Swashplate and pitch link arrangement for a coaxial counter rotating rotor system
AssigneeSikorsky Aircraft Corporation
InventorFrank Paul D'Anna
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A coaxial counter-rotating rotor system for a hybrid aircraft includes an upper swashplate assembly and a lower swashplate assembly with a coaxial transmission system therebetween. Movement of the upper and lower swashplate assembly is reflected about a midplane of the coaxial transmission housing to generate sufficient cyclic and/or collective pitch inputs within a compact structural in which the rotor systems are closely spaced along an axis of rotation.
Claims14
A coaxial counter-rotating rotor system comprising:
- an upper rotor system;
- a lower rotor system;
- a coaxial transmission system located between and operable to counter-rotate said upper rotor system and said lower rotor system about an axis, said coaxial transmission system defining a midplane transverse to said axis;
- and
- an upper swashplate assembly and a lower swashplate assembly which move away from said midplane to generate a high collective pitch in said upper rotor system and said lower rotor system.
A hybrid aircraft comprising:
- a body comprising a toroidal portion and a rotor duct;
- an upper rotor system mounted within said rotor duct;
- a lower rotor system mounted within said rotor duct;
- a coaxial transmission system located between and operable to counter-rotate said upper rotor system and said lower rotor system about an axis, said coaxial transmission system defining a midplane transverse to said axis;
- and
- an upper swashplate assembly and a lower swashplate assembly which move away from said midplane to generate a high collective pitch in said upper rotor system and said lower rotor system.
A method of controlling a rotor system of a hybrid aircraft comprising the steps of:
- (1) counter-rotating an upper rotor system and a lower rotor system about an axis with a coaxial transmission system located therebetween;
- and
- (2) reflecting movement of an upper swashplate assembly and a lower swashplate assembly about a midplane transverse to said axis of the coaxial transmission system wherein the upper swashplate assembly and the lower swashplate assembly move away from the midplane to generate a high collective pitch in the upper rotor system and the lower rotor system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.