Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation

Tony Shuo Tao

Robert William Parks

William Thalheimer

Adrian Hachen

Francesco Giannini

Lansing Wei

Lauren Trollinger Wolfe

Bruno Miguel Costa Moniz

Examples include an apparatus for delivering a payload. The apparatus includes a first autonomous vehicle and a second autonomous vehicle that are configured to be coupled to an aircraft. The first autonomous vehicle includes a wing and a first propulsion system configured to deliver the second autonomous vehicle to a first destination. The second autonomous vehicle includes a payload and a second propulsion system configured to deliver the payload to a second destination.

Apparatus and method for delivering a payload

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

Aircraft and related methods are disclosed. In one example, an aircraft comprises an airframe comprising one or more wings, one or more pusher rotors supported by the airframe, and one or more puller rotors supported by the airframe, wherein the one or more puller rotors are positioned behind the one or more pusher rotors. In another example, a method for loading cargo on to an aircraft comprises loading cargo into a fuselage of the aircraft through an upper forward portion of the fuselage.

Aircraft and related methods

Winged tilt-rotor vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft and related methods are disclosed. Aircraft comprise an airframe comprising one or more wings; one or more tilt-adjustable rotors positioned forward of the one or more wings; and one or more fixed-tilt rotors positioned behind at least one of the one or more wings. Methods comprise tilting only one or more forward rotors positioned in front of one or more wings of the aircraft, and not tilting one or more rearward rotors positioned behind at least one of the one or more wings.

Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft and related methods

The present disclosure relates to a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft () and a propulsion system () thereof. The propulsion system () comprises a primary rotor () configured to couple to an airframe () and oriented to generate a vertical thrust relative to the airframe (), a drivetrain () operably coupled to an engine () and configured to mechanically drive the primary rotor (), and a plurality of tiltable secondary rotor assemblies () configured to be disposed about the primary rotor (). The primary rotor () comprises a plurality of collective-only variable-pitch blades. Each of the plurality of tiltable secondary rotor assemblies () may have a secondary rotor () and an electric motor () to drive the secondary rotor (). An electric generator () operably coupled to the engine () or to the drivetrain () may be configured generate electric power for each electric motor () of the plurality of tiltable secondary rotor assemblies (). Each of the plurality of tiltable secondary rotor assemblies () is configured to tilt between a vertical configuration () and a horizontal configuration () as a function of a phase of flight of the VTOL aircraft ().

Vertical takeoff and landing aircraft with tiltable rotors

Presented are corner attachment assemblies for cargo suspension systems, methods for making/using such assemblies, and aircraft equipped with underbody suspension systems using corner attachment assemblies for securing payload containers. Mounting assemblies are presented for securing objects to tether cables of suspension systems. A representative cargo mounting assembly includes a pair of shoulder clamps, each of which includes a flap that projects from a cup. Each shoulder clamp flap mechanically attaches, e.g., via a flap through-hole with a structurally reinforcing grommet, to a respective segment of a tether cable of a cargo suspension system. In addition, each shoulder clamp cup includes multiple noncoplanar, mutually adjoining contact surfaces. For instance, the cup may have a tetrahedral geometry with three mutually orthogonal, triangular-shaped contact surfaces. Each contact surface attaches, e.g., via a high-strength adhesive, to a respective surface of a corner of a cargo container.

Corner attachment assemblies for suspended payload containers of aircrafts

Fixed-wing short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft and related methods. The aircraft comprise an airframe comprising a rear wing assembly and a forward wing assembly positioned forward of the rear wing assembly, a rear plurality of blowing rotor assemblies operatively coupled to the rear wing assembly that are configured to blow air across the rear wing assembly to induce lift in the rear wing assembly, and a forward plurality of blowing rotor assemblies that are operatively coupled to the forward wing assembly and configured to blow air across the forward wing assembly to induce lift in the forward wing assembly. The methods comprise inducing lift in a forward wing assembly by blowing air across the forward wing assembly with a forward plurality of blowing rotor assemblies and inducing lift in a rear wing assembly by blowing air across a rear wing assembly with a rear plurality of blowing rotor assemblies.

Growing community of inventors

Somerville, MA, United States of America

Tony Shuo Tao