GB2611086A

GB2611086A - A light aircraft with an electrically powered undercarriage (EPUC)

Info

Publication number: GB2611086A
Application number: GB2113779.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Isaksen Guttorm
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-09-27
Filing date: 2021-09-27
Publication date: 2023-03-29
Anticipated expiration: 2041-09-27
Also published as: GB2611086B; GB202113779D0

Abstract

A light aircraft has a fuselage (fig.1,10) with an electric powered undercarriage (EPUC) (fig.1,20) coupled to the underside, the EPUC having a set of landing gear with one or more wheels 30 with at least one weight gauge 50 coupled to each wheel. The readings from the weight gauges are used to determine a set of required take-off parameters needed for the aircraft to take-off within a predetermined distance. The parameters may include one of: a necessary thrust, acceleration, or wheel speed, for each wheel, derived from the gauge readings. Each wheel may also include an electric motor 40 within the rim configured with regenerative breaking, and a shock absorber 60 with a pressure gauge 65. The aircraft preferably includes a control system with a memory to store the readings, parameters, and airport information relating to runways and taxiways; and a processor to derive parameters from received readings. Received readings may include weight gauge readings, shock absorber fluid pressure, and accelerometer readings.

Description

A Light Aircraft with an Electrically Powered Undercarriage (EPUC)

Background

The present invention provides a light aircraft. The use of light aircraft is becoming more common particularly when used for short journeys for public transport, such as intercity travel in the form of airbuses, but can also be used for business travel, and sometimes for recreation. As such journeys are usually carried out often, with only a few passengers, it would be impractical to use larger aircraft. Further, for these uses, the use of a smaller aircraft can reduce the overall amount of pollution produced when compared to larger aircraft, they may also produce less noise pollution as well, due to the use of smaller turbines and/or engines.

One problem with the increase use of small aircraft, is the lack of suitable options for takeoff and landing locations, that is small aircraft used for commuting and business journeys require a suitable runway, meaning the aircraft would need to take off and land at suitable locations, such as airports or airfields, which limits their practicality. Therefore, there is a desire to have small aircraft with better acceleration so as to enable the aircraft to use shorter runway, or better the ability for vertical or near vertical takeoff, which would remove the need for a runway entirely and instead allow the aircraft to land and takeoff from suitable platforms, such as a helicopter pad. This will increase the practicality of the small aircraft by increasing the number of suitable locations the aircraft can reach, for example when being used for business travel for a board meeting, vertical takeoff would allow the aircraft to land on the roof of the building where the meeting would be taking place.

It is also note that small aircraft can suffer from the problems caused by drag, in particular 'parasite drag' caused by any breaks or changes in the surface of the aircraft, such as those around windows, doors or hatches. Though all aircraft can suffer from such drag effects, it is noted that as this additional drag may cause additional wear of the aircraft, or at least affect its performance, relatively more when compared to larger aircraft, especially at high speeds. Therefore, there is a need to provide methods of reducing the overall drag on the aircraft, such as by changing the shape of the aircraft, removing windows, or the need for windows, and by looking at maneuvering surfaces that produces less parasite drag, while still providing effective steering.

One way to address the pollution and noise problems can be through the use of electrical or hybrid aircraft that replace the need for engines and fuel burning turbines. Additionally, the use of an electrical aircraft can vastly decrease the amount of noise pollution created by the aircraft, not only when taxiing across the ground, but also when preforming takeoff and landing maneuvers. However, there are some problems with the use of an electric aircraft, for example an electric aircraft may produce less thrust when compared to other propulsion methods, one way to help address this problem will be to make the aircraft from a lighter material, however such materials tend to be relatively weak, and therefore would wear more easily and may not be strong enough to withstand the impact force when the aircraft is landing, or the force cause by the changes in pressure at high altitude. Therefore, there is a need for the aircraft to be formed of a material that is both strong and light weight. In particular the material will need a relatively high strength, and stiffness in order to withstand not only the force of the aircraft from landing, but also to withstand the forces caused by takeoff and from the pressure changes at high altitudes. While also being a light enough to allow the small aircraft to travel at high speed, reduce the amount of thrust need to reach such speeds, and to allow the aircraft to accelerate enough to have a short takeoff distance, or to perform a vertical takeoff.

It is also noted that to help reduce the weight of the aircraft further, the cockpit of the aircraft may be redesigned to reduce the number of components, such as displays, consoles and/or control panels, that are necessary. Thereby reducing the weight of the avionics within the aircraft cockpit, and also free up more room onboard the aircraft for the passenger, cargo and crew. This may be achieved through the inclusions of virtual controls and holographic displays that can present information and receive inputs from the flight crew without the need for physical avionic equipment.

