Aircraft

Abstract

The present invention reduces air drag, thereby increasing a lift-to-drag ratio, which is a ratio of a lift value to a drag value, and improving fuel efficiency. The present invention comprises: wings 3 provided to a fuselage 2; gurney flaps 4 for generating lift, which are provided to the wings 3; and propellers 5 which accelerate fluid and are provided to the wings 3. The propellers 5 are arranged so as to accelerate fluid flow, generating lift on the basis of the gurney flaps 4. The fluid flow, which generates lift on the basis of the gurney flaps 4, is directly accelerated, keeping drag low and increasing the lift-to-drag ratio.

Description

flying object

[0001] The present invention relates to an aircraft having wings with flaps.

[0002] When an aircraft flies through the air, a large amount of energy is lost due to air drag, and it is known that the lift-to-drag ratio, which is the ratio of lift to drag, is directly proportional to energy efficiency. For this reason, for aircraft with wings that generate lift, various technologies have been proposed to increase lift by providing flaps on the wings (for example, Patent Document 1). By providing flaps on the wings, the aircraft's lift can be increased, and it is expected that fuel consumption will be reduced.

[0003] However, while adding flaps to the wings can increase lift, the weight of the flaps also increases air resistance, meaning that the lift-to-drag ratio, or the ratio of resistance to lift, does not increase, and there is a limit to how much fuel consumption can be reduced.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-10593

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide an aircraft having wings with flaps that can suppress air drag and increase the lift-to-drag ratio, which is the ratio of lift to drag.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the aircraft of the present invention according to claim 1 has wings attached to a main body (fuselage), flaps attached to the wings for generating lift, and propellers attached to the wings for accelerating a fluid, the propellers being arranged to accelerate the flow of the fluid that generates lift based on the flaps.

[0007] In the present invention according to claim 1, the fluid that is straightened by the flap to generate lift and flows behind the wing, combined with the fluid accelerated by the propeller (accelerated fluid moving away from the propeller), directly accelerates the flow of the fluid that generates lift based on the flap, making it possible to reduce drag and increase the lift-to-drag ratio compared to when only flaps are provided.

[0008] As the flap, for example, a gurney flap, a split flap, a plain flap, or a slotted flap can be applied.

[0009] Therefore, in an aircraft having wings equipped with flaps, air drag can be suppressed and the lift-to-drag ratio, which is the ratio of lift to drag, can be increased, making it possible to reduce fuel consumption (improve fuel efficiency).

[0010] The aircraft of the present invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the aircraft described in claim 1, the propellers are arranged on both sides of the wing and within a predetermined distance from the position of the flap.

[0011] In the present invention according to claim 2, propellers are arranged on both sides (upper and lower) of the wing, and the propellers are in close proximity to the flaps.

[0012] Furthermore, the flying body of the present invention according to claim 3 is the flying body according to claim 2, characterized in that the predetermined distance is a value that is 3 / 10 or less of the diameter of the propeller.

[0013] In the present invention according to claim 3, the position at which the propeller is disposed (the distance from the flap) can be quantified based on the value of the diameter of the propeller relative to the position of the flap.

[0014] Furthermore, the aircraft of the present invention according to claim 4 is the aircraft according to claim 3, characterized in that the flap is a Gurney flap erected perpendicularly to the trailing edge of the wing, and the height of the Gurney flap is set to 1% to 10% of the chord length of the wing.

[0015] In the present invention according to claim 4, the height of the Gurney flap is set to 1 to 10% (for example, approximately 2 to 7%, preferably approximately 5%) of the chord length of the wing, thereby making it possible to increase lift while suppressing a decrease in the lift-to-drag ratio (minimizing an increase in drag).

[0016] Furthermore, the flying body of the present invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that in the flying body described in any one of claims 1 to 4, the wing is freely tiltable between a position where the accelerating fluid by the propeller is generated downward and a position where the accelerating fluid by the propeller is generated behind the direction of travel.

