Passively Tiltable Rotor Group for Multi-Rotor Aircraft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multi-rotor aircrafts face limitations in cruising speed, flight distance, hovering efficiency, stability, and maneuverability due to their design, which restricts their suitability for both intracity and intercity transportation and passenger comfort.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a passively tiltable rotor group that can tilt without additional electric motors, allowing for increased cruising speed and longer flight distances by manipulating rotor RPMs to generate horizontal lift components, while maintaining stability and reducing drag through a tilting unit that relieves weight load from the rotor group.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the multi-rotor aircraft tilts its body to move forward, then it can achieve forward motion, but passenger comfort and stability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The aircraft separates the tilting function from the body by introducing an independent tilting unit that can tilt the rotor group without tilting the main body. This segmentation allows the body to remain stable while the rotor group provides forward motion through tilting, thus resolving the contradiction between forward motion capability and body stability.
2Ease of operation
If additional electric motors are added to tilt the rotor group actively, then tilting control is improved, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tilting unit is designed to tilt the rotor group passively without requiring additional electric motors. The mechanism uses the existing rotor thrust and mechanical linkages to achieve automatic tilting, eliminating the need for separate power sources and reducing system complexity while maintaining operational capability.
3Speed
If the rotor group tilts at a larger angle for higher cruising speed, then flight distance increases, but hovering efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tilting unit enables dynamic adjustment of the rotor group tilt angle based on flight phase requirements. During hovering, the rotor group remains vertical (0° tilt) for maximum hovering efficiency. During cruising, the tilt angle increases to generate horizontal thrust for higher speed and extended range. This dynamic adaptability resolves the contradiction between cruising performance and hovering efficiency.
4Device complexity
If the tilting unit supports the entire weight load, then tilting mechanism is simplified, but friction and difficulty of tilting increase
Solution Approach 1:
The load sharing unit introduces a counterbalancing mechanism that supports a portion of the aircraft weight independently of the tilting unit. This reduces the effective weight load on the tilting mechanism, thereby reducing friction and making tilting easier while maintaining mechanism simplicity.
5Device complexity
If prior art multi-rotor aircraft use fixed rotor groups, then structure is simplified, but cruising speed and flight distance are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor group is transformed from a fixed structure to a dynamically tilting structure through the integration of the tilting unit. This allows the rotor group to adjust its orientation according to flight requirements, enabling higher cruising speeds and extended flight distances while maintaining relatively simple structural implementation.
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 multi-rotor aircrafts to achieve higher cruising speeds, extended flight distances, improved stability, and enhanced maneuverability, providing a comfortable ride for passengers and efficient operation without the need for additional power sources or complex control algorithms.
Implementation Method 1
a rotor group which includes a plurality of rotors and is capable of generating lifts
Implementation Method 2
When a first vector sum of the lifts generated by the rotors acts in a tilted direction which forms a non-zero angle with a vertical direction, the tilting unit may be tilted in the tilted direction, and the rotor group coupled to the moving element of the tilting unit may also be tilted in the tilted direction
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure relates to various multi-rotor aircrafts including at least one passively tiltable rotor group which may be tilted, typically in a direction of their movement. More importantly, the passively tiltable rotor group can tilt on its own, without having to include any additional electric motor or other power generating devices. This disclosure relates to various multi-rotor aircrafts including various load sharing units capable of taking up at least a portion of a weight load of the aircraft to itself, thereby diverting that portion of the weight load from a tilting unit. Therefore, the tilting units may be tilted more easily under the reduced weight load and friction. This disclosure further relates to various methods of fabricating or operating such passively tiltable rotor groups, tilting units, or load sharing units, and various methods of incorporating such into the multi-rotor aircraft.