WO2018106137A4

WO2018106137A4 - Distributed electric propulsion system and vertical take-off and landing aircraft

Info

Publication number: WO2018106137A4
Application number: PCT/RO2017/050001
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giurca LIVIU GRIGORIAN
Original assignee: Liviu Grigorian Giurca
Priority date: 2016-11-17
Filing date: 2017-10-23
Publication date: 2018-09-13
Also published as: WO2018106137A2; WO2018106137A3; RO132565A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a distributed electric propulsion system and vertical take-off and landing ("VTOL") aircraft and especially to this having hybrid or electric drive, used to transport people or goods from one point to the other without the necessity of airport runways. A vertical take-off and landing aircraft (60) utilizes a distributed electric propulsion system (61) comprising at least two propellers with total vectoring (62) located at the ends of two fixed wings (63), the wings (63) being mounted on one side and the other of an fuselage (64). Each propeller with total vectoring 62 is driven in rotation motion by a shaft (68) and by an actuator. The three main operating modes of the aircraft (60), respectively vertical, transition and forward flight, are achieved by inclined in different positions the propellers with total vectoring (62).

Claims

14

AMENDED CLAIMS

received by the International Bureau on 26 July 2018 (26.07.2018

Claims

[Claim 1] [A distributed electric propulsion system wherein it employs at least two propellers with total vectoring (1), each comprising a multiple propeller (2), with thrust amplifier, suspended on a C- shaped frame (3) by means of two rotating shafts (4) which are mounted in two joints (5), and the rotary shafts (4) are actuated by some actuators, and the frame (3) presents in the middle a shaft (6) which is also rotatable, and the multiple propeller (2) with thrust amplifier comprises a plurality of ducted fans (7), which can rotate each in a duct (8), each fan (7) being driven by an electric motor (9), and the ducts (8) are tangent together and form a duct block (10), and the duct block (10) is surrounded by an envelope ring (11) supporting the duct block (10) by means some ribs (12), and the multiple propeller (2) can rotate along an axis coinciding with the axis of the shaft (6), called the main axis A, in which case the rotation angle is ± 90 °, and the multiple propeller (2) can rotate along an axis located along the multiple propeller (2) called the secondary axis B, and in this case the angle of rotation at left a may be different from the angle of rotation to the right β depending on the geometric limitations, and the propeller with total vectoring (1) presents the possibility that the air jet produced by the fans (7) can be progressively oriented in two different directions.]

[Claim 2] [A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the multiple propeller is of the simple type and the frame (3) directly supports the duct block (10).]

[Claim 3] [A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein it uses at least two propellers with total vectoring (20) each comprising two multiple propellers (21) arranged in line, and between the two multiple propellers (21) there is a joint (22), out of which two shafts (23) are connected with the multiple propellers (21), and the rotating shafts (23) are actuated by an actuator, and 15

the joint (22) is solidary with a rotary shaft (24), and the shaft (24) and the multiple propellers (21) are placed in the T-shape, and the multiple propellers (21) can rotate along an axis which coincides with that of the shaft (24), called the main axis D, and multiple propellers (21) can rotate along an axis located along the shafts (23) called the secondary axis E, and the propeller with total vectoring (20) presents the possibility that the produced air jet is progressively oriented in two different directions.]

[Claim 4] [A distributed electric propulsion system characterized in that it uses at least two propellers with total vectoring (40) utilizing a T-shaped frame (41) on which a number of electric motors (42) act in a certain sense of rotation some rotors (43), and symmetrically on the other side are an equal number of electric motors (44) which act other propellers (45), having the opposite direction of rotation relative to the rotors (43), and the frame (41) shows in the middle a joint (46) from which two shafts (47) emerge symmetrically, and the shafts (47) are actuated by an actuator, and a shaft (48) is solidary with the joint (46); the entirety of the electric motors (42) and (44) respectively all the rotors (43) and (45) form together a multiple propeller (50) of the open type, and the multiple propeller (50) can rotate along an axis coinciding with that of the shaft (48), called the main axis F, and the multiple propeller (50) can rotate along an axis located along the shafts (47) called the secondary axis G, and the propeller with total vectoring (40) presents the possibility that the produced air jet is progressively oriented in two different directions.]

