Engine for vertical take-off and landing vehicle

Abstract

To solve the problems of how to convert from a vertical take-off and landing mode to a horizontal flight mode, and how to obtain a simple mechanism for changing over from the vertical take-off and landing mode to the horizontal flight mode, in an aircraft which is capable of vertical take-off and landing and in which propellers are preferably used in achieving horizontal flights of good fuel economy.SOLUTION: An engine for a vertical take-off and landing vehicle can selectively use a vertical take-off and landing mode, and a horizontal flight mode using propellers, according to a simple mechanism of opening and closing a valve.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an engine for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, most vertical take-off and landing aircraft use gas turbine engines. Examples of such engines include the US military's F-35B fighter jet and the US military's V-22 Osprey transport aircraft.

[0003] The problem with conventional vertical take-off and landing aircraft is that they are expensive to manufacture and maintain. For example, helicopters are a representative example of aircraft that can take off and land vertically, but they have poor fuel economy during horizontal flight. The best way to achieve fuel-efficient horizontal flight is to use propeller propulsion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 11-321794 Public Relations Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The problem with conventional vertical take-off and landing aircraft is that they are expensive to manufacture and maintain. For example, helicopters are a representative example of aircraft that can take off and land vertically, but they have poor fuel economy during horizontal flight. The best way to achieve fuel-efficient horizontal flight is to use propeller propulsion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The engine for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft of the present invention does not have a complex mechanism, unlike, for example, the U.S. military's F-35B fighter jet and the U.S. military's V-22 Osprey transport aircraft, and is therefore characterized by low manufacturing costs, low maintenance and upkeep costs, and few breakdowns. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The engine for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft of the present invention is low cost, has few malfunctions, is lightweight and has a simple mechanism, is capable of taking off and landing vertically, and is capable of switching to fuel-efficient propeller propulsion during horizontal flight. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a vertical take-off and landing aircraft equipped with an engine for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the present invention (embodiment 1). [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the engine for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the present invention (embodiment 1) taken along line AA in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the engine for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the present invention (embodiment 1) taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of an airframe equipped with an engine for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the present invention (embodiment 2). [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the engine for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the present invention (embodiment 2) taken along CC in FIG.

[0009] 5, during horizontal flight, butterfly valve 72 is closed and butterfly valve 71 is open, so that the high-pressure air produced by compressor 78 drives forward propeller driving turbine 70 and is exhausted from exhaust port 67. Incidentally, since the butterfly valve deals with air, not high-temperature combustion gas, the butterfly valve is free from harsh operating conditions and therefore can fully function with few malfunctions. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] The present invention relates to an engine for a vertical / short take-off and landing aircraft. Currently, most of the engines used in aircraft are gas turbine engines. Therefore, the present invention will be described in the following examples with a gas turbine engine.

[0011] Many vertical take-off and landing aircraft are compatible with not only vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) but also short take-off and landing (STOL), and the vertical / short take-off and landing aircraft of the present invention is no exception. Such aircraft are called vertical / short take-off and landing aircraft.

[0012] Many vertical take-off and landing aircraft, such as the US military's vertical take-off and landing fighter F-35B and the US military's V-22 Osprey transport aircraft, are vectored thrust aircraft. Vectored thrust aircraft use thrust to directly lift the aircraft during take-off and landing, and then switch thrust to the direction of travel during horizontal flight.

[0013] In many cases, the thrust direction of this type of aircraft is changed by rotating the propeller, rotor, or jet thrust by about 90 degrees. The U.S. military's F-35B fighter jet also bends its exhaust duct by about 90 degrees. The U.S. military's V-22 Osprey transport aircraft changes the angle of its propeller rotor.

[0014] The F-35B is a short take-off, vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft, and is equipped with a lift fan for vertical ascent in the forward position. The lift fan is driven by an extension shaft from the F-35B's turbofan engine and through a clutch attached to the extension shaft.

[0015] In the embodiment of the present invention, a vertical / short take-off and landing aircraft in which vertical take-off and landing capabilities have been added to a turboprop engine, driving force can be transmitted or not transmitted to the propulsion propeller, but this is not achieved by a clutch, and therefore no clutch is required, resulting in fewer breakdowns, lighter weight, and less costly. EXAMPLES

[0016] Fig. 1 is a plan view of a vertical take-off and landing aircraft equipped with an engine for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft of the present invention (embodiment 1), which flies horizontally using the thrust of a propeller 5 attached to the center fuselage, and takes off and lands vertically using the lift of four propellers for vertical take-off and landing. 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the figure represent the rotating disks of the propellers for vertical take-off and landing.

[0017] Inside the main wing 7 attached to the center fuselage, there is a high-pressure piping 6 within the main wing, and high-pressure air flows through this high-pressure piping 6. Vertical takeoff and landing are performed using the energy of the high-pressure air. The center fuselage has a horizontal stabilizer 8.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the engine for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft of the present invention (embodiment 1) taken along the line AA in Fig. 1. During vertical take-off and landing, air entering through an air intake 20 is compressed by a compressor 21, fuel is injected into a combustion chamber 19 and combusted, driving a compressor-driving turbine 18, and the air is exhausted from an exhaust gas outlet 80.

