Airbus Helicopters

Eurocopter

Onera (office National D'etudes Et De Recherches Aerospatiales)

Societe Anonyme Dite: Eurocopter France

Onera

Paul Gerard Eglin

Remy Huot

Nicolas Queiras

Raphael Fukari

Antoine Conroy

Marc Salesse-Lavergne

Philippe Alain Rollet

Bernard Gemmati

Francois Malburet

Jean-Jacques Ferrier

Martin Embacher

Olivier Barais

Jerome Geneix

Frederic Guntzer

Jean-Paul Pinacho

Itham Salah El Din

Caroline Lienard

Nicholas Queiras

André Barraco

Jérôme Geneix

Rémy Huot

François Malburet

Frédéric Guntzer

Raphaël Fukari

An aircraft comprising two half-wings extending to either side of an airframe. The aircraft comprises at least one propeller arranged in the rear part of the airframe. The aircraft comprises a rotary wing provided with two synchronized counter-rotating rotors carried respectively by the half-wings. The aircraft comprises a power plant comprising at least one engine and a mechanical interconnection system connecting the power plant permanently to the rotors except in the event of failure and during training, and to the at least one propeller.

Aircraft having at least one propeller and a rotary wing provided with two rotors carried by two half-wings

A rotorcraft including a first power plant, at least one main rotor participating at least in providing lift for the rotorcraft in the air, and at least one tail rotor carried by a tail boom, the first power plant including at least one engine. In accordance with the invention, the rotorcraft includes: at least one pusher or puller propeller independent from the at least one main rotor, the at least one pusher or puller propeller participating at least in providing propulsion or traction for the rotorcraft; a second power plant including at least one electric motor; and at least one control member configured to generate a control setpoint or instruction for controlling the at least one electric motor.

Hybrid rotorcraft having at least one pusher or puller propeller, and an associated piloting method

A method of reducing the noise generated in-flight by a vortex wake caused by each first blade of a main rotor of a hybrid helicopter. The hybrid helicopter includes a main rotor, at least two wings and at least one propeller. The method enables a stabilized flight phase on the level or with a non-zero aerodynamic slope to be implemented by determining a first value of the pitch of the second blades of each propeller and an angle of incidence of the main rotor as function of the flight conditions, then by applying the first pitch value to each propeller and by applying the angle of incidence to the main rotor so as to direct the vortex wake to limit the noisy interactions between the vortex wake and the other first blades and/or the second blades.

Method and a system for reducing the in-flight noise from a hybrid helicopter by managing the angle of incidence of its main rotor and the thrust from each propeller

The present invention relates to a control method in case of engine failure of a hybrid helicopter having a power plant connected to at least one lift rotor and to at least one propeller, said lift rotor having a plurality of first blades and said at least one propeller having a plurality of second blades. The method comprises the following steps: (i) measuring a forward speed of the hybrid helicopter, (ii) on condition that said forward speed is greater than a first speed threshold and that each engine has failed, automatically implementing a first emergency piloting mode comprising a step for automatic reduction by an automatic piloting system of a pitch of said second blades toward an objective pitch making said at least one propeller produce a motive power which is transmitted to the lift rotor.

Method for controlling a hybrid helicopter in the event of an engine failure

A method for optimizing the operation of at least one first propeller and of at least one second propeller of a hybrid helicopter. The method comprises the following step during a control phase: deflection, with an autopilot system, of at least one aerodynamic stabilizer member into a setpoint position having, with respect to a reference position, a target deflection angle that is a function of a setpoint deflection angle, the setpoint deflection angle being calculated by the autopilot system in order to compensate for a torque exerted by the lift rotor at zero sideslip.

Method for controlling at least one aerodynamic stabilizer member of a hybrid helicopter, and a hybrid helicopter

A method of controlling at least a first pitch of a first propeller and a second pitch of a second propeller of a hybrid helicopter, the hybrid helicopter having a thrust control and a yaw control that are configured to generate orders for modifying respectively a mean pitch component and a differential pitch component of the first pitch and of the second pitch, the hybrid helicopter having a collective pitch control for modifying a collective pitch component of main blades of the lift rotor. The method includes a step of: keeping with the control system the first pitch and the second pitch within a control domain that varies as a function of information relating to the collective pitch component.

Method of controlling propellers of a hybrid helicopter, and a hybrid helicopter

A method of providing torque protection and/or thrust protection for the or each propeller of a hybrid helicopter. The hybrid helicopter includes a control system connected to the blades of each propeller and a thrust control configured to generate an order for modifying a pitch of the blades, which order is transmitted to the control system, the propeller(s) being driven in rotation by a mechanical transmission system of the hybrid helicopter. The method includes a step of having the control system keep the pitch of the blades of a propeller within at least one control envelope relating to a thrust generated by the propeller or to a torque exerted in the mechanical transmission system. In this way, the pitch of the blades of each propeller is kept between a lower limit and an upper limit of the control envelope.

