Rotor assembly, rotor assembly storage method and unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

This invention discloses a rotor assembly, a rotor assembly storage method, and a drone, comprising: an arm folding unit, one end of which is connected to the drone body; an arm, connected to the other end of the arm folding unit; a propeller motor mounting base, connected to the free end of the arm; a propeller drive motor, mounted on the propeller motor mounting base; and a propeller blade, connected to the rotational output end of the propeller drive motor. The arm folding unit is used to fold the arm, placing it in a folded state, and to unfold the arm, placing it in an unfolded state. This invention achieves automatic and orderly folding, storage, and unfolding of the arm and propeller blades through the arm folding unit and the propeller storage unit, thereby solving the problem of manual folding required in ordinary folding drones.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, specifically to a rotor assembly, a rotor assembly storage method, and a UAV. Background Technology

[0002] Most quadcopter drones on the market today have non-foldable arms and propellers or require manual folding. Therefore, when these drones are used on devices such as drone nests, the drones themselves occupy a lot of space, resulting in large sizes of the drone nests and other parking equipment. Even if they can be folded manually, it will bring additional labor costs and workload, and will cause many inconveniences. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a rotor assembly, a rotor assembly storage method, and a drone. It can achieve automatic and orderly folding, storage, and unfolding of the arms and propellers through an arm folding unit and a propeller storage unit, thereby solving the problem that ordinary folding drones require manual folding.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0005] A rotor assembly is provided, comprising:

[0006] The arm folding unit is connected at one end to the drone body;

[0007] The arm, which is connected to the other end of the arm folding unit;

[0008] A propeller motor mounting base, which connects to the free end of the arm;

[0009] A blade drive motor is mounted on the blade motor mounting base;

[0010] And the blades, which are connected to the rotational output of the blade drive motor;

[0011] The arm folding unit is used to drive the arm to fold, so that the arm is in a folded state, and to drive the arm to unfold, so that the arm is in an unfolded state.

[0012] Preferably, the arm folding unit includes:

[0013] The body connector connects to the body of the UAV and has an internally hollow structure.

[0014] The push rod is partially or wholly located inside the connecting seat;

[0015] A linear drive assembly is connected to the UAV body and / or the connecting base, and the power output end of the linear drive assembly is connected to one end of the push rod;

[0016] The movable seat is partially or entirely located inside the connecting seat and is connected to the other end of the push rod;

[0017] A boom connector, which connects to the inner wall surface of the boom;

[0018] The hinged component has its two ends respectively hinged to the movable seat and the arm connecting seat;

[0019] Under the control of the control system, the linear drive assembly automatically drives the push rod and the moving seat to move linearly within the body connecting seat, so as to realize the unfolding / folding of the arm.

[0020] Preferably, when the arm is in a folded state, the angle between the central axis of the arm and the central axis of the drone body is 0-60°, and the angle between the central axis of the arm and the central axis of the drone body is 70-90°.

[0021] Preferably, the propeller motor mounting base is integrally formed with the machine arm.

[0022] Preferably, the rotor assembly further includes:

[0023] A blade retraction unit, which, in cooperation with the blade drive motor, allows the two blades to be in an extended / retracted state.

[0024] Preferably, the blade storage unit includes:

[0025] A lever drive assembly, which is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the arm and / or the arm folding unit;

[0026] And a blade stop lever, which is connected to the movable end of the stop lever drive assembly;

[0027] The stop lever drive assembly drives the blade stop lever to move linearly, so that it extends into the gap formed between the two blades and is located on the rotation path of the two blades. The blade drive motor then drives the two blades to rotate, so that the two blades are in the unfolded / retracted state. After the two blades are in the unfolded / retracted state, the stop lever drive assembly drives the blade stop lever to move linearly and disengage from the gap.

[0028] Preferably, when the two blades are in the deployed state, the included angle between the two blades is 150-180°, and when the two blades are in the retracted state, the included angle between the two blades is 0-15°.

[0029] Preferably, the blade storage unit further includes:

[0030] An angle sensor, which is connected to the blade drive motor, is used to acquire the rotation angle information of the blade drive motor.

[0031] And an angle closed-loop controller, which is connected to the angle sensor, for controlling the blade drive motor to rotate a predetermined angle based on the rotation angle information of the blade drive motor.

[0032] A method for storing the aforementioned rotor assembly is also provided, comprising the following steps:

[0033] First, control the boom to be in the extended state, then control the propeller blades to be in the extended state;

[0034] Alternatively, first control the arm to be in the folded state, and then control the propeller to be in the retracted state.

