Modular VTOL Aircraft Layout With Safety Clearance and Noise Spacing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modular vertical take-off and landing aircrafts face safety risks due to unwanted contact between passengers or cargo and nearby drive units, limited seating comfort, and significant noise exposure from motor units.
Innovation Solution
Aircraft design with a supporting framework structure featuring multiple drive units, including electric motors and propellers, arranged in a hexagonal configuration with interconnected struts and propeller blades designed for asymmetric airflow, and a transport module with a safety clearance to prevent contact and reduce noise exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the transport module is arranged directly on the supporting framework structure without spacing, then structural compactness is improved, but safety is worsened due to unwanted contact between passengers/cargo and drive units
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a spacing structure (intermediary element) between the transport module and the supporting framework structure. This intermediary maintains a safety distance that prevents contact between passengers/cargo and drive units, while still allowing structural integration. The spacing structure acts as a mediator that preserves both compactness and safety.
2Device complexity
If the transport module is arranged close to the motor units, then structural compactness is improved, but noise exposure is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The spacing structure serves as an acoustic intermediary that distances the transport module from noise-generating motor units. This intermediate space reduces noise transmission to passengers while maintaining overall structural compactness.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the propellers are arranged in a plane with the supporting framework structure, then aerodynamic efficiency is improved, but safety is worsened due to increased risk of contact with passengers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions the propeller arrangement from a two-dimensional planar configuration to a three-dimensional spatial arrangement. By positioning propellers at different heights and angles around the transport module, the design maintains aerodynamic efficiency while creating safety distances that prevent contact with passengers.
4Ease of manufacture
If the cockpit is arranged directly on the supporting framework structure, then structural integration is improved, but safety is worsened due to proximity of motor units
Solution Approach 1:
The spacing structure acts as a protective intermediary between the cockpit and motor units. This intermediary element maintains structural integration while creating a safety buffer zone that protects passengers from potential contact with rotating propellers and motor components.
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
Enhances safety and comfort by minimizing contact and noise exposure, while improving aerodynamics and stability, allowing for efficient and versatile transportation.
Implementation Method 1
propeller blades designed for asymmetric airflow
Data Source
AI summary
A modular vertical take-off and landing aircraft for transporting persons and/or loads, comprising a flight module with multiple drive units arranged on a supporting framework structure, each drive unit having an electric motor and a propeller operatively connected to the electric motor, a transport module having a conveying pod and a connection device for connecting the conveying pod to the flight module. The connection device has an elongated shaft, one end of which is attached to the conveying pod, and a coupling device for connecting the flight module to another end of the elongate shaft of the transport module.