# US 12,224,688 B2 · Aircraft > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,224,688 B2 - Document ID: US12224688B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/192,151 - Filed: 2023-03-29 - Published: 2023-10-05 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2022-03-31 - Assignees: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Manabu Mitani; Tomohiro Fukazu; Yuichi Fukuchi; Masashi Eto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12224688B2 ## CPC - H02P 9/00: Arrangements for controlling electric generators for the purpose of obtaining a desired output - B60L 15/007: {Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles} - B60L 50/00: Electric propulsion with power supplied within the vehicle (with power supply from force of nature, e.g. sun or wind, B60L8/00; for monorail vehicles, suspension vehicles or rack railways B60L13/00) - B60L 50/61: by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles - B60L 58/21: having the same nominal voltage - B64D 27/34: All-electric aircraft - B64D 27/35: Arrangements for on-board electric energy production, distribution, recovery or storage - B64D 31/16: for electric power plants - B64D 35/021: for electric power plants - H02P 25/16: characterised by the circuit arrangement or by the kind of wiring - H02P 27/06: using DC to AC converters or inverters (H02P27/05 takes precedence) - H02P 27/08: with pulse width modulation - B60L 2200/10: Air crafts - B60L 2210/30: AC to DC converters - B60L 2210/44: Current source inverters - B60L 2220/42: with use of more than one motor - B64C 29/0008: {having its flight directional axis horizontal when grounded} - Y02T 50/60: Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft - H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS - 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 - B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT - B64C: AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract An aircraft includes: rotors each driven by an electric motor; a PCU that converts AC power output from a generator into DC power; an inverter that converts DC power supplied from the PCU into AC power and outputs the AC power to the electric motor; a DC wire that connects the PCU and the inverter; and an AC wire that connects the inverter and the electric motor. The AC wire is disposed in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which rotation shafts of the generator and a gas turbine extend. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An aircraft comprising: a generator configured to generate electric power; an engine configured to drive the generator; an electric motor configured to operate with alternating current electric power; a rotor driven by the electric motor and configured to generate thrust; a power control unit configured to convert alternating current electric power output from the generator into direct current electric power; an inverter configured to convert the direct current electric power supplied from the power control unit into alternating current electric power and output the alternating current electric power to the electric motor; a direct current wire configured to connect the power control unit and the inverter; and an alternating current wire configured to connect the inverter and the electric motor, wherein the alternating current wire connecting the inverter and the electric motor is disposed and the direct current wire connecting the power control unit and the inverter is not disposed, in a region located in a direction extending, from a position of the generator installed in the aircraft, orthogonally to a direction in which a rotation shaft of the generator extends, or in a region located in a direction extending, from the position of the engine installed in the aircraft, orthogonally to a direction in which a rotation shaft of the engine extends. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the electric motor is disposed on an opposite side of the generator or the engine from a side where the power control unit is disposed, in the direction in which the rotation shaft of the generator extends or the direction in which the rotation shaft of the engine extends. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the aircraft comprises a first electric motor and a second electric motor as the electric motor, a first rotor and a second rotor as the rotor wherein the first rotor is driven by the first motor and the second rotor is driven by the second motor, a first inverter and a second inverter as the inverter wherein the first inverter is configured to output alternating current electric power to the first electric motor and the second inverter is configured to output alternating current electric power to the second electric motor, a first direct current wire and a second direct current wire as the direct current wire wherein the first direct current wire is configured to connect the power control unit and the first inverter and the second direct current wire is configured to connect the power control unit and the second inverter, and a first alternating current wire and a second alternating current wire as the alternating current wire wherein the first alternating current wire is configured to connect the first inverter and the first electric motor and the second alternating current wire is configured to connect the second inverter and the second electric motor, wherein alternating current electric power output from the generator is converted into direct current electric power at the power control unit, and the direct current electric power output from the power control unit is converted into alternating current electric power at the first inverter and is supplied to the first electric motor, and the alternating current electric power output from the generator is converted into the direct current electric power at the power control unit, and the direct current electric power output from the power control unit is converted into alternating current electric power at the second inverter and is supplied to the second electric motor.