Navigation light system, rotorcraft and navigation light control system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a navigation light system, a rotorcraft, and a navigation light control system, belonging to the technical field of aircraft. The navigation light system is used for a rotorcraft, and includes a left navigation light assembly and a right navigation light assembly opposite to the left navigation light assembly. Along the direction from the nose to the tail of the rotorcraft, the left navigation light assembly and the right navigation light assembly each include multiple navigation lights. When the rotorcraft is in a first state, the centerline from the nose to the tail of the rotorcraft forms an angle with the heading line of the rotorcraft, and a distance is provided between the left navigation light assembly and the right navigation light assembly in a direction perpendicular to the heading line. The corresponding two first navigation lights at the maximum spacing position are illuminated. The present invention has the beneficial effect of enabling other aircraft within a preset range in the same airspace, or ground personnel, to accurately obtain the heading of the aircraft to avoid collision.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of aircraft, and in particular to a navigation light system, a rotorcraft, and a navigation light control system. Background Art

[0002] Flight management policies require aircraft to have navigation lights, generally red on the left and green on the right. Multirotor aircraft have a wide range of application scenarios, such as cargo transportation. Since logistics scenarios require automation, automatic airports require aircraft to maintain a preset designated landing direction for loading and unloading, charging and battery replacement, and other interactions. In addition, flight management policies require aircraft to have navigation lights to indicate the flight direction rather than the direction of the nose.

[0003] However, when a multi-rotor aircraft is loaded with cargo, the fuselage becomes larger and the airflow has a greater impact on the flight. The flight heading needs to be combined with the aircraft's shape to meet the needs of forward movement and wind resistance. During the flight, there will be a certain angle between the nose direction and the heading, that is, the nose of the aircraft will be tilted relative to the heading.

[0004] At this time, since the existing multi-rotor aircraft navigation light representation method is fixed, when the aircraft flies at an angle, the navigation light cannot accurately represent the actual flight direction of the aircraft.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a navigation light system, a rotorcraft and a navigation light control system. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to solve at least one of the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a navigation light system for a rotorcraft, the navigation light system comprising a left navigation light assembly and a right navigation light assembly opposite to the left navigation light assembly; along the direction from the nose to the tail of the rotorcraft, the left navigation light assembly and the right navigation light assembly each comprise a plurality of navigation lights; when the rotorcraft is in a first state, the centerline from the nose to the tail of the rotorcraft has an angle with the heading line of the rotorcraft, and along the direction perpendicular to the heading line, there is a spacing between the left navigation light assembly and the right navigation light assembly; the corresponding two first navigation lights at the maximum spacing position are lit.

[0007] Preferably, it also includes a second navigation light, which is close to the first navigation light. When the rotorcraft is in the first state, the second navigation light is lit.

[0008] Preferably, it also includes a horizontal axis passing through the intersection of the center line and the heading line, the horizontal axis is perpendicular to the heading line, and the horizontal axis extends to both sides of the rotorcraft; the first navigation light is located at the position where the horizontal axis intersects the left navigation light assembly and the left navigation light assembly respectively.

[0009] Preferably, the navigation lights include rotor lights and auxiliary lights. When the rotorcraft is in the second state, the centerline from the nose to the tail of the rotorcraft is collinear with the heading line of the rotorcraft, the rotor lights are on, and the auxiliary lights are on or off.

[0010] Preferably, the auxiliary light is a light strip or a plurality of lights arranged at intervals.

[0011] Preferably, the rotorcraft is a quadrotor or an octorotor. When the rotorcraft is an octorotor, the navigation light includes a rotor light located at the end of the rotor arm. When the rotorcraft is in the first state, the rotor light close to the extension line of the heading line of the rotorcraft is off.

[0012] Preferably, the lights of the left navigation light assembly are red and / or green, and the lights of the right navigation light assembly are green and / or red, and the colors of the lights lit in the left navigation light assembly and the right navigation light assembly are different.

[0013] Preferably, when the rotorcraft is a quadrotor, the auxiliary light is provided on a bracket between the two rotors.

[0014] A rotorcraft comprises the navigation light system.

[0015] A navigation light control system is used to control the navigation lights of a rotorcraft. When the rotorcraft is in a second state, the centerline from the nose to the tail of the rotorcraft is collinear with the heading line of the rotorcraft, and the control system is used to control the rotor lights to be lit and the auxiliary lights to be lit or extinguished; and / or, when the rotorcraft is in a first state, the centerline from the nose to the tail of the rotorcraft has an angle with the heading line of the rotorcraft, and there is a spacing between the left navigation light assembly and the right navigation light assembly along a direction perpendicular to the heading line; the control system is used to control the lighting of the corresponding two first navigation lights at the maximum spacing position.

