Vertical take-off and landing vehicle
Through the combined design of the central rotor and thrust unit, the horizontal thrust and direction control is achieved using the airflow deflector, which solves the weight and safety problems of vertical take-off and short take-off and landing under electric power drive, and achieves lightweight and efficient vertical start-up Reduce and short-range take-off and landing capabilities.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202080018193.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2019-03-04
- Filing Date
- 2020-03-04
- Publication Date
- 2024-12-27
- Estimated Expiration
- 2040-03-04
AI Technical Summary
The existing vertical take-off and landing aircraft or aircraft are powered by electric power, resulting in low failure safety of propulsion and thrust systems, and are complex in design and high in cost, making it difficult to achieve lightweight and efficient vertical take-off and short-range starting. drop.
Using lift provided by the central rotor, combined with the central and side thrust unit, horizontal thrust and direction control is achieved using airflow deflectors. The main rotor is simple in design, and the electric motor drives the thrust unit and the main rotor, providing redundant backup for improved safety and response speed .
It realizes lightweight and high-safe vertical take-off and short-range take-off and landing capabilities, reduces failure risk and maintenance costs, and improves the aircraft's control response speed and redundant backup capabilities.
Smart Images
Figure CN113508080B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention generally relates to an aircraft or aircraft that is capable of vertical takeoff and landing, so that it can take off and land on a relatively small surface area without requiring a runway of any length. Background Art
[0002] Vertical take-off and landing vehicles, hereinafter referred to as VTOL vehicles, are known per se. Some are based on two thrust-providing jet engines mounted on either side of the fuselage, which can be tilted to provide vertical thrust, such as the AV-8 Harrier Jump Jet. Other examples utilize the principle of tiltable propellers mounted at the wings, such as the V-22 Osprey.
[0003] Another design mounts one or more lift rotors above the fuselage, such as a helicopter. Proper control of the blades and / or overall tilt of the vehicle will provide horizontal thrust for forward flight.
[0004] As for power, larger aircraft are always powered by fuel. Aircraft would be better off being electrically powered, but the power required would make the power source (batteries) too heavy for the intended mission. Summary of the invention
[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a simplified design of a passenger vehicle capable of flight, relatively light weight, responsive control, and improved safety against propulsion / thrust system failures, i.e. failures of the thrust generators and their power supply.
[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a design suitable for electric drive.
[0007] The design basis of the present invention is a rotor-lifted vehicle, i.e., a central rotor provides lift. In one embodiment, the vehicle is capable of vertical takeoff and landing without requiring any horizontal speed. In another embodiment, the vehicle is designed based on the principles of a gyroplane, which does require a certain horizontal speed for takeoff and landing, which can be obtained (takeoff) or removed (landing) in a relatively short runway segment (usually less than 100m). The phrase Short Take Off and Landing is abbreviated as "STOL" and will be used as a general phrase to cover this and other embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained by describing one or more preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent the same or similar parts, and in which:
[0009] Figure 1 Schematically illustrates an embodiment of a STOL vehicle according to the present invention;
[0010] Figure 2 is a perspective schematic diagram of the thrust unit;
[0011] Figures 3A-3C is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a side thrust unit schematically depicting the operation of the deflector;
[0012] Figure 4 are the counter-torque forces according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] Figure 1 A STOL vehicle 1 designed according to the invention is schematically shown. The vehicle 1 comprises an elongated fuselage 10 with a tail section 20, which forms the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The tail section 20 is provided with a tail structure 30. On each side of the fuselage 10, at least one mounting support 40 is provided. At the top of the fuselage 10 is provided a shaft 50 (shaft 50 having a substantially vertical axis of rotation), on which a main rotor 100 is mounted. An imaginary vertical mid-plane of the vehicle is defined by said axis of rotation in conjunction with said longitudinal direction.
[0014] In addition to the main rotor 100, the vehicle 1 is provided with a central thrust unit 200 arranged in or at the tail 20, and a lateral thrust unit 400 arranged at a mounting support 40. More than one mounting support may be provided on each side of the vehicle, and each mounting support may carry more than one lateral thrust unit. The main function of the mounting support 40 is to keep the corresponding lateral thrust unit at a certain horizontal distance from the fuselage 10, and the precise design of the mounting support 40 is not important for the present invention. For example, the mounting support 40 may be constituted by a tube. However, preferably, the mounting support 40 has an aerodynamic profile, and more preferably, the mounting support 40 is airfoil-shaped to help provide lift during flight.
