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US 10,106,253 B2Granted
Tilting ducted fan aircraft generating a pitch control moment
AssigneeBell Helicopter Textron Inc.
InventorsKirk Landon Groninga, Daniel Bryan Robertson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In some embodiments, an aircraft includes a fuselage having a forward portion and an aft portion. First and second ducted fans are supported by the forward portion of the fuselage. The first and second ducted fans are tiltable relative to the fuselage between a generally horizontal orientation, in a vertical takeoff and landing mode, and a generally vertical orientation, in a forward flight mode. A tailboom having an aft station extends from the aft portion of the fuselage. A cross-flow fan is disposed in the aft station of the tailboom and is operable to generate a pitch control moment.
Claims19
An aircraft comprising:
- a fuselage having a forward portion and an aft portion;
- first and second ducted fans supported by the forward portion of the fuselage and tiltable relative to the fuselage between a substantially horizontal orientation in a vertical takeoff and landing mode and a substantially vertical orientation in a forward flight mode;
- a tailboom extending from the aft portion of the fuselage and having an aft station;
- and
- a variable thrust cross-flow fan system disposed in the aft station of the tailboom operable to generate a pitch control moment, the variable thrust cross-flow fan system comprising:
- a cross-flow fan assembly having a longitudinal axis and including first and second driver plates having a plurality of blades rotatably mounted therebetween, the plurality of blades disposed radially outwardly from the longitudinal axis such that the plurality of blades have a substantially circular path of travel when the cross-flow fan assembly rotates about the longitudinal axis, the plurality of blades moveable between a plurality of pitch angle configurations;
- and
- a control assembly coupled to the plurality of blades, the control assembly including a control cam operable to translate relative to the cross-flow fan assembly to change the pitch angle configuration of the plurality of blades;
- wherein, the cross-flow fan assembly is operable to produce a thrust in one of a first or second direction in response to the control cam translating upward relative to the cross-flow fan assembly and is further operable to produce a thrust in the other of the first or second direction in response to the control cam translating downward relative to the cross-flow fan assembly, the first direction opposite from the second direction.
6 more elements
An aircraft comprising:
- a fuselage having a forward portion and an aft portion;
- first and second ducted fans supported by the forward portion of the fuselage and tiltable relative to the fuselage between a substantially horizontal orientation in a vertical takeoff and landing mode and a substantially vertical orientation in a forward flight mode;
- a tailboom extending from the aft portion of the fuselage and having first and second aft stations;
- a first variable thrust cross-flow fan system disposed in the first aft station of the tailboom operable to generate a pitch control moment;
- and
- a second variable thrust cross-flow fan system disposed in the second aft station of the tailboom operable to generate a yaw control moment, the first and second variable thrust cross-flow fan systems each comprising:
- a cross-flow fan assembly having a longitudinal axis and including first and second driver plates having a plurality of blades rotatably mounted therebetween, the plurality of blades disposed radially outwardly from the longitudinal axis such that the plurality of blades have a substantially circular path of travel when the cross-flow fan assembly rotates about the longitudinal axis, the plurality of blades moveable between a plurality of pitch angle configurations;
- and
- a control assembly coupled to the plurality of blades, the control assembly including a control cam operable to translate relative to the cross-flow fan assembly to change the pitch angle configuration of the plurality of blades;
- wherein, the cross-flow fan assembly of the first variable thrust cross-flow fan system is operable to produce a thrust in one of an upward or downward direction in response to the control cam translating upward relative to the cross-flow fan assembly and is further operable to produce a thrust in the other of the upward or downward direction in response to the control cam translating downward relative to the cross-flow fan assembly;
- and
- wherein, the cross-flow fan assembly of the second variable thrust cross-flow fan system is operable to produce a thrust in one of a leftward or rightward direction in response to the control cam translating leftward relative to the cross-flow fan assembly and is further operable to produce a thrust in the other of the leftward or rightward direction in response to the control cam translating rightward relative to the cross-flow fan assembly.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.