Patent Description:
Drones, whether manned or unmanned, have been proposed to conduct various missions and functions. Their missions and functions, however, are often limited by the traveling range and endurance of the drone. There is a continuing need for a drone that is sufficiently efficient to travel longer distances.

There is also a continuing need for new ways of creating redundancy in a drone so that when one propeller fails, the drone may still function and continue to stay in the air. <CIT> relates to a cargo aircraft. <CIT> relates to a vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). <CIT> relates to a UAV with a with a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) function. <CIT> relates to an amphibious drone, which comprises a fuselage, a vertical tail, and a wing. <CIT> relates to a VTOL fixed-wing aircraft having overlapping propellers disposed on a top surface of each of the left and right lateral supports connecting the left and right main and secondary wings and low hanging vertical stabilizers disposed on the rear end of the aircraft. <CIT> relates to a VTOL fixed-wing aircraft having overlapping propellers. <CIT> relates to a VTOL aircraft having three lifting surfaces and separate lift and cruise systems.

The embodiment may seek to satisfy one or more of the above-mentioned desires. Although the present embodiment may obviate one or more of the above-mentioned desires, it should be understood that some aspects of the embodiment might not necessarily obviate them.

The presently claimed invention relates to a hybrid VTOL fixed-wing drone according to appended claim <NUM>.

Contemplated drone can optionally have a push propeller disposed at a back end of the main body.

In another embodiment, instead of a push propeller, there can be a further propeller coupled to the main body and the further propeller has a plane of motion that is perpendicular to a plane of motion of the first propeller.

Contemplated drone can further include a left vertical stabilizer disposed on a back end of the left linear support, and a right vertical stabilizer disposed on a back end of the right linear support.

Further contemplated is for the first propeller to have a first range motion with a first radius, and for the second propeller to have a second range of motion with a second radius. In some embodiments, the distance between the center of the first range of motion and the center of the second range of motion can be less than twice the first radius.

In yet other embodiments, wherein from a top view, a range of motion of the first propeller visually overlaps with a range of motion of the second propeller.

In yet another embodiment, the first radius can be substantially the same as the second radius.

According to an example not forming part of the presently claimed invention there is also contemplated a method of improving stability, and/or durability, and or redundancy in a hybrid fixed-wing VTOL drone. The example method the method can include connecting a left main wing to a left canard forewing with a left linear support. Also, the method can include connecting a right main wing to a right canard forewing with a right linear support.

In some further examples, the left and right linear supports can counteract against a twisting force applied to the main body of the drone during flight.

The example method can include a step of arranging a spatial relationship between a center of gravity of the drone and said at least three propellers disposed on each of the left and right linear support, such that when any one of said propellers malfunctions, the drone may remain functioning by simply shutting down one other said propeller. There is a cabin, whether a cargo cabin or a passenger cabin. The left main wing and the right main wing are coupled to the cabin.

According to the presently claimed invention, the left and right forewings are not attached to the cabin, thereby allowing better visualization of the sky from the cabin's windshield.

In still another embodiment, instead of using one push propeller disposed at the rear end of a main body, there can be a push propeller disposed at the rear end of each of the two linear supports.

In other embodiments, the vertical stabilizers at the rear end of each of the two linear supports can be disposed on the undersides of each linear support such that the two vertical stabilizers are pointed downwards.

In some embodiments, there can be a dorsal vertical stabilizer disposed on the top side of each of the linear supports at a location where the main wing intersects with the corresponding linear support. The dorsal vertical stabilizer can be angled to slant towards the rear side of the aerial vehicle.

In other embodiments, there can be a lift propeller disposed on the distal end of the dorsal vertical stabilizer.

According to the presently claimed invention, the left main wing and the right main wing form a dihedral configuration. In other embodiments, the main wings each have a distal portion that is curved upwards, creating a dihedral aerodynamic design.

According to the presently claimed invention, the left and right forewings are joined to each other and are not attached to the cabin or the main body. The forewings can form a anhedral configuration.

Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present embodiment will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments of the embodiment, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components.

