US 12,448,123 B2
Electric tiltrotor aircraft
JoeBen Bevirt, Santa Cruz, CA (US); Edward Stilson, Santa Cruz, CA (US); Alex Stoll, Santa Cruz, CA (US); and Gregor Veble Mikic, Santa Cruz, CA (US)
Assigned to Joby Aero, Inc., Santa Cruz, CA (US)
Filed by Joby Aero, Inc., Santa Cruz, CA (US)
Filed on May 27, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/674,926.
Application 18/674,926 is a continuation of application No. 17/170,672, filed on Feb. 8, 2021, granted, now 11,993,369.
Application 17/170,672 is a continuation of application No. 16/409,653, filed on May 10, 2019, granted, now 10,974,827, issued on Apr. 13, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/669,874, filed on May 10, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2025/0033768 A1, Jan. 30, 2025
Int. Cl. B64C 29/00 (2006.01); B64C 11/46 (2006.01); B64D 27/31 (2024.01); B64D 27/34 (2024.01)
CPC B64C 29/0033 (2013.01) [B64C 11/46 (2013.01); B64D 27/31 (2024.01); B64D 27/34 (2024.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An aircraft comprising:
an airframe comprising a fuselage, an empennage, a forward-swept left wing, and a forward-swept right wing, the left and right wings fixed to the fuselage, wherein the airframe defines a yaw axis, a pitch axis, and a roll axis,
a plurality of propulsion assemblies coupled to the airframe, comprising:
a left outboard propulsion assembly coupled to the left wing;
a right outboard propulsion assembly coupled to the right wing;
a left inboard propulsion assembly coupled to the left wing between the left outboard propulsion assembly and the fuselage;
a right inboard propulsion assembly coupled to the right wing between the right outboard propulsion assembly and the fuselage; and
a left rear propulsion assembly coupled to a left side of the empennage, and
a right rear propulsion assembly coupled to a right side of the empennage, wherein each propulsion assembly of the plurality comprises:
an electric motor;
a propeller coupled to the electric motor, wherein the propeller defines a disc area, a hub at the center of the disc area, and a disc plane containing the disc area; and
a tilt mechanism connecting the electric motor and the propeller to the airframe, the tilt mechanism configured to transform the propulsion assembly between a forward configuration and a hover configuration, wherein the disc plane is perpendicular to the roll axis in the forward configuration, and wherein the disc plane is perpendicular to the yaw axis in the hover configuration;
wherein in the forward arrangement, the respective hubs of the left and right inboard propulsion assemblies are forward of the respective hubs of the left and right outboard propulsion assemblies, and wherein in the hover arrangement, the respective hubs of the left and right inboard propulsion assemblies are forward of the hub of the respective hubs of the left and right outboard propulsion assemblies, and wherein in the forward arrangement the respective hubs of the left and right inboard propulsion assemblies are higher than the respective hubs of the left and right outboard propulsion assemblies, and wherein in the hover arrangement the respective hubs of the left and right inboard propulsion assemblies are lower than the respective hubs of the left and right outboard propulsion assemblies.