US 12,280,869 B2
Vertical take off and landing aircraft
Mehmet E. Erengil, Austin, TX (US); Jayant Sirohi, Austin, TX (US); Fabrizio Bisetti, Austin, TX (US); and Christopher G. Cameron, Cambridge, MA (US)
Assigned to BOARD OF REGENTS, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM, Austin, TX (US)
Filed by BOARD OF REGENTS, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM, Austin, TX (US)
Filed on Dec. 19, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/083,787.
Application 18/083,787 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/962,891, granted, now 11,530,037, previously published as PCT/US2019/014118, filed on Jan. 18, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/619,526, filed on Jan. 19, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2023/0122276 A1, Apr. 20, 2023
Int. Cl. B64C 29/00 (2006.01); B64C 39/00 (2023.01)
CPC B64C 29/0016 (2013.01) [B64C 39/001 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vertical take-off and landing vehicle, comprising:
an airframe having an upper surface, a side surface and a lower surface and a central vertical axis;
a first plurality of axially oriented fans, each axially oriented fan in a channel extending from the upper surface to the lower surface of the airframe, the first plurality of axially oriented fans arranged in a circular pattern in an arc defined by a first radius r1 from the central vertical axis;
a second plurality of axially oriented fans, each axially oriented fan in a channel extending from the upper surface to the lower surface of the airframe, the second plurality of axially oriented fans arranged in a circular pattern in an arc defined by a second radius r2 from the central vertical axis;
a first intake channel extending from a front of the airframe to a rear of the airframe and comprising an upper level duct and a lower lever duct;
a first laterally-oriented fan in the upper level duct of the first intake channel;
a first lateral channel extending from and in fluid communication with the upper level duct of the first intake channel;
a second intake channel extending from the front of the airframe to the rear of the airframe and comprising an upper level duct and a lower level duct;
a second laterally-oriented fan in the upper level duct of the second intake channel;
a second lateral channel extending from and in fluid communication with the upper level duct of the second intake channel;
a third laterally-oriented fan in the first lateral channel and a fourth laterally-oriented fan in the second lateral channel; and
a plenum chamber in fluid communication with the upper level ducts of the first intake channel and the second intake channel; and
an annular inlet in the upper surface in fluid communication with the plenum chamber.