A solar powered drone

Abstract

The invention discloses a solar-powered UAV, belonging to the technical field of UAVs, comprising a wing and a control cabin, wherein the upper surface of the wing is provided with a solar panel, the leading edge is provided with a power system, and the end is provided with a winglet; the wing comprises a first wing and a second wing connected at an angle, and the second wing has the same structure as the first wing; the control cabin is arranged at the connection between the first wing and the second wing; the first wing and the second wing both comprise a wing spar and a plurality of wing ribs, and the outer sides of the wing spar and the wing ribs are coated with a skin; the wing spar is a double-beam frame structure, and the wing ribs are used to support the skin and maintain the cross-sectional shape of the wing. Compared with conventional UAVs, the present invention has a high cruising altitude and a low flight speed, and can realize fixed-point inspection and uninterrupted cruising; compared with satellites, solar-powered UAVs have low cost, low maintenance cost, and high feasibility.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and in particular relates to a solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Since the advent of the "Sunrise-Ⅰ" solar-powered UAV in 1974, many countries have made breakthroughs in the field of solar-powered UAVs. NASA has been committed to the development of flying-wing solar-powered UAVs, and has gone through several stages, including "Pathfinder", "Centurion" and "Helios". The wingspan has increased from 30.5m of "Pathfinder" to 75.3m of "Helios". "Helios" reached a maximum flight altitude of 29.5km in a test flight in 2003; "Atlantiksolar" developed by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology is a small solar-powered UAV weighing only 6.8kg. In July 2016, the UAV completed a 26-hour refugee search and rescue mission, covering the entire world. Without human intervention, the rescue team was promptly fed back important information. The "Rainbow" solar drone developed by the 11th Academy of China Aerospace has a 20kg payload capacity and completed a near-space flight test in 2017, with a flight altitude of more than 20km. The UK launched the development of the "Zephyr" series of solar drones in 2003. In July 2018, the "Zephyr-S" drone set a new record of 26 days of uninterrupted cruising. The "ApusDuo" solar drone launched by UAVOS adopts a tandem wing layout. In May 2018, the company announced that it had successfully completed the flight test of a 14-meter wingspan prototype. In recent years, more and more countries and organizations have reported on the development of their own solar drones, which have shown the characteristics of longer and longer flight times and stronger payload capacities.

[0003] However, the UAVs in the prior art use the negative lift generated by the horizontal tail for longitudinal trim, which limits the aerodynamic efficiency. The UK's "Zephyr" series of UAVs, China's "Rainbow" UAV, Russia's "Owl" UAV, Italy's "HELIPLAT" UAV, etc. all adopt conventional layouts. The canard layout uses the positive lift generated by the canard to provide pitch moment, which improves the aerodynamic efficiency compared to the conventional layout. The canard layout solar UAVs have appeared in the domestic (scientific research) National Aerospace Model Championship and achieved excellent results. However, since the canard layout itself does not have longitudinal static stability and is difficult to control when encountering complex airflow, it is relatively rare in large solar UAVs. The front and rear wing surfaces of the tandem wing layout both generate lift, and have the characteristics of high aerodynamic efficiency and good structural rigidity. The ApusDuo UAV launched by UAVOS adopts a front-down and rear-up tandem wing layout. The aircraft uses the advantages of the layout to overcome many aerodynamic elasticity problems and completed its first flight in 2018. The flying wing layout utilizes the reverse curved airfoil to achieve self-balancing of the wing, eliminating the horizontal tail. Compared with the conventional layout, it has higher aerodynamic efficiency and smaller structural weight. However, the flying wing layout also has the characteristics of poor longitudinal stability and great difficulty in control. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] A solar-powered drone comprises a wing and a control cabin, wherein the upper surface of the wing is provided with a solar panel, the leading edge is provided with a power system, and the end is provided with a winglet;

[0006] The wing includes a first wing and a second wing connected at an angle, and the second wing has the same structure as the first wing; the control cabin is arranged at the connection between the first wing and the second wing; the first wing and the second wing both include a wing spar and a plurality of wing ribs, and the outer sides of the wing spar and the wing ribs are covered with skin; the wing spar is a double-beam frame structure, and the wing ribs are used to support the skin and maintain the cross-sectional shape of the wing.

[0007] Furthermore, both the first wing and the second wing can be folded by a folding mechanism.

