WO2025251000A1 - Aéronef à aile carénée et/ou queue carénée - Google Patents

Aéronef à aile carénée et/ou queue carénée

Info

Publication number
WO2025251000A1
WO2025251000A1 PCT/US2025/031744 US2025031744W WO2025251000A1 WO 2025251000 A1 WO2025251000 A1 WO 2025251000A1 US 2025031744 W US2025031744 W US 2025031744W WO 2025251000 A1 WO2025251000 A1 WO 2025251000A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
ducted
stabilizer
propulsors
array
empennage
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
PCT/US2025/031744
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Xiaofan Fei
Devon JEDAMSKI
Mark Douglass Moore
Aaron PERRY
Paul ROTHHAAR
Ian Andreas VILLA
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Whisper Aero Inc
Original Assignee
Whisper Aero Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Whisper Aero Inc filed Critical Whisper Aero Inc
Publication of WO2025251000A1 publication Critical patent/WO2025251000A1/fr
Pending legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64C—AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS
    • B64C5/00—Stabilising surfaces
    • B64C5/02—Tailplanes
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64C—AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS
    • B64C11/00—Propellers, e.g. of ducted type; Features common to propellers and rotors for rotorcraft
    • B64C11/001—Shrouded propellers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64D—EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT
    • B64D27/00—Arrangement or mounting of power plants in aircraft; Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants
    • B64D27/02—Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants
    • B64D27/30—Aircraft characterised by electric power plants
    • B64D27/31—Aircraft characterised by electric power plants within, or attached to, wings
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64D—EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT
    • B64D29/00—Power-plant nacelles, fairings or cowlings
    • B64D29/02—Power-plant nacelles, fairings or cowlings associated with wings

Definitions

  • aspects disclosed here are generally directed to aerial craft such as, for example, drones and aircraft. Aspects disclosed herein are more particularly directed to aerial craft with wing structures and/or tail structures having distributed fan propulsion.
  • Integrating certain propulsion systems can result in exposing additional surface area of the aircraft and other shortcomings.
  • single propeller piston or turboprop propulsors may integrate propulsors directly into the fuselage at the nose or tail in a pusher or puller configuration in order to bury the propulsion system into the fuselage.
  • a fuselage nose integration may result in the fuselage needing to be relatively longer than might otherwise be required for the passenger cabin resulting in additional surface area as well as resulting in the propeller thrust causing additional friction from the higher velocity propulsor airflow scrubbing against the fuselage (often referred to as “scrubbing drag”).
  • integrating propellers into a tail region of an aircraft can also result in problems, for example, a relatively longer fuselage than otherwise might be required for the passenger cabin likewise resulting in additional surface area as well as resulting in relatively poor inflow due the fuselage boundary layer buildup and wing downwash, which may cause the propulsor to ingest highly turbulent air.
  • Other types of propulsion systems such as ducted fan or turbofan propulsor systems may utilize fuselage or wing mounting, which may also suffer drawbacks.
  • a single propulsor fuselage-mounted propulsion system may significantly increase the surface area of the aircraft and require a boundary layer diverter to avoid ingestion of turbulent air, both of which may result in an increase in what is often referred to as “parasitic drag.”
  • a twin fuselage-mounted propulsion system may also significantly increase the surface area of the aircraft and also require a carry-through structure that may reduce the available cabin volume for passengers.
  • a twin propulsor wing-mounted propeller or ducted fan also may significantly increase the surface area of the aircraft while also worsening the spanwise lift distribution across the wing by having a lift dropout from the nacelle-wing interaction along with swirl and exhaust adding additional induced drag due to non-elliptical lift loading Therefore, improved propulsor systems for aerial craft are needed.
  • propulsor systems e.g., propulsor arrays
  • propulsor systems may be provided at the wings of an aerial craft, at the empennage of an aerial craft (e.g., at one or more stabilizers of the empennage), or at both the wings and the empennage of an aerial craft that provide sufficient thrust for various flight modes without adding to the wetted surface area of the aerial craft.
  • propulsor systems may be embedded in or integrated into the wings and/or empennage of the aerial craft.
  • the propulsion systems described herein advantageously avoid adding to the overall wetted surface area of and consequent drag on an aerial craft in contrast to conventional propulsion systems that may be attached to the wings, fuselage, or empennage and thus contribute their respective surface area to the overall wetted surface area of such aircraft thereby increasing drag during operation.
  • one or more propulsor systems provided at an empennage of an aerial craft may provide adequate and proper propulsion such that other primary propulsion devices are not required to achieve the desired flight capabilities of the aerial craft (e.g., speed, mission time, payload capability, etc.).
  • some aerial craft in accordance with aspects of this disclosure may include propulsion system(s) only within the empennage of the aerial craft and be devoid of (omit, lack) any propulsion systems on any wing of the aerial craft or on (e.g., extending from) the fuselage of the aerial craft (i.e., the portion the fuselage that does not include the tail).
  • Aerial craft having propulsion systems within only the empennage may yield benefits that may not be achievable with aerial craft having propulsor systems located elsewhere including, for example, one or more of: (a) reduced surface area relative to other aerial craft with alternatively integrated propulsion systems, (b) the ability to provide a redundant propulsion system ensures availability of power and/or thrust coupling for elevator pitch control and rudder yaw control that enables relatively smaller horizontal stabilizers or vertical stabilizers compared to conventional empennage surfaces, (c) a relatively shorter fuselage without reductions in pitch control or yaw control and without equivalent increases to empennage surface areas for equivalent control effectiveness, (d) a more ideal aerodynamic span loading compared to wing-mounted propulsors that avoids shortcomings of conventional wing-mounted multi-engine nacelle integration such as, for example, lift dropout across span loading that results in higher induced drag due to nacelle interference, propeller swirl effects that may result in an upwash on one side of the propeller and downwash on the other resulting in shed vortic
  • aspects of this disclosure further relate to retrofitting existing aerial crafts with novel propulsion systems described herein having one or more of these benefits.
  • wings, empennages, and/or stabilizers having novel propulsion systems as described herein may be separately manufactured and added to an aerial craft during assembly or retrofitting of the aerial craft.
  • Other examples may include aerial crafts specifically designed without requiring retrofitting.
  • Figure 1A depicts a front right perspective view of an example aircraft having a V— shaped tail and respective arrays of ducted propulsors incorporated into the tail in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure IB depicts a rear right perspective view of the example aircraft of Figure 1 A in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 2A depicts a close-up front right perspective view of an example V-shaped tail of an aircraft having respective arrays of ducted propulsors incorporated into the tail and having forward control surfaces in an open position in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 2B depicts a close-up front right perspective view of the example V-shaped tail of Figure 2A with the forward control surfaces in a closed position in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 3 A depicts a close-up front right perspective view of another example V- shaped tail of an aircraft having respective arrays of ducted propulsors incorporated into the tail and having forward control surfaces in an open position in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 3B depicts a close-up front right perspective view of the example V-shaped tail of Figure 3A with respective forward control surfaces in open or closed positions in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 4A depicts a close-up front right perspective view of another example V- shaped tail of an aircraft having forward control surfaces in an open position in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 4B depicts a close-up front right perspective view of the example V-shaped tail of Figure 4A with respective forward control surfaces in open or closed positions in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 5A depicts a close-up rear right perspective view of an example V-shaped tail of an aircraft having rear control surfaces in an open positions in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 5B depicts a close-up rear right perspective view of the example V-shaped tail of Figure 5A with the rear control surfaces in a closed position in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 6 depicts a side cross-sectional view of an example of a wing with an integrated ducted propulsor in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 7 A depicts a front view of an example aircraft in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 7B depicts a front right perspective view of the example aircraft of Figure 7A;
  • Figure 7C depicts a top view of the example aircraft of Figure 7A;
  • Figure 7D depicts a left side view of the example aircraft of Figure 7 A;
  • Figure 7E depicts a rear left perspective view of the aircraft of Figure 7A;
  • Figure 7F depicts a right side view of the aircraft of Figure 7A;
  • Figure 7G depicts a rear view of the aircraft of Figure 7A;
  • Figure 8 depicts a front left perspective view of an example aircraft having an array of integrated ducted propulsors at each wing and at the V-shaped empennage with respective wing fences at the terminal ends of the arrays in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 9 depicts a front left perspective view of another example aircraft having an array of integrated ducted propulsors at each wing with respective wing fences at the terminal ends of the arrays in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 10 depicts a side cross-sectional view of an integrated ducted propulsor having forward and rear control surfaces in a closed position in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 11 A depicts a close-up front right perspective view of an example T-shaped empennage with arrays of ducted propulsors in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 1 IB depicts a close-up rear right perspective view of the example T-shaped empennage of Figure 11 A;
  • Figure 12A depicts a close-up front right perspective view of an example vertical empennage with an array of ducted propulsors in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 12B depicts a close-up rear right perspective view of the example vertical empennage of Figure 12A;
  • Figure 13A depicts a side cross-sectional view of an example integrated ducted propulsor in a first articulated position and a second articulated position in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 13B depicts a side cross-sectional view of the example integrated ducted propulsor of Figure 13A in an articulated position for a first flight mode in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 13C depicts a side cross-sectional view of the example integrated ducted propulsor of Figure 13 A in an articulated position for a second flight mode in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 14 depicts a side cross-sectional view of another example integrated ducted propulsor in a first articulated position and a second articulated position in accordance with aspects described herein;
  • Figure 15 depicts a block diagram of example components of a control computer that may be part of or in communication with an aerial craft according to one or more examples as described herein;
  • Figure 16A depicts a side-cross sectional view of an example ducted propulsor with control surfaces in an open position in accordance with aspects described herein; and [0042] Figure 16B depicts a side-cross sectional view of the example ducted propulsor with control surfaces in a closed position in accordance with aspects described herein.
  • a forward direction refers to a direction toward a forward (front) end of an aerial craft and an aftward direction refers to a direction toward an aft (rear) end of an aerial craft.
  • an axial direction refers to a direction along a longitudinal axis of an aerial craft (e.g., generally parallel along the length of an aerial craft).
  • a radial direction refers to a direction along a radius of an aerial craft (e.g., generally perpendicularly from a longitudinal axis toward an outer perimeter) or along another axis that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aerial craft (e.g., a lateral axis, transverse axis, or vertical axis of an aerial craft).
  • aerial crafts such as aircraft or drones, air moves from a forward end toward a rear end in an aftward direction.
  • Such aerial crafts may include propulsion systems having one or more propulsors (e.g., ducted fans, jetfoils).
  • an inlet of a propulsor may be located at the forward end of the propulsor and an outlet (e.g., exhaust) may be located at the rear end of the propulsor.
  • a downstream direction refers to a direction the air is flowing towards
  • an upstream direction refers to a direction the air is coming from.
  • the propulsion system may include an array of propulsors, which may be referred to for convenience as a propulsor array.
  • the propulsors may be ducted propulsors (e.g., ducted fans) or integrated ducted propulsors.
  • a propulsor array may include at least two propulsors proximately positioned and adjacent to one another.
  • a propulsor array may include three or more propulsors proximately positioned and adjacent to one another.
  • a distance between adjacent propulsors of a propulsor array may be less than the width of an individual propulsor. In some examples, a distance between adjacent propulsors may be at most half of, a quarter of, an eighth of, or a tenth of the width of an individual propulsor. In some examples, the distance between a pair of adjacent propulsors of a propulsor array may be different than the distance between another pair of adjacent propulsors of the propulsor array. In other words, in some examples, the distance between respective pairs of adjacent propulsors may be different.
  • Each wing of an aerial craft may include one or more propulsor arrays.
  • An empennage may include one or more propulsor arrays.
  • the empennage may include one or more stabilizers.
  • a stabilizer may be a horizontal stabilizer, a vertical stabilizer, or a slanted stabilizer.
  • An empennage therefore, may be described as including one or more of a vertical stabilizer, a horizontal stabilizer, or a slanted stabilizer.
  • an empennage may be described as having a “T-shaped” stabilizer (or “T-shaped” stabilizer assembly) with respective stabilizer structures (e.g., a vertical stabilizer and one or more horizontal stabilizers connected to and extending away from respective lateral sides of the vertical stabilizer in a substantially horizontal direction such that the horizontal stabilizers are oriented substantially perpendicularly relative to the vertical stabilizer).
  • respective stabilizer structures e.g., a vertical stabilizer and one or more horizontal stabilizers connected to and extending away from respective lateral sides of the vertical stabilizer in a substantially horizontal direction such that the horizontal stabilizers are oriented substantially perpendicularly relative to the vertical stabilizer.
  • an empennage may be described as having a “V-shaped” stabilizer (or “V-shaped” stabilizer assembly) with respective stabilizer structures (e.g., a pair of slanted stabilizers extending away from the fuselage of an aerial craft between a horizontal plane and a vertical plane).
  • an empennage may be described as having an “H-shaped” stabilizer (or “H-shaped” stabilizer assembly) with a one or more horizontal stabilizers and a pair of vertical stabilizers connected to and extending vertically above and/or below respective terminal ends of the horizontal stabilizer(s).
  • An empennage may include other combinations of vertical, horizontal, and slanted stabilizers, which will be appreciated with the benefit of the disclosures herein.
  • the empennage itself may be described as a tail or a tail assembly.
  • the empennage may be described as including a tail or a tail assembly.
  • an empennage may be referred to as (or referred to as having) a “T— shaped” tail or tail assembly, a “T— tail,” a “V— shaped” tail or tail assembly, a “V— tail,” an “H-shaped tail” or tail assembly or “H-tail.”
  • An empennage and/or a stabilizer as described herein may be a separate component distinct from the fuselage of an aerial craft and thus connected to (e.g., affixed to, installed at, etc.) the fuselage when manufacturing, assembling, or retrofitting the aerial craft.
  • a wing as described herein may be a separate component distinct from the fuselage of an aerial craft and thus connected to the fuselage when manufacturing, assembling, or retrofitting the aerial craft.
  • a stabilizer may be described as a tail or tail structure (e.g., a vertical stabilizer may be referred to as a vertical tail or vertical tail structure, a horizontal stabilizer may be referred to as a horizontal tail or horizontal tail structure). Regardless of whichever terminology is used to describe the empennage or stabilizer, however, such terminology is not intended to be and should be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosures or the claimed subject matter.
  • the propulsor array may include an array of ducted fans (DFs), which may be referred to for convenience as a DF array.
  • a DF array may include one or more electric ducted fans (EDFs), which may be referred to as an EDF array.
  • EDFs electric ducted fans
  • the DFs, EDFs, or other propulsion systems may be located (reside) between the exterior surfaces of the respective aerial craft structure (e.g., between the exterior surfaces of the wing structure, between the exterior surfaces of the tail structure).
  • An inner duct area may exist as part of the propulsor no matter how the propulsor is integrated into the aerial craft structure. Propulsor integration, therefore, may be achieved without exposing additional surface area of the aerial craft relative to other configurations.
