Adjustable rotorcraft transmission and multicopter power system

Abstract

This invention discloses a gyroplane gearbox with adjustable steering and a multi-rotor aircraft power system. The gearbox transmits power from the engine output shaft to the drive spline shaft via a centrifugal clutch and a driven disc. The drive spline shaft is driven by a drive gear meshing with a driven gear sleeve. A steering adjustment mechanism controls the engagement / disengagement of the driven gear sleeve with the propeller output disc and the disengagement / engagement of the drive spline shaft with the driven spline sleeve, enabling the switching between forward and reverse rotation of the rotor components. This gearbox integrates a centrifugal clutch system to form an independent power transmission module. The multi-rotor aircraft power system, through the combination of at least two modules in forward / reverse rotation states, meets the requirement of adjacent rotors rotating in opposite directions, allowing for the flexible construction of multi-rotor aircraft of different specifications.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of aircraft power transmission technology, and more specifically to a rotorcraft gearbox with adjustable steering. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional multirotor aircraft primarily rely on electric power, which limits their endurance and payload capacity. Using fuel-powered engines (such as piston engines) is an effective way to improve endurance and payload. However, fuel-powered multirotors face a key technical challenge: to counteract torque and achieve attitude control, adjacent propellers need to rotate in pairs in opposite directions.

[0003] Existing technical solutions typically employ the following methods: First, using multiple independent engines to drive propellers in different directions results in a complex system, increased weight, high cost, and difficulty in synchronous control. Second, using a single engine in conjunction with a complex differential or reversing transmission mechanism often results in defects such as complex structure, low transmission efficiency, poor reliability, or inability to dynamically adjust steering during flight.

[0004] It is driven by a motor that can rotate in both directions. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a fuel-powered transmission scheme that is compact, reliable, efficient, and allows for flexible configuration of propeller steering to support the realization of modular, heavy-load fuel-powered multirotor aircraft. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a steering-adjustable rotorcraft gearbox that can be used in single-rotor or multi-rotor aircraft modules, and in particular, a gearbox system that can flexibly adjust the rotation direction of the output shaft (propeller) without changing the engine steering.

[0006] To address the problems of the prior art, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows: A steering-adjustable rotorcraft gearbox includes an engine output shaft and a rotor assembly. The engine output shaft is connected to the drive spline shaft of the gearbox via a centrifugal clutch and a driven disc drive. The gearbox is connected to the rotor assembly via its driven spline shaft drive, and the rotor assembly drives the rotor to rotate. The gearbox consists of upper and lower housings. The lower end of the passive spline shaft is drilled and a passive spline sleeve is provided. The upper end of the passive spline shaft passes through the upper housing and is connected to the rotor component. The lower end of the drive spline shaft passes through the lower housing and is coaxially and fixedly connected to the passive disk. A fixed drive gear is set on the outer wall of the drive spline shaft, and a propeller output disk is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the driven spline shaft. A driven gear sleeve is set inside the propeller output disk. The driven gear sleeve is fitted on the propeller output disk and can rotate freely. Its outer wall gear meshes with the drive gear for transmission. The gearbox adjusts the engagement / disengagement of the passive gear sleeve and the propeller output disc, as well as the engagement / disengagement of the drive spline shaft and the passive spline sleeve, through a reversing adjustment mechanism, to achieve two states: forward rotation and reverse rotation, thus enabling the switching and adjustment of the rotor component's rotation direction.

[0007] Furthermore, the drive spline shaft and the driven spline shaft are rotatably mounted in the upper and lower housings via bearings, respectively.

[0008] Furthermore, the reversing adjustment mechanism includes an electric lever mounted on the outer wall of the gearbox. The electric lever slides axially along the driven spline shaft to adjust the linkage operation of disengaging / engaging the drive spline shaft and the driven spline sleeve, thereby achieving state switching.

