Retractable aircraft docking and separation mechanism and control method thereof

Abstract

The present invention discloses a retractable aircraft docking and separation mechanism and its control method. The mechanism comprises a gripping mechanism located at the middle of the wingtip of the main aircraft, a retractable shaft mechanism located at the middle of the wingtip of the secondary aircraft, a position locking mechanism located at the leading and trailing edges of the wingtip of the secondary aircraft for locking the pitch angle between the aircraft, and locking holes located on the side of the wingtip of the main aircraft and corresponding to the position locking mechanism. Two aircraft in a formation are locked together by linking the gripping mechanism and the retractable shaft mechanism, and the pitch angle between the aircraft is locked by inserting the position locking mechanism into the corresponding locking hole. The present invention can lock the pitch angle between the aircraft during docking, achieving precise positioning of the entire aircraft.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an aircraft docking and separation mechanism and a control method thereof, and in particular to a retractable aircraft docking and separation mechanism and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, various types of single-body aircraft have been expected to be used in a variety of fields, including military research, agriculture, and civilian applications. However, the combat performance and endurance of single-body aircraft cannot be reconciled. Therefore, an aircraft is needed that combines the maneuverability of a single-body aircraft with a smaller body design to adapt to various complex take-off and landing environments, allowing it to complete flight missions through coordinated operations alone or in formations; while also possessing the flight performance of a high-aspect-ratio wing, enabling the aircraft to achieve a higher lift-to-drag ratio and longer endurance. Therefore, formation aerial convergence / separation technology can be used. This allows the aircraft in the formation to arrive at the mission site in a high-aspect-ratio convergence form, separate during the mission operation, and operate in a single-plane mode to achieve flexible mission modes, saving overall formation energy, improving cruise efficiency, and increasing range.

[0003] Patent CN108583877A proposes a gripping wingtip docking / decoupling mechanism system designed to address the docking and separation challenges of multiple aircraft docking in mid-air to improve cruising efficiency or to separate mid-air to complete their respective sub-tasks. The mechanism is installed on the wingtip ribs of the aircraft, and a telescopic mechanism is used to position the docking point outside the wingtip to reduce interference from wingtip vortices. The mechanism has a docking rod on the extending side and a gripper with a locking mechanism on the gripping side. When the two aircraft approach, the docking rod is inserted into the gripper and locked, and the telescopic mechanism is then used to pull the two aircraft closer together to complete docking. During the separation process, the telescopic mechanism pushes the two aircraft apart, an electromagnet unlocks the gripper, and the gripper ejects the docking rod, which then retracts to complete the separation. While this method reduces the difficulty of the gripping process during docking, it does not effectively limit the gripper's position, making it impossible to accurately position the two aircraft after gripping. Furthermore, the position of the entire aircraft cannot be precisely fixed during the docking process.

[0004] Therefore, the above problems need to be solved urgently. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Purpose of the invention: The first purpose of the present invention is to provide a retractable aircraft docking and separation mechanism that can lock the pitch angle between aircraft during the docking process and accurately fix the position of the entire aircraft.

[0006] A second object of the present invention is to provide a control method for a retractable aircraft docking and separation mechanism.

[0007] Technical Solution: To achieve the above objectives, the present invention discloses a retractable aircraft docking and separation mechanism, comprising a gripping mechanism located at the middle of the wingtip of the main aircraft wing, a retractable shaft mechanism located at the middle of the wingtip of the slave aircraft wing, a position locking mechanism located at the leading and trailing edges of the wingtip of the slave aircraft wing for locking the pitch angle between the aircraft, and locking holes located on the side surfaces of the wingtip of the main aircraft wing and corresponding one-to-one with the position locking mechanisms.

[0008] The two aircraft in the formation are locked by connecting the gripping mechanism and the telescopic shaft mechanism, and the pitch angle locking between the aircraft is achieved by inserting the position locking mechanism into the corresponding locking hole.

[0009] The gripping mechanism includes a conical sleeve fixed inside the wingtip of the aircraft main engine wing, a gripping assembly rotatably connected to the rear end of the conical sleeve and capable of opening and closing, and a gripping drive assembly for driving the gripping assembly to move.

[0010] Preferably, the gripping assembly includes three rotating grippers fixed to the rear of the conical sleeve at an angle of 120°, the front end of each rotating gripper has an arc-shaped gripping piece that can form a ring for grabbing the telescopic shaft mechanism, and the rear end of each rotating gripper has a half gear rotatably connected to the rear of the conical sleeve at the axis.

[0011] Furthermore, the front section of the conical sleeve is a conical cylinder section, and the rear section is a circular cylinder section. The rear end of the circular cylinder section is evenly spaced with three positioning grooves for connecting the rotating gripper, and each positioning groove is provided with a connecting shaft for passing through the axis of the half gear for connection.

[0012] Furthermore, the gripping drive assembly includes three gripping servo motors with limited ranges. Each gripping servo motor is installed on a mounting plate at the rear of the corresponding tapered sleeve. The output shaft of each gripping servo motor is engaged with the corresponding half gear through a transmission gear to drive the rotary gripper to rotate.

[0013] Preferably, the telescopic shaft mechanism includes a hydraulic actuator fixed on the wingtip of the aircraft slave wing and a hydraulic telescopic shaft connected to the output end of the hydraulic actuator, and the hydraulic telescopic shaft is a secondary hydraulic telescopic shaft with a hemispherical front end.

[0014] Furthermore, the position locking mechanism includes a fixed seat fixed on the wingtip of the aircraft's wing and provided with a horizontal slide groove, a sliding shaft adapted to the horizontal slide groove and movable forward and backward along the fixed seat, a servo motor located at the rear end of the fixed seat, and a connecting rod assembly connected to the output shaft of the servo motor for driving the sliding shaft to move.

[0015] Furthermore, the connecting rod assembly includes a connecting rod connected to the output shaft of the servo motor and with both ends respectively mounted on fixed seats, a pair of first connecting rods passing through the connecting rod, and a second connecting rod connected to the first connecting rod and symmetrically arranged to be connected to the upper end of the sliding shaft.

[0016] Preferably, the lower base plate of the fixing seat is a Japanese-shaped plate, and the two side plates of the fixing seat are L-shaped plates, and a single-shaped horizontal sliding groove is provided on the L-shaped plate.

[0017] The present invention provides a control method for a retractable aircraft docking and separation mechanism, comprising the following steps:

[0018] In actual flight, two or more aircraft fly in formation. When docking, the two aircraft must remain side by side, with their altitude, speed, and fore-aft position maintained within a certain range, and maintain a certain distance and level flight.

[0019] After the docking command is issued, the hydraulic actuator installed in the telescopic shaft mechanism at the wingtip of the slave aircraft first drives the hydraulic telescopic shaft to extend out of the fuselage;

[0020] At the same time, the two aircraft slowly approached to the convergence range, and the hemispherical body of the front section of the hydraulic telescopic shaft entered the grasping range of the rotating gripper along the front part of the conical sleeve;

[0021] The hydraulic telescopic shaft enters the grasping range of the rotary gripper, and the three gripping servo motors are controlled by unified instructions to rotate at the same angle, and the transmission wheel engages the half gear to drive the rotary gripper to grasp the hydraulic telescopic shaft;

[0022] After the hydraulic telescopic shaft is successfully grasped, the servo motor will drive the first and second connecting rods in the connecting rod assembly to straighten, pushing the sliding shaft to slide outward in the horizontal slide groove of the fixed seat, locking the pitch angle between the aircraft, and finally completing the docking between the two aircraft;

[0023] When separating, the two aircraft must remain side by side, and their altitude and speed must be maintained within a certain range;

[0024] First, the servo motor folds the first and second links in the driving linkage assembly, pulling the sliding shaft to slide inward in the horizontal slot of the fixed seat, unlocking the pitch angle between the aircraft;

[0025] The three gripping servo mechanisms are controlled to rotate at the same angle by unified instructions, and the rotating gripper is driven to release the hydraulic telescopic shaft through the transmission gear meshing half gear;

[0026] The hydraulic actuator drives the hydraulic telescopic shaft to retract into the fuselage, and at the same time the two aircraft gradually move away, eventually completing the separation between the aircraft.

