US 7,946,528 Flight control system especially suited for VTOL vehicles
3 defendants · 3 suits · updated October 6, 2026
Also cited as U.S. Patent No. 7,946,528 · US7946528B2 · US 7,946,528 B2 · 7946528 · the '528 patent
Urban Aeronautics, Ltd. has filed 3 patent-infringement suits on US 7,946,528, "Flight control system especially suited for VTOL vehicles" since June 19, 2026, all in the N.D. Cal., against 3 distinct defendants including Archer Aviation, Inc., Joby Aviation, Inc. and Wisk Aero LLC. The patent was granted May 24, 2011 on a priority date of April 15, 2005. Its abstract opens: "Flight control systems have plural control subsystems with redundancies organized so as to provide continued but degraded control power over critical aircraft flight operating parameters even if any one complete control subsystem catastrophically fails." The examiner cited 1 reference during prosecution.
- Assignee
- Urban Aeronautics Ltd
- Priority date
- April 15, 2005
- Granted
- May 24, 2011
- Expires
- April 15, 2025
- Status
- Active
- Claims
- 18 (2 independent)
- Inventors
- Raphael Yoeli
- Full text
- Google Patents
The suits
3 cases · N.D. Cal. (3)
| Filed | Defendant | Plaintiff | Court | Docket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-19 | Archer Aviation, Inc. | Urban Aeronautics, Ltd. | N.D. Cal. | 5:26-cv-06140 |
| 2026-06-19 | Joby Aviation, Inc. | Urban Aeronautics, Ltd. | N.D. Cal. | 5:26-cv-06139 |
| 2026-06-19 | Wisk Aero LLC | Urban Aeronautics, Ltd. | N.D. Cal. | 5:26-cv-06141 |
Docket links open the public record on CourtListener. Filing dates are the complaint's.
Independent claims
What is actually asserted, verbatim.
1. An aircraft flight control system having plural control subsystems with redundancies organized so as to provide continued but degraded control power over critical aircraft flight operating parameters even if any one complete control subsystem catastrophically fails, said system comprising: a plurality of pilot controlled input sensors associated with each of a plurality of degrees of freedom in aircraft flight movement; a plurality of aircraft flight control actuators associated with each of the plurality of degrees of freedom in aircraft flight movement; a plurality of aircraft flight state sensors associated with each of a plurality of aircraft flight state conditions including at least altitude and speed; the plural control subsystems, each having at least one control computer subsystem connected to: (a) receive inputs from at least one of said pilot controlled input sensors for each of said plurality of degrees of freedom, (b) receive inputs from at least one of said flight state sensors for each of said plurality of aircraft flight conditions, and (c) provide outputs to at least one of said flight control actuators associated with each of said plural degrees of freedom; said inputs and outputs to the control computer subsystem of each of said plural control subsystems being selected such that a catastrophic and complete failure of any one of said plural control subsystems causes continued control power over critical aircraft flight parameters by remaining unfailed ones of said plural control subsystems, degraded to less than 100% of total available control power, but sufficient to permit controlled aircraft descent to a landing.
10. A method for providing aircraft flight control utilizing plural control subsystems with redundancies organized so as to provide continued but degraded control power over critical aircraft flight operating parameters even if any one complete control subsystem catastrophically fails, said method comprising: providing a plurality of pilot controlled input sensors associated with each of a plurality of degrees of freedom in aircraft flight movement; providing a plurality of aircraft flight control actuators associated with each of a plurality of degrees of freedom in aircraft flight movement; providing a plurality of aircraft flight state sensors associated with each of a plurality of aircraft flight state conditions including at least altitude and speed; providing each of the plural control subsystems with at least one control computer subsystem, and connecting the at least one control computer subsystem in each of the plural control subsystems so as to: (a) receive inputs from at least one of said pilot controlled input sensors for each of said plurality of degrees of freedom, (b) receive inputs from at least one of said flight state sensors for each of said plurality of aircraft flight conditions, and (c) provide outputs to at least one of said flight control actuators associated with each of said plural degrees of freedom; selecting said inputs and outputs to the control computer subsystem of each of said plural control subsystems such that a catastrophic and complete failure of any one of said plural control subsystems causes continued control power over critical aircraft flight parameters by remaining unfailed ones of said plural control subsystems, degraded to less than 100% of total available control power, but sufficient to permit controlled aircraft descent to a landing.
Art before the examiner
132 references of record, 1 cited by the examiner.
