Lifting device for an aircraft and aircraft having such a lifting device

Abstract

The present invention provides a lift device for an aircraft, the lift device having the following features: a fan (11); an engine bearing (12), the engine bearing being axially offset from the fan (11); and a cylindrical electric motor (13), the cylindrical electric motor having a jacket surface framed by the engine bearing (12). The present invention also provides an aircraft.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a lifting device for an aircraft and also to an aircraft having such a lifting device. Background Art

[0002] In aerospace technology, the term VTOL refers to any type of aircraft, drone, or rocket that can take off and land essentially vertically without the need for a runway. This collective term is then used in a broad sense to include not only fixed-wing aircraft with wings, but also rotary-wing aircraft such as helicopters, gyroplanes, and gyropropeller aircraft; and hybrid aircraft such as combined helicopters or combined gyroplanes and thrust-reversed aircraft. In addition, this document includes aircraft capable of short takeoff and landing (STOL), short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL), or vertical takeoff and horizontal landing (VTHL).

[0003] CN210284604U discloses an engine fixed to the wing of an unmanned aerial vehicle by means of bolts.

[0004] CN211033019U proposes connecting an engine pedestal to an unmanned aerial vehicle by means of screws.

[0005] CN211167430U describes an engine casing connected to an unmanned aerial vehicle via radial webs.

[0006] CN211996121U discusses radially fastening a cylinder block fixedly connected to an engine to a support rod via screws. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention provides a lifting device for an aircraft and an aircraft equipped with such a lifting device.

[0008] The inventive approach is based on the recognition that a VTOL aircraft capable of operating in an urban environment requires a propulsion device capable of handling each phase of flight (launch, transition, cruise, and landing) and designed to comply with strict design principles of structural and system lightweight construction.

[0009] Usually, for this purpose, the electric motor is mounted on the engine bearing. Although this solution has aerodynamic advantages, it leads to a rather high lift device (see Figure 1 To Figure 3). This disadvantage is unacceptable when installation space is limited.

[0010] According to the invention, in order to create a particularly flat lift device without limiting the actual engine height, its beams run from the base of the engine to its periphery. Another advantage of this solution is that, by shortening the fan's lever arm, it reduces the load on the bearings affected by the fan's dynamic forces.

[0011] Further advantageous embodiments of the present invention are described below. Thus, instead of a free-traveling rotor, a ducted fan can be provided, integrated into the wing and covered with fins, such as those known outside the field of aviation from hovercraft or airships. A cylindrical housing surrounding the corresponding lift rotor, a so-called ducted ring, can reduce the thrust losses in conventional fans due to turbulence at the wingtips.

[0012] Furthermore, a streamlined fairing of the fan hub in the form of a so-called fairing can be provided. In a corresponding embodiment, the lift device consisting of the engine, fan, fairing, engine bearings and upper and lower fin assemblies can be designed in a compact manner so that space can be found even in wings of low construction height.

[0013] Furthermore, it can be provided that the nose of the aircraft has a cavity from which the lifting device can be extended as required. Due to the flat design of the lifting device according to the invention, this variant can also be easily implemented.

[0014] Furthermore, it can be provided that the lift device includes securing bolts oriented radially toward the electric motor, which connect the motor housing to the motor bearing in a torsionally rigid manner and thus support the loads caused by the engine torque, aerodynamic lift, and vibrations. The number and position of these bolts can be easily adjusted depending on the load, with three bolts already being sufficient for the static characteristics of the engine.

[0015] Finally, engine mounts can be integrated into the aircraft's aerodynamic structure to avoid thrust-reducing air turbulence.

[0016] In general, the present invention discloses the following technical solutions 1 and 6, and the following 2-5 and 7-10 are preferred technical solutions:

[0017] 1. A lifting device (10) for an aircraft,

[0018] It is characterized by the following features:

[0019] - a fan (11),

[0020] - an engine bearing (12) axially offset from the fan (11), and

[0021] - a cylindrical electric motor (13) having a jacket surface framed by the motor bearing (12).

