VTOL Aircraft Lifting Rotors with Locking Blades
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional multicopters excel in hovering but are limited to relatively low cruising speeds due to high rotational speeds of propellers causing significant air resistance and noise, restricting their agility and operational effectiveness for applications requiring both hovering and high-speed flight.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a support structure with a central fuselage, lateral pylons, and a wing structure, featuring lifting rotors with two propeller blades that can lock into a position parallel to the direction of flight, reducing air resistance, and a thrust drive for horizontal propulsion, allowing the aircraft to achieve high cruising speeds independently of the lifting rotors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the propellers are operated at high rotational speeds to generate sufficient lift, then the aircraft can achieve vertical takeoff and hovering capability, but the propeller blade tips approach the speed of sound causing high air resistance and loud noises that limit cruising speed
Solution Approach 1:
The aircraft separates the lift generation function (performed by lifting rotors during vertical flight) from the propulsion function (performed by thrust drive during horizontal flight). This segmentation allows each system to be optimized for its specific function, with the thrust drive operating independently at optimal speeds for cruising without the constraints of lift generation requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The propeller blades are made dynamically adjustable through a locking mechanism that can change their orientation. During cruising flight, the blades are locked in a position parallel to the direction of flight, transforming them from rotating lift-generating surfaces into streamlined structures that minimize air resistance while maintaining lift capability when needed
2Speed
If the propeller blades are locked in a position parallel to the direction of flight during cruising, then air resistance is minimized for high speed flight, but the blades must be unlocked to generate lift during vertical takeoff and hovering
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism serves multiple functions: it positions the propeller blades for minimal drag during cruising flight, enables quick transition to lift-generating configuration for vertical flight, and maintains structural integrity of the pylon assembly. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by providing both aerodynamic optimization and operational versatility
Solution Approach 2:
The propeller blades are pre-positioned in the streamlined configuration within the pylon structure, ready for cruising flight. The locking mechanism prepares the blades in advance for the optimal cruising position, eliminating the need for complex real-time adjustments during high-speed flight and enabling rapid transition between flight modes
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
This configuration enables the aircraft to maintain good hovering characteristics while achieving high cruising speeds, reducing air resistance and noise, and allowing for precise maneuvering and efficient operation in various applications.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the lifting rotors (6) is designed to generate a lift force acting in the vertical direction for the aircraft (1) by rotating the propeller (61)
Implementation Method 2
The thrust drive (7) is designed to generate a thrust force acting in the horizontal direction on the support structure (2)
Implementation Method 3
at sufficiently high horizontal speeds a dynamic lift caused by the at least one wing surface of the wing structure can be high enough to carry the aircraft
Implementation Method 4
the propeller blades of the lifting rotors are accommodated in the structure of the aircraft, for example in pylons, when the lifting rotors are switched off, so that they have the lowest possible air resistance during cruising flight
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
An aircraft is described which has a supporting structure, wherein the supporting structure comprises at least one central fuselage and two pylons spaced laterally from the fuselage. The aircraft further comprises a wing structure, at least four lift rotors, and at least one thrust engine. Each of the lift rotors is attached to the supporting structure, has a propeller with two propeller blades, and is designed to generate lift for the aircraft in the vertical direction by rotating the propeller. The thrust engine is designed to generate thrust in the horizontal direction on the supporting structure. Each pylon has two lift rotors, the lift rotors being designed to lock the respective propeller blades of a lift rotor in a position relative to the pylon. In the locked position, the propeller blades of a lift rotor do not protrude beyond the outer dimensions of the pylon.