Vertical take-off and landing aircraft

Abstract

A vertical take-off and landing aircraft includes a fuselage, at least one wing connected to the fuselage, a plurality of rotors connected to the at least one wing for providing lift for vertical take-off and landing of the aircraft and a plurality of proprotors connected to the at least one wing and tiltable between lift configurations for providing lift for vertical take-off and landing of the aircraft and propulsion configurations for providing forward thrust to the aircraft.

1 . A vertical take-off and landing aircraft comprising:
 a fuselage;   at least one wing connected to the fuselage;   a plurality of rotors connected to the at least one wing for providing lift for vertical take-off and landing of the aircraft; and   a plurality of proprotors connected to the at least one wing and tiltable between lift configurations for providing lift for vertical take-off and landing of the aircraft and propulsion configurations for providing forward thrust to the aircraft.   
     
     
         2 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of rotors are rearward of the at least one wing and the plurality of proprotors are forward of the at least one wing. 
     
     
         3 . The aircraft of  claim 2 , comprising a plurality of booms mounted to the at least one wing, each boom mounting one rotor and one proprotor to the at least one wing. 
     
     
         4 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein a first proprotor is forward of a second proprotor that is adjacent to the first proprotor. 
     
     
         5 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein a first proprotor is mounted at a higher position on the aircraft than a second proprotor that is adjacent to the first proprotor. 
     
     
         6 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein each rotor has only two blades. 
     
     
         7 . The aircraft of  claim 6 , wherein each rotor is configured to fix the two blades in position during forward flight. 
     
     
         8 . The aircraft of  claim 6 , wherein each proprotor has greater than two blades. 
     
     
         9 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein a first rotor of the plurality of rotors is canted relative to a second rotor of the plurality of rotors such that a rotational axis of the first rotor is non-parallel with a rotational axis of the second rotor. 
     
     
         10 . The aircraft of  claim 9 , wherein a cant angle of any rotor or proprotor is such that a respective burst disc cannot intersect with passengers or a pilot. 
     
     
         11 . The aircraft of  claim 9 , wherein a cant angle of any rotor or proprotor is such that a respective burst disc cannot intersect with any flight-critical component. 
     
     
         12 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein a first proprotor of the plurality of proprotors is canted relative to a second proprotor of the plurality of proprotors such that a rotational axis of the first proprotor is non-parallel with a rotational axis of the second proprotor. 
     
     
         13 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , further comprising a control system configured to actively alter a tilt of at least one proprotor to generate yawing moments during hover. 
     
     
         14 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein attack angles of blades of the proprotors are collectively adjustable during flight. 
     
     
         15 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein propulsion is provided entirely by the proprotors. 
     
     
         16 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein a range of tilt of the proprotors is greater than ninety degrees. 
     
     
         17 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one wing provides the lift required during cruising. 
     
     
         18 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one wing is a high wing mounted to an upper side of the fuselage. 
     
     
         19 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one wing has control surfaces. 
     
     
         20 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein all of the rotors and proprotors are mounted to the at least one wing. 
     
     
         21 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein the aircraft is electrically powered. 
     
     
         22 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein the aircraft is manned. 
     
     
         23 . A vertical take-off and landing aircraft comprising:
 a fuselage;   a pair of wings coupled to opposite sides of the fuselage;   a plurality of lift propeller assemblies coupled to the pair of wings, wherein the plurality of lift propeller assemblies are configured to create a vertical lift;   a plurality of tilting propeller assemblies configured to move between a vertical lift position and a forward flight position; and   a control system configurable to control the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies between the vertical lift position and the forward flight position.   
     
     
         24 . The aircraft of  claim 23 , further comprising:
 one or more battery units including a plurality of battery cells configured to power the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies and the plurality of lift propeller assemblies.   
     
     
         25 . The aircraft of  claim 23 , further comprising:
 a tailplane in form of a V-tail coupled to a rear end of the fuselage.   
     
     
         26 . The aircraft of  claim 23 , wherein the pair of wings are coupled to the fuselage in a high-wing configuration. 
     
