Exhaust area and flow turning control
AssigneeWhisper Aero Inc.
InventorsMark Douglass Moore, Ian Andreas Villa, Devon Jedamski, Andrew Stephen Hahn, Aaron Timothy Perry, Jonathan Jeffrey Paravano, Xiaofan Fei, Paul Rothhaar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An aircraft may comprise ducted fans. The ducted fans may be an array of ducted fans. An array of ducted fans may be integrated in a wing of the aircraft. A ducted fan may be integrated in a horizontal tail of the aircraft. The wing may include a movable edge, such as a flap, to provide both exhaust area and flow turning control. The movable edge may be articulated by pivoting the movable edge. The movable edge may be extended and retracted.
Claims31
An aircraft comprising:
- a fuselage;
- a wing connected to the fuselage;
- a lower flap configured to transition between a first position and a second position;
- an array of propulsors integrated in the wing, wherein the array of propulsors comprises:
- an upper element located over fans of the propulsors;
- a lower element located below the fans of the propulsors, wherein the lower element comprises the lower flap;
- and
- an exhaust area comprising an exhaust outlet located forward of a leading edge of the lower flap,
- wherein the array of propulsors is configured to propel an airflow across an upper surface of the lower element between the exhaust outlet and the leading edge of the lower flap;
- a control assembly configured to cause, via movement of the lower flap from the first position to the second position:
- modification of the exhaust area of the array of propulsors;
- and
- modification of a direction of the airflow propelled across the upper surface of the lower element between the exhaust outlet and the leading edge of the lower flap;
- and
- a plurality of horizontal tails.
An air-moving device for an aircraft, the air-moving device comprising:
- an array of propulsors, wherein the array of propulsors comprises:
- an upper element located over fans of the propulsors;
- a lower element located below the fans of the propulsors, wherein the lower element comprises:
- a forward edge;
- and
- a movable flap opposite the forward edge and aftward of the fans of the propulsors, the movable flap configured to direct, by moving between a first position and a second position, airflow propelled by the propulsors;
- and
- an exhaust area comprising an exhaust outlet located forward of a leading edge of the movable flap,
- wherein the array of propulsors is configured to propel the airflow across an upper surface of the lower element between the exhaust area and the leading edge of the movable flap;
- and
- a control assembly configured to:
- receive a control signal;
- and
- based on the control signal and by moving the movable flap between the first position and the second position:
- modify the exhaust area;
- and
- modify an angle of the airflow turned, via the Coanda effect, over a trailing edge of the movable flap.
A method for controlling an aircraft, comprising:
- propelling, using an array of propulsors comprising an upper element and a lower element and integrated in a wing of an aircraft, an airflow across an upper surface of the lower element between an exhaust outlet located forward of a leading edge of a flap integrated in the lower element and the leading edge of the flap;
- sending, by a computing device and to a control assembly, an instruction to transition the flap, positioned at a trailing edge of the lower element aftward of the array of propulsors, between a first position and a second position;
- and
- modifying both an exhaust area of at least one propulsor of the array of propulsors and a direction of the airflow propelled across the upper surface of the lower element between the exhaust outlet and the leading edge of the flap at least by moving, using the control assembly and based on the instruction, the flap between the first position and the second position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.