Patents Assigned to Joby Aero, Inc.
  • Patent number: 11939051
    Abstract: An aircraft can include a stacked propeller to generate lift during assent and descent. The stacked propeller includes a first propeller and a second propeller that co-rotate about an axis of rotation. In one embodiment, the blades are coupled to a rotor mast that contains an internal cavity. In one mode of operation, the first propeller and/or the second propeller can be stored in the internal cavity in order to reduce drag during flight. The aircraft can include one or more stacked propellers, such as a port propeller and a starboard propeller, which rotate in opposite directions during one or more modes of flight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Joby Aero, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Moore, John Conway Badalamenti, Ian Andreas Villa, Adam Shaw Warmoth, David Lane Josephson
  • Patent number: 11940816
    Abstract: The unified command system and/or method includes an input mechanism, a flight processor that receives input from the input mechanism and translates the input into control output, and effectors that are actuated according to the control output. The system can optionally include: one or more sensors, a vehicle navigation system which determines a vehicle state and/or flight regime based on data from the one or more sensors, and a vehicle guidance system which determines a flightpath for the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Joby Aero, Inc.
    Inventors: Blake English, JoeBen Bevirt
  • Patent number: 11942855
    Abstract: A compact harmonic drive system with a motor residing within the flexspline cup. The motor may reside further into the flexspline cup than the wave generator, and the air gap of the motor may be further out radially than the interior of the wave generator bearing. The motor may use an outrunner configuration with an outboard rotor made up of magnets, allowing for a large radial distance to the air gap and resulting in higher torque. The interior stator windings are thermally well coupled to the drive system structure. The harmonic drive may be coupled to a deployment system adapted to support moment loads perpendicular to the rotation axis such that those loads are not supported by the harmonic drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Joby Aero, Inc.
    Inventors: Jordin Gischler, Baixi Pei, Rob Thodal, JoeBen Bevirt
  • Patent number: 11932400
    Abstract: An extension linkage for a wing flap can include at least one arm that includes two elements connected by a joint. The linkage can include an actuation mechanism, additional arms and/or each arm can include more than two elements, tie rods and/or cross pieces connecting two or more arms, and any other suitable components. The linkage functions to translate and rotate a body attached to one end of the arm relative to a primary structure attached to a second end of the arm. The linkage resides entirely within a space defined by the upper skin and the lower skin of the wing rearward of the mounting when in a retracted configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Joby Aero, Inc.
    Inventors: Joeben Bevirt, Gregor Veble Mikić, Joachim Grenestedt, Robert Thodal, Edward Stilson, Percy Pei, Drew Boggio
  • Patent number: 11919652
    Abstract: An aerial vehicle adapted for vertical takeoff and landing using a set of wing mounted thrust producing elements for takeoff and landing. An aerial vehicle which is adapted to vertical takeoff with the rotors in a rotated, take-off attitude then transitions to a horizontal flight path, with the rotors rotated to a typical horizontal configuration. The aerial vehicle may have deployment mechanisms which deploy electric motor driven propellers from a forward facing to a vertical orientation. The deployment mechanisms deploy the rotor forward and up as they deploy from a forward flight configuration to a vertical thrust configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Joby Aero, Inc.
    Inventors: JoeBen Bevirt, Alex Stoll
  • Patent number: 11912393
    Abstract: An aircraft propulsion system with a drag reduction portion adapted to reduce skin friction on at least a portion of the external surface of an aircraft. The drag reduction portion may include an inlet to ingest airflow. The aircraft may also have an internally cooled electric motor adapted for use in an aerial vehicle. The motor may have its stator towards the center and have an external rotor. The rotor structure may be air cooled and may be a complex structure with an internal lattice adapted for airflow. The stator structure may be liquid cooled and may be a complex structure with an internal lattice adapted for liquid to flow through. A fluid pump may pump a liquid coolant through non-rotating portions of the motor stator and then through heat exchangers cooled in part by air which has flowed through the rotating portions of the motor rotor. The drag reduction portion and the cooled electric motor portion may share the same inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Joby Aero, Inc.
