THREE DIMENSIONAL SCALABLE AND MODULAR AIRCRAFT

Abstract

A three-dimensionally scalable, modular and customizable aircraft composed of stably flyable plurality of planar unitary systems which provides a coordinated thrusting vector in any direction of the three-dimensional space. The aircraft includes at least one circumferential frame that surrounds the system in one plane that houses at least one rotatable piece that allows the system to rotate around at least one rotation axis relative to the circumferential frame. The aircraft includes at least two assembly regions located on the external surfaces of the circumferential frame which is used to attach at least two adjacent modules by touching each other, and also includes at least two electrical power transmission regions that are aligned with the corresponding identical region of the next module which allows sharing of the power sources providing energy to the system among all of the modules.

Claims

1-34. (canceled)

35. An aircraft (V) comprising at least two modules (M), each module (M) comprising a propulsion system (S); where each propulsion system (S) is suitable to be controlled remotely, able to perform vertical take-off, flight, and landing, and said aircraft (V) comprising at least one thrust provider operating in coordination with these propulsion systems (S), characterized in that; the said propulsion system (S) comprises at least two propellers (P); each module (M) comprises a polygon shaped circumferential frame (1), said circumferential frame (1) comprises at least one central piece (1a) rotatably mounted to two facing sides of the circumferential frame (1) and supporting the propulsion system (S) in the center of the circumferential frame (1) for providing independent rotation of the propulsion system (S) with respect to the frame (1), and characterized by; at least two assembly regions (1b) that face outside of the said circumferential frame (1) to physically attach at least two adjacent modules (M) at least two electrical connection regions (1c) that face outside of the said circumferential frame (1) to electrically connect at least two adjacent modules (M), which enables at least one power source (1d) to be shared among modules (M).

36. An aircraft (V) of claim 35, wherein the power source (1d) includes at least one battery and/or gyroscope and/or a control computer.

37. An aircraft (V) of claim 35, wherein said thrust provider is a motor which is connected to the power source (1d).

38. An aircraft (V) of claim 35, wherein the individual self-flight capable module (M) includes at least two propellers (P) which are connected to each other via at least one propeller beam (S1), which propeller beam (S1) reaches the center of the propeller (P).

39. An aircraft (V) of claim 36, wherein the system (S) encompasses four propellers (P) which are located at the corners of a polygon of which center houses the power source (1d).

40. An aircraft (V) of claim 35, wherein at least one secondary power transmission region (1e) is located at the outside of the module (M) that allows attaching a hardware (2).

41. An aircraft (V) of claim 35, wherein the power source (1d) is connected to the rotational piece (1a).

42. An aircraft (V) of claim 35, wherein the information is transmitted to the adjacent Modules (M) or hardware (2) wireless or directly via the secondary power transmission region (1e).

43. An aircraft (V) of claim 35, wherein the propulsion system (S) is connected to the circumferential frame (1) via at least one circular or polygon shaped additional piece (1f) which is able to rotate around an axis relative to central piece (1a).

44. An aircraft (V) of claim 35, wherein the propellers (P) stay inside of the additional piece (1f).

45. An aircraft (V) of claim 35, wherein the assembly region (1b) has a mating hole and a structure which is suitable to be attached to the assembly region (1b) of the next module (M).

46. An aircraft (V) of claim 35, wherein the module (M) has at least one control unit capable of performing synchronized thrust vectoring in order to control the whole aircraft (V).

47. An aircraft (V) of claim 35, wherein the whole set of circumferential frames (1) after the assembly of modules (M) form a three-dimensional cage structure.

Description

EXPLANATIONS OF FIGURES

[0022] Examples of several applications of the invention are presented in the following figures;

[0023] FIG. 1; Perspective view of a single module of the invention

[0024] FIG. 2; Perspective view of the invented aircraft formed by attachment of four modules providing a 3D flying assembly in a box configuration.

[0025] FIG. 3; Perspective view of the invented aircraft formed by attachment of three modules and couple of specialized attached hardware.

[0026] FIG. 4; Perspective view of the invented aircraft formed by attachment of ten modules and a large plate that create a versatile flying platform.

[0027] FIG. 5; Perspective view of a single module of the invention with a circular secondary electrical power transmission region.

[0028] The parts in the figures are numbered and defined as follows;

TABLE-US-00001 Aircraft (V) Module (M) Propulsion System (S) Propeller beam (S1) Propeller (P) Circumferential Frame (1) Central piece (1a) Assembly region (1b) Electrical connection region (1c) Power source (1d) Secondary electrical power transmission region (1e) Additional piece (1f) Hardware (2) Plate (3)

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] Rotor-based unmanned drones started to be widely used in transportation, emergency, and surveying operations. The drones should be in various configurations and have different capacities designed for different missions where the drones are specialized. In the prior art and publicly available products of drones, their applications are usually limited due to specialized design of the particular drone product. Hence, it is necessary to develop a customizable aircraft that can be modified according to the function, allowing a broad diversity of ameliorative features and adaptive to the conditions where the system operates. A physically and electrically connected system made of multiple freely rotatable and stable drone systems forming a 3D structure would be the core of this invention.

