An apparatus providing continuous tilt and variable pitch for rotors on a fixed wing VTOL aircraft. An actuator on a housing rotates a first pivot point on a motor mount to tilt a motor to horizontal and vertical positions. Simultaneously, an actuator on the motor mount rotates a fork on a second pivot point on the motor mount to adjust the pitch of the rotors attached to a free end of the motor's drive shaft. A lower swash plate on the drive shaft is attached to the fork. An upper swash plate on the drive shaft is attached to the rotors. The swash plates are attached to each other with a shaft bushing attached to a shaft ball bearing. The shaft bushing allows both swash plates to move linearly along the shaft when the fork is rotated. The shaft ball bearing allows the upper swash plate to rotate with the drive shaft while the lower swash plate remains stationary.

A rotor assembly comprises a rotor hub and rotor-blade assemblies. The rotor hub comprises rotor-blade supports. Each rotor-blade assembly is coupled to a respective one of the rotor-blade supports and comprises a flap axle, a hub connector, a rotor blade, and a torsion strap. The flap axle extends through a respective one of the rotor-blade supports and has a central flap-axle axis. The hub connector is pivotable relative to a rotor-blade support about the central flap-axle axis and defines a central hub-connector axis. The rotor blade is coupled to and is pivotable relative to the hub connector, and, together with the hub connector, is pivotable relative to a respective one of the rotor-blade supports about the central flap-axle axis. The torsion strap has a first end, coupled to the rotor blade, and a second end, through which the flap axle passes.

An aircraft uses trajectory-based control algorithms for blade pitch (or twist). This approach greatly enhances the ability of the actuator to accurately achieve the desired blade pitch and to track the commanded pitch position. An actuator includes an electronic rotor blade controller that converts communicated or desired changes in pitch (or similar parameter) to actual physical effects that match the desired changes as closely as possible. The controller preferably includes a motor drive circuit, such as an h-bridge, a communication circuit for connection to external commands, and a processor with associated enabling circuitry (e.g. memory, I/O) to coordinate and implement the control.

A ganged servo flight control system for an unmanned aerial vehicle is provided. The flight control system may include a swashplate having first, second, and third connection portions; a first control assembly connected to the first connection portion of the swashplate; a second control assembly connected to the second connection portion of the swashplate; and a third control assembly connected to the third connection portion of the swashplate. The first control assembly may include two or more servo-actuators connected to operate in cooperation with each other.

A ganged servo flight control system for an unmanned aerial vehicle is provided. The flight control system may include a swashplate having first, second, and third connection portions; a first control assembly connected to the first connection portion of the swashplate; a second control assembly connected to the second connection portion of the swashplate; and a third control assembly connected to the third connection portion of the swashplate. The first control assembly may include two or more servo-actuators connected to operate in cooperation with each other.

A rotor assembly includes a pitch spider, rotor blade assemblies, and pitch horn joints. The pitch spider has a body and pitch spider legs extending from the body. Each blade rotor assembly includes a rotor blade, a pitch adapter joined to the rotor blade and connecting the rotor blade to the rotor hub, and a pitch horn. Each pitch horn joint joins one of the rotor blade assemblies to a corresponding pitch spider leg. Each pitch horn joint includes a pitch horn joint bolt extending from the pitch horn of the rotor blade assembly to the pitch spider leg along a pitch horn joint axis, the pitch horn joint bolt fixed to the pitch horn; a spherical bearing having an inner ring and an outer ring; and a slider sleeve coupled to the spherical bearing, the slider sleeve enabling the pitch horn to translate along the pitch horn joint axis.

A rotor assembly includes a pitch spider, rotor blade assemblies, and pitch horn joints. The pitch spider has a body and pitch spider legs extending from the body. Each blade rotor assembly includes a rotor blade, a pitch adapter joined to the rotor blade and connecting the rotor blade to the rotor hub, and a pitch horn. Each pitch horn joint joins one of the rotor blade assemblies to a corresponding pitch spider leg. Each pitch horn joint includes a pitch horn joint bolt extending from the pitch horn of the rotor blade assembly to the pitch spider leg along a pitch horn joint axis, the pitch horn joint bolt fixed to the pitch horn; a spherical bearing having an inner ring and an outer ring; and a slider sleeve coupled to the spherical bearing, the slider sleeve enabling the pitch horn to translate along the pitch horn joint axis.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a drive tube and swashplate trunnion assembly. The drive tube and swashplate trunnion assembly includes a drive tube having a plurality of grooves formed on an outer surface of the drive tube; a swashplate trunnion having a plurality of grooves formed on an inner surface of the swashplate trunnion, wherein individual grooves of the plurality of grooves on the swashplate trunnion mate with individual grooves of the plurality of grooves on the drive tube to form a plurality of channels; and a plurality of cylindrical bearings, wherein each of said cylindrical bearings is disposed within an individual channel of the plurality of channels.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a drive tube and swashplate trunnion assembly. The drive tube and swashplate trunnion assembly includes a drive tube having a plurality of grooves formed on an outer surface of the drive tube; a swashplate trunnion having a plurality of grooves formed on an inner surface of the swashplate trunnion, wherein individual grooves of the plurality of grooves on the swashplate trunnion mate with individual grooves of the plurality of grooves on the drive tube to form a plurality of channels; and a plurality of cylindrical bearings, wherein each of said cylindrical bearings is disposed within an individual channel of the plurality of channels.

A propellant force generator is provided having the size in the axial direction of a rotational shaft of a motor reduced while making the pitch angles of rotational blades driven by the motor variable. The propellant force generator includes a propellant-force generating motor adapted to generate a propellant force for rotational blades, a pitch varying motor adapted to generate a rotational motion for changing pitch angles of the rotational blades, a rotation-linear motion converting unit adapted to convert the rotational motion generated by the pitch varying motor into a linear motion, and a linear motion-rotation converting unit adapted to convert the linear motions converted by the rotation-linear motion converting unit into rotational motions. At least a part of the linear motion-rotation converting unit is located within the propellant-force generating motor.