High voltage flying apparatus employing multiple motors
AssigneeJ.S.T. Corporation
InventorAlbert J. Grenier
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flying apparatus having a frame configured to couple to a high voltage tether system, and at least one motor module mounted to the frame, the module including a holding structure attached to the frame, a rotating structure, including a rotor shaft, configured to rotate relative to the holding structure, a rotor attached to the rotor shaft and a plurality of motors attached to the holding structure, each including a drive shaft configured to engage with the rotor shaft, wherein the motors are configured to receive electrical energy from the tether system and drive the drive shafts to create a torque on the rotor shaft to thereby rotate the rotor and create lift to fly the apparatus from the ground to a desired position aloft while remaining coupled to the tether system.
Claims20
A flying apparatus comprising:
- a frame configured to couple to a high voltage tether system;
- at least one motor module mounted to the frame, the module comprising:
- a holding structure attached to the frame;
- a rotating structure, including a rotor shaft, configured to rotate relative to the holding structure;
- a rotor attached to the rotor shaft:
- and
- a plurality of motors arranged in a ring about the rotor shaft and attached to the holding structure, each being a low-power. low-torque motor including a drive shaft configured to engage with the rotating structure, and a disengaging mechanism configured to automatically physically disengage the drive shaft from the rotating structure upon the motor experiencing at least one selected type of a plurality of types of motor failures, wherein the motors are configured to receive electrical energy from the high voltage tether system and drive the drive shafts to create a high-torque on the rotor shaft to thereby rotate the rotor and create lift to fly the apparatus from the ground to a desired position aloft while remaining coupled to the tether system.
A method of operating a flying apparatus comprising:
- providing electrical energy via a high voltage tether system to a plurality of low-power, low-torque motors mounted to a holding structure to drive shafts of the motors to create a high-torque on a rotor shaft to thereby rotate the rotor shaft relative to the holding structure and to rotate a rotor coupled to the rotor shaft to thereby create lift to fly the apparatus from the ground to a desired position aloft while coupled to the tether system, wherein the plurality of motors are arranged in a ring about the rotor and each motor of the plurality of motors includes a disengaging mechanism configured to automatically physically disengage the motor from the rotor shaft upon the motor experiencing at least one selected type of a plurality of types of motor failures.
A flying apparatus comprising:
- a frame configured to couple to a high voltage tether system;
- at least one motor module mounted to the frame, the module comprising:
- a holding structure attached to the frame;
- a rotating structure, including a rotor shaft, configured to rotate relative to the holding structure;
- a rotor attached to the rotor shaft;
- and
- a plurality of motors attached to the holding structure and arranged in a ring around the rotor shaft, each motor including a drive shaft configured to engage with the rotating structure, wherein the motors are configured to receive electrical energy from the tether system and drive the drive shafts to together provide a desired power output and create a torque on the rotor shaft to thereby rotate the rotor and create lift to fly the apparatus from the ground to a desired position aloft while remaining coupled to the tether system, wherein the plurality of motors includes a number of redundant motors in excess of a number required to provide the desired power output, and wherein each motor includes a disengaging mechanism to automatically physically disengage the drive shaft from the rotating structure upon the motor experiencing at least one selected type of a plurality of types of motor failures.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.