Modularized tailstock type coaxial unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The utility model provides a modularized tailstock type coaxial unmanned aerial vehicle, which belongs to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles and comprises a coaxial unmanned aerial vehicle module A, wing modules B and a tail thrust module C. The wing modules B are detachably connected to two sides of the coaxial unmanned aerial vehicle module A. The tail thrust module C is detachably connected to the tail of the coaxial unmanned aerial vehicle module A; the coaxial unmanned aerial vehicle module A comprises an upper rotor blade, a lower rotor blade, a fuselage and a periodic variable-pitch steering engine room, the periodic variable-pitch steering engine room is mounted at the top of the fuselage, and the upper rotor blade is mounted at the top of the periodic variable-pitch steering engine room. The problems that a conventional coaxial unmanned aerial vehicle is short in endurance time, short in voyage and low in flight speed, and a conventional tailstock type unmanned aerial vehicle is low in hovering efficiency and forward flight efficiency due to the fact that a rotor wing needs to give consideration to hovering and cruising states are solved.

Description

Modular tail-mounted coaxial drone Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, specifically relating to a modular tail-mounted coaxial UAV. Background Technology

[0002] A drone consists of multiple systems, including the frame, arms, motors, antenna, image transmission, and flight control. These systems combine to form a drone, which is suitable for applications in fields such as aerial photography, agriculture, plant protection, mini selfies, express delivery, disaster relief, wildlife observation, infectious disease monitoring, surveying, news reporting, power line inspection, disaster relief, and film and television production.

[0003] Currently, the flight time of most drones on the market is relatively short, generally around 40 minutes. For example, an existing electric coaxial drone rotor system with application number CN202220426506.9 directly drives the rotation speed of the two rotors to control the vertical take-off and landing and yaw control of the helicopter, thereby reducing the complexity of the traditional electric coaxial drone control system and reducing the number of control system parts. However, such coaxial drones have short flight time, short range, and low flight speed. In addition, conventional tail-seat drones have to balance hovering and cruising states, so the hovering efficiency and forward flight efficiency are not high. Therefore, a modular tail-seat coaxial drone is proposed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This utility model provides a modular tail-seat coaxial UAV, which aims to solve the problems of short endurance, short range, and low flight speed of conventional coaxial UAVs, as well as the low hovering efficiency and forward flight efficiency of conventional tail-seat UAVs because the rotor has to take into account both hovering and cruising states.

[0005] This utility model embodiment provides a modular tail-mounted coaxial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), including a coaxial UAV module A, a wing module B, and a tail thrust module C.

[0006] The wing module B is detachably connected to both sides of the coaxial UAV module A, and the tail thrust module C is detachably connected to the tail of the coaxial UAV module A.

[0007] The coaxial UAV module A includes an upper rotor blade, a lower rotor blade, a fuselage, and a cyclic variable pitch servo nacelle. The cyclic variable pitch servo nacelle is installed on the top of the fuselage, the upper rotor blade is installed on the top of the cyclic variable pitch servo nacelle, and the lower rotor blade is installed between the cyclic variable pitch servo nacelle and the fuselage.

[0008] The upper and lower rotor blades can be folded to fit snugly against the fuselage, and the UAV can switch between hovering mode and high-speed level flight mode by switching the rotor working state in conjunction with the thrust of the tail thrust module C.

[0009] Furthermore, landing gear is also installed at the bottom of the fuselage, and the upper rotor blades and lower rotor blades rotate in opposite directions, so that the lift can be changed by changing the rotation speed.

[0010] Furthermore, the wing module B includes a leading-edge extension, a wing, a vertical tail, a rudder, and an elevon. The leading-edge extension is mounted on the wing and close to the fuselage. The vertical tail is mounted on the end of the wing away from the fuselage. The rudder is mounted at the end of one side of the vertical tail. The elevon is mounted at the bottom of the wing.

[0011] Furthermore, the wing module B is also provided with a wing-fuselage connection interface located on the wing and close to the fuselage.

