Aircraft
Abstract
This disclosure provides a solar rechargeable aircraft that is inexpensive to produce, is steerable, and can remain airborne almost indefinitely. The preferred aircraft is a span-loaded flying wing, having no fuselage or rudder. Travelling at relatively slow speeds, and having a two-hundred foot wingspan that mounts photovoltaic cells on most all of the wing's top surface, the aircraft uses only differential thrust of its eight propellers to turn. Each of five sections of the wing has one or more engines and photovoltaic arrays, and produces its own lift independent of the other sections, to avoid loading them. Five two-sided photovoltaic arrays, in all, are mounted on the wing, and receive photovoltaic energy both incident on top of the wing, and which is incident also from below, through a bottom, transparent surface. The aircraft is capable of a top speed of about ninety miles per hour, which enables the aircraft to attain and can continuously maintain altitudes of up to sixty-five thousand feet. Regenerative fuel cells in the wing store excess electricity for use at night, such that the aircraft can sustain its elevation indefinitely. A main spar of the wing doubles as a pressure vessel that houses hydrogen and oxygenmore »
- Inventors:
-
- 1732 N. Grand Oaks, Altadena, CA 91001
- 3276 Rubio Canyon Rd., Altadena, CA 91001
- 3217 Amarillo Ave., Simi Valley, CA 93063
- 70 Eddystone Ct., Redwood City, CA 94065
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 871850
- Patent Number(s):
- 5810284
- Assignee:
- Hibbs, Bart D. (1732 N. Grand Oaks, Altadena, CA 91001);Lissaman, Peter B. S. (3276 Rubio Canyon Rd., Altadena, CA 91001);Morgan, Walter R. (3217 Amarillo Ave., Simi Valley, CA 93063);Radkey, Robert L. (70 Eddystone Ct., Redwood City, CA 94065)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
B - PERFORMING OPERATIONS B64 - AIRCRAFT B64C - AEROPLANES
B - PERFORMING OPERATIONS B64 - AIRCRAFT B64D - EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- aircraft; disclosure; provides; solar; rechargeable; inexpensive; produce; steerable; remain; airborne; indefinitely; preferred; span-loaded; flying; fuselage; rudder; travelling; relatively; slow; speeds; two-hundred; foot; wingspan; mounts; photovoltaic; cells; top; surface; differential; thrust; eight; propellers; five; sections; engines; arrays; produces; lift; independent; avoid; loading; two-sided; mounted; receive; energy; incident; below; bottom; transparent; capable; speed; ninety; miles; hour; enables; attain; continuously; maintain; altitudes; sixty-five; thousand; feet; regenerative; fuel; store; excess; electricity; night; sustain; elevation; main; spar; doubles; pressure; vessel; houses; hydrogen; oxygen; gasses; cell; wide; variety; applications; weather; monitoring; atmospheric; testing; communications; surveillance; fuel cell; oxygen gas; photovoltaic cells; top surface; pressure vessel; fuel cells; wide variety; photovoltaic cell; photovoltaic array; relatively slow; regenerative fuel; photovoltaic energy; /244/455/
Citation Formats
Hibbs, Bart D, Lissaman, Peter B. S., Morgan, Walter R, and Radkey, Robert L. Aircraft. United States: N. p., 1998.
Web.
Hibbs, Bart D, Lissaman, Peter B. S., Morgan, Walter R, & Radkey, Robert L. Aircraft. United States.
Hibbs, Bart D, Lissaman, Peter B. S., Morgan, Walter R, and Radkey, Robert L. Thu .
"Aircraft". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/871850.
@article{osti_871850,
title = {Aircraft},
author = {Hibbs, Bart D and Lissaman, Peter B. S. and Morgan, Walter R and Radkey, Robert L},
abstractNote = {This disclosure provides a solar rechargeable aircraft that is inexpensive to produce, is steerable, and can remain airborne almost indefinitely. The preferred aircraft is a span-loaded flying wing, having no fuselage or rudder. Travelling at relatively slow speeds, and having a two-hundred foot wingspan that mounts photovoltaic cells on most all of the wing's top surface, the aircraft uses only differential thrust of its eight propellers to turn. Each of five sections of the wing has one or more engines and photovoltaic arrays, and produces its own lift independent of the other sections, to avoid loading them. Five two-sided photovoltaic arrays, in all, are mounted on the wing, and receive photovoltaic energy both incident on top of the wing, and which is incident also from below, through a bottom, transparent surface. The aircraft is capable of a top speed of about ninety miles per hour, which enables the aircraft to attain and can continuously maintain altitudes of up to sixty-five thousand feet. Regenerative fuel cells in the wing store excess electricity for use at night, such that the aircraft can sustain its elevation indefinitely. A main spar of the wing doubles as a pressure vessel that houses hydrogen and oxygen gasses for use in the regenerative fuel cell. The aircraft has a wide variety of applications, which include weather monitoring and atmospheric testing, communications, surveillance, and other applications as well.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1998},
month = {Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1998}
}