[0015] The thrust units 200, 400 will be described in more detail below. Here, it should be noted that the thrust units 200, 400 provide a horizontal component to offset the reaction torque brought by the main rotor, thereby achieving yaw control, and the thrust units 200, 400 provide a vertical component to achieve pitch control and roll control. Therefore, although the design of the main rotor itself is relatively simple and there is no cyclic control device, for horizontally maneuvering the aircraft (i.e. forward and backward, and also sideways), pitch control and roll control can be used to slightly tilt the vertical lift vector generated by the main rotor. This simple main rotor design has low cost (including maintenance costs) and low risk of failure. In the simplest embodiment, the blades will have a fixed pitch, preferably the pitch can be adjusted collectively to (quickly) change the lift.
[0016] The main rotor 100 is relatively large so that the vehicle 1 can effectively hover. The main rotor 100 may have 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or more blades, but increasing the number of blades increases complexity and weight.
[0017] In principle, the central thrust unit 200 can be located anywhere along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 1, even at the nose. A relatively large distance of the central thrust unit 200 to the axis of rotation of the main rotor 100 is advantageous, so it is preferably located in or at the tail 20. The vehicle may have two or more central thrust units.
[0018] The central thrust unit 200 includes at least one fan, the rotation axis of which is substantially perpendicular to the vertical midplane. The precise positioning of the central thrust unit 200 is not important to the present invention and can be based on secondary design considerations, as long as the central thrust unit 200 is in any situation that can provide a component force perpendicular to the vertical midplane.
[0019] The vehicle 1 may include more than one central thrust unit 200. In this case, the fans may be aligned linearly and their axes of rotation may be in the same virtual plane, which may be horizontal or inclined in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 1. For example, three fans may be arranged in a triangle. The vehicle 1 may include at least one central thrust unit 200 located in front of the main rotor 100 and at least one central thrust unit 200 located behind the main rotor 100.
[0020] Each lateral thrust unit 400 is preferably mounted at the distal end of a corresponding support member 40. The exact length of the support member 40 is not essential to the present invention; it is generally believed that a longer support provides a longer arm for the force vector of the lateral thrust unit 400 and also provides greater lift when the wing is deployed, but also brings greater drag.
[0021] Each side thrust unit 400 includes at least one fan, whose axis of rotation is generally parallel to the vertical midplane. The precise orientation of the side thrust unit 400 is not important to the present invention and can be based on secondary design considerations, as long as the side thrust unit 400 is in any situation that can provide a force component generally parallel to the vertical midplane. The side thrust unit 400 can be fixed in position so that it always produces a generally horizontal force component. The side thrust unit 400 can be tilted about an axis generally perpendicular to the vertical midplane; in this case, the tilt range includes a working position that can provide a generally horizontal force component.
[0022] Figure 2 4 is a schematic perspective view of a thrust unit. The side thrust unit 400 is described here as an example and discussed below, but substantially the same design considerations also apply to the central thrust unit(s). This also applies to Figure 3A -C, Figure 3A -C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the thrust unit.
[0023] In order to better guide the air, preferably, the thrust unit 400 includes a substantially cylindrical shroud 410 having an inlet opening 411 and an outlet opening 412. Inside the shroud 410, a fan 430 is arranged, and a fan shaft 431 is substantially coaxial with the shroud 410. A group of fan blades 432 is installed at a specific axial position of the fan shaft 431. As shown in the figure, two or more groups of fans 430 can be arranged along the axis, and they have an axial distance between each other.
[0024] From the inlet 411 to the outlet 412, the fan 430 generates an airflow substantially parallel to its axis 431, which is limited and guided by the shroud 410. The uniqueness of the present invention is that the thrust unit 400 is provided with an airflow deflection device 420 at its outlet 412. Such an airflow deflection device 420 can be implemented, for example, by an asymmetric outlet opening 412 and / or a bend in the shroud. In a preferred embodiment, as shown in the figure, the airflow deflection device 420, hereinafter also referred to as an airflow deflector 420, comprises a set of mutually parallel deflection strips 421, which intersect the outlet opening 411 in the longitudinal direction and are substantially perpendicular to the shroud axis. The deflection strips 421 can be installed tilted, that is, they can be tilted in any direction around their longitudinal axis. For safety reasons, preferably, each deflection strip 421 is provided with a separate tilt actuator, which can include, for example, a small electric motor or a hydraulic control device. The deflection strips can also be arranged in groups, and a dedicated tilt actuator is provided for each group. Either way, the result is a relatively simple and lightweight design while providing redundancy (in the sense that one deflection bar or group of deflection bars may fail while the others continue to operate normally) so that such a failure results in only a small loss of function and / or control.
