Patent Publication Number: US-9840323-B1

Title: Drone aircraft

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. No. 9,555,879, filed May 14, 2015, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/001,418, filed May 21, 2014. The entire contents of those applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a design for a drone aircraft. More particularly, the present invention relates to an aircraft, and particularly a drone, having a circular shape and blades positioned about the outer circumferential periphery. 
     Background of the Related Art 
     In current helicopters, a mechanically intricate system featuring a vertical drive shaft (mast) connected to an engine (gas piston or jet turbine) turn a series of blades that are very elongated and narrow. The rotational spinning of the blades about the mast at a sufficient RPM creates a lift factor consistent with the Bernoulli Principle. One way to move the helicopter forward or backward, is to provide a mechanical assembly on the drive shaft that can change the angle of the shaft either forward or backward, thus tilting the blades forward to achieve forward movement and backward to achieve backward movement. Similarly, another intricate mechanical linkage allows for the pilot to change the blades&#39; angle of attack thus increasing and decreasing the lift factor of the blades. The drive system is at a mechanical disadvantage since it is positioned at the vertical vertex of rotation, requiring a high horsepower requirement to provide ample RPMs for the greatly elongated and narrow blades to achieve lift. 
     This entire drive system is permanently affixed well above the helicopter&#39;s horizontal centerline. However, this creates a top heavy platform, and many helicopter crashes result in the craft rolling or flipping on contact. To prevent the main lift blades spinning force to cause the craft to spin uncontrollably, a geared mechanical link from the main engine and mast to a tail rotor counteracts the main blades effect and allows the craft to remain stable. 
     Despite many variations of airframe body designs (improved aerodynamic bodies), there remains essentially an identical center line torque at the vertex drive systems. 
     Current industry design configurations for rotor type drones/Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAVs) usually have 3-6 vertically mounted motors connected to propellers, each on a single vertical shaft. This configuration/design commonality has an inherent weakness. If any one of the motor/propeller assemblies fail, the drone/UAV craft will become unstable and experience uncontrollable flight. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an aircraft that is highly stable, maneuverable, and mechanically efficient, and especially one that can be utilized as a helicopter and avoids the dangers involved during a mechanical failure. 
     This invention changes the historical concept of helicopters by modifying the entire mechanical and lift structure mechanisms. An aircraft is provided that has the rotor blades at the outer perimeter of the craft and at or below the horizontal centerline of the craft. Much shorter and wider rotor blades are utilized, and the angle of attack is permanently fixed at a predetermined constant lift position. The rotor blades are coupled with the drive system at or below the center mass of the craft. The invention alleviates the need for a blade tilt system and achieves greatly enhanced mechanical advantage, including increased torque at the blade&#39;s drive point. 
     In accordance with the invention, a lift system is provided that includes internally mounted jet engines linked to electric generators that produce electric power for three (3) electric motors. The motors are linked via a series of gears that drive large annular/ring gears positioned about the entire perimeter of the craft and freely roll one on top the other, each on a series of roller bearings. The annular/ring gears are directly attached to both main lift blades and counter-rotation blades. Lateral movement and turning function of the craft are achieved by vectoring the exhaust of the jet engines using ducts out the side of the craft and/or a rudder affixed to the bottom rear of the craft. 
     These and other objects of the invention, as well as many of the intended advantages thereof, will become more readily apparent when reference is made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the aircraft in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the aircraft of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a top cross-sectional view of the aircraft showing the gear mechanism; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged side view of a portion of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a top view showing the engines inside the aircraft; 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of the aircraft, with a cutaway portion of the main body to illustrate the gear mechanisms; 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of the aircraft with a cutaway portion to illustrate seating and the engine; 
         FIG. 8  is a rear view of the aircraft; 
         FIG. 9  is a top cross-sectional view of a drone aircraft in accordance with the invention; and 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of the drone aircraft. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In describing a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents that operate in similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. Several preferred embodiments of the invention are described for illustrative purposes, it being understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms not specifically shown in the drawings. 
