289results about "Depending on power plant type" patented technology

Systems and methods are provided for swapping the battery on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) while providing continuous power to at least one system on the UAV. The UAV may be able to identify and land on an energy provision station autonomously. The UAV may take off and/or land on the energy provision station. The UAV may communicate with the energy provision station. The energy provision station may store and charge batteries for use on a UAV. The UAV and/or the energy provision station may have a backup energy source to provide continuous power to the UAV.

A vertical take-off and landing aircraft including a wing structure including a wing, a rotor operatively supported by the wing, and a hybrid power system configured to drive the rotor, the hybrid power system including a first power system and a second power system, wherein a first energy source for the first power system is different than a second energy source for the second power system.

An electric, inductively-energized, multi-bladed, controllable-pitch propeller hub is configured with an internal battery, electronic control unit and electric internal reversible hubmotor, when energized by a voltage inducted across an air gap into an annulus of receiver coils that is mounted onto said propeller hub and when said propeller hub is attached to and operated with complementary electrical, electronic and mechanical components that enable wireless command signals, together forming a novel and versatile device whose operation can provide near-instantaneous modulation of aircraft thrust, lift and drag by the action of said propeller hub to actuate precise and equal changes to the pitch of each propeller blade through a full range of useful pitch settings, both during rotation of said propeller hub and when said propeller hub is stationary, with an innovation including a coaxial driveshaft that facilitates the removal and installation of said propeller hub from a propmotor.

A method of assisting a pilot of a single-engined rotary wing aircraft (1) during a stage of flight in autorotation, said aircraft (1) including a hybrid power plant having an engine (13), an electric machine (12), and a main gearbox (11). Said aircraft (1) also includes electrical energy storage means (14) and a main rotor (2) mechanically connected to said hybrid power plant (5). According to said method, while in flight, the operation of said engine (13) is monitored in order to detect a failure thereof, in particular by monitoring for a drop of power on said main rotor (2), and then in the event of a failure of said engine (13) being detected, said electric machine (12) is controlled to deliver auxiliary power W_e to said main rotor (2), thereby enabling the pilot of said aircraft (1) to be assisted in maneuvering said aircraft (1) during said stage of flight in autorotation following said failure.

A gas turbine engine has a fan drive turbine for selectively driving a fan rotor. A drive shaft between the fan drive turbine and the fan rotor includes a clutch, and an electric motor. The electric motor is positioned such that it is not downstream of a flow path relative to the fan drive turbine. A method of operating a gas turbine engine is also disclosed.

A fault tolerant, optically or electrically managed, EMP resilient electromagnetic distributed direct drive powertrain applied to provide lift and/or propulsion and/or attitude control to an aircraft. The electromagnetic distributed direct drive being network based, capable of autonomous operations and decisions such as pilot input interpreting mode, load distribution, fault management, self-healing operations, electrical and mechanical health monitoring, as well as electrical and mechanical fault prediction.

A rotor assembly includes a motor, a propeller, and a connection assembly. The motor includes a stator and a rotator rotatable with respect to the stator. The connection assembly includes a locking member provided between the propeller and the rotator. The locking member is configured to rotate with respect to the rotator and the propeller to lock the propeller to the motor.

The invention relates to a rotary- or fixed-wing aircraft comprising one or more rotors and/or one or more propellers, in which the rotor(s) and/or propeller(s) are rotated at a variable or constant speed by at least one shaft (Rp1, Rp2, Rp, RAC, H), and the aircraft includes a power unit (GEMD) configured to propel and/or lift the aircraft by rotating the shaft. The aircraft is characterised in that: the power unit (GEMD) is a distributed electric power unit formed by multiple stacked electric power elements (Ee1, Ee2, Een), each element being adapted to confer, on the rotation shaft (Rp1, Rp2, Rp, RAC, H), a fraction of the total power necessary in order to propel and/or lift the aircraft; the distributed electric power unit (GEMD) is in direct engagement with the rotation shaft (Rp1, Rp2, Rp, RAC, H), with no movement transmission mechanism being inserted between the unit and the shaft; each electric power element (Ee1, Ee2, Een) is directly connected to the rotation shaft (Rp1, Rp2, Rp, RAC, H) and comprises at least one fixed stator (St), at least one moving rotor (Rt) and at least one mechanical or electromagnetic free wheel (RI) in direct engagement with the rotation shaft, said moving rotor (Rt) co-operating with the free wheel (RI) such as to be coupled to the rotation shaft during normal operation of the electric power unit (Ee1, Ee2, Een) and to be disconnected from the shaft in the event of the failure of the electric power element; and the rotation shafts of the moving rotors (Rt), the free wheels (RI) and the rotation shaft (Rp1, Rp2, Rp, RAC, H) are coaxial.

An electrical architecture for an aircraft having a main electrical machine connected to a fuel burning engine and a secondary electrical machine connected to a power transmission assembly. A high-voltage electrical master box is connected by a first line and by a second line to a multifunction converter, the high-voltage electrical master box connecting the first line to the secondary electrical machine, and the second line to at least the main electrical machine and the secondary electrical machine. The multifunction converter includes a supervisor connected to an avionics system and to a control system controlling the engine, and to a controller of the high-voltage electrical master box.

