JPH011697A - rotor craft - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION The present invention relates to rotorcraft, in particular to a device consisting of a plurality of intersecting rotor blades having blades with one lifting surface.

The invention was originally designed to hover in the air for mooring.
Although it was developed for use in craft designed to do so, it is widely used in various types of rotorcraft, including conventionally powered, free-flying helicopters. In the former case, the craft is held in the air by the reaction between the rotor and high-velocity winds or by a motor drive acting on the rotor. The motor drive may be derived from an internal combustion engine or from one or more electric motors; in the case of tethered craft, energy is supplied to the engine or motor by the tethering means. To use an electric motor to fly the craft high in the air and to harness the wind energy that is applied to the motor and acts on the rotor when the craft is placed in a suitable wind flow. used. The craft can also be easily used to carry sensors, such as remote-controlled cameras and other equipment, both in free flight and when tethered, so it can be made in a size and manner suitable for unmanned craft.

It should therefore be understood that the invention has wide application and need not be limited to conventional helicopters.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, there are various types of multi-piece rotary wing craft.
These include those having two rotary blades that are out of phase with each other by 90 degrees, intersect with each other, and rotate in opposite directions. Additionally, crafts using rotors with blades having a single lifting surface, including crafts conventionally using two spaced rotors with separate drive units for each rotor. has also been developed.

[Means and actions for solving problems]

In contrast to the aforementioned craft, the present invention relates to the use of two or more intersecting rotors, each of which has one blade, in other words, one lifting surface. It has feathers. This arrangement creates a craft with enhanced stability and durability, and also simplifies control of the craft.

Furthermore, it is possible to provide mechanical rigidity even when the load on the disk is very small, and to provide drive power to all rotors from a single power source or from multiple connected power sources in a compact manner. . For crafts using two rotors, the present invention allows for a wide range of phase angles between the rotors, unlike conventional craft.

(Thus, the invention can be defined as providing a rotorcraft having at least two intersecting rotor blades connected to a common drive unit. Each rotor blade has one rotor blade with a lifting surface. consisting of rotor blades and counter-extending balance arms having virtually no lift; the rotors are connected to a drive unit by respective rotor shafts;
Their axes are mutually inclined, so that the path plane described by each vane is inclined with respect to each other path plane. Each rotor blade is connected to its associated rotor shaft by a mechanism that provides torque transmission and allows for blade flumping and blade pitch adjustment. It is also equipped with a device to adjust the pitch angle of each blade.

The rotor arrangement of the present invention has four interlocking rotor blades, the preferred arrangement being that the rotor blades having diagonally arranged rotation axes are arranged parallel to each other rotation axis. (when viewed from above).

The driving force is transmitted so that the drive shafts arranged diagonally rotate in the same direction, and the shafts adjacent thereto rotate in the opposite direction. That is, one pair of diagonally arranged rotor blades are driven to rotate together in one direction, and the other pair of diagonally arranged rotor blades are driven to rotate together in the opposite direction. Ru.

This preferred four-blade arrangement allows for the use of a relatively simple rotor control system, rather than the complexity typically required to provide cycling pitch control or cyclic pitch control. Zero rotors that do not require a mechanical system can be operated with only collective pitch control, and the maneuverability of the craft can be improved by providing differential collective pitch control to the rotors.

The present invention will be more fully understood from the following description of an electric rotorcraft of the type that carries a video camera for use in aerial photography and the like. The rotorcraft is shown schematically in the accompanying drawings.

〔Example〕

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the rotorcraft includes a trunk section 2 mounted on a pound or skinod 21.
Consists of 0. The torso section houses a 9JJ motor and related equipment that will be explained in detail later, as well as a camera (not shown) used for aerial photography and reconnaissance. The craft has four intersecting rotor blades 22-25 rotating about tilt axes 22A-25A. 2 rotations 12
2.24 are located parallel to each other, and the other two rotary blades 23
．． 25 are also parallel to each other. Thus, the rotor blades 22, 24 and 23 both have their axes of rotation arranged orthogonally.
．． 25 are arranged parallel to each other, and at four moments during each rotation, adjacent rotor blades are arranged at right angles to each other, as shown in FIG.

The dotted line outline in FIG. 2 shows the total area over which the four rotor blades turn, and the dotted line outline in FIG. 1 shows the maximum flap angle at which each rotor blade moves.

The arrows shown in Figure 2 indicate the intended forward direction of the craft; this direction is related to the situation of the mechanism shown in Figures 7 and 8 of the drawings; should be interpreted as indicating two identical forward directions.

The four rotor blades 22-25 are connected to a common drive unit 26 shown in FIG. 9, each rotor blade having a (integrally formed) radial balance arm 28 projecting in opposite directions. The zero-rotation vane 27, consisting of one rotary vane 27, is shaped to have one lifting surface to provide aerodynamic lift. The radial balance arms 28 have no lifting surfaces and merely support counterweights 29 which act to balance the centrifugal forces present during rotation of the rotor. The balance arm 28 is 20 to 35% of the length of the rotating blade 127.
The length of the balance arm should not exceed 40% of the length of the blade.

