A wire bundle tilting device for an eVTOL tilt duct

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, and discloses a wire bundle tilting device of an eVTOL tilting nacelle, which is located inside a hollow tilting shaft, the tilting nacelle rotates around the axis of the tilting shaft, the wire bundle tilting device comprises an electrical wire bundle and a tilting ring, the electrical wire bundle is fixed inside the tilting ring, the tilting ring is located inside the tilting shaft, and the axis of the tilting ring coincides with the axis of the tilting shaft, the tilting ring comprises a plurality of balls, the balls are arranged between the tilting ring and the tilting shaft at intervals and can roll freely, and the tilting ring rotates freely around the axis of the tilting shaft through the balls inside the tilting shaft. The present application can fix and protect the wire bundle while the electrical wire bundle rotates with the tilting nacelle, avoids the wire bundle from being stuck or excessively twisted and deformed, and ensures the safety and reliability of the wire bundle during tilting.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and more particularly to a wiring harness tilting device for an eVTOL tilting nacelle. Background Technology

[0002] electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft have emerged globally in recent years and are considered a major form of future "air taxis." These aircraft can take off and land vertically like helicopters, requiring less space; moreover, they offer higher safety compared to helicopters, reaching the safety levels of general aviation aircraft. Their power system directly converts electrical energy into mechanical energy to provide the power required for flight. Typically, the aircraft's onboard batteries power a motor, which in turn drives a propeller mounted on the motor's rotor shaft, generating thrust or pull to propel the aircraft. Purely electric eVTOLs achieve low noise and zero carbon emissions.

[0003] To combine the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) convenience of helicopters with the economy and high-speed cruise capability of fixed-wing aircraft, eVTOL requires switching between VTOL and fixed-wing flight modes. A tilt-nacelle is one design solution to achieve this switching process. The tilt-nacelle uses an actuator to drive the nacelle structure to rotate around a tilt axis, changing the direction of the propeller thrust and thus achieving the flight mode switch.

[0004] During the aforementioned flight mode transition, the tilt nacelle rotates around the tilt axis, causing the electrical wiring harness connecting the nacelle motor and tilt actuator to rotate as well. This electrical wiring harness is prone to excessive twisting and deformation during rotation, and may even break after prolonged, cyclical rotation, directly affecting the safety and reliability of the wiring harness connection. Therefore, a device is needed to fix and protect the electrical wiring harness while the tilt nacelle rotates around the tilt axis, preventing it from jamming or becoming excessively twisted and deformed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the problems existing in the prior art, during the eVTOL flight mode switching process, the electrical wiring harness is prone to excessive twisting, deformation, or even breakage after rotating with the tilting nacelle, directly affecting the safety and reliability of the electrical wiring harness connection. The purpose of this invention is to provide a wiring harness tilting device for an eVTOL tilting nacelle, which can fix and protect the wiring harness while it rotates with the tilting nacelle, avoiding wiring harness jamming or excessive twisting and deformation, and ensuring the safety and reliability of the wiring harness during the tilting process.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0007] A wiring harness tilting device for an eVTOL tilting nacelle is located inside a hollow tilting shaft. The tilting nacelle rotates around the axis of the tilting shaft. The wiring harness tilting device includes an electrical wiring harness and a tilting retainer. The electrical wiring harness is fixed inside the tilting retainer. The tilting retainer is located inside the tilting shaft, and the axis of the tilting retainer coincides with the axis of the tilting shaft. The tilting retainer includes balls, and a number of balls are spaced apart and embedded between the tilting retainer and the tilting shaft. The balls can roll freely. The tilting retainer rotates freely around the axis of the tilting shaft inside the tilting shaft through the balls.

[0008] The present invention is further configured such that: a plurality of tilting retaining rings are provided inside the tilting shaft at intervals along the axis of the tilting shaft.

[0009] The present invention is further configured such that: at least two rows of balls are arranged on the tilting retainer along its axial direction, and each row of balls is distributed at intervals along the circumference of the tilting retainer.

[0010] The present invention is further configured such that: the tilting retaining ring also includes a wire harness fixing plate, the wire harness fixing plate is arranged along the radial direction of the tilting retaining ring, the wire harness fixing plate is fixed inside the tilting retaining ring, and the wire harness fixing plate is used to fix the electrical wire harness.

[0011] The invention is further configured such that: the tilting retaining ring also includes an inner ring, and the wire harness fixing plate is fixedly connected to the inner ring. The wire harness fixing plate divides the inner ring space into multiple independent areas, and the electrical wire harness is fixed in different areas.

