Aeroengines, aircraft, and methods for protecting aircraft engines

Abstract

The present invention relates to an aero-engine, an aircraft and an aero-engine protection method, wherein the aero-engine comprises a risk component, a driving device (5), a monitoring device (2) and a control device (6), wherein the driving device (5) is arranged on the risk component and is configured to drive the risk component to vibrate, so as to cut into pieces flying objects in contact with the risk component through the vibration of the risk component, the monitoring device (2) is configured to monitor the occurrence of flying objects in the air, and the control device (6) is connected to the monitoring device (2) and the driving device (5) by signals, and is configured to control the opening and closing of the driving device (5) according to the monitoring result of the monitoring device (2). The present invention can drive the risk component to vibrate through the driving device, and cut into pieces flying objects in the air through the vibration of the risk component, thereby reducing the damage of the flying objects to the risk component.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of aero-engines, and in particular to an aero-engine, an aircraft and an aero-engine protection method. Background Art

[0002] Before the advent of airplanes, there were no high-speed man-made aircraft, and the movements of birds and human activity didn't overlap, posing no threat to either. However, the advent of airplanes changed the situation. Due to the high speeds of airplanes, collisions with birds can cause significant damage, and in severe cases, can even cause the plane to crash. Bird strikes are particularly common during takeoff and landing.

[0003] At present, bird strikes are one of the important factors threatening aviation safety, especially for turbofan engines where the gas ejected from the nozzle and the air exhausted by the fan jointly generate reaction thrust. Birds are often sucked into the air inlet, causing the fan blades of the turbine engine to deform, or get stuck in the engine, causing the engine to shut down or even catch fire. The damage to the aircraft's power system is often fatal and will directly cause the aircraft to stall and crash.

[0004] Damage to an aircraft engine caused by a bird collision during flight is known as engine bird strike damage. While birds are small, the relative speed of the aircraft and bird is high, potentially damaging critical components and endangering flight safety. Therefore, turbofan engines are subject to stringent design and strength requirements, and bird strike testing is conducted to ensure safety. Engines must be able to withstand a certain number and mass of bird strikes and maintain the required performance after such an experience. In recent years, stricter bird strike regulations have been introduced for large civilian engines to meet practical needs.

[0005] Most birds are small and lightweight, so the damage from bird strikes primarily comes from the speed of the aircraft, not the bird's own mass. With the advancement of aviation technology, the speed of man-made aircraft continues to increase. According to the law of momentum, a 0.45 kg bird colliding with an aircraft traveling at 80 km / h will generate a force of 1500 Newtons, while a collision with a plane traveling at 960 km / h will generate a force of 216,000 Newtons. These high speeds make bird strikes incredibly destructive.

[0006] Currently, there are two main approaches to bird strike protection for turbofan engines: passive methods, which increase the structural strength of engine components vulnerable to bird strikes, and active methods, which prevent birds from entering the engine. Passive methods for improving the bird strike resistance of engine fan blades primarily rely on increasing the structural strength of the blades themselves. However, increased structural strength typically results in increased weight, which is detrimental to overall aircraft performance.

[0007] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background technology section of the present invention is only intended to increase the understanding of the overall background of the present invention, and should not be regarded as an admission or any form of implication that the information constitutes prior art already known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Embodiments of the present invention provide an aero-engine, an aircraft, and an aero-engine protection method, which can reduce damage to risk components caused by flying objects in the air.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aircraft engine, comprising:

[0010] Risk components;

[0011] a driving device, provided on the risk component and configured to drive the risk component to vibrate, so as to cut into pieces flying objects in contact with the risk component by the vibration of the risk component;

[0012] A monitoring device configured to monitor for the presence of airborne objects; and

[0013] The control device is connected to the monitoring device and the driving device by signal, and is configured to control the opening and closing of the driving device according to the monitoring result of the monitoring device.

[0014] In some embodiments, the drive device includes an ultrasonic transducer.

[0015] In some embodiments, the risk component includes a blade, the blade includes a blade body and a tenon connected to the blade body, and the driving device is installed on the tenon.

