Hinged Biplane eVTOL Transition With Ducted Propellers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vertical take-off and landing flight apparatuses face challenges in efficiently transitioning from vertical take-off and landing to cruise mode while maintaining safety, energy efficiency, and low noise levels, especially in carrying passengers over longer distances.
Innovation Solution
A biplane flight apparatus with a cockpit hinged to a wing assembly powered by four electric motors with ducted propellers and Coanda ejectors, allowing vertical take-off and landing, and transitioning to cruise mode by adjusting wing incidence, with energy provided by battery accumulators and managed by a flight computer, enabling efficient and safe flight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If conventional vertical take-off and landing flight apparatus are used, then vertical take-off and landing capability is achieved, but energy efficiency and noise levels are poor during transition to cruise mode
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the wing incidence angle adjustable during flight. The wings can be rotated from a vertical position during take-off and landing to a horizontal position during cruise flight. This dynamic adjustment optimizes aerodynamic efficiency at different flight phases, enabling smooth transition from vertical to horizontal flight mode while reducing energy consumption and noise levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The same set of electric motors and ducted propellers is used for both vertical take-off/landing and cruise flight modes. The propulsion system performs multiple functions: providing vertical thrust when wings are vertical, and providing horizontal thrust when wings are horizontal. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate propulsion systems, improving energy efficiency and reducing overall system complexity.
2Length of moving object
If the flight apparatus transitions from vertical take-off to cruise mode, then flight distance capability is improved, but safety and control stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flight management system with sensors and control algorithms that continuously monitor flight parameters and adjust motor speeds and wing angles in real-time. This feedback control ensures stable transition between vertical and horizontal flight modes, maintaining safety and control stability throughout the flight distance extension.
Solution Approach 2:
The articulated hinge connection between cockpit and wing assembly is designed to accommodate and cushion the dynamic loads and stresses during mode transition. This mechanical cushioning prevents structural failure and maintains safety during the critical transition phase from vertical to horizontal flight.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a biplane configuration with articulated cockpit is used, then versatility in flight modes is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The aircraft is divided into two distinct parts: the cockpit and the wing assembly, connected by an articulated hinge. This segmentation allows independent movement of each part, enabling vertical take-off, horizontal cruise, and transition modes. The modular structure achieves versatility while keeping each component relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the functions of separate take-off/landing systems and cruise flight systems into a single integrated biplane configuration with articulated connection. This merging achieves multi-mode capability without requiring multiple complete propulsion systems, thereby limiting the increase in overall device 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 solution enables efficient vertical take-off and landing, safe passenger transport over several dozen kilometers with low noise and high energy efficiency, maintaining a low size and high safety standards.
Implementation Method 1
The Coanda effect is a fluid dynamic phenomenon in which a fluid jet tends to follow a curved surface. In the patent, Coanda ejectors are used to direct airflow over control surfaces, generating aerodynamic forces for flight control and lift enhancement
Implementation Method 2
four electric motors with ducted propellers and Coanda ejectors, allowing vertical take-off and landing
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
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AI summary
A personal flight apparatus with vertical take-off and landing conceived as a biplane apparatus constituted by two distinct parts articulated there between, the first distinct part consisting of the cockpit (1), which is hinged to the second part of the latter, which is formed of the wings assembly (6),the cockpit 1 being attached to the wings assembly (6) by two hinges (3) fixed in the upright central vertical supports (7) of the wings, and in this way the cockpit having a limited swing possibility inside of the wings support structure which in turn they are provided with four propellers (9), of ducted type and driven by electric engines (20) disposed two on the top wing and two on the bottom wing, thus forming a kind of quadcopter, the duct (10) of each propeller being provided on the inlet lip with an annular ejection slit (11), and the electrical energy required to operate the apparatus is provided by the batteries (14) placed under the pilot's seat which through the speed regulators transmit the electric energy to the engines, the entire operation of the apparatus being managed by means of a flight computer (17) disposed in the central part of the upper wing of the biplane, and the taking off being made with the wings and the engines vertically oriented, the flight apparatus being laid on the ground by means of a landing gear (15) fixed in the wing extremities, the flight apparatus taking off as a quadcopter, and the transition to the cruise flight is made by reducing the angle of incidence of the wings, this angle decreasing naturally due to the increased resistance to advancement of the wings concurrently with the speed of translation of the flight apparatus, and in the meantime the cockpit (1) remains in a vertical position due to its lower center of gravity and due to the joints (3) which allow it to rotate relative to the wings assembly (6) and the landing is made similarly to a quadcopter, slowing down the speed leading to increasing the incidence angle of the wings until they return to the vertical plane required for landing.