Unmanned aerial vehicle arresting cable lifting device

Abstract

The application discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle arresting cable lifting device and relates to the field of shipborne unmanned aerial vehicle recovery mechanisms. When the unmanned aerial vehicle rolls over the arresting cable, the height of the supporting plate can be quickly reduced, so that the arresting cable can be quickly lowered to a lower height, the shipborne aircraft can quickly pass over the arresting cable, the body bumping is reduced, the arresting cable is quickly rebounded after the aircraft wheel passes over the arresting cable, the arresting cable is rebounded to a higher height, the success rate of the arresting hook cable is improved, and the safety of the shipborne aircraft is ensured. The unmanned aerial vehicle arresting cable lifting device comprises a fixed support, a lifting assembly, a spring hydraulic buffer and a supporting plate. One end of the spring hydraulic buffer is fixedly installed in the fixed support, the other end is fixedly connected with a sliding block, and the supporting plate is horizontally arranged above the fixed support. The lifting assembly comprises a rocker arm and a supporting rod which are hingedly connected in the middle. The product fills the vacancy of related products.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of shipborne unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) recovery mechanisms, and belongs to the technical field of aerospace technology. Background Technology

[0002] During the arresting hook engagement process for carrier-based aircraft, in order to ensure the success rate of the arresting hook engagement, a lifting device needs to be installed below the arresting cable and preload applied to both ends of the arresting cable to help maintain a certain height off the ground and rebound. Therefore, before the landing gear wheels of carrier-based aircraft run over the arresting cable, the tires will first collide with the arresting cable, and the arresting cable may descend too slowly and fail to descend smoothly. This will cause directional torque on the landing gear, damage the structure, and cause turbulence to the carrier-based aircraft. Since the traditional support structure is an arc-shaped semi-circular structure, the arresting cable will be deflected by a certain distance by the tire collision, deviating from the highest point of the support structure. This will result in insufficient rebound height of the arresting cable when the arresting hook engages after running over it, thus reducing the success rate of the engagement.

[0003] For the situations mentioned above, but not limited to those mentioned above, there are very few relevant products available in my country. How to solve the relevant needs and problems has become a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the above problems, this invention proposes a drone arresting cable lifting device. This device solves the issues of insufficient downward pressure on the arresting cable when the drone wheels pass over it, as well as insufficient rebound height and speed, in traditional lifting devices. It can quickly lower the support plate height when the drone passes over the arresting cable, allowing the arresting cable to descend to a lower height more quickly, enabling the aircraft to rapidly pass over the cable and reducing fuselage turbulence. After the drone wheels have passed the cable, it helps the arresting cable rebound quickly to a higher height, increasing the success rate of the arresting hook engaging the cable and ensuring the safety of the aircraft.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows: the UAV arresting cable lifting device includes a fixed support, a lifting component, a spring hydraulic buffer 1, and a support plate 2;

[0006] One end of the spring hydraulic buffer 1 is fixedly installed in the fixed support, and the other end is fixedly connected to the slider 7. The support plate 2 is horizontally arranged above the fixed support, and a fixed hinge seat is fixedly connected to the center of the bottom surface of the support plate 2. A sliding hinge seat 8 is provided at the end of the bottom surface of the support plate 2 and is slidably connected to it.

[0007] The lifting assembly includes a rocker arm 5 and a support rod 6 that are hinged together in the middle. One end of the rocker arm 5 is hinged to the middle of the fixed support, and the other end is hinged to the sliding hinge seat 8. One end of the support rod 6 is hinged to the slider 7, and the other end is hinged to the fixed hinge seat.

[0008] Furthermore, there are two of each of the lifting assembly and the spring-hydraulic buffer 1, and they are arranged symmetrically along the center of the fixed support.

[0009] Furthermore, the fixed support includes a guide rail 4 and a baffle 3 fixedly installed at the end of the guide rail 4, the spring hydraulic buffer 1 is fixedly installed on the baffle 3, and the slider 7 is slidably connected in the guide rail 4.

[0010] Furthermore, several rope lifting devices are arranged below the arresting cable. The guide rail 4 and the support plate 2 are both perpendicular to the cable's axis. The fixed support is embedded inside the deck and fixed to the deck. The embedding depth ensures that the upper surface of the guide rail 4 is coplanar with the top of the deck. The number of devices is controlled by the arresting cable span and the rope rebound requirements. If a more concentrated and uniform rope rebound height is required, the device spacing needs to be appropriately increased and the number of devices reduced. If it is necessary to increase the rope bounce height, accelerate the bounce response, and reduce the stabilization time, the device spacing needs to be appropriately reduