aircraft

Abstract

To provide an aircraft which can be navigated more stably.SOLUTION: An aircraft comprises: an aircraft body having a shell, a main wing and a tail wing; an electric propulsion device having a plurality of fans arranged around the shell, in which each fan rotates around an axis extending in a cross direction; and a power feeding cable which is connected in parallel to each electric propulsion device from a power system in the aircraft body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to aircraft. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the number of aircraft equipped with electric propulsion units as propulsion devices has been increasing. In this type of aircraft, multiple electric propulsion units are arranged in the tail section of the fuselage, as shown, for example, in Patent Document 1 below. These electric propulsion units are generally connected to a common control system and power supply system. In other words, the drive states of all the electric propulsion units are controlled in a synchronized manner. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2012-506823 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, unlike internal combustion engines, including jet engines, electric propulsors are known to suddenly fail and shut down without any warning. For this reason, the above-described configuration in which the drive states of all electric propulsors are synchronized and controlled cannot respond to failures in individual electric propulsors. As a result, there is a risk that stable aircraft operation will be hindered.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an aircraft that can be operated more stably. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, an aircraft according to the present disclosure comprises an aircraft main body having a fuselage, main wings, and a tail, a plurality of electric propulsors arranged around the periphery of the fuselage, each having a fan that rotates around an axis extending in the longitudinal direction, and a power supply cable connected in parallel to each of the electric propulsors from a power supply system within the aircraft main body. The electric propulsors are arranged in multiple circumferential directions so as to surround the fuselage, which has a circular cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, in a ring shape. The aircraft further comprises multiple control units, one for each electric propulsor, that switch the drive state of the electric propulsor, a monitoring device that detects the drive state of the electric propulsor via the multiple control units, and a main control unit that changes the drive state of the electric propulsor via the multiple control units based on the detection results of the monitoring device, and when the monitoring device detects that at least one of the electric propulsors has stopped, the main control unit switches the drive state of the electric propulsors so that the positional relationship of the driven electric propulsors is symmetrical in the up-down direction and the left-right direction of the aircraft body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an aircraft that can be operated more stably. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of an aircraft power system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of an aircraft control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of a control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the operation of the control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] (Aircraft configuration) An aircraft 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6. The aircraft 1 includes an aircraft body 10, a plurality of electric propulsion units 20 provided around the aircraft body 10, a power system 30, and a control system 40.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, an aircraft body 10 has a fuselage 11, main wings 12, a tail 13, an engine 14, and a vertical tail 16. The fuselage 11 is cylindrical and extends in the direction of travel, with space formed inside for carrying passengers and cargo. A pair of main wings 12 are provided on both sides of the fuselage 11. The main wings 12 extend in the width direction (left-right direction) of the fuselage 11. The main wings 12 provide lift to the fuselage 11. A pair of tail fins 13 are provided on the fuselage 11 behind the main wings 12. The tail fins 13 extend in the width direction (left-right direction) of the fuselage 11. The tail fins 13 provide horizontal stabilization to the fuselage 11. As an example, one engine 14 is provided for each main wing 12. The engine 14 is, for example, a turbofan engine. The vertical tail fin 16 is provided at the tail of the fuselage 11 and extends upward.

[0011] (Electric propulsion system configuration) A plurality of electric propulsors 20 are provided between the main wing 12 and the tail 13 on the fuselage 11. As shown in Fig. 2, the electric propulsors 20 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction so as to surround the periphery of the fuselage 11, which has a circular cross section. In the example of Fig. 2, no electric propulsors 20 are provided on the lower part of the fuselage 11. However, electric propulsors 20 may be provided so as to cover the entire periphery, including the lower part of the fuselage 11.

[0012] The electric propulsion device 20 has a fan 21 and a nacelle 22. The fan 21 generates rearward thrust by rotating about an axis O extending in the longitudinal direction of the aircraft 1. The nacelle 22 is cylindrical and has its center on the axis O, and covers the fan 21 from the outer periphery. Note that the electric propulsion device 20 not only generates thrust, but also has the function of reducing frictional resistance in the air by sucking in the boundary layer generated on the surface of the fuselage 11. This is expected to have the effect of improving fuel efficiency.

