IP Library › Granted Patent US 12709387

Granted Patent B2

US 12709387 · App. 17/831,210 · Granted Aug 18, 2026

Vehicle with tractor tiltrotors and pusher tiltrotors

Inventors: Evan E. Frank (Los Altos Hills, CA); Ananth Sridharan (Santa Clara, CA); Arthur Paul-Dubois-Taine (Scotts Valley, CA)

Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation

B64C29/0033 B64C11/30 B64C13/26 B64C29/00 B64D27/31 B64D27/34 B64D27/402

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12709387
App. No.: 17/831,210
Granted: Aug 18, 2026
Kind: B2

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Abstract

A vehicle includes a fuselage, a wing, a pylon that is coupled to the wing, and a tractor tiltrotor. The tractor tiltrotor is coupled to the pylon and is located forward of the wing; the tractor tiltrotor tilts upwards during a hover mode. There is also a pusher tiltrotor where the pusher tiltrotor is coupled to the pylon and is located aft of the wing; the pusher tiltrotor tilts downwards during the hover mode. The tractor tiltrotor and the pusher tiltrotor rotate about a longitudinal and coaxial axis of rotation in a cruise mode.

Claims (85)

1 . A vehicle that has a center of gravity, comprising:

a fuselage;

a fixed wing that has a lift center;

a plurality of top-mounted pylons that is coupled to an upper surface of the fixed wing such that the plurality of top-mounted pylons protrudes above the upper surface of the fixed wing;

an inboard tractor tiltrotor and an outboard tractor tiltrotor, wherein:

the inboard tractor tiltrotor and the outboard tractor tiltrotor have a blade radius of 0.75 m to mitigate vibration during a transitional stage when the inboard tractor tiltrotor and the outboard tractor tiltrotor are mid-rotation;

the inboard tractor tiltrotor and the outboard tractor tiltrotor are respectively coupled to an inboard pylon and an outboard pylon in the plurality of top-mounted pylons;

the inboard pylon is longer than the outboard pylon;

the inboard tractor tiltrotor and the outboard tractor tiltrotor are located forward of the fixed wing;

the inboard tractor tiltrotor is located forward of the outboard tractor tiltrotor; and

the inboard tractor tiltrotor and the outboard tractor tiltrotor are configured to tilt upwards during a hover mode;

an inboard pusher tiltrotor and an outboard pusher tiltrotor, wherein:

the inboard pusher tiltrotor and the outboard pusher tiltrotor have a blade radius of 0.75 m to mitigate vibration during the transitional stage when the inboard pusher tiltrotor and the outboard pusher tiltrotor are mid-rotation;

the inboard pusher tiltrotor and the outboard pusher tiltrotor are respectively coupled to the inboard pylon and the outboard pylon in the plurality of top-mounted pylons;

the inboard pusher tiltrotor and the outboard pusher tiltrotor are located aft of the fixed wing;

the inboard pusher tiltrotor is located aft of the outboard pusher tiltrotor;

the inboard pusher tiltrotor and the outboard pusher tiltrotor are configured to tilt downwards during the hover mode;

the inboard tractor tiltrotor and the inboard pusher tiltrotor are configured to rotate about a first longitudinal and coaxial axis of rotation in a cruise mode and the outboard tractor tiltrotor and the outboard pusher tiltrotor are configured to rotate about a second longitudinal and coaxial axis of rotation in the cruise mode;

during the hover mode, all of the inboard tractor tiltrotors, the outboard tractor tiltrotors, the inboard pusher tiltrotors, and the outboard pusher tiltrotors produce a rotor centroid; and

the lift center of the fixed wing is forward of the center of gravity of the vehicle and the rotor centroid; and

a plurality of tilt position actuators and a plurality of blade pitch position actuators, wherein:

each of the inboard tractor tiltrotor, the outboard tractor tiltrotor, the inboard pusher tiltrotor, and the outboard pusher tiltrotor include both (1) a tilt position actuator from the plurality of tilt position actuators and (2) a blade pitch position actuator from the plurality of blade pitch position actuators;

in the hover mode, each of the inboard tractor tiltrotor, the outboard tractor tiltrotor, the inboard pusher tiltrotor, and the outboard pusher tiltrotor are able to set their tilt position independent of their blade pitch position; and

in the cruise mode, each of the inboard tractor tiltrotor, the outboard tractor tiltrotor, the inboard pusher tiltrotor, and the outboard pusher tiltrotor are able to set their blade pitch position independent of tilt position.