The aircraft will also need to include features that will assist in de-icing the surface of the aircraft, and/or to prevent ice from forming, as such ice can damage the aircraft, and in some circumstances may even cause the aircraft to crash. However, it is noted that some de-icing system may add significant weight to the aircraft, thereby lowering the maximum speed and/or altitudes that can be achieved. Therefore, there is a need to provide the aircraft with light weight de-icing and/or ice preventing features.

Another way to reduce the overall weight of the aircraft would be to replace the motor, or thrusters used when taxiing the vehicle with an electric motor, as shown in US9227725B2 and US20130048781A1. It may be considered that the inclusion of a central electric motor could add too much weight to the aircraft, therefore another option to considered would be the inclusion of smaller electrical motors, likely coupled to the wheels directly, or stored within the aircraft's undercarriage, as these smaller motors may reduce the overall mass of the aircraft. To enable such in-wheel motors to provide the aircraft with the required adequate take-off velocity, it may be preferable for the aircraft to be equipped with at least four landing wheels, likely in a configuration similar to the wheels of a car. If the smaller motors were mounted within each of the aircraft's wheels, it may be possible that the motor could remove the need for contact brakes on said wheels, and instead make use of regenerative brakes (i.e., contactless, or magnetic braking), which could reduce the need for maintenance such as replacing braking pads and other parts of the braking system due to wear over time.

It is also noted that with a small aircraft, slight differences in weight, between different portions of the aircraft, may have a significant effect of the force/impact experience by the aircraft's wheels, for example when landing or taxiing over uneven surfaces. This could lead to additional wear on certain wheels, or may affect the vehicles steering, therefore, there is a need for the wheels of the aircraft to accurately monitor the weight of each portion of the vehicle, and where possible adjust the dampening of the aircraft's wheels to account for any additional force specific wheels may experience.

Additionally, it is noted that if the undercarriage of the wheel is to include one or more electric motors, it may be possible for said motor to be used to provide additional thrust, propulsion and/or lift to the aircraft when it is taking off or in flight, by adding additional components to the undercarriage. Though, it must be ensured that the additional driving force provided, outweighs the additional thrust needed to compensate for the weight of such components. It should also be noted that the undercarriage may be design to also house other components that are necessary for the aircraft, such as water, fuel, sewage tanks, batteries or any technical devices in need of easy access.

Summary

The claimed invention provides a light aircraft, that uses an electrically powered undercarriage (EPUC) to control the aircraft's landing gear wheels, and may also be used to house other propulsion features, such as turboprops, thrust boxes or turbines, also controlled by EPUC. The monitoring of these propulsion features would be carried out using a set of weight gauges and other sensors, that can monitor the weight and weight distribution of the aircraft, along with other factors, that may be used to determine parameters and threshold for the aircraft.

Some specific examples, of how this may EPUC may be used the weight gauges attached to one or more wheels to determine the aircraft's weight, and the weight distributed across each wheel. From this information the EPUC may be configure to determine takeoff parameters based on the accurate aircraft weight, in particular the wheel velocity, propulsion and acceleration, that would be needed On combination with meteorological data such as ambient air pressure, velocity and direction of wind) to have the aircraft takeoff within a certain distance.

Similarly, during when landing the EPUC may combine the information from the weight gauges, with other information stored in the aircraft such as data on fuel and consumption of fuel during flight, to calculate the exact weight of the aircraft during the landing. This information may be used to determine braking parameters to stop the aircraft, or at least reduce the speed to a desired taxiing speed, within a certain distance. In some embodiments the aircraft may include LIDAR which can be used to determine the distance between the aircraft and the ground, and rate of decent, and therefore may determine the exact time until the touch down during the landing, and therefore the time that the aforementioned braking parameters would need to be applied.

