A shock-absorbing landing gear and a drone

Abstract

The present invention discloses a shock-absorbing landing gear and a drone, belonging to the field of drones, which includes an upper strut, a lower strut, a shock-absorbing spring, a spring sleeve and a wheel; the shock-absorbing spring is located inside the spring sleeve, the lower part of the upper strut and the upper part of the lower strut extend into the spring sleeve from both ends respectively, and the lower part of the upper strut and the upper part of the lower strut are respectively connected to the upper part and the lower part of the shock-absorbing spring, the lower part of the lower strut is fixed on the wheel, and the upper part of the upper strut is fixed on the fuselage of the aircraft during use; friction washers are fixed at both the upper and lower ends of the shock-absorbing spring, and the outer wall of the friction washer is in contact with the inner wall of the spring sleeve so as to generate frictional resistance during mutual movement. The present invention can effectively buffer the impact force given by the ground during landing and can effectively dissipate the impact energy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of aviation, and particularly to a shock-absorbing landing gear and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Background Art

[0002] The tricycle landing gear aircraft is one of the most common types of modern aircraft, referring to an aircraft using a tricycle landing gear. The tricycle landing gear aircraft includes a nose wheel and two main wheels. The two main wheels are arranged symmetrically on the left and right with a certain spacing behind the center of gravity of the aircraft, and the nose wheel is arranged below the head of the aircraft. When the tricycle landing gear aircraft taxis on the ground and parks, the fuselage floor is basically in a horizontal position, which is convenient for passengers to board and goods to be loaded and unloaded. At the same time, a protective seat is usually installed at the tail of the aircraft to prevent tail scraping when taking off and leaving the ground. The tricycle landing gear layout is the most widely used form of landing gear layout.

[0003] The tricycle landing gear aircraft has many advantages. For example, the landing is simple, safe and reliable. If the actual landing speed is greater than the specified value, when the main wheels touch the ground, the impact force acting on the main wheels causes the angle of attack to decrease sharply, so it is impossible to produce the "jumping" phenomenon like the rear tricycle landing gear.

[0004] However, the tricycle landing gear aircraft also has certain disadvantages. For example, the arrangement of the nose landing gear is more difficult, especially for single-engine aircraft. The remaining space in the front of the fuselage is very small. The nose landing gear bears a large load, has a large size and a complex structure, so its mass is large. In addition, when the tricycle landing gear aircraft lands, due to the relatively high speed, the impact force with the ground is strong. The nose landing gear mainly bears the impact force between the aircraft and the ground and is easily damaged. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Aiming at the problem that the nose landing gear of the existing tricycle landing gear aircraft is easily damaged due to the large impact force with the ground during landing, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a shock-absorbing landing gear and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

[0006] To achieve the above object, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0007] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a shock-absorbing landing gear, including an upper strut, a lower strut, a shock-absorbing spring, a spring sleeve and a wheel; the shock-absorbing spring is located inside the spring sleeve, the lower part of the upper strut and the upper part of the lower strut respectively extend into the spring sleeve from both ends, and the lower part of the upper strut and the upper part of the lower strut are respectively connected to the upper part and the lower part of the shock-absorbing spring. The lower part of the lower strut is fixed on the wheel, and the upper part of the upper strut is fixed on the fuselage of the aircraft during use; friction washers are fixed at both the upper and lower ends of the shock-absorbing spring, and the outer wall of the friction washer is in contact with the inner wall of the spring sleeve to generate frictional resistance when moving relative to each other.

[0008] Further, it further includes two telescopic shock-absorbing rods. The two telescopic shock-absorbing rods are fixedly connected at an angle. The free ends of the two telescopic shock-absorbing rods are respectively hinged to the upper support rod and the lower support rod.

[0009] Preferably, the telescopic shock-absorbing rod includes a sleeve, a compression spring and two connecting rods; one end of each of the two connecting rods is inserted into the sleeve from both ends. The compression spring is located inside the sleeve, and both ends of the compression spring are fixedly connected to the ends of the two connecting rods located inside the sleeve.

[0010] Preferably, the two telescopic shock-absorbing rods have the same length.

[0011] Preferably, the angle between the two telescopic shock-absorbing rods is 60-120°.

[0012] Preferably, the lower end face of the upper support rod and the upper end face of the lower support rod are both provided with embedding grooves adapted to the ends of the shock-absorbing spring.

[0013] In a second aspect, the present invention further provides a drone, including at least one shock-absorbing landing gear as described above.

[0014] Preferably, the drone includes a front landing gear and two rear landing gears, and the front landing gear is the shock-absorbing landing gear.

