Abstract:
A ducted fan for a VTOL vehicle includes a substantially cylindrical duct having an inlet at an upper end and an outlet at a lower end, and an air mover unit located within the substantially cylindrical duct. The duct also includes inner and outer wall portions and a substantially annular upper lip connecting the inner and outer wall portions, thus defining the inlet. The substantially annular upper lip has opposed fore and aft portions and opposed side portions and is provided with at least first and second openings, respectively, at each of the opposed side portions. The first and second arrays of openings permit flow of air into at least first and second respective chambers formed within the duct, the first and second chambers connected by at least one passageway to thereby enable substantial equalization of surface pressure at the opposed side portions of the substantially annular upper lip.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/389,933 filed Oct. 5, 2010, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
         [0002]    This invention relates primarily to VTOL vehicle design and, more specifically, to ducted-fan configurations for VTOL vehicles. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A typical Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) vehicle may have one or more ducted fan units along or parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Ducted fans have several advantages over free rotors (i.e., rotors not enclosed within ducts), the most prominent of which is the ducted fan&#39;s thrust augmentation that is attained when the incoming air accelerates over a suitably designed duct inlet lip, causing low pressure that acts upon the upper lip surface, creating up to 25-30% of additional thrust as compared to a free rotor. 
         [0004]    Unfortunately, such augmentation comes at a price, mainly in the form of considerable rolling and pitching moments that are produced as a result of sideslip (i.e., sideward translational motion) or wind gusts. 
         [0005]    VTOL vehicles that rely on ducted fans for lift and that need to operate in gusty wind conditions, must combat rolling moments that can interfere with the vehicle&#39;s operation and stability. One method that is advocated by Yoeli (U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,166 B1) is to use either a plurality of parallel, spaced, control vanes pivotally mounted to, and across, the inlet end of the duct, or a combination of two rows or groups of rotatable control vanes, one row at the duct inlet and one row at the duct exit (or outlet). These rows or groups of control vanes, each located at a distance from the center of gravity of the duct that is approximately half the depth of the duct (i.e., the vertical distance between the duct inlet and outlet), are, when rotated, able to produce rolling moments in a direction that is parallel to the vanes&#39; axes of rotation, thereby opposing the adverse rolling moments caused by the lateral motion of the vehicle or alternatively, by a side-blowing wind when the vehicle is in hover. As this sideward motion increases, the vanes need to be rotated an increased amount until they reach the limit of the force that they can produce, with a consequent limit on the resistance to lateral wind or on the vehicle motion velocities. However, it has been discovered that adding vanes about the exit side of the duct may increase the total rolling moment acting on the duct. 
         [0006]    Another way of enhancing the resistance to side winds is increasing the effectiveness of the control vanes as advocated by Yoeli (PCT/IB2009/055656) by increasing the distance between the upper (or inlet) control vanes and the vehicle&#39;s center of gravity and/or the lower (or outlet) row or group of control vanes, if installed, and designing the inlet side of the duct to affect the shape of the flow field in the vicinity of the duct inlet so that the flow into the duct can be made more uniform. With this added uniformity of flow, the control vanes, when mounted outside the duct, would be able to benefit from having a larger moment arm but would still be exposed to relatively high inflow velocities (a desired effect), in spite of being either completely or partially outside the boundaries of the duct. 
         [0007]    Another way of coping with side winds as advocated by Yoeli (PCT/IL2007/001465) is designing selectively operated openings at the side walls of the duct preferably between the planes of the upper and lower vanes. The potential benefit of these side openings is the reduction of the sensitivity of the ducted fan to side airflow causing for example rolling moments. However, these methods have limits and a method is therefore desired for increasing the resistance of the duct to roll moments in order to enhance the ducted fan&#39;s ability to move sideways, perpendicular to the vanes&#39; longitudinal axes or to resist side gusts and forces. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    One way of reducing the roll moment (caused by side airflows) is by equalizing the pressures on the duct lips, hence equalizing the upward forces acting over the upwind and downwind lips of the duct, by perforating the duct lips and inter connecting the opposite lips enclosures (or compartments) to create a uniform pressure at both duct sides. Another way of reducing the roll moment especially when vanes or other surfaces are incorporated in the duct is by locating the openings in the side walls of the duct about the outlet side of the duct, as will be explained below. 
