KR101797011B1 - Power plant device of small aircraft and drone having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is an engine power generator, providing a propulsion force for a long period of time regardless of an atmospheric environment to overcome limitation of the drone and use an unmanned flight device and an unmanned aerial vehicle. TO this end, the present invention provides the engine power generator for a small aerial vehicle, comprising: an aerial vehicle engine generating a driving force; and a power generator connected to a rotational shaft of the aerial vehicle engine to use the entire driving force for generation of electricity and receiving the driving force through the rotational shaft to generate the electricity. Moreover, provided is the drone with the above-mentioned engine power generator. According to the present invention, the present invention can improve efficiency degradation caused by the atmospheric environment such as the temperature and humidity and increase task weight and flight time in proportion to a mounted fuel amount in a case of comparison with the drone with an existing battery.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an engine generator for a small-sized aircraft,

[0001] The present invention relates to an engine generator for use in a small-sized aircraft, and to a dron equipped with the engine. More particularly, the present invention relates to an engine generator, An engine generator for a small-sized aircraft that provides power to a motor, and a drone equipped with the same.

R / C model aircraft or small unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly referred to as drones, must have a lightweight, high-output battery to operate electronic equipment such as maneuvering devices and automatic flight computers.

Until now, however, RC type aircraft and batteries mounted on unmanned airplanes have caused the unmanned airplane to shorten its flight time to tens of minutes. The solution to this problem is that it is easiest to mount multiple batteries or a large capacity battery in a UAV, or the number of batteries in an UAV can not be increased indefinitely. Various problems arise.

In order to overcome the problems of the conventional battery, a technique of applying a lithium polymer battery which is light in weight and can be used for a long time has been developed.

However, the above-mentioned lithium polymer battery also has a problem that power supply for one hour or more is difficult, and the use time is further shortened due to ambient temperature or humidity.

In recent years, a hybrid propulsion system (HPS) has been developed to overcome the problems of the conventional battery and the lithium polymer battery. This HPS suggests the efficiency of energy use according to the flight phase of the aircraft. It combines the internal combustion engine with the generator, and in some forms of flight, the propulsion of the aircraft is obtained by using the generator as an electric motor. More specifically, the HPS produces electricity from an electric motor (coaxial) connected to an aircraft engine (internal combustion engine), as shown in FIG. 1, driving the propeller. And HPS can save energy in the battery and increase the energy efficiency by supplying the energy source directly from the engine depending on the type of flight, using only the electric energy of the battery, or a mixture of both.

However, since such an HPS is directly or indirectly connected to a propelling device such as a propeller, the power of the aircraft engine is only partially used for electric production, and it is difficult to use the HPS in a dron with a plurality of propellers.

In addition, HPS can be used only to increase energy efficiency or in the form of fixed wing. Unlike a flywheel, the fixed wing has a fixed wing that generates lift, and at fixed speed or higher, the fixed wing compensates for gravity, so propulsive thrust can be driven by propelling the propeller using only the power of the electric motor.

On the other hand, since the rotor blade is a method of continuously compensating the gravity by rotating the blade instead of the rotor blade, it has an inefficient construction that requires power generation as much as engine power and an energy storage device.

On the other hand, if the propeller or the blade of the multi-axis is not a method of controlling the number of revolutions (or generated thrust) of the motor, or if some engine power is used directly, the drone must have a mission to disperse the engine power to multiple axes, A device for varying engine power is required.

Therefore, the reason why the engine power is not used for the drone is that the mission and the variable device of each axis are heavily loaded with mechanical elements, and the control resolution (the mechanical actuator must be mounted on the variable device of each axis, The limit of the micro-manipulation of the distance) is deteriorated and the stable flight characteristic of the drones is lost.

Korean Patent No. 10-1452473 (issued October 16, 2014) Korea Patent No. 10-0590424 (published on June 19, 2006) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2011-0104405 (published on September 22, 2011) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0136749 (published on Dec. 12, 2014)

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an engine generator for a small-sized aircraft which can overcome the flying limit (flight time, mission weight, etc.) of industrial drones, is not sensitive to the external environment, .

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aircraft engine for generating a driving force, and a driving force control unit connected to a rotating shaft of an aircraft engine for using the entire driving force for generating electric power, A generator for a small-sized aircraft, which includes a generator for receiving electricity to generate electricity.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, another embodiment of the present invention provides a dron equipped with the above-described engine generator for a small aircraft.