Further, when the aircraft is taxiing, the EPUC may determine the parameters for the motor driving the aircraft's wheel. Said parameters would control the aircrafts speed and braking while taxiing. While taxing the EPUC may utilize sensors to monitor the path of the aircraft, and/or any force exerted on the aircraft's wheels, and may control the shock absorbers of the aircraft's wheels to provide additional force deflection, when the aircraft predicts or detects an impact with an obstacle, or that the surface in front of the aircraft is uneven. These additional sensors may include a LIDAR, configured to scan the runway and tarmac surface for potholes and other bumps and preset the shock absorbers accordingly. The EPUC may also utilize airport information, which would show the position of different runways and taxiing pathway, to determine a turnoff point for exiting the runway and a path to reach a predetermined stopping point, such as a terminal. At which point the EPUC may be configured to automatically taxi the aircraft at a predetermined taxiing speed, off of the runway, to the determined stopping point When the EPUC system is integrated in an aircraft, the EPUC can help the aircraft take off from a shorter runway. This is done using an electric motor within the EPUC, or separate electric motors in each wheel, to accelerate the wheels at a faster rate, zo thereby reaching takeoff velocity (Vr), by distributing the power to each wheel. For optimal acceleration the motors need to yield maximum torque from the moment of brake release. As the speed increases, the other propulsion features controlled by the EPUC, can help contribute to an increasing the rate of acceleration, and provide the required takeoff thrust. It is also noted that the system may cut power to the fore wheels once their rate of rotation reaches Vr, to save power. It is also noted that the power to the aft wheel motors is cut first, before forward wheel motors are cut. The reason being that if the aft wheels are allowed to continue to accelerate, the nose will lift while the aft wheels are still providing thrust on the ground. This may cause the aircraft to over rotate in that moment, which would risk the aircraft stalling at moment of takeoff.

By include such an EPUC, the aircraft can remove the need for a separate engine for controlling the aircraft's wheels, especially when taxiing, which is replaces by one or more electric motors coupled to the EPUC. Doing so can reduce the pollution and noise produced by the aircraft. And may also improve the operation of the aircraft, as the EPUC can help to automatically adjust aircraft parameters to meet the different requirements, for example the different runway lengths at different airports, and may automatically adjust parameters for different adverse environmental conditions, such as severe weather and poor runway conditions.

Drawings Figure 1 depicts an example fuselage for an aircraft using an EPUC with several 10 wheels coupled to said EPUC.

Figure 2 depicts an example light aircraft Figure 3 depicts examples of the wheels that may be coupled to the EPUC, with in 15 rim motor, weight gauges, and shock absorbers with pressure gauges.

Figure 4 depicts an example fuselage with wheels and thrust boxes coupled to the EPUC.

Figure 5 depicts the underside of the fuselage of figure 4, showing the layout of the thrust boxes, and the channels within the ducted thrust box.

Figure 6 depicts an example aircraft with turbines coupled to the EPUC.

Detailed Description

The claimed invention comprises a light aircraft, such as the example aircraft in figure 2, having an electric powered undercarriage (EPUC) 20, such as the example EPUC from figure 1. Wherein the aircraft comprises at least a fuselage 10, with a suitable propulsion system, wherein the underside of said fuselage 10 is coupled to the EPUC 20. Wherein the EPUC 20 comprising a set of landing gear, and a means to power said landing gear. The landing gear would comprise one or more wheels 30 attached to the EPUC 20, either by being directly coupled to the EPUC 20 or may be connected by a retractable arm that would also be powered by the EPUC 20, or any other suitable means. Each of the wheels 30 would be coupled to at least one associated weight gauge 50. The readings of the weight gauges 50 are then used, by either an onboard or remote processor, or a control system, to determine a set of required takeoff parameters needed for the aircraft to takeoff within a predetermined distance. In particular the weight gauges 50 can be used to accurately determine the weight of the aircraft, and the distribution of said weight, from which the processor can determine the necessary takeoff parameters, such as the necessary takeoff velocity (Vr) for each wheel, and the acceleration needed for each wheel to reach the takeoff velocity with a certain distance, and/or the amount of trust needed from other aircraft features for the aircraft to takeoff within a predetermined distance.

In some embodiments of the aircraft, the wheels 30 attached to the EPUC 20 may be powered wheels. In some cases, the wheels will have a separate motor 40 attached to each wheel, said motors 40 may be an electric motor, and may also be positioned within the rim of the associated wheel 30. By using such wheels, the aircraft can more easily control each wheel's parameters separately, with each motor controlling a respective wheel, or a separate central electric motor that can easily redirect power between each of the wheels, allow each wheel to receive the necessary power, to accelerate to the required speed as determined by the weight gauge readings.

Especially as, based on the specific weight distribution of the aircraft, the necessary parameters may not be the same for each wheel 30. It is also noted that using wheels within built motors 40 may help simplify aircraft maintenance, as each wheel 30 can be easily removed to be tested and/or replaced. It is also noted that the use of an electric motor can help to reduce the amount of pollution released by the aircraft, and also reduce the noise made by the aircraft especially when taxiing on the ground.

