A heavy transport helicopter of flying wing configuration

Abstract

A heavy transport helicopter with flying wing layout. The invention provides a heavy transport helicopter, characterized in that the fuselage adopts a flying wing layout scheme, the bottom surface of the fuselage is flat and thin like a pie with a slightly convex middle part like a turtle back, the fuselage is the wing, a core cabin composed of a power generation system, a control system and the like is arranged in the middle part of the fuselage, and a plurality of duct fans are uniformly distributed around the core cabin like a honeycomb and inlaid in the fuselage, and the duct fans on the periphery of the rear half of the fuselage are arranged in a tiltable manner. The air outlet of the duct fan is provided with a guide vane. The flight control system realizes flight control by controlling the rotation speed of the fan and the deflection of the guide vane. The invention has the advantages that the unique design of the fuselage structure improves the lift-to-weight ratio and enables vertical take-off and landing of the heavy transport. The material is easy to obtain, the control is sensitive and easy, and the invention is suitable for mass production and use.

Description

Technical fields:

[0001] This invention relates to a vertically take-off and landing aircraft, belonging to the field of flying wing helicopter design technology. Background technology:

[0002] Firefighting, disaster relief, and the vertical deployment of heavy troops in warfare all urgently require heavy transport helicopters, but current technological limitations restrict their development. Propeller-based systems are constrained by the mechanical complexity and weight of the rotor system. Ducted fan systems are limited by the increased dead weight from the fan casing, reducing the lift-to-weight ratio. Jet-based systems are not only expensive but also consume large amounts of fuel during vertical ascent, and the hot exhaust jets cause numerous problems. Therefore, the largest heavy transport helicopters currently available can only carry 20-30 tons and cannot deploy tanks.

[0003] Flying wing aircraft, with their fuselage and wings integrated into one unit, effectively reduce structural weight, achieve high aerodynamic efficiency, and have low horizontal drag. However, this integrated design leads to decreased stability and handling, as well as poor torque trim capability. These technical challenges limit the use of flying wing aircraft in the civilian helicopter sector. Summary of the Invention:

[0004] This invention addresses current technological shortcomings by designing a heavy transport helicopter that can be smoothly controlled and has a payload capacity of over one hundred tons.

[0005] The design scheme of this invention is as follows: The fuselage adopts a flying wing layout, with the fuselage shaped like a thin pancake with a slightly convex center resembling a tortoise shell and a flat bottom. The fuselage is also the wing. A core compartment 1, comprising the power generation system, control system, etc., is located in the middle of the fuselage. Ducted fans 2 are evenly distributed around the core compartment 1 like a honeycomb, covering the entire fuselage. The ducted fans on the rear half of the fuselage (including the tail ducted fan 4, the left edge ducted fan 5, the right edge ducted fan 6, and the rear edge ducted fan 7) are designed to be tiltable. That is, when the helicopter takes off, ascends, or hovers at high altitude, the tiltable ducted fans blow air downwards, and the helicopter flies level. At that time, the tiltable ducted fan blows air backward; the air inlet of the ducted fan is equipped with an openable and closable cover plate 8, and the air outlet is equipped with a deflectable and openable guide vane 9 like a louver. Most of the ducted fans are equipped with horizontally arranged guide vanes, and a few are equipped with vertically arranged guide vanes. The air inlet of the tiltable ducted fan is not equipped with a cover plate. The left edge ducted fan 5, the right edge ducted fan 6, and the rear edge ducted fan 7 are equipped with horizontally arranged guide vanes, and the tail ducted fan 4 is equipped with guide vanes that are both horizontally and vertically arranged. The ducted fan is driven by electricity, and the transport compartment 10 is set as a compartment that can be separated from the fuselage. Attached image description:

[0006] Figure 1This is a top view of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0007] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the AA cross-sectional structure.

[0008] Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 These are schematic diagrams of the ducted fan of the present invention, showing the lateral arrangement, longitudinal arrangement, and lateral-longitudinal combination arrangement of the guide vanes.