[0013] (Power system configuration) 3, the power system 30 includes a power supply system 31, a power supply cable 32, and an inverter 33. A generator 15 provided in addition to the engine 14 is connected to the power supply system 31. As the engine 14 is driven, the generator 15 generates electricity, and supplies the electricity to the power supply system 31. Note that a power storage device such as a battery may be connected to the power supply system 31.

[0014] The power supply cables 32 are provided to supply power to the electric propulsion units 20. One power supply cable 32 is provided for each electric propulsion unit 20. In other words, these electric propulsion units 20 are connected in parallel to the power supply system 31 via the power supply cables 32. An inverter 33 is provided on each power supply cable 32. The inverter 33 mainly performs voltage conversion and AC / DC conversion of the power supplied from the power supply system 31.

[0015] (Control system configuration) As shown in Fig. 4, the control system 40 has a control unit 41, a monitoring device 42, a main control unit 43, and a wind direction detection unit 44. The control unit 41 switches the drive state of the electric propulsion device 20. More specifically, the control unit 41 controls the rotation speed (thrust) in addition to driving and stopping the electric propulsion device 20. One control unit 41 is provided for each electric propulsion device 20.

[0016] Each control unit 41 is connected to a monitoring device 42. The monitoring device 42 detects the driving status of the electric propulsion device 20 via the control unit 41. For example, if any of the electric propulsion devices 20 stops due to an abnormality, an electrical signal to that effect is sent to the monitoring device 42.

[0017] The monitoring device 42 is connected to the main control unit 43. The main control unit 43 sends an electric signal to each control unit 41 based on the detection results of the monitoring device 42. This enables the main control unit 43 to independently change the drive state of each electric propulsion device 20 one by one. As shown in FIG. 1, the wind direction detection unit 44 is a sensor provided in the fuselage 11, which detects the direction of the wind relative to the aircraft 1 and transmits the detected wind direction to the main control unit 43 as an electric signal.

[0018] Next, an example of the operation of the control system 40 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. For example, if the monitoring device 42 detects a stop (abnormal stop) of one electric propulsion unit 20 (step S11), the main control unit 43 switches the drive states of the remaining electric propulsion units 20 that are still being driven. As an example, the main control unit 43 stops some of the remaining electric propulsion units 20 so that the remaining electric propulsion units 20 are symmetrical in the vertical and horizontal directions of the aircraft body 10 (step S12). More comprehensively, the main control unit 43 switches the drive states of these remaining electric propulsion units 20 so that the most efficient flight can be achieved using the remaining electric propulsion units 20 that are still being driven. Therefore, it is not necessary to switch the drive states of the remaining electric propulsion units 20 so that they are symmetrical in the vertical and horizontal directions as described above; they may be asymmetrical.

[0019] Next, another example of the operation of the control system 40 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. For example, if a crosswind blows against the aircraft 1, the wind direction detection unit 44 detects the direction of the wind (step S21). When a crosswind blows, there is a possibility that the aircraft 1 will change its direction of travel to the downwind side. Therefore, the main control unit 43 changes the drive state of the electric propellers 20 based on the wind direction detected by the wind direction detection unit 44. In this case, as an example, the main control unit 43 reduces the rotation speed of some of the electric propellers 20 located on the upwind side among the multiple electric propellers 20, adjusting them in a direction to reduce the thrust (step S22). As a result, the thrust directional component toward the upwind side becomes dominant, correcting the direction of travel of the aircraft 1. More comprehensively, the main control unit 43 adjusts the thrust of the electric propellers 20 to enable the most efficient flight according to the wind direction detected by the wind direction detection unit 44. Therefore, it is not necessarily necessary to reduce the propulsion force of the electric propeller 20 on the windward side as described above, and it is desirable to adjust the propulsion force of the electric propeller 20 appropriately according to the wind direction and wind speed.