[0030] An example of the proposed aircraft (V) is shown in FIG. 1, where the aircraft (V) is capable of being remotely controlled or automatically controlled. The aircraft (V) is made of at least two propulsion systems (S) that can solely fly stably in both vertical and horizontal directions and each propulsion system (S) containing at least two thrust propellers (S1) coordinated with the remaining of the aircraft (V). The invented aircraft (V) is enclosed by at least one circumferential frame (1), expected to be made of light-weight carbon fiber reinforced composite materials (CFRP), which centers the propulsion system (S) and allowing a relative rotation to the enclosed propulsion system (S). To do that, the invented aircraft (V) embodies at least one central piece (1a) connected to the circumferential frame (1) that houses the plane of the rotation axis for the central piece (1a) which can freely rotate with respect to the circumferential frame (1). A circumferential frame (1) comprises at least two assembly regions (1b) that face outside of the propulsion system (S) and used to physically attach at least one adjacent modules (M) which would eventually build 2D/3D structural cage system made of orthogonally assembled circumferential frames (1). The net thrust vector is produced by the individual but synchronized thrusts of each propulsion system (S) which can freely rotate with respect to the resulting aircraft (1) cage structure to maneuver. The circumferential frames (1) have at least two electrical connection regions (1c) that transfer the power from the power source (1d) on the propulsion system (S). In that way, the total power is shared among the attached modules (M) of which assembly resembles a fully connected grid system made of multiple electrical connection regions (1c) and power sources (1d). The successive assembly of modules (M) can be used to scale the propulsion systems (S) in all three orthogonal directions that create a 3D aircraft (V) which is structurally connected in terms of power, physical and information operands. The connections in all of the three orthogonal planes are enabled by the free rotation of the propulsion system (s) thanks to the central piece (1a) and allocation of the transfer regions (1b,1c) in all outside faces of the circumferential frame (1). Each propulsion system (S) is expected to include conventional batteries, control systems, gyroscopes and electric motors that are expected to connect to the power sources (1d). The control computers of the modules (M) are expected to be in continuous wireless communication where the thrust and angle of systems can be synchronized. The synchronization of the module propellers (P) (thrusts) would be easier since the locations of the modules (M) are fixed due to the homogeneous distribution of the propulsion systems (S) inside the cage propulsion system formed by the circumferential frames (1).

[0031] An example of an application of the invention incorporates multiple modules (M) attached to each other via the assembly regions (1b). At this condition, the electrical connection regions (1c) are also touching to each other, which also allows transferring the power from power sources (1d) via the electrical connection (1c) to the modules (M) that drain more energy. The resulting network of transmission regions (1b,1c) and circumferential frames (1) can also be used to attach different electro-mechanical hardware (2) to the aircraft (V). The aircraft (V) formed by repetitive 3D attachment of the modules (M) includes freely rotatable propulsion systems (S) pivoting around the central piece (1a). The aircraft (V) made of translationally fixed but rotationally free stable propulsion systems (S) would result in highly maneuverable, fail-safe and heavy duty aircraft (V). The reason for the maneuverability is the free rotation, but fixed locations of drones. This mechanical and geometrical property assign different moment arms to each propulsion system (S) with respect to the center of mass of the aircraft (V). The fail-safety feature is due to the robust compensation of a failed propulsion system (S) by the remaining propulsion systems (S) since individually flyable propulsion system (S) having more than two propellers (P) can quickly adapt to the new dynamics of the aircraft (V) right after the failure. The ability to carry heavy loads is the summation of the thrusts provided by each propulsion system (S) while internal balancing of the secondary lateral loads throughout the cage propulsion system made of the circumferential frames (1). The critical feature is the involvement of the central pieces (1a) that facilitates independent rotation to each propulsion system (S) which can adjust its angle of rotation and thrusts in agreement with the other modules (M). Noting that, the propulsion system also employs the conventional rotation capability which is achieved by controlling the spinning of the propellers (P) that rotate the whole vehicle (V) with the conservation of angular momentum. The geometry of the aircraft (V) can be also configured by the different spatial combination of modules (M) that have the connection regions (1b,1c) distributed along all of the edges of the circumferential frames (1). Theoretically, the maximum take-off weight or the maximum load carrying capacity of the aircraft (V) is proportional to the number of modules (M). Nevertheless, the air blows of the propellers (P) may reduce the carrying capacity of the propulsion systems (S) staying under the blow. The efficiency loss is caused by the disturbed aerodynamic airflow on the propellers (P) of the downside propulsion systems (S). The efficiency loss is not expected to be greater than 30% which has been studied extensively for contra-rotating propellers used in helicopters. In summary, even though the inclusion of extra modules certainly increases the load carrying capacity of the aircraft (V), it is not linearly dependent but increasing with an inefficiency factor based on the distance between the adjacent modules (M), propeller (P) size, thrust value and configuration. The major advantage of module (M) assembly is coming from the creation of a 3D truss propulsion system. A heavy point load carried under the center of gravity of the aircraft (V) would generate internal lateral forces as a result of different loading angles for the propulsion systems (S) staying outside of the center of the gravity. Such internal forces are canceled out inside the truss propulsion system (S). As mentioned in the first chapter, the conventional application of using multiple free drones to carry a load require employing extra thrust by propellers (P) to cancel out these lateral internal loads, which is inherently solved by the proposed invention.

