Airship equipped with an electric distributed propulsion system

Abstract

An airship comprises a plurality of electric power generators; a plurality of electrical buses; and a plurality of propulsion points each equipped with a propellant bundle formed from a plurality of thrusters of the electric-motor-driven propeller type. For each of the propulsion points, a thruster is electrically connected to one of the generators by way of one of the electrical buses, and another thruster of the propulsion point is electrically connected to another of the generators by way of another of the electrical buses.

Claims

1. A hover-capable airship, comprising an electric propulsion system comprising: a plurality of electric power generators; a plurality of electrical buses; and a plurality of electric propulsion points, the plurality of electric propulsion points comprising at least one propellant bundle formed of a plurality of electric-driven propeller-based thrusters dedicated to exert a longitudinal thrust, and at least one propellant bundle formed of a plurality of dedicated electric-driven propeller-based thrusters to exert a vertical thrust, at least one of the longitudinal or vertical propellant bundles being arranged so that each thruster within the propellant bundle is electrically connected by way of an electrical bus among the plurality of electrical buses to a generator within the plurality of electric power generators, and each other thruster within the propellant bundle being electrically connected by way of another electrical bus among the plurality of electrical buses to another generator within the plurality of electric power generators; wherein the plurality of propulsion points further comprising at least one propellant bundle dedicated to producing a lateral thrust, the propellant bundle being arranged so that one of its thrusters is electrically connected by way of an electrical bus among the plurality of electrical buses to a generator within the plurality of electric power generators, and each at least one other thruster within the propellant bundle is electrically connected by way of another electrical bus among the plurality of electrical buses to another generator within the plurality of electric power generators.

2. The airship of claim 1, wherein each propulsion point comprises a propellant bundle including a plurality of electric propeller thrusters; and at each propulsion point, a thruster within the propellant bundle is electrically connected by way of an electrical bus among the plurality of electrical buses to a generator within the plurality of electric power generators, and each other thruster within the propellant bundle is electrically connected by way of another electrical bus among the plurality of electrical buses to another generator within the plurality of electric power generators.

3. The airship of claim 2, wherein the electric power generators comprise turboalternators.

4. The airship of claim 3, wherein the electric power generators comprise fuel cells.

5. A method for managing an electrical propulsion system equipping a hover-capable aircraft according to claim 1, the airship comprising a propulsion management module receiving thrust commands from a propulsion point issued by a flight control module, the propulsion management module being configured to send power request instructions to each of the power generators and thrust commands to each of the thrusters of the propulsion point.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising modifying the thrust commands sent to the thrusters of the propulsion point in the event that a failure of a power generation unit or of a thruster is detected.

7. The airship of claim 1, wherein the electric power generators comprise turboalternators.

8. The airship of claim 1, wherein the electric power generators comprise fuel cells.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Other advantages and particularities of the present disclosure will become apparent on reading the detailed description of implementations and embodiments, which are in no way exhaustive, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 schematically shows a perspective view of an airship according to the present disclosure, on the starboard and from its fore;

(3) FIG. 2 schematically shows a top view of the airship shown in FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 schematically shows a detailed view of systems shown in FIG. 2; and

(5) FIG. 4 schematically shows a connection scheme of systems shown in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) Since the embodiments described below are in no way limiting, it will, in particular, be possible to consider variants of the present disclosure comprising only a selection of the features described, subsequently isolated from the other features described, if this selection of characteristics is sufficient to confer a technical advantage or to differentiate the present disclosure from the prior art. This selection comprises at least one feature, preferably functional, without structural details, or with only a portion of the structural details if this part only is sufficient to confer a technical advantage or to differentiate the present disclosure from the prior art.

(7) In the figures, an element appearing in several figures retains the same reference.

(8) Hover-Capable Aircraft

(9) Aircraft are divided into two main classes as a function of the lift means used. Aerostats use a static force, while aerodynes generate a dynamic force in order to balance their weight; these aircraft are often designated as lighter or heavier than air.

(10) The present disclosure relates to a hover-capable aircraft.

(11) A balloon-based airship is an example of such an aircraft, and contains devices intended to provide its lift as well as propulsion systems giving it some maneuverability. To move, airships use a propulsion system.

(12) An aerodyne, that is to say a heavier than air craft, the lift of which is mainly ensured by aerodynamic force, may also be a hover-capable aircraft.