     Turning to the drawings,  FIGS. 1-2  shows an aircraft  100  in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention. The aircraft  100  includes a main housing or body  110 , lift blades  120  and counter-rotation (or anti-torque) airfoil blades  130 . The main body  110  has an upper body portion  112 , a lower body portion  114 , landing gear  118 , and other usual features such as a cockpit, seating and windows. The main body  110  receives the pilot and any passengers and/or product(s) to be transported from below the craft via a transport device  119  such as stairs and/or a conveyor belt that extends from either the lower body portion  114  or the upper body portion  112 . As shown, the aircraft  100  has a different design for an aircraft, and is especially suited as a helicopter-type aircraft. The landing gear  118  can extend downward from the lower body portion  114 , and can optionally be retracted to a compartment inside the lower body  114  when the craft  100  is in flight. 
     The main body  110  has a generally circular shape when viewed from the top (i.e., a horizontal cross-section) ( FIG. 1 ) and an oval or oblong shape when viewed from the side (i.e., a vertical cross-section) ( FIG. 2 ). That provides an aerodynamic shape for the aircraft  100 . A middle or central horizontal axis  116  is formed where the upper and lower body portions  112 ,  114  come together. Thus, the central horizontal axis or line  116  extends midway from the top and bottom of the main body  110 . The upper body portion  112  is dome-shaped with a smaller top part and becoming wider toward the central horizontal axis  116 . The lower body portion  112  has an inverted dome-shape with a smaller bottom part and becoming wider toward the central horizontal axis  116 . Thus, the main body  110  has a circular central outer periphery or outer perimeter  115  that forms the widest and outermost part of the main body  110 . 
     The upper and lower body portions  112 ,  114  can be formed separately and coupled together such as by welding, or the entire main body  110  can be a single piece integrated device. In addition, while the upper and lower body portions  112 ,  114  are shown being substantially equal in size and shape, other suitable embodiments can be provided. For instance, the upper body  112  can be smaller and differently shaped than the lower body  114 . In addition, both the upper and lower bodies  112 ,  114  need not be circular or dome-shaped but can have a different shape (such as rectangular or square), with an outer circular ring (either internal or external to the main body) for the blades. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 7 , the main lift blades  120  are positioned at or slightly above the outer perimeter  116  of the craft main body  110 . The drive system  150  is below the horizontal center line  116  in the lower body  114 , which results in a low center of gravity. The pilot and passenger compartment can be above the center line  116  in the upper body  112  and/or in the lower body  114 . In addition, six counter-rotation blades  130  are provided at the outer perimeter  116  of the main body  110  and directly below the main blades  120 , as best shown in  FIG. 2 . The main lift blades  120  and the counter-rotation blades  130  create a balanced and low center of gravity craft  100 . The main blades  120  and the counter-rotation blades  130  are substantially smaller in length and can be larger in width than the traditional helicopter rotor blades. 
     In one embodiment, the main blades  120  can be the same size and shape as a small Cessna Aircraft wings. In one embodiment of the invention, the blades  120  can be between 10-15 feet in length and 2-3 feet in width. However, other suitable dimensions can be utilized, greater or smaller, within the spirit of the invention. The length, width and thickness of the blades are contingent upon the size of the craft&#39;s main body. However, the great torque advantage achieved by having the drive system at the craft&#39;s perimeter (away from the craft&#39;s center/vertex) allows for much wider and shorter blades (wings) appropriately designed and sized to achieve lift. In one embodiment, the six main lift blades and the six counter rotation blades are sufficient to provide lift, though more or fewer blades can be provided. 
     Turning to  FIG. 3 , a non-limiting illustrative embodiment of the rotational system is shown having a main rotational assembly  200  and a counter-rotational assembly  300 . The main rotational system  200  can be a gear train having an annular gear  210  and one or more planet gears  150 . The annular gear  210  can have a ring or base  212  and a plurality of teeth  214 . The ring  212  forms a circle that is at the perimeter  116  or substantially concentric with respect to the perimeter  116 . The teeth  214  are positioned about the entire circumference of the ring  212  and extend inward from the ring  212  along the inner facing side of the ring  212 . 
     The counter-rotational assembly  300  can also be a gear train having an annular gear  310  and one or more planet gears  150 . As best illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 5 , at least one (and preferably three) planet gear assemblies  150  (and motors  178 ) are provided spaced at about 120 degrees from one another. The planet gears  150  can have a drive gear  158  and can also have a driven gear  152  and one or more intermediate gears  154 ,  156 . The annular gear  310  can have a ring or base  312  and a plurality of teeth  314 . The ring  312  forms a circle that is substantially concentric with respect to the perimeter  116  and also substantially concentric with the main gear ring  212 . In the embodiment shown, the counter-rotational ring  310  is smaller in diameter than the diameter of the main rotational ring  210 , so that the main rotational annular ring  210  forms an outer concentric ring and the counter-rotational annular ring  310  forms an inner concentric ring. However, the rings  210 ,  310  can have the same diameter or the counter-rotational ring  310  can have a larger diameter than the main rotational ring  210 . The teeth  314  are positioned about the entire circumference of the ring  312  and extend inward from the ring  312  along the inner facing side of the ring  312 . 
     Turning to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , two jet turbine engines  170  of appropriate size and thrust capacity can be placed at the internal bottom of the aircraft inside the main body  110 , and preferably in the lower body  114 . The engines  170  are geared to turn one or more (preferably two) electric generators  176  which develop sufficient electric power for one or more (preferably three) electric drive motors  178 . In one embodiment, a separate electric generator  176  can be provided for each of three sets of planet gears  150 . At least two jet engines  170  are provided, with each having its own electric generators  176 . Air intake ports  172  are provided for the jet turbine, and can be located at or near the front of the craft. Ducts  177  can also be optionally provided from the intake ports  172  to the jet engines (as partially shown in  FIG. 5 ). 
     The exhaust  174  from the jet turbines has two functions. First, it is used to move the craft in a lateral direction. Second, a portion of the exhaust (such as via one or more optional ducts  175 ) can be vectored out of side ports  178  at the sides of the craft (see  FIG. 8 ) to work in conjunction with a rudder  105  ( FIGS. 7, 8 ) to turn the craft. The rudder  105  extends downward from the bottom of the lower body  114 , preferably toward one end (the rear end) of the craft, such a being positioned below the exhaust  174 . A single rudder  105  can be utilized or, as shown in  FIG. 8 , more than one rudder  105  can be provided with each rudder positioned toward a side of the lower body  114 . 
     The rudders  105  can be elongated with a main body  107  that extends downward from the lower body  114  substantially perpendicular to the outer surface of the lower body  114 . The rudder  105  can be tapered outward from the front end  108  to the rear end  109  to have a general triangular shape with a tapered rear end  109 . The bottom edge  111  of the rudder  105  can be relatively straight. The rudders  105  can be attached to the lower body  114  by one or more control bars  106  that the pilot can control to adjust the positioning of the rudders  105 . The rudders  105  can pivot about one of the control bars  106  so that the front end  108  of the rudder remains relatively fixed and the rear end  109  of the rudder  105  moves side-to-side and/or pivot upward/downward with respect to the lower body  114 . Or both the front and rear ends  108 ,  109  can move side-to-side and/or pivot upward (as shown by arrow Z in  FIG. 8 ) with respect to the lower body  114 . The rudder  105  deflects the air and/or creates a wind pattern to move the craft  100  in a desired direction. Thus, the rudders  105  can be controlled by the pilot to move the craft  100  in any suitable direction. 
     It should further be appreciated that the main body  110  can have other suitable sizes and/or shapes, and that the blades  120 ,  130  can be driven in other suitable manners. And, the blades  120 ,  130  can be configured in different manners (with or without an outer and/or inner gear ring  210 ,  310 ) within the scope of the invention. It should be further appreciated that other suitable techniques can be provided to drive the gears  150 , such as turbine engines, turboshaft engines or engines that run on gasoline, jet fuel, or nitromethane. 