[0019] A portion of the compressed air compressed by compressor 21 does not enter combustion chamber 19, but passes through a branch pipe, through open butterfly valve 14, and further through open butterfly valve 12, and enters the high-pressure piping inside the main wing from opening 11, which is the entrance to the high-pressure piping inside the main wing and sends high-pressure air to the high-pressure piping inside the main wing. At this time, butterfly valve 15 is closed.

[0020] As can be seen from Figure 2, in this embodiment, two gas turbine engines are installed, one on top and one on the bottom. The reason for installing two engines is that even if one engine fails, the remaining engine can continue flying safely.

[0021] If the upper mounted engine in FIG. 2 were to fail, the butterfly valve 13 would close, thereby stopping the high pressure air from flowing back towards the failed engine.

[0022] When the aircraft moves to horizontal flight after vertical ascent, the butterfly valve 12 is closed and the butterfly valve 15, which had been closed up until then, is opened. As a result, the high-pressure air drives the turbine 16 for driving the propeller.

[0023] At this time, it is also possible to inject fuel into the combustion chamber 82 to increase the output of the propeller driving turbine 16. The fuel is then exhausted from the exhaust port 10.

[0024] At this time, the engine for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft of the present invention functions as a turboprop engine. In Fig. 2, the exhaust port 10 opens to the upper side, but as is the case with many other turboprop engines, the exhaust gas may be distributed to both sides of the engine and discharged toward the rear.

[0025] The rotation speed of the propeller drive turbine shaft 17 is reduced by the reduction gear 9 to rotate the propeller 5.

[0026] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the engine for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft of the present invention (embodiment 1) taken along the line BB in Fig. 1. During vertical take-off and landing, air that has passed through the high-pressure piping in the main wing comes out from the outlet 29 for high-pressure air flowing in the high-pressure piping in the main wing, and the blades 22, 23 of the propeller for vertical take-off and landing are driven by the energy of the high-pressure air.

[0027] Specifically, the high-pressure air rotates the vertical take-off and landing propeller drive turbine 27, which rotates the vertical take-off and landing propeller drive turbine shaft 26, which then rotates the electric motor-generator 24, the rotation speed of which is reduced by the reduction gear 25, and the blades 22 of the vertical take-off and landing propeller are driven.

[0028] At this time, it is also possible to inject fuel into the combustion chamber 83 to increase the output of the vertical takeoff and landing propeller-driving turbine 27. The fuel is then exhausted from the exhaust port 28.

[0029] During vertical takeoff and landing, the rotation speed of the four vertical takeoff and landing propellers must be delicately adjusted to maintain the stability of the aircraft, and this is performed by the motor-generator 24. That is, when it is necessary to increase the propeller rotation speed, the motor-generator 24 functions as an electric motor to increase the rotation speed, and conversely, when it is necessary to decrease the propeller rotation speed, the motor-generator 24 functions as a generator to decrease the rotation speed. EXAMPLES

[0030] 4 is a plan view of an aircraft equipped with an engine for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to the present invention (embodiment 2). In embodiment 1, the two engines are mounted in the center fuselage, but in embodiment 2, the two engines are mounted one on each of the left and right main wings. The aircraft flies horizontally using the thrust of two propellers 54, 55, and during vertical take-off and landing, the aircraft takes off and lands vertically using the lift of four propellers for vertical take-off and landing.

[0031] In the figure, 50, 51, 52, and 53 represent the rotating disks of the propellers for vertical takeoff and landing. The engines mounted on the left and right main wings are connected by high-pressure piping 57 inside the main wing 56. The center fuselage has a horizontal stabilizer 58.

[0032] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along CC in Fig. 4. During vertical takeoff and landing, air entering through an air intake 77 is compressed by a compressor 78, combusted in a combustion chamber 76, rotates a turbine 75 for driving the compressor, and is exhausted from an exhaust port 90.

[0033] A part of the compressed air compressed by the compressor 78 does not enter the combustion chamber 76, but passes through a branch pipe, passes through the open butterfly valve 74, passes through the butterfly valve 72, drives the turbine 68 for driving the propeller for vertical takeoff and landing, and is exhausted from the exhaust port 65. At this time, the butterfly valve 71 is closed.

[0034] At this time, it is also possible to inject fuel into the combustion chamber 91 to increase the output of the vertical take-off and landing propeller-driven turbine 68.

[0035] During horizontal flight, butterfly valve 72 is closed and butterfly valve 71 is opened, and high pressure air drives forward propeller driving turbine 70 and is exhausted from exhaust port 67.

[0036] At this time, it is also possible to inject fuel into the combustion chamber 92 to increase the output of the forward propeller driving turbine 70.

[0037] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a vertical take-off and landing engine mounted on the left wing. If this engine on the left wing were to fail, butterfly valve 74 would close to stop high-pressure air from flowing back into the failed engine.

[0038] High-pressure air is then ejected from the high-pressure air inlet / outlet 73 that flows inside the high-pressure piping inside the main wing, and the energy of the high-pressure air can be used to rotate the propulsion propeller 55 and the vertical takeoff and landing propellers 60 and 61.

