Ancillary aerodynamic structures for an unmanned aerial vehicle

Details Ancillary aerodynamic structures for an unmanned aerial vehicle Ancillary aerodynamic structures for an unmanned aerial vehicle

1993-05-11

1995-05-30

Barefoot, Galen L.

Aeronautics and astronautics

Aircraft, heavier-than-air

Airplane and fluid sustained

244 1711, 244 36, 244 45R, B64C 2702

Patent

active

054195136

ABSTRACT:
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having a toroidal fuselage and a rotor assembly including counter-rotating rotors coaxially mounted with respect to the toroidal fuselage incorporates ancillary aerodynamic structures aerodynamically configured and mounted in combination with the toroidal fuselage to provide a nose-down pitching moment to counteract the nose-up pitching moment generated by airflow over the toroidal fuselage during forward translational flight of the UAV. The ancillary aerodynamic structures have a cambered airfoil profile to provide high lifting forces. The ancillary aerodynamic structures may have centers of lift located significantly aft of the quarter-chord line of the airfoil, and are symmetrically mounted in combination with the lateral sides of the toroidal fuselage so that the centers of lift are located aftwardly of the fuselage axis of the toroidal fuselage in forward translational flight modes such that the ancillary aerodynamic structures generate a nose-down pitching moment to counteract the nose-up pitching moment due to airflow over the toroidal fuselage in forward translational flight. In a first embodiment, the ancillary aerodynamic structures are fixedly mounted in combination with the toroidal fuselage at a predetermined angle of incidence. In a second embodiment, the ancillary aerodynamic structures are rotatably mounted in combination with the toroidal fuselage to provide variable incidence ancillary aerodynamic structures for the UAV.

REFERENCES:
patent: 2118254 (1938-05-01), Loedding
patent: 2430820 (1947-11-01), Lightfoot
patent: 2994493 (1961-08-01), Hartman
patent: 4196877 (1980-04-01), Mutrux
patent: 5035377 (1991-07-01), Buchelt
patent: 5039031 (1991-08-01), Valverde
patent: 5149012 (1992-09-01), Valverde
patent: 5150857 (1992-09-01), Moffitt et al.
patent: 5156358 (1992-10-01), Gerhardt

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