[Claim 6] [Vertical take-off and landing aircraft as in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 characterized in that a vertical take-off and landing aircraft (60) use a distributed electric propulsion system (61) comprising at least 16

two propellers with total vectoring (62) located at the ends of two fixed wings (63), the wings (63) being mounted on one side of a fuselage (64), and the wings (63) have an aerodynamic profile and are used in the horizontal flight, and each wing (63) has a three-segment configuration, respectively a first horizontal fixing segment (65) substantially located in a horizontal plane and which is mounted in the median area of the fuselage (64), and the horizontal fixing segment (65) continues with a inclined segment (66) which connects with a final horizontal segment (67), and the final horizontal segment (67) is located above the top of the fuselage (64), which guarantees the positioning of the propellers with total vectoring (62) above the aircraft center of gravity (60), and each propeller with total vectoring (62) is driven in rotation motion by a shaft (68) and by an actuator.]

[Claim 7] [An aircraft as claimed in claim 6 wherein an aircraft (90) has a reinforced structure and the two propellers with total vectoring (62) are mounted at the ends of two reinforced wings (91), between the horizontal segments (67) of each reinforced wing (91) being fixed a connecting wing (92) having also an aerodynamic profile, the connecting wing (92) contributing to the increase of the lift force in the forward flight of the aircraft (90).]

[Claim 8] [An aircraft as claimed in claim 1, 2 and 3 characterized in that an aircraft (110) uses two wings (111) directly attached to the top of a fuselage (112) and supporting two propellers with total vectoring (113) of the type with ducted fans and thrust amplifier.]

[Claim 9] [An aircraft as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 characterized in that an aircraft (120) uses two propellers with partial vectoring (121), of the type with ducted fans and thrust amplifier, supported by two rear wings (122) fixed to the top of a fuselage (123) and two other propellers with partial vectoring (124) of the type with ducted fans and thrust amplifier, are supported by two front wings (125) fixed in the median area of the fuselage (123), and the front wings (125) have a different length from the rear wings (122) so that the air jet created during the forward flight by the propellers with partial vectoring (124) does not interfere with the air jet of the propellers with partial vectoring (121).] 17

[Claim 10] [An aircraft as claimed in claim 6, 7, 8 or 9, characterized in that during take-off or landing, the propellers with total vectoring (62) are oriented in the vertical direction, respectively expelling the air jet downwardly, and in the case of the existence of the side wind, the propellers with total vectoring (62) are also incline along the secondary axis to compensate the side forces exerted on the aircraft (60), and during the transition from the vertical flight to the forward flight and vice versa, the propellers with total vectoring (62) are inclined after the main axis, and as the speed of the aircraft (60) increases due to the horizontal component of the thrust force developed by the propellers with total vectoring (62), the lift is taken over by the wings (63), and when the propellers with total vectoring (62) reach the position in which they are

perpendicular to the initial position, i.e. when the air jet is oriented in the horizontal direction, the lift of the aircraft (60) is entirely taken over by the fixed wings (63) .]

[Claim 11] [An aircraft as in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 characterized in that an aircraft (140) uses at the rear a reinforced wing (141) mounted at the rear of the fuselage (142), at the ends of the reinforced wing (141) being fixed with two propellers with total vectoring (143), and at the front side of the fuselage (142) are symmetrically mounted two propellers with partial vectoring (144) which can rotate on two shafts (145), being actuated by some actuators, and on the propellers with partial vectoring (144) are fixed some wings (146) which are constituted for the aircraft (140) in a Canard-type solution and use to stabilize the aircraft in the forward flight.]

