Rotating wing vertical take-off and landing long-range aircraft

The new drone aircraft addresses the limitations of existing aircraft by integrating a vertically rising propeller and a horizontally stable wing, achieving high-speed, long-range, and all-weather capabilities for efficient and safe transportation and logistics.

JP7671040B2Active Publication Date: 2025-05-01中松义郎
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2020032485
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2020-02-27
Publication Date
2025-05-01
Estimated Expiration
2038-03-31

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing aircraft, such as normal planes, helicopters, Ospreys, and drones, face limitations in vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities, horizontal flight speeds, range, load capacity, and all-weather operability, making them unsuitable for efficient and safe transportation and logistics.

Method used

A new type of drone aircraft is designed with a vertically rising and descending advance propeller and a horizontally flight stable wing, allowing for efficient vertical takeoff and landing, high horizontal speeds, long-range flight, and all-weather operation without the need for separate forward propellers.

Benefits of technology

The solution enables a high-speed, long-range, and all-weather capable aircraft with improved propeller efficiency, reduced energy consumption, and enhanced safety features, making it suitable for various transportation and logistics applications.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

To provide an aircraft such as a novel drone that can vertically takeoff, land and horizontally fly at high speed.SOLUTION: An aircraft includes a propeller for vertical ascent / descent and level flight which is installed to a level flight wing. The aircraft can ascend and descend by rotating the level flight wing in a vertical position and fly level by rotating the level flight wing in a horizontal position at high speed, and can fly a long distance while loading an object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a new type of drone or other aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing and high-speed horizontal flight. [Background technology]

[0002] A normal airplane taxis down a runway until it reaches a speed where it can take off. Conversely, when landing, the airplane taxis from the time it lands until it stops, so a runway is also needed. A typical distance is about 1.5km to 3km. This is where VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) comes in. Known examples of this type of aircraft include helicopters, Ospreys, drones, etc. A helicopter uses one propeller for each of hovering, ascending, descending, and horizontal flight, as shown in Figure 1. In Figure 1, 1 is the airframe, 3 is the tail rotor, and 32 is the motor for rotating the propeller.

[0003] Because helicopters have a slow horizontal speed, the Osprey (Fig. 2), which has a fast horizontal speed, was developed. The Osprey was invented by the inventor in 1953, and was taught to Lawrence Bell, CEO of Bell Aircraft, who finally put it to practical use in recent years. The aircraft has tilt-controllable propellers on both ends of the main wing, and by controlling the tilt angle of these propellers, it is possible to hover and fly horizontally. To ascend and fly straight, the propeller tilt angle can be changed from 0 to 90 degrees. However, many accidents occur when converting the rotors from horizontal to vertical. In Figure 2, 1 is the airframe, 34 is the propeller for the Osprey to ascend, descend, and advance, 4 is the horizontal stabilizer, 5 is the rotating shaft for the Osprey engine, and 33 is the engine for the Osprey propeller, which has only recently become popular. Figure 3 shows a well-known drone, which was also invented by the inventor in 1940, but has only recently become popular. In Figure 3, 6 is a drone propeller, 7 is a motor for raising and lowering the drone, 8 is a drone propeller guide, and 9 is a receiving device, camera, etc. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As mentioned above, airplanes cannot take off or land in places without runways. Normal airplanes have the disadvantage of not having vertical takeoff and landing or hovering capabilities. In order to solve these problems, flying objects with vertical takeoff and landing and hovering capabilities were considered. Helicopters are flying objects with vertical takeoff and landing and hovering capabilities, and are used to rescue lives in marine accidents and mountain rescue accidents. However, they have a slow horizontal flight speed, a short cruising range, and a small amount of cargo they can carry, so there is a demand for flying objects to replace helicopters. When an Osprey-type aircraft takes off or lands vertically, the wind from the propellers whips the wings, making them aerodynamically inefficient. In addition, drones like the one shown in Figure 3 are publicly known, but drones have a slow horizontal flight speed and cannot fly long distances. They are also prone to being flipped over by crosswinds and are not all-weather capable, so although Amazon and others are planning to use them, they are not suitable for parcel delivery or rapid transportation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems, is configured with a forward propeller for vertical ascent and descent and a stabilizer for horizontal flight. This is a different method from an autogyro, which cannot ascend or descend vertically. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vertical take-off and landing type high-speed, long-distance, safe airplane which has a fast horizontal speed, can travel long distances with little energy and can carry a large load, is all-weather, has safe and stable vertical take-off and landing and hovering capabilities, has no wing power loss caused by the propeller wind hitting the wings during take-off and ascent, does not require a tilt rotor, simplifies the control structure, and eliminates accidents. It is easy to manufacture and low-cost, and can transport mail-order goods reliably over long distances at high speed with high energy efficiency, and is a groundbreaking invention which saves time and creates profound effects for the industry. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] Side view of a known helicopter [Diagram 2] Side view of a known tilt rotor (Osprey) [Diagram 3] Plan view of a known drone [Figure 4] Top view of the tenth embodiment of the present invention with the wings horizontal [Diagram 5] Front side view of the same [Figure 6] Side view of the same [Figure 7] Top view of the 10th embodiment of the present invention with the wings vertical [Figure 8] Front side view of the same [Figure 9] Side view of the same [Figure 10] Side view of the drive mechanism with one wing rotation motor [Figure 11] Conceptual diagram of the present invention in which the blade of the present invention is rotated using a bevel gear [Figure 12] When ascending or descending in an embodiment of the present invention, the rear propeller is not affected by the trailing influence of the front propeller. [Figure 13] Ditto horizontal plane DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] The present invention is a newly invented aircraft made in consideration of these problems, and its purpose is to provide a new vertical take-off and landing aircraft (new VTOL) that is equipped with ascent and descent propellers, forward propellers, and rotating or non-rotating wings for horizontal flight, and is capable of vertical take-off, landing, and hovering, as well as having a fast horizontal flight speed, low energy loss, long distances, and is all-weather and capable of stable flight even in bad weather. It should be noted that this invention is a different concept from conventional drones, helicopters, Ospreys, and autogyros.

