Compound helicopter with tail booms

• US 9,266,607 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2013
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Helicopters Deutschland Gmbh (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Helicopters Deutschland Gmbh (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Fink, Axel, Winkworth, Andrew, Weiss, Ambrosius
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Tien
• Assistant Examiner(s): Giczy, Alexander V
• Application Number:
  US13/950,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20140061366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 2027/8236 including pusher propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/26 characterised by provision of fixed wings
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/04 having multiple fuselages or tail booms

Abstract

The present invention is related to a compound helicopter with a main rotor providing lift, a pair of additional propulsion devices providing thrust and anti-torque and a fixed wing structure on each side providing additional lift during horizontal cruise flight. The propulsion devices are arranged at each side of a fuselage body with two tail booms, one arranged at each side of the fuselage body, each of both tail booms having one of both propulsion devices arranged at its boom rear end. Each of the two tail booms houses an engine and a drive shaft driving the corresponding propulsion device.

Claims

1. A compound helicopter with a pair of tail booms comprising:

a fuselage with a cabin inside, a fuselage rear end and a fuselage front end;

a longitudinal roll axis extending through the fuselage rear end and the fuselage front end, the roll axis and a pitch axis transversal to the roll axis defining an essentially horizontal plane (X, Y);

the pair of tail booms being longitudinal structures arranged respectively symmetric to opposed sides of the fuselage in the essentially horizontal plane (X, Y) and the tail booms being interconnected with each other a respective boom rear end of each respective tail boom by means of an essentially horizontal tail plane;

at least one power plant with a plurality of drive lines;

a main rotor mounted onto the fuselage and driven by the power plant,

at least one pair of fixed main wings attached to the opposed sides of the fuselage, and

at least two propulsive devices, the at least two propulsive devices providing thrust and/or anti-torque;

wherein a first respective propulsive device of the at least two propulsive devices is disposed on a port side relative to the longitudinal roll axis and a second respective propulsion device of the at least two propulsive devices is disposed on a starboard side relative to the longitudinal roll axis, the first respective propulsion device and the second respective propulsion device being disposed in the essentially horizontal plane (X, Y),

the at least two propulsive devices are pusher propellers mounted at trailing ends of the tail booms behind the fuselage and

the at least two propulsive devices are driven by the power plant via the drive lines,

wherein the power plant comprises two engines, one of the engines with associated drive lines being arranged in each of the tail booms.

2. The compound helicopter according to claim 1, wherein the cabin extends essentially throughout the entire interior of the fuselage.

3. The compound helicopter according to claim 1, wherein vertical tail planes are allocated at the boom rear ends of the tail booms.

4. The compound helicopter according to claim 1, wherein the fuselage is provided with a cargo door at the fuselage rear end of the fuselage.

5. The compound helicopter according to claim 1, wherein the axes of the tail booms are slanted at least in sections by a maximum angle of 30°

with respect to the longitudinal roll axis.

6. The compound helicopter according to claim 1, wherein the at least one pair of main wings are fixed to a lower side of the fuselage.

7. The compound helicopter according to claim 1, wherein rotor drive lines are housed in the fixed main wings.

8. The compound helicopter according to claim 1, wherein the fixed main wings feature anhedral of maximum 30°

with respect to the pitch axis.

9. The compound helicopter according to claim 1, wherein the vertical position of each tail boom is coincident to the vertical position of a center of gravity of the compound helicopter.

10. The compound helicopter according to claim 3, wherein the vertical tail planes extend downwards.