Patent ID: 6932296
Filing Date: 2005-08-23
Classification: B64B,B64C

Abstract:
1. A system for moving an aerial vehicle along a flight path, said system comprising: a substantially disk-shaped hub mounted on the vehicle for rotation about a hub axis, with said hub lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the hub axis; an airfoil shaped blade positioned on said hub for rotation therewith, wherein said blade travels on a blade path around the hub axis during rotation of said hub, said blade defining a blade axis and a chord line; a gear assembly, said gear assembly including a blade gear, with said blade fixedly attached thereto, said blade gear being mounted on said hub for rotation around the blade axis and for rotation with said blade around the hub axis, a center gear oriented on said hub for rotation around a center gear axis with the center gear axis substantially parallel to the hub axis, and a mid-gear rotationally interconnecting said blade gear with said center gear, wherein said gear assembly is changeable between a first modality (curtate flight) wherein the chord line of said blade is maintained generally tangential to the blade path during rotation of said hub, and a second modality (prolate flight) wherein the chord line of said blade is maintained generally parallel to the flight path of the vehicle during rotation of said hub; and a means for moving the center gear to vary a distance between the center gear axis and the blade axis to rotate the chord line of said blade about said blade axis to alter the angle of attack of said blade and generate forces for moving the vehicle along the flight path.