[0008] Further, the first wing and the second wing each include a wing body and a folding wing, wherein the folding mechanism includes a rotating shaft hinge and a driving mechanism, and the wing body and the folding wing are rotatably connected via the rotating shaft hinge;

[0009] The driving mechanism comprises a connecting rod rocker arm assembly and a worm linear motor, wherein the worm linear motor is arranged on the wing body, the connecting rod rocker arm assembly comprises a connecting rod and a rocker arm, one end of the connecting rod is rotatably connected to the folding wing through a first rotating shaft, and the other end is rotatably connected to the rocker arm through a pin shaft; the other end of the rocker arm is fixedly connected to the worm linear motor; the rocker arm is rotatably connected to the wing body through a second rotating shaft;

[0010] The connecting rod rocker arm assembly converts the linear driving motion of the worm linear motor into the swinging motion of the connecting rod rocker arm assembly, so as to realize the folding of the folding wing by rotating 180 degrees relative to the wing body.

[0011] Furthermore, the upper ends of the first wing and the second wing are both provided with a fixing bracket providing rigid support; the fixing bracket and the wing are detachably connected via a plurality of electromagnet adsorption devices to achieve fixation and separation between the first wing, the second wing and the fixing bracket.

[0012] Further, the fixing bracket is in contact with the upper surface of the first wing and the upper surface of the second wing;

[0013] The folding mechanism drives the fixed bracket to fold, and the fixed bracket drives the folding wings to unfold or fold.

[0014] Furthermore, the upper end of the control cabin is provided with a guided landing device and a gliding device which are arranged up and down and can be separated; the guided landing device is used to guide the solar-powered UAV to achieve a uniform descent during the falling process; the gliding device is used to gradually convert the falling speed of the solar-powered UAV into the level flight speed of the solar-powered UAV.

[0015] Furthermore, the guided landing device is a guided parachute pack, and the gliding device is a paragliding pack.

[0016] Furthermore, the wing rib is a topological frame structure.

[0017] Furthermore, the winglet is a carbon fiber-foam sandwich structure.

[0018] Furthermore, the skin is a flexible PE film. Beneficial Effects

[0019] Compared with conventional UAVs, the present invention has a higher cruising altitude and a lower flying speed, and can realize fixed-point inspections and uninterrupted cruising; compared with satellites, solar UAVs have a lower cost, lower maintenance cost, and higher feasibility.

[0020] In addition to the above inherent advantages of solar drones, the solar drone of the present invention has stronger advantages and can be applied to the following strategic scenarios:

[0021] (1) When continuous reconnaissance of a certain area is required, the carrier aircraft can quickly climb to the stratosphere and then release it, omitting the climbing phase of conventional solar-powered drones and entering the mission state more quickly.

[0022] (2) When the combat area changes, the carrier aircraft can quickly reach the combat airspace and then release the missile without the need for aerial coordinate transfer, which is safer and more feasible.

[0023] (3) When launching, there is no need to consider ground takeoff conditions. The carrier aircraft can take off from a remote airport and carry the platform to the flight airspace.

[0024] (4) It can achieve fixed-point multi-platform deployment and build a "high-altitude pseudo-satellite network" through strategic coordination. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the initial overall structure of the solar-powered UAV;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a front view of the solar-powered drone;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a top view of the solar-powered drone;

[0028] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the solar drone after folding

[0029] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the solar-powered drone's guided landing device after opening

[0030] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the solar-powered drone after the guided landing device and gliding device are opened.

[0031] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the solar drone being separated from the fixed bracket

[0032] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the electromagnet adsorption device structure of the drone

[0033] Among them, 1. Control cabin; 2. First wing; 21. Wing body; 22. Folding wing; 3. Second wing; 4. Power system; 5. Winglet; 6. Fixed bracket; 7. Gliding device; 8. Guided landing device; 9. Electromagnet; 10. Casing; 11. Steel connector; 12. Fixed pin. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Example 1

[0034] A solar-powered drone comprises a wing and a control cabin 1, wherein a solar panel is arranged on the upper surface of the wing, a power system 4 is arranged on the leading edge, and a winglet 5 is arranged at the end;

[0035] The wing includes a first wing 2 and a second wing 3 which are connected at an angle. The second wing 3 has the same structure as the first wing 2, and a control cabin 1 is arranged at the connection between the first wing 2 and the second wing 3; the first wing 2 and the second wing 3 both include a wing spar and a plurality of wing ribs, and the outer sides of the wing spar and the wing ribs are covered with a skin; the wing spar is a double-beam frame structure, and the wing ribs are used to support the skin and maintain the cross-sectional shape of the wing.

[0036] In this embodiment, the wing rib is a topological frame structure, the winglet 5 is a carbon fiber-foam sandwich structure, and the skin is a flexible PE film.

[0037] In this embodiment, both the first wing 2 and the second wing 3 can be folded by a folding mechanism.

