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公开(公告)号:US20190127061A1
公开(公告)日:2019-05-02
申请号:US15928600
申请日:2018-03-22
Applicant: Kitty Hawk Corporation
Inventor: Campbell McLaren , Damon Vander Lind , Pranay Sinha , Thomas Van Alsenoy
CPC classification number: B64C29/0033 , B64C3/385 , B64C11/28 , B64C11/46 , B64C27/28 , B64C27/30 , B64D27/24
Abstract: An aircraft includes a tiltwing where the tiltwing is a single wing to which starboard-side and non-foldable outer propeller, a port-side and non-foldable outer propeller, a starboard-side and foldable inner propeller, and a port-side and foldable inner propeller are coupled to. Those rotors rotate at least some of the time when the tiltwing is in a vertical takeoff and landing position. The starboard-side and foldable inner propeller and the port-side and foldable inner propeller are stowed at least some of the time when the tiltwing is in a forward flight position. The tiltwing rotates about an axis of rotation, when rotating between the vertical takeoff and landing position and the forward flight position, that is higher than the aircraft's center of mass.
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公开(公告)号:US10144503B1
公开(公告)日:2018-12-04
申请号:US15902281
申请日:2018-02-22
Applicant: Kitty Hawk Corporation
Inventor: Damon Vander Lind , Pranay Sinha
Abstract: An aircraft includes a main wing (where the main wing is a fixed wing) and a main wing rotor that extends outward on a trailing edge side of the main wing. The aircraft also includes a truncated fuselage, a canard and a canard rotor that is attached to the canard. The aircraft flies at least some of the time using aerodynamic lift acting on the main wing and flies at least some of the time by airflow produced by the main wing rotor. The aircraft is able to fly in those manners because the main wing rotor and the canard rotor are both fixed rotors, each with an axis of rotation that is tilted downward from horizontal at an angle between 20° to 40°, inclusive.
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公开(公告)号:US12071234B2
公开(公告)日:2024-08-27
申请号:US18244785
申请日:2023-09-11
Applicant: Kitty Hawk Corporation
Inventor: Pranay Sinha , Damon Vander Lind
IPC: B64C29/00 , B60L50/64 , B60L53/00 , B64C13/48 , B64C27/82 , B64C39/12 , B64D27/02 , B64D27/24 , B64D27/40 , B64D31/06 , G05D1/00
CPC classification number: B64C29/0033 , B60L50/64 , B60L53/00 , B64C13/48 , B64C27/82 , B64C39/12 , B64D27/02 , B64D27/24 , B64D27/40 , B64D31/06 , G05D1/101 , B60L2200/10 , B64C2027/8209 , B64D27/026 , B64D27/402
Abstract: During a cruise mode, a cruise-only propeller provides thrust using power from a first power source. During a hovering mode and a transitional mode, the propeller provides no thrust. The first power source includes an internal combustion engine; a second power source includes a high discharge rate battery and a high energy battery. The propeller is electrically connected to the first power source and is electrically disconnected from the second power source. During the hovering mode and the transitional mode, a hover-and-transition-only tiltrotor provides thrust using power from the second power source. During a vertical landing, the tiltrotor switches power sources from the high energy battery to the high discharge rate battery, independent of current draw. The tiltrotor is electrically disconnected from the first power source and is electrically connected to the second power source. During the cruise mode, the tiltrotor provides no thrust.
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公开(公告)号:US20230234704A1
公开(公告)日:2023-07-27
申请号:US18122502
申请日:2023-03-16
Applicant: Kitty Hawk Corporation
Inventor: Pranay Sinha , Damon Vander Lind
IPC: B64C29/00 , G05D1/10 , B64C13/48 , B64C39/12 , B64D27/24 , B64D27/26 , B60L53/00 , B60L50/64 , B64C27/82 , B64D27/02 , B64D31/06
CPC classification number: B64C29/0033 , B60L50/64 , B60L53/00 , B64C13/48 , B64C27/82 , B64C39/12 , B64D27/02 , B64D27/24 , B64D27/26 , B64D31/06 , G05D1/101 , B60L2200/10 , B64C2027/8209 , B64D2027/026 , B64D2027/264
Abstract: A vehicle includes a tilt rotor that is aft of a fixed wing and that is attached to the fixed wing via a pylon. A flight computer configured to instruct the tilt rotor to produce a maximum downward angle including by updating an actuator authority database associated with the flight computer to reflect the maximum downward angle, and generating a rotor control signal for the tilt rotor using the updated actuator authority database that reflects the maximum downward angle, wherein the maximum downward angle is adjustable.
