WO2015115913A1

WO2015115913A1 - Multipurpose aircraft

Info

Publication number: WO2015115913A1
Application number: PCT/NZ2015/000007
Authority: WO
Inventors: Graham Phillip TULLY; Paul Robert HARTLEY; Alexander James HEWSON
Original assignee: GLOBAL AERIAL PLATFORMS Ltd
Current assignee: GLOBAL AERIAL PLATFORMS Ltd
Priority date: 2014-01-30
Filing date: 2015-01-29
Publication date: 2015-08-06
Anticipated expiration: 2016-07-30

Abstract

The invention relates to a multipurpose twin fuselage aircraft (17) that includes a central wing panel (1) which is releasably attached to each of the fuselages (12, 13) and is located between them. The central wing panel includes a nacelle (8) having a compartment for storage of various pieces of equipment and an engine (7) mounted on the front and/or rear of the central wing panel. In use the aircraft includes several interchangeable central wing panels, configured as determined by the nature of the task to be performed by the aircraft. Preferably the aircraft is an unmanned aerial system/drone. The central wing panels may be configured such that the nacelle and/or the compartment may be jettisoned during flight. In some embodiments the contents of the compartment may be jettisoned during flight.

Description

MULTIPURPOSE AIRCRAFT

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an aircraft and a manner of constructing an aircraft. More particularly it relates to an unmanned aerial system (UAS) and a manner of constructing same, although this should not been seen as limiting.

BACKGROUND ART

Aircraft generally are designed to carry out a specific task or function, whether it is to carry passengers, freight, weapons, surveillance, search and rescue, mapping, top dressing, remote sensing, long haul or short haul, speed and so on. In each case the demands on the aircraft design may be very different and these can dictate the design limitations for the aircraft. As a result specialist aircraft are constructed for specialist purposes.

In recent times there has been an increase in interest in, and use of, unmanned aerial systems (UASs). UASs can be used for a variety of purposes, many of which are similar to those of piloted aircraft but which, for whatever reason, are preferably flown without a pilot in the UAS. In some instances this couid be a function of size; some UASs are configured as miniature helicopters or aerial platforms, which are typically flown by remote control by a person in the vicinity of the UASs flight. Such vehicles are often fitted with a camera or other type of remote sensing device, generally to provide quick and cost effective low level imagery over a relatively large area. Such vehicles can also be used to good effect to provide surveillance of places which, for one reason or other, are difficult to access, especially by piloted aircraft.

At the other end of the range there is a growing demand for relatively large scale UASs. As there is no need for all the array of controls, safety devices and so on to support a flying crew, these aircraft can be made significantly smaller and lighter than piloted aircraft designed for the same task or function. Of course, all UASs are piloted in the sense that someone has to control them. With the larger UASs this is generally a pilot (and possibly other aircrew) located remotely from the UAS and its position in flight, and who uses cameras, sensors and other equipment on board the UAS to fly the aircraft. It should be understood that reference to a piloted aircraft in this specification refers to an aircraft that is flown by a pilot on board the aircraft. Due to their relatively light weight and flying capability large scale UASs can be capable of sustained flight over relatively large areas. This capability may be an advantage for tasks such as surveillance, search and rescue, border patrol, mapping and remote sensing, among others. As with piloted aircraft, the configuration of the UAS can vary depending on what function or task it is designed to perform, leading to specialisation. This can mean that different aircraft need to be constructed or bought to address the different specialist needs. This can be costly, both in capital costs of purchasing the aircraft, but also in providing storage and storing the large scale UASs in hangers etc. when not flying.

It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country. Throughout this specification, the word "comprise", or variations thereof such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a central wing panel for an aircraft having a first fuselage and a second fuselage, the central wing panel having a front, a rear and two sides, and an engine mounted on the front and/or the rear of the central wing panel, wherein the central wing panel is configured to releasably attach to both the first fuselage and the second fuselage.

In some embodiments the engine is an internal combustion engine, while in other embodiments the engine is a jet turbine engine. In a preferred embodiment the central wing panel includes a nacelle having a compartment.

In a preferred embodiment the compartment is situated in the front or rear of the central wing panel and the engine is mounted on the rear or front respectively of the central wing panel. Reference to a nacelle throughout this specification should be understood to mean a streamlined enclosure on an aircraft. A nacelle is commonly used to enclose an engine, to store equipment or cargo etc., but may also be used to mount instruments such as a camera, remote sensing equipment, radar etc. and/or other equipment such as may be determined by the nature of the flight (e.g. search and rescue, surveillance, aerial mapping and so on).

