Propulsion system for multicopters and related aircrafts

1 . An aerial vehicle, that is unmanned, comprising: a vehicle body; optionally a landing gear attached to said vehicle body; one or more propulsions systems for moving the aerial vehicle, said propulsion systems comprising at least one rotor; and a processing unit comprised in the vehicle body for controlling the propulsion systems; characterized in that the aerial vehicle further comprises one or more corrective propulsion systems for providing directional impulses to the aerial vehicle during flight, said corrective propulsion systems comprising one or more hollow air ducts, said air ducts having an outlet aimed essentially lateral to the vehicle body directly away from the center of mass of the aerial vehicle, whereby the processing unit is adapted for controlling the corrective propulsion systems separately to emit a propulsive air stream from the outlet, whereby the rotors of the propulsion systems are provided on the air ducts; wherein each hollow air duct extends at least partly over a position directly below or above one of the rotors, and wherein the hollow air ducts comprise one or more openings at said position directly below or above one or more of the rotors at the side of the hollow air duct facing the rotor, said opening directed perpendicular to the plane wherein said rotor is configured to rotate, and wherein the processing unit is configured for allowing or disallowing an air flow to run from the opening out of the outlet.

2 . The aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein at least one air duct comprises two openings, a first opening more distal from the vehicle body than the rotor directly above or below the air duct, and a second opening more proximal to the vehicle body than the rotor directly above or below the air duct.

3 . The aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the openings are closed via a closing mechanism that is controlled via the processing unit, for closing and opening the openings.

4 . The aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow air ducts are provided with an internal closing mechanism inside of the hollow air duct, said internal closing mechanism being controlled via the processing unit for closing and opening a passage from the opening to the outlet.

5 . The aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the corrective propulsion system comprises at least one movable flow director provided in each of the air ducts, said flow director movable along the longitudinal dimension of the air duct between a first position in between the opening of the air duct and the outlet of the air duct, and a second position not between the opening of the air duct and the outlet of the air duct, said second position being more proximal to the center of the aerial vehicle, wherein said flow director is dimensioned to substantially seal the air duct internally at the position of said flow director.

6 . The aerial vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein at least two air ducts are directed with the outlet in opposite directions with respect to each other, wherein the flow directors of said at least two air ducts are coupled such that movement of a first of said flow directors of said at least two air ducts towards the first position thereof is accompanied by movement of a second of said flow directions of said at least two air ducts towards the second position thereof and vice versa.

7 . The aerial vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the air flow director comprises a ramped surface facing away from the outlet, said ramped surface ramping up towards the side of the air duct where the opening is positioned.

8 . The aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the corrective propulsion systems comprise an air compressor, controlled by the processing unit, said air compressor configured to generate an air flow through the hollow air ducts towards the outlet thereof, said compressor positioned centrally at the vehicle body.

9 . The aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the propulsion systems are positioned on the hollow air ducts.

10 . The aerial vehicle, according to claim 1 , wherein the corrective propulsion systems comprise one or more flow generating means for generating an air flow through the hollow air ducts towards the outlet thereof, said turbine being positioned centrally at the vehicle body.

11 . The aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow air ducts are provided with deflector elements at the outlets thereof, said deflector elements being rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hollow air duct, and wherein the rotational position of the deflector elements is controllable via the processing unit.

12 . The aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more hollow air ducts are rotatable in the horizontal plane of the aerial vehicle, said rotation being controlled by the processing unit.

13 . The aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the outlet of the air ducts is directed parallel to the plane wherein the rotors are configured to rotate.

14 . The aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the air ducts comprise a secondary outlet, said secondary outlet being directed downward with respect to the vehicle body, away from the rotors, wherein at least two or more of the air ducts converge to a central airflow tube at which central duct the secondary outlet of the ducts is positioned, wherein said central airflow tube is positioned below the center of the vehicle body.

15 . The aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , comprising at least two rotation tubes for generating a rotational impulse to the aerial vehicle, each rotation tube with a rotation outlet extending in a direction parallel to the plane wherein the rotors are configured to rotate, and wherein said directions wherein the rotation outlets extend are positioned with an offset to an axis perpendicular to the plane wherein the rotors are configured to rotate, said axis through the center of mass of the aerial vehicle, and wherein said directions of the rotation tubes are directed in a different rotational direction with respect to said axis, whereby the processing unit is adapted for controlling the corrective propulsion systems separately to emit a rotationally propulsive air stream from one of the rotation outlets, wherein said rotation outlets extend tangentially to a cylinder around said axis, facing clockwise and counterclockwise respectively with respect to said axis.

16 . The aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the air ducts are positioned in a plane parallel to the rotors with the outlets thereof being directed in said plane, wherein the center of mass of the aerial vehicle lies in said plane.