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US 2026/0192911 A1Published application
Foldable rotary wing aircraft
AssigneeLockheed Martin Corporation
InventorsColin K. Bunting, Erez Eller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A convertible aircraft includes a fuselage defining a flight axis, and a wing assembly including a pair of wings. Each wing includes a first panel coupled to the fuselage and extending along a wing axis, transverse to the flight axis, a second panel including a thruster having a blade assembly configured to rotate about a thruster axis, a first hinge configured to couple the second panel to the first panel for pivoting about a first hinge axis, a third panel, and a second hinge configured to couple the third panel to the second panel for pivoting about a second hinge axis, parallel to the first hinge axis.
Claims20
A tail-sitter aircraft comprising:
- a fuselage extending along a flight axis between a nose and a base;
- a landing gear assembly configured to support the aircraft when the aircraft is grounded;
- a first wing coupled to the fuselage and extending along a wing axis transverse to the flight axis;
- a second wing coupled to the fuselage and extending along the wing axis opposite the first wing;
- a first thruster defining a first thruster axis having a first blade assembly coupled to the first wing for rotation about the first thruster axis;
- and
- a second thruster defining a second thruster axis having a second blade assembly coupled to the second wing for rotation about the second thruster axis;
- wherein the aircraft is operable in a hover mode, in which the first wing and second wing are positioned such that the first thruster axis and the second thruster axis extend in a vertical direction parallel to the flight axis;
- and
- wherein the aircraft is operable in a rotor wing mode, in which the first wing and second wing are rotated equal and opposite about the wing axis such that the first thruster axis and the second thruster axis extend in an inclined direction with respect to the flight axis and the first wing and the second wing rotate about the flight axis;
- and
- wherein the fuselage includes an attachment connection coupled to the base of the fuselage, the attachment connection including a lifting assembly having a lift element for coupling to a load to raise or lower the load relative to the attachment connection.
9 more elements
(canceled)
A convertible aircraft comprising:
- a fuselage defining a flight axis;
- and
- a wing assembly including a pair of wings, each wing including
- a first panel coupled to the fuselage and extending along a wing axis, transverse to the flight axis,
- a second panel including a thruster having a blade assembly configured to rotate about a thruster axis,
- a first hinge configured to couple the second panel to the first panel for pivoting about a first hinge axis in a first rotational direction,
- a third panel, and
- a second hinge configured to couple the third panel to the second panel for pivoting about a second hinge axis in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction, parallel to the first hinge axis.
5 more elements
A tail-sitter aircraft comprising:
- a fuselage extending along a flight axis between a nose and a base;
- a landing gear assembly configured to support the aircraft with the flight axis generally orthogonal to the ground while the aircraft is grounded;
- a first wing coupled to the fuselage and extending along a wing axis transverse to the flight axis, the first wing including a first innermost panel coupled to the fuselage for rotation about the wing axis, a first inboard panel hingedly coupled to the first innermost panel for pivoting about a first hinge axis in a first rotational direction, and a first outboard panel hingedly coupled to the first inboard panel for pivoting about a second hinge axis in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction;
- a first thruster coupled to the first wing and defining a first thruster axis;
- a second wing coupled to the fuselage and extending along the wing axis, opposite the first wing, the second wing including a second innermost panel coupled to the fuselage for rotation about the wing axis, a second inboard panel hingedly coupled to the second innermost panel for pivoting about the first hinge axis in the first rotational direction, and a second outboard panel hingedly coupled to the second inboard panel for pivoting about the second hinge axis in the second rotational direction;
- and
- a second thruster coupled to the second wing and defining a second thruster axis;
- wherein the aircraft is operable in a plurality of modes including at least two modes selected from
- 1) a folded hover mode, in which the first inboard panel is inclined with respect to the first innermost panel, the second inboard panel is inclined with respect to the second innermost panel, and the first thruster axis and the second thruster axis are parallel to the flight axis;
- 2) an extended hover mode, in which the first inboard panel is aligned with the first innermost panel, the second inboard panel is aligned with the second innermost panel, and the first thruster axis and the second thruster axis extend in a vertical direction orthogonal to the ground and parallel to the flight axis;
- 3) a rotor wing mode, in which the first inboard panel and first outboard panel are aligned with the first innermost panel, the second inboard panel and second outboard panel are aligned with the second innermost panel, and the first thruster axis and the second thruster axis are inclined relative to the flight axis;
- and
- 4) a cruise mode, in which the first inboard panel is aligned with the first innermost panel, the second inboard panel is aligned with the second innermost panel, the first thruster axis and the second thruster axis extend in a horizontal direction parallel to the ground and parallel to the flight axis;
- wherein the aircraft is movable between the plurality of modes in flight.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.