DE10241732A1 - Horizontal and vertical take-off and landing combination aircraft used as a rotary wing and fixed-wing aircraft comprises a rotor lift used as a telescopic device for a rotary wing drive lowered into and lifted out of the fuselage - Google Patents

Abstract

Horizontal and vertical take-off and landing combination aircraft comprises a rotor lift (1) used as a telescopic device for a rotary wing drive (3). The rotary wing drive is lowered into and lifted out of the fuselage (6). A slat (2) arranged below the front wings (7) allows stabilization of the aircraft during the raising/lowering process of the rotary wing drive and during the transition from fixed-wing to rotary wing operation. Preferred Features: The rear wing (8) can be adjusted relative to the fuselage to increase agility and roll speed.

Description

The invention is a vertically and horizontally take-off, flight and landing-capable combination aircraft with long-haul flight characteristics and special aerodynamic Characteristics.

It is known that use of helicopters - so-called Rotary wing aircraft - everywhere there is advantageous where there is only little space available for take-off and landing and where necessary, in hover, i.e. even at the lowest Operational speed or even in reverse. The disadvantage is the inability to higher Operate cruising speeds and larger distances economically and overcome quickly.

It is known that planes are everywhere can be used advantageously where larger distances are economical traveled Need to become. adversely is the need for a more extensive infrastructure on the ground in the form of a runway and the inability to cross a target area in the Air travel speed to perform operational tasks reduce to zero.

According to the prior art, it is also known that there have been and still are many approaches to combining the advantages of both drive methods (rotor, surface) (so-called combination aircraft). However, due to known constructive problems of these approaches, these have not been able to assert themselves today, since their designs are always very closely based on those of existing aircraft types. For example, a jet aircraft is known from England in the military field which can pivot its jet engines located on the main wings by about 90 ° and thus generates a vertical thrust with which it can start. The transition to fixed-wing flight is problematic, however, since either thrust in the vertical or correspondingly in the horizontal direction is lost to a considerable extent during the slewing process of the engines, if one is not able to build up a thrust that is uneconomical for the operation. The same concept was also tested with propeller aircraft, although many of these prototypes were / are difficult or impossible to land as a plane because of the considerable propeller diameter required. Such approaches are in the patents US 3797783 A . US 4789115 A . US 05085315 A . US 05381985 A etc. to find.

A disadvantage of the prior art is in particular: An implementation according to patent no. US 4789115 A shows the disadvantage that the two-bladed propellers are aligned in the longitudinal direction of the aircraft and thus, in addition to their air resistance, dramatically restrict the pitch agility of the vehicle.

A realization according to a patent US 3797783 A shows the disadvantage that a technical implementation is very complex and the rotor blades are covered considerably by the wing, resulting in a low efficiency.

A realization according to a patent US 05085315 A also works according to the well-known principle of the tipping rotor, however the rotor blades are flipped backwards when flying, which reduces their aerodynamic influence but does not prevent them. There remains the night of a complex synchronization of the rotors and an unstable behavior in the transition phase.

A realization according to a patent US 05381985 A also works according to the well-known principle of the tipping rotor, however, a double rotor with counter-rotating propellers is used for each wing. Here the entire wing is tilted, but this does not overcome the problems that are solved with the presented invention.

Prototypes of so-called tilt rotor aircraft are e.g. Bell: XV-3, Bell-Boeing: V22, Bell-Agusta: BA609, AgustaWestland / Eurocopter: TRISYD.

Other concepts favor the so-called compound design, in which a helicopter is equipped with an additional turbine that generates additional horizontal thrust (e.g. GB 2238995 . DE 4039027 A1 . IT 1242176 B etc.). It is disadvantageous that the rotor blades are always exposed to the air flow and thus considerably limit the maximum possible forward speed, with the material load being increased considerably under certain circumstances.

Boeing designed a so-called HOVTOL (horizontal or vertical takeoff and landing aircraft) called X-50A CRW (canard rotor / wing, see US 05454530 A ), which uses a two-bladed rotor that is designed so wide that it is transversely and locked in horizontal flight and should act as a wing. A wide main rotor adversely affects the climb behavior. This concept is currently only being tested for small unmanned vehicles and it must be doubted that it can be technically implemented due to the aerodynamic load for fast-flying aircraft. This patent ( US 05454530 A ) comes closest to the invention documented in this illustration, but differs considerably in that the main rotor must always represent a technically unsatisfactory compromise due to the double use as wing and helicopter rotor and that the missing slat leads to a significant stability restriction.