  • Propulsion nacelles mounted to a wing or fuselage of an aerial craft may add significant additional wetted surface area. Reducing wetted surface area may be beneficial for aircraft (e.g., commercial aircraft) that operate at relatively higher cruise speeds (e.g., > about 200 knots) at relative lower cruise altitudes (e.g., ⁇ about 10,000 feet), given parasitic drag, which is directly proportional to the surface area and accounts for > about 80% of the total drag at cruise speeds.
  • the configurations of aerial craft described herein may reduce the overall aircraft surface area by about 10-15% compared to wing- or fuselage-mounted nacelle integration.
  • the configurations provided herein may increase the lift-to-drag ratio by this same amount (e.g., about 10-15%), which may result in a reduction of the power required at cruise speeds by that same amount to achieve greater high-speed aerodynamic cruise efficiency.
  • the overall wetted area of an aerial craft may be advantageously reduced relative to aerial craft with propulsion nacelles mounted to its wings or its fuselage, which may reduce drag by up to 15% in some examples.
  • incorporating the propulsors into the wings and/or stabilizers of an aerial craft as described herein advantageously provides a multifunctional component that provides both lift for the aerial craft and controllability (e.g., pitch, roll, and yaw).
  • example propulsor systems may include EDFs.
  • Electric motors may provide nearly scale independence in terms of efficiency and specific power, providing an opportunity to distribute power across a vehicle without cost across those metrics — which may not be true for piston or turbine engines.
  • Distributing power across many, smaller motors can provide advantages across other metrics, such as improved thermal characteristics because the ratio of motor surface area to motor volume increases at smaller scales. Distribution also offers particularly significant additional advantages for aerial craft through the ability to combine thrust with aerodynamics, control, acoustics, and structure to achieve synergistic integration. Scale independence may be expanded not merely to electric motors, but also to thrust generation.
  • the inventors have realized that using certain distributed arrays of shrouded propulsors as disclosed herein has the unique feature of being able to achieve a > about 90% fan efficiency independent of fan size, for example, whether a 4” or 40” diameter.
  • This ability liberates aerial craft designers to distribute electric thrust across the airframe in unconventional ways to enhance performance characteristics.
  • conventional aircraft may include as few propulsors as possible for higher thermal efficiency, which tends to result in such propulsors being relatively bigger and relatively heavier making them undesirable to position at or near the tail of the aircraft due to the shift in the center of gravity.
  • EDFs In contrast, the efficiency and power achievable with EDFs results in scale independence allowing EDFs to be distributed across the aerial craft (e.g., along the wings and/or stabilizers of an empennage) in order to achieve the length and area needed for effective control of the aerial craft.
  • the aircraft 100 includes a fuselage 102, an empennage 104 connected to the fuselage, and a main wing 106 connected to the fuselage.
  • the main wing may include a singular wing that extends laterally away from both of the left side or right side of the fuselage or a pair of wings that each respectively extend laterally from one of the left side or the right side of the fuselage.
  • the empennage 104 includes a pair of slanted stabilizers 108a and 108b each having a respective upper exterior surface 110a and 110b and a respective lower exterior surface 112a and 112b.
  • the empennage 104 may be described as (or described as having) a V-tail or V-tail assembly.
  • the slanted stabilizers 108a and 108b are each oriented at an oblique angle relative to a longitudinal axis the fuselage 100 (between a horizontal plane and a vertical plane), in other words, at an oblique angle relative to the aircraft’ s forward direction of travel or at an oblique angle relative to ground.
  • Each slanted stabilizer 108a and 108b includes a respective array of ducted propulsors 114a and 114b.
  • Each array of ducted propulsors 114a and 114b includes multiple propulsors 116 embedded in a respective slanted stabilizer 108a and 108b between the respective upper exterior surfaces 110a and 110b and the respective lower exterior surfaces 112a and 112b of the slanted stabilizers.
  • the upper exterior surfaces 110a and 110b and the respective lower exterior surfaces 112a and 112b therefore, may define at least a portion of a duct of a propulsor 116.
  • the duct of a propulsor 116 also may be defined by a dividing structure 118 (e.g., a wall, a shared wall) between pairs of adjacent propulsors of the array.
  • each duct of a propulsor of a propulsor array may be independent of any duct of another propulsor of the propulsor array and may be separated by a structure or void of the wing or empennage that embeds or integrates the propulsor array.
  • the duct of a propulsor 116 at the terminal end of the array opposite the fuselage 102 also may abut a lateral side 120 of the slanted stabilizer or may be integral with the lateral side of the slanted stabilizer such that the lateral side of the slanted stabilizer defines at least a portion of the duct.
  • the duct of a propulsor 116 opposite the terminal end of the array adjacent the fuselage 102 may be defined by the fuselage itself.
  • the fuselage may not directly form a portion of the duct of the inboard-most propulsor
  • an aerial craft may include a boundary layer diverter to prevent ingestion of the fuselage boundary layer into the propulsors of an array of ducted propulsors (e.g., the inboard-most propulsor).
  • a boundary layer diverter to prevent ingestion of the fuselage boundary layer into the propulsors of an array of ducted propulsors (e.g., the inboard-most propulsor).
  • each propulsor 116 With each propulsor 116 having its own duct and being separated (isolated) from adjacent propulsors, each propulsor provides independent thrust during operation. As such, air ingested by a given propulsor 116 may be propelled through the propulsor via an independent airflow path. In some examples, the thrusted air propelled from an exhaust outlet of a propulsor 116 may join thrusted air propelled from an exhaust outlet of an adjacent propulsor. In some examples, the thrusted air collectively propelled from the exhaust outlets of the propulsors of the array may join to form a substantially two-dimensional sheet of thrusted air propelled from the array.
  • the aircraft 100 may be configured with sufficient propulsive capabilities without increasing the exterior surface area of the empennage, for example, if propulsors were attached to any of the exterior surfaces of the stabilizers rather than embedded within it as shown.
  • the propulsors 116 embedded in the stabilizers 108a and 108b may provide sufficient propulsion for the aircraft 100 such that other propulsors or propulsion systems can be omitted from the aircraft, for example, propulsors or propulsion systems at the main wing 106 of the aircraft.
  • the propulsor(s) at the empennage of an aircraft may be the only thrust-generating component of the aircraft.
  • an empennage as described herein may include at least three propulsors.
  • an empennage as described herein may include at least three propulsors on each side of the empennage (e.g., at least three propulsors at a right stabilizer of the empennage and at least three propulsors at a left stabilizer of the empennage).
  • an empennage as described herein may include a propulsor array having at least one propulsor positioned at a terminal end of the empennage (e.g., an array of propulsors at a right stabilizer of the empennage with one of the propulsors being positioned at the terminal end of the right stabilizer farthest from the longitudinal axis of the empennage, and an array of propulsors at a left stabilizer of the empennage with one of the propulsors being positioned at the terminal end of the left stabilizer farthest from the longitudinal axis of the empennage).
  • a propulsor array having at least one propulsor positioned at a terminal end of the empennage (e.g., an array of propulsors at a right stabilizer of the empennage with one of the propulsors being positioned at the terminal end of the right stabilizer farthest from the longitudinal axis of the empennage, and an array of propulsors at
  • aspects of this disclosure may be utilized in a wide variety of aerial crafts, such as drone or aircraft configurations, in order to achieve optimal ducted fan integration.
  • aspects may be particularly beneficial to aerial crafts configured to operate at relatively high cruise speeds (about 200 knots or higher) that aim for maximum aerodynamic efficiency and may be particularly beneficial for aerial craft that aim to maximize their tail control authority and/or aim to minimize disturbance to passengers.
  • aspects of this disclosure also provide control surfaces for controlling the air ingested at an inlet of a propulsor of an array of ducted propulsors as well as the air propelled through an exhaust outlet of a propulsor of an array of ducted propulsors.
  • a propulsor may include one or more control surfaces at the inlet of the propulsor and/or one or more control surfaces at the exhaust outlet of the propulsor.
  • the control surfaces may be hinged control surfaces (e.g., flaps) configured to rotate, pivot, or turn about an axis (e.g., about a location proximate to or at the forward and/or aft portion of the inlet or exhaust outlet of a propulsor).
  • a propulsor may include one or more upper control surfaces (e.g., an upper forward control surface at the inlet of a propulsor, an upper rear control surface at the exhaust outlet of the propulsor) and/or one or more lower control surfaces (e.g., a lower forward control surface at the inlet of a propulsor, a lower rear control surface at the exhaust outlet of the propulsor).
  • a propulsor may share a portion of a control surface with one or more other propulsors in its array of ducted propulsors (e.g., with an adjacent propulsor).
  • each propulsor of an array of ducted propulsors may include one or more individual control surfaces that are not shared with any other propulsor in its array of ducted propulsors. The control surfaces of an individual propulsor may be operated independently of each other or in conjunction with each other.
  • control surfaces of an array of ducted propulsors may be operated independently of each other or in conjunction with each other (e.g., collectively operating all control surfaces in conjunction with each other or collectively operating a subset of the control surfaces in conjunction with each other).
  • One or more control surfaces of a propulsor may be configured to partially or fully block the inlet of the propulsor.
  • an upper control surface and a lower control surface at an inlet of a propulsor may move (e.g., slide, pivot, rotate, turn) toward each other to block the inlet of the propulsor partially or completely.
  • control surface(s) at the inlet of the propulsor may partially or completely obstruct airflow into the inlet of the propulsor.
  • one or more control surfaces of a propulsor may be configured to partially or fully block an exhaust outlet of the propulsor (rear control surfaces).
  • an upper control surface and a lower control surface at an outlet of a propulsor may move toward each other to block the exhaust outlet of the propulsor partially or completely.
  • the control surface(s) at the exhaust outlet of the propulsor may partially or completely obstruct airflow from the exhaust outlet of the propulsor.
  • the rear control surface(s) at the exhaust outlet of the propulsor also may be selectively controlled (e.g., by a pilot or control computer of the aerial craft) to adjust deflection angle for thrust vectoring, flow turning, and/or controlling the pitch, yaw, or roll of the aerial craft.
  • a ruddervator may serve multiple purposes when operating the aerial craft.
  • the type of control surface included at an empennage as described herein may depend on the type of stabilizers and/or the type of tail that the empennage includes.
  • an empennage having a T- tail with both vertical and horizontal stabilizers may include elevator (or elevon) and/or a rudder
  • an empennage having a V-tail with slanted stabilizers may include a ruddervator.
  • the rear control surface(s) also may be configured to move away from the exhaust outlet in order to cause drag for decreasing speed, maneuvering, or landing.
  • the rear control surface(s) thus may be part of a variable exhaust area ratio system and/or a variable exhaust nozzle, which may provide the ability to modify an area of an exhaust outlet in order to maintain the highest overall propulsive efficiency across different aircraft operating speeds.
  • the forward control surface(s) at the inlet of a propulsor likewise may be selectively controlled (e.g., by a pilot or control computer of the aerial craft) to reduce inlet losses at various mass flow conditions, protect the propulsor during operation, or avoid certain types of drag.
  • the forward control surface(s) may be moved to or beyond a threshold position, which may be fully open or less than fully open, in order to reduce inlet losses during static speed or low speed operation, which may maximize thrust and achieve lip suction thrust.
  • the forward control surface(s) may be moved to or beyond a threshold position, which may be fully closed or less than fully closed, in order to shield the propulsor during a hail flight event or to avoid windmilling drag if power is unavailable for the propulsor. In this way, the forward control surface(s) may completely close one or more propulsors in the event of a complete power failure or for improved glide capability.
  • a propulsor or an array of propulsors may have a relatively more aerodynamic shape (e.g., an airfoil shapes) when the control surfaces are in their closed positions, which may advantageously reduce (e.g., minimize) drag and/or excess (unneeded) thrust when operating at a given speed.
  • control surfaces may be provided in a variety of configurations to close the inlet and/or exhaust area of one or more ducted propulsors or integrated ducted propulsors.
  • an array of ducted propulsors may include hinged control surfaces respectively positioned at the leading edge and/or trailing edge of a stabilizer across an entire array of ducted propulsors and pivot about those edges between an open and closed position.
  • an array of ducted propulsors may include shared hinged control surfaces across multiple ducted propulsors of an array of ducted propulsors.
  • an array of ducted propulsors may include individual hinged control surfaces across individual ducted propulsors of an array of ducted propulsors.
  • example control surfaces for opening and closing the inlet and exhaust outlet of an integrated propulsor are shown.
  • Figures 16A-B depict an alternative type of control surface that is embedded in the duct of a ducted propulsor and slides forward or aftward to open and close an inlet or exhaust area of the ducted propulsor. It should be appreciated that the control surfaces described herein additionally or alternatively may be included at the ducted propulsors or integrated ducted propulsors of a wing of an aerial craft.
  • FIGS 2A-B show a close-up front view of an example aircraft 200 having a V- shaped empennage 202 in accordance with aspects described herein.
  • the V-shaped empennage 202 includes a pair of slanted stabilizers 204a and 204b.
  • the slanted stabilizers 204a and 204b each include a respective array of ducted propulsors 203a and 203b.
  • the empennage 202 includes, for each slanted stabilizer 204a and 204b, a pair of forward control surfaces at a leading edge of the stabilizer.
  • the empennage 202 includes an upper forward control surface 206a positioned at an upper leading edge 208a of the slanted stabilizer 204a and a lower forward control surface 210a positioned at a lower leading edge 212a of the slanted stabilizer 204a.
  • the empennage 202 also includes an upper forward control surface 206b positioned at an upper leading edge 208b of the slanted stabilizer 204b and a lower forward control surface 210b positioned at a lower leading edge 212b of the slanted stabilizer 204b.
  • both the upper forward control surfaces 206a-b and the lower forward control surfaces 210a-b are positioned proximate (e.g., above, below, adjacent to) the respective inlets 214 of the respective ducted propulsors 216 of the arrays of ducted propulsors 203a-b.
  • both the upper forward control surfaces 206a-b and the lower forward control surfaces 210a-b extend across their respective arrays of ducted propulsors 203a-b (e.g., across each inlet of a respective propulsor 216 of their respective arrays of ducted propulsors).
  • slanted stabilizers such as those shown in Figures 2A-B may include only upper forward control surfaces or only lower forward control surfaces on one or more of the stabilizers (e.g., only upper forward control surfaces on each of the left stabilizer and right stabilizer, only lower forward control surfaces on each of the left stabilizer and right stabilizer) or may include forward control surfaces on only one of the stabilizers (e.g., only an upper forward control surface and/or a lower forward control surface on either the left stabilizer or the right stabilizer).
  • the forward control surfaces may be actuated to transition between and through various positions.
