Rotorcraft

Abstract

The present specification provides a rotorcraft capable of adjusting the amount of air flow guided to components in accordance with the temperature of a fuel cell stack. A rotorcraft disclosed in the present specification is provided with: a rotor for generating lift force; a fuel cell stack; a duct that guides the gas flow generated by the rotor to the fuel cell stack; a regulating valve for regulating the flow rate of air passing through the conduit; and a controller for controlling the opening degree of the regulating valve according to the temperature of the fuel cell stack. The rotorcraft disclosed in the present specification can adjust the flow rate of air passing through the duct, and thus can suppress the amount of air conveyed to the fuel cell stack even when the rotor rotates at a high speed and the temperature of the fuel cell stack is low.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a gyroplane. In addition to manned aircraft such as helicopters or autogyros, the gyroplanes in this specification also include unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Background Technology

[0002] Patent documents 1 and 2 disclose a rotorcraft equipped with a fuel cell. The fuel cell is housed within the main body of the rotorcraft. In the rotorcraft of Patent Document 1, an air supply port for guiding the airflow generated by the rotor to the fuel cell is provided on the main body. Exhaust gas is diluted by the airflow passing through the fuel cell and discharged outside the main body.

[0003] In the rotorcraft of Patent Document 2, a fuel discharge pipe is provided to guide the residual fuel gas from the fuel cell to the airflow of the rotor. In the rotorcraft of Patent Document 2, the residual fuel gas can be effectively discharged outside the main body.

[0004] Patent Document 3 discloses a rotorcraft with an engine-driven rotor. This rotorcraft includes ducts that direct airflow from the rotor to the engine. Patent Document 4 discloses a rotorcraft in which the frame supporting the rotor is hollow, and airflow from the rotor passes through the interior of the frame to cool electrical components.

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-118987

[0006] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-176920

[0007] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-183211

[0008] Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-037347 Summary of the Invention

[0009] The rotorcraft described in Patent Documents 1-4 all use the airflow generated by the rotor for component cooling. However, in any rotorcraft, the airflow directed to the components is determined solely by the rotor's rotational speed, regardless of the component's temperature. This specification provides a rotorcraft capable of adjusting the airflow directed from the rotor to the components (fuel cell stack) based on the temperature of the components.

[0010] The rotorcraft disclosed in this specification includes: a rotor that generates lift; a fuel cell stack; a duct that guides the airflow generated by the rotor to the fuel cell stack; a regulating valve that adjusts the airflow through the duct; and a controller that controls the opening of the regulating valve according to the temperature of the fuel cell stack. The rotorcraft disclosed in this specification can adjust the airflow through the duct using the regulating valve, thus suppressing the amount of air supplied to the fuel cell stack even when the rotor is rotating at high speed and the temperature of the fuel cell stack is low.

[0011] The rotorcraft disclosed in this specification may also include a cooler for cooling air passing through a duct. When the airflow through the duct alone is insufficient to cool the fuel cell stack, the cooler can be used to cool the air, thereby effectively cooling the fuel cell stack.

[0012] The detailed description of the technology disclosed in this specification and further improvements will be described in the following "Detailed Description". Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a top view of the rotorcraft in the embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a side view of a rotorcraft.

[0015] Figure 3 It is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a rotorcraft cut along line III-III.

[0016] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of temperature regulation and control for a fuel cell stack. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The rotorcraft 10 of the embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 This is a top view of the Gyrocopter 10. Figure 2 This is a side view of rotorcraft 10. In the coordinate system shown, the X and Y axes represent the forward and backward directions and the lateral direction of rotorcraft 10, respectively. The +Z direction represents the vertical direction.

[0018] The gyroplane 10 is a so-called unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that flies via remote control. The gyroplane 10 includes a main body 11, four rotors 12, four motors 13, a duct 15, a fuel cell stack 17, and a controller 19. Hereinafter, for ease of explanation, the "fuel cell stack" will be referred to as an "FC stack." The FC stack 17 includes a temperature sensor 18 for measuring its temperature.

[0019] The rotorcraft 10 flies by generating lift through four rotors 12. The four rotors 12 are respectively positioned at the four corners of the main body 11. A motor 13 drives the rotors 12. The motor 13 is powered by electricity generated by an FC stack 17. The FC stack 17 is located within the internal space 16 of the main body 11. In addition to the FC stack 17, the main body 11 also houses equipment required for power generation, converters that convert the electricity from the FC stack 17 into electricity suitable for driving the motors 13, etc., but their illustrations and descriptions are omitted.

[0020] Support legs 14 extend downwards from the four corners of the main body 11. Figure 1 The illustration of support leg 14 is omitted in the text.

[0021] One end of the duct 15 opens upward below one of the rotors 12, and the other end opens into the internal space 16. The duct 15 receives the downward airflow generated by the rotors 12 and directs the airflow (air) to the FC stack 17. The FC stack 17 generates heat during power generation. The air directed by the duct 15 cools the FC stack 17.

[0022] Additionally, the main body 11 includes an exhaust duct 22, one end of which opens into the internal space 16, and the other end opens into the bottom of the main body 11. Air cooled from the FC stack 17 is discharged to the outside of the main body 11 through the exhaust duct 22.

[0023] Figure 3 The middle shows along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of rotorcraft 10, taken along line III-III. Figure 3 In the illustration, a portion of the rotorcraft 10 is omitted. Furthermore, in... Figure 3 In the figure, apart from the controller 19, FC stack 17 and temperature sensor 18, the devices housed in the main body 11 are omitted.