[0017] In the present invention according to claim 5, the position of the propeller can be changed by tilting the wings so that vertical navigation (hovering) and horizontal navigation are possible.

[0018] The aircraft of the present invention, which has wings equipped with flaps, can suppress air drag and increase the lift-to-drag ratio, which is the ratio of drag to lift.

[0019] Fig. 1 is a side view of an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a front view of an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 is a conceptual diagram explaining the positional relationship between a wing and a propeller; Fig. 4 is a side view of an aircraft flying in a vertical direction; Fig. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the wing angle of elevation and lift; Fig. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the wing angle of elevation and lift-to-drag ratio.

[0020] The configuration of the aircraft of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

[0021] Fig. 1 shows a side view of the aircraft according to one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 shows a front view of the aircraft, Fig. 3 shows a conceptual diagram for explaining the positional relationship between the wings and propellers, and Fig. 4 shows a side view of the aircraft flying vertically (hovering). Fig. 5 shows a graph representing the relationship between the wing angle of elevation and lift, and Fig. 6 shows a graph representing the relationship between the wing angle of elevation and lift-to-drag ratio.

[0022] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, wings 3 are provided on the left and right sides of a fuselage 2, which is the main body of an aircraft 1. A flap (a Gurney flap erected perpendicular to the trailing edge) 4 for generating lift is provided on the trailing edge (right edge in Figure 1) of the wing 3. In addition, a propeller 5 for accelerating a fluid is provided on the wing 3 via an arm member 6, and the propeller 5 is arranged so as to accelerate the flow of the fluid that generates lift based on the Gurney flap 4.

[0023] That is, the propellers 5 are arranged via the arm members 6 at an angle θ (for example, 20 degrees) in the clockwise direction in the drawing, and the propellers 5 are arranged above and below the wing 3 (on both sides of the wing 3). The propellers 5 are arranged within a predetermined distance from the position of the Gurney flap 4 (the trailing edge of the wing 3). The propellers 5 may be configured with, for example, four blades, eight blades, or twelve blades.

[0024] The height of the Gurney flap 4 is set to 1% to 10% (for example, about 2% to 7%, preferably about 5%) of the chord length (length in the left-right direction in FIG. 1) of the wing 3. This makes it possible to increase lift while suppressing a decrease in the lift-to-drag ratio (minimizing an increase in drag).

[0025] 3, the predetermined distance r is set to a value equal to or less than three-tenths (for example, 0.1D) of the diameter D (diameter value) of the propeller 5. Therefore, the position at which the propeller 5 is disposed (the distance from the Gurney flap 4) is quantified based on the diameter D of the propeller 5, and the propeller 5 is disposed in close proximity to the Gurney flap 4 (the trailing edge of the wing 3).

[0026] Since the propellers 5 are arranged close to both sides (above and below) of the Gurney flaps 4 (the trailing edges of the wings 3), the fluid flowing behind the wings 3 (the fluid rectified by the Gurney flaps 4) is accelerated, thereby reducing drag.

[0027] The flaps may be split flaps, plain flaps, or slotted flaps. The predetermined distance r is set to any value within a range of 3 / 10 or less of the diameter D (diameter value) of the propeller 5.

[0028] As shown in Figure 4, the wings 3 of the aircraft 1 are tiltable between a position (the position shown) in which the propeller 5 generates an accelerating fluid downward, and a position (the position shown in Figure 1) in which the propeller generates an accelerating fluid behind the direction of travel.

[0029] In other words, it is configured to be able to tilt freely in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and the wings can be tilted to change the position of the propeller so that it can navigate vertically (hover) and horizontally.

[0030] In the aircraft 1 configured as described above, the fluid that is straightened by the Gurney flap 4 and flows behind the wing 3 to generate lift, combined with the fluid accelerated by the propeller 5 (accelerated fluid moving away from the propeller), directly accelerates the flow of fluid that generates lift based on the Gurney flap 4, thereby reducing drag and increasing the lift-to-drag ratio compared to when only the Gurney flap 4 is provided.

