Embodiments of a propulsion system are provided herein. In some embodiments, a propulsion system for an aircraft may include an electrical power supply; a motor coupled to the electrical power supply, wherein the electrical power supply provides power to the motor; and a fan disposed proximate a rear portion of an aircraft and rotatably coupled to the motor, wherein the fan is driven by the motor.

A power system including a power converter system and an electric machine is provided. In one aspect, the power converter system has first and second switching elements. The electric machine includes a first multiphase winding electrically coupled with the first switching elements and a second multiphase winding electrically coupled with the second switching elements. The first and second multiphase windings are arranged and configured to operate electrically opposite in phase with respect to one another. One or more processors control the first switching elements to generate first pulse width modulated (PWM) signals based on received voltage commands to render a first common mode signal and also control the second switching elements to generate second PWM signals based on received voltage commands to render a second common mode signal. The rendered first and second common mode signals have the same or similar waveform with opposite polarity with respect to one another.

A hybrid propulsion update system includes a controller in signal communication with a replaceable battery. The controller includes a tuning parameters storage unit configured to store at least one tuning parameter corresponding to the replaceable battery. The controller is configured to execute at least one optimization algorithm that utilizes the tuning parameters to control operation of the hybrid electric aircraft according to a first performance. The tuning parameters storage unit is configured to receive at least one updated tuning parameter from a controller updating device. The controller executes the at least one optimization algorithm that utilizes the at least one updated tuning parameter such that the hybrid electric aircraft operates according to a second performance that improves upon the first performance.

In accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for controlling power in an aircraft. The method includes, monitoring an electric energy storage module electrically connected to an electrical bus for an exceedance of a first current limit and monitoring a generator module connected to the electrical bus for an exceedance of a second current limit. If the current limit of either of the electric energy storage module or the generator module is exceeded by a predetermined exceedance amount, the method includes reducing a power consumption for an electric machine by a predetermined bias until the exceedance of the electrical energy storage and the exceedance of the generator module are both less than or equal to zero.

A propulsion system, such as for an aircraft, for instance an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), includes a rocket motor and an electric motor, with the rocket motor passing through a central opening in the electric motor. The electric motor may be a brushless outrunner electric motor, with a rotor of the electric motor radially outward of a stator of the electric motor. The electric motor may use part of the rocket motor, such as a rocket nozzle (to give a non-limiting example), and may be used to turn blades of a propeller, to propel the aircraft. The propeller blades may be foldable blades, hingedly coupled to a yoke. The blades may deploy after launch of the aircraft, such as from a launcher, for instance a launch tube.

An exemplary tiltrotor aircraft having a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) flight mode and a forward flight mode includes tiltable rotors located at forward boom ends, tiltable ducted fans located at wings aft of the forward boom ends, and aft rotors located on aft boom portions.

A power generation control system 70 according to the present embodiment includes power generation devices 40a and 40b configured to generate electrical power by using engines 44a and 44b based on a target power generation amount, and to supply the generated electrical power to a load (i.e., rotors 20 and 29), flight controllers 92a and 92b configured to decide a target power feed amount, which represents an electrical power amount to be supplied to the load, based on a state of the load, and control sections 91a and 91b configured to control the power generation devices by evaluating reliability of the target power generation amount, selecting a calculation method of the target power generation amount based on a result of the evaluation, and calculating the target power generation amount by using a target power feed amount decided by the flight controllers according to the calculation method.

A method of and system for damping vibrations in a hybrid-electric propulsion system configured to drive a propulsor is provided. The hybrid-electric propulsion system includes a thermal engine, an electric motor, and an inverter. The method includes: a) controlling the thermal engine and the electric motor to operate at a target propulsion parameter, wherein the inverter is used in the controlling of the electric motor; b) determining a presence of a vibrational response within the hybrid-electric propulsion system; c) producing a vibration compensation signal configured to damp the vibrational response within the hybrid-electric propulsion system; and d) controlling the electric motor to damp the vibrational response using the vibrational compensation signal.

A power unit includes an engine including a driving shaft, a power generator provided on the driving shaft and configured to supply electric energy to a flight vehicle, and a thrust generator provided on an outer side of the power generator and configured to provide a propulsion force to the flight vehicle. When a temperature of the power generator is greater than or equal to a first temperature, the power generator and the thrust generator are decoupled from each other, and the power generator is driven by an output of the engine and supplies the electric energy to the flight vehicle. When the temperature of the power generator is less than the first temperature, the power generator and the thrust generator are coupled to each other, and the thrust generator is driven by the output of the engine and provides the propulsion force to the flight vehicle.

To control charging of a battery without applying an overload by power feed of a generator based on a state of charge of the battery. A charge control system includes an engine and a motor generator for supplying generated power to two motors of a VTOL rotor and a cruising rotor, a plurality of batteries including two batteries for storing the electrical power generated by the generator and supply the stored electrical power to each of the two motors, a switch for connecting or disconnecting each of the batteries to or from the generator, and a control section for controlling the switch based on a state of charge of each of the batteries to disconnect one battery with a larger charge amount out of the two batteries from the generator and connect the other battery with the smaller charge amount out of the two batteries to the generator.