Tilting hexrotor aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022324558-A1
Application number	US-202217571936-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 10, 2022
Priority date	Mar 29, 2021
Publication date	Oct 13, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

One embodiment is an aircraft including a fuselage; a wing connected to the fuselage; first and second booms connected to the wing on opposite sides of the fuselage; first and second forward propulsion systems attached to forward ends of the first and second booms; first and second aft propulsion systems fixedly attached proximate aft ends of the first and second booms; and first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems connected to outboard ends of wings; wherein the first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems are tiltable between a first position when the aircraft is in a hover mode and a second position when the aircraft is in a cruise mode.

First claim

1 . An aircraft comprising:
a fuselage; a wing connected to the fuselage; first and second booms connected to the wing on opposite sides of the fuselage; first and second forward propulsion systems attached to forward ends of the first and second booms; first and second aft propulsion systems fixedly attached proximate aft ends of the first and second booms; first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems connected to outboard ends of wings; and a tail connected to an aft end of the fuselage, the tail comprising a pair of airfoils arranged in a V-shape; wherein the first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems are tiltable between a first position when the aircraft is in a hover mode and a second position when the aircraft is in a cruise mode; and wherein each of the propulsion systems includes a rotor assembly comprising a plurality of rotor blades.

2 . The aircraft of claim 1 , further comprising first and second wing tips connected to outboard sides of the first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems.

3 . The aircraft of claim 2 , wherein the first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems and the first and second wing tips are collectively tiltable between a first position when the aircraft is in a hover mode and a second position when the aircraft is in a cruise mode.

4 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the rotor assemblies of the first and second aft propulsion systems rotate when the aircraft is in the hover mode and cease to rotate when the aircraft is in the cruise mode.

5 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the first and second forward propulsion systems are tiltably connected to forward ends of the first and second booms such that the first and second forward propulsion systems are tiltable between a first position when the aircraft is in the hover mode and a second position when the aircraft is in the cruise mode.

6 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the first and second forward propulsion systems are fixedly attached to the forward ends of the first and second booms.

7 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the airfoils extend from a top surface of the fuselage at an angle θ 2 from one another, wherein θ 2 is selected from the range consisting of 30 to 330 degrees.

8 . The aircraft of claim 1 , further comprising control surfaces on trailing edges of the airfoils.

9 . The aircraft of claim 8 , wherein each of the control surfaces comprises multiple independently controlled segments.

10 . The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the propulsion systems collectively comprise a hexrotor arc when the aircraft is in the hover mode.

11 . An aircraft comprising:
a fuselage; a wing connected to the fuselage; first and second booms connected to the wing on opposite sides of the fuselage; first and second forward propulsion systems attached to forward ends of the first and second booms; first and second aft propulsion systems fixedly attached proximate aft ends of the first and second booms; first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems connected to outboard ends of wings; and a tail assembly connected to an aft end of the fuselage, the tail assembly comprising a vertical stabilizer having a first end connected to the aft end of the fuselage and a second end connected to a horizontal stabilizer; wherein the first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems are tiltable between a first position when the aircraft is in a hover mode and a second position when the aircraft is in a cruise mode; and wherein each of the propulsion systems includes a rotor assembly comprising a plurality of rotor blades.

12 . The aircraft of claim 11 , further comprising first and second wing tips connected to outboard sides of the first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems.

13 . The aircraft of claim 12 , wherein the first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems and the first and second wing tips are collectively tiltable between a first position when the aircraft is in a hover mode and a second position when the aircraft is in a cruise mode.

14 . The aircraft of claim 11 , wherein the tail assembly comprises a T-tail.

15 . The aircraft of claim 11 , further comprising control surfaces on trailing edges of the vertical stabilizer and the horizontal stabilizer.

16 . An electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) selectively convertible between a hover mode and a cruise mode, the eVTOL comprising:
a fuselage; a wing connected to a top surface of the fuselage and having opposite outboard ends; first and second booms connected to the wing on opposite sides of the fuselage and including forward ends disposed forward of the wing and aft ends disposed aft of the wing; first and second forward propulsion systems attached to the forward ends of the first and second booms; first and second aft propulsion systems fixedly attached proximate the aft ends of the first and second booms; first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems connected to outboard ends of wings, wherein each of the first and second wing-mounted propulsion systems includes:
a pylon for housing a drive system; and
a tail assembly on an aft end of the fuselage, the tail assembly comprising at least one of a T-tail and a V-tail; wherein each of the pylons is tiltable relative to the wing between a first position when the aircraft is in a hover mode and a second position when the aircraft is in a cruise mode; and wherein each of the propulsion systems includes a rotor assembly comprising a plurality of rotor blades.

17 . The eVTOL of claim 16 , wherein the tail assembly comprises a pair of airfoils each connected at one end to the aft end of the fuselage and wherein at least one of the airfoils extends from a top surface of the fuselage at an angle θ 1 from vertical, wherein θ 1 is less than 180 degrees.

18 . The eVTOL of claim 16 , wherein the tail assembly comprises a vertical stabilizer and a horizontal stabilizer and wherein a first end of the vertical stabilizer is connected to the aft end of the fuselage and a second end of the vertical stabilizer is connected to the horizontal stabilizer.

19 . The eVTOL of claim 16 , further comprising control surfaces on trailing edges of the tail assembly.

20 . The eVTOL of claim 19 , wherein each of the control surfaces comprises multiple independently controlled segments.

Assignees

• Bell Textron Inc

Inventors

• Ross Brent C
• Groninga Kirk L
• Ivans Steven R
• Schafer Steve R
• Passe Brad Joseph
• Carlson Nicholas Ralph
• Campbell Kip Gregory
• Regnier Bradley Paul
• Hagerott Steven G

Classifications

• B64C29/0033 Primary

  the propellers being tiltable relative to the fuselage · CPC title

• B64C9/20

  by multiple flaps · CPC title

• B64D27/31

  within, or attached to, wings · CPC title

• B64D27/33

  Hybrid electric aircraft · CPC title

• B64C29/00

  Aircraft capable of landing or taking-off vertically, e.g. vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft (rotorcraft B64C27/00) · CPC title