Method of managing a power demand for the operation of a pilotless aircraft equipped with an internal combustion engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016167799-A1
Application number	US-201514966180-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 11, 2015
Priority date	Dec 16, 2014
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of managing a power demand to assure the operation of a pilotless aircraft. The aircraft includes an internal combustion engine supplying a maximum principal power which can vary. The management method is particularly suitable for a rotary wing pilotless aircraft. It guarantees the storage of an amount of electrical energy at least equal to a recovery energy of the aircraft in the event of failure of the internal combustion engine. This recovery energy enables the control of autorotation and landing of the aircraft.

First claim

1 - 15 . (canceled)

16 . Method of managing a power demand to assure operation of a pilotless aircraft, the aircraft comprising an internal combustion engine supplying a maximum principal power P M , which can vary, the method comprises the steps of, in the absence of an internal combustion engine failure:
a) collecting at least some of exhaust gases during an operation of the internal combustion engine; b) feeding a turbine with an energy of the exhaust gases collected; c) producing an electrical current using an electrical generator connected to the turbine to generate an electrical energy; d) comparing the maximum principal power P M supplied by the internal combustion engine with a demanded power P D at a time of the power demand; e) in response to a determination that the maximum principal power P M is at least equal to the demanded power P D for an operation of the pilotless aircraft, performing at least one of storing at least some of the electrical energy generated in at least one energy storage unit and utilizing said at least some of the electrical energy generated to assist the internal combustion engine by supplying an auxiliary power P A complementing a main power P t developed by the internal combustion engine, with P t less than P M , so that P A +P t =P D ; f) in response to a determination that the maximum principal power P M is less than the demanded power P D for the operation of the pilotless aircraft, utilizing said at least some of the electrical energy generated to assist the internal combustion engine to provide the demanded power P D or utilizing at least some of the electrical energy stored in said at least one energy storage unit to assist the internal combustion engine to supply the demanded power P D ; and g) in response to a determination that the demanded power P D is greater than the sum of the maximum principal power P M developed by the internal combustion engine and the auxiliary power that can be supplied by said at least one energy storage unit, modifying the operation of the pilotless aircraft to supply the demanded power P D in accordance with one of the steps e) or f).

17 . Method according to claim 16 , wherein the step of utilizing said at least some of the electrical energy stored in said at least one energy storage unit to assist the internal combustion engine in step e), further comprises the step of feeding at least one of a compressor of the internal combustion engine and an electric motor developing an auxiliary power P A .

18 . Method according to claim 16 , wherein the pilotless aircraft is a rotary wing aircraft; and further comprising the step of regulating the stored electrical energy to be at least equal to a recovery energy of the pilotless aircraft in the event of the internal combustion engine failure.

19 . Method according to claim 18 , wherein the pilotless aircraft comprises N electrical energy storage units, with N>1; and further comprising the step of adjusting a capacity of a first storage unit to be less than or equal to a threshold value Vs/N where Vs corresponds to the recovery energy of the pilotless aircraft in the event of the internal combustion engine failure, in response to a determination, in step f), that a sum of remaining capacities in other N−1 storage units is greater than or equal to Vs.

20 . Method according to claim 16 , before the steps e) and f), further comprising the step determining a state of charge for each energy storage unit.

21 . Method according to claim 20 , wherein the pilotless aircraft is a rotary wing aircraft comprising N electrical energy storage units, with N>1; and further comprising the step of adjusting a capacity of a first storage unit to be less than or equal to a threshold value Vs/N where Vs corresponds to a recovery energy of the pilotless aircraft in the event of the internal combustion engine failure, in response to a determination, in step f), that a sum of remaining capacities in other N−1 storage units is greater than or equal to Vs.

22 . Method according to claim 16 , wherein the pilotless aircraft is a rotary wing aircraft comprising at least two rotors; and further comprising the step of disengaging a mechanical coupling of each rotor to assure a free rotation of said at least two rotors and an autorotation of the pilotless aircraft in an event of the internal combustion engine failure.

23 . Method according to claim 22 , further comprising the step of supplying a demanded power to the pilotless aircraft to control a descent in the autorotation and landing of the pilotless aircraft in the event of the internal combustion engine failure utilizing said at least some of the electrical energy stored in said at least one storage unit.

24 . Method according to claim 22 , further comprising the step of automatically disengaging the mechanical coupling of said each rotor in the event of a stoppage of the internal combustion engine.

25 . Method according to claim 24 , further comprising the step of supplying a demanded power to the pilotless aircraft to control a descent in the autorotation and landing of the pilotless aircraft in the event of the internal combustion engine failure utilizing said at least some of the electrical energy stored in said at least one storage unit.

26 . Method according to claim 16 , wherein the pilotless aircraft is on the ground; and
further comprising the step of supplying a demanded power to the pilotless aircraft to stop the internal combustion engine utilizing said at least some of the electrical energy stored in said at least one storage unit.

27 . Method according to claim 16 , wherein the step of modifying the operation of the pilotless aircraft comprises at least one of the following actions: reducing an altitude of the pilotless aircraft and modifying a speed of the pilotless aircraft.

28 . Rotary wing pilotless aircraft, comprising:
a supercharged internal combustion engine to drive a rotary wing system, the internal combustion engine comprises a first compressor, the internal combustion engine is configured to drive the rotary wing system and to supply a maximum principal power, which can vary, to assure at least the driving of the rotary wing system; and a recovery system to recover a thermal energy and convert the recovered thermal energy into an electrical energy, the recovery system comprises a collector to collect at least some of exhaust gases during an operation of the internal combustion engine, a turbine fed with the exhaust gases collected to convert an energy of the exhaust gases collected into a mechanical energy; and an electrical generator fed by the turbine to produce an electrical energy; at least one energy storage unit configured to store at least some of the electrical energy produced by the recovery system; a propulsion control unit configured to determine a maximum principal power P M supplied by the internal combustion engine at the time of a power demand P D and to manage generation of the electrical energy to meet the power demand as a function of the power demand to at least drive the rotary wing and the maximum power supplied by the internal combustion engine; wherein in response to a determination that the maximum principal power P M is at least equal to the power demand P D for an operation of the rotary wing pilotless aircraft, the propulsion control unit is configured to control at least one of the following: said at least one energy storage unit to store at least some of the electrical energy generated by the electrical generator, and the recovery system to utilize said at least some of the electrical energy generated by the electrical g

Assignees

• Airbus Group Sas

Inventors

• Smaoui Hichem
• Rechain Bruno
• Retho Fabien

Classifications

• B64U50/12

  using turbine engines, e.g. turbojets or turbofans · CPC title

• B60K6/442

  Series-parallel switching type · CPC title

• B60K6/24

  characterised by the combustion engines · CPC title

• F05D2220/62

  with energy recovery turbines · CPC title

• F05D2220/90

  in vehicles adapted for vertical or short take off and landing (v/stol vehicles) · CPC title