         [0009]    Accordingly, in one exemplary but non-limiting embodiment, there is provided a ducted fan for a VTOL vehicle comprising a substantially cylindrical duct having an inlet at an upper end and an outlet (or exit) at a lower end and an air mover unit (e.g., a rotor, propeller or fan); and, at least one arrangement of perforations (or holes) on the duct lips at either side of the duct, the arrangements connected to enable internal flow of air between them in order to equalize the pressure at the counter side lips of the duct. 
         [0010]    In another exemplary but nonlimiting example, the perforations mentioned hereinabove can be adjusted from various open to close positions in order to prevent dust, debris or other outside bodies from entering the duct. 
         [0011]    The invention also relates to a method of equalizing pressures, hence lift forces, at the upwind and downwind counter side lips of a ducted fan unit comprising an open-ended duct having an inlet and an outlet and an air mover unit, the method comprising: (a) perforating the lips of the duct at both upwind and downwind sides; and (b) connecting the enclosures of both lips to create equal pressure between them. 
         [0012]    In another exemplary but nonlimiting example, there is provided a ducted fan for a VTOL vehicle comprising a substantially cylindrical duct having an inlet at an upper end and an outlet at a lower end and an air mover unit; and, at least an arrangement of vanes located about the outlet end of the duct, the vanes extending substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the VTOL vehicle; and, an opening in at least one side wall of the duct close to the outlet end of the duct to allow through airflow thereby reducing the moment produced by the said vanes as result of the asymmetric flow through the duct due to side wind. The opening may be provided with a barrier (or cover) to affect the airflow yielding various forces and moments, and also may be shaped to improve its aerodynamic profile. 
         [0013]    The invention also relates to a method of reducing moments acting on a VTOL vehicle in flight, the VTOL vehicle having at least one ducted fan, the ducted fan having an inlet and an outlet and an air mover unit supported in the duct, between the inlet and the outlet; an arrangement of vanes located at least about the outlet of the duct, the vanes extending substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the VTOL vehicle, the method comprising: (a) making an opening in at least one side wall of the duct about the outlet end of the duct; and (b) allowing airflow through the opening to deflect the airflow blown from the upper inlet end to the lower outlet end of the duct yielding reduced moments. 
         [0014]    Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described in greater detail in connection with the drawings identified below. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]      FIG. 1   a - d  are schematic views of a VTOL ducted fan vehicle with openings in the walls of the ducts; 
           [0016]      FIGS. 2   a - 2   d  are cross sections and top views of ducted fan units with and without perforations and connections between duct lips; 
           [0017]      FIGS. 3   a - 3   b  are cross sections of flows at ducted fan units with and without vanes; 
           [0018]      FIGS. 4   a - 4   c  illustrate openings in the lower side walls of the ducts. 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  illustrate blinds or closures installed in the duct wall opening. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0020]      FIGS. 1   a - b  schematically illustrate top and perspective views of a ducted fan vehicle  10  which has two closed forward and aft ducts  12 , inside of which is mounted an air mover unit which may include a rotor (or propeller or fan) (not shown) which draws air into the duct via an inlet at the top of the duct, the air exiting at an outlet at the bottom of the duct. The side walls  13  of the forward and or the aft ducts may have openings  50  which are at between the planes of the top inlet and bottom outlet. Such openings can be advantageous when the vehicle is flying sideways or in gusty wind conditions being subject to side wind forces. One potential benefit of these side openings by possible air flowing through them is reducing the sensitivity of the ducted fan to side winds causing for example undesired roll moments. The openings may be fixedly open or selectively operated to monitor the through airflow as required. They can be of various sizes shapes and opening and closing features and mechanisms. However, although the side openings improve the tolerance of the duct to side forces and moments conditions, they have a detrimental effect on its thrust augmentation (or lift augmentation), thus reducing the lift force of the duct. This detriment is caused by the location of the openings or their upper part closer to the inlet lip thereby allowing inside airflow to enter the duct also from the side wall, which consequently reduces the inside mass airflow over the lip. 
