Invertible aircraft
AssigneeAeroVironment, Inc.
InventorsMatthew Todd Keennon, Karl Robert Klingebiel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rotorcraft including a fuselage, one or more motor-driven rotors for vertical flight, and a control system. The motors drive the one or more rotors in either of two directions of rotation to provide for flight in either an upright or an inverted orientation. An orientation sensor is used to control the primary direction of thrust, and operational instructions and gathered information are automatically adapted based on the orientation of the fuselage with respect to gravity. The rotors are configured with blades that invert to conform to the direction of rotation.
Claims4
A rotor for use with a motor with a shaft configured to drive the rotor in either of two opposite directions of rotation, comprising:
- one or more blades, each blade having a longitudinal blade axis;
- an inversion mechanism configured to rotate each of the one or more blades around the longitudinal blade axis between a first position oriented for efficient thrust in a first direction parallel to the two directions of motor rotation, and a second position oriented for efficient thrust in a second direction parallel to the two directions of rotation of the motor, the first and second directions of thrust being in opposite directions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.