Aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12503226-B2
Application number	US-202017795215-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2020
Priority date	Sep 29, 2020
Publication date	Dec 23, 2025
Grant date	Dec 23, 2025

Abstract

An aircraft that can improve cruising speed by making the body shape of the airframe (especially, multicopter) into a shape that has less unnecessary positive lift force by the main body and less drag in the cruising posture of the airframe. An aircraft equipped with a plurality of rotary blades including a propeller and a motor, wherein the aircraft comprises a main body with an inverted airfoil shape. The main body has an attack angle that does not generate a lift force or produces a negative lift force during cruising. The main body has a positive attack angle of 12 degrees or less. Further, it is provided with a mounting unit on which a mounted object can be mounted. The mounting unit is connected to the main body via the connection unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An aircraft comprising:
a plurality of rotary blades each including a propeller and a motor; and a main body with an inverted airfoil shape in which a camber line is lower than a blade chord; and a mounting unit configured to store an object therein, wherein the main body is rotatably connected to the mounting unit via a connection unit about an axis perpendicular to a plane defined by a traveling direction of the aircraft and a vertical direction, and the mounting unit and the connection unit are inside of the main body.

2 . The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein a moving blade is further provided in the main body and configured to reduce lift force generated by the main body.

3 . The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the camber line of the main body is entirely lower than the blade chord of the main body.

4 . The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the connection unit has one or more degrees of freedom and is provided above a center of gravity of the mounting unit.

5 . The aircraft according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of frames connecting the plurality of rotary blades to the main body,
wherein the propeller rotates about a major axis of the motor, the major axis of the motor being perpendicular to a corresponding one of the plurality of frames.

6 . The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the main body has an attack angle that does not generate a lift force or generates a negative lift force during cruising.

7 . The aircraft according to claim 6 , wherein the main body has a positive attack angle of 12 degrees or less during cruising.

8 . The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the connection unit keeps the mounting unit in a predetermined posture.

9 . The aircraft according to claim 8 , wherein the predetermined posture is horizontal.

Assignees

• Aeronext Inc

Inventors

• Suzuki Yoichi

Classifications

• B64U50/19

  using electrically powered motors · CPC title

• B64U30/20

  Rotors; Rotor supports · CPC title

• B64U10/13

  Flying platforms · CPC title

• B64D9/00

  Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like · CPC title

• B64C2001/0045

  Fuselages characterised by special shapes · CPC title