  • the forward control surfaces may be actuated to one or more positions that do not obstruct airflow into the respective inlets 214 of the ducted propulsors 216, one or more positions that obstruct (partially block) airflow into the inlets of the respective ducted propulsors, and/or one or more positions that substantially (e.g., completely) block airflow into the inlets of the respective ducted propulsors.
  • blocking airflow into the inlets may include using one or more structures or mechanisms to divert airflow away from (e.g., above, below) the inlet, which may or may not be present or in the same configuration when the airflow is not blocked or diverted.
  • structures or mechanism may include the shape and/or configuration of the control surfaces moved between the “open” and “closed” positions including one or more surface features (e.g., shapes, contours, etc.) included on the windward side of the control surfaces.
  • one or more forward control surfaces substantially block airflow into the inlets by blocking up to 100% of the airflow into the inlets or, if less than 100% of the airflow, enough of the airflow such that the ducted stabilizer functions as a similarly dimensioned traditional airfoil without the array of ducted propulsors.
  • the forward control surfaces of the empennage 202 are shown as being in a first position (e.g., an “open” position) in Figure 2A and are shown as being in a second position (e.g., a “closed” position) in Figure 2B.
  • control surfaces of the empennage 202 are shown in Figure 2A as being in a substantially flat position across the array of propulsors in the “closed” position (e.g., substantially perpendicular to a horizontal plane), it will be appreciated that, in some examples, the control surfaces may form a more aerodynamic shape (e.g., an airfoil shape) when in the “closed” position by moving to a slanted position (e.g., an oblique angle relative to a horizontal plane, a position between a horizontal plane and a vertical plane) such as shown by way of example in Figures 16A-B discussed below.
  • a slanted position e.g., an oblique angle relative to a horizontal plane, a position between a horizontal plane and a vertical plane
  • the forward control surfaces of the empennage 202 may be actuated (e.g., based on input received from a pilot or a control computer) to move between the first position shown in Figure 2A and the closed position shown in Figure 2B as well as to and through positions in between.
  • the forward control surfaces may be actuated independently or in conjunction with each other.
  • the upper forward control surfaces 206a-b and/or the lower forward control surfaces 210a-b may be actuated independently or in conjunction with each other.
  • FIGS 3A-B depict a close-up front view of another example aircraft 300 having a V-shaped empennage 302 in accordance with aspects described herein.
  • the aircraft 300 and V-shaped empennage 302 is similar to the aircraft 200 and V-shaped empennage 202 of Figures 2A-B in that the V-shaped empennage 302 includes a pair of slanted stabilizers 304a and 304b.
  • the V-shaped empennage 302 differs from the V-shaped empennage 202 of Figures 2A-B, however, by including multiple upper forward control surfaces and multiple lower forward control surfaces on each of the stabilizers.
  • the slanted stabilizer 304a includes multiple upper forward control surfaces 306a- 1, 306a-2 306a- 3 positioned at the upper leading edge 308a of the slanted stabilizer 304a as well as multiple lower forward control surfaces 310a-l, 310a2, 310a-3 positioned at the lower leading edge 312a of the slanted stabilizer 304a.
  • the slanted stabilizer 304b includes similarly positioned upper forward control surfaces 306b- 1, 306b-2, 306b-3 positioned at the upper leading edge 308b of the slanted stabilizer 304b and lower forward control surfaces 310b-l, 310b-2, 310b- 3 at the lower leading edge 312b of the slanted stabilizer 304b.
  • the forward control surfaces extend across the respective inlets 314 of multiple propulsors 316.
  • upper forward control surface 306a- 1 and lower forward control surface 310a-2 extend across the respective inlets 314 of two adjacent propulsors 316.
  • an upper forward control surface and a lower forward control surface may extend across the same respective inlets of adjacent propulsors (e.g., the first two propulsors, the first three propulsors, etc., of an array of ducted propulsors).
  • the forward control surfaces shown in Figures 3A-B may be referred to as shared forward control surfaces.
  • an upper forward control surface and a lower forward control surface may extend across different inlets of propulsors (e.g., an upper forward control surface may extend across the respective inlets of the first and second propulsors and a lower forward control surface may extend across the respective inlets of the second and third propulsors).
  • the forward control surfaces of the empennage 302 in Figures 3A-B may be actuated to move to and through different positions (e.g., a first position that may be described as an “open” position and a second position that may be described as a “closed” position).
  • a first position that may be described as an “open” position
  • a second position that may be described as a “closed” position
  • the forward control surfaces of the empennage 302 are shown in what may be described as an “open” position.
  • some of the forward control surfaces are shown in what may be described as a “closed” position while other forward control surfaces are shown in the “open” position of Figure 3 A.
  • the forward control surfaces of the V-shaped empennage 302 likewise may be controlled individually or in conjunction with each other as described herein.
  • Figures 4A-B depict a close-up front view of a further example aircraft 400 having a V-shaped empennage 402 in accordance with aspects described herein.
  • the aircraft 400 and V-shaped empennage 402 is similar to the aircraft 200 and V-shaped- empennage 202 of Figures 2A-B and the aircraft 300 and V-shaped empennage 302 in Figures 3A-B in that the -V-shaped empennage 402 includes a pair of slanted stabilizers 404a and 404b.
  • the V- shaped -empennage 402 differs from the V-shaped empennage 202 of Figures 2A-B and the V-shaped empennage 302 of Figures 3A-B, however, by including individual upper forward control surfaces and individual lower forward control surfaces at the respective inlets 414 of the propulsors 416.
  • the slanted stabilizer 404a includes multiple upper forward control surfaces 406a- 1, 406a-2, 406a-3, 406a-4, 406a-5, 406a-6 respectively positioned at the upper leading edge 408a of the slanted stabilizer 404a and across the respective inlets 414 of each propulsor 416.
  • the slanted stabilizer 404a includes multiple lower forward control surfaces 410a- 1, 410a-2, 410a-3, 410a- 4, 410a-5, 410a-6 respectively positioned at the lower leading edge 412a of the slanted stabilizer 404a and across the respective inlets 414 of each propulsor.
  • the slanted stabilizer 404b includes similarly positioned upper forward control surfaces 410a-l, 410a-2, 410a-3, 410a-4, 410a-5, 410a-6 positioned at the upper leading edge 408b of the slanted stabilizer 304b and lower forward control surfaces 410b-l, 410b-2, 410b-3, 410b-4, 410b-5, 410b-6 at the lower leading edge 412b of the slanted stabilizer 404b.
  • a stabilizer e.g., a slanted stabilizer
  • a stabilizer may include individual upper forward control surfaces and/or individual lower forward control for only some of the propulsors of an array of ducted propulsors.
  • the forward control surfaces of the empennage 402 in Figures 4A-B may be actuated to move to and through different positions (e.g., a first position that may be described as an “open” position and a second position that may be described as a “closed” position).
  • the forward control surfaces of the empennage 402 are shown in what may be described as an “open” position.
  • some of the forward control surfaces are shown in what may be described as a “closed” position while other forward control surfaces are shown in the “open” position of Figure 4A.
  • the forward control surfaces of the V-shaped empennage 402 likewise may be controlled individually or in conjunction with each other as described herein.
  • FIGS 5A-B depict a close-up rear view of an example aircraft 500 having a V- shaped empennage 502 in accordance with aspects described herein.
  • the aircraft 500 and V- shaped empennage 502 is similar to the aircraft 200 and V-shaped empennage 202 of Figures 2A-B in that the V-shaped empennage 502 includes a pair of slanted stabilizers 504a and 504b each with a respective array of ducted propulsors 503a and 503b.
  • the empennage 502 includes, for each slanted stabilizer 504a and 504b, a pair of rear control surfaces at a trailing edge of the stabilizer.
  • the empennage 502 includes an upper rear control surface 506a positioned at an upper trailing edge 508a of the stabilizer 504a and a lower rear control surface 510a positioned at a lower trailing edge 512a of the stabilizer 504a.
  • the empennage 502 also includes an upper rear control surface 506b positioned at an upper trailing edge 508b of the slanted stabilizer 504b and a lower rear control surface 510b positioned at a lower trailing edge 512b of the slanted stabilizer 504b.
  • the rear control surfaces of the empennage 502 extend across their respective arrays of ducted propulsors 503a-b, in particular across each exhaust outlet 214 of the respective ducted propulsors 516.
  • the rear control surfaces of the empennage 502 in Figures 5A-B may be actuated to move to and through different positions (e.g., a first position that may be described as an “open” position and a second position that may be described as a “closed” position).
  • the rear control surfaces of the empennage 502 are shown in what may be described as an “open” position.
  • the rear control surfaces of the empennage 502 may move to and through various positions in order to vary (change) the area of a respective exhaust outlet 514 of one or more of the propulsors 516.
  • one or more of the rear control surfaces of the empennage 502 may decrease the area of the exhaust outlet 514 by transitioning from an “open” position to (or toward) and a “closed” position and may increase the area of the exhaust outlet by transitioning from the “closed” position to (or toward) the “open” position.
  • the rear control surfaces of the empennage 502 also may be actuated in order to block the exhaust outlet 514 of one or more of the propulsors 516 by completely blocking the exhaust outlet.
  • the rear control surfaces of the empennage 502 may include, for example, a ruddervator.
  • the rear control surfaces of the V-shaped empennage 502 likewise may be controlled individually or in conjunction with each other as described herein.
  • the rear control surfaces of an empennage may form a more aerodynamic shape (e.g., an airfoil shape, a slantwise orientation) when in the “closed” position instead of the flat orientation shown in Figure 5B.
  • an empennage, stabilizer, and/or tail may include only upper rear control surfaces, only lower rear control surfaces, shared rear control surfaces (e.g., shared upper rear control surfaces, shared lower rear control surfaces), individual rear control surfaces (e.g., individual upper rear control surfaces, individual lower rear control surfaces), and combinations of the same. More generally, it should be appreciated that an empennage, stabilizer, and/or tail may include any combination of control surfaces (e.g., upper, lower, shared, individual) in various examples.
  • Figure 6 depicts a side cross-sectional view of an example of a wing 600 with and integrated ducted propulsor 602.
  • a stabilizer may likewise include an integrated ducted propulsor in the same or similar manner as the integrated ducted propulsor 602 shown to be integrated in the wing 600 of Figure 6.
  • the disclosures provided below by way of example in the context of a wing having an integrated propulsor also are applicable to and may be implemented in the context of a stabilizer having an integrated ducted propulsor.
  • reference to a leading edge or trailing edge of a blown wing may be similarly applicable to a leading edge or trailing edge of a blown stabilizer.
  • a ducted propulsor may be integrated (or embedded) in a wing or a stabilizer of an aerial craft and thus may be referred to, for convenience, as an integrated ducted propulsor (or embedded ducted propulsor). Accordingly, an array of ducted propulsors integrated (or embedded) in a wing or a stabilizer may be referred to as an array of integrated ducted propulsors (or an array of embedded ducted propulsors).
  • a wing with an integrated ducted propulsor may be referred to as a ducted wing
  • an empennage, stabilizer, or tail with an integrated propulsor may be referred to as a ducted empennage or jet empennage, a ducted stabilizer or jet stabilizer, or a ducted tail or jet tail, respectively.
  • an integrated ducted propulsor is configured to propel (blow) air across an upper exterior surface of a wing or stabilizer.
  • a wing with an integrated ducted propulsor may be referred to as a blown wing and an empennage, stabilizer, or tail with an integrated ducted propulsor may be referred to as a blown empennage, a blown stabilizer, or a blown tail, respectively. Additional details regarding integrated ducted propulsors can be found in commonly-owned U.S. Patent Application No. 18/814,250 published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2025/0066015 and titled “Exhaust Area and Flow Turning Control,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
  • the wing 600 in this example, includes an integrated ducted propulsor 602 with an inlet 604 and an exhaust outlet 606.
  • the diameter of the inlet 604 of the propulsor 602 is greater than (exceeds) the diameter of the exhaust outlet 606.
  • the area of an inlet of a propulsor may be larger than the area of an exhaust outlet of the propulsor. In other examples, the area of an inlet of a propulsor may be about the same as the area of an exhaust outlet of the propulsor
  • the wing 600 includes an upper wing portion 608 having a forward end 610 and a rear end 612 that is opposite the forward end.
  • the wing 600 also includes a lower wing portion 614 also having a forward end 616 and a rear end 618 that is opposite the forward end of the lower wing portion.
  • each of the forward end 610 of the upper wing portion 608 and the forward end 616 of the lower wing portion 614 is rounded as shown in Figure 6.
  • the forward end 610 at the leading edge of the upper wing portion 608 is forward of the forward end 616 at the leading edge of the lower wing portion 614. That is, the forward end 610 of the upper wing portion 608 extends past the forward end 616 of the lower wing portion 614 such that a portion of the forward end of the upper wing portion does not overlap with the forward end of the lower wing portion.
  • This configuration results in an inlet 604 of the integrated ducted propulsor 602 that is canted, rather than perpendicular to, an airflow into the integrated ducted propulsor.
  • a canted inlet may facilitate performance at relatively low speeds and may reduce inlet flow field distortion.
  • the upper wing portion 608 has an outer surface 620 having a convex shape and an inner surface 622 having a concave shape. As seen in Figure 6, the outer surface 620 of the upper wing portion 608, in this example, is not parallel with the inner surface 622 of the upper wing portion.
  • the thickness of the upper wing portion 608 varies from the forward end 610 of the upper wing portion to the rear end 612 of the upper wing portion. For example, the thickness of the upper wing portion 608 may increase from the forward end 610 of the upper wing portion 608 to an intermediate portion 624 of the upper wing portion that is between the forward end 610 and the rear end 612 of the upper wing portion.
  • the intermediate portion 624 corresponds to (e.g., overlaps) the location of the integrated ducted propulsor 602 within the wing 600.
  • the thickest portion of the upper wing portion 608 is aligned with the integrated ducted propulsor 602.
  • the thickness of the upper wing portion 608 decreases from the intermediate portion 624 of the upper wing portion 608 to the rear end 612 of the upper wing portion.
  • the lower wing portion 614 of the wing 600 in this example, has an inner surface 626 that faces the inner surface 622 of the upper wing portion 608.
  • the inner surface 626 of the lower wing portion 614 is connected to the inner surface 622 of the upper wing portion 608 to collectively form the inner surface of the duct of the integrated ducted propulsor 602 of the wing 600.
  • the inner surface 626 of the lower wing portion 614 includes a first portion 628 having a concave shape and a second portion 630 having a convex shape.
  • the concave first portion 628 of the inner surface 626 of the lower wing portion 614 overlaps the concave inner surface 622 of the upper wing portion 608.
  • the concave first portion 628 of the inner surface 626 of the lower wing portion 614 is included in the first lower wing portion 614A.
  • the integrated ducted propulsor 602 in this example, is disposed between the concave first portion 628 of the inner surface 626 of the lower wing portion 614 and the concave portion of the inner surface 622 of the upper wing portion 608 that form the duct of the integrated ducted propulsor.