Each rotation 5 (22, 25 extends through and is clamped into a universal joint 30, described below in connection with FIGS. 5 and 6. The rotor is formed with a hole 31, which The hole 31 is centered on the axis of rotation of the rotor.
It is intended to provide clearance around the pinch control shaft 32 projecting through the hole.

The rotor blades 22-25 are connected to a drive unit 26 by respective drive shafts (i.e. rotor axes) 33-36, which drive shafts are mutually (inclined) so that the path through which each of the blades 27 moves is The road surfaces are inclined with respect to each other's path surfaces.Axle 33
36 is formed as a tube along at least a portion of its length such that it receives a pitch control shaft 32 extending longitudinally within the rotor shaft.

Various schemes can be used to transmit the drive power from the drive unit 26 to the rotor shafts 33-36, one of which is shown schematically in FIGS. 9 and 1O. . The driving force from one drive unit 26 is transmitted to the four main parts of the rotor shaft by a bevel gear 37.

There are two approaches to transmitting torque from the drive unit to the four rotor shafts 33-36, a preferred method is shown in FIG. 10A and a second method is shown in FIG. 10B. In the preferred arrangement shown in Figure 108, two separate points of intersection occur for the four-tree axes 33-36, but
In the arrangement shown in Figure 10B, there is one point of intersection for all four axes.

The driving force is transmitted to the shafts in such a way that the shafts 33 and 35 rotate in one direction and the shafts 34 and 36 rotate in the opposite direction. That is, adjacent axes rotate in opposite directions, and diagonally disposed axes rotate in the same direction.

A universal joint 30 is secured to the upper end of each of the rotor shafts 33-36 and includes a yoke 38, which connects to the trunnion mounting of the vane support 39, as shown in FIGS. Become. The blade support 39 is connected to the yoke shaft 4
The pivot movement around 0 allows a seesaw pivoting (flamping) movement of the vane 27 and the radial arm 28 projecting to the opposite side thereof.

The vane 27 and the radial arm 28 are connected to the vane support 39 by means of clamping members 41 , 42 , which are connected to the pivot pin 4 .
3 is pivotally connected to the vane support 39. This pivoting allows the vane 127 and the oppositely extending radial arm 28 to pivot about the vane's longitudinal axis 44, thereby adjusting the pitch angle of the vane.

The tightening member 41 , 42 has a laterally extending lever arm 45 which is connected by a connecting member 47 to the distal end 46 of the pitch control shaft 32 . The linear movement of the shaft 32 is translated into a pivot movement of the lever arm 45, thus
The vertical movement of 2 adjusts the pitch of the blade.

A variety of different mechanisms can be used to transmit motion to the pitch control shaft 32, one mechanism being shown schematically in FIG.

In the arrangement shown in FIG. 7, the two blade pitch control shafts 32A and 32B are connected to the inclined plate 50 by bearings 63 at points indicated by A" and "B" so that they cannot move in the axial direction but are rotatable. Pitch control of the remaining two trees n-axis 32C
, 320 are rotatably connected to the bell crank lever 51 by bearings 64, and they intersect (but are not directly connected to) the ramp plate at points "C" and "D".

The bell crank lever 51 is connected to the inclined plate 50 by the mounting arm 52.
The actuator 53 is pivotably connected to the actuator 53 . By operating the actuator 53, the pitch control shafts 32C and 320 move up and down with respect to the inclined plate 50.

The inclined plate 50 is supported by three actuators 54, 55, 56, which are themselves located at the vertices of a triangle.

One of the rams 56 connects to the center point of the ramp and the other two actuators 54,55 connect to the peripheral points of the ramp.

These three actuators 54, 55, 56 are all -
When operated similarly (simultaneously), collective pitch is applied to (or removed from) all four blades.
. In addition, one of three actuators 54 to 56
A differential collective pitch can be imparted to the rotor by actuating one or two. Thus, the roll control of the craft is performed by the actuator 55,
Pitch control is performed by actuator 54. Yaw control is performed by actuator 53, and of course, if actuators 53-56 are driven simultaneously, the craft will make complex movements.

As a variation on the above arrangement, the pitch control shafts 32 can also be driven by coupling each shaft to its own actuator 60, as shown in FIG. The operation of the actuator 60 is in this case controlled by a microprocessor 61, to which the microprocessor
Input from the controller 62 is input. Controller 62 derives its inputs from birod actuated levers and/or pedals or from remote transmitters.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, as stated in the opening part of this specification, the rotorcraft according to the present invention has greater stability than conventional rotorcraft by having the configuration described in the claims. and has excellent controllability.

The present invention also allows for flumping and pitch adjustment of each vane without the need for complex systems.

In a hovering operation, if the following relationship (+) is established, partial stability will be maintained in a two-rotorcraft, and if relationship (2) is established, then partial stability will be maintained in a four-rotorcraft. Full stability is maintained in the mold craft.