[0009] Furthermore, when the passive spline shaft slides to the point where the passive spline sleeve engages with the drive spline shaft, the passive gear sleeve is disengaged from the propeller output disc, which is defined as the forward rotation state.

[0010] Furthermore, when the passive spline shaft slides to the point where the passive gear sleeve meshes with the propeller output disc, the passive spline sleeve is disengaged from the drive spline shaft, which is defined as the reverse rotation state.

[0011] Furthermore, the power transmission path in the forward rotation state is: engine output shaft → centrifugal clutch → driven disc → drive spline shaft → driven spline sleeve → propeller output disc, and the rotor component rotates in the same direction as the engine output shaft.

[0012] Furthermore, the power transmission path in the counter-rotating state is: engine output shaft → centrifugal clutch → driven disc → drive gear → driven gear sleeve → propeller output disc, with the rotor components rotating in the opposite direction to the engine output shaft.

[0013] Furthermore, the centrifugal clutch, driven disc, drive gear, drive spline shaft, driven spline shaft, driven spline sleeve, driven gear sleeve, and direction adjustment mechanism are integrated and packaged in the upper and lower housings to form an independent power transmission module.

[0014] A multi-rotor aircraft power system includes at least two independent power transmission modules, wherein at least one module is in a forward rotation state and at least another module is in a reverse rotation state, such that the rotor components driven by each module rotate in opposite directions.

[0015] Furthermore, each powertrain module is equipped with at least one independently driven engine.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows: 1. Flexible and adjustable steering: Without changing the engine's own steering direction, the propeller can be turned forward or backward through a simple mechanical switch, perfectly adapting to the needs of multi-rotor layouts.

[0017] 2. Modular Design: Each "engine + centrifugal clutch + gearbox" constitutes a standard power module. Multiple modules can be combined arbitrarily. By simply presetting the steering state (forward or reverse) of each module's gearbox during assembly, different configurations such as quadcopters, hexacopter, and octacopter can be easily constructed, greatly improving the versatility and scalability of the design.

[0018] 3. Compact and reliable structure: The reversing mechanism has a simple principle, few parts, and mainly uses gear and spline transmission, which has high transmission efficiency, good reliability, and is easy to maintain.

[0019] 4. Overload protection function: Combined with the centrifugal clutch 7 output by the fuel engine, it realizes smooth power engagement and overload protection, which is especially suitable for rotorcraft operating conditions that require rapid start and stop.

[0020] 5. Enhanced Load and Stability: The multi-rotor system based on this module combination can fully utilize the high power density advantage of fuel power to significantly improve the aircraft's effective load and endurance; at the same time, modular independent control further enhances the system's redundancy and flight stability. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the modular transmission structure of the gearbox of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the axial cross-sectional structure of the gearbox of the present invention in the same-direction transmission state (straight rotation state); Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the axial cross-sectional structure of the gearbox of the present invention in the reverse transmission state (reverse rotation state); Reference numerals: 1-Driven disc; 2-Drive gear; 3-Drive spline shaft; 4-Driven spline sleeve; 5-Driven gear sleeve (including driven gear); 6-Propeller output disc; 7-Centrifugal clutch; 8-Engine output shaft; 9-Electric lever; 10-Bearing; 11-Upper housing; 12-Lower housing; 13-Driven spline shaft. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments.

