JP7611129B2 - Air flow guidance structure and aircraft - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air flow guidance structure and an aircraft.

Conventionally, vertical take-off and landing aircraft (also referred to as vertical take-off and landing aircraft or simply aircraft) are known, which take off and land by ascending and descending vertically using take-off and landing (VTOL) rotors arranged on the left and right sides of the fuselage, and fly horizontally using a cruise rotor arranged at the rear of the fuselage. In such aircraft, the controller of the VTOL rotor is cooled by using an airflow (downwash) generated by the VTOL rotor. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an enclosure in which an inlet is provided on the upper surface of a boom to which the VTOL rotor is attached, and the airflow is taken into the boom through the inlet and guided to a heat exchanger through an inlet cowl. Here, it is required that the airflow be efficiently guided into the boom through the inlet.
Patent Document 1: U.S. Patent No. 10,150,560

In one aspect of the present invention, an aircraft is provided that includes a fuselage, a wing body extending laterally from the fuselage and generating lift during cruising, a boom extending in the fore-aft direction and supported at a distance from the fuselage by the wing body, a rotor supported on the boom and having one or more blades that generate vertical thrust during takeoff and landing, a cooling device that uses a radiator arranged in the boom to cool the rotor, and an airflow guidance structure that is provided on a part of the boom and guides the airflow generated by the rotation of the one or more blades to the radiator, the airflow guidance structure including an inlet provided on the surface of the boom located below the rotational plane of the one or more blades, on the side facing the rotational direction of the one or more blades with respect to the rotor axis.

Note that the above summary of the invention does not list all of the features of the present invention. Also, subcombinations of these features may also be inventions.

1 shows a configuration of an aircraft according to this embodiment as viewed from above. The internal structure of the boom is shown. 1 shows the configuration of the radiator as viewed from the front. 1 shows the configuration of a radiator as viewed from the side. The configuration of the cooling circuit is shown. 2B shows a cross-sectional structure of the air flow guide structure with respect to the reference line CC in FIG. 2A. The upper configuration of the air flow guidance structure and the arrangement of the inlets are shown. 1 shows the configuration of the underside of the air flow guidance structure and the placement of the outlets. 11 shows a cross-sectional structure of an air flow guide structure according to a modified example. 1 shows a first example of the installation location of the radiator and inlet within the boom. 13 shows a second example of the installation location of the radiator and inlet within the boom. 13 shows a third example of the installation location of the radiator and inlet within the boom. 13 shows a fourth example of the installation location of the radiator and inlet within the boom.

The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

1 shows the configuration of an aircraft 100 according to this embodiment from a top view. The aircraft 100 is a vertical take-off and landing aircraft that has a rotor with an electric motor as a drive source, and takes off and lands vertically using a take-off and landing (VTOL) rotor to generate thrust, and flies horizontally using a cruise rotor (also called a cruise rotor). It is also a hybrid aircraft that can operate the electric motor with power supplied from a battery and a motor generator, and charge the battery with the motor generator. The aircraft 100 according to this embodiment has an airframe that is configured to efficiently guide the airflow (i.e., downwash) generated by the VTOL rotor into the radiator, and includes a fuselage 12, a front wing 14, a rear wing 16, two booms 18, eight VTOL rotors 20, two cruise rotors 29, a cooling system 60, and an airflow guide structure 70.

The fuselage 12 is a structure that provides space for crew and passengers to board and for carrying cargo, etc., and stores devices such as a battery and a motor generator (neither shown). The fuselage 12 is symmetrical with respect to the central axis L, extends in the front-rear direction parallel to the central axis L, and has a shape that is narrow in the left-right direction perpendicular to the central axis L in a horizontal plane. Here, the direction parallel to the central axis L is the front-rear direction, the left and right of the drawing are the front (F) and rear (B), respectively, the direction perpendicular to the central axis L in the horizontal plane is the width direction (or left-right direction), and the top and bottom of the drawing are the right (R) and left (L), respectively. The vertical direction is perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the width direction, and the upward and downward vertical directions are also called the upward (U) and downward (L), respectively. The fuselage 12 has a rounded front end when viewed from above, and a rear end that is somewhat narrower than the torso and parallel to the width direction.

The fore wings 14 are wing bodies that extend laterally from the fuselage 12 and generate lift during cruising, i.e., by moving forward, and function as the leading tail of the aircraft 100. The fore wings 14 have a V-shape with two wing bodies extending from the center to the left front and right front, respectively, and are fixed at the center to the upper part of the front side of the fuselage 12 with the opening of the V-shape facing forward. The fore wings 14 include elevators 14a arranged on each of the double tracks of the two wing bodies.

The rear wing 16 extends laterally from the fuselage 12 and is a wing body that generates lift during cruising, i.e., by moving forward, and functions as a swept-back wing that reduces air resistance. The rear wing 16 has a V-shape with two wing bodies extending from the center to the left rear and right rear, respectively, and is fixed to the upper part of the rear end of the fuselage 12 at the center via a pylon 32, with the opening of the V-shape facing rearward. The rear wing 16 includes elevons 16a arranged on each double track of the two wing bodies, and vertical stabilizers 16b arranged at the wing tips.

Here, the wing area of the rear wing 16 is larger than that of the front wing 14, and the wingspan of the rear wing 16 is longer than that of the front wing. As a result, the lift generated by the rear wing 16 as it moves forward is larger than the lift generated by the front wing 14, and the rear wing 16 functions as the main wing of the aircraft 100. The wing areas, lengths, etc. of the front wing 14 and the rear wing 16 may be determined based on the balance of the lift generated by each, the position of the center of gravity, the attitude of the aircraft during cruising, etc.

The two booms 18 are structures supported by the front and rear wings 14 and 16 at a distance from the fuselage 12 to the left and right, respectively, and function to support or store the components of the VTOL rotor 20 and the cooling system 60 described below. The two booms 18 have a cylindrical shape extending in the fore-and-aft direction when viewed from above, and have an airfoil-shaped cross-sectional shape with a rounded upper side and a tapered lower side when viewed from the front, and are arranged symmetrically in pairs with respect to the fuselage 12 (i.e., the central axis L). The two booms 18 may be formed to extend in the fore-and-aft direction and curve in an arc in the width direction. The two booms 18 have their front ends positioned forward of the forward wings 14 and supported on the tips of the forward wings 14 at the forward fuselage (between the two forward VTOL rotors 20a, 20b), and their rear ends positioned rearward of the rear wings 16 and supported on the rear wings 16 at the rear fuselage (between the two rear VTOL rotors 20c, 20d).

Figure 2A shows the internal structure of the boom 18. The boom 18 includes a skin 18a, a rib 18b, and a spar 18c. The skin 18a is a member that constitutes the surface of the boom 18, and is formed into a cylindrical shape that has an airfoil-shaped cross section and extends in the front-rear direction. The skin 18a rises high upward at the location where the VTOL rotor 20 is disposed and expands in the left-right direction to form a space 18d, and rises somewhat high upward at the location where the cooling system 60 is disposed and expands in the left-right direction to form a space 18e. The rib 18b is a wing-shaped plate-like member that is disposed at multiple locations in the front-rear direction to hold the skin 18a from the inside. The rib 18b divides the spaces 18d and 18e within the boom 18. The spar 18c is a rod-shaped member that extends in the front-rear direction and constitutes a framework that supports the rib 18b and other members.

