherein said right wing rotor assemblies and said left wing rotor assemblies are deployable from a vertical thrust configuration to a forward facing forward flight configuration.

9 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 wherein the forward flight propellers of said right wing rotor assemblies and said left wing rotor assemblies are rearward of said VTOL propellers of said right wing rotor assemblies and said left wing rotor assemblies while in a forward flight configuration.

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

• Y02T50/60

  Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft · CPC title

• B64C39/068

  having multiple wings joined at the tips · CPC title