In a preferred embodiment the nacelle includes a compartment for storing equipment including one or more items from the group including: a camera; a remote sensing device; a radar; a GPS receiver; FTIR; a computer; a radio receiver, medical supplies, and a survival kit.

An advantage of using a nacelle in the central wing panel is that it may allow significantly more equipment to be carried on the aircraft (i.e. over and above what is carried in the two fuselages).

Further, in some embodiments the nacelle may include a self-contained compartment which is releasably attached to the nacelle/central wing panel. Such an arrangement may be useful in search and rescue, for example, where the nacelle and enclosed equipment may be released from the central wing panel and dropped to the ground below.

In yet other embodiments the compartment may be configured to release equipment stowed in the compartment

In a preferred embodiment the engine is mounted at the front of the central wing panel and the nacelle including the compartment is located at the rear of the central wing panel. In another embodiment the engine is mounted to the rear of the central wing panel and the nacelle including the compartment is mounted to the front of the central wing panel.

In yet other embodiments the central wing panel includes an engine mounted to the front of the central wing panel and another engine mounted at the rear of the central wing panel.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an aircraft including: two fuselages each fuselage attached to a wing that extends in a direction away from the other fuselage, each fuselage including a wing root box or wing root bed; a central wing panel having a front, a rear and two sides and including an engine mounted on the front and/or the rear of the central wing panel, wherein the wing root box or wing root bed in each fuselage is configured to releasably accept a spar joining one of the sides of the central wing panel to the adjacent fuselage and the attached wing. Those skilled in the art will understand that a wing root box may be a container which is configured to accept a spar, usually from a wing, wherein the spar is locked into the wing root box. Thus a wing root box may be used to locate and fix a wing to the fuselage in situations where the wings are located against a side of the fuselage. Those skilled in the art will further realize that a wing root bed may be a surface of the fuselage onto which the wing and central wing panel may be fixed, the wing root bed being configured to accept a spar joining the wing to the central wing panel. A wing root bed may be used in situations where the wings are attached to the upper (or lower) surfaces of the fuselages.

Once the central wing panel is secured in place it completes the wing structure for the aircraft In those embodiments having a wing root box in the fuselage the wing root box is configured to accept an end of a spar from the adjacent wing and an end of a spar from the central wing panel. The spar ends are preferably in the form of truncated triangular blocks. When inserted fully into the wing root box the two ends, which have complementary shapes, form a rectangular block which fills the wing root box. A locking pin is inserted through an aperture in the side of each spar, the apertures being aligned when the spars are properly located in the wing root box. The two spars are configured to fill the space in the wing root box, thus locking the fuselage, wing and central wing panel securely together (when pinned).

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an aircraft including: a first fuselage and a second fuselage; and at least one central wing panel having a front, a rear and two sides, and including an engine mounted on the front and/or the rear of the central wing panel, wherein the central wing panel is configured to releasably attach to both the first fuselage and the second fuselage.

In a preferred embodiment each fuselage is attached to a separate wing that extends in a direction away from the other fuselage, each fuselage including a wing root box or wing root bed, wherein the wing root box or wing root bed in each fuselage is configured to releasably accept a spar joining one of the sides of the central wing panel to the adjacent fuselage and the attached wing.

In a preferred embodiment the aircraft includes at least two different, interchangeable, central wing panels.

An aircraft according to the present invention may take a number of different configurations, each designed for a specific task or function, by inserting an appropriate central wing panel into the wing root box or wing root bed. This modular form of construction allows a single aerial platform, i.e. the wings, two fuselages having a wing root box or wing root bed, and a tail plane, to be adapted to different payloads and different propulsion devices, by inserting each side of an appropriately configured central wing panel between the two fuselages and joining it to the adjacent fuselage and wing on each side using a wing root box in, or wing root bed on, each fuselage.

An advantage of this is that the capital cost and storage costs and requirements for a single aerial platform and a plurality of central wing panels may be significantly less than the capital costs and storage costs for a plurality of specialist aircraft. Preferably the aircraft is an unmanned aerial system (UAS).

Preferably the central wing panel is connected to a frame of the aircraft by one or more mounting bolts and/or camber pins.

Preferably the mounting bolts and/or camber pins are connected to a spar of the aircraft.

In a preferred embodiment the central wing panel includes a nacelle having a compartment. In a preferred embodiment the central wing panel includes a nacelle including a compartment on one side of the central wing panel and an engine mounted on the other side of the central wing panel.