Method of providing torque protection and/or thrust protection for propellers of a hybrid helicopter, and a hybrid helicopter

A method for controlling a hybrid helicopter having at least one lifting rotor, at least one forward-movement propeller and an empennage provided with at least one moveable empennage surface. The method includes the following steps: using a main sensor to determine a current value of a rotor parameter conditioning a current power drawn by the lifting rotor, using an estimator to determine a current setpoint of the rotor parameter, adjusting a position of the moveable empennage surface using a deflection controller as a function of the current value and of current setpoint.

Method for piloting a hybrid helicopter having an airframe maintained at constant incidence by regulating a position of at least one mobile tail unit surface

A method of protecting a margin for controlling the yaw attitude of a hybrid helicopter that includes a lift rotor as well as at least one first propeller and at least one second propeller. A thrust control is configured to generate at least a first order issued to increase a first pitch of first blades of the first propeller and a second pitch of second blades of the second propeller. After a first order has been issued, the method includes an inhibition step for having a control computer inhibit the first order when a yaw attitude control margin, with regard to an envelope delimiting a flight control domain, is and/or will be less than or equal to a threshold.

Method of protecting a margin for controlling the yaw attitude of a hybrid helicopter, and a hybrid helicopter

A method of automatically adjusting lift in a hybrid rotorcraft, the hybrid rotorcraft including a fuselage and at least two half-wings on either side of the fuselage, the at least two half-wings including at least one left half-wing having a left fixed structure secured to the fuselage and at least one left flap mounted to move relative to the left fixed structure, and at least one right half-wing having a right fixed structure secured to the fuselage and at least one right flap mounted to move relative to the right fixed structure. The method determines at least one first deflection angle setpoint &#x3b4;wby which the at least one left flap is to be deflected relative to the left fixed structure and at least one second deflection angle setpoint &#x3b4;wby which the at least one right flap is to be deflected relative to the right fixed structure.

Method of automatically adjusting lift provided for a hybrid rotorcraft, and an associated hybrid rotorcraft

A method of improving a blade and also an improved blade and a advancement propeller including the improved blade. The radius of the initial leading edge circle of each airfoil of the blade is increased, and its leading edge is moved away from a pressure side half-airfoil towards a suction side half-airfoil, thereby modifying the airfoil of each cross-section of the blade and modifying the camber of each airfoil. Consequently, the absolute value of the negative stall angle of attack of the blade is increased, thus making it possible to increase the aerodynamic performance of the blade under a negative angle of attack compared with a blade that is not modified, and without significantly degrading its aerodynamic performance under a positive angle of attack.

Method of improving a blade so as to increase its negative stall angle of attack

A method of determining an initial leading edge circle for airfoils of a blade and of improving a blade, and also an improved blade and a advancement propeller including the improved blade. The radius of the initial leading edge circle of each airfoil of the blade is determined and then increased, and its leading edge is moved away from a pressure side half-airfoil towards a suction side half-airfoil, thereby modifying the airfoil of each cross-section of the blade and modifying the camber of each airfoil. Consequently, the absolute value of the negative stall angle of attack of the blade is increased, thus making it possible to increase the aerodynamic performance of the blade under a negative angle of attack compared with a blade that is not modified, and without significantly degrading its aerodynamic performance under a positive angle of attack.

Method of determining an initial leading edge circle of airfoils of a blade and of improving the blade in order to increase its negative stall angle of attack

A hybrid type rotorcraft having a main rotor, at least two propulsion elements each mounted on respective half-wings arranged symmetrically on either side of an anteroposterior midplane XOZ, a horizontal stabilizer arranged in a rear zone of the rotorcraft on either side of the anteroposterior midplane XOZ, and two fins arranged respectively on either side of the anteroposterior midplane XOZ, each of the two fins comprising a respective left/right bottom fin airfoil arranged below the horizontal stabilizer and a respective left/right top fin airfoil arranged above the horizontal stabilizer.

Hybrid type rotorcraft having a horizontal stabilizer and two fins arranged on the horizontal stabilizer

An autopilot device and method for automatically piloting a rotary wing aircraft, having at least one propulsion propeller, the rotary wing including at least one rotor with blades, the device including a processor co-operating with at least one collective control system for controlling the collective pitch of the blades. The device includes engagement means connected to the processor for engaging an assisted mode of piloting for maintaining an angle of attack, the processor automatically controlling the collective pitch of the blades when the assisted mode of piloting for maintaining an angle of attack is engaged by controlling the collective control system to maintain an aerodynamic angle of attack (&#x3b1;) of the aircraft at a reference angle of attack (&#x3b1;*).

Method for automatic piloting of a rotary wing aircraft having at least one thruster propeller, associated automatic autopilot device, and aircraft

An autopilot device () and method for automatically piloting a rotary wing aircraft (), having at least one propulsion propeller (), said rotary wing comprising at least one rotor () with a plurality of blades (), said device comprising a processor unit () co-operating with at least one collective control system () for controlling the collective pitch of said blades (). The device includes engagement means () connected to the processor unit () for engaging an assisted mode of piloting for maintaining an angle of attack, said processor unit () automatically controlling the collective pitch of the blades () when the assisted mode of piloting for maintaining an angle of attack is engaged by controlling said collective control system to maintain an aerodynamic angle of attack (&#x3b1;) of the aircraft at a reference angle of attack (&#x3b1;*).

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Aix en Provence, France

Paul Gerard Eglin