     As further shown in  FIGS. 4, 5 , a separate electric motor  178  can be provided for each set of the planet gears  150 . Each of the planet gears  150  have its own set of teeth that protrude outward and engage one or more respective gears, and also can be mounted to a respective pin or shaft that is mounted to a support or the body  110  to enable the gear  150  to freely rotate. The electric motor  178  can be coupled to a shaft that is connected to a drive gear  158 , so that the motor  178  rotates the shaft and associated drive gear  158 . The teeth of a first intermediate gear  156  rotationally engage the teeth of the drive gear  158 , and the teeth of a second intermediate gear  154  rotationally engage the teeth of the first intermediate gear  156 . And the teeth of the second intermediate gear  154  rotationally engage the teeth of the driven gear  152 . 
     As the motor  178  rotates the drive gear  158  in a first direction A, it turns the first intermediate gear  156  in a second direction B opposite to the first direction A, which turns the second intermediate gear  154  in the first direction A, which turns the driven gear  152  in the second direction B. The drive gear  158  is located inside the counter-rotational annular gear  310  and the teeth of the drive gear  158  engage the teeth  314  of the counter-rotational annular gear  310  to rotate the counter-rotational annular gear  310  in the first direction A. In addition, the driven gear  152  is located just inside the main annular gear  210  and the teeth of the driven gear  152  engage the teeth  214  of the main annular gear  210  to rotate the main annular gear  210  in the second direction B. Thus, the counter-rotational annular gear  310  rotates in the opposite direction than the main annular gear  210 . 
     The gears  152 ,  154 ,  156 ,  158  rotate at the same time to simultaneously drive the annular rings  210 ,  310  (as well as the respective blades  120 ,  130 ). The gears  152 ,  158  are the same size and gears  154 ,  156  are the same size, so that the gears  150  drive the annular rings  210 ,  310  at the same speeds. The same speed and operation of the rings  210 ,  310  provides stabilization of the aircraft by the counter-rotation blades  130 , while at the same time providing sufficient lift by the main blades  120 . It will be appreciated, however, that the planet gears  150  need not be coupled together and drive by a single motor, but instead the annular rings  210 ,  310  can be driven by separate planet gears and motors. And, the planet gears  150  can be configured to drive the annular rings  210 ,  310  at different speeds. 
     The six main lift blades  120  are spaced approximately 60 degrees apart from one another and are affixed respectively to the ring gear  210  by a shaft  121  that extends outward (preferably beyond the outer perimeter  115 ). And six counter-rotation blades  130  are spaced at 60 degrees from one another and also are coupled to an inner facing perimeter ring/planetary gear  310  by a shaft  131  that extends outward (preferably beyond the outer perimeter  115 ), just below ring gear  116 . The counter-rotation blades  130  can be positioned between the main blades  120  ( FIG. 3 ), or can be at any other suitable relative position such as being aligned. 
     In this manner, the counter-rotational blades  130  rotate in the opposite direction as the main blades  120 , so that the counter-rotation blades  130  offset the torque of the main rotor blades  120 . The counter-rotational blades  130  are smaller than the main rotor blades  120  since the main blades  120  are the primary source for lift, whereas the counter-rotational blades  130  are mostly utilized as anti-torque. It should be recognized that the blades  120  need not all be the same size and the blades  130  need not all be the same size, and one or more of the counter-rotational blades  130  can be the same size or larger than the main blades  120 . And, any suitable number of blades  120 ,  130  can be provided, and the number of main blades  120  need not be the same as the number of counter-rotational blades  130 . 
     The rings  210 ,  310  can be positioned inside the aircraft body  110  and the blades  120 ,  130  can project outside the body  110  through an annular channel. The blades  120 ,  130  extend substantially perpendicularly and horizontally outward from the body  110 . 
