Triangulated Ducted Fan VTOL Aircraft for High-Speed Cruise
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current VTOL aircraft designs are inadequate for widespread use as commuter aircraft due to limitations in speed, range, comfort, and payload capacity, with high fuel consumption and safety concerns, and existing technologies like helicopters and tiltrotors are not suitable for small, affordable, and efficient operations in urban areas.
Innovation Solution
A fixed-wing, ducted fan VTOL aircraft with a uniquely configured set of triangulated ducted fans, allowing for practical, competitive speed, range, and comfort, along with a substantial payload capability, featuring a fuselage with retractable ducted lift and thrust fans, independently controllable for vertical lift and horizontal thrust, and a power plant with a single transmission system for efficient operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If helicopters are used for VTOL operations, then vertical takeoff and landing capability is achieved, but speed and range are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The aircraft separates the lift function (ducted fans) from the thrust function (propellers), allowing independent optimization of each system for its specific purpose while maintaining VTOL capability through the ducted fans and achieving high speed through the propellers
Solution Approach 2:
The ducted fans serve dual purposes: providing vertical lift during takeoff and landing, and contributing to forward thrust during cruise, while the propellers provide supplemental thrust across all flight regimes, creating a multi-functional propulsion system
2Reliability
If tiltrotor aircraft are used, then VTOL and fixed-wing capability are combined, but gross weight is reduced and safety is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The ducted fans are positioned at specific locations (nose and wingtips) rather than using a single large rotor, allowing each fan to be optimized for its local aerodynamic environment while collectively providing sufficient lift capacity for the entire aircraft
Solution Approach 2:
The ducted fan configuration inherently provides safety margins by maintaining lift capability even when one or more fans fail, and the triplanar wing structure provides inherent structural redundancy and crash energy management capabilities
3Speed
If compound helicopters with propellers are used, then high speed is achieved, but fuel consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ducted fans continuously provide lift throughout all flight phases without interruption, eliminating the need for repeated rotor engagements and disengagements, while the propellers provide continuous supplemental thrust, creating efficient continuous propulsion without the energy losses associated with intermittent rotor operation
4Force
If large-diameter rotors are used, then vertical lift is sufficient, but control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The single large rotor is segmented into multiple smaller ducted fans distributed across the aircraft structure, with each fan controlled independently, simplifying the control system architecture while collectively providing sufficient total lift capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The complex mechanical pitch control mechanisms of traditional helicopters are replaced with simpler ducted fan systems that use fixed or minimally variable pitch blades controlled through rotational speed modulation and individual fan engagement/disengagement, reducing mechanical complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The aircraft achieves efficient vertical takeoff and landing, high-speed cruising, and reduced fuel consumption, with the ability to operate from small spaces, offering a practical and safe solution for urban areas with competitive performance to fixed-wing aircraft.
Implementation Method 1
The first and second lift/thrust fans and the third lift fan are configured to provide vertical lift for helicopter-style vertical takeoff and landing
Implementation Method 2
The first and second lift/thrust fans are selectively, rotatably movable between a first position in which they provide vertical lift and a second position in which they provide horizontal thrust
Implementation Method 3
A pair of wings extend laterally outward from the fuselage
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft includes a pair of ducted lift/thrust fans that are rotatably movable between a first vertical lift position and a second horizontal thrust position. The lift/thrust fans are disposed within curvilinear fan recesses formed within leading edge portions of the aircraft's wings. A downwardly exhausting, ducted lift fan is disposed within the aircraft's fuselage, aft of the aircraft's pitch axis. A power plant, disposed within the fuselage, is coupled with the lift/thrust fans and the lift fan by a transmission system. The lift/thrust fans and lift fan are positioned with respect to one another to be triangulated about the aircraft's center of gravity and the aircraft's center of lift.