     
         27 . The aircraft of  claim 23 , wherein the plurality of lift propeller assemblies are mounted in a fixed position relative to the pair of wings to move the aircraft in a vertical direction. 
     
     
         28 . The aircraft of  claim 27 , wherein one or more of the plurality of lift propeller assemblies are configurable to stop operating during a forward flight of the aircraft. 
     
     
         29 . The aircraft of  claim 27 , wherein each of the plurality of lift propeller assemblies comprise an electric motor-driven rotor. 
     
     
         30 . The aircraft of  claim 27 , wherein at least three lift propeller assemblies are coupled to each of the pair of wings. 
     
     
         31 . The aircraft of  claim 23 , wherein the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies are coupled to at least one of the pair of wings via one or more tilting mechanisms. 
     
     
         32 . The aircraft of  claim 31 , wherein at least three tilting propeller assemblies are coupled to each of the pair of wings. 
     
     
         33 . The aircraft of  claim 23 , wherein a combined number of lift propeller assemblies and tilting propeller assemblies is at least  12 . 
     
     
         34 . The aircraft of  claim 23 , further comprising:
 a plurality of support structures coupled to an underside of the pair of wings, wherein a lift propeller assembly among the plurality of lift propeller assemblies is coupled to a first end of each support structure.   
     
     
         35 . The aircraft of  claim 34 , wherein at least one of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies is coupled to a second end of a first support structure among the plurality of support structures via a tilting mechanism. 
     
     
         36 . The aircraft of  claim 34 , wherein a tilting propeller assembly among the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies is coupled to a second end of each support structure. 
     
     
         37 . The aircraft of  claim 34 , wherein a second lift propeller assembly is coupled to a second end of at least one support structure among the plurality of support structures. 
     
     
         38 . The aircraft of  claim 23 , wherein the plurality of lift propeller assemblies are provided at a tailing edge of the pair of wings and the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies are provided at a leading edge of the pair of wings. 
     
     
         39 . The aircraft of  claim 23 , wherein the control system is configurable to:
 receive a flight instruction;   control one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies between the vertical lift position and the forward flight position based on the flight instruction; and   actively control the one or more of the tilting propeller assemblies.   
     
     
         40 . The aircraft of  claim 39 , wherein the control system is configurable to:
 control the position of the tilting propeller assemblies automatically.   
     
     
         41 . The aircraft of  claim 39 , wherein the control system is configurable to:
 control a first tilting propeller assembly and a second tilting propeller assembly among the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies independently from each other.   
     
     
         42 . The aircraft of  claim 39 , wherein the control system is configurable to control:
 at least a subset of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies simultaneously.   
     
     
         43 . An aircraft comprising:
 a fuselage;   a pair of wings coupled to opposite sides of the fuselage;   a plurality of tilting propeller assemblies coupled to the pair of wings, wherein the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies are configured to move between a vertical lift position and a forward flight position, wherein the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies are configured to create a vertical lift when in the vertical lift position;   one or more battery units including a plurality of battery cells configured to power the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies; and   a control system configured to control the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies between the vertical lift position and the forward flight position.   
     
     
         44 . The aircraft of  claim 43 , further comprising:
 a plurality of support structures coupled to an underside of the pair of wings, wherein at least one of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies is coupled to an end of a first support structure among the plurality of support structures via a tilting mechanism.   
     
     
         45 . The aircraft of  claim 43 , further comprising:
 a plurality of support structures coupled to an underside of the pair of wings, wherein a tilting propeller assembly among the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies is coupled to an end of each support structure.   
     
     
         46 . The aircraft of  claim 43 , wherein the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies are coupled to a leading edge of the pair of wings via one or more tilting mechanisms. 
     
     
         47 . The aircraft of  claim 43 , wherein at least three tilting propeller assemblies are coupled to each of the pair of wings. 
     
     
         48 . The aircraft of  claim 43 , wherein the control system is configurable to control a first tilting propeller assembly and a second tilting propeller assembly among the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies independently from each other. 
     
     
         49 . The aircraft of  claim 43 , wherein the control system is configurable to control at least a subset of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies simultaneously. 
     
