Cooling duct

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11535391-B2
Application number	US-202016837256-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2020
Priority date	May 7, 2019
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

A cooling duct configured to introduce air flow to a cooling target device provided in a helicopter body of a helicopter includes a duct body, a front opening, an upper opening, a hinge, and a movable blade. The duct body is mountable below a main rotor of the helicopter to be adjacent to the cooling target device. The front opening is formed on a forward side of the helicopter body in the duct body. The upper opening is formed on an upper side of the helicopter body in the duct body. The hinge is disposed in an upper portion of the duct body and includes a pivot shaft extending in a lateral direction of the helicopter body. The movable blade with an end that is pivotally supported by the hinge is provided to be pivotable about the pivot shaft between a first position and a second position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cooling duct configured to introduce air flow to a cooling target device provided in a helicopter body of a helicopter, the cooling duct comprising:
a duct body mountable below a main rotor of the helicopter so as to be adjacent to the cooling target device;
a front opening formed on a forward side of the helicopter body in the duct body;
an upper opening formed on an upper side of the helicopter body in the duct body;
a hinge disposed in an upper portion of the duct body and comprising a pivot shaft extending in a lateral direction of the helicopter body; and
a movable blade with an end that is pivotally supported by the hinge, the movable blade being provided so as to be pivotable about the pivot shaft between a first position where the front opening is closable and a second position where the upper opening is closable,
wherein the duct body is provided over the cooling target device.

2. The cooling duct according to claim 1 , wherein the duct body includes:
a right side wall;
a left side wall; and
a rear face wall at an opposite end of the duct body to the front opening, the rear face wall being coupled to the right side wall and the left side wall.

3. The cooling duct according to claim 1 , further comprising a lower opening configured as a discharge port used to discharge the air in the duct body to the radiator positioned below the lower opening.

4. The cooling duct according to claim 3 , wherein the lower opening and the upper opening are positioned on opposite sides of the front opening, and
wherein a cross section of the front opening is perpendicular to a cross section of the lower opening and a cross section of the upper opening.

5. The cooling duct according to claim 3 , wherein the movable blade is positioned across the upper opening, and
wherein the airflow is guided from the front opening and the upper opening via the movable blade towards the lower opening that is positioned directly above the radiator.

6. The cooling duct according to claim 1 , wherein the movable blade comprises a plurality of movable blades and the plurality of movable blades are provided in parallel in a longitudinal direction of the helicopter body.

7. The cooling duct according to claim 6 , wherein
the hinge comprises
a forward hinge disposed on the forward side of the helicopter body in the upper portion of the duct body, and
a rearward hinge disposed further on a rearward side of the helicopter body in the upper portion of the duct body, and

the plurality of movable blades comprises
a forward movable blade pivotally supported by the forward hinge so as to be pivotable, and
a rearward movable blade pivotally supported by the rearward hinge so as to be pivotable.

8. The cooling duct according to claim 7 , wherein
in the hovering state of the helicopter, the air flow going downward from the main rotor moves the forward movable blade to the first position where the front opening is closable, and
in the advancing state of the helicopter, the air flow going rearward from the forward side of the helicopter body moves at least the rearward movable blade to the second position where the upper opening is closable.

9. The cooling duct according to claim 8 , wherein
in the advancing state of the helicopter,
depending on strength of the air flow going rearward from the forward side of the helicopter body, the forward movable blade moves to the intermediate position between the first position and the second position or to the second position.

10. The cooling duct according to claim 1 , wherein the movable blade is swung about the pivot shaft by air flow that enters the duct body from outside according to a flight state of the helicopter and moves to the first position, the second position, or an intermediate position between the first position and the second position.

11. The cooling duct according to claim 10 , wherein the movable blade comprises a plurality of movable blades and the plurality of movable blades are provided in parallel in a longitudinal direction of the helicopter body.

12. The cooling duct according to claim 11 , wherein
the hinge comprises
a forward hinge disposed on the forward side of the helicopter body in the upper portion of the duct body, and
a rearward hinge disposed further on a rearward side of the helicopter body in the upper portion of the duct body, and

the plurality of movable blades comprises
a forward movable blade pivotally supported by the forward hinge so as to be pivotable, and
a rearward movable blade pivotally supported by the rearward hinge so as to be pivotable.

13. The cooling duct according to claim 12 , wherein
in the hovering state of the helicopter, the air flow going downward from the main rotor moves the forward movable blade to the first position where the front opening is closable, and
in the advancing state of the helicopter, the air flow going rearward from the forward side of the helicopter body moves at least the rearward movable blade to the second position where the upper opening is closable.

14. The cooling duct according to claim 13 , wherein
in the advancing state of the helicopter,
depending on strength of the air flow going rearward from the forward side of the helicopter body, the forward movable blade moves to the intermediate position between the first position and the second position or to the second position.

15. The cooling duct according to claim 10 , wherein
in a hovering state of the helicopter,
air flow going downward from the main rotor moves the movable blade to the first position where the front opening is closable, and
in an advancing state of the helicopter,
air flow going rearward from the forward side of the helicopter body moves the movable blade to the second position where the upper opening is closable.

16. The cooling duct according to claim 15 , wherein the movable blade comprises a plurality of movable blades and the plurality of movable blades are provided in parallel in a longitudinal direction of the helicopter body.

17. The cooling duct according to claim 16 , wherein
the hinge comprises
a forward hinge disposed on the forward side of the helicopter body in the upper portion of the duct body, and
a rearward hinge disposed further on a rearward side of the helicopter body in the upper portion of the duct body, and

the plurality of movable blades comprises
a forward movable blade pivotally supported by the forward hinge so as to be pivotable, and
a rearward movable blade pivotally supported by the rearward hinge so as to be pivotable.

18. The cooling duct according to claim 17 , wherein
in the hovering state of the helicopter, the air flow going downward from the main rotor moves the forward movable blade to the first position where the front opening is closable, and
in the advancing state of the helicopter, the air flow going rearward from the forward side of the helicopter body moves at least the rearward movable blade to the second position where the upper opening is closable.

19. The cooling duct according to claim 18 , wherein
in the advancing state of the helicopter,
depending on strength of the air flow going rearward from the forward side of the helicopter body, the forward movable blade moves to the intermediate position between the first position and the second position or to the second position.

Assignees

• Subaru Corp

Inventors

• Yamada Kai

Classifications

• B64C27/04

  Helicopters · CPC title

• B64C21/02

  by use of slot, ducts, porous areas or the like · CPC title

• B64D33/10 Primary

  Radiator arrangement · CPC title

• B64C23/00

  Influencing air flow over aircraft surfaces, not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64C27/06

  with single rotor · CPC title