IP Library Granted Patent US 12703522
Granted Patent B2
US 12703522 · App. 19/020,781 · Granted Aug 11, 2026

Ducted fan aerial vehicle

Inventors: Ang Li (Shenzhen, CN); Chao Ma (Shenzhen, CN); Qi Li (Shenzhen, CN); Wei Zhang (Shenzhen, CN); Xiaoyu Chen (Shenzhen, CN); Zhenhua Xu (Shenzhen, CN); Dong Li (Shenzhen, CN); Yiqing Chen (Shenzhen, CN)
Assignee: SZ DJI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
B64U30/26B64U10/14B64U20/80
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12703522
App. No.
19/020,781
Granted
Aug 11, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A ducted fan aerial vehicle includes a duct, a vehicle body connected to the duct, and a power assembly connected to the vehicle body. The duct includes a duct unit including a duct hole. At least part of the duct unit is a hollow structure. The power assembly is at least partially located in the duct hole, and is configured to cooperate with the duct to provide aerodynamic thrust.

Claims (80)

1 . A ducted fan aerial vehicle comprising:

a duct including a duct unit, the duct unit including a duct hole, at least part of the duct unit being a hollow structure, the duct defining, for each duct hole, a plane of an upper opening;

a vehicle body connected to the duct, the vehicle body protruding above the plane of the upper opening of each duct hole, wherein, in a top view, the vehicle body is substantially rectangular, and a length of the vehicle body is greater than a diameter of each duct hole; and

a power assembly connected to the vehicle body and at least partially located in the duct hole, the power assembly being configured to cooperate with the duct to provide aerodynamic thrust.

2 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the duct includes a first duct structure and a second duct structure assembled to form the duct.

3 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein:

the duct unit is one of at least two duct units of the duct that form a surrounding distribution structure;

two adjacent ones of the at least two duct units are connected to each other; and

a reinforcement structure is provided at a connection between two of the at least two duct units.

4 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein:

the duct includes a skid, and the reinforcement structure is arranged close to the skid; and/or

the reinforcement structure includes:

a reinforcement rib provided in one of the first duct structure and the second duct structure; and

an embedding groove provided in another one of the first duct structure and the second duct structure, the reinforcement rib being embedded in the embedding groove.

5 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein:

the first duct structure includes at least two duct inner rings respectively forming inner walls of corresponding duct units;

the second duct structure includes at least two duct outer rings respectively forming outer walls of corresponding duct units; and

the at least two duct inner rings and the at least two duct outer rings are assembled to form at least two duct units.

6 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein:

the at least two duct inner rings form a surrounding distribution structure, and each of the at least two duct inner rings is an annular closed structure; and

the first duct structure further includes a reinforcement structure located in a middle of the surrounding distribution structure and connected to the at least two duct inner rings.

7 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein the ducted fan aerial vehicle satisfies at least one of following:

the reinforcement structure is integrally formed with or detachably connected to the at least two duct inner rings;

the reinforcement structure has a hollow structure; or

the reinforcement structure and the at least two duct inner rings are enclosed to form a concave cavity, and the concave cavity is used to accommodate at least one of an avionics module or a power module of the ducted fan aerial vehicle.

8 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein:

the at least two duct inner rings form a surrounding distribution structure, and each of the at least two duct inner rings is an annular closed structure; and

the first duct structure further includes a reinforcement structure located at an edge of the surrounding distribution structure and connected to two adjacent ones of the at least two duct inner rings.

9 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein:

the duct includes a skid, and the reinforcement structure is arranged at the skid; and/or

the reinforcement structure is integrally formed with or detachably connected to the at least two duct inner rings.

10 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the ducted fan aerial vehicle satisfies at least one of following:

the at least two duct outer rings form a surrounding distribution structure, each of the duct outer rings is an arc structure, and ends of two adjacent duct outer rings are connected to each other;

one of one duct inner ring and one corresponding duct outer ring is provided with an assembly groove, and another one of the one duct inner ring and the one duct outer ring is provided with an assembly member embedded in the assembly groove;

one of one duct inner ring and one corresponding duct outer ring is provided with a guide hole, and another one of the one duct inner ring and the one corresponding duct outer ring is provided with a guide column inserted in the guide hole; or

one of one duct inner ring and one corresponding duct outer ring is provided with a first snap member, and another one of the one duct inner ring and the one corresponding duct outer ring is provided with a second snap member snapped with the first snap member.

