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Vertical take-off and landing aircraft with rotor thrust yaw control — L3Harris Latitude Llc (US11485488B1)

L3Harris Latitude Llc · Google Patents

Google Patents · Patents · License: Open Access

patent, google patents, intellectual property, US11485488B1, L3Harris Latitude Llc, Justin Armer, en, 2022

ABSTRACT

Abstract

A vertical take-off and landing aircraft includes a fixed wing airframe having opposed first and second wings extending from first and second sides, respectively, of a fuselage having opposed leading and trailing extremities, and a tail assembly located behind the trailing extremity. Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) thrust rotors are mounted to the airframe providing vertical lift to the aircraft, and a forward thrust rotor is mounted to the airframe for providing forward thrust to the aircraft. At least one of VTOL thrust rotors is laterally tilted with respect to the airframe for providing vertical lift and yaw control authority to the aircraft.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to aerial vehicles and, more particularly, to unmanned aerial vehicle or drones.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot onboard. The flight of a drone is controlled autonomously by computers in the vehicle, or under remote control of a navigator or pilot on the ground or in another vehicle.

One class of drone is the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone. There are many examples of VTOL drones in the prior art. Some exemplary VTOL drones incorporate tilt rotors, such as two large propellers mounted to the ends of an abbreviated wing designed to tilt the propellers from a horizontal position for vertical lift and a forward position for providing forward thrust. This design is effective but is difficult to engineer and construct, and is inherently unstable between the vertical and horizontal positions of the propellers. Another exemplary class of VTOL drones utilizes redirected thrust to provide vertical lift and forward thrust, which incorporate turbofan/jet engines that produce tremendous amounts of directed thrust, which is redirected downward for VTOL maneuvers. VTOL drones that incorporate redirected thrust systems are difficult to engineer and construct and are inherently unstable between the direct and redirected thrust orientations. Furthermore, the turbofan/jet engines of redirected thrust VTOL drones are prone to overheating and failure during prolonged VTOL maneuvering, which, of course, prevents redirected thrust VTOL drones from engaging in persistent VTOL maneuvers.

In an effort to solve these and other and other deficiencies in tilt-rotor and redirected thrust VTOL drone designs, skilled artisans have developed fixed wing VTOL drones with independently powered VTOL thrusters, and an independently powered forward thruster. This arrangement provides better stability during the transition between VTOL maneuvers and horizontal flight. Yaw control authority multi-rotor VTOL aircraft is gained by varying torque on sets of diagonal rotors. However, standard multi-rotor control schemes require large yaw control inputs for relatively little yaw control effect. Accordingly, yaw control authority remains cumbersome and slow in standard multi-rotor VTOL aircraft, thereby necessitating continued improvement in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the principle of the invention, a vertical take-off and landing aircraft includes a fixed wing airframe having first and second wings extending from first and second sides, respectively, of a fuselage having a leading extremity and a trailing extremity, and a tail assembly located behind the trailing extremity. A forward thrust rotor is mounted to the airframe for providing forward thrust to the aircraft. Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) thrust rotors are mounted to the airframe for providing vertical lift to the aircraft. The VTOL thrust rotors include a first set of VTOL thrust proximate to the first side of the fuselage and a second set of VTOL thrust rotors proximate to the second side of the fuselage. Yaw control (YC) thrust rotors are mounted to the airframe for providing yaw control authority to the aircraft. The YC thrust rotors include a first set of VTOL thrust proximate to the first side of the fuselage and a second set of VTOL thrust rotors proximate to the second side of the fuselage. The YC thrust rotors of the first set of YC thrust rotors are identically laterally tilted to a lateral tilt with respect to the fuselage, the YC thrust rotors of the second set of YC thrust rotors are identically laterally tilted to a lateral tilt with respect to the fuselage, and the lateral tilt of the YC thrust rotors of the first set of YC thrust rotors is the mirror image of the lateral tilt of the YC thrust rotors of the second set of YC thrust rotors. The first set of VTOL thrust rotors includes a first front VTOL thrust rotor and a first rear VTOL thrust rotor each located outboard of the first side of the fuselage between the leading extremity of the fuselage and the tail assembly, and the second set of VTOL thrust rotors includes a second front VTOL thrust rotor and a second rear VTOL thrust rotor each located outboard of the second side of the fuselage between the leading extremity of the fuselage and the tail assembly. The first front VTOL thrust rotor and the second front VTOL thrust rotor are diametrically opposed, and are equidistant with respect to the first and second wings, respectively, and the fuselage. The first rear VTOL thrust rotor and the second rear VTOL thrust rotor are diametrically opposed, and are equidistant with respect to the first and second wings, respectively, and the fuselage. The first front VTOL thrust rotor is in-line with respect to the first rear VTOL thrust rotor, and the second front VTOL thrust rotor is in-line with respect to the second rear VTOL thrust rotor. The first set of YC thrust rotors includes a first front YC thrust rotor and a first rear YC thrust rotor each located outboard of the first side of the fuselage between the leading extremity of the fuselage and the tail assembly. The second set of YC thrust rotors includes a second front YC thrust rotor and a second rear YC thrust rotor each located outboard of the second side of the fuselage between the leading extremity of the fuselage and the tail assembly. The first front YC thrust rotor and the second front YC thrust rotor are diametrically opposed, and are equidistant with respect to the first and second wings, respectively, and the fuselage. The first rear YC thrust rotor and the second rear YC thrust rotor are diametrically opposed, and are equidistant with respect to the first and second wings, respectively, and the fuselage. The first front YC thrust rotor is in-line with respect to the first rear YC thrust rotor, and the second front YC thrust rotor is in-line with respect to the second rear YC thrust rotor. The first front YC thrust rotor is under the first front VTOL thrust rotor, the first rear YC thrust rotor is under the first rear VTOL thrust rotor, the second front YC thrust rotor is under the second front VTOL thrust rotor, and the second rear YC thrust rotor is under the second rear VTOL thrust rotor. Each of the VTOL thrust rotors of the first and second sets of VTOL thrust rotors has a first size, each of the YC thrust rotors of the first and second sets of YC thrust rotors has a second size, and the first size is greater than the second size.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a vertical take-off and landing aircraft constructed and arranged in accordance with the principle of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 illustrating rotors as they would appear tilted outwardly;