[0025] In a stationary position, such as Figure 3A As shown, the width direction of the deflection strip 421 is parallel to the fan shaft 431 to prevent the deflected airflow from flowing out of the shield 410. Figure 3B and 3C As shown, the deflection strip 421 is at an angle to the fan axis 431, so that the deflection strip 421 deflects the airflow flowing out of the shroud 410. The airflow deflector has a horizontal operating position, in which the longitudinal axis of the deflection strip 421 is substantially horizontal. Figure 3B In the case of , the airflow is deflected upward, exerting a reaction force downward on the airflow deflector, while in Figure 3C In this case, the airflow will be deflected downward, exerting a reaction force upward on the airflow deflector.
[0026] By making the axis of the air guide plate parallel to or coincident with the rotation axis of the fan shaft 431, the airflow deflector 420 can be installed as a whole body that can rotate relative to the support member 40. When the airflow deflector 420 rotates around its deflection axis, the deflected air obtains a horizontal airflow component, thereby exerting a horizontal reaction force. If the rotation range of the airflow deflector 420 extends at least 90°, it can reach a vertical operating position where the deflection strip 421 extends in the vertical direction, thereby deflecting the airflow flowing out of the shield 410 in the horizontal direction toward or away from the midplane when tilted.
[0027] The thrust units 200, 400 have two important functions, which will be referred to as Figure 4The schematic top view is used for explanation.
[0028] One function is to counteract the reaction torque generated by the main rotor 100. Horizontal thrust is used for this purpose. This function can be achieved by the central thrust unit 200, which provides horizontal thrust in the lateral direction, as shown by arrow F2. This function can also be achieved by any of the side thrust units 400 alone, which provide horizontal thrust in the longitudinal direction, as shown by arrows F4A and F4B. Thus, the system is redundant, but this is an advantageous feature from a safety point of view, because if one or more thrust units fail, the system can still provide a counter-torque force to control the aircraft.
[0029] The second function is to provide directional control. Similarly, the horizontal thrust of the central thrust unit 200 and / or any of the side thrust units 400 can provide yaw control. It should be noted that the horizontal thrust of the side thrust units 400 can also be used to move the vehicle in the longitudinal direction. The air flow deflector(s) of the central thrust unit(s) 200 allow the central thrust unit(s) 200 to provide vertical thrust for pitch control. The air flow deflector(s) of the side thrust unit(s) 400 allow the side thrust unit(s) 400 to provide vertical thrust for roll control. In this regard, the vehicle's response to user input will be very fast.
[0030] In further detail, the lateral thrust unit 400 may be tilted about a horizontal axis substantially perpendicular to the midplane to help provide lift and / or to help provide a pitch or roll moment through direct fan power rather than through deflected airflow.
[0031] Appropriate control of the outputs provided by the thrust units 200, 400 will allow the vehicle to rotate, for example, about a vertical axis at a slow and controlled speed. Controlling the side thrust units 400 will allow the vehicle to fly forward. At the same time, the counter-torque force can be provided by the central thrust unit 200 (see Figure 4 Arrow F2 in FIG. 1 ), and / or thrust units 400 with different power (see FIG. Figure 4 Provided by arrows F4A and F4B).
[0032] In further elaboration, the central thrust unit(s) 200 may be mounted inside the tail section 20, with guide vanes arranged on the inlet side and the outlet side of the unit, i.e., on the right and left sides of the fuselage. These guide vanes may be like shutters, i.e., they have a closed position in which they are substantially flush with the fuselage surrounding the central thrust unit(s) 200. This is particularly useful during flight to reduce drag; in this case, the tail structure 30 may cooperate with the side thrust units 400 to provide pitch control and yaw control.
