RU2753444C1 - High-speed hybrid coaxial electric helicopter - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: aircraft engineering.

SUBSTANCE: high-speed hybrid coaxial electric helicopter contains a fuselage, coaxial rotors with electric motors and simplified independent swashplates located under them, side propulsion units.

EFFECT: improved controllability and cruise speed of rotary-wing aircraft is provided.

9 cl, 6 dwg

Description

Technology area

The invention relates to aircraft engineering, in particular, to helicopter engineering, namely, to combined vertical take-off and landing helicopters with two or more propellers, including those placed coaxially.

Prior art

The problems of increasing safety, maneuverability, flight speed and reliability of aircraft control are considered as the main ones in the design of helicopters.

Known helicopter with coaxial rotors (RF 2265554, 04/01/2004) and a control system that includes two swashplate and kinematically associated with them two link arms for controlling the angle of the blades.

Known helicopter with coaxial rotors (RF 176027, 07/18/2016) with a diameter of the upper rotor smaller than the diameter of the lower rotor to prevent overlapping of the blades, and control the total and differential pitch of the blades through the swashplate.

A coaxial system of helicopter rotor blades is known (RF 173218, 11/14/2016) with a control system containing a swashplate and a control device for the differential pitch of the rotor blades.

The concept of a high-speed rotorcraft (RF 2539679, 11/19/2013) is known with one large upper main rotor, two additional propellers in folding wings and a propeller in a ring at the end of the tail boom. Additional propellers can turn from the horizontal plane during takeoff / landing into the vertical plane during horizontal flight like a tiltrotor. The disadvantage of the proposed concept is the increased complexity of control of the aircraft by means of propellers during the transition from take-off-landing to horizontal flight and back.

In US patent 10822076 (03.11.2020), a two-rotor rotorcraft was proposed, having two coaxial main rotor with tilt mechanisms and a pusher rotor in the tail section. An additional pusher propeller provides an increase in the cruise speed of the aircraft, however, a structurally and technologically complex assembly of the gearbox and the rotor swashplate remains. This patent can be considered as a prototype of the solution we are claiming.

The disadvantages of the above technical solutions are the excessive complexity of the rotor swashplate mechanisms, the rotor transmission, and the limited ability to maneuver and achieve high cruise speeds during flight. The technical complexity of the swashplate mechanisms lies in the need for cyclic control of the position of the coaxial rotor blades when mounting the rotor hubs with blades and the swashplate on the rotating axis, while the axis is driven by the engine through a gearbox installed in the helicopter fuselage.

One of the possibilities to overcome the above problems of increasing the controllability and cruise speed of rotary-wing aircraft is the development of high-speed combined (hybrid) helicopters using additional propellers and the location of electric motors and gearbox directly under or above the main rotor, in this case it is possible to use a fixed mast for fastening independent rotor rotor groups with the location of the swashplate control system inside the fixed mast.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 Hybrid electric helicopter, general view.

FIG. 2. Hybrid electric helicopter, side view.

FIG. H. Hybrid electric helicopter, top view.

FIG. 4. Hybrid electric helicopter, front view.

FIG. 5. Side rotor group of a hybrid electric helicopter.

FIG. 6. Simplified swashplate.

Disclosure of the essence of the invention

The combined electric helicopter contains a fuselage, which includes a cockpit, two coaxial counter-rotating main rotor with an independent drive, each of which has a main rotor hub with a two- or three-bladed propeller, a simplified swashplate with one control rocker. The fuselage is equipped with at least four lateral rotor groups.

The technical objective of the invention is to create a vertical take-off and landing rotorcraft with improved reliability, controllability, maneuverability and cruise speed characteristics in comparison with analogues.

The solution to the technical problem consists in the joint use to ensure the flight of coaxial rotors with counter-rotation in horizontal planes and lateral pushing (and / or pulling) screws rotating around the transverse axis. Both groups of propellers, namely, the main and side propellers, have their own control loops that allow independent control of the vertical and horizontal movements of the hybrid helicopter in flight, respectively.

The use of coaxial rotors only for the purpose of creating a lift for the movement of the hybrid electric helicopter in the vertical direction makes it possible to simplify the swashplate mechanism and limit the use of the following swashplate functions: independent change in the total pitch of the upper and lower screws, independent tilt of the swashplate around only the transverse axis. In this technical solution, the simplification of the swashplate mechanism consists in simplifying the kinematic diagram: reducing the functions (instead of simultaneously tilting the swashplate along 2 axes, tilt around one axis is used) and positioning the swashplate on a stationary mast. The swashplate drive is located inside the hollow mast. The swash plates are independent, not kinematically interconnected by rods.