[0020] (Action and effect) Unlike internal combustion engines, including jet engines, it is known that electric propulsors 20 can suddenly fail and stop without any warning. For this reason, a configuration that synchronizes and controls the drive states of all electric propulsors 20 cannot respond to failures of individual electric propulsors 20. As a result, there is a risk that stable operation of the aircraft will be hindered. Therefore, the present embodiment employs the above-described configurations.

[0021] According to the above configuration, the power supply cables 32 extending from the power supply system 31 are connected in parallel to each of the electric propulsion units 20. This allows the remaining electric propulsion units 20 to continue to operate even if, for example, one of the electric propulsion units 20 fails. This allows the aircraft 1 to operate more stably.

[0022] Furthermore, with the above configuration, one control unit 41 is provided for each electric propulsion device 20. The driving state of each electric propulsion device 20 is detected by a monitoring device 42. The main control unit 43 changes the driving state of each electric propulsion device 20 based on the detection results of the monitoring device 42. As a result, even if an abnormality occurs in one of the electric propulsion devices 20, it is possible to control the driving state of the remaining electric propulsion devices 20 independently of the other electric propulsion devices 20. Therefore, even with a configuration including multiple electric propulsion devices 20, it is possible to improve fail-safety.

[0023] Furthermore, with the above configuration, when at least one electric propulsion unit 20 stops, the main control unit 43 switches the drive states of the remaining electric propulsion units 20 that continue to operate so that the positions of the remaining electric propulsion units 20 that continue to operate are symmetrical in the vertical and horizontal directions. This reduces the possibility of thrust imbalance even if a failure occurs in one of the electric propulsion units 20. This makes it possible to operate the aircraft 1 more stably and autonomously.

[0024] In addition, with the above configuration, when a crosswind or the like is detected by the wind direction detection unit 44, control is performed to reduce the thrust of the electric propulsion unit 20 located on the upwind side. As a result, the thrust directional component facing the upwind side becomes relatively larger. This reduces the possibility that the direction of travel of the aircraft 1 will change due to the wind. Therefore, the stability of the aircraft 1 can be further improved.

[0025] (Other embodiments) The above describes an embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted that various changes and modifications can be made to the above configuration without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, the control by the control system 40 described above is merely an example, and any operation that can be achieved by independently controlling each electric propulsion device 20 is included in the present disclosure.

[0026] Furthermore, the above-mentioned control unit 41, monitoring device 42, and main control unit 43 are preferably implemented by a computer having a central processing unit, a main memory device, and an auxiliary memory device, and by a program running on the computer.

[0027] <Additional Notes> The aircraft 1 described in each embodiment can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0028] (1) The aircraft 1 according to the first aspect comprises an aircraft body 10 having a fuselage 11, main wings 12 and a tail 13, a plurality of electric propulsors 20 arranged around the periphery of the fuselage 11, each having a fan 21 that rotates around an axis O extending in the fore-and-aft direction, and a power supply cable 32 connected in parallel from a power supply system 31 within the aircraft body 10 to each of the electric propulsors 20.

[0029] According to the above configuration, the power supply cables 32 extending from the power supply system 31 are connected in parallel to each of the electric propulsion units 20. As a result, even if, for example, one of the electric propulsion units 20 fails, the remaining electric propulsion units 20 can continue to operate.

[0030] (2) The aircraft 1 according to the second aspect is the aircraft 1 of (1), further comprising a plurality of control units 41, one for each of the electric propulsors 20, for switching the drive state of the electric propulsors 20, a monitoring device 42 for detecting the drive state of the electric propulsors 20 via the plurality of control units 41, and a main control unit 43 for changing the drive state of the electric propulsors 20 via the plurality of control units 41 based on the detection results of the monitoring device 42.

[0031] According to the above configuration, one control unit 41 is provided for each electric propulsion device 20. The driving state of each electric propulsion device 20 is detected by a monitoring device 42. The main control unit 43 changes the driving state of each electric propulsion device 20 based on the detection results of the monitoring device 42. As a result, even if an abnormality occurs in one of the electric propulsion devices 20, it is possible to independently control the driving state of the remaining electric propulsion devices 20.

[0032] (3) The aircraft 1 according to the third aspect is the aircraft 1 of (2), in which, when the monitoring device 42 detects the stoppage of at least one of the electric propulsors 20, the main control unit 43 switches the driving state of the electric propulsors 20 to enable efficient operation.