The eight VTOL rotors 20 (20a to 20d) are supported by two booms 18 and generate vertical thrust during takeoff and landing. Four of the eight VTOL rotors 20, 20a to 20d, are supported at approximately equal intervals on the left boom 18, and the remaining four VTOL rotors 20a to 20d are supported at approximately equal intervals on the right boom 18. Here, the VTOL rotor 20a is positioned at the front, the two VTOL rotors 20b and 20c are positioned at the front and rear between the front wing 14 and the rear wing 16, respectively, and the VTOL rotor 20d is positioned at the back. Of the left VTOL rotors 20a to 20d and the four right VTOL rotors 20a to 20d, the two left and right VTOL rotors 20a to 20d that are positioned at the same position in the fore-and-aft direction form pairs and are controlled to rotate in opposite directions. Unless otherwise specified, each of the eight VTOL rotors 20a-20d will be referred to simply as a VTOL rotor 20.

The VTOL rotor 20 has one or more blades 23, a motor 21, and an inverter 22. The motor 21 and the inverter 22 are also referred to as electric elements.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the one or more blades 23 are wing-shaped members that are supported on the boom 18 and generate thrust in the vertical direction by rotating. In this embodiment, the number of blades 23 is two, but any number of blades, such as one or three or more, may be used. The one or more blades 23 are supported at a position higher than the front wing 14 and the rear wing 16. In FIG. 1, the plane of rotation of the one or more blades 23 of each VTOL rotor 20 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

The motor (an example of a rotating device) 21 is an electric motor that has a rotating shaft 21a oriented in the vertical direction and rotates a blade 23 fixed to the tip of the shaft 21a. The motor is supported by the spar 18c via a support member and is housed in the space 18d of the boom 18.

The inverter (an example of a control device) 22 is a device that receives DC power from a battery, converts it to AC power, and supplies it to the motor 21, and is supported below the motor 21 by the spur 18c. The inverter 22 can control the rotation speed of the motor 21.

The two cruise rotors 29 are supported at the rear end of the fuselage 12 and generate thrust during cruising. The cruise rotors 29 are arranged side by side about the central axis L in a cylindrical duct 54 fixed to the rear end of the fuselage 12, and have one or more blades that are supported in the duct 54 and generate forward thrust by rotating, a motor with a rotating shaft facing in the fore-and-aft direction and that rotates one or more blades fixed to the tip via the rotating shaft, and an inverter (all not shown) that receives DC power from a battery, converts it to AC power and supplies it to the motor. The inverter can control the rotation speed of the motor.

The cooling system 60 is a system that uses a radiator 61 arranged in the boom 18 to cool the motor 21 and inverter 22 (also called electrical components) that constitute the VTOL rotor 20 by a liquid cooling method. In this embodiment, one cooling system 60 is provided for one VTOL rotor 20, for a total of eight cooling systems 60, but this is not limited to the above, and one cooling system 60 may be provided for multiple (e.g., two) VTOL rotors 20. The cooling system 60 includes a radiator 61, a pump 62, a coolant tank 63, and pipes 64, 65. Water can be used as the coolant.

2B and 2C show the configuration of the radiator 61 in front view and side view, respectively. The radiator 61 is a heat exchanger that cools the coolant for cooling the motor 21 and the inverter 22. The radiator 61 is supported between two ribs 18b using a support member 61f, and is stored in the boom 18 by an air flow guide structure 70 described later. The arrangement of the radiator 61 in the boom 18 will be described later. The radiator 61 has multiple tubes 61a that allow the coolant to flow up and down, multiple fins 61b that are fixed to each of the multiple tubes 61a and increase the surface area that the air flow contacts, an upper tank 61c that sends the coolant to the multiple tubes 61a, a lower tank 61d that receives the coolant from the multiple tubes 61a, and two fans 61e that send air flow to the multiple fins 61b.

The multiple tubes 61a are arranged horizontally and assembled together with the multiple fins 61b into a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, with the upper tank 61c fixed to the upper side and the lower tank 61d fixed to the lower side to form the radiator body. When the pump 62 described later is operated, the cooling liquid that has been circulating around the motor 21 and the inverter 22 and has been heated is sent to the upper tank 61c through the piping 64, flows downward through each of the multiple tubes 61a, is cooled, and is sent to the lower tank 61d, and is sent to the motor 21 and the inverter 22 through the piping 65. At this time, the two fans 61e are operated to send airflow from one side of the radiator body (the right side in FIG. 2C) and bring it into contact with the multiple fins 61b, thereby exchanging heat between the airflow and the radiator body. The heated airflow exits the other side of the radiator body (the left side in FIG. 2C) and is exhausted.

The pump 62 is connected to the radiator 61 via piping 65, receives the cooled coolant from the radiator 61, and sends it to the motor 21 and the inverter 22. As a result, the coolant that has been heated through the motor 21 and the inverter 22 is sent to the radiator 61 via piping 64.

The coolant tank 63 is a container that stores coolant. For example, if there is a shortage of coolant, coolant is sent from the coolant tank 63 to the cooling circuit to replenish the coolant.

The pipes 64 and 65 are components for transporting the coolant, and connect the radiator 61 and the pump 62 to the motor 21 and the inverter 22 to form a cooling circuit through which the coolant circulates.

Figure 2D shows the configuration of the cooling circuit. The upper tank 61c of the radiator 61 is connected to the motor 21 and the inverter 22 by piping 64. The lower tank 61d of the radiator 61 is connected to the motor 21 and the inverter 22 by piping 65 via the pump 62. The coolant tank 63 is connected to the piping 65. When the pump 62 is operated, the coolant heated in the motor 21 and the inverter 22 is sent to the radiator 61 via the piping 64, and the coolant cooled in the radiator 61 is sent to the motor 21 and the inverter 22 via the piping 65.

In the cooling circuit provided by the cooling system 60, the motor 21 and the inverter 22 are connected in series downstream of the pump 62, but they may be connected in parallel instead. Other electrical components may be connected in series or in parallel with the motor 21 and the inverter 22. In the cooling system 60, the cooling circuit is configured to cool both the motor 21 and the inverter 22 using one radiator 61, pump 62, and tank 63, but instead, two independent cooling circuits may be configured to cool the motor 21 and the inverter 22 separately by connecting the radiator 61, pump 62, and tank 63 to the motor 21 and the inverter 22, respectively.

A cooling system configured similarly to cooling system 60 may also be provided to cool electrical components of the cruise rotor 29.

3 shows a cross-sectional structure of the air flow guidance structure 70 with respect to the reference line CC in FIG. 2A. The central axis of the air flow guidance structure 70 in the width direction is defined as central axis _L70 . Central axis _L70 is parallel to the rotation shaft 21a of the VTOL rotor 20 and overlaps with the rotation shaft 21a in the front-rear direction at the same position in the width direction. The air flow guidance structure 70 is provided on a part of the boom 18 and guides the air flow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 to the radiator 61 in the boom 18, and has an upper structure 71 and a lower structure 72.