    Inventors: JoeBen Bevirt, Gregor Veble Mikic, Joey Milia, Rob Thodal, Vishnu Vithala
  • Patent number: 11912425
    Abstract: An aircraft propulsion unit includes an electric motor, at least one accessory unit used for operating the electric motor, an inverter module, the inverter module including a plurality of inverters for powering the electric motor and the at least one accessory unit, and a cooling system coupled to the electric motor and the inverter module, the cooling system comprising a coolant path for circulating a coolant through or adjacent to the electric motor and the at least one accessory unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Joby Aero, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Wagner, Bradley Landseadel, Joey Milia, Scott MacAfee, Martin van der Geest
  • Patent number: 11905002
    Abstract: An aerial vehicle adapted for vertical takeoff and landing using a set of wing mounted thrust producing elements for takeoff and landing. An aerial vehicle which is adapted to vertical takeoff with the rotors in a rotated, take-off attitude then transitions to a horizontal flight path, with the rotors rotated to a typical horizontal configuration. The aerial vehicle uses different configurations of its wing mounted rotors and propellers to reduce drag in all flight modes. The aerial vehicle uses deployment mechanisms to deploy rotor assemblies up and away from their stowed configuration locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Joby Aero, Inc.
    Inventors: JoeBen Bevirt, Alex Stoll
  • Patent number: 11905009
    Abstract: The rotary airfoil 100 defines a cross section and a span, wherein the cross section is a function of the point along the span (e.g., spanwise point) and defines an upper surface and a lower surface at each spanwise point. The rotary airfoil 100 also defines, at a cross section, a lift coefficient (CL) that is a function of the angle of attack at which the airfoil is rotated through the air. The system can optionally include: a rotor hub to mount the rotary airfoil, a tilt mechanism to pivot the rotary airfoil between a forward configuration and a hover configuration, and a pitching mechanism to change the angle of attack of the rotary airfoil 100.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Joby Aero, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregor Veble Mikic, JoeBen Bevirt, Jeremy Bain, Alex Stoll
  • Patent number: 11900819
    Abstract: A request for transport services that identifies a rider, an origin, and a destination is received from a client device. Eligibility of the request to be serviced by a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is determined based on the origin and the destination. The client device is sent an itinerary for servicing the transport request including a leg serviced by the VTOL aircraft. Confirmation is received that the rider has boarded the VTOL aircraft and determination made as to whether the VTOL aircraft should wait for additional riders. Instruction are sent to the VTOL aircraft to take-off if one or more conditions are met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: JOBY AERO, INC.
    Inventors: Nikhil Goel, Jon David Petersen, John Conway Badalamenti, Mark Moore
  • Patent number: 11900818
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems for predicting time varying loudness in a geographic region. Training data, including noise information, weather information, and traffic information is collected from a plurality of sensors located in a plurality of geographic regions. The information is collected during multiple time periods. The noise information includes time varying loudness. Static features of the geographic regions are also defined and included in the training data. The static and time varying dynamic features train a model. The model is used predict time varying loudness within a different region and at a time later than times the training data is collected. The predicted loudness levels are utilized, in some aspects, to determine a route for an aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: JOBY AERO, INC.
    Inventors: Alireza Rostamzadeh, Rohit Goyal, Ryan Cunningham, Jane Yen Hung, Stanley Swaintek
  • Patent number: 11893521
    Abstract: Systems and methods for facilitating aerial vehicle services are provided. A service entity system can obtain multi-modal transportation services data indicative of a plurality of anticipated aerial transportation service. The service entity system can obtain vehicle attributes associated vehicle(s) of an aerial vehicle provider and determine an expected performance of the vehicle(s) based on the vehicle attributes and the anticipated aerial transportation services. The service entity system can generate an aerial vehicle service request that requests access to the vehicle(s) for providing aerial transportation services for the service entity based on the expected performance of the vehicle(s). A vehicle provider system can obtain a number of different aerial vehicle service requests from a number of different service entities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: JOBY AERO, INC.
    Inventors: Adam Warmoth, Christopher Hill Courtney, Ian Andreas Villa
  • Patent number: 11874675
    Abstract: A computing system for landing and storing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft can be configured to receive aircraft data, passenger data, or environment data associated with a VTOL aircraft and determine a landing pad location within a landing facility based on the aircraft data, passenger data, and/or environment data. The landing facility can include a lower level and an upper level. The lower level can include a lower landing area and a lower storage area. The upper level can include an upper landing area. At least a portion of the upper level can be arranged over the lower storage area. The landing pad location can include a location within the lower landing area or the upper landing area of the landing facility. The computing system can communicate the landing pad location to an operator or a navigation system of the VTOL aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: JOBY AERO, INC.