[0027] Beneficial effects: Compared with the existing technology, the present invention has the following significant advantages: the present invention is loaded at the wingtip of the aircraft wing, and through structural design, it can be completely recovered into the interior of the aircraft wing, thereby reducing the waste resistance during the flight of the aircraft, and has the characteristics of repeated recycling, saving energy; the present invention adopts a rigid connection between the telescopic shaft mechanism and the grasping mechanism, which can accurately dock the aircraft and has a self-locking function; the present invention completes the precise fixation of the position of the entire machine through the position locking mechanism of the leading and trailing edges of the aircraft; the present invention can be used in the aggregation and separation of multi-type aircraft formations, aircraft aerial refueling, and space station docking and separation mechanisms, and has a wide range of applicable scenarios. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the master and slave wing tips before convergence in the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the master and slave wing tips after convergence in the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the appearance of the main engine wing tip grasping mechanism before grasping in the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the appearance of the main engine wing tip grasping mechanism after grasping in the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the positions of the gripping mechanism, telescopic shaft mechanism and position locking mechanism in the present invention;

[0033] Figure 6 It is a structural diagram of the grabbing mechanism in the present invention;

[0034] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of the telescopic shaft mechanism of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the position locking mechanism before aggregation in the present invention;

[0036] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the appearance of the wingtip position fixing mechanism of the slave aircraft before it is extended;

[0037] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the appearance of the wingtip position fixing mechanism of the slave aircraft after it is extended. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] like Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 3 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, a retractable aircraft docking and separation mechanism of the present invention is suitable for docking and separating a main aircraft and a slave aircraft. It includes a gripping mechanism 1, a telescopic shaft mechanism 2, a position locking mechanism 3, and a locking hole 501. The gripping mechanism 1 is located in the middle of the wingtip 4 of the main aircraft, the telescopic shaft mechanism 2 is located in the middle of the wingtip 5 of the slave aircraft, and two position locking mechanisms 3 are located at the leading and trailing edges of the wingtip 5 of the slave aircraft, respectively. The position locking mechanism is used to lock the pitch angle between the aircraft. The locking hole 501 is located on the side of the wingtip of the main aircraft, and the locking hole 501 is arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the position locking mechanism 3. The two aircraft in the formation are locked by connecting the gripping mechanism 1 and the telescopic shaft mechanism 2. The pitch angle between the aircraft is locked by inserting the position locking mechanism 3 into the corresponding locking hole 501.