The upper structure 71 is a member having a cross section of a generally inverted L-shape that is inserted into the body of the boom 18 to form the upper side and the right side. The upper structure 71 may be formed solidly, with the tip of the upper side inclining diagonally upward to the left, a recess 71b extending diagonally downward in the front-to-rear direction formed on the lower surface of the upper side, and the inner surface of the right side (i.e., the left surface) is formed in a streamlined shape that bulges to the right from the recess 71b on a plane perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction and extends downward while returning slightly to the left. The upper side of the upper structure 71 functions as a beam 71a that is installed above the inlet 70a formed between the upper structure 71 and the lower structure 72. This makes it possible to resist bending stress applied to the boom 18 including the air flow guide structure 70.

The lower structure 72 is a member having a substantially L-shaped cross section that is inserted into the body of the boom 18 to form the lower side and the left side. The lower structure 72 may be formed solid, and a recess 72b extending diagonally upward in the front-rear direction is formed on the upper surface of the lower side, the right end of the lower side faces downward, the upper end of the left side is inclined diagonally upward to the left, and the inner surface of the left side (i.e., the right surface) is formed in a streamlined shape that bulges slightly to the right from the upper end on a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and then extends downward while returning slightly to the left. The lower side of the lower structure 72 functions as a beam 72a that is installed below the outlet 70b formed between the upper structure 71 and the lower structure 72. This makes it possible to resist bending stress applied to the boom 18 including the air flow guide structure 70.

By assembling the air flow guide structure 70 using the upper structure 71 and the lower structure 72 configured as described above, an inlet 70a for taking in air flow to the upper side and an outlet 70b for discharging air flow to the lower side are formed in the boom 18. First, the radiator 61 and the fan 61e are stacked, then the upper structure 71 is fixed to the spar 18c, the upper tank 61c of the radiator 61 is inserted into the recess 71b of the upper structure 71 and the bracket provided on the upper tank 61c is fixed to the spar 18c, then the lower structure 72 is fixed to the spar 18c, and the lower tank 61d of the radiator 61 is inserted into the recess 72b of the lower structure 72 and the bracket provided on the lower tank 61d is fixed to the spar 18c, so that the air flow guide structure 70 is integrally assembled to the body of the boom 18. At this time, the radiator 61 and fan 61e are supported between two ribs 18b inside the boom 18 using a support member 61f.

As a result, the inlet 70a is formed between the upper side of the upper structure 71 and the left side of the lower structure 72 on one side (suction surface) of the radiator 61, and the outlet 70b is formed between the right side of the upper structure 71 and the lower side of the lower structure 72 on the other side (exhaust surface) of the radiator 61. The radiator 61 is disposed between the inlet 70a and the outlet 70b in the boom 18, and is inclined with respect to the rotation axis 21a (i.e., the central axis _L70 ) of the VTOL rotor 20 such that the suction surface faces the inlet 70a side and the exhaust surface faces the outlet 70b side. Furthermore, two fans 61e are disposed on the exhaust surface side of the radiator 61. The two fans 61e may be disposed on the intake surface side of the radiator 61.

4A shows the configuration of the upper side of the air flow guidance structure 70 provided on the boom 18. As an example, the air flow guidance structure 70 is a structure that includes a radiator 61 that cools the right VTOL rotor 20b, and is provided in the boom trunk between the rotation shafts 21a of the two VTOL rotors 20a, 20b (i.e., on the front side of the VTOL rotor 20b). Due to the air flow guidance structure 70, the inlet 70a is provided on the surface of the boom 18 between the rotation shafts 21a of the two VTOL rotors 20a, 20b, and is provided on the side of the surface of the boom 18 located below the rotation plane of one of the two VTOL rotors 20a, 20b, particularly in this example, the one or more blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20b, facing the rotation direction of the one or more blades 23 (to the right in this example) relative to the rotation shaft 21a (central axis _L70 ) of the VTOL rotor 20b when viewed from the front, i.e., on the opposite side of the rotation direction (left side in this example).

Here, the blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20 have a pitch angle with respect to the plane of rotation in order to generate thrust (see FIG. 2A). Therefore, when the blades 23 rotate clockwise, for example, as shown in FIG. 4A, an airflow is generated in a direction inclined toward the direction of rotational movement of the blades 23 with respect to the downward direction, that is, diagonally downward to the right (the direction of the white arrow in FIG. 3). Therefore, in the airflow guide structure 70, the inlet 70a is provided on the left side of the rotation axis 21a (center axis _L70 ) of the VTOL rotor 20b when viewed from the front, so that when the two VTOL rotors 20a, 20b are started, the airflow generated by the rotation of at least one of the rotors, particularly one or more blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20b in this example, can be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 in the boom 18 via the inlet 70a.

3, the tip of the upper side of the upper structure 71 of the air flow guidance structure 70 is inclined obliquely upward to the left, and the upper end of the left side of the lower structure 72 is inclined obliquely upward to the left, so that in the air flow guidance structure 70, the tip of the upper side of the upper structure 71 faces the upper end of the left side of the lower structure 72, and thus the inlet 70a is inclined obliquely upward to the left and faces the rotation direction of the blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20b (rightward in FIG. 3) with respect to the central axis _L70 . As a result, the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20b can be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 in the boom 18 via the inlet 70a.

The airflow guidance structure 70 for the VTOL rotor 20b may be provided on the boom trunk between the rotation shafts 21a of the two VTOL rotors 20b, 20c (i.e., on the rear side of the VTOL rotor 20b) instead of or in addition to the boom trunk between the rotation shafts 21a of the two VTOL rotors 20a, 20b. In such a case, the airflow guidance structure 70 is provided on the side facing the rotation direction (leftward in this example) of the one or more blades 23 with respect to the rotation shaft 21a (center axis L70) of the VTOL rotor 20b in front view, that is, on the opposite side (right side in this example) of the rotation direction, on the surface of the boom 18 located below the rotation plane of one of the two VTOL rotors 20b, _20c , particularly the one or more blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20b in this example. Further, the inlet 70a is inclined obliquely upward to the right in the rotation direction (leftward in this example) of the blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20b with respect to the central axis _L70 . This allows the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20b to be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 in the boom 18 via the inlet 70a.

Figure 4B shows the configuration of the lower side of the air flow guidance structure 70 described above. The air flow guidance structure 70 provides an outlet 70b at a position opposite the inlet 70a on the lower side of the boom 18. This allows the air flow introduced through the upper inlet 70a to pass through the inside of the boom 18 and be discharged downward from the lower outlet 70b, allowing the air flow to pass efficiently through the inside of the boom 18.

