Aircraft Capable of Vertical Take-Off

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016207625-A1
Application number	US-201414915101-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 29, 2014
Priority date	Aug 29, 2013
Publication date	Jul 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention relates to an aircraft which can both take off and land vertically and can hover and also fly horizontally at a high cruising speed. The aircraft has a support structure, a wing structure, at least three and preferably at least four lifting rotors and at least one thrust drive. The wing structure is designed to generate a lifting force for the aircraft during horizontal motion. To achieve this the wing structure has at least one mainplane provided with a profile that generates dynamic lift. The wing structure is preferably designed as a tandem wing structure. Each of the lifting rotors is fixed to the support structure, has a propeller and is designed to generate a lifting force for the aircraft by means of a rotation of the propeller, said force acting in a vertical direction. The thrust drive is designed to generate a thrust force on the support structure, said force acting in a horizontal direction. The lifting rotors can have a simple construction, i.e. they can have a simple rigid propeller for example, and a vertical take-off or hovering of the aircraft can be controlled, in a similar manner to quadcopters, by a simple control of the speeds of the lifting rotors. High cruising speeds can be achieved as a result of the additional horizontally acting thrust drive.

First claim

1 - 24 . (canceled)

25 . An aircraft, comprising:
a support structure; a wing structure; at least three lifting rotors; and at least one thrust drive; wherein the wing structure is attached to the support structure or is part of the support structure, wherein the wing structure is configured to generate a lifting force for the aircraft during horizontal motion of the aircraft using at least one aerofoil which is provided with a profile generating a dynamic lift, wherein each of the at least three lifting rotors is attached to the support structure, has a propeller and is configured to rotate the propeller to generate a lifting force, acting in the vertical direction, for the aircraft, wherein the propeller of each of the at least three lifting rotors has exactly two propeller blades, and wherein the at least one thrust drive is configured to generate a thrust force, acting in the horizontal direction, on the support structure.

26 . The aircraft according to claim 25 , wherein the support structure, together with the wing structure, is configured as a tandem wing structure with an elongate fuselage and two pairs, arranged horizontally in tandem, of aerofoils which project transversely from the fuselage.

27 . The aircraft according to claim 26 , wherein one of the at least three lifting rotors is respectively arranged on each of the at least one aerofoil.

28 . The aircraft according to claim 26 , further comprising a nacelle, arranged on each of the at least one aerofoil, on which one of the at least three lifting rotors is respectively arranged.

29 . The aircraft according to claim 26 , wherein a tail unit is arranged on each of the aerofoils.

30 . The aircraft according to claim 25 , wherein the at least three lifting rotors are configured such that a plane of rotation in which the propeller blades of a respective lifting rotor rotate is stationary relative to a motor-driven rotor shaft of the respective lifting rotor.

31 . The aircraft according to claim 30 , wherein the propeller blades of the respective lifting rotor are rigidly connected to the motor-driven rotor shaft.

32 . Aircraft according to claim 30 , wherein the propeller blades of the respective lifting rotor are swivelably connected to the motor-driven rotor shaft such that a pitch of the propeller blades can be varied.

33 . The aircraft according claim 25 , having at least four lifting rotors.

34 . The aircraft according to claim 25 , wherein the sum of the lifting forces which can be generated by the at least three lifting rotors passes substantially through a center of gravity of the aircraft; and
wherein a neutral point of the wing structure relative to the center of gravity of the aircraft can be suitably positioned for a horizontal flight.

35 . The aircraft according to claim 25 , wherein the at least three lifting rotors are each configured to stop respective propeller blades of a respective lifting rotor in a position relative to the support structure.

36 . The Aircraft according to claim 25 , wherein the at least three lifting rotors and the thrust drive are driven by motors which are controllable independently of one another.

37 . The aircraft according to claim 25 , wherein each of the at least three lifting rotors is driven by an electric motor.

38 . The aircraft according to claim 37 , wherein the thrust drive is driven by an internal combustion engine and the internal combustion engine is coupled to a generator to provide electrical energy to the electric motors of the at least three lifting rotors.

39 . The aircraft according to claim 25 , wherein the at least one aerofoil is attached to the support structure such that it is swivelable about a rotational axis.

40 . The aircraft according to claim 39 , wherein a second aerofoil is attached to the support structure such that it is swivelable about the rotational axis, and wherein the at least one aerofoil and the second aerofoil are in a swivelled-out state for hover flight.

41 . The aircraft according to claim 40 , wherein the at least one aerofoil and the second aerofoil are in a swivelled-in state for cruising in which leading edges of the aerofoils are oriented in alignment with one another.

42 . The aircraft according to claim 25 , wherein the support structure together with the wing structure is configured as a tandem wing structure with an elongate fuselage and two pairs of aerofoils which are arranged horizontally in tandem and project from the fuselage.

43 . The aircraft according to claim 42 , wherein the first pair of aerofoils has a first sweep which differs from a second sweep of the second pair of aerofoils.

44 . The aircraft according to claim 42 , wherein the first pair of aerofoils and the second pair of aerofoils are connected by at least one connecting structure.

45 . The aircraft according to claim 44 , wherein the at least one connecting structure has an elongate form and is oriented parallel to the elongate fuselage, and wherein the at least one connecting structure has a tail unit.

46 . The aircraft according to claim 42 , wherein the first pair of aerofoils and the second pair of aerofoils are arranged offset relative to one another in a vertical direction.

47 . The aircraft according to claim 25 , wherein the propellers of the lifting rotors are configured as single-blade propellers.

Assignees

• Airbus Defence & Space Gmbh
• Steubbeus Flugzeug Und Leichtbau Gmbh

Inventors

• Judas Michael
• Stratenberg Friederike
• Van Toor Jan
• Scholz Werner
• Karrais Berthold
• Stangl Wolfgang

Classifications

• B64U50/13

  using external fans or propellers · CPC title

• B64D2027/026

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64C3/38

  Adjustment of complete wings or parts thereof · CPC title

• B64D27/24

  using steam or spring force (jet aircraft B64D27/16) · CPC title

• B64C29/0025 Primary

  the propellers being fixed relative to the fuselage · CPC title