Tilt rotor vertical take-off and landing aerial vehicle
An aerial vehicle includes a fuselage supporting a pair of wings, with each of wings having a pair of booms attached thereto. A tilt rotor is positioned at each of the forward ends of each of the booms, to provide the aerial vehicle with at least four tilt rotors. A fixed rotor is positioned at and secured to the aft (or trailing) ends of each of the booms, to provide the aerial vehicle with at least four fixed rotors.
1 . A vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle comprising:
a fuselage;
a starboard wing secured to the fuselage;
a port wing secured to the fuselage;
a first and second fixed rotor assembly, each comprising an electric motor and a propeller, coupled to the starboard wing;
a first outboard tilt rotor assembly, comprising an electric motor and a propeller, coupled to the starboard wing, the first outboard tilt rotor assembly being located outboard of the first and second fixed rotor assemblies and being operationally tiltable between a lift-generating position and a thrust-generating position, the first outboard tilt rotor assembly defining a first rotor disc plane including a central first rotor disc plane point, wherein the first outboard tilt rotor assembly has a greater number of propeller blades than a number of propeller of blades of the first fixed rotor assembly;
a third and fourth fixed rotor assembly, each comprising an electric motor and a propeller, coupled to the port wing; an
a second outboard tilt rotor assembly, comprising an electric motor and a propeller, coupled to the port wing, the second outboard tilt rotor assembly being located outboard of the third and fourth fixed rotor assemblies and being operationally tiltable between a lift-generating position and a thrust-generating position, the second outboard tilt rotor assembly defining a second rotor disc plane including a central second rotor disc plane point, wherein the second outboard tilt rotor assembly has a greater number of propeller blades than a number of propeller of blades of the third fixed rotor assembly;
a starboard wing boom and a port wing boom coupled to the starboard wing and the port wing, respectively, wherein the first outboard tilt rotor assembly is coupled to the starboard wing boom, and wherein the second outboard tilt rotor assembly is coupled to the port wing boom; and
a fifth and sixth fixed rotor assembly, each comprising an electric motor and a propeller, coupled to the respective starboard and port wing booms at a region aft of a trailing edge of the starboard and port wings, wherein the propeller of the fifth fixed rotor assembly and the propeller of the sixth fixed rotor assembly are positioned at a region above the respective wing booms;
wherein the central first rotor disc plane point and the central second rotor disc plane point are separated by a first distance when the first and second outboard tilt rotors assemblies are in a lift-generating position and the central first rotor disc plane point and the central second rotor disc plane point are separated by a second distance that is less than the first distance, when the first and second outboard tilt rotors assemblies are in a thrust-generating position.
2 . The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second outboard tilt rotors assemblies are coupled to the respective starboard and port wing booms at a region forward of a leading edge of the starboard and port wings.
3 . The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a V-tail coupled to and extending from a rear of the fuselage.
4 . The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the V-tail does not include a tilt rotor or a fixed rotor.
5 . The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the starboard and port wings comprise a starboard trailing edge and a port trailing edge, respectively, wherein at least a portion of the starboard trailing edge and the port trailing edge are forward swept.
6 . The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the starboard and port wings comprise a starboard trailing edge and a port trailing edge, respectively, wherein at least a portion of the starboard trailing edge and the port trailing edge are forward swept.
7 . The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the fixed rotor assemblies do not articulate between a lift-generating configuration and a thrust-generating configuration.
8 . The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a first battery stored within the port wing and a second battery stored within the starboard wing, wherein each of the first and second batteries is electrically coupled to one or more of the fixed rotor assemblies.
9 . The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the first and second outboard tilt rotor assemblies are tilted upward in the lift-generating position.
10 . The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second outboard tilt rotor assemblies has 5 propeller blades.
11 . A vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle comprising:
a fuselage, having a longitudinal axis, a lateral axis, and a vertical axis, wherein the longitudinal axis and the vertical axis together define a sagittal plane;
a starboard wing secured to the fuselage;
a port wing secured to the fuselage;
a first and second fixed rotor assembly, each comprising an electric motor and a propeller, coupled to the starboard wing;
a first outboard tilt rotor assembly, comprising an electric motor and a propeller, coupled to the starboard wing, the first outboard tilt rotor assembly being outboard of the first and second fixed rotor assemblies and being operationally tiltable between a lift-generating position and a thrust-generating position, the first outboard tilt rotor assembly having a first spin axis;
a third and fourth fixed rotor assembly, each comprising an electric motor and a propeller, coupled to the port wing;
a second outboard tilt rotor assembly coupled to the port wing, the second outboard tilt rotor assembly being located outboard of the third and fourth fixed rotor assemblies and being operationally tiltable between a lift-generating position and a thrust-generating position, the second outboard tilt rotor assembly having a second spin axis;
a starboard wing boom and a port wing boom coupled to the starboard wing and the port wing, respectively, wherein the first outboard tilt rotor assembly is coupled to the starboard wing boom, and wherein the second outboard tilt rotor assembly is coupled to the port wing boom; and
a fifth and sixth fixed rotor assembly, each comprising an electric motor and a propeller, coupled to the respective starboard and port wing booms at a region aft of a trailing edge of the starboard and port wings, wherein the propeller of the fifth fixed rotor assembly and the propeller of the sixth fixed rotor assembly are positioned at a region above the respective wing booms;
wherein the first spin axis and the second spin axis are substantially parallel to the sagittal plane of the fuselage when the first and second outboard tilt rotors assemblies are in a thrust- generating position and the first spin axis and the second spin axis intersect the sagittal plane of the fuselage at a region beneath the starboard and port wings when the first and second outboard tilt rotors assemblies are in a lift-generating position.
12 . The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the fixed rotor assemblies do not articulate between a lift-generating configuration and a thrust-generating configuration.
13 . The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle of claim 11 further comprising a V-tail coupled to and extending from a rear of the fuselage.
14 . The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the starboard and port wings comprise a starboard trailing edge and a port trailing edge, respectively, wherein at least a portion of the starboard trailing edge and the port trailing edge are forward swept.
15 . The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle of claim 11 , further comprising a first battery stored within the port wing and a second battery stored within the starboard wing, wherein each of the first and second batteries are electrically coupled to one or more of the fixed rotor assemblies.
16 . The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle of claim 11 , wherein each of the first and second outboard tilt rotor assemblies has 5 propeller blades.