[0009] 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 show a tenth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is fundamentally different from the other embodiments. Specifically, in the previous embodiments, the wings were fixed and a forward propeller was provided separately, but the tenth embodiment has rotating wings and no forward propeller. In the previous embodiments, no blades were placed in the propeller wake so as not to disturb the wake of the propeller for ascending and descending. The blades were fixed. In addition, the forward propeller and the propeller for ascending and descending were provided separately. This tenth embodiment is an embodiment with a completely different concept from the previous embodiments, and is an embodiment that further improves the efficiency of the present invention. Specifically, in order to streamline the structure, propellers for ascending and descending are mounted on the wings, and the wings are positioned perpendicular to the propeller to increase propeller efficiency without disturbing the propeller wake with the wings, and if the axial direction of the propeller changes, the wing direction also rotates accordingly, so that the propeller wake is aligned with the wing surface direction, and the propeller wake is not constantly disturbed by the wings. In addition, instead of providing a forward propeller, in order to use it as both an ascending and descending propeller, the blades are rotated approximately 90 degrees as described above, and the propeller direction is rotated approximately 90 degrees to make it a forward propeller. This is often mistakenly thought to be the same as the Osprey, but it is a fundamentally different invention from the Osprey. The Osprey has fixed wings, and a rotating engine and propeller are attached to the tip of the wing, so that the wing does not rotate even when the propeller rotates, whereas in this invention, the engine and propeller are fixed to the wing, and the wing is not fixed and rotates together with the wing that rotates in the propeller direction. In this way, it is different from the Osprey. Furthermore, in the case of the Osprey, the propeller wake hits the wing, reducing the propeller efficiency, whereas in this invention, the propeller and the wing are always at a right angle, and when the propeller tilts, the wing tilts at the same angle, so the propeller wake does not hit the wing, and the propeller wake is greatly improved. In addition, because the Osprey's engine and propeller rotate at the wing tips, structural problems such as vibration and strength occur, but in the present invention, the engine and propeller are firmly fixed to the wing, so no structural problems occur. Also, because the Osprey has a rotating engine and propeller at the tip of the wing, the wing spars need to be made strong, which increases weight and reduces aerodynamic performance. In contrast, the present invention improves aerodynamic performance because the wing spar is lighter than that of the Osprey system. Since the Osprey has an engine and propeller at the wing tip, resonance occurs due to the long span, causing large vibrations and poor vertical alignment, which ultimately leads to crashes due to vibrations. In contrast, with the present invention, the engine propeller is not located at the tip of the wing, but in the center where the structure is stronger, so there is no resonance, making it safe and comfortable.

