Lift-fan vertical take-off and landing propulsion aircraft

Abstract

Ordinary airplanes do not have vertical takeoff and landing or hovering capabilities. Helicopters, drones, and other flying vehicles have the ability to take off and land vertically and fly horizontally, but their horizontal flight speed is slow, their range is short, and they can only carry a small amount of cargo, so alternative flying vehicles are needed. [Solution] The structure of the vertical take-off and landing propulsion vehicle aims to provide a lift fan vertical take-off and landing propulsion vehicle characterized by the fact that the intake lift fan is installed in a three-stage configuration, thereby greatly increasing the amount of air inflow, and the exhaust lift fan is installed in a three-stage configuration, thereby efficiently increasing the exhaust thrust.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lift-fan vertical take-off and landing aircraft that can take off and land vertically and fly horizontally, and that can move stably left and right, forward and backward, and up and down while maintaining a stable attitude, and to attitude movement control for such an aircraft. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditional aircraft require a runway to take off. Meanwhile, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft were conceived as an alternative to conventional aircraft. The world's first practical aircraft was the Harrier attack aircraft developed by the United Kingdom in 1960. The United States subsequently developed the F35B as the Harrier's successor. Its structure is characterized by a single propulsion (horizontal flight) engine mounted at the rear of the attack aircraft's fuselage, with a vertical lift fan positioned in front of it. The lift fan is driven by a shaft extending from the jet engine, causing the front of the aircraft to rise, while the rear engine nozzle is angled 90 degrees downward to eject gas. This allows the entire aircraft to rise horizontally and even hover (stop in mid-air). Other aircraft, such as those mentioned in Reference 2, include helicopters, drones, and multicopters. These types of aircraft are used for vertical ascent and descent, hovering, and horizontal flight, respectively.

[0003] Aircraft that fly through the air can be broadly divided into airships, which achieve lift through buoyancy, and fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, which achieve lift through wing lift, based on the principle of achieving power overcoming weight. In contrast, for example, the lift-fan type vertical takeoff and landing aircraft described in Reference 1 has not yet been put into practical use as a civilian aircraft. All of the above-mentioned practical vertical takeoff and landing aircraft are military aircraft. One factor making practical use difficult is the difficulty of maintaining aircraft attitude stability during hovering or low-speed flight. Helicopters and drones have tilt-controllable propellers, and controlling the tilt angle of the propellers enables the hovering function and horizontal flight. However, accidents are likely to occur when the propellers are converted from a vertical to a horizontal position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-118891 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-100396 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems of the prior art, and the problem to be solved is to provide a lift-fan vertical take-off and landing aircraft and an attitude control method therefor, in particular a lift-fan vertical take-off and landing aircraft that can stably and quietly control its body attitude during airborne stops such as hovering and low-speed flight without affecting the operation of the lift fan, and that can move left and right, forward and backward, and up and down while maintaining a stable attitude, and a method for controlling attitude movement therefor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention will be explained as a solution to the above-mentioned problems. It is characterized by being equipped with the lift fan that generates thrust by taking in air from above and ejecting it downward inside a cylindrical fuselage. The main body of the lift fan VTOL aircraft is configured with an intake lift fan 2, an outlet lift fan 3, an outlet movable nozzle 4, and an outlet 7, all of which are located inside the cylindrical fuselage. This is also a means different from an autogyro, which cannot perform vertical ascent or hover. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The present invention provides a lift-fan vertical take-off and landing propulsion vehicle and its attitude motion control method, which enables the airborne suspension, such as hovering, by the thrust generated by the lift fan. This is a groundbreaking invention that can provide a lift-fan vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) type high-speed, long-distance, safe flight vehicle that maintains a high horizontal flight speed, travels long distances with low energy consumption, is all-weather, and is safe, stable, and comfortable. It has the lift-fan VTOL and hovering functions, simplifies take-off and ascent control, and ensures high-speed, long-distance travel. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of the external fuselage of a lift fan vertical take-off and landing propulsion aircraft of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the internal intake of the lift fan vertical take-off and landing propulsion device of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the internal nozzle of the lift fan vertical take-off and landing propulsion device of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle of the lift fan vertical take-off and landing propulsion device of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, the details of the lift-fan vertical take-off and landing propulsion vehicle, which is a main part of the embodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] The present invention is a new invention of the lift fan VTOL propulsion vehicle shown in Figure 1, which was made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide a new model of lift fan VTOL propulsion vehicle that is capable of not only ascent, descent, forward flight, and hovering, but also high-speed horizontal flight and stable flight over long distances with little energy loss. It is noteworthy that the present invention is a new concept that differs from conventional drones, helicopters, and multicopters.