It should be noted that the drawing figures may be in simplified form and might not be to precise scale. In reference to the disclosure herein, for purposes of convenience and clarity only, directional terms such as top, bottom, left, right, up, down, over, above, below, beneath, rear, front, distal, and proximal are used with respect to the accompanying drawings. Such directional terms should not be construed to limit the scope of the embodiment in any manner.

The drone and its various aspects can now be better understood by turning to the following detailed description of the embodiments, which are presented as illustrated examples of the embodiment defined in the claims.

Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated embodiment has been set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be taken as limiting the embodiment as defined by the following claims.

The words used in this specification to describe the embodiment and its various embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use in a claim must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word itself.

As used herein, the terms "failure" and "malfunction" in conjunction with a propeller refer to a condition where the propeller cease to function properly as intended by its manufacturer due to reasons outside of its control. For example, a propeller may fail or malfunction when it is damaged by an outside force. Propellers in a drone are known to be damaged when it collides with a bird, a tree, or a building. A propeller may also fail or malfunction when its mechanical or electrical a material component experience a break down. Also, a propeller may fail or malfunction when its power supply or fuel supply ceases to supply energy to the propeller when such supply of energy is expected.

As used herein, the term "center of gravity" in conjunction with the drone refers to a center of gravity in consideration of the total weight of the drone including all of its components, fuel (if any), and its payload. For example, if the drone is contemplate to carry cargo or human, the weight of the cargo and/or human would be part of the calculation in designing where the center of gravity should be.

As used herein, the term "range of motion" in conjunction with the propeller refers to a circular area having a radius equal to the length of the propeller's blade. Since the blade of the propeller is designed to rotate either in a clockwise or counter-clockwise along a plane, the range of motion can also be described as a circular area along a plane.

As used herein, the term "overlap" in conjunction with the range of motions of propellers refers to a visual appearance that two circular areas have certain portions touching each other, but does not mean physical touching. That is, when two ranges of motions "overlap," they do not mean physically overlapping each other. When two ranges of motions "overlap," they merely appear to be in each other's space when looking from a particular angle. This overlaps may or may not necessarily create interference in fluid dynamics and aerodynamics of the two adjacent propellers.

As used herein, the term "hybrid" in conjunction with fixed-wing VTOL drone design refers to the classification of aircraft type, and does not refer to its power train. In the disclosure here, the term "hybrid" refers to the fact that the contemplated drone is a fixed-wing aircraft and at the same time has propellers so that the drone can vertically take-off and land (VTOL). In terms of power train, the contemplated embodiments can use entirely electric power train, a fuel-powered power train, a combination of both, or any other known or yet to be known power train technology.

As used herein, the term "drone" or "aerial vehicle" refers to any manned or unmanned aircraft, of various sizes. For example, contemplated drones as disclosed herein can have a wingspan of less than <NUM> meter, or can have a cabin space sufficiently large to seat passenger(s). The term "drone" as used herein can or cannot be limited to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

As used herein, the term "vertical" in conjunction with a stabilizer refers to any angle. In one embodiment, it is at a <NUM> degree angle, perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the main wings. In other embodiments, it can be at a tilted angle.

The inventor has discovered a novel hybrid VTOL fixed-wing drone design that can drastically improve at least one of the following characteristics in a drone: efficiency, durability, travel distance, and redundancy.

Referring now to <FIG> generally depicts the basic structure of a hybrid VTOL Fixed-wing drone <NUM> in accordance with an example not forming part of the presently claimed invention.

Drone <NUM> is contemplated to have a main body <NUM>, two forewings <NUM>, <NUM> attached to the front end of the main body <NUM>. There are two main wings <NUM>, <NUM> attached to the main body towards the rear of the main body <NUM>. This is a typical canard design where two smaller forewings are placed forward to two larger main wings.

Main body <NUM> can have an aerodynamic design and may optionally have a cabin sufficiently large to seat human passenger(s) or cargo. In the exemplar drone <NUM> as shown in the drawing figures, what appears to be a windshield <NUM> may or may not be an actual functional windshield <NUM>, depending on whether the particular configuration has a passenger cabin.