[0016] In some embodiments, the aircraft engine further includes a nacelle, and the monitoring device and the control device are both disposed in the nacelle.

[0017] In some embodiments, the monitoring device includes a video recognition device.

[0018] In some embodiments, the control device is connected to the monitoring device and the driving device through wireless signal connections.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present invention, an aircraft is provided, comprising the above-mentioned aircraft engine.

[0020] In some embodiments, the at-risk component includes at least one of a blade, an air intake cone, a nacelle, a wing, a tail, and a windshield.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aircraft engine protection method, comprising:

[0022] Monitor for the presence of flying objects;

[0023] If yes, the driving device is turned on to drive the risk component to vibrate, so that the flying objects in contact with the risk component are cut into pieces by the vibration of the risk component;

[0024] If not, keep the drive off.

[0025] In some embodiments, each time the driving device is turned on, it remains on for a preset time period and automatically turns off after the preset time period.

[0026] Based on the above technical solution, the embodiment of the present invention can drive the risk component to generate high-frequency vibration through the driving device. Through the vibration of the risk component, the flying objects in contact with the risk component can be shattered and chopped, thereby reducing the friction caused by the flying objects on the risk component, reducing the impact force transmitted to the risk component by the flying objects, avoiding damage to the risk component, and improving the ability of the aircraft engine to resist the impact of flying objects in the air. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of this application. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 The figure is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of an aero-engine of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an aircraft engine according to an embodiment of the present invention with the baffle removed.

[0030] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the aircraft of the present invention.

[0031] In the picture:

[0032] 1. Outer casing; 2. Monitoring device; 3. Baffle; 4. Blades; 5. Drive device; 6. Control device; 7. Body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "lateral", "longitudinal", "front", "back", "left", "right", "up", "down", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like to indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments of the aircraft engine provided by the present invention, the aircraft engine includes a risk component, a driving device 5, a monitoring device 2 and a control device 6. The driving device 5 is arranged on the risk component and is configured to drive the risk component to vibrate so as to cut into pieces flying objects in contact with the risk component through the vibration of the risk component. The monitoring device 2 is configured to monitor the occurrence of flying objects in the air. The control device 6 is signal-connected to the monitoring device 2 and the driving device 5. The control device 6 is configured to control the opening and closing of the driving device 5 according to the monitoring results of the monitoring device 2.

[0036] In the above embodiment, the driving device 5 can drive the risk component to generate high-frequency vibration. Through the vibration of the risk component, the flying objects in contact with the risk component can be shattered and chopped, thereby reducing the friction caused by the flying objects on the risk component, reducing the impact force transmitted to the risk component by the flying objects, avoiding damage to the risk component, and improving the ability of the aircraft engine to resist the impact of flying objects.

[0037] Moreover, the aircraft engine also includes a monitoring device 2 and a control device 6. Through the monitoring device 2, it can be monitored whether there are flying objects in the air and whether there are flying objects entering the preset monitoring area. When it is detected that there are flying objects in the air entering the monitoring area, the control device 6 controls the drive device 5 to start. In this way, the drive device 5 can be turned on only when needed, which is beneficial to saving energy and improving economy.

[0038] By setting up the monitoring device 2 and the control device 6, flying objects can be discovered in advance, so that the driving device 5 can be prepared to drive the risk components to vibrate in advance, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of chopping flying objects and avoiding mistakes.

[0039] Risk components are those that may be impacted by flying objects. For example, in aircraft engines, these risk components may include blades (including fan blades, guide vanes, etc.), intake cones, or nacelles. In aircraft using aircraft engines, risk components may also include wings, tail planes, or windshields.

[0040] In some embodiments, a mounting seat is provided on the risk component, and the driving device 5 is installed on the mounting seat.

[0041] In some embodiments, the mounting seat is fixedly connected to or integrally formed with the risk component to improve the mounting firmness of the mounting seat.