[0040] like Figure 6 As shown, the gripping mechanism 1 comprises a tapered sleeve 101, a gripping assembly, and a gripping drive assembly. The gripping assembly comprises a rotating gripper 102, an arcuate gripping piece 103, and a half gear 104. The gripping drive assembly comprises a gripping servo motor 107, a mounting plate 108, and a transmission gear 109. The tapered sleeve 101 is fixed within the wingtip of the aircraft's main engine. The gripping assembly is rotatably connected to the rear end of the tapered sleeve. The gripping assembly can be opened and closed to facilitate gripping the telescopic shaft mechanism 2. The gripping drive assembly is used to drive the gripping assembly. The front section of the conical sleeve 101 is a conical barrel section, which facilitates the guidance of the telescopic shaft mechanism to complete the docking, and the rear section is a circular barrel section, which cooperates with the rotary gripper in the clamping assembly; the rear end of the circular barrel section is evenly spaced with three positioning grooves 105 for connecting the rotary gripper 102 of the clamping assembly, and each positioning groove 105 is provided with a connecting shaft 106 for passing through the axis of the half gear 104 for connection. The three rotating grippers 102 are fixed to the rear of the conical sleeve at an angle of 120°. The front end of each rotating gripper 102 has an arc-shaped gripping piece 103, and the three arc-shaped gripping pieces 103 can form a circular ring, which is used to grab the hemisphere of the hydraulic telescopic shaft of the telescopic shaft mechanism. The rear end of each rotating gripper has a half gear 104, and the axis of the half gear 104 can be rotatably connected to the connecting shaft 106 at the rear of the conical sleeve. The three gripping servo motors 107 all have a limited range. Each gripping servo motor 107 is installed on a mounting plate 108 at the rear of the corresponding tapered sleeve. The output shaft of each gripping servo motor 107 is engaged with the corresponding half gear 104 through a transmission gear 109 to drive the rotary gripper 102 to rotate.

[0041] like Figure 7As shown, the telescopic shaft mechanism 2 includes a hydraulic actuator 201 and a hydraulic telescopic shaft 202. The hydraulic actuator 201 is fixed to the wingtip of the aircraft's slave wing. The hydraulic telescopic shaft 202 is connected to the output end of the hydraulic actuator. The hydraulic telescopic shaft 202 is a two-stage hydraulic telescopic shaft with a hemisphere 203 at the front end. The hydraulic telescopic shaft is driven by the hydraulic actuator and achieves reciprocating motion through the power output of the hydraulic actuator. It has a self-locking function. The hemisphere 203 is used to reduce the friction between the rod and the tapered sleeve 101 when the rod is docked.

[0042] like Figure 8 、 Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the position locking mechanism 3 includes a horizontal slide 301, a fixed base 302, a sliding shaft 303, a servo motor 304 with a limited range, and a connecting rod assembly, which includes a connecting rod 305, a first connecting rod 306, and a second connecting rod 307. The fixed base 302 is fixed to the wingtip of the aircraft's secondary wing. The lower base of the fixed base 302 is a Japanese-shaped plate, and the two side plates of the fixed base are L-shaped plates, each of which has a straight horizontal slide 301. The sliding shaft 303 is adapted to fit within the horizontal chute 301 and can move back and forth along the fixed base 302. The sliding shaft 303 comprises an I-shaped slide bar 308, a locking pin 309 at its front end, and a vertical rod 310 located in the middle of the slide bar. The servo motor 304 is located at the rear end of the L-shaped plate of the fixed base. A connecting rod 305 is connected to the servo motor output shaft, with both ends of the connecting rod 305 mounted at the rear end of the L-shaped plate of the fixed base. A pair of first connecting rods 306 are provided through the connecting rods 305, and second connecting rods 307 are connected to the first connecting rods 306. Two second connecting rods 307 are symmetrically arranged and connected to the upper ends of the vertical rods 310 of the sliding shaft. When the servo motor 304 is activated, the first and second connecting rods 306, 307 drive the sliding shaft 303 to reciprocate along the horizontal chute 301 of the fixed base 302.

[0043] The present invention guides and grasps the hydraulic telescopic shaft through a tapered sleeve and a rotating gripper, and locks the pitch angle between the wings through a position fixing mechanism; the mechanism can be completely retracted into the interior of the fuselage before and after docking and separation, so that the entire mechanism does not add additional aerodynamic resistance when the aircraft is flying in formation or alone, and can perform effective limited docking and can be used repeatedly. The mechanism is simple and can be installed on a variety of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.

[0044] like Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the present invention provides a control method for a retractable aircraft docking and separation mechanism, comprising the following steps:

[0045] In actual flight, two or more aircraft fly in formation. When docking, the two aircraft must remain side by side, with their altitude, speed, and fore-aft position maintained within a certain range, and maintain a certain distance and level flight.