  • the duct formed by the upper wing portion 608 and the lower wing portion 614 has a maximum inner area in the concave first portion 628 of the inner surface 626 of the lower wing portion 614 and the concave inner surface 622 of the upper wing portion 608 that overlaps the integrated ducted propulsor 608.
  • the integrated ducted propulsor 602 is closer to the inlet 604 than the exhaust outlet 606 of the duct.
  • the convex second portion 630 of the upper inner surface 626 of the lower wing portion 614 is included in the second lower wing portion 614B and does not overlap with the upper wing portion 608.
  • the lower wing portion 614 also has an outer surface 632.
  • the outer surface 632 of the lower wing portion 614 in this example, has convex in shape between the forward end 616 of the lower wing portion to the rear end 618 of the lower wing portion 618.
  • the thickness of the lower wing portion 614 varies from the forward end 616 of the lower wing portion to the rear end 618 of the lower wing portion.
  • the thickness of the lower wing portion 614 may increase from the forward end 616 of the lower wing portion to an intermediate portion 634 of the lower wing portion that corresponds to (e.g., overlaps) the rear end 612 of the upper wing portion 608.
  • the thickest portion of the lower wing portion 614 is aligned with the rear end 612 of the upper wing portion 608.
  • the thickness of the lower wing portion 614 in this example, decreases from the intermediate portion 634 of the lower wing portion to the rear end 618 of the lower wing portion.
  • an inner diameter (and therefore the area) of the duct of the integrated ducted propulsor 602 varies from both of the forward end 610 of the upper wing portion 608, and the forward end 616 of the lower wing portion 614 to the rear end 612 of the upper wing portion 608 and the intermediate portion 634 of the lower wing portion.
  • the diameter (and therefore the area) of the duct increases from the inlet 604 of the integrated ducted propulsor 602 to a portion of the duct that overlaps the intermediate portion 624 of the upper wing portion 608 and then decreases toward the exhaust outlet 606 of the duct between the rear end 612 of the upper wing portion and the intermediate portion 634 of the lower wing portion 614.
  • an inlet of a propulsor may have a different shape (e.g., circular, annular) than an exhaust outlet of the propulsor (e.g., square, rectangular).
  • an inlet of the propulsor and an exhaust outlet of the propulsor may have the same general shape.
  • the integrated ducted propulsor 602 may include one or more control surfaces 636 (e.g., flaps, elevators, etc.).
  • the integrated ducted propulsor 602 shown by way of example in Figure 6 includes, at the rear end 612 of the upper wing portion 608, an upper rear control surface 636A and includes, at the rear end 618 of the lower wing portion 614, a lower rear control surface 636B.
  • the upper rear control surface 636A is configured to control the area of the exhaust outlet 606 of the integrated ducted propulsor 602, which may be decreased from its maximum outlet area to a minimum outlet area by pivoting the upper rear control surface 636A downward thereby changing the angle of the upper rear control surface and thus changing the area of the exhaust outlet.
  • Controlling the area of the exhaust outlet 606 may allow for optimized inlet air flow at various speeds of the aerial craft and may allow for improved efficiency across various speeds.
  • the lower rear control surface 636B controls the direction of the exhaust flow thereby changing the direction of thrust.
  • the angle (e.g., position) of the lower rear control surface 636B may correspond to a particular flight mode.
  • the angle of the lower rear control surface 636B as depicted in Figure 6 may corresponds to a conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) flight mode, and the lower rear control surface may be angled downwards to a maximum angle that corresponds to a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) flight mode or angled at an intermediate angle that corresponds to a short take-off and landing (STOL) flight mode.
  • CTOL take-off and landing
  • STOL short take-off and landing
  • the integrated ducted propulsor 602 shown by way of example in Figure 6 also includes, at the forward end 610 of the upper wing portion 608, an upper forward control surface 636C and includes, at the forward end 616 of the lower wing portion 614, a lower forward control surface 636D.
  • the upper forward control surface 636C is opposite the upper rear control surface 636A
  • the lower forward control surface 636D is opposite the lower rear control surface 636B.
  • the upper forward control surface 636C may be configured to be positioned at different angles to change the area of the inlet 604 of the integrated ducted propulsor 602.
  • the upper forward control surface 636C may pivot downward toward a center of the integrated ducted propulsor 602 in order to change the area of the inlet 604.
  • the lower forward control surface 636D similarly may be configured to be positioned at different angles to change the area of the inlet 604 of the integrated ducted propulsor 602.
  • the lower forward control surface 636D may pivot upward toward a center of the integrated ducted propulsor 602 in order to change the area of the inlet 604. It will be appreciated that both the upper forward control surface 636C and the lower forward control surface 636D may pivot, either independently or in conjunction with each other, in order to change the area of the inlet 604.
  • the area of the inlet 604 of the integrated ducted propulsor 602 may be changed by pivoting one or both of the upper forward control surface 636C and the lower forward control surface 636D. Controlling the area of the inlet in addition to the area of the exhaust outlet 606 may further allow for optimized inlet air flow at various speeds of the aerial craft and may allow for improved (e.g., maximized) efficiency across the various speeds.
  • the upper forward control surface 636C also may be selectively pivoted in order to regulate airflow into the inlet 604 during various flight conditions. For example, the upper forward control surface may be pivoted in a downward direction toward a center of the integrated ducted propulsor 602 in order to coerce freestream air to more cleanly enter the inlet when transitioning between flight modes.
  • an integrated ducted propulsor may include only a single forward control surface, for example only an upper forward control surface or only a lower forward control surface.
  • an integrated ducted propulsor array may not include any forward control surfaces.
  • the lower leading edge of a wing or a stabilizer may form the lower leading edge of the array of integrated ducted propulsors. That is, a portion of the lower leading edge of a wing or stabilizer may form the lower leading edge the duct of one of the integrated ducted propulsors of the array.
  • the wing 600 may include a control mechanism connected to each control surface 636 to control the angle of the control surface.
  • the control mechanism may include a servo motor and a rod with one end of the rod being connected to the servo motor and a second end of the rod being connected to the control surface.
  • the servo motor may extend the rod to pivot the control surface towards its maximum possible angle and may retract the rod to return the rod to its default position or any position in between. It will be appreciated that actuating the control surfaces may be achieved using additional and alternative mechanical structures, assemblies, and configurations.
  • Figures 7A-G depict various views of an example aircraft 700 that includes various features in accordance with aspects described herein.
  • a front view of the example aircraft 700 is shown in Figure 7 A
  • a front right perspective view of the example aircraft is shown in Figure 7B
  • a top view of the example aircraft is shown in Figure 7C
  • a left side view of the example aircraft is shown in Figure 7D
  • a rear left perspective view of the example aircraft is shown in Figure 7E
  • a right side view of the example aircraft is shown in Figure 7F
  • a rear view of the example aircraft is shown in Figure 7G.
  • the aircraft 700 includes a fuselage 702, a wing assembly 704, and a V-shaped empennage 706.
  • the fuselage 702 in this example, has a lacriform (teardrop) shape. It will be appreciated that the fuselage 702, while having a lacriform shape, need not be perfectly lacriform.
  • the fuselage 702 may exhibit a teardrop-shaped profile when viewed from the top and an offset teardrop-shaped profile when viewed from a lateral side whereby an upper exterior surface 705 of the fuselage is more convex than a lower exterior surface 707 of fuselage.
  • the fuselage may be sized to carry one or more individuals (e.g., pilots, passengers).
  • the wing assembly 704 includes two lateral wings 704a and 704b that, as described herein, each include a respective array of integrated ducted propulsors 708a and 708b.
  • the empennage 706 includes two stabilizers 710a and 710b that, also as described herein, each include a respective array of integrated ducted propulsors 712a and 712b.
  • the stabilizers 710a and 710b are slated stabilizers.
  • Each integrated ducted propulsor 714 may include a quantity of blades and be characterized by a certain blade passage frequency (BPF) as described herein. Not every integrated ducted propulsor 714 is labeled in Figures 7A- G.
  • the wings 704a and 704b of the wing assembly 704 may be characterized by a forward sweep and anhedral.
  • Anhedral wings having a forward sweep such as wings 704a and 704b, may provide beneficial stability and/or control.
  • anhedral wings having a forward sweep may allow the net thrust of the propulsors of the aerial craft (such as the propulsors respectively included at the wing and/or the stabilizers) to be in roughly the same plane when operating the aerial craft in a VTOL flight mode. Having the net thrust of the aerial craft be in the roughly the same which may be helpful for control in a hover flight mode and when transitioning between flight modes.
  • the forward sweep of the wings may facilitate pitch authority in a hover flight mode where the aerial craft is dependent on the propulsors for control authority and moment generation instead of the control authority that arises from turning the freestream airflow when moving forward.
  • positioning the propulsors relatively farther away from the aerial craft’s center of gravity using forward swept wings may facilitate pitch authority in a hover flight mode as compared to wings with no forward or with aftward sweep (e.g., substantially perpendicular to the fuselage) that are relatively closer to the center of gravity.
  • a forward swept wing may provide a relatively longer moment arm, which may yield a greater moment (e.g., pitching moment) for the same thrust differential.
  • the wings may have no forward sweep or more limited forward sweep than what is shown in Figures 7A-G.
  • the wings 704a and 704b of the wing assembly 704 are positioned proximate to or at the upper exterior surface 705 of the fuselage 702, which may help to avoid ingesting foreign objects and debris into the propulsors 714 upon takeoff or when operating the aerial craft in austere conditions.
  • anhedral may added to counteract the pendulum stability from the lower center of gravity relative to the wings thereby improving handling qualities.
  • Each respective terminal end 716a and 716b of the wings 704a and 704b include a wing fence 718a and 718b.
  • each respective terminal end 720a and 720b of the stabilizers 710a and 710b include a wing fence 722a and 722b.
  • wing fence for the stabilizers of an empennage.
  • stabilizer fence or more the more general term, “end cap,” also may be used to refer to the structures at the respective terminal ends of the stabilizers.
  • end cap may also be used to refer to similar structures connected to the terminal ends of the wings of an aerial craft as described herein.
  • Each wing fence 718a and 718b at the respective terminal ends 716a and 716b of the wings 704a and 704b extend in a generally upward direction above the upper exterior surface of the wings (upward away from the upper exterior surface of the wings) and in a generally downward direction below a lower exterior surface of the wings (downward away from the lower exterior surface of the wings).
  • a wing fence may be oriented substantially perpendicularly relative to an upper and/or lower surface a stabilizer (or wing) and thus be oriented substantially vertically if attached to a horizontal stabilizer (e.g., a stabilizer oriented in a horizontal plane) or slantwise if attached to a slanted stabilizer (e.g., a stabilizer oriented in a vertical plane).
  • a horizontal stabilizer e.g., a stabilizer oriented in a horizontal plane
  • slanted stabilizer e.g., a stabilizer oriented in a vertical plane
  • each wing fence 722a and 722b at the respective terminal ends 720a and 720b of the stabilizers 710a and 710b extend in a generally slantwise direction both above the upper exterior surface of the stabilizers (upwardly slantwise away from the upper exterior surface of the stabilizers) and below a lower exterior surface of the stabilizers (downwardly slantwise away from the lower exterior surface of the stabilizers).
  • the wing fences 718a and 718b each may define respective end walls 724a and 724b. The end walls 724a and 724b of the respective wing fences 718a and 718b may facilitate a VTOL flight mode.
  • the end walls 724a and 724b may prevent a vortex rollup of the airflow sheet expelled from the respective arrays of integrated ducted propulsors 708a and 708b. Insufficient end wall features may undesirably result in the dissipation of the airflow sheet.
  • the end walls 724a and 724b may form about a 90° (degree) angle relative to the span of their respective wings 704a and 704b with a fillet to minimize flow separation.
  • the wing fences 722a and 722b of the respective stabilizers 710a and 710b likewise may define respective end walls, for example, end walls that form about a 90° angle relative to the span of their respective stabilizers also with a fillet to minimize flow separation of the airflow sheet expelled from the respective arrays of integrated propulsors 712a and 712b.
  • a wing fence may extend only below a lower surface of a wing or a stabilizer (e.g., only downward away from a lower exterior surface of the wing, only downwardly slantwise away from a lower exterior surface of a slanted stabilizer).
  • the wing fences of an aerial craft may have a variety of configurations and constructions.
  • each of the wing fences 718a and 718b of the wings 704a and 704b and the wings fences 722a and 722b of the stabilizers 710a and 710b include booms.
  • the wing fences may be referred to as end caps as noted above.
  • the booms at the wings and/or stabilizers may house batteries, sensors, navigation lights, small cargo, or/other miscellaneous mission equipment.
  • the booms have a lacriform shape, which may be relatively more aerodynamic and thus result in less drag compared to other shapes.
  • the wings 704a and 704b of the aircraft 700 1 have a forward sweep such that the respective terminal ends 716a and 716b of the wings are positioned forward of the opposite ends of the wings that are adjacent to the fuselage.
  • the arrays of integrated ducted propulsors 708a and 708b may extend at least 80% of the length along their respective wing 704a and 704b between the fuselage 702 and an inner side of a respective wing fence 718a and 718b.
  • at least 80% of the length along the wings 704a and 704b may include integrated ducted propulsors.
  • at least 90% of the length along the wings 704a and 704b may include integrated ducted propulsors.
  • substantially the entire length of each wing 704a and 704b may include integrated ducted propulsors.
  • up to substantially the entire length of the stabilizers 710a and 710b may similarly include integrated ducted propulsors.
  • the stabilizers 710a and 710b of the V-shaped empennage are dihedral with an aftward sweep.
  • the terminal ends 720a and 720b of their respective stabilizers 710a and 710b are positioned aftward of an opposite end of the stabilizer that is adjacent to the fuselage.
  • Dihedral stabilizers having an aftward sweep may facilitate stability and control in a VTOL flight mode and when transitioning between flight modes.
  • Aerial craft having both dihedral stabilizers with an aftward sweep and anhedral wings with a forward sweep may allow for thrust vectors to align on the same relative plane, which may simplify flight controls.
  • An empennage with dihedral stabilizers having an aftward sweep mounted proximate to an upper exterior surface of a fuselage also may avoid ingesting foreign objects and debris upon takeoff or when operating in austere conditions.
  • aircraft 700 shown in Figures 7A-G include respective arrays of integrated propulsors at both the wings and the stabilizers
  • other examples may include arrays of integrated propulsors at just the wings of the aircraft (e.g., just a single wing, just multiple wings), just the empennage of the aircraft (e.g., just a stabilizer, just multiple stabilizers).
  • aerial craft may include more or fewer integrated ducted propulsors than what is shown in Figures 7A-G.