         [0021]      FIG. 1   c  illustrates a perspective view of a ducted fan vehicle similar to the vehicles illustrated in  FIGS. 1   a - b  hereinabove but with openings  54  at the forward wall of the forward duct and the aft wall of the aft duct. Such openings can be advantageous in forward flight enhancing forward speed and reducing undesirable duct lip pitching moments by providing an alternative passage for the air thereby reducing the mass flow over the duct lips, which is the main cause of said pitching moments. 
         [0022]      FIG. 1   d  shows schematically a cross section through the ducted fan of a VTOL vehicle  10  comprising an open-ended generally cylindrical duct  12 , having a duct wall  13  and duct inlet lip of roughly radius R (though in many cases the lip geometric profile consists of a curve with varying radii), inside of which is mounted an air mover unit  14  which may be driven by either a powerplant or a gearbox (not shown, and located inside or outside the duct). The air mover unit  14  may include a rotor (or propeller or fan)  16  which draws air into the duct via an inlet  18 , the air exiting the duct at an outlet  20 . The side walls  13  of the forward and or the aft ducts may have openings  50  which are at between the planes of the upper inlet  18  and lower outlet  20 . As further explained in  FIG. 2   a  below, side winds cause asymmetric flows in the duct. Typically, the influence of the openings on reducing the moments created by asymmetric air flows over the upper lips of the duct increases as the openings are located closer to the lips. However, the upper location of the openings has a negative effect on the duct lift augmentation and also a minimal influence on resisting detrimental forces and moments created at the lower vanes installed about the outlet side of the duct. 
         [0023]      FIG. 2   a  shows schematically a cross section through the ducted fan of the VTOL vehicle of  FIG. 1   d  but without the openings  50  in the duct walls. It also shows schematically the typical flow pattern that exists around and inside a ducted fan when the VTOL vehicle encounters side wind flow Vw either due to its lateral motion sideways and or due to side wind gusts. As can be seen by the streamlines  22 , due to the contribution of the side wind Vw to the airflow caused by the suction force of the rotor  16 , the airflow velocity about the upwind side of the duct upper lip is larger in magnitude than the airflow velocity about the duct upper lip at the downwind side. Consequently, and consistent with Bernoulli&#39;s principle, the pressure Pu at the upwind side upper duct lip is lower than the pressure Pd at the downwind side, hence the resulting upward lift force Fu at the upwind side lip is larger in magnitude than the lift force Fd at the downwind side, which difference creates a rolling moment M on the duct. 
         [0024]      FIGS. 2   b  and  2   c  show how the duct  12  of  FIG. 2   a  can be modified to affect, through the design of the duct lip, the shape of the flow field in the vicinity of the duct inlet  18  so that the flows into the duct about the upwind and downwind side lips can be made more symmetric. With this added symmetry of flow, which decreases the difference between the pressures Pu and Pd and hence decreases also the difference between the lift forces Fu and Fd, the roll moment M is reduced accordingly adding the benefit of increased resistance of the ducted fan vehicle to side airflows. 
         [0025]      FIG. 2   b  is a cross section of a preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the upper, substantially annular duct inlet lip connecting inner and outer wall portions of the duct at both upwind and downwind sides modified to include perforations  23  through which air can pass in both directions from outside the lip inwards and from inside the lip outwards. At both upwind and downwind sides the space of the duct wall below the lip is enclosed into a closed chamber  24  by dividers  26  and  27  ( 27  shown in  FIG. 2   c ), and at least a tube  28  connects the two chambers  24  enabling airflow between them at both directions such that the outcome is a compartment comprising of the two chambers and the tube with all its parts having substantially the same inside pressure, as air is sucked from high pressure to low pressure zones to reach equilibrium. Because the lips are perforated, chambers  24  are not closed hermetically allowing air to flow through perforations  23  in both directions between the inside and the outside of the chamber, i.e. the inside and outside of the lip, and thereby, through the compartment&#39;s unified pressure mentioned hereinabove, causing the surface pressures at both upwind and downwind lips to substantially equalize, hence significantly reduce the corresponding forces and rolling moment M shown in  FIG. 2   a  hereinabove. 