According to the present invention, it is possible to increase the flight time in proportion to the amount of the fuel loaded in comparison with the drone equipped with the conventional battery, and to improve the performance degradation due to the atmospheric environment such as temperature and humidity.

In addition, unlike generators attached to a conventional aircraft, the present invention can eliminate the use of a gearbox for mounting an aircraft engine, since 100% of the power of the aircraft engine is used to produce electricity only by using a high-output power generator.

In addition, the present invention can be used not only for drones but also for unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

1 is a schematic view for explaining a conventional hybrid propulsion system.
2 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an engine generator according to the present invention.
3 is a configuration diagram showing another embodiment of the engine generator according to the present invention.
4 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an engine generator according to the present invention.
5 is a front view showing the engine generator of Fig.
Figure 6 is a side view of the engine generator of Figure 4;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an engine generator for a small-sized aircraft according to preferred embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter abbreviated as "engine generator") and a dron equipped with the engine generator will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an engine generator according to the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a configuration diagram showing another embodiment of the engine generator according to the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the engine generator according to the present invention is a device for generating power required for driving a flight aircraft such as a drone, a unmanned airplane, or an unmanned airplane using fuel.

Specifically, the engine generator includes an aircraft engine 10 that generates a driving force, and a generator 20 connected to the aircraft engine 10 to generate electricity to use all of the driving force for generating electricity, A rotation speed sensor 30 for sensing the rotation speed of the aircraft engine 10 and an integrated controller 40 for adjusting the rotation speed of the aircraft engine 10 according to the rotation speed sensed by the rotation speed sensor 30. [ A temperature sensor 50 for measuring the temperature of the aircraft engine 10, a cooling device 60 for cooling the aircraft engine 10, and a voltage regulator (not shown) for rectifying the electricity generated through the generator 20 70).

Hereinafter, each component will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the engine generator according to the present invention, Fig. 5 is a front view showing the engine generator of Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 is a side view showing the engine generator of Fig.

4 to 6, the engine generator according to the present invention may further include a case 90.

The case 90 provides a space for installing the respective components of the engine generator. The case 90 is formed to have a block structure and is hollow, and openings communicating with the hollow are formed on the upper and side surfaces, respectively.

When the engine generator according to the present invention is mounted on the drones, the case 90 is installed inside the drones.

As a specific aspect, the case 90 according to the present invention may be formed to have a sloped slope 92 that rises from the front to the rear in the upper portion as shown in Figs.

More specifically, the case 90 has side openings for circulating air on the left and right sides, respectively, and a rear opening for sucking the air required for the aircraft engine 10 is formed on the rear side, And an upper opening opening into which air for cooling the aircraft engine 10 and the generator 20 are introduced is formed on both sides of the inclined slope 92.

4 to 6, an engine generator according to the present invention includes an aircraft engine 10.

The aircraft engine 10 is installed inside the case 90 and generates driving force which is a mechanical energy by using fuel. In accordance with the start signal of the integrated controller 40, the fuel injected from the outside is burned, .

More specifically, the aircraft engine 10 sucks the fuel stored in the fuel tank and compresses the sucked fuel. The aircraft engine 10 then exerts heat on the compressed fuel to explode and produce mechanical energy.

The aircraft engine 10 includes any one of a gasoline engine, a diesel engine, and a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine. The fuel may be either gasoline or light oil.

4 and 6, an engine generator according to the present invention includes a generator 20.

The generator 20 is installed inside the case 90 and connected to the aircraft engine 10 and connected to the rotation axis of the aircraft engine 10 and receives the driving force from the rotation axis to generate electric energy. Here, the rotation axis means a crank shaft of the aircraft engine 10. [

The generator 20 provides the generated electricity to the integrated controller 40 or to the integrated controller 40 via the voltage regulator 70.

The first rotary shaft of the aircraft engine 10 and the second rotary shaft of the generator 20 are firmly coupled to each other so that the generator 20 can be smoothly transmitted to the first rotary shaft A power transmission unit may be provided between the two rotary shafts.

The power transmission portion includes a first belt pulley, a belt, and a second belt pulley. Specifically, the first belt pulley is connected to a rotation shaft of an aircraft engine 10, that is, a crank shaft of the engine, to transmit a driving force generated by the engine, and the second belt pulley interlocks with a first belt pulley The belt receives the driving force from the first belt pulley, and the belt transfers the driving force from the first belt pulley to the second belt pulley by wrapping the first belt pulley and the second belt pulley.