[0032] In another application of the invention, the aircraft (V) includes flyable propulsion systems (S) in that at least three propellers (P) are joined via at least one propeller beam (S1) that connects the centers of the propellers (P). In this application, the power source (1d) is located at the center of the propulsion system (S) which is the place where the propellers (P) are met via their propeller beams (S1) that determines the center of gravity of that propulsion system (S). In another application of the aircraft (V), there are four propellers (P) that are located at the corners of a square that are all met at the center of the propulsion system (S) where the power source (1d) is also located. Keeping the center of gravities near the geometric center of the circumferential frame (1) would help to obtain a more stable aircraft (V) once they are assembled. Noting that, it is expected to have at least one gear propulsion system (S) between the propeller (P) and the motor that drives the spin speed.

[0033] In an application shown in FIG. 3, at least one hardware (2) is attached to the connection regions (1b,1c) which stays outside of the vehicle boundary while another extra hardware (2), such as an additional power source (1e), is located inside the vehicle (V), at the center of the propulsion system (S) of which constitutes, other than circumferential frame (1) and central piece (1a), are removed. These hardware (2) can be storage tank, battery, camera, spraying propulsion system or any electro-mechanical hardware. Due to the central pieces (1a) and other modules (M) that are currently active to maneuver the aircraft (V), the current propulsion system would be very stable. Especially, the current invention would be highly demanded by movie makers as the aircraft (V) provides very stable flight, carrying heavy professional cameras and extra batteries. 3D geometric customization would enable to have combinations of hardware to be employed by the aircraft (V).

[0034] Another application of the invention is shown in FIG. 4. The aircraft (V) has six vertically aligned and four horizontally aligned modules (M) that form an overall cubical structure. In this configuration, the propulsion systems (S) can rotate in orthogonal directions or only in a specified direction which can be defined by using single or multi-axis axis central pieces (1a) acting on two planes in the 3D space. The horizontally and vertically aligned modules help the aircraft to maneuver. FIG. 4 also shows at least one plate (3) located at the top of the modules (M) and closing the whole assembly. The plate(3) can be utilized to carry large objects at different positions sitting on the top. For example, a person can be saved in an emergency operation where the person can jump over the plate (3) which is supported by the propulsion systems (S). Even though the weight of the object is far from the center of gravity of the aircraft creating an unbalancing torque for the aircraft (V), the propulsion systems (S) can roll along the central pieces (1a) and adjust the thrusts which provides a distributed vector thrusting throughout the aircraft that cancels out any unbalanced torques. The balancing actions of the propulsion systems (S) can keep the whole propulsion system or plate (3) in a fixed (e.g. horizontal) position under unbalanced dynamic conditions.

[0035] An alternative application of the aircraft (V) includes at least one energy resource (1d) which provides power to the all propulsion systems (S). Sharing the resources enables a need-based energy distribution among the modules (M), where hard working modules (M) drains higher energy. This also enables a fail-safe solution for the batteries of which single failure does not lead to a catastrophic failure of the whole aircraft (V). Furthermore, the optimized usage of the restricted resources increases the overall flight range of the aircraft (V). Conversely, a single energy resource (1d) can provide energy to all of the modules (M) in an assembled aircraft (V). In this case, a larger battery can be protected inside the aircraft (V) while the outside propulsion systems (S) flies the aircraft (V), which can be lighter. The central piece (1a) is, therefore, expected to transfer the electricity as well. The power should be transferred via central piece(1a), then via its electrical connection region (1c) and the power transmission region (1c) of the other module (M) or hardware (2). The information sharing and the control of the whole propulsion system is kept aside of this invention because there are numerous solutions to control the drones in synchronized way.

