FR3119838A1 - PASSIVE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION SYSTEM FOR AN AIRCRAFT - Google Patents

Abstract

The system (2) for the passive generation of electrical energy for an aircraft (1) comprises a support (4), at least one mobile platform (5) arranged on said support (4) and able to move under the effect of 'a variation of apparent gravity in a direction perpendicular to the support (4), at least one guide device (6) which connects the support (4) to said platform (5) and which is configured to guide the movement of the platform ( 5) relative to the support (4), and at least one transformation module (8) of the movement of the platform (5) in the or each guide means (6) into electrical energy. Figure for abstract: Figure 1

Description

PASSIVE POWER GENERATION SYSTEM FOR AN AIRCRAFT

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to the general field of aeronautics. It relates in particular to a system for the passive generation of electrical energy for an aircraft, an aircraft comprising such a system, as well as a method for the passive generation of electrical energy.

Technical background

An aircraft, whether it is a civil transport aircraft or a military aircraft of any type, is equipped with a number of turbomachines that generate the propulsion and maintain the lift of the aircraft necessary in his flight. These turbomachines are generally heat engines which, depending on the type of propulsion of the aircraft, operate by combustion (and/or post-combustion) of large quantities of different fuels, all derived from fossil fuels. During their operation on the ground and in the air, aircraft turbomachines emit gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, etc.

However, these discharges are polluting gases, some of which have a greenhouse effect. The unique use of thermal turbine engines for the propulsion and maintenance of the lift of an aircraft therefore constitutes a source of air pollution by the emissions they emit and also contributes to the depletion of non-renewable resources which are the fuels.

One way to reduce these polluting emissions could be to equip each aircraft with a so-called "hybrid" engine, i.e. the propulsion and the maintenance of the lift of the aircraft would be ensured by the association of an electric motor to the usual heat engine.

Generally, the electricity necessary for the operation of the electric motor is available in electrical energy accumulators, also called batteries. These batteries are charged before the aircraft takes off and their electrical energy storage capacity directly depends on the number of storage cells they contain. Thus, the more cells a battery contains, the more it will be able to supply electricity to the electric motor, but the greater its dimensions and mass.

However, when the elements constituting the aircraft have excessive dimensions and/or mass, they involve the use of a larger quantity of fossil fuel such as electricity to allow the flight of the aircraft. This is also one of the reasons why the dimensions and weight of the elements making up an aircraft, including turbomachines, are constantly optimized.

The presence and use of batteries charged before take-off of the aircraft to supply energy to the electric motor leads to a slight reduction in the consumption of polluting fuels.

There are autonomous devices for storing and releasing energy, such as that described by document WO 2017/013.342-A1, but whose capacities remain limited by their sizes which do not allow them to supply electrical energy to destination of a hybrid engine for example.

The object of the present invention is to overcome this drawback by providing an energy generation system making it possible to directly produce electrical energy during the flight of the aircraft.

To this end, the invention relates to a system for the passive generation of electrical energy for an aircraft, in particular a civil or military aircraft.

According to the invention, the system comprises:
- a support extending along a longitudinal axis,
- at least one mobile platform arranged on said support and able to move relative to said support under the effect of a variation in apparent gravity in a direction perpendicular to said longitudinal axis,
- at least one guide device which connects the support to said platform and which is configured to guide the movement of said platform relative to said support, and
- at least one module for transforming the movement of the platform in the or each guide device into electrical energy.

Thus, thanks to the invention, the electrical energy produced by the relative movement of the platform with respect to the support can be used directly by an electric motor as by any other electrical equipment on board the aircraft. Moreover, its production depends only on variations in the speed of the aircraft during its flight. The electrical energy is thus generated passively and depends only on how the crew pilots the aircraft. Furthermore, the production of electrical energy can be repeatable as many times as the aircraft experiences such variations in speed.

The passive electrical power generation system may also have one or more of the following characteristics, taken alone or in combination with each other:
- it also comprises at least one storage unit for said electrical energy generated by the or each transformation module,
- the or each guide device comprises a slide-type connection configured to guide said movement of said platform relative to said support by translation in said direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis,
- the or each guide device comprises a ball joint type connection configured to guide said movement of said platform relative to said support in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis by rotation around the longitudinal axis,
- the or each transformation module comprises a dynamo and/or an electrostatic generator,
- the or each transformation module can be a linear motor and/or a rotary motor,
- it comprises a plurality of guide devices, a plurality of transformation modules, or even also a plurality of platforms, arranged on said support.

The present invention also relates to an aircraft, in particular a civil or military transport aircraft, comprising a passive energy generation system such as that mentioned above, said system being located inside the fuselage of the aircraft.