There can be two main wings <NUM> and <NUM> attached to the rear portion of the main body <NUM>. In some examples, terminal ends of each of the main wings <NUM> and <NUM> may have a vertical stabilizer <NUM>, <NUM>.

Forewings <NUM> and <NUM> can be attached to the front end of the main body <NUM>. Forewings <NUM>, <NUM> are shorter than the main wings <NUM>, <NUM>.

There can be a left and a right linear supports <NUM>, <NUM>, each of which physically connects a forewing <NUM>, <NUM> to the main wings <NUM>, <NUM>. In one aspect of the contemplated example, the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> are fixedly attached near the terminal ends of each perspective forewings <NUM>, <NUM>. In one example, the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> can be fixedly attached a location on the forewings <NUM>, <NUM> that is distal to the middle point between the tip of the forewings <NUM>, <NUM> and the main body <NUM>. In yet another example, the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> can be fixedly attached to anywhere along the length of the forewings <NUM>, <NUM>. Although the exemplar linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> shown in <FIG> are attached to the undersides of the forewings <NUM>, <NUM>, other examples may have the linear supports <NUM>, 121attached to the upper side of the forewings <NUM>, <NUM>.

The contemplated linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> can be made of suitable materials to withstand the physical demands of flying, and can resist contortion. Such materials include natural and synthetic polymers, various metals and metal alloys, naturally occurring materials, textile fibers, glass and ceramic materials, and all reasonable combinations thereof.

The straight linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> can provide structural integrity to the drone <NUM> by minimizing a contortion force applied to the main body <NUM> by the up and down movement of the main wings <NUM>, <NUM> and the forewings <NUM>, <NUM> during flight.

The linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> can have a straight body and can be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the main body <NUM>. As shown in the frontal view of <FIG>, the straight body configuration allows minimum aerodynamic obstruction during flight. The linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> can have a thickness that is no thicker than the thickest part of the main wings <NUM>, <NUM>. The linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> can have a cross-sectional shape that is circular, oval, square, rectangular, or any other suitable shape.

In other contemplated examples (not shown), the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> can have a curvature or other angles besides being straight.

The left and right linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> can have a suitable length to connect forewings <NUM>, <NUM> to the main wings <NUM>, <NUM>. In the example as shown in <FIG>, the left and right linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> are attached to the underside of the forewings <NUM>, <NUM>.

In the example drone <NUM> shown in the drawing figures, the left and the right linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> each can have a vertical stabilizer <NUM>, <NUM> disposed on the top of its rear terminal end. In one embodiment, the vertical stabilizers <NUM>, <NUM> are at a <NUM> degree angle, perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the main wings. In other examples these vertical stabilizers <NUM>, <NUM> can be at a tilted angle.

It should be understood that the above-described angles are exemplary and any other angles can be adopted in various embodiments of this disclosure.

Referring now to <FIG>, there can optionally be rotors and propellers disposed on each of the linear supports <NUM> and <NUM> to provide vertical take-off and landing capabilities to the drone <NUM>. Various numbers of propellers are contemplated. In the examples shown in the figures, each linear support <NUM>, <NUM> has three propellers. Left linear support <NUM> can have a propeller <NUM> disposed at the front terminal end of the linear support <NUM>, on the underside of the left forewing <NUM>, facing downwards. Left linear support <NUM> can have another propeller <NUM> disposed on top of the linear support <NUM> at a location in between the forewing <NUM> and the main wing <NUM>, facing upwards. Left linear support <NUM> can have yet another propeller <NUM> disposed at the bottom of the linear support <NUM> near a rear terminal end, facing downwards.

Similarly on the right side of the drone <NUM>, right linear support <NUM> can have a propeller <NUM> disposed at the front terminal end of the right linear support <NUM>, on the underside of the right forewing <NUM>, facing downwards. Right linear support <NUM> can have another propeller <NUM> disposed on top of the right linear support <NUM> at a location in between the forewing <NUM> and the main wing <NUM>, facing upwards. Right linear support <NUM> can have yet another propeller <NUM> disposed at the bottom of the right linear support <NUM> near a rear terminal end, facing downwards.