[0046] After the docking command is issued, the hydraulic actuator installed in the telescopic shaft mechanism at the wingtip of the slave aircraft first drives the hydraulic telescopic shaft to extend out of the fuselage;

[0047] At the same time, the two aircraft slowly approached to the convergence range, and the hemispherical body of the front section of the hydraulic telescopic shaft entered the grasping range of the rotating gripper along the front part of the conical sleeve;

[0048] The hydraulic telescopic shaft enters the grasping range of the rotary gripper, and the three gripping servo motors are controlled by unified instructions to rotate at the same angle, and the transmission wheel engages the half gear to drive the rotary gripper to grasp the hydraulic telescopic shaft;

[0049] After the hydraulic telescopic shaft is successfully grasped, the servo motor will drive the first and second connecting rods in the connecting rod assembly to straighten, pushing the sliding shaft to slide outward in the horizontal slide groove of the fixed seat, locking the pitch angle between the aircraft, and finally completing the docking between the two aircraft;

[0050] When separating, the two aircraft must remain side by side, and their altitude and speed must be maintained within a certain range;

[0051] First, the servo motor folds the first and second links in the driving linkage assembly, pulling the sliding shaft to slide inward in the horizontal slot of the fixed seat, unlocking the pitch angle between the aircraft;

[0052] The three gripping servo mechanisms are controlled to rotate at the same angle by unified instructions, and the rotating gripper is driven to release the hydraulic telescopic shaft through the transmission gear meshing half gear;

[0053] The hydraulic actuator drives the hydraulic telescopic shaft to retract into the fuselage, and at the same time the two aircraft gradually move away, eventually completing the separation between the aircraft.

[0054] The rotary gripper in the gripping mechanism of the present invention forms a rigid connection with the hydraulic telescopic shaft in the telescopic shaft mechanism. After the aircraft is gripped, the docking position of the aircraft is limited by the position locking mechanism, ensuring the accuracy of the aggregation and separation of the aircraft during flight. The present invention is mounted on the wingtip of the aircraft wing. Through structural design, it can be completely recovered into the interior of the aircraft wing, reducing the waste resistance during the flight of the aircraft, and has the characteristics of repeated recycling, saving energy; the mechanism is small in size, simple to install, and has good adaptability. It can be equipped with a variety of aircraft models and can relatively easily achieve aerial docking of aircraft. The present invention ensures the maneuverability of single-unit aircraft and improves the cruising performance through aggregation / separation in the aircraft formation, solving the problem of insufficient endurance performance of existing single-unit aircraft when performing combat missions.

Claims

1. A retractable aircraft docking and separation mechanism, characterized by: The invention comprises a gripping mechanism (1) located at the middle position of the wingtip (4) of the main aircraft, a telescopic shaft mechanism (2) located at the middle position of the wingtip (5) of the slave aircraft, a position locking mechanism (3) located at the leading edge and trailing edge of the wingtip (5) of the slave aircraft for locking the pitch angle between the aircraft, and a locking hole (501) located on the side of the wingtip of the main aircraft and corresponding to the position locking mechanism. The two aircraft in the formation are locked by connecting the grabbing mechanism (1) and the telescopic shaft mechanism (2), and the pitch angle locking between the aircraft is completed by inserting the position locking mechanism (3) into the corresponding locking hole (501); The gripping mechanism (1) comprises a conical sleeve (101) fixed in the wingtip of the aircraft main engine, a gripping assembly rotatably connected to the rear end of the conical sleeve and capable of opening and closing, and a gripping driving assembly for driving the gripping assembly to move; the gripping assembly comprises three rotating grippers (102) fixed to the rear end of the conical sleeve at an angle of 120°, the front end of each rotating gripper having an arc-shaped gripping piece (103) capable of forming a circular ring for gripping the telescopic shaft mechanism, and the rear end of each rotating gripper having a half gear (104) rotatably connected to the rear end of the conical sleeve at the axis; the front section of the conical sleeve (101) is The conical barrel section and the rear section are circular barrel sections. The rear end of the circular barrel section is evenly spaced with three positioning grooves (105) for connecting a rotating gripper. Each positioning groove is provided with a connecting shaft (106) for passing through the axis of the half gear and connected thereto. The gripping drive assembly also includes three gripping servo motors (107) with limited ranges. Each gripping servo motor is mounted on a mounting plate (108) at the rear of the corresponding conical sleeve. The output shaft of each gripping servo motor (107) is meshed with the corresponding half gear (104) through a transmission gear (109) to drive the rotating gripper (102) to rotate.