In a preferred embodiment the central wing panel is locked in the wing root box or wing root bed such that the engine is at the front of the central wing panel. In this configuration the engine is in a "pull" mode.

Reference to front, rear, top, bottom and side of an aircraft or central wing panel throughout this specification should be understood to refer to the usual meanings of these terms when applied to an aircraft, or an aircraft fitted with a central wing panel, when sitting on the ground (or in normal flight). In other embodiments the central wing panel is locked in the wing root box or wing root bed such that the engine is at the rear of the central wing panel. In this configuration the engine is in a "push" mode.

In some other embodiments the central wing panel includes two engines mounted in a push-pull arrangement. In this embodiment the engine mounted at the front of the central wing panel when attached to the aircraft is configured to pull the aircraft forward, and the engine mounted at the rear is configured to push the aircraft forward. An advantage of this arrangement is the built-in redundancy should one engine fail.

In some embodiments the engine is a turbo-prop engine.

In other embodiments the engine is a jet turbine engine. According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of fitting a central wing panel to an aircraft having two fuselages, the central wing panel having a front, a rear and two sides, and an engine mounted on the front and/or the rear of the central wing panel, wherein each side of the central wing panel is configured to releasably attach to an adjacent wing of the aircraft, the method including the steps of: · locating the central wing panel in a space between the two wings; and

• releasably attaching each side of the central wing panel to the adjacent wing.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method substantially as described above, wherein the step of releasably attaching each side of the central wing panel to the adjacent wing includes locating an end of a spar from the side of the central wing panel into a wing root box in, or wing root bed on, the fuselage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic plan view of a central wing panel for an aircraft according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a schematic plan view of part of an aircraft according to one embodiment of the present invention,

Figure 3 shows a schematic plan view of part of an aircraft according to the embodiments shown in Fig.s 1 and 2;

Figure 4 shows a schematic plan view of a central wing panel for an aircraft according to another embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 shows a schematic plan view of a central wing panel for an aircraft according to yet another embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 6 shows a schematic plan view of a connection according to one embodiment of the present invention. BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A central wing panel is generally indicated by arrow 1 in Fig.1. The central wing panel is configured for use with an aircraft, in the form of an unmanned aerial system (UAS) having two fuselages, as generally indicated by arrow 2 in Fig. 2.

The central wing panel 1 has a front 3, a rear 4, and two sides 5 and 6. An engine, in the form of a internal combustion engine 7, is mounted at the rear of the central wing panel. Each of the sides 5 and 6 is configured to engage with a spar (not shown) in a fuselage of the aircraft 2.

The front end 3 of the central wing panel is in the form of a nacelle 8 inside of which is a compartment (not shown) configured to carry equipment and/or additional fuel.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, with appropriate re-configuration of the engine to operate in a pull mode, the front 3 and rear 7 of the central wing portion may be

interchanged, i.e. the engine 4 mounted at the front of the central wing panel and the nacelle at the rear, thus providing another embodiment of a central wing panel of the present invention (see Fig. 5).

The central wing panel 1 is configured to fit into a space between the two fuselages 12 and 13 as generally indicated by arrow 9 in Fig. 2 and the imaginary dashed lines 10 and 11. The first fuselage 12 is connected to a wing 14 (only part shown in Fig. 2) and the second fuselage 13 is connected to a wing 15 (only part shown in Fig. 2). The wing span of the UAS is 8 m. The UAS includes an elevated tail 16 connecting the two fuselages.

Fig. 3 shows a plan view of an aircraft, generally indicated by arrow 17, in which the central wing panel 1 has been located within a wing root box (27 in Fig.6) and releasably attached to each of the two fuselages 12, 13.

A central wing panel according to another embodiment of the present invention is generally indicated by arrow 18 in Fig. 4. In this embodiment the central wing panel has an internal combustion engine 19 mounted at the front 20 of the central wing panel, and another internal combustion engine 21 mounted at the rear 22.

Another embodiment of a central wing panel is generally indicated by arrow 23 in Fig. 5. In this embodiment a single internal combustion engine 24 is mounted at the front 25 of the central wing panel. A significant advantage of the aircraft and central wing panels of the present invention is that the combination allows for different configurations of the aircraft to be created by releasing the central wing panel from the aircraft (where fitted), removing the central wing panel from the wing root box or bed, inserting a different central wing panel into the central wing box or bed and releasably connecting each side of the different central wing panel to the fuselages.