  • an array of integrated ducted propulsors at a wing of an aerial craft may include up to sixteen integrated ducted propulsors, and an array of integrated ducted propulsors at a stabilizer of an aerial craft may include up to four integrated ducted propulsors.
  • the wings and/or stabilizers of an aerial craft may have different quantities of ducted propulsors.
  • a left- side wing of an aerial craft may include more or fewer ducted propulsors than a right-side wing of the aerial craft and/or a left- side stabilizer of an aerial craft may include more or fewer ducted propulsors than a right-side stabilizer of the aerial craft.
  • aspects of the aerial craft disclosed herein may be implemented to provide an aircraft having seating for at least two passengers, but may be lengthened to accommodate more passengers and/or to accommodate cargo or payload.
  • the nose 726 of the fuselage 702 may appear to be angled down due to the angle of incidence of the wing and empennage mounting. This angle of incidence may be set based on the maximum angle of flow turning on the empennage 706 to minimize the variation in angle of attack between a VTOL flight mode and a cruise flight mode for passengers.
  • the front portion of the fuselage may rotate upward to allow for pilot and passenger ingress and egress.
  • Example aerial craft may house various powertrain components, such as a high voltage bus, advanced batteries, and/or a turbogenerator, which may be provided for range extension.
  • the vehicle may also house a plurality of sensors to enable or augment mission capabilities.
  • portions of the underside of the fuselage 702 may be reinforced for belly landings.
  • foldable wheeled landing gear may be included.
  • the fuselage 702 in this example, includes lower windows 728a and 728b as well as a main (upper) windshield 730 that extends across the width of a front face (windward side) of the aircraft 700.
  • the main windshield 730 may wrap around multiple sides of the aircraft 700.
  • the main windshield 730 may extend from a location on the right side of the aircraft, across a front face of the aircraft to a location of the left side of the aircraft.
  • the fuselage 702 also may include one or more viewing areas (e.g., one or more windows, secondary windshields) that provide a view of the exterior of the aircraft 700 through the lower exterior surface 707 of the fuselage.
  • the fuselage 702 may include lower windows 728a and 728b near the nose 726 of the fuselage may aid in visibility, especially in VTOL flight modes.
  • a headlight may be embedded in or connected/attached to the main windshield.
  • the aircraft 700 includes a headlight 732 that extends across the width of the front face of the aircraft, wraps around the left and right sides of the aircraft, and extends in an upward direction on each side of the aircraft.
  • the wing fences of an aerial craft may include one or more navigation lights.
  • each of the wing fences 718a and 718b include a respective navigation light 734.
  • a wing assembly of an aerial craft may include one or more control surfaces (e.g., flaps) that are configured to selectively deflect the airflow sheet expelled from some or all of the integrated ducted propulsors (e.g., as a result of the Coanda effect).
  • the control surfaces may deflect the airflow sheet as much as 75°, 90°, or even higher.
  • the airflow sheet may be selectively deflected for thrust vectoring and flow turning. Thrust vectoring and flow turning control using integrated ducted propulsors is further described in commonly-owned U.S. Patent Application No. 18/967,410 and titled “Uniform Exhaust Sheet and Flow Turning Control,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
  • the ducted propulsors described herein and/or the vehicle (e.g., aerial craft) they are included or integrated in may have a quieter noise profile with respect to existing propulsors and/or vehicles. Some examples may shift the dominant tones of the vehicle and/or its propulsion system into ultrasonic or near ultrasonic frequencies, which are rapidly attenuated in the atmosphere. Without being bound to any particular theories, certain examples may be characterized by a BPF into the ultrasonic or near ultrasonic.
  • a propulsion system including either one ducted propulsor, one integrated ducted propulsor, an array of ducted propulsors, or an array of integrated ducted propulsors as described herein
  • a vehicle may be about 30 decibels (dB) less at 500 feet distance compared to conventional vehicles or propulsion system(s).
  • the propulsion system and/or vehicle may be inaudible at around 800-1,000 feet, 1,200-1,400 feet, or 2,500-2,600 feet.
  • a propulsor e.g., an integrated ducted propulsor
  • an array of ducted propulsors e.g., an array of integrated ducted propulsors
  • the propulsor(s) may be about 15-30, 20-25, 20-30, 25-30, 20, 25, or 30 dB quieter while exhibiting 20% more efficiency than conventional propulsion systems and vehicles using comparable use parameters.
  • the decibels used to measure the noise profile of a propulsion system or vehicle may be A— weighted decibels (dBA).
  • Noise levels may be measured using the procedures set forth in the Federal Aviation Administration’s January 1, 2024 edition of Part 36 of Title 14, Ch. I, Subchapter C, titled “Noise Standards: Aircraft Type and Airworthiness Certification,” or Annex A of ANSFOPEI B 175.2-2012 (Outdoor Power Equipment- Internal Combustion Engine-Powered Handheld and Backpack Blowers and Blower-Vacuums-Safety Requirements and Performance Testing Procedures).
  • a propulsion system using one or more shrouded, bladed fan(s) may have a 5 -inch fan diameter and/or be used, for example, for manned or unmanned aerial craft.
  • Such a propulsion system may be characterized by having 5+ Ibf (pound force) thrust while being between 37-35 dBA at 100 feet in some examples and less than 35 dBA at 100 feet in other examples.
  • a propulsion system using one or more shrouded, bladed fan(s), having 6-inch fan diameter may be capable of propelling Group 1 and/or Group 2 drones at high speeds with a low acoustic signature.
  • a propulsion system may provide about or at least 10+ Ibf thrust while exhibiting less than 37 dBA at 100 feet.
  • a propulsion system using one or more shrouded, bladed fan(s) may have a 10-inch fan diameter and/or be used for larger drones or vehicles, such as Group 3 drones and/or fixed wing aircraft. Such a propulsion system may provide about or at least 70+ Ibf of thrust.
  • an aerial craft may be configured to travel at least 200 miles- per-hour (mph), 300 mph, or 400 mph. In other examples, the aerial craft may be configured to travel faster or slower.
  • the vehicle may weigh about 3,000-4,000 Ibm (pound mass), 4,000-5,000 Ibm, or 3,500-4,000 Ibm, In other examples, the vehicle may weigh 4,500-5,500 Ibm. In further examples, the vehicle may weigh 4,200 Ibm, 4,500 Ibm, 4,700 Ibm, 5,000 Ibm, or 5,200 Ibm.
  • payload capabilities may range from 800-1,000 Ibm, 1,000-1,200 Ibm, or 1,200-1,400 Ibm.
  • payload capacity may be about 850 Ibm, 900 Ibm, 950 Ibm, 1,000 Ibm, 1,050 Ibm, 1,100 Ibm, 1,150 Ibm, 1,200 Ibm, or 1,250 Ibm.
  • one or more arrays of ducted propulsors may have an integrated “smart” propulsor unit (e.g., computing device) configured to log usage, life, maintenance information, and/or other usage characteristics, such as highest RPM, average RPM, etc.
  • each ducted propulsor includes a “smart” propulsor unit.
  • an aerial craft may include a single, centralized propulsor unit configured to collect and store in a data repository usage, maintenance, and or other information regarding one or more (e.g., each) of the ducted propulsors of an aerial craft.
  • FIG. 8 depicts an example aircraft 800 that includes an alternative type of wing fence 802.
  • the wing fence 802 in this example, has a fin shape (e.g., a shape resembling that of a shark fin). More specifically, the wing fence 802 includes an upper fin 804 extending in an upward vertical direction and a lower fin 806 extending in a downward vertical direction.
  • the wing fence 802 is included at one of the stabilizers 808 of a V-shaped empennage 810 that includes an array of integrated ducted propulsors 812.
  • the upper fin 804 extends above the upper exterior surface of the stabilizer 808 and has an aftward sweep whereby a lower portion of the upper fin is positioned forward of an upper portion of the upper fin.
  • the lower fin 806 extends below the lower exterior surface of the stabilizer 808 and also has an aftward sweep whereby an upper portion of the lower fin is positioned forward of an upper portion of the lower fin.
  • the aftward sweep of the upper fin 804 and the lower fin 808 results in the wing fence 802, in this example, having a V-shaped trailing edge 814.
  • a forward end 816 of the wing fence 802 merges with the and thus forms part of the duct of the integrated ducted propulsor 818 at the outer end of the array of integrated ducted propulsors 812.
  • the other stabilizer 820 of the empennage 810 in this example, includes a similarly constructed wing fence 822.
  • Figure 9 depicts another example aircraft 900 that includes an alternative type of wing fence 902.
  • the wing fence 902 has a construction similar to that of the wing fence 802 discussed above with reference to Figure 8.
  • the aircraft 900 includes a wing fence 902 at the terminal end 904 of each wing 906.
  • the aircraft 900 includes a wing fence 902 only at the wings 906 of the aircraft.
  • the aircraft 900 otherwise includes an empennage 908 having horizontal stabilizers 910 without any ducted propulsor or integrated ducted propulsor.
  • aircraft may include wing fences as described herein at both the wings of the aircraft and the stabilizers of an empennage of the aircraft (e.g., as shown by way of example in Figures 7A-G), at just the wings of the aircraft, or at just the stabilizers of the empennage of the aircraft.
  • aircraft like the aircraft 700 discussed above may include, instead of booms, wing fences having a constructions as shown by way of example in Figures 8-9.
  • wing fences having alternative configurations, constructions, and/or shapes may be used to minimize flow separation of the airflow sheet expelled from an integrated array of ducted propulsors.
  • FIG 10 depicts another side-cross sectional view of an example integrated ducted propulsor 1000.
  • the integrated ducted propulsor 1000 includes forward control surfaces 1002 and 1004 and rear control surface 1006 in accordance with aspects described herein.
  • the forward control surfaces 1002 and 1004 and rear control surface 1008 may transition between an “open” position and a “closed” position as also described herein.
  • the forward control surfaces 1002 and 1004 and rear control surface 1006 are shown in their “closed” position, which results in the integrated ducted propulsor 1000 having a substantially airfoilshaped profile.
  • an array of integrated ducted propulsors like those shown in Figure 10 may have a substantially airfoil shape when the forward control surface(s) and the rear control surface(s) of the array are in their “closed” position.
  • an outer mold line of a wing or a stabilizer having an array of integrated ducted propulsors may substantially resemble a traditional airfoil when the forward control surface(s) and the rear control surface(s) are in the “closed” position.
  • FIGs 11 A-B depict close-up views of an example T-shaped empennage 1100 of an aerial craft 1102.
  • Figure 11A depicts the T-shaped empennage 1100 from the front
  • Figure 11B depicts the T-shaped empennage from the rear.
  • the T-shaped empennage 1100 includes a pair of stabilizers 1104a and 1104b.
  • the pair of stabilizers 1104a and 1104b of the T-shaped empennage 1100 shown in Figures 11A-B is shown as a singular unit positioned at an upper end of a vertical stabilizer 1105.
  • the pair of stabilizers may be separate individual units that, for example, are positioned below the upper end of the vertical stabilizer 1105 with each stabilizer respectively extending laterally from one of the left side or right side of the vertical stabilizer.
  • Each stabilizer 1104a and 1104b has a respective array of ducted propulsors 1106a and 1106b incorporated into the stabilizer.
  • the stabilizers 1104a and 1104b are orientated along a horizontal plane that is parallel to the ground.
  • the T-shaped empennage 1100 may include forward control surfaces and rear control surfaces as described herein.
  • the T-shaped empennage 1100 may include more or fewer ducted propulsor than depicted in Figures 11A-B.
  • the stabilizers 1104a and 1104b of the T-shaped empennage may include wing fences (e.g., booms, fins) as described herein that extend above an upper exterior surface of the stabilizer and/or below a lower exterior surface of the stabilizer.
  • wing fences e.g., booms, fins
  • Figures 12A-B depict close-up views of an example vertical empennage 1200 of an aerial craft 1202.
  • Figure 12A depicts the vertical empennage 1200 from the front
  • Figure 12B depicts the vertical empennage from the rear.
  • the vertical empennage 1200 includes a single stabilizer 1204 having an array of ducted propulsors 1206 incorporated into the stabilizer.
  • the stabilizer 1204 is orientated in an upward direction relative to a ground surface when attached to a fuselage of an aerial craft.
  • the stabilizer of a vertical empennage may be oriented substantially vertical relative to the ground surface when attached to the fuselage of the aerial craft.
  • the stabilizer of a vertical empennage may have an aftward sweep such that the stabilizer is oriented obliquely (between a horizontal plane and a vertical plane) relative to the ground surface when attached to the fuselage of the aerial craft.
  • the vertical empennage 1200 may include forward control surfaces and rear control surfaces as described herein.
  • the vertical empennage 1200 may include more or fewer ducted propulsor than depicted in Figures 12A-B.
  • an aerial craft with a vertical stabilizer as shown may also include one or more horizontal stabilizers (e.g., without any ducted propulsors) resulting in a similarly configured T-shaped empennage as described herein.
  • the one or more flaps may provide an articulatable trailing edge that can expand flow and also direct flow depending on the position of the trailing edge.
  • the articulatable trailing edge may include one portion that articulates (moves) to change (vary, modify, alter, augment) a cross-sectional area of an exhaust flow and another portion that rotates to direct the flow.
  • the articulatable trailing edge allows an aircraft to transition between a hover mode of operation and a cruise flight mode of operation.
  • the articulatable trailing edge may advantageously change the exhaust area of a propulsor and deflect the flow of the exhaust area as a high-lift flap.
  • the articulatable trailing edge may link control over a cross-sectional area of an exhaust area of the propulsor with flap deflection thus providing a tailorable cross-section of propulsor exhaust area for both hover and cruise modes of operation and transition between the two.
  • the articulatable trailing edge thus combines flap actuation, which allows for flow turning, with an additional mechanical action which changes the exhaust area of a propulsor, which may allow the propulsor to operate at its peak efficiency over various operating conditions.
  • Figures 13A-C depict side cross-sectional views of an example integrated ducted propulsor 1300 with an articulatable trailing edge 1301 in various articulated positions.
  • the articulatable edge 1301 may be connected at the trailing edge of an integrated ducted propulsor 1300 comprising an upper surface portion 1302, a lower surface portion 1304, a leading edge 1306, a control assembly 1308, and a propulsor 1318.
  • the articulatable edge 1301 may be and/or include a portion of a single articulatable edge of an array of integrated ducted propulsors as described herein.
  • the articulatable edge 1301 may include a linkage (e.g., a number of connected bars, hinges, and/or other mechanical components) configured to secure the articulatable edge to the lower surface portion 1304.
  • the linkage may be included in the control assembly 1308.
  • the linkage may facilitate articulation the articulatable edge 1301, as described further herein.
  • the articulatable edge 1301 may include features that allow it to fail in place or fail safely.
  • the articulatable edge 1301 may include a number of redundant linkages to reduce the risk of a single point of failure disabling the ducted fan and/or the aircraft.
