Fluid propulsion system with collapsible ejector

Abstract

An ejector system is constructed from a soft and robust material, such as a silicone-based material, that can be squeezed to fit within a small space and received when inactive, and that can be expanded or expanded by a mechanical, pneumatic or hydraulic device when operated. One or more embodiments of the invention disclosed in the present application relate to adaptive propulsion systems that specifically operate in conjunction with an air compressor fan.

Description

[0001] Copyright Notice

[0002] This disclosure is protected by U.S. and / or international copyright laws. © 2023 Jetoptera, Inc. All rights reserved. A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and / or Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

[0003] Priority claim

[0004] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 340,885, filed on May 11, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Figure 1 An overall adaptive fluid propulsion system is shown according to one embodiment.

[0006] Figure 2 A VTOL and STOL configuration of the present invention is shown according to one embodiment.

[0007] Figure 3 A VTOL-to-cruise configuration of the present invention is shown according to one embodiment.

[0008] Figure 4 A low speed cruise configuration of the present system is shown according to one embodiment.

[0009] Figure 5 A high speed cruise configuration of the present system is shown according to one embodiment.

[0010] Figure 6 The present system is shown as deployed to a particular aircraft, according to one embodiment.

[0011] Figure 7-11 The present system is shown as deployed to a particular aircraft in accordance with one or more embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] This provisional application is intended to describe one or more embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the use of absolute terms, such as "must", "shall", etc., as well as specific quantities, should be interpreted as applicable to one or more such embodiments, but not necessarily to all such embodiments. Therefore, embodiments of the present invention may omit one or more features or functions described in the context of these absolute terms or include modifications of these features or functions. In addition, the titles in this application are for reference purposes only and should not affect the meaning or interpretation of the present invention in any way.

[0013] One or more embodiments of the invention disclosed in this application relate to an adaptive propulsion system, particularly operating in conjunction with an air compressor or fan. Rather than seeking to maximize thrust by accelerating a large volume of air to the highest possible speed, as in a typical turbofan engine, a preferred embodiment of the invention generates multiple pressurized air streams into an ejector array and / or common nozzle, thereby generating forces for all phases of flight in a precise sequence for the needs of a precise mission segment, and in conjunction with a lift-generating surface, enables specific performance of an aircraft using the propulsion system.

[0014] Existing VTOL and STOL propulsion include rotary wings or tilt rotors or ducted fans. The challenge of any VTOL aircraft is the choice of propulsion. We exclude helicopters, which are the common choice for low-speed VTOL, from this discussion. In military applications, propulsion for current high-speed V / STOL aircraft relies on tilted large rotors, such as the V-22 Osprey, or relies on large fixed ducted fans, such as the F-35 fighter. The challenge of the latter is that when in the non-vertical flight section, the fixed ducted fan is basically dead weight for 99% of the mission time. This limits the payload capacity and is very complicated and unaffordable for smaller manned or unmanned applications. The challenge of the V22 rotor is that they have a large footprint and must be tilted with high precision, but due to the limitation of the tip speed of the rotor, they still limit the maximum speed. The history of V-22 development also shows that it has a fatal flaw that has caused many deaths. A VTOL propulsion device capable of high-speed startup is needed, which can propel the aircraft at a speed of more than 400 knots. Most eVTOL aircraft employ tilted multi-thrusters, which are also noisy and limited in speed due to the nature of the thrusters. Hundreds of proposed eVTOL platforms use fixed thrusters, multiple distributed thrusters for vertical takeoff, and a single thruster for horizontal flight, but they are severely limited in speed.

[0015] While engineers are implementing complex and costly techniques to enable thrusters to maximize their hovering efficiency, currently smaller thrusters suffer from inefficiency and high cost. The speeds of cargo drones and urban air mobility flying cars (air taxis) are limited to lower values, and thrusters are noisy and inefficient at these specifications. One or more embodiments include a novel propulsion method that can be employed without the disadvantages of thrusters.

[0016] Most aircraft can use some kind of ejector which is a solid-wall ejector, which requires a large volume for stowing and forces the use of a thick wing, thus preventing operation at higher speeds without a significant increase in the drag-lift ratio (or conversely, a significant reduction in the lift-drag figure of merit due to the increased thickness of the wing).

[0017] It therefore makes sense to create a structure that allows a thin wing to coexist with the use of jets and propellers that not only enable VTOL, but also enable significant high speeds with an aerodynamically appropriate wing.

