Aerial vehicle with enhanced pitch control and interchangeable components

Abstract

An aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing comprises a fuselage, at least one processor carried by the fuselage and a pair of aerodynamic, lift-generating wings extending from the fuselage. A plurality of vectoring rotors are rotatably carried by the fuselage so as to be rotatable between a substantially vertical configuration relative to the fuselage for vertical take-off and landing and a substantially horizontal configuration relative to the fuselage for horizontal flight. The vectoring rotors are unsupported by the first pair of wings. The wings may be modular and removably connected to the fuselage and configured to be interchangeable with an alternate pair of wings. A cargo container may be secured to the underside of the fuselage, and the cargo container may be modular and interchangeable with an alternate cargo container.

1 . An aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing, comprising:
 a fuselage;   a central processing unit carried by the fuselage;   a first pair of aerodynamic, lift generating wings extending from the fuselage;   a plurality of vectoring rotors carried by the fuselage, independently of the wings, and configured to be controlled by the central processing unit;   wherein the first pair of wings are modular and removably connected to the fuselage and configured to be interchangeable with an alternate pair of wings; and   removal of the wings from the fuselage leaves the vectoring rotors rotatably carried by the fuselage;   wherein each of the vectoring rotors is controllable independently of each other to provide lateral and yaw stability during low speed maneuvering;   wherein transition from vertical flight to horizontal flight is enhanced by using sequential vectoring thrust wherein forward ones of the vectoring rotors vector at a different speed and angle than rearward ones of the vectoring rotors;   whereby one of the forward ones of the vectoring rotors and the rearward ones of the vectoring rotors provide more horizontal thrust than the other of the forward ones of the vectoring rotors and the rearward ones of the vectoring rotors until the aircraft reaches a speed above a stall speed of the first pair of wings.   
     
     
         2 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the vectoring rotors are carried by rotor shafts carried by the fuselage so as to be rotatable relative to the fuselage;   the vectoring rotors are in a first position during vertical flight and in a second position during horizontal flight; and wherein the vectoring rotors transition from the first position to the second position by rotating the rotor shafts along a rotational axis upon receipt of a flight control signal from the central processing unit.   
     
     
         3 - 11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein the first pair of wings and the alternate pair of wings have different aerodynamic configurations. 
     
     
         13 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one first tail fin secured to the rear of the fuselage. 
     
     
         14 . The aircraft of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one first tail fin is modular and interchangeable with at least one alternate tail fin. 
     
     
         15 . The aircraft of  claim 14 , wherein the at least one alternate tail fin is configured to be secured to the fuselage at the same position as the at least one first tail fin. 
     
     
         16 . The aircraft of  claim 14 , wherein the at least one first tail fin and the at least one alternate tail fin have different aerodynamic configurations. 
     
     
         17 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , further comprising a first cargo container secured to an underside of the fuselage. 
     
     
         18 . The aircraft of  claim 17 , wherein the first cargo container is modular and interchangeable with an alternate cargo container. 
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . The aircraft of  claim 18 , wherein the first cargo container and the alternate cargo container have different designs. 
     
     
         21 - 22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . An aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing, comprising:
 a fuselage;   at least one processor carried by the fuselage;   a first pair of aerodynamic, lift-generating wings extending from the fuselage;   a plurality of vectoring rotors rotatably carried by the fuselage so as to be rotatable between a substantially vertical configuration relative to the fuselage and a substantially horizontal configuration relative to the fuselage and configured to be controlled by the at least one processor;   wherein the vectoring rotors are unsupported by the first pair of wings;   wherein each of the vectoring rotors is controllable independently of each other to provide lateral and yaw stability during low speed maneuvering;   wherein transition from vertical flight to horizontal flight is enhanced by using sequential vectoring thrust wherein forward ones of the vectoring rotors vector at a different speed and angle than rearward ones of the vectoring rotors;   whereby one of the forward ones of the vectoring rotors and the rearward ones of the vectoring rotors provide more horizontal thrust than the other of the forward ones of the vectoring rotors and the rearward ones of the vectoring rotors until the aircraft reaches a speed above a stall speed of the first pair of wings.   
     
     
         24 . The aircraft of  claim 23 , wherein:
 the vectoring rotors are carried by rotor shafts carried by the fuselage;   the vectoring rotors are in a first position during vertical flight and in a second position during horizontal flight; and wherein the vectoring rotors transition from the first position to the second position by rotating the rotor shafts along a rotational axis upon receipt of a flight control signal from the central processing unit.   
     
     
         25 - 30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . The aircraft of  claim 23 , wherein the first pair of wings are modular and removably connected to the fuselage and configured to be interchangeable with an alternate pair of wings. 
     
     
         32 . The aircraft of  claim 31 , wherein the first pair of wings and the alternate pair of wings have different aerodynamic configurations. 
     
     
         33 . The aircraft of  claim 23 , further comprising at least one first tail fin secured to the rear of the fuselage. 
     
     
         34 . The aircraft of  claim 33 , wherein the at least one first tail fin is modular and interchangeable with at least one alternate tail fin. 
     
     
         35 . (canceled) 
     
     
         36 . The aircraft of  claim 33 , wherein the at least one first tail fin and the at least one alternate tail fin have different aerodynamic configurations. 
     
     
         37 . The aircraft of  claim 23 , further comprising a first cargo container secured to an underside of the fuselage. 
     
     
         38 . The aircraft of  claim 37 , wherein the first cargo container is modular and interchangeable with an alternate cargo container. 
     
     
         39 . (canceled) 
     
     
         40 . The aircraft of  claim 38 , wherein the first cargo container and the alternate cargo container have different designs.