The first and second belt pulleys and the first and second sprockets connected by a chain may be used as the power transmission unit. The first sprocket and the second sprocket may be connected by a chain, And the second gear are also usable.

Referring to FIG. 4, the engine generator according to the present invention includes a revolution sensor 30.

The rotation speed sensor 30 is installed in the aircraft engine 10 and senses the rotation speed of the aircraft engine 10 to generate rotation speed information for the rotation speed in real time or periodically and transmits the rotation speed information to the integration controller 40 send.

The rotation speed sensor 30 may be connected to the integrated controller 40 by wire or wirelessly. For this purpose, the rotation speed sensor 30 may be equipped with a communication module for wireless communication with the integrated controller 40.

Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, the engine generator according to the present invention may include a temperature control device for cooling the aircraft engine 10 according to the temperature of the aircraft engine 10.

Since a general flywheel such as a helicopter is disposed at a lower portion of a blade, an aircraft engine providing a driving force for rotating the blade is used, airflow generated in a flying environment can be used to cool the aircraft engine, No device is required.

However, unlike a general helicopter, the drones of the present invention are mounted on the body of the aircraft engine, and the propeller is mounted on multiple shafts spaced a certain distance from the body, so that the airflow for cooling the aircraft engine in the in-flight flight can not be secured sufficiently. In addition, since the drones are expected to operate at a low flying speed in industrial applications, the aircraft engine of the engine generator is disadvantageous to long flight due to cooling efficiency, so that the engine generator of the present invention requires a temperature control device for cooling the aircraft engine 10 do.

Specifically, the temperature control device includes a temperature sensor 50 and a cooling device 60.

The temperature sensor 50 is installed in the aircraft engine 10 and measures the temperature of the aircraft engine 10. The temperature sensor 50 generates temperature information on the temperature of the aircraft engine 10 in real time or periodically, To the cooling device (60).

The temperature sensor 50 may be connected to either the integrated controller 40 or the cooling device 60 in a wired or wireless manner. To this end, the temperature sensor 50 may be provided with a communication module for wireless communication with the integrated controller 40 or the cooling device 60. [

The cooling device 60 is installed in the case 90 and is connected to the integrated controller 40 and the temperature sensor 50. The cooling device 60 is controlled by the integrated controller 40 in a form integrated with the engine generator of the present invention Any cooling device may be used as long as it can cool the aircraft engine 10 and the generator 20. Here, the cooling device 60 is cooled down to the generator 20 because if the magnetism effect is lost as the temperature of the stationary magnet included in the generator 20 is increased, the performance of the generator 20 may deteriorate Because.

The cooling device 60 according to the present invention is preferably configured so that the aircraft engine 10 and the generator 20 can be cooled together with the heated aircraft engine 10 and the generator 20 Do.

As a first embodiment, the cooling device 60 according to the present invention may be composed of an electric motor 62 and a propeller 64. [

The electric motor 62 is installed in the case 90 and is connected to the integrated controller 40 and driven under the control of the integrated controller 40.

The propeller 64 is coupled to the electric motor 62 and includes an airplane engine 10 and a generator 20 so as to cool the airplane engine 10 and the generator 20 in accordance with the driving of the electric motor 62. [ To provide a wind direction. The wing structure for providing the wind in all directions, such as the propeller 64 of the fan, is a well-known technology and will not be described in detail.

Optionally, a cooling device 60 including an electric motor 62 and a propeller 64 may be configured to generate lift and thrust forces in the case 90 to reduce gravity acting on the engine generator have. The electric motor 62 is installed on the inclined surface 92 of the case 90 and the propeller 64 is connected to the electric motor 62 to provide wind in the rear direction and the bottom direction of the case 90 ). On the other hand, a plurality of engine generators may be used in combination so as to be applied to relatively large drones that require more power selectively as needed. To this end, the case may have coupling means (e.g., in the form of protrusions and depressions, etc., which can be tightly coupled to one another) for connecting two or more engine generators to extend the use thereof. In this case, in order to simplify the engine generator and prevent the increase of the weight and the volume, a device for cooling the engine and the generator can be shared. Specifically, the electric motor 62 and the propeller 64 for cooling can provide a cooling effect to the combined two engine generators. To this end, the electric motor 62 and the propeller 64 are provided on the case upper surface And the electric motor 62 to which the propeller 64 is connected can be moved along the rails to provide a cooling effect to the two engine generators as one propeller. In addition, the propeller may be installed such that the propeller is tilted in the direction of flight intended to provide the maximum ram air supply.

