Electric tilt rotor aircraft

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of shape design and control of aircrafts, and relates to an electric tilt-rotor aircraft. Comprising a fuselage, two wings located on the two sides of the fuselage, an empennage, a plurality of supporting rods arranged below the wings and rotors arranged at the two ends of the supporting rods. The rotor wings comprise a plurality of tilting rotor wings and a plurality of fixed rotor wings; the number of the supporting rods is even, and the supporting rods are divided into two sets with the same number and are symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the machine body. A tilting rotor wing is arranged at the front end of each supporting rod; a fixed rotor wing is arranged at the rear end of each supporting rod; the tilting rotor wings are connected with the front ends of the supporting rods through tilting mechanisms, and the tilting mechanisms are used for adjusting the orientation of the tilting rotor wings. The electric tilt rotor aircraft provided by the invention can realize the functions of vertical take-off and landing, tilt transition and cruise flight.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of aircraft shape design and control, and relates to an electric tilt-rotor aircraft. Background Art

[0002] An electric tilt-rotor aircraft is an aircraft that combines the features of a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft, achieving vertical take-off and landing and efficient horizontal flight through tilt-rotors. Its design usually uses multiple electric propulsion systems to improve flight efficiency, reduce noise and reduce carbon emissions. The core technology of the tilt-rotor is to achieve a smooth transition from vertical take-off and landing mode to horizontal cruising mode by adjusting the tilt angle of the rotor. This type of aircraft is suitable for urban air traffic (UAM), cargo transportation and emergency rescue, and has great technical potential and application prospects.

[0003] In the prior art, the layout of the aircraft has the following problems:

[0004] (1) When the rotor is installed on the tail wing, the airflow interference between the tilt-rotor and the tail wing is large, which easily causes difficulty in pitch control during the tilt transition stage;

[0005] (2) The large number of blades on a fixed rotor is not conducive to drag reduction design during the cruise phase. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of the above technical problems, the present invention provides an electric tilt-rotor aircraft, which can realize the functions of vertical take-off and landing, tilt transition and cruise flight.

[0007] In order to achieve the above technical objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0008] An electric tilt-rotor aircraft comprises: a fuselage, two wings located on both sides of the fuselage, a tail wing, a plurality of struts arranged under the wings, and rotors arranged at both ends of the struts;

[0009] The rotors include a plurality of tilt rotors and a plurality of fixed rotors;

[0010] The number of the struts is an even number, and they are divided into two groups of equal number and symmetrically arranged on both sides of the fuselage; a tilt rotor is arranged at the front end of each strut; and a fixed rotor is arranged at the rear end of each strut;

[0011] The tilt rotor is connected to the front end of the strut via a tilt mechanism, and the tilt mechanism is used to adjust the orientation of the tilt rotor.

[0012] Furthermore, the orientation of the tilt-rotor can be adjusted within a range of 90° from forward to upward;

[0013] A base is arranged at the top of the rear end of the support rod, the fixed rotors and the motor for driving the fixed rotors are arranged on the base, and all the fixed rotors are arranged upward.

[0014] Furthermore, the tilt rotor is a three-blade variable pitch rotor, and the fixed rotor is a two-blade rotor.

[0015] Furthermore, the bottom of the tilt-rotor is connected to a motor for driving the tilt-rotor, and the motor for driving the tilt-rotor is connected to a torque converter.

[0016] Furthermore, the tilt mechanism comprises: a fixed end stand, a tilt end, a rotating spindle, an electric actuator, and an electric actuator controller;

[0017] One end of the fixed end stand is connected to the front end of the support rod, and the other end is rotatably connected to the tilting end through the rotating main axis; and the electric actuator is connected to the tilting end; the electric actuator is used to drive the tilting end to rotate around the tilting main axis;

[0018] The electric actuator is connected to the electric actuator controller, and the electric actuator controller is used to control the electric actuator;

[0019] The tilt end is connected to a motor for driving the tilt rotor and the torque converter.

[0020] Furthermore, the number of the struts is four, six or eight; all the struts are arranged under the wings, and the struts are divided into two groups and symmetrically arranged on both sides of the fuselage, and the central axis of each strut is arranged parallel to the central axis of the fuselage; the number of the tilt-rotor wings and the number of the fixed rotor wings are the same as the number of the struts.

[0021] Furthermore, the number of the struts is four, and the number of the tilt rotors and the number of the fixed rotors are both four.