(13) This is, for example, the case when the lift of the aerodyne is provided by an electric motor with vectored thrust, which has the ability to shift, during a conversion phase, from a flight configuration in which the thrust is vertical to a flight configuration in which the thrust is horizontal.

(14) This is also the case when the lift of the aerodyne is provided by a rotary wing.

(15) Furthermore, some aerodynes have both a fixed wing and a rotary wing, and have the ability to shift, during a conversion phase, from a fixed-wing flight configuration to a rotary-wing flight configuration.

(16) Thruster

(17) A thruster according to the present disclosure is of the electric-motor-driven propeller type. The electric motor unit may of course comprise other elements, such as a geared motor.

(18) In the present description, the term thruster refers, in particular, to propulsion devices of the static type having a horizontal and/or vertical component. The term thruster further refers to propulsion devices with vector thrust, for example, ones that orient the outlet flow by way of a steerable nozzle.

(19) FIG. 1 shows an airship 1 having a roll axis in a longitudinal direction X, a pitch axis in a transverse direction Y, and a yaw axis in a vertical direction Z, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and to the transverse direction.

(20) The airship 1 comprises, at the aft, two stabilizers, respectively a starboard stabilizer 2 and a port stabilizer 3, provided with elevators and a tail fin 4 provided with the rudder.

(21) The airship 1 further comprises two lateral ailerons, respectively a starboard aileron 5 and a port aileron 6 (FIG. 1).

(22) The airship 1 is equipped with four electric power generators G1, G2, G3, G4. In the example shown, the power generators are of turboalternator type, also called turbogenerators. According to a variant, the power generators are electrically connected to fuel cells or/and to electric batteries. Also, in the example shown, each of the four generators have a power of 1 MW.

(23) In the example shown, the four generators G1, G2, G3, G4 are located inside the lateral ailerons 5 and 6. More specifically, the turbogenerators G1 and G2 are located inside the starboard aileron 5 while the turbogenerators G3 and G4 are located inside the starboard aileron 6.

(24) Also, in the example shown, the airship 1 is equipped with 7 propulsion points, respectively PXt, PXb, PY, PZbt, PZbb, PZst, PZsb that enable the hovering and movement of the craft.

(25) The propulsion points PXt and PXb are arranged to generate a thrust in the longitudinal direction X toward the fore or aft. The propulsion points PXt and PXb are arranged on the starboard and on the port of the airship 1.

(26) Even more precisely, each of the propulsion points PXt and PXb is a propellant bundle of 6 thrusters of the electric-motor-driven propeller type Xt1, Xt2, Xt3, Xt4, Xt5, Xt6, respectively Xb1, Xb2, Xb3, Xb4, Xb5, Xb6. The propellers of each of the thrusters of the propulsion points PXt and PXb are, for example, of the three-blade propeller type.

(27) These propulsion points thus make it possible to generate an axial thrust forward or rearward or a yaw moment by differential thrust.

(28) The propulsion point PY is arranged to generate a thrust in the transverse direction Y to starboard or port, to generate a moment along the yaw axis. In the example shown, the propulsion point PY is arranged at the fore of the airship 1, on the side of its upper part.

(29) Even more precisely, the propulsion point PY is a propellant bundle of 4 thrusters of the electric-motor-driven propeller type Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4. The propellers of each of the thrusters of the propulsion point PY are, for example, of the three-blade propeller type.

(30) The propulsion points PZbt and PZbb are arranged to generate a thrust in the downward or upward direction Z. The propulsion points PZbt and PZbb are arranged at the fore, starboard, and port of the airship 1.

(31) Even more precisely, each of the propulsion points PZbt and PZbb is a propellant bundle of 4 thrusters of the electric-motor-driven propeller type Zbt1, Zbt2, Zbt3, Zbt4, respectively Zbb1, Zbb2 Zbb3, Zbb4. The propellers of each of the thrusters of the propulsion points Pzbt and PZbb are, for example, of the three-blade propeller type.

(32) The propulsion points PZst and PZsb are arranged to generate a thrust in the downward or upward direction Z. The propulsion points PZst and PZsb are arranged at the aft, starboard, and port of the airship 1.