[0012] Furthermore, the tail thrust module C includes a thrust propeller and a thrust chamber, wherein a thrust motor and a thrust electronic speed controller are provided in the thrust chamber, and the thrust motor is connected to the thrust propeller.

[0013] Furthermore, the cyclic pitch servo nacelle is equipped with pitch and roll servos, which control the cyclic pitch angle of the upper and lower rotors in conjunction with the automatic swashplate.

[0014] Furthermore, the landing gear includes four support legs, each consisting of two plate load-bearing components, which are used to reduce downwash airflow resistance during hovering and low-speed flight.

[0015] Furthermore, the coaxial UAV module A has mechanical and communication connection interfaces with the wing module B on both sides of the middle part of its fuselage;

[0016] The bottom of the coaxial UAV module A has mechanical, power, and communication connection interfaces with the tail thrust module C.

[0017] Furthermore, the modular tail-mounted coaxial UAV also includes a central wing module D, which connects two coaxial UAV modules A to form a dual-fuselage or multi-fuselage structure.

[0018] Furthermore, the central wing module D is equipped with a central wing elevator to achieve overall aircraft pitch control.

[0019] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0020] 1. It can achieve higher flight efficiency, endurance, range, and maximum flight speed than coaxial drones;

[0021] 2. This utility model, through its upper and lower rotor blades, can achieve higher forward flight efficiency and hovering efficiency than conventional tail-mounted UAVs.

[0022] 3. This utility model features a modular design that allows for the detachable configuration of the coaxial UAV module A, wing module B, tail thrust module C, and central module D. This modular design enhances the flexibility of the UAV and meets the needs of different missions.

[0023] Other features and advantages of this invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent in part from the description, or may be learned by practicing the invention. The objects and other advantages of this invention can be realized and obtained by means of the structures particularly pointed out in the description and the drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the present invention and form part of the specification. They are used together with the embodiments of the present invention to explain the present invention, but do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0025] Figure 1 shows the overall layout of a tail-mounted coaxial UAV.

[0026] Figure 2 shows the composition of a tail-mounted coaxial UAV module;

[0027] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the folded rotor state of the coaxial UAV module;

[0028] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the coaxial UAV module rotor deployment state;

[0029] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the folded rotor of a tail-mounted coaxial UAV.

[0030] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the tail-mounted coaxial UAV rotor deployment state;

[0031] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the body attitude and incoming flow direction of a tail-seat coaxial UAV during low-speed flight.

[0032] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the body attitude and incoming flow direction when a tail-seat coaxial UAV transitions from hovering to high-speed level flight.

[0033] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a tail-mounted coaxial UAV transitioning from hovering to level flight.

[0034] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a tail-mounted coaxial UAV with its rotor stopped in level flight.

[0035] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the rotor folding state in level flight of a tail-mounted coaxial UAV.

[0036] Figure 12 shows the layout of a twin-fuselage tail-mounted UAV.

[0037] Figure 13 shows the components of a twin-fuselage tail-mounted UAV module;

[0038] Reference numerals: 1. Upper rotor blade; 2. Lower rotor blade; 3. Leading strake; 4. Wing; 5. Vertical tail; 6. Rudder; 7. Thrust propeller; 8. Thrust nacelle; 9. Landing gear; 10. Elevator; 11. Fuselage; 12. Cyclic rudder nacelle; 13. Center wing; 14. Center wing elevator. Detailed Implementation

[0039] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the drawings represent the same components. It should be noted that the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the described embodiments of this utility model without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0040] Example 1

[0041] Referring to Figures 1-13, this embodiment of the present invention proposes a modular tail-mounted coaxial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), including a coaxial UAV module A, a wing module B, and a tail thrust module C.

