An air inlet oil leakage prevention device for a piston engine oil tank of a UAV and a UAV

Abstract

The present invention provides an air inlet oil leakage prevention device for a piston engine fuel tank of an unmanned aerial vehicle and a unmanned aerial vehicle. The air inlet oil leakage prevention device for the unmanned aerial vehicle piston engine fuel tank comprises: a mounting base, a fixing bracket, an air pipe, and a counterweight. The mounting base is provided with an assembly portion for assembling with the unmanned aerial vehicle, the fixing bracket is rotatably mounted on the mounting base, the air pipe and the counterweight are disposed on the fixing bracket, the air pipe having a first port and a second port, the second port being configured to communicate with the air inlet of the unmanned aerial vehicle fuel tank. Compared to the prior art, the air inlet oil leakage prevention device for the unmanned aerial vehicle piston engine fuel tank of the present invention utilizes the gravity of a counterweight to rotate downward when the fuel tank is tilted, while the first port of the air pipe rotates to a higher position relative to the counterweight, thereby facilitating the first port of the air pipe to be higher than the air inlet of the fuel tank, thereby preventing oil leakage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and in particular to an anti-oil leakage device for an air inlet of an UAV piston engine oil tank and the UAV. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of science and technology, the application of drones has become increasingly widespread across various industries in recent years. Drone applications have expanded to include aerial photography, agricultural and forestry plant protection, geological exploration, power inspections, oil and gas pipeline inspections, highway accident management, forest fire inspections, environmental pollution surveys, emergency rescue and relief, disaster relief, and coastline inspections. The propeller power system of a low-speed drone typically consists of a propeller, a piston engine, and associated control systems. Compared to jet engines, piston engines offer advantages such as low cost, high efficiency, low fuel consumption, low pollution, and low noise at low cruising speeds, making them widely used in drones.

[0003] Currently, most UAV piston engine fuel tanks have external vents. When the tank is filled with fuel, it can leak when tilted, stored upright, or stored on its side. Furthermore, piston engine UAVs are prone to leaks when tilted at large angles during flight. UAVs cannot be transported or stored upright when fuel is stored, as this can cause leaks. Therefore, UAV fuel tanks are typically stored empty during transportation. Fuel can only be loaded and flown when the drone is leveled, significantly limiting the time it takes to deploy, retract, or store the drone, reducing its operational efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings and deficiencies in the prior art and to provide an anti-oil leakage device for the air inlet of a UAV piston engine tank and a UAV.

[0005] One embodiment of the present invention provides an oil leakage prevention device for an air inlet of a piston engine oil tank of a UAV, comprising: a mounting seat, a fixing bracket, an air pipe, and a counterweight;

[0006] The mounting seat is provided with an assembly portion for assembly with a drone, the fixed bracket is rotatably mounted on the mounting seat, the air pipe and the counterweight are arranged on the fixed bracket, the air pipe has a first port and a second port, the first port and the counterweight are respectively located on opposite sides of the rotation axis of the fixed bracket, and the second port is used to communicate with the air inlet of the drone's fuel tank.

[0007] Compared with the prior art, the oil leakage prevention device for the air inlet of the UAV piston engine tank of the present invention can utilize the gravity of the counterweight to rotate downward when the tank is tilted, and the first port of the air pipe is rotated to a position higher than the counterweight, which is conducive to keeping the first port of the air pipe higher than the air inlet of the tank, thereby preventing oil leakage.

[0008] In some optional embodiments, a support channel is formed in the fixed bracket, and the support channel has a pipe inlet and a pipe outlet, and the pipe inlet and the pipe outlet are arranged in sequence in a direction away from the counterweight, and the first port of the air pipe passes through the pipe inlet and the support channel in sequence, and then extends out from the pipe outlet.

[0009] In some optional embodiments, the pipe inlet is located on the rotation axis of the fixed bracket.

[0010] In some optional embodiments, the fixing bracket is tubular, and the pipe outlet and the counterweight are respectively located at two ends of the fixing bracket.

[0011] In some optional embodiments, the inner wall of the support channel is provided with a plurality of fixing holes for the fixing belt to pass through, and the plurality of fixing holes are arranged along the extension direction of the support channel.

[0012] In some optional embodiments, the fixing bracket is rotatably connected to the mounting base via a rotating shaft.

[0013] In some optional embodiments, the trachea is a flexible tube.

[0014] In some optional embodiments, the counterweight is spherical.

[0015] In some optional embodiments, the assembly portion includes a plurality of assembly holes evenly arranged on the mounting seat.

