Aircraft
- 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
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.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- 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 Number(s):
- US 5810284
- OSTI ID:
- 871850
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
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
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