The outlet 70b is provided on the side of the lower part of the boom 18 that follows the rotation direction (rightward in this example) of one or more blades 23 with respect to the rotation axis 21a (central axis _L70 ) of the VTOL rotor 20b in the front view, i.e., the side that corresponds to the rotation direction (right side in this example). In other words, the outlet is located on the opposite side of the inlet 70a with respect to the rotation axis 21a (central axis _L70 ) of the VTOL rotor 20b in the lower part of the boom 18. This makes the flow path of the airflow introduced through the inlet 70a longer in the boom 18, and the air comes into contact with the radiator 61 over a long distance before being led out of the outlet 70b, thereby efficiently cooling the radiator 61.

As shown in FIG. 3, the right end of the lower side of the lower structure 72 of the air flow guidance structure 70 faces downward, and the left inner surface of the right side of the upper structure 71 is formed in a streamlined shape facing downward. Therefore, in the air flow guidance structure 70, the right end of the lower side of the lower structure 72 faces the lower end of the right side of the upper structure 71, so that the outlet 70b faces more downward than the inlet 70a, which is inclined diagonally upward to the left. As a result, the air flow introduced into the boom 18 diagonally downward to the right through the inlet 70a is discharged more downward through the outlet 70b, thereby increasing the vertical thrust applied to the boom 18 (i.e., the aircraft body of the aircraft 100). In addition, with such a structure of the air flow guidance structure 70, the output of the fan 61e can also be used as vertical thrust applied to the boom 18 (i.e., the aircraft body).

In the air flow guide structure 70, the inlet 70a is provided at the top of the boom 18, but this is not limited thereto. As long as the air flow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 when the VTOL rotor 20 is started can be efficiently guided into the boom 18, the inlet 70a may be provided at any position between the top and the side of the boom 18.

5 shows a cross-sectional structure of a modified air flow guidance structure 70d taken along the reference line CC in FIG. 2A. The air flow guidance structure 70d has a central axis _L70 in the width direction. The central axis _L70 is parallel to the rotation shaft 21a of the VTOL rotor 20 and overlaps with the rotation shaft 21a in the front-rear direction at the same position in the width direction. The air flow guidance structure 70d is a structure that guides the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 to the radiator 61 in the boom 18, and has an upper structure 71d and a lower structure 72d.

The upper structure 71d is a member having a cross section shaped like a letter "7" that is inserted into the body of the boom 18 to form the upper and right sides, and the tip of the upper side curves further to the left and extends relative to the upper structure 71 described above. The tip of the upper side is inclined diagonally upward to the left. The upper side of the upper structure 71d functions as a beam 71a that is installed above the inlet 70a formed between the upper structure 71d and the lower structure 72d. This makes it possible to resist bending stress applied to the boom 18 including the air flow guide structure 70.

The lower structure 72d is a member having a generally L-shaped cross section that is inserted into the body of the boom 18 to form the lower and left sides, with the upper end of the left side positioned lower than the previously described lower structure 72. The tip of the left side slopes diagonally upward to the left. The lower side of the lower structure 72d functions as a beam 72a that is installed below the outlet 70b formed between the upper structure 71d and the lower structure 72d. This makes it possible to resist bending stresses applied to the boom 18 including the air flow guide structure 70.

By assembling the air flow guide structure 70d using the upper structure 71d and the lower structure 72d configured as described above, an inlet 70a for taking in air flow is formed on the left side and an outlet 70b for discharging air flow on the lower side is formed. The assembly of the air flow guide structure 70d is similar to that of the air flow guide structure 70 described above. As a result, the inlet 70a is formed between the upper side of the upper structure 71d and the left side of the lower structure 72d and is located on one side (suction side) of the radiator 61, and the outlet 70b is formed between the right side of the upper structure 71d and the lower side of the lower structure 72d and is located on the other side (exhaust side) of the radiator 61. At the same time, the radiator 61 is disposed between the inlet 70a and the outlet 70b within the boom 18, and is inclined with respect to the rotation axis 21a (i.e., the central axis _L70 ) of the VTOL rotor 20 such that the suction surface faces the inlet 70a and the exhaust surface faces the outlet 70b.

As described above, the blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20 have a pitch angle with respect to the plane of rotation in order to generate vertical thrust, as shown in FIG. 2A, for example. When the blades 23 rotate, an airflow is generated in a direction inclined toward the direction of rotational movement of the blades 23, i.e., diagonally downward to the right (the direction of the white arrow in FIG. 5). Therefore, in the airflow guide structure 70d, the inlet 70a is provided on the left side of the boom 18 when viewed from the front, so that when the two VTOL rotors 20a, 20b are started, the airflow generated by the rotation of at least one of the rotors, particularly one or more blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20b in this example, can be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 in the boom 18 via the inlet 70a.

5, the tip of the upper side of the upper structure 71d of the air flow guidance structure 70d is inclined obliquely upward to the left, and the upper end of the left side of the lower structure 72d is inclined obliquely upward to the left, so that in the air flow guidance structure 70d, the tip of the upper side of the upper structure 71d faces the upper end of the left side of the lower structure 72d, and thus the inlet 70a is inclined obliquely upward to the left and faces the rotation direction of the blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20b (rightward in FIG. 5) with respect to the central axis _L70 . As a result, the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20b can be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 in the boom 18 via the inlet 70a.

The rotation direction of the eight VTOL rotors 20 is determined so as to balance the reaction force and thrust acting on the aircraft by canceling out the reversing torques generated by each rotation. Depending on the position and rotation direction of the VTOL rotors 20, the fore-aft position in the boom 18 where the radiator 61 (i.e., the airflow guidance structure 70) is provided, and the fore-aft and widthwise positions of the inlet 70a (and outlet 70b) can be selected.

6A shows a first example of the installation position of the radiator 61 (i.e., the air flow guide structure 70) in the boom 18 in the front-rear direction and the installation position of the inlet 70a in the front-rear direction and the width direction. Here, the two booms 18 arranged on the left and right sides of the fuselage 12 are configured symmetrically because the rotation directions of the paired VTOL rotors of the four VTOL rotors 20 supported by each boom 18 are opposite to each other. Therefore, only the positions of the radiator 61 and the inlet 70a in the right boom 18 will be described here. Installation positions Pa to Pd are the installation positions of the VTOL rotors 20a to 20d in the front-rear direction, respectively, and the black arrows and the white arrows indicate the rotation directions of the blades 23 of the VTOL rotors 20a to 20d. In this example, the rotation directions of the VTOL rotors 20a and 20d are counterclockwise, and the rotation directions of the VTOL rotors 20b and 20c are clockwise. In addition, an axis extending in the front-rear direction and through which the rotation shafts 21a of the VTOL rotors 20a to 20d pass in a top view is defined as a central axis _L18 of the boom 18.