It is also noted that in a aircraft with powered wheels, during takeoff the EPUC 20 may be configured to detect when the wheels have reached the necessary takeoff velocity, based on the length of the runway, or required takeoff distance. Once the wheels 30 reach takeoff velocity the EPUC 20 may cut off power to the wheels 30. In particular, the EPUC 20 may be configures to cut off power to the aft wheels first. This is because, as the aircraft begins to take off the forward end of the aircraft will rise, while the aft wheels are still on the ground, if the aft wheels continue to provide torque, there is a risk the aircraft may over rotate and stall at the moment of takeoff.

Therefore, to prevent this risk the EPUC 20, will stop supplying power to the aft wheels first, once takeoff velocity has been reached.

These powered wheels may also be configured to have a motor 40 with regenerative braking, thereby removing the need for brake pads, as the motors 40 will reverse direction to slow the wheels 30 instead. By doing this the aircraft's maintenance can be further simplified as there would no longer be a need to regularly monitor and replace the brake pads on each wheel 30, this would also lower the cost to maintain the aircraft. It is noted that, when using regenerative braking, the EPUC may need to apply a predetermined set of braking parameters to the wheels 30, which may control factors such as the rate of deceleration, and/or the aircraft's overall braking distance. These parameters would be determined in a manner that will balance the need to both brake within a reasonable distance, and the need to maintain the comfort and safety of the aircraft's occupants, that is to say the braking of the aircraft should not be too sudden, though this may be overridden in the case of an emergency stop. The predetermined parameters may also be adjusted in response to the readings of the weight gauges 50, as there may be a greater amount of weight on certain wheels 30 which may adversely affect that wheel's braking, under the preset parameters, therefore the EPUC may make necessary adjustments to the braking parameters to compensate for the additional weight and thereby bring the braking distance back into a required limit. The braking parameters may also be adjusted in response to other sensor readings, such as a camera or similar sensor detecting an obstacle or predicting an impact, or in response to readings from accelerometers or shock absorbers 60 coupled to the wheels, as depicted in the example in figure 3, as described below.

It is also noted that the EPUC 20, may use the received information, or the parameters derived from said information, to provide the aircraft operator with flight recommendations, and recommended flight maneuvers, which take into account the exact parameters of the aircraft. It is noted that in some cases the aircraft may be configured to adjust to the EPUC's suggested parameters, or to carry out the EPUC's suggested maneuvers, automatically, this may be done in situations wherein the aircrafts movements are automated, such as an unmanned aircraft, or in situations wherein the operator of the aircraft has failed to respond to the EPUCs suggestions within a sufficient time limit.

As mentioned, the wheels 30 of the EPUC 20 may also be coupled to a respective shock absorber 60. These shock absorbers 60 would act as dampeners, helping to reduce the amount of force being transferred from the wheels 30 to the rest of the aircraft, especially during landings. This would improve the comfort of the aircraft's occupant and help prevent damage to cargo onboard. It may also reduce the wear in the airframe caused by landing impacts, as the shock absorbers 60 may deflect the force of the impact away from the aircraft, which may help increase the expected life time for the claimed aircraft, relative to other similar aircraft. These dampeners can also help reduce the effect of any impacts to the aircraft's wheels 30 when taxiing, such as when the ground is uneven or when hitting an obstacle. Each shock absorber 60 may have a set level of dampening, or may be adjustable allowing each dampener to be adjusted to a desired level of dampening.

If the shock absorbers 60 are adjust able, the aircraft may include one or more sensors that can be used to determine when there is an impact or predict when such an impact will occur, at which point the EPUC may adjust the level of dampening with in the shock absorbers 60 accordingly. Alternatively, the shock absorbers 60 may receive information regarding the aircraft's position within the flight path (i.e., taxiing, taking off, in flight, landing) and adjust the level of dampening to a predetermined value based on the aircraft current position in the flight path. The level of dampening may also be a determined using the reading from the weight gauges 50. In particular wheels 30 that are carrying more weight may require more dampening than those carrying less weight, to absorb the additional force, for example, when landing, as this will have a greater effect on the regions of the aircraft with more weight, or it may be determined that during an impact when taxiing the wheels 30 with more weight may need a lower level of dampening, so that they have a greater degree of deflection, for redirecting the force of the impact away from the aircraft.