The technical result consists in a significant increase in the reliability, controllability and maneuverability of the hybrid electric helicopter by simplifying its technical implementation as a result of simplifying the swashplate mechanisms and expanding their functions due to the independent control of the swashplate of the lower and upper rotor and additional independent flight control systems in vertical and horizontal planes with the combined use of bearing and lateral rotor groups. A significant increase in the cruise speed of a hybrid electric helicopter is also achieved through the use of lateral (pull / push) propeller-driven groups.

Significant differences between the proposed solution and the prototype are as follows:

- all screws are driven by electric motors;

- electric motors and gearboxes of the upper and lower propeller are located on a fixed mast in the immediate vicinity of the propeller hub;

- significant simplification and lightening of the rotor drive transmission;

- simplified control of the rotor rotor is achieved by simplifying the design of the swash plate and the implementation of an independent swash plate for the upper and lower rotor;

- the expansion of the possibilities of controlling the rotor is achieved due to the possibility of independent adjustment of the revolutions, the total pitch and the cyclic pitch (along one axis) of the upper and lower rotor;

- the functions performed by the swashplate of the main rotors and the pusher propeller are taken over by the four swivel propellers in the impeller;

- a simplification of the design and an increase in reliability is achieved due to the rejection of the transmission for the main, steering and pushing screws;

- coaxial propellers are independently driven by gearboxes with electric motors located directly under each coaxial rotor.

The design of the inventive high-speed hybrid coaxial electric helicopter is shown in FIG. 1-5.

FIG. 1 shows a general view of the proposed high-speed hybrid coaxial electric helicopter. The design of the aircraft includes the fuselage (1), coaxial upper (2) and lower (3) main rotors, front side propellers in the impeller with 110 ° swivel mechanism (4), rear side propellers in the impeller with 110 ° swivel mechanism (5 ). The general view of the hybrid electric helicopter contains the main elements of the claimed aircraft and reflects its appearance in one of the possible designs, which does not exclude the performance of the hybrid electric helicopter in any other design.

FIG. 2. schematically shows a side view of a hybrid electric helicopter and shows the main elements of the inventive aircraft: fuselage (1), front side screws in the impeller with 110 ° swivel mechanism (4), rear side screws in the impeller with 110 ° swivel mechanism (5) , lower screw motor with gear (6), lower screw motor with gear (7), simplified lower screw swashplate (8), simplified upper screw swashplate (9).

FIG. 3. shows a view of the claimed hybrid electric helicopter from above and shows the relative position of the front (4) and rear (5) side propeller-motor groups (hereinafter VMP) with a rotary mechanism and steering surfaces located in the flow of the front (10) VMGs, steering surfaces located in the flow of the rear (11) VMGs, providing roll and pitch control of the aircraft.

FIG. 4 shows front views of the claimed hybrid electric helicopter.

FIG. 5 schematically depicts the rear side propeller group, consisting of: steering surfaces in the flow of the rear side propellers (11), the impeller ring (12), the propeller (13), the propeller electric drive (14).

FIG. 6 schematically shows the design of the rotor drive, including: electric motors of the lower (15) and upper (20) screws, the gearbox of the lower (16) and upper (21) screws, the sleeve of the lower (17) and upper (22) screws, the swash plate of the lower ( 18) and upper (23) screws, drive plates of the swashplate of the lower (19) and upper (24) screws and a fixed mast for fastening units of coaxial screws (25).

The proposed design of the helicopter works as follows. The hybrid helicopter is unmanned, the automatic flight control system (FS) independently controls a group of electric motors on gearboxes 6 and 7, which drive the lower 3 and upper 2 three-bladed rotor. The control of the common pitch and the cyclic pitch along one control channel of the rotor 3 and 2 is carried out by the control system through the actuators with an electric drive. In total, the control system with coaxial rotors has 6 control channels (revolutions, total pitch and cyclic pitch of the upper and lower propellers.

On the proposed design of a hybrid electric helicopter, independent rotor drive mechanisms (electric motors 15 and 20, gearboxes 16 and 21, bushings 17 and 22, swash plates 18 and 23) are assembled on a fixed hollow mast 25. Inside the hollow mast there is an independent control system for general and cyclic pitch of screws and located power and control power to the electric drives of the screws. This solution became possible as a result of placing the rotor electric drive in the immediate vicinity of the propellers, this solution eliminates the complex and heavy transmission for the helicopter rotor.

The angular rotational speeds and the pitch of the upper and lower rotors can be different, in which case the reactive moments of the rotors 2 and 3 can be compensated for by independently adjusting the pitch of the screws 8 and 9.