(33) Even more precisely, each of the propulsion points PZst and PZsb is a propellant bundle of 4 thrusters of the electric-motor-driven propeller type Zst1, Zst2, Zst3, Zst4, respectively Zsb1, Zsb2 Zsb3, Zsb4. The propellers of each of the thrusters of the propulsion points Pzbt and PZbb are, for example, of the three-blade propeller type.

(34) The propulsion points PZbt, PZbb, PZst and PZsb thus make it possible to generate a vertical thrust upward or downward, or a pitching moment by differential thrust between fore and aft, or a roll moment by differential thrust between starboard and port.

(35) As shown in FIG. 2, the airship 1 is also equipped with 4 electrical buses with a power transport capacity of 1 MW, Bus 1, Bus 2, Bus 3, Bus 4.

(36) Each of the electrical buses, respectively Bus 1, Bus 2, Bus 3, Bus 4, is connected to a turbine, respectively G1, G2, G3, G4, by way of systems S1, S2, S3, S4, which will be described below.

(37) Bus 1 is connected to the electric motor Xt1, Xt3, Xb3, Y4, Zbt1, Zbb1, Zst1, Zsb1.

(38) Bus 2 is connected to the electric motor Xt4, Xb1, Xb4, Y3, Zbt2, Zbb2, Zst2, Zsb2.

(39) Bus 3 is connected to the electric motor Xt2, Xt5, Xb5, Y5, Zbt3, Zbb3, Zst3, Zsb3.

(40) Bus 4 is connected to the electric motor Xt6, Xb2, Xb6, Y1, Zbt4, Zbb4, Zst4, Zsb4.

(41) The systems S1, S2, S3, S4 are now described with reference to FIG. 3.

(42) The system S1 comprises: a turbogenerator G1, a rectifier device R1, connected to the turbogenerator G1, a main power distribution unit Main PDU 1, connected to a bus Bus 1, a battery HVBATT1, connected to the power distribution unit Main PDU 1.

(43) The main power unit Main PDU1 is also connected to a ground power unit GPU1.

(44) The system S2 comprises: a turbogenerator G2, a rectifier device R2, connected to the turbogenerator G2, a main power distribution unit Main PDU 2, connected to a bus Bus 2, a battery HVBATT2, connected to the power distribution unit Main PDU 2.

(45) The main power unit Main PDU2 is also connected to a ground power unit GPU2.

(46) The systems S1 and S2 are installed together in the port aileron 5.

(47) The system S3 comprises: a turbogenerator G3, a rectifier device R3, connected to the turbogenerator G3, a main power distribution unit Main PDU 3, connected to a bus Bus 3, a battery HVBATT3, connected to the power distribution unit Main PDU 3.

(48) The main power unit Main PDU3 is also connected to a ground power unit GPU3.

(49) The system S4 comprises: a turbogenerator G4, a rectifier device R4, connected to the turbogenerator G4, a main power distribution unit Main PDU 4, connected to a bus Bus 4, a battery HVBATT4, connected to the power distribution unit Main PDU 4.

(50) The main power unit Main PDU4 is also connected to a ground power unit GPU4.

(51) The systems S3 and S4 are installed together in the starboard aileron 6.

(52) Thus, as shown in FIG. 4 the control of the flight of the airship 1 is ensured by a control unit Uc, which receives the commands from the pilot, processes them and transmits them to the set of electric motors.

(53) The electric motors are individually equipped with a unit for controlling the propeller pitch, which makes it possible to manage the thrust delivered. Thus, the pilot's orders are transmitted: to the electric motors Xt1, Xt2, Xt3, Xt4, Xt5, Xt6 of the propulsion point PXt, via the control units, respectively UcXt1, UcXt2, UcXt3, UcXt4, UcXt5, UcXt6, to the electric motors Xb1, Xb2, Xb3, Xb4, Xb5, Xb6 of the propulsion point PXb, via the control units, respectively UcXb1, UcXb2, UcXb3, UcXb4, UcXb5, UcXb6, to the electric motors Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4 of the propulsion point PY, via the control units, respectively UcY1, UcY2, UcY3, UcY4, to the electric motors Zbt1, Zbt2, Zbt3, Zbt4 of the propulsion point PZbt, via the control units, respectively UcZbt1, UcZbt2, UcZbt3, UcZbt4, to the electric motors Zbb1, Zbb2 Zbb3, Zbb4, of the propulsion point PZbb, via the control units, respectively UcZbb1, UcZbb2, UcZbb3, UcZbb4, to the electric motors Zst1, Zst2, Zst3, Zst4 of the propulsion point PZst, via the control units, respectively UcZst1, UcZst2, UcZst3, UcZst4, to the electric motors Zsb1, Zsb2, Zsb3, Zsb4 of the propulsion point PZsb, via the control units, respectively UcZsb1, UcZsb2, UcZsb3, UcZsb4.