[0042] In some embodiments, the mounting base is integrally formed with the risk component through 3D printing. This installation method can make the mounting base safer and more capable of resisting vibration loads, and prevent the mounting base from falling off during aircraft operation.

[0043] In some embodiments, the mounting base includes a ring with an opening, into which the driving device 5 is inserted, and the driving device 5 and the opening are interference-fitted to improve the installation stability of the driving device 5. The good stability of the driving device 5 is conducive to improving the transmission efficiency of the ultrasonic wave.

[0044] In some embodiments, the driving device 5 includes an ultrasonic transducer.

[0045] An ultrasonic transducer is a device that converts electromagnetic energy into mechanical or acoustic energy. Ultrasonic transducers can be made of piezoelectric ceramics or other magnetostrictive materials.

[0046] Ultrasonic transducers can cause hazardous components to vibrate at a low frequency of 20 to 40 kHz. This frequency is fast enough to produce a cutting effect, instantly slicing any airborne objects that come into contact with the hazardous component into small enough fragments. This reduces the energy transferred to the hazardous component and minimizes damage. Furthermore, the vibration amplitude of the hazardous component produced by the ultrasonic transducer is low, so the vibration does not affect its performance.

[0047] Ultrasonic transducers can use but are not limited to piezoelectric ceramics that resonate at ultrasonic frequencies. The piezoelectric effect of the material converts electrical signals into mechanical vibrations. The ultrasonic transducer is used as a transmitter to convert the electrical oscillation signal sent from the excitation power supply into a change in the electric field or magnetic field in the electrical energy storage element in the transducer, generating a driving force on the mechanical vibration system of the transducer, causing it to enter a vibrating state, thereby driving the risk components in contact with the mechanical vibration system of the transducer to vibrate.

[0048] In some embodiments, the risk component includes a blade 4 , the blade 4 includes a blade body and a tenon connected to the blade body, and the driving device 5 is installed on the tenon.

[0049] By installing the drive device 5 on the tenon, the drive device 5 can be located below the flow path line of the blade, avoiding the drive device 5 affecting the airflow of the blade part and avoiding increasing aerodynamic losses due to the installation of the drive device 5.

[0050] In some embodiments, the aircraft engine further includes a nacelle, and the monitoring device 2 and the control device 6 are both disposed within the nacelle. Placing both the monitoring device 2 and the control device 6 within the nacelle can protect the monitoring device 2 and the control device 6 and prevent the monitoring device 2 and the control device 6 from affecting other components within the engine.

[0051] In some embodiments, the monitoring device 2 includes a video recognition device. The video recognition device detects whether there are flying objects by shooting a video of the monitoring area. The video recognition device includes a camera, etc.

[0052] like Figure 3 As shown, the monitoring range of the monitoring device 2 forms an area with an included angle θ, and the included angle θ is 60° to 90°. The boundary line of the monitoring area is tangent to the front edge of the fuselage 7.

[0053] In some embodiments, the video recognition device includes three components: front-end video information acquisition and transmission, intermediate video detection, and back-end analysis and processing. Video recognition requires a clear and stable video signal from the front-end video acquisition camera, and the quality of the video signal directly impacts the effectiveness of video recognition. In this embodiment, the control device 6 can directly issue instructions to control the driving device 5 to turn on or off based on the analysis results of the video recognition device.

[0054] In some embodiments, the monitoring device 2 includes an optical detector, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic detector, and the like.

[0055] In some embodiments, the control device 6 may first determine the type and state of the airborne object based on the monitoring results of the monitoring device 2, and then activate or deactivate the drive device 5 based on the degree of damage posed by the airborne object to the risk component. Because some airborne objects are relatively small and pose no threat to the risk component, the drive device 5 may be deactivated to reduce energy consumption.

[0056] Furthermore, the type of flying objects includes the size and type of flying objects, and the state of flying objects includes the speed and flight direction of flying objects, so as to judge the probability of flying objects colliding with the engine, and enable the control device 6 to selectively turn on or off the driving device 5 according to the size of the probability.