11 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the duct is provided with a first positioning member, the vehicle body is provided with a second positioning member, and the vehicle body is installed at the duct through cooperation and positioning of the first positioning member and the second positioning member.

12 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a shock absorption mechanism connected to the vehicle body;

a gimbal connected to the shock absorption mechanism; and

a camera device connected to the gimbal;

wherein the shock absorption mechanism is located below the camera device.

13 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 12 , wherein:

the shock absorption mechanism includes a connection member connected to the gimbal and a shock absorption member connecting the connection member and the vehicle body; and

the gimbal includes:

a gimbal bracket integrally formed with the connection member; and

a motor installed at the gimbal bracket and connected to the camera device.

14 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 13 , wherein:

the gimbal bracket is tilted at a preset angle relative to the connection member to avoid blocking a field of view of the camera device; and/or

the motor is configured to drive the camera device to perform a pitch movement, and an avoidance gap is provided at a side of the connection member facing a forward direction of the ducted fan aerial vehicle, the avoidance gap allowing the connection member to avoid the field of view of the camera device when the camera device looks down at an extreme position, to avoid blocking the field of view of the camera device.

15 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:

the vehicle body includes:

a vehicle main body; and

an arm connecting the vehicle main body and the power assembly, the arm including a first support arm and a second support arm extending outward from the vehicle main body and connected such that the first support arm, the second support arm, and a portion of the vehicle main body together form a triangle; and

the power assembly is installed at a connection between the first support arm and the second support arm.

16 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the ducted fan aerial vehicle satisfies at least one of following:

a longitudinal section of the duct unit is an airfoil, and a center arc line of the airfoil protrudes toward a central axis of the duct unit;

the duct unit includes a lip and a diffusion port, and a diameter of the lip gradually increases in a direction away from the diffusion port;

the duct unit includes an air inlet end and an air outlet end, and an outer diameter of the duct unit gradually decreases from the air inlet end toward the air outlet end; or

the power assembly includes a propeller, and a distance between an inner wall of the duct hole and the propeller is 0.75 mm±0.1 mm.

17 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an antenna assembly arranged at the duct.

18 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 17 , wherein:

the antenna assembly is arranged inside the duct or attached to an outer wall of the duct; and/or

the antenna assembly includes at least two antennas not parallel to each other.

19 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 17 , wherein the ducted fan aerial vehicle satisfies at least one of following:

the antenna assembly includes four antennas distributed in the duct in a manner such that maximum radiation directions of two adjacent ones of the four antennas are perpendicular to each other; or

the antenna assembly includes two antennas arranged at two opposite sides of the duct, and each at an angle with respect to a yaw axis of the ducted fan aerial vehicle.

20 . The ducted fan aerial vehicle according to claim 19 , wherein:

the ducted fan aerial vehicle satisfies at least one of following:

each of the antennas is a conformal microstrip patch antenna;

each of the antennas is formed in the duct by using in-mold injection molding, laser direct molding technology, or laser chemical activation metal plating technology;

the duct unit is one of four duct units of the duct, each provided with one duct hole, and each of the antennas is arranged on an outer side wall of one of the four duct units; and/or

the ducted fan aerial vehicle satisfies at least one of following:

the two antennas are arranged in a diverging or angled shape;

the duct includes a top side and a bottom side, the vehicle body being installed at the top side of the duct and the two antennas are arranged on the bottom side of the duct;

the two antennas are distributed on two sides of a roll axis of the ducted fan aerial vehicle;

projections of the two antennas in a direction of an axis of the ducted fan aerial vehicle are symmetrically arranged with respect to the axis of the ducted fan aerial vehicle, the axis being any of a roll axis, a yaw axis, and a pitch axis;

an included angle α between each antenna and the yaw axis of the ducted fan aerial vehicle satisfies 15°≤α≤30°; or

an included angle β of projections of the two antennas in a pitch axis direction of the ducted fan aerial vehicle satisfies 40°≤β≤60°.