Aircraft and torque transmission

• US 6,467,726 B1
• Filed: 06/28/2000
• Issued: 10/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rokuro Hosoda
• Original Assignee: Rokuro Hosoda
• Inventors: Hosoda, Rokuro
• Primary Examiner(s): ELDRED, JOHN W
• Application Number:
  US09/605,411
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 244/60, 244/6, 244/7.R, 244/12.3, 244/17.19, 244/23.B, 180/337, 180/343, 746/65.F, 746/65.GB, 746/65.T, 744/23.B
• US Class Current: 244/60
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/14 Direct drive between power plant and rotor hub
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/22 Compound rotorcraft, i.e. aircraft using in flight the features of both aeroplane and rotorcraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/26 characterised by provision of fixed wings
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 35/00 Flying-boats; Seaplanes
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/08 having multiple wings
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 35/04 characterised by the transmission driving a plurality of propellers or rotors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19088 Bevel
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19688 Bevel

Abstract

An aircraft including an airframe having a fuselage which extends longitudinally, and having fixed wings including a main wing, a horizontal tail wing and a vertical tail wing. A propeller-rotor torque transmission has a bevel gear which transmits the rotation of an input shaft simultaneously to a propeller shaft and to a rotor shaft. An engine gearbox supplies the above-mentioned input shaft with rotationalal motive power. The aircraft further includes a propeller collective pitch controller, a rotor collective pitch controller, an engine power controller which controls the output of the above-mentioned engine gearbox for the purpose of changing the rotational speed of the input shaft, and a flight control system having a directional (yaw) control system which controls the flight direction of the aircraft by controlling the positions of the above-mentioned control surfaces.

Claims

1. An aircraft comprising:

(a) an airframe having

(1) a fuselage extending longitudinally,

(2) a set of fixed wings consisting of a main wing and a horizontal tail wing both of which are connected to said fuselage at two locations longitudinally apart from each other and both of which extend laterally and are capable of producing lifts during forward flight, and a vertical tail wing,

(3) two ailerons one of which is installed on the right-hand section of said main wing and the rest of which is installed in the left-hand section of said main wing,

(4) two elevators one of which is installed on the right-hand section of the above mentioned horizontal tail wing and the rest of which is installed in the left-hand section of the above mentioned horizontal tail wing, and

(5) a rudder installed on the above mentioned vertical tail wing;

(b) a propeller-rotor torque transmission having

(1) a shaft support coupler wherein

one end each of a propeller shaft support and a rotor shaft support both of which lie at right angles to each other,

and one end of an input shaft which lies at right angles to said propeller shaft support and to said rotor shaft support or which lies coaxially with either said propeller shaft support or with said rotor shaft support,

are coupled together in such a way as to preclude rotation,

(2) a cylindrical input shaft which is installed in such a way as to permit rotation around said input shaft support,

(3) a cylindrical propeller shaft which is installed in such a way as to permit rotation around said propeller shaft support and on which a variable pitch propeller for producing a propelling force is installed,

(4) a cylindrical rotor shaft which is installed in such a way as to permit rotation around said rotor shaft support and on which is installed a rotor head that supports a rotor blade for producing a lift such that only the collective pitch is variable, and

(5) a bevel gear which transmits the rotation of said cylindrical input shaft (hereinafter referred to as an input shaft), simultaneously to said cylindrical propeller shaft (hereinafter referred to as a propeller shaft), and to said cylindrical rotor shaft (hereinafter referred to as a rotor shaft);

(c) an engine gearbox which supplies said input shaft with rotational motive power; and

(d) a flight control system having

(1) a propeller collective pitch controller which controls the pitch angle of said variable pitch propeller,

(2) a rotor collective pitch controller which controls the collective pitch of said rotor blade,

(3) an engine power controller which controls the output of said engine gearbox for the purpose of changing the rotational speed of said input shaft, and

(4) a directional (yaw) control system which controls the deflection angles of said ailerons and said rudder to control the flight direction of the aircraft during forward flight.