[0022] Furthermore, the wing adopts an upper single gull-wing arrangement.

[0023] Furthermore, the electric tilt-rotor aircraft adopts a three-point landing gear.

[0024] Furthermore, the tail of the electric tilt-rotor aircraft is an H-shaped tail.

[0025] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0026] The electric tilt-rotor aircraft provided by the present invention adopts a new layout form, including a fuselage, wings (upper single gull-wing arrangement), struts, H-shaped tail wing and other systems, and adopts a three-point landing gear; an eight-axis rotor scheme is adopted, of which four are tilting (three-blade variable pitch rotors) and four are fixed (two-blade rotors). In the layout form design of the present invention, the tilt-rotor is installed at the front end of the strut, away from the tail wing. This layout effectively avoids the airflow interference of the tilt-rotor on the tail wing when working, thereby improving the aerodynamic efficiency of the tail wing and keeping the aircraft stable in different flight modes. In addition, in the tilt transition stage, due to the front placement of the rotor, the pitch moment is easier to control, and the flight control system can achieve smoother pitch attitude adjustment by adjusting the rotor thrust distribution, avoiding instability caused by airflow turbulence.

[0027] The electric tilt-rotor aircraft provided by the present invention is equipped with a two-blade rotor at the rear end of the strut, and the rotor is kept in a feathered state during cruising flight, that is, the blades are parallel to the incoming flow direction. This design can minimize the aerodynamic resistance of the rotor in the cruising mode and improve flight efficiency. In addition, the rotor is located on the leeward side of the fuselage, which further reduces its adverse effect on the overall aerodynamic performance, thereby reducing energy loss, extending the range, and improving the cruising capability of the aircraft. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electric tilt-rotor aircraft in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the connection between the tilt rotor and the strut in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the tilting mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure numerals: 1. fuselage; 2. wing; 3. tail; 4. strut; 5. rotor; 6. tilt mechanism; 7. tilt end; 8. electric actuator; 9. rotating main shaft; 10. fixed end stand; 11. motor; 12. electric actuator controller; 13. torque converter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The technical solution of the present invention is further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and drawings.

[0033] Embodiment 1: An electric tilt-rotor aircraft, such as Figure 1 As shown, it comprises: a fuselage 1, two wings 2 located on both sides of the fuselage, a tail 3, a plurality of struts 4 arranged under the wings, and rotors 5 arranged at both ends of the struts;

[0034] The rotors include a plurality of tilt rotors and a plurality of fixed rotors; specifically, the number of the tilt rotors and the fixed rotors is the same, which is equal to the number of struts;

[0035] The number of the struts is an even number, and they are divided into two groups of equal number and symmetrically arranged on both sides of the fuselage; a tilt rotor is arranged at the front end of each strut (i.e., the end close to the head of the fuselage); and a fixed rotor is arranged at the rear end of each strut (i.e., the end close to the tail of the fuselage);

[0036] The tilt rotor is connected to the front end of the strut via a tilt mechanism, and the tilt mechanism is used to adjust the orientation of the tilt rotor.

[0037] In this embodiment, the orientation of the tilt-rotor can be adjusted within a range of 90° from forward to upward;

[0038] A base is arranged at the top of the rear end of the support rod, and the fixed rotor and the motor for driving the fixed rotor are arranged on the base, and all the fixed rotors are arranged upward. Specifically, the motor for driving the fixed rotor is fixedly connected to the base through a flange.

[0039] Among them, forward refers to the direction toward the nose of the aircraft and parallel to the centerline of the fuselage; upward refers to the direction opposite to the direction of gravity when the aircraft is parked horizontally; specifically, all fixed rotors are arranged on the same horizontal plane; and when all tilt-rotors are in the same direction (such as all leading forward or all facing upward), all tilt-rotors are on the same horizontal plane;

[0040] In this embodiment, the tilt rotor is a three-blade variable pitch rotor, and the fixed rotor is a two-blade rotor.

[0041] Specifically, the three-blade variable pitch rotor used in the present invention refers to a variable pitch rotor with three blades, which is a conventional technology. The variable pitch function enables the rotor to adjust the blade angle according to flight requirements to adapt to different flight modes (vertical take-off, tilt transition, cruise, etc.).