[0042] Wing module B is detachably connected to both sides of coaxial UAV module A, and tail thrust module C is detachably connected to the tail of coaxial UAV module A;

[0043] The coaxial UAV module A includes an upper rotor blade 1, a lower rotor blade 2, a fuselage 11, and a cyclic variable pitch servo nacelle 12. The cyclic variable pitch servo nacelle 12 is mounted on the top of the fuselage 11, the upper rotor blade 1 is mounted on the top of the cyclic variable pitch servo nacelle 12, and the lower rotor blade 2 is mounted between the cyclic variable pitch servo nacelle 12 and the fuselage 11.

[0044] The upper rotor blade 1 and the lower rotor blade 2 can be folded to fit snugly against the fuselage 11. The UAV can switch between hovering mode and high-speed level flight mode by switching the rotor working state and coordinating with the thrust of the tail thrust module C. When the upper rotor blade 1 and the lower rotor blade 2 are folded, the upper rotor blade 1 is started to rotate first, so that the upper rotor blade 1 is unfolded by centrifugal force, and then the lower rotor blade 2 is started. When the rotor stops, the lower rotor stops first, and then the upper rotor stops.

[0045] The bottom of the fuselage 11 is also equipped with landing gear 9. The upper rotor blade 1 and the lower rotor blade 2 rotate in opposite directions, and the lift is changed by changing the rotation speed.

[0046] Wing module B includes a leading-edge extension 3, a wing 4, a vertical tail 5, a rudder 6, and an elevon 10. The leading-edge extension 3 is mounted on the wing 4 and close to the fuselage 11. The vertical tail 5 is mounted on the end of the wing 4 away from the fuselage 11. The rudder 6 is mounted on the end of one side of the vertical tail 5. The elevon 10 is mounted on the bottom of the wing 4.

[0047] The wing module B also has a wing-fuselage connection interface located on the wing 4 and close to the fuselage 11.

[0048] The tail thrust module C includes a thrust propeller 7 and a thrust chamber 8. The thrust chamber 8 is equipped with a thrust motor and a thrust electronic speed controller. The thrust motor is connected to the thrust propeller 7.

[0049] The cyclic pitch servo compartment 12 is equipped with pitch and roll servos. The cyclic pitch angle of the upper and lower rotors is controlled by the automatic swashplate. The pitch and roll servos located in the cyclic pitch servo compartment 12 are used to operate the two automatic swashplates to achieve the cyclic pitch control of the upper and lower rotors, thereby realizing the pitch and roll control of the coaxial UAV module A. Yaw control is achieved by the torque difference between the upper and lower rotors.

[0050] The landing gear 9 includes four support legs, each consisting of two plate load-bearing components, which are used to reduce downwash drag during hovering and low-speed flight.

[0051] The fuselage 11 of the coaxial UAV module A has mechanical and communication connection interfaces with the wing module B on both sides of the middle section;

[0052] The bottom of the fuselage 11 of the coaxial UAV module A has mechanical, power and communication connection interfaces with the tail thrust module C.

[0053] Based on the coaxial UAV module A, after installing the left and right wing modules B and the tail thrust module C, a tail-seat coaxial UAV is formed. When hovering and flying at low speed, the tail-seat coaxial UAV adopts the same flight principle and control method as the standalone coaxial UAV module A. The lift is generated by the coaxial dual rotors. In order to reduce the frontal area during forward flight and thus reduce the air resistance of the wings, the direction parallel to the wing reference plane is adopted as the forward flight direction.

[0054] When the tail-seat coaxial UAV transitions from hovering to high-speed level flight, the periodic pitch change of the upper and lower rotors generates a nose-down torque and forward thrust, causing the UAV to fly forward in a direction perpendicular to the wing reference plane. At the same time, the trailing edges of the left and right elliptical ailerons 10 deflect downward, generating a nose-down torque and reducing the angle of attack. The speed of the thrust propeller 7 gradually increases. As the forward speed increases and the angle of attack decreases, the lift gradually shifts from being provided by the coaxial dual rotors to being provided by the wings 4. The speed of the dual rotors gradually decreases, and the rear and front rotors stop rotating in turn. Finally, the lift of the wings 4 balances the weight of the entire aircraft, and the thrust of the thrust propeller 7 balances the drag of the entire aircraft, completing the transition process.