  • the propulsor 1318 may be or include an electric bladed fan.
  • propulsor 1318 may include an electrically-powered bladed disk configured to generate thrust.
  • the bladed disk may, in some examples, have a diameter less than three inches.
  • the propulsor 1318 may be characterized by BPF at or near an ultrasonic frequency.
  • the propulsor 1318 may have a diameter of three inches or less, providing reduced noise during operation of the aircraft.
  • the propulsor 1318 may be constructed from a material that is flexible with appropriate stiffness to accommodate an aerodynamic shape for the forward flight mode, the hover mode, VTOL mode, CTOL mode, STOL mode, and/or other modes of operation of an aircraft as described herein.
  • the propulsor 1318 may be positioned in a duct of the ducted fan (e.g., between the upper surface portion 1302 and the lower surface portion 1304).
  • the propulsor 1318 may define, rearward (aft) from the nose of the propulsor, an exhaust area where air flow from the propulsor contacts the upper surface portion 1302 and/or the lower surface portion 1304.
  • exhaust area may refer to the point, plane, or the like at a longitudinal position, downstream of a propulsor (e.g., propulsor 1318) at which the distance between an upper surface (e.g., the upper surface portion 1302) and a lower surface (e.g., lower surface portion 1304) defining the region/zone/area downstream of the propulsor is measured.
  • the exhaust area may refer to an exhaust area 1324.
  • the upper surface portion 1302 has a curvature designed to produce thrust and direct flow turning.
  • the upper surface portion 1302 may protrude slightly ahead of the leading edge 1306 of the lower surface portion 1304 to aid in inflow conditions throughout transition between flight modes (e.g., forward flight, VTOL, and/or other modes).
  • the lower surface portion 1304 has a curvature designed to produce thrust and direct flow turning.
  • the lower surface portion 1304 includes the articulatable edge 1301 and a leading edge 1306.
  • the leading edge 1306 is fixed in a stationary position relative to the articulatable edge 1301.
  • the control assembly 1308 is configured to cause articulation of the articulatable edge 1301.
  • the articulatable edge 1301 of a single ducted propulsor may be a portion of a single articulatable edge of an array of integrated ducted propulsors.
  • control assembly 1308 may control articulation of the articulatable edge 1301 by articulating the single articulatable edge of an array of integrated ducted propulsors, causing articulation of the respective articulatable edges 1301 of each integrated ducted propulsor in the array.
  • the control assembly 1308 may include a communication interface, receiver, or the like configured to receive (e.g., from a remote drone control device, from an avionics suite, from a cockpit control device, and/or from other sources) control signals (e.g., electrical signals, electromechanical signals, or the like) directing the control assembly to articulate the articulatable edge.
  • the control assembly 1308 may articulate the articulatable edge 1301 to modify (e.g., change, vary, reduce, increase, and/or otherwise modify) a cross-sectional exhaust area of the propulsor 1318.
  • the control assembly 1308, by articulating the articulatable edge 1301, also causes modification of the flow turning (e.g., by directing the flow of air caused by the ducted propulsor).
  • articulating the articulatable edge 1301 allows the ducted fan to utilize the Coanda effect of airflow blown over the upper surface portion 1302 to turn the flow of air downstream of the ducted propulsor.
  • control assembly 1308 may control flow turning of air flow of an entire integrated array of ducted fans by articulating the single articulatable edge of the integrated array, thereby articulating the respective articulatable edges 1301 of each ducted fan in the integrated array.
  • control assembly 1308 links modification of the cross-sectional exhaust area of the propulsor 1318 with modification of flow turning (e.g., by modifying a direction of airflow produced by the propulsor 1318).
  • modification of flow turning e.g., by modifying a direction of airflow produced by the propulsor 1318.
  • the use of the articulatable edge 1301 reduces design complexity, reduces a number of possible points of failure in aircraft design, and allows the ducted fan to operate at its peak efficiency over various operating conditions by combining actuation of the articulatable edge for flow turning control with modification of the exhaust area of the propulsor 1318. Additionally, the use of the articulatable edge 1301 provides efficient transition of the aircraft between flight modes (e.g., forward flight, VTOL, CTOL, STOL, hover mode, and/or other modes). For example, the control assembly 1308 may articulate the articulatable edge 1301 between a first position for causing forward flight of the aircraft and a second position for causing vertical liftoff (e.g., in a VTOL mode) of the aircraft.
  • flight modes e.g., forward flight, VTOL, CTOL, STOL, hover mode, and/or other modes.
  • the control assembly 1308 may articulate the articulatable edge 1301 between a first position for causing forward flight of the aircraft and a second
  • control assembly 1308 may articulate the articulatable edge 1301 to cause simultaneous modification of the exhaust area and of the flow turning of an array of integrated ducted propulsors and/or an individual integrated ducted propulsor.
  • the articulation may cause the array of integrated ducted propulsors and/or the individual integrated ducted propulsor to transition between providing forward thrust and providing vertical lift relative to the ground based on the size of the exhaust area and the angle of the flow turning.
  • Integrating the ducted propulsor with articulatable edge 1301 into an array of similar ducted fans as described herein allows for control of flow turning over a majority (e.g., 80% or more) of the upper surface of a wing of the aircraft, which reduces drag penalties and allows for extended flight durations and improved control of the aircraft during flight.
  • the articulatable edge 1301 may be articulated to occupy additional or alternative positions.
  • the articulatable edge 1301 may be articulated to control flow turning (e.g., by deflect exhaust flow) to achieve an optimal angle for a VTOL mode (e.g., preferably 90 degrees) relative to the integrated ducted propulsor, to partially deflect exhaust flow for a STOL mode, and/or to enable a CTOL mode by providing minimal or no articulation of the articulatable edge 1301 relative to a horizontal of the integrated ducted propulsor.
  • VTOL mode e.g., preferably 90 degrees
  • Articulation of the articulatable edge 1301 as described herein provides additional benefits over conventional wing-borne aircraft because no mechanical change of the pitch of rotor blades is required. Accordingly, the risk of exceeding desired noise levels is reduced or eliminated by utilization of the methods described herein. Additionally, by providing exhaust area and flowturning control using a single articulatable edge 1301, the need for multiple different actuators in systems that utilize a number of articulatable edges is eliminated. Accordingly, the array of integrated ducted propulsor with a single articulatable edge may provide savings in construction costs and reduces the weight of the aircraft, extending flight duration, and/or increasing the maximum payload weight that might be carried by the aircraft.
  • control assembly 1308 may comprise components configured to pivot the articulatable edge 1301 about a number of pivot points.
  • the control assembly 1308 may comprise a bar configured to pivot the articulatable edge 1301 of an array of integrated ducted propulsors and/or of an integrated ducted propulsor relative to at least one pivot point, at least one actuator configured to drive the bar, and a linkage assembly connecting the articulatable edge to a fixed position (e.g., the leading edge 1306).
  • the control assembly 1308 may include pivot points 1310 and 1312 and a bar 1314.
  • the pivot points 1310 and 1312 and bar 1314 may together, with one or more connecting elements (e.g., hinges, mechanical arms, bars, or the like), form the linkage assembly linking the articulatable edge 1301 to the leading edge 1306 of the lower surface portion 1304 of the integrated ducted propulsor.
  • the control assembly 1308 may comprise one or more additional internal components (e.g., electronics, motors and/or other actuators, or the like) configured to articulate the articulatable edge 1301 as described herein.
  • control assembly 1308 may move (e.g., translate) the bar 1314, causing the articulatable edge 1301 to rotate about a flap angle pivot point 1312, which may cause an arc 1316 of the articulatable edge 1301 to move toward or away from a center of the exhaust area 1324 of the propulsor 1318.
  • the control assembly 1308 may modify the exhaust area 1324. For example, moving the arc 1316 toward and/or into the center of the exhaust area 1324 (e.g., to a first position 1320) may decrease a cross-sectional area of the exhaust area and/or otherwise changes a shape of the cross-sectional area.
  • moving the arc 1316 downward away from, and/or extending away from, the center of the exhaust area 1324 may increase a cross-sectional area of the exhaust area and/or otherwise change a shape of the cross- sectional area.
  • the two positions 1320 and 1322 depicted in Figure 13A may be the maximum (extreme) positions of the articulatable edge 1301.
  • the bar 1314 may be moved (e.g., translated) about a pivot point 1310 in a first direction to cause the arc 1316 to decrease the cross-sectional area of the exhaust area and the bar 1314 may be moved (e.g., translated) about the pivot point 1310 in a second direction to cause the arc 1316 to increase the cross-sectional area of the exhaust area.
  • pivot point 1310 may be referred to as a flap-arc translation pivot point (e.g., as seen in Figure 13A).
  • Pivot point 1310 may be located at the center of a cross-sectional area (e.g., a circular cross-sectional area) of the root of the articulatable edge 1301 (e.g., the location where the articulatable edge meets the leading edge 1306).
  • the arc 1416 of the articulatable edge 1301, in this example, is defined via the contour of the articulatable trailing edge. As seen in Figure 13 A and moving in an aftward direction, the articulatable edge 1301, in this example, tapers upward near the exhaust area of the propulsor 1318 until it reaches a peak of the arc 1316 at which point the articulatable edge tapers downward toward the end of the articulatable edge.
  • the top-to-bottom thickness of the articulatable edge 1301 may increase from the exhaust area of the propulsor 1318 to the peak of the arc 1316 where the thickness of the articulatable edge is maximal and then decrease from the peak of the arc to the end of the articulatable edge.
  • moving the articulatable edge 1301 may position the peak of the arc 1316 within (or closer to) the exhaust area of the propulsor 1318 (e.g., a center of the exhaust area) or outside (or further from) the exhaust area thereby modifying the exhaust area by changing its shape and/or dimensions.
  • control assembly 1308 to articulate the articulatable edge 1301 achieves one or more additional effects.
  • articulating the articulatable edge 1301 also controls flow turning as described herein (e.g., by modifying the angle at which air flow from the propulsor 1318 turns over the articulatable edge 1301).
  • Controlling a single articulatable edge 1301 of an integrated ducted propulsor or of an array of integrated ducted propulsors as described herein thus beneficially provides the dual effects of controlling the cross-sectional area of the exhaust area and of controlling flow turning via a single operation.
  • a first articulated position 1320 of the integrated ducted propulsor 1300 is shown.
  • the first articulated position 1320 may be used for a forward flight mode of operation.
  • the first articulated position 1320 may be achieved by sending a control signal to the control assembly of the integrated ducted propulsor 1300, and/or of an array of integrated ducted propulsors that includes the integrated ducted propulsor, instructing the articulatable edge 1301 to decrease a cross-sectional area of the exhaust area 1324.
  • the first position 1320 of the articulated edge 1301 of the integrated ducted propulsor 1301 may decrease a cross- sectional area of the exhaust area 1324 by moving the arc 1316 of the articulated edge 1301 upwardly into, or toward, the exhaust area, thereby changing the shape and dimensions of the exhaust area.
  • the first position 1320 of the articulatable edge 1301 may reduce flow turning (e.g., to increase a speed of the aircraft and provide forward thrust) by decreasing a turning of the airflow over, or around, the articulatable edge 1301.
  • the second articulated position 1322 may be used for a hover mode of operation.
  • the second articulated position 1322 may be achieved by sending a control signal to the control assembly of the integrated ducted propulsor 1300, and/or of an array of integrated ducted propulsors that includes the integrated ducted propulsor, instructing the articulatable edge 1301 to increase a cross-sectional area of the exhaust area 1324.
  • the second articulated position 1322 may increase a cross-sectional area of the exhaust area 1324 by moving the arc 1316 of the articulated edge 1301 downwardly away from, or extending away from, the exhaust area, thereby changing the shape and dimensions of the exhaust area.
  • the second articulated position 1222 may increase flow turning over, or around, the articulatable edge 1301 to provide thrust vectoring (e.g., such that vertical lift is provided to an aircraft to maintain a hovering position).
  • the articulatable edge 1301 may be moved (e.g., based on a control signal) to the second articulated position 1322 such that the Coanda effect keeps air flow propelled by the integrated ducted propulsor 1300 in close proximity (e.g., within a predetermined threshold or target distance) to the surface of the articulatable edge
  • FIG. 14 depicts a side cross-sectional view of another example integrated ducted propulsor 1400 with an articulatable trailing edge 1401 in various articulated positions.
  • the articulatable trailing edge 1401 is shown in a first articulated position 1402 and a second articulated position 1404.
  • the articulatable edge 1401 is controlled by a control assembly 1406 comprising a pin 1408 and an actuator bar 1410.
  • the pin 1408 defines a rotation point for a circular cross section of the root of the articulatable edge 1401. Rotation of an angle of the articulatable edge 1401 is thus controlled by the pin 1408 deflecting the actuator bar 1410.
  • the actuator bar 1410 is moved by one or more components (e.g., motors, or the like) of the control assembly 1406.
  • the pin 1408 constrains movement of the articulatable edge 1401 such that when the actuator bar is moved to translate the articulatable edge about pivot point 1412, the articulatable edge 1401 also rotates about pivot point 1414 to achieve a desired position of the articulatable edge 1401.
  • the pin 1408 thus couples the arc translation and angle rotation into a single element.
  • a second actuator may be used to control the angle separate from the arc translation.
  • Integrated ducted propulsors as described herein may be similar to and/or include components that are the same as or similar to the ducted propulsors described in commonly- owned U.S. Patent Application No. 18/651,992 published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2024/0295198 and titled “Propulsor Wing Trailing Edge Exhaust Area Control” incorporated by reference herein in its entirety (referred to herein for convenience as the “Exhaust Area Control” disclosures).
  • the rear control surfaces of the propulsors described herein may be the same as or similar to the flaperons of the exhaust control system described in the “Exhaust Area Control” disclosures that are configured to be controlled to vary the exhaust area in order to adjust thrust, change the direction of the thrusted airflow, and/or adjust lift.
  • aerial crafts e.g., drones, manned aircrafts, unmanned aircrafts
  • an exhaust area control system that is similar to and/or include components that are the same as or similar to those described in the “Exhaust Area Control” disclosures.
  • one or more of the propulsors and/or the jetfoils described herein may include an actuatable tail cone with a variable diameter and configured to reposition a larger diameter region of the tail cone relative to the exhaust outlet thereby changing the area of the exhaust outlet.
  • Aerial crafts and propulsors described herein further may include a combination of control surfaces (e.g., flaperons) and exhaust area control systems (e.g., actuatable tail cones) that are the same as or similar to those described in the “Exhaust Area Control” disclosures.
  • aspects of this disclosure further relate to one or more non-transitory computer- readable mediums that comprise computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform at least one or more functions as disclosed herein, such as, but not limited to, controlling operation of one or more aerial crafts or components thereof (e.g., a propulsor system, one or more propulsor arrays, one or more propulsors, one or more control surfaces), controlling operation of one or more controllers of an aerial craft, controlling operation of one or more electronic speed controllers of an aerial craft, and/or performing other functions.