[0033] According to the above configuration, even if one of the electric propulsion devices 20 stops, the aircraft 1 can be operated efficiently.

[0034] (4) In the aircraft 1 according to the fourth aspect, when the monitoring device 42 detects the stoppage of at least one of the electric propulsors 20 in the aircraft 1 of (2) or (3), the main control unit 43 switches the driving state of the electric propulsors 20 so that the positional relationship of the driven electric propulsors 20 is symmetrical in the vertical and horizontal directions of the aircraft body 10.

[0035] According to the above configuration, when at least one electric propulsion unit 20 stops, the drive state of the remaining electric propulsion units 20 that continue to drive is switched so that the positional relationship between them becomes symmetrical in the vertical and horizontal directions. This reduces the possibility of an imbalance in thrust.

[0036] (5) The aircraft 1 according to the fifth aspect is the aircraft 1 according to any one of aspects (2) to (4), and further includes a wind direction detection unit 44 provided on the aircraft body 10 to detect the wind direction, and the main control unit 43 adjusts the propulsion force of the electric propeller 20 based on the wind direction detected by the wind direction detection unit 44 to enable efficient operation.

[0037] According to the above configuration, even if wind blows toward the aircraft 1, it is possible to realize efficient operation of the aircraft 1 in accordance with the direction of the wind.

[0038] (6) The aircraft 1 according to the sixth aspect is the aircraft 1 according to any one of the aspects (2) to (5), and further includes a wind direction detection unit 44 provided on the aircraft body 10 to detect the wind direction, and the main control unit 43 adjusts the propulsion force of the electric propeller 20 located on the upwind side in a direction to decrease the propulsion force based on the wind direction detected by the wind direction detection unit 44.

[0039] According to the above configuration, by reducing the thrust of the electric propulsion unit 20 located on the windward side, the thrust directional component toward the windward side becomes relatively larger, thereby reducing the possibility that the traveling direction of the aircraft 1 will change due to the wind. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 aircraft 10. Aircraft body 11. Torso 12 Main wing 13 tail fin 14 Engine 15. Generator 16 Vertical stabilizer 20 Electric propulsion 21 Fan 22 Nacelle 30 Power Systems 31 Power system 32 Power supply cable 33 Inverter 40 Control System 41 Control Unit 42 Monitoring equipment 43 Main Control Unit 44 Wind direction detector O axis

Claims

1. an aircraft body having a fuselage, main wings, and a tail; a plurality of electric propulsion units arranged around the fuselage, each having a fan that rotates around an axis extending in the front-to-rear direction; a power supply cable connected in parallel to each of the electric propulsion units from a power supply system in the aircraft body; Equipped with a plurality of the electric propulsors are arranged in a circumferential direction so as to annularly surround the periphery of the fuselage, which has a circular cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the fore-and-aft direction; a plurality of control units, each provided for each of the electric propulsors, for switching the drive states of the electric propulsors; a monitoring device that detects the driving state of the electric propulsion device via the plurality of control units; a main control unit that changes the driving state of the electric propulsion device via the plurality of control units based on the detection results of the monitoring device; Furthermore, an aircraft in which, when the monitoring device detects a stop of at least one of the electric propulsors, the main control unit switches the drive state of the electric propulsors so that the positional relationship of the driven electric propulsors is symmetrical in the vertical and horizontal directions of the aircraft body.

2. 2. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein, when the monitoring device detects a stop of at least one of the electric propulsion units, the main control unit switches the drive state of the electric propulsion unit so as to enable efficient flight.

3. a wind direction detection unit provided in the aircraft body for detecting a wind direction; 3. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the main control unit adjusts the thrust of the electric propulsion unit based on the wind direction detected by the wind direction detection unit to enable efficient flight.

4. a wind direction detection unit provided in the aircraft body for detecting a wind direction; 4. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the main control unit adjusts the thrust of the electric propulsion unit located on the upwind side in a direction to decrease the thrust, based on the wind direction detected by the wind direction detection unit.

Images