[0039] Instead of using a vertical take-off and landing propeller drive turbine to rotate the vertical take-off and landing propeller, a tip jet system may be used. In that case, the vertical take-off and landing propeller drive turbine and reduction gear are not required. Since there are four vertical take-off and landing propellers, just as a drone with four vertical take-off and landing propellers can fly stably, a vertical take-off and landing aircraft with these four vertical take-off and landing propellers can also fly stably. Note that the number of vertical take-off and landing propellers is not limited to four and can be increased.

[0040] When the aircraft moves to horizontal flight, the propeller for vertical take-off and landing stops rotating. At that time, the propeller for vertical take-off and landing must be stopped in a state where air resistance is minimal. To achieve this, a propeller for vertical take-off and landing should have two blades. In other words, a propeller for vertical take-off and landing shaped like a bamboo-copter is best. This is because if the longitudinal direction of the propeller's blades is parallel to the direction of flight, the frontal projection area is minimized, allowing the aircraft to fly with minimal air resistance. [Industrial Applicability]

[0041] The engine for vertical take-off and landing aircraft of the present invention can be used in fields that have been used by drones and helicopters up until now. The engine for vertical take-off and landing aircraft of the present invention can travel longer distances at higher speeds and with better fuel economy than helicopters. Furthermore, since the structure is simpler than that of helicopters, there are fewer breakdowns. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1. Rotating disk of propeller for vertical take-off and landing 2. Rotating disk of propeller for vertical take-off and landing 3. Rotating disk of propeller for vertical take-off and landing 4. Rotating disk of propeller for vertical take-off and landing 5. Propulsion propeller 6. High pressure piping inside the main wing 7. Main Wing 8.Horizontal stabilizer 9.Reducer 10. Exhaust port 11. Opening that sends high-pressure air to the high-pressure piping inside the main wing 12.Butterfly valve 13.Butterfly valve 14.Butterfly valve 15.Butterfly valve 16. Turbine for driving propellers for propulsion 17. Turbine shaft for driving propellers 18. Compressor drive turbine 19. Combustion chamber 20.Air intake 21. Compressor 22. Vertical take-off and landing propeller blades 23. Vertical take-off and landing propeller blades 24. Motor generator 25.Reducer 26. Turbine shaft for driving propellers for vertical take-off and landing 27. Turbine for driving propellers for vertical take-off and landing 28. Exhaust vent 29. Outlet for high-pressure air flowing through high-pressure piping inside the main wing 50. Rotating disk of propeller for vertical take-off and landing 51. Rotating disk of propeller for vertical take-off and landing 52. Rotating disk of propeller for vertical take-off and landing 53. Rotating disk of propeller for vertical take-off and landing 54. Propulsion propeller 55. Propulsion propeller 56. Main Wing 57. High pressure piping inside the wing 58.Horizontal stabilizer 60. Vertical take-off and landing propeller blades 61. Vertical take-off and landing propeller blades 62.Reducer 63. Motor generator 64. Turbine shaft for driving vertical take-off and landing propellers 65. Exhaust vent 66.Reducer 67. Exhaust vent 68. Turbine for driving propellers for vertical take-off and landing 69. Turbine shaft for driving propellers 70. Turbine for driving propellers for propulsion 71.Butterfly valve 72.Butterfly valve 73. Inlet and outlet of high-pressure air flowing through the high-pressure piping inside the wing 74.Butterfly valve 75. Compressor drive turbine 76. Combustion chamber 77. Air intake 78. Compressor 80. Exhaust vent 81. Compressor 82. Combustion chamber 83. Combustion chamber 90. Exhaust port 91. Combustion chamber 92. Combustion chamber 93. Compressor

Claims

1. An engine characterized in that it has a branch pipe for passing high-pressure air or high-pressure gas from a gas turbine engine or a compressor, the branch pipe having a valve, the high-pressure air or high-pressure gas passing through the branch pipe, and the energy of the high-pressure air or high-pressure gas is used to drive a propeller for vertical take-off and landing.

2. 2. The engine according to claim 1, wherein a branch pipe through which high pressure air or high pressure gas passes passes through a wing.

3. 2. The engine according to claim 1, wherein the speed of the propeller for vertical take-off and landing is adjusted by a motor-generator.

4. 2. The engine according to claim 1, wherein the propeller for vertical take-off and landing is driven by a tip jet.

5. In the engine of claim 1, high pressure air or high pressure gas is required to rotate the turbine that drives the propulsion propeller, and the supply of the high pressure air or high pressure gas is controlled by opening and closing a valve.

6. In the engine of claim 1, high-pressure air or high-pressure gas is required to drive the turbine or tip jet that drives the propeller for vertical take-off and landing, and the supply or cut-off of the high-pressure air or high-pressure gas is determined by opening and closing a valve.

7. 2. An engine according to claim 1, characterized in that fuel is injected into high-pressure air or high-pressure gas which drives a turbine which drives a propulsion propeller, or a turbine which drives a propeller for vertical take-off and landing, or a tip jet, thereby increasing the energy of the high-pressure air or high-pressure gas, thereby increasing the output of the engine.

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