Each of the propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> shown in the drawing figures has two blades. In some embodiments, propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> can lock into a longitudinal position (as shown in <FIG>) during high speed flying when these propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are not necessary to keep the drone <NUM> in air. By locking these propellers into a longitudinal position parallel to the direction of the flight, aerodynamic is improved, as opposed to not locking them or keeping them spinning.

As those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, the propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may readily be modified as dictated by the aesthetic or functional needs of particular applications. For example, each of all or some of the propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> can have <NUM>-blades, <NUM>-blades, <NUM>-blades, or any other known types of blades.

As to the rotors that drive the propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, to maintain an aerodynamic profile, rotors should have as low a profile as possible. It is important to appreciate that although the present example is particularly well suited for use by implementing a low-profile rotor, it should be understood that other types of rotor or combinations of different types of rotors can be used to perform that same function as the low-profile rotors.

As shown in <FIG>, the contemplated rotors can be disposed within the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> and do not bulge out or extend beyond the aerodynamic contour of the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM>. Even the propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> can have a low-profile and can be disposed closely to the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> so that when the propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are locked in a longitudinal position (as shown in <FIG>) during high speed flying, an improved aerodynamic profile is present.

In one example, the lowest portion of the propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> do not extend beyond the lowest part of the main body <NUM>. In another example, the highest portion of the propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> do not extend beyond the highest part of the main body <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, form a frontal view, the distance between the highest points of the propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> to the lowest point of the propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> is substantially equal to the thickest part of the main wings <NUM>, <NUM>.

In yet another example, a novel feature includes arranging multiple rotors/propellers in only two parallel columns such that from a frontal view, these multiple rotor/propellers create only two points <NUM>, <NUM> of air disturbance (see <FIG>). This is important because this design drastically improve the aerodynamic profile of a multicopter drone, or a VTOL drone.

<FIG> illustrates one example of how the six propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> can be arranged. In this example, the six propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are arranged in two columns parallel to each other. Each column can be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the main body <NUM>. Known multi-copter drones arrange their propellers in an evenly spaced array to encircle around the center of gravity, because evenly spaced array in a circle provides the best stability and redundancy. When one propeller in such prior art multi-copter drone fails, the prior art multi-copter simply turns off another propeller on the opposite end of the circular array so the rest of the working propellers are balanced to keep the drone in the air. In the example shown in <FIG>, the six propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are not evenly spaced apart from an adjacent propeller. By having the six propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> arranged in two parallel columns, drag is minimized because the frontal profiles of all six propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> would only equal to the frontal profile of about two such propellers (see <FIG> and <FIG>).

It should be particularly appreciated that although the drawing figures only show six propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, any even numbers of propellers can be arranged in two parallel columns. In one example, the drone <NUM> can have two parallel columns of propellers, each column having two propellers. In another example, the drone <NUM> can have two parallel columns of propellers, each column having four propellers. In yet another example, the drone <NUM> can have two parallel columns of propellers, each column having five propellers.

This plurality of propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may be disposed on various locations along the length of the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM>.

In one example as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> each has a rear terminal end that extends rearward beyond the rear edge of the main wings <NUM>, <NUM>. By extending its rear terminal end beyond the rear edge of the main wings <NUM>, <NUM>, the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> in the example can have propellers <NUM>, <NUM> disposed on the their terminal end without having the main wings <NUM>, <NUM> in the way of airflow during vertical takeoff and landing. As shown in <FIG>, the two circles surrounding propellers <NUM>, <NUM> represent the range of motion for their respective blades. Both circles do not overlap with the main wings <NUM>, <NUM>.

In the examples shown in the drawing figures, contemplated linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> do not extend forward beyond the frontal edge of the forewings <NUM>, <NUM>. The embodiment shown in <FIG> has both linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> terminate right underneath the forewings <NUM>, <NUM>. The terminal ends of the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> can each form a vertical ledge <NUM>, <NUM>.