[0012] The invention is further configured such that: the wire harness tilting device also includes a wire harness clamp, which is fixed inside the tilting ring and is used to clamp the electrical wire harness.

[0013] The invention is further configured such that the wire harness fixing plate has a cross-shaped structure with intersecting lines, and the wire harness fixing plate divides the inner space into four fan-shaped areas.

[0014] The present invention is further configured such that: the tilting retaining ring includes an outer ring, a ball, and an inner ring, the inner ring is provided with a groove for embedding the ball, and the outer ring is sleeved around the inner ring and limits the ball to prevent the ball from falling out of the groove on the inner ring.

[0015] The invention is further configured such that multiple tilting retaining rings disposed within the tilting shaft rotate independently of each other.

[0016] The invention is further configured such that the tilting ring is made of stainless steel.

[0017] In summary, the beneficial effects achieved by this invention are as follows:

[0018] (1) One end of the electrical harness is fixed to the wing box, and the other end rotates synchronously with the tilting nacelle as the tilting nacelle rotates around the axis of the tilting shaft. The electrical harness is located inside the tilting shaft, and the tilting retainer is set between the tilting shaft and the electrical harness. The electrical harness is fixed inside the tilting retainer, and the tilting retainer and the tilting shaft are in contact through ball bearings. The ball bearings allow the tilting retainer to rotate freely around the axis of the tilting shaft inside the tilting shaft, thereby eliminating the jamming and friction between the electrical harness and the tilting shaft when the tilting nacelle rotates. At the same time, the harness drives different tilting retainers to rotate at different angles, achieving uniform twisting of the harness during the tilting process. This ensures that the torque is evenly applied to the entire electrical harness, preventing excessive twisting and deformation of local electrical harnesses, avoiding electrical harness breakage, and ensuring the reliability and service life of the equipment.

[0019] (2) At least two rows of balls are provided on each tilting ring along the axial direction, which can effectively prevent the tilting ring from tilting or skewing inside the tilting shaft and ensure that the axis of the tilting ring always coincides with the axis of the tilting shaft.

[0020] (3) The wire harness fixing plate divides the inner ring space into multiple independent areas, so that electrical wire harnesses with different functions can be isolated and fixed in the tilting retainer to avoid mutual interference.

[0021] (4) The tilting ring made of thin-walled stainless steel can effectively reduce the structural weight and facilitate the overall weight reduction of the aircraft. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a top view of the tilting nacelle in the present invention when it is in a horizontal position;

[0024] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A cross-sectional view on the DD plane;

[0025] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A cross-sectional view on plane AA;

[0026] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A cross-sectional view on the BB surface;

[0027] Figure 5 for Figure 3 A sectional view on the EE plane;

[0028] Figure 6 This is the front view of the tilting caliper ring;

[0029] Figure 7 Left view of the tilting caliper ring;

[0030] Figure 8 for Figure 6 A cross-sectional view on the C-plane;

[0031] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram showing the position of the tilting retaining ring when the tilting nacelle is in a horizontal state in this invention;

[0032] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram showing the position of the tilting retainer ring when the tilting nacelle is in a vertical state in this invention.

[0033] In the diagram: 1. Tilt nacelle; 11. Motor; 12. Nacelle bulkhead; 13. Motor mounting frame; 14. Tilt actuator; 15. Actuator joint; 2. Tilt shaft; 3. Wing box; 31. Wing box bulkhead; 32. Wing spars; 33. Wing ribs; 4. Wiring harness tilting device; 41. Electrical wiring harness; 42. Tilt retaining ring; 421. Outer ring; 422. Ball bearing; 423. Inner ring; 424. Wiring harness fixing plate; 43. Wiring harness clamp. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. For ease of explanation, the terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," "bottom," etc., used in this specification indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0035] It should be noted that the embodiments and features involved in the embodiments of this invention can be combined with each other without conflict. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0036] As attached Figure 1-10 As shown, a wiring harness tilting device for an eVTOL tilt nacelle is located inside a hollow tilting axis 2. During flight mode switching, the tilt nacelle 1 rotates around the tilting axis 2.

[0037] The tilting nacelle 1 is equipped with a motor 11 and a tilting actuator 14. The motor 11 is mounted and fixed on a motor mounting frame 13, which is fixedly connected to the nacelle bulkhead 12. The tilting actuator 14 drives the entire tilting nacelle 1 to rotate around the axis of the tilting shaft 2 by pushing the actuator joint 15 mounted on the tilting shaft 2, thereby realizing the tilting of the tilting nacelle 1 from a horizontal state (0°) to a vertical state (90°) or from a vertical state (90°) to a horizontal state (0°).