The radiator 61 has six installation positions, namely, two installation positions between installation positions Pa, Pb of the VTOL rotors 20a, 20b (rear installation position _61a12 of the VTOL rotor 20a and front installation position _61a21 of the VTOL rotor 20b), two installation positions between installation positions Pb, Pc of the VTOL rotors 20b, 20c (rear installation position _61a22 of the VTOL rotor 20b and front installation position _61a31 of the VTOL rotor 20c), and two installation positions between installation positions Pc, Pd of the VTOL rotors 20c, 20d (rear installation position _61a32 of the VTOL rotor 20c and front installation position _61a41 of the VTOL rotor 20d). Here, a radiator 61 for cooling the VTOL rotor 20a can be installed at installation position _61a12 , a radiator 61 for cooling the VTOL rotor 20b can be installed at installation positions _61a21 and _61a22 , a radiator 61 for cooling the VTOL rotor 20c can be installed at installation positions _61a31 and _61a32 , and a radiator 61 for cooling the VTOL rotor 20d can be installed at installation position _61a41 . The radiator 61 for cooling the VTOL rotor 20b may be installed at only one of the installation positions _61a21 and _61a22 . The radiator 61 for cooling the VTOL rotor 20c may be installed at only one of the installation positions _61a31 and _61a32 .

The installation positions _61a12 , _61a21 are at least partially located at the positions where the boom 18 is connected to the front wing 14, and the air flow guidance structure 70 can be more stably fixed to the boom 18 by utilizing the frame of the front wing 14 or the like. The installation positions _61a22 , _61a31 are at the body portion of the boom 18 supported between the front wing 14 and the rear wing 16, and the air flow guidance structure 70 can be more stably fixed to the boom 18. The installation positions _61a32 , _61a41 are at least partially located at the positions where the boom 18 is connected to the rear wing 16, and the air flow guidance structure 70 can be more stably fixed to the boom 18 by utilizing the frame of the rear wing 16 or the like.

The position of the inlet 70a in the front-rear direction is determined according to the installation position of the radiator 61 described above. Here, the inlet 70a can be provided on the surface of the boom 18 between the rotation shafts 21a of the two VTOL rotors 20 in an area below the rotation plane of one of the rotors. For example, an inlet _70a12 for guiding an airflow to the radiator 61 installed at the installation position _{61a12 is provided in an area below the rotation plane of one of the two VTOL rotors 20a, 20b} . Here, the inlet _70a12 may be arranged so that a part of the inlet 70a12 overlaps with the area directly below the rotation plane of the VTOL rotor 20a, or may be arranged within the area directly below the rotation plane. Thereby, when the VTOL rotor 20a starts, the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 can be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 installed at the installation position _61a12 via the inlet _70a12 .

Furthermore, the inlet _70a12 is located on the side facing the rotation direction (rightward at the position of the inlet _70a12 ) of one or more blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20a with respect to the rotation axis 21a (center axis _L18 ) of the VTOL rotor 20a, i.e., on the opposite side with respect to the rotation direction (left side in this example). Also, the inlet _70a12 may be inclined obliquely upward to the left, facing the rotation direction (rightward at the position of the inlet _70a12 ) of the blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20a with respect to the rotation axis 21a (center axis _L18 ). This allows the airflow generated by the rotation of the one or more blades 23 when the VTOL rotor 20a starts to be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 installed at the installation position _61a12 via the inlet _70a12 .

Further, the inlet 70a can be provided on the surface of the boom 18 between the rotation shafts 21a of the two VTOL rotors 20 in an area below the rotation plane of the other rotor. For example, an inlet 70a ₂₁ for guiding airflow to the radiator 61 installed at the installation position 61a ₂₁ is provided in an area below the rotation plane of the other VTOL rotor 20b of the two VTOL rotors 20a, 20b. Here, the inlet 70a ₂₁ may be arranged so that a part of it overlaps with the area directly below the rotation plane of the VTOL rotor 20b, or may be arranged within the area directly below the rotation plane. Thereby, the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 when the VTOL rotor 20b starts can be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 installed at the installation position 61a ₂₁ via the inlet 70a ₂₁ .

Furthermore, the inlet _70a21 is located on the side facing the rotation direction (rightward at the position of the inlet _70a21 ) of one or more blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20b with respect to the rotation axis 21a (center axis _L18 ) of the VTOL rotor 20b, i.e., on the opposite side with respect to the rotation direction (left side in this example). Also, the inlet _70a21 may be inclined obliquely upward to the left, facing the rotation direction (rightward at the position of the inlet _70a21 ) of the blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20b with respect to the rotation axis 21a (center axis _L18 ). This allows the airflow generated by the rotation of the one or more blades 23 when the VTOL rotor 20b starts to be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 installed at the installation position _61a21 via the inlet _70a21 .

The VTOL motors 20a and 20b rotate in opposite directions and move in the same direction (rightward in this example) between their respective rotation shafts 21a (installation positions Pa and Pb), so that the inlets _70a12 and _70a21 are both located on the side (left side in this example) facing the rotation direction of the rotation shaft 21a (center axis _L18 ) and are inclined diagonally upward to the left in opposition to the rotation direction. Here, the inlets _70a12 and _70a21 may be connected to form one common inlet. This allows the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 when at least one of the VTOL rotors 20a and 20b is started to be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 installed at the installation positions _61a12 and _61a21 via the inlets _70a12 and _70a21 .

Also, the inlet 70a can be provided on the surface of the boom 18, for example, in the front and rear areas of the rotation shaft 21a (installation position Pb) below the rotation plane of the VTOL rotor 20b. That is, in addition to the inlet _70a21 on the front side of the rotation shaft 21a (installation position Pb) of the VTOL rotor 20b, an inlet _70a22 for guiding airflow to the radiator 61 installed at the installation position _61a22 can be provided on the rear side. Here, the inlet _70a22 may be arranged so that a part of it overlaps with the area directly below the rotation plane of the VTOL rotor 20b, or may be arranged within the area directly below the rotation plane. As a result, when the VTOL rotor 20b starts, the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 can be efficiently guided through the two inlets _70a21 , _70a22 to the radiators 61 installed at the installation positions _61a21 , _61a22, respectively, and the VTOL rotor 20b can also be efficiently cooled using these two radiators 61. Note that the radiator 61 may be installed at only one of the installation positions _61a21 , _61a22 and used to cool the VTOL rotor 20b.

Two inlets _70a21 , _70a22 provided respectively in front of and behind the rotation shaft 21a (installation position Pb) of the VTOL rotor 20b are located on the side of the rotation shaft 21a (installation position Pb) of the VTOL rotor 20b facing the rotation direction of the one or more blades 23. That is, as described above, the inlet _70a21 is located on the side facing the rotation direction (rightward at the position of the inlet _70a21 ) of the one or more blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20b with respect to the rotation shaft 21a (central axis _L18 ) of the VTOL rotor 20b, i.e., on the opposite side of the rotation direction (left side in this example). The inlet _70a22 is located on the side facing the rotation direction (leftward at the position of the inlet _70a22 ) of one or more blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20b with respect to the rotation axis 21a (center axis _L18 ) of the VTOL rotor 20b, i.e., on the opposite side (right side in this example) with respect to the rotation direction. The inlet _70a22 may also be inclined obliquely upward to the right, facing the rotation direction (leftward at the position of the inlet 70a22) of the blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20b with respect to the rotation axis _21a . This allows the airflow generated by the rotation of the one or more blades 23 when the VTOL rotor 20b starts to be efficiently guided to the radiators 61 installed at the installation positions _61a21 and _61a22 via the inlets _70a21 and _70a22 , and the VTOL rotor 20b can be efficiently cooled using these two radiators 61. Alternatively, the radiator 61 may be installed at only one of the installation positions _61a21 and _61a22 and used to cool the VTOL rotor 20b.