During takeoff / landing, vertical and directional control is carried out due to the rotors, the roll and pitch is carried out due to the different thrust of the lateral propeller groups 4 and 5, while the axes of the side VMPs are deployed vertically, along the longitudinal and transverse displacement due to the deflection of the aerodynamic control surfaces by lateral VMG. Lateral VMGs have the ability to steplessly turn from the horizontal (flight) position to the vertical (takeoff) position. During the transition to horizontal flight (the lateral VMHs steplessly rotate into a horizontal position, roll and pitch control is carried out using aerodynamic rudders 10 and 11, installed in the air flow from the lateral VMHs.

In horizontal flight, vertical and directional control is carried out at the expense of the rotors, roll and pitch is carried out due to the deflection of the aerodynamic control surfaces on the lateral HMVs, the longitudinal control of the flight speed is carried out by the thrust of the side HMVs.

The proposed invention makes it possible to simplify the design of the coaxial rotor of the helicopter, improve the flight performance in horizontal flight, increase the reliability of the helicopter control actuators, and also reduce the costs in the process of manufacturing the helicopter.

A positive result is achieved by dividing the control loops between the main coaxial rotors 2 and 3 and the side VMGs 4 and 5. The main rotors 2 and 3 provide vertical and directional control by changing the total pitch and the possibility of separate control of the rotation speeds of the coaxial propellers. Roll and pitch control, as well as horizontal speed control, is carried out due to lateral VMGs 4 and 5. The angular speed, total and cyclic pitch of the upper 2 and lower 3 propellers are independently adjusted by the helicopter control system, which increases the efficiency of the coaxial propeller over the entire vertical range. and horizontal flight speeds. As a result of the separate control of the rotational speeds of the propellers, the total and cyclic pitch, the control system of the aircraft receives ample opportunities for balancing and controlling the reactive moment of both rotors, which prevents spontaneous rotation of the helicopter around the axis of the rotors and effective control along the course.

During an emergency landing, an increase in safety is achieved due to the independent control of the main rotors 2 and 3 and the lateral VGMs 4 and 5; in case of failure of one or more VMG components, a safe controlled descent and landing is ensured. In the event of a power failure, landing is carried out due to autorotation, the power of the swashplate drives 8 and 9 is carried out from a redundant power system.

The power system of a hybrid high-speed helicopter can be implemented on one of the following power sources: battery, hybrid power plants based on gasoline internal combustion engines with installed generators, power systems based on an electrochemical generator on fuel cells.

Claims (9)

1. High-speed hybrid coaxial electric helicopter, including the fuselage, coaxial rotors with electric motors located under them and simplified independent swash plates, with the tilt of the plate only around one transverse axis, the rotor, as well as side rotor groups, characterized in that the swash plates together with the main rotor drive is provided only for vertical and directional control, and the control of the flight speed along the roll and pitch is carried out by the lateral rotor groups. 2. The high-speed hybrid coaxial electric helicopter according to claim 1, characterized in that the electric motors and reduction gears of the rotor drive are located on a stationary hollow mast in the immediate vicinity of the rotor hubs. 3. High-speed hybrid coaxial electric helicopter according to claim 1, characterized in that the side propellers are located in annular impellers with steering flaps mounted on them. 4. High-speed hybrid coaxial electric helicopter according to claim 1, characterized in that the lateral rotor groups can be rotated from a vertical to a horizontal position like a tiltrotor. 5. High-speed hybrid coaxial electric helicopter according to claim 1, characterized in that 6 independent control channels are allocated to control the main coaxial propellers (revolutions of the lower and upper rotor, the total pitch of the upper and lower rotor, the cyclic pitch of the upper and lower rotor). 6. High-speed hybrid coaxial electric helicopter according to claim 1, characterized by the following flight and technical characteristics: takeoff weight 600-800 kg, design cruising flight speed - 220 km / h, design maximum flight speed - 350 km / h, payload - 250 kg , power consumption in cruising mode - 96 kW. 7. High-speed hybrid coaxial electric helicopter according to claim 1, characterized in that one of the power supply options is power supply from storage batteries with a total capacity of about 40 kWh, which provides a practical range of about 80 km. 8. High-speed hybrid coaxial electric helicopter according to claim 1, characterized in that one of the power supply options is powered by a gasoline hybrid power plant with a total generator power of 120 kW and a fuel reserve weighing 70 kg, which provides a practical flight range of about 400 km. 9. High-speed hybrid coaxial electric helicopter according to claim 1, characterized in that one of the power supply options is power supply from an electrochemical generator on fuel cells with a maximum power of 120 kW with a hydrogen reserve providing a practical range of 160 km.

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