A backlight unit for use in a liquid crystal display comprises a light guiding plate comprising a light exiting surface, a light reflective surface, and a light incident surface, a light source unit comprising a substrate and a light source disposed on the substrate, wherein the light source unit is disposed to face the light incident surface of the light guiding plate, and a reflecting sheet comprising a first portion facing the light reflective surface of the light guiding plate, a second portion facing the light exiting surface of the light guiding plate, and a third portion connecting the first and the second portions, wherein the third portion comprises light source exposing parts.

The rotors of a helicopter are powered by electric motors. The electrical energy required for this purpose is produced by a motor-generator unit, which comprises one or more internal combustion engines. The motor-generator unit can be secured under the cabin floor. This yields a hybrid helicopter that can set the rotational frequency of the rotors within a large interval.

Systems, apparatuses, and methods for overcoming the disadvantages of current air transportation systems that might be used for regional travel by providing a more cost effective and convenient regional air transport system. In some embodiments, the inventive air transport system, operational methods, and associated aircraft include a highly efficient plug-in series hybrid-electric powertrain (specifically optimized for aircraft operating in regional ranges), a forward compatible, range-optimized aircraft design, enabling an earlier impact of electric -based air travel services as the overall transportation system and associated technologies are developed, and platforms for the semi-automated optimization and control of the powertrain, and for the semi-automated optimization of determining the flight path for a regional distance hybrid-electric aircraft flight.

The invention relates to a rotorcraft (10) having a main rotor (11), a turbine engine (13), and a transmission mechanism (MGB) coupled to the rotor and to the engine to enable the engine to drive the rotor. The engine has a free turbine (132) connected to the transmission mechanism (MGB) by a shaft (15, 15a, 15b, 16, 18). The rotorcraft includes an external compressor (19) arranged to be driven by the free turbine (132) or by an electric motor, together with an air-transport duct (21) connecting the external compressor (19) to the engine so as to deliver the air that has been compressed by the external compressor to the inlets (22) of the engine.

An apparatus having at least one rotatable driven object having an edge on which are disposed a series of adjacent magnets of alternating polarity and a driving object rotatable by an external motor torque and having a series of adjacent magnets of alternating polarity on a magnet supporting surface. The magnet supporting surface of the driving object is rotatable through a common region approximately centered about the point of closest approach to the magnet supporting edge of the driven object for sequentially placing magnets of the driving object in the region enveloping the effective interactive range between the two objects. The fields of magnets of opposite polarity of the driving object interact with the fields of the magnets on the driving object to effect rotation of the driven object. Disclosed are structures for torque limiting wheels, magnetic gear trains, reduction gears and ball joints, and propulsion systems for watercraft and aircraft.

The invention discloses a plug-in hybrid power driving device for a tilt-rotor aircraft. The plug-in hybrid power driving device comprises an engine, a motor/generator, a traction motor, a power distribution device, a wing nacelle, a power coupling device, an energy storage device, a motor/generator controller, a motor controller and parts such as a clutch and a brake. According to a hybrid power driving assembly, the device comprises a plurality of power sources so that power combination can be carried out according to the flight state of the aircraft: the left and right rotors can be driven by the traction motor, and combined driving of the rotors can be realized by the motor and the engine so as to enable the engine to run in an optimum fuel using efficiency area. According to the device, the mechanical structure of a transmission system is simplified so that the transmission efficiency is increased; and meanwhile, when the traction motor is under the conditions of electricity shortage and fault, the engine can be started in time to supplement electricity and power, so that the reliability of the system is increased.

A propulsion unit, notably for an aircraft, including a turbomachine; a propeller that can be selectively coupled to the turbomachine; a rotary electrical machine able to drive at least the turbomachine, and selective coupling of the rotary electric machine to the propeller and/or the turbomachine that is able to couple only the propeller to the rotary electrical machine during a defined stage of operation of the propulsion unit and that is able to couple or not couple the rotary electric machine to a gas generator and/or a free turbine of the turbomachine.

A rotor system of an aircraft includes a rotor hub rotatable about an axis of rotation, and a power generation system. The power generation system includes a generator stator and a generator rotor. The generator rotor is coupled to the rotor hub. At least one induction type magnet is mounted to at least one of the generator stator and the generator rotor. A control unit is operably coupled to the at least one induction type magnet to selectively deliver power to the at least one induction type magnet to alter a torque of the rotor hub without decreasing a rotational speed of the rotor hub.

A power transmission gearbox provided with at least one lubrication system including a lubrication pump. The lubrication pump is in fluid flow communication with a fluid flow circuit leading to at least one spray means. The gearbox includes an emergency tank suitable for containing a lubrication fluid, the emergency tank being in fluid flow communication with the fluid flow circuit, the emergency tank being connected by at least one pipe to the fluid flow circuit upstream from each spray means, the lubrication fluid being moved in the fluid flow circuit to each spray means by a gas that is set into motion by the lubrication pump in the event of a leak of the lubrication liquid.

A lift rotor or ‘thrust’ system or assembly for a VTOL aircraft, comprising first and second lifting thrusters or rotors contained within a housing, the housing containing a leading edge, a trailing edge, a upper surface and a lower surface; wherein the housing includes one or more airflow manipulation devices provided on or associated with the housing configured to manage the airflow into or through at least one of the first and second rotors. In other aspects, the invention embraces an aircraft wing including a lift thruster system as defined above, and also an aircraft comprising such a lift thruster system.