[0009] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the transport cabin suspended at high altitude in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the present invention when flying horizontally with a transport capsule. Detailed implementation method:

[0011] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the fuselage of this invention adopts a flying wing layout, with the fuselage shaped like a thin disc with a slightly convex center resembling a turtle's back and a flat bottom; the fuselage itself is the wing. This slightly convex, disc-shaped fuselage improves structural rigidity and generates lift during level flight. Furthermore, the disc-shaped fuselage is less affected by crosswinds at high altitudes, facilitating loading and unloading operations. The disc-shaped fuselage can be shaped like a flying saucer (disc), a skateboard (flat), a rhombus, or a triangle; a square fuselage is used here as an example to illustrate the principles of this invention.

[0012] like Figure 1 As shown, the power generation system, control system, etc., are arranged in a core compartment 1, located in the middle of the fuselage. Ducted fans 2 are evenly distributed around the core compartment 1 in a honeycomb pattern, covering the entire fuselage. The ducted fans on the rear half of the fuselage (including the tail ducted fan 4, left edge ducted fan 5, right edge ducted fan 6, and rear edge ducted fan 7) are designed to tilt, meaning that when the helicopter takes off, ascends, or hovers at high altitude, the fans blow air downwards; during level flight, the fans blow air backwards. Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, the air inlets of non-tilting ducted fans are equipped with openable and closable covers 8, and the air outlets are equipped with deflectable and openable guide vanes 9, which are like louvers. Most ducted fans are equipped with horizontally arranged guide vanes, and a few are equipped with vertically arranged guide vanes. The air inlets of tilting ducted fans are not equipped with covers. The left edge ducted fan 5, the right edge ducted fan 6, and the rear edge ducted fan 7 are equipped with horizontally arranged guide vanes, and the rear ducted fan 4 is equipped with guide vanes that are both horizontally and vertically arranged.

[0013] All ducted fans are electrically driven. The advantages of this setup are twofold: firstly, it eliminates the need for complex mechanical transmission devices, reducing dead weight; and secondly, it makes the helicopter easier to control.

[0014] like Figure 6 As shown, the present invention sets the transport compartment 10 as a compartment that can be separated from the fuselage. This setting has several advantages: First, it improves loading and unloading efficiency; second, it reduces the weight of the empty return trip; third, it reduces the size of the fuselage, which is conducive to stealth design; fourth, during loading and unloading, the huge fuselage does not approach ground obstacles, and the requirements for loading and unloading locations are not high.

[0015] The working principle of the helicopter of this invention: as follows Figure 6 As shown, during helicopter takeoff, ascent, or hovering, all ducted fans blow downwards, generating sufficient lift. Leveraging mature algorithms and flight control technology in the UAV design field, and utilizing the fast response of the deflectors, the speed of the ducted fans in each part and the deflection of the deflectors are adjusted to achieve stable helicopter control and counteract the effects of crosswinds. During helicopter ascent, after the transport cabin leaves ground obstacles, the flight control system controls the deflection of the transversely arranged deflectors 9, slightly deflecting the downward airflow from the ducted fans backwards, causing the helicopter to accelerate forward. Ascending and accelerating forward, once a suitable speed is reached, the tail ducted fan 4, left edge ducted fan 5, right edge ducted fan 6, and rear edge ducted fan 7 are gradually tilted. The tilted ducted fans further accelerate the helicopter forward. Figure 7 As shown, the lateral deflectors of the tail ducted fan 4 (one or more ducted fans, only one is shown in the diagram) function as elevators, while the longitudinal deflectors function as rudders. By deflecting the elevator and rudder, pitch and yaw control of the helicopter in level flight is achieved. For sharp pitch control, the nose ducted fan 3 (one or more ducted fans, only one is shown in the diagram) and tail ducted fan 4 work together. The lateral deflectors 9 of the left edge ducted fan 5 (one or more ducted fans, only one is shown in the diagram) and right edge ducted fan 6 (one or more ducted fans, only one is shown in the diagram) function as ailerons, controlling roll and yaw during level flight. As the helicopter's forward speed increases, the flight control system adjusts the helicopter fuselage to a suitable angle of attack by manipulating the nose ducted fan 3 and tail ducted fan 4. Then, it gradually closes the downward-blowing ducted fans and the covers 8 and deflectors 9 on the fans, making the upper and lower surfaces of the fuselage into smooth wing surfaces. Utilizing the lift generated by the fuselage's angle of attack, the tilting ducted fan propels the helicopter forward in level flight. During landing, the flight control system reverses the ascent process. The entire control process involves no mechanical parts; it primarily relies on the flight control system's algorithms and electronic adjustments to achieve the helicopter's various functions. Operators can master this skill with minimal training.

