Hybrid gyrodyne aircraft

A method of flight control for a multi-rotor aircraft having eight rotors each coupled to a motor, wherein the eight rotors are paired, and wherein the paired rotors have a coaxial configuration having an upper rotor and a lower rotor, the method comprising:

• converting, using a processing unit, at least one of a thrust, roll, pitch, or yaw control input for the multi-rotor aircraft to a rotor control input for at least one of the rotors;
• determining, by the processing unit, an effective thrust generated by the eight rotors based on the rotor control input;
• when a minimum or maximum rotor control value of any of the eight rotors would be exceeded by the rotor control input, adjusting, by the processing unit, the rotor control input for one or more of the upper rotors proportionally to adjusting the rotor control input for one or more of the lower rotors such that an adjusted effective thrust based on the adjusted rotor control inputs remains consistent with the effective thrust based on the rotor control input;
• and
• sending a command, from the processing unit to one or more of the motors, to implement the adjusted rotor control inputs to modify at least one of thrust, roll, pitch, or yaw of the multi-rotor aircraft.

An aircraft, comprising:

• a fuselage;
• motors coupled to the fuselage;
• at least five rotors, each rotor coupled to one of the motors, wherein two rotors of the at least five rotors are on a first diagonal and two other rotors of the at least five rotors are on a second diagonal offset from the first diagonal, wherein some of the rotors are paired, and wherein the paired rotors have a coaxial configuration having an upper rotor and a lower rotor;
• and
• a processing unit in communication with the motors, the processing unit configured to:
• convert at least one of a thrust, roll, pitch, or yaw control input for the aircraft to a rotor control input for at least one of the rotors;
• determine an effective thrust generated by the at least five rotors based on the rotor control input;
• when a minimum or maximum rotor control value would be exceeded based on the rotor control input:
• adjust the rotor control input for one or more of the two rotors on the first diagonal proportionally to adjusting the rotor control input for one or more of the two rotors on the second diagonal;
• or
• adjust the rotor control input for one or more of the upper rotors proportionally to adjusting the rotor control input for one or more of the lower rotors,
• wherein the effective thrust is unaffected by the rotor control input that exceeds the minimum or the maximum rotor control value;
• and
• send a command to at least one of the motors to implement the adjusted rotor control input to modify at least one of thrust, roll, pitch, or yaw of the aircraft.