Rotor aircraft tilting hub with reduced drag rotor head and mast
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
B63H-003/02
B63H-003/00
출원번호
US-0280117
(2005-11-16)
등록번호
US-7510377
(2009-03-31)
발명자
/ 주소
Carter, Jr.,Jay W.
Robinson,M. Keith
Mitchell,George D.
출원인 / 주소
Cartercopters, L.L.C.
대리인 / 주소
Bracewell & Giuliani LLP
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
2인용 특허 :
7
초록▼
A rotor aircraft has a tilting hub for cyclic control operated by either a tilting spindle or swash plate mounted to the upper end of the drive shaft. A spinner housing with two separate half portions encloses the hub. The blades of the rotor have root portions that are integrally joined to the sepa
A rotor aircraft has a tilting hub for cyclic control operated by either a tilting spindle or swash plate mounted to the upper end of the drive shaft. A spinner housing with two separate half portions encloses the hub. The blades of the rotor have root portions that are integrally joined to the separate half portions. During a collective pitch change, the half portions rotate relative to each other, but at advance ratios greater than about 0.7, when the collective can be held constant, the spinner half portions can be in perfect alignment. Concentric control sleeves surround the drive shaft for changing collective pitch as well as cyclic pitch.
대표청구항▼
We claim: 1. An aircraft, comprising: a fuselage; a mast extending upward from the fuselage, terminating in a masthead; a pair of rotor blades, each of the blades extending from the masthead along a feathering axis; a spinner housing enclosing the masthead, the spinner housing having two half porti
We claim: 1. An aircraft, comprising: a fuselage; a mast extending upward from the fuselage, terminating in a masthead; a pair of rotor blades, each of the blades extending from the masthead along a feathering axis; a spinner housing enclosing the masthead, the spinner housing having two half portions that are movable relative to each other about the feathering axis of each of the blades, each of the blades terminating at one of the half portions; and a collective pitch mechanism that causes each half portion of the spinner housing to twist about its feathering axis in opposite directions relative to each other to change the collective pitch of the blades. 2. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein each of the blades comprises: a shell that is rigidly attached to one of the spinner housing half portions. 3. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the spinner housing is substantially circular between the blades when viewed in a horizontal cross-section, and elliptical when viewed in a vertical cross-section. 4. The aircraft according to claim 1, further comprising: a seal located between inner edges of the two spinner housing half portions. 5. The aircraft according to claim 1, further comprising: a seal assembly that seals across a gap between inner edges of the two spinner housing half portions, the seal assembly having an effective width that varies in response to a width of the gap, which changes under various flight conditions. 6. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein each of the spinner housing half portions has an inner edge, the inner edges on an upper side of the spinner housing being spaced apart from each other by a gap, the width of which varies in response to movement of the blades during flight, the inner edges on a lower side of the spinner housing contacting each other when the blades are stationary to provide a droop stop. 7. The aircraft according to claim 1, further comprising: a first seal member stationarily mounted to an inner edge portion of a first one of the spinner housing half portions, the first seal member having a sealing surface that is biased into engagement with an inner edge portion of a second one of the half portions, the second one of the half portions being movable relative to the sealing surface. 8. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the collective pitch mechanism comprises: a pitch horn mounted to each of the spinner half portions, one of the pitch horns being offset from the feathering axis in one direction, and the other of the pitch horns being offset from the feathering axis in the opposite direction, so that upward and downward movement of the pitch horns in unison with each other causes twisting of each of the spinner half portions in opposite directions; inner and outer concentric sleeves encircling the mast, each of the sleeves being connected to one of the pitch horns, so that upward and downward movement of the sleeves in unison with each other and relative to the mast causes collective pitch and a rotation about the feathering axis of each of the spinner half portions in opposite directions. 9. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the mast comprises a rotatably driven drive shaft, and the masthead comprises: a gimbal mounted to the drive shaft for rotation therewith; and a hub mounted to the gimbal, the rotor blades being mounted to the hub, the gimbal allowing the hub to tilt in fore and aft and in lateral directions relative to the drive shaft; and wherein the spinner housing tilts in unison with the hub. 10. An aircraft, comprising: a fuselage; a drive shaft extending upward from the fuselage; a hub mounted to an upper end of the drive shaft by a gimbal, which allows tilting movement of the hub relative to the drive shaft while rotating in unison with the drive shaft; a plurality of rotor blades, each of the blades secured to the hub; and inner and outer sleeves encircling the drive shaft and rotatable in unison with the drive shaft, the sleeves having upper ends cooperatively engaged with the hub for causing tilting of the hub relative to the drive shaft in response to upward and downward movement of the sleeves relative to each other. 