[0023] An adjustable steering gearbox for a rotorcraft includes an engine output shaft 8 and a rotor assembly. The engine output shaft 8 is driven to the drive spline shaft 3 of the gearbox via a centrifugal clutch 7 and a driven disc 1. The gearbox is driven to the rotor assembly via its driven spline shaft 13. The rotor assembly drives the rotor to rotate. The gearbox consists of an upper housing 11 and a lower housing 12. The lower end of the passive spline shaft 13 is opened and a passive spline sleeve 4 is provided. The upper end of the passive spline shaft 13 passes through the upper housing 11 and is connected to the rotor component. The lower end of the drive spline shaft 3 passes through the lower housing 12 and is coaxially and fixedly connected to the passive disk 1. A fixed drive gear 2 is provided on the outer wall of the drive spline shaft 3, and a propeller output disk 6 is provided on the outer wall of the driven spline shaft 13 and fixedly connected thereto. A driven gear sleeve 5 is provided inside the propeller output disk 6. The driven gear sleeve 5 is sleeved on the propeller output disk 6 and can rotate freely. Its outer wall gear meshes with the drive gear 2 for transmission. The gearbox adjusts the engagement / disengagement of the passive gear sleeve 5 and the propeller output disk 6, as well as the engagement / disengagement of the drive spline shaft 3 and the passive spline sleeve 4, through a reversing adjustment mechanism, to achieve two states: forward rotation and reverse rotation, thus enabling the switching and adjustment of the rotor component's rotation direction.

[0024] The driving spline shaft 3 and the driven spline shaft 13 are rotatably mounted in the upper housing 11 and the lower housing 12 respectively via bearings 10.

[0025] The reversing adjustment mechanism includes an electric lever 9 installed on the outer wall of the gearbox. The electric lever 9 slides axially along the driven spline shaft 13 by moving it to adjust the linkage operation of disengagement / engagement between the drive spline shaft 3 and the driven spline sleeve 4, thereby realizing state switching. When the passive spline shaft 13 slides to the point where the passive spline sleeve 4 engages with the drive spline shaft 3, the passive gear sleeve 5 is disengaged from the propeller output disk 6, defined as the forward rotation state. The power transmission path in the forward rotation state is: engine output shaft 8 → centrifugal clutch 7 → passive disk 1 → drive spline shaft 3 → passive spline sleeve 4 → propeller output disk 6. The rotor component rotates in the same direction as the engine output shaft 8 (e.g., ...). Figure 2 ).

[0026] When the passive spline shaft 13 slides to the point where the passive gear sleeve 5 engages with the propeller output disk 6, the passive spline sleeve 4 is disengaged from the drive spline shaft 3, defined as the reverse rotation state. The power transmission path in the reverse rotation state is: engine output shaft 8 → centrifugal clutch 7 → passive disk 1 → drive gear 2 → passive gear sleeve 5 → propeller output disk 6. The rotor component rotates in the opposite direction to the engine output shaft 8 (e.g., ...). Figure 3 ).

[0027] The centrifugal clutch 7, driven disc 1, drive gear 2, drive spline shaft 3, driven spline shaft 13, driven spline sleeve 4, driven gear sleeve 5, and direction-changing adjustment mechanism are integrated and encapsulated in the upper housing 11 and lower housing 12, forming an independent power transmission module.

[0028] A multi-rotor aircraft power system includes at least two independent power transmission modules, wherein at least one module is in a forward rotation state and at least the other module is in a reverse rotation state, such that the rotor components driven by each module rotate in opposite directions, and each power transmission module is equipped with at least one independently driven engine.

[0029] The gearbox of this invention can achieve the same or opposite rotation of the propeller output shaft 8 and the engine shaft through simple mechanical switching without changing the engine rotation direction, thereby adapting to the rigid requirement of multi-rotor aircraft for adjacent propellers to rotate in opposite directions. At the same time, this invention integrates the gearbox with the fuel-powered centrifugal clutch system to form a complete power module, which facilitates the combined use of multiple identical modules to build multi-rotor aircraft of different specifications.

[0030] The switching operation is usually set during aircraft assembly or maintenance and is fixed in flight after setting; in a more advanced embodiment, the switching electric lever 9 can be driven by a servo motor or electromagnetic actuator to achieve remote switching in flight to adapt to more complex flight modes.