[0010] This is explained in Figure 4 onwards. 4 is a plan view of an example of the tenth embodiment. A motor 55 for rotating a wing 57, a motor 56 for rotating a wing 58, a battery 54 for driving the motors 55, 56, a vertical stabilizer 14, a front main wing 57, and a rear main wing 58 are provided on a fuselage 53. A propeller motor 7 and a propeller 6 are mounted on the front main wing 57, and a motor 7' for driving the propeller 6' and a propeller 6' are mounted on the rear main wing 58. FIG. 5 shows this from the front. FIG. 6 shows this from the side. Reference numeral 59 denotes the landing gear and luggage holding section. The camera and luggage 60 are mounted on the CG 68 of this aircraft, and the aircraft is designed to always fly horizontally regardless of the weight of the luggage. What is important here is that the motor 7 for the propeller 6 is attached to the front wing 57 so that the wing 57 has an angle of attack α 62 with respect to the thrust line of the propeller 6 . Similarly, a motor 7' for a propeller 6' is attached to the rear wing 58 so that the rear wing 58 has an angle of attack β. Of course, α and β are different angles.

[0011] FIG. 7 is a top view of front wing 57, rear wing 58, and the propeller 6, propeller motor 7, propeller 6', and propeller motor 7' mounted thereon, rotated 90 degrees by a rotating shaft 67 of motor 55 and a rotating shaft 70 of motor 56. FIG. 8 shows this from the front. FIG. 9 is a side view of FIG.

[0012] In this state, the aircraft of the present invention rotates the propeller 6 by the motor 7, and rotates the propeller 6' by the motor 7', and takes off and ascends vertically. At this time, the wings 57, 58 are designed not to completely block the wake of the propellers 6, 6'. Next, the motors 55 and 56 are gradually rotated to rotate the propellers 6 and 6' and the blades 57 and 58 about the rotation shafts 69 and 70, respectively, to the positions shown in FIG. This allows the aircraft to float on wings 57 and 58 and fly horizontally at high speed with the thrust of propellers 6 and 6'. If necessary, the camera 60 can take pictures. When the aircraft arrives at the destination, the motors 55 and 56 rotate in the opposite direction to the above, and the blades 57, 58 and the propellers 6, 6' are gradually turned upward around the rotating shafts 60, 76, and the aircraft descends vertically. At this time, the blades do not interfere with the propeller wake, so the propeller efficiency is improved. FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of the present invention in which wings 57, 58 are rotated by only one motor 55, without using the two motors 55, 56 shown in FIGS. 4 to 9, thereby making it possible to reduce the weight of the aircraft. The motor is preferably a stepping motor. A torque 66 of the motor 55 passes through a lever 61 , a pivot 62 , a connecting beam 63 , a pivot 64 and a lever 65 to become a torque 67 , which rotates a shaft 70 .

[0013] FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of the present invention different from that shown in FIG. 10, in which the blades 57, 58 are rotated by utilizing the non-reversible nature of the bevel gear 68. Figures 12 and 13 show other embodiments of the present invention, and in the embodiments of Figures 7, 8, and 9, the efficiency of the rear propeller 6' is reduced by the wake of the front propeller 6. This has been improved in the other embodiments of the present invention shown in Figures 12 and 13. In this embodiment, the wake of the front propeller 6 is outside the rotation range of the rear propeller 6', so the efficiency of the rear propeller 6' does not decrease. Figure 12 shows the aircraft ascending or descending, and Figure 13 shows the aircraft in level flight. 23 and 24 also show another embodiment of the present invention, which comprises a single tilt main rotor 69, a torque correcting tail rotor 70, a fixed main wing 57, and a fixed tail wing 58.

