JP7699768B2 - Drone with wings - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a new type of drone or other aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing and high-speed horizontal flight.

A normal airplane taxis down a runway until it reaches a speed where it can take off. Conversely, when landing, the airplane taxis from the time it lands until it stops, so a runway is also needed. A typical distance is about 1.5km to 3km. That's why a VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) is needed.
Known examples of this type of aircraft include helicopters, Ospreys, drones, etc. A helicopter uses one propeller for each of hovering, ascending, descending, and horizontal flight, as shown in Figure 1. In Figure 1, 1 is an airframe, 3 is a tail rotor, and 32 is a motor for rotating the propeller.

Since helicopters have a slow horizontal speed, the Osprey (Figure 2) was developed, which has a fast horizontal speed. The Osprey was invented by the inventor in 1953, and was taught to Bell Aircraft CEO Lawrence Bell, who finally put it to practical use in recent years.
The aircraft has tilt-controllable propellers on both ends of the main wing, and by controlling the tilt angle of these propellers, it is possible to hover and fly horizontally. To ascend and fly straight, the propeller tilt angle is changed from 0 to 90 degrees. However, many accidents occur when changing the rotors from horizontal to vertical.
In Figure 2, 1 is the airframe, 34 is the propeller for the Osprey to ascend, descend, and advance, 4 is the horizontal stabilizer, 5 is the rotating shaft for the Osprey engine, and 33 is the engine for the Osprey propeller, which has only recently become popular.
Figure 3 shows a well-known drone, which was also invented by the present inventor in 1940, but has only recently become popular. In Figure 3, 6 is a drone propeller, 7 is a motor for raising and lowering the drone, 8 is a drone propeller guide, and 9 is a receiving device, camera, etc.

As mentioned above, airplanes cannot take off or land in places without runways. Normal airplanes have the disadvantage of not having vertical takeoff and landing or hovering capabilities. In order to solve these problems, flying objects with vertical takeoff and landing and hovering capabilities were considered. Helicopters are flying objects with vertical takeoff and landing and hovering capabilities, and are used to rescue lives in marine accidents and mountain rescue accidents. However, they have a slow horizontal flight speed, a short cruising range, and a small amount of cargo they can carry, so there is a demand for flying objects to replace helicopters.
When an Osprey-type aircraft takes off or lands vertically, the wind from the propellers whips the wings, making them aerodynamically inefficient.
In addition, drones such as the one shown in Figure 3 are publicly known, but drones have a slow horizontal flight speed and cannot fly long distances. They are not all-weather and can be flipped over by crosswinds. As a result, they are not suitable for parcel delivery or rapid transportation, although Amazon and others are planning to use them.

The present invention, which solves the above problems, is configured with a forward propeller for vertical ascent and descent and a stabilizing wing for horizontal flight. This is a different method from autogyros, which cannot ascend or descend vertically.

The present invention provides a vertical takeoff and landing type high-speed, long-distance, safe airplane that has a high horizontal speed, can fly long distances with little energy, can carry a large load, is all-weather, has safe and stable vertical takeoff and landing and hovering capabilities, has no loss of wing power caused by the propeller wind hitting the wings during takeoff and ascent, does not require a tilt rotor, simplifies the control structure, and eliminates accidents. It is easy to manufacture and low-cost, and can transport mail-order goods reliably at high speeds and over long distances with high energy efficiency. This is a groundbreaking invention that saves time and creates profound effects for the industry.

Side view of a known helicopter Side view of a known tilt rotor (Osprey) Plan view of a known drone FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention as a drone; Plan view of a tailless drone according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Plan view of a canard type according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Plan view of the skewer-type machine according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention 5 is a plan view of a fifth embodiment of the present invention. A solar plane according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention Seventh embodiment of the present invention Side view of the eighth embodiment of the present invention (actual machine) The ninth embodiment of the present invention, twin-engine type

The present invention is a newly invented aircraft made in consideration of these problems, and its purpose is to provide a new vertical take-off and landing aircraft (new VTOL) that is equipped with ascent and descent propellers, forward propellers, and rotating or non-rotating wings for horizontal flight, and that is capable of vertical take-off, landing, and hovering, as well as having a fast horizontal flight speed, little energy loss, long distances, and is an all-weather aircraft that can provide stable flight even in bad weather.
It should be noted that this invention is a different concept from conventional drones, helicopters, Ospreys, and autogyros.

