Hybrid Drive and Fuel Vaporizer for UAV and Other Mobile Environments

Abstract

A hybrid drive having a load shaft; a motor/generator coupled to the load shaft; an internal combustion engine; an electromagnetic clutch, configured to disengageably couple the internal combustion engine to the load shaft, and located between the motor/generator and the internal combustion engine; and a power supply, coupled to the motor/generator and to the clutch.

Description

Claims

1. A hybrid drive comprising: a load shaft;a motor/generator coupled to the load shaft;an internal combustion engine;an electromagnetic clutch, configured to disengagably couple the internal combustion engine to the load shaft, and located between the motor/generator and the internal combustion engine; anda power supply, coupled to the motor/generator and to the clutch.

2. (canceled)

3. A hybrid drive, according to claim 1, configured so that the internal combustion engine both drives the load shaft and causes the motor/generator to recharge the power supply.

4. A hybrid drive, according to claim 1, configured so that the internal combustion engine is started by energy from the power supply delivered to the motor/generator.

5. (canceled)

6. (canceled)

7. A hybrid drive according to claim 1, further comprising a fuel vaporizer coupled to the internal combustion engine, the fuel vaporizer comprising a body, a fuel inlet, an air inlet, an air/fuel outlet, and a heater that vaporizes the fuel, wherein the air inlet is disposed in a direction tangential to fuel flow so as to cause formation of an air vortex that mixes with fuel from the fuel inlet.

8. An aircraft having a hybrid drive according to claim 1, further comprising a thruster coupled to the load shaft.

9. A method of achieving a quiet mode of operation of a UAV using the hybrid drive of claim 1, the method comprising, in the following order: (1) turning off the internal combustion engine when the quiet mode of operation is required and driving the load shaft solely with the motor/generator; and(2) restarting the internal combustion engine when the quiet mode of operation is no longer required, using the motor/generator to restart the internal combustion engine.

10. (canceled)

11. A method of achieving a dash speed operation of an UAV using the hybrid drive of claim 1, the method including driving the load shaft with both the motor/generator and the internal combustion engine.

12. (canceled)

13. A hybrid drive, according to claim 1, wherein the power supply includes an electronic control unit configured to switch the motor/generator’s mode of operation to a mode of operation selected from the group consisting of motor operation, generator operation, and combinations thereof.

14-19. (canceled)

20. A hybrid drive according to claim 7, wherein the heater is operated by an arrangement selected from the group consisting of electrical means, exhaust gas, and combinations thereof.

21. A hybrid drive comprising: a load shaft;a electric motor, coupled to the load shaft;an over-running one-way clutch, coupled to the load shaft;a motor/generator, disengageably coupled to the load shaft through the over-running one-way clutch;an internal combustion engine, coupled to the load shaft and the electric motor, so that the load shaft is driven by a source selected from the group consisting of the electric motor, the internal combustion engine in combination with the motor/generator, and the internal combustion engine in combination with the motor/generator and the electric motor; anda power supply, coupled to the electric motor and the motor/generator.

22. A hybrid drive, according to claim 21, configured so that the internal combustion engine both drives the load shaft and causes the motor/generator to recharge the power supply.

23. A hybrid drive, according to claim 21, configured so that the internal combustion engine is started by energy from the power supply delivered to the motor/generator.

24. A hybrid drive according to claim 21, further comprising a fuel vaporizer coupled to the internal combustion engine, the fuel vaporizer comprising a body, a fuel inlet, an air inlet, an air/fuel outlet, and a heater that vaporizes the fuel, wherein the air inlet is disposed in a direction tangential to fuel flow so as to cause formation of an air vortex that mixes with fuel from the fuel inlet.

25. A hybrid drive according to claim 24, wherein the heater is operated by an arrangement selected from the group consisting of electrical means, exhaust gas, and combinations thereof.

26. An aircraft having a hybrid drive according to claim 21, further comprising a thruster coupled to the load shaft.

27. A method of achieving a quiet mode of operation of a UAV using the hybrid drive of claim 21, the method comprising, in the following order: (1) turning off the internal combustion engine when the quiet mode of operation is required and driving the load shaft solely with the electric motor; and(2) restarting the internal combustion engine when the quiet mode of operation is no longer required, using the motor/generator to restart the internal combustion engine.

28. A method of achieving a dash speed operation of an UAV using the hybrid drive of claim 21, the method including driving the load shaft with a combination of the motor/generator, the electric motor, and the internal combustion engine.

29. A hybrid drive, according to claim 21, wherein the power supply includes an electronic control unit configured to switch the motor/generator’s mode of operation to a mode of operation selected from the group consisting of motor operation, generator operation, and combinations thereof.

30. An improved fuel vaporizer, of the type coupled for use with an internal combustion engine, and including a body, a fuel inlet, an air inlet, an air/fuel outlet, and a heater that vaporizes the fuel, wherein the improvement is characterized in that the air inlet is disposed in a direction tangential to fuel flow so as to cause formation of an air vortex that mixes with fuel from the fuel inlet.

31. An improved fuel vaporizer according to claim 30, wherein the heater is operated by an arrangement selected from the group consisting of electrical means, exhaust gas, and combinations thereof.