         [0026]      FIG. 2   c  is a top view of the perforated duct  12  (air mover and rotor not shown) wherein the upwind and downwind chamber sections are determined by angle α between barriers  27 . Angle α is typically between 60° to 120° because the contribution of lift forces generated at lip surface close to the X axis of the duct, i.e.: at α&gt;120°, to the roll moment is of lesser significance. The dimensions and shape of Tube  28  are designed to accommodate the airflow at given lip perforation geometry (perforation area X number of perforations=total airflow area) calculated at maximum rotor performance and relative side wind velocity. The flow between the chambers  24  can be controlled or stopped by at least one gate  29  located in the tube-chambers compartment operative by mechanical, electric, hydraulic or pneumatic means such for example as valves, flow regulators, servomechanism, etc. It should be appreciated that the perforations can be of various shapes, sizes and configurations. They can be individual holes or matrix of holes drilled in the lip surface or be a mesh type layer comprising part of the lip. In one exemplary but nonlimiting disclosure the perforations can be operative to control airflow, achieved by opening and closing the perforations or part of them by curved screens that can slide over the duct lip to cover or uncover the perforations. It should be appreciated that the perforations  23  in the duct inlet lips must comprise of a relatively large number of small holes so as not to alter significantly the smoothness and shape of the lips themselves which alteration may have a detrimental effect on the flow of air into the duct. 
         [0027]    In another preferred embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 2   d  it is possible to have more than a single chamber at each duct side and also to have multiple connecting tubes. In an exemplary but nonlimiting implementation of the disclosed technology, the perforations are divided into clusters (or groups)  30  each group covers a separate chamber wherein the counter side chambers are connected by separate tubes  28  (not shown). This configuration is especially advantageous when only partial pressure equalizing is needed and the opening and closing of the perforations can be controlled by individual groups or multiple groups combined together. The location on the duct lip, geometry, size, quantity and type of perforations for each group is determined according to aerodynamic and engineering design considerations. It should be appreciated that by dynamic opening and closing the perforations or part of them hence affecting pressures at desired duct sides it is also possible to control the vehicle, especially enhance the control power in roll, or in other axes if they are provided with a similar lip perforations system. 
         [0028]    It should be also appreciated that the chambers described hereinabove may comprise of the whole inside hollow wall of the duct without installing a lower divider  26  as a bottom floor to separate between the chamber and the rest of the wall interior. Also, as the perforations expose the compartment or the duct wall interior to outside rain, dust, debris, etc, in another preferred embodiment of the invention, the perforations are protected by filters or separators that prevent dust and the like from entering the chambers, or alternatively sort them to be removed by opening and cleaning or purging the chambers. Rain water that penetrates the perforations is removed by drains or by valves installed at the bottom of the chambers or the hollow duct walls. Their mechanism of operation and control must have air pressure protection device in order to allow drainage of water without escape of air, avoiding undesired change in the inside pressure of the compartment. Since the ducted fan vehicle alters its positions and inclination angles during flight, it is advantageous to install a plurality of water drains at critical ‘deepest’ locations. In another preferred embodiment of the present disclosure air is blown continuously through the perforations from inside to outside the lip, for example by means of a compressor, air pump, scoops collecting external air or by using bleed air from the engine, thereby maintaining sufficient positive air pressure inside the chambers to prevent outside bodies from entering the holes keeping the chambers clean, and also providing for an even pressure at both upwind and downwind lips. 