[0035] A drone is also provided, which includes a drone body and the aforementioned rotor assembly, wherein the rotor assembly is connected to the drone body.

[0036] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0037] This invention enables the automatic and orderly folding, storage, and unfolding of the arms and propellers through an arm folding unit and a propeller storage unit. The propeller storage unit and arm folding unit have simple structural designs and easy-to-implement control logic, thereby solving the problem that ordinary folding drones require manual folding. Attached Figure Description

[0038] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the state of the UAV with its arms and propellers fully extended in this invention.

[0039] Figure 2 This is an assembly diagram of the arm folding unit and the arm in this invention.

[0040] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the state of the UAV's arms and propellers when they are folded in this invention.

[0041] Figure 4 This is an overall structural diagram of the arm folding unit in this invention.

[0042] Figure 5 This is an overall structural diagram of the blade storage unit in this invention.

[0043] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the angle sensor in this invention.

[0044] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the blade deployment steps in this invention.

[0045] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the blade folding steps in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0047] Example 1:

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a rotor assembly for a drone, which includes:

[0049] The arm folding unit 1 is connected at one end to the drone body 100;

[0050] The arm 2 is connected to the other end of the arm folding unit 1, and the arm 2 has an internal mounting cavity 21;

[0051] The propeller motor mounting base 3 is connected to the free end of the arm 2 and can be integrally formed with the arm 2;

[0052] A blade drive motor 4 is mounted on the blade motor mounting base 3;

[0053] And the blade 5, which is connected to the rotation output end of the blade drive motor 4.

[0054] The arm folding unit 1 is used to drive the arm 2 to fold, so that the arm 2 is in a folded state (e.g., Figure 3 As shown), and drives the arm 2 to unfold, so that the arm 2 is in the unfolded state (as shown). Figure 1 (as shown)

[0055] Furthermore, when the arm 2 is in a folded state, the angle between the central axis X of the arm 2 and the central axis Y of the drone body 100 is 0-60°, and the angle between the central axis X of the arm 2 and the central axis Y of the drone body 100 is 70-90°.

[0056] Furthermore, such as Figure 4-5 As shown, the arm folding unit 1 includes:

[0057] The body connecting seat 11 connects to the UAV body 100 and has an internal hollow structure;

[0058] The push rod 12 is partially or wholly disposed inside the connecting seat 11 and is coaxially disposed with the connecting seat 11;

[0059] A linear drive assembly 13 (such as a servo motor) is connected to the UAV body 100 and / or the connector 11, and the power output end of the linear drive assembly 13 is connected to one end of the push rod 12.

[0060] The movable seat 14 is partially or wholly located inside the connecting seat 11 and is connected to the other end of the push rod 12;

[0061] Arm connecting seat 15, which is connected to the inner wall surface of the arm 2;

[0062] The hinge 16 has two ends that are respectively hinged to the movable seat 14 and the arm connecting seat 15;

[0063] Under the control of the control system, the linear drive assembly 15 automatically drives the push rod 16 and the moving seat 14 to move linearly within the body connecting seat 11 to realize the unfolding / folding of the arm 2. The control system includes the flight control system of the UAV, etc. The control can be realized by the control program built into the control system. For example, when the UAV takes off, the linear drive assembly 15 automatically unfolds the arm 2, and after the UAV lands in place, the linear drive assembly 15 automatically folds the arm 2, etc.

[0064] Specifically, such as Figure 2 As shown in Figure 4, when the power output end of the linear drive assembly 13 moves toward the UAV body 100 along the direction of the solid arrow, the linear drive assembly 13 drives the push rod 12 to move toward the UAV body 100, and at the same time drives the moving seat 14 to enter the body connecting seat 11 in the same direction, and move linearly inside the body connecting seat 11 to pull the hinge 16 to rotate. Further, the rotation of the hinge 16 drives the arm 2 to rotate until the angle between the central axis X of the arm 2 and the central axis Y of the UAV body 100 is 70-90°. At this time, the arm 2 is in the extended state (i.e., Figure 2 (as shown in the image)

[0065] Conversely, when the power output end of the linear drive assembly 13 moves away from the drone body 100 along the hollow arrow direction, the linear drive assembly 13 drives the push rod 12 to move away from the drone body 100, and simultaneously drives the movable seat 14 to move linearly in the same direction until it is completely / partially located outside the body connecting seat 11, so as to pull the hinge 16 to rotate. Further, the rotation of the hinge 16 drives the arm 2 to rotate. The angle between the central axis X of the arm 2 and the central axis Y of the drone body 100 is 0-60°. At this time, the arm 2 is in a folded state (i.e.,...). Figure 4 (The state shown).