[0016] The beneficial effect of the present invention is that when the rotorcraft is in the first state, that is, tilted flight, the navigation lights with the maximum spacing in the direction perpendicular to the heading line are lit, and the lighting rules of the two first navigation lights follow the navigation light standards, that is, red on the left and green on the right. The line between the two lit first navigation lights is perpendicular to the heading line and is located at the position of the maximum spacing. Therefore, it can be ensured that the two first navigation lights are respectively located on both sides of the heading line. The opposite aircraft can determine whether the flight direction of the aircraft is forward or backward according to the rule of red on the left and green on the right; at the same time, the vertical line direction of the line connecting the two first navigation lights is the heading of the aircraft. Based on this, other aircraft within the preset range of the same airspace, or ground personnel can accurately obtain the heading of the aircraft to avoid collision. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the present invention. These drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification.

[0018] Figure 1 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment (when the quadrotor aircraft is in the first state);

[0019] Figure 2 2 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment (when the quadrotor is in the second state);

[0020] Figure 3 2 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment (when the octorotor is in the first state);

[0021] Figure 4 2 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment (when the octorotor is in the second state);

[0022] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the quadrotor aircraft when the tilt angle is zero;

[0023] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the structure of the six-rotor aircraft when the tilt angle is zero;

[0024] Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of the octorotor when the tilt angle is zero.

[0025] In the figure: 1-first navigation light, 2-course line, 3-nose, 4-tail, 5-third navigation light, 6-bracket, 7-rotor light, 8-auxiliary light, 9-transverse axis, 10-center line, 11-arm. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It will be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are intended only to explain the relevant content and are not intended to limit the present invention. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, only portions relevant to the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0027] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features of the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0028] like Figures 1-4 As shown, a navigation light system is used for a rotorcraft, the navigation light system including a left navigation light assembly and a right navigation light assembly opposite to the left navigation light assembly; along the direction from the nose 3 to the tail 4 of the rotorcraft, the left navigation light assembly and the right navigation light assembly each include multiple navigation lights; when the rotorcraft is in a first state, a centerline 10 from the nose 3 to the tail 4 of the rotorcraft has an angle with a heading line 2 of the rotorcraft, and along a direction perpendicular to the heading line 2, there is a distance between the left navigation light assembly and the right navigation light assembly; the corresponding two first navigation lights 1 at the maximum spacing position are lit.

[0029] With the above structure, when the rotorcraft is in the first state, that is, tilted flight, the navigation lights with the maximum spacing in the direction perpendicular to the heading line 2 are lit, and the lighting rule of the two first navigation lights 1 follows the navigation light standard, that is, red on the left and green on the right. The line between the two lit first navigation lights 1 is perpendicular to the heading line 2 and is located at the position of the maximum spacing. Therefore, it can be ensured that the two first navigation lights 1 are respectively located on both sides of the heading line 2. Other aircraft or ground personnel can determine whether the flight direction of the aircraft is forward or backward according to the rule of red on the left and green on the right; at the same time, the vertical line direction of the line connecting the two first navigation lights 1 is the heading of the aircraft. Based on this, other aircraft within the preset range of the same airspace, or ground personnel can accurately obtain the heading of the aircraft to avoid collision.

[0030] It is worth noting that the tilted flight mentioned in this embodiment refers to a certain angle between the nose direction and the heading of the aircraft. The nose direction mentioned here refers to the direction in which the tail 4 points to the nose 3 along the center line 10. The aircraft produces tilted flight because when the multi-rotor aircraft is loaded with cargo, the body becomes larger and the airflow has a greater impact on the flight. The flight heading needs to be combined with the shape of the aircraft to meet the needs of forward movement and wind resistance. During the flight, there will be a certain angle between the nose direction and the heading, that is, the nose of the aircraft will be tilted relative to the heading.

[0031] It should be further explained that the "left navigation light assembly" and "right navigation light assembly" mentioned in this embodiment refer to the navigation light assembly located to the left of the heading line 2 of the rotorcraft when viewed along the heading direction of the rotorcraft, and are divided according to the heading line 2 of the rotorcraft. The navigation light assembly located to the right of the heading line 2 is the left navigation light assembly, and the navigation light assembly located to the right of the heading line 2 is the right navigation light assembly.

[0032] From this, it can be seen that the left-red and right-green lighting rule means that along the heading of the rotorcraft, the navigation light on the left side of the heading line 2 is lit red, and the navigation light on the right side of the heading line 2 is lit green.