Advantageously, the support for the passive electrical energy generation system is fixed to a floor of a passenger cabin of the aircraft, and the platform or platforms of this system support(s) passenger seats.

Preferably, the support of the passive electrical energy generation system is fixed to a floor of a hold of the aircraft, and the platform or platforms of said system support(s) the inert masses on board the hold.

The present invention also relates to a method for the passive generation of electrical energy by means of an aircraft such as that described above and consisting in carrying out a succession of ascent and descent phases so as to:
- generate a change in apparent gravity of the system located in the fuselage in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the support,
- guiding the movement of the or each mobile platform relative to said support in one or more guiding devices,
- transforming the movement of the platform relative to the support in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis into electrical energy, and
- transmitting said electrical energy generated for supplying electrical equipment and/or storing said electrical energy generated in a storage unit.

Brief description of figures

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear during the reading of the detailed description which will follow for the understanding of which reference will be made to the appended drawings in which:

the shows an axial schematic view of a system for the passive generation of electrical energy in an aircraft according to one embodiment;

the shows a schematic axial view of an aircraft comprising a system for the passive generation of electrical energy during a climb phase according to one embodiment;

the shows a schematic axial view of an aircraft comprising a system for the passive generation of electrical energy during a descent phase according to one embodiment.

Detailed description of the invention

The passive electrical power generation system (hereafter "system 2"), represented on the , is intended to generate energy to supply electricity to electrical equipment 9 on board an aircraft 1, in particular a transport aircraft. A transport aircraft can be civilian or military. Electrical equipment 9 can be, for example, an electric motor in the context of a hybrid motorization of the means of propulsion of the aircraft 1.

By convention, in the present application, the terms "front" and "rear" are used in reference to a positioning relative to the fuselage 3 of the aircraft 1 which extends along a longitudinal axis X-X, from the nose to the empennages . Furthermore, the terms "above" and "below" are defined with respect to a transverse axis Y-Y which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X-X of the hold of the aircraft 1 towards the top of the fuselage 3. Thus, the term “longitudinal” or “longitudinally” any direction parallel to the X-X axis, and “transversely” or “transverse” any direction parallel to the Y-Y axis.

In a preferred embodiment, and as shown schematically in the , the system 2 is mounted in the fuselage 3 of the aircraft 1.

The system 2 according to the invention comprises a support 4 which is preferably rigid and which extends along the longitudinal X-X axis. This rigid support 4 can be fixed on one of the floors of the aircraft 1 which are arranged in the fuselage 3 of the aircraft 1. In a particular embodiment, the support 4 is fixed on a cabin floor which usually supports the rows passenger seats, or even the cockpit. As a variant, the support 4 is fixed to a hold floor on which are arranged the luggage as well as various equipment on board the aircraft 1. The support 4 is fixed to the floor whatever it is by any well-known means. .

System 2 also includes one or more platforms 5. The or each platform 5 can be a rigid plate. One or each platform 5 is arranged above the support 4 and extends parallel thereto along the longitudinal axis X-X. Preferably, a single platform 5 is arranged above a support 4, although the number of platform 5 above a support 4 can be greater than 1. If several platforms 5 are located above the support 5, they can be arranged one behind the other along the X-X axis or one beside the other along a lateral axis perpendicular to the longitudinal X-X and transverse Y-Y axes. Alternatively, the platforms 5 are arranged above the support 4 along the lateral and longitudinal X-X axes.

Furthermore, according to the embodiment in which the support 4 is fixed to the floor of a passenger or pilot cabin, the platform or platforms 5 support(s) the passenger seats which are arranged above it ( s), for example, a row of seats. As a variant of this particular embodiment, the platform or platforms 5 support(s) a single seat for passengers or for the cockpit.

According to the embodiment in which the support 4 is fixed to the floor of the hold, the platform or platforms 5 support(s) the inert masses, for example, baggage or various equipment on board the aircraft 1.

According to a preferred embodiment, the platform 5 is mobile relative to the support 4 when the system 2 located inside the fuselage 3 of the aircraft 1 experiences a change in apparent gravity.

In the context of the invention, the term “apparent gravity” refers to the gravity felt inside the aircraft 1 when the latter is in flight. In the event of engine thrust, for example, the lift of the aircraft 1 increases and becomes greater than the earth's gravity so that the aircraft 1 rises in the air. This increase in lift corresponds to an acceleration in the direction of the arrow F1 which increases the apparent gravity felt in the aircraft 1 along the Y-Y axis, as represented in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In the event of a reduction in the thrust of the engines, for example, the lift of the aircraft 1 decreases and becomes less than the earth's gravity so that the aircraft 1 descends. The descent of the aircraft 1 corresponds to an acceleration along the YY axis in the direction of the arrow F2, as represented on the which reduces the apparent gravity in the aircraft 1.

