Cylindrical Rotor Sustained Patents (Class 244/21)
  • Patent number: 11427300
    Abstract: A lift nacelle may comprise an airflow generator; a sidewall system coupled to the airflow generator and spanning in a first direction, wherein the sidewall system defines a nacelle interior space, wherein the airflow generator defines one of a forward boundary or an aft boundary of the nacelle interior space; and a lift body disposed in the nacelle interior space and spanning substantially perpendicular to the first direction and substantially perpendicular to an upward lift direction. The airflow generator may be configured to accelerate airflow in an aft direction into the nacelle interior space through the forward boundary of the nacelle interior space. The airflow may contact and/or interact with the lift body creating lift in response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Copperhead Aeronautics, LLC
    Inventors: Phillip Greenberg, Ian Wells
  • Patent number: 11021228
    Abstract: A morphing airfoil system includes an airfoil having a bulkhead structured to form a leading edge of the airfoil. A first spool is rotatably coupled to the bulkhead, and a second spool is rotatably coupled to the bulkhead opposite the first spool. An airfoil skin has a first end secured to the first spool, a second end secured to the second spool, and a portion extending between the first and second spools to form an exterior surface of the airfoil. The airfoil skin is structured to be windable around the first and second spools such that a configuration of the airfoil is controllable by rotating at least one of the first spool and the second spool so as to wind a portion of the airfoil skin around, or unwind a portion of the airfoil skin from, the at least one of the first spool and the second spool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Danil V. Prokhorov
  • Patent number: 8540485
    Abstract: A cycloidal rotor system having airfoil blades travelling along a generally non-circular, elongated and, in most embodiments, dynamically variable orbit. Such non-circular orbit provides a greater period in each revolution and an optimized relative wind along the trajectory for each blade to efficiently maximize lift when orbits are elongated horizontally, or thrust/propulsion when orbits are vertically elongated. Most embodiments, in addition to having the computer system controlled actuators to dynamically vary the blade trajectory and the angle of attack, can also have the computer system controlled actuators for dynamically varying the spatial orientation of the blades; enabling their slanting motion upward/downward and/or backsweep/forwardsweep positioning to produce and precisely control a variety of aerodynamic effects suited for providing optimum performance for various operating regimes, counter wind gusts and enable the craft to move sideways.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Inventor: Philip Bogrash
  • Patent number: 8528855
    Abstract: A hybrid rotor for an aircraft includes a Magnus rotor rotatable around a Magnus rotor axis and a transverse flow rotor that is kept rotating around an axis of rotation and has a number of axially extending rotor blades that are actuatable to rotate around the axis of rotation and are configured stationary relative to the tangential angle position. The Magnus rotor is located within the transverse flow rotor and has an axis extending in the direction of the axis of rotation. The guide mechanism has a housing segment partially surrounding the transverse flow rotor in the circumferential direction. The housing segment has an adjustment mechanism and is deflectable relative to the Magnus rotor axis. The housing segment is aligned such that the transverse flow rotor generates a propulsion force and causes a transverse flow onto the Magnus rotor to generate lifting force by way of a Magnus effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: EADS Deutschland GmbH
    Inventor: Jost Seifert
  • Publication number: 20120160955
    Abstract: A hybrid rotor for an aircraft includes a Magnus rotor rotatable around a Magnus rotor axis and a transverse flow rotor that is kept rotating around an axis of rotation and has a number of axially extending rotor blades that are actuatable to rotate around the axis of rotation and are configured stationary relative to the tangential angle position. The Magnus rotor is located within the transverse flow rotor and has an axis extending in the direction of the axis of rotation. The guide mechanism has a housing segment partially surrounding the transverse flow rotor in the circumferential direction. The housing segment has an adjustment mechanism and is deflectable relative to the Magnus rotor axis. The housing segment is aligned such that the transverse flow rotor generates a propulsion force and causes a transverse flow onto the Magnus rotor to generate lifting force by way of a Magnus effect.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: EADS Deutschland GmbH
    Inventor: Jost SEIFERT
  • Patent number: 7427047
