Archer Aviation, Inc.

Scott Graves

Alan D Tepe

Robert Wayne Moore

Wei Wu

Alan Baldwin

Stephen Michael Spiteri

Diego Silva

Giovanni Droandi

Bharat Tulsyan

Kerry Manning

Diederik Marius

Nathan Daniel Storrs

Michael Zwiers

Sujay Desai

An electric propulsion system for a vertical takeoff-and-landing aircraft having an inverter assembly, a gearbox assembly, an electric motor assembly. The inverter assembly, the gearbox assembly, and the electric motor assembly may be substantially aligned along an axis. The inverter assembly, a gearbox assembly, and electric motor assembly may each abut at least one of the others. The electric engine may use a liquid, such as oil, for cooling and lubricating components of the inverter assembly, gearbox assembly, and electric motor assembly. Further, the electric engine may use volumes of oil for cooling and lubricating components below a threshold volume so that the electric engines do not require a fire protective barrier.

Electric propulsion system for an aircraft including a motor located between a gearbox assembly and a propeller

An electric propulsion system for a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft having a heat exchanger to cool fluids used in an electrical engine, the electric propulsion system comprising at least one electrical engine mechanically connected directly or indirectly to a fuselage of the VTOL aircraft and electrically connected to an electrical power source. The electrical engine may comprise an electrical motor having a stator and a rotor; a gearbox assembly comprising a sun gear; at least one planetary gear; a ring gear; and a planetary carrier. The electric engine may include an inverter assembly comprising a thermal plate and an inverter assembly housing; an end bell assembly that is connected to the thermal plate of the inverter assembly; and a heat exchanger comprising an array of cooling fins and tubes.

Systems and methods for oil management in gearboxes for EVTOL aircraft

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for averting, shedding, or otherwise managing ice accretions that may develop during flight of an aircraft. Example systems and methods direct oil from a lubrication and cooling path to targeted sections of ice-prone surfaces to manage ice accretion in a way that does not unduly increase the total volume of oil, require larger pumps, or complicate the system.

Systems and methods for managing eVTOL flight in icing

Aircraft propulsion system including pump gear driven by planetary gearbox assembly

An electric propulsion system for a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, the electric propulsion system including an electrical motor having a stator and a rotor. The electric propulsion system may include a main shaft possessing at least one shoulder on an outer surface of the main shaft. The electric propulsion system may include a gearbox assembly comprising a sun gear that is concentrically aligned with the main shaft at least one planetary gear that interfaces with the sun gear. The electric propulsion system may include a planetary carrier, wherein a center of the planetary carrier is concentrically aligned with the main shaft. The electric propulsion system may include a propeller flange assembly that travels through the rotor, and an axial buttress positioned in the at least one shoulder located on the main shaft.

Systems and methods for, and components of, gearboxes for eVTOL aircraft

A motor gearbox assembly includes a gearbox housing that encloses a motor comprising a stator and a rotor, which is rotatable with respect to the stator. The rotor is rotatably mounted on a main power output shaft and is coupled to a first rotor pinion gear. The assembly further comprises a layshaft rotatably mounted in the gearbox housing outside of the motor, a first layshaft gear at a first axial end of the layshaft on a first side of the rotor and the stator, the first layshaft gear being engaged with the first rotor pinion gear and a second layshaft gear at a second axial end of the layshaft, the second axial end being on a second side of the rotor and the stator that is opposite the first side, the second layshaft gear being engaged with a power output gear coupled to the main power output shaft.

Motor gearbox assembly with layshaft for EVTOL aircraft

A rotor assembly has a sleeve, a rotor hub, a lamination core, and a plurality of tapered magnets disposed circumferentially around an inner diameter of the sleeve. The plurality of tapered magnets are configured to abut on one another. The plurality of tapered magnets includes a first set of tapered magnets and a second set of tapered magnets. Insertion of the first set of tapered magnets axially relative to the second set of tapered magnets is configured to increase a diameter of the sleeve. The rotor hub is configured to retain at least one of the lamination core, the plurality of tapered magnets, or the sleeve.

Rotor assembly including tapered magnets within a retaining sleeve and a method for assembling the same

A method for balancing a rotor of an electric engine, comprising: identifying an axis of rotation of the rotor, determining an imbalance present in the rotor by rotating the rotor about the axis of rotation, wherein determining the imbalance includes rotating the rotor and detecting an amplitude of the imbalance. The method further comprising: calculating an amount of mass to remove at a position along an inner circumference of the rotor such that a center of mass of the rotor coincides with the axis of rotation of the rotor and removing the amount of mass from the inner circumference of the rotor.

Systems and methods for improved gearboxes for EVTOL aircraft

An electrical propulsion system comprises an inverter, an electrical motor assembly, an assembly, and a rotor position sensor. The inverter comprises a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA). The electrical motor assembly comprises a stator and a rotor. The assembly is configured to rotate a propeller and comprises a moving component and a stationary component. The rotor position sensor comprises at least one sensor coupled to the PCBA, and a magnet located on the moving component. The at least one sensor is configured to detect a magnetic field of the magnet through the stationary component.

Systems, methods, and mechanical designs for inverters for eVTOL aircraft

An electric engine for a vertical takeoff-and-landing aircraft comprising an electric motor assembly including a stator and a rotor. The electric engine may comprise an inverter assembly, a gearbox assembly including a sun gear, and a main shaft including a length of the main shaft that extends from a first end of the main shaft through the gearbox assembly and through the electric motor assembly to a second end of the main shaft. The electric engine may include a hydrodynamic bearing located between the main shaft and sun gear, and a bearing including an inner race mechanically coupled to the main shaft and an outer race mechanically coupled to the rotor. The electric engine may include a bearing including an outer race mechanically coupled to an inner surface of the rotor.

Systems and methods for improved gearboxes for evtol aircraft

Aircraft electric propulsion system with overlapping shafts for gearbox oil distribution

The present disclosure relates generally to a method for balancing a rotor of an electrical engine of an electrical propulsion system comprising: identifying an axis of rotation of a rotor, wherein the rotor comprises a sacrificial layer having a mass M formed along a circumference of the rotor; determining an imbalance present in the rotor by rotating the rotor about the axis of rotation, wherein determining an imbalance includes marking the rotor, rotating the rotor, and detecting an amplitude of the imbalance; calculating an amount of mass k to add or remove at a position p along the sacrificial layer such that a center of mass of the rotor coincides with the axis of rotation of the rotor; and removing an amount of mass r from the sacrificial layer such that an amount of remainder mass n is present along the circumference of the rotor.

An electric propulsion system comprising an electric motor assembly. The electric motor assembly may include a housing having an internal volume, a stator ring disposed about a perimeter of the internal volume, and a rotor positioned within the stator. The electric motor assembly may include a main shaft connected to the rotor via a gear reduction, wherein the main shaft extends through the rotor. The electric motor assembly may include a collar connected to the main shaft, wherein the collar encircles the main shaft, and at least a portion of the collar is configured to direct a fluid away from the main shaft and toward the stator ring.

Systems and methods for oil maintenance in gearboxes for eVTOL aircraft

A motor gearbox assembly for an aircraft may comprise a layshaft configured to transmit torque from a rotor to a main power output shaft. The motor gearbox assembly may comprise a gearbox housing, a stator mounted inside the gearbox housing, a rotor rotatably mounted inside the stator on a main power output shaft and a layshaft rotatably mounted in the gearbox housing outside of the stator. The motor gearbox assembly may comprise a first ear reduction between the rotor and the layshaft, and a second gear reduction between the layshaft and the main power output shaft.

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Felton, CA, United States of America

Scott Graves