[0066] Therefore, in this embodiment, the arm can be unfolded and folded by the arm folding unit. The arm folding unit has a simple structural design and can automatically fold the arm by a linear drive component. This solves the problem that existing drone users need to manually fold the arm, making the drone more intelligent and automated. At the same time, when drones are used in products such as drone nests and helipads, they can save more volume and space.

[0067] Example 2:

[0068] The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that the rotor assembly of the UAV further includes:

[0069] The blade retraction unit, in cooperation with the blade drive motor 4, enables the two blades 5 to be in an unfolded / retracted state. When the two blades 5 are in the unfolded state, the included angle between the two blades 5 is 150-180° (preferably 165-180°, particularly preferably 170-180°). When the two blades 5 are in the retracted state, the included angle between the two blades 5 is 0-15° (preferably 0.5-10°, particularly preferably 1-5°). When the two blades 5 are in the retracted state, a gap 200 is formed between them. In this embodiment, the two blades 5 include a first blade 52 and a second blade 53, both of which are connected to the rotation output end of the blade drive motor 4 and rotate synchronously under the drive of the blade drive motor 4.

[0070] Among them, such as Figure 2 As shown, the included angle between the two blades 5 refers to the included angle formed by the lines connecting the midpoint 41 of the end of the rotation output terminal of the blade drive motor 4 to the tips 51 of the two blades 5.

[0071] Specifically, the blade storage unit includes:

[0072] A lever drive assembly 6 (such as a motor) is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the arm 2 and / or the arm folding unit 1;

[0073] The blade stop 7 is connected to the movable end of the stop drive assembly 6;

[0074] An angle sensor 8 is connected to the blade drive motor 4 and is used to acquire the rotation angle information of the blade drive motor 4.

[0075] And an angle closed-loop controller, which is connected to the angle sensor 8, for controlling the blade drive motor 4 to rotate a predetermined angle based on the rotation angle information of the blade drive motor 4.

[0076] The stop lever drive assembly 6 drives the blade stop lever 7 to move linearly, so that it extends into the gap 200 and is located on the rotation path of the two blades. The blade drive motor 4 then drives the two blades to rotate, so that the two blades 5 are in the unfolded / retracted state. After the two blades 5 are in the unfolded / retracted state, the stop lever drive assembly 6 drives the blade stop lever 7 to move linearly and disengage from the gap 200.

[0077] Specifically, such as Figure 7 As shown, the process by which the lever drive assembly 6 drives the blade lever 7 to move linearly and extend into the gap 200, and the blade drive motor 4 then drives the two blades to rotate, so that the two blades 5 are in the deployed state, includes the following steps:

[0078] S1. In the initial unfolded state, the lever drive assembly 6 is activated, driving the paddle lever 7 to produce linear motion.

[0079] It extends into the gap 200 between the two blades (i.e., the first blade 52 and the second blade 53) and is located on the rotation path of the two blades; in the initial unfolded state, the included angle between the two blades 5 is 0-15° (preferably 0.5-10°, particularly preferably 1-5°).

[0080] S2. The blade drive motor 4 starts, driving the two blades to rotate synchronously along the first direction (i.e., one of clockwise or counterclockwise directions, which is clockwise in this embodiment) by a first angle;

[0081] During the rotation, one blade (i.e., the first blade 52) comes into contact with the blade stop 7 and is unable to continue rotating due to the obstruction of the blade stop 7. The rotation of the other blade (i.e., the second blade 53) is not affected by the obstruction of the blade stop 7, and the two blades eventually form an angle.

[0082] Wherein, the first angle satisfies the condition: 10°≤first angle≤120°, preferably, 30°≤first angle≤90°;

[0083] S3, the blade drive motor 4 drives the two blades synchronously along the second direction (i.e., clockwise / counterclockwise direction).

[0084] Another, in this embodiment, is a counter-clockwise rotation (to a second angle);

[0085] During the rotation process, the rotation of one blade (i.e., the first blade 52) is not affected by the obstruction of the blade stop 7, while the other blade (i.e., the second blade 53) comes into contact with the blade stop 7 and is unable to continue rotating due to the obstruction of the blade stop 7, ultimately causing the two blades to form another angle.

[0086] Wherein, the second angle satisfies the condition: 120°≤ second angle≤180°, preferably, 125°≤ second angle≤175°;

[0087] S4. The lever drive assembly 6 is activated, driving the blade lever 7 to produce linear motion, so that the blade lever...