[0055] When the tail-seat coaxial UAV is in high-speed level flight, the coaxial dual rotors stop rotating. The rotor blades 1 fold backward under the airflow and are close to the fuselage. The thrust propeller 7 alone provides forward thrust. By changing the speed of the propeller, the magnitude of the thrust is changed, thereby changing the forward speed of the UAV. At this time, the elliptical aileron 10 realizes pitch and roll control, and the rudder 6 realizes yaw control. During high-speed level flight, the center of gravity of the whole aircraft is located in front of the aerodynamic focus of the whole aircraft, thus realizing pitch stability. The vertical tail 5 is used to realize directional stability, and the leading edge sweep of the wing 4 is used to ensure lateral stability. During level flight, the landing gear is subjected to aerodynamic forces and acts as a horizontal tail and vertical wing, which can simultaneously improve pitch and directional stability.

[0056] When a tail-seat coaxial UAV transitions from high-speed level flight to hovering, it first reduces its level flight speed, and the trailing edges of the left and right elliptical ailerons 10 deflect upward to increase the angle of attack. When approaching the stall angle of attack, the front rotor is started first, followed by the rear rotor. The pitch change of the front and rear rotors generates a pitch-up moment, which further increases the angle of attack. The lift gradually changes from being generated by the wings 4 to being generated by the rotors. At the same time, the speed of the thrust propeller 7 gradually decreases until it stops, thus completing the transition.

[0057] In the two conversion processes mentioned above, the leading edge extension 3 is used to improve the lift characteristics of the wing at high angles of attack, delay airflow separation, and increase the stall angle of attack and lift of the wing.

[0058] The optional hovering and high-speed level flight transition modes and flight profiles are as follows:

[0059] (1) Before the tail-seat coaxial UAV transitions from hovering to high-speed level flight, the UAV is first hovered at a sufficient altitude. Then, the trailing edges of the left and right elliptical ailerons 10 are deflected backward, and the lower and upper rotors are stopped in sequence. The lift disappears, and the UAV falls downward under the action of gravity. As the airflow flows from the trailing edge to the front edge of the wing 4, the elliptical ailerons 10 deflected backward at the trailing edge generate a nose-down moment. At the same time, since the center of gravity of the whole aircraft is in front of the aerodynamic focus of the whole aircraft, its pitch stability will cause the whole aircraft to continue to nose-down until the nose is down. During the fall, the gravitational potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. After gaining speed, the rotor blades are folded and close to the fuselage by the airflow. At the same time, the wings generate lift. By manipulating the elliptical ailerons 10, the whole aircraft is gradually raised. When approaching the level flight state, the thrust propeller 7 is started and the speed is gradually increased to increase its thrust to the thrust required for level flight, thus completing the transition.

[0060] (2) Before transitioning from high-speed level flight to hovering, the tail-seat coaxial UAV is first made to fly at a relatively high speed. Then, the trailing edges of the left and right elevators 10 are deflected upward to make the whole aircraft pitch up. The flight trajectory gradually changes from horizontal to vertical. Since the thrust of the propeller 7 is less than the weight of the whole aircraft, the flight speed gradually decreases. When the speed is close to zero, the upper and lower rotors are started in sequence and the propeller 7 is stopped. The lift generated by the upper and lower rotors balances the weight of the whole aircraft, achieving hovering in the air, thus completing the transition.

[0061] Example 2

[0062] Based on implementation method one

[0063] It also includes a central wing module D, which is used to connect two coaxial UAV modules A to form a twin-fuselage or multi-fuselage structure.

[0064] The central wing module D is equipped with a central wing elevator 14 to achieve pitch control of the entire aircraft. The central wing module D is used to connect two tail-seat coaxial UAVs, each with half of its wing module removed, to form a twin-fuselage tail-seat UAV. The central wing elevator 14 on the central wing module D is used for pitch control of the entire aircraft, while the elliptical aileron 10 on the wing module B is used for both pitch and roll control.