[0038] Wherein, the first wing 2 and the second wing 3 both include a wing body 21 and a folding wing 22, the folding mechanism includes a rotating shaft hinge and a driving mechanism, and the wing body 21 and the folding wing 22 are rotatably connected via the rotating shaft hinge.

[0039] The driving mechanism includes a connecting rod rocker arm assembly and a worm linear motor. The worm linear motor is arranged on the wing body 21. The connecting rod rocker arm assembly includes a connecting rod and a rocker arm. One end of the connecting rod is rotatably connected to the folding wing 22 through a rotating shaft, and the other end is rotatably connected to one end of the rocker arm through a pin shaft; the other end of the rocker arm is fixedly connected to the worm linear motor through a rotating shaft; the rocker arm is rotatably connected to the wing body 21 through a second rotating shaft. In this embodiment, the rocker arm is an L-shaped structure, and the second rotating shaft is arranged at the L-shaped corner of the rocker arm. When one end of the rocker arm is dragged, the rocker arm rotates a certain angle to drag the connecting rod to realize the folding wing 22 rotating 180° relative to the wing body 21. This is a conventional method in the field, which has been used in other folding wing aircraft and will not be repeated here.

[0040] In this embodiment, the upper ends of the first wing 2 and the second wing 3 are both provided with a fixing bracket 6 that provides rigid support; the fixing bracket 6 and the wing are detachably connected via a plurality of electromagnet adsorption devices to achieve fixation and separation between the first wing 2, the second wing 3 and the fixing bracket 6.

[0041] The fixing bracket 6 is fitted with the upper surface of the first wing 2 and the upper surface of the second wing 3. A sleeve 10 is provided on the fixing bracket 6, and an electromagnet 9 is installed in the sleeve 10; a fixing pin 12 is provided at the lower end of the first wing 2 and the second wing 3, and a steel connector 11 is provided at the suction matching end of the fixing pin 12 and the electromagnet 9.

[0042] In this embodiment, the folding mechanism drives the fixed bracket 6 to fold, and the fixed bracket 6 drives the folding wings 22 to unfold or fold.

[0043] The fixing bracket 6 is divided into three hinged sections on one side.

[0044] In this embodiment, the upper end of the control cabin 1 is provided with a guided landing device 8 and a gliding device 7 which are arranged up and down and can be separated; the guided landing device 8 is used to guide the solar drone to achieve a uniform descent during the falling process; the gliding device 7 is used to gradually convert the falling speed of the solar drone into the level flight speed of the solar drone.

[0045] The guided landing device 8 is a guided parachute pack, and the gliding device 7 is a gliding parachute pack.

[0046] In this embodiment, a battery, a controller and a signal receiver are provided in the control compartment 1, and the battery is electrically connected to the solar panel; the controller is electrically connected to the battery, and is used to control the power output of the power system 4, the attraction between the electromagnet and the fixed pin 12, and guide the detachment and opening of the landing device 8 and the gliding device 7.

[0047] In this embodiment, the power system 4 is a propeller.

[0048] The solar-powered UAV throwing process provided by the present invention is as follows:

[0049] S10. A solar-powered drone is carried by a transport aircraft, a balloon, a blimp or other aerostat into an altitude of more than 12,000 m.

[0050] S20: When the flying height of the carrier reaches the preset throwing height, the carrier releases the solar-powered UAV and throws it into flight.

[0051] S30, after the solar-powered drone is released and thrown into the air, it lands in a free-state deceleration buffer.

[0052] When the solar-powered UAV reaches a steady state in the stratosphere, the guiding landing device 8 is turned on; the guiding landing device 8 is used to make the solar-powered UAV leave the free-fall state and enter a deceleration state in the vertical direction;

[0053] Among them, steady state refers to when the descent speed and level flight speed of the solar drone reach the preset values.

[0054] When the solar drone reaches a uniform descent under the guidance of the guided landing device 8 and the level flight speed is zero or close to zero, the gliding device 7 is turned on; the gliding device 7 is used to gradually convert the descent speed of the solar drone into the level flight speed.

[0055] When the forward gliding speed and the falling speed of the solar-powered UAV reach preset values, the solar-powered UAV is separated from the guiding landing device 8 and the gliding device 7; and the solar-powered UAV starts cruising or climbing flight.

[0056] Among them, in step S10, step S20, and step S30, the solar drone is in a state where the wings are folded by the folding mechanism.

[0057] In step S30, before the solar drone is separated from the guided landing device 8 and the gliding device 7, the folding mechanism drives the fixed bracket 6, and the fixed bracket 6 drives the folded wings of the solar drone to unfold, and the folding mechanism fixes the wing structure of the solar drone.