(54) The control unit Uc distributes the request from the pilot to all the electric motors. In the event of a malfunction, either of a propulsion chain, or an electric motor, it distributes this request to the remaining functional units.

(55) Each propulsion chain is controlled by a control unit, respectively Up1, Up2, Up3, Up4.

(56) Each turbogenerator is controlled by a generator control unit GCU1, GCU2, GCU3, GCU4, respectively for the generators G1, G2, G3, G4.

(57) Each battery is controlled by a control unit BMS1, BMS2, BMS3, BMS4 (for battery management system) respectively for the batteries HVBATT1, HVBATT2, HVBATT3, HVBATT4.

(58) The control unit Up1 ensures the management of the electrical power available on Bus 1. Depending on the total power of the electric motors Xt1, Xt3, Xb3, Y4, Zbt1, Zbb1, Zst1, Zsb1 supplied by Bus 1, the unit Up1 controls the operating point of the turbogenerator G1, via the controller GCU1 and manages the charging or discharging of the battery HVBATT1 via the controller BMS1.

(59) The control unit Up2 ensures the management of the electrical power available on Bus 2. Depending on the total power of the electric motors Xt4, Xb1, Xb4, Y3, Zbt2, Zbb2, Zst2, Zsb2 supplied by Bus 2, the unit Up2 controls the operating point of the turbogenerator G2, via the controller GCU2 and manages the charging or discharging of the battery HVBATT2 via the controller BMS2.

(60) The control unit Up3 ensures the management of the electrical power available on Bus 3. Depending on the total power of the electric motors Xt2, Xt5, Xb5, Y5, Zbt3, Zbb3, Zst3, Zsb3 supplied by Bus 3, the unit Up3 controls the operating point of the turbogenerator G3, via the controller GCU3 and manages the charging or discharging of the battery HVBATT3 via the controller BMS3.

(61) The control unit Up4 ensures the management of the electrical power available on Bus 4. Depending on the total power of the electric motors Xt6, Xb2, Xb6, Y1, Zbt4, Zbb4, Zst4, Zsb4 supplied by Bus 4, the unit Up4 controls the operating point of the turbogenerator G4, via the controller GCU4 and manages the charging or discharging of the battery HVBATT4 via the controller BMS4.

(62) Thus, for each of the propulsion points, a thruster of the propulsion point is electrically connected by way of an electrical bus to one of the plurality of electric power generators and another thruster of the propulsion point is electrically connected by way of another electrical bus to another generator of the plurality of power generators.

(63) It will be understood that when a turbogenerator stops operating, for each propulsion point that previously had a predetermined thrust, and when the propulsion point comprises 4 thrusters, each of the thrusters being supplied independently of the others by 1 turbo generator, the new thrust of the propulsion point is reduced only by a quarter of the preceding thrust. This loss of thrust may possibly be corrected by modifying the thrust of the other 3 thrusters of the propulsion point.

(64) Thus, when one power generation unit is failing and another is operating normally, a control unit can generate instructions intended for thrusters connected to the power generation unit that is operating normally, and the thrusters can implement the instructions.

(65) Likewise, if one thruster of a propulsion point stops operating, and when the propulsion point comprises 4 thrusters, each of the thrusters being supplied independently of the others by 1 turbo generator, the new thrust from the propulsion point is only reduced by one-quarter of the preceding thrust. This loss of thrust may possibly be corrected by modifying the thrust of the other 3 thrusters.

(66) Thus, when one thruster of a propulsion point is failing and another thruster of the propulsion point is operating normally, a control unit can generate instructions intended for the thrusters of the normally operating propulsion point, and the thrusters can implement the instructions.

(67) Of course, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples that have just been described and numerous modifications can be made to these examples without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the different features, forms, variants and embodiments of the present disclosure may be associated with one another in various combinations insofar as they are not incompatible or exclusive of one another.