[0016] Essential components of an aircraft that are not within the scope of this invention, such as landing gear, sensors, manned or unmanned flight modes, and flight control system algorithms, are omitted here.

[0017] Advantages and beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0018] This invention arranges ducted fans all over the fuselage in a honeycomb pattern. On the one hand, the increased number of fans increases lift. On the other hand, the casing of the ducted fans, the frame that fixes the fan shaft, and other components act as reinforcing ribs for the fuselage. The fuselage can achieve sufficient rigidity with lighter and thinner materials, improving the lift-to-weight ratio and enabling heavy-duty transport.

[0019] With its thin, pancake-shaped fuselage, the helicopter has low air resistance and is less affected by crosswinds. Its deflectors are highly responsive, and its fan speed is easily adjustable. Thanks to the mature algorithms and flight control systems of UAV technology, users can operate the helicopter of this invention with only simple training.

[0020] This invention has a simple structure, with the main component being a ducted fan. The materials are readily available, making mass production easy. The challenges lie in the high-power power generation system and the flight control algorithm system, but mature products or technical solutions are available for these.

[0021] The separation of the transport compartment from the fuselage makes helicopter transport more efficient and its application more versatile. For example, in the event of a fire in a high-rise building, a helicopter can lift a fire compartment weighing hundreds of tons (equipped with firefighters and water cannons) for precise firefighting. In the event of war, and with hundreds of helicopters of this invention, the first wave of operations would be as follows: hoisting hundreds of tons of steel structural components or large steel plate suites to enemy missile silos, underground bunker exits, hangar entrances, ammunition depot entrances, intersections, etc., instantly paralyzing enemy mobile forces. The second wave of operations would be as follows: hoisting drone base compartments, heavy troop compartments, etc., to suitable locations, dividing and surrounding the enemy and placing them under gunfire or artillery fire, forcing them to surrender. The third wave of operations would be as follows: hoisting the steel structural components away and stacking them for future use, or hoisting them back to the steel mill for reuse.

Claims

1. A heavy transport helicopter, characterized in that: The fuselage adopts a flying wing layout, with a slightly convex central section resembling a turtle's shell and a flat bottom, forming a thin, disc-shaped structure. The fuselage itself functions as the wing. A core compartment 1, housing the power generation and control systems, is located in the center of the fuselage. A series of ducted fans 2 are evenly distributed around the core compartment 1, like a honeycomb, covering the entire fuselage. The ducted fans on the rear half of the fuselage are tiltable; that is, when the helicopter takes off, ascends, or hovers at high altitude, the tiltable ducted fans blow air downwards, while during level flight, the tiltable ducted fans... The fan blows air backward; the air inlet of the ducted fan is equipped with an openable and closable cover plate 8, and the air outlet is equipped with deflectable and openable guide vanes 9 like louvers. Most ducted fans are equipped with horizontally arranged guide vanes, a few are equipped with vertically arranged guide vanes, and the air inlet of the tilting ducted fan is not equipped with a cover plate. The left edge ducted fan 5, the right edge ducted fan 6, and the rear edge ducted fan 7 are equipped with horizontally arranged guide vanes, and the tail ducted fan 4 is equipped with guide vanes that are both horizontally and vertically arranged.

2. The heavy transport helicopter according to claim 1, further comprising: The ducted fan installed on the heavy transport helicopter is driven by electricity.

3. The heavy transport helicopter according to claim 1, further comprising: The transport cabin of the heavy transport helicopter is configured as a detachable cabin from the fuselage.

4. The heavy transport helicopter according to claim 1, further comprising: The flight control system of the heavy transport helicopter achieves flight control by controlling the rotation speed of the ducted fans and the deflection of the guide vanes. The lateral guide vanes of the left edge ducted fan 5 and the right edge ducted fan 6 act as ailerons, controlling the roll and yaw of the helicopter during level flight. The lateral guide vanes of the tail ducted fan 4 act as elevators, and the longitudinal guide vanes act as rudders. When sharp pitch control is required, the flight control system controls the nose ducted fan 3 and the tail ducted fan 4 to work together.

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