Inlets _70a31 and _70a32 are provided in front of and behind the rotation shaft 21a (installation position Pc) of the VTOL rotor 20c. These are configured in the same manner as the inlets _70a21 and _70a22 described above. As a result, when the VTOL rotor 20c starts, the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 can be efficiently guided to the radiators 61 installed at the installation positions _61a31 and _61a32 via the inlets _70a31 and _70a32 , respectively, and the VTOL rotor 20b can be efficiently cooled using these two radiators 61. Note that the radiator 61 may be installed at only one of the installation positions _61a31 and _61a32 and used to cool the VTOL rotor 20c.

An inlet _70a41 is provided in front of the rotation shaft 21a (installation position Pd) of the VTOL rotor 20d. This is configured similarly to the inlet _70a12 described above, but with the left and right reversed. This allows the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 when the VTOL rotor 20d starts to be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 installed at the installation position _61a41 via the inlet _70a41 .

The VTOL motors 20c, 20d rotate in opposite directions, and rotate in the same direction (leftward in this example) between the respective rotation shafts 21a (installation positions Pc, Pd), so that the inlets _70a32 , _70a41 are both located on the side (right side in this example) facing the rotation direction of the rotation shaft 21a (center axis _L18 ) and are inclined obliquely upward to the right in opposition to the rotation direction. Here, the inlets _70a32 , _70a41 may be connected to form one common inlet. This allows the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 when at least one of the VTOL rotors 20c, 20d is started to be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 installed at the installation positions _61a32 , _61a41 via the inlets _70a32 , _70a41 .

6B shows a second example of the installation position of the radiator 61 in the boom 18 in the front-rear direction and the installation position of the inlet 70a in the front-rear direction and width direction. As before, only the positions of the radiator 61 and the inlet 70a on the right boom 18 will be described here. Installation positions Pa to Pd, the filled in black arrows and the hollow arrows, and the central axis _L18 are defined in the same way as before. In this example, the rotation direction of the VTOL rotors 20a and 20c is clockwise, and the rotation direction of the VTOL rotors 20b and 20d is counterclockwise. The installation positions of the radiator 61 are the same six as before.

An inlet _70a12 is provided behind the rotating shaft 21a (installation position Pa) of the VTOL rotor 20a. This is configured similarly to the inlet _70a12 described above, but with the left and right reversed. Inlets _70a21 and _70a22 are provided respectively in front of and behind the rotating shaft 21a (installation position Pb) of the VTOL rotor 20b. These are configured similarly to the inlets _70a21 and _70a22 described above, but with the left and right reversed. Inlets _70a31 and _70a32 are provided respectively in front of and behind the rotating shaft 21a (installation position Pc) of the VTOL rotor 20c. These are configured similarly to the inlets _70a31 and _70a32 described above. An inlet _70a41 is provided in front of the rotating shaft 21a (installation position Pd) of the VTOL rotor 20d. This is configured similarly to the inlet 70a ₄₁ previously described.

Here, the VTOL motors 20a, 20b rotate in opposite directions, and rotate in the same direction (leftward in this example) between their respective rotation shafts 21a (installation positions Pa, Pb), so that the inlets _70a12 , _70a21 are both located on the side (right side in this example) facing the rotation direction of the rotation shaft 21a (center axis _L18 ) and are inclined obliquely upward to the right in opposition to the rotation direction. Here, the inlets _70a12 , _70a21 may be connected to form one common inlet. This allows the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 when at least one of the VTOL rotors 20a, 20b is started to be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 installed at the installation positions _61a12 , _61a21 via the inlets _70a12 , _70a21 .

In addition, the VTOL motors 20b and 20c rotate in opposite directions, and rotate in the same direction (rightward in this example) between the respective rotation shafts 21a (installation positions Pb and Pc), so that the inlets _70a22 and _70a31 are both located on the side (left side in this example) facing the rotation direction of the rotation shaft 21a (center axis _L18 ) and are inclined obliquely upward to the left in opposition to the rotation direction. Here, the inlets _70a22 and _70a31 may be connected to form one common inlet. This allows the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 when at least one of the VTOL rotors 20b and 20c is started to be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 installed at the installation positions _61a22 and _61a31 via the inlets _70a22 and _70a31 .

In addition, the VTOL motors 20c, 20d rotate in opposite directions, and rotate in the same direction (leftward in this example) between the respective rotation shafts 21a (installation positions Pc, Pd), so that the inlets _70a32 , _70a41 are both located on the side (right side in this example) facing the rotation direction of the rotation shaft 21a (center axis _L18 ) and are inclined obliquely upward to the right in opposition to the rotation direction. Here, the inlets _70a32 , _70a41 may be connected to form one common inlet. This allows the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 when at least one of the VTOL rotors 20c, 20d is started to be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 installed at the installation positions _61a32 , _61a41 via the inlets _70a32 , _70a41 .

7A shows a third example of the installation position of the radiator 61 in the boom 18 in the front-rear direction and the installation position of the inlet 70a in the front-rear direction and width direction. As before, only the positions of the radiator 61 and the inlet 70a on the right boom 18 will be described here. Installation positions Pa to Pd, the filled in black arrows and the hollow arrows, and the central axis _L18 are defined in the same manner as before. In this example, the rotation direction of the VTOL rotors 20a and 20d is counterclockwise, and the rotation direction of the VTOL rotors 20b and 20c is clockwise.

There are two installation positions for the radiator 61, that is, one installation position (installation position _61a12 on the rear side of VTOL rotor 20a) is provided between installation positions Pa, Pb of VTOL rotors 20a, 20b, and one installation position (installation position _61a32 on the rear side of VTOL rotor 20c) is provided between installation positions Pc, Pd of VTOL rotors 20c, 20d. Here, the radiator 61 for cooling the VTOL rotors 20a, 20b can be installed at installation position _61a12 , and the radiator 61 for cooling the VTOL rotors 20c, 20d can be installed at installation position _61a32 .

The installation position _61a12 is at least partially located at a position where the boom 18 is connected to the front wing 14, and the air flow guidance structure 70 can be more stably fixed to the boom 18 by utilizing the frame of the front wing 14 or the like. The installation position _61a32 is at least partially located at a position where the boom 18 is connected to the rear wing 16, and the air flow guidance structure 70 can be more stably fixed to the boom 18 by utilizing the frame of the rear wing 16 or the like.

The position of the inlet 70a in the front-rear direction is determined according to the installation position of the radiator 61 described above. Here, the inlet 70a can be provided on the surface of the boom 18 between the rotation shafts 21a of the two VTOL rotors 20 in an area below the rotation plane of one of the rotors. For example, an inlet _70a12 for guiding an airflow to the radiator 61 installed at the installation position _{61a12 is provided in an area below the rotation plane of one of the two VTOL rotors 20a, 20b} . Here, the inlet _70a12 may be arranged so that a part of the inlet 70a12 overlaps with the area directly below the rotation plane of the VTOL rotor 20a, or may be arranged within the area directly below the rotation plane. Thereby, when the VTOL rotor 20a starts, the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 can be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 installed at the installation position _61a12 via the inlet _70a12 .

