Aircraft
AssigneeObrist Technologies GmbH
InventorFrank Obrist
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to an aircraft comprising a drive system having a power unit, at least one drive battery, and at least one electric motor drawing electrical energy from the at least one drive battery, wherein the power unit comprises a two-cylinder reciprocating-piston engine having two cylinder-piston units in tandem arrangement and comprises at least one generator for generating electrical energy, wherein each cylinder-piston unit has a crankshaft, and wherein the crankshafts are mechanically coupled to each other, and wherein at least one crankshaft is mechanically connected to the at least one generator. The invention also relates to additional improvements of the aircraft and to an operating method.
Claims17
An aircraft having a drive system comprising:
- a power unit having a plurality of generators and a two-cylinder reciprocating-piston engine with two cylinder-piston units in tandem arrangement, wherein at least one generator is configured to generate electrical energy, each cylinder-piston unit having a crankshaft, wherein the crankshaft of each cylinder-piston unit is mechanically coupled to each other crankshaft, and wherein at least one crankshaft is mechanically connected to the at the least one generator, wherein the crankshafts are aligned parallel to one another and rotate in opposite directions, wherein the two-cylinder reciprocating-piston engine has a control configured to continue to operate one of the cylinder piston units in an event of a failure of the other cylinder-piston unit;
- a plurality of drive batteries, wherein a first generator of the plurality of generators is electrically connected to a first drive battery, and a second generator of the plurality of generators is electrically connected to a second drive battery;
- an electric motor drawing electrical energy from one or more of the drive batteries, wherein the electric motor is configured to operate purely in a battery-electric mode during a takeoff phase and a landing phase of the aircraft;
- and
- at least one drive propeller driven by the electric motor to provide propulsion of the aircraft.
An aircraft having a drive system comprising:
- a power unit having a plurality of generators and a two-cylinder reciprocating-piston engine with two cylinder-piston units in tandem arrangement, wherein at least one of the generators is configured to generate electrical energy, each cylinder-piston unit having a crankshaft, wherein the crankshaft of each cylinder-piston unit is mechanically coupled to each other crankshaft, and wherein at least one crankshaft is mechanically connected to the at the least one generator, the two-cylinder reciprocating-piston engine having a control configured to continue to operate one of the cylinder-piston units in the event of a failure of the other cylinder-piston unit;
- a plurality of drive batteries, wherein a first generator of the plurality of generators is electrically connected to a first drive battery, and a second generator of the plurality of generators is electrically connected to a second drive battery;
- and
- an electric motor drawing electrical energy from one or more of the drive batteries.
A method for operating an aircraft power unit of a drive system of an aircraft comprising:
- drawing electrical energy from at least one drive battery to power an electric motor that drives a drive propeller of the aircraft to provide propulsion of the aircraft, wherein the electric motor is configured to operate purely in a battery-electric mode during a takeoff phase and a landing phase of the aircraft, wherein the drive battery is supplied from at least one electric generator driven by a two-cylinder reciprocating-piston engine of the aircraft power unit;
- burning methanol as a fuel for operating the two-cylinder reciprocating-piston engine;
- and
- in response to a failure of one cylinder of the two-cylinder reciprocating-piston engine, continuing operation of a remaining cylinder of the reciprocating-piston engine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.