[0033] While the thrust unit may be driven by an internal combustion engine, and this also applies to the main rotor, the aircraft of the present invention is unique in that the thrust unit and the main rotor (optionally) are driven by electric motors, which in turn may be powered by batteries, fuel cells, or even internal combustion engines and / or turbine driven generators. Combinations of the above power sources are also possible.
[0034] The use of electric motors has an important safety feature. Suppose the power supply fails or runs out, so that it no longer drives the thrust units and the main rotor, the aircraft will descend. The main rotor is capable of rotating automatically, which in any case will significantly slow down the descent. Furthermore, in this case the main rotor can be arranged to drive a generator (which, in the case of an electrically driven main rotor, can be its own electric motor operating in generating mode) so that the aerodynamic main rotor becomes a source of electrical energy, which can drive the electric thrust units to control the aircraft during descent.
[0035] An important aspect of the invention is that it allows the use of a simple main rotor. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the blades of the main rotor have the same pitch relative to each other at all times. In one possible embodiment, the pitch is even fixed. In another possible embodiment, the pitch is adjustable.
[0036] It should be clear to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the thrust unit may be provided with a thrust reversal device.
[0037] Furthermore, the main rotor can be driven by two or more (electric) engines arranged in parallel. On the one hand, this allows the use of smaller engines to provide the required power. On the other hand, this can provide redundancy: if one engine fails, the remaining engines will be able to keep the rotor running. The engine can also consist of several independent sections to provide redundancy.
[0038] Additionally, duplicate or more thrust units may be provided to increase redundancy.
[0039] In addition, the axis of the main rotor can be tilted slightly backwards and slightly to one side to compensate for part of the thrust provided by the thrust units during takeoff.
[0040] Even if certain features are recited in different dependent claims, embodiments of the present invention also comprise these common features.
[0041] Even if certain features have been described in combination with each other, an embodiment according to the present invention may include one or more of these omitted features.
[0042] Features not expressly described as essential may also be omitted.
[0043] Any reference signs in a claim should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claim.
Claims
1. Vehicles capable of flying in the air (1), including: - a fuselage (10) having a tail section (20); - a main rotor (100) having a rotation axis located at the top of the fuselage (10); - at least one central thrust unit (200) arranged along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle (1) at a distance from the axis of rotation of the main rotor (100); - at least one mounting support (40), at least one mounting support (40) being mounted on each side of the fuselage (10); - at least one lateral thrust unit (400), at least one lateral thrust unit (400) being mounted on each of the mounting supports (40); wherein at least one of the central thrust units (200) comprises a fan, the fan providing at least one airflow component perpendicular to a virtual vertical midplane of the vehicle; Wherein, each of the side thrust units (400) comprises a fan, and the fan provides at least one airflow component parallel to the virtual vertical midplane; Wherein, at least one of the side thrust units (400) is provided with a controllable airflow deflection device (420), and the controllable airflow deflection device (420) deflects the corresponding output airflow in a controllable manner; Wherein, at least one of the central thrust units (200) is provided with a controllable airflow deflection device (420), and the controllable airflow deflection device (420) deflects the corresponding output airflow in a controllable manner.
2. The carrier (1) according to claim 1, wherein: The central thrust unit (200) provides airflow in a substantially horizontal direction.
3. The carrier (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The central thrust unit (200) is located inside or at the tail portion (20).
4. The carrier (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The side thrust unit (400) has at least one horizontal operating position, in which the side thrust unit provides an airflow in a substantially horizontal direction.
5. The carrier (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The side thrust unit (400) is tiltable about a horizontal tilt axis.
6. The carrier (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The controllable airflow deflection device (420) comprises a group of mutually parallel deflection strips (421), wherein the deflection strips (421) output airflow transversely in the longitudinal direction, wherein the deflection strips (421) can be tilted around their own longitudinal axis between a static position and an inclined position, wherein in the static position, the width direction of the deflection strips (421) is parallel to the airflow, and in the inclined position, the width direction of the deflection strips (421) is at an angle to the airflow.
7. The carrier (1) according to claim 6, wherein: The deflection strip (421) is provided with a plurality of tilt actuators for actuation in groups or individually.
8. The carrier (1) according to any one of claims 6 to 7, wherein: The airflow deflection device (420) is mounted to rotate about an axis parallel to the airflow.
