Systems and methods for improved gearboxes for eVTOL aircraft
AssigneeArcher Aviation Inc.
InventorScott Graves
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electric engine for a vertical takeoff-and-landing aircraft comprising an electric motor assembly including a stator and a rotor. The electric engine may comprise an inverter assembly, a gearbox assembly including a sun gear, and a main shaft including a length of the main shaft that extends from a first end of the main shaft through the gearbox assembly and through the electric motor assembly to a second end of the main shaft. The electric engine may include a hydrodynamic bearing located between the main shaft and sun gear, and a bearing including an inner race mechanically coupled to the main shaft and an outer race mechanically coupled to the rotor. The electric engine may include a bearing including an outer race mechanically coupled to an inner surface of the rotor.
Claims33
An electric engine for an aircraft, comprising:
- an electric motor assembly including a stator and a rotor;
- an inverter assembly;
- a gearbox assembly including:
- a sun gear;
- a main shaft including a length of the main shaft that extends from a first end of the main shaft through the gearbox assembly and through the electric motor assembly to a second end of the main shaft;
- a bearing including an inner race mechanically coupled to the main shaft and an outer race mechanically coupled to the rotor, wherein the bearing is mechanically coupled to a shaft flange assembly configured to rotate with the shaft, wherein the shaft flange assembly is mechanically coupled to the main shaft;
- and
- a hydrodynamic bearing located between the main shaft and the sun gear.
An electric engine for an aircraft, comprising:
- an electric motor assembly including a stator and a rotor;
- an inverter assembly;
- a gearbox assembly including:
- a sun gear, wherein the sun gear is hollow;
- and disposed concentric with the rotor;
- and
- a bearing including an outer race mechanically coupled to an inner surface of the rotor, wherein the outer race of the bearing is mechanically coupled to an inner surface of the sun gear, wherein a first end of the sun gear and a first end of the rotor meet on the outer race of the bearing.
An electric engine for an aircraft, comprising:
- an electric motor assembly including a stator and a rotor;
- an inverter assembly;
- a gearbox assembly including:
- a sun gear;
- a main shaft including a length of the main shaft that extends from a first end of the main shaft through the gearbox assembly and through the electric motor assembly to a second end of the main shaft;
- and
- a hydrodynamic bearing located between the main shaft and sun gear,
- wherein a pump drive gear is configured in association with a planet carrier to drive a pump to flow oil to a heat exchanger, the inverter, the electric motor assembly, and the gearbox assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.