Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Redundant aircraft propulsion system using co-rotating propellers joined by tip connectors
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Application No.: US14973610Application Date: 2015-12-17
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Publication No.: US10232933B2Publication Date: 2019-03-19
- Inventor: Nicholas Hampel Roberts , Dominic Timothy Shiosaki , Ricky Dean Welsh
- Applicant: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
- Applicant Address: US WA Seattle
- Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
- Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
- Current Assignee Address: US WA Seattle
- Agency: Lee & Hayes, P.C.
- Main IPC: B64C11/48
- IPC: B64C11/48 ; B64C27/46 ; B64C27/14 ; B64C11/30 ; B64C39/02 ; B64C11/18 ; B64C27/10 ; B64C27/473

Abstract:
Multiple propeller blades may be joined by tip connectors to form a closed propeller apparatus. The tip connectors may create continuous structure between adjacent tips of a first propeller and a second propeller. Use of the tip connectors may reduce vortices created near the tips of the propeller blades, which cause drag and slow the rotation of the propeller blades. The tip connectors may also reduce noise caused by rotation of propeller blades. Further, the tip connectors reduce or eliminate deflection of the propeller blades by creating a support structure to counteract forces that would otherwise cause deflection of the propeller blades, thereby improving propeller blade loading. In some embodiments, the tip connectors may be formed of a malleable material and/or include one or more joints that enable at least one of the propellers to modify a pitch of blades of the propeller.
Public/Granted literature
- US20170174323A1 Redundant Aircraft Propulsion System Using Co-rotating Propellers Joined By Tip Connectors Public/Granted day:2017-06-22
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