[0042] In this embodiment, the bottom of the tilt-rotor is connected to a motor for driving the tilt-rotor, and the motor for driving the tilt-rotor is connected to a torque converter. Specifically, the motor for driving the tilt-rotor and the motor for driving the fixed rotor located on the same strut are respectively connected to a battery, or are connected to the same battery, and the battery is arranged in the middle position inside the corresponding strut. The strut in the electric tilt-rotor aircraft provided by the present invention not only undertakes the layout of the rotor system, but is also used to install batteries, thereby improving space utilization efficiency. In an electric tilt-rotor aircraft, batteries are the main source of energy, and their layout position directly affects the center of gravity and flight performance. By integrating batteries in the struts, the present invention enables the aircraft to distribute weight more reasonably, improve the overall weight balance and structural compactness. In addition, this layout can also reduce additional fuselage structure design, make the aircraft lighter, and improve endurance and mission load capacity.

[0043] In this embodiment, if Figure 2-Figure 3 As shown, the tilt mechanism 6 includes: a fixed end stand 10, a tilt end 7, a rotating spindle 9, an electric actuator 8, and an electric actuator controller 12;

[0044] One end of the fixed end gantry is connected to the front end of the support rod (preferably bolted), and the other end is rotatably connected to the tilting end through the rotating main axis; and the electric actuator is connected to the tilting end; the electric actuator is used to drive the tilting end to rotate around the tilting main axis;

[0045] The electric actuator is connected to the electric actuator controller, and the electric actuator controller is used to control the electric actuator;

[0046] The tilt end 7 is connected to a motor 11 for driving the tilt rotor and the torque converter 13 .

[0047] In the present invention, the tilting end of the tilting mechanism is connected to the motor and the pitch-changing machine forward to bear and transmit the external load; and is connected to the tilting main shaft and the electric actuator backward to rotate around the tilting main shaft under the drive of the electric actuator.

[0048] Specifically, the electric actuator includes a motor and a guide rod, the guide rod is a screw rod, a nut adapted to the screw rod is fixedly arranged on the tilt end, and the electric actuator is threadedly connected to the tilt end through the guide rod; the electric actuator controller controls the rotation direction and rotation time of the motor in the electric actuator, and then controls the rotation direction and rotation time of the guide rod; the tilt end in the tilt mechanism is controlled to rotate around the tilt main axis by controlling the rotation of the guide rod, and the guide rod is provided with a horizontal limit point and a vertical limit point, when the nut on the tilt end reaches the horizontal limit point on the guide rod, the direction of the tilt rotor is forward, and the central axis of the tilt rotor is parallel to the central axis of the strut; when the nut on the tilt end reaches the vertical limit point on the guide rod, the direction of the tilt rotor is upward, and the central axis of the tilt rotor is perpendicular to the central axis of the strut. Preferably, the main body (motor housing) of the electric actuator is fixedly arranged at the front end of the fixed end gantry or the strut, and the electric actuator controller is arranged at the front end of the strut. In this embodiment, the structure of the tilting mechanism at the front end of each support rod is the same.

[0049] Specifically, the electric actuator and the actuator controller are connected in a one-to-one manner, powered by 28VDC, and controlled by the host computer through the CAN bus. The power supply and control cables of the motor (including the motor for driving the tilt rotor and the motor for driving the fixed rotor) and the pitch converter pass through the tilt mechanism and are connected to the energy system and signal control system of the aircraft respectively.

[0050] In this embodiment, the number of the struts is four, six or eight; specifically, the number of the struts is determined according to the weight of the fuselage; all the struts are arranged below the wing, and the struts are divided into two groups and symmetrically arranged on both sides of the fuselage, and the central axis of each strut is arranged parallel to the central axis of the fuselage; the number of the tilt-rotor wings and the number of the fixed rotor wings are the same as the number of the struts. Preferably, the number of the struts is four, and the number of the tilt-rotor wings and the number of the fixed rotor wings are both four.

[0051] In this embodiment, the wing adopts an upper single gull-wing arrangement; the electric tilt-rotor aircraft adopts a three-point landing gear; and the tail of the electric tilt-rotor aircraft is an H-shaped tail. The electric tilt-rotor aircraft provided by the present invention adopts an H-shaped tail design, and utilizes the end plate effect to enhance the lift effect of the horizontal tail and improve the pitch control capability. The essence of the end plate effect is to form a pressure difference on both sides of the tail, reduce fluid leakage, and improve lift efficiency, so that the tail can provide a larger pitch control torque at a smaller size. In addition, the double vertical tail structure of the H-shaped tail can also provide more stable directional control, so that the aircraft maintains good heading stability and crosswind resistance in different flight modes.