(1) h/1cos ε-((Zw/Iu)-1)
/ C(Zw/!u)+cot”ε] (2) h/1cosε= ((Zw/χuLl)
/ ((Zw/!u)+cot" t +cosec
”t) In the above formula, h = vertical height of the rotor hub above the center of gravity of the craft, 1 - vertical length of the rotor axis, ε - inclination angle of the rotor axis ( relative to the vertical axis), !u = original position of the rotor relative to the unfeathered axis (in-si
tu), Zw = original position of the rotor relative to the unfeathered axis (i
Vertical damping derivative in n-situ).

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a front view of the craft, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the craft as seen from above, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are rotational views. 5 is a plan view and a side view of the rotor blade removed from the blade shaft, FIG. 5 is a front view of the upper portion of the drive shaft and the universal joint attached to the drive shaft, and FIG. 6 is the same as FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a mechanism used to perform pitch control on the four rotary blades shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 8 is a plan view of the device shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an electronic control system for performing pitch control on a blade; FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a device for transmitting driving force from one drive unit to a rotary blade drive shaft; FIG. 10A and FIG. FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram showing a method of transmitting driving force from the drive unit to the drive shaft. 20- Body part of rotorcraft 21- Skid, 22-25...-Rotor blade, 2
6 - Drive unit, 27 - Single rotation blade, 28 - Balance arm, 29 - Counterweight, 30 - Universal joint, 3I - Hole, 33 to 36 - Drive shaft, 37 -
Bevel gear, 38- Yoke, 39- Blade support, 41. 42- Fastening member, 43- Pivot bin, 45- Lever arm, 47- Connecting member, 50- Inclined plate, 32A to 32D- Pitch control shaft , 51-
Hel crank lever, 53-56-actuator, 60-actuator, 61-microprocessor-2 62-controller, 63.64-bearing. 52 of Komen July 19, 1988

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. At least two intersecting rotor blades connected to a common drive unit, each rotor blade having a lifting surface and the fact that it extends in the opposite direction. It has a balance arm with no upward lift and is connected to the drive unit by each rotor shaft, and the rotor shafts are mutually connected during rotation so that the path plane drawn by each blade is inclined with respect to the path surface of the other blades. each rotor transmits torque,
A rotorcraft characterized in that the rotorcraft is connected to each rotor shaft by a mechanism that enables flap and pitch adjustment of the blades, and is further provided with a device for adjusting the pitch angle of each blade. 2. Has four intersecting rotor blades connected to a common drive unit, each rotor blade having one rotor blade with a lifting surface and a balance with virtually no lift extending in the opposite direction. and are connected to the drive unit by respective rotor shafts, the rotor shafts being mutually inclined so that the path plane drawn by each blade during rotation is inclined with respect to the path surface of the other blades. , each rotor blade is connected to its respective rotor shaft by a mechanism that transmits torque and allows flap and pitch adjustment of the blades, and is further provided with a device for adjusting the pitch angle of each blade. Rotorcraft. 3. The rotorcraft of claim 2, wherein the rotor blades are diagonally centered on corners of a square. 4. The rotorcraft according to claim 2, wherein the rotor shafts are arranged symmetrically on each side of the longitudinal centerline of the rotorcraft. 5. The rotorcraft according to claim 2, wherein the rotor blades having rotation axes arranged diagonally are arranged parallel to each other when viewed in a plan view. 6. A pair of diagonally arranged rotors are driven to rotate together in one direction, and another pair of diagonally arranged rotors are driven to rotate together in opposite directions. The rotorcraft according to claim 2, wherein the rotorcraft is arranged as follows. 7. The length of the balance arm of each rotor blade does not exceed 40% of the length of the blade extending in the opposite direction, and the balance arm is a counterweight that balances the centrifugal force of the blade while the rotor blade is rotating. The rotorcraft according to claim 1, further comprising: 8. The balance arm part and blade part of each rotor blade are formed as an integral structure, and a hole is formed in the rotor blade, and the hole is aligned with the rotation axis of the rotor blade, and the pitch of each blade is A rotorcraft according to claim 1, characterized in that a corner adjustment device projects through the hole. 9. The mechanism connecting each rotor blade to its associated rotor shaft consists of a universal joint that connects a yoke to the rotor shaft and pivots to the yoke to allow flap movement of the blades. a rotor support mounted in the shape of a rotor; and a fastening member for fixing the rotor to the rotor support, the fastening member being pivotally supported on the rotor support so as to adjust the pitch angle of the blade. The rotorcraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: 10. The tightening member has a protruding lever arm connected to a device for adjusting the pitch angle of each blade, whereby the linear movement of the adjusting device is converted into an angular adjustment of the pitch of the blades. The rotorcraft according to item 9. 11. The device for adjusting the pitch angle of a blade has pitch control axes, each axis of which is located in each of the rotor shafts, and each pitch control axis moves in a linear direction to cause a pitch adjustment movement thereto. and a drive mechanism is connected to the pitch control shaft for transmitting the actuated collective pitch adjustment movement to each of the pitch control shafts. The rotorcraft described in item 1.