[Claim 12] [An aircraft as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that during the take-off the wings (146) are oriented in a vertical position and in the forward flight the wings (143) are oriented substantially in a horizontal position.]

[Claim 13] [An aircraft characterized in that an individual aircraft (160) has a frame (161) on which two propellers with partial vectoring (162) are fixed at the top, and

Inside the frame (161) a pilot (164) can be transported in the standing position, and on each of the propellers with partial vectoring (162) there is fixed a wing (165) considered inferior, and 18

a wing (167), considered superior, is fixed between the two propellers with partial vectoring (166), and all wings, the upper wing and the lower wings (165) rotate simultaneously with the propellers with partial vectoring (162) depending on the flight mode of the aircraft (160).]

[Claim 14] [An aircraft as in claim 13 wherein in operation during the take-off and landing, the propellers with partial vectoring (162) have the air jets directed downwards, and during forward flight, the air jets are oriented horizontally by rotating the propellers with partial vectoring (162) and the frame (161) is inclined due to the aerodynamic force exerted on its surface and on the pilot (164) exposed surfaces.]

[Claim 15] [A system as claimed in claim 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 or 13 wherein the energy required for the operation of the distributed electric propulsion system is provided by a set of accumulator batteries.]

[Claim 16] [A system as in claim 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 or 13 wherein the energy required for the operation of the distributed electric propulsion system is provided by an electric hybrid system.]

Statement under Article 19(1) for PCT/RO 2017/050001

Inventor Liviu Grigorian Giurca opinions regarding the International Search Report:

A) The claims 8 and 9 present novelty introducing a restriction that has not any impact on the description and the drawings (see amendment claims).

B) The claims 4 and 10 imply inventive steps.

C) The claims 5 doesn't imply inventive step and consequently the claim 13 becomes an independent claim.

A) See amendment claims 8 and 9

B) Even the analysis of the inventive step is considered a subjective judgement, WIPO will established some very clear criteria to decide when it is implied an inventive step or not

(http://www.wipo.int/edocs/mdocs/scp/en/scp 22/scp 22 presentation inventive step.pdf)

The claims 4 and 10 imply an inventive step (WIPO criteria) because:

1. The claims 4 and 10 solve a long felt need, respectively resolve problems which are not solved in an unique invention of the state of the art.

2. The consequences of the claims 4 and 10 can be materialized in a commercial success.

3. The claims 4 and 10 produce unexpected positive technical effects (advantages).

Inventor justifications regarding the inventive step for the claims 4 and 10:

Compared with Dl (US2016/0122018 Al) the application presents the following inventive steps:

-It is used superposed rotors (43) and (45) which are with tens of percents more efficient than the simple rotors in vertical flight, during takeoff and landing.

-It uses multiple propellers (50) in stand of simply impellers, which increase very much redundancy.

Compared with D2 (WO2012/141736 Al) the application presents the following inventive steps:

- It is used superposed rotors (43) and (45) which are with tens of percents more efficient than the simple rotors in vertical flight, during takeoff and landing;

-The multiple propellers (50) can be oriented by two axes, cancelling the influence of the side winds, without to rotate the wings (this being very complicate);

-It can use more than two rotors (43) and (45) per each multiple propeller (50) increasing redundancy.

Compared with D3 (US2016/0325829 Al) the application presents the following inventive steps:

-The multiple propeller (50) locations increase the vehicle efficiency in forward flight.

Compared with D4 (US2012/0138732 Al) the application presents the following inventive steps:

-The multiple propellers (50) can be oriented by two axes, cancelling the influence of the side winds.

New statement:

1. The claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 remain unchanged in content (also the claims 4 and 10 imply inventive step and remain unchanged).

2. The claim 5 is cancelled because the lake of inventive step.

3. The claims 8 and 9 are modified without implication of the description or of the drawings (see amendment claims).

4. The claim 13 becomes an independent claim (see amendment claims).

2