In some systems the level of dampening within each shock absorber 60 may be determined by monitoring the pressure of the fluid within each shock absorber 60. To achieve this the shock absorbers may further comprise a pressure gauge 65, which determines the current value of the pressure of the fluid within the shock absorber 60, which in turn may provide a measure for the level of dampening within each shock absorber. It is noted that the pressure gauge 65 may also be configured to compare the current fluid pressure, with a predetermined starting value, as a means to detect the aircrafts weight, or as a means to detect impacts. When the shock absorber pressure is monitored, the EPUC 20 may then be configured to alter the level of dampening by adjusting the pressure of the fluid to a predetermined value that would provide the desired level of dampening. It should also be noted that the EPUC 20 may be configured to change the stored starting value based on the weight gauge readings, to compensate for the measured aircraft weight. In some embodiments, the shock absorbers 60 may comprise a set of rheo-magnetic shock absorbers. In these types of shock absorbers 60, the fluid within the shock absorber is a magnetic fluid, in that the pressure of the fluid can be manipulated via a magnetic field/magnetic charge. In particular by changing the intensity or direction of an induced magnetic field, the properties of the fluid within the shock absorber 60, such as its viscosity, can be changed, which would in turn change the pressure within the shock absorber 60. In this case the EPUC 20 would be configured to both generate and manipulate the magnetic field for each shock absorber 60.

In some embodiments, wherein the level of dampening of the shock absorbers 60 is set to a fixed value, the pressure of the fluid within the individual shock absorbers may still be monitored, to detect any changes within the pressure of the fluid. As previously mentioned, such pressure changes may be used to determine the weight on the individual wheels, preferably when the aircraft is not in motion. These values can then be used to determine the accurate weight distribution of the aircraft. Once the weight and weight distributions are determined, the aircraft may then use these values to determine aircraft parameters, such as takeoff parameters, a true weight of the aircraft, and parameter thresholds, without the need for separate weight gauges 50.

Upon landing, the EPUC 20 may receive data comprising the total weight of the aircraft at takeoff, adjusted for consumption of fluids during the flight, such as fuel consumption, to determine a accurate weight for the aircraft at touch down, from which the aircraft may determine the necessary braking parameters to bring the aircraft to a stop within a certain distance, and the parameters for the wheels shock absorbers to provide a desired level of dampening during touch down. It may also include a precise measurement of the rate descent in the moment of ground impact, for example using LIDAR attached to the aircraft to determine the distance to the ground and the rate of decent, to better determine the force that will be exerted at the moment of ground impact. The shock absorbers 60 may then be adjusted to a desired level of dampening, so as to facilitate the perfect hardness, resulting in a perfectly soft touchdown.

The ground impact may also activate any regenerative brakes, within the wheels 30, by using data regarding ground velocity, and the available distance to reach a desired taxi velocity, to calculate the braking strength needed to decelerate on-theground motion to the pre-set taxi velocity. Regenerated energy from the regenerative brakes may be stored in a set of accumulators within the aircraft, so that this energy may be used to provide taxiing to a predetermined location, such as a terminal. It is noted that if the aircraft has LIDAR, it may be used during taxiing to monitor the surface the aircraft is traveling over for obstacles, such as bump or pothole, and therefore determine when impacts will occur, at which point the shock absorbers may be adjusted to absorb, or deflect, the force from impacting such obstacles.

Further, the aircraft's wheels 30 may further comprise one or more accelerometers. These accelerometers may be configured to detect acceleration in one direction, or multiple directions simultaneously. Note that in the configuration wherein each wheel comprises more than one accelerometer, it may be preferable that each of the accelerometers measure acceleration in a different direction. In an example embodiment, each wheel 30 may comprise two accelerometers, wherein one accelerometer measures acceleration in the vertical direction, which can be used to detect large upwards and downward acceleration to determine when the aircraft is taking off or landing respectively. While the other accelerometer is configured to detect accelerations in a forward and backward direction, this may be used to determine the wheel's acceleration, and may also be used to detect impacts to each of the wheels 30.

As mentioned, the readings from these accelerometers can be used to detect impacts, which may be shown by a sudden, sharp acceleration, and/or may be used to determine the aircraft's current position in the flight path, for example the EPUC 20 may determine that the aircraft is landing if there is a large downward acceleration, regardless of which configuration of accelerometers are chosen. After which, the EPUC 20 can then adjust the dampening in the shock absorbers 60 in response to these determinations, adjusting the level of dampening to a desired level to deflect, or absorb the force, of an impact, and/or adjust the dampening to a pre-set desired level based on the aircraft's current position along the flight path. The EPUC 20 may also use the readings from the accelerometers when determining parameter thresholds and/or braking parameters for the aircraft. For example, the EPUC 20 may increase the threshold on the aircraft's braking parameters, when it has been determined that the aircrafts current rate of deceleration is insufficient for the aircraft's desired stopping distance.