[0016] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a drone, comprising: a main body, a fuel tank arranged on the main body, and an air inlet oil leakage prevention device for the drone piston engine fuel tank as described above, wherein the mounting seat of the air inlet oil leakage prevention device for the drone piston engine fuel tank is installed on the main body through the assembly part, the second port of the air pipe of the air inlet oil leakage prevention device for the drone piston engine fuel tank is connected to the air inlet of the fuel tank, and the first port of the air pipe of the air inlet oil leakage prevention device for the drone piston engine fuel tank is located above the second port.

[0017] In order to more clearly understand the present invention, the specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of an anti-leakage device for an air inlet of a piston engine oil tank of a UAV according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of an air inlet oil leakage prevention device and an oil tank of a piston engine oil tank of a UAV according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 The figure is a schematic structural diagram of an air inlet oil leakage prevention device of a piston engine oil tank of a UAV according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the oil tank is tilted.

[0021] Description of reference numerals:

[0022] 10. Mounting seat; 11. Assembly portion; 20. Fixed bracket; 21. Support channel; 22. Pipe inlet; 23. Pipe outlet; 24. Fixing hole; 30. Air pipe; 31. First port; 32. Second port; 40. Counterweight; 50. Fuel tank. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention. The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "multiple" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined, and the meaning of "several" is one or more.

[0024] See also Figure 1 , which is a structural schematic diagram of an air inlet oil leakage prevention device for a UAV piston engine tank according to an embodiment of the present invention. The air inlet oil leakage prevention device for a UAV piston engine tank includes: a mounting seat 10, a fixing bracket 20, an air pipe 30 and a counterweight 40.

[0025] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 , Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of an air inlet oil leakage prevention device and an oil tank of a piston engine of a UAV according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3This is a structural schematic diagram of an air inlet oil leakage prevention device of a UAV piston engine tank according to an embodiment of the present invention on one side when the tank is tilted. An assembly portion 11 for assembly with a UAV is provided on the mounting base 10, and a fixed bracket 20 is rotatably mounted on the mounting base 10. An air pipe 30 and a counterweight 40 are provided on the fixed bracket 20. The air pipe 30 has a first port 31 and a second port 32. The first port 31 and the counterweight 40 are respectively located on opposite sides of the rotation axis of the fixed bracket 20. The second port 32 is used to communicate with the air inlet of the UAV tank 50. When the drone is placed in a horizontal position, the inlet of the drone fuel tank 50 is usually at the top of the fuel tank 50, and the fixing bracket 20 and the air pipe 30 should be located above the drone fuel tank 50 so that the first port 31 should be higher than the second port 32, and the second port 32 is higher than the liquid level of the fuel tank 50. When the drone is tilted, the gravity of the counterweight drives the fixing bracket 20 to rotate, wherein the counterweight rotates downward and the first port 31 rotates upward, so that the first port 31 can be kept higher than the second port 32, and the second port 32 will not be higher than the first port 31 due to the tilt of the drone. This makes it convenient to prevent oil leakage when the drone is tilted during flight, and makes the placement posture of the drone during storage and transportation more flexible, so that there is no need to drain the oil from the fuel tank 50 during storage and transportation of the drone, which helps to reduce the number of operating steps when the drone performs a flight mission again or when the drone is withdrawn.

[0026] In addition, in order to further prevent oil leakage from the oil tank 50, the fixing bracket 20 can be designed to be long enough so that the first port 31 can extend out of one side of the oil tank 50. In this way, when the oil tank 50 is tilted, the first port 31 on the fixing bracket 20 can be maintained above the oil tank 50, so that the liquid level in the oil tank 50 will not be lower than the first port 31.

[0027] In order to stably support the trachea 30 so that the position of the trachea 30 is stable and does not shift, in some optional embodiments, a support channel 21 is formed in the fixed bracket 20, and the support channel 21 has an inlet 22 and an outlet 23. The inlet 22 and the outlet 23 are arranged in sequence in the direction away from the counterweight 40. The first port 31 of the trachea 30 passes through the inlet 22 and the support channel 21 in sequence, and then extends out from the outlet 23, so as to maintain the position of the trachea 30 stable through the support channel 21.

[0028] In some optional embodiments, the pipe inlet 22 is located on the rotation axis of the fixed bracket 20. Because the counterweight 40 rotates downward when the drone is tilted, the portion of the air pipe 30 between the pipe inlet 22 and the pipe outlet 23 will be higher than the pipe inlet 22, and the fuel tank 50 is lower than the fixed bracket 20, making it difficult for the oil in the fuel tank 50 to flow out of the air pipe 30. It should be noted that the air inlet oil leakage prevention device for the drone piston engine fuel tank of the present invention is mainly used for ordinary drones that do not flip and have a stable flight posture. For other special drones such as performance drones, which require many special movements, the fuel tank 50 of these drones is not equipped with a vent.