In another example (not shown), contemplated linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> may each extend beyond the frontal edge of the forewings <NUM>, <NUM>. In that way, the two front-most propellers <NUM>, <NUM> can operate without being interfered by the forewings <NUM>, <NUM> being in the way of airflow.

In the example shown in <FIG>, high efficiency can be achieved by keeping the main body <NUM> and the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> reasonably short, thereby keeping the total weight of the drone relatively low. Instead of using smaller propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> in the first two rows of propeller arrangement so these two rows of propellers do not interfere with each other by overlapping their range motion, this example can have the first rows' range of motion <NUM> overlap the second row's range of motion <NUM>. In the example of <FIG>, each propeller in the first row can have a radius R4. Each propeller in the second row can have a radius R5. Each propeller in the last row can have a radius R6.

Although the propellers with different length of blades (thereby a different range of motion radius) can be utilized, the example in <FIG> has all six propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> having the same radius. In this example, the distance between the center rotating axle <NUM> of propeller <NUM> to the center rotating axle <NUM> of propeller <NUM> is less than twice the radius R4.

From a top view, the ranges of motions <NUM>, <NUM> appear to overlap each other partially. Their respective propeller blade, however, do not physically make contact with each other because these two propellers <NUM>, <NUM> are disposed on opposite sides of the same linear support <NUM>. All six propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> blow air in a downward fashion.

The example drone <NUM> can have a push propeller <NUM> disposed on the rear end of the main body <NUM>. The push propeller <NUM> has a spinning axle that is perpendicular to the spinning axles of propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. During high speed flight, the push propellers <NUM> is instrumental moving the drone <NUM>, whereas all six propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are locked and not rotating as described above.

Drone <NUM> can be equipped with other accessories, such as a camera <NUM> to conduct aerial surveillance and other date collection. Camera <NUM> can be disposed at any other position on the drone <NUM>.

Contemplated drone <NUM> can optionally have one or more air diffusers disposed on the underside of the drone. As shown in <FIG>, one air diffuser <NUM> can be disposed on the rear bottom end of the main body <NUM>. The diffuser <NUM> can be a shaped section of the main body's underbody. In other examples, the air diffuser <NUM> may act as a deturbulator.

According to an example not forming part of the presently claimed invention, it is disclosed a contemplated method to arrange a spatial relationship between a center of gravity of a drone and at least three propellers disposed on each of the left and right side of the drone, whether or not these propellers are disposed on the linear supports. In some examples, these propellers are arranged in pairs, each pair being equal-distant to each other forming two parallel arrays. The intended objective is to keep the drone <NUM> reasonably light weight, to keep the drone aerodynamically enhanced, to have sufficient power to vertically takeoff without resorting to the biggest and strongest rotors, and to have a build-in redundancy such that when any one of the six or more propellers malfunctions, the drone may remain functioning by simply shutting down one other said propellers.

For example, when propeller <NUM> fails, the drone can turn off propeller <NUM> to still keep the drone balanced; when propeller <NUM> fails, the drone can turn off propeller <NUM> to still keep the drone balanced; when propeller <NUM> fails, the drone can turn off propeller <NUM> to still keep the drone balanced; and vice versa.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the spatial arrangement of the propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> between each other and to the center of gravity of the drone can be done by the following method. In one example, consider that each of the six propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> have the same output of <NUM>. Propellers <NUM> and <NUM> would have a center of lift force (<NUM>) at point W (line A), which is a point equal-distant to the center of propeller <NUM> and propeller <NUM>. Propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> would have a center of lift force (<NUM>) at point X (line B), which is a point equal-distant to the center of propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM>. Propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> would have a center of lift force (<NUM>) at point Y (line C), which is a point equal-distant to the center of propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM>. Propellers <NUM> and <NUM> would have a center of lift force (<NUM>) at point Z (line D), which is a point equal-distant to the center of propellers <NUM> and <NUM>. The contemplated center of gravity for the entire drone <NUM> can be line CG which is two third the distance from line A to line C, which is also one third the distance from line B to line D.