4 is a plan view of the first embodiment of the aircraft of the present invention. In the figure, 13 is a horizontal stabilizer, 14 is a vertical stabilizer, and 10 is a forward propeller. 12 is a main wing for horizontal flight, which is supported by an ascent propeller guard 8 and a main wing spar 15. 6 is a hovering propeller for ascent and descent.
These main wings 12 and main wing spars 15 are provided in pairs on the left and right sides of the propeller guard 8.
Reference numeral 14 denotes a horizontal stabilizer provided at the rear of the propeller guard 8, and reference numeral 13 denotes a vertical stabilizer for steering supported by the propeller guard 8. Reference numeral 7 denotes a motor for rotating the hovering propeller 6. Reference numeral 9 denotes a photographing camera, electronic circuitry, batteries, etc.
The aircraft of the present invention is a first embodiment of the present invention in which the aircraft is provided with main wings 12, tail 13, and forward moving propeller 10 without interfering with the ascent propeller, enabling it to achieve high horizontal flight speed, and in which the propeller guard 8 is utilized to structurally support and share the forward moving propeller 10, rotary motor 11, main wings 12, and tail 13, 14.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a tailless drone according to a second embodiment of the present invention. This is a plan view of the second embodiment of the present invention, which is provided with a wing spar 15, a main wing 20, an elevator 16, a wingtip vertical arm 17, a push propeller 18 at the rear, and a drive motor 19. The gist of the present invention is as explained in Figure 4.

Figure 6 shows a canard-type embodiment of the present invention, which consists of a canard spar 22 supported by a propeller guard 13, a canard 21 supported by a propeller guard 8, a propeller motor 11, a pull propeller 10, a main wing spar 35 supported by a propeller card 8, a main wing 31, a drive motor 19 for a push-type propeller 18 supported by a propeller guard 8, and a vertical stabilizer 30 at the tip of the main wing.

Figure 7 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention, in which the propeller guard 13 is not provided, and the two main wings 36, 37 also serve as propeller guards, creating a skewer-shaped aircraft in which the front wings 36 and rear wings 37 are of the same size. In other words, the propeller 6 and motor 7 that ascend and descend are provided between the two wings, and the main wings 36, 37 guard the rotation of the propeller 6. 38 is a support girder for the ascending and descending propeller motor 7 provided outside the wing. Of course, the present invention still includes an increase or decrease in the number of propellers.

Figure 8 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention, in which the rotation trajectories 39 of the four upper and lower propellers are all inscribed, and no propeller guard is provided, with the four main wings 24, canard 28, and tail 29 also serving as propeller guards. 40 is a girder that connects the four propeller motors 7.

Figure 9 shows the sixth embodiment of the present invention, which has a propeller motor 7 and main wings 42 attached to a square frame 41, and is similar to Figure 8, but this embodiment has the four main wings replaced with solar panels 42, allowing it to fly forever using solar energy and to send energy to the ground via microwaves.

FIG. 10 shows a seventh embodiment of the present invention, in which up and down propellers 6 and motors 7 are provided on the outer sides of main wings 43, 44, simplifying the main wing structure.
The operation of the airplane aircraft configured as shown in Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 will be described as follows.
In this case, when the pilot first turns on switch 1 (not shown) on the remote control, the drone's ascent motor 7 and ascent propeller 6 begin to rotate wirelessly, and the drone ascends to a specified altitude. Next, when the pilot turns on remote control switch 2 (not shown), the forward propeller 7 and push propeller 18 are rotated by the torque of motors 11 and 19.
The aircraft starts to move forward, and the buoyancy is shared by the main wing 12 and tail 13 in Fig. 4, 20 in Fig. 5, 21 and 31 in Fig. 6, 36 and 37 in Fig. 7, 24 and 28 in Fig. 8, 42 in Fig. 9, and 43 and 44 in Fig. 10, while the ascent propeller 6 and motor 9 are idling. Then, it reaches the destination faster than known drones, and is therefore superior to known drones for sales and photographing remote locations.
Next, the operation during landing will be described. During landing, the pilot increases the rotation of all of the up and down propellers 6 and stops the rotation of the forward propeller 10. In this state, the pilot controls the rotation of the up and down propellers 6 as the aircraft lands.
According to the present invention, there is no need for circuits or commands for controlling the propeller tilt angle (see the control in Figure 1) or for controlling and changing the rotation speed of the drone's multiple horizontal propellers when landing, which simplifies the structure, reduces costs, simplifies operation, and allows for safe and reliable landing operations. In addition, since fixed wings are used for horizontal use, high-speed flight is possible. In addition, since the wings can also be used as propeller guards, the structure is simple and lightweight.

Figure 12 is a plan view of the twin-engine ninth embodiment of the present invention. For horizontal flight, it is equipped with two propellers 10, allowing high speed travel and long distances. For vertical ascent and descent, four propellers 6 are provided. 21 is a girder provided between the engines 11, 53 is a girder connecting the engines 11 and the mechanism 54, and 55 is a girder connecting the mechanism 54. This invention can also be used as an aircraft that can carry a large number of people, as shown in Figure 12.

The above is a drone, and Figure 11 shows a side view of an actual aircraft that a person rides on as the eighth embodiment of the present invention, with a forward engine 46, a propeller 47, and a dual-purpose ascent and descent engine 25 and rotor 48 mounted on the fuselage 1 at the center of gravity. There is also a vertical stabilizer 51, a horizontal stabilizer 50, and a cockpit 26. The present invention also includes a case in which a jet engine or rocket engine 27 is mounted at the rear instead of the forward propeller 47 and engine 46. The present invention also includes, of course, a case in which the ascent and descent rotor 48 and its engine 32 are mounted on the wingtip 8. Just to be clear, there is something called an autogyro, but this does not have an ascent or descent engine and is completely different from the present invention.