    Inventors: Jon David Petersen, Ian Villa, John Conway Badalamenti
  • Patent number: 11876419
    Abstract: An electric motor comprises a rotor and a stator having a yoke. The yoke includes a plurality of teeth mounted to the yoke and being aligned substantially parallel to an axis of rotation of the motor, each tooth including a first radial end adjacent to the yoke and a second radial end extending from the yoke, a plurality of field coils, each field coil being wrapped around a tooth, and a coolant circulation path including a first coolant channel defined between adjacent field coils and a second coolant channel defined between adjacent field coils and between the first radial ends of adjacent teeth. A third coolant channel may be defined between adjacent field coils and between the second radial ends of adjacent teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Joby Aero, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Wagner, Scott MacAfee, Hans Leuthold, Jeff Cortes, Martin van der Geest
  • Patent number: 11866186
    Abstract: An aerial vehicle adapted for vertical takeoff and landing using mounted thrust producing elements. An aerial vehicle which is adapted to vertical takeoff with the forward rotors in a rotated, take-off attitude then transitions to a horizontal flight path, with the rotors rotated to a typical horizontal configuration. The aerial vehicle uses one or more thrust producing elements on both of the right and the left sides. The aerial vehicle may have one or more front thrust producing elements and one or more rear thrust producing elements on both of the right and the left sides of a main vehicle body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Joby Aero, Inc.
    Inventors: JoeBen Bevirt, Alex Stoll
  • Patent number: 11869103
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods for planning a multimodal itinerary. The systems and methods may include receiving a transportation request. The transportation request may include a starting location, a final destination, and an estimated payload data. During a first leg of the multimodal itinerary, an updated payload data may be received. An aerial vehicle may be assigned to a subsequent leg of the multimodal itinerary based on the updated payload data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: JOBY AERO, INC.
    Inventors: Ian Andreas Villa, Philipp Haban
  • Patent number: 11827347
    Abstract: A power system with a reliability enhancing battery architecture for electric motors adapted for use in an aerial vehicle. Individual batteries may be used to power a subset two or more motors in systems with six or more motors, for example. Each motor may be powered may be powered by two or more subsets of batteries, allowing accommodation for motor failure. With a failed motor in a vertical take-off or landing mode, power may be diverted to other motors to continue proper attitude control, and to provide sufficient thrust. With a failed motor a second motor offset from the failed motor may be powered down to facilitate attitude control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Joby Aero, Inc.
    Inventors: JoeBen Bevirt, Alex Stoll, Martin van der Geest, Scott MacAfee, Jason Ryan
  • Patent number: 11804141
    Abstract: Aerial vehicles are assigned to routes within a transportation network based on a state of charge, state of power, and/or state of health for the aerial vehicle. Such aspects can be modeled based on one or more statistical models and/or machine-learned models, among other examples. As another example, an energy budget is used to ensure that the state of charge, state of power, and/or state of health of the aerial vehicle during and/or after traveling the route remains within the energy budget. A payload is assigned to a route and an associated aerial vehicle, thereby generating an itinerary. In examples, the itinerary is validated by the aerial vehicle to ensure that the aerial vehicle is capable of traveling the route with the payload. In examples where the aerial vehicle rejects the itinerary, the itinerary is assigned to another aerial vehicle and a new itinerary is identified for the aerial vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: JOBY AERO, INC.
    Inventors: Adam Thomas Chase, Ian Andreas Villa, Luke Asher Wilhelm, Jon Petersen, Robert Alan McDonald, Mark Douglass Moore, Celina Mikolajczak
  • Patent number: 11794905
    Abstract: The system can include an on-board thermal management subsystem. The system 100 can optionally include an off-board (extravehicular) infrastructure subsystem. The on-board thermal management subsystem can include: a battery pack, one or more fluid loops, and an air manifold. The system 100 can additionally or alternatively include any other suitable components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: JOBY AERO, INC.
    Inventors: Robert Lynn, Ernest Villanueva, Nathaniel Martin, Joeben Bevirt, Jonathan Wagner, Kevin Witt, Brian Uznanski, Austin Newman
  • Patent number: 11780573
    Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing aircraft which uses fixed rotors for both VTOL and forward flight operations. The rotors form a synthetic wing and are positioned to achieve a high span efficiency. The rotors are positioned to even out the lift across the span of the synthetic wing. The synthetic wing may also have narrow front and rear airfoils which may provide structural support as well as providing lift during forward flight. The wing rotors are tilted forward and provide some forward propulsion during horizontal flight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Joby Aero, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregor Veble Mikic, JoeBen Bevirt, Alex Stoll