According to an example not forming part of the presently claimed invention, it is disclosed a method of making hybrid VTOL fixed-wing drones lighter while providing it with sufficient structure and powertrain needs to maintain long-distance flying and/or high-speed flying. Longer main body would mean heavier body that causes the flight time to decrease unless larger powertrain and power source is provided, which in turn also cause the drone to be heavier and less aerodynamic.

According to yet another example not forming part of the presently claimed invention, a novel way of arranging multiple propellers in a hybrid VTOL fixed-wing drone includes propellers to not stack on top of another propeller. In the illustrated examples, six propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are horizontally spaced part from each other, and there can be no stacking of propellers.

In one example method, the first row of propellers is caused to overlap in their range of motion with the second row of propellers when looking from a top view. In another example method, the first row of propellers <NUM>, <NUM> are disposed near or at the bottom side of the canard forewings <NUM>, <NUM>.

Contemplated fixed-wing drones having the disclosed features or designed by the disclosed methods can expect to have a continuous flight time of at least eight hours when using an electric powertrain, and <NUM>-hours when using a hybrid (fuel-electric) powertrain.

Referring now to <FIG> all of which generally depicts the basic structure of a hybrid VTOL Fixed-wing drone <NUM> in accordance with the presently claimed invention.

Drone <NUM> is contemplated to be without a main body that reaches forward to connect with the forewings <NUM>, <NUM>. In place of a main body, drone <NUM> has a cabin <NUM> attached to two main wings <NUM>, <NUM>. There are two forewings <NUM>, <NUM> attached to the front ends of each of the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM>. The two main wings <NUM>, <NUM> attach to the cabin <NUM> at the top side or the sides of the cabin <NUM>. Similar to the example of <FIG>, drone <NUM> also has a canard design where two smaller forewings <NUM>, <NUM> are disposed forward of two larger main wings <NUM>, <NUM>. In the inventive drone <NUM> as shown, the two main wings <NUM>, <NUM> can join to each other at their proximal ends, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.

The cabin <NUM> can have an aerodynamic design and may be sufficiently large to seat human passenger(s) and/or cargo. In the inventive drone <NUM> as shown, there can be no physical structure connecting the coupling center of the two forewings <NUM>, <NUM> to the coupling center of the two main wings <NUM>, <NUM>. In other words, the cabin <NUM> can have a clear unobstructed view of the upper and upper front direction during the flight because there is not a support structure such as a center fuselage that connects the forewings <NUM>, <NUM> to the main wings <NUM>, <NUM>. There can be provided a set of landing gears <NUM> for the cabin.

In some embodiments, the cabin <NUM> can be detachably attached to the main wings <NUM>, <NUM> similar to how passenger/cargo cabins are detachable attached to the flying platform as disclosed in <CIT>. In the currently disclosed embodiments, by not having a center fuselage, larger lifting propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may be used while keeping the same distance between the two parallel linear supports <NUM>, <NUM>. In this way, larger lifting force can be provided.

Referring to <FIG>, in some embodiments, the cabin <NUM> can have a foremost tip that is located behind the rotary axis of the foremost lift propeller <NUM> on the linear support <NUM>.

Forewings <NUM> and <NUM> are attached to each other on one end and coupled to the front end of their corresponding linear support <NUM>, <NUM> on the other end. In some embodiments, the forewings <NUM>, <NUM> can be a single-piece wing that is connected to no other physical structures besides the left and right linear supports <NUM>, <NUM>.

Referring now to <FIG>, forewings <NUM>, <NUM> can have an anhedral configuration such that the center of the single-piece wing is higher than the distal ends that are connected to the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM>.

Forewings <NUM>, <NUM> are shorter than the main wings <NUM>, <NUM>. In some embodiments, the forewings <NUM> and <NUM> cannot extend beyond the width between the left linear support <NUM> and the right linear support <NUM>, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiment, the forewings <NUM> and <NUM> can extend beyond the width between the left linear support <NUM> and the right linear support <NUM>, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.