[0057] In some embodiments, the control device 6 is connected to the monitoring device 2 and the driving device 5 by wireless signal connection. Wireless signal connection can reduce the layout of connecting wires and simplify the structure.

[0058] like Figure 1 As shown, the engine includes a housing 1 and a baffle 3 arranged on the front side of the housing 1. The housing 1 and the baffle 3 form a substantially closed area for placing the control components of the engine. Figure 2 As shown, after removing the baffle 3, the control device 6 can be seen. The figure shows that the driving device 5 and the monitoring device 2 are both wirelessly connected to the control device 6. The monitoring device 2 is arranged on the top of the housing 1 and has a good monitoring angle.

[0059] In the aviation engine provided by the present invention, since a driving device 5 is provided on the risk component, the ability of the risk component to resist the impact of flying objects in the air can be improved. On this basis, the size of the risk component (such as the blade) can be thinned, or a hollow structure or other design can be adopted to reduce the weight of the risk component, thereby reducing the overall weight of the engine. Therefore, on the whole, the driving device 5, monitoring device 2 and control device 6 added to prevent flying objects from colliding with the risk component will not cause an increase in the overall weight of the engine, and may even help to further reduce the overall weight of the engine.

[0060] In the above embodiments, flying objects include birds or flying objects.

[0061] Based on the aircraft engines in the above embodiments, the present invention further provides an aircraft, which includes the above aircraft engines.

[0062] The present invention also provides an aircraft engine protection method, comprising:

[0063] Monitor for the presence of flying objects;

[0064] If yes, the driving device 5 is turned on to drive the risk component to vibrate, and the vibration of the risk component cuts the flying objects in contact with the risk component into pieces;

[0065] If not, keep the driving device 5 in the closed state.

[0066] In some embodiments, each time the drive device 5 is turned on, it remains on for a preset time period and automatically turns off after the preset time period has elapsed. The drive device 5 is turned on only when there is an airborne object and turned off when there is no airborne object, which can save energy and cost.

[0067] The positive technical effects of the aircraft engine in the above-mentioned embodiments are also applicable to the aircraft and aircraft engine protection methods, and will not be repeated here.

[0068] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, ordinary technicians in the field should understand that without departing from the principles of the present invention, the specific implementation methods of the present invention can still be modified or some technical features can be replaced by equivalents. These modifications and equivalent replacements should all be included in the scope of the technical solutions claimed for protection by the present invention.

Claims

1. An aircraft engine, characterized in that: include: Risk components; a driving device (5), arranged on the risk component and configured to drive the risk component to vibrate, so as to cut up flying objects in contact with the risk component through the vibration of the risk component, the driving device (5) comprising an ultrasonic transducer; A monitoring device (2) configured to monitor the presence of the airborne object; and The control device (6) is connected to the monitoring device (2) and the driving device (5) via signals, and is configured to control the opening and closing of the driving device (5) according to the monitoring result of the monitoring device (2).

2. The aircraft engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The risk component comprises a blade (4), the blade (4) comprises a blade body and a tenon connected to the blade body, and the driving device (5) is mounted on the tenon.

3. The aircraft engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a nacelle, in which the monitoring device (2) and the control device (6) are both arranged.

4. The aircraft engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The monitoring device (2) includes a video recognition device.

5. The aircraft engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control device (6) is signal-connected to the monitoring device (2) and the driving device (5) via a wireless connection.

6. An aircraft, characterized in that: Comprising the aircraft engine according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The aircraft according to claim 6, characterized in that The risk components include at least one of a blade (4), an air inlet cone and a nacelle.

8. An aircraft engine protection method, characterized in that: include: Monitor for the presence of flying objects; If so, the driving device (5) is turned on to drive the risk component to vibrate, and the flying objects in contact with the risk component are cut into pieces by the vibration of the risk component, wherein the driving device (5) includes an ultrasonic transducer; If not, keep the drive device (5) in the closed state.

9. The aircraft engine protection method according to claim 8, characterized in that: Each time the driving device (5) is turned on, it remains in the on state for a preset time period and automatically turns off after the preset time period has elapsed.

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