Everything listed here was before the Office and is what a challenge must go beyond. Art the examiner never saw is where an invalidity search starts.
Examiner-cited
- US6170778B1 — Method of reducing a nose-up pitching moment on a ducted unmanned aerial vehicle (Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation)
Applicant-cited and other (131)
- US2077471A — Aircraft
- US2734705A — robertson
- US2777649A — Fluid sustained aircraft
- US2936969A — Jet sustained and propelled aircraft
- US2939649A — Aircraft having wings with ducted fans therein
- US2955780A — Fluid sustained and fluid propelled flying vehicle
- US2968453A — Ducted fan aircraft
- US2973921A — Wingless supersonic aircraft
- US2975676A — Missile launching systems for aircraft
- US2988301A — Ducted fan aircraft
- US3039537A — Propulsive means for aircraft
- GB935884A — Improved flying vehicle
- GB951186A — Vertical take-off and landing aircraft
- US3139244A — Inflatable vtol aircraft
- US3161374A — Vertical lift aircraft
- US3167273A — Stability and control system and apparatus for ducted fan aircraft
- US3174573A — Ground effect machine
- US3179353A — Jet powered ducted fan convertiplane
- US3179354A — Convertiplane and apparatus thereof
- US3184183A — Flying platform
- US3198082A — Electrical primary flight control system utilizing redundant channels
- US3201067A — Ducted fan aircraft
- US3203645A — Airborne vehicles
- US3231221A — Vertical take-off airplanes
- US3244246A — Winged ground effect machines
- US3262657A — Vtol short hop aircraft
- US3265329A — Flying platform-automobile-boat and air suspension car combination
- US3289977A — Aircraft device
- US3383074A — Vtol aircraft
- US3397852A — Aircraft
- US3397854A — Aircraft of large wing span
- US3454238A — Lifting-jet-body aircraft configuration
- US3519224A — Vertical takeoff and landing aircraft
- US3559921A — Standing take-off and landing vehicle (a gem/stol vehicle)
- US3584810A — Stacked rotor vtol aircraft
- US3627235A — Wing arrangement
- US3665809A — Multiple channel redundant control system
- US3713748A — Gas turbine ducted fan engine
- US3827527A — Gimbal ground effect vehicles
- US3873049A — Flying machine
- US3912201A — Aircraft
- US4043421A — Air car
- US4194707A — Lift augmenting device for aircraft
- US4505443A — Propulsion system for a V/STOL airplane
- US4505442A — Transient surface contact vehicle
- US4598890A — Avionic control system
- US4754940A — Emergency supply system for an aircraft control system
- US4765568A — Method and system for controlling the elevator assemblies of an aircraft
- US4795111A — Robotic or remotely controlled flying platform
- US4796836A — Lifting engine for VTOL aircrafts
- US4824048A — Induction lift flying saucer
- US4828203A — Vertical/short take-off and landing aircraft
- US4834319A — Differentially coupled dual channel actuator
- US4856732A — Airborne vehicle with hydraulic drive and control
- EP0236583B1 — Avionic control system
- US4892274A — Segmentized flap system
- US4917332A — Wingtip vortex turbine
- US4934629A — Rescue vehicle
- US5064143A — Aircraft, having a pair of counter rotating rotors
- US5101927A — Automatic brake actuation
- US5209428A — Propulsion system for a vertical and short takeoff and landing aircraft
- US5297761A — Multi-axis g-compensating escape cockpit capsule
- US5419514A — VTOL aircraft control method
- US5454531A — Ducted propeller aircraft (V/STOL)
- US5666483A — Redundant processing system architecture
- US5746390A — Air-land vehicle with ducted fan vanes providing improved performance
- US5806805A — Fault tolerant actuation system for flight control actuators
- US5890441A — Horizontal and vertical take off and landing unmanned aerial vehicle
- US6089501A — Tandem-rotor gyroplane
- US6105901A — Thrust vectoring system
- US6119985A — Reusable rocket-propelled high altitude airplane and method and apparatus for mid-air oxidizer transfer to said airplane
- US6254032B1 — Aircraft and method for operating an aircraft
- US6270038B1 — Unmanned aerial vehicle with counter-rotating ducted rotors and shrouded pusher-prop
- US6318668B1 — Thrust vectoring techniques
- WO2001093039A1 — Control system for actuators in an aircraft
- US6371406B1 — Progressive 3-axis multi-variable propulsion vectoring aerial and spacecraft vehicle
- US6382559B1 — Thrust vectoring mechanism
