초록 ▼

A solar powered air vehicle that can stay aloft for indefinite periods of time. The vehicle employs photovoltaic solar cells for primary power and high speed counter-rotating flywheels for energy storage and steering of the vehicle. The flywheels are placed in the wing to reduce airfoil drag. A cont

A solar powered air vehicle that can stay aloft for indefinite periods of time. The vehicle employs photovoltaic solar cells for primary power and high speed counter-rotating flywheels for energy storage and steering of the vehicle. The flywheels are placed in the wing to reduce airfoil drag. A control law provides three-axis stabilized control of the vehicle by controlling propeller pitch to vary the speeds of the flywheels.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. An aircraft comprising:a horizontally extending wing section;a plurality of solar collecting cells disposed on at least a top surface of said horizontal extending wing section;at least one motor electrically connected to said plurality of solar collecting cells and disposed wi

What is claimed is: 1. An aircraft comprising:a horizontally extending wing section;a plurality of solar collecting cells disposed on at least a top surface of said horizontal extending wing section;at least one motor electrically connected to said plurality of solar collecting cells and disposed within or on said horizontal extending wing section that is engaged onto a propeller that provides propulsion;at least one motor/generator electrically connected to said plurality of solar collecting cells and coupled to at least two sets of counter-rotating pairs of flywheels means for a function to store and discharge energy that provides said propulsion wherein said flywheels are oriented with their spin axis along or perpendicular to the pitch axis of said horizontally extending wing section, andwherein angular inertia from at least one flywheel is combined with thrust from said propeller to steer said aircraft.