초록 ▼

A system comprising an aerial vehicle or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configured to control pitch, roll, and/or yaw via airfoils having resiliently mounted trailing edges opposed by fuselage-house deflecting actuator horns. Embodiments include one or more rudder elements which may be rotatably a

A system comprising an aerial vehicle or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configured to control pitch, roll, and/or yaw via airfoils having resiliently mounted trailing edges opposed by fuselage-house deflecting actuator horns. Embodiments include one or more rudder elements which may be rotatably attached and actuated by an effector member disposed within the fuselage housing and extendible in part to engage the one or more rudder elements.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An aerial vehicle, comprising: a fuselage having an exterior surface;a first pair of airfoils, a proximal portion of each of the first pair of airfoils rotatably attached at a forward pivot point at the exterior surface; anda second pair of airfoils, a proximal portion of each of the second pair

1. An aerial vehicle, comprising: a fuselage having an exterior surface;a first pair of airfoils, a proximal portion of each of the first pair of airfoils rotatably attached at a forward pivot point at the exterior surface; anda second pair of airfoils, a proximal portion of each of the second pair of airfoils rotatably attached at an aft pivot point on the exterior surface;wherein the first pair of airfoils are configured to be rotatable to a retracted position that is aligned with a retracted position of the second pair of airfoils, with wing tips of the first pair of airfoils located adjacent to the aft pivot point when the first pair of airfoils is in its retracted position, and wherein wing tips of the second pair of airfoils are located adjacent to the forward pivot point when the second pair of airfoils is in its retracted position. 2. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the proximal portion of each of the first pair of airfoils is rotatably attached at a first coaxial pivot point. 3. The aerial vehicle of claim 2, wherein the proximal portion of each of the second pair of airfoils is rotatably attached at a second coaxial pivot point. 4. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein each of the first pair of airfoils has a retracted position disposed along the exterior surface. 5. The aerial vehicle of claim 4, wherein each of the second pair of airfoils has a retracted position disposed along the exterior surface. 6. The aerial vehicle of claim 5, wherein the second pair of airfoils further comprise: an aft port airfoil and an aft starboard airfoil, the port and starboard airfoils substantially stacked and aligned when in the retracted position. 7. The aerial vehicle of claim 6, wherein the first and second pairs of airfoils are stacked when in respective retracted positions. 8. The aerial vehicle of claim 5, wherein each of the first and second pairs of airfoils has a retracted position that is on the same side of the fuselage. 9. The aerial vehicle of claim 8 wherein the first and second pairs of airfoils are disposed adjacent a first substantially planar portion of the exterior surface when in respective retracted positions. 10. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second pairs of airfoils have respective constant chords along their span. 11. The aerial vehicle of claim 10, wherein each of the respective constant chords approximates a maximum fuselage width. 12. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first pair of airfoils are rotatable in respective planes of rotation. 13. A method of operating an aerial vehicle, comprising: rotating a first pair of stacked airfoils from a first rotation position to a second rotation position about a forward pivot point on an exterior surface of a fuselage; androtating a second pair of stacked airfoils from a third rotation position to a fourth rotation position about an aft pivot point on the exterior surface of the fuselage;wherein the first rotation position of the first pair of stacked airfoils is aligned with the third rotation position of the second pair of stacked airfoils, with wing tips of the first pair of stacked airfoils located adjacent to the aft pivot point when the first pair of airfoils is in the first rotation position, and wherein wing tips of the second pair of stacked airfoils are located adjacent to the forward pivot point when the second pair of stacked airfoils is in its third rotation position. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein rotating the first pair of stacked airfoils from first to second rotation positions further comprises rotating the first pair of stacked airfoils from a retracted position disposed along an exterior surface of the fuselage to a deployed position. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first pair of stacked airfoils is aligned between forward and aft pivot points when in its retracted position. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein rotating the second pair of stacked airfoils from third to fourth rotation positions further comprises rotating the second pair of stacked airfoils from a retracted position disposed along the exterior surface of the fuselage to a deployed position. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second pair of stacked airfoils is aligned between forward and aft pivot points when in its retracted position. 18. The method of claim 16, wherein wing tips of the first pair of stacked airfoils are located adjacent to the aft wing pivot point when the first pair of stacked airfoils is in its retracted position. 19. The method of claim 16, wherein wing tips of the second pair of stacked airfoils are located adjacent to the forward wing pivot point when the second pair of stacked airfoils is in its retracted position. 