There are a left and a right linear support <NUM>, <NUM>, each of which physically connects a corresponding forewing <NUM>, <NUM> to a corresponding main wing <NUM>, <NUM>. In yet another embodiment, the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> can be fixedly attached to anywhere along the length of the forewings <NUM>, <NUM>. Although according to the presently claimed invention the exemplar single-piece forewing <NUM>, <NUM> is attached to the front-most end of each of the two linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> in <FIG>, longer forewings <NUM>, <NUM> that go beyond the width measured between the two linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> is also contemplated, according to non-claimed examples. Alternatively, the forewings <NUM>, <NUM> can be attached to the undersides or the upper sides of the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the forewings <NUM>, <NUM> cannot have any control surfaces such as ailerons and elevators. In yet other embodiments, the forewings <NUM>, <NUM> can have control surfaces such as ailerons and elevators.

Similar to drone <NUM> of <FIG>, the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> have a generally straight body and are parallel to each other. The linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> can have a thickness that substantially equal to the thickest part of the main wings <NUM>, <NUM>. The linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> can have a cross-sectional shape that is circular, oval, square, rectangular, or any other suitable shape.

The left and right linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> each have a suitable length to have three lift propellers disposed on their top surfaces. In the embodiment as shown in <FIG>, the left linear support <NUM> has a portion measured from the forewing <NUM> to the main wing <NUM> having a length to fit two lifting propellers <NUM>, <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the length of this portion is just enough to fit these two lifting propellers <NUM>, <NUM>. The distance between the two linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> can be just enough so that the lifting propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> on the left linear support <NUM> does not physically touch the lifting propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> on the right linear support <NUM>. In other words, the distance between the left and the right linear support <NUM>, <NUM> is slightly longer than the diameter of a lifting propeller <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. This dimension allows to the linear support <NUM>, <NUM> to be at an optimal length. When the linear support <NUM>, <NUM> is longer than contemplated, there would be unnecessary extra wight because of the extra necessary length in the linear support. At the contemplated width and length ratios provided herein, the combination of lifting propellers and their specific arrangements can offer desired lifting force.

Returning now to <FIG>, linear support <NUM> can have a rear portion measured from the main wing <NUM> to the push propeller <NUM>. This rear portion of the linear support <NUM> can have a length just enough to fit one lifting propeller <NUM>. In other words, this rear portion has a length slightly longer than the diameter of lifting propeller <NUM>. This rear portion can be free from being attached to other structural parts of the drone <NUM>. As shown in the one exemplar embodiment <FIG>, in one embodiment of the disclosure, this rear portion of linear support <NUM> is only attached to the main wing <NUM> and is not attached to anything else besides the vertical stabilizer <NUM> and the push propeller <NUM>.

In most embodiments, lifting propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> have the same diameters. Also contemplated is that the lifting propellers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> can only be disposed on the upper side of the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM>. In this way, passenger and/or worker safety can be enhanced during loading and unloading of passengers/cargos.

In the exemplar drone <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the left and the right linear supports <NUM>, <NUM> each can have a vertical stabilizer <NUM>, <NUM> disposed on the bottom sides of the rear portions the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM>. From a side view as shown in <FIG>, the vertical stabilizer <NUM>, <NUM> can be attached to approximately equal or more than <NUM>% of the rear portion of the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM>. In some embodiments, the vertical stabilizers <NUM>, <NUM> can extend downwardly to have a height that is more than <NUM>% of the height of the cabin <NUM>. In some embodiments, the vertical stabilizers <NUM>, <NUM> cannot have any control surfaces. Yet in other embodiments, each of the vertical stabilizers <NUM>, <NUM> can have at least one control surface such as a rudder.

