Toyota Files Flying-Car Patent
It has been rumored off and on over the years that various big automakers are secretly at work on a flying car, and this week patent drawings emerged that show some ideas from Toyota’s drawing board. The patent application, which was published last week, shows drawings of a car with four short “stackable wings.” The wings, which will be short enough that they don’t protrude from the sides of the roof, can be deployed in various configurations for different phases of flight, from takeoff to cruise.
It has been rumored off and on over the years that various big automakers are secretly at work on a flying car, and this week patent drawings emerged that show some ideas from Toyota's drawing board. The patent application, which is dated Sept. 3, shows drawings of a car with four "stackable wings." The wings, which will be short enough that they don't protrude from the sides of the roof, can be deployed in various configurations for different phases of flight, from takeoff to cruise. The car also would have three rotors — two horizontal and one vertical.
This design has advantages over other "flying-car" designs, according to the patent application (PDF). Keeping the wings stacked on top of the roof allows the body of the car to be more like regular cars, so it will be easy to drive, maneuver and park in garages. The wings also can be deployed in various configurations for different phases of flight. The wings also will morph, so they retain a compressed shape while stowed but then expand in flight mode. Various other flight surfaces, such as vertical stabilizers or an empennage, "are contemplated but not shown," according to the application. The "thrust generation system" also is left undefined, with some possibilities including a "pusher propeller, open rotor, turbofan, or other."
