Vertical lift by series hybrid-propulsion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10899461-B2
Application number	US-201815866655-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2018
Priority date	Jan 10, 2017
Publication date	Jan 26, 2021
Grant date	Jan 26, 2021

Abstract

A hybrid-electric aerial vehicle is disclosed comprising: an airframe; a plurality of longitudinal booms extending radially from the airframe; a passively charged internal combustion engine operatively coupled with a fuel tank, a generator operatively coupled with the passively charged internal combustion engine; a battery bank operatively coupled with the generator; and a plurality of motors. The passively charged internal combustion engine has an intake engine valve, an exhaust engine valve, and a combustion chamber, wherein the intake engine valve is delayed to provide an expansion ratio in the combustion chamber that is greater than a compression ratio in the combustion chamber. Each of said plurality of motors may be positioned at a distal end of one of said plurality of longitudinal booms and be operatively coupled with a propeller, wherein the plurality of motors is electrically coupled with the battery bank and the generator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hybrid-electric aerial vehicle comprising:
an airframe;
a passively charged internal combustion engine operatively coupled with a fuel tank and configured to operate at a constant rotation per minute (RPM), the passively charged internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder comprising a combustion chamber, an intake engine valve, and an exhaust engine valve,
wherein the intake engine valve and the exhaust engine valve are in fluid communication with the combustion chamber and configured, respectively, to selectively allow air in and out of the combustion chamber during operation,
wherein the intake engine valve is controlled to provide an expansion ratio in the combustion chamber that is greater than a compression ratio in the combustion chamber;

a generator operatively coupled with the passively charged internal combustion engine, wherein the generator is configured to generate AC power via a rotational engine force received from the passively charged internal combustion engine;
a rectifier electrically coupled with the generator, wherein the rectifier converts AC power from the generator to DC power;
a battery bank electrically coupled with the rectifier, the battery bank configured to store DC power via said rectifier; and
a plurality of motors, each of said plurality of motors being operatively coupled with a propeller, wherein each of the plurality of motors is electrically coupled with the battery bank and the generator via an electronic speed controller (ESC) and configured to operate at a variable RPM.

2. The hybrid-electric aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the generator is directly coupled with the passively charged internal combustion engine.

3. The hybrid-electric aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the generator is coupled with the passively charged internal combustion engine via a driveshaft.

4. The hybrid-electric aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the timing of the intake engine valve is delayed in accordance with Miller cycle.

5. The hybrid-electric aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of motors is configured to provide both lift and propulsion.

6. The hybrid-electric aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein tea timing of the intake engine valve is delayed such that the intake engine valve is held open by a predetermined period of time longer than prescribed by Otto cycle.

7. The hybrid-electric aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the generator is configured to receive DC power from the battery bank to output a rotational starter force to the internal combustion engine, thereby operating as a starter motor for the internal combustion engine.

8. A series hybrid-propulsion system comprising:
a passively charged internal combustion engine operatively coupled with a fuel tank, the passively charged internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder comprising a combustion chamber, an intake engine valve, and an exhaust engine valve,
wherein the intake engine valve and the exhaust engine valve are in fluid communication with the combustion chamber and configured, respectively, to selectively allow air in and out of the combustion chamber during operation,
wherein the intake engine valve is controlled to provide an expansion ratio in the combustion chamber that is greater than a compression ratio in the combustion chamber;

a generator operatively coupled with the passively charged internal combustion engine, wherein the generator is configured to generate AC power via a rotational engine force received from the passively charged internal combustion engine;
a rectifier electrically coupled with the generator, wherein the rectifier converts AC power from the generator to DC power;
a battery bank electrically coupled with the rectifier, the battery bank configured to store DC power from said rectifier; and
a plurality of motors electrically coupled with the battery bank and the generator via an electronic speed controller (ESC) and configured to operate at a variable rotation per minute (RPM) while the passively charged internal combustion engine operates at a constant RPM.

9. The series hybrid-propulsion system of claim 8 , wherein the generator is directly coupled with the passively charged internal combustion engine.

10. The series hybrid-propulsion system of claim 8 , wherein the generator is coupled with the passively charged internal combustion engine via a driveshaft.

11. The series hybrid-propulsion system of claim 8 , wherein timing of the intake engine valve is delayed in accordance with Miller cycle.

12. The series hybrid-propulsion system of claim 8 , wherein timing of the intake engine valve is delayed such that the intake engine valve is held open by a predetermined period of time longer than prescribed by Otto cycle.

13. The series hybrid-propulsion system of claim 8 , wherein the generator is configured to receive DC power from the battery bank to output a rotational starter force to the passively charged internal combustion engine, thereby operating as a starter motor for the passively charged internal combustion engine.

14. A method for driving a hybrid-propulsion system comprising:
operating a passively charged internal combustion engine operatively coupled with a fuel tank at a constant rotation per minute (RPM),
wherein the passively charged internal combustion engine comprises at least one cylinder, a combustion chamber, an intake engine valve, and an exhaust engine valve, and
wherein the intake engine valve and the exhaust engine valve are in fluid communication with the combustion chamber;
selectively conveying air in and out of the combustion chamber in accordance with Miller cycle to provide an expansion ratio in the combustion chamber that is greater than a compression ratio in the combustion chamber;
generating AC power via a rotational engine force received at a generator from the passively charged internal combustion engine, wherein the generator is operatively coupled with the passively charged internal combustion engine;
converting AC power from the generator to DC power via a rectifier electrically coupled with the generator;
storing DC power from said rectifier to a battery bank electrically coupled with the rectifier; and
operating an electric motor at a variable RPM via an electronic speed controller (ESC) while the passively charged internal combustion engine operates at the constant RPM.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the generator is configured to receive DC power from the battery bank to output a rotational starter force to the passively charged internal combustion engine, thereby operating as a starter motor for the passively charged internal combustion engine.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the generator is directly coupled with the passively charged internal combustion engine.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the motor is configured to provide both lift and propulsion.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising the step of delaying timing of the intake engine valve such that the intake engine valve is held open by a predetermined period of time longer than prescribed by Otto cycle.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the generator is coupled with the passively charged internal combustion engine via a driveshaft.

Assignees

• Aurora Flight Sciences Corp

Inventors

• Livieratos Evangelos
• Griffin Riley
• Varney Nathan
• Kaufman Amanda

Classifications

• F02B41/04 Primary

  in main cylinders · CPC title

• B64U50/19

  using electrically powered motors · CPC title

• B64U50/11

  using internal combustion piston engines · CPC title

• B64U10/13

  Flying platforms · CPC title

• Y02T10/12

  Improving ICE efficiencies · CPC title