     It will be readily apparent that although six main blades  120  and six counter-rotation blades  130  are provided, any suitable number of blades  120 ,  130  can be provided within the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, there need not be an equal number of main blades  120  as counter-rotation blades  130 . And while the counter-rotation blades  130  are shown smaller than the main blades  120 , any suitable size and configuration of those blades  120 ,  130  can be utilized. Further, the need for standard mast tilt assemblies is not necessary for the main blades since the craft&#39;s lateral movement is achieved by the main jet turbine thrust out the rear of the craft ( FIG. 8 ) while lift is achieved by permanently affixing the main blades to an angle of attack appropriate for lift. That is, in the embodiments shown the blades  120 ,  130  are permanently fixed in a stationary position to the annular gears  210 ,  310 . However, in another embodiment the blades  120  and/or  130  can be pivotally fixed to the annular gears  210 ,  310 , so that the blades  120  and/or  130  can pivot forward and backward with respect to the annular ring  210 ,  310  (i.e., the shaft  121 ,  131  can turn with respect to the annular ring  210 ,  310 ). This can be used to create directional movement, whereby the pilot can control the shaft  121 ,  131  to turn to propel the aircraft in any desired direction. This can be provided by itself or in combination with the use of the rudder  105 , or the rudder  105  can be provided by itself without the pivoting of the blades  120 ,  130 . 
     The main blades  120  and counter-rotation blades  130  rotate about the entire outer circumference of the aircraft main body  110  and are connected to the annular gear rings  210 ,  310 , respectively. As further shown in  FIG. 4 , the annular gears  210 ,  310  can be relatively flat with a bottom surface that rests and rotates by rolling on one or more roller bearings  122 ,  124 , though preferably a plurality of roller bearings  122 ,  124  are provided about the entire periphery of the body  110 . The roller bearings  122 ,  124  can be affixed to the crafts internal airframe on support struts  126 ,  128 , respectively. The support struts  126 ,  128  can be used in appropriate quantity and spacing about the inner perimeter of the craft as required to support the roller bearings  122 ,  124  and the annular gears  210 ,  310 . In addition, a channel can be provided in the support struts  126 ,  128  to receive the roller bearings  122 ,  124 , and the roller bearings  122 ,  124  can ride in the channels. 
     As still further shown in  FIG. 4 , the main rotor blades  120 , as well as the annular rotor  210  and driven gear  152 , can be positioned at a first vertical position and a first horizontal position within the body  110 . And the counter-rotational blades  130 , as well as the annular rotor  310  and drive gear  158 , can be positioned at a second vertical position and a second horizontal position within the body  110  that is different than the first vertical and horizontal positions. Thus, the main rotor blades  120  can be vertically offset with respect to the counter-rotational blades  130 , and the annular gear  210  and driven gear  152  can vertically offset (and horizontally offset) with respect to the counter-rotational annular gear  310  and drive gear  158 . And the electric motors  178  can be positioned below the counter-rotation drive gears  158 . 
     Thus, the main blades  120  are at an upper position and the counter-rotational blades  130  are at a lower position, so that the main blades  120  and the counter-rotation blades  130  do not interfere with each other. As illustrated, one or both of the intermediate gears  154 ,  156  (the second intermediate gear  156  is behind the first intermediate gear  154  in the embodiment of  FIG. 4 ) is can be elongated in the vertical direction (as a tube or cylinder) to span the vertical gap between the drive gear  158  and the driven gear  152 . 
     The entire drive/propulsion system ( FIGS. 4, 5 )  150  is housed within the main body  110  and preferably below the center horizontal line ( FIGS. 2, 4 )  116  of the main body  110 . The main blades  120  are shown just at or above the center line  116 , but can also be provided below the center line  116 . And, the main blades  120  and counter-rotation blades  130  can both be located below the center line  116 , and can also extend out beyond the outer periphery of the main body  110 . 
     It is further noted that a processing device and related control mechanisms at the pilot seat can be provided to control operation of the aircraft, including the speed of the blades  120 ,  130 , maneuvering, speed, and stability. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention can be utilized for other suitable applications beyond helicopter designs. 