As a second embodiment, the cooling device 60 according to the present invention may be constituted by a radiator including cooling water.

The radiator absorbs the heat generated by the aircraft engine 10 and the generator 20 through the cooling water and discharges the air into the atmosphere so that the coolant can be passed through the case 90 ). At this time, the cooling water is cooled by cold air entering the inside of the drone main body. If desired, the radiator may be formed to contact the aircraft engine 10 and the generator 20.

As a third embodiment, the cooling device 60 according to the present invention may be configured to include the radiator, the electric motor, and the propeller.

The electric motor and the propeller are configured to provide wind in the direction of the radiator when an air flow from the outside is insufficient to cool the cooling water circulating inside the radiator. To this end, the electric motor is installed in the case 90, and is connected to the integrated controller 40 and driven under the control of the integrated controller 40.

The engine generator according to the present invention may further include a voltage regulator (70).

The voltage regulator 70 is installed in the generator 20 and is connected to the integrated controller 40 and provides a function of rectifying the voltage input from the generator 20. [

More specifically, the voltage regulator 70 rectifies the voltage input from the generator 20 to form a constant voltage, and converts the constant voltage to a regulated voltage suitable for each component.

The voltage regulator 70 may be connected to a battery built in the drone main body through an external interface to provide rectified electric energy. At this time, the battery starts the aircraft engine 10 of the engine generator and provides power to the motors of the respective axes provided in the drones main body while the drones collapse when the aircraft engine 10 fails.

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Referring to Figures 4 to 6, the engine generator according to the present invention includes an integrated controller (40).

The integrated controller 40 is installed in the case 90, preferably on the front surface of the case 90 as shown in FIG. 4 and connected to the rotation speed sensor 30 and the aircraft engine 10 and the generator 20 And a function of adjusting the number of revolutions of the aircraft engine 10 according to the number of revolutions of the aircraft engine 10 sensed by the revolutions sensor 30.

In other words, the integrated controller 40 maintains the engine speed of the aircraft engine 10 at a constant level to help the aircraft engine 10 maintain the generating capacity. For example, during the winter, it is necessary not to adjust the number of revolutions of the engine until the temperature of the aircraft engine 10 has risen to a certain level after the start of the aircraft engine 10. Thus, the integrated controller 40 commands the aircraft engine 10 to reach the required number of revolutions when the temperature of the aircraft engine 10 reaches a certain temperature, and then controls the aircraft engine 10 to maintain the target number of revolutions.

When the integrated controller 40 receives a control signal transmitted from an external control device (not shown) through a communication device or a communication device installed in a drone or the like, the integrated controller 40 determines a control signal and performs an operation corresponding to the control signal . For example, the integrated controller 40 can control the aircraft engine 10 to operate when the start signal transmitted from the adjustment device is received. At this time, the integrated controller 40 can transmit to the respective valves a signal for opening the valves installed in the fuel tank and the oil tank so that fuel and oil can be introduced into the aircraft engine 10.

The integrated controller 40 is connected to the temperature sensor 50 and the cooling device 60 and controls the cooling device 60 in accordance with the temperature information collected from the temperature sensor 50 to cool the aircraft engine 10 . For example, the integrated controller 40 analyzes the temperature information and, if it is determined that the temperature of the aircraft engine 10 has exceeded the predetermined temperature, 10). The integrated controller 40 analyzes the temperature information and does not control the cooling device 60 so that the temperature is maintained when it is determined that the aircraft engine 10 does not exceed the predetermined temperature.

Hereinafter, the operation of the engine generator according to the present invention will be described in detail.

First, the engine of an aircraft uses the fuel stored in the fuel tank to generate mechanical energy. In other words, when the start signal is transmitted from the integrated controller 40, the aircraft engine 10 sucks, compresses and explodes the fuel stored in the fuel tank to generate mechanical energy.

Next, the generator 20 converts the mechanical energy generated by the aircraft engine 10 into electrical energy under the control of the integrated controller 40. [ At this time, if the engine output of the aircraft changes, the rotation speed of the engine also changes, so that the magnitude of the voltage generated from the generator 20 also changes. Therefore, the voltage regulator 70 receives the voltage of the electric energy generated from the generator 20 and generates a constant voltage of a constant magnitude even if the magnitude of the voltage changes. The voltage regulator 70 converts the constant voltage into a regulated voltage of a predetermined magnitude, 40 to the respective components.