The patent US 3792827 A describes a VTOL aircraft with a main rotor in the shape of a cross, but which always remains in the aerodynamic influence. The transition between rotor and wing flight is critical, since in this phase the rotor speed must be reduced to zero and the The influence of the comparatively broad rotor blade on the aerodynamics shows extremely changeable influence.

Furthermore, a patent specification ( US 5,890,441 A ) from 1999, in which a HOVTOL is described which uses two vertically arranged fans integrated with a longitudinal offset in the fuselage to generate a vertically directed thrust vector. Since these fans are integrated in the fuselage, the design-related small diameter (compared to a helicopter rotor) results in a disproportionately high power loss due to the unfavorable flow conditions. A similar aircraft is described in patent WO 8800556 A1, but the air flow is directed in the vertical direction by fins, which leads to a low efficiency compared to the classic helicopter drive with a swash plate.

In patent US 3647315 A describes a helicopter that can fold its rotor blades backwards and thus reduce the aerodynamic influence of the same in surface flight. Since both the fixed wing and the fuselage are under the rotor, the rotor efficiency is significantly reduced. A stable transition between rotor and wing flight seems very complex.

In patent US 4196877 A describes a torus in which a vertical rotor works and is attached to the two horizontal units. The stiffness of the vehicle, which is difficult to classify, is problematic, so that it is hardly suitable for transporting loads.

The object of the invention is that according to the status to overcome the problems presented in technology, in which a stable transition between rotor and wing flight achieved high maneuverability as well as stability and high efficiency the aircraft constructively guaranteed and a simple Realizability with good emergency flight characteristics is made possible.

The stated task is performed by in the claims listed Features solved.

These are characterized by that the aircraft is two independent Drive systems consisting of a rear-wheel drive for flat flight and a swing door operator for the Vertical flight contains being the full Swing wing unit, consisting from rotor head and rotor blades, complete and reversible in flat flight all aerodynamic influences can be withdrawn and thus all advantages of fixed wing aircraft and rotary wing aircraft be optimally combined.

The aircraft is constructed in such a way that this rotary wing unit ( 3 . 10 ) on the ground, but especially during the flight with the rotor blades folded together ( 3 ) in the upper fuselage area of the vehicle ( 6 ) via a telescopic device ( 1 ), the so-called rotor lift, in the so-called rotor shaft ( 11 ) can be sunk ( 2 ). The fuselage can be opened and closed to maintain the aerodynamic properties. This process of lowering the rotary wing drive can be reversed at any time, both on the ground and in particular in flight, in order to enable the vehicle to land as a rotary wing aircraft, for example after a plane flight ( 1 ). The rotor blades sunk in the fuselage ( 3 ) of the rotary wing drive is fixed in such a way that the vehicle does not lose its rear flight characteristics.

So that the vehicle does not become aerodynamically unstable or even overturns during the telescopic operation of the rotary leaf drive, the vehicle is equipped with a slat ( 2 ) equipped under the bow and under the Canar wings ( 7 ) of the vehicle is attached. Only with the extended head control (Canar + slat) realized with this can the aerodynamic forces required for a change in the state of the drive type (surface flight, rotor flight) be achieved in the order of magnitude necessary for the use of such a vehicle. This means in particular that it is only possible to influence the pitch angle of the vehicle so strongly, even at low speeds in the transient phase, that the rotary vane drive can be telescoped in the slipstream of the fuselage of the vehicle and thus only with low forces. With a previously known design using ordinary Canar wings, these forces could not be made available in a stable manner, so that a transition between rotary wing operation and wing operation would only be possible with considerably more drive power or with the acceptance of a considerable loss of altitude and unstable flight behavior in the transient phase.

Furthermore, both the Canar wings ( 7 ) as well as the rear wing ( 8th ) of the aircraft is pivoted completely about an internal wing axis of rotation relative to the fuselage, that is, turned on, whereby the lift of the vehicle can be adjusted in a considerably larger range than with the previously known use of wings with conventional flap control. This gives the vehicle extreme maneuverability. At the rear of the vehicle there are pressure propellers or jet engines for generating the thrust in forward flight. The Canar wing and the rear wing of the vehicle are designed so that they do not significantly affect the air flow of the rotary wing drive. The torque compensation in rotary wing operation can take place through controlled lateral air outlet, for example in the form of a tail rotor covered by the fuselage.

