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US 9,045,226 B2Granted
Modular and morphable air vehicle
AssigneePiasecki Aircraft Corporation
InventorsJohn W. Piasecki, Frederick W. Piasecki, Brian Geiger, Douglas Johnson, David Pitcairn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An unmanned air module includes one or more rotors, engines, a transmission and avionics. Any of several different ground modules may be attached to the air module. The air module may fly with and without the ground module attached. The ground module may be a vehicle ground module and may be manned. The vehicle ground module may transport the attached air module across the ground. The air module may have two rotors, which may be ducted fans, and three different configurations: a tandem rotor configuration, a side-by-side configuration, and a tilted-rotor configuration.
Claims35
A personal air vehicle apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
- a. a fuselage having a longitudinal axis, said longitudinal axis corresponding to a fore and an aft direction;
- b. a central unit attached to said fuselage, said central unit defining an axis of rotor tilt, said axis of rotor tilt being movable with respect to said fuselage between a tandem position in which said axis of rotor tilt is generally parallel to said longitudinal axis and a side-by-side position in which said axis of rotor tilt is generally normal to said longitudinal axis;
- c. a first rotor and a second rotor, said first and said second rotors being operably attached to said central unit, said first rotor being configured to rotate about a first rotor axis of rotation, said second rotor being configured to rotate about a second rotor axis of rotation, said first and said second rotor axes of rotation being in a spaced apart relation with respect to said axis of rotor tilt;
- d. said first and said second rotor axes of rotation being tiltable about said axis of rotor tilt between a vertical position and a horizontal position when said axis of rotor tilt is in said side-by-side position, said first and said second rotor axes of rotation being generally parallel and in combination describing a plane, said plane being generally parallel to said longitudinal axis when said first and said second rotor axes of rotation are in said horizontal position, said plane being generally normal to said longitudinal axis when said rotor axes of rotation are in said vertical position;
- e. a wing, said wing being attached to said central unit,
- i. said first rotor and said second rotor defining a tandem rotor configuration when said first and said second axes of rotation are in said vertical position and said axis of rotor tilt is in said tandem position, said first rotor and said second rotor being configured to provide a lift sufficient to support said fuselage and said central unit in flight when said first rotor and said second rotor are in said tandem configuration;
- ii. said first and said second rotor defining a side-by-side rotor configuration when said first and said second axes of rotation are in said vertical position and said axis of rotor tilt is in said side-by-side position, said first rotor and said second rotor being configured to supply said lift sufficient to support said fuselage and said central unit in flight when said first rotor and said second rotor are in said side-by-side configuration;
- iii. said first and said second rotor defining a tilted-rotor configuration when said axis of rotor tilt is in said side-by-side position and first and said second rotor axes of rotation are in said horizontal position, said wing being configured to provide said lift sufficient to support said fuselage and said central unit in flight when said first and said second rotors are in said tilted-rotor configuration, wherein said central unit and said first and said second rotors define an air module and wherein said fuselage defines a ground module, said air module being unmanned, said air module being selectably detachable from said ground module, said first and said second rotors being configured to provide said lift sufficient to support said air module in flight when said air module is detached from said ground module and said first and said second rotor axes of rotation are in said vertical position, said wing being configured to provide said lift to support said air module in flight when said air module is detached from said ground module and said first and said rotor axes of rotation are in said horizontal position, whereby said air module may fly independently of said ground module.
5 more elements
A personal air vehicle apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
- a. a fuselage having a longitudinal axis, said longitudinal axis corresponding to a fore and an aft direction;
- b. a central unit attached to said fuselage, said central unit defining an axis of rotor tilt, said axis of rotor tilt being movable with respect to said fuselage between a tandem position in which said axis of rotor tilt is generally parallel to said longitudinal axis and a side-by-side position in which said axis of rotor tilt is generally normal to said longitudinal axis;
- c. a first rotor and a second rotor, said first and said second rotors being operably attached to said central unit, said first rotor being configured to rotate about a first rotor axis of rotation, said second rotor being configured to rotate about a second rotor axis of rotation, said first and said second rotor axes of rotation being in a spaced apart relation with respect to said axis of rotor tilt;
- d. said first and said second rotor axes of rotation being tiltable about said axis of rotor tilt between a vertical position and a horizontal position when said axis of rotor tilt is in said side-by-side position, said first and said second rotor axes of rotation being generally parallel and in combination describing a plane, said plane being generally parallel to said longitudinal axis when said first and said second rotor axes of rotation are in said horizontal position, said plane being generally normal to said longitudinal axis when said rotor axes of rotation are in said vertical position;
- e. a wing, said wing being attached to said central unit,
- i. said first rotor and said second rotor defining a tandem rotor configuration when said first and said second axes of rotation are in said vertical position and said axis of rotor tilt is in said tandem position, said first rotor and said second rotor being configured to provide a lift sufficient to support said fuselage and said central unit in flight when said first rotor and said second rotor are in said tandem configuration;
- ii. said first and said second rotor defining a side-by-side rotor configuration when said first and said second axes of rotation are in said vertical position and said axis of rotor tilt is in said side-by-side position, said first rotor and said second rotor being configured to supply said lift sufficient to support said fuselage and said central unit in flight when said first rotor and said second rotor are in said side-by-side configuration;