The one or more blades 23 of the two VTOL rotors 20a, 20b may rotate in different directions, and the inlet _70a12 may be provided in an area that partially includes each of the lower areas of the rotation planes of the two VTOL rotors 20a, 20b on the surface of the boom 18. This allows airflows generated by the rotation of the one or more blades 23 when the two VTOL rotors 20a, 20b are started to be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 in the boom 18 via the inlet _70a12 .

Furthermore, the inlet _70a12 is located on the side facing the rotation direction (rightward at the position of the inlet _70a12 ) of one or more blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20a with respect to the rotation axis 21a (center axis _L18 ) of the VTOL rotor 20a, i.e., on the opposite side (left side in this example) with respect to the rotation direction. Also, the inlet _70a12 may be inclined obliquely upward to the left, facing the rotation direction (rightward at the position of the inlet _{70a12 )} of the one or more blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20a with respect to the rotation axis _21a (center axis L18). This allows the airflow generated by the rotation of the one or more blades 23 when the VTOL rotor 20a starts to be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 installed at the installation position _61a12 via the inlet 70a12.

Further, an inlet _70a32 for guiding airflow to the radiator 61 installed at the installation position _61a32 is provided in an area below the rotation plane of one of the two VTOL rotors 20c, 20d. This is configured similarly to the inlet _70a12 described above, but with the left and right reversed. This allows the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 when the VTOL rotor 20c starts to be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 installed at the installation position _61a32 via the inlet _70a32 .

7B shows a fourth example of the installation position of the radiator 61 in the boom 18 in the front-rear direction and the installation position of the inlet 70a in the front-rear direction and width direction. As before, only the positions of the radiator 61 and the inlet 70a on the right boom 18 will be described here. Installation positions Pa to Pd, the filled in black arrows and the hollow arrows, and the central axis _L18 are defined in the same way as before. In this example, the rotation direction of the VTOL rotors 20a and 20c is counterclockwise, and the rotation direction of the VTOL rotors 20b and 20d is clockwise. The installation positions of the radiator 61 are the same two as before.

An inlet _70a12 is provided behind the rotating shaft 21a (installation position Pa) of the VTOL rotor 20a. This is configured similarly to the previously described inlet _70a12 . This allows the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 when the VTOL rotor 20a starts to be efficiently guided to the radiator ₆₁ installed at the installation position _61a12 via the inlet 70a12.

An inlet 70a ₃₂ is provided on the rear side of the rotation shaft 21a (installation position Pc) of the VTOL rotor 20c. This is configured similarly to the inlet 70a ₃₂ described above, but with the left and right reversed. This allows the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 when the VTOL rotor 20c starts to be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 installed at the installation position 61a ₃₂ via the inlet 70a ₃₂ .

The air flow guidance structure 70 of this embodiment is a structure for guiding the air flow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 of the VTOL rotor 20 to the radiator 61 of the cooling system 60 in an aircraft 100 equipped with a VTOL rotor 20 that generates vertical thrust during takeoff and landing and a cooling system 60 that cools the VTOL rotor 20, and is equipped with an inlet 70a provided on the surface of the boom 18 that supports the one or more blades 23 above and supports the radiator 61 internally, which is located below the plane of rotation of the one or more blades 23, on the side facing the rotation direction of the one or more blades 23 with respect to the rotation axis 21a of the VTOL rotor 20. According to this, the air flow guide structure 70 includes an inlet 70a provided on the surface of the boom 18 located below the rotational plane of the one or more blades 23, on the side facing the rotational direction of the one or more blades 23 relative to the rotation axis 21a of the VTOL rotor 20, so that when the VTOL rotor 20 starts up, the air flow generated by the rotation of the one or more blades 23 can be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 in the boom 18 via the inlet 70a.

The aircraft 100 according to this embodiment is equipped with a fuselage 12, front wings 14 and rear wings 16 extending laterally from the fuselage 12 to generate lift during cruising, a boom 18 extending in the fore-aft direction and supported at a distance from the fuselage 12 by these, a VTOL rotor 20 supported on the boom 18 and having one or more blades 23 that generate vertical thrust during takeoff and landing, a cooling system 60 that cools the VTOL rotor 20 using a radiator 61 arranged within the boom 18, and an airflow guide structure 70 that is provided in a part of the boom 18 and has a structure for guiding the airflow generated by the rotation of the one or more blades 23 to the radiator, the airflow guide structure 70 including an inlet 70a provided on the surface of the boom 18 located below the plane of rotation of the one or more blades 23, on the side facing the rotation direction of the one or more blades 23 relative to the rotation axis 21a of the VTOL rotor 20. According to this, the air flow guide structure 70 includes an inlet 70a provided on the surface of the boom 18 located below the rotational plane of the one or more blades 23, on the side facing the rotational direction of the one or more blades 23 relative to the rotation axis 21a of the VTOL rotor 20, so that when the VTOL rotor 20 starts up, the air flow generated by the rotation of the one or more blades 23 can be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 in the boom 18 via the inlet 70a.

The airflow guidance structure 70 according to this embodiment is a structure for guiding the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 of at least one of the two VTOL rotors 20 to the radiator 61 of the cooling system 60 in an aircraft 100 equipped with two VTOL rotors 20 that generate vertical thrust during takeoff and landing and a cooling system 60 that cools them, and is equipped with an inlet 70a provided between the rotation shafts 21a of the two VTOL rotors 20 on the surface of the boom 18 that supports the one or more blades 23 above and supports the radiator 61 internally.

The aircraft 100 according to this embodiment also includes a fuselage 12, front and rear wings 14 and 16 extending laterally from the fuselage 12 to generate lift during cruising, a boom 18 extending in the fore-aft direction and supported at a distance from the fuselage 12 by these wings, at least two VTOL rotors 20 supported on the boom 18 and each having one or more blades 23 that generate vertical thrust during takeoff and landing, a cooling system 60 that cools the two VTOL rotors 20 using a radiator 61 arranged within the boom 18, and an airflow guide structure 70 that is provided on a part of the boom and has a structure for guiding the airflow generated by the rotation of one or more blades 23 of at least one of the two VTOL rotors 20 to the radiator 61 and has an inlet 70a provided between the rotation axes 21a of the two VTOL rotors 20 on the surface of the boom 18. According to this, the air flow guide structure 70 has an inlet 70a provided between the rotation shafts 21a of the two VTOL rotors 20 on the surface of the boom 18, so that when the two VTOL rotors 20 start up, the air flow generated by the rotation of at least one or more blades 23 of at least one of them can be efficiently guided to the radiator 61 in the boom 18 via the inlet 70a.

The present invention has been described above using an embodiment, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiment. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiment. It is clear from the claims that forms with such modifications or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

The order of execution of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before" or "prior to," and it should be noted that the processes may be performed in any order, unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is explained using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, it does not mean that it is necessary to perform the processes in this order.

