Aircraft using turbo-electric hybrid propulsion system
OwnerIval O. Salyerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An air vehicle incorporating a hybrid propulsion system. The system includes a gas turbine engine as a first motive power source, and one or more battery packs as a second motive power source. Through selective coupling to a DC electric motor that can in turn be connected to a bladed rotor or other lift-producing device, the motive sources provide differing ways in which an aircraft can operate. In one example, the gas turbine engine can provide operation for a majority of the flight envelope of the aircraft, while the battery packs can provide operation during such times when gas turbine-based motive power is unavailable or particularly disadvantageous. In another example, both sources of motive power may be decoupled from the bladed rotor such that the vehicle can operate as an autogyro.
Claims10
A rotary wing aircraft comprising:
- a fuselage;
- at least one bladed rotor cooperative with said fuselage;
- and
- a hybrid propulsion system coupled to said fuselage and said at least one bladed rotor, said hybrid propulsion system comprising:
- a gas turbine engine;
- an electrical generator cooperative with said gas turbine engine such that mechanical power received therefrom by said electrical generator is converted to electric power;
- an electric storage device;
- and
- an electric motor configured to selectively engage said at least one bladed rotor to impart relative rotational motion therebetween and selectively coupled to at least one of said electrical generator and said electric storage device such that during a first portion of a flight envelope of said aircraft, said gas turbine engine and said electric motor provide propulsive power to said aircraft, and during a second portion of said flight envelope, said electric storage device and said electric motor provide said propulsive power to said aircraft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.