Energy cell regenerative system for electrically powered aircraft
First Claim
1. A system for providing regenerative power for an aircraft to sustain flight, comprising:
- a plurality of rechargeable energy cells disposed within the aircraft, the energy cells being configured to supply power to a propulsion motor and electronics of the aircraft;
a fan generator harnessing propeller blast created by an aircraft propeller and converting kinetic energy of the propeller blast into electrical energy;
a charger receiving the electrical energy generated by the fan generator and using the electrical energy to recharge one or more of the energy cells; and
a power transfer switch selectively connecting one of the energy cells to the propulsion motor and electronics of the aircraft, such that the energy cells are rotated one at a time to power the propulsion motor and electronics;
wherein during recharging, the one or more of the energy cells are disconnected by the power transfer switch.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for providing regenerative power for an aircraft to sustain flight includes multiple energy cells disposed within the aircraft, the energy cells being configured to supply power to a propulsion motor and electronics of the aircraft, a fan generator harnessing propeller blast created by an aircraft propeller and converting kinetic energy of the propeller blast into electrical energy, a charger receiving the electrical energy generated by the fan generator and using the electrical energy to recharge one or more of the energy cells, and a power transfer switch selectively connecting one of the energy cells to the propulsion motor and electronics of the aircraft, such that the energy cells are rotated one at a time to power the propulsion motor and electronics. During recharging, the one or more of the energy cells are disconnected by the power transfer switch.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A system for providing regenerative power for an aircraft to sustain flight, comprising:
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a plurality of rechargeable energy cells disposed within the aircraft, the energy cells being configured to supply power to a propulsion motor and electronics of the aircraft; a fan generator harnessing propeller blast created by an aircraft propeller and converting kinetic energy of the propeller blast into electrical energy; a charger receiving the electrical energy generated by the fan generator and using the electrical energy to recharge one or more of the energy cells; and a power transfer switch selectively connecting one of the energy cells to the propulsion motor and electronics of the aircraft, such that the energy cells are rotated one at a time to power the propulsion motor and electronics; wherein during recharging, the one or more of the energy cells are disconnected by the power transfer switch. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A system for providing regenerative power for an aircraft to sustain flight, comprising:
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a plurality of rechargeable energy cells disposed within the aircraft, the energy cells being configured to supply power to a propulsion motor and electronics of the aircraft; a fan generator harnessing propeller blast created by an aircraft propeller and converting kinetic energy of the propeller blast into electrical energy; a charger receiving the electrical energy generated by the fan generator and using the electrical energy to recharge two or more of the energy cells; a power transfer switch selectively connecting one of the energy cells to the propulsion motor and electronics of the aircraft, such that the energy cells are rotated one at a time to power the propulsion motor and electronics; a control unit controlling the fan generator, charger and power transfer switch to recharge the two or more of the energy cells to substantially full charge for subsequent use in powering the propulsion motor and electronics; and a supercapacitor or ultracapacitor module and an DC/AC inverter electrically connected between the fan generator and the charger; wherein the fan generator outputs the electrical energy as DC power, the supercapacitor or ultracapacitor module minimizes voltage spikes in the DC power, and the DC/AC inverter changes the DC power to AC power for use by the charger; wherein during recharging, the two or more of the energy cells are disconnected by the power transfer switch. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of providing regenerative power for an aircraft to sustain flight, comprising the following steps of:
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installing a plurality of energy cells into the aircraft, the energy cells being adapted to supply power to a propulsion motor and electronics of the aircraft; assigning the energy cells into one of a first group and a second group; connecting each energy cell of the first group via a power transfer switch to the propulsion motor and electronics one at a time such that the energy cells of the first group sequentially power the propulsion motor and electronics for cruise flight, disconnecting each energy cell of the second group from the propulsion motor and electronics; recharging the energy cells of the second group simultaneously via a charger while the energy cells of the first group are powering the propulsion motor and electronics; and switching tasks of the first group and the second group when the energy cells of the first group have discharged substantially, such that the connecting step is applied to the second group and the disconnecting and recharging steps are applied to the first group; wherein the recharging step includes the steps of; harnessing propeller blast created by the propulsion motor spinning a propeller; and converting kinetic energy of the propeller blast into electrical energy via a fan generator; and wherein the fan generator is mounted to the aircraft downstream of the propeller blast and the fan generator is regulated to have a constant rotational speed to provide a steady supply of the electrical energy to the charger. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification