Modular Lift Propulsion Module for Tiltrotor Aircraft
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Solution Overview
Problem
The conventional method for manufacturing tiltrotor aircraft is laborious and costly, requiring custom parts for each aircraft, resulting in minimal parts commonality and duplicative logistics, which can take years to produce and incur high engineering hours.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a lift propulsion module that is configured to be connected to at least two different fuselages, allowing for modular design and manufacturing, where compatible mission data sets are determined, and specifications are harmonized and optimized to meet various design missions, including military and commercial requirements, enabling the use of interchangeable components across disparate aircraft configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional custom manufacturing method is used for each tiltrotor aircraft, then each aircraft can be precisely tailored to customer requirements, but production time increases to years and engineering hours become thousands
Solution Approach 1:
The aircraft is divided into modular components including fuselage, wings, rotor systems, and empennage that can be independently manufactured and assembled. This segmentation allows parallel production of modules while maintaining customization capability through selective combination of modules.
Solution Approach 2:
Standardized fuselage and wing modules are designed to be universally applicable across multiple aircraft configurations. The same basic fuselage module can serve different mission requirements through configuration changes, reducing the number of unique parts needed while maintaining adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If custom parts are manufactured for each aircraft, then specific design missions are satisfied, but parts commonality is minimal and duplicative logistics occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universal fuselage and wing modules that can be configured for different missions (commercial, military, cargo, passenger) without requiring unique parts for each configuration. This universality increases parts commonality while maintaining the ability to satisfy specific design missions through modular assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The aircraft design incorporates dynamic reconfigurability where modules can be assembled and disassembled to create different aircraft configurations. This dynamic approach allows the same physical parts to serve multiple mission purposes, reducing the total number of unique components required.
3Reliability
If extensive engineering and manufacturing steps are taken for each aircraft, then certification requirements are met, but laborious processes and high costs are incurred
Solution Approach 1:
The modular components are pre-certified individually before final assembly. By obtaining certification for standardized modules in advance, the overall aircraft certification process is accelerated since the modules have already demonstrated compliance with relevant standards, reducing the engineering burden on final assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The certification process is segmented into module-level certifications followed by system-level integration certification. This segmentation allows parallel development of certification documentation for different modules while maintaining overall compliance, simplifying the manufacturing process compared to certifying entire custom aircraft from scratch.
4Manufacturing precision
If tailored design is performed for each aircraft, then specific performance requirements are achieved, but duplicative logistics and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs universal modules that can be configured for different performance requirements through assembly variations rather than custom manufacturing. This approach maintains manufacturing precision for specific missions while eliminating duplicative logistics since the same modules serve multiple performance needs.
Data Source
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Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
A method for facilitating the design and manufacturing of a tiltrotor aircraft (100), including the steps of: determining (210) a compatible mission data set; identifying (230) lift propulsion module components for the compatible mission data set; determining (250) compatible specifications; and generating (260) a design for a lift propulsion module (110); wherein the lift propulsion module (110) is configured to be connected to at least two different fuselages (301a-301e). There is also a method of designing a tiltrotor aircraft, comprising the step of modularizing a lift propulsion system, wherein the lift propulsion system is configured to be connected to at least two different fuselages (301a-301e). In another aspect, there is a tiltrotor aircraft including a fuselage; and a lift propulsion module (410), the lift propulsion module (410) including a mounting surface (446); wherein the lift propulsion module (410) is coupled to the fuselage on the mounting surface (446). Also included are methods of assembling and systems including a lift propulsion module.