Helicopter with coaxial counter-rotating roller driven rotors
OwnerCharles Douglas Popeinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A helicopter includes annular rotors surrounding a fuselage. Rotor blades extend radially outwardly from each annular rotor. One or more motors is provided. Each motor rotates a roller, which drives each annular rotor by traction. In an embodiment with two rotors, one rotor rotates in one direction and the other rotor rotates in the opposite direction. A swash device with a grooved outer cylindrical surface engages the free end of a crank arm of each rotor blade to provide collective and cyclic pitch control. Actuators, which may be electromechanical or hydraulic, control positioning and movement of the swash device. Batteries, an electric generator and/or a hydrogen fuel cell may supply electric power.
Claims20
An electric helicopter comprising:
- a fuselage;
- and
- a first electric motor, a first drive shaft driven by the first electric motor, a first roller attached to the first drive shaft, the first roller rotating about a first roller axis;
- and
- a first annular rotor, the first annular rotor including an open center, a first plurality of rotor blades extending radially outwardly from the first annular rotor, each rotor blade of the first plurality of rotor blades being coupled to the first annular rotor with a first pivot coupling, the pitch of each rotor blade of the first plurality of rotor blades being adjustable at the first pivot coupling, at least a portion of the fuselage being disposed in the open center of the first annular rotor, the first annular rotor being rotatable about a first annular rotor axis, the first annular rotor axis being perpendicular to the first roller axis;
- and
- the first roller abutting and frictionally engaging the first annular rotor, rotation of the first roller causing rotation of the first annular rotor in a first direction of rotation;
- and
- an electric power supply electrically coupled to the first annular electric motor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.