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US 10,377,476 B2Granted
Impeller-based vehicle propulsion system
AssigneeMohyi Labs, LLC
InventorJohn Mohyi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle includes a propulsion system using one or more impellers as opposed to propellers. The impellers impart circumferential and radial velocity components to the working fluid, which may be air or water. The air is deflected by counter-vortex chambers in a shroud to convert the circumferential and radial velocity to an axial velocity aligned with the axis of rotation of the impeller.
Claims19
A vehicle comprising:
- a first impeller supported for rotation about a first axis;
- a first power source configured to rotate the first impeller about the first axis in a first direction such that the first impeller draws fluid from above the vehicle and expels the fluid with radial and circumferential velocity components;
- and
- a first shroud surrounding a perimeter of the first impeller and fixed to the vehicle, the first shroud defining a first plurality of circumferentially spaced apart counter-vortex chambers to divert the fluid toward an axial direction, each counter-vortex chamber defined by a quarter-elliptical wall fixed to an outer wall.
1 more element
A vehicle propulsion system comprising:
- a first impeller supported for rotation about an axis, the first impeller having a first top surface defining a first aperture, a first bottom surface, and a first plurality of impeller vanes connecting the first top surface to the first bottom surface;
- a first power source configured to rotate the first impeller about the axis in a first direction such that the first impeller draws fluid into the first aperture and expels the fluid with radial and circumferential velocity components;
- and
- a shroud surrounding a perimeter of the first impeller, the shroud configured to divert the circumferential component toward a direction parallel to the axis, the shroud defining a first plurality of circumferentially spaced apart counter-vortex chambers to divert the fluid downwardly in an axial direction.
1 more element
A method of operating a vehicle comprising:
- rotating an impeller relative to a fixed shroud such that the impeller draws air from above the vehicle and expels the air into the shroud with first radial and circumferential velocity components;
- and
- deflecting the air with a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart counter-vortex chambers defined by the shroud to convert the first radial and circumferential velocity components into an axial air velocity parallel to an axis of rotation of the impeller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.