Torque compensation for a helicopter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9452832-B2
Application number	US-201113812105-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2011
Priority date	Jul 26, 2010
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

The invention relates to compensation for the torque which is produced by the main rotor (110) of a helicopter (100). The apparatus according to the invention for torque compensation is intended for a helicopter whose main rotor rotates about a rotation axis (RH) during operation and thus produces a torque, which acts on the fuselage (120) of the helicopter and would cause it to rotate. The apparatus comprises a lateral flow fan (200) having a housing (210) and having a rotor (220) which is mounted in the housing, wherein the lateral flow fan is arranged on the tail boom (130) of the helicopter such that it produces a thrust effect (F) during operation which compensates for the torque of the main rotor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for torque compensation for a helicopter having a fuselage and a tail boom, comprising:
a main rotor which is arranged on the fuselage of the helicopter and which, in operation, rotates about an axis of rotation of the rotor and thereby produces a torque; and
a cross-flow fan having a housing and a rotor mounted in the housing and an axis of rotation which is transverse to the axis of rotation of the main rotor, said cross-flow fan being arranged on an end of the tail boom which faces away from the fuselage of the helicopter such as to have in operation an airflow forced away at an angle to an axis of rotation of the cross-flow fan and thereby to produce a thrusting effect which compensates for a torque of the main rotor,
wherein the housing of the cross-flow fan has two elongated openings which extend in a direction of rotation of the axis of rotation of the cross-flow fan and are provided at opposite sides of the axis of rotation of the cross-flow fan as considered in a direction transverse to the axis of rotation of the cross-flow fan, such that air is sucked in through one of the elongated openings, passes through an interior of the housing of the cross-flow fan, and is forced out through the other elongated opening, and thereby the produced airflow is transverse to the axis of rotation of the main rotor and transverse to the axis of rotation of the cross-flow fan.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cross-flow fan is arranged on the boom such as to produce in operation a thrust in a direction which has at least a component perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the main rotor.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cross-flow fan is arranged on the boom such as to produce in operation a thrust in a direction which is oriented perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of the main rotor.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cross-flow fan is arranged on the boom such as to produce in operation a thrust in a direction which has at least a component perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the boom.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cross-flow fan is arranged on the boom such as to produce in operation a thrust in a direction which is oriented perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the boom.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cross-flow fan is integrated into the boom.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cross-flow fan has a housing which is formed by a section of the boom.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the housing of the cross-flow fan is formed by walls of the boom, with the walls delimiting a hollow space.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cross-flow fan is provided with a drive which is separate from the drive of the main rotor, and wherein the housing of the cross-flow fan, the rotor of the cross-flow fan, and the drive of the cross-flow fan together form a unit which is attachable as a whole to the end of the tail boom of the helicopter.

10. A helicopter, comprising:
a fuselage and a tail boom; and
a device for torque compensation for a helicopter, said device including a main rotor which is arranged on the fuselage of the helicopter and which, in operation, rotates about an axis of rotation of the rotor and thereby produces a torque, and a cross-flow fan having a housing and a rotor mounted in the housing and having an axis of rotation which is transverse to the axis of rotation of the main rotor, said cross-flow fan being arranged on an end of the tail boom which faces away from the fuselage such as to have in operation an airflow oriented at an angle to an axis of rotation of the cross-flow fan and thereby to produce a thrusting effect which compensates for a torque of the main rotor,
wherein the housing of the cross-flow fan has two elongated openings which extend in a direction of the axis of rotation of the cross-flow fan and are provided at opposite sides of the axis of rotation of the cross-flow fan as considered in a direction transverse to the axis of rotation of the cross-flow fan, such that air is sucked in through one of the elongated openings, passes through the interior of the housing of the cross-flow fan and is forced out through the other elongated opening and thereby the produced air flow is transverse to the axis of rotation of the main rotor and transverse to the axis of rotation of the cross-flow fan.

11. The helicopter of claim 10 , wherein the cross-flow fan is arranged on the boom such as to produce in operation a thrust in a direction which has at least a component perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the main rotor.

12. The helicopter of claim 10 , wherein the cross-flow fan is arranged on the boom such as to produce in operation a thrust in a direction which is oriented perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of the main rotor.

13. The helicopter of claim 10 , wherein the cross-flow fan is arranged on the boom such as to produce in operation a thrust in a direction which has at least a component perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the boom.

14. The helicopter of claim 10 , wherein the cross-flow fan is arranged on the boom such as to produce in operation a thrust in a direction which is oriented perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the boom.

15. The helicopter of claim 10 , wherein the cross-flow fan is integrated into the boom.

16. The helicopter of claim 10 , wherein the cross-flow fan has a housing which is formed by a section of the boom.

17. The helicopter of claim 16 , wherein the housing of the cross-flow fan is formed by walls of the boom, with the walls delimiting a hollow space.

18. The helicopter of claim 10 , wherein the cross-flow fan is provided with a drive which is separate from the drive of the main rotor, and wherein the housing of the cross-flow fan, the rotor of the cross-flow fan, and the drive of the cross-flow fan together form a unit which is attachable as a whole to the end of the tail boom of the helicopter.

19. A method for torque compensation on a helicopter, said method comprising:
arranging on a fuselage a main rotor rotatable about an axis of rotation,
attaching a cross-flow fan having a housing, a rotor rotatable in the housing, and an axis of rotation transverse to the axis of rotation of the main rotor, to an end of a tail boom of the helicopter which faces away from a fuselage; and
operating the cross-flow fan so that air is sucked in through one elongated opening of the housing, passes through an interior of the housing and is forced out through another transversely opposite elongated opening of the housing to produce an airflow transversely to the axis of rotation of the main rotor and to an axis of rotation of the cross-flow fan and thereby to produce a thrusting effect which compensates a torque caused by the rotating main rotor of the helicopter.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the cross-flow fan produces in operation a thrust in a direction which has at least a component perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the main rotor.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the cross-flow fan produces in operation a thrust in a direction which is oriented perpendicularly to an axis of rotation of the main rotor.

22. The method of claim 19 , wherein the cross-flow fan produces in operation a thrust in a direction which has at least a component perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the boom.

23. The method of claim 19 , wherein the cross-flow fan produces in operation a thrust in a direction which is oriented perpen

Assignees

• Heid Oliver
• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Heid Oliver

Classifications

• B64C2027/8245

  using air jets · CPC title

• B64C27/82 Primary

  characterised by the provision of an auxiliary rotor or fluid-jet device for counter-balancing lifting rotor torque or changing direction of rotorcraft · CPC title

• B64C2027/8254

  Shrouded tail rotors, e.g. "Fenestron" fans · CPC title

• B64C2027/8218

  wherein the rotor or the jet axis is inclined with respect to the longitudinal horizontal or vertical plane of the helicopter · CPC title