  • controlling operation of one or more aerial crafts or components thereof e.g., a propulsor system, one or more propulsor arrays, one or more propulsors, one or more control surfaces
  • controlling operation of one or more controllers of an aerial craft e.g., a propulsor system, one or more propulsor arrays, one or more propulsors, one or more control surfaces
  • Figure 15 depicts a block diagram of example components of a control computer that may be part of or in communication with components of an aerial craft and/or a controller of the aerial craft in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.
  • Figure 15 depicts one non-limiting example of a computer-readable medium according to some examples.
  • Figure 15 illustrates a block diagram of control computer 1550 for an aerial craft (e.g., drone, aircraft).
  • aerial craft e.g., drone, aircraft
  • Figure 15 illustrates a block diagram of control computer 1550 for an aerial craft (e.g., drone, aircraft).
  • aerial craft e.g., drone, aircraft
  • the disclosures associated with Figure 15 may be applicable to any system, aerial craft, propulsor, aerial craft control system, propulsor control system, or control surface control system disclosed herein and/or combinations thereof.
  • Control computer 1550 may include one or more processors, such as processor 1552-1 and 1552-2 (generally referred to herein as “processors 1552” or “processor 1552”). Processors 1552 may communicate with each other or other components via an interconnection network or bus 1554. Processor 1552 may include one or more processing cores, such as cores 1556-1 and 1556-2 (referred to herein as “cores 1556” or more generally as “core 1556”), which may be implemented on a single integrated circuit (IC) chip.
  • processors 1552 such as processor 1552-1 and 1552-2
  • Processor 1552 may communicate with each other or other components via an interconnection network or bus 1554.
  • Processor 1552 may include one or more processing cores, such as cores 1556-1 and 1556-2 (referred to herein as “cores 1556” or more generally as “core 1556”), which may be implemented on a single integrated circuit (IC) chip.
  • IC integrated circuit
  • Cores 1556 may have a shared cache 1558 and/or a private cache (e.g., caches 1560- 1 and 1560-2, respectively and referred to herein as “caches 1560”).
  • One or more caches 1558/1360 may locally cache data stored in a system memory, such as memory 1562, for faster access by components of the processor 1552.
  • Memory 1562 may be in communication with the processors 1552 via a chipset 1566.
  • Cache 1558 may be part of system memory 1562 in certain examples.
  • Memory 1562 may include, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), and include one or more of solid-state memory, optical or magnetic storage, and/or any other medium that can be used to store electronic information. Yet other examples may omit system memory 1562.
  • System 1550 may include one or more I/O devices (e.g., I/O devices 1564-1 through 1564-3, each generally referred to as I/O device 1564). I/O data from one or more I/O devices 1564 may be stored at one or more caches 1558, 1560 and/or system memory 1562. Each of VO devices 1564 may be permanently or temporarily configured to be in operative communication with a component of an apparatus, such as an aerial craft, using any physical or wireless communication protocol.
  • I/O devices e.g., I/O devices 1564-1 through 1564-3, each generally referred to as I/O device 1564.
  • I/O data from one or more I/O devices 1564 may be stored at one or more caches 1558, 1560 and/or system memory 1562.
  • Each of VO devices 1564 may be permanently or temporarily configured to be in operative communication with a component of an apparatus, such as an aerial craft, using any physical or wireless communication protocol.
  • one or more components may be “remote” with respect to another component.
  • one or more components may be in a separate housing from one or more other components.
  • one or more components of the computer 1550 may only be in wireless communication with other components of the computer 1550.
  • one or more components of computer 1550 may be located on or within a portion of an aerial craft, and yet other components may be located remote with respect to the aerial craft.
  • positioning one or more control surfaces, including any of the forward control surfaces or rear control surfaces described herein to a configuration or position may be based, at least in part, on one or more calculations, determinations, inputs, and or outputs of the computer 1550.
  • configuration or position of one or more control surfaces may be based on control signals sent in response to manual input (e.g., from a pilot) and/or based on operational parameters such as a desired speed or acceleration along one or more directions (including a reduction of acceleration or velocity), flight modes (e.g., vertical takeoff mode, forward flight mode, hovering mode), desired degree of flow turning or thrust vectoring, desired pitch, desired roll, desired yaw, weather parameters such as wind direction or wind speed, weight or weight distribution of the aerial craft or portion of the craft, among other examples.
  • operational parameters such as a desired speed or acceleration along one or more directions (including a reduction of acceleration or velocity), flight modes (e.g., vertical takeoff mode, forward flight mode, hovering mode), desired degree of flow turning or thrust vectoring, desired pitch, desired roll, desired yaw, weather parameters such as wind direction or wind speed, weight or weight distribution of the aerial craft or portion of the craft, among other examples.
  • FIG. 16A-B a side cross-sectional view of an example ducted propulsor 1600 with control surfaces that are embedded within the duct 1602 of the propulsor is shown. Rather than pivot about a hinge of a leading edge or trailing edge of a duct in order to open and close an inlet and/or exhaust outlet of the duct, the control surfaces of the example ducted propulsor 1600 slide forward and aftward in order to open and close the inlet and/or exhaust outlet.
  • control surfaces shown in Figures 16A-B may be referred to as embedded control surfaces or sliding control surfaces in order to differentiate their configuration and arrangement from the hinged control surfaces discussed above with reference to Figures 2A-B, 3A-B, 4A-B, and 5A-B.
  • the ducted propulsor 1600 includes both forward embedded control surfaces and rear embedded control surfaces.
  • the ducted propulsor 1600 includes an upper forward embedded control surface 1604 positioned at an upper leading edge 1606 of the duct 1602, a lower forward embedded control surface 1608 positioned at a lower leading edge 1610 of the duct, an upper rear embedded control surface 1612 positioned at an upper trailing edge 1614 of the duct, and a lower rear embedded control surface 1616 positioned at a lower trailing edge 1618 of the duct.
  • the control surfaces of the propulsor 1600 are shown in their “open” position whereby they are retracted and retained within the duct 1602.
  • the control surfaces of the propulsor 1600 are shown in their “closed” position with the inlet 1620 of the duct 1602 being blocked by the upper forward embedded control surface 1604 and lower forward embedded control surface 1608 and with the exhaust outlet 1622 being blocked by the upper rear embedded control surface 1612 and the lower rear embedded control surface 1616.
  • the upper forward embedded control surface 1604 and the lower forward embedded control surface 1608 are configured to move forward from the “open” position toward the “closed” position such that they extend outward beyond the upper leading edge 1606 and the lower leading edge 1608 of the duct 1602.
  • the upper forward embedded control surface 1604 and the lower forward embedded control surface 1610 also are configured to move aftward from the “closed” position toward the “open” position and retract into the duct 1602.
  • the upper rear embedded control surface 1612 and the lower rear embedded control surface 1616 are configured to move aftward from the “open” position toward the “closed” position such that they extend outward beyond the upper trailing edge 1614 and the lower trailing edge 1618 of the duct 1602.
  • the upper rear embedded control surface 1612 and the lower rear embedded control surface 1616 also are configured to move forward from the “closed” position toward the “open” position and retract into the duct 1602.
  • the propulsor maintains a relatively aerodynamic shape (e.g., an airfoil shape) to advantageously reduce, minimize, or avoid drag on the propulsor.
  • a relatively aerodynamic shape e.g., an airfoil shape
  • One or more rail-type assemblies or mechanical linkages may be used to move the embedded control surfaces forward and aftward.
  • the embedded control surfaces may be supported on or otherwise connected to a rail that slides an embedded control surface forward and aftward between respective extended and retracted positions.
  • Alternative types of assemblies or mechanical linkages may be used to move the embedded control surfaces forward and aftward. It will also be appreciated that, as shown by way of example in Figure 16B, moving the embedded control surfaces between respective “closed” and “open” positions may include at least some rotation of the embedded control surface about a rotation point.
  • the embedded control surfaces of the propulsor 1600 may extend outward and downward (slantwise) in order to close the inlet 1620 and/or exhaust outlet 1622.
  • Figures 16A- B show an example propulsor 1600 having both upper and lower embedded control surfaces and both forward and rear embedded control surfaces, other examples may include only an upper forward embedded control surface, only a lower forward embedded control surface, only an upper rear embedded control surface, only a rear embedded control surface, or any combination of upper embedded control surfaces, lower embedded control surfaces, forward embedded control surfaces, or rear embedded control surfaces.
  • a propulsor may include a single forward embedded control surface (e.g., upper or lower) that is configured to extend outward from a leading edge of the duct in order to block the inlet.
  • a propulsor may include a single rear embedded control surface (e.g., upper or lower) that is configured to extend outward from a trailing edge of the duct in order to block the exhaust outlet.
  • the embedded control surfaces may be moved between their respective “open” position and “closed” position individually or in conjunction with each other as described herein, for example, based on input received from a pilot or a control computer.
  • An empennage for an aerial craft may include a stabilizer comprising an upper exterior surface and a lower exterior surface.
  • the empennage may include an array of ducted propulsors embedded in the stabilizer between the upper exterior surface of the stabilizer and the lower exterior surface of the stabilizer.
  • the array of ducted propulsors may include a plurality of ducted propulsors, wherein each ducted propulsor is configured to independently provide thrust.
  • the array of ducted propulsors may include a dividing structure between adjacent ducted propulsors of the array of ducted propulsors.
  • Each of the ducted propulsors of the array of ducted propulsors may be defined at least by the upper exterior surface of the stabilizer and the lower exterior surface of the stabilizer.
  • the array of ducted propulsors may include a ducted propulsor positioned proximate to a terminal end of the stabilizer, and wherein the ducted propulsor abuts or is integral with a lateral exterior surface of the stabilizer.
  • the stabilizer may include a plurality of stabilizer structures.
  • the array of ducted propulsors may include a first array of ducted propulsors embedded in a first stabilizer structure of the plurality of stabilizer structures between an upper exterior surface of the first stabilizer structure and a lower exterior surface of the first stabilizer structure.
  • the array of ducted propulsors may include a second array of ducted propulsors embedded in a second stabilizer structure of the plurality of stabilizer structures between an upper exterior surface of the second stabilizer structure and a lower exterior surface of the second stabilizer structure.
  • the stabilizer may be a V-shaped stabilizer.
  • the first stabilizer structure and the second stabilizer structure may be orientated between a horizontal plane and a vertical plane.
  • the stabilizer may be a T-shaped stabilizer.
  • the first stabilizer structure and the second stabilizer structure may be oriented along a horizontal plane.
  • the array of ducted propulsors may be a single array of ducted propulsors that is configured to extend in an upward direction from a ground surface when the empennage is attached to a fuselage.
  • the single array of ducted propulsors may be oriented in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the ground surface when the empennage is attached to the fuselage.
  • the array of ducted propulsors embedded in the tail is the only thrustgenerating component of the aerial craft.
  • An array of ducted propulsors may be embedded in each wing of the aerial craft between an upper exterior surface of the wing and a lower exterior surface of the wing.
  • the array of ducted propulsors may include one or more forward control surfaces positioned at an inlet of the array of ducted propulsors.
  • the one or more forward control surfaces comprise at least one of an upper forward control surface positioned at an upper leading edge of the inlet or a lower forward control surface positioned at a lower leading edge of the inlet.
  • the one or more forward control surfaces may be configured to transition between at least a first position that does not obstruct airflow into the inlet, a second position that obstructs airflow into the inlet by covering a portion of the inlet, and a third position that substantially blocks airflow into the inlet by covering an entirety of the inlet.
  • the array of ducted propulsors comprises one or more rear control surfaces positioned at an exhaust outlet of the array of ducted propulsors.
  • the one or more rear control surfaces comprise at least one of an upper rear control surface positioned at an upper trailing edge of the exhaust outlet or a lower rear control surface positioned at a lower trailing edge of the exhaust outlet.
  • the one or more rear control surfaces are configured to vary an area of the exhaust outlet by transitioning between a first position and a second position and block the exhaust outlet by covering an entirety of the exhaust outlet.
  • the one or more rear control surfaces comprise at least one of an elevator, a rudder, or a ruddervator.
  • the empennage may include at least one forward control surface positioned at a leading edge of the array of ducted propulsors and configured to transition between an open position that does not obstruct airflow into an inlet of the array of ducted propulsors and a closed position that blocks the inlet by covering an entirety of the inlet.
  • the empennage may include at least one rear control surface positioned at a trailing edge of the array of ducted propulsors and configured to transition between an open position that does not obstruct airflow from an exhaust outlet and a closed position that blocks the exhaust outlet by covering an entirety of the exhaust outlet.
  • the array of ducted propulsors may have a substantially airfoil shape based on the at least one forward control surface being at the closed position and the at least one rear control surface is at the closed position.
  • the empennage may include, for each ducted propulsor of the array of ducted propulsors, at least one of an individual forward control surface positioned at an inlet of the propulsor or an individual rear control surface positioned at an exhaust outlet of the propulsor.
  • the empennage may include, for two or more adjacent propulsors of the array of ducted propulsors, at least one of a shared forward control surface positioned at respective inlets of the adjacent propulsors or a shared rear control surface positioned at respective exhaust outlets of the adjacent propulsors.
  • the array of ducted propulsors may be an array of ducted propulsors integrated in the stabilizer and configured to propel an airflow across an upper surface of the stabilizer.
  • the array of ducted propulsors is configured to be selectively controlled for at least one of yaw control, pitch control, flow turning during a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) flight mode, or flow turning during a standard take-off and landing (STOL) flight mode.
  • An aerial craft may include a fuselage.
  • the aerial craft may include an empennage connected to the fuselage.
  • the empennage may include a stabilizer comprising an upper exterior surface and a lower exterior surface.
  • the empennage may include a thrust source comprising at least one array of ducted propulsors embedded in the stabilizer between the upper exterior surface of the stabilizer and the lower exterior surface of the stabilizer.
  • Ducted propulsors embedded in one or more stabilizers of the empennage may provide the only source of thrust for the aerial craft during operation.
  • the aerial craft may include a wing structure located forward of the empennage.
  • the aerial craft may include an array of ducted propulsors embedded in the wing structure between an upper exterior surface of the wing structure and a lower exterior surface of the wing structure.
  • the stabilizer may include a plurality of stabilizer structures.
  • the array of ducted propulsors may include a first array of ducted propulsors embedded in a first stabilizer structure of the plurality of stabilizer structures between an upper exterior surface of the first stabilizer structure and a lower exterior surface of the first stabilizer structure.
  • the array of ducted propulsors may include a second array of ducted propulsors embedded in a second stabilizer structure of the plurality of stabilizer structures between an upper exterior surface of the second stabilizer structure and a lower exterior surface of the second stabilizer structure.
  • the stabilizer may be a V-shaped stabilizer comprising a first stabilizer structure and a second stabilizer structure.
  • the first stabilizer structure and the second stabilizer structure may be orientated between a horizontal plane and a vertical plane.
  • the aerial craft may be one of an aircraft or a drone.
  • a tail for an aerial craft may include a V-shaped tail configured to connect to a fuselage.
  • the V-shaped tail may include a first tail structure oriented at an oblique angle relative to the fuselage and comprising a first upper exterior surface and a first lower exterior surface.
  • the V-shaped tail may include a second tail structure oriented at an oblique angle relative to the fuselage and comprising a second upper exterior surface and a second lower exterior surface.
  • the V-shaped tail may include a first array of ducted propulsors embedded in the first tail structure between the first upper exterior surface and the first lower exterior surface.
  • the first array of ducted propulsors may include a shared wall between first adjacent ducted propulsors of the first array of ducted propulsors.
  • Each propulsor of the first array of ducted propulsors may be configured to provide thrust via an independent airflow path.
  • a duct of each first adjacent ducted propulsor may be defined at least by the first upper exterior surface, the first lower exterior surface, and the first shared wall.
  • a second array of ducted propulsors may be embedded in the second tail structure between the second upper exterior surface and the second lower exterior surface.
  • the second array of ducted propulsors may include a second shared wall between second adjacent ducted propulsors of the second array of ducted propulsors.
  • Each propulsor of the second array of ducted propulsors may be configured to provide thrust via an independent airflow path.
  • a duct of each second adjacent ducted propulsor may be defined at least by the second upper exterior surface, the second lower exterior surface, and the second shared wall.
  • the array of ducted propulsors may include one or more forward control surfaces configured to block airflow into an inlet of the array of ducted propulsors by covering an entirety of the inlet.
  • the one or more forward control surfaces may include at least one of an upper forward control surface positioned at an upper leading edge of the inlet or a lower forward control surface positioned at a lower leading edge of the inlet.
  • the array of ducted propulsors may include one or more rear control surfaces configured to block an exhaust outlet of the array of ducted propulsors by covering an entirety of the exhaust outlet.
  • the one or more rear control surfaces comprise at least one of an upper rear control surface positioned at an upper trailing edge of the exhaust outlet or a lower rear control surface positioned at a lower trailing edge of the exhaust outlet.
  • the tail may include a tail structure.
  • the tail structure may include a leading edge, a trailing edge, and an upper surface that extends between the leading edge and the trailing edge.
  • the array of ducted propulsors may an array of integrated ducted propulsors. Each integrated ducted propulsor of the array of integrated ducted propulsors may include a duct integrated into the tail structure. A portion of the leading edge of the tail structure may form a lower leading edge of the duct.
  • An upper trailing edge of the duct may be positioned above the upper surface of the tail structure and forward of the trailing edge of the tail structure.
  • the integrated ducted propulsor is configured to propel an airflow across the upper surface of the tail structure.
  • An aircraft may include a fuselage configured to house one or more passengers.
  • a wing may be connected to the fuselage.
  • a wing fence may be connected to a terminal end of the wing.
  • the wing fence may extend in an upward vertical direction above an upper surface of the wing.
  • the wing fence may extend in a downward vertical direction below a lower surface of the wing.
  • the aircraft may include an array of integrated ducted propulsors positioned at a leading edge of the wing.
  • Each integrated ducted propulsor of the array of integrated ducted propulsors may include a duct integrated into the wing. A portion of the leading edge of the wing may form a lower leading edge of the duct. An upper trailing edge of the duct may be positioned above the upper surface of the wing and forward of a trailing edge of the wing.
  • the integrated ducted propulsor may be configured to propel an airflow across the upper surface of the wing.
  • the wing fence may include a boom.
  • the boom may house one or more of a battery, a sensor, a navigation light, or cargo.
  • the boom may have a lacriform shape.
  • the wing fence may include an upper fin extending in an upward vertical direction above the upper surface of the wing.
  • the upper fin may have an aftward sweep.
  • a lower portion of the upper fin may be positioned forward of an upper portion of the upper fin.
  • the wing fence may include a lower fin extending in a downward vertical direction below the lower surface of the wing.
  • the lower fin may have an aftward sweep.
  • An upper portion of the lower fin may be positioned forward of a lower portion of the lower fin.
  • the aircraft may include a V-shaped tail.
  • the V-shaped tail may include a tail structure connected to the fuselage and oriented at an oblique angle relative to the fuselage.
  • the tail structure may include a leading edge, a trailing edge, and an upper surface that extends between the leading edge and the trailing edge.
  • the tail structure may include a second array of integrated ducted propulsors positioned at the leading edge of the tail structure.
  • Each integrated ducted propulsor of the second array of integrated ducted propulsors may include a duct integrated into the tail structure.
  • a portion of the leading edge of the tail structure may form a lower leading edge of the duct.
  • An upper trailing edge of the duct may be positioned above the upper surface of the tail structure and forward of the trailing edge of the tail structure.
  • the integrated ducted propulsor may be configured to propel an airflow across the upper surface of the tail structure.
  • a second wing fence may be connected to a terminal end of the tail structure. The second wing fence may be oriented at an oblique angle relative to the fuselage.
  • the second wing fence may extend in an upward direction above the upper surface of the tail structure.
  • the second wing fence may extend in a downward direction below a lower surface of the tail structure.
  • the second wing fence may include a boom.
  • the boom may have a lacriform shape.
  • the second wing fence may include an upper fin extending in an upward direction above the upper surface of the tail structure.
  • the upper fin may have an aftward sweep.
  • a lower portion of the upper fin may be positioned forward of an upper portion of the upper fin.
  • the second wing fence may include a lower fin extending in a downward direction below the lower surface of the tail structure.
  • the lower fin may have an aftward sweep.
  • An upper portion of the lower fin may be positioned forward of a lower portion of the lower fin.
  • the tail structure may be a dihedral tail structure.
  • the tail structure may have an aftward sweep.
  • the terminal end of the tail structure may be positioned aftward of an opposite end of the tail structure adjacent to the fuselage.
  • the wing may be an anhedral wing.
  • the wing may have a forward sweep.
  • the terminal end of the wing may be positioned forward of an opposite end of the wing adjacent to the fuselage.
  • the fuselage may have a lacriform shape.
  • the fuselage may have an offset lacriform shape.
  • An upper exterior surface of the fuselage may be relatively more convex than a lower exterior surface of the fuselage.
  • At least one integrated ducted propulsor of the array of integrated ducted propulsors may include at least a portion of a control surface positioned at the upper trailing edge of the duct of the integrated ducted propulsor.
  • the control surface may be configured to vary an area of an exhaust outlet of the integrated ducted propulsor by moving between a first position and a second position.
  • the aircraft may include at least one control surface positioned at the trailing edge of the wing.
  • the at least one control surface may be configured to vary a direction of the airflow over the trailing edge of the wing by moving between a first position and a second position
  • An aircraft may include a fuselage configured to house one or more passengers.
  • the aircraft may include a plurality of wings connected to the fuselage.
  • the aircraft may include a plurality of first wing fences. Each first wing fence may be connected to a terminal end of one of the wings.
  • the first wing fence may extend in an upward vertical direction above an upper surface of the wing.
  • the first wing fence may extend in a downward vertical direction below a lower surface of the wing.
  • the aircraft may include a plurality of first arrays of integrated ducted propulsors. Each first array of integrated ducted propulsors may be positioned at a leading edge of one of the wings.
  • Each integrated array of ducted propulsors of the first array of integrated ducted propulsors may include a duct integrated into the wing. A portion of the leading edge of the wing may form a lower leading edge of the duct. An upper trailing edge of the duct may be positioned above the upper surface of the wing and forward of a trailing edge of the wing.
  • the integrated ducted propulsor may be configured to propel an airflow across the upper surface of the wing.
  • the aircraft may include a V-shaped tail.
  • the V-shaped tail may include a plurality of tail structures. Each tail structure may be connected to the fuselage and oriented at an oblique angle relative to the fuselage.
  • the tail structure may include a leading edge, a trailing edge, and an upper surface that extends between the leading edge and the trailing edge.
  • the V-shaped tail may include a plurality of second arrays of integrated ducted propulsors. Each second array of integrated ducted propulsors may be positioned at the leading edge of one of the tail structures. Each integrated ducted propulsor of the second array of integrated ducted propulsors may include a duct integrated into the tail structure. A portion of the leading edge of the tail structure may form a lower leading edge of the duct. An upper trailing edge of the duct may be positioned above the upper surface of the tail structure and forward of the trailing edge of the tail structure.
  • the integrated ducted propulsor may be configured to propel an airflow across the upper surface of the tail structure.
  • the aircraft may include a plurality of second wing fences. Each second wing fence may be connected to a terminal end of one of the tail structures. The second wing fence may extend in an upward direction above an upper surface of the tail structure. The second wing fence may extend in a downward direction below a lower surface of the tail structure.
  • the plurality of first wing fences may include a plurality of first booms.
  • the plurality of second wing fences may include a plurality of second booms. At least one of the first booms or at least one of the second booms may house one or more of a battery, a sensor, a navigation light, or cargo.
  • Each of the first booms and each of the second booms may have a lacriform shape.
  • Each of the first wing fences may include an upper fin extending in an upward vertical direction above the upper surface of one of the wings.
  • the upper fin may have an aftward sweep.
  • a lower portion of the upper fin may be positioned forward of an upper portion of the upper fin.
  • Each of the first wing fences may include a lower fin extending in a downward vertical direction below the lower surface of the wing.
  • the lower fin may have an aftward sweep.
  • An upper portion of the lower fin may be positioned forward of a lower portion of the lower fin.
  • Each of the second wing fences may include an upper fin extending in an upward direction above the upper surface of one of the tail structures.
  • the upper fin may have an aftward sweep.
  • a lower portion of the upper fin may be positioned forward of an upper portion of the upper fin.
  • Each of the second wing fences may include a lower fin extending in a downward direction below the lower surface of the tail structure.
  • the lower fin may have an aftward sweep.
  • An upper portion of the lower fin is positioned forward of a lower portion of the lower fin.
  • Each of the tail structures may be a dihedral tail structure.
  • Each of the tail structures may have an aftward sweep.
  • a terminal end of the tail structure may be positioned aftward of an opposite end of the tail structure adjacent to the fuselage.
  • Each of the wings may be an anhedral wing.
  • Each of the wings may have a forward sweep.
  • the terminal end of the wing may be positioned forward of an opposite end of the wing adjacent to the fuselage.
  • Each of the tail structures may be a dihedral tail structure and each of the wings may be an anhedral tail structure.
  • Each of the tail structures may have an aftward sweep, and each of the wings may have a forward sweep.
  • the terminal end of the tail structure may be positioned aftward of an opposite end of the tail structure adjacent to the fuselage, and the terminal end of the wing may be positioned forward of an opposite end of the wing adjacent to the fuselage.
  • the fuselage may have a lacriform shape.
  • the fuselage may have an offset lacriform shape.
  • An upper exterior surface of the fuselage may be relatively more convex than a lower exterior surface of the fuselage.
  • At least one of one or more integrated ducted propulsors of the plurality of first arrays of integrated ducted propulsors or one or more integrated ducted propulsors of the plurality of second arrays of integrated ducted propulsors may include at least a portion of a control surface positioned at the upper trailing edge of the duct of the integrated ducted propulsor.
  • the control surface may be configured to vary an area of an exhaust outlet of the integrated ducted propulsor by moving between a first position and a second position.
  • the aircraft may include at least one control surface positioned at the trailing edge of each of the wings. At least one control surface may be configured to vary a direction of the airflow over the trailing edge of the wing by moving between a first position and a second position.
  • the aircraft may include at least one control surface positioned at the trailing edge of each of the wings.
  • the control surface may be configured to vary a direction of the airflow over the trailing edge of the wing by moving between a first position and a second position.
  • At least one of one or more integrated ducted propulsors of the plurality of first arrays of integrated ducted propulsors or one or more integrated ducted propulsors of the plurality of second arrays of integrated ducted propulsors may include at least a portion of a control surface positioned at the upper trailing edge of the duct of the integrated ducted propulsor.
  • the control surface may be configured to vary an area of an exhaust outlet of the jetfoil by moving between a first position and a second position.
  • Each integrated ducted propulsor may be configured such that operation of the aircraft results in a noise level of approximately 35-50 A- weighted decibels at a distance of 100 feet.
  • Each integrated ducted propulsor may be configured such that operation of the aircraft results in a noise level of approximately 35-40 A-weighted decibels at a distance of 100 feet.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
  • Wind Motors (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un aéronef qui peut comprendre un ou plusieurs systèmes de propulsion embarqués ou intégrés dans un ou plusieurs éléments parmi une aile et un empennage de l'aéronef. Chaque système de propulsion peut comprendre un ou plusieurs propulseurs carénés tels qu'un ensemble de propulseurs carénés. L'ensemble de propulseurs carénés peut être un ensemble de propulseurs carénés intégrés dans une aile ou un stabilisateur d'un empennage et configurés pour propulser un flux d'air à travers une surface supérieure de l'aile ou une surface supérieure du stabilisateur. L'empennage peut comprendre des stabilisateurs formant un V.
PCT/US2025/031744 2024-05-31 2025-05-30 Aéronef à aile carénée et/ou queue carénée Pending WO2025251000A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US202463654725P 2024-05-31 2024-05-31
US63/654,725 2024-05-31

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2025251000A1 true WO2025251000A1 (fr) 2025-12-04

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WO (1) WO2025251000A1 (fr)

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20170203839A1 (en) * 2016-01-15 2017-07-20 Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation Hybrid Propulsion Vertical Take-Off and Landing Aircraft
WO2024010834A1 (fr) * 2022-07-06 2024-01-11 Joby Aero, Inc. Système de levage à éléments multiples à propulsion intégrée et aéronef l'utilisant
US20240295198A1 (en) 2021-03-03 2024-09-05 Whisper Aero Inc. Propulsor wing trailing edge exhaust area control
US20250066015A1 (en) 2023-08-24 2025-02-27 Whisper Aero Inc. Exhaust Area and Flow Turning Control

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20170203839A1 (en) * 2016-01-15 2017-07-20 Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation Hybrid Propulsion Vertical Take-Off and Landing Aircraft
US20240295198A1 (en) 2021-03-03 2024-09-05 Whisper Aero Inc. Propulsor wing trailing edge exhaust area control
WO2024010834A1 (fr) * 2022-07-06 2024-01-11 Joby Aero, Inc. Système de levage à éléments multiples à propulsion intégrée et aéronef l'utilisant
US20250066015A1 (en) 2023-08-24 2025-02-27 Whisper Aero Inc. Exhaust Area and Flow Turning Control

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