According to a preferred embodiment, the or each platform 5 can move towards the support 4 in the direction of the arrow F2 when the apparent gravity increases. Furthermore, the or each platform 5 can move away from the support 4 in the direction of the arrow F1 when the apparent gravity decreases.

The system 1 further comprises at least one guide device 6. As shown in Figure 1, the or each guide device 6 connects the support 4 to the or each mobile platform 5. Each guide device 6 makes it possible to guide the rectilinear movement along the transverse Y-Y axis of a platform 5 with respect to the support 4. For reasons of mechanical strength, the or each guide device 6 can be fixed on each of the front ends and rear of a platform 5 and of the support 4 to which it is connected. Alternatively, the guide device 6 can be fixed on the sides of the platform 5 and of the support 4 along the lateral axis. In each of these embodiments, the guide device 6 guides the movement of the platform 5 only along the transverse Y-Y axis.

According to a first particular embodiment, the guide device 6 is formed by rails 7 so that they allow a slide-type connection between the support 4 fixed to the floor and the mobile platform 5. As shown in Figure 1, these rails 7 are arranged in a plane perpendicular to the plane in which the support 4 and the platform 5 are located so that they guide the sliding of the platform 5 towards the support 4 or away from the support 4 according to the variation of apparent gravity along the Y-Y axis.

In a second particular embodiment, the guide device 6 comprises a plurality of ball joints fixed on either side to the platform 5 and to the support 4. These ball joints (not shown) can be arranged on the front and rear ends of the platform 5 and the support 4 so that the rotation of each of the ball joints along the lateral axis guides the rectilinear movement of the platform 5 towards or away from the support 4 along the transverse Y-Y axis.

The ball joints can also be arranged on the lateral sides of the platform 5 and of the support 4 so that the displacement of the platform 5 relative to the support 4 along the transverse Y-Y axis is generated by the rotation of the ball joint along the axis longitudinal X-X.

The system 2 is also provided with at least one transformation module 8 which is capable of transforming the relative displacement of the platform 5 with respect to the support 4 into electrical energy. Preferably, the number of transformation module 8 is equal to the number of guide device 6.

As shown on the , a transformation module 8 is arranged against or close to each guide device 6 so as to recover and transform the work of moving the or each platform 5 relative to the support 4 into electrical energy.

According to a preferred embodiment, the transformation module 8 comprises at least one dynamo motor which converts this work into electrical energy. The dynamo motor can be a rotary motor or a linear motor.

As a variant, the transformation module 8 comprises at least one motor in electrostatic generator mode configured to perform the conversion of work into electrical energy. This or these electrostatic generators can be linear or rotary motors.

According to a particular embodiment, each of the transformation modules 8 is connected to the electric motor 9 allowing the propulsion of the aircraft 1 by connecting means 10, for example cables.

As shown on the , the system 2 also comprises a storage unit 11 of electrical energy. The storage unit 11 is connected by connecting means 12, for example one or more cables, to the transformation module 8 so as to receive and store the electrical energy produced by the transformation module 8 and transmitted by the means of links 12. This storage unit 11 forms a battery comprising a plurality of cells which are charged during flight by the energy generated passively by the speed variations of the aircraft 1 along the transverse axis YY. The electrical energy thus stored can be used at any time to power the electric motor 9, in the case of a hybrid engine of the aircraft 1, or any other electrical equipment 9 to which the storage unit 11 can be connected.

In a particular embodiment, the aircraft 1 comprises a plurality of systems 2 for the passive generation of electrical energy. These systems 2 can be arranged one behind the other along the fuselage 3 of the aircraft 1. They can also be arranged separately in the hold and under the seats of the passengers and/or the pilots.

The aircraft 1, in which the system 2 is arranged, makes it possible to implement a process for the passive generation of electrical energy comprising a succession of steps, implemented by the system 2 during successive ascent and descent phases. .

In the context of the invention, the term "climb phase" means any phase of flight during which the aircraft 1 is piloted so that the lift force along the Y-Y axis exceeds terrestrial gravity.

The term "descent phase" means any phase of flight during which the aircraft 1 is piloted so that the lift force along the Y-Y axis decreases and becomes less than terrestrial gravity. Aircraft 1 undergoes an acceleration in the direction of arrow F2.

The piloting modes allowing climb and descent phases can include an increase or decrease in engine thrust, the taking of air currents, etc.

As shown on the , during a climb phase, the pilot causes, by a particular piloting mode, a climb of the aircraft 1 represented by the arrows M. This piloting mode leads to an increase in lift with respect to gravity terrestrial which generates an acceleration in the direction of the arrow F1. This produces an increase in the apparent gravity inside the aircraft 1 which generates the relative displacement of the platform or platforms 5 towards the support 4 in the direction of the arrow F2. The or each platform 5 being connected to the support 4 by links of the sliding type 7 or of the ball joint type, its movement is rectilinear along the transverse axis YY. The transformation modules 8 which are connected to each guide device 6 recover the work representing the variation of the apparent gravity along each guide device 6. This work is transformed into electrical energy by the motor or motors present in each module of conversion 8.

Connection means 11 connect each transformation module 8 to an electric motor 9 or electrical equipment 9 so that the transformed electrical energy is transmitted to them. As a variant, other connecting means 12 connect each transformation module 8 to a storage unit 11 comprising a plurality of cells so as to store the electrical energy generated by the system 2 for subsequent use by the electric motor 9 or any other electrical equipment 9 on board.

As shown on the , during the next descent phase, the pilot generates, by a second particular piloting mode, a descent of the aircraft 1 represented by the arrows D. This piloting mode generates an acceleration in the direction of the arrow F2 which produces a decrease in the apparent gravity inside the aircraft 1. Under the effect of this variation in apparent gravity, the or each platform 5 which was near the support 4 moves away from it by moving according to the YY axis in the direction of the arrow F1. The rectilinear movement of the or each platform 5 is guided along the YY axis by the guide devices 6 which connect it to the support 4. As during the previous ascent phase, the work related to the relative movement of the platform 5 is converted into electrical energy by the motor or motors of each transformation module 8. However, the motors operate in reverse in the ascent and descent phases. The passive electrical energy generated is then either stored in the storage units 11 or transmitted to the electric motor and/or to the electrical equipment 9 on board for their immediate supply.

The system 2 according to the invention notably has the advantage of passively generating electrical energy depending on the way in which the aircraft 1 is piloted.

Claims (11)

System for the passive generation of electrical energy for an aircraft, said system (2) being characterized in that it comprises:
- a support (4) extending along a longitudinal axis,
- at least one mobile platform (5) arranged above said support (4) and capable of moving relative to the support (4) under the effect of a variation in apparent gravity in a direction perpendicular to said longitudinal axis (XX ),
- at least one guide device (6) which connects the support (4) to said platform (6) and which is configured to guide the movement of said platform (5) with respect to said support (4), and
- at least one transformation module (8) of the movement of the platform (5) in the or each guide device (6) into electrical energy. System (2) for the passive generation of electrical energy according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that it also comprises at least one storage unit (11) for said electrical energy generated by the or each transformation module (8). System for the passive generation of electrical energy according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the or each guide device (6) comprises a slide-type connection (7) configured to guide said displacement of said platform (5) relative to said support (4) by translation in said direction perpendicular to the axis longitudinal (XX). System for the passive generation of electrical energy according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the or each guide device (6) comprises a ball joint type connection configured to guide said displacement of said platform (5) relative to said support (4) in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (XX) by rotation around the longitudinal axis. System for the passive generation of electrical energy according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the or each transformation module (8) comprises a dynamo and/or an electrostatic generator. System for the passive generation of electrical energy according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the or each transformation module (8) can be a linear motor and/or a rotary motor. System for the passive generation of electrical energy according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that it comprises a plurality of guide devices (6), a plurality of transformation modules (8), or even also a plurality of platforms (5) arranged on said support (4). Aircraft comprising a passive energy generation system (3) according to any one of the preceding claims, said system (2) being located inside the fuselage (3) of the aircraft (1). Aircraft (1) according to the preceding claim,
characterized in that the support (4) of the system (2) is fixed to a floor of a passenger cabin of the aircraft (1), and the platform or platforms (5) of this system (2) support(s) ) passenger seats. Aircraft (1) according to claim 9,
characterized in that the support (4) of the system (2) is fixed to a floor of a hold of the aircraft (1), and the platform or platforms (5) of the said system (2) support(s) the masses inert onboard in the hold of the aircraft (1). Method for the passive generation of electrical energy by means of an aircraft (1) according to claims 8 to 10,
characterized in that it consists in carrying out a succession of ascent and descent phases so as to:

• generate a change in apparent gravity of the system (2) located in the fuselage (3) in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the support (4),
• guide the movement of the or each mobile platform (5) relative to said support (4) in one or more guide devices (6),
• transform the movement of the platform (5) relative to the support (4) in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (XX) into electrical energy, and
• transmitting said generated electrical energy for powering electrical equipment (9) and/or storing said generated electrical energy in a storage unit (11).