FIG. 4 is a left side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4A is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 illustrating the rotors tilted inwardly;

FIG. 4B is a view corresponding to FIGS. 3 and 4A illustrating the rotors in a horizontal position relative the tilted positions of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4A ;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a vertical take-off and landing aircraft constructed and arranged in accordance with the principle of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 9 is a left side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary view corresponding to FIG. 8 illustrating upper and lower rotors;

FIG. 11 is a top perspective view of yet another embodiment of a vertical take-off and landing aircraft constructed and arranged in accordance with the principle of the invention, the vertical take-off and landing aircraft including an aft rotor tilted to one side of the aircraft;

FIG. 12 is a view similar to that of FIG. 11 illustrating the aft rotor as it would appear tilted to an opposite side of the aircraft;

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 11 ;

FIG. 14 is a section view taken along line 14 - 14 of FIG. 13 ;

FIG. 15 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 12 ;

FIG. 16 is a section view taken along line 16 - 16 of FIG. 15 ;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 11 illustrating the aft rotor in a horizontal position relative the tilted positions of FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 ;

FIG. 18 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 17 ;

FIG. 19 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 17 ;

FIG. 20 is a left side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 17 ;

FIG. 21 is a top perspective view of yet still another embodiment of a vertical take-off and landing aircraft constructed and arranged in accordance with the principle of the invention, the vertical take-off and landing aircraft including an aft rotor positioned over an aft fin;

FIG. 22 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 21 ;

<di

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to aerial vehicles and, more particularly, to unmanned aerial vehicle or drones.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a vertical take-off and landing aircraft constructed and arranged in accordance with the principle of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 illustrating rotors as they would appear tilted outwardly;

FIG. 4 is a left side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4A is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 illustrating the rotors tilted inwardly;

FIG. 4B is a view corresponding to FIGS. 3 and 4A illustrating the rotors in a horizontal position relative the tilted positions of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4A ;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a vertical take-off and landing aircraft constructed and arranged in accordance with the principle of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 9 is a left side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary view corresponding to FIG. 8 illustrating upper and lower rotors;

FIG. 12 is a view similar to that of FIG. 11 illustrating the aft rotor as it would appear tilted to an opposite side of the aircraft;

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 11 ;

FIG. 14 is a section view taken along line 14 - 14 of FIG. 13 ;

FIG. 15 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 12 ;

FIG. 16 is a section view taken along line 16 - 16 of FIG. 15 ;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 11 illustrating the aft rotor in a horizontal position relative the tilted positions of FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 ;

FIG. 18 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 17 ;

FIG. 19 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 17 ;

FIG. 20 is a left side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 17 ;