Additionally, it is noted that the EPUC 20 may comprise one or more propulsion features to provide additional propulsion and thrust to the aircraft, each of which would be powered by the EPUC itself. These propulsion features may include at least one of turboprops, thrust boxes 70, turbines 80, or an electrostatic propulsion (ESP) system. The EPUC 20, may then be configured to monitor said propulsion features, in particular monitoring the force they produce to both accelerating, and decelerating, the aircraft. After which the EPUC 20, may adjust the aircraft's parameters, specifically the takeoff and braking parameters, to take into account the output of the propulsion features.

In the embodiments with thrust boxes 70, such as the Example EPUC in figure 4, there are two possible thrust boxes that could be used 'ducted' and unducted'. Wherein the ducted thrust boxes have four sides and may contain fan/propellors within the boxes, and the unducted has only 3 sides, as the bottom of the boxes are open, they may help to increase the output of an ESP system mounted to the EPUC 20, within the box due to the greater exposure to the surrounding air.

By including these thrust boxes 70 under the aircraft, the thrust boxes not only provide additional propulsion, and lift, but may also provide additional storage space for components such as fuel, water, sewage or propellent tanks, batteries or other technical devices in need of easy access. Additionally, these thrust boxes 70 may also act as a bumper, or impact softener, if the aircraft makes a forced landing, thereby reducing the risk of human injuries, and the risk of damage to the overall aircraft, especially the EPUC 20.

The unducted thrust boxes would preferably be three longitudinal boxes in the full length of the fuselage 10. The preferred embodiment of the unducted boxes, would typically be about 30 cm in height with various widths. The two boxes on the sides can be made broader as to house the EPUC 20, and other commodities such as batteries, the EPUC wheels 30, fuel and water.

The preferably embodiment of the ducted thrust boxes, as depicted in the example EPUC in figure 5, may have the same side-boxes as the unducted, but the space between will be compartmentalized with longitudinal, vertical walls 80, into anything from three to seven tunnels, with each tunnel having a rectangular cross-section. When the EPUC includes an ESP system, these walls 80 can have ionic thrusters on all sides, vertical and horizontal, as this will make optimal use of the Coanda effect, in that air not directly affected by the ionized particles of the ESP system, may still be accelerated to similar velocities along the tunnels, causing a much higher thrust output. Additionally, the ducted boxes will form a sleek underside where the ambient air pressure may provide undisturbed lift across the whole surface of the EPUC 20. It is also noted that this increased airflow should not affect the propulsion from the ESP system as the bottom surface of the ducted boxes separates the moving air from the plasma layer generated by the ESP system.

In both cases, as mentioned, the side boxes may be wider so that they can contain the components noted above, such as fuel, water, batteries and also landing gear. These boxes may include additional wheels, either tricycle gear or quadruple wheels, so that in case of an emergency landing, they may also serve as bumpers reducing the damage to the thrust boxes 70 themselves. The thrust boxes 70, ducted or unducted, will also function as a softer impact-zone in case of an emergency landing to prevent damage to the rest of the airframe, especially the EPUC 20 and any other propulsion features coupled to it.

When comparing the two types of thrust boxes each provides different benefits. Ducted boxes have the advantage of a maximum Coanda effect. Wherein the Coanda effect describes the ability for the moving air in the box, to force non-moving air to also move, thereby providing more thrust from the air within the duct. If a ducted box also includes fans, all the air passing through the ducts should be accelerated to very high velocities, with a near constant flow rate throughout, meaning no imbalances within the air moving through the thrust box. No doubt the ducted boxes will yield faster horizontal propulsion allowing the aircraft to move at greater speeds.

However, unducted thrust boxes will still provide thrust, only not as effectively. Moreover, when an ESP system is included in the EPUC 20, the unducted thrust boxes will add to vertical lift of the ESP system by allowing the ESP system within the box to repel the air within the box towards the ground, which will add additional upward force, thereby generating more lift for the aircraft further reducing the amount of speed and space needed for take-off, potentially if enough lift is generated such thrust boxes may allow the aircraft to achieve vertical take-off.

The aforementioned ESP system may comprise a layer of cathodes and anodes over the surface of at least a portion of the EPUC 20, it may also cover any other propulsion features coupled to the EPUC 20. In some embodiments the anodes and cathodes may be in the form of tufts to help concentrate the force generated by the ESP system, while in others the system may comprise an anode layer that covers the surface, with the cathodes or cathode tufts dispersed over the anode layer.

These layers provide lift and/or thrust by ionizing the air proximate the layer, or a propellent sprayed over the layer, to form a plasma, which is then attracting or repelling by the anodes and cathodes of the ESP system.

Further, in addition to the features mentioned above, the aircraft may include a control system onboard the aircraft, to control one or more features of the EPUC 20. The control system may comprise at least a controller and a processor. Wherein the processor can be configured to receive and analyze data/readings from the various sensors and components of the EPUC 20, such as the weight gauges 50, accelerometers, and/or pressure gauges 65. After which the processor may use the results to determine aircraft parameters, such as takeoff parameters, a true weight of the aircraft, parameter thresholds, flight recommendations or suggested flight maneuvers. The controller may then be configured to use the determinations from the processor, to control the different components coupled to the EPUC 20, in particular the wheels 30, shock absorbers 60 and propulsion features. The control system may further comprise a memory, wherein the memory is configured to store the received data and derived parameters, and where necessary store predetermined data and parameters. Wherein the predetermined data may include parameter thresholds, flight plan, airport layouts, and/or initial parameter values, such as initial values for takeoff and braking parameters. Note that the initial values may later be adjusted by the processor based on the data received from the different sensors and components coupled to the EPUC20.

Some example functions for the control system include the following: In some systems the processor receives data from either the weight gauges 50, and/or shock absorber pressure gauges 65, to determine the aircraft's weight and weight distribution, from which the processor may determine the required take off parameters, or adjust initial values stored on the memory to a new derived value.

Then the processor may receive data detailing the airport runway, which may include runway length and runway conditions, again adjusting the takeoff parameters to account for the required takeoff distance and to account for any adverse runway conditions. After which the controller receives the determined parameters from the processor, and can accelerate the EPUC wheels 30 at the required rate to reach takeoff velocity within the required runway distance, as set out in the derived parameters. The processor and controller may also use a similar process when the aircraft is landing to ensure the wheels 30 are decelerating the aircraft at a sufficient rate to stop the aircraft within a required runway distance.

When the control system has access to airport information that includes the layout of the airport, the systems may also be configured to use the stored aircraft information to plot a taxiing path from the runway to a location, such as a terminal, or from the terminal to the required runway. At which point the controller may have the aircraft automatically taxi to the desired location following the plotted taxiing path. Note that such aircraft would also require one or more sensors to detecting obstacles within the taxiing path, at which point the processor may use the sensor data to determine that the aircraft needs to stop, or be redirected to avoid the obstacle, after which the controller will use the motors 50 within the EPUC 20, or the wheels 30, to stop or redirect the aircraft as determined by the processor.

When the EPUC 20 includes shock absorbers 60, the processor may be configured to receive readings from all pressure gauges 65, which measure the pressure of the fluid within the shock absorbers 60. These readings may be compared to the pre-set pressure value to determine changes in the aircraft's weight and/or weight distribution. Using these updated values, the processor can then adjust the aircrafts parameters using the new weight. In particular the processor may determine a new desired value for the level of dampening within the shock absorbers 60. After which the controller may adjust the shock absorbers to the derived, desired value, this may be done by the controller adjusting the pressure of the fluid within each shock absorber 60 to alter the amount of dampening. In some embodiments, wherein the shock absorbers 60 are a set of rheo-magnetic shock absorbers, the amount of dampening is adjusted by adjusting an induced magnetic field. The EPUC 20 may also include a set of sensors, such as optical sensors, that can detect obstacles in the aircraft path, such as bumps in the surface the aircraft is traveling, from which the processor may determine that an impact will occur, or accelerometers that may detect the force exerted on the wheels 30 by an impact. Then in response to this, the controller may alter the amount of dampening with each shock absorber 60 to deflect the force of the predicted, or detected, impact. Note that the processor may also use the sensors to determine that the aircraft is landing, after which the controller may adjust the shock absorbers 60 in order to lessen the impact as the aircraft touches down.

In additional the controller of the control system may be configured to control each of the propulsion features coupled to the EPUC 20, either in response to the processor or in response to user input. In particular, when the processor has determined takeoff parameters, the controller may be configured to accelerate the wheels 30 attached to the EPUC 20 to the required take off velocity, and to control the thrust/lift provided by the other features to a required level also. Likewise, when the aircraft is landing the processor may determine braking parameters, to stop the aircraft within the certain length of the runway, after which the controller may use the braking parameters to control the wheels 30 and other propulsion features to bring the aircraft to a stop within the desired distance. Further, when the aircraft is taxiing the processor will determine a set of parameters for the EPUC wheel motors 50 for driving and stopping the aircraft, the controller can then use these parameters when controlling the taxiing aircraft, especially when the taxiing is automated.

