Propulsion system with concentric rocket motor and electric motor
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorKeith M. Brock
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A propulsion system, such as for an aircraft, for instance an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), includes a rocket motor and an electric motor, with the rocket motor passing through a central opening in the electric motor. The electric motor may be a brushless outrunner electric motor, with a rotor of the electric motor radially outward of a stator of the electric motor. The electric motor may use part of the rocket motor, such as a rocket nozzle (to give a non-limiting example), and may be used to turn blades of a propeller, to propel the aircraft. The propeller blades may be foldable blades, hingedly coupled to a yoke. The blades may deploy after launch of the aircraft, such as from a launcher, for instance a launch tube.
Claims20
A propulsion system comprising:
- a rocket motor;
- and
- an electric motor around the rocket motor, the electric motor being annular and the rocket motor passing through a central opening defined by the electric motor.
A method of operation of an aircraft, the method comprising:
- launching the aircraft from a launcher;
- propelling the aircraft with a rocket motor of a propulsion system of the aircraft;
- and
- subsequently propelling the aircraft with propeller blades that are coupled to an electric motor of the propulsion system, wherein the electric motor is an annular electric motor that surrounds part of the rocket motor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.