FIG. 22 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 21 ;

FIG. 23 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 21 ;

FIG. 24 is a left side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 21 ;

FIG. 25 is a left side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 21 ;

FIG. 26 is view similar to that of FIG. 21 illustrating the aft fin tilted left;

FIG. 27 is a view like that of FIG. 26 illustrating the aft fin tilted right;

FIG. 28 is a section view taken along lie 29 A- 29 A of FIG. 25 ;

FIG. 29 is a section view taken along lie 29 B- 29 B of FIG. 27 ;

FIG. 30 is a perspective view an aircraft and vertical take-off and landing conversion kit for converting the aircraft to a vertical take-off and lift aircraft;

FIGS. 31 and 32 are perspective views corresponding to FIG. 30 illustrating the vertical take-off and landing conversion kit connected to the aircraft for forming a vertical take-off and landing aircraft; and

FIG. 33 is a perspective view of the vertical take-off and landing conversion kit of FIG. 30 shown incorporated with an alternate embodiment of an aircraft for forming an alternate embodiment of a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, the vertical take-off and landing conversion kit shown as it would appear formed with an undercarriage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding elements throughout the several views, shown and described herein are illustrative embodiments of yaw thrust vectoring vertical take-off and landing aircraft, and vertical take-off and landing conversion kits.

Â§ I. VTOL Aircraft with Tilted VTOL Yaw Control Rotors

Referring in relevant part to FIGS. 1-4 , illustrated is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft 50 including an airframe 60 that includes fuselage 61 , fixed left and right wings

62 and 63 , tail assembly or empennage 65 , left and right tail boom supports 70 and 71 , and left and right head boom supports 72 and 73 . Left and right wings

62 and 63 are fixed to fuselage 61 , and so airframe 60 is exemplary of a fixed wing airframe. Fuselage 61 has front or leading end/ extremity 61 A and an opposed rear or trailing end/ extremity 61 B, and opposed left and right sides

61 C and 61 D extending from front or leading extremity

A trailing extremity 61 B. Left wing 62 and right wing 63 are applied to fuselage 61 and are airfoils that produce lift for flight of aircraft 50 through the atmosphere. Left wing 62 has a left leading edge 62 A and an opposed left trailing edge 62 B, and a left top surface 62 C and an opposed left bottom surface 62 D that extend between left leading and trailing edges

62 A and 62 B. Right wing 63 has a right leading edge 63 A and an opposed right trailing edge 63 B, and a right top surface 63 C and an opposed right bottom surface 63 D that extend between right leading and trailing edges

63 A and 63 B. Left and right wings

62 and 63 are the mirror image of one another, and left wing 62 has a thickness or wing thickness extending from top surface 62 C to bottom surface 62 D, and right wing 63 has a thickness or wing thickness extending from top surface 63 C to bottom surface 63 D. The wing thickness of left wing 62 is the same as the wing thickness of right wing 63 . During flight, a region of lower-than-normal air pressure is generated over top surfaces

62 C and 63 C of left and right wings

62 and 63 , with a higher pressure existing on bottom surfaces

62 D and 63 D of left and right wings

62 and 63 . The lower air pressure on top surfaces

62 C and 63 C of left and right wings

62 and 63 generates a smaller downward force on the top surfaces

62 C and 63 C of left and right wings

62 and 63 than the upward force generated by the higher air pressure on the bottom surfaces 62 D and 63 D of left and right wings

62 and 63 . Hence, a net upward force acts on the left and right wings

62 and 63 to generate lift by the left and right wings

62 and 63 . Leading extremity 61 A of fuselage 61 is formed with a pitot/ static tube 75 . Left wing 62 is applied to and extends from left side 61 C of fuselage 61 proximate to trailing extremity 61 B and right wing 63 is applied to and extends from right side 61 D of fuselage 61 proximate to trailing extremity 61 B. A left aileron 80 is retained pivotally on a rear of left wing 62 near trailing edge 62 B of left wing 62 near the outer or distal extremity of left wing 62 , and a right aileron 81 is retained pivotally on a rear of right wing 63 near trailing edge 63 B of right wing 63 near the outer or distal extremity of right wing 63 . Forward thrust rotor 85 is mounted to rear extremity 61 B of fuselage 61 between rear extremity 61 B and empennage 65 and is capable of providing forward thrust to aircraft 50 .

