Hybrid electric aircraft with gyroscopic stabilization control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11945573-B2
Application number	US-202117529556-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2021
Priority date	Jul 9, 2021
Publication date	Apr 2, 2024
Grant date	Apr 2, 2024

Abstract

A hybrid electric aircraft equipped with gyroscopic stabilization control is provided. In one aspect, a hybrid electric aircraft includes a turbo-generator having a gas turbine engine and an electric generator operatively coupled thereto for generating electrical power. The turbo-generator defines a rotation axis. The aircraft also includes one or more electrically-driven propulsors for producing thrust for the aircraft. In addition, the aircraft includes a pivot mount operatively coupled with the turbo-generator. To provide gyroscopic stabilization control of the aircraft, the pivot mount is controlled to adjust the rotation axis of the turbo-generator relative to a prime stability axis of the aircraft. Additionally or alternatively, a rotational speed of the turbo-generator can be changed to provide gyroscopic stabilization control of the aircraft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aircraft defining a prime stability axis, the aircraft comprising:
a turbo-generator having a gas turbine engine and an electric generator operatively coupled with the gas turbine engine, the turbo-generator defining a rotation axis about which a spool of the gas turbine engine is rotatable;
one or more propulsors, each of the one or more propulsors being electrically-driven;
a pivot mount operatively coupled with the turbo-generator, the pivot mount being operable to adjust the rotation axis of the turbo-generator relative to the prime stability axis of the aircraft; and
a controller configured to perform the following:
receive data indicating an orientation of the rotation axis of the turbo-generator and an orientation of the prime stability axis of the aircraft; and
cause the pivot mount to adjust the rotation axis of the turbo-generator relative to the prime stability axis of the aircraft based at least in part on the orientation of the rotation axis of the turbo-generator relative to the orientation of the prime stability axis of the aircraft.

2. The aircraft of claim 1 , further comprising:
a computing system having the controller.

3. The aircraft of claim 2 , wherein in causing the pivot mount to adjust the rotation axis of the turbo-generator relative to the prime stability axis of the aircraft, the controller causes the pivot mount to move the turbo-generator so that the rotation axis is moved into alignment or closer into alignment with the prime stability axis.

4. The aircraft of claim 2 , wherein in causing the pivot mount to adjust the rotation axis of the turbo-generator relative to the prime stability axis of the aircraft, the controller causes the pivot mount to move the turbo-generator so that the rotation axis is moved further out of alignment with the prime stability axis.

5. The aircraft of claim 1 , further comprising:
a computing system having the controller, the controller being configured to:
receive the data indicating the orientation of the rotation axis of the turbo-generator and the orientation of the prime stability axis of the aircraft; and
cause adjustment of a rotational speed of the spool of the gas turbine engine.

6. The aircraft of claim 1 , further comprising:
a fuselage;
a first wing extending outward from the fuselage; and
a second wing extending outward from the fuselage in a direction opposite the first wing, and
wherein the one or more propulsors include a first propulsor pivotably mounted to the first wing and a second propulsor pivotably mounted to the second wing, the first and second propulsors both being movable to a first thrust orientation and a second thrust orientation.

7. The aircraft of claim 1 , further comprising:
a fuselage, wherein the turbo-generator is mounted within the fuselage.

8. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the rotation axis of the turbo-generator is independent of a thrust orientation of the one or more propulsors.

9. The aircraft of claim 1 , further comprising:
a computing system having the controller, the controller being configured to:
receive the data indicating the orientation of the rotation axis of the turbo-generator and the orientation of the prime stability axis of the aircraft;
determine a degree of misalignment between the rotation axis and the prime stability axis;
compare the degree of misalignment to an alignment threshold; and
cause, only when the degree of misalignment exceeds the alignment threshold, the pivot mount to adjust the rotation axis of the turbo-generator relative to the prime stability axis of the aircraft.

Assignees

• Gen Electric
• Ge Avio Srl

Inventors

• Baladi Mehdi Milani
• Vondrell Randy M

Classifications

• B64D27/32

  within, or attached to, fuselages · CPC title

• B64D27/31

  within, or attached to, wings · CPC title

• B64D35/024

  of series type · CPC title

• B64D27/33

  Hybrid electric aircraft · CPC title

• B64D27/40

  Arrangements for mounting power plants in aircraft · CPC title