# US 12,109,911 B2 · VTOL aircraft including a reconfigurable battery thermal regulation system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,109,911 B2 - Document ID: US12109911B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/751,072 - Filed: 2022-05-23 - Published: 2022-12-22 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2021-06-16 - Assignees: ROLLS-ROYCE plc - Applicants: ROLLS-ROYCE plc - Inventors: Michael Adam Zagrodnik; Krishnamoorthi Sivalingam; Satyanarayana Reddy Gajjela; Vidor Veres-Székely; Daniel Lorincz; István Örökös-Tóth; Anand Prabhu Mathivanan; Umesh Mahajan; Rakesh Murali - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12109911B2 ## CPC - H01M 10/6561: Gases - B60L 58/26: by cooling - B64C 29/0008: {having its flight directional axis horizontal when grounded} - B64C 29/0033: {the propellers being tiltable relative to the fuselage} - B64D 27/24: using steam or spring force (jet aircraft B64D27/16) - B64D 27/30: Aircraft characterised by electric power plants - B64D 27/33: Hybrid electric aircraft - B64D 27/357: using batteries - B64D 33/08: of power plant cooling systems - H01M 10/625: Vehicles - H01M 10/6556: Solid parts with flow channel passages or pipes for heat exchange (closed pipes H01M10/6552) - H01M 10/6563: with forced flow, e.g. by blowers - B60L 2200/10: Air crafts - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - Y02T 50/60: Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - B64C: AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS - B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract Aircraft with battery thermal regulation systems, including: an aircraft air inlet and an aircraft air outlet; a battery pack including battery cells; and a battery thermal regulation system including a first air channel, a surface of which is in thermal communication with the battery cells so that air flowing through the first air channel exchanges heat with the cells through the surface; and an airflow device for driving an airflow. The battery thermal regulation system has a first and a second mode operation. In the first mode, the first air channel is fluidly connected with the aircraft air inlet and the aircraft air outlet whereby, during flight of the aircraft, air can enter the aircraft through the air inlet, flow through the first air channel and exit the aircraft through the air outlet. In the second mode, the airflow device drives an airflow through the first air channel. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft having a propulsion system reconfigurable between a horizontal flight configuration and a vertical flight configuration, the VTOL aircraft comprising: an aircraft air inlet and an aircraft air outlet; a battery pack comprising battery cells; a reconfigurable battery thermal regulation system comprising (i) a first air channel, a surface of which is in thermal communication with the battery cells so that air flowing through the first air channel exchanges heat with the cells through the surface, (ii) a second air channel, (iii) an airflow device arranged in the second air channel, and (iv) actuating means; and, a controller configured to control the actuating means so as to cause the reconfigurable battery thermal regulation system to switch between a first mode of operation for horizontal flight of the VTOL aircraft and a second mode operation for vertical take-off and landing of the VTOL aircraft, wherein: in the first mode of operation, the controller controls the actuating means so that the first air channel is fluidly connected with the aircraft air inlet and the aircraft air outlet whereby, during horizontal flight of the VTOL aircraft, air can enter the aircraft through the air inlet, flow through the first air channel and exit the aircraft through the air outlet; and in the second mode of operation during vertical take-off and landing of the VTOL aircraft, the controller controls the actuating means to disconnect the first air channel from the aircraft air inlet and the aircraft air outlet and connect the first air channel to the second air channel to form a closed loop in which the first and second air channels are in fluid communication so that the airflow device drives an airflow through the first and second air channels. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The VTOL aircraft of claim 1, wherein the airflow device is reversible, whereby a direction of the airflow driven through the first air channel by the airflow device is reversible. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The VTOL aircraft of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to control the reversible airflow device so that, in the second mode of operation, the direction of the airflow through the first air channel is periodically reversed. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The VTOL aircraft of claim 1, wherein the reconfigurable battery thermal regulation system further comprises a cooler for cooling the airflow driven by the airflow device through the first channel. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The VTOL aircraft of claim 1, wherein the reconfigurable battery thermal regulation system further comprises a heater for heating the airflow driven by the airflow device through the first channel. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The VTOL aircraft of claim 1, further comprising an adjustable airflow regulator for regulating the airflow through the first air channel. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The VTOL aircraft of claim 1, wherein the first air channel comprises a plurality of parallel air channels. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The VTOL aircraft of claim 7, further comprising one or more additional channels arranged to carry a flow of liquid in a closed loop, wherein a portion of the loop is in thermal communication with the battery cells so that liquid flowing through the one or more additional channels exchanges heat with the cells. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The VTOL aircraft of claim 8, wherein a portion of the loop of the one or more additional channels follows a serpentine path. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The VTOL aircraft of claim 8, wherein the one or more additional channels are arranged so that the one or more additional channels form a non-zero angle with the horizontal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The VTOL aircraft of claim 8, wherein the first air channel, or each of the plurality of parallel air channels, has a larger cross-sectional area than each of the one or more additional channels. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The VTOL aircraft of claim 8, further comprising means for draining the one or more additional channels of liquid. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The VTOL aircraft of claim 1, wherein the first air channel is an integral part of the battery pack. ### Claim 14 A method of controlling a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft having a propulsion system reconfigurable between a horizontal flight configuration and a vertical flight configuration, the VTOL aircraft comprising: an aircraft air inlet and an aircraft air outlet; a battery pack comprising battery cells; and a reconfigurable battery thermal regulation system comprising (i) a first air channel, a surface of which is in thermal communication with the battery cells so that air flowing through the first air channel exchanges heat with the cells through the surface, (ii) a second air channel, (iii) an airflow device arranged in the second air channel, and (iv) actuating means, wherein the reconfigurable battery thermal regulation system has a first mode of operation for horizontal flight of the VTOL aircraft and a second mode operation for vertical take-off and landing of the VTOL aircraft; and the method comprising: in the first mode of operation, controlling the actuating means so that the first air channel is fluidly connected with the aircraft air inlet and the aircraft air outlet whereby, during horizontal flight of the VTOL aircraft, air can enter the aircraft through the air inlet, flow through the first air channel and exit the aircraft through the air outlet; and in the second mode of operation during vertical take-off and landing of the VTOL aircraft, controlling the actuating means to disconnect the first air channel from the aircraft air inlet and the aircraft air outlet and connect the first air channel to the second air channel to form a closed loop in which the first and second air channels are in fluid communication so that the airflow device drives an airflow through the first and second air channels.