    Abstract: A lift force generating aircraft having an engine and a thrust force producing device. A pair of elongated and rotating bodies, an axial centerline through the bodies extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to a fore to aft axis extending between the engine and thrust-producing device and at a location above a center of gravity associated with the engine and thrust-producing device. The rotating bodies being constructed of a material inflatable to a desired pressure. A rotary output associated with the engine rotating the bodies, causing them to deflect to angles lesser than the perpendicular with the fore to aft axis, and in response to air stream forces acting upon the bodies in order to reduce drag forces experienced on a rear side of the rotating bodies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2008
    Inventor: Omid Saeed Tehrani
  • Patent number: 7344106
    Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing aircraft has an airframe body that defines a loop-shaped path of travel for a plurality of movably-mounted wings that are transversely disposed relative to a longitudinal axis of the aircraft. The airframe body has two side frames that are transversely spaced apart in parallel relation to one another and interconnected by a pair of fixed wings that do not follow the path of travel of the movably-mounted wings. A passenger compartment is positioned between the two side frames and within the loop traveled by the movably mounted wings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Inventor: Tatsuo Ikeshiro
  • Patent number: 7213786
    Abstract: A lift unit for a vertical take-off and landing type aerial vehicle. A smooth, cylindrical rotor, rotating at a high rate, as close as is practicable to the smooth, inside of a half-cylindrical, cradle-shaped stator, generates lift. While there is no up or down force within the very small space between the rotor and stator, there is reduced aerodynamic pressure on the exposed upper half of the rotor. Atmospheric pressure remains normal beneath the stator, producing considerable lift. Panels designed to slide over portions of the rotor, vary the lift, either uniformly or differentially to provide control. The streamlined unit is attached in a plurality to the wing of a conventionally configured, fixed-wing aircraft with the axis of the rotor aligned parallel to the thrust line of the vehicle. This lift unit is very efficient and produces no downward efflux, facilitating rescue operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2007
    Inventor: Charles Cecil McKinney
  • Patent number: 6969027
    Abstract: A vertical takeoff and landing apparatus is excellent in the maneuverability and postural stability of its airframe, serves to protect a pilot from an impact when landing, and can make extremely stable flight when hovering near a building. An airframe has a propulsion device for generating propulsive force in a vertically upward direction, and a side wall surface surrounding the propulsion device. An air intake port has a plurality of divided air intake port sections formed on the side wall surface of the airframe. A duct part connects the air intake port sections and the propulsion device with one another. A shutter part is provided at each air intake port section for adjusting an amount of air flowing therein. A control unit adjusts the degree of opening of each shutter part in accordance with an operation of a control stick, so that the airframe can be moved in an arbitrary direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masatsugu Ishiba
  • Patent number: 6845942
    Abstract: An omni-directional air vehicle having a pod with a connected turbofan system, the pod has a body that contains a power source for generating electrical power and a ducted fan with spherical articulation mechanism having a projecting arm with counter-rotating propellers and a ducted shroud around the periphery of the counter rotating propellers and containing drive motors for electrically driving the propellers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2005
    Inventor: Marius A. Paul
  • Patent number: 6527229
    Abstract: An aircraft has its wing defined as a wing-like body with a tangential flow rotor in the leading edge. A shroud, under the lower part of the tangential flow rotor, terminates in at least one movable flap defining a lift-generating lip when the rotor is rotating such that the upper part of the rotor, projecting above the level of the upper surface of the wing-like body, is moving rearwardly. Differential adjustment of the flaps in the wings to either side of an aircraft centerline allows directional control and control of banking of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: Fanwing Limited
    Inventor: Patrick Peebles
  • Patent number: 6402088
    Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing vehicle that employs a thrust assembly, a fuselage, and an intermediate rotation decoupling interface assembly for rotationally decoupling the thrust assembly from the fuselage. The thrust assembly forms a single combined thrust force about the fuselage in order to form a more stable vehicle during flight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: Aero Copter, Inc.
