AIR COOLING SYSTEM FOR AN UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE

• US 20140220873A1
• Filed: 06/29/2012
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orbital Australia Pty Limited (Orbital Corporation Limited)
• Original Assignee: Orbital Australia Pty Limited (Orbital Corporation Limited)
• Inventors: Railton, Donald Andrew, Karay, Stephen John, Bleechmore, Callan Murray, Tubb, John Howard, Mehrani, Pouria
• Granted Patent: US 9,784,171 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 454/141
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 33/08 of power plant cooling systems cooling of internal-combustion engines per se F01P; cooling of gas-turbine plants or jet-propulsion plants per se F02C, F02K
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/20 for noise reduction
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/90 Cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/92 of avionics
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/11 using internal combustion piston engines
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/70 Launching or landing using catapults, tracks or rails launching from storage containers B64U70/50
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 1/02 Arrangements for cooling cylinders or cylinder heads, e.g. ducting cooling-air from its pressure source to cylinders or along cylinders
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 1/06 Arrangements for cooling other engine or machine parts
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2050/20 Aircraft engines

Abstract

An air cooling system for an unmanned aerial vehicle including a propeller (14) driven by an engine (12) has at least one cooling air duct (22) to direct cooling air to cool a vehicle component e.g. a cylinder head. The duct has at least one air inlet and at least one air outlet. Operation of the propeller causes a pressure differential between the air outlet (24,124) and the air inlet (23,123) which draws air through said cooling air duct (22). A cowling (16) can cover at least part of the engine, and can form a plenum and have the supply of cooling air through a front face aperture (164) or side walls (17) of the engine cowl (16).

Claims

1. An air cooling system for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) including a propeller driven by an engine, said air cooling system comprising at least one cooling air duct for directing cooling air for a vehicle component, said at least one cooling air duct having at least one air inlet and at least one air outlet for the passage of air after a cooling duty, wherein operation of said propeller causes a pressure differential between the air outlet and the air inlet which draws air through said cooling air duct.

2. The air cooling system of claim 1, wherein the cooling air duct is forward of the propeller relative to a front of the UAV.

3. The air cooling system of claim 1 or 2 wherein the engine is at least partially enclosed by an engine cooling shroud or cowl, the engine cooling shroud or cowl including one or more apertures for intake and exhaust of air for the cooling system.

4. The air cooling system of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein an air outlet of the cooling air duct is on the engine cooling shroud or cowl in close proximity to the propeller.

5. The air cooling system of claim 3, wherein the engine shroud or cowl extends in a direction from the propeller towards the front of the UAV and has side walls connected by an upper surface.

6. The air cooling system of any one of the preceding claims, including multiple said cooling air ducts provided for directing air at a portion of the engine for cooling.

7. The air cooling system of claim 3, the cooling air duct including a first cooling air duct portion extending through a plenum portion of the engine cooling shroud or cowl for supplying cooling air for circulation around a cylinder head of the engine.

8. The air cooling system of claim 7, wherein first cooling air duct portion communicates with a cylinder head cooling air duct portion extending between an inner surface of the cylinder head portion of the engine cooling shroud or cowl and the cylinder head.

9. The air cooling system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cooling air duct outlet is adjacent a radially inward part of the propeller.

10. The air cooling system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein a cylinder head cooling air duct portion of the cooling air duct is arranged to direct air towards cooling fins of the engine'"'"'s cylinder head.

11. The air cooling system of claim 10, wherein the cooling air duct has a portion closely adjacent to the cooling fins of the engine'"'"'s cylinder head and has a cylinder head or engine block cooling portion extending outward of and surrounding the cooling fins thereby forming a cooling air gallery between an inner surface of the engine cowl and the cylinder head.

12. The air cooling system of claim 3, wherein the at least one inlet is provided towards a front of the engine shroud or cowl and supplied with air through an aperture formed in a front face of the engine cooling shroud or cowl, wherein the cooling air is caused to flow through the aperture, into the plenum portion of the engine shroud or cowl and through to the air inlet of the cooling air duct.

13. The air cooling system of claim 3, wherein the cooling air duct has a first portion extending through the engine shroud or cowl proximate the cylinder head and a second portion located to direct air towards cooling this of the cylinder head.

14. The air cooling system of claim 3, wherein one or both side walls of the engine cooling shroud or cowl includes apertures for supplying air to the cooling air duct.

15. The air cooling system of claim 14, wherein a front face of the engine cooling shroud or cowl does not include an air inlet.

16. The air cooling system of claim 14 or 15, wherein side walls of the engine cooling shroud or cowl converge towards each other to join at the front thereof.

17. The air cooling system of any one of claims 15 to 16, wherein the side well apertures open into the plenum portion of the engine cooling shroud or cowl and allow air supply to the cooling air duct extending within, and having air inlet located within, the plenum.

18. The air cooling system of claim 3, wherein the one or more inlets of the cooling air duct face(s) in a direction different to the direction in which a side air inlet of the engine cooling shroud or cowl faces.

19. The air cooling system of any one of the preceding claims, the engine being a dual fluid direct injection fuelled engine.

20. The air cooling system of any one of the preceding claims, being the only air cooling system for the engine.