IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
UP-0290702
(2008-11-03)
|
등록번호 |
US-7654486
(2010-03-31)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
2 인용 특허 :
2 |
초록
▼
A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft comprises (1) a fuselage having a front end, a rear end and two lateral sides, the fuselage defining a substantially horizontal central longitudinal axis of the aircraft; (2) an aircraft tail arranged at the rear end of the fuselage and including a rud
A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft comprises (1) a fuselage having a front end, a rear end and two lateral sides, the fuselage defining a substantially horizontal central longitudinal axis of the aircraft; (2) an aircraft tail arranged at the rear end of the fuselage and including a rudder and an elevator on each side of the fuselage with movable surfaces for controlling the aircraft; and (3) a wing on each side of the fuselage having a front edge, a trailing edge and an upper surface extending from the front edge to the trailing edge. Means are provided for increasing the speed of an airstream flowing over the upper surface of each wing.
대표청구항
▼
What is claimed is: 1. A personal aircraft (PAC) capable of short take-off and landing (STOL) or vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and having a center of gravity, said aircraft comprising, in combination: (a) an elongate fuselage having two lateral sides and forming a passenger compartment, said
What is claimed is: 1. A personal aircraft (PAC) capable of short take-off and landing (STOL) or vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and having a center of gravity, said aircraft comprising, in combination: (a) an elongate fuselage having two lateral sides and forming a passenger compartment, said fuselage being arranged along a longitudinal axis of said aircraft; (b) an elongate fixed wing attached to the fuselage for providing vertical lift to the aircraft upon forward motion thereof through the air, said fixed wing having a leading edge, a trailing edge and a longitudinal wing axis between them, said fixed wing extending outward from the two lateral sides of the fuselage with the wing axis substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of the aircraft, the center of gravity of said aircraft being located in a region between the leading edge and the trailing edge of said wing, said wing having a first wing component extending outward from one lateral side of said fuselage and second wing component extending outward from an opposite lateral side of said fuselage; and (c) at least one thruster disposed in each wing component, substantially midway between said leading edge and said trailing edge thereof, for providing additional vertical lift to said aircraft whether or not said aircraft is in motion, said thruster comprising: (1) at least one shaft mounted for rotation in the respective wing component and extending substantially parallel to said wing axis; and (2) a plurality of fan blades attached to each shaft for movement of air upon rotation of the respective shaft, each fan blade having an outer extremity; (d) a prime mover coupled to rotate said at least one shaft in each wing component in such direction that the outer extremities of the fan blades move rearward, toward the trailing edge of the respective wing component, when above the shaft, and move forward, toward the leading edge of the wing component, when below the shaft, thereby causing air to move in a rearward direction above the shaft; and (e) a shroud disposed on each wing component, adjacent to and above said fan blades, which constricts air that is moved by said fan blades to flow in a direction substantially parallel to said upper surface of said wing, thereby to increase the speed of airflow over said upper surface and enhance the vertical lift of said aircraft wing. 2. The aircraft defined in claim 1, said thruster comprises a plurality of said shafts disposed in each wing component, with the shafts arranged substantially in parallel. 3. The aircraft defined in claim 1, wherein the position of said at least one shaft disposed in each wing component is adjustable vertically, either toward or away from the associated wing component. 4. The aircraft defined in claim 1, wherein said shroud extends substantially parallel to the upper surface of the associated wing component on which it is disposed. 5. The aircraft defined in claim 4, wherein said shroud flairs outward, away from the upper surface of the wing component, in a front portion thereof facing the leading edge side of the associated wing component on which it is disposed. 6. The aircraft defined in claim 4, wherein said shroud flairs inward, toward from the upper surface of the wing component, in a rear portion thereof facing the trailing edge side of the associated wing component on which it is disposed. 7. The aircraft defined in claim 1, wherein the fan blades are elongate and extend substantially parallel to the shaft to which they are attached. 8. A personal aircraft (PAC) capable of short take-off and landing (STOL) or vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and having a center of gravity, said aircraft comprising, in coznbination: (a) an elongate fuselage having two lateral sides and forming a passenger compartment, said fuselage being arranged along a longitudinal axis of said aircraft; (b) an elongate fixed wing attached to the fuselage for providing vertical lift to the aircraft upon forward motion thereof through the air, said fixed wing having a leading edge and a trailing edge and a longitudinal wing axis between them, said fixed wing being attached to the fuselage and extending outward from the two lateral sides thereof with the wing axis substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said aircraft, the center of gravity of said aircraft being located in a region between the leading edge and the trailing edge of said wing, said wing having a first wing component extending outward from one lateral side of said fuselage and a second wing component extending outward from an opposite lateral side of said fuselage; and (c) at least one thruster disposed in each wing component for providing additional vertical lift to said aircraft, said thruster comprising: (1) at least one shaft mounted for rotation in the respective wing component and extending substantially parallel to said wing axis; and (2) a plurality of fan blades attached to each shaft for movement of air upon rotation of the respective shaft, each fan blade having an outer extremity; and (d) a prime mover coupled to rotate said at least one shaft in each wing component in such direction that the outer extremities of the fan blades move rearward, toward the trailing edge of the respective wing component, when above the shaft, and move forward, toward the leading edge of the wing component, when below the shaft, thereby causing air to move in a rearward direction above the shaft; wherein each wing component has an upper wing surface and a lower wing surface, and wherein said at least one shaft is mounted between said upper and lower wing surface of the respective wing component in which it is mounted; wherein the distance D between opposite outer extremities of the fan blades is less than the width of the respective wing component between said upper and lower surfaces thereof, at the position where said shaft is mounted; and wherein said shaft is movable toward and away from said upper wing surface, whereby, when said shaft is moved toward said upper surface, the outer extremities of some of said fan blades rise above said upper surface, and when said shaft is moved away from said upper surface, all of said fan blades are disposed in a position below said upper surface. 9. The aircraft defined in claim 8, wherein the fan blades are elongate and extend substantially parallel to the shaft to which they are attached. 10. The aircraft defined in claim 8, further comprising a shroud in each wing component, adjacent said fan blades, which directs the air downward, thereby providing vertical lift to said aircraft when said aircraft is in the STOL and VTOL mode. 11. The aircraft defined in claim 10, wherein at least a portion of said shroud is movable, thereby to control the amount of air that is directed downward. 12. The aircraft defined in claim 8, wherein each thruster comprises two shafts mounted for rotation in each wing component, said two shafts being substantially parallel to said wing axis and to each other, each of said two shafts being driven by a corrunon prime mover and having a plurality of fan blades for movement of air. 13. The aircraft defined in claim 12, wherein said two shafts mounted in each wing component are driven in counter rotation by said prime mover. 14. The aircraft defined in claim 13, wherein said two shafts are mounted sufficiently close together such that their respective fan blades are interleaved. 15. The aircraft defined in claim 14, wherein the fan blades are configured to inhibit air from passing between said two shafts, thereby forming a Roots-type blower configuration. 16. The aircraft defined in claim 13, wherein said two shafts are mounted sufficiently far apart such that their respective fan blades are not interleaved. 17. The aircraft defined in claim 16, wherein said two shafts are driven in counter rotation by said prime mover in a direction causing air to be directed downward between said two shafts. 18. The aircraft defined in claim 12, wherein said two shafts mounted in each wing component are driven in the same direction of rotation by said prime mover. 19. The aircraft defined in claim 17, wherein said at least one shaft is mounted closer to said upper wing surface than to said lower wing surface. 20. The aircraft defined in claim 18, wherein said fan blades extend upward beyond said upper wing surface of the respective wing component. 21. The aircraft defined in claim 8, wherein said at least one shaft is moveable in the vertical direction between a first position, in which its associated fan blades protrude upward from the upper surface of its associate wing component, and a second position in which its fan blades are substantially contained between the upper surface and the lower surface of said wing component. 22. The aircraft defined in claim 8, wherein the fan blades extend outward radially from the respective shaft to which they are attached. 23. The aircraft defined in claim 22, wherein each fan blade includes a tip portion which extends in a substantially circumferential direction. 24. The aircraft defined in claim 23, wherein said tip is moveable in the circumferential direction with respect to the fan blade to which it is attached. 25. The aircraft defined in claim 8, further comprising a shroud in each wing component, adjacent to and above said fan blades, which extends substantially parallel to an upper surface of said wing and constricts air that is moved by said fan blades to flow in a direction substantially parallel to said upper surface of said wing, thereby to increase the speed of airflow over said upper surface and enhance the vertical lift of said aircraft wing.
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