What is new is the combination of a rotor telescope ( 1 ) together with a specially coordinated geometry of the vehicle in the form of a slat located below the Canar wing ( 2 ), so that in addition to simple technical and economic feasibility, the overall system also meets the safety requirements of a stable mode change from surface flight to rotor flight. This is accomplished by

• a) that the rotor blades ( 3 ) if necessary, ie before entering the fast forward flight, completely the aerodynamic influence by sinking into the fuselage ( 6 ) of the aircraft ( 2 ) can be withdrawn (deactivation),
• b) that the rotor blades can also be reactivated in operational mode depending on the flight status, ie they can be moved out of the fuselage and unfolded ( 1 ), c) that the rotor lift ( 1 ) for telescoping the rotor head ( 10 ) with rotor blades and rotor blade contraction mechanism either according to a variety of known mechanisms or through a previously unused longitudinally toothed shaft, so that it can safely absorb and transmit the required forces and moments even under the dynamic loads to which the aircraft is exposed,
• d) that by the geometrical formation of a pre-flight arranged under the bow) ( 2 ) and fully or partially adjustable Canar wings ( 7 ) and fully or partially adjustable main wings ( 8th ) as well as fuselage shape and wing control ( 5 ) with the possibility of changing the angle of attack of the entire wing, a transition between fast forward flight and rotary-wing mode and vice versa can be accomplished without significant temporary loss of altitude and the aircraft at the same time achieves very high maneuverability,
• e) that the aircraft has two emergency landing characteristics, in such a way that it can be used as a fixed wing aircraft (sailing property) as well as a helicopter (autorotation) with or without reduced Drive energy can be landed
• f) that the surface flight propulsion can take place both by pressure propellers and by jet engines ( 4 )
• g) that the aircraft optionally with a sensor carrier ( 9 ) can be equipped, which enables a particularly advantageous localization of navigation sensors,
• h) that a combination mode of operation is also possible, with the in the slow area flight additionally by using the rotary leaf drive Height change speeds are realizable, that a pure wing wing at slow speeds can't reach.

Claims (9)

Vertical and horizontally take-off, flight and landing-capable combination aircraft, which combines the advantageous properties of a rotary wing aircraft and the advantageous properties of a fixed-wing aircraft, characterized in that - a rotor lift ( 1 ) is used, which is used to telescope the swing door operator ( 3 ) is used and enables the rotary wing drive to fly completely under aerodynamic influence by sinking in the fuselage ( 6 ) withdraw from the vehicle ( 2 ) or to pull it out of the fuselage of the aircraft ( 1 ) and - that under the front canar wings ( 7 ) a flight under the fuselage) ( 2 ) is arranged, which enables the aircraft to be stabilized even during the telescoping of the rotary wing drive, that is to say during the transition from surface flight to rotary wing operation and vice versa. Combination aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that the rear wing ( 8th ) are fully adjustable in angle to the fuselage ( 5 ), which results in expanded aerodynamic properties of the aircraft with regard to agility and in particular also high roll speed. Combination aircraft according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the Canar wing ( 7 ) are completely adjustable in their angle in relation to the fuselage, which results in expanded aerodynamic properties of the aircraft with regard to agility and in particular also high rolling speed wedge: and corresponding flaps at the wing end can be dispensed with. Combined aircraft according to one or more of the previous claims, thereby characterized that the aircraft is described due to its Construction (especially pre-flights) and Rotorlift) as a HOVTOL drone (horizontal or vertical take often and landing aircraft) both for Long haul as well Longer assignments can be realized. Combination aircraft according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rotor lift ( 1 ) is designed for telescoping the rotary vane drive in such a way that a longitudinally toothed shaft leads into the rotor unit or, alternatively, this is designed as a cardan unit. Combination aircraft according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rotary wing drive and wing flight drive are active in parallel in order to at long to enable the same horizontal speeds to gain altitude faster than would be possible with the area flight operation alone. Combined aircraft according to one or more of the previous claims, characterized in that instead of the landing gear under airbags the fuselage can be activated, so that the aircraft will also land and take off on water can also move as a watercraft. Combined aircraft according to one or more of the previous claims, characterized in that the rotary leaf drive additionally by additional retractable or non-retractable rotor systems is added. Combination aircraft according to claim 8, characterized characterized that one or more of the additional rotor systems of the controller serve.