Thrust Vectoring Propulsors (TVPs): Revolutionary Thrust Vectoring Technology for VTOL UAVs

Aerofex is the developer of a revolutionary thrust vectoring technology that equips propeller-driven UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) with unprecedented levels of control, stability and power efficiency. Powerful yet simple, this new capability allows VTOL drone manufacturers to scale beyond current limitations and unlock a new generation of unmanned aviation applications such as heavy-lift cargo drones, UAM (urban air mobility) and much more.

The Limitations of Multirotor Drones

Multirotor drone technology has effectively reached its apex, and many manufacturers have failed to develop VTOL drone platforms that significantly advance beyond the current state of the art. It also does not scale well, with the cost per pound of payload capacity increasing significantly as aircraft get larger.

At a certain size, scaling any further becomes impractical and effectively impossible. Larger propellers require more power, but electric motors have efficiency limits and adding more batteries adds more weight, as do the stronger frames required to support them. Larger drones also experience stronger aerodynamic forces, making them harder to stabilize and control.

Thrust vectoring overcomes many of these problems with differential motor control, and is the key to the next generation of unmanned flight platforms.

The Solution – Aerofex Thrust Vectoring

Our disruptive technology breaks through the limitations of traditional multirotor propulsion while addressing the issues inherent in other methods of thrust vectoring.

Aerofex thrust vectoring propulsors (TVPs) pivot the rotor assembly through the center of thrust, without needing to move the engine. Steering the thrust in this way provides a number of advantages:

• Stability
  By pivoting through the center of thrust, unwanted rotations and instabilities are reduced, making the aircraft easier to control.
• Longevity
  Removing the need to move the engine reduces stress and potential failure points.
• Simplicity
  Our design reduces the amount of hydraulics and moving parts such as actuators, resulting in a less complex system that is more reliable and easier to maintain.
• Control
  Differential motor control makes responsiveness to inputs slower as the size of the drone increases. With our thrust vectoring technology, adjustments translate to attitude changes almost instantly, vastly improving the stability and maneuverability of the aircraft. The system is highly scalable, working equally well on large and small platforms.
• Efficiency
  Thrust vectoring does away with the need for constantly changing motor speeds, making it much more energy-efficient and leading to longer flight times.

Thrust Vectoring Configurations

Our thrust vectoring solutions are available in three main configurations. All can be provided in either pusher or puller arrangements, and can be mounted to the airframe in any orientation.

Integrating Aerofex TVPs into your VTOL drone designs

We are integration experts, and have developed a process for quickly and efficiently equipping your drone platform with our vectored thrust propulsors.

We can customize industry-standard open-source firmware such as PX4, Ardupilot, and Betaflight to handle most TVP integrations. For more complex configurations, we utilize fully programmable flight controllers and model-based design tools to develop a custom solution optimized for your system.

To find out more about integrating your drone designs with Aerofex TVPs, please get in touch.