[0036] Another alternative application of the invention provided in FIG. 5 presents an aircraft (V) in which the propulsion system (S) is connected to the circumferential frame (1) via a central piece (1a) and at least one additional piece (1f). This additional piece (1f) frees the other axes of rotations on the top of the original rotation axis provided by the central piece (1a). Hence, the propulsion system (S) can freely rotate along more than one axis relative to the circumferential frame(1). In this application, the additional piece (1f) should not interfere with the propellers (P) such that the components should never clash with the other parts during the rotations. A similar application would be to connect the propulsion system (S) to the central piece (1a) and additional piece (1f) over a spherical joint, which overall allows 360 rotation around all three Cartesian axes. These connections can be found in the conventional propulsion systems that do not require detailed explanation. However, the important point is to allow the propulsion system (S) to rotate around a predefined axis which can be a type of customization to the propulsion system or more than one axes. Noting that, more the rotating piece, it's harder to sustain the electrical connectivity that should also be considered by the operator.

[0037] A preferred application of the invention has at least one electrical connection region (1c) and at least one assembly region (1b) which are in close vicinity to each other that allows easier and safer electrical and physical connections between the modules (M). The physical assembly of the aircraft (V) can be also performed by conventional fasteners suitable to withstand the loads occurring during the flight. The propulsion systems (S) include flight computers (not shown in the figures) that operate the aircraft (V) in synchronization. The computer can understand the modular configuration of the aircraft (V) and includes different mission definitions that handle the synchronization. In this case, the computer on one of the modules (M) or each can take its defined roles that harmonizes the individual propulsion system (S) behavior. Besides, the mission characteristics, such as surveying, transportation or emergency tasks, would be also defined in the software of the computers that apply the required characteristic behaviors. The key part in the control of the invention is that each propulsion system (S) is expected to have its own computer that is also used for coordinating and harmonizing the actions of each propulsion system (S) forming the aircraft (V) controlled automatically or remotely by a human operator.

[0038] One of the most important features of the invented aircraft (V) is the formation of three-dimensional structural box propulsion system made of circumferential frames (1). An application of the concept can be achieved by using a polygonal shape for the circumferential frame (1). The aircraft (V) shown in FIG. 2 forms a box structure propulsion system formed by many modules (M), where each has square shaped circumferential frames (1). Box structures are widely used in aerospace and civil engineering designs due to its superior load carrying capacity within a lightweight and simple solution. In a heavy-duty transportation mission, the aircraft (V) would have adequate stiffness and rigidity within the lightest weight, a vital feature for all flying vehicles, that would allow higher load carrying capacity and range. As mentioned in the previous chapters, the truss propulsion system in the box structure cancels out the secondary internal loads induced inside the aircraft (V). Moreover, some of the internal loads can be kept away from the propulsion systems (S) because the major load flows are handled by the relatively stiff cage propulsion system made of circumferential frames (1). The central piece (1a) should possess enough tolerance at the connection point with the circumferential frame (1), which helps to reduce the transfer of the loads along the rotation axis as the controlled looseness keeps some translational loads away from the propulsion system (S). On the other hand, the propulsion system (S) continue providing operational loads in the thrust direction or the inertial forces due to the conservation of angular momentum to the aircraft via rotational piece (1a) and then circumferential frame (1) while the propulsion system (S) can freely rotate around the rotational piece (1a). In short, the scalable box propulsion system achieved by the invention provides a scalable, lightweight solution for heavy load transportation missions.

[0039] If the distance between the propulsion systems (S) in the aircraft (v) is too short, the aerodynamics at the adjacent propulsion systems (A) under downwash will have a reduced thrust efficiency and may yield vibrations. The distance between the propulsion systems (S) should also concern this effect of inter-modular aerodynamic effect. This distance also determines the size of the circumferential frame (1), and therefore, the weight of the overall aircraft (V). Hence, it becomes an optimization problem where the distance between the modules should be kept as large as possible while not yielding an over-weight solution. The distance is mainly a function of exiting air velocity and diameter of the propellers (P) and should be determined for each design case.

[0040] In the invention, each propulsion system (S) in the aircraft (V) is capable of performing a stable flight on its own. This feature highly enhances the safety of the aircraft (V) since a loss of a constituent propulsion system (S) does not directly lead to a catastrophic failure of the whole assembly. This is due to the fact that the invented aircraft (V) is made of stable propulsion systems of which superposition leads to a stable propulsion system. This feature also opens the way to build relatively random shapes, including many asymmetric shapes, in designing the overall aircraft (V). Using stable propulsion systems also enhances the maneuverability of the aircraft (V) due to having more options while customizing the aircraft (V) design.