[0018] Three-in-one thruster

[0019] The thruster is designed based on the principle of thrust augmentation using special ejectors and upper surface blown air lift enhancement. The air supply can come from a turbo compressor, turbo fan or any air compressor that produces a sufficient air supply of at least 1.5:1 pressure ratio.

[0020] compressor. Figure 1 , which shows a VTOL configuration of the present invention according to one embodiment, compressed air is produced by an air compressor 101. These compressors can be turbofan bypass airflow or any type of fan or compressor that can produce a large amount of flow at a specific pressure ratio of at least 1.5 to ambient pressure. The air compressed by the compressor can be directed to the ejector and / or can be used for other purposes, including being directed to the inlet of the secondary nozzle or for cooling, thrust enhancement, cabin pressurization or other uses. As with a typical turbocharger compressor, the compressor can have a pressure ratio of preferably 2.5 or greater when operating at peak. There can be a valve on the compressor exhaust volute to direct the compressed air to the outside of the secondary compressor or gas generator as needed.

[0021] The compressed air will use its own air inlet 102 and supply said air to a 3 or 4 way valve 104 via the compressor outlet conduit 103. This valve will act as a distributor distributing the compressed air flow from the compressor 101 towards a series of conduits leading to the various thrust generating devices.

[0022] In one embodiment, compressed air is directed to two ducts that distribute the flow to a series of propellers 106, which may be referred to as fluid propellers or ejectors, aligned with the wings and flaps 108 of the aircraft. In static or low wind conditions, this moving air results in a large amount of entrained secondary air to generate thrust, and also results in a wall jet to the flap in an adjacent pattern and on the suction side of the flap 108, hence the name upper surface blower wing or upper surface blown flap. This flow, amplified to 5-20 times the compressed air velocity, is ejected above the flap at a speed between 150-300 mph, generating at least 50% additional lift compared to the flap in headwind conditions, and generating a lift coefficient in excess of 10.0.

[0023] In one embodiment, the thruster-jets 106 are made of a material that can be easily folded and pressed into the interior of the wing to allow the wing to be essentially thinner and suitable for the high speeds required for aircraft travel. These thrusters 106 only become active in the vertical phase or slow forward cruise using FPS when the upper surface forming the suction side of the wing is pulled apart by a mechanism to stretch the material. This material includes a silicone-based system that can be easily pressed into the interior of the wing at high speeds when no moving air is supplied to the wing, and can return to its deployed shape when pulled apart at a lower speed when needed or in the case of a vertical landing.

[0024] Silicone materials are known to be functional over a wide temperature range (e.g. -50°C to +350°C) and are therefore suitable for use at altitudes up to 40,000 ft or sea level and receiving compressed air at a pressure ratio of less than 2.5:1. These materials allow for thruster functionality by being designed so that when supplied with moving air the material will be rigid and when inactive the material will be collapsible, which makes the material more flexible and easily packed by pressure from the upper surface (spoiler or plate), such as Figure 3 Element 305 or Figure 4 As shown in component 405.

[0025] Figure 7-11 The foldable and flexible thrusters-jets referred to as 706, 806, 906, 1006 and 1106 shown in the drawings are made of silicone-based materials, which can be stretched to become functional by a mechanism forming side walls on the top bottom left and right sides of each of the thrusters, the foldable and flexible thrusters-jets being connected by spacers and rods 815 ( Figure 8 )、1015( Fig.10 ) and 1115 ( Fig.11) to extend, the spacers and rods can be pushed out pneumatically or mechanically or hydraulically to force the propellers to pop out of the wing; the mechanical connection with the spoiler 705, 805, 905, 1005 or 1105 at the top of each propeller respectively allows the propeller to extend vertically while the bottom of each propeller remains on the wing; Fig.10 The side walls 1015 in the wing are hinged and can be rotated outwards when folded to push the propellers into the wing. In this way, the propellers can be stowed by pressure rather than rotation or by a combination thereof, occupying much less space and allowing the wing to be thinner and have less thickness, thus enabling high speeds to be achieved when the propellers are stowed and air is fed directly from the compressor to the high speed nozzles, bypassing the propellers.

