Helicopter With Foldable Arms And Tilted Coaxial Rotors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional helicopters are mechanically complex and require multiple swashplates and a tail rotor, which increases complexity and reduces maneuverability, while tandem coaxial rotors simplify the system but at the cost of reduced movement range and increased mechanical complexity.
Innovation Solution
A rotary wing aircraft with upper and lower rotors connected by an arm, where the rotor axes are tilted to avoid blade contact and the aircraft has foldable arms for compact transport, allowing for reduced mechanical complexity and all desired movements like conventional helicopters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional helicopters use a large horizontal rotor and tail rotor system, then all desired movements and maneuvers are achieved, but mechanical complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the functions of the main rotor and tail rotor into a single integrated rotor system. The rotor blades can operate in different modes: generating lift when horizontal, and generating thrust when tilted, eliminating the need for separate control systems and reducing mechanical complexity while maintaining full maneuverability
Solution Approach 2:
The rotor system is designed to be dynamically reconfigurable, allowing the rotor blades to change their orientation between horizontal and tilted positions. This dynamic adaptation enables the same physical structure to perform multiple functions (lift generation and thrust generation) without requiring additional mechanical components
2Device complexity
If tandem coaxial rotors are used to eliminate tail rotor, then mechanical complexity is reduced, but range of movements is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor system allows dynamic repositioning of the rotor axis from horizontal to tilted orientations. This dynamic capability enables the simplified tandem coaxial structure to achieve the full range of movements comparable to conventional helicopters, resolving the limitation of restricted motion
3Volume of moving object
If rotor arms are made foldable for compact transport, then transportability is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor system is divided into separable components with foldable arms that can be collapsed for compact storage. The rotor assembly can be detached and repositioned, allowing the structure to be folded into a compact form factor for transport while maintaining full functionality when deployed
Data Source
AI summary
A rotary wing aircraft apparatus includes a body and a rotor pair connected to the body by an arm. The rotor pair has an upper rotor driven by an upper motor and rotating about an upper rotor axis and a lower rotor driven by a lower motor and rotating about a lower rotor axis. The upper and lower rotor axes are tilted with respect to each other. Tilting the axes away from the arm increases the distance from the rotor blades to the arm, and decreases the risk of the blades of the rotor contacting the arm. In an aircraft with a plurality of arms extending from the body, and a rotor assembly connected to each arm, the arms can be pivoted from a flying position, where the arms extend laterally outward to a folded position where the arms are positioned substantially parallel and adjacent to each other.