Aeronautics and astronautics – Aircraft – heavier-than-air – Helicopter or auto-rotating wing sustained – i.e. – gyroplanes
Patent
1998-04-28
1999-12-07
Eldred, J. Woodrow
Aeronautics and astronautics
Aircraft, heavier-than-air
Helicopter or auto-rotating wing sustained, i.e., gyroplanes
244 1719, 244 1721, B64C 2700
Patent
active
059969334
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to an aircraft which has a balanced torque and includes a motor-driven propeller, which is arranged on a central axis, and a useful load container, in particular but not exclusively, to a coleopter-aircraft.
Literature discloses a number of coleopter-aircrafts which operate in accordance with different principles. A coleopter-aircraft, which operates in accordance with the air cushion principle, is disclosed in WO 90/13478. A similar aircraft, at least with respect to the flight theory, is disclosed in DE-40 37 472 A1. DE-41 12 585 also deals with a similar principles, in which propulsion turbine is provided together with a lift propeller.
Other solutions are disclosed in DE-37 34 811 A1, DE-36 44 899 A1, DE-36 06 362 A1, and EP-O 661 206 A1.
The main problem of the known solutions consists in the unstable flight attitude, poor control possibility, and high technical requirements, so that it is difficult to come up with solutions which would permit to achieve adequate flight characteristics.
An object of the invention is to provide a solution which would insure that the aircraft can carry useful loads and/or persons in a stable flying attitude and with simple control means.
This object is achieved according to the invention by that the central motor-driven propeller and, relative thereto, the motor and/or torque-balancing means arranged thereon, are rotatable in opposite directions, and together are supported for rotation relative to the useful load container.
The invention makes possible to insure a very stable adjustable flight attitude with comparatively simple means, i.e., a so-equipped aircraft is capable of retaining the useful load in a predetermined position which, e.g., is particularly important when the useful load consists of instruments or of a monitoring camera for inspection of a constructional site, to name one example.
Further, examples of torque-balancing means according to the inventive solutions will be discussed below. One of the possibilities according to the invention, which proved itself in practice, consists in using an annular wing in connection with a propeller driven relative thereto as the torque-balancing means.
In the coleopter-aircraft according to the invention, for providing a very stable flight attitude, a torque reaction of the motor, on one hand, and of the propeller, on the other hand, are used. The drive consists of the propeller drive and the annular ring drive.
Because the propeller rotates in the annular wing, which is formed as a circular ring, it operates as a ducted propeller, i.g., at the same rotational speed of both rotatable relative to each other drive units, a double thrust force is generated in comparison with a non-ducted propeller. In addition, the generation of noise is reduced.
The annular wing drive is provided by the generation of vacuum on the upper side of the annular wing with an air stream produced by the propeller, which is known also as a Coanda-effect, under which is understood a deviation of the stream when a stationary body is brought on the boundary layer of the stream. At that, the air stream will deviate in the direction of the stationary body and will generate a reaction force due to the impulse change, which force provides lift and thrust components. In addition, pressure distribution on the annular wing changes, and a vacuum is formed on the upper surface of the annular wing, which results in additional suction thrust and results in an increased lift curve slope.
The invention makes it possible to easily position the useful load in the air because the aircraft according to the invention combines flight characteristics of a helicopter with those of a horizontally flying aircraft, and makes use of the advantages of both flying apparatuses.
The particularly simple control and simple operation permits to use such a coleopter-aircraft for performing a great number of tasks. Here, only some will be named: plants, survey and filming (of houses, plants, estates, etc.), of wind (Wind power plants), advertising agencies, bo
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patent: 2551455 (1951-05-01), Neale
patent: 3135481 (1964-06-01), Sudrow
patent: 3394906 (1968-07-01), Rogers
patent: 3417825 (1968-12-01), Ramme
patent: 3489374 (1970-01-01), Morcom
patent: 5163638 (1992-11-01), Chaneac
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