Passively Tilting Fuselage for VTOL Aircraft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, such as tail-sitters, require pilots to face vertically during takeoff and landing, making it difficult for less nimble pilots to maneuver and see the horizon, and often need specialized equipment for takeoff, while also being complex and costly due to active rotation mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
Aircraft with a passively tilting fuselage and fixed-position rotors that switch between hovering and forward flight configurations by rotating at different speeds, maintaining the fuselage in a level position relative to the ground, reducing complexity and cost by eliminating active rotation components and allowing pilots to remain upright during transitions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If active rotation mechanisms are used to transition between hovering and forward flight configurations, then the aircraft can switch between flight modes, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of actively rotating the fuselage to change flight configuration, the patent inverts the approach by keeping the fuselage level and allowing the wings to rotate relative to the fuselage. This passive approach eliminates complex active rotation mechanisms while achieving the same flight mode transitions.
Solution Approach 2:
The aircraft uses its own rotor thrust to passively rotate the wings into different configurations. The rotors generate lift that naturally causes the wings to tilt at appropriate angles for hovering or forward flight, without requiring external active rotation systems.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the fuselage is actively rotated during transitions, then flight configuration changes can be achieved, but pilot control difficulty and effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The aircraft system automatically manages the wing rotation and configuration transitions through differential rotor thrust, eliminating the need for the pilot to manually control complex rotation mechanisms. The pilot simply controls rotor speeds while the system handles the configuration changes.
3Device complexity
If fixed-position rotors are used instead of tilting rotors, then rotor design and control are simplified, but the ability to optimize performance across different flight modes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the rotation function from the fuselage and assigns it to the wings instead. The fixed-position rotors remain simple and stationary relative to the wing, while the wing itself rotates relative to the fuselage, achieving performance optimization without complex tilting rotors.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of tilting the rotors to change flight mode, the patent inverts the approach by keeping rotors fixed and tilting the wings. This maintains simple fixed-position rotor design while still achieving optimized performance for both hovering and forward flight through wing orientation changes.
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
Enables efficient hovering and forward flight with reduced pilot effort, eliminates the need for specialized takeoff equipment, and simplifies rotor design by using fixed-position rotors, providing a stable and cost-effective flying experience.
Implementation Method 1
with rotors rotating in the horizontal plane which provide vertical lift
Implementation Method 2
with propellers spinning in the vertical plane where vertical lift comes from the airflow over the wings
Implementation Method 3
A bearing mechanically couples the wing and the fuselage and permits the wing and the fuselage to rotate with respect to each other
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft includes a wing where a first rotor and a second rotor are coupled to the wing at a fixed position relative to the wing. The aircraft also includes a fuselage and a bearing. The bearing mechanically couples the wing and the fuselage and permits the wing and the fuselage to rotate with respect to each other about an axis of rotation. The bearing permits the fuselage to rotate under the influence of gravity to be in a same orientation relative to ground when the wing is in a first orientation relative to the ground as well as a second orientation relative to the ground.