[0038] The tilt axis 2 is a hollow steel shaft structure that is fixed to the wing box 3 of the aircraft. The wing box 3 is a structure on the eVTOL body in the prior art, consisting of wing box wall panels 31, wing spars 32 and wing ribs 33.

[0039] The wire harness tilting device 4 includes an electrical wire harness 41, a tilting retainer 42, and a wire harness clamp 43.

[0040] One end of the electrical harness 41 is fixed to the rib 33, and the other end of the electrical harness 41 rotates synchronously with the tilting nacelle 1 as it rotates around the axis of the tilting shaft 2. The end of the electrical harness 41 away from the rib 33 passes through the tilting shaft 2 along the axis of the tilting shaft 2 and is then fixed to the nacelle bulkhead 12. The end of the electrical harness 41 is connected to the motor 11 and the tilting actuator 14, thereby sending control signals to the motor 11 and the tilting actuator 14 and supplying them with power.

[0041] The tilting retainer 42 is a circular ring structure located inside the tilting shaft 2, and the axis of the tilting retainer 42 coincides with the axis of the tilting shaft 2. The tilting retainer 42 includes an outer ring 421, a ball bearing 422, an inner ring 423, and a wire harness fixing plate 424.

[0042] Both the inner ring 423 and the outer ring 421 are annular, with the outer ring 421 fitted around the outer ring 423. The inner ring 423 has at least two rows of grooves for embedding the balls 422 on the side facing the outer ring 421, and each row of grooves is evenly distributed at equal intervals along the circumference of the inner ring 423.

[0043] The ball bearing 422 is a steel ball, and the number of ball bearings 422 corresponds one-to-one with the groove on the inner ring 423, so that each groove is fitted with a ball bearing 422.

[0044] The outer ring 421 is fitted around the inner ring 423 to limit the ball 422, preventing the ball 422 from dislodging from the groove on the inner ring 423, while allowing the ball 422 to rotate freely within the groove. The outer ring 421 and the inner ring 423 are fixed together by welding.

[0045] When the tilting retainer 42 is installed inside the tilting shaft 2, the top of the ball 422 contacts the inner wall of the tilting shaft 2, so that the tilting retainer 42 can rotate freely around the axis of the tilting shaft 2 through the rolling of the ball 422 inside the tilting shaft 2.

[0046] The wire harness fixing plate 424 is used to fix the electrical wire harness 41. The wire harness fixing plate 424 has a crisscross cross-shaped structure and is arranged along the radial direction of the tilting retaining ring 42. The end of the wire harness fixing plate 424 near the inner ring 423 is fixedly connected to the inner ring 423, thereby dividing the radial internal space of the inner ring 423 into four fan-shaped areas. The electrical wire harness 41 is fixed in different areas according to its different functions. For example, signal lines and power lines are fixed in different areas to avoid mutual interference between the electrical wire harnesses 41.

[0047] The wire harness clamp 43 is fixed to the wire harness fixing plate 424 inside the tilting clamp 42. The wire harness clamp 43 can clamp the electrical wire harness 41 and further fix the position of the electrical wire harness 41 in the fan-shaped area formed by the wire harness fixing plate 424.

[0048] The tilting shaft 2 is provided with multiple tilting retaining rings 42 that are equally spaced along the axis of the tilting shaft 2. The multiple tilting retaining rings 42 rotate independently. When the electrical wiring harness 41 rotates, it can drive the different tilting retaining rings 42 to rotate at different angles, so as to achieve uniform twisting of the electrical wiring harness 41 during the tilting process, and so that the torque is evenly applied to the entire electrical wiring harness 41.

[0049] In this embodiment, the tilting retainer 42 is made of stainless steel. The outer ring 421, inner ring 423, and wiring harness fixing plate 424 are all thin-walled stainless steel structures and are fixed by welding. This arrangement can effectively reduce the structural weight, which is beneficial for the overall weight reduction of the aircraft and reduces the probability of corrosion and rust on the retainer. The electrical wiring harness 41 can be divided into six bundles. A total of four tilting retainers 42 are provided in the tilt shaft 2. Each tilting retainer 42 is provided with two rows of ball bearings 422, which can effectively prevent the tilting retainer 42 from tilting or skewing in the tilt shaft 2 and ensure that the axis of the tilting retainer 42 always coincides with the axis of the tilt shaft 2.