         [0029]      FIG. 3   a  shows schematically a cross section through the ducted fan  12  of the VTOL vehicle of  FIG. 1   d  mentioned hereinabove but without the openings  50  in the duct walls. It also shows schematically the typical flow pattern that exists outside and inside a ducted fan when the VTOL vehicle encounters side wind flow Vw either due to its motion sideways and or due to side wind blows. The change in flow direction that is apparent in streamlines  32  from the entrance to the exit of the duct creates a momentum drag phenomena which causes moment M and force F to develop. Furthermore, the airflows create asymmetric air velocities and pressures on the inlet duct lips wherein the upwind side pressure Pu is smaller in magnitude than the downwind side pressure Pd due to more air suction at the upwind side, yielding corresponding lift forces Fu and Fd and thereby introducing inducing velocities which affect the downward flowing air streamlines in the duct. The asymmetric lift forces hence asymmetric induced velocities cause the air streamlines  32  flowing downward from the inlet lip to the outlet end of the duct to bend inside the duct inclined towards the upwind side, however as they reach the bottom outlet they become exposed to the external wind and bend to substantially align with the direction of the wind. 
         [0030]      FIG. 3   b  illustrates the duct of  FIG. 3   a  mentioned hereinabove with vanes  60  added to it about the outlet side. Typically vanes affect the airflow thus the controllability of the ducted fan vehicle. Due to the bending of the airflow as described in  FIG. 3   a , it impinges on the vanes  60  at an angle β yielding a lift force Lv acting on the vanes. The lift force Lv which is generated at distance from the roll axis of the duct located above the vanes creates a roll moment Mv which adds to the momentum drag causing an additional detriment compared to the situation without vanes installed. It should be appreciated that similar additional moments can be created also by bodies and elements other than vanes such for example as engine, transmission, landing gear, or other components of the vehicle as long as their shape and position may influence or interfere with the airflow at the exit side of the duct. 
         [0031]      FIG. 4   a  illustrates an exemplary but non-limiting embodiment of the invention, showing the ducted fan  12  of  FIG. 3   b  with openings  40  installed at the lower side walls of the duct. Airflow streamline  43  schematically represents flow pattern from outside to inside the duct through the openings  40  wherein the difference between the patterns of streamline  43  at the upwind and downwind sides occurs due to their merging with external wind and with downwards rotor air blowing  42 . Typically, a flow separation occurs about places like corner  45 . The interaction of downward streamlines  42  with streamlines  43  emerging from the openings  40  yields shifted resultant streamlines  44  which are more parallel having a smaller angle β relative to the vanes compared to the streamline profile and angle β described in  FIG. 3   b , thereby reducing the lift force Lv and the rolling moment Mv respectively. It should be appreciated that besides their beneficial influence on the vanes by reducing Lv and Mv, one another advantage of designing the said openings at the lower part of the duct wall, is minimizing the loss in lift augmentation compared to the loss that occurs when the openings are located at upper parts of the duct closer to the inlet lip. 
         [0032]      FIG. 4   b - c  schematically illustrate another exemplary but non-limiting embodiments of the present invention showing cross sections of inclined openings and rounded wall corners designed in order improve alignment with the through airflow streamlines.  FIG. 4   b  illustrates a cross section of openings  40  with their surfaces  46  inclined at angle γ substantially parallel to the anticipated air streamlines in the opening, and having various radii R at the wall corners, designed according to common design practice of ducted fan lip curvature relative to the dimensions of the duct which, as has been discovered, provide for improved airflows  43  in the duct.  FIG. 4   c  illustrates a top cross section of a forward facing duct of ducted fan vehicle  10  similar to the vehicle described in  FIG. 1   a  with rotor  16  and lower vanes  60  moving forward facing wind velocity Vf where the inclinations δ and corner radii R of surfaces  46  are substantially similar in principle to those described in  FIG. 4   b  hereinabove, but designed also in consideration of forward facing wind resulting an even further adjustment of the shape of the wall openings to aerodynamic flow regimes shown schematically as air streamlines  43  and  44 . It should be appreciated that the tilted surfaces and wall lip radii design principles as described for the forward duct hereinabove, are similarly applicable also for the aft duct of the vehicle, which further improve the overall air flows inside and along the vehicle, thus its overall flight performances. 