[0058] In this embodiment, during the throwing process, the drag coefficient of the guide parachute is taken as 3, the falling speed is taken as 10m / s, the weight of the solar drone (including the parachute system and the folding mechanism) is taken as 120kg, and the diameter of the guide parachute is obtained as 6.43m through the drag formula. In this embodiment, the height of the transport aircraft releasing the solar drone is 13000m, and the level flight speed during release is taken as 130m / s, so that the state of the system in the air can be further analyzed and predicted.

[0059] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. Therefore, any slight modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A solar-powered drone, characterized in that: It includes a wing and a control cabin, wherein the upper surface of the wing is provided with a solar panel, the leading edge is provided with a power system, and the end is provided with a winglet; The wing comprises a first wing and a second wing connected at an angle, the second wing having the same structure as the first wing; the control cabin is arranged at the connection between the first wing and the second wing; the first wing and the second wing both comprise a wing spar and a plurality of wing ribs, the outer sides of the wing spar and the wing ribs are covered with skin; the wing spar is a double beam frame structure, and the wing ribs are used to support the skin and maintain the cross-sectional shape of the wing; Both the first wing and the second wing can be folded by a folding mechanism; The first wing and the second wing each include a wing body and a folding wing, wherein the folding mechanism includes a rotating shaft hinge and a driving mechanism, and the wing body and the folding wing are rotatably connected via the rotating shaft hinge; The driving mechanism comprises a connecting rod rocker arm assembly and a worm linear motor, wherein the worm linear motor is arranged on the wing body, the connecting rod rocker arm assembly comprises a connecting rod and a rocker arm, one end of the connecting rod is rotatably connected to the folding wing through a first rotating shaft, and the other end is rotatably connected to the rocker arm through a pin shaft; the other end of the rocker arm is fixedly connected to the worm linear motor; the rocker arm is rotatably connected to the wing body through a second rotating shaft; The connecting rod rocker arm assembly converts the linear driving motion of the worm linear motor into the swing of the connecting rod rocker arm assembly, so as to realize the folding of the folding wing by rotating 180 degrees relative to the wing body; The upper ends of the first wing and the second wing are both provided with a fixing bracket for providing rigid support; the fixing bracket and the wing are detachably connected via a plurality of electromagnet adsorption devices to achieve the fixing and separation between the first wing, the second wing and the fixing bracket; The fixing bracket is in contact with the upper surface of the first wing and the upper surface of the second wing; Wherein, the folding mechanism drives the fixed bracket to fold, and the fixed bracket drives the folding wings to unfold or fold; The upper end of the control cabin is provided with a vertically arranged and detachable guiding landing device and a gliding device; the guiding landing device is used to guide the solar-powered UAV to achieve a uniform descent during the descent process; the gliding device is used to gradually convert the descent speed of the solar-powered UAV into the level flight speed of the solar-powered UAV; the solar-powered UAV is carried by the aerostat to enter an altitude of more than 12,000 meters; when the flight altitude of the carrier reaches the preset throwing altitude, the carrier releases the solar-powered UAV and throws it; after the solar-powered UAV is released and thrown, it lands in a free state with deceleration and buffering; wherein, when the solar-powered UAV reaches a steady state in the stratosphere, ... guiding landing device is used to guide the solar-powered UAV to achieve a uniform descent during the descent process; the guiding landing device is used to guide the solar-powered UAV to achieve a uniform descent during the descent process; the guiding landing device is used to guide the solar-powered UAV to achieve a uniform descent during the descent process; the guiding landing device is used to guide the solar-powered UAV to achieve a uniform d The landing device is turned on; the guided landing device is used to make the solar-powered UAV leave the free-fall state and enter the vertical deceleration state; wherein, the steady state refers to when the falling speed and the level flight speed of the solar-powered UAV reach the preset value; when the solar-powered UAV reaches a uniform descent under the guidance of the guided landing device, and the level flight speed is zero or close to zero, the gliding device is turned on; the gliding device is used to gradually convert the falling speed of the solar-powered UAV into the level flight speed; when the forward gliding speed and the falling speed of the solar-powered UAV reach the preset value, the solar-powered UAV is separated from the guided landing device and the gliding device; the solar-powered UAV starts cruising or climbing flight.

2. The solar-powered drone according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guided landing device is a guided parachute pack, and the gliding device is a paragliding parachute pack.

3. The solar-powered drone according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wing rib is a topological frame structure.

4. The solar-powered drone according to claim 1, characterized in that: The winglet is a carbon fiber-foam sandwich structure.

5. The solar-powered drone according to claim 1, characterized in that: The skin is a flexible PE film.

Images