    Inventors: George J. Syrovy, Siamak Yassini-Fard, Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard
  • Patent number: 5954295
    Abstract: A mechanism and method for generating lift with the Bernoulli Effect. A pair of cylindrical impellers create a pair of counter rotating forced linear vortices. Fast moving, low pressure air surrounding the forced vortices comes into contact with the upper sides of semicylindrical lifting surfaces. Higher pressure, slower moving air is in contact with the lower sides of the lifting surfaces. The velocity differentials between the upper and lower sides of the lifting surfaces cause a pressure differential that produces lift.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1999
    Inventor: Virgil Dale Olson
  • Patent number: 5180119
    Abstract: This invention pertains to a means of aerial lift depending on the use of an air jet blown and channelled (through a nozzle and a vane) exclusively and almost tangentially over a limited segment of a rotating cylinder (a Magnus cylinder) thereby creating a useful depression and lift. The part of the cylinder's surface swept by such jet (which part we will name the "useful segment") is delimited upstream by a nozzle "splitting" a sheet of air almost tangentially over the cylinder and downstream by a vane which will skim the surface of the cylinder and direct the jet away from the surface of the rotating cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1993
    Inventor: Jean-Paul Picard
  • Patent number: 4961989
    Abstract: A coherent fire-resisting flexible sheet material for aerospace applications is provided consisting of a layer of ceramic fibers embedded in a silicone rubber compound. The ceramic fibers may be in the form of a plain woven fabric of monofilament fibers of alumino-boro-silicate and the silicone rubber compound can be a curable non-foaming methylphenyl silicone compound. In production, the silicone compound is applied to the fabric as a thixotropic paste in sufficient quantity to entirely cover and impregnate the fabric and is forced through the interstices of the fabric by the application of pressure. The coated and impregnated fabric is then placed in an oven to cure the silicone compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 9, 1990
    Assignee: Insumat Limited
    Inventor: David A. Grimwood
  • Patent number: 4903917
    Abstract: The invention is concerned with a projectile with a stabilizing device that is depolyable beyond the caliber and that should at least comprise an object rotatable about its axis. The stabilizing device can be telescopically arranged and can have a cover that is shaped to conform to the surface of the projectile when the device is not deployed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 27, 1990
    Assignee: Rheinmetall GmbH
    Inventors: Helmut Peller, Hartmut Schilling, Hanjoerg Becker, Gerhard Glotz
  • Patent number: 4469294
    Abstract: A V/STOL aircraft comprising a fuselage, having three sets of wings that are offset lengthwise and vertically. The center set of relatively small relatively thick wings 34 between the canard 14 and the rear relatively thin relatively large aerodynamic lift wings 18 are equipped with identical lift fans 36 enclosed in the wing by upper and lower movable slotted deflectors 40. The attitude of the slatted deflectors may be varied to transition the present invention from hovering to forward flight, and vice versa. The present invention's lift fans are interconnected by a balanced power distribution system, to insure constant, efficient use of total power and provide symmetrical lift about the aircraft's center of gravity resistibility. In the event of an engine failure, the remaining lift is still properly distributed to maintain symmetrical lift, so as to maintain balance and operational control of the aircraft in the lift mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1982
    Date of Patent: September 4, 1984
    Inventor: Robert T. Clifton
  • Patent number: 4452007
    Abstract: The Horizontal Axis Rotatory Frustum Toy is a catapulted cylinderlike flying-wing glider that rotates horizontally to produce lift and quite slow flight, suitable indoors or out. A rubber band or string can be used to launch it. Unique shape provides good lateral stability. The design principle may have military dispersion bomb applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1982
    Date of Patent: June 5, 1984
    Inventor: Lynn W. Martin
  • Patent number: 4401284
    Abstract: A lift-producing arrangement suitable for driving a boat by the Magnus effect comprises an elongate tubular envelope mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis. A drive is provided to rotate the envelope. The envelope is of flexible material, e.g., canvas, to achieve improved performance. Preferably, the envelope is held erect by inflation. The arrangement may be used in addition to a conventional screw-propulsion system for increased fuel economy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1981
    Date of Patent: August 30, 1983
    Inventor: Kenneth A. Austin
  • Patent number: 4390148
    Abstract: A rotary wing device adapted to be rotated about its longitudinal axis and to be propelled forwardly with its longitudinal axis having a small upward pitch angle relative to the forward flight direction in order to generate an upward lifting force on the device. The rotary wing device has a plurality of laterally spaced-apart cylindrically disposed wing segments. Preferably, the wing segments are parallel to each other, are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the device, and have streamlined edges. Preferably, the wing segments are mounted for rotation about the longitudinal axis of the device by front and rear mounting rings which engage and stabilize the front and rear tips of the wing segments. The mounting rings are perpendicular to the wing segments and have streamlined edges. The preferred embodiment is a throwable aerial toy having its center of mass located on the forward half of its longitudinal axis and being statically and dynamically balanced relative to said longitudinal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 1978
    Date of Patent: June 28, 1983
    Assignee: Wave-Rider, Inc.
    Inventor: Patrick J. Cudmore
  • Patent number: 4051622
    Abstract: A free flying aerodynamic toy that is manually launched and is composed of an elongate air foil having two identical surfaces that are joined to one another symmetrically of the longitudinal axis so that in response to rotation and translation through air, the surfaces sequentially cooperate with air flow thereover to produce lift. Circular stabilizer plates at opposite ends of the air foil produce vertical stability and have weighted peripheries to increase rotational inertia. Centrally of the air foil is a rib which divides the air foil into two symmetrical parts. The parts extend outward from the rib at a positive dihedral angle (an included angle less than 180.degree.) so as to enhance stability and reduce roll and yaw of the toy.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the InventionThis invention relates to an aerodynamic toy and more particularly to such toy that is capable of free flight so that it can perform maneuvers upon being thrown into the air by the user thereof.2. Description of the Prior ArtU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1976
    Date of Patent: October 4, 1977
    Inventor: Peter A. Sharp