Vertical take-off and landing aircraft using hybrid electric propulsion system

• US 9,932,118 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2016
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Israel Aerospace Industries Limited (Government of Israel), Korea Aviation Technologies (KAT) Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hankuk Carbon Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Bak, Jeong-Gyu, Cho, Jinsoo, Kim, Boseong, Yun, Senghyun, Won, Sunghong, Jeong, Tae-Chul, Cho, Sooyoung, Lee, Geunho, Park, Kyusung, Ha, Juhyung, Moon, Changmo, Beck, Sunho, Meang, Changjun, Lee, Hanki, Kim, Minjun, Lee, Dain
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US15/321,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20170210481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/0025 the propellers being fixed relative to the fuselage
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/0033 the propellers being tiltable relative to the fuselage
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2221/00 Electric power distribution systems onboard aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/02 Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants fuselages specially adapted for mounting power plants B64C1/16; wings specially adapted for power plants B64C3/32
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/026 comprising different types of power plants, e.g. combination of a piston engine and a gas-turbine Hybrid electric aircraft B64D27/33
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/24 using steam or spring force jet aircraft B64D27/16
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 31/06 actuated automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 35/02 specially adapted for specific power plants
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/33 generated by combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/34 In-flight charging photovoltaics B64U50/31
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

A vertical take-off and landing aircraft using a hybrid electric propulsion system includes an engine, a generator that produces electric power using power supplied by the engine, and a battery that stores the produced electric power. A motor receives the electric power stored in the battery and electric power produced by the generator but not stored in the battery and provides the power to a thrust generating apparatus. A controller selects either silence mode or normal mode, and determines the amount of electric power stored in the battery and the amount of electric power not stored in the battery from the electric power supplied to the motor. In the silence mode, the controller supplies only the electric power stored in the battery and controls a duration by adjusting output power of motor. In the normal mode, the controller supplies electric power not stored in the battery.

Claims

1. A hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft comprising:

an engine;

a generator configured to produce electric power using power supplied by the engine;

a battery configured to store the electric power produced by the generator;

a motor configured to receive at least one of the electric power stored in the battery and electric power produced by the generator but not stored in the battery and provide the power to at least one thrust generating apparatus; and

a controller configured to select either silence mode or normal mode, and determine the amount of electric power stored in the battery and the amount of electric power not stored in the battery from the electric power supplied to the motor, based on the selected mode,

wherein, in the silence mode, the controller configured to supply only the electric power stored in the battery to the motor, and control a duration by adjusting output power of motor, and

wherein, in the normal mode, the controller configured to supply electric power not stored in the battery to the motor.

2. The hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 1, wherein the controller configured to select the silence mode or the normal mode based on a piloting signal received through a communication interface.

3. The hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 2, wherein the controller configured to control the output power of the motor according to the piloting signal and determine required power indicating electric power supplied to the motor based on the controlled output power of the motor.

4. The hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 3, wherein, in the silence mode, the controller configured to control the output power of the motor to decrease the amount of required power to the amount of electric power stored in the battery or less when the amount of required power is greater than the amount of electric power stored in the battery.

5. The hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 3, wherein, in the silence mode, the controller configured to supply only the electric power stored in the battery to the motor when the amount of required power is equal to or less than the amount of electric power stored in the battery.

6. The hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 1, wherein, in the silence mode, the controller configured to stop the generator from producing electric power.

7. The hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 3, wherein, in the silence mode, the controller compares the required power and the electric power stored in the battery to estimate the duration of the silence mode.

8. The hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 7, wherein the controller configured to transmit a notification message through the communication interface when the estimated duration is equal to or less than a predetermined time.

9. The hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 7, wherein the controller configured to decrease the amount of required power to the current amount of required power or less when the estimated duration is equal to or less than a predetermined time.

10. The hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 1, wherein, in the silence mode, the controller configured to select the normal mode when the amount of electric power stored in the battery is decreased to a predetermined amount of electric power.

11. The hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 2, wherein:

the piloting signal includes information regarding coordinates or time at which the hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft enters the silence mode; and

the controller configured to select the silence mode when the hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft reaches the coordinates or time.

12. The hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 2, wherein:

the piloting signal includes information regarding coordinates or time at which the hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft exits the silence mode; and

the controller configured to select the normal mode when the hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft reaches the coordinates or time.

13. The hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 11, wherein, in the normal mode, before reaching the coordinates or time, the controller configured to adjust the amount of electric power produced by the generator to store the produced electric power in the battery so that the silence mode is entered when the coordinates or time is reached.

14. The hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 12, wherein:

the piloting signal includes information regarding the duration of the silence mode; and

in the normal mode, the controller configured to determine whether the silence mode is maintained during the duration and adjusts the amount of electric power produced by the generator before reaching the coordinates or time to store the produced electric power in the battery so that the silence mode can be maintained during the duration when it is determined that the silence mode is not maintained during the duration.

15. The hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 1, wherein, in the normal mode, the controller configured to supply only the electric power not stored in the battery to the motor or supply the electric power not stored in the battery to the motor together with the electric power stored in the battery.

16. The hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 2, wherein the normal mode includes dash mode,

wherein the controller configured to rapidly accelerate the hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

17. The hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 16, wherein:

the piloting signal includes information regarding at least one of target speed and target acceleration of the hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft; and

the controller configured to control the output power of the motor so that at least one of the target speed and the target acceleration is reached and the controller configured to determine required power indicating electric power supplied to the motor based on the controlled output power of the motor.

18. The hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises:

a first controller configured to select either silence mode or normal mode,

wherein, in the silence mode, the controller configured to supply only the electric power stored in the battery to the motor, control a duration by adjusting output power of motor, and

wherein, in the normal mode, the controller configured to supply electric power not stored in the battery to the motor, and

a second controller configured to determine the amount of electric power stored in the battery and the amount of electric power not stored in the battery from the electric power supplied to the motor, based on the selected mode.

19. A method of controlling a hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft, the method comprising:

selecting either silence mode or normal mode,

wherein, the hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft comprises a battery, an engine, a generator, at least one thrust generating apparatus and a motor,

wherein, the battery configured to store electric power produced by the generator using power supplied by the engine,

wherein, the motor configured to receive at least one of the electric power stored in the battery and electric power produced by the generator but not stored in the battery and provide the power to the at least one thrust generating apparatus,

wherein, in the silence mode, the electric power stored in a battery is only supplied to the motor, and a duration of the silence mode is controlled by adjusting output power of motor, and

wherein, in the normal mode, the electric power not stored in the battery is supplied to the motor; and

determining the amount of electric power stored in the battery and the amount of electric power not stored in the battery from the electric power supplied to the motor, based on the selected mode.

20. A nontransitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method of claim 19.