FUEL CELL POWER PACK FOR MULTICOPTER

Abstract

A fuel cell power pack used as a power source in a multicopter includes a fuel tank and a fuel cell stack for producing electrical energy using hydrogen supplied from the fuel tank and supplying the electrical energy to a battery, and since the fuel cell stack is disposed at a certain point of an arm extended from the aircraft body in the radius direction (a point affected by a descending air current generated by each rotating blade), the electrical energy can be produced using the descending air current generated by the rotating blade without configuring a separate blowing apparatus.

Claims

1. A fuel cell power pack used as a power source in a multicopter having a plurality of arms and rotating blades symmetric about an aircraft body in a horizontal direction, the fuel cell comprising: a fuel tank mounted on the aircraft body to store hydrogen fuel of a gaseous or liquid state; a battery mounted on the aircraft body together with the fuel tank to store electrical energy generated as the hydrogen fuel reacts with air and supply the electrical energy to a driving motor which drives the rotating blade; and a fuel cell stack for producing the electrical energy by reacting the hydrogen fuel supplied from the fuel tank with oxygen in air flowing in from outside and supplying the produced electrical energy to the battery, wherein the fuel cell stack is mounted on an arm within an area affected by a thrust of the rotating blade.

2. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the fuel cell stack has a plurality of unit cells embedded in a housing aerodynamically designed and having an air inlet and an air outlet respectively formed at an upper portion and a lower portion.

3. The fuel cell according to claim 2, wherein the housing of the fuel cell stack is formed in a shape of a cone having a diameter or width gradually narrowed toward the rotating blade.

4. A fuel cell power pack used as a power source in a multicopter having a plurality of arms and rotating blades symmetric about an aircraft body in a horizontal direction, the fuel cell comprising: a fuel tank mounted on the aircraft body to store hydrogen fuel of a gaseous or liquid state; a battery mounted on the aircraft body together with the fuel tank to store electrical energy generated as the hydrogen fuel reacts with air and supply the electrical energy to a driving motor which drives the rotating blade; and a fuel cell stack for producing the electrical energy by reacting the hydrogen fuel supplied from the fuel tank with oxygen in air flowing in from outside and supplying the produced electrical energy to the battery, wherein the fuel cell stack is mounted on an arm outside a tip of the rotating blade to be close to the tip.

5. The fuel cell according to claim 4, wherein the fuel cell stack is a configuration embedded with a plurality of unit cells disposed to be stacked inside an aerodynamically designed housing with an open one side facing the tip and an open opposite side.

6. The fuel cell according to claim 5, wherein a guide vane for guiding a lateral side wing tip vortex of the rotating blade to flow into the fuel cell stack is installed at one side of the housing of the fuel cell stack facing the tip.

7. The fuel cell according to claim 6, wherein the guide vale is configured in a shape of a smoothly curved tube on a curved line toward the tip.

8. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the fuel cell stack is attached to all arms extended in a radius direction of the aircraft body.

9. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the fuel cell stack is attached to only some of the arms symmetrical about the aircraft body.

10. The fuel cell according to claim 4, wherein the fuel cell stack is attached to all arms extended in a radius direction of the aircraft body.

11. The fuel cell according to claim 4, wherein the fuel cell stack is attached to only some of the arms symmetrical about the aircraft body.

12. A fuel cell power pack used as a power source in a multicopter having a plurality of arms and rotating blades symmetric about an aircraft body in a horizontal direction, the fuel cell comprising: a fuel tank mounted on the aircraft body to store hydrogen fuel of a gaseous or liquid state; a battery mounted on the aircraft body together with the fuel tank to store electrical energy generated as the hydrogen fuel reacts with air and supply the electrical energy to a driving motor which drives the rotating blade; and a fuel cell stack for producing the electrical energy by reacting the hydrogen fuel supplied from the fuel tank with oxygen in air flowing in from outside and supplying the produced electrical energy to the battery, wherein a motor housing with an open top and an open bottom is provided at a front end of an arm, the driving motor is mounted in the motor housing, and the fuel cell stack is mounted under the driving motor inside the motor housing.

13. The fuel cell power pack according to claim 12, wherein the driving motor and the fuel cell stack are vertically lined up to align their center lines, and the fuel cell stack is formed to have a width at least larger than a width of the driving motor.

14. The fuel cell power pack according to claim 12, wherein the motor housing is an aerodynamically designed spindle shape having a swollen center portion not to affect a thrust of the multicopter.

15. The fuel cell power pack according to claim 12, wherein one fuel cell stack is mounted inside the motor housing provided at the front end of all arms.

16. The fuel cell power pack according to claim 13, wherein one fuel cell stack is mounted inside the motor housing provided at the front end of all arms.

17. The fuel cell power pack according to claim 14, wherein one fuel cell stack is mounted inside the motor housing provided at the front end of all arms.

18. The fuel cell power pack according to claim 12, wherein one fuel cell stack is installed only inside the motor housing provided at the front end of some of the arms symmetrical about the aircraft body.

19. The fuel cell power pack according to claim 13, wherein one fuel cell stack is installed only inside the motor housing provided at the front end of some of the arms symmetrical about the aircraft body.

20. The fuel cell power pack according to claim 14, wherein one fuel cell stack is installed only inside the motor housing provided at the front end of some of the arms symmetrical about the aircraft body.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a conventional multicopter mounted with a fuel cell.

[0035] FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views showing a fuel cell stack attached to the aircraft body of FIG. 1 from different angles.

[0036] FIG. 3 is a conceptual planar view showing a multicopter to which a fuel cell power pack according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a conceptual side view showing a multicopter to which a fuel cell power pack according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[0038] FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view showing the front end of an arm on which a fuel cell stack of a fuel cell power pack according to a first embodiment of the present invention is mounted.

[0039] FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the front end of an arm of FIG. 5 from the top.

[0040] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the front end of an arm of FIG. 6 taken along the cutting line A-A.

[0041] FIG. 8 is an enlarged side view showing the front end of an arm on which a fuel cell stack of a fuel cell power pack according to a second embodiment of the present invention is mounted.

[0042] FIG. 9 is an enlarged side view showing the front end of an arm on which a fuel cell stack of a fuel cell power pack according to a third embodiment of the present invention is mounted.

[0043] FIGS. 10A and 10B are views showing an embodiment related to disposition of a fuel cell stack of a fuel cell power pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0044] Hereafter, the preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail.

[0045] The terms used in the specification are used to describe only specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular forms are intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “include”, “comprise” or “have” used in this specification specify the presence of stated features, numerals, steps, operations, components, parts, or a combination thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numerals, steps, operations, components, parts, or a combination thereof.

[0046] The terms such as “first”, “second” and the like can be used in describing various elements, but the above elements shall not be restricted to the above terms. The above terms are used only to distinguish one element from the other.

[0047] In addition, the terms such as “unit”, “module” and the like disclosed in the specification indicate a unit for performing at least one function or operation and may be implemented by hardware, software or a combination hardware and software.

[0048] In describing with reference to the accompanying drawings, any identical or corresponding elements will be given same reference numerals, and description of the identical or corresponding elements will not be repeated. In describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the known art related to the present invention may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0049] Hereinafter, as a preferred example of a multicopter, an example of a quadcopter will be described, in which four rotating blades are disposed around an aircraft body so that blades facing each other are symmetrical as shown in FIG. 3. It is noted that the present invention described below is not limited to the multicopter having four rotating blades as shown in FIG. 3.

[0050] FIG. 3 is a conceptual planar view showing a multicopter to which a fuel cell power pack according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 4 is a conceptual side view showing a multicopter to which a fuel cell power pack according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. A schematic configuration of a multicopter mounted with a fuel cell power pack according to the present invention and the concept of the present invention will be described with reference to the figures.

[0051] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a multicopter to which a fuel cell power pack according to the present invention is applied is a fuel cell multicopter using a fuel cell as a power source, in which a fuel cell stack 19 is disposed in the close neighborhood of each rotating blade 18 or some of rotating blades 18 to produce electricity by efficiently using air current generated by the rotational blades 18.

[0052] Specifically, the fuel cell stack 19 producing electrical energy using hydrogen supplied from a fuel tank 11 and supplying the electrical energy to a battery 13 is disposed on an arm 15 extended from the aircraft body in the radius direction, and thus the fuel cell stack 19 operates by the air current (a descending air current or a wing tip vortex) generated by the rotating blades 18 without a separate blowing apparatus.

[0053] The present invention will be described in more detail.

[0054] A multicopter to which a fuel cell power pack according to the present invention is applied includes an aircraft body 10. A wireless signal transceiver, a controller for general flight control including a posture of a fuselage and the like may be mounted on the aircraft body 10. Four rotating blades 18 with a central rotating axis approximately vertical to the ground are disposed around the aircraft body 10 so that blades facing each other are symmetrical about the aircraft body 10.

[0055] Four arms 15 are extended from the aircraft body 10 in the radius direction. A driving motor 17 for receiving the electrical energy from the battery 13 mounted on the aircraft body 10 together with the fuel tank 11 and driving the rotating blade 18 to rotate is mounted at the front end of each arm 15. Adjacent driving motors 17 generate rotating forces of different directions, and driving motors 17 in the diagonal directions generate rotating forces of the same direction.

[0056] Fuel, which is an energy source, is stored in the fuel tank 11. The fuel tank 11 is mounted on the aircraft body 10. The fuel contained in the fuel tank 11 may be hydrogen fuel of a gaseous or liquid state. The hydrogen fuel is supplied to the fuel cell stack 19 disposed at a certain point of the arm 15 through a fuel supply tube 14 installed inside or outside the arm 15 along the arm 15 in a gaseous state.

[0057] The hydrogen stored in the fuel tank 11 may be filled in the form of high-pressure gas or liquid hydrogen. If the liquid hydrogen is used as a fuel, the volume of the fuel can be reduced greatly, and thus restriction in design can be reduced from the aspect of weight balance of the aircraft body 10 and the aspect of mechanical design of the fuel tank 11.

[0058] A pressure regulator 12 may be installed at the fuel outlet of the fuel tank 11. The hydrogen of a liquid or gaseous state injected into the fuel tank 11 may be evaporated due to increase of internal temperature according to heat exchange with the outside (in the case of gaseous hydrogen, it becomes a high-pressure gaseous state as the internal temperature increases), adjusted to a predetermined pressure while passing through the pressure regulator 12, and supplied to the fuel cell stack 19 as a fuel.

[0059] Apparently, other than the method of directly using pure hydrogen of a liquid or gaseous state as a fuel, all types of publicized hydrogen supply methods, such as an Active Type Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) method, a Passive Type Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) method or the like which uses a compound containing hydrogen molecules (natural gas or methanol of high energy density) as a fuel or extracts and supplies hydrogen from a compound through reformation, may be adopted.

[0060] Although it is not shown in the figure, a hydrogen preheater for preheating the hydrogen fuel supplied in a gaseous state may be disposed in the fuel supply tube 14 which forms a hydrogen supply passage. In addition, together with the fuel tank 11, the battery 13 for storing the electrical energy produced by the fuel cell stack 19 and supplying the stored electrical energy to the driving motor 17 which drives the rotating blade 18 is mounted on the aircraft body 10. If the duel tank 11 and the battery 13 are configured as a single structure in the form of a module, this is advantageous from the aspect of securing a space for mounting them on the aircraft body 10 and miniaturizing the fuselage.

[0061] In addition, the fuel cell stack 19 in charge of receiving the hydrogen fuel from the fuel tank 11 and practically generating the electrical energy is attached to the arm 15 in the neighborhood of the rotating blade 18.

[0062] The fuel cell stack 19 produces electrical energy by reacting the hydrogen fuel supplied from the fuel tank 11 with oxygen in the air flowing in from the outside. Then, the fuel cell stack 19 supplies the electrical energy to the battery 13. The battery 13 stores the electrical energy supplied from the fuel cell stack 19 and supplies the electrical energy to each driving motor 17 as much as needed.

[0063] Specifically, the fuel cell stack 19 includes a housing 190 and a plurality of unit cells 192 embedded in the housing 19 in the form a stack. Each of the unit cells 192 is configured of a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), a diffusion plate, a separator plate and the like, and electrical energy and water are produces by oxidation of hydrogen at the anode where oxygen is supplied and reduction of oxygen at the cathode where the air is supplied.

[0064] The fuel cell stack 19 may be disposed at a certain point of the arm 15. Here, the certain point includes all points existing in an area affected by air current generated by the rotating blade 18. At this point, the air current generated by the rotating blade 18 may be a descending air current generating a lift and a thrust or a wing tip vortex generated at the tip of the rotating blade 18.

[0065] That is, since the fuel cell stack 19 which produces electricity is disposed in the close neighborhood of each rotating blade 18 or some of rotating blades 18, the fuel cell power pack of the present invention produces electricity and cools down the heat generated by chemical reaction by flowing in the outside air using only the air current generated by the rotating blade 18 while excluding use of a fan or a blower which consumes the electrical energy.

[0066] Hereinafter, each of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail.

[0067] FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view showing the front end of an arm on which a fuel cell stack of a fuel cell power pack according to a first embodiment of the present invention is mounted, FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the front end of an arm of FIG. 5 from the top, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the front end of an arm of FIG. 6 taken along the cutting line A-A.

[0068] Referring to FIGS. 5 to 7, one or more fuel cell stacks 19 applied to a first embodiment are installed on the arm in an area S1 affected by the thrust of the rotating blade 18. Here, the area affected by the thrust does not mean only the inside of a geometric circular trajectory drawn by the wing tip of the rotating blade 18 as shown in FIG. 6 for example, but means an area including all the areas aerodynamically affected by the thrust, beyond the boundary of the trajectory.

[0069] The fuel cell stack 19 according to a first embodiment may be a configuration of disposing several unit cells 192 to be stacked inside the housing 190. At this point, as shown in FIG. 7 for example, the housing 190 may be formed in an aerodynamic shape having an air inlet 190a and an air outlet 190b respectively formed at an upper portion and a lower portion, preferable in the shape of a cone having a diameter or width narrowed toward the rotating blade 18.

[0070] If the housing 190 is formed in the shape of a cone as shown in FIG. 7, loss of thrust of the rotating blade 18 by the fuel cell stack 19 can be minimized, and thus the effect of the fuel cell stack 19 on the performance of the multicopter can be reduced greatly.

[0071] Apparently, although it is not specifically illustrated through the drawings, it may be configured to expose only part of the top of the housing, through which the air flows in, toward the top surface of the arm 15 and bury the other part inside the arm 15. In this case, since the area of the fuel cell stack 19 directly contacting with the air current is reduced, loss of thrust by the fuel cell stack 19 can be reduced furthermore.

[0072] In addition, a modification of disposing the fuel cell stack 19 on the bottom of the arm 15 within an area affected by the thrust generated by the rotating blade 18 may be considered (not shown). This is an embodiment of driving the fuel cell stack 19 using a swirl flow generated on the bottom of the arm 15 by a laminar flow type air current moving along both side surfaces of the arm 15, out of the descending air current generating the thrust.

[0073] Alternatively, it may be configured to tilt the fuel cell stack 19 along the circumferential direction of the arm 15 within a predetermined range using a tilting member (not shown) of an approximate ring shape combined with the outer surface of the arm 15. That is, it may be configured to change the posture of disposition of the fuel cell stack 19 at an angle capable of implementing optimal flow of the air in accordance to the direction of flow of the descending air current.

[0074] FIG. 8 is an enlarged side view showing the front end of an arm on which a fuel cell stack of a fuel cell power pack according to a second embodiment of the present invention is mounted.

[0075] Referring to FIG. 8, one or more fuel cell stacks 19 may be installed on the arm 15 to be close to the outer portion of the tip 180 of the rotating blade 18. Here, it is most preferable to understand the expression of ‘on the arm 15’ as the top surface of the arm 15 facing the rotating blade 18. However, it is not limited to the top surface, but may even include both side surfaces of the arm 15.

[0076] The fuel cell stack 19 of the second embodiment is driven by a wing tip vortex, which is a wing tip swirl generated on the side surface of the blade when the rotating blade 18 rotates. That is, since the fuel cell stack 19 is driven by a lateral side mobile air current generated by the wing tip swirl generated by the rotating blade 18, electrical energy is produced, and cooling down of the fuel cell stack is implemented.

[0077] The fuel cell stack 19 applied to the second embodiment may be configured by stacking a plurality of unit cells 192 configured of a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), a diffusion plate and a current collecting plate in the vertical direction (up and down) inside the housing 190 of an aerodynamic shape, which is open to allow flow of the air along one side facing the tip 180 and the opposite side.

[0078] Furthermore, a guide vale 20 may be installed at the air inlet side of the fuel cell stack 19. The guide vale 20 is a means for guiding smooth inflow of a blade lateral side mobile air current (the wing tip vortex) into the fuel cell stack 19, which can be formed in the shape of a smoothly curved tube on a curved line toward the tip 180 as shown in the figure for example.

[0079] Apparently, the guide vale is not limited to the curved tube shape shown in the figure for example. If the guide vale is in a shape or a structure allowing smooth inflow of the lateral side mobile air current, it may be applied regardless of a specific shape or structure. In addition, also the direction or position of the inlet is not limited to a specific direction or position. For example, the inlet may be formed to slantingly face the circular direction along which the rotating blade 18 rotates.

[0080] FIG. 9 is an enlarged side view showing the front end of an arm on which a fuel cell stack of a fuel cell power pack according to a third embodiment of the present invention is mounted.

[0081] The third embodiment of FIG. 3 is characterized in that the fuel cell stack 19 is disposed under the driving motor 17 positioned at the front end of the arm 15. Specifically, the fuel cell stack 19 is disposed under the driving motor 17 inside the motor housing 16 positioned at the front end of the arm 15, and the fuel cell stack 19 operates by the descending air current passing through the motor housing 16, out of the entire descending air current generated by the rotating blade 18.