[0029] In order to facilitate the structural design of the fixing bracket 20 and simplify the structure of the fixing bracket 20 , in some optional embodiments, the fixing bracket 20 is tubular, and the pipe outlet 23 and the counterweight 40 are respectively located at both ends of the fixing bracket 20 .

[0030] To facilitate the securement of the trachea 30 and simplify the structure of the fixing bracket 20, in some optional embodiments, the inner wall of the support channel 21 is provided with a plurality of fixing holes 24 for the passage of a fixing strap. The plurality of fixing holes 24 are arranged along the extension direction of the support channel 21. After the fixing strap passes through the fixing holes 24, it passes around the trachea 30 and is then tied to the fixing bracket 20. The fixing strap can be a cable tie, etc. Of course, the method for securing the trachea 30 is not limited to this. Those skilled in the art may also select other suitable structures based on the teachings of this invention, such as providing a slot on the fixing bracket 20 with which the trachea 30 has an interference fit.

[0031] In some optional embodiments, the air tube 30 is a flexible tube body, thereby facilitating the assembly of the air tube 30 and avoiding the problem of difficult installation due to dimensional errors of a hard tube body.

[0032] To facilitate assembly of the fixing bracket 20 and the mounting base 10, in some optional embodiments, the fixing bracket 20 is rotatably connected to the mounting base 10 via a rotating shaft. Of course, the rotational cooperation between the fixing bracket 20 and the mounting base 10 is not limited to this, and those skilled in the art can also select other appropriate structures based on the teachings of the present invention.

[0033] The structure of the counterweight can be designed appropriately according to actual needs. In some optional embodiments, the counterweight is spherical to avoid corners and reduce damage to the object in the event of a collision.

[0034] The assembly portion 11 can be designed appropriately based on actual needs. In some optional embodiments, the assembly portion 11 includes a plurality of assembly holes evenly distributed on the mounting base 10. Threaded members pass through the assembly holes one by one and are then threadedly connected to the drone, thereby securing the mounting base 10. Of course, the assembly portion 11 can also adopt a snap-fit ​​structure, a tight-fit structure, etc.

[0035] The above-mentioned air inlet oil leakage prevention device of the UAV piston engine tank can be used on the UAV, including: a main body, a fuel tank 50 arranged on the main body and an air inlet oil leakage prevention device of the UAV piston engine tank as described above, the second port 32 is connected to the air inlet of the fuel tank 50, and the first port 31 is located above the second port 32.

[0036] While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, and that the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An anti-leakage device for the air inlet of a UAV piston engine oil tank, characterized in that: include: Mounting base, fixing bracket, air tube and counterweight; The mounting base is provided with an assembly portion for assembly with a drone, the fixing bracket is rotatably mounted on the mounting base, the air pipe and the counterweight are provided on the fixing bracket, the air pipe has a first port and a second port, the first port and the counterweight are respectively located on opposite sides of the rotation axis of the fixing bracket, and the second port is used to communicate with the air inlet of the drone fuel tank; The fixing bracket is rotatably connected to the mounting seat via a rotating shaft; A support channel is formed in the fixing bracket, the support channel having a pipe inlet and a pipe outlet, the pipe inlet and the pipe outlet are sequentially arranged in a direction away from the counterweight, the first end of the air pipe passes through the pipe inlet and the support channel in sequence, and then extends out of the pipe outlet; The pipe inlet is located on the rotation axis of the fixed bracket; The fixing bracket is tubular, and the pipe outlet and the counterweight are respectively located at two ends of the fixing bracket; The inner wall of the support channel is provided with a plurality of fixing holes for the fixing belt to pass through, and the plurality of fixing holes are arranged along the extension direction of the support channel.

2. The oil leakage prevention device for the air inlet of the piston engine oil tank of a UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The trachea is a flexible tube.

3. The oil leakage prevention device for the air inlet of the piston engine oil tank of a UAV according to claim 1 is characterized by: The counterweight is spherical.

4. The oil leakage prevention device for the air inlet of a piston engine oil tank of a UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The assembly portion includes a plurality of assembly holes evenly arranged on the mounting seat.

5. A drone, characterized in that: include: A main body, an oil tank arranged on the main body, and an air inlet oil leakage prevention device for a UAV piston engine oil tank as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, the second port of the air pipe of the air inlet oil leakage prevention device for the UAV piston engine oil tank is connected to the air inlet of the oil tank, and the first port of the air pipe of the air inlet oil leakage prevention device for the UAV piston engine oil tank is located above the second port.

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