[0026] The characteristics of aircraft wings are such that for certain speeds certain loads are required, and failure to meet this criterion results in a design that produces excessive drag-lift characteristics. Aircraft that need to fly at high Mach numbers may require smaller wings, but the storage of large thrusters within the wings in these conditions may require a greater thickness of the wing, thereby producing greater drag and thus preventing the aircraft from operating efficiently. For example, the use of wings with low thickness for high-infrasonic flows enables these flight conditions, while thicker wings hinder this ability. In the case of VTOL aircraft, the thrusters so used can allow vertical takeoff, transition to slow cruising speeds, and then for higher speeds and altitudes they can be retracted into a smaller wing that enables high speeds by bypassing compressed air around the thrusters and expanding the compressed air through high-speed nozzles as described above. For vertical landings or hovering, the opposite occurs, and the thrusters are ejected by being stretched by the upper (suction) movable surface of the wing and the side walls that reinforce them and the compressed air that is subsequently supplied by the thrusters and blown over the upper surface of the wing.

[0027] The compressed air is blocked from flowing to the common nozzle 107 and expanded to the surroundings through the 4-way valve 104. The 4-way valve 104 is configured so that it allows flow to the ejector system 106 only when taking off, landing or hovering, in other words during the vertical flight part of the mission. The valve 104 will have several positions during flight and, by strictly blocking the flow to the element 106 and only allowing the flow to the element 107, will enable high speeds to be achieved in horizontal flight at higher altitudes.

[0028] Furthermore, element 107 distributes the jet generated by the air it entrains in front and blows it over the flaps and the high part of the wing span, thus creating a low pressure area that leads to better circulation. This system will produce results similar to those of high lift systems or power lift systems used in the past, except for the additional factor of lift generation introduced by the low pressure area in front of said thrust enhancement jets: by introducing this system, the moving air from the compressor creates a low pressure in front of the propellers, thus promoting the boundary layer inhalation phenomenon, which allows the entire wing using such a system to operate at very high angles of attack without stalling or separation. Thus, in an example (where a flow of 1 lb / s is supplied to four thrust enhancement jets at a pressure ratio (PR) of 1.8 and 150 mph of emerging jets are blown in an adjacent manner to the upper surface of the wing and flaps), the final lift generated is between 100% higher at very low speeds and 25% higher at 100 knots compared to a clean wing without such propeller enhancers. The jets still produce forward force, but simultaneously they produce additional lift along with the forward thrust, in fact increasing lift by a factor of 2 compared to a "clean" wing. Figure 5 The clean wing can be observed in FIG. 1 , where the thruster augmentors are now retracted into the wing, so the wing is "clean" and has lower drag and a greater overall lift-to-drag ratio than when the thruster augmentors were exposed.

[0029] In one example, a compressor, such as that typically used in a turbocharger or electric compressor, is used to generate 1 lb / s of moving air flow, operating at a maximum pressure ratio of 2.0:1 and at an isentropic efficiency of over 85%; in this case, the input mechanical or electrical power required to drive the air compressor is 38 horsepower (HP); when deployed at the correct angle of inclination on the flaps deployed and deployed on the wing in an upper surface blowing configuration, the lift generated at speeds as low as 10 knots is doubled compared to the case of using a clean wing but without an activated or absent propulsor augmentor at the same headwind wind speed (10 knots). This will allow the aircraft to perform ultra-short takeoffs and landings, or ultimately take off vertically into the wind, such as on the deck of a ship in the headwind. A typical value for the lift that can be obtained with the blown wing example with 10 knot headwind conditions and flaps extended may be about 200 lbf with 38 HP input, yielding a ratio of 5.26 lbf / HP, which is a common value for the hover efficiency of tiltrotors such as the V22 Osprey or helicopters as explained by Maisel et al. (-NASA SP-2000-4517, "History of the XV-15 Tilt-Rotor Research Aircraft: From Concept to Flight" (Bibliographic Data) https: / / ntrs.nasa.gov / search.jsp?R=20000027499 (PDF) http: / / history.nasa.gov / monograph17.pdf).

[0030] It follows that the aircraft is capable of producing multiples of 200 lbf of vertical thrust in a slow headwind by employing multiples of a 38 HP compressor, which can be powered mechanically or electrically or a combination of both sources. Thus, a 380 HP load directed to the compressor of the auxiliary power unit can thus be produced, which, in combination with the fluid propeller augmentor and flaps of the blown wing, can produce 2000 lbf of vertical force by employing a 10 lb / s moving air flow with a pressure ratio to ambient of 1.8.

