Electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12522345-B2
Application number	US-202418444624-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2024
Priority date	Mar 18, 2014
Publication date	Jan 13, 2026
Grant date	Jan 13, 2026

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 aerial vehicle may have rear mounted rotors 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 be powered with electric motors.

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 right side wing, said right side wing comprising: a right wing rotor assembly, said right wing rotor assembly comprising an electric motor and a propeller, said right wing rotor assembly attached to said right side wing along the midspan of the right side wing by a deployment mechanism adapted to deploy said right wing rotor assembly from a forward facing horizontal flight configuration to a vertical take-off configuration, wherein said deployment mechanism resides within a nacelle when in said forward facing horizontal flight configuration; and a right wingtip rotor assembly, said right wingtip rotor assembly comprising an electric motor and a propeller, said right wingtip rotor assembly attached to said right side wingtip by a deployment mechanism adapted to deploy said right wingtip rotor assembly from a forward facing horizontal flight configuration to a vertical take-off configuration; and a left side wing, said left side wing comprising: a left wing rotor assembly, said left wing rotor assembly comprising an electric motor and a propeller, said left wing rotor assembly attached to said left side wing along the midspan of the left side wing by a deployment mechanism adapted to deploy said left wing rotor assembly from a forward facing horizontal flight configuration to a vertical take-off configuration, wherein said deployment mechanism resides within a nacelle when in said forward facing horizontal flight configuration; and a left wingtip rotor assembly, said left wingtip rotor assembly comprising an electric motor and a propeller, said left wingtip rotor assembly attached to said left side wingtip by a deployment mechanism adapted to deploy said left wingtip rotor assembly from a forward facing horizontal flight configuration to a vertical take-off configuration; a right rear rotor assembly, said right rear rotor assembly coupled to the rear of said vehicle body by a deployment mechanism adapted to deploy said right rear rotor assembly from a forward facing horizontal flight configuration to a vertical take-off configuration, said right rear rotor assembly comprising an electric motor and a propeller; and a left rear rotor assembly, said left rear rotor assembly coupled to the rear of said vehicle body by a deployment mechanism adapted to deploy said left rear rotor assembly from a forward facing horizontal flight configuration to a vertical take-off configuration, said left rear rotor assembly comprising an electric motor and a propeller; and one or more electric power sources, said one or more electric power sources electrically coupled to said electric motors.

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

3 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 wherein the masses of said right side wing rotor assembly and said side wingtip rotor assembly are forward of said right side wing while in the forward flight configuration, and the masses of said left side wing rotor assembly and said left side wingtip rotor assembly are forward of said left side wing while in the forward flight configuration.

4 . The aerial vehicle of claim 2 wherein the masses of said right side inner wing rotor assembly and said right side wingtip rotor assembly are forward of said right side wing while in the forward flight configuration, and the masses of said left side inner wing rotor assembly and said left side wingtip rotor assembly are forward of said left side wing while in the forward flight configuration.

5 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 wherein the spin axis of said right side wing rotor assembly and the spin axis of said left side wing rotor assembly are forward of the leading edge of the wing in the vertical take-off position.

6 . The aerial vehicle of claim 2 wherein the spin axis of said right side wing rotor assembly and the spin axis of said left side wing rotor assembly are forward of the leading edge of the wing in the vertical take-off position.

7 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 wherein the outside diameter of the spinning propellers blades of the propellers of said right side wing rotor assembly is forward of the leading edge of the right side wing while in the vertical take-off configuration, and wherein outside diameter of the spinning propellers blades of the propellers of said left side wing rotor assembly is forward of the leading edge of the left side wing while in the vertical take-off configuration.

8 . The aerial vehicle of claim 2 wherein the outside diameter of the spinning propellers blades of the propellers of said right side wing rotor assembly is forward of the leading edge of the right side wing while in the vertical take-off configuration, and wherein outside diameter of the spinning propellers blades of the propellers of said left side wing rotor assembly is forward of the leading edge of the left side wing while in the vertical take-off configuration.

9 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 wherein said electric power sources are batteries.

10 . The aerial vehicle of claim 2 wherein said electric power sources are batteries.

11 . The aerial vehicle of claim 1 wherein said right side wing rotor assembly and said left side wing rotor assembly are deployed by deployment mechanisms comprising:
an articulating linkage assembly, said articulating linkage assembly comprising a plurality of pivoting mounting points on a first end, said pivoting mounting points adapted to mount to fixed mounting points on an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft; and
an outboard bracket, said outboard bracket comprising a central axis, said outboard bracket coupled to a second end of said articulating linkage, wherein said articulating linkage is adapted to deploy said outboard bracket from a first position where said central axis of said outboard bracket is horizontal to a second position wherein said central axis of said outboard bracket is vertical, and wherein all of said outboard bracket is further forward from said plurality of pivoting mounting points in said second position than in said first position, and wherein all of said outboard bracket is higher in said second position than in said first position.

12 . The aerial vehicle of claim 2 wherein said right side wing rotor assembly and said left side wing rotor assembly are deployed by deployment mechanisms comprising:
an articulating linkage assembly, said articulating linkage assembly comprising a plurality of pivoting mounting points on a first end, said pivoting mounting points adapted to mount to fixed mounting points on an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft; and
an outboard bracket, said outboard bracket comprising a central axis, said outboard bracket coupled to a second end of said articulating linkage, wherein said articulating linkage is adapted to deploy said outboard bracket from a first position where said central axis of said outboard bracket is horizontal to a second position wherein said central axis of said outboard bracket is vertical, and wherein all of said outboard bracket is further forward from said plurality of pivoting mounting points in said second position than in said first position, and wherein all of said outboard bracket is higher in said second position than in said first position.

13 . The aerial vehicle of claim 11 wherein said articulating linkage assembly further comprises one or more multi-arm linkages.

14 . The aerial vehicle of claim 12 wherein said articulating linkage assembly further compr

Assignees

• Joby Aero Inc

Inventors

• Bevirt Joeben
• Stoll Alex

Classifications

• B64D27/34

  All-electric aircraft · CPC title

• B64D27/357

  using batteries · CPC title

• B64C29/0033

  the propellers being tiltable relative to the fuselage · CPC title

• B64C27/30

  with provision for reducing drag of inoperative rotor · CPC title

• B64C29/0008

  having its flight directional axis horizontal when grounded · CPC title