One embodiment for releasably attaching the central wing panel to one fuselage (12) is illustrated schematically in Fig. 6. In this embodiment the UAS includes a wing root box 27 in the fuselage 12. The adjacent wing 14 includes a spar 28, an end of which is in the form of a truncated triangular block 28a. The end of the spar 28a is located within the wing root box 27. The central wing panel 1 includes a spar 29, an end of which is in the form of a truncated triangular block 28a, the shape being complementary to the shape of the end of the wing spar 28a, so that when both spar ends, 28a and 29a, are located within the wing root box 27, they fill the space within the wing root box.

A camber pin 30 is inserted through an aperture 31 in the side of each spar end, 28a and 29a, the apertures being aligned when the spars are properly located in the wing root box as shown in Fig. 6. The two spars are configured to fill the space in the wing root box, thus locking the fuselage, wing and central wing panel securely together (when pinned).

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

Graham Tully, Paul Robert Hartley and Global Aerial Platforms Limited, b

JAMES & WELLS

Claims

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A central wing panel for an aircraft having a first fuselage and a second fuselage, the central wing panel having a front, a rear and two sides, and including an engine mounted on the front and/or the rear of the central wing panel, wherein the central wing panel is configured to releasably attach to both the first fuselage and the second fuselage.

2. A central wing panel for an aircraft as claimed in claim 1 wherein the central wing panel includes a nacelle having a compartment.

3. A central wing panel for an aircraft as claimed in claim 2 wherein the nacelle

includes a self-contained compartment which is releasably attached to the central wing panel.

4. A central wing panel for an aircraft as claimed in claim 2 wherein the compartment is configured to release equipment stowed in the compartment

5. A central wing panel for an aircraft as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4

wherein the compartment is situated in the front or rear of the central wing panel and wherein the engine is mounted on the rear or front respectively of the central wing panel.

6. A central wing panel for an aircraft as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 5

wherein the compartment is configured to hold equipment including one or more items from the group including: a camera; a remote sensing device; a radar; a GPS receiver; a FTIR spectrometer; a computer; a radio receiver, medical supplies, and a survival kit.

7. A central wing panel for an aircraft as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6

wherein the engine is an internal combustion engine.

8. A central wing panel for an aircraft as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6

wherein the engine is a jet turbine engine.

9. An aircraft including: a first fuselage and a second fuselage; and at least one central wing panel having a front, a rear and two sides, and including an engine mounted on the front and/or the rear of the central wing panel, wherein the central wing panel is configured to releasably attach to both the first fuselage and the second fuselage.

10. An aircraft as claimed in claim 9 wherein each fuselage is attached to a separate wing that extends in a direction away from the other fuselage, each fuselage including a wing root box or wing root bed; wherein the wing root box or wing root bed in each fuselage is configured to releasably accept a spar joining one of the sides of the central wing panel to the adjacent fuselage and the attached wing.

11. An aircraft as claimed in claim 10 wherein an end of a spar of the wing is located within the wing root box.

12. An aircraft as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11 wherein the central wing panel is connected to a frame of the aircraft by one or more mounting bolts and/or camber pins.

13. An aircraft as claimed in claim 13 wherein the mounting bolts and/or camber pins are connected to a spar of the aircraft.

14. An aircraft as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 13 wherein the central wing panel

includes a nacelle having a compartment.

15. An aircraft as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 14 wherein the central wing panel

includes a nacelle including a compartment on one side of the central wing panel and an engine mounted on the other side of the central wing panel.

16. An aircraft as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 15 wherein the engine is at the front of the central wing panel

17. An aircraft as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 15 wherein the engine is at the rear of the central wing panel.

18. An aircraft as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 15 including an engine mounted at the front of the central wing panel and another engine mounted at the rear of the central wing panel.

19. An aircraft as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 18 wherein the engine is a turbo-prop engine.

20. An aircraft as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 18 wherein the engine is a jet turbine engine.

21. An aircraft as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 20 including at least two different,

interchangeable, said central wing panels.

22. An aircraft as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 21 wherein the aircraft is an unmanned aerial system.

23. A method of fitting a central wing panel to an aircraft having two fuselages, the central wing panel having a front, a rear and two sides, and including an engine mounted on the front and/or the rear of the central wing panel, wherein each side of the central wing panel is configured to releasably attach to an adjacent fuselage of the aircraft, the method including the steps of: i. locating the central wing panel in a space between the two fuselages; and ii. releasably attaching each side of the central wing panel to the adjacent fuselage.

24. A method as claimed in claim 23 wherein the step of releasably attaching each side of the central wing panel to the adjacent fuselage includes locating an end of a spar from the side of the central wing panel into a wing root box in the fuselage.