[0082] The motor housing 16 applied to the third embodiment may be a cylindrical structure with an open top and an open bottom. Preferably, the motor housing 16 may be a hollow tube shape having an open top and an open bottom, which is aerodynamically designed not to affect the thrust of the multicopter and shaped in a spindle having a swollen center portion while being narrowed toward the both ends of the top and the bottom.

[0083] The driving motor 17 may be stably fixed at a predetermined position inside the motor housing 16 using a supporting frame formed with a through hole or a strut (not shown) of a bar shape. In addition, the fuel cell stack 19 may be stably attached right under the driving motor 17 passing through a circular structure 30 tightly coupled to the inner periphery of the motor housing 16.

[0084] A guide vane 160 for guiding the air to be smoothly supplied to the fuel cell stack 19 may be installed on the inner periphery of the motor housing 16, and from the aspect of weight balance, it is advantageous to dispose the driving motor 17 and the fuel cell stack 19 to align the center lines thereof with each other. In addition, the width of the fuel cell stack 19 is designed to be larger than that of the driving motor 17 so that air may be supplied to the fuel cell stack 19 as much as possible.

[0085] Meanwhile, FIGS. 10A and 10B are views showing an embodiment related to disposition of a fuel cell stack of a fuel cell power pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0086] The fuel cell stack 19 applied to the first to third embodiments of the fuel cell power pack according to the present invention may be installed at a certain point of the arm 15 as shown in FIG. 3 or may be installed in some of the arms 15 symmetric about the aircraft body 10 as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, i.e., only in some of the arms 15 diagonally facing each other and forming a pair.

[0087] For example, if there are four arms 15 as shown in the example of FIGS. 10A and 10B, the fuel cell stack 19 may be installed only in a pair of arms 15 facing each other. Apparently, if an even number of arms 15 more than four are formed, the fuel cell stack 19 may be installed, among all the arms 15, in a pair of arms 15 forming a pair in a diagonal direction, in all the arms 15 other than the pair of arms 15 forming a pair in a diagonal direction, or in all the arms 15 other than some pairs.

[0088] In other words, if the fuel cell stack 19 is installed only in some of the arms 15, a plurality of fuel cell stacks 19 only needs to be symmetric with each other about the aircraft body 10 considering overall weight balance. Apparently, it should be understood that the symmetricity herein means that the distance of the fuel cell stacks 19 from the aircraft body 10 is the same and, in addition, the size and the weight of the fuel cell stacks 19 should be the same.

[0089] According to the fuel cell power pack for a multicopter according to an embodiment of the present invention, although the rotating blades are driven by electricity of the battery in the initial stage of start-up, once the rotating blades are driven, the fuel cell stack operates and produces power by the air current (a descending air current or a wing tip vortex) generated by the rotating blades, and the produced power is charged in the battery, and thus electricity may be supplied for a further extended period of time.

[0090] Particularly, since the fuel cell stack which produces electrical energy is disposed in the neighborhood of the rotating blade performing a rotation motion, the fuel cell power pack for a multicopter according to an embodiment of the present invention does not need any more a blowing apparatus, such as a fan or a blower for flowing outside air into the fuel cell stack or cooling down the apparatus.

[0091] That is, the present invention is advantageous in lightweightness of a multicopter as the use of a blowing apparatus is excluded and has an effect of increasing energy efficiency and endurance time since a parasitic loss consumed by the blowing apparatus can be removed, and in addition, since costs of parts can be saved from the aspect of cost, a multicopter having price competitiveness can be implemented.

[0092] According to the fuel cell power pack for a multicopter according to an embodiment of the present invention, the rotating blades are driven by electricity of the battery in the initial stage of starting up, and the fuel cell stack operates and produces power by the air current (a descending air current or a wing tip vortex) generated as the rotating blades are driven, and then the produced power is charged in the battery, and thus electricity can be supplied for a further extended period of time.

[0093] Particularly, since the fuel cell stack which produces electrical energy is disposed in the neighborhood of the rotating blade performing a rotation motion, the fuel cell power pack for a multicopter according to an embodiment of the present invention does not need any more a blowing apparatus, such as a fan or a blower for flowing outside air into the fuel cell stack or cooling down the apparatus.

[0094] That is, the present invention is advantageous in lightweightness of a multicopter as the use of a blowing apparatus is excluded and has an effect of increasing energy efficiency and endurance time since a parasitic loss consumed by the blowing apparatus can be removed, and in addition, since costs of parts can be saved from the aspect of cost, a multicopter having price competitiveness can be implemented.

[0095] In the above detailed description of the present invention, only particular embodiments according thereto have been described. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular forms mentioned in the detailed description and rather includes all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.