[0022] 2. The lifting device (10) according to 1 above,

[0023] It is characterized by the following features:

[0024] - the lift device (10) comprises a fan shroud and fin assembly (14), and

[0025] - At least one of the fin assemblies (14) is arranged on the front side of the fan shroud.

[0026] 3. The lifting device (10) according to 1 or 2 above,

[0027] It is characterized by the following features:

[0028] - the lifting device (10) comprises a fairing (15), and

[0029] The fan (11) carries a fairing (15) on the side facing away from the electric motor (13).

[0030] 4. The lifting device (10) according to any one of 1 to 3 above,

[0031] It is characterized by the following features:

[0032] - the electric motor (13) comprises a hollow cylindrical motor housing (16), and

[0033] - The jacket surface of the electric motor (13) is defined by the motor housing (16).

[0034] 5. The lifting device (10) according to 4 above,

[0035] It is characterized by the following features:

[0036] - the lifting device (10) comprises a safety bolt (17) oriented radially towards the electric motor (13), and

[0037] - The safety bolt (17) connects the engine housing (16) to the engine bearing (12) in a torsionally rigid manner.

[0038] 6. An aircraft,

[0039] It is characterized by the following features:

[0040] - A lifting device (10) according to any one of 1 to 5 above, and

[0041] - A vehicle structure (18), said vehicle structure comprising said engine bearing (12).

[0042] 7. The aircraft according to 6 above,

[0043] It is characterized by the following features:

[0044] - The lifting device (10) is arranged on the nose of the aircraft.

[0045] 8. The aircraft according to item 7 above,

[0046] It is characterized by the following features:

[0047] - the nose comprises a cavity (19) for housing the lifting device (10), and

[0048] - The lifting device (10) can be extended from the cavity (19).

[0049] 9. The aircraft according to 6 above,

[0050] It is characterized by the following features:

[0051] - The lifting device (10) is arranged in a wing of the aircraft.

[0052] 10. The aircraft according to any one of 6 to 9 above,

[0053] It is characterized by the following features:

[0054] - the engine bearing (12) is annular, or

[0055] - The motor bearing (12) is formed by a guide rail surrounding the electric motor (13). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0056] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and are described in further detail below.

[0057] Figure 1 FIG3 to FIG3 show a vertically launchable aircraft according to the prior art.

[0058] Figure 4 A bottom view of a wing lift device according to one embodiment is shown.

[0059] Figure 5 A longitudinal section of the wing lift device along the fan axis is shown.

[0060] Figure 6 Corresponding to Figure 5 The view shows details of the wing lift device.

[0061] Figure 7 A bottom view of a nose lift device is shown according to one embodiment.

[0062] Figure 8 A side view of a nose lift device in an aircraft cavity is shown.

[0063] Figure 9 A detail of the nose lift device is shown in cross section. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0064] The aircraft is equipped with two free-traveling and foldable lift rotors on either side of the nose - hereinafter referred to as "nose lift units" - a total of six ducted and finned lift rotors on each wing - hereinafter referred to as "wing lift units" - and two rear fans with elongated sheaths - hereinafter referred to as "cruise thrust units". (In this case, the term "fan" is always used in a broad sense, which includes, on the one hand, the travel thrust units used primarily for propulsion, and, on the other hand, the nose and wing lift units used for lift; therefore, the sheathed thrust and lift units are also called "ducted fans"). In the cruise and ground configuration, the wing lift unit fins are closed and the nose lift unit is folded under or inside the fuselage; however, when suspended, the wing lift unit fins are open and the two nose lift units are deployed laterally.

[0065] Figure 4 The bearings of the electric motor of one of the wing lift devices (10) are shown. In this embodiment, the motor bearing (12) is formed by a guide grid made of carbon or carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFC), which supports the electric motor (13) in an axially and rotationally symmetrical arrangement on opposite sides. The two struts of the guide grid extend parallel to each other in the upstream direction of the wing (not all are shown here) and are located tangentially on the sides of the associated electric motor (13). The two rods connected to these cheeks are supplemented by the rods of the opposite cheek diametrically opposite the engine to form a diagonal cross and reinforce the electric motor (13) so that the guide grid withstands all horizontal forces in the engine plane.