[0024] As described above, one end of the conduit 15 opens below the rotor 12, and the other end opens into the internal space 16. A regulating valve 20 and a Peltier element 21 are disposed inside the conduit 15. The regulating valve 20 adjusts the airflow through the conduit 15. Figure 3 In the diagram, the regulating valve 20, depicted with a solid line, represents the almost fully open state, while the regulating valve 20a, depicted with a double-dotted line, represents the fully closed state. The regulating valve 20 can be opened and closed by a motor (not shown), and the controller 19 adjusts the opening degree of the regulating valve 20.

[0025] Furthermore, the Peltier element 21 is a component whose temperature drops when energized, thereby cooling the air passing through the conduit 15. The Peltier element 21 is a cooler for cooling the air passing through the conduit 15. The Peltier element 21 is also controlled by the controller 19.

[0026] The controller 19 controls the regulating valve 20 and the Peltier element 21 based on the temperature of the FC stack 17 measured by the temperature sensor 18. The controller 19 controls the regulating valve 20 and the Peltier element 21 to maintain the temperature of the FC stack 17 within an appropriate range.

[0027] Figure 4 The diagram shows a flowchart of the temperature regulation control of the FC stack 17. As described above, the temperature of the FC stack 17 is measured by the temperature sensor 18. The appropriate temperature range for the FC stack 17 is stored in the controller 19. The controller 19 compares the temperature of the FC stack 17 with the appropriate temperature range (step S2). If the temperature of the FC stack 17 is within the appropriate temperature range, the controller 19 does not operate the regulating valve 20 and the Peltier element 21.

[0028] If the temperature of the FC stack 17 is below the appropriate range, and the regulating valve 20 is not fully closed, the controller 19 will close the regulating valve 20 only by a predetermined angle (step S3: No, S4). If the regulating valve 20 is closed only by a predetermined angle, the flow rate in the conduit 15 decreases. As a result, the amount of air directed to the FC stack 17 from the airflow generated by the rotor 12 decreases, and the temperature of the FC stack 17 tends to rise. When the regulating valve 20 is fully closed (step S3: Yes), the controller 19 does not perform any operation.

[0029] If the temperature of the FC stack 17 is above the appropriate range, and the regulating valve 20 is not fully open, the controller 19 will open the regulating valve 20 only by a predetermined angle (step S5: No, S6). If the regulating valve 20 is opened only by the predetermined angle, the flow rate of the duct 15 increases. As a result, the amount of air guided to the FC stack 17 from the airflow generated by the rotor 12 increases, and the FC stack 17 is cooled.

[0030] With the regulating valve 20 fully open, the controller 19 energizes the Peltier element 21 (step S5: Yes, S7). As described above, when the Peltier element 21 is energized, its temperature decreases, and the air passing through the conduit 15 is cooled. As a result, the FC stack 17 is cooled.

[0031] The controller 19 repeats the above process until the rotorcraft 10 stops (step S8: no, S2).

[0032] As described above, the rotorcraft 10 controls the regulating valve 20 based on the temperature of the FC stack 17, thereby changing the flow rate of the duct 15. If the temperature of the FC stack 17 is low, the regulating valve 20 is closed to reduce the flow rate of the duct 15. If the temperature of the FC stack 17 is high, the regulating valve 20 is opened to increase the flow rate of the duct 15. If the temperature of the FC stack 17 is high even when the regulating valve 20 is fully open, the controller 19 energizes the Peltier element 21 to lower its temperature. As a result, the air passing through the duct 15 is cooled, and the cooled air is delivered to the FC stack 17.

[0033] Notes relating to the techniques described in the embodiments are explained. The rotorcraft 10 of the embodiments includes a plurality of rotors 12, with an open conduit 15 located directly below one of the rotors 12. The rotorcraft disclosed in this specification may include a plurality of conduits, each opening directly below a rotor.

[0034] In the rotorcraft 10 of this embodiment, a Peltier element is used inside the duct 15 to cool the air. Other devices besides the Peltier element can be used as the air cooler.

[0035] The technology disclosed in this specification can be applied not only to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) but also to manned helicopters or autogyros. Furthermore, in the autogyro 10 of this embodiment, the FC stack 17, cooled by the airflow from the rotor, supplies power to the rotor motor 13. The technology disclosed in this specification can be used in autogyros where the rotor is driven by an engine, and the FC stack 17 supplies power to devices other than the rotor.

[0036] The specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, but these are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described within the scope of the claims includes technologies obtained by various modifications and alterations to the specific examples described above. The technical elements illustrated in this specification or drawings exert their technical usefulness individually or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of application. Furthermore, the technologies illustrated in this specification or drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, wherein achieving only one objective is itself technically useful.

[0037] Symbol Explanation

[0038] 10-Gyroplane, 11-Main body, 12-Rotor, 13-Motor, 14-Legs, 15-Drain, 17-Fuel cell stack, 18-Temperature sensor, 19-Controller, 20-Regulating valve, 21-Peltier element, 22-Exhaust duct.

Claims

1. A gyroplane, characterized in that Possessing: a rotor that generates lift; a fuel cell stack; a duct that guides an airflow generated by the rotor to the fuel cell stack; a regulating valve that changes a flow rate of air passing through the duct; and a controller that controls an opening degree of the regulating valve in accordance with a temperature of the fuel cell stack. Further possessing:

2. The gyroplane according to claim 1, characterized in that a cooler that cools air passing through the duct. ​

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