     With respect to the shortened blades (wings)  130 , the required RPM to generate lift for this craft will be substantially lower than in traditional helicopters since the blades are substantially wider and will achieve a greater lift coefficient per unit of surface area than traditional blades. In current helicopters, the RPM required for lift ranges from 460-600 RPM. The present invention will require approximately only 70-80 RPMs to achieve vertical lift for takeoff. This calculation is based upon examining the take-off air speed of both small aircraft and commercial aircraft and associates those speeds with the necessary blade speed of this invention. Typically, small aircraft (such as a Cessna single engine etc. . . . ) require between 70-100 MPH for takeoff and larger commercial aircraft (Jets) require approximately 140-180 MPH. Considering a variant of the present invention had a main body of 30 feet in diameter with main lift blades at 10 feet in length, the resulting circumference of outermost blade travel in its rotation for one revolution would be 157 feet. If the main lift blades travelling 157 feet equates to one revolution and we multiply 70 (RPM)×157, the result is 10,990 feet travelled in one minute. This equates to approximately 120 MPH, which is the average take off speed between small aircraft and commercial jets. 
     With the main lift blades  130  at the horizontal center line of craft, a parachute  104  (or multiple parachutes) can be located at the top of the craft&#39;s airframe superstructure, as shown in  FIG. 7 . A compartment can be provided at the top of the upper body  112 , and the compartment can be opened to release the parachute  104 . The compartment can be opened by the pilot or can open automatically when the craft control system detects that the craft is rapidly losing altitude or is otherwise out of control, such as in the event of a catastrophic power or mechanical failure. The parachute  104  provides a non-fatal landing. Additionally, based upon the aircraft&#39;s design and low center of gravity, in the event of an emergency water landing, the craft will not flip over and more importantly, will float upright for a sustained period of time allowing passengers/pilot escape from a hatch  101  ( FIG. 7 ) located at the top of the craft. 
     Since the craft&#39;s lift and counter-rotation blades are at the perimeter of the horizontal center line of craft, weapon systems can be imbedded on both the bottom and top of the craft allowing a nearly full spherical 360 degree deployment. With the lift and counter-rotation blades being very short and close to the craft&#39;s main superstructure, the availability of suitable landing zones is greatly increased. In addition, since the proposed mechanical and blade lift mechanism achieves greater lift per unit of horsepower, a greater level of armoring on lower airframe can be used to protect craft from ground fire. Finally, the craft can easily be configured in a drone capacity and remotely piloted. 
     Turning to  FIG. 9 , the craft is shown more particularly configured in a drone capacity. Here the craft  500  is configured as a drone and can be operated, for instance, by remote control. The drone  500  is similar to the craft  100  of  FIGS. 1-8  with regard to the general configuration of the craft, including the main body  110 , landing  119 , blades  120 ,  130 , gears  150 , rotational assembly  200 , and counter rotation assembly  300 . Thus for instance, the drone  500  looks the same as the manned aircraft  100  in  FIGS. 1-8 , but substantially smaller. But the drone need not have various other elements, such as the escape hatch  101  and stairs  119 . And the engine  172  need not be a jet turbine engine, but can be substantially lower powered engine or motor. 
     When the lift and drive system of the invention is applied to rotor type drone/UAV craft, the stability and efficiency as a platform is greatly enhanced similar to that achieved by the helicopter variant shown and described with respect to  FIGS. 1-8 . 
     By applying the concept of  FIGS. 1-8  to rotor drones/UAVs, whereby both the main and counter-rotation rotation blades emanate from and move about the perimeter of the craft, not the center vertex, great fight stability is achieved. Additionally, more than one electric motor  178  can be provide, so that the failure of any single motor will not diminish the operation of the main or counter rotation blades  120 ,  130 , since the other motors  178  can compensate for the failed motor  178  (for instance, by increasing the rotations per minute of the other motors  178 ). The unmanned drone/UAV of the present invention differs from the lift and drive systems of  FIGS. 1-8  only in the manner in which it is powered. For instance, since the craft  500  is substantially smaller and lighter than the manned aircraft  100 , it can be powered by a much smaller motor(s) (e.g., it can be battery powered), to drive the blades  120 ,  130  via the assemblies  200 ,  300  and gears  150 . Thus, the jet engine and electric generator need not be provided. The motors  178  can be gas-powered or powered by batteries, such as batteries  21 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 9-10 , drive blades/fans  25  are mounted within the ducts  24  located in the bottom of the craft  500 . The one or more batteries  21  are used to power one or more electric motors  22  that are used to drive the fans  25 . As with  FIGS. 2, 4, 7, 8 , the ducts  23 ,  24  are in air flow communication with intake and exhaust openings  172 ,  174 . Accordingly, the fans  25  pull air in through the intake, and out through the exhaust. In  FIGS. 9-10 , the motors  22  can be located inside the ducts  24 , or adjacent to the ducts  24 , and can be adjacent either the intake or exhaust openings. At one end, the ducts  24  can be connected to an intake duct  23 , which is attached to the intake port  172 . At an opposite end, the ducts  24  can be connected to the exhaust port  174 . 