2. The retractable aircraft docking and separation mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The telescopic shaft mechanism (2) comprises a hydraulic actuator (201) fixed on the wingtip of a slave wing of the aircraft, and a hydraulic telescopic shaft (202) connected to the output end of the hydraulic actuator. The hydraulic telescopic shaft (202) is a secondary hydraulic telescopic shaft having a hemispherical body (203) at its front end.

3. The retractable aircraft docking and separation mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The position locking mechanism (3) comprises a fixing seat (302) fixed to the wingtip of the aircraft and provided with a horizontal slide groove (301), a sliding shaft (303) adapted to the horizontal slide groove and movable forward and backward along the fixing seat, a servo motor (304) located at the rear end of the fixing seat, and a connecting rod assembly connected to the output shaft of the servo motor for driving the sliding shaft to move.

4. The retractable aircraft docking and separation mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The connecting rod assembly comprises a connecting rod (305) connected to the output shaft of the servo motor and with both ends mounted on a fixed seat, a pair of first connecting rods (306) passing through the connecting rod, and a second connecting rod (307) connected to the first connecting rod and symmetrically arranged to be connected to the upper end of the sliding shaft.

5. The retractable aircraft docking and separation mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The lower base plate of the fixing seat (302) is a Japanese-shaped plate, and the two side plates of the fixing seat are L-shaped plates, and a single-shaped horizontal sliding groove (301) is provided on the L-shaped plate.

6. A control method for a retractable aircraft docking and separation mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The steps include: In actual flight, two or more aircraft fly in formation. When docking, the two aircraft must remain side by side, with their altitude, speed, and fore-aft position maintained within a certain range, and maintain a certain distance and level flight. After the docking command is issued, the hydraulic actuator installed in the telescopic shaft mechanism at the wingtip of the slave aircraft first drives the hydraulic telescopic shaft to extend out of the fuselage; At the same time, the two aircraft slowly approached to the convergence range, and the hemispherical body of the front section of the hydraulic telescopic shaft entered the grasping range of the rotating gripper along the front part of the conical sleeve; The hydraulic telescopic shaft enters the grasping range of the rotary gripper, and the three gripping servo motors are controlled by unified instructions to rotate at the same angle, and the transmission wheel engages the half gear to drive the rotary gripper to grasp the hydraulic telescopic shaft; After the hydraulic telescopic shaft is successfully grasped, the servo motor will drive the first and second connecting rods in the connecting rod assembly to straighten, pushing the sliding shaft to slide outward in the horizontal slide groove of the fixed seat, locking the pitch angle between the aircraft, and finally completing the docking between the two aircraft; When separating, the two aircraft must remain side by side, and their altitude and speed must be maintained within a certain range; First, the servo motor folds the first and second links in the driving linkage assembly, pulling the sliding shaft to slide inward in the horizontal slot of the fixed seat, unlocking the pitch angle between the aircraft; The three gripping servo mechanisms are controlled to rotate at the same angle by unified instructions, and the rotating gripper is driven to release the hydraulic telescopic shaft through the transmission gear meshing half gear; The hydraulic actuator drives the hydraulic telescopic shaft to retract into the fuselage, and at the same time the two aircraft gradually move away, eventually completing the separation between the aircraft.

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