[0031] Thus, once airborne and gaining forward speed, it is advantageous to gradually retract the array of thrusters-enhancers or jets into the wing. Figure 2In the vertical state of takeoff or ultra-short takeoff state, all propellers 206 similar or identical to propeller 106 are deployed and actively receive compressor air, but once in the air, after valve 204 similar or identical to valve 104 blocks the flow of a branch and directs the flow of most of the reduced flow to the remaining propellers still left on the wing, most of the propellers 1 are retracted into the wing. At the same time, as the aircraft gains speed, the flaps are withdrawn, and the lift contribution of the wing generated due to the forward speed increases. However, the fluid propeller still increases lift by blowing through the upper surface of the wing and smaller flaps and by the combination of air suction and boundary layer suction at the front, thereby allowing the wing to operate under other conditions where the clean wing will stall and under the exciting attack angle that the clean wing cannot achieve at a given speed. The aircraft will continue to accelerate in flight until the flaps are no longer needed, and the speed ensures that the lift is sufficient for flight stability and further acceleration, and the propellers can no longer provide acceleration and the drag and thrust offset each other.

[0032] In one embodiment, Figure 5 The hybrid wing body shown is deployed as shown in Figure 1-4 The aircraft is taken off vertically with all the thrusters and flaps described and shown in FIG. 1 and has now reached a speed of more than 100 knots but less than 300 knots and cannot be further accelerated to higher speeds by increasing the flow to the thrusters. Up to this particular point, the thrusters have been fully deployed, with the flaps then gradually retracted and rendered inactive by the distribution valve 104, which keeps the common expansion nozzle duct 107 inactive and closes a portion of the thruster supply duct, forcing air to pass only through the remaining exposed thrusters. With no further acceleration available, when the remaining thrusters are retracted into the wings, they are now rendered inactive and the flow to them is cut off. Accompanying the action of retracting all the thrusters into the wings, the fuselage and wings of the aircraft become more aerodynamic and the lift-to-drag ratio is increased by reducing drag due to the retraction of the thrusters. Gradually, all the air that would otherwise be supplied to the remaining thrusters is now supplied to the duct 107, and the jet formed by the expansion of said air into the surrounding environment now produces all the thrust of the aircraft. The sudden drop in drag determines a smaller demand for thrust, which would otherwise be produced by the thrusters, which increase thrust in all conditions. In this way, the same flight conditions (constant speed altitude and attitude) can be maintained while the emerging expansion jet produces the required thrust. At this point, a hybrid wing-body aircraft that normally produces 20-25 lift-to-drag performance will require only a small amount of thrust to further accelerate the aircraft to high speeds in excess of 400 knots.

[0033] Instead, after completing part of the mission at high speed and without using the thrusters hidden in the wings and fuselage, by partially exposing the thrusters of the wings, the aircraft is decelerated while air is redistributed from the ordinary expansion nozzle ducts to ducts supplying thrusters 506 similar or identical to thrusters 106. Furthermore, at even lower speeds, valve 104 is now opened to supply all thrusters, including those on the wings and fuselage, and the flaps are also deployed, again generating considerable thrust and lift enhancement and allowing the aircraft to be decelerated for hovering and vertical landing. With this approach, several achievements are obtained:

[0034] The thruster enhancers are deployed for vertical flight to work in conjunction with the flaps and enhance lift to at least twice normal levels without blowing air over the flaps and the upper surface of the wing.

[0035] The thrusters and flaps are gradually retracted during the transition from vertical to horizontal and during accelerated flight, thereby ensuring a stable and smooth flight dynamic transition and acceleration. The retraction of flaps and thrusters must be carried out in conjunction with a well-controlled compressor air delivery.

[0036] Figure 5 An aircraft using fluid propulsion is shown in a cruise state with fewer active thrusters on the wings. Both lift and thrust enhancements are still achieved, and ultimately the aircraft's ultimate forward speed is achieved, at which point the increase in airflow from the compressor does not produce additional thrust. This point is where thrust enhancement no longer serves the purpose of acceleration due to the increase in drag, and therefore, the aircraft becomes more aerodynamic by directing airflow into a normal nozzle using the valve 104. Figure 6 A high speed configuration of an aircraft is shown having clean wings and fuselage, low drag and propelled by compressed air expanded through a duct 607 similar or identical to duct 107 and a converging nozzle.

[0037] Figure 6 In fact, an aircraft having a BWB structure and being propelled similarly to an aircraft driven by a turbofan is shown, while the turbofan is actually a compressor or compressor series 101 operating at a pressure ratio below 2:1, similar to a small turbofan with a fan pressure ratio below 2:1.