[0033] In one embodiment, in order to facilitate identification by other aircraft or ground personnel and increase the volume and brightness of the navigation lights, the number of navigation lights that are lit simultaneously on each side of the rotorcraft can be set to multiple. Specifically, the rotorcraft also includes a second navigation light, which is close to the first navigation light 1. When the rotorcraft is in the first state, the second navigation light is lit. The "close" mentioned here means that the second navigation light is other navigation lights or auxiliary lights located in an area with the first navigation light 1 as the center point and a certain distance as the radius. Of course, this area does not exceed the heading line 2.

[0034] In one embodiment, the rotorcraft is a quadrotor, and a bracket 6 is connected between the rotors on each side of the rotorcraft. In particular, for a quadrotor, the direction lights can be provided on the rotors and the bracket 6 .

[0035] Specifically, the navigation lights include rotor lights 7 and auxiliary lights 8. The auxiliary lights 8 are provided on the bracket 6 between the two rotors, and can be provided on the outside of the bracket 6. The auxiliary lights 8 are continuous light strips or multiple lights provided at a certain distance. In this way, adjacent auxiliary lights 8 can have a certain degree of continuity, and the lighting position is more accurate. In other words, the navigation lights can be lit according to the rule that the heading line 2 and the horizontal axis 9 are perpendicular to each other. Other aircraft or ground personnel can use this rule to more accurately determine the heading, as follows:

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, a transverse axis 9 passes through the intersection of centerline 10 and heading line 2, is perpendicular to heading line 2, and extends to either side of the rotorcraft. First navigation light 1 is located where transverse axis 9 intersects the left and right navigation light assemblies, respectively. In other words, heading line 2 is the mid-perpendicular to transverse axis 9. Opposing aircraft can use this principle and the positions of the two illuminated navigation lights to accurately determine the rotorcraft's heading. Specifically, a mid-perpendicular is drawn on the line connecting the two illuminated navigation lights; this mid-perpendicular becomes heading line 2. Combined with the standard of red on the left and green on the right, the heading can be determined.

[0037] In the specific plan, Figure 2As shown, when the rotorcraft is in the second state, the centerline 10 from the nose 3 to the tail 4 of the rotorcraft is colinear with the heading line 2 of the rotorcraft, that is, the rotorcraft is not tilted, the rotor lights 7 are lit according to the rule of red on the left and green on the right, and the auxiliary lights 8 are lit or off. At this time, the heading can be accurately calculated by the rotor lights 7. Of course, the auxiliary lights 8 intersecting with the horizontal axis 9 can also be lit according to the above-mentioned lighting rules.

[0038] In one embodiment, the rotorcraft is a quadrotor aircraft, a hexacopter aircraft, or an octocopter aircraft. In particular, for a hexacopter aircraft or an aircraft with a larger number of rotors, there is no bracket 6 connecting adjacent rotors. The rotors are directly connected to the fuselage through the arms 11, and the rotors are installed at the end of the arms 11.

[0039] The navigation lights include a rotor light 7 located at the end of the rotor arm. When the rotorcraft is in the first state, that is, in tilted flight, the rotor light 7 close to the extension line of the rotorcraft's heading line 2 is extinguished. For example, for an eight-rotor aircraft, two rotor lights 7 will be extinguished. Figure 3 As shown, the two rotor lights 7 that are extinguished are the third navigation lights 5, and the remaining rotor lights 7 are all lit.

[0040] Because it is not convenient to install continuous auxiliary lights 8 on a rotorcraft with this structure, the heading needs to be determined by the rotor lights 7. In addition, the rotor lights 7 close to the extension line of the heading line 2 are closely spaced, and the light emitted may interfere with the position acquisition and reduce the accuracy of the heading calculation. Therefore, the rotor lights 7 close to the extension line of the rotorcraft heading line 2 need to be turned off, and the remaining rotor lights 7 are lit according to the rule of red on the left and green on the right.

[0041] In another solution, Figure 4 As shown, when the octocopters are in the first state, that is, when the aircraft is not tilted, the spacing between adjacent rotor lights 7 close to the heading line 2 is large enough, and all rotor lights 7 are lit according to the rule of red on the left and green on the right.

[0042] Based on the above structure, other aircraft or ground personnel can calculate the heading of the aircraft according to the position of the lit rotor light 7.