         [0033]    It has been also found that for the given ducted fan geometry the downwind side opening in the duct wall is significantly more effective in reducing the rolling moment than the opening in the upwind side, and consequently it would be advantageous to keep only the downwind opening without an upwind one because this will enhance the lift augmentation of the duct. However, since side wind is expected to blow from both directions depending on flight route and conditions, it is necessary to keep the upwind opening as well since, as understood, each opening can be at certain times either in the upwind or at the downwind side. Therefore, in another preferred embodiment the openings can be either fully or partially opened or closed adjusting to the sustaining flight and wind directions and conditions, preferably be closed when facing the upwind side and opened when facing the downwind side. This is achieved by installing closures at the openings that can be adjusted by servo, hydraulic or other common mechanisms and controlled either manually or programmed to change according to wind and flight conditions receiving feedback from wind velocity or pressure sensors or the like or actuated automatically by a spring or another device. The closures can be comprised of a sliding cover or arch made as one part or as a plurality of parts, or of spaced vanes, louvers or airfoils placed at the opening and turned between open and closed positions. It should be appreciated that for better performance the closures and their mechanisms are preferably designed such that when in fully closed position they substantially align as possible with the inner and outer planes of the duct in order to prevent aerodynamic flow disturbances at the duct. 
         [0034]      FIG. 5  schematically illustrates an exemplary but non limiting embodiment of the invention, showing a section of duct wall  13  with blinds (or closures)  70  pivotally installed in opening  40  rotatable between open and closed positions. When the blinds are open air can flow through opening  40  into the duct and merge with the air blown downward by rotor  16 . When in closed position the blinds act as a wall preventing through airflow. It should be appreciated that the forces produced on the blinds (which may be airfoil-shaped) when in various open positions can add control power to the vehicle mainly in yaw. In another preferred but non limiting embodiment of the invention the openings are closed by sliding curved plates which slide over the openings from open to closed positions. 
         [0035]    One another advantage of the blinds installed on the wall opening is their protection ability against accidental contact with the rotating rotor blades which may be fatal. In another preferred embodiment of the invention, when blinds are not installed or they are not fit to protect against accidents, the openings  40  may be covered with protectors (not shown) aimed to prevent accidental contact between the rotors and persons or objects. The protectors may be made for example of strong bars, rods, rails, net or the like made of metal or composite materials with their spacing designed to prevent injury and damage but allow a relatively free airflow. 
         [0036]    It should be appreciated that the configuration of the perforations and side wall openings and their performances as disclosed hereinabove may vary to other preferred embodiments, for example, they can be combined together or with other means to reduce roll moment such for example as tilting of the vanes at the inlet or outlet ends of the ducts to asymmetrically block partial airflow in the duct. Since in most cases winds do not blow exactly parallel to the lateral or the longitudinal axes of the ducted fan vehicle, their streamlines cause merged roll and pitch moments rather than pure roll or pure pitch. Therefore, it should be further appreciated that the side walls openings described hereinabove can be combined with openings at the forward and aft walls of the duct, or of the ducted fan vehicle such for example as openings  54  described in  FIG. 1   c . This combination extends the overall resistance of the vehicle to winds blowing from substantially all directions creating mixed pitch and roll moments. 
         [0037]    In another preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the openings  54  described in  FIG. 1   c  can be divided into two sections, one upper above the rotor level and the other lower below it. This enables combining the lower section which is close to the duct outlet with the side openings described hereinabove without interfering with the opening at the upper section. In the example shown in  FIG. 5  hereinabove the division of the opening into two sections can be achieved by splitting the blinds  70  into two parts, upper and lower, each part operative separately from the other part treating the corresponding upper and lower sections. 
         [0038]    While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.