[0011] 1 is a plan view of the entire lift-fan VTOL propulsion vehicle body. The rear outer surface of the lift-fan VTOL propulsion vehicle is a differential gearbox 6 with a movable nozzle outlet electric motor, which is a motor installed to drive the movable nozzle outlet 4.

[0012] In Figure 2, the air intake is equipped with the intake lift fan 2, the three-stage lift fan is for increasing the amount of air flowing in, and the rotation direction of the intake lift fan 2 is clockwise. The electric motor shaft 5 for driving the lift fan is the motor that drives the intake lift fan 2.

[0013] 3, the outlet lift fan 3 is installed in three stages, and the rotation direction of the outlet lift fan 3 is counterclockwise, so that the rotation directions of the fans rotate in opposite directions to each other to stabilize the air flow. The electric motor shaft 5 for driving the lift fan is the motor that drives the outlet lift fan 5.

[0014] FIG. 4 shows the lift-fan VTOL propulsion vehicle of the present invention, in which the variable nozzle 4 is used to change the flight path, and the differential gear 8 that drives the variable nozzle 7 structurally supports and shares the variable nozzle 4.

[0015] The intake fan in Figure 2 and the outlet fan in Figure 3 are both three-stage fans, and by making the lift fan three-stage, the amount of air flowing in is increased, thereby strengthening the propulsive force. The fan is not limited to a three-stage design.

[0016] 4, when changing course during flight, the differential gear box 6 with the movable nozzle electric motor for driving the movable nozzle nozzle 4 is attached to the rear of the outer surface of the cylindrical main body, and by driving this, the course can be changed during flight. The nozzle 7 is set to increase the propulsion force by narrowing the outlet.

[0017] This article introduces the intended use of the vertical take-off and landing propulsion vehicle of the present invention. (From here on, we will refer to the lift fan vertical land propulsion vehicle as the lift fan propulsion vehicle for short.) The vehicle (car body) equipped with the lift fan propulsion vehicle is lifted, and by tilting the lift fan propulsion vehicle forward, it is given the ability to move forward. It is equipped with flight and electric vehicle functions, and is designed for running on the ground and flying in the air. It is completely different from the recently emerging passenger drones, as these drones are equipped with two or more propellers that blow air downward, causing them to float in the air and move forward with the recoil. However, they do not have the ability to run on roads, and it is difficult to find a place to park them. Using a passenger drone requires the driver to transport it to a designated location, which can be inconvenient.

[0018] In the future, I aim to develop an electric lift fan vertical take-off and landing vehicle. The lift fan propulsion device I invented will be installed in the vehicle. It will be installed in two locations: under the hood (engine compartment) and in the rear trunk, with two units per location, for a total of four. The lift fan propulsion devices will be installed vertically, with two units arranged side-by-side, diverging downwards. During horizontal flight, the lift fan propulsion devices will tilt forward and move forward. When using the vehicle, it will consider the surrounding environment and check for obstacles before lifting and moving horizontally. It will operate when flying in the air and drive a regular car when traveling on the road, making it a two-in-one vehicle. In the future, flying cars from your backyard to your destination using both the air and roads will become a commonplace part of everyday life. It can also be used for disaster relief, flying over roads that are impassable to cars to reach your destination, allowing for rapid response to any situation.

[0019] My invention, the electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle, aims to fly in the air, run on the ground, and fly in the air at high speeds. It will also be useful for emergency transport in remote locations, mountain rescue, and sea rescue. [Explanation of symbols]

[0020] 1 Main body 2 Inlet Lift Fan 3-outlet lift fan 4 Movable nozzle 5. Shaft with electric motor for driving lift fan 6 Differential gearbox with movable nozzle and electric motor 7 spout 8 Differential gear

Claims

1. A lift-fan vertical take-off and landing propulsion vehicle having a cylindrical fuselage with an intake and an exhaust port, in which air drawn in through the intake and exhausted from the exhaust port generates propulsion, the lift-fan being provided at the front interior of the fuselage and at the rear interior of the fuselage, and a differential gearbox with an outlet-movable electric motor on the outer surface of the rear fuselage at the exhaust port, and the outlet nozzle being movably provided so that power from the electric motor is transmitted using the differential gearbox, which is installed to drive the outlet nozzle.

2. The lift-fan VTOL propulsion aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that it is provided with a movable outlet nozzle that changes the flow direction of the air ejected from the outlet and enables the aircraft to change course using a differential gearbox with an outlet-movable electric motor attached to the rear of the fuselage.

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