[0065] Compared to standalone tail-seat coaxial drones, twin-fuselage tail-seat drones with an added central wing module can increase takeoff weight and expand application scenarios.

[0066] Multiple tail-mounted coaxial UAVs with their wing modules removed can be connected together via multiple central wing modules D to form a multi-fuselage tail-mounted UAV.

[0067] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of this utility model. Those skilled in the art should understand that this utility model is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of this utility model. Various changes and modifications can be made to this utility model without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claims. The scope of protection of this utility model is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A modular tail-seat coaxial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising a coaxial UAV module A, a wing module B, and a tail thrust module C, characterized in that, The wing module B is detachably connected to both sides of the coaxial UAV module A, and the tail thrust module C is detachably connected to the tail of the coaxial UAV module A. The coaxial UAV module A includes an upper rotor blade (1), a lower rotor blade (2), a fuselage (11), and a cyclic variable pitch servo nacelle (12). The cyclic variable pitch servo nacelle (12) is installed on the top of the fuselage (11), the upper rotor blade (1) is installed on the top of the cyclic variable pitch servo nacelle (12), and the lower rotor blade (2) is installed between the cyclic variable pitch servo nacelle (12) and the fuselage (11). The upper rotor blade (1) and the lower rotor blade (2) can be folded to fit snugly against the fuselage (11), and the UAV can switch between hovering mode and high-speed level flight mode by switching the rotor working state in coordination with the thrust of the tail thrust module C.

2. The modular tail-mounted coaxial UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fuselage (11) is also equipped with landing gear (9) at the bottom. The upper rotor blade (1) and the lower rotor blade (2) rotate in opposite directions, and the lift is changed by changing the rotation speed.

3. The modular tail-mounted coaxial UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wing module B includes a leading-edge extension (3), a wing (4), a vertical tail (5), a rudder (6), and an ellipse (10). The leading-edge extension (3) is mounted on the wing (4) and close to the fuselage (11). The vertical tail (5) is mounted on the end of the wing (4) away from the fuselage (11). The rudder (6) is mounted on the end of one side of the vertical tail (5). The ellipse (10) is mounted on the bottom of the wing (4).

4. The modular tail-mounted coaxial UAV according to claim 3, characterized in that: The wing module B is also provided with a wing-fuselage connection interface located on the wing (4) and close to the fuselage (11).

5. The modular tail-mounted coaxial UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tail thrust module C includes a thrust propeller (7) and a thrust chamber (8). The thrust chamber (8) is equipped with a thrust motor and a thrust electronic speed controller. The thrust motor is connected to the thrust propeller (7).

6. The modular tail-mounted coaxial UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cyclic pitch servo compartment (12) is equipped with pitch servos and roll servos, which control the cyclic pitch angle of the upper and lower rotors through automatic swashplate.

7. The modular tail-mounted coaxial UAV according to claim 2, characterized in that: The landing gear (9) includes four support legs, each of which consists of two plate load-bearing components, used to reduce downwash air resistance during hovering and low-speed flight.

8. The modular tail-mounted coaxial UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The coaxial UAV module A has mechanical and communication connection interfaces with the wing module B on both sides of the middle part of the fuselage (11); the bottom of the fuselage (11) of the coaxial UAV module A has mechanical, power and communication connection interfaces with the tail thrust module C.

9. The modular tail-mounted coaxial UAV according to claims 1-8, characterized in that: It also includes a central wing module D, which is used to connect two coaxial UAV modules A to form a twin-fuselage or multi-fuselage structure.

10. The modular tail-mounted coaxial UAV according to claims 1-9, characterized in that: The central wing module D is equipped with a central wing elevator (14) to achieve pitch control of the entire aircraft. The central wing module D is detachably connected to the fuselage (11).

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