[0043] In short, the navigation lights of a rotorcraft always follow the rule of red on the left and green on the right. That is, along the heading direction of the rotorcraft, the navigation lights on the left side of the heading line 2 are red, the navigation lights on the right side of the heading line 2 are green, and the navigation lights close to the heading line 2 are off.

[0044] The navigation lights near heading line 2 are turned off as follows:

[0045] Assume that the number of rotors of the rotorcraft is n, that is, the number of rotor lights is n. When the rotorcraft is flying at an angle, assume that the angle between the line connecting the navigation light and the rotation center of the rotorcraft and the heading line 2 is a, where the rotation center is the intersection of the center line 10 of the rotorcraft and the heading line 2. If the angle a corresponding to a certain navigation light is greater than -360° / (4n) and less than or equal to 360° / (4n), that is, the navigation light is close to the heading line 2, then the navigation light will be turned off.

[0046] To further illustrate, the following are examples of the lighting of rotor navigation lights with different numbers of rotors at different tilt angles. The tilt angle here is the angle between the nose direction of the rotorcraft and the heading line 2. Figure 5-Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of a top-down projection of a rotorcraft. When the tilt angle is positive, the rotorcraft rotates a certain angle in the counterclockwise direction. When the tilt angle is negative, the rotorcraft rotates a certain angle in the clockwise direction.

[0047] like Figure 5 As shown, for a quadrotor:

[0048] When the quadrotor's tilt angle is greater than -22.5° and less than or equal to 22.5°, the navigation lights numbered 103 and 104 will light up red, and the navigation lights numbered 101 and 102 will light up green;

[0049] When the quadrotor's tilt angle is equal to 90°, the navigation lights numbered 101 and 104 light up red, and the navigation lights numbered 102 and 103 light up green;

[0050] When the tilt angle of the quadrotor is equal to 45°, the navigation light numbered 104 lights up red, the navigation light numbered 102 lights up green, and the other lights are off.

[0051] like Figure 6 As shown, for a six-rotor aircraft:

[0052] When the hexacopter's tilt angle is greater than -15° and less than or equal to 15°, the navigation lights numbered 204, 205, and 206 light up red, and the navigation lights numbered 201, 202, and 203 light up green.

[0053] When the hexacopter's tilt angle is 60°, the navigation lights numbered 205, 206, and 201 light up red, and the navigation lights numbered 202, 203, and 204 light up green.

[0054] When the tilt angle of the hexacopter is equal to 30°, the navigation lights numbered 205 and 206 light up red, the navigation lights numbered 202 and 203 light up green, and the remaining lights are off.

[0055] like Figure 7 As shown, for an octocopter:

[0056] When the octorotor's tilt angle is greater than -11.25° and less than or equal to 11.25°, the navigation lights numbered 305, 306, 307, and 308 will light up red, and the navigation lights numbered 301, 302, 303, and 304 will light up green;

[0057] When the octorotor's tilt angle is equal to 45°, the navigation lights numbered 301, 306, 307, and 308 will light up red, and the navigation lights numbered 302, 303, 304, and 305 will light up green;

[0058] When the octocopter's tilt angle reaches 22.5°, the navigation lights numbered 306, 307, and 308 illuminate red, the navigation lights numbered 302, 303, and 304 illuminate green, and the remaining lights are off. Regarding the color of the navigation lights, in one embodiment, the lights in the left navigation light assembly are red and / or green, and the lights in the right navigation light assembly are green and / or red. The colors of the lights in the left and right navigation light assemblies are different.

[0059] Specifically, the left navigation light assembly and the right navigation light assembly are both color-changing navigation lights. When lit, they can switch between red, green and white light. Two lights can also be installed in the same position, lighting up red and green respectively.

[0060] Generally, as long as the angle of the nose 3 deviates from the heading within a certain range, the rotorcraft illuminates according to the left-red, right-green rule. That is, the colors of the navigation lights on the left and right sides of the rotorcraft remain essentially unchanged. However, in order to ensure safe flight by using the left-red, right-green rule while the rotorcraft is in inverted flight, the navigation lights are designed to be color-shifting. For example, in general, the left navigation light assembly illuminates green, while the right navigation light assembly illuminates green. When the rotorcraft is in inverted flight, the navigation lights that were originally green switch to red, and the navigation lights that were originally red switch to green.

[0061] The present invention also discloses a rotorcraft comprising the above-mentioned navigation light system.

