Wingless VTOL Lifting Body for Low-Drag Road-Air Transition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing land-air vehicles face challenges such as the need for space to store wings, increased drag, reliance on complex wing-stowage mechanisms, and limited lift generation, which restricts their load-carrying capacity, range, and operational safety.
Innovation Solution
The Sky Chaser is a wingless, Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) vehicle designed to operate efficiently as both an aircraft and a land vehicle, featuring a main body with an airfoil shape, lateral members that act as winglets, and a propulsion system that includes forward and rear thrusters, allowing for VTOL capability and transition to forward flight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If wings are stowed during ground operation, then space is saved and drag is reduced, but a complex stowage mechanism is required which increases device complexity and reliability risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the wings entirely from the vehicle design, extracting the lift-generating function from separate wings and integrating it into the fuselage body itself. This eliminates the need for wing stowage mechanisms while maintaining the ability to generate aerodynamic lift during flight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the fuselage and wings into a single integrated lifting body structure. The fuselage is shaped to provide both structural support and aerodynamic lift generation, combining functions that were previously separated into distinct components.
2Force
If wings are extended for flight, then lift generation is improved, but space is required for wing storage during ground operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the lift-generating function from separate wings and relocates it to the fuselage body. The lifting body configuration generates aerodynamic lift through its streamlined shape, eliminating the need for dedicated wing storage space during ground operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The fuselage serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, houses the powertrain and controls, and generates aerodynamic lift. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate wings and their associated storage requirements.
3Volume of moving object
If a lifting body configuration is used, then wing storage space is eliminated, but lift generation capability is significantly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the lifting body parameters including fuselage length, diameter, and streamline shaping to maximize lift generation. The power-to-weight ratio is enhanced through efficient propulsion system integration, compensating for the reduced lift capability compared to traditional winged configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The use of lightweight composite materials in the lifting body construction reduces overall vehicle weight, which compensates for the reduced lift generation capability. This allows the vehicle to achieve sufficient lift-to-weight ratio for effective flight operation.
4Ease of operation
If vertical thrust is used for VTOL operation, then runway requirements are eliminated, but load-carrying capacity and range are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a hybrid propulsion system that dynamically transitions between vertical thrust for VTOL operation and horizontal thrust for efficient forward flight. This dynamic configuration allows the vehicle to optimize its performance characteristics for different operational phases, maintaining VTOL capability while improving load-carrying capacity and range through efficient forward flight.
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 Sky Chaser achieves efficient operation by generating lift through airfoil-shaped main body sections and winglet-forming lateral members, reducing drag, and enabling safe and controlled transitions between VTOL and forward flight modes, while also allowing for amphibious operation.
Implementation Method 1
generating lift through airfoil-shaped main body sections
Implementation Method 2
winglet-forming lateral members, and a propulsion system that includes forward and rear thrusters
Implementation Method 3
reducing drag
Data Source
AI summary
A wingless vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle has a main body including airfoil sections on either side of a central module in which a load may be carried. Articulated forward thrust systems are mounted on a leading edge of the main body and lateral members are located on either side of the main body and form winglets. At least one rear vertical-thrust system may also be provided and, in one embodiment, is mounted in an aperture aft of the central module. The forward thrust systems transition between a vertical flight configuration and a horizontal flight configuration. The lateral members are configured as both vortex-damping members and also to channel backwash from the forward thrust systems over the airfoil formed by the main body.