11. The aircraft according to claim 10, further comprising: a swash plate assembly cooperatively engaged with lower ends of the sleeves for selectively moving the sleeves upward and downward relative to the drive shaft and to each other. 12. The aircraft according to claim 10, wherein the drive shaft is selectively tiltable relative to the fuselage, and the aircraft further comprises a mast fairing enclosing the inner and outer sleeves and the drive shaft and being tiltable relative to the fuselage in unison with the drive shaft. 13. The aircraft according to claim 10, further comprising: a spinner housing enclosing the hub, the spinner housing having two half portions separated from each other by a gap, each of the blades having a root portion joined to one of the half portions for movement therewith; and wherein the spinner housing half portions are rotatable relative to each other in response to selected movement of the sleeves to vary the collective pitch of the blades. 14. The aircraft according to claim 10, further comprising: a swash plate encircling and rotating in unison with the drive shaft, each of the sleeves being coupled to the swash plate at circumferentially spaced apart points; a collective pitch control that selectively moves the swash plate and each of the control sleeves axially along an axis of the drive shaft to vary a collective pitch of the blades; and a hub tilting control that selectively tilts the swash plate and causes the sleeves to move axially relative to each other and to the drive shaft for tilting the hub. 15. An aircraft, comprising: a fuselage; a rotatable drive shaft extending upward from the fuselage along a drive shaft axis; a hub mounted by a gimbal arrangement to an upper end of the drive shaft for rotation with the drive shaft and tilting movement relative to the drive shaft; a spinner housing having two separate half portions, each mounted to an opposite side of the hub; a pair of rotor blades, each of the blades having a root portion integrally joined with one of the half portions of the spinner housing for movement therewith; a pair of sleeves concentrically mounted around the drive shaft for rotation therewith, each of the sleeves being axially movable relative to each other and to the drive shaft, each of the sleeves being cooperatively engaged with one of the half portions of the spinner housing; a sleeve control mechanism that has one mode in which both sleeves move in unison axially relative to the drive shaft to cause the half portions of the spinner housing to twist in opposite directions relative to each other to change a collective pitch of the blades; the sleeve control mechanism having another mode in which the sleeves move axially relative to each other and to the drive shaft to tilt the hub and the spinner housing; and a fairing that extends upward from the fuselage and encloses the sleeves. 16. The aircraft according to claim 15, wherein the drive shaft and the fairing are tiltable in unison relative to the fuselage. 17. The aircraft according to claim 15, wherein: the half portions of the spinner housing have inner edges that are opposed to each other; the inner edges on an upper side of the spinner housing are separated by a gap that varies in width depending upon the inclinations of the blades relative to each other; and wherein the aircraft further comprises: a seal assembly that extends across and seals the gap, the seal assembly having an effective width that varies proportionally with the width of the gap. 18. The aircraft according to claim 15, wherein: the half portions of the spinner housing have inner edges that are opposed to each other and separated by a gap on upper and lower sides of the spinner housing when the blades are rotating in a common plane; and when the blades are at rest, the inner edges along the lower side of the spinner housing contact each other to limit droop of the blades. 19. The aircraft according to claim 15, wherein the spinner housing has an external surface that is substantially circular between blades when viewed in a first cross-section transverse to the axis, and is elliptical when viewed in a second cross-section perpendicular to the first cross-section. 20. The aircraft according to claim 15, wherein the root portion of each of the blades comprises: a pair of spar caps that extend along lengths of each of the blades, each of the spar caps being secured to the hub for movement therewith; and a shell, each shell integrally joined to one of the spinner housing half-portions, each of the shells being cooperatively engaged with one of the sleeves, enabling the shells to rotate along with the spinner housing half-portions relative to the spar caps and the hub to change collective pitch.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (7)
Groen Henry J. (1813 Downing Ave. Salt Lake City UT 84108) Groen David L. (Twenty Benchmark Tooele UT 84074), Autogyro aircraft.
Carter, Jr., Jay W.; Robinson, M. Keith; Lewis, Jeffrey R., Apparatus to eliminate back drive in push pull system of rotor aircraft and related methods.
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