[0050] The implementation principle of the above embodiments is as follows:

[0051] During the eVTOL flight mode transition, the tilt actuator 14 drives the entire tilt nacelle 1 to rotate around the axis of the tilt shaft 2 by pushing the actuator joint 15 mounted on the tilt shaft 2. As the tilt nacelle 1 rotates, the end of the electrical harness 41 connected to the motor 11 and the tilt actuator 14 also twists. Since the electrical harness 41 is fixed within the tilt retainers 42 by the harness clamps 43 and the harness fixing plate 424, the electrical harness 41 transmits torque to the four tilt retainers 42 within the tilt shaft 2 when it twists. The tilt retainers 42 and the tilt shaft 2 are free-rolling via ball bearings 422, thus eliminating jamming and friction between the electrical harness 41 and the tilt shaft 2. During rotation, the electrical harness 41 drives different tilt retainers 42 to rotate at different angles, with the closer the tilt retainer 42 is to the tilt nacelle 1, the larger the angle it rotates. Since the four tilting retaining rings 42 are arranged at equal intervals along the axis of the tilting shaft 2, the tilting retaining ring 42 closest to the tilting nacelle 1 will rotate about 90°, the adjacent tilting retaining ring 42 will rotate about 60°, the third tilting retaining ring 42 will rotate about 30°, and the tilting retaining ring 42 near the rib 33 will basically not rotate. This achieves uniform twisting of the wiring harness during tilting, so that the torque is evenly applied to the entire electrical wiring harness 41, preventing excessive twisting and deformation of local electrical wiring harness 41, avoiding electrical wiring harness breakage, and ensuring the reliability and service life of the equipment.

[0052] Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including both the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the invention. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope. Thus, if these modifications and modifications of the invention fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, the invention is also intended to include these modifications and modifications.

Claims

1. A wiring harness tilting device for an Evtol tilting nacelle, located inside a hollow tilting shaft (2), wherein the tilting nacelle (1) rotates about the axis of the tilting shaft (2), characterized in that, The wire harness tilting device (4) includes an electrical wire harness (41) and a tilting retainer (42). The electrical wire harness (41) is fixed inside the tilting retainer (42). The tilting retainer (42) is located inside the tilting shaft (2), and the axis of the tilting retainer (42) coincides with the axis of the tilting shaft (2). The tilting retainer (42) includes balls (422). Several balls (422) are spaced between the tilting retainer (42) and the tilting shaft (2), and the balls (422) can roll freely. The tilting retainer (42) inside the tilting shaft (2) achieves free rotation of the tilting retainer (42) around the axis of the tilting shaft (2) through the balls (422). Multiple tilting retaining rings (42) are provided inside the tilting shaft (2) at intervals along the axis of the tilting shaft (2); The tilting retainer (42) also includes a wire harness fixing plate (424), which is arranged along the radial direction of the tilting retainer (42). The wire harness fixing plate (424) is fixed inside the tilting retainer (42) and is used to fix the electrical wire harness (41). The tilting retaining ring (42) also includes an inner ring (423), and the wire harness fixing plate (424) is fixedly connected to the inner ring (423). The wire harness fixing plate (424) divides the space of the inner ring (423) into multiple independent areas, and the electrical wire harness (41) is fixed in different areas. The wire harness fixing plate (424) has a cross-shaped structure with intersecting lines. The wire harness fixing plate (424) divides the inner circle (423) space into four fan-shaped areas. Multiple tilting rings (42) set inside the tilting shaft (2) rotate independently of each other.

2. The wiring harness tilting device for the Evtol tilting nacelle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tilting retainer (42) has at least two rows of balls (422) arranged along its axial direction, and each row of balls (422) is distributed at intervals along the circumference of the tilting retainer (42).

3. The wiring harness tilting device for the Evtol tilting nacelle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wire harness tilting device (4) also includes a wire harness clamp (43), which is fixed inside the tilting ring (42) and is used to clamp the electrical wire harness (41).

4. The wiring harness tilting device for the Evtol tilting nacelle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tilting retainer (42) includes an outer ring (421), a ball (422) and an inner ring (423). The inner ring (423) has a groove for embedding the ball (422). The outer ring (421) is fitted around the inner ring (423) and limits the ball (422) to prevent the ball (422) from falling out of the groove on the inner ring (423).

5. The wiring harness tilting device for the Evtol tilting nacelle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tilting ring (42) is made of stainless steel.

Images