Aircraft with electric propulsion means

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9950801-B2
Application number	US-201414304864-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2014
Priority date	Jun 14, 2013
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

An aircraft with an electric propulsion arrangement which includes a fuselage, a wing system attached to the fuselage, and a tail unit attached to a rear part of the fuselage. The electric propulsion arrangement is arranged on each side of the fuselage, an electrical energy generator and electricity storage and supply devices are arranged substantially along a longitudinal axis of symmetry of the fuselage. The aircraft thus incorporates a hybrid motorization.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft comprising:
a fuselage,
a wing system attached to the fuselage,
a tail unit attached to a rear part of the fuselage,
electric propulsion means arranged on each side of the fuselage,
a single electrical energy generator, wherein the single electrical energy generator is dedicated to the production of electricity and produces no useful thrust for the aircraft, and
electricity storage and supply means, wherein the electricity storage and supply means is configured and arranged for storing the electrical energy originating from the single electrical energy generator and for supplying all of the electric current to the electric propulsion means, wherein the single electrical energy generator is the only electrical energy generator for supplying electric current to the electricity storage and supply means,
wherein the single electrical energy generator and the electricity storage and supply means are arranged substantially along a longitudinal axis of symmetry of the fuselage, and
wherein the single electrical energy generator is positioned in the rear part of the fuselage, and
further wherein the electricity storage and supply means are arranged in front of the electric propulsion means.

2. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the electric propulsion means comprise at least two electric motors with fans arranged on the wing system on each side of the fuselage, respectively.

3. The aircraft according to claim 1 ,
wherein a front edge of a wing root of the wing system is arranged at the rear of the fuselage, at a distance from a front end of the fuselage substantially comprised between 60 and 70% of the length of the fuselage.

4. The aircraft according to claim 3 , wherein the wing system comprises two wings each extending symmetrically from one side of the fuselage, and further wherein the wings are swept backwardly.

5. The aircraft according to claim 1 ,
wherein the tail unit comprises a profile extended on each side by upwardly extending stabilizing surfaces, and wherein the single electrical energy generator is incorporated in the rear part of the fuselage.

6. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the fuselage comprises on its upper surface an air guide for the single electrical energy generator.

7. The aircraft according to claim 1 ,
further comprising a fairing extending from an upper surface of the fuselage above said electric propulsion means, wherein the fairing extends to a rear end of the fuselage, and further wherein the electric propulsion means is housed between the fairing, the fuselage and the wing system.

8. The aircraft according to claim 7 , wherein the fairing comprises a central portion extending from an upper surface of the fuselage, above the electric propulsion means arranged on the wing system, said central portion of fairing comprising on each side of the fuselage respectively a lateral edge that is substantially vertical and firmly fixed to the wing system.

9. The aircraft according to claim 7 , wherein the fairing comprises a rear portion extending in a direction of a rear end of the fuselage, a width of said rear portion of the fairing decreasing from a central portion of the fairing to the rear end of the fuselage.

10. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the single electrical energy generator cooperates with an exhaust gas duct, an internal surface of said exhaust gas duct having an active exhaust gas treatment surface.

11. The aircraft according to claim 10 , wherein the exhaust gas duct has a shape widening from a gas outlet of the single electrical energy generator towards the rear end of the fuselage, whereby a distance between interior side edges of the exhaust gas duct increases toward the rear end of the fuselage.

12. The aircraft according to claim 1 , further comprising on each side of the fuselage, a joining surface projecting from the fuselage extending between a rear edge of a wing root of the wing system and the tail unit.

13. The aircraft according to claim 12 , wherein said joining surface extends substantially in a same plane as the wing system.

14. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the electricity storage and supply means are arranged close to a center of gravity of the aircraft equipped with the electric propulsion means and the single electrical energy generator.

15. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the electricity storage and supply means fit an internal shape of the fuselage.

16. The aircraft according to claim 1 , further comprising several electric motors with fans arranged symmetrically on the wing system on each side of the fuselage.

17. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the fuselage comprises a front part having a width measured along a pitch axis, and a height measured along a yaw axis, and further wherein both the width and the height, in the front part, increase in the longitudinal direction of the aircraft starting from a front end of the fuselage.

18. The aircraft according to claim 17 , wherein the fuselage comprises a central part arranged to receive a payload and a rear part in which the single electrical energy generator is arranged, a width of said fuselage decreasing in the central part and the rear part to the rear end of the fuselage.

19. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the single electrical energy generator is arranged substantially along an axis that is oblique with respect to an axis X that extends along the longitudinal direction of the fuselage.

20. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the single electrical energy generator is positioned in the tail unit.

21. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the rear part of the fuselage decreases in width toward the rear end of the fuselage.

22. The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the single electrical energy generator comprises a gas turbine.

Assignees

• Airbus
• Airbus Sas

Inventors

• VIALA STéPHANE
• Zaneboni Jason
• Saint-Jalmes Bruno

Classifications

• B64D2027/026

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64C1/26 Primary

  Attaching the wing or tail units or stabilising surfaces · CPC title

• B64D27/24 Primary

  using steam or spring force (jet aircraft B64D27/16) · CPC title

• B64D27/02

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

• B64D29/04

  associated with fuselages · CPC title