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US 11,453,490 B2Granted
Articulated electric propulsion system with fully stowing blades and lightweight vertical take-off and landing aircraft using same
AssigneeJoby Aero, Inc.
InventorsJoeBen Bevirt, Alex Stoll
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aerial vehicle adapted for vertical takeoff and landing using pivoting thrust producing elements for takeoff and landing. An aerial vehicle which is adapted to takeoff with thrust units providing vertical thrust and then transitioning to a horizontal flight path. An aerial vehicle with pivoting thrust units with propellers, wherein some or all of the propellers are able to be stowed and fully nested during forward flight.
Claims12
A vertical take-off and landing aircraft, said vertical take-off and landing aircraft comprising:
- a left wing, said left wing comprising one or more propulsion assemblies;
- and
- a right wing, said right wing comprising one or more propulsion assemblies, wherein said propulsion assemblies comprise:
- a nacelle body, said nacelle body comprising a first principal axis along its center, and
- a stowable propeller system, said stowable propeller system comprising:
- a central hub, said central hub comprising a first rotation axis;
- a drive motor, said drive motor rigidly coupled to said central hub;
- a plurality of propeller blades, said plurality of propeller blades pivotally attached to said central hub, said propeller blades comprising blade tips at an end away from said central hub
- wherein said blade tips of said blades when stowed in a direction substantially parallel to said first principal axis reside forward of the leading edge of said left wing and said right wing.
6 more elements
A vertical take-off and landing aircraft, said vertical take-off and landing aircraft comprising:
- a left wing, said left wing comprising one or more propulsion assemblies;
- and
- a right wing, said right wing comprising one or more propulsion assemblies, wherein said propulsion assemblies comprise:
- a nacelle body, said nacelle body comprising recesses in its outer surface when said propeller blades are in a deployed position, and
- a stowable propeller system, said stowable propeller system comprising:
- a central hub, said central hub comprising a first rotation axis;
- a drive motor, said drive motor rigidly coupled to said central hub;
- a plurality of propeller blades, said plurality of propeller blades pivotally attached to said central hub, said propeller blades comprising blade tips at an end away from said central hub,
- wherein said blade tips of said blades when stowed reside forward of the leading edge of said left wing and said right wing, and wherein said propeller blades are adapted to stow into said recesses in the outer surface of the nacelle body.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.