[0015] With the above technical solution, due to the setting of the upper support rod, the lower support rod and the shock-absorbing spring, when the wheel touches the ground, the impact force given by the ground is transmitted to the shock-absorbing spring through the wheel and the lower support rod, and the shock-absorbing spring absorbs and buffers the impact force, thereby reducing the impact force on the aircraft fuselage; in addition, the setting of the spring sleeve and the shock-absorbing washer, on the one hand, limits the movement of the shock-absorbing spring within the spring sleeve, effectively preventing the shock-absorbing spring from skewing and failing, and on the other hand, the shock-absorbing washer can provide friction force, further attenuating the impact force given by the ground, and can also quickly attenuate the energy of the shock-absorbing spring. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a shock-absorbing landing gear of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a drone of the present invention.

[0018] In the figure: 1-upper support rod, 2-lower support rod, 3-shock-absorbing spring, 4-spring sleeve, 5-wheel body, 6-wheel axle, 7-friction washer, 8-sleeve, 9-compression spring, 10-connecting rod, 100-shock-absorbing landing gear, 200-fuselage. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0019] The following further describes the specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted here that the description of these embodiments is used to help understand the present invention, but does not constitute a limitation on the present invention. In addition, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0020] It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, the orientation or positional relationship indicated by terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear", etc. is the description of the structure of the present invention based on the accompanying drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present invention simply, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0021] For "first" and "second" in this technical solution, it is only a name distinction for the same or similar structures, or corresponding structures with similar functions, and is not an arrangement of the importance of these structures, nor does it have an order, or comparison of sizes, or other meanings.

[0022] In addition, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, the connection can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two structures. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to the general idea of the present invention and in connection with the specific situation of this solution.

[0023] Embodiment 1

[0024] A shock-absorbing landing gear 100, as Figure 1 shown, includes an upper strut 1, a lower strut 2, a shock-absorbing spring 3, a spring sleeve 4, and a wheel.

[0025] Among them, the shock-absorbing spring 3 is a columnar helical spring, and the spring sleeve 4 is a cylindrical tubular structure. The inner diameter of the spring sleeve 4 is larger than the diameter of the shock-absorbing spring 3, so that the shock-absorbing spring 3 can be axially arranged movably within the spring sleeve 4. Both ends of the spring sleeve 4 are open or provided with through holes, so that the lower part of the upper strut 1 and the upper part of the lower strut 2 can extend into the interior of the spring sleeve 4 from both ends respectively. And the lower part of the upper strut 1 and the upper part of the lower strut 2 are respectively connected to the upper part and the lower part of the shock-absorbing spring 3, where "connected" means abutting against each other. For example, embedding grooves are provided on the lower end face of the lower part of the upper strut 1 and the upper end face of the upper part of the lower strut 2, and the inner diameter of the embedding groove is adapted to the diameter of the shock-absorbing spring 3, so that the end part of the shock-absorbing spring 3 can be embedded in the embedding groove, thereby restricting the position of the shock-absorbing spring 3; or in another embodiment, the two end parts of the shock-absorbing spring 3 are respectively welded to the lower part of the upper strut 1 and the upper part of the lower strut 2.

[0026] Among them, the wheel includes a wheel body 5 and a wheel axle 6. An axle hole adapted to the wheel axle 6 is provided on the wheel body 5, so that the wheel body 5 can rotate relative to the wheel axle 6 through a bearing. And the lower part of the above-mentioned lower strut 2 is fixed on the wheel axle 6. For example, an axle hole for cooperating with the wheel axle 6 is also provided on the lower strut 2, and the two are fixedly connected by a key. In addition, the upper part of the upper strut 1 can be fixed on the fuselage of the aircraft during use.

[0027] Among them, friction washers 7 are fixed to both the upper and lower end parts of the shock-absorbing spring 3. In this embodiment, the outer wall of the friction washer 7 is in contact with the inner wall of the spring sleeve 4, so that when the shock-absorbing spring 3 expands and contracts, it can drive the friction washer 7 to move relative to the spring sleeve 4, thereby generating frictional resistance. This frictional resistance can effectively dissipate the elastic potential energy in the shock-absorbing spring 3. In addition, the friction washer 7 can also play a guiding role, thereby preventing the shock-absorbing spring 3 from skewing.

[0028] During use, when the wheel touches the ground, the impact force given by the ground is transmitted to the shock-absorbing spring 3 through the wheel and the lower strut 2. The shock-absorbing spring 3 dampens and buffers this impact force, thereby reducing the impact force on the fuselage of the aircraft. In addition, the setting of the spring sleeve 4 and the shock-absorbing washer 7 on the one hand restricts the movement of the shock-absorbing spring 3 within the spring sleeve 4, thereby effectively preventing the shock-absorbing spring 3 from skewing and failing. On the other hand, the shock-absorbing washer 3 can also provide frictional force, thereby further attenuating the impact force given by the ground, and can also quickly attenuate the energy of the shock-absorbing spring 3.