     
         50 . The aircraft of  claim 43 , wherein the control system is configurable to control a position of the tilting propeller assemblies automatically. 
     
     
         51 . The aircraft of  claim 43 , further comprising:
 a tailplane in form of a V-tail coupled to a rear end of the fuselage.   
     
     
         52 . A method for controlling one or more tilting propeller assemblies of an aircraft, the method comprising:
 receiving, by a control system coupled to an aircraft, a flight instruction, wherein the aircraft is configured for vertical takeoff and landing;   controlling, by the control system, one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies between a vertical lift position and a forward flight position based on the flight instruction; and   actively controlling, by the control system, the one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies.   
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 52 , further comprising:
 controlling, by the control system, a first tilting propeller assembly and a second tilting propeller assembly among the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies independently from each other.   
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 52 , further comprising:
 controlling, by the control system, at least a subset of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies simultaneously.   
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 52 , further comprising:
 controlling, by the control system, the position of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies automatically.   
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 52 , wherein the flight instruction is a takeoff instruction, wherein controlling the one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies comprises:
 controlling the one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies to the vertical lift position.   
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 52 , wherein the flight instruction is a hover instruction or a landing instruction, and wherein controlling the one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies comprises:
 controlling the one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies to the vertical lift position.   
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 52 , wherein the flight instruction is an instruction to switch to forward flight, and wherein controlling the one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies comprises:
 controlling the one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies to the forward flight position.   
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 58 , further comprising:
 controlling one or more of a plurality of lift propeller assemblies to stop operating during the forward flight of the aircraft.   
     
     
         60 . A vertical take-off and landing aircraft comprising:
 a fuselage;   a pair of wings coupled to opposite sides of the fuselage;   a plurality of rotors connected to the at least one wing for providing lift for vertical take-off and landing of the aircraft; and   a plurality of proprotors connected to the at least one wing and tiltable between lift configurations for providing lift for vertical take-off and landing of the aircraft and propulsion configurations for providing forward thrust to the aircraft; and   a control system configurable to control tilts of the plurality of proprotors between the lift configurations and the propulsion configurations.   
     
     
         61 . The aircraft of  claim 60 , further comprising:
 at least one battery configured to power the plurality of proprotors and the plurality of rotors.   
     
     
         62 . The aircraft of  claim 60 , further comprising:
 stabilizers in form of a V coupled to a rear end of the fuselage.   
     
     
         63 . The aircraft of  claim 60 , wherein the pair of wings are coupled to the fuselage in a high-wing configuration. 
     
     
         64 . The aircraft of  claim 60 , wherein the plurality of rotors are mounted in a fixed position relative to the pair of wings to move the aircraft in a vertical direction. 
     
     
         65 . The aircraft of  claim 64 , wherein one or more of the plurality of rotors are configured to be locked during a forward flight of the aircraft. 
     
     
         66 . The aircraft of  claim 64 , wherein each of the plurality of rotors is electrically driven. 
     
     
         67 . The aircraft of  claim 64 , wherein at least three rotors are coupled to each of the pair of wings. 
     
     
         68 . The aircraft of  claim 60 , wherein the plurality of proprotors are coupled to at least one of the pair of wings by one or more tilting couplers. 
     
     
         69 . The aircraft of  claim 68 , wherein at least three proprotors are coupled to each of the pair of wings. 
     
     
         70 . The aircraft of  claim 60 , wherein a combined number of rotors and proprotors is at least  12 . 
     
     
         71 . The aircraft of  claim 60 , further comprising:
 a plurality of support structures coupled to an underside of the pair of wings, wherein a rotor among the plurality of rotors is coupled to a first end of each support structure.   
     
     
         72 . The aircraft of  claim 71 , wherein at least one of the proprotors is coupled to a second end of a first support structure among the plurality of support structures via a tilting coupler. 
     
     
         73 . The aircraft of  claim 71 , wherein a proprotor among the plurality of proprotors is coupled to a second end of each support structure. 
     
     
         74 . The aircraft of  claim 71 , wherein a second rotor is coupled to a second end of at least one support structure among the plurality of support structures. 
     
     
         75 . The aircraft of  claim 60 , wherein the plurality of rotors are provided at a trailing edge of the pair of wings and the plurality of proprotors are provided at a leading edge of the pair of wings. 
     
     
         76 . The aircraft of  claim 60 , wherein the control system is configurable to:
 receive a pilot command; and   control one or more of the plurality of proprotors between the vertical lift position and the forward flight position based on the pilot command; and   actively control the one or more of the plurality of proprotors.   
     
     
         77 . The aircraft of  claim 76 , wherein the control system is configurable to:
 control the position of the proprotors automatically.   
     
     
         78 . The aircraft of  claim 76 , wherein the control system is configurable to:
 control a first proprotor and a second proprotor among the plurality of proprotors independently from each other.   
     
     
         79 . The aircraft of  claim 76 , wherein the control system is configurable to control:
 the plurality of proprotors simultaneously.   
     
     
         80 . An aircraft comprising:
 a fuselage;   a pair of wings coupled to opposite sides of the fuselage;   a plurality of proprotors connected to the at least one wing and tiltable between lift configurations for providing lift for vertical take-off and landing of the aircraft and propulsion configurations for providing forward thrust to the aircraft;   at least one battery configured to power the plurality of proprotors; and   a control system configurable to control tilts of the plurality of proprotors between the lift configurations and the propulsion configurations.   
     
     
         81 . The aircraft of  claim 80 , further comprising:
 a plurality of support structures coupled to an underside of the pair of wings, wherein at least one of the plurality of proprotors is coupled to an end of a first support structure among the plurality of support structures via a tilting coupler.   
     
     
         82 . The aircraft of  claim 80 , further comprising:
 a plurality of support structures coupled to an underside of the pair of wings, wherein a proprotor among the plurality of proprotors is coupled to an end of each support structure.   
     
     
         83 . The aircraft of  claim 80 , wherein the plurality of proprotors are coupled to a leading edge of the pair of wings via one or more tilting couplers. 
     
     
         84 . The aircraft of  claim 80 , wherein at least three proprotors are coupled to each of the pair of wings. 
     
     
         85 . The aircraft of  claim 80 , wherein the control system is configurable to control a first proprotor and a second proprotor among the plurality of proprotors independently from each other. 
     
     
         86 . The aircraft of  claim 80 , wherein the control system is configurable to control the plurality of proprotors simultaneously. 
     
     
         87 . The aircraft of  claim 80 , wherein the control system is configurable to control a position of the proprotors automatically. 
     
     
         88 . The aircraft of  claim 80 , further comprising:
 stabilizers in form of a V coupled to a rear end of the fuselage.   
     
     
         89 . A method for controlling one or more proprotors of an aircraft, the method comprising:
 receiving, by a control system of an aircraft, a pilot command, wherein the aircraft is configured for vertical takeoff and landing;   controlling, by the control system, one or more of the plurality of proprotors between a lift configuration and a propulsion configuration based on the pilot command; and   actively controlling the one or more of the plurality of proprotors.   
     
     
         90 . The method of  claim 89 , further comprising:
 controlling, by the control system, a first proprotor and a second proprotor among the plurality of proprotors independently from each other.   
     
     
         91 . The method of  claim 89 , further comprising:
 controlling, by the control system, the plurality of proprotors simultaneously.   
     
     
         92 . The method of  claim 89 , further comprising:
 controlling, by the control system, control the position of the proprotors automatically.   
     
     
         93 . The method of  claim 89 , wherein controlling the one or more of the plurality of proprotors comprises:
 controlling the one or more of the plurality of proprotors to the lift configuration during takeoff.   
     
     
         94 . The method of  claim 89 , wherein controlling the one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies comprises:
 controlling the one or more of the plurality of tilting propeller assemblies to the vertical lift position during hover or landing.   
     
     
         95 . The method of  claim 89 , wherein controlling the one or more of the plurality of proprotors comprises:
 controlling the one or more of the plurality of proprotors to the propulsion configuration when transitioning to forward flight.   
     
     
         96 . The method of  claim 95 , further comprising:
 controlling one or more of a plurality of rotors to lock during the forward flight of the aircraft.