[0088] 7 is completely disengaged from the gap 200 and is no longer located on the rotation path of the two blades. At this time, the blades are fully deployed and the two blades are in the deployed state.

[0089] Furthermore, such as Figure 8 As shown, the process by which the lever drive assembly 6 drives the blade lever 7 to move linearly and extend into the gap 200, and the blade drive motor 4 then drives the two blades to rotate, so that the two blades 5 are in the retracted state, includes the following steps:

[0090] S10. In the initial storage state, the lever drive assembly 6 is activated, driving the paddle lever 7 to generate linear motion.

[0091] The blade is moved to extend into the gap 200 between the two blades (i.e., the first blade 52 and the second blade 53) and is located on the rotation path of the two blades; in the initial state of being retracted, the included angle between the two blades 5 is 150-180° (preferably 165-180°, particularly preferably 170-180°).

[0092] S20. The blade drive motor 4 starts, driving the two blades to rotate synchronously along the first direction (i.e., one of the clockwise or counterclockwise directions, which is the clockwise direction in this embodiment) by a third angle.

[0093] During the rotation, one blade (i.e., the first blade 52) comes into contact with the blade stop 7 and is unable to continue rotating due to the obstruction of the blade stop 7. The rotation of the other blade (i.e., the second blade 53) is not affected by the obstruction of the blade stop 7, and the two blades eventually form an angle.

[0094] The third angle satisfies the following conditions: 150° ≤ third angle ≤ 180°, preferably 165° ≤ third angle ≤ 175°;

[0095] S30, the blade drive motor 4 drives the two blades synchronously along the second direction (i.e., clockwise / counterclockwise direction).

[0096] Another one, in this embodiment, is a counter-clockwise rotation (to the fourth angle);

[0097] During the rotation process, the rotation of one blade (i.e., the first blade 52) is not affected by the obstruction of the blade stop 7, while the other blade (i.e., the second blade 53) comes into contact with the blade stop 7 and is unable to continue rotating due to the obstruction of the blade stop 7, ultimately causing the two blades to form another angle.

[0098] Wherein, the fourth angle satisfies the condition: 300°≤ fourth angle≤350°, preferably, 320°≤ fourth angle≤345°;

[0099] S40. The lever drive assembly 6 is activated, driving the blade lever 7 to produce linear motion, so that the blade lever 7 is completely disengaged from the gap 200 and is no longer located on the rotation path of the two blades. At this time, the blades are fully deployed and the two blades are in the retracted state.

[0100] Furthermore, during the aforementioned blade unfolding / retracting process, the rotation angle information of the blade drive motor 4 is acquired in real time by the angle sensor 8 and sent to the angle closed-loop controller. The angle closed-loop controller, based on a PID algorithm, controls the blade drive motor 4 to rotate at a predetermined angle, such as a first angle, a second angle, a third angle, a fourth angle, etc., according to the rotation angle information of the blade drive motor 4.

[0101] Therefore, the blade storage unit in this embodiment only needs to use a blade stop 7 and a blade drive motor 4 to realize the storage / deployment of the blade. Moreover, the blade storage / deployment control logic is simple, only requiring synchronous driving of two blades to rotate in different directions, which is easy to implement.

[0102] Example 3:

[0103] This embodiment provides a rotor assembly storage method as described in Embodiment 1 or 2, which includes the following steps:

[0104] First, control the boom to be in the extended state, then control the propeller blades to be in the extended state;

[0105] Alternatively, first control the arm to be in the folded state, and then control the propeller to be in the retracted state.

[0106] The process of first controlling the boom to be in the deployed state, and then controlling the propeller blades to be in the deployed state includes the following steps:

[0107] Generate control commands for arm deployment;

[0108] The arm folding unit 1 causes the arm 2 to be in the unfolded state according to the arm unfolding control command. The process is described in the unfolding process of arm 2 in Embodiment 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0109] After arm 2 is in the deployed state, a blade deployment control command is generated;

[0110] The blade storage unit controls the blade to unfold according to the blade unfolding control command. The process is the same as the blade unfolding process in Embodiment 2, and will not be repeated here.

[0111] First, control the boom to be in the folded state, then control the propellers to be in the retracted state, including the following steps:

[0112] Generate arm folding control commands;

[0113] The arm folding unit 1 causes the arm 2 to be in a folded state according to the arm folding control command. The process is described in the folding process of arm 2 in Embodiment 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0114] After arm 2 is in the folded state, a blade retraction control command is generated;

[0115] The blade storage unit controls the blade storage according to the blade storage control command. The process is the same as the blade storage process in Embodiment 2, and will not be repeated here.