[0031] In other words, it becomes possible to increase the lift relative to the drag, i.e., it becomes possible to maintain the desired lift with less drag, and in an aircraft 1 having wings 3 equipped with Gurney flaps 4, it becomes possible to suppress air drag and increase the lift-to-drag ratio, which is the ratio of lift value to drag value, and it becomes possible to reduce fuel consumption (improve fuel efficiency) and improve flight efficiency.

[0032] The results of lift verification will be explained with reference to FIG.

[0033] As shown by the thick solid line in FIG. 5, it was confirmed that in the aircraft 1 equipped with the Gurney flaps 4 and the propeller 5, the lift force increases as the angle of elevation of the wing 3 increases.

[0034] It was also confirmed that the lift force when the Gurney flaps 4 and the propeller 5 were provided was higher than the lift force when only the propeller 5 was provided, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 5. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the lift force when the Gurney flaps 4 and the propeller 5 were provided was significantly higher than the lift force when only the Gurney flaps 4 were provided, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 5.

[0035] Therefore, it can be confirmed that by providing the Gurney flap 4 and the propeller 5, it is possible to increase the lift.

[0036] The results of the confirmation of the lift-to-drag ratio will be explained based on FIG.

[0037] As shown by the thick solid line in Figure 6, it was confirmed that in the aircraft 1 equipped with the Gurney flaps 4 and the propeller 5, the lift-to-drag ratio increases until the angle of elevation of the wing 3 reaches a predetermined angle α, and then the value of the lift-to-drag ratio is maintained once the angle of elevation reaches the predetermined angle.

[0038] It was also confirmed that the lift-to-drag ratio when the Gurney flaps 4 and the propeller 5 were provided was higher by an increment of S than the lift-to-drag ratio when only the propeller 5 was provided, as indicated by the dashed line in Figure 6. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the lift-to-drag ratio when the Gurney flaps 4 and the propeller 5 were provided was significantly higher than the lift-to-drag ratio when only the Gurney flaps 4 were provided, as indicated by the dotted line in Figure 6, or when the Gurney flaps 4 and the propeller 5 were not provided.

[0039] Therefore, it can be confirmed that the provision of the Gurney flap 4 and the propeller 5 makes it possible to increase the lift-to-drag ratio.

[0040] Therefore, by arranging the propellers 5 close to both sides (above and below) of the Gurney flaps 4 (the trailing edge of the wing 3) (at 0.1D, 1 / 10 of the diameter D of the propeller 5), the fluid flowing on the rear side of the wing 3 (fluid straightened by the Gurney flaps 4) is accelerated, reducing drag, and it was confirmed that by providing the Gurney flaps 4 and the propellers 5, it is possible to increase the lift-to-drag ratio.

[0041] The above-described aircraft 1, which has wings 3 equipped with Gurney flaps 4, can suppress air drag and increase the lift-to-drag ratio, which is the ratio of lift to drag, thereby making it possible to reduce fuel consumption (improve fuel efficiency).

[0042] The present invention can be used in the industrial field of aircraft having wings with flaps.

[0043] 1 Aircraft 2 Fuselage 3 Wing 4 Flap (Gurney flap) 5 Propeller 6 Arm member

Claims

1. An aircraft comprising: wings attached to a main body; flaps attached to said wings for generating lift; and propellers attached to said wings for accelerating a fluid, said propellers being arranged to accelerate the flow of fluid that generates lift based on said flaps.

2. An aircraft as described in claim 1, wherein the propellers are arranged on both sides of the wing and within a predetermined distance from the flap.

3. An aircraft according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined distance is equal to or less than three-tenths of the diameter of the propeller.

4. An aircraft as described in claim 3, wherein the flap is a Gurney flap erected vertically on the trailing edge of the wing, and the height of the Gurney flap is set to 1% to 10% of the chord length of the wing.

5. An aircraft as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the wings are freely tiltable between a position where the propeller generates an accelerating fluid downward and a position where the propeller generates an accelerating fluid to the rear of the direction of travel.

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