[0029] In this embodiment, in order to improve the shock-absorbing effect, two telescopic shock-absorbing rods are also provided. One end of the two telescopic shock-absorbing rods is fixedly connected, and the two telescopic shock-absorbing rods form an included angle, while the free ends of the two telescopic shock-absorbing rods are respectively hinged to the upper strut 1 and the lower strut 2.

[0030] For example, the telescopic shock absorber rod is provided to include a sleeve 8, a compression spring 9, and two connecting rods 10. One end of each of the two connecting rods 10 is inserted into the sleeve 8 from both ends, and the connecting rod 10 can move axially relative to the sleeve 8. The compression spring 9 is located inside the sleeve 8, and both ends of the compression spring 9 are fixedly connected to the ends of the two connecting rods 10 located inside the sleeve 8. In this embodiment, the lengths of the two telescopic shock absorber rods are also the same. And the included angle between the two telescopic shock absorber rods is 60 - 120°, preferably 75° in this embodiment.

[0031] With such a setting, when the wheel touches the ground and compresses the shock absorption spring 3, the distance between the free ends of the two telescopic shock absorber rods also decreases accordingly. With the included angle between the two telescopic shock absorber rods remaining unchanged, the overall length of the two telescopic shock absorber rods will inevitably shorten, thereby compressing the compression spring 9 and further participating in shock absorption.

[0032] Embodiment Two

[0033] The difference from Embodiment One is that in this embodiment, on the basis of keeping the structure of the telescopic shock absorber rod unchanged, the originally fixedly connected ends of the two telescopic shock absorber rods are changed to be hinged, and the hinge point is fixedly connected to the spring sleeve 4 through a bracket. With such a setting, when the wheel touches the ground and compresses the shock absorption spring 3, the distance between the free ends of the two telescopic shock absorber rods also decreases accordingly. At this time, the included angle between the two telescopic shock absorber rods becomes smaller. With the top of this included angle being immovable, the overall length of the two telescopic shock absorber rods will also inevitably shorten, thereby compressing the compression spring 9 and further participating in shock absorption.

[0034] Embodiment Three

[0035] An unmanned aerial vehicle, as Figure 2 shown, includes a fuselage 200 and at least one shock-absorbing landing gear 100 disclosed in Embodiment One or Embodiment Two installed on the fuselage 200. For example, this unmanned aerial vehicle is a nose-wheel type aircraft, which includes a nose landing gear and two main landing gears, and the nose landing gear is configured as the above-mentioned shock-absorbing landing gear 100.

[0036] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. For those skilled in the art, without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations made to these embodiments still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A shock-absorbing landing gear, characterized in that: it includes an upper strut, a lower strut, a shock-absorbing spring, a spring sleeve and a wheel; the shock-absorbing spring is located inside the spring sleeve, the lower part of the upper strut and the upper part of the lower strut respectively extend into the spring sleeve from both ends, and the lower part of the upper strut and the upper part of the lower strut are respectively connected to the upper and lower parts of the shock-absorbing spring, the lower part of the lower strut is fixed on the wheel, and the upper part of the upper strut is fixed on the fuselage of the aircraft during use; friction washers are fixed at both the upper and lower ends of the shock-absorbing spring, and the outer wall of the friction washer is in contact with the inner wall of the spring sleeve so as to generate frictional resistance during relative movement; it also includes two telescopic shock-absorbing rods, the two telescopic shock-absorbing rods are fixedly connected at an angle, and the free ends of the two telescopic shock-absorbing rods are respectively hinged on the upper strut and the lower strut; the telescopic shock-absorbing rod includes a sleeve, a compression spring and two connecting rods; one end of each of the two connecting rods is inserted into the sleeve from both ends, the compression spring is located inside the sleeve, and both ends of the compression spring are fixedly connected to the ends of the two connecting rods located inside the sleeve; the lower end face of the upper strut and the upper end face of the lower strut are both provided with embedding grooves adapted to the ends of the shock-absorbing spring.

2. The shock-absorbing landing gear according to claim 1, characterized in that: the two telescopic shock-absorbing rods have the same length.

3. The shock-absorbing landing gear according to claim 2, characterized in that: the angle between the two telescopic shock-absorbing rods is 60 - 120°.

4. An unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that: it includes at least one shock-absorbing landing gear according to any one of claims 1 - 3.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that: the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a front landing gear and two rear landing gears, and the front landing gear is the shock-absorbing landing gear.

Images