12...fuselage, 14...front wing, 14a...elevator, 16...rear wing, 16a...elevon, 16b...vertical tail, 18...boom, 18a...skin, 18b...rib, 18c...spar, 18d, 18e...space, 20, 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d...VTOL rotor, 21...motor, 21a...rotating shaft, 22...inverter, 23...blade, 29...cruise rotor, 32...pylon, 54...duct, 60...cooling system, 61...radiator, 61a...tube, 61a ₁₂ , 61a ₂₁ , 61a ₂₂ , 61a ₃₁ , 61a ₃₂ , 61a ₄₁ ...installation position, 61b...fins, 61c...upper tank, 61d...lower tank, 61e...fan, 61f...support member, 62...pump, 63...coolant tank, 64, 65...piping, 70, 70d...air flow guide structure, 70a, _70a12 , _70a21 , _70a22 , _70a31 , _70a32 , _70a41 ...inlet, 70b...outlet, 71, 71d...upper structure, 71a...beam, 71b...recess, 72, 72d...lower structure, 72a...beam, 72b...recess, 100...aircraft, L, _L18 , _L70 ...central axis, Pa, Pb, Pc, Pd...installation position.

Claims (17)

The torso and
A wing body extending laterally from the fuselage to generate lift during cruising;
a boom extending in a front-rear direction and supported by the wing body at a distance from the fuselage;
a rotor supported on the boom and having one or more blades for generating vertical thrust during takeoff and landing;
a cooling device that cools the rotor using a radiator disposed within the boom;
an airflow guide structure provided on a part of the boom for guiding an airflow generated by the rotation of the one or more blades to the radiator, the airflow guide structure including an inlet provided on a side of an upper part of the boom located below a rotation plane of the one or more blades, the side facing a rotation direction of the one or more blades with respect to a rotation axis of the rotor;
An aircraft equipped with The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the inlet is angled upwardly on the boom toward a rotational direction of the one or more blades. 3. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the airflow guidance structure further comprises an outlet provided on an underside of the boom. 4. The aircraft of claim 3 , wherein the outlet is located on a lower portion of the boom on a side following a rotational direction of the one or more blades relative to an axis of rotation of the rotor. The aircraft according to claim 3 or 4 , wherein the outlet is located in a lower part of the boom on an opposite side to the inlet with respect to a rotation axis of the rotor. 6. An aircraft as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5 , wherein the outlet is formed facing downwardly relative to the inlet. 7. An aircraft as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 6 , wherein the radiator is disposed within the boom between the inlet and the outlet. 8. The aircraft according to claim 7 , wherein the radiator is inclined with one surface facing the inlet and/or the other surface facing the outlet with respect to a rotation axis of the rotor. The air flow guide structure has an upper structure and a lower structure,
The outlet is formed between a side edge of the upper structure and a bottom edge of the lower structure,
9. The aircraft according to claim 3 , wherein a lower side of the lower structure forms a first beam body that is suspended below the outlet in a longitudinal direction of the boom . The air flow guide structure has an upper structure and a lower structure,
The inlet is formed between an upper edge of the upper structure and a side edge of the lower structure,
10. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein an upper side of the upper structure forms a second beam body that is suspended above the inlet in a longitudinal direction of the boom . 11. The aircraft of claim 10, wherein a space between the inner surface of the lower structure and the suction surface of the radiator narrows downwardly from the inlet. 12. The aircraft of claim 11, wherein an inner surface of the upper structure facing a suction surface of the radiator has a smaller curvature than an inner surface of the lower structure facing a suction surface of the radiator. 11. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the entire inlet is located on a side of the upper portion of the boom facing a rotation direction of the one or more blades with respect to a central axis in a width direction of the airflow guidance structure. The torso and
A wing body extending laterally from the fuselage to generate lift during cruising;
a boom extending in a front-rear direction and supported by the wing body at a distance from the fuselage;
a rotor supported on the boom and having one or more blades for generating vertical thrust during takeoff and landing;
a cooling device that cools the rotor using a radiator disposed within the boom;
an air flow guide structure provided on a part of the boom for guiding an air flow generated by rotation of the one or more blades to the radiator, the air flow guide structure including an inlet provided on a surface of the boom located below a rotation plane of the one or more blades, on a side facing a rotation direction of the one or more blades with respect to a rotation axis of the rotor;
The air flow guide structure further includes an outlet provided on a lower side of the boom,
The outlet is located on a side of the lower part of the boom that follows the rotation direction of the one or more blades relative to the rotation axis of the rotor.
aircraft. The torso and
A wing body extending laterally from the fuselage to generate lift during cruising;
a boom extending in a front-rear direction and supported by the wing body at a distance from the fuselage;
a rotor supported on the boom and having one or more blades for generating vertical thrust during takeoff and landing;
a cooling device that cools the rotor using a radiator disposed within the boom;
an air flow guide structure provided on a part of the boom for guiding an air flow generated by rotation of the one or more blades to the radiator, the air flow guide structure including an inlet provided on a surface of the boom located below a rotation plane of the one or more blades, on a side facing a rotation direction of the one or more blades with respect to a rotation axis of the rotor;
The air flow guide structure further includes an outlet provided on a lower side of the boom,
The outlet is located on the opposite side of the inlet with respect to the rotation axis of the rotor in the lower part of the boom.
aircraft. The torso and
A wing body extending laterally from the fuselage to generate lift during cruising;
a boom extending in a front-rear direction and supported by the wing body at a distance from the fuselage;
a rotor supported on the boom and having one or more blades for generating vertical thrust during takeoff and landing;
a cooling device that cools the rotor using a radiator disposed within the boom;
an air flow guide structure provided on a part of the boom for guiding an air flow generated by rotation of the one or more blades to the radiator, the air flow guide structure including an inlet provided on a surface of the boom located below a rotation plane of the one or more blades, on a side facing a rotation direction of the one or more blades with respect to a rotation axis of the rotor;
The air flow guide structure further includes an outlet provided on a lower side of the boom,
The outlet is formed facing downward relative to the inlet.
aircraft. The torso and
A wing body extending laterally from the fuselage to generate lift during cruising;
a boom extending in a front-rear direction and supported by the wing body at a distance from the fuselage;
a rotor supported on the boom and having one or more blades for generating vertical thrust during takeoff and landing;
a cooling device that cools the rotor using a radiator disposed within the boom;
an air flow guide structure provided on a part of the boom for guiding an air flow generated by rotation of the one or more blades to the radiator, the air flow guide structure including an inlet provided on a surface of the boom located below a rotation plane of the one or more blades, on a side facing a rotation direction of the one or more blades with respect to a rotation axis of the rotor;
The air flow guide structure further includes an outlet provided on a lower side of the boom,
the outlet is located on the retard side of a plane including a rotation axis of the rotor having a blade that sends an air flow to the inlet and a central axis in a width direction of the air flow guide structure, in an azimuth angle in which a rotation direction of the one or more blades is positive, in the lower part of the boom.
aircraft.

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