Therefore, by including some or all of the above mentioned features the claimed invention provides a light aircraft with an EPUC 20 that comprises wheels 30, and possibly other propulsion features, that are powered by the EPUC 20 itself. Wherein the undercarriage further comprises one or more sensors that can be used to monitor the weight of the aircraft, and other parameters, from which the EPUC 20 can determine key parameters for the aircraft, such as takeoff parameter and braking parameters. This data may also be used to determine parameter thresholds, flight recommendations or suggested flight maneuvers. By doing this the EPUC 20 may be able to assist the pilot, or operator, in operating the aircraft, by providing recommendation or automatically controlling aircraft, via the wheels 30 and other propulsion features, adjusting the features to meet the determined parameters. The EPUC 20 may also use additional sensors to automatically control the aircraft when travelling on the ground. For example, the EPUC 20 may use the sensors to monitor the aircrafts path on the ground to automatically taxi the aircraft to a desired location, and may predict or detect impacts to the aircraft's wheels, adjusting the aircraft's path, shock absorber dampening and/or propulsion parameters, to avoid the detect obstacle, or at least deflect the force of said impacts, to reduce the damage to the aircraft.

Claims

Claims: 1. A light aircraft having an electric powered undercarriage (EPUC); Wherein the aircraft comprises at least a fuselage; Wherein the EPUC is coupled to the underside of the fuselage, the EPUC comprising a set of landing gear; Wherein the landing gear comprises one or more wheels, with at least one weight gauge coupled to each wheel; Wherein the readings of the one or more weight gauges are used to determine a set of required take-off parameters needed for the aircraft to take-off within a predetermined distance.
2. The light aircraft of claim 1, wherein the take-off parameter comprises one of a necessary thrust, acceleration or wheel speed, for each wheel, derived from the 15 readings of the one or more weight gauges.
3. The light aircraft of claims 1 and 2, wherein the wheels are powered wheels, comprising a motor within the rim of each wheel.
4. The light aircraft of claim 3, wherein the wheels comprise an electric motor.
5. The light aircraft of claims 3 or 4, wherein the wheels comprise a motor with regenerative braking, wherein a set of braking parameters for the regenerative braking can be set using predetermined parameters.
6. The light aircraft of any preceding claim, wherein each wheel further comprises a shock absorber, wherein the shock absorber is configured to adjust the dampening of the shock absorber, based on the readings from the one or more weight gauges, to provide a desired level of dampening.
7. The light aircraft of claim 6, wherein the shock absorber is configured to monitor the pressure of the fluid within the shock absorber, and the shock absorber is configured to adjust the dampening of the shock absorber by adjusting the pressure of the fluid within the shock absorber.
8. The light aircraft of claim 6 or 7, wherein the one or more shock absorbers comprise a rheo-magnetic shock absorber, wherein a magnetic field can be used to adjust the dampening of the shock absorber.
9. The light aircraft of claims 7 or 8, wherein the pressure of the fluid within the shock absorber is used to determine the weight distribution of the aircraft, and The weight distribution is used to determine at least one of the take-off parameters, a true weight of the aircraft, parameter thresholds, flight recommendations or suggested flight maneuvers.
10. The light aircraft of claims 6 to 9, wherein the wheels further comprise one or more accelerometers; Wherein the accelerometer readings are used to derived the desired amount of dampening.
11. The light aircraft of claim 10, wherein each wheel comprises at least two accelerometers, wherein each accelerometer is configured to measure acceleration in a different direction.
12 The light aircraft of claims 5 to 11, wherein the braking parameters are based on the reading of at least one of the wheel's weight gauge readings, shock absorber fluid pressure or accelerometer readings.
13. The light aircraft of any proceeding claim, wherein the [PUG further comprises a propulsion feature, that is powered by the EPUC.
14. The light aircraft of claim 13, wherein the propulsion feature comprises at least one of turboprops, thrust boxes, turbines, or an electrostatic propulsion system.
15. The light aircraft of any preceding claim, wherein the aircraft further comprises a control system comprising at least a memory and a processor; Wherein the memory stores at least one of received readings, derived parameters, predetermined parameters or airport information; Wherein the airport information includes information detailing an airport's runways and taxiways; And wherein the processor is configured to derive parameters from the receive readings.
16. The light aircraft of claim 15, wherein the control system is further configured to determine the required take-off parameters, based on the stored readings and/or derived parameters.
17. The light aircraft of claims 15 or 16, wherein the control system can use the stored airport information to taxi the aircraft automatically.
18. The light aircraft of claims 15 to 17, wherein the control system is configured to control the one or more wheels for both forward and reversed driving.
19. The light aircraft of claims 15 to 18, wherein the control system is further configured to automatically adjust the dampening of any of the aircraft's shock absorbers.
20. The light aircraft of claims 15 to 19, wherein the control system is configured to control any propulsion features of the EPUC.