[0031] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A steering-adjustable rotorcraft gearbox, comprising an engine output shaft (8) and rotor components, characterized in that: The engine output shaft (8) is connected to the drive spline shaft (3) of the gearbox via a centrifugal clutch (7) and a driven disc (1). The gearbox is connected to the rotor assembly via its driven spline shaft (13). The rotor assembly drives the rotor to rotate. The gearbox consists of an upper housing (11) and a lower housing (12). The lower end of the passive spline shaft (13) is opened and a passive spline sleeve (4) is provided. The upper end of the passive spline shaft (13) passes through the upper housing (11). The upper end of the passive spline shaft (13) is connected to the rotor component. The lower end of the drive spline shaft (3) passes through the lower housing (12) and is coaxially fixedly connected to the passive disk (1). A fixed drive gear (2) is provided on the outer wall of the drive spline shaft (3), and a propeller output disk (6) is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the passive spline shaft (13). A passive gear sleeve (5) is provided inside the propeller output disk (6). The passive gear sleeve (5) is sleeved on the propeller output disk (6) and can rotate freely. Its outer wall gear meshes with the drive gear (2) for transmission. The gearbox adjusts the engagement / disengagement of the passive gear sleeve (5) and the propeller output disk (6) and the disengagement / engagement of the drive spline shaft (3) and the passive spline sleeve (4) through the direction adjustment mechanism, so as to realize the two states of forward rotation and reverse rotation, and realize the switching adjustment of the rotation direction of the rotor component.

2. The steering-adjustable rotorcraft gearbox according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drive spline shaft (3) and the passive spline shaft (13) are rotatably mounted in the upper housing (11) and the lower housing (12) respectively via bearings (10).

3. The steering-adjustable rotorcraft gearbox according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reversing adjustment mechanism includes an electric lever (9) installed on the outer wall of the gearbox. The electric lever (9) slides axially along the driven spline shaft (13) to adjust the linkage operation of disengagement / engagement between the drive spline shaft (3) and the driven spline sleeve (4) to achieve state switching.

4. The steering-adjustable rotorcraft gearbox according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the passive spline shaft (13) slides to the point where the passive spline sleeve (4) meshes with the drive spline shaft (3), the passive gear sleeve (5) is disengaged from the propeller output disk (6), which is defined as the positive rotation state.

5. The steering-adjustable rotorcraft gearbox according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the passive spline shaft (13) slides to the point where the passive gear sleeve (5) meshes with the propeller output disk (6), the passive spline sleeve (4) is disengaged from the drive spline shaft (3), which is defined as the reverse rotation state.

6. The steering-adjustable rotorcraft gearbox according to claim 4, characterized in that: The power transmission path in the positive rotation state is: engine output shaft (8) → centrifugal clutch (7) → passive disc (1) → drive spline shaft (3) → passive spline sleeve (4) → propeller output disc (6), and the rotor component rotates in the same direction as the engine output shaft (8).

7. The steering-adjustable rotorcraft gearbox according to claim 5, characterized in that: The power transmission path in the reverse rotation state is: engine output shaft (8) → centrifugal clutch (7) → passive disc (1) → drive gear (2) → passive gear sleeve (5) → propeller output disc (6), and the rotor component rotates in the opposite direction to the engine output shaft (8).

8. The steering-adjustable rotorcraft gearbox according to claim 1, characterized in that: The centrifugal clutch (7), driven disc (1), drive gear (2), drive spline shaft (3), driven spline shaft (13), driven spline sleeve (4), driven gear sleeve (5) and direction adjustment mechanism are integrated and packaged in the upper housing (11) and lower housing (12) to form an independent power transmission module.

9. A power system for a multi-rotor aircraft, characterized in that: It includes at least two independent power transmission modules as described in claim 8, wherein at least one module is in a forward rotation state and at least another module is in a reverse rotation state, such that the rotor components driven by each module rotate in opposite directions.

10. The multi-rotor aircraft propulsion system according to claim 9, characterized in that: Each of the aforementioned powertrain modules is equipped with at least one independently driven engine.

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