Emergency wind turbine system comprising a device for rotatably locking the turbine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10830210-B2
Application number	US-201616060772-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2016
Priority date	Dec 11, 2015
Publication date	Nov 10, 2020
Grant date	Nov 10, 2020

Abstract

An emergency wind turbine system for an aircraft including an outer structure in which an opening is made includes an emergency wind turbine including: a mast; a turbine including a body mounted on the mast that rotates about an axis of rotation, and a single blade or two blades extending radially from the body between a blade root and a blade head; a locking device to lock rotation of the turbine body about the axis of rotation, when the emergency wind turbine moves between retracted and deployed positions, such that the blade root axis forms an acute locking angle with an orthogonal projection of the longitudinal axis of the mast over a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the turbine and in which the blade root axis extends, to reduce the volume swept by the turbine when it moves between the retracted and deployed positions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An emergency wind turbine system for an aircraft comprising an external surface in which an opening is provided, said emergency wind turbine system comprising:
an aircraft structure; and
an emergency wind turbine connected to the aircraft structure and configured to move with respect to the aircraft structure between a retracted position in which the emergency wind turbine is housed in an interior of the external surface of the aircraft, and a deployed position, in which the emergency wind turbine extends outside the external surface of the aircraft, through the opening provided in the external surface, the emergency wind turbine comprising:
a mast extending along a longitudinal axis and connected to the aircraft structure,
a turbine comprising a body mounted in rotation on the mast around an axis of rotation, and a single blade or two blades extending radially from the body between a blade root housed in the body and a blade tip, the blade root(s) extending along a same blade root axis, disposed substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the turbine, and
a blocking device configured to block rotation of the body of the turbine around the axis of rotation, when the emergency wind turbine loves between the retracted position and the deployed position,

wherein the blocking device is configured to block the rotation of the body of the turbine around the axis of rotation, in a position such that the blade root axis forms a blocking angle, acute and non-zero, with an orthogonal projection of the longitudinal axis of the mast on a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the turbine and in which the blade root axis extends, so as to reduce a volume swept by the emergency wind turbine when the emergency wind turbine moves between the retracted position and the deployed position, the blocking angle being an angle comprised between 10° and 45°.

2. The emergency wind turbine system according to claim 1 , comprising a hatch connected to the aircraft structure and configured to move with respect to said aircraft structure between a closed position in which the hatch is designed to block the opening provided in the external surface and the emergency wind turbine is in the retracted position, and an open position in which the hatch is designed to free said opening and to extend to the outside of the external surface of the aircraft and the emergency wind turbine is in the deployed position.

3. An aircraft comprising an external surface in which an opening is provided and comprising an emergency wind turbine system according to claim 1 , wherein the aircraft structure is attached to the external surface.

4. A method for blocking in rotation a turbine of an emergency wind turbine system according to claim 1 , the method comprising:
moving the emergency wind turbine between the retracted position and the deployed position; and
blocking the rotation of the turbine around the axis of rotation in the position such that the blade root axis forms the blocking angle, acute and non-zero, with the orthogonal projection of the longitudinal axis of the mast on the plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the turbine and in which the blade root axis extends, the volume swept by the emergency wind turbine when the emergency wind turbine moves between the retracted position and the deployed position being thus reduced, the blocking angle being the angle comprised between 10° and 45°.

5. The emergency wind turbine system according to claim 1 , wherein the blocking device includes a guard locking pin and a notch provided in the body of the turbine configured to receive the guard locking pin, and
wherein the guard locking pin and the notch are disposed in a plane formed by the axis of rotation of the turbine and the longitudinal axis of the mast when the rotation of the body of the turbine is blocked.

Assignees

• Safran Electrical & Power

Inventors

• Polin Eric Joseph Etienne
• Guiraud Julien

Classifications

• F03D9/32 Primary

  on moving objects, e.g. vehicles · CPC title

• F01D21/14 Primary

  responsive to other specific conditions · CPC title

• B64D41/007

  Ram air turbines · CPC title

• F05D2220/34

  in ram-air turbines ("RATS") · CPC title

• F05B2240/92

  on an airbourne structure · CPC title