[0062] The present invention also discloses a navigation light control system for controlling the navigation lights of a rotorcraft. When the rotorcraft is in a second state, a centerline 10 from the nose 3 to the tail 4 of the rotorcraft is collinear with a heading line 2 of the rotorcraft, and the control system is used to control the rotor light 7 to light up and the auxiliary light 8 to light up or go out; and / or, when the rotorcraft is in a first state, a centerline 10 from the nose 3 to the tail 4 of the rotorcraft has an angle with the heading line 2 of the rotorcraft, and there is a distance between the left navigation light assembly and the right navigation light assembly along a direction perpendicular to the heading line 2; the control system is used to control the lighting up of the corresponding two first navigation lights 1 at the position of the maximum distance.

[0063] Specifically, the control system includes a controller and a wind direction sensing device. The controller is used to obtain the navigation direction, and the controller is connected to the navigation light. The controller controls the navigation light to light up red, green or off.

[0064] The wind direction sensing device is used to obtain the wind direction angle between the wind direction and the heading. The controller controls the deflection direction of the rotorcraft according to the wind direction angle, and the controller can calculate the deflection angle between the deflection direction and the heading of the rotorcraft according to the wind direction angle. In one embodiment, let the angle of the wind direction angle be a, let the angle of the deflection angle be b, then a=2b.

[0065] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment / method", "some embodiments / methods", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment / method or example are included in at least one embodiment / method or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment / method or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in an appropriate manner in any one or more embodiments / methods or examples. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine different embodiments / methods or examples described in this specification and the features of different embodiments / methods or examples, unless they are contradictory.

[0066] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. Throughout the description of this application, "plurality" means at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0067] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above embodiments are merely for the purpose of illustrating the present invention clearly, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other changes or modifications may be made based on the above disclosure, and such changes or modifications are still within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A navigation light system, characterized in that: For a rotorcraft, the navigation light system includes a left navigation light assembly and a right navigation light assembly opposite to the left navigation light assembly; Along the direction from the nose (3) to the tail (4) of the rotorcraft, the left navigation light assembly and the right navigation light assembly each include a plurality of navigation lights; When the rotorcraft is in a first state, a centerline (10) from the nose (3) to the tail (4) of the rotorcraft forms an angle with a heading line (2) of the rotorcraft, and a distance exists between the left navigation light assembly and the right navigation light assembly in a direction perpendicular to the heading line (2); The corresponding two first navigation lights (1) at the maximum spacing position are lit; The navigation light system further comprises a rotor light (7) and an auxiliary light (8). When the rotorcraft is in a second state, a center line (10) from the nose (3) to the tail (4) of the rotorcraft is collinear with a heading line (2) of the rotorcraft, the rotor light (7) is lit, and the auxiliary light (8) is lit or extinguished.

2. A navigation light system according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a second navigation light, which is close to the first navigation light (1). When the rotorcraft is in the first state, the second navigation light is lit.

3. The navigation light system according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a transverse axis (9) passing through the intersection of the center line (10) and the heading line (2), the transverse axis (9) being perpendicular to the heading line (2), and the transverse axis (9) extending to both sides of the rotorcraft; The first navigation light (1) is located at a position where the horizontal axis (9) intersects the left navigation light assembly and the right navigation light assembly.

4. The navigation light system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The auxiliary lamp (8) is a lamp strip or a plurality of lamps arranged at intervals.

5. The navigation light system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotorcraft is a quadrotor, a hexacopter, or an octorotor. When the rotorcraft is a hexacopter or an octorotor, the navigation light includes a rotor light (7) located at the end of a rotor arm. When the rotorcraft is in a first state, the rotor light (7) close to the extension line of the heading line (2) of the rotorcraft is extinguished.

6. The navigation light system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lights of the left navigation light assembly are red and / or green, and the lights of the right navigation light assembly are green and / or red. The colors of the lights lit in the left navigation light assembly and the right navigation light assembly are different.

7. The navigation light system according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the rotorcraft is a quadrotor, the auxiliary light (8) is arranged on a bracket (6) between the two rotors.

8. A rotorcraft comprising the navigation light system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A navigation light control system for controlling the navigation lights of a rotorcraft as claimed in claim 8. When the rotorcraft is in a second state, a centerline (10) from the nose (3) to the tail (4) of the rotorcraft is collinear with a heading line (2) of the rotorcraft, and the control system is used to control the rotor light (7) to light up and the auxiliary light (8) to light up or extinguish; and / or, When the rotorcraft is in a first state, a centerline (10) from the nose (3) to the tail (4) of the rotorcraft forms an angle with a heading line (2) of the rotorcraft, and a distance exists between the left navigation light assembly and the right navigation light assembly in a direction perpendicular to the heading line (2); The control system is used for controlling the lighting of corresponding two first navigation lights (1) at the maximum spacing position.

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