[0052] Specifically, in this embodiment, a cockpit is arranged in the fuselage, and a 1+2+1 cockpit layout is adopted; and an additional luggage compartment is added near the third row of passengers, which can increase the overall safety of the cabin and prevent the shaking luggage from endangering the safety of the passengers in the event of severe shaking.

[0053] The electric tilt-rotor aircraft provided by the present invention can realize the functions of vertical take-off and landing, tilt transition and cruise flight. In the vertical take-off and landing mode, all the rotors of the aircraft are in an upright state, similar to a traditional helicopter. At this time, the lift generated by the propeller is completely used to overcome gravity, so that the aircraft can take off or land vertically. During the control process, the magnitude of the thrust is adjusted by the throttle (motor or engine power), and the attitude of the aircraft is fine-tuned through the differential control of the rotor or auxiliary control surfaces (such as flaps, tail wing) to maintain stability and directional control.

[0054] When the aircraft completes vertical takeoff and rises to a certain height, the tilt-rotor gradually tilts forward, converting part of the thrust into forward propulsion, while the wings gradually begin to generate lift.

[0055] When the tilt-rotor is fully tilted to the horizontal position, the aircraft enters cruise mode, and the flight mode is similar to that of a fixed-wing aircraft. Lift is mainly provided by the wings, while the propellers are used entirely for forward propulsion. At this time, the aircraft relies on traditional aerodynamic control surfaces (such as ailerons, elevators, and rudders) to maintain attitude and directional control.

[0056] Finally, it should be noted that the above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, they can still modify or transform the technical solutions described above, which all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electric tilt-rotor aircraft, characterized in that: include: A fuselage, two wings on both sides of the fuselage, a tail, a plurality of struts arranged under the wings, and rotors arranged at both ends of the struts; The rotors include a plurality of tilt rotors and a plurality of fixed rotors; The number of the struts is an even number, and they are divided into two groups of equal number and symmetrically arranged on both sides of the fuselage; a tilt rotor is arranged at the front end of each strut; and a fixed rotor is arranged at the rear end of each strut; The tilt rotor is connected to the front end of the strut via a tilt mechanism, and the tilt mechanism is used to adjust the orientation of the tilt rotor.

2. The electric tilt-rotor aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The orientation of the tilt-rotor can be adjusted within a range of 90° from forward to upward; A base is arranged at the top of the rear end of the support rod, the fixed rotors and the motor for driving the fixed rotors are arranged on the base, and all the fixed rotors are arranged upward.

3. The electric tilt-rotor aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tilt rotor is a three-blade variable pitch rotor, and the fixed rotor is a two-blade rotor.

4. The electric tilt-rotor aircraft according to claim 3, characterized in that: The bottom of the tilt-rotor is connected to a motor for driving the tilt-rotor, and the motor for driving the tilt-rotor is connected to a torque converter.

5. The electric tilt-rotor aircraft according to claim 4, characterized in that: The tilting mechanism comprises: a fixed end stand, a tilting end, a rotating spindle, an electric actuator, and an electric actuator controller; One end of the fixed end stand is connected to the front end of the support rod, and the other end is rotatably connected to the tilting end through the rotating main axis; and the electric actuator is connected to the tilting end; the electric actuator is used to drive the tilting end to rotate around the tilting main axis; The electric actuator is connected to the electric actuator controller, and the electric actuator controller is used to control the electric actuator; The tilt end is connected to a motor for driving the tilt rotor and the torque converter.

6. The electric tilt-rotor aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the struts is four, six or eight; all the struts are arranged below the wings, and the struts are divided into two groups and symmetrically arranged on both sides of the fuselage, and the central axis of each strut is arranged parallel to the central axis of the fuselage; the number of the tilt-rotor wings and the number of the fixed rotor wings are the same as the number of the struts.

7. An electric tilt-rotor aircraft according to claim 6, characterized in that: The number of the struts is four, and the number of the tilt rotors and the number of the fixed rotors are both four.

8. The electric tilt-rotor aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wing adopts an upper single gull-wing arrangement.

9. The electric tilt-rotor aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electric tilt-rotor aircraft adopts a three-point landing gear.

10. The electric tilt-rotor aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tail of the electric tilt-rotor aircraft is an H-shaped tail.

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