20. The method of claim 16, wherein airfoils of the first pair of stacked airfoils are configured to initially form an acute angle that is opposing and opposite to an acute angle formed by airfoils of the second pair of stacked airfoils when the first and second pairs of stacked airfoils progress from respective retracted to respective deployed positions. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first pair of stacked airfoils rotate from an aft position to a forward position when progressing from its respective retracted to deployed positions. 22. The method of claim 20, wherein the second pair of stacked airfoils rotate from a forward position to an aft position when progressing from its respective retracted to deployed positions. 23. The method of claim 13, wherein the retracted positions for the first and second pair of stacked airfoils are on a first side of the exterior surface. 24. The method of claim 13, wherein rotating the first pair of stacked airfoils from a first rotation position to a second rotation position comprises rotating the first pair of airfoils in respective planes of rotation. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the respective planes of rotation are parallel planes of rotation. 26. An aerial vehicle, comprising: a fuselage having an exterior surface;a first pair of airfoils, a proximal portion of each of the first pair of airfoils disposed in a stacked arrangement and rotatably attached at a forward pivot point at the exterior surface; anda second pair of airfoils, a proximal portion of each of the second pair of airfoils disposed in a stacked arrangement and rotatably attached at an aft pivot point at the exterior surface;wherein the forward and aft pivot points are disposed collinearly with a fuselage longitudinal axis, and wherein the first pair of airfoils are rotatably disposed about a forward co-axial pivot point and the second pair of airfoils are rotatably disposed about an aft co-axial pivot point, the forward and aft co-axial pivot points disposed collinearly with a center line of the fuselage. 27. The aerial vehicle of claim 26, wherein each of the second pair of airfoils has a retracted position disposed along the exterior surface. 28. The aerial vehicle of claim 27, wherein each of the first pair of airfoils has a retracted position aligned with the retracted position each of the second pair of airfoils. 29. The aerial vehicle of claim 28, wherein the first and second pairs of airfoils are stacked when in respective retracted positions. 30. The aerial vehicle of claim 26, wherein the first pair of airfoils are rotatable in respective planes of rotation. 31. The aerial vehicle of claim 30, wherein the second pair of airfoils are rotatable in respective planes of rotation. 32. The aerial vehicle of claim 31, wherein the respective planes of motion of the first and second pairs of airfoils are parallel planes of rotation. 33. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising: a fuselage surface;a first airfoil rotatably disposed about a forward pivot region of the fuselage surface;a second airfoil rotatably disposed about the forward pivot region of the fuselage surface;a third airfoil rotatably disposed about an aft pivot region of the fuselage surface; anda fourth airfoil rotatably disposed about the aft pivot region of the fuselage surface;wherein the forward pivot region of the fuselage surface comprises a forward pivot point and the aft pivot region of the fuselage surface comprises an aft pivot point, the forward and aft pivot points collinear with a fuselage longitudinal axis, and wherein the respective first and second airfoils are rotatably disposed about a forward co-axial pivot point and the third and fourth airfoils are rotatably disposed about an aft co-axial pivot point, the forward and aft co-axial pivot points disposed collinearly with a center line of the fuselage. 34. The UAV of claim 33, wherein the first and second airfoils comprise respective control surfaces. 35. The UAV of claim 33, wherein the first airfoil is configured to rotate about a first plane of rotation interposed between the forward pivot region of the fuselage surface and the second airfoil, wherein the second airfoil comprises a second plane of rotation parallel to the first plane of rotation. 36. The UAV of claim 33 wherein the first airfoil is configured to rotate about a first plane of rotation interposed between the forward pivot region of the fuselage surface and the second airfoil, wherein the second airfoil comprises a second plane of rotation coplanar with the first plane of rotation. 37. The UAV of claim 33, wherein the first and second airfoils are configured to rotate forward from respective retracted positions and the third and fourth airfoils are configured to rotate aftward from respective retracted positions. 38. An aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising: a fuselage having an exterior surface and a maximum fuselage width;a first pair of stacked airfoils coaxially and rotatably attached at a forward pivot point at the exterior surface, the first pair of stacked airfoils each having a constant chord along their span that approximates the maximum fuselage width; anda second pair of stacked airfoils coaxially and rotatably attached at an aft pivot point on the exterior surface, the second pair of airfoils each having a constant chord along their span that approximates the maximum fuselage width and the forward and aft pivot points disposed collinearly with a center line of the fuselage;wherein the first pair of stacked airfoils are configured to be rotatable to a retracted position that is aligned with a retracted position of the second pair of airfoils, with wing tips of the first pair of stacked airfoils located adjacent to the aft wing pivot point when the first pair of stacked airfoils is in its retracted position and wherein wing tips of the second pair of stacked airfoils are located adjacent to the forward wing pivot point when the second pair of stacked airfoils is in its retracted position. 39. The UAV of claim 38, wherein the exterior surface comprises a top exterior surface and a bottom exterior surface, and wherein second pair of stacked airfoils is coaxially and rotatably attached to the bottom exterior surface.