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US 11,142,433 B2Granted
Bidirectional thrust apparatus, system, and method
AssigneeVita Inclinata Technologies, Inc.
InventorsDerek Sikora, Logan Goodrich
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bidirectional thrust assembly comprises a motor, a selective power transfer mechanism, and a plurality of fans; wherein a change in direction of rotation of the motor causes the selective power transfer mechanism to change a torque transfer among the plurality of fans, wherein the fans may be opposing, and wherein the fans may be unidirectional. The bidirectional thrust assembly may be used in or by a plurality of craft or with respect to other objects which may need to be maneuvered, included suspended load control systems, vertical takeoff and landing craft, watercraft.
Claims17
A suspended load control system comprising:
- a first bidirectional thrust assembly comprising a first motor, a first double ended driveshaft, a first fan and a second fan, wherein the first motor is to transfer torque from the first motor to either the first fan or the second fan, wherein the first fan and the second fan are unidirectional fans, and wherein the first unidirectional fan and the second unidirectional fan are configured to propel thrust fluid and develop thrust in opposite directions, wherein the first and second unidirectional fans comprise blades with an asymmetric cross-section profile;
- a second bidirectional thrust assembly comprising a second motor, a second double ended driveshaft, a third fan, and a fourth fan, wherein the third fan and the fourth fan are unidirectional fans and wherein the third unidirectional fan and the fourth unidirectional fan are configured to propel thrust fluid and develop thrust in opposite directions, wherein the third and fourth unidirectional fans comprise blades with the asymmetric cross-section profile, and wherein the second motor is to transfer torque from the second motor to either the third unidirectional fan or the fourth unidirectional fan;
- further comprising a sensor suite and a computer processor and memory, wherein the memory comprises a thrust control module which, when executed by the computer processor, is to determine a position, orientation, or motion of the suspended load control system based on a sensor data from the sensor suite by combining the sensor data from the sensor suite through a non-linear filter to determine a current state and is to control the first motor to selectively output thrust from the first unidirectional fan and the second unidirectional fan and is to control the second motor to selectively output thrust from the third unidirectional fan and the fourth unidirectional fan and is to thereby impart a horizontal thrust vector and a torque on the suspended load control system and to thereby influence at least one of the position, orientation, or motion of the suspended load control system.
A method to influence at least one of a position, orientation, or motion of a suspended load control system on a suspension cable beneath a carrier comprising:
- obtaining a sensor data from a sensor suite;
- combining the sensor data from the sensor suite in a non-linear filter to determine a current state comprising a position, orientation, or motion of the suspended load control system;
- in response to the determined current state comprising the position, orientation, or motion of the suspended load control system, selectively operating a first motor in a first direction of rotation to transfer torque from the first motor through a first double ended driveshaft to a first unidirectional fan and selectively operating the first motor in a second direction of rotation to transfer torque from the first motor through the first double ended driveshaft to a second unidirectional fan and selectively operating a second motor in the first direction of rotation to transfer torque from the second motor through a second double ended driveshaft to a third unidirectional fan and selectively operating the second motor in the second direction of rotation to transfer torque from the second motor through the second double ended driveshaft to a fourth unidirectional fan;
- and to thereby impart a horizontal thrust vector and a torque on the suspended load control system and influence at least one of the position, orientation, or motion of the suspended load control system.
1 more element
An apparatus to control a load on a suspension cable beneath a carrier comprising:
- a sensor suite to obtain a sensor data;
- in a non-linear filter, combine the sensor data from the sensor suite to determine a current state comprising a position, orientation, and motion of a suspended load control system;
- in response to the determined current state comprising the position, orientation, and motion of the suspended load control system, means to impart a horizontal thrust vector and a torque on the suspended load control system and influence at least one of the position, orientation, or motion of the suspended load control system, wherein the means to impart the horizontal thrust vector and the torque on the suspended load control system and influence at least one of the position, orientation, or motion of the suspended load control system further comprise a first motor operated in a first direction of rotation to transfer torque from the first motor through a first double ended driveshaft to a first unidirectional fan and the first motor operated in a second direction of rotation to transfer torque from the first motor through the first double ended driveshaft to a second unidirectional fan and to thereby selectively output thrust from the first unidirectional fan and the second unidirectional fan;
- a second motor operated in the first direction of rotation to transfer torque from the second motor through a second double ended driveshaft to a third unidirectional fan and the second motor operated in the second direction of rotation to transfer torque from the second motor through the second double ended driveshaft to a fourth unidirectional fan and to thereby selectively output thrust from the third unidirectional fan and the fourth unidirectional fan.
1 more element
One or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that cause a suspended load control system computer device, in response to execution of the instructions by a processor of the suspended load control system computer device, to:
- obtain a sensor data from a sensor suite;
- combine the sensor data from the sensor suite in a non-linear filter to determine a current state comprising a position, orientation, and motion of a suspended load control system;
- in response to the determined position, orientation, and motion of the suspended load control system, impart a horizontal thrust vector and a torque on the suspended load control system and thereby influence at least one of the position, orientation, or motion of the suspended load control system, wherein to impart the horizontal thrust vector and the torque on the suspended load control system and thereby influence at least one of the position, orientation, or motion of the suspended load control system, the instructions are further to cause the suspended load control system computer device, in response to execution of the instructions by the processor of the suspended load control system computer device, to further
- operate a first motor in a first direction of rotation to transfer torque from the first motor through a first double ended driveshaft to a first unidirectional fan and operate the first motor in a second direction of rotation to transfer torque from the first motor through the first double ended driveshaft to a second unidirectional fan and thereby selectively transfer torque from the first motor between the first unidirectional fan and the second unidirectional fan and to
- operate a second motor in the first direction of rotation to transfer torque from the second motor through a second double ended driveshaft to a third unidirectional fan and operate the second motor in the second direction of rotation to transfer torque from the second motor through the second double ended driveshaft to a fourth unidirectional fan and thereby selectively transfer torque from the second motor between the third unidirectional fan and the fourth unidirectional fan and to thereby impart the horizontal thrust vector and the torque on the suspended load control system and influence at least one of the position, orientation, or motion of the suspended load control system.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.