URBAN AERONAUTICS LTD. Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20120080564 | DUCTED PLATFORMS - A ducted fan for a VTOL vehicle includes a substantially cylindrical duct having an inlet at an upper end and an outlet at a lower end, and an air mover unit located within the substantially cylindrical duct. The duct also includes inner and outer wall portions and a substantially annular upper lip connecting the inner and outer wall portions, thus defining the inlet. The substantially annular upper lip has opposed fore and aft portions and opposed side portions and is provided with at least first and second openings, respectively, at each of the opposed side portions. The first and second arrays of openings permit flow of air into at least first and second respective chambers formed within the duct, the first and second chambers connected by at least one passageway to thereby enable substantial equalization of surface pressure at the opposed side portions of the substantially annular upper lip. | 04-05-2012 |
20110174920 | FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM ESPECIALLY SUITED FOR VTOL VEHICLES - Flight control systems have plural control subsystems with redundancies organized so as to provide continued but degraded control power over critical aircraft flight operating parameters even if any one complete control subsystem catastrophically fails. One example described in detail for a VTOL craft includes four groups of controls, each group comprising inputs relating to six degrees of freedom of the vehicle, at least one control computer and a plurality of actuators; each group utilizing 25% of required flight control power for the vehicle. | 07-21-2011 |
20110168834 | DUCTED FAN VTOL VEHICLES - A vehicle including a fuselage having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis, two Ducted Fan lift-producing propellers carried by the fuselage on each side of the transverse axis, a pilot's compartment formed in the fuselage between the lift-producing propellers and substantially aligned with one side of the fuselage, a payload bay formed in the fuselage between the lift-producing propellers and opposite the pilot's compartment, and two pusher fans located at the rear of the vehicle. Many variations are described enabling the vehicle to be used not only as a VTOL vehicle, but also as a multi-function utility vehicle for performing many diverse functions including hovercraft and ATV functions. Also described is an Unmanned version of the vehicle. Also described are unique features applicable in any single or multiple ducted fans and VTOL vehicles. | 07-14-2011 |
20100051740 | VTOL VEHICLE WITH COAXIALLY TILTED OR TILTABLE ROTORS - A VTOL vehicle includes a forward rotor, an aft rotor and a fuselage, the forward and aft rotor lying in a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, with the fuselage located axially between the forward and aft rotors. The vehicle has an in-flight configuration wherein the forward rotor is tilted downwardly at a negative tilt angle relative to the fuselage and the aft rotor is tilted upwardly at a positive tilt angle relative to the fuselage. | 03-04-2010 |
20090140102 | Ducted fan vehicles particularly useful as VTOL aircraft - A vehicle, including a vehicle frame, a duct carried by the vehicle frame with the longitudinal axis of the duct perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame, a propeller rotatably mounted within the duct about the longitudinal axis of the duct to force an ambient fluid therethrough from its inlet at the upper end of the duct through its exit at the lower end of the duct, and thereby to produce an upward lift force applied to the vehicle, and a plurality of parallel, spaced vanes pivotally mounted to and across the inlet end of the duct about pivotal axes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the duct and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame, the vanes being selectively pivotal about their axes to produce a desired horizontal force component to the lift force applied to the vehicle. | 06-04-2009 |
20090084907 | Ground Effect Vanes Arrangement - A vehicle, particularly a VTOL air vehicle, includes a duct carried by the vehicle frame with the longitudinal axis of the duct perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame; a propeller rotatably mounted within the duct about the longitudinal axis of the duct to force an ambient fluid therethrough from its inlet at the upper end of the duct through its exit at the lower end of the duct, and thereby to produce an upward lift force applied to the vehicle, and a plurality of spaced vanes mounted to and across the inlet and exit ends of the duct about axes substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the duct and selectively operational to produce a desired horizontal control force in addition to the lift force applied to the vehicle. | 04-02-2009 |
20080283673 | Ducted Fan Vtol Vehicles - A vehicle including a fuselage having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis, two Ducted Fan lift-producing propellers carried by the fuselage on each side of the transverse axis, and a body formed in the fuselage between the lift-producing propellers. Many variations are described enabling deflection and affection of flow streams and reduction of drag and momentum drag which improve speed and forward flight of the vehicle. Also described are unique features applicable in any single or multiple ducted fans and VTOL vehicles. | 11-20-2008 |