Aircraft propulsion system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12030653-B2
Application number	US-202217898501-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2022
Priority date	Sep 9, 2021
Publication date	Jul 9, 2024
Grant date	Jul 9, 2024

Abstract

A load fluctuation detection unit that detects a load fluctuation of an aircraft, and an operating point control unit that controls a power operating point defined by a torque and rotation speed based on a flight state. The operating point control unit sets a target power operating point ( 62 ) for coping with a load with respect to an initial power operating point ( 61 ) in an operating point map ( 40 ) when the load has fluctuated. The operating point control unit moves the power operating point from the initial power operating point ( 61 ) on a first operating line ( 41 ) to the target power operating point ( 62 ) on a second operating line ( 42 ), to a return power operating point ( 63 ) on the first operating line ( 41 ) while keeping a torque T constant, and then to the initial power operating point ( 61 ) along the first operating line ( 41 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aircraft propulsion system mounted on a fuselage of an aircraft, the aircraft propulsion system comprising:
a gas turbine element including a compressor and a turbine rotating integrally with the compressor;
a generator connected to the gas turbine element via a rotation shaft;
a battery configured to store electric power generated by the generator;
an electric motor driven by at least one of the electric power from the generator and the electric power from the battery;
a propeller driven by the electric motor;
a flight state detection unit configured to detect a flight state of the aircraft;
a load fluctuation detection unit configured to detect a load fluctuation in a specified output of the aircraft based on the flight state detected by the flight state detection unit; and
an operating point control unit configured to control an operation of the generator based on a control, by the operating point control unit, of a power operating point defined by a torque and rotation speed of the rotation shaft based on the flight state detected by the flight state detection unit;
wherein the operating point control unit sets, in an operating point map on which the power operating points are mapped,
a first operating line connecting a first plurality of power operating points at which a first output, defined by a product of the torque and the rotation speed, is constant, and
a second operating line connecting a second plurality of power operating points at which a second output is different from the first output of the first operating line and in which the second output is constant,

wherein the operating point control unit sets a target power operating point for coping with a load with respect to an initial power operating point, the initial power operating point being a current power operating point in the operating point map when the load fluctuation detection unit detects that the load has fluctuated, and
wherein the operating point control unit
moves the current power operating point from the initial power operating point on the first operating line to the target power operating point on the second operating line while keeping a rotation speed at the operating point map constant,
moves the power operating point from the target power operating point on the second operating line to a return power operating point on the first operating line while keeping a torque at the operating point map constant, after moving the power operating point to the target power operating point, and
moves the power operating point from the return power operating point on the first operating line to the initial power operating point along the first operating line, after moving the power operating point to the return power operating point.

2. The aircraft propulsion system according to claim 1 , wherein, when the load fluctuation detection unit detects that the load increases, the operating point control unit sets the second operating line so that an output of the second operating line becomes higher than that of the first operating line.

3. The aircraft propulsion system according to claim 1 , wherein, when the load fluctuation detection unit detects that the load decreases, the operating point control unit sets the second operating line so that an output of the second operating line becomes lower than that of the first operating line.

4. The aircraft propulsion system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the load fluctuation detection unit includes a feedforward control unit configured to predict the load fluctuation through feedforward control,
wherein the feedforward control unit predicts the load fluctuation based on the flight state detected by the flight state detection unit, and
wherein the operating point control unit controls the power operating point based on the load fluctuation predicted by the feedforward control unit.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kita Akinori
• Matsumoto Takeshi

Classifications

• B64D27/32

  within, or attached to, fuselages · CPC title

• B64D35/022

  of hybrid-electric type · CPC title

• B64D31/18

  for hybrid-electric power plants · CPC title

• B64D27/357

  using batteries · CPC title

• B64D27/33

  Hybrid electric aircraft · CPC title