- iii. said first and said second rotor defining a tilted-rotor configuration when said axis of rotor tilt is in said side-by-side position and first and said second rotor axes of rotation are in said horizontal position, said wing being configured to provide said lift sufficient to support said fuselage and said central unit in flight when said first and said second rotors are in said tilted-rotor configuration;
- f. a wing extension, said wing extension being attached to said central unit, said wing extension having a deployed position and a retracted position, said wing extension being configured to provide a lift to said air module when said air module is flying in said tilted-rotor configuration and said wing extension is in said deployed position;
- g. a first circular duct surrounding a periphery of said first rotor;
- h. a second circular duct surrounding said periphery of said second rotor, said first rotor in combination with said first circular duct defining a first ducted fan, said second rotor in combination with said second circular duct defining a second ducted fan, said first circular duct and said second circular duct defining a first and a second circular wing, said first and said second circular wings providing said lift when said air module is flying in said tilted-rotor configuration, said wing extension being a one of a first wing extension and a second wing extension, said first wing extension being attached to said first circular duct, said second wing extension being attached to said second circular duct, said first and said second wing extensions each being foldable about a hinge between said deployed position and said retracted position, wherein said first and said second wing extensions are curved, said first wing extension conforming to an outside of said first circular duct and said second wing extension conforming to an outside of said second circular duct when said first and said second wing extensions are in said retracted position.
8 more elements
A personal air vehicle apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
- a. an air module, said air module being configured not to accommodate a human being on board said air module;
- b. at least one rotary wing operably attached to said air module;
- c. a ground module, said ground module and said air module being configured to be selectably attached one to the other, said ground module having a passenger cabin, said passenger cabin being configured to contain said human being, said at least one rotary wing being configured to support said air module and said ground module containing said human being in said flight when said ground module is attached to said air module, said at least one rotary wing being configured to support said air module in said flight when said ground module is not attached to said air module;
- d. an air module control system housed within said air module, said air module control system comprising:
- i. a microprocessor, a computer memory operably connected to said microprocessor, a power supply operably connected to said microprocessor, a control interface operably connected to said microprocessor, and a plurality of control effectors operably connected to said microprocessor, each of said plurality of control effectors being configured to adjust a one of a plurality of flight controls of said air module;
- ii. said microprocessor being programmed to receive a command through said control interface, said microprocessor being programmed to implement said command by adjusting said plurality of flight controls using said control effectors, said command received by said air module control system is selected from a list consisting of a mission plan, a waypoint, and a landing zone location, wherein said command that said control system is configured to receive and to implement is to disengage from said ground module when said ground module and said air module are located on a ground and to fly to a specified location.
3 more elements
A personal air vehicle apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
- a. an air module, said air module being configured not to accommodate a human being on board said air module;
- b. at least one rotary wing operably attached to said air module;
- c. a ground module, said ground module and said air module being configured to be selectably attached one to the other, said ground module having a passenger cabin, said passenger cabin being configured to contain said human being, said at least one rotary wing being configured to support said air module and said ground module containing said human being in said flight when said ground module is attached to said air module, said at least one rotary wing being configured to support said air module in said flight when said ground module is not attached to said air module;
- d. an air module control system housed within said air module, said air module control system comprising:
- i. a microprocessor, a computer memory operably connected to said microprocessor, a power supply operably connected to said microprocessor, a control interface operably connected to said microprocessor, and a plurality of control effectors operably connected to said microprocessor, each of said plurality of control effectors being configured to adjust a one of a plurality of flight controls of said air module;
- ii. said microprocessor being programmed to receive a command through said control interface, said microprocessor being programmed to implement said command by adjusting said plurality of flight controls using said control effectors, said command received by said air module control system is selected from a list consisting of a mission plan, a waypoint, and a landing zone location, wherein said command that said control system is configured to receive and to implement is to fly to a location on a ground proximal to said ground module.
3 more elements
A personal air vehicle apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
- a. an air module;
- b. at least one rotary wing operably attached to said air module;
- c. a ground module, said ground module and said air module being configured to be selectably attached one to the other, said at least one rotary wing being configured to support said ground module and said air module in a flight when said ground module and said air module are attached, said rotary wing being configured to support said air module in said flight when said ground module and said air module are not attached, said ground module being configured to support said air module above a surface of a ground when said ground module and said air module are attached and said ground module and said air module are not in said flight.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.