公开(公告)号：US20190016459A1

公开(公告)日：2019-01-17

申请号：US16127640

申请日：2018-09-11

Applicant: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR OF NASA

Inventor： DAVID D. NORTH ,  MARK J. AULL ,  WILLIAM J. FREDERICKS ,  MARK D. MOORE ,  PAUL M. ROTHHAAR ,  WILLIAM T. HODGES ,  ZACHARY R. JOHNS

IPC: B64C29/00 ,  B64C25/52 ,  B64C39/02 ,  B64D27/24 ,  B64C5/02 ,  B64D27/02

CPC classification number: B64C29/0033 ,  B64C5/02 ,  B64C25/52 ,  B64C29/0025 ,  B64C39/024 ,  B64C2201/042 ,  B64C2201/044 ,  B64D27/24 ,  B64D2027/026 ,  Y02T50/44 ,  Y02T50/64

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices provide a vehicle, such as an aircraft, with rotors configured to function as a tri-copter for vertical takeoff and landing (“VTOL”) and a fixed-wing vehicle for forward flight. One rotor may be mounted at a front of the vehicle fuselage on a hinged structure controlled by an actuator to tilt from horizontal to vertical positions. Two additional rotors may be mounted on the horizontal surface of the vehicle tail structure with rotor axes oriented vertically to the fuselage. For forward flight of the vehicle, the front rotor may be rotated down such that the front rotor axis may be oriented horizontally along the fuselage and the front rotor may act as a propeller. For vertical flight, the front rotor may be rotated up such that the front rotor axis may be oriented vertically to the fuselage, while the tail rotors may be activated.