# US 10,119,527 B2 · Self contained ion powered aircraft > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,119,527 B2 - Document ID: US10119527B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/821,216 - Filed: 2015-08-07 - Published: 2016-02-11 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-08-07 - Applicants: Ethan Daniel Krauss - Inventors: Ethan Daniel Krauss - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10119527B2 ## CPC - F03H 1/0018: {Arrangements or adaptations of power supply systems (for cosmonautic vehicles B64G1/42)} - F03H 1/0037: {Electrostatic ion thrusters} - F03H: PRODUCING A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (from combustion products F02K) ## Abstract A self-contained ion powered aircraft assembly is provided. The aircraft assembly includes a collector assembly, an emitter assembly, and a control circuit operatively connected to at least the emitter and collector assemblies and comprising a power supply configured to provide voltage to the emitter and collector assemblies. The assembly is configured, such that, when the voltage is provided from an on board power supply, the aircraft provides sufficient thrust to lift each of the collector assembly, the emitter assembly, and the entire power supply against gravity. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A self-contained ion powered aircraft assembly comprising: a collector assembly; an emitter assembly; and a control circuit operatively connected to at least the emitter assembly and the collector assembly and comprising an onboard power supply configured to provide voltage to the emitter assembly and the collector assembly, such that when powered only by the onboard power supply, the self-contained ion powered aircraft assembly provides sufficient vertical thrust to lift all of the self-contained ion powered aircraft assembly against a downward gravitational acceleration of 9.81 m/s2 without external assistance. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The self-contained ion powered aircraft assembly of claim 1, wherein the collector assembly comprises a plurality of concentric elements, with a central support of the self-contained ion powered aircraft assembly located at a common centroid of the plurality of concentric elements. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The self-contained ion powered aircraft assembly of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of concentric elements are hexagonal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The self-contained ion powered aircraft assembly of claim 2, wherein the control circuit is implemented on or within the central support. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The self-contained ion powered aircraft assembly of claim 4, wherein the central support is formed from a flexible printed circuit board rolled into a tube. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The self-contained ion powered aircraft assembly of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of peripheral supports, each of the plurality of peripheral supports extending perpendicularly to a plane defined by the plurality of concentric elements; and the emitter assembly comprising: an emitter wire support structure, spaced from the collector assembly by the plurality of peripheral supports and the central support, comprising a series of supporting elements each extending within a plane parallel to the collector assembly; and a plurality of conductive emitter wires supported by the emitter wire support structure. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The self-contained ion powered aircraft assembly of claim 6, wherein the emitter assembly further comprises a rigid outer member, supported by the plurality of peripheral supports, a series of radial threads attached on at least one end to the rigid outer member, and the series of supporting elements comprising a plurality of concentric threads supported by the series of radial threads, the plurality of conductive emitter wires being attached along the plurality of concentric threads. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The self-contained ion powered aircraft assembly of claim 6, a closest distance between a conductive portion of the collector assembly and a conductive portion of the emitter assembly being more than fifteen percent of a width of the collector assembly. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The self-contained ion powered aircraft assembly of claim 1, the collector assembly being tapered such that a first edge of the collector assembly facing the emitter assembly is wider than a second edge, opposite the first edge, facing away from the emitter assembly. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The self-contained ion powered aircraft assembly of claim 1, the control circuit comprising a resonant transformer that is continuously driven at an associated resonant frequency. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The self-contained ion powered aircraft assembly of claim 10, the control circuit comprising an inverter configured to receive a direct current (DC) signal from the power supply and provide an alternating current (AC) signal to the resonant transformer. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The self-contained ion powered aircraft assembly of claim 10, the resonant transformer providing an output to a voltage multiplier. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The self-contained ion powered aircraft assembly of claim 12, wherein the voltage multiplier extends across all of the length of the central support. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The self-contained ion-powered aircraft of claim 12, the voltage multiplier comprising a modified Cockroft-Walton half wave multiplier comprising a ladder network of capacitors and diodes with a plurality of circuit paths containing diodes, in each circuit path containing each diode is curved to form a convex shape. ### Claim 15 An ion powered aircraft assembly comprising: a collector assembly comprising at least three concentric conductive elements; an emitter assembly; and a control circuit operatively connected to at least the emitter assembly and the collector assembly and comprising an onboard power supply to provide voltage to the emitter assembly and the collector assembly, when powered only by the onboard power supply, the ion powered aircraft assembly provides sufficient vertical thrust to lift all of the ion powered aircraft assembly against a downward gravitational acceleration of 9.81 m/s2 without external assistance. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The ion powered aircraft assembly of claim 15, the control circuit comprising the control circuit comprising a resonant transformer that is continuously driven at an associated resonant frequency to drive the resonant transformer in a strike mode to provide a high voltage signal to another component of the control circuit. ### Claim 17 An ion powered aircraft assembly comprising: a collector assembly comprising a plurality of concentric elements, with a central support of the self-contained ion powered aircraft assembly located at a common centroid of the plurality of concentric elements; a plurality of peripheral supports, each of the plurality of peripheral supports extending perpendicularly to a plane defined by the plurality of concentric elements; an emitter assembly, comprising: an emitter wire support structure, spaced from the collector assembly by the plurality of peripheral supports and the central support and comprising a series of supporting elements each extending within a plane parallel to the collector assembly; and a plurality of conductive emitter wires supported by the emitter wire support structure; and a control circuit operatively connected to at least the emitter assembly and the collector assembly and comprising an onboard power supply to provide voltage to the emitter assembly and the collector assembly and a resonant transformer that is continuously driven at an associated resonant frequency to provide a high voltage signal to another component of the control circuit, each of the collector assembly, the emitter assembly, and the control circuit being configured such that the ion powered aircraft assembly provides sufficient thrust to lift each of the collector assembly, the emitter assembly, and the control circuit against gravity wherein a closest distance between a conductive portion of the collector assembly and a conductive portion of the emitter assembly is more than fifteen percent of a width of the collector assembly. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The ion powered aircraft assembly of claim 17, the collector assembly comprising at least three concentric conductive elements.