2. An aircraft according to claim 1 wherein having:

(a) two propeller-rotor torque transmissions, one of which is located in the right-hand section of said aircraft, and, another propeller-rotor torque transmission is located in the right-hand section of said aircraft; and

(b) a directional (yaw) control system serving to independently control the pitch angles of two units of said variable pitch propellers one of which is located in the right-hand section of said aircraft and the rest of which is located in the left-hand section of said aircraft, thereby controlling the flight direction of said aircraft.

3. An aircraft according to claim 2 wherein having

a first propeller-rotor torque transmission and a second propeller-rotor torque transmission each of which has a rotor shaft and two propeller shafts rotating at the same speed as said rotor shafts.

4. An aircraft according to claim 1 wherein a bi-blade rotor is used in lieu of said rotor having single blades, or a bi-blade variable pitch propeller is used in lieu of said variable pitch propeller having a single blade.

5. A torque transmission comprising:

(a) a shaft support coupler whereto the end of each of a first drive shaft supports and a second drive shaft support, both of which lie at right angles to each other, and the end of a third drive shaft support are linked in such a way as to preclude rotation,

(b) a third drive shaft support which lies at right angles to said first and second drive shaft support, or lies coaxially with said first or second drive shaft support, and is located on the other side of said shaft support coupler;

(c) a first drive shaft, a second drive shaft, and a third drive shaft, all of which are cylindrical and are installed around said first through third drive shaft supports, respectively; and

(d) a torque transmission bevel gear train wherein at least one bevel gear is installed on each of said first through third drive shafts such that the rotation of one of said first through third drive shafts is transmitted simultaneously to the other drive shafts.

6. A torque transmission according to claim 5 having:

a torque transmission bevel gear train wherein

a first small bevel gear and a first large bevel gear are installed on one of said first through third drive shafts;

a second small bevel gear is installed on one of the drive shafts on which neither said first small bevel gear nor said first large bevel gear is installed; and

a second large bevel gear is installed on the drive shaft on which no other drive bevel gear is installed;

such that

said first small bevel gear and said second small bevel gear mesh with each other; and

said first large bevel gear and said second large bevel gear mesh with each other.

7. A torque transmission according to claim 5 having:

said three drive shafts all of which lie at right angles to one another.

8. A torque transmission according to claim 5 having:

said three drive shafts all of which lie on a plane.

9. A torque transmission according to claim 5 having:

(a) a fourth drive shaft support which lies coaxially with one of the three drive shafts consisting of said first through third drive shafts and is linked to the opposite side of said shaft support coupler in such a way as to preclude rotation; and

(b) a fourth drive shaft which is installed on said fourth drive shaft support in such a way as to permit rotation and on which is installed a bevel gear that meshes with a bevel gear installed on one of the drive shafts each mounted on one of two drive shaft supports consisting of said three drive shaft supports less the drive shaft support lying coaxially with said fourth drive shaft support.

10. A torque transmission according to claim 9 having:

(a) a fifth drive shaft support which lies coaxially with one of the four drive shafts consisting of said first through fourth drive shafts and is linked to the opposite side of said shaft support coupler in such a way as to preclude rotation; and

(b) a fifth drive shaft which is installed on said fifth drive shaft support in such a way as to permit rotation and on which is installed a bevel gear that meshes with a bevel gear installed on one of the drive shafts each mounted on one of three drive shaft supports consisting of said four drive shaft supports less the drive shaft support lying coaxially with said fifth drive shaft support.

11. A torque transmission according to claim 10 having:

(a) a sixth drive shaft support which lies coaxially with one of the five drive shafts consisting of said first through fifth drive shafts and is linked to the opposite side of said shaft support coupler in such a way as to preclude rotation; and

(b) a sixth drive shaft which is installed on said sixth drive shaft support in such a way as to permit rotation and on which is installed a bevel gear that meshes with a bevel gear installed on one of the drive shafts each mounted on one of four drive shaft supports consisting of said five drive shaft supports less the drive shaft support lying coaxially with said sixth drive shaft support.