FUEL CELL POWER PACK FOR MULTICOPTER

• US 20170240291A1
• Filed: 12/07/2016
• Published: 08/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hylium Industries, INC.
• Original Assignee: Hylium Industries, INC.
• Inventors: KIM, Seo Young
• Application Number:
  US15/371,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20170240291A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: B64D 37/005 Accessories not provided for in the groups B64D37/02 - B64D37/28
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 37/02 Tanks tanks constructed integrally with aircraft wings B64C; shape or construction of tanks per se B65D
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/26 Ducted or shrouded rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/13 using external fans or propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/32 generated by fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/34 In-flight charging photovoltaics B64U50/31
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/006 of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04014 Heat exchange using gaseous fluids; Heat exchange by combustion of reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04201 Reactant storage and supply, e.g. means for feeding, pipes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2475 Enclosures, casings or containers of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/44 for aircrafts
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/34 : Parallel operation in networks using both storage and other dc sources, e.g. providing buffering H02J7/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 : Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 : Weight reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 : Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

A fuel cell power pack used as a power source in a multicopter includes a fuel tank and a fuel cell stack for producing electrical energy using hydrogen supplied from the fuel tank and supplying the electrical energy to a battery, and since the fuel cell stack is disposed at a certain point of an arm extended from the aircraft body in the radius direction (a point affected by a descending air current generated by each rotating blade), the electrical energy can be produced using the descending air current generated by the rotating blade without configuring a separate blowing apparatus.

Claims

1. A fuel cell power pack used as a power source in a multicopter having a plurality of arms and rotating blades symmetric about an aircraft body in a horizontal direction, the fuel cell comprising:

a fuel tank mounted on the aircraft body to store hydrogen fuel of a gaseous or liquid state;

a battery mounted on the aircraft body together with the fuel tank to store electrical energy generated as the hydrogen fuel reacts with air and supply the electrical energy to a driving motor which drives the rotating blade; and

a fuel cell stack for producing the electrical energy by reacting the hydrogen fuel supplied from the fuel tank with oxygen in air flowing in from outside and supplying the produced electrical energy to the battery,

wherein the fuel cell stack is mounted on an arm within an area affected by a thrust of the rotating blade.

2. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the fuel cell stack has a plurality of unit cells embedded in a housing aerodynamically designed and having an air inlet and an air outlet respectively formed at an upper portion and a lower portion.

3. The fuel cell according to claim 2, wherein the housing of the fuel cell stack is formed in a shape of a cone having a diameter or width gradually narrowed toward the rotating blade.

8. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the fuel cell stack is attached to all arms extended in a radius direction of the aircraft body.

9. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the fuel cell stack is attached to only some of the arms symmetrical about the aircraft body.

4. A fuel cell power pack used as a power source in a multicopter having a plurality of arms and rotating blades symmetric about an aircraft body in a horizontal direction, the fuel cell comprising:

a fuel tank mounted on the aircraft body to store hydrogen fuel of a gaseous or liquid state;

a battery mounted on the aircraft body together with the fuel tank to store electrical energy generated as the hydrogen fuel reacts with air and supply the electrical energy to a driving motor which drives the rotating blade; and

a fuel cell stack for producing the electrical energy by reacting the hydrogen fuel supplied from the fuel tank with oxygen in air flowing in from outside and supplying the produced electrical energy to the battery,

wherein the fuel cell stack is mounted on an arm outside a tip of the rotating blade to be close to the tip.

5. The fuel cell according to claim 4, wherein the fuel cell stack is a configuration embedded with a plurality of unit cells disposed to be stacked inside an aerodynamically designed housing with an open one side facing the tip and an open opposite side.

6. The fuel cell according to claim 5, wherein a guide vane for guiding a lateral side wing tip vortex of the rotating blade to flow into the fuel cell stack is installed at one side of the housing of the fuel cell stack facing the tip.

7. The fuel cell according to claim 6, wherein the guide vale is configured in a shape of a smoothly curved tube on a curved line toward the tip.

10. The fuel cell according to claim 4, wherein the fuel cell stack is attached to all arms extended in a radius direction of the aircraft body.

11. The fuel cell according to claim 4, wherein the fuel cell stack is attached to only some of the arms symmetrical about the aircraft body.

12. A fuel cell power pack used as a power source in a multicopter having a plurality of arms and rotating blades symmetric about an aircraft body in a horizontal direction, the fuel cell comprising:

a fuel tank mounted on the aircraft body to store hydrogen fuel of a gaseous or liquid state;

a battery mounted on the aircraft body together with the fuel tank to store electrical energy generated as the hydrogen fuel reacts with air and supply the electrical energy to a driving motor which drives the rotating blade; and

a fuel cell stack for producing the electrical energy by reacting the hydrogen fuel supplied from the fuel tank with oxygen in air flowing in from outside and supplying the produced electrical energy to the battery,

wherein a motor housing with an open top and an open bottom is provided at a front end of an arm, the driving motor is mounted in the motor housing, and the fuel cell stack is mounted under the driving motor inside the motor housing.

13. The fuel cell power pack according to claim 12, wherein the driving motor and the fuel cell stack are vertically lined up to align their center lines, and the fuel cell stack is formed to have a width at least larger than a width of the driving motor.

14. The fuel cell power pack according to claim 12, wherein the motor housing is an aerodynamically designed spindle shape having a swollen center portion not to affect a thrust of the multicopter.

15. The fuel cell power pack according to claim 12, wherein one fuel cell stack is mounted inside the motor housing provided at the front end of all arms.

16. The fuel cell power pack according to claim 13, wherein one fuel cell stack is mounted inside the motor housing provided at the front end of all arms.

17. The fuel cell power pack according to claim 14, wherein one fuel cell stack is mounted inside the motor housing provided at the front end of all arms.

18. The fuel cell power pack according to claim 12, wherein one fuel cell stack is installed only inside the motor housing provided at the front end of some of the arms symmetrical about the aircraft body.

19. The fuel cell power pack according to claim 13, wherein one fuel cell stack is installed only inside the motor housing provided at the front end of some of the arms symmetrical about the aircraft body.

20. The fuel cell power pack according to claim 14, wherein one fuel cell stack is installed only inside the motor housing provided at the front end of some of the arms symmetrical about the aircraft body.