- US6431494B1 — Flight control system for a hybrid aircraft in the roll axis
- US6446911B1 — Method for controlling actuators on a vehicle
- US6457670B1 — Counter rotating ducted fan flying vehicle
- US6464166B1 — Ducted fan vehicles particularly useful as VTOL aircraft
- US20020161488A1 — Assembly for control and/or monitoring of funtional members of an aircraft
- US6474598B2 — Landing gear shock absorber with variable viscosity fluid
- WO2002098732A2 — Vehicles particularly useful as vtol vehicles
- US6520449B2 — Lifting platform with positive horizontal stability
- US20030038213A1 — Ducted vehicles particularly useful as VTOL aircraft
- EP0922925B1 — Armoured vehicle for the transport of persons
- US20030062442A1 — VTOL personal aircraft
- US20030085319A1 — VTOL personal aircraft
- US6561456B1 — Vertical/short take-off and landing aircraft
- US20030127559A1 — Circular vertical take off & landing aircraft
- US20030195673A1 — Control system and process for several actuators
- WO2004012993A1 — Vtol vehicles
- US20040026563A1 — Vertical take-off and landing vehicles
- US6704624B2 — Method and device for controlling an aircraft maneuvering components, with electrical standby modules
- US6708920B2 — Air vehicle
- WO2004031876A1 — Flight control system for vtol aircraft
- US20040104303A1 — Vstol vehicle
- US6745977B1 — Flying car
- US6751530B2 — Aerial vehicle controlled and propelled by oscillatory momentum generators and method of flying a vehicle
- US6824095B2 — VSTOL vehicle
- US6834832B2 — Aircraft provided with carrying fuselage
- US6843447B2 — Vertical take-off and landing aircraft
- US20050029407A1 — Aircraft flap or slat drive system with redundant drives and shaft drive lines
- US20050040283A1 — Method of propulsion and attitude control in fluid environments and vehicles utilizing said method
- US20050065669A1 — Aircraft equipment control system
- WO2005039972A2 — Ducted fan vtol vehicles
- US6892980B2 — Vertical takeoff and landing aircraft
- US6892979B2 — VTOL personal aircraft
- US6913226B2 — Methods and systems for redundant control and/or failure detection
- US6926322B2 — Laterally extendable bumper system
- US20050178881A1 — Ducted fan vehicles particularly useful as VTOL aircraft
- US6974105B2 — High performance VTOL convertiplanes
- WO2006072960A2 — Ducted fan vtol vehicles
- US20060231675A1 — Gyro-stabilized air vehicle
- US20070034739A1 — Ducted fan VTOL vehicles
- US20070095971A1 — Apparatus for generating horizontal forces in aerial vehicles and related method
- WO2007052271A2 — Roof and floor flows
- US20070158494A1 — Tilt-rotor aircraft
- US7249732B2 — Aerodynamically stable, VTOL aircraft
- WO2007099543A2 — Ground effect vanes arrangement
- US7267300B2 — Aircraft capable of vertical and short take-off and landing
- WO2007129313A2 — Ducted fan vtol vehicles
- US20080054121A1 — Ducted fan VTOL vehicles
- WO2008065654A2 — Wall effects on vtol vehicles
- WO2008065664A2 — Flight control cockpit modes in ducted fan vtol vehicles
- WO2008135973A2 — Control flows and forces in vtol vehicles
- WO2009077968A2 — Redundancies and flows in vehicles
- WO2009147630A1 — Vtol vehicle with offset engine
- US20100051740A1 — Vtol vehicle with coaxially tilted or tiltable rotors
- WO2010067325A2 — Ducted fan configuration for a vtol vehicle
Classification
- B64C27/20 — Rotorcraft characterised by having shrouded rotors, e.g. flying platforms
Family
- US7946528B2 — B2 (2011)
- US20110174920A1 — A1 (2011)
- US20070034734A1 — A1 (2007)
Abstract
Flight control systems have plural control subsystems with redundancies organized so as to provide continued but degraded control power over critical aircraft flight operating parameters even if any one complete control subsystem catastrophically fails. One example described in detail for a VTOL craft includes four groups of controls, each group comprising inputs relating to six degrees of freedom of the vehicle, at least one control computer and a plurality of actuators; each group utilizing 25% of required flight control power for the vehicle.
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This page is assembled from public records — federal court dockets and the patent's own file — and is updated as the case list changes. It states what the record shows and is not an opinion on the validity or infringement of any claim. Patent data via Google Patents; docket data via CourtListener.