2 . The vehicle recited in claim 1 , wherein the vehicle includes an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

3 . The vehicle recited in claim 1 , wherein:

the fixed wing includes a straight, untapered, and fixed wing.

4 . The vehicle recited in claim 1 , wherein:

the vehicle has a total of eight tiltrotors, including: two inboard tractor tiltrotors, two outboard tractor tiltrotors, two inboard pusher tiltrotors, and two outboard pusher tiltrotors; and

the fixed wing includes a winglet.

5 . The vehicle recited in claim 1 , wherein:

the vehicle has a total of four, and only four, top-mounted pylons; and

the vehicle has a total of eight, and only eight, tiltrotors, including:

two, and only two, inboard tractor tiltrotors;

two, and only two, outboard tractor tiltrotors;

two, and only two, inboard pusher tiltrotors; and

two, and only two, outboard pusher tiltrotors.

6 . The vehicle recited in claim 1 , wherein:

the inboard tractor tiltrotor and the outboard tractor tiltrotor have the blade radius of 0.75 m to mitigate vibration during the transitional stage when the inboard tractor tiltrotor and the outboard tractor tiltrotor are mid-rotation, specifically at 45°; and

the inboard pusher tiltrotor and the outboard pusher tiltrotor have the blade radius of 0.75 m to mitigate vibration during the transitional stage when the inboard pusher tiltrotor and the outboard pusher tiltrotor are mid-rotation, specifically at 45°.

7 . The vehicle recited in claim 1 , wherein the fixed wing includes a straight leading edge and a tapered trailing edge.

8 . A method, comprising:

providing a fuselage;

providing a fixed wing that has a lift center;

providing a plurality of top-mounted pylons that is coupled to an upper surface of the fixed wing such that the plurality of top-mounted pylons protrudes above the upper surface of the fixed wing;

providing an inboard tractor tiltrotor and an outboard tractor tiltrotor, wherein:

the inboard tractor tiltrotor and the outboard tractor tiltrotor are respectively coupled to an inboard pylon and an outboard pylon in the plurality of top-mounted pylons;

the inboard pylon is longer than the outboard pylon;

the inboard tractor tiltrotor and the outboard tractor tiltrotor are located forward of the fixed wing;

the inboard tractor tiltrotor is located forward of the outboard tractor tiltrotor; and

the inboard tractor tiltrotor and the outboard tractor tiltrotor are configured to tilt upwards during a hover mode;

providing an inboard pusher tiltrotor and an outboard pusher tiltrotor, wherein:

the inboard pusher tiltrotor and the outboard pusher tiltrotor are respectively coupled to the inboard pylon and the outboard pylon in the plurality of top-mounted pylons;

the inboard pusher tiltrotor and the outboard pusher tiltrotor are located aft of the fixed wing;

the inboard pusher tiltrotor is located aft of the outboard pusher tiltrotor;

the inboard pusher tiltrotor and the outboard pusher tiltrotor are configured to tilt downwards during the hover mode;

a vehicle that has a center of gravity includes the fuselage, the fixed wing, the plurality of top-mounted pylons, the inboard tractor tiltrotor, the outboard tractor tiltrotor, the inboard pusher tiltrotor, the outboard pusher tiltrotor, a plurality of tilt position actuators, and a plurality of blade pitch position actuators;

during the hover mode, all of the inboard tractor tiltrotors, the outboard tractor tiltrotors, the inboard pusher tiltrotors, and the outboard pusher tiltrotors produce a rotor centroid; and

the lift center of the fixed wing is forward of the center of gravity of the vehicle and the rotor centroid; and

providing the plurality of tilt position actuators and the plurality of blade pitch position actuators, wherein:

9 . The method recited in claim 8 , wherein the method is performed by a vehicle that includes an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

10 . The method recited in claim 8 , wherein:

the fixed wing includes a straight, untapered, and fixed wing.

11 . The method recited in claim 8 , wherein:

the fuselage, the fixed wing, the plurality of top-mounted pylons, the inboard tractor tiltrotor, the outboard tractor tiltrotor, the inboard pusher tiltrotor, the outboard pusher tiltrotor, the plurality of tilt position actuators, and the plurality of blade pitch position actuators are included in a vehicle;