US 5,265,827 AGranted

Paddle wheel rotorcraft

AssigneeNorthrop Corporation

InventorHeinz A. Gerhardt

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An aircraft having vertical takeoff and landing capability having at least first and second laterally extending paddle wheels rotatable on a central axis generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft and between its nose and tail. Each of the paddle wheels has a plurality of blades pivoted by a system of linear actuators to a determined optimum blade pitch angle. One paddle wheel is positioned adjacent the port side of the aircraft and the other paddle wheel is positioned adjacent the starboard side. The pilot is able to operate the aircraft in all regimes of flight by differentially adjusting the pivot angle of each of the blades. In one embodiment utilizing only a pair of paddle wheels, differential operation of the blades provides lift, thrust, roll, and yaw control of the aircraft, while an aircraft pitch control rotor rotatable about a vertical axis distant from the paddle wheels is provided for controlling pitch of the aircraft. In another embodiment of the invention, the aircraft is provided with both forward and aft pairs of paddle wheels such that differential operation of the blades of the forward and aft paddle wheels provides pitch control of the aircraft without need of a separate pitch control rotor, while also providing lift, thrust, roll, and yaw control.

Claims17

Dependent claims

An aircraft having vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, comprising:

a fuselage having a nose and a tail, a longitudinal axis extending therebetween, and port and starboard sides;
first and second paddle wheels rotatably coupled to the fuselage for rotation about a first common axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis between the nose and the tail, the first paddle wheel extending laterally away from the port side, the second paddle wheel extending laterally away from the starboard side, each paddle wheel having
an axle aligned with a central axis of the paddle wheel and rotatably coupled to the fuselage,
first and second laterally spaced hubs fixed to the axle for rotation therewith,
a plurality of spokes integral with each hub for rotation therewith, each spoke extending radially away from the axle to a tip end,
a plurality of airfoil-shaped blades pivotably attached to the spoke tip ends, each blade being pivotably attached to an associated spoke integral with the first hub and to an associated spoke integral with the second hub for rotation about a lateral axis of the blade, the associated spokes having similar equi-distant radial positions in the plane of the hub, and,
a plurality of variable-stroke piston and cylinder actuators integral to each hub for rotation therewith, each actuator having a pitch control rod extending between and pivotably connecting the actuator and an associated on of the plurality of blades, a variable stroke of the actuator pivoting the associated blade in response to a cyclic steering command;
and,
control means coupled to each actuator for determining an aerodynamically optimum airfoil pitch angle for each blade at each peripheral position of the blade relative to the central axis for a selected flight condition, and for providing the cyclic steering command to each variable-stroke piston and cylinder actuator to pivot the associated blade to the determined airfoil pitch angle, the control means being responsive to an input command from a pilot and to an input signal from an airspeed sensor, the pivoted blades providing a cyclic pitch of each paddle wheel required for the selected flight condition.

6 more elements

A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft comprising in combination a fuselage, a plurality of paddle wheels, engine means, and control means operatively connected and characterized as follows:

(a) said fuselage comprising a nose and a tail and having a longitudinal axis extending therebetween and port and starboard sides;
(b) said paddle wheels being mounted to said fuselage for rotation about a first common axis extending perpendicular to said longitudinal axis between said nose and said tail, a first of said paddle wheels extending from said port side of said fuselage, a second of said paddle wheels extending from said starboard side of said fuselage, each said paddle wheel comprising:
an axle suitably mounted on said fuselage for rotation of said axle and said paddle wheel about said first common axis, said axle extending laterally away from said fuselage and being aligned with a central axis of said paddle wheel and with said first common axis,
a pair of laterally spaced hubs fixed to said axle for rotation therewith,
a plurality of spokes integral to each said hub, each spoke of said plurality of spokes extending radially away from each said hub to a tip end,
a plurality of airfoil-shaped blades positioned about a periphery of said paddle wheel, each blade of said plurality of blades having a pair of laterally spaced support lugs extending inwardly toward said axle from an underside of said blade at opposing ends of said blade, each of said support lugs being pivotably attached by a support pin to an associated tip end of each spoke of an associated pair of spokes, said associated pair of spokes extending in similar radial position from said hubs, each said blade further having a pair of control lugs extending inwardly toward said axle from said underside of said blade at opposing ends of said blade, each of said control lugs being spaced chordwise from an associated support lug of said blade,
a plurality of variable stroke linear actuators associated with each said hub, each actuator of said plurality of actuators being associated with one spoke of the plurality of spokes of said hubs and with said blade pivotably attached to said tip end of said associated spoke, said actuator extending in similar radial position from said hub as said associated spoke, and,
a pitch control rod and extending between each said actuator and an associated control lug, said pitch control rod being pivotably attached to said associated control lug by a control pin, said associated control lug being further associated with said support hub of said blade pivotably attached to said tip end of said associated spoke, whereby movement of said pitch control rod by actuation of said actuator results in pivotal movement of said blade about said support pin;
(c) said engine means comprising at least one gas turbine engine mounted to said fuselage, said engine driving said axles of said first and second paddle wheels in rotational motion about said first common axis by rotational actuation of a drive shaft, said drive shaft engaging a first transmission and a first cross axle, said first cross axle joining said axles of said first and second paddle wheels for unitary rotation;
and,
(d) said control means being operatively connected with each said actuator for adjusting a stroke of each said actuator to pivot each said blade about said control pin in response to a pilot input command, a flight condition as sensed by an inertial reference system and an air data system, and a stabilization input, wherein an incremental blade deflection angle and zero load blade deflection angle are continuously determined in mathematical form for each said blade at each peripheral position of each said blade for each said pilot input command, flight condition, and stabilization input as said paddle wheels rotate, said incremental blade deflection angle and zero load blade deflection angle being combined to produce an optimum net blade pitch angle for each said blade at each said peripheral position, said stroke of each actuator being controlled to pivotably move each said blade to said optimum net blade pitch angle, whereby an optimum cyclic pitch for said paddle wheels is produced for said pilot input command, flight condition, and stabilization input.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.