[0066] from Figure 5 As can be seen in the figure, the width of the struts of the guide fence is close to the height of the electric motor (13). In the present case, the latter supports the fan (11), which is axially offset from the engine bearing (12) and lined with a blunt-nosed fairing (15). In the configuration shown, the inlet and outlet of the fan casing are closed by forward-facing fin assemblies (14), but can be opened as required via a drive, which is only shown in the drawings.

[0067] Figure 6The connection of the electric motor (13) at the support point of one of the struts of the guide grid (see FIG3 ) is shown. As can be seen from the figure, in the embodiment shown, the motor housing (16) defines the jacket surface of the cylindrical motor, which is framed by the motor bearing (12) constructed integrally with the vehicle structure (18). In the latter, the motor housing (16) is connected by means of compression or safety bolts (17) oriented radially relative to the electric motor (13), which, in the event of severe damage to the lifting device (10), yield under strong vibrations and allow the controlled ejection of the electric motor (13).

[0068] Figure 7 The corresponding configuration of one of the nose lift devices (10) is shown, the engine bearing (12) of which is formed in an annular shape. Figure 8 As can be seen in the figure, the nose of the aircraft includes a cavity (19) which houses the lift device (10) but allows it to extend laterally as required. Here too, the engine bearing (12) and the engine housing (16) are connected by a shear bolt (17) which is oriented radially relative to the electric motor (13).

[0069] In this embodiment, the electric motor (13) is implemented as an air-cooled inner rotor with integrated control. It should be understood that in alternative configurations, for example, external flow channels or liquid cooling may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention. Additional exemplary options are disclosed, for example, in DUFFY, Michael et al., Propulsion scaling methods in the era of electric flight. In: 2018 AIAA / IEEE Electric Aircraft Technologies Symposium (EATS). IEEE, 2018, pp. 1-23.

Claims

1. A lifting device (10) for an aircraft, It is characterized by The following features: - a fan (11), - an engine bearing (12) axially offset from the fan (11), and - a cylindrical electric motor (13) having a jacket surface framed by the motor bearing (12), wherein the motor bearing (12) supports the electric motor (13) in an axially and rotationally symmetrical arrangement on opposite sides, wherein the electric motor (13) comprises a hollow cylindrical motor housing (16), and the jacket surface of the electric motor (13) is defined by the motor housing (16), The lifting device (10) comprises a safety bolt (17) which is radially oriented towards the electric motor (13) and which connects the motor housing (16) to the motor bearing (12) in a torsionally rigid manner.

2. The lifting device (10) according to claim 1, It is characterized by the following features: - the lift device (10) comprises a fan shroud and fin assembly (14), and - At least one of the fin assemblies (14) is arranged on the front side of the fan shroud.

3. The lifting device (10) according to claim 1 or 2, It is characterized by The following features: - the lifting device (10) comprises a fairing (15), and The fan (11) carries a fairing (15) on the side facing away from the electric motor (13).

4. An aircraft, It is characterized by the following features: - A lifting device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and - A vehicle structure (18), said vehicle structure comprising said engine bearing (12).

5. The aircraft according to claim 4, It is characterized by the following features: - The lifting device (10) is arranged on the nose of the aircraft.

6. The aircraft according to claim 5, It is characterized by the following features: - the nose comprises a cavity (19) for housing the lifting device (10), and - The lifting device (10) can be extended from the cavity (19).

7. The aircraft according to claim 4, It is characterized by the following features: - The lifting device (10) is arranged in a wing of the aircraft.

8. An aircraft according to any one of the preceding claims 4 to 7, It is characterized by the following features: - the engine bearing (12) is annular, or - The motor bearing (12) is formed by a guide rail surrounding the electric motor (13).

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