A tiltrotor aircraft

Abstract

The present invention discloses a tiltrotor aircraft, which includes a nacelle and a winglet. The winglet is rotatably arranged outside the nacelle and can rotate relative to the nacelle about a first rotation axis and a second rotation axis, and the first rotation axis is perpendicular to the second rotation axis. In the tiltrotor aircraft of the present invention, the winglet is rotatably arranged outside the nacelle. While the winglet tilts with the nacelle, the winglet can rotate relative to the nacelle. In the transition state of the tiltrotor aircraft, by rotating the winglet relative to the nacelle, the extended winglet can always be exposed in the oncoming flow environment coupled by the rotor slipstream and the oncoming flow ahead with the minimum projected area, thereby greatly reducing the drag of the extended winglet in the transition state of the tiltrotor aircraft. At the same time, in the forward flight state of the tiltrotor aircraft, the actuatable extended winglet can generate a rolling moment on the fuselage by adjusting the relative position between the winglet and the nacelle, generating an additional control moment on the fuselage and increasing the maneuverability of the tiltrotor aircraft.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of aircraft and its peripheral supporting facilities, and particularly to a tiltrotor aircraft. Background Art

[0002] A tiltrotor aircraft is a multi-purpose aircraft that has both the vertical takeoff and landing function of a helicopter and the high-speed cruising ability of a fixed-wing aircraft. In order to further increase its cruising efficiency and range, an outrigger wing that tilts along with the nacelle is usually added outside the nacelle to expand the effective wingspan of the tiltrotor aircraft.

[0003] The US patent with the publication number US20180079493A1 by Bell Company proposed the concept of the outrigger wing of a tiltrotor aircraft and designed two implementation forms of the outrigger wing depending on whether the nacelle tilts: in the case of the nacelle tilting, the outrigger wing is fixedly coupled to the nacelle and tilts with the nacelle, that is, the outrigger wing forms a substantially consistent angle with the fixedly coupled wing surface of the nacelle; in the case of the nacelle not tilting, the outrigger wing tilts synchronously with the rotor tilting assembly, that is, the outrigger wing forms a substantially consistent angle with the fixedly coupled wing surface of the rotor tilting assembly. For the above two implementation forms of the outrigger wing, although the projected area of the outrigger wing in the rotor slipstream is greatly reduced and the interference drag is significantly decreased, the coupling effect between the oncoming flow and the rotor slipstream brought by the forward flight speed in the transition state of the tiltrotor aircraft is not considered. Therefore, the synchronous rotation of the outrigger wing and the tilting assembly cannot minimize the interference drag in the transition state. In addition, in the forward flight state, it is also impossible to generate additional aerodynamic force by manipulating the outrigger wing to control the attitude of the tiltrotor aircraft.

[0004] Therefore, how to further reduce the drag in the transition state of a tiltrotor aircraft has become an urgent problem to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a tiltrotor aircraft to solve the problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art, reduce the drag of the outrigger wing in the transition state of the tiltrotor aircraft, and enhance the maneuverability of the tiltrotor aircraft.

[0006] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides the following solution: The present invention provides a tiltrotor aircraft, including:

[0007] A nacelle;

[0008] An outrigger wing, the outrigger wing is rotatably arranged outside the nacelle, and the outrigger wing can rotate relative to the nacelle around a first rotating shaft and a second rotating shaft, and the first rotating shaft is perpendicular to the second rotating shaft.

[0009] Preferably, the nacelle is connected with an actuating rod, the actuating rod is rotatably connected with the nacelle, the winglet is connected with a wing axis, one end of the wing axis away from the winglet is rotatably connected with the actuating rod, and the rotation axis of the actuating rod is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the wing axis.

[0010] Preferably, the actuating rod is connected with a first driving mechanism, the first driving mechanism includes a first driving rod, one end of the first driving rod is rotatably connected with the actuating rod, the other end of the first driving rod is hinged with the nacelle, the rotation axis of the first driving rod is parallel to the rotation axis of the actuating rod, and the length of the first driving rod can be adjusted.

