Aircraft capable of vertical take-off

US10131426B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Airbus Defence and Space GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Michael Judas · Hersbruck, DE
• Friederike Stratenberg · Ingolstadt, DE
• Jan Van Toor · Munich, DE
• Werner Scholz · Duisburg, DE
• Berthold Karrais · Epfendorf, DE
• Wolfgang Stangl · Schweinhub, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 29, 2014
• Grant date: Nov 20, 2018
• Expiry date: Mar 31, 2035

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B64U50/33
• WIPO field: Transport
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

The invention relates to an aircraft which can both take off and land vertically and can hover and also fly horizontally at a high cruising speed. The aircraft has a support structure, a wing structure, at least three and preferably at least four lifting rotors and at least one thrust drive. The wing structure is designed to generate a lifting force for the aircraft during horizontal motion. To achieve this the wing structure has at least one mainplane provided with a profile that generates dynamic lift. The wing structure is preferably designed as a tandem wing structure. Each of the lifting rotors is fixed to the support structure, has a propeller and is designed to generate a lifting force for the aircraft by means of a rotation of the propeller, said force acting in a vertical direction. The thrust drive is designed to generate a thrust force on the support structure, said force acting in a horizontal direction. The lifting rotors can have a simple construction, i.e. they can have a simple rigid propeller for example, and a vertical take-off or hovering of the aircraft can be controlled, in a similar manner to quadcopters, by a simple control of the speeds of the lifting rotors…