[0014] The present invention is applicable not only to drones but also to actual aircraft. In that case, the propellers are rotated by an engine. The present invention also includes cases where a jet engine or rocket is used instead of a propeller. [Industrial Applicability]

[0015] The present invention is a new type of aircraft that is safer and has a faster horizontal speed than other vertical take-off and landing aircraft, such as known drones, known tilt rotor aircraft such as the Osprey, and helicopters. Current drones are too slow to fly long distances for long-distance goods transportation and logistics such as mail order sales, and they consume a lot of energy, so they are not suitable for high-speed transportation. However, when the present invention is applied to a drone, goods can be transported at high speed and long-distance photography becomes possible. Furthermore, when the present invention is applied to an aircraft that carries people, it can be used for rapid mountain rescues, maritime rescues, and the like in remote locations, and therefore has great industrial applicability. In addition, the airplane of the present invention does not require pitch control compared to helicopters, so the rudder is simple and low cost, and the horizontal speed is fast, the flight range is long, and there are no accidents caused by the tilt of the Osprey, so it is safe and the range of use will be expanded. Also, if the size of the aircraft is increased, it can carry many people and can be operated on islands without airfields, making up for the inconvenience of transportation for islanders, and the potential for use in defense and industry is extremely great. Furthermore, if this invention is flown near the stratosphere, and the solar energy received by its wings is converted into microwaves and transmitted to the ground, where it can be used as electrical energy, it can provide valuable energy to our resource-poor country and can also serve as a substitute for reconnaissance satellites. It has extremely great potential for use in defense and industry. [Explanation of symbols]

[0016] 1 Aircraft 2 Main rotor 3 Tail rotor 4 Horizontal stabilizer 5 Rotating shaft for Osprey engine 6 Drone Propellers 6' Same as above (rear) 7 Drone ascent / descent motor 7' Same as above (rear) 8 Drone Propeller Guard 9. Receiving equipment, cameras, etc. 14 Vertical stabilizer 32 Propeller rotation motor 33 Osprey propeller engine 34 Osprey ascent, descent and forward propellers 45 Fuselage spar 46 Actual forward propeller engine 47 Actual forward propeller 48 Rotor for ascent and descent of actual aircraft 49 Main wing for actual horizontal flight 50 Horizontal stabilizer for actual aircraft horizontal flight 51 Vertical stabilizer for horizontal flight 52 Actual aircraft ascent and descent rotor engine 53 Torso 54 Batteries, electronic circuits, etc. 55 Front wing rotation motor (stepping motor) 56 Rear wing rotation motor (stepping motor) 57 Forewing 58 rear wing 59 Luggage and landing gear 60 Baggage 61 Rotation transmission lever of motor 55 62 Same as above Pivot 63 Same as above, rear wing rotating connecting girder 64 Same as above, Pihot 65 Same as above lever 66 Front wing rotation motor rotation direction 67 Same as above rear wing 68-Wing Rotating Bevel Gear 69 Tilting Main Rotor 70 Torque corrective tail rotor

Claims

1. An aircraft having no horizontal stabilizer, and horizontal flight wings which rotate nearly horizontally or nearly vertically, are provided at the front and rear so that their rotation axes are at the same height when viewed from the side of the aircraft when the fuselage is in a nearly horizontal position, and a propeller drive unit which is used for both ascending and descending and forward movement is provided directly on said wings, and the wake of the front propeller does not overlap with the rear propeller on the same plane during horizontal flight, and in order to obtain the effects of preventing wingtip vortices, preventing stalls, and eliminating the need for twist-down or winglets, the propeller drive units are provided at the ends of the front and rear wings, and the front wings are made longer than the rear wings so that the wake of all of the front propellers is outside the rotation range of the rear propeller during horizontal flight.

2. An aircraft having no horizontal stabilizer, and horizontal flight wings which rotate nearly horizontally or nearly vertically, are provided at the front and rear so that their rotation axes are at the same height when viewed from the side of the aircraft when the fuselage is in a nearly horizontal position, and a propeller drive unit which is used for both ascending and descending and forward movement is provided directly on said wings, and during horizontal flight the wake of the front propeller is on the same plane and is not obstructed by the rear wing, wherein the propeller drive units are provided at the ends of the front and rear wings, and the front wings are made longer than the rear wings so that during horizontal flight the wake of all of the front propellers is outside the rotation range of the rear propeller.

3. 3. An aircraft according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a landing gear / baggage holding section combining a skid and a baggage carrier is provided near the center of gravity, and wings equipped with propellers are made rotatable.

4. 3. An aircraft according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a propeller and its drive unit are mounted on the wing, and the front and rear wings are rotated to ascending, descending or horizontal flight positions by one motor, one shaft and a bevel gear mounted on the shaft.

5. 3. The flying object according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the horizontal flight wing surface is provided with a solar battery.

Citation Information

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