[0116] Example 4:

[0117] This embodiment provides a drone, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes a drone body 100 and a rotor assembly as described in Embodiment 1 or 2, and the rotor assembly is connected to the drone body 100.

[0118] In summary, this invention can achieve automatic and orderly folding, storage, and unfolding of the arms and propellers through the arm folding unit and the propeller storage unit. Moreover, the propeller storage unit and the arm folding unit have simple structural designs and easy-to-implement control logic, thereby solving the problem that ordinary folding drones require manual folding, making the drone more intelligent and automated. At the same time, when the drone is used in conjunction with products such as drone nests and helipads, it saves more volume and space.

[0119] It should be noted that the technical features in embodiments 1 to 4 above can be combined arbitrarily, and the resulting technical solutions all fall within the protection scope of this application. Furthermore, in this document, terms such as "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0120] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the deployment / retraction of rotor blades in a UAV rotor assembly, characterized in that, The rotor assembly includes: The arm folding unit is connected at one end to the drone body; The arm, which is connected to the other end of the arm folding unit; A propeller motor mounting base, which connects to the free end of the arm; A blade drive motor is mounted on the blade motor mounting base; The blade is connected to the rotation output end of the blade drive motor; A blade retraction unit, which, in cooperation with the blade drive motor, allows the two blades to be in an extended / retracted state. The blade storage unit includes: A lever drive assembly, which is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the arm and / or the arm folding unit; And a blade stop lever, which is connected to the movable end of the stop lever drive assembly; The arm folding unit is used to drive the arm to fold, so that the arm is in a folded state, and to drive the arm to unfold, so that the arm is in an unfolded state. The blade deployment / retraction control method includes the following steps: In the initial state, the lever drive assembly is activated, causing the blade lever to move linearly, extending into the two... It is located in the gap between the blades and on the rotation path of the two blades; The blade drive motor starts, driving the two blades to rotate synchronously in the first direction, so that one blade is blocked by the blade stop bar, while the other blade is not blocked by the blade stop bar. The blade drive motor drives the two blades to rotate synchronously in the second direction, so that one blade is not blocked by the blade stop bar, while the other blade is blocked by the blade stop bar.

2. The blade deployment / retraction control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The arm folding unit includes: The body connector connects to the body of the UAV and has an internally hollow structure. The push rod is partially or wholly located inside the connecting seat; A linear drive assembly is connected to the UAV body and / or the connecting base, and the power output end of the linear drive assembly is connected to one end of the push rod; The movable seat is partially or entirely located inside the connecting seat and is connected to the other end of the push rod; A boom connector, which connects to the inner wall surface of the boom; The hinged component has its two ends respectively hinged to the movable seat and the arm connecting seat; Under the control of the control system, the linear drive assembly automatically drives the push rod and the moving seat to move linearly within the body connecting seat, so as to realize the unfolding / folding of the arm.

3. The blade deployment / retraction control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the arm is in the folded state, the angle between the central axis of the arm and the central axis of the drone body is 0-60°. When the arm is in the unfolded state, the angle between the central axis of the arm and the central axis of the drone body is 70-90°.

4. The blade deployment / retraction control method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The propeller motor mounting base is integrally formed with the machine arm.

5. The blade deployment / retraction control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the two blades are in the deployed state, the angle between the two blades is 150-180°, and when the two blades are in the retracted state, the angle between the two blades is 0-15°.

6. The blade deployment / retraction control method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The blade storage unit also includes: An angle sensor, which is connected to the blade drive motor, is used to acquire the rotation angle information of the blade drive motor. And an angle closed-loop controller, which is connected to the angle sensor, for controlling the blade drive motor to rotate a predetermined angle based on the rotation angle information of the blade drive motor.

7. A method for storing a drone rotor assembly, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: First, control the boom to be in the extended state, then control the propeller blades to be in the extended state; Alternatively, first control the arm to be in the folded state, and then control the propeller to be in the retracted state; The blade deployment / retraction control method according to any one of claims 1-6 controls the blade to be in the deployed state, or controls the blade to be in the retracted state.

8. A drone, comprising a drone body and a rotor assembly, wherein the rotor assembly is connected to the drone body, characterized in that, The rotor assembly's blades are deployed / retracted according to the blade deployment / retraction control method according to any one of claims 1-6.

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