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US 12,479,571 B2Granted
System of an electric aircraft with pitch control using an elevator
AssigneeBeta Air, LLC
InventorsNicholas Moy, Collin Freiheit, Riley Griffin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system of an electric aircraft with pitch control using an elevator is presented. In some embodiments, the electric aircraft may include an elevator configured to deflect. In some embodiments, the electric aircraft may further include a lift lever configured to generate a lift command upon activation by a pilot. In some embodiments, the electric aircraft may further include a flight controller communicatively connected with the lift lever and the elevator, wherein the flight controller is configured to receive the lift command from the lift lever and adjust the elevator as a function of the lift command.
Claims20
A system of an electric aircraft comprising:
- a plurality of vertical lift propulsors driven by one or more electric motors;
- an elevator coupled with an actuator that causes the elevator to deflect to adjust a pitch of the electric aircraft;
- a lift lever configured to receive an input and output a command in response to the input, wherein the command controls a collective output from the plurality of vertical lift propulsors;
- and
- a flight controller communicatively connected with the lift lever and the elevator, wherein the flight controller is configured to:
- control, by providing a signal to one or more of the plurality of vertical lift propulsors, a change to a collective thrust generated by the plurality of vertical lift propulsors in response to the command, wherein the command comprises a lift command including a command to increase a drag of the electric aircraft and wherein the flight controller is further configured to provide the signal to incrementally adjust a deflection of the elevator in response to the lift command to change a lift of the electric aircraft until a drag coefficient associated with the electric aircraft is increased by an amount that causes a speed of the electric aircraft to drop below a value associated with safe transition to vertical flight;
- and
- cause, by providing a signal to the actuator, the elevator to deflect simultaneously as at least one of the plurality of vertical lift propulsors is activated.
5 more elements
A method for controlling pitch of an electric aircraft comprising:
- receiving, using a flight controller of the electric aircraft, a lift command including a command to increase a drag of the electric aircraft from a lift lever of the electric aircraft wherein:
- the electric aircraft comprises a plurality of vertical lift propulsors driven by one or more electric motors;
- and
- the flight controller is configured to control a thrust of the plurality of vertical lift propulsors in response to the lift command;
- adjusting, using the flight controller, an elevator of the electric aircraft as a function of the lift command;
- incrementally adjusting, by the flight controller, a deflection of the elevator to change a lift of the electric aircraft until a drag coefficient associated with the electric aircraft is increased by an amount that causes a speed of the electric aircraft to drop below a value associated with safe transition to vertical flight;
- and
- causing, by providing a signal to an actuator, the elevator to deflect simultaneously as at least one of the plurality of vertical lift propulsors is activated.
5 more elements
An electric aircraft comprising:
- a fuselage;
- a plurality of lateral elements that extends from the fuselage;
- a plurality of vertical lift propulsors driven by one or more electric motors, the plurality of vertical lift propulsors coupled to corresponding ones of the plurality of lateral elements;
- an elevator deflected by an actuator to adjust a pitch of the fuselage;
- a lift lever configured to receive an input indicative of an altitude control and output a command in response to the input, wherein the command controls a collective output from the plurality of vertical lift propulsors;
- and
- a flight controller communicatively connected with the lift lever and the elevator, wherein the flight controller is configured to:
- control, by providing a signal to the plurality of vertical lift propulsors, an altitude of the electric aircraft;
- cause, by providing a signal to the actuator, the elevator to deflect simultaneously as at least one of the plurality of vertical lift propulsors is activated;
- and
- incrementally adjust a deflection of the elevator in response to the command to change a lift of the electric aircraft until a drag coefficient associated with the electric aircraft is increased by an amount that causes a speed of the electric aircraft to drop below a value associated with safe transition to vertical flight.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.