The inventive drone <NUM> shown in <FIG> can additionally have two dorsal vertical stabilizer <NUM>, <NUM> disposed on the top sides of the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM>. In some embodiments, these dorsal vertical stabilizers <NUM>, <NUM> can be attached to the location on the linear support <NUM>, <NUM> where they intersect with corresponding main wings <NUM>, <NUM>. On the distal ends of the dorsal vertical stabilizers <NUM>, <NUM> there each can be disposed a lifting propeller <NUM>, <NUM>. From a top view in <FIG>, lifting propeller <NUM>, <NUM> can overlap approximately a length equal to the radius of the corresponding lifting propellers <NUM>, <NUM> below. Lifting propeller <NUM>, <NUM> can each have a radius equal to the radius of the lifting propellers <NUM>, <NUM> below, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the dorsal vertical stabilizers <NUM>, <NUM> cannot have any control surfaces. Yet in other embodiments, each of the dorsal vertical stabilizers <NUM>, <NUM> can have at least one control surface such as a rudder. As shown in <FIG>, some embodiments of the dorsal vertical stabilizer <NUM>, <NUM> can have a height less than the height of the vertical stabilizer <NUM>, <NUM> disposed at the underside of the linear supports <NUM>, <NUM>.

Referring now to <FIG>, the main wings <NUM>, <NUM> can each have a distal portion <NUM>, <NUM> that curves upwards to form a dihedral configuration. In one embodiment, this distal portion <NUM>, <NUM> has a length of no more than about <NUM>/<NUM> of the entire length of main wings <NUM>, <NUM>. Taking the left main wing <NUM> in <FIG> as an example, the left main wing <NUM> can be divided into a distal portion <NUM>, a mid-portion 213A, and a proximal portion 213B. The proximal portion 213B is the portion of the main wing <NUM> between where it connects to the linear support <NUM> and where it connects to the cabin <NUM>. The proximal portion can have a length substantially equal to or less than the length of the mid-portion 213A. According to the presently claimed invention, the proximal portions form a dihedral configuration such that the location where it connects to the linear support <NUM> is higher than where it connects to the cabin <NUM>. The mid-portion 213A of the main wing <NUM> can have a relatively leveled configuration in a frontal view. In some embodiments, the mid-portion 213A can have a length that is at least twice as long as the length of the proximal portion 213B or the length of the main wing distal portion <NUM>.

The above disclosed embodiments can be made of all known suitable natural or synthetic materials or a mixture of materials. Additionally, it should be appreciated that the materials contemplated herein may be derivatized in numerous manners.

Additionally, although flaps, ailerons, rudders, and elevators are not specifically discussed in this disclosure, each of them can be used in any of the disclosed embodiments.

Claim 1:
A hybrid VTOL fixed-wing drone comprising:
a cabin (<NUM>);
a left main wing (<NUM>) and a right main wing (<NUM>) coupled to the cabin (<NUM>);
a left linear alignment of propellers having a first propeller (<NUM>), a second propeller (<NUM>), and a third propeller (<NUM>) all of which are disposed on a top side of a left linear support (<NUM>);
a right linear alignment of propellers having a fourth propeller (<NUM>), a fifth propeller (<NUM>), and a sixth propeller (<NUM>) all of which are disposed on a top side of a right linear support (<NUM>);
wherein the left linear support (<NUM>) is parallel to the right linear support (<NUM>);
a left forewing (<NUM>) disposed on a front end of the left linear support (<NUM>);
a right forewing (<NUM>) disposed on a front end of the right linear support (<NUM>);
characterized in that:
the left forewing (<NUM>) is directly connected to the right forewing (<NUM>);
the left forewing (<NUM>) and the right forewing (<NUM>) are not directly connected to the cabin (<NUM>),
the left main wing (<NUM>) and the right main wing (<NUM>) form a dihedral configuration,
the left main wing (<NUM>) and the right main wing (<NUM>) each has a proximal portion (213B) disposed entirely within a space between the left and the right linear supports (<NUM>, <NUM>), wherein the proximal portions (213B) of the left and the right main wings (<NUM>, <NUM>) form the dihedral configuration such that a location where they connect to the left respectively right linear support is higher than where it connects to the cabin.