Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation

The Boeing Company

Bcg Digital Ventures Gmbh

Francesco Giannini

Robert William Parks

Diana Siegel

Jan D Lienhard

John Gundlach

Daniel B Cottrell

Thomas Charles Clancy

Tony Shuo Tao

Felipe Bohorquez

Martin Gomez

Dan Cottrell

Carl G Schaefer, Jr

Steven Petullo

Tom Roberts

Herbert E Hunter

Jean-Charles Lede

Thomas Roberts

Samuel Schweighart

Andrew Coe

Jeffery Ensminger

Dorian Colas

Jeffrey Pace

Brian Whipple

Timothy Nuhfer

Jean-Marie Bourven

Lansing Wei

Lauren Trollinger Wolfe

Jonathan Grohs

Cayce Boone

Steve Petullo

Herb Hunter

Jonathon Grohs

Tim Nuhfer

Carl G Schaefer

The present disclosure provides an electric propulsor. The electric propulsor has a propeller having a hub and blades extending from the hub. The blades are movable along respective flapping axes between a deployed position and a stowed position. The electric propulsor also has an actuator and an electric motor coupled with the hub and arranged to rotatably drive the propeller. Further, the electric propulsor has one or more processors configured to: receive an input indicating an azimuthal position of the blades; control the electric motor to align the blades with a target azimuthal position based at least in part on the input; and with the blades of the propeller arranged at the target azimuthal position, cause the actuator to translate a control rod coupled thereto and with the hub to actively fold or unfold the blades along the respective flapping axes of the blades.

Electric propulsor with folding propeller

Hybrid-electric powertrains for aircraft are disclosed herein. An example hybrid-electric powertrain includes a gas turbine propulsion engine including a first propulsor and a gas turbine engine to drive the first propulsor to produce thrust, a generator operably coupled to a drive shaft of the gas turbine engine, and an electric propulsion unit including a second propulsor and an electric motor to drive the second propulsor to produce thrust. During a first mode of operation, the gas turbine propulsion engine and the electric propulsion unit are activated to produce thrust, and the generator is driven by the gas turbine engine to produce electrical power to power the electric propulsion unit. During a second mode of operation, the gas turbine propulsion engine is activated to produce thrust and the electric propulsion unit is deactivated.

Hybrid-electric powertrains for aircraft

A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is disclosed. The VTOL aircraft may include: a fuselage, a thrust rotor to produce a propulsion thrust, rotor booms, canard surfaces, wing surfaces, tail surfaces, and lift rotors to produce lifting thrust force.

Vertical take-off and landing aircraft

An aircraft, a method of controlling the aircraft, and a control system for the aircraft has a fuselage and tilt-wing movable relative to the fuselage. A plurality of main propulsors coupled to main propellers that is coupled to the tilt-wing, which are configured to provide a first maximum amount of thrust. A plurality of auxiliary propulsors coupled to auxiliary propellers that are spaced apart from the tilt-wing, which are configured to provide a variable amount of thrust. A controller signals the main propulsors to operate at the first maximum amount of thrust when the tilt-wing moves from the cruise position to the transition position, and signals the auxiliary propulsors to operate at the variable amount of thrust when the tilt-wing is in the transition position in which the first maximum amount of thrust and the variable amount of thrust together provide an overall thrust to descend and land the aircraft.

Aircraft, a control system for the aircraft and a method of controlling the aircraft

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for deployable wing portions of an aircraft. An example method of deploying an aircraft includes separating the aircraft from a launch vehicle, the aircraft having a wing pivotably coupled to a fuselage, rotating, about an axis of rotation, the wing relative to the fuselage from a first rotational orientation to a second rotational orientation different from the first rotational orientation, wherein, in the first rotational orientation, the wing extends along a direction that substantially aligns with a longitudinal axis of the fuselage, and extending the wing in a lateral direction away from the fuselage in the second rotational orientation.

Methods and apparatus for space-efficient aircraft deployment

An aircraft and a control system for the aircraft includes a tilt-wing defining an inlet configured to receive air and an outlet in fluid communication with the inlet such that the outlet is configured to expel the air. The control system includes a high-lift device coupled to at least one of a leading edge, and a trailing edge of the tilt-wing. The high-lift device is movable relative to the tilt-wing. The control system includes a compressor in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet. The compressor is configured to increase pressure of the air that is expelled out of the outlet. The outlet directs the pressurized air toward at least one of the high-lift device and a center section of the tilt-wing to maintain attachment of airflow across the tilt-wing. A method of operating the control system of the aircraft occurs to maintain attachment of airflow across the tilt-wing.

