Coaxial drive propulsion system for aerial vehicles, and associated systems and methods

Abstract

A propulsion system for an aircraft may include two coaxial propellers to operate in two different flight conditions. Each propeller may be attached to a driveshaft via corresponding one-way devices that allow each propeller to be driven in one direction but spin freely in the other direction. A reversible motor may selectively rotate the driveshaft in one direction to cause one propeller to operate while the other spins freely. For example, one propeller may be operated for one flight condition (such as vertical lift) and the other propeller may be operated for another flight condition (such as horizontal flight). Another propulsion system may include a propeller, a one-way bearing, a motor, and a generator. The one-way bearing may allow the motor to drive the propeller in one direction and to spin freely in the other direction to drive the generator with incoming airflow during a gliding phase of flight.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.