Planetary Multi-Motor Electric Drive for Redundant Aircraft Torque Output
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electric flight vehicles face challenges in improving energy efficiency, safety, and reliability due to insufficient key performance of power devices, particularly in scenarios requiring high power, such as active civil aircraft and helicopters.
Innovation Solution
A novel electric driving force device is designed with multiple driving motors distributed in a planetary and parallel manner, utilizing a reducing mechanism and one-way bearings to ensure continuous power output, redundancy, and efficient torque transmission, controlled by inverters to maintain stability and reduce maintenance costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple driving motors are distributed in a planetary and parallel manner, then power redundancy and reliability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The power device is segmented into multiple independent driving motors (at least two) distributed in a planetary arrangement around the output shaft. Each motor independently drives the output shaft, creating modular redundancy where failure of one motor does not compromise the entire system. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by distributing functionality across multiple simple units rather than relying on a single complex motor.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple driving motors are merged into a single planetary drive system where all motors cooperate to drive the common output shaft. The motors are combined in space (radial distribution) and function (parallel power contribution), achieving reliability through redundancy while maintaining relatively simple individual motor designs. This merging approach allows the system to benefit from multiple power sources without requiring each source to be overly complex.
2Force
If a reducing mechanism is used to reduce speed and increase torque, then torque output is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reducing mechanism serves multiple functions simultaneously: it reduces speed from the driving motors, increases torque for the output shaft, and provides a compact planetary gear structure that integrates multiple gear stages. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by achieving torque multiplication without adding separate complex mechanisms for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The planetary reducing mechanism employs a nested structure where planet gears are positioned around and mesh with a central sun gear, and the entire assembly is contained within a compact housing. The planet carriers, sun gear, and ring gear are nested in concentric arrangements, achieving high torque multiplication in a compact space. This nesting resolves the contradiction by providing substantial torque increase without proportionally increasing device complexity or size.
3Reliability
If one-way bearings are used to ensure continuous power output, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
One-way bearings (overrunning clutches) are introduced as intermediary elements between the driving motors and the output shaft. These bearings act as mediators that automatically engage or disengage power transmission based on rotational direction, ensuring continuous power output even if one motor fails or needs to rotate in reverse. This intermediary component resolves the contradiction by providing automatic failover protection without requiring complex control systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enhances power redundancy, safety, and reliability, reduces maintenance costs, and improves energy efficiency by allowing selective operation of motors and ensuring minimum output requirements, thus enabling the rapid electrification of flight vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
driving motors refer to permanent magnet synchronous driving motors in the form of radial-flux inner rotors
Implementation Method 2
the reducing mechanism consists of driving wheels (105) and driven wheels (104), playing a role in reducing a rotation speed of driving motors and increasing torque
Implementation Method 3
the one-way bearing consists of an inner ring, an outer ring, a holder, and an irregular roller (an irregular needle roller), and refers to a clutch that transmits one-way rotational (forward or reverse rotation) power
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure belongs to the technical field of flight vehicle power devices, and particularly relates to a novel electric driving force device. More than two sets of driving motors are distributed in a solar planetary manner on a radial spatial plane with an output shaft as a center of gyration, to drive more than one set of reducing mechanism in parallel, so as to provide electric driving power for a flight vehicle.