     The fans  25  achieve lateral movement and turning of the drone/UAV craft  500 . The wind/thrust from these blades/fans  25  pushes the craft  500  in a lateral direction. To facilitate turning the craft, two functions can be applied. First, the RPM level of either motor  22  can be increased so as to cause the craft to turn. Second, the increased RPM level of either motor operating in conjunction with the two rudders  105  (in conjunction with the control bars  106 ) that are affixed to the craft&#39;s lower airframe, as best shown in  FIGS. 2, 7 . Those rudders  105  facilitate turning of the craft  500 . 
     In addition, the drone/UAV  500  is much smaller than the manned variant so accordingly, all the components such as the crafts fuselage (if needed), drive motors, lift blades etc. . . . will be smaller. Likewise, if the drone/UAV  500  is of significant size so as to not warrant battery use, the original application&#39;s power generation scheme can be used applying smaller jet engines linked to appropriately smaller electric generators. 
     Still further, the drone craft  500  includes components needed to communicate with a user remote control device. For instance, the craft  500  can have a wireless receiver to receive signals from the user remote control device. The receiver can communicate by radio frequency (RF), infrared (IR), Bluetooth, or any other suitable frequency or wireless communication. The craft  500  can also have a control mechanism, such as a processing device or controller, that receives the command signals from the user remote control device, and controls operation of the drone craft  500 . For instance, the controller can control operation of the motors  22  to work the fans  25 , and motors  170 . 
     GLOSSARY OF TERMS 
     
         
         
           
               100 , aircraft;  101 , escape hatch;  104 , parachute;  105 , rudder;  106 , control bars for rudder;  107 , main body of rudder;  108 , front end of rudder;  109 , rear end of rudder;  110 , main body of craft;  112 , upper body of craft;  114 , lower body of craft;  115 , outer periphery of craft;  116 , general horizontal centerline of craft;  118 , landing struts;  119 , stairs;  120 , main lift blades;  121 , connector bars linking annular gear to main lift blades;  122 , roller bearings for main lift blades annular gear;  124 , roller bearings for counter rotation blades annular gear;  126 , support strut for roller bearing supporting main rotation blades annular gear;  128 , support strut for roller bearing supporting counter rotation blades annular gear;  130 , counter rotation blades;  131 , connector bars linking annular gear to counter rotation blades;  150 , general overall set of drive gears;  152 , driven gear;  154 , intermediate gears;  156 , intermediate gears;  158 , drive gear;  170 , jet turbine engines;  172 , intake port for jet turbines;  174 , exhaust ports for jet turbine engines;  175 , ducts;  176 , electric generators;  177 , ducts;  178 , electric drive motors;  200 , overview of main rotational assembly;  210 , main annular gear for main lift blades;  212 , base I frame structure of annular gear for main lift blades;  214 , teeth of annular gear  210 ;  300 , counter rotation assembly;  310 , annular gear for counter rotation blades;  312 , teeth of annular gear  310 ;  500 , drone aircraft. 
           
         
       
    
     The foregoing description and drawings should be considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. The invention may be configured in a variety of shapes and sizes and is not intended to be limited by the preferred embodiment. Numerous applications of the invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is not desired to limit the invention to the specific examples disclosed or the exact construction and operation shown and described. Rather, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.