Empennage 65 is the rear part of airframe 60 of aircraft 50 , gives stability to aircraft 50 , and is located behind and is spaced-apart rearwardly from trailing extremity 61 B of fuselage 61 . In this embodiment, empennage 65 is exemplary of a twin tail assembly or twin tail empennage including left vertical stabilizer 90 , right vertical stabilizer 91 , and horizontal stabilizer 92 extending between left and right vertical stabilizers

91 and 91 . Left tail boom support 70 and right tail boom support 71 of airframe 60 are coupled between the left and right wings

62 and 63 , respectively, and empennage 65 . Left tail boom support 70 and right tail boom support 71 support or otherwise carry empennage 65 . Left tail boom support 70 and right tail boom support 71 are identical being coextensive and equal in size and shape. Left tail boom support 70 is located along left side 61 C of fuselage 61 , and is spaced-apart from, or is otherwise located outboard of, left side 61 C of fuselage 61 and is parallel with respect to fuselage 61 . Right tail boom support 71 is located along right side 61 D of fuselage 61 , and is spaced-apart from, or is otherwise located outboard of, right side 61 D of fuselage 61 and is parallel with respect to fuselage 61 . Left and right tail boom supports 70 and 71 are further parallel with respect to each other.

Left tail boom support 70 extends rearward from left wing 62 and trailing edge 62 B of left wing 62 to left stabilizer 90 of empennage 65 , and right tail boom support 71 extends rearward from right wing 63 and trailing edge 63 B of right wing 63 to right stabilizer 91 of empennage 65 . Left stabilizer 90 extends upward from a rear of left tail boom support 70 , and right stabilizer 91 extends upward from a rear of right tail boom support 71 . Horizontal stabilizer 92 is retained between left and right tail boom supports 70 and 71 . A rudder 95 is retained pivotally on a rear of left stabilizer 90 , and a rudder 96 is retained pivotally on a rear of right stabilizer 91 . An elevator 97 is retained pivotally on a rear of horizontal stabilizer 92 .

Left head boom support 72 is coupled to left wing 62 , and right head boom support 73 is coupled to right wing 63 . Left head boom support 72 extends forward from left wing 62 and leading edge 62 A of left wing 62 to an outer end 100 in FIG. 3 , and right head boom support 73 extends forward from right wing 63 and leading edge 63 A of right wing 63 to an outer end 101 in FIG. 3 . Left head boom support 72 and right head boom support 73 are parallel with respect to each other, and are identical being coextensive and equal in size and shape. Left head boom support 72 is located along left side 61 C of fuselage 61 , and is spaced-apart from, or is otherwise located outboard of, left side 61 C of fuselage 61 and is parallel with respect to fuselage 61 . Right head boom support 73 is located along right side 61 D of fuselage 61 , and is spaced-apart from, or is otherwise located outboard of, right side 61 D of fuselage 61 and is parallel with respect to fuselage 61 .

Left head boom support 72 of airframe 60 is in-line and co-axial with respect to left tail boom support 70 , and right head boom support 73 of airframe 60 is in-line and co-axial with respect to right tail boom support 71 . Left tail boom support 70 and left head boom support 72 define either end of a left boom connected along the underside of left wing 62 . Right tail boom support 71 and right head boom support 73 define either end of a right boom connected along the underside of <figure-callout id="63" labe

CLAIMS

Claims ( 16 )

Having fully described the invention in such clear and concise terms as to enable those skilled in the art to understand and practice the same, the invention claimed is:

1. A vertical take-off and landing aircraft, comprising:

a fixed wing airframe having first and second wings extending from first and second sides, respectively, of a fuselage having a leading extremity and a trailing extremity, and a tail assembly located behind the trailing extremity;

a forward thrust rotor mounted to the airframe for providing forward thrust to the aircraft;

vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) thrust rotors mounted to the airframe for providing vertical lift to the aircraft, the VTOL thrust rotors include a first set of VTOL thrust rotors proximate to the first side of the fuselage and a second set of VTOL thrust rotors proximate to the second side of the fuselage;

the VTOL thrust rotors of the first set of VTOL thrust rotors are identically laterally tilted to a lateral tilt with respect to the fuselage;

the VTOL thrust rotors of the second set of VTOL thrust rotors are identically laterally tilted to a lateral tilt with respect to the fuselage; and

the lateral tilt of the VTOL thrust rotors of the first set of VTOL thrust rotors is the mirror image of the lateral tilt of the VTOL thrust rotors of the second set of VTOL thrust rotors;

wherein the VTOL thrust rotors receive control inputs to increase or decrease the thrust of one or more of the VTOL thrust rotors independently of the other VTOL thrust rotors and the forward thrust rotor to effect independent control of the roll, pitch, yaw, and vertical thrust of the aircraft independent of differential torque between pairs of the VTOL thrust rotors that is augmented by lateral thrust components associated with the lateral tilt of the VTOL thrust rotors during lifting of the aircraft to increase yaw control, and further wherein the forward thrust rotor is activated independently of the VTOL thrust rotors to provide forward thrust of the aircraft during flight.

2. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the first set of VTOL thrust rotors includes a first front VTOL thrust rotor and a first rear VTOL thrust rotor each located outboard of the first side of the fuselage between the leading extremity of the fuselage and the tail assembly, and the second set of VTOL thrust rotors includes a second front VTOL thrust rotor and a second rear VTOL thrust rotor each located outboard of the second side of the fuselage between the leading extremity of the fuselage and the tail assembly.

3. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 2 , wherein the first front VTOL thrust rotor and the second front VTOL thrust rotor are diametrically opposed, and are equidistant with respect to the first and second wings, respectively, and the fuselage.

4. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 3 , wherein the first rear VTOL thrust rotor and the second rear VTOL thrust rotor are diametrically opposed, and are equidistant with respect to the first and second wings, respectively, and the fuselage.

5. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 4 , wherein the first front VTOL thrust rotor is in-line with respect to the first rear VTOL thrust rotor, and the second front VTOL thrust rotor is in-line with respect to the second rear VTOL thrust rotor.

6. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the VTOL thrust rotors are laterally tilted inwardly with respect to the fuselage so as to direct their respective thrusts downwardly under the fuselage and inwardly towards the fuselage.

7. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the VTOL thrust rotors are laterally tilted outwardly with respect to the fuselage so as to direct their respective thrusts downwardly under the fuselage and outwardly away from the fuselage.

8. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the VTOL thrust rotors are laterally tilted four degrees from horizontal with respect to the fuselage.

9. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the VTOL thrust rotors are open thrust rotors.

10. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the VTOL thrust rotors are each driven for rotation by an electric motor, the electric motor receiving electrical power from a battery pack onboard the aircraft.

11. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the vertical take-off and landing aircraft is an unmanned aerial vehicle.

12. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the first set of VTOL thrust rotors have the same direction of rotation and the second set of VTOL thrust rotors have an opposition direction of rotation relative to the direction of rotation of the first set of VTOL thrust rotors.

13. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one pivoting engine pod configured to adjust the lateral tilt of a VTOL thrust rotor.

14. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the first set of VTOL thrust rotors rotate in a first direction and the second set of VTOL thrust rotors rotate in a second direction opposite the first direction such that yaw control is accomplished by a combination of different torque and lateral thrust components of the VTOL thrust rotors.

15. A vertical take-off and landing aircraft, comprising:

a fixed wing airframe having first and second wings extending from first and second sides, respectively, of a fuselage having a leading extremity and a trailing extremity, and an empennage provided behind the trailing extremity;

a forward thrust rotor mounted to the trailing extremity of the fuselage, disposed between the trailing extremity and the empennage, the forward thrust rotor providing forward thrust to the aircraft;

vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) thrust rotors mounted to the airframe comprising: a first set of VTOL thrust rotors proximate to the first side of the fuselage; and

a second set of VTOL thrust rotors proximate to the second side of the fuselage;

wherein the VTOL thrust rotors of the first set of VTOL thrust rotors are identically laterally tilted to a lateral tilt with respect to the fuselage;

wherein the VTOL thrust rotors of the second set of VTOL thrust rotors are identically laterally tilted to a lateral tilt with respect to the fuselage; and

wherein the lateral tilt of the VTOL thrust rotors of the first set of VTOL thrust rotors is the mirror image of the lateral tilt of the VTOL thrust rotors of the second set of VTOL thrust rotors;

16. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 15 , wherein the first set of VTOL thrust rotors rotate in a first direction and the second set of VTOL thrust rotors rotate in a second direction opposite the first direction such that yaw control is accomplished by a combination of different torque and lateral thrust components of the VTOL thrust rotors.

US14/959,617

2014-12-07

2015-12-04

Vertical take-off and landing aircraft with rotor thrust yaw control

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Vertical take-off and landing aircraft with rotor thrust yaw control

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Vertical take-off and landing aircraft with rotor thrust yaw control

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Vertical take-off and landing aircraft with rotor thrust yaw control

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