[0038] Since BWB aircraft have been demonstrated to produce a significant lift-to-drag ratio, there is a small need for forward thrust, and an L / D of 25 or more can ensure high endurance, effective range and speed while also allowing vertical takeoff and landing. This combination does not currently exist for rotorcraft.

[0039] The onboard air compressor can be electrically or mechanically driven, regardless of the input.

[0040] Figure 6 Also shown are potential fuel tanks, generators, and onboard batteries that could power the vehicle and 3-in-1 thrusters.

[0041] The 3-in-1 thruster can supply VTOL, SSTOL, STOL or CTOL operations, hovering in configuration 1, where in one embodiment the FPS is deployed together with the flaps in the upper surface blown air system to produce sufficient vertical lift at very low or zero forward speeds. In configuration 2, it strictly provides forward thrust, and it has partially retracted the FPS thrusters into the fuselage and wings. And a 3rd configuration, where all FPS thrusters are retracted and hidden, providing very high L / D numbers and allowing acceleration to speeds that rotorcraft cannot reach.

[0042] Figure 7-11 Further embodiments of the invention are shown.

[0043] Although as mentioned above, the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. On the contrary, the present invention should be determined in full with reference to the attached claims.

Claims

1. An ejector system constructed of a soft yet strong material, such as a silicone-based material, which can be squeezed to fit into a small space and be stored when inactive, and which can be expanded or extended by mechanical, pneumatic or hydraulic means when in operation.

2. The ejector system according to claim 1, wherein: All side walls of the jet are reinforced by parts of the wing in operation so that it is integral with the wing, and the inner duct, primary and secondary nozzles and the diffuser of the jet are made of flexible material such as silicone or other materials.

3. A propulsion system comprising: at least one compressor, a conduit, a 4-way valve, a thrust enhancement device and a conduit with a nozzle; a compressor in said propulsion device, said compressor defining an air inlet, at least one outlet, said at least one outlet being provided with a valve connected to a network of conduits for pressurization of a fluid; a duct system that allows the thrust enhancement element to be retracted and exposed inside and outside the wing and fuselage of the aircraft or vessel, respectively; A series of flaps that can be retracted, tilted and operated in conjunction with the thrust augmentation device for maximum lift and thrust production. a converging passage in communication with the valve, the converging passage permitting the compressed air flow to expand in a predominantly single direction to the environment; A series of thrust augmentation devices made of soft and strong materials, each of which includes a mixing section, a throat and a diffuser, wherein they receive compressed air from the compressor through the network of conduits and valves and through the fluid network, and use the compressed air as a motive gas to generate thrust by fluidically entraining ambient air, mixing the entrained air with the motive air, and ejecting the air at high speed through the diffuser.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein: The compressor is driven by an electric motor or a mechanical device such as a turbine shaft.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein: The fluid network is in communication with the valve and is capable of regulating flow to a plurality of the thrust augmentation devices to assist in attitude control of the vehicle powered by the propulsion system.

6. A method of flying an aircraft or a hovercraft, comprising: accelerating the compressor to maximum power by supplying a distribution valve and supplying a plurality of thrust augmentation devices, and balancing the attitude of the aircraft by closing and opening a control valve, said control valve distributing said compressed air to said thrust augmentation devices made of soft material so that said thrust augmentation devices become operable when supplied with said air and are used for vertical hovering, take-off and landing; positioning flaps of the aircraft to receive a jet of the thrust augmentation device to thereby increase the amount of lift while minimizing a required forward speed of the aircraft; as well as The wings of the aircraft are positioned to exploit the low pressure region of the thrust augmentation device so that boundary layer ingestion results in preventing the wings and flaps from stalling.

7. A method for making an aircraft or a hovercraft fly horizontally, comprising: speeding up or slowing down the compressor to produce more or less flow to the thrust enhancer, which is supplied with compressed air from the compressor output; opening or closing a distribution valve to supply a portion of the compressed air to a thrust enhancement device in communication with the fluid network or to block a portion of the compressed air; opening or closing a control valve that distributes compressed air to the thrust augmentation device, thereby expanding the thrust augmentation device and controlling roll, yaw, and pitch; opening and closing a number of ducts to bypass the ducts communicating with the thrust augmentation device and direct the flow to ducts leading to a propulsion nozzle that points primarily in a direction opposite to the direction of flight; and The thrust augmentation device is mechanically compressed, folded or rotated to move in and out of the wing and fuselage of the aircraft.

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