Control system for an aircraft and a method of operating the control system

Aircraft having hybrid propulsion are disclosed. A disclosed example propulsion system for an aircraft. The propulsion system includes an engine, an electric motor, a first propeller mounted to an aerodynamic body of the aircraft, the first propeller driven by the engine, a second propeller mounted to the aerodynamic body and positioned outboard relative to the first propeller, the second propeller driven by the electric motor, and a selector to control whether the propulsion system is operated in a hybrid mode in which the first and second propellers are driven.

Aircraft having hybrid propulsion

Disclosed herein is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft having three lifting surfaces and separate lift and cruise systems. The VTOL aircraft may include a fuselage having a roll axis, a thrust rotor to produce a propulsion thrust, first and second rotor booms, first and second canard surfaces, first and second wing surfaces, first and second tail surfaces, and a plurality of lift rotors to produce a lifting thrust force. The plurality of lift rotors includes a first plurality of lift rotors positioned on the first rotor boom and a second plurality of lift rotors positioned on the second rotor boom. The first and second rotor booms may be substantially parallel to the roll axis of the fuselage, where the fuselage is positioned between the first and second rotor booms. Each of the first and second rotor booms may be secured to the aircraft at three locations.

A boundary layer control (BLC) system for embedment in a flight surface having a top surface, a bottom surface, a leading edge, and a trailing edge. The BLC system may comprises an actuator having a crossflow fan and an electric motor to drive the crossflow fan about an axis of rotation. The actuator may be embedded within the flight surface and adjacent the leading edge. In operation, the actuator is configured to output local airflow via an outlet channel through an outlet aperture adjacent the top surface to energize a boundary layer of air adjacent the top surface of the flight surface.

Boundary layer control system and device

A hybrid propulsion aircraft is described having a distributed electric propulsion system. The distributed electric propulsion system includes a turbo shaft engine that drives one or more generators through a gearbox. The generator provides AC power to a plurality of ducted fans (each being driven by an electric motor). The ducted fans may be integrated with the hybrid propulsion aircraft's wings. The wings can be pivotally attached to the fuselage, thereby allowing for vertical take-off and landing. The design of the hybrid propulsion aircraft mitigates undesirable transient behavior traditionally encountered during a transition from vertical flight to horizontal flight. Moreover, the hybrid propulsion aircraft offers a fast, constant-altitude transition, without requiring a climb or dive to transition. It also offers increased efficiency in both hover and forward flight versus other VTOL aircraft and a higher forward max speed than traditional rotorcraft.

Hybrid propulsion vertical take-off and landing aircraft

The present disclosure's side-arm recovery system enables large Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) to operate from small vessels or from ground sites with a minimal footprint. The side-arm recovery system allows arresting an UAS independent of a runway. On the ground or on a ship, the system makes use of a specialized crane system that includes capture and energy absorption devices. A fuselage-mounted top-hook snags a horizontal cable and the arresting forces act in the plane of symmetry through the central structure of the UAS. After the capture energy is absorbed, the recovery system safely lowers the aircraft to a ground handling cart. The same system can be combined into a launcher and retriever system which further reduces the footprint by eliminating the need for a separate launcher.

Rail recovery system for aircraft

The present invention is directed to a solar-powered aircraft comprising a fixed wing panel, a motor driven propeller, a plurality of secondary wing panels, and a tail assembly having a first tail panel and a second tail panel. Each secondary wing panel being configured to rotate about a first longitudinal pivot axis extending from a distal end of the fixed wing panel through a central transverse portion of the secondary wing panel. The secondary wing panels may comprise an array of solar panels on its surface. The first tail panel comprises a second array of solar panels located on a surface of the first tail panel, the first tail panel being configured to rotate about a second longitudinal pivot axis through a central transverse portion of the first tail panel.

Solar-powered aircraft

Aircraft

The present invention's side-arm recovery system enables large Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) to operate from small vessels or from ground sites with a minimal footprint. The side-arm recovery system allows arresting an UAS independent of a runway. On the ground or on a ship, the system makes use of a specialized crane system that includes capture and energy absorption devices. A fuselage-mounted top hook snags a horizontal cable and the arresting forces act in the plane of symmetry through the central structure of the UAS. After the capture energy is absorbed, the recovery system safely lowers the aerial vehicle to a ground handling cart. The same system can be combined into a launcher and retriever system which further reduces the footprint by eliminating the need for a separate launcher.

Growing community of inventors

Falls Church, VA, United States of America

Francesco Giannini