Up to the ninth embodiment, the wings are fixed and a forward propeller is provided separately.
In the first ninth embodiment, no blades are placed behind the propeller to prevent disturbance of the wake of the propeller for ascending and descending. The blades are fixed. In addition, the forward propeller and the ascending and descending propeller are provided separately.

The present invention applies not only to drones but also to actual aircraft. In such cases, the propellers are rotated by an engine. The present invention also includes cases where a jet engine or rocket is used instead of a propeller.

The present invention is a new type of aircraft that is safer and has a faster horizontal speed than other vertical take-off and landing aircraft, such as known drones, known tilt rotor aircraft such as the Osprey, and helicopters. Current drones are too slow to fly long distances for long-distance goods transportation and logistics such as mail order sales, and they consume a lot of energy, so they are not suitable for high-speed transportation. However, when the present invention is applied to a drone, goods can be transported at high speed and long-distance photography becomes possible. Furthermore, when the present invention is applied to an aircraft that carries people, it can be used for rapid mountain rescues, maritime rescues, and the like in remote locations, and therefore has great industrial applicability.
In addition, the airplane of the present invention does not require pitch control compared to helicopters, so the rudder is simple and low cost, and the horizontal speed is fast, the flight range is long, and there are no accidents caused by the tilt of the Osprey, so it is safe and the range of use will be expanded. Also, if the size of the aircraft is increased, it can carry many people and can be operated on islands without airfields, making up for the inconvenience of transportation for islanders, and the potential for use in defense and industry is extremely great.
Furthermore, if this invention is flown near the stratosphere, and the solar energy received by its wings is converted into microwaves and transmitted to the ground, where it can be used as electrical energy, it can provide valuable energy to our resource-poor country and can also serve as a substitute for reconnaissance satellites. It has extremely great potential for use in defense and industry.

1 Airframe 2 Main rotor 3 Tail rotor 4 Horizontal stabilizer 5 Rotor shaft for Osprey engine 6 Drone propeller 6' Same as above (rear)
7 Drone ascent/descent motor 7' Same as above (rear)
[0033] 8 Drone propeller guard 9 Receiver, camera, etc. 10 Forward propeller 11 Forward propeller motor 12 Main wing 13 Horizontal stabilizer 14 Vertical stabilizer 15 Main wing spar 16 Elevator 17 Wingtip vertical elevator 18 Push propeller 19 Push propeller drive motor 20 Tailless main wing 21 Canard 22 Canard spar 23 Canard-type main wing 24 Main wing that doubles as a propeller guard 25 Engine for ascent and descent propellers 26 Cockpit 27 Jet or rocket engine 28 Canard-type main wing that doubles as a propeller 6 guard 29 Tail-type main wing that doubles as a propeller 6 guard 30 Wingtip vertical stabilizer 31 Canard-type main wing 32 Propeller rotation motor 33 Engine for Osprey propeller 34 Osprey ascent, descent, and forward propeller 35 Canard-type main wing spar 36 Skewer-type main wing front wing combined with propeller 6 guard 37 Skewer-type main wing rear wing combined with propeller 6 guard 38 Up and down propeller motor support spar 39 installed on skewer-type aircraft Up and down propeller rotation trajectory 40 Spar connecting four up and down propeller motors 7 41 Four propeller motors 7 connected by a square spar 42 Solar panel 43 Skewer-type main wing (with wingtip propeller) front wing 44 Skewer-type main wing (with wingtip propeller) rear wing 45 Fuselage spar 46 Actual aircraft forward propeller engine 47 Actual aircraft forward propeller 48 Actual aircraft dedicated rotor for ascent and descent 49 Actual aircraft dedicated main wing for horizontal flight 50 Actual aircraft dedicated horizontal stabilizer for horizontal flight 51 Actual aircraft dedicated vertical stabilizer for horizontal flight 52 Actual aircraft dedicated rotor engine for ascent and descent

Claims (3)

An aircraft having an ascent/descent propeller provided between two main wings, the two main wings being approximately parallel and on approximately the same plane , the rotational trajectory of the propeller being inscribed in both of the two main wings on approximately the same plane , the entire rotational trajectory of the propeller being within the lateral inner periphery of the two main wings, and the two main wings also serving as propeller guards. 2. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein ascent and descent propellers are provided on spars extending in the propulsion direction provided at the front of the forward main wing and at the rear of the rear main wing in the propulsion direction of the two main wings, and a forward motor-propeller is provided on the forward main wing. 2. The flying body as described in claim 1, characterized in that an ascent/descent propeller is provided on a girder located in the left-right center and extending in the propulsion direction, and forward/propulsion motor propellers are provided in front of and behind said girder , the two main wings extending in the left-right direction at right angles to the propulsion direction are provided on the girder extending in the propulsion direction, and a leading tail wing and a trailing tail wing are provided respectively in front of the forward main wing and at the rear of the rear main wing in the propulsion direction.

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