9. The carrier (1) according to claim 8, wherein: The airflow deflection device (420) is installed to be rotatable within a rotation range of at least 90°, and the rotation range includes a horizontal position and a vertical position. In the horizontal position, the deflection strip (421) extends longitudinally in the horizontal direction; in the vertical position, the deflection strip (421) extends longitudinally in the vertical direction.
10. The carrier (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: Each of the thrust units (200, 400) comprises: - a shield (410), the shield (410) being generally cylindrical and provided with an inlet opening (411) and an outlet opening (412); - a fan (430), the fan (430) being located inside the shroud (410), the fan (430) having a fan shaft (431) substantially coaxial with the shroud (410).
11. A vehicle (1) according to any of the preceding claims, said vehicle (1) being operable in such a way that at least one of said central thrust units (200) generates a counter-torque force to keep said vehicle stationary and / or to provide yaw control.
12. A vehicle (1) according to any of the preceding claims, said vehicle (1) being operable in such a way that at least one of said side thrust units (400) is used to generate a counter-torque force to keep said vehicle stationary and / or to provide yaw control.
13. A vehicle (1) according to any of the preceding claims, operable in such a way that all thrust units (400) are used to generate a counter-torque force to hold the vehicle stationary and / or to provide yaw control.
14. A vehicle (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle (1) is operable in such a way that at least one of the side thrust units (400) cooperates with at least one central thrust unit (200) to generate a counter-torque force to keep the vehicle stationary and / or provide yaw control.
15. The vehicle (1) according to any of the preceding claims, said vehicle (1) being operable in such a way that all side thrust units (400) are used to generate propulsion.
16. The vehicle (1) according to any of the preceding claims, said vehicle (1) being operable in such a way that said airflow deflection device (420) of at least one said side thrust unit (400) is used to provide roll control.
17. The vehicle (1) according to any of the preceding claims, said vehicle (1) being operable in such a way that said airflow deflection device (420) of at least one central thrust unit (200) is used to provide pitch control.
18. A vehicle (1) according to any of the preceding claims, said vehicle (1) being operable in such a way that said airflow deflection device (420) of at least one thrust unit (200; 400) is modified for modifying yaw control and / or for modifying roll control and / or for modifying pitch control.
19. A vehicle (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the thrust units (200; 400) are driven by electric motors, wherein the vehicle is capable of operating in an autorotation mode in which the main rotor (100) drives a generator to generate electricity, and wherein the electric motor of at least one of the thrust units (200; 400) is supplied by at least a portion of the electricity generated by the main rotor (100).
20. The carrier (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The thrust unit is provided with a thrust reversing device.
21. The carrier (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The main rotor is driven by an electric motor with independent segmented coils.
22. The carrier (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The main rotor has rotor blades which have the same pitch relative to one another at all times.
23. The carrier (1) according to claim 22, wherein: The rotor blade pitches are collectively adjustable.
24. The carrier (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The tail portion (20) is provided with a tail wing structure (30).
25. The carrier (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: Each mounting support (40) has an aerodynamic profile.
26. The carrier (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: Each mounting support (40) is wing-shaped.
27. The carrier (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The rotation axis of the fan of the central thrust unit (200) is substantially perpendicular to the vertical midplane.
28. The carrier (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The fan rotation axis of the side thrust unit (400) is substantially parallel to the vertical midplane.
29. The carrier (1) according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein: A central thrust unit (200) is installed in the tail section (20); wherein the deflection strips of the central thrust unit (200) are arranged on the inlet side and the outlet side of the unit, i.e. the right side of the fuselage and the left side of the fuselage; and wherein the deflection strips have a closed position, in which the deflection strips are substantially flush with the fuselage surrounding the central thrust unit (200).
30. The carrier (1) according to claim 7, wherein: Each deflection strip (421) is provided with a separate tilt actuator.
31. The carrier (1) according to claim 30, wherein: Each individual tilt actuator comprises a small electric motor or a hydraulic control device.
32. The carrier (1) according to claim 7, wherein: The deflection bars are arranged in groups, and wherein each group of the deflection bars is provided with a dedicated tilt actuator.
33. The carrier (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The side thrust units (400) can be controlled and driven individually and independently.
34. The carrier (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The side thrust units (400) can be driven with different powers.