Dual dissimilar engines for an aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9676488-B2
Application number	US-201514734505-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 9, 2015
Priority date	Jun 10, 2014
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

A system and method for controlling a tail-sitter aircraft, includes determining a mode of operation for the aircraft; operating each of a large turbine engine and a small turbine engine to provide total aircraft power during hover or high-power mode of operation; and selectively providing aircraft power from the small turbine engine to a plurality of rotors during a long-range endurance cruise mode of operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for controlling a tail-sitter aircraft, comprising
a fuselage having a plurality of rotors;
a first turbine engine associated with a first rotor of the plurality of rotors;
a second turbine engine associated with a second rotor of the plurality of rotors, wherein said first turbine engine is larger than said second turbine engine;
a processor; and
memory having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to:
determine a mode of operation for the aircraft;
operate each of the first turbine engine and the second turbine engine to provide total aircraft power during hover or high-power mode of operation; and
selectively provide power from the second turbine engine to the plurality of rotors during a long-endurance cruise mode of operation.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a cross-shaft that mechanically connects a first gearbox of the first rotor to a second gearbox of the second rotor.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first turbine engine is configured to deliver aircraft power to the second gearbox during the hover or the high-power mode of operation.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the second turbine engine is configured to deliver aircraft power to the first gearbox during the long-endurance cruise mode of operation.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to shut down the first turbine engine during the long-endurance cruise mode of operation.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of rotor blades coupled to the plurality of rotors.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to provide reduced aircraft power to each of the plurality of rotors in the long-endurance cruise mode of operation.

8. A method for controlling a tail-sitter aircraft, comprising
determining, with a processor, a mode of operation for the aircraft;
operating, with the processor, each of a first turbine engine and a second turbine engine to provide total aircraft power during hover or high-power mode of operation, wherein said first turbine engine is larger than said second turbine engine; and
selectively providing, with the processor, aircraft power from the second turbine engine to a plurality of rotors during a long-endurance cruise mode of operation.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising mechanically connecting a cross-shaft to each of a first gearbox of a first rotor and a second gearbox of a second rotor, the first and second rotors being associated with the plurality of rotors.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising delivering aircraft power from the first turbine engine to the second gearbox during the hover or the high-power mode of operation.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising delivering aircraft power from the second turbine engine to the first gearbox during the long-endurance cruise mode of operation.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the processor is configured to shut down the first turbine engine during the long-endurance cruise mode of operation.

13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising coupling a plurality of rotor blades to the plurality of rotors.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the processor is configured to provide reduced aircraft power to each of the plurality of rotors in the long-endurance cruise mode of operation.

Assignees

• Sikorsky Aircraft Corp

Inventors

• Alber Mark R

Classifications

• B64D27/02 Primary

  Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants · CPC title

• B64C29/02 Primary

  having its flight directional axis vertical when grounded · CPC title

• B64D31/12

  for equalising or synchronising power plants · CPC title

• B64D35/04

  characterised by the transmission driving a plurality of propellers or rotors · CPC title

• B64U40/00

  On-board mechanical arrangements for adjusting control surfaces or rotors; On-board mechanical arrangements for in-flight adjustment of the base configuration (control of position, course, altitude or attitude of air or space vehicles, e.g. automatic pilot, G05D1/00) · CPC title