When the electric energy is supplied to the cooling device 60, the electric motor 62 constituting the cooling device 60 converts electric energy into mechanical energy and uses the mechanical energy to rotate the propeller 64 Thereby providing air to the aircraft engine 10 and the generator 20.

On the other hand, the present invention provides a dron equipped with the above-described engine generator.

More specifically, the drone according to the present invention includes a body, a communication unit, a propulsion unit, a control unit, and an engine generator.

The body provides the outer shape of the drones, and may have a streamlined structure such as an airplane or a rectangular parallelepiped structure.

The communication unit is connected to a user terminal or an adjustment device via a wireless network and receives a control signal such as a start signal, a position change signal, and the like. The user terminal may be a smart phone, a notebook computer, a tablet PC, or the like.

The propulsion unit is connected to the control unit, and a plurality of the propulsion units are installed on the body to move the body vertically, horizontally, and longitudinally under the control of the control unit. Such a propeller is preferably a propeller method using a thrust generated by rotation of a propeller widely used in drones, but it is not limited to the propeller type, as it can be a variety of embodiments such as blades in addition to the propeller method.

The control unit controls the flight of a drone or controls an algorithm, and is provided at one side of the body and connected to the propulsion unit and the engine generator.

In this way, a dron with an engine generator increases flight time about twice as much as a dron with a battery of the same weight, and unlike a battery that is affected by atmospheric conditions such as temperature and humidity, It is possible to provide a constant flight performance. In addition, a dron with an engine generator has a flight time of at least 2 times to 8 times better than a dron with a battery of the same price as the above engine generator, or the payload is higher than the current agricultural unmanned helicopter level Can be implemented.

If necessary, the drone according to the present invention may further include a fuel tank, an oil tank, and an exhaust pipe (80).

The fuel tank is installed in the drone body to store the fuel supplied to the aircraft engine 10 and is connected through a fuel pipe for injecting fuel into the aircraft engine 10. [

The oil tank is installed in the drone body to store oil supplied to the aircraft engine 10 and is connected to the aircraft engine 10 through an oil pipe for injecting oil.

The exhaust pipe 80 discharges the exhaust gas generated in the aircraft engine 10 to the outside of the dron body, and one side is connected to the dron body.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It can be understood that it is possible.

10: Aircraft engine 20: Generator
30: rotation speed sensor 40: integrated controller
50: temperature sensor 60: cooling device
62: electric motor 64: propeller
70: Voltage regulator 80:
90: Case

Claims (10)

An aircraft engine for generating a driving force;
A generator connected to a rotary shaft of an aircraft engine to use all of the driving force for generating electric power and receiving a driving force from the rotary shaft to generate electricity;
A rotation number sensor for detecting rotation number of the aircraft engine and generating rotation number information;
A temperature sensor for measuring temperature of the aircraft engine to generate temperature information;
A cooling device for cooling the aircraft engine and the generator according to the temperature information;
And a control unit connected to the rotation speed sensor and the temperature sensor to adjust the rotation speed of the aircraft engine according to the rotation speed information and to control the cooling device according to the temperature information collected through the temperature sensor, A controller;
Wherein a hollow is formed in a block structure to provide a space for installing the airplane engine, a generator, a rotational speed sensor, and an integrated controller, and an open mouth communicating with the hollow is formed on an upper surface and a side surface, And a case formed so as to have an inclined sloping surface that rises toward the lower surface of the case,
The case is formed with a side opening for circulating air on the left and right sides, a rear opening for sucking the air required for the airplane engine is formed on the rear side, And an upper opening for introducing air for cooling the aircraft engine and the generator,
Wherein the cooling device is installed on the electric motor and is inclined in a flight direction in which the electric motor is intended to provide a speed in order to provide wind in the back and bottom directions of the case and an electric motor connected to the integrated controller and provided on the inclined surface of the case And a propeller for providing wind in the direction of the aircraft engine and generator as the electric motor is driven. delete delete delete delete The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling device
And a radiator installed in the case for absorbing heat generated from the aircraft engine and the generator through coolant and discharging the heat to the atmosphere. delete The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a voltage regulator for rectifying the voltage input from the generator. delete A dron with an engine generator for a small aircraft according to claim 1.

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