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公开(公告)号:US11634218B2
公开(公告)日:2023-04-25
申请号:US17362683
申请日:2021-06-29
Applicant: Kitty Hawk Corporation
Inventor: Pranay Sinha , Damon Vander Lind
IPC: B64C29/00 , B64C13/48 , B64C39/12 , B64C27/82 , G05D1/10 , B64D27/24 , B64D27/26 , B60L53/00 , B60L50/64 , B64D27/02 , B64D31/06
Abstract: A system includes an inboard tiltrotor subsystem and an outboard tiltrotor subsystem. The inboard tiltrotor subsystem includes an inboard pylon, an inboard tiltrotor, and a single and non-redundant drivetrain. The outboard tiltrotor subsystem includes an outboard pylon that is coupled to a wing and an outboard tiltrotor. The outboard tiltrotor has a range of motion and is coupled to the wing via the outboard pylon, such that the outboard tiltrotor is aft of the wing. The outboard tiltrotor subsystem further includes a redundant drivetrain (which has a plurality of motors and a plurality of motor controllers) that drives one or more blades and the one or more blades.
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公开(公告)号:US20210107665A1
公开(公告)日:2021-04-15
申请号:US17066944
申请日:2020-10-09
Applicant: Kitty Hawk Corporation
Inventor: Pranay Sinha , Damon Vander Lind
Abstract: A pylon is coupled to a wing. A tiltrotor, having a range of motion, is coupled to the wing via the pylon, such that the tiltrotor is aft of the wing. The tiltrotor includes a redundant drivetrain, including a plurality of motors and a plurality of motor controllers, that drives one or more blades included in the tiltrotor.
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公开(公告)号:US20210031911A1
公开(公告)日:2021-02-04
申请号:US16530782
申请日:2019-08-02
Applicant: Kitty Hawk Corporation
Inventor: Pranay Sinha , Damon Vander Lind
Abstract: An aircraft includes a canard having a trailing edge, a forward swept and fixed wing having a horizontal plane and a trailing edge, and a plurality of tilt rotors. At least one of the plurality of tilt rotors is attached to the trailing edge of the canard and at least one of the plurality of tilt rotors is attached to the trailing edge of the forward swept and fixed wing. The aircraft also includes a T-tail having a horizontal plane, where the horizontal plane of the T-tail is at a height that is higher than the horizontal plane of the forward swept and fixed wing.
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公开(公告)号:US20190256194A1
公开(公告)日:2019-08-22
申请号:US16168461
申请日:2018-10-23
Applicant: Kitty Hawk Corporation
Inventor: Damon Vander Lind , Pranay Sinha
Abstract: A plurality of port-side tilt rotors and a plurality of starboard-side tilt rotors are configured to rotate between a first rotor position and a second rotor position. The port-side tilt rotors are coupled to a trailing edge of the fixed and forward-swept wing on the port side and the starboard-side tilt rotors are coupled to the trailing edge of the fixed and forward-swept wing on the starboard side. The aircraft also includes a fuselage. When the port-side and starboard-side tilt rotors are in the first rotor position, at least some of a lift to keep the aircraft airborne comes from thrust output by the rotors at least some of the time. When in the second rotor position, at least some of the lift to keep the aircraft airborne comes from aerodynamic lift on the fixed and forward-swept wing at least some of the time.
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公开(公告)号:US20240367788A1
公开(公告)日:2024-11-07
申请号:US18773838
申请日:2024-07-16
Applicant: Kitty Hawk Corporation
Inventor: Pranay Sinha , Damon Vander Lind
IPC: B64C29/00 , B60L50/64 , B60L53/00 , B64C13/48 , B64C27/82 , B64C39/12 , B64D27/02 , B64D27/24 , B64D27/40 , B64D31/06
Abstract: A first power source includes a high discharge rate battery and a second power source includes a high energy battery. An electronically activated switch switches between the first power source and the second power source in response to a control signal from a power controller. If the electronically activated switch fails, it fails with one of the first power source and the second power source in an open circuit position and with the other one of the first power source and the second power source in a closed circuit position. The power controller generates the control signal, including by: during a vertical landing associated with a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle, generating the control signal to switch from the high energy battery to the high discharge rate battery independent of a measured current.
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公开(公告)号:US12103674B2
公开(公告)日:2024-10-01
申请号:US18122502
申请日:2023-03-16
Applicant: Kitty Hawk Corporation
Inventor: Pranay Sinha , Damon Vander Lind
IPC: B64C13/00 , B60L50/64 , B60L53/00 , B64C13/48 , B64C27/82 , B64C29/00 , B64C39/12 , B64D27/02 , B64D27/24 , B64D27/40 , B64D31/06 , G05D1/00
CPC classification number: B64C29/0033 , B60L50/64 , B60L53/00 , B64C13/48 , B64C27/82 , B64C39/12 , B64D27/02 , B64D27/24 , B64D27/40 , B64D31/06 , G05D1/101 , B60L2200/10 , B64C2027/8209 , B64D27/026 , B64D27/402
Abstract: A vehicle includes a tilt rotor that is aft of a fixed wing and that is attached to the fixed wing via a pylon. A flight computer configured to instruct the tilt rotor to produce a maximum downward angle including by updating an actuator authority database associated with the flight computer to reflect the maximum downward angle, and generating a rotor control signal for the tilt rotor using the updated actuator authority database that reflects the maximum downward angle, wherein the maximum downward angle is adjustable.
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