[0011] Preferably, the first driving mechanism further includes a guiding ring, the actuating rod has a guiding section adapted to the guiding ring, the guiding ring is slidably sleeved outside the guiding section, and the first driving rod is hinged with the guiding ring.

[0012] Preferably, the number of the first driving rods is two, and the two first driving rods are symmetrically arranged with the axis of the actuating rod as the symmetry axis.

[0013] Preferably, the wing axis is connected with a second driving mechanism, the second driving mechanism includes a second driving rod, one end of the second driving rod is rotatably connected with the actuating rod, the other end of the second driving rod is rotatably connected with the wing axis, the rotation axis of the second driving rod is parallel to the rotation axis of the wing axis, and the length of the second driving rod can be adjusted.

[0014] Preferably, the second driving mechanism further includes a first hinge support and a second hinge support, the first hinge support is fixed on the actuating rod, the second hinge support is fixed on the wing axis, and the first hinge support and the second hinge support are respectively hinged with the second driving rod.

[0015] Preferably, the number of the second driving rods is two, and the two second driving rods are symmetrically arranged with the axis of the wing axis as the symmetry axis.

[0016] Preferably, the nacelle includes a power mechanism and a housing, the power mechanism is arranged in the housing, the actuating rod is rotatably connected with the power mechanism, the housing has a flapping hole, and one end of the wing axis passes through the flapping hole and extends into the housing to be connected with the actuating rod.

[0017] Preferably, the power mechanism is provided with a mounting block, the mounting block has a U-shaped mounting groove, the actuating rod is provided with a mounting plate, the mounting plate is rotatably arranged in the mounting groove, and the mounting plate is a semi-circular plate.

[0018] The present invention has achieved the following technical effects compared with the prior art:

[0019] For the tiltrotor aircraft of the present invention, the winglet is rotatably arranged outside the nacelle. While the winglet tilts with the nacelle, the winglet can rotate relative to the nacelle. In the transition state of the tiltrotor aircraft, by rotating the winglet relative to the nacelle, the extended winglet can always be exposed in the oncoming flow environment coupled by the rotor slipstream and the oncoming flow ahead with the minimum projected area, thereby greatly reducing the drag of the extended winglet in the transition state of the tiltrotor aircraft. At the same time, the actuable extended winglet can generate a rolling moment on the fuselage and an additional control moment on the fuselage by adjusting the relative position between the winglet and the nacelle in the forward flight state of the tiltrotor aircraft, increasing the maneuverability of the tiltrotor aircraft. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0021] Figure 1 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of the tiltrotor aircraft disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 It is a partial structural axonometric view of the winglet and the nacelle of the tiltrotor aircraft disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 It is a partial front view of the winglet and the nacelle of the tiltrotor aircraft disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 It is a partial side view of the winglet and the nacelle of the tiltrotor aircraft disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 It is a partial top view of the winglet and the nacelle of the tiltrotor aircraft disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 It is a partial enlarged schematic diagram of the winglet and the nacelle of the tiltrotor aircraft disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 It is a disassembled structural schematic diagram of the winglet and the nacelle of the tiltrotor aircraft disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8 It is a structural schematic diagram of the connection between the actuating rod and the housing of the tiltrotor aircraft disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 9Schematic diagram of the structure when there are two second drive rods for the tiltrotor aircraft disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0030] Among them, 1 is the nacelle, 101 is the power mechanism, 102 is the housing, 103 is the flapping hole, 104 is the mounting block, 2 is the winglet, 3 is the wing, 4 is the rotor disk, 5 is the actuating rod, 501 is the guiding section, 502 is the mounting plate, 6 is the wing axis, 7 is the first drive mechanism, 701 is the first drive rod, 702 is the guiding ring, 8 is the second drive mechanism, 801 is the second drive rod, 802 is the first hinge support, and 803 is the second hinge support. Detailed implementation manners

[0031] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0032] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a tiltrotor aircraft to solve the problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art, reduce the resistance of the outrigger winglet in the transition state of the tiltrotor aircraft, and enhance the maneuverability of the tiltrotor aircraft.

[0033] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation manners.

[0034] The present invention provides a tiltrotor aircraft, including a nacelle 1 and a winglet 2. The winglet 2 is rotatably arranged outside the nacelle 1. The winglet 2 can rotate relative to the nacelle 1 around a first rotation axis and a second rotation axis, and the first rotation axis is perpendicular to the second rotation axis.

[0035] For the tiltrotor aircraft of the present invention, the winglet 2 is rotatably arranged outside the nacelle 1. While the winglet 2 tilts with the nacelle 1, the winglet 2 can rotate relative to the nacelle 1. In the transition state of the tiltrotor aircraft, by rotating the winglet 2 relative to the nacelle 1, the outrigger winglet 2 can always be exposed in the oncoming flow environment coupled by the rotor slipstream and the oncoming flow ahead with the minimum projected area, and the resistance of the outrigger winglet 2 in the transition state of the tiltrotor aircraft can be reduced to the greatest extent. At the same time, the actuable outrigger winglet 2 can generate a rolling moment on the fuselage by adjusting the relative position between the winglet 2 and the nacelle 1 in the forward flight state of the tiltrotor aircraft, generate an additional control moment on the fuselage, and increase the maneuverability of the tiltrotor aircraft.

[0036] It should be explained here that since the winglet 2 is arranged outside the nacelle 1 and belongs to the "outrigger winglet 2", the "winglet 2" and the "outrigger winglet 2" mentioned in this article both refer to the winglet 2, and these two descriptions are not contradictory; in addition, the "fuselage" is the fuselage of the tiltrotor aircraft, and the tiltrotor aircraft also includes a wing 3. The wing 3 is connected to the nacelle 1, and the nacelle 1 is arranged on the rotor disk 4. As Figure 1 shown, the fuselage, the wing 3, and the disk 4 are all common knowledge to those skilled in the art, and will not be elaborated here.

[0037] Specifically, the nacelle 1 is connected with an actuating rod 5. The actuating rod 5 is rotatably connected to the nacelle 1. The winglet 2 is connected with a wing axis 6. One end of the wing axis 6 away from the winglet 2 is rotatably connected to the actuating rod 5. The rotation axis of the actuating rod 5 is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the wing axis 6. The actuating rod 5 and the wing axis 6 are used to connect the nacelle 1 and the winglet 2, and the rotation axis of the actuating rod 5 is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the wing axis 6. The actuating rod 5 and the wing axis 6 cooperate to enable the winglet 2 to rotate relative to the nacelle 1 around the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft. Furthermore, by adjusting the angle of the winglet 2, the outrigger winglet 2 is always exposed in the oncoming flow environment coupled by the rotor slipstream and the oncoming flow in the smallest projected area, achieving the maximum reduction of the resistance of the outrigger winglet 2 in the transition state of the tiltrotor aircraft.

[0038] More specifically, the actuating rod 5 is connected with a first driving mechanism 7. For details, see Figure 6 , the first driving mechanism 7 includes a first driving rod 701. One end of the first driving rod 701 is rotatably connected to the actuating rod 5. The other end of the first driving rod 701 is hinged to the nacelle 1. The rotation axis of the first driving rod 701 is parallel to the rotation axis of the actuating rod 5. The length of the first driving rod 701 can be adjusted. The change in the length of the first driving rod 701 can achieve the purpose of driving the actuating rod 5 to rotate, thereby driving the wing axis 6 and the winglet 2 connected to the actuating rod 5 to rotate. The structure is compact and the driving is reliable. In practical applications, other forms of drivers can also be selected. For example, an electric motor and a transmission mechanism can be used to drive the actuating rod 5 to rotate. The transmission mechanism can select transmission forms such as gear transmission and belt transmission, which are flexible and variable.

[0039] To avoid excessive stress concentration, the first driving mechanism 7 further includes a guiding ring 702. The actuating rod 5 has a guiding section 501 adapted to the guiding ring 702. The guiding ring 702 is slidably sleeved outside the guiding section 501. The first driving rod 701 is hinged to the guiding ring 702. By connecting the guiding ring 702 to the first driving rod 701, the phenomenon of stress concentration can be alleviated. It should be noted here that by reasonably setting the sliding distance of the guiding ring 702, when the length of the first driving rod 701 is adjusted, the situation where only the guiding ring 702 slides while the actuating rod 5 does not rotate can be avoided. Reasonably setting the sliding stroke of the guiding ring 702 to ensure the rotation of the actuating rod 5 belongs to the common means of those skilled in the art and will not be elaborated here.

[0040] In this specific embodiment, the number of the first driving rods 701 is two. The two first driving rods 701 are symmetrically arranged with the axis of the actuating rod 5 as the symmetry axis. Among them, when the first first driving rod 701 extends and the second first driving rod 701 shortens, the actuating rod 5 can be deflected towards the direction of the second first driving rod 701. Setting the two first driving rods 701 to act simultaneously can increase the maximum stress that the first driving mechanism 7 can bear and improve the working reliability of the tiltrotor aircraft. In addition, to ensure the working stability of the first driving rod 701, bearings can be provided at the hinged joints of the first driving rod 701 with the actuating rod 5 and the nacelle 1. The specific type of bearing can be selected according to the specific working conditions. While ensuring the structural stability of the device, the flexible adaptability of the device is improved.

[0041] Correspondingly, the wing shaft 6 is connected with a second driving mechanism 8. The second driving mechanism 8 includes a second driving rod 801. For details, please refer to Figure 6 One end of the second driving rod 801 is rotatably connected to the actuating rod 5, and the other end of the second driving rod 801 is rotatably connected to the wing shaft 6. The rotation axis of the second driving rod 801 is parallel to the rotation axis of the wing shaft 6. The length of the second driving rod 801 can be adjusted. By adjusting the length of the second driving rod 801, the wing shaft 6 can be pushed to rotate. It should be explained here that in practical applications, both the first driving rod 701 and the second driving rod 801 can adopt hydraulic rods, or electric push rods, or select a suitable telescopic structure according to the actual working conditions to improve the flexible adaptability of the first driving mechanism 7 and the second driving mechanism 8.

[0042] In addition, the second driving mechanism 8 further includes a first hinge support 802 and a second hinge support 803. The first hinge support 802 is fixed on the actuating rod 5, and the second hinge support 803 is fixed on the wing shaft 6. The first hinge support 802 and the second hinge support 803 are respectively hinged to the second driving rod 801. By setting the first hinge support 802 and the second hinge support 803, it is convenient for the second driving rod 801 to be connected to the actuating rod 5 and the wing shaft 6, and the structural stability of the second driving mechanism 8 is improved.

[0043] In this specific embodiment, the number of the second driving rods 801 is also two, and the two second driving rods 801 are symmetrically arranged with respect to the axis of the wing axis 6, which improves the maximum stress that the second driving mechanism 8 can bear and at the same time improves the force uniformity of the wing axis 6.

[0044] Furthermore, the nacelle 1 includes a power mechanism 101 and a housing 102. The power mechanism 101 is arranged inside the housing 102. The actuating rod 5 is rotatably connected to the power mechanism 101. The actuating rod 5 is connected to the power mechanism 101, so that the winglet 2 can tilt with the nacelle 1. At the same time, the actuating rod 5 can also drive the winglet 2 to rotate relative to the nacelle 1. In practical applications, the actuating rod 5 can also be directly connected to the housing 102, which can also achieve the purpose of the nacelle 1 driving the winglet 2 to tilt. For details, see Figure 8 , and the connection position of the actuating rod 5 can be selected according to the actual working conditions. The housing 102 has a flapping hole 103. One end of the wing axis 6 passes through the flapping hole 103 and extends into the housing 102 to be connected to the actuating rod 5. In practical applications, by setting the size of the flapping hole 103, the deflection angle range of the winglet 2 can be limited, and the reliability of the device can be further improved.

[0045] For the convenience of installation, the power mechanism 101 is provided with a mounting block 104. The mounting block 104 has a U-shaped mounting groove. The actuating rod 5 is provided with a mounting plate 502. The mounting plate 502 is rotatably arranged in the mounting groove to realize the rotational connection between the actuating rod 5 and the power mechanism 101. The mounting plate 502 is a semi-circular plate, which can effectively avoid interference between the mounting plate 502 and the power mechanism 101 during the rotation process.

[0046] For the tilt-rotor aircraft of the present invention, the winglet 2 can rotate the wing axis 6 relative to the actuating rod 5 through the second driving mechanism 8 to realize pitch change in the transition state of the tilt-rotor aircraft. At the same time, in the forward flight state of the tilt-rotor aircraft, the first driving mechanism 7 drives the actuating rod 5 to rotate relative to the nacelle 1 to reduce the pressure drag, further control the aerodynamic force generated by the outstretched winglet 2, and can also generate a rolling moment on the fuselage by pitch change, generating an additional control moment on the fuselage and increasing the maneuverability of the tilt-rotor aircraft.

[0047] In the present invention, specific examples are used to elaborate on the principle and implementation manner of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and its core idea of the present invention; at the same time, for those of ordinary skill in the art, according to the idea of the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation manner and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

Claims

1. A tiltrotor aircraft, characterized in that, Comprising: Nacelle; A winglet, which is rotatably arranged outside the nacelle, and the winglet can rotate relative to the nacelle around a first rotating shaft and a second rotating shaft, and the first rotating shaft is perpendicular to the second rotating shaft; The nacelle is connected with an actuating rod, the actuating rod is rotatably connected with the nacelle, the winglet is connected with a wing shaft, and one end of the wing shaft far away from the winglet is rotatably connected with the actuating rod, and the rotation axis of the actuating rod is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the wing shaft; The actuating rod is connected with a first driving mechanism, the first driving mechanism includes a first driving rod, one end of the first driving rod is rotatably connected with the actuating rod, the other end of the first driving rod is hinged with the nacelle, the rotation axis of the first driving rod is parallel to the rotation axis of the actuating rod, and the length of the first driving rod can be adjusted; The first driving mechanism further includes a guide ring, the actuating rod has a guide section adapted to the guide ring, the guide ring is slidably sleeved outside the guide section, and the first driving rod is hinged with the guide ring.

2. The tiltrotor aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the first driving rods is two, and the two first driving rods are symmetrically arranged with the axis of the actuating rod as the symmetry axis.

3. The tiltrotor aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wing shaft is connected with a second driving mechanism, the second driving mechanism includes a second driving rod, one end of the second driving rod is rotatably connected with the actuating rod, the other end of the second driving rod is rotatably connected with the wing shaft, the rotation axis of the second driving rod is parallel to the rotation axis of the wing shaft, and the length of the second driving rod can be adjusted.

4. The tiltrotor aircraft according to claim 3, wherein: The second driving mechanism further includes a first hinge support and a second hinge support, the first hinge support is fixed on the actuating rod, the second hinge support is fixed on the wing shaft, and the first hinge support and the second hinge support are respectively hinged with the second driving rod.

5. The tiltrotor aircraft according to claim 3, characterized in that: The number of the second driving rods is two, and the two second driving rods are symmetrically arranged with the axis of the wing shaft as the symmetry axis.

6. The tiltrotor aircraft according to claim 1, wherein: The nacelle includes a power mechanism and a housing, the power mechanism is arranged in the housing, the actuating rod is rotatably connected with the power mechanism, the housing has a flapping hole, and one end of the wing shaft passes through the flapping hole and extends into the housing to be connected with the actuating rod.

7. The tilt-rotor aircraft according to claim 6, wherein: The power mechanism is provided with a mounting block, the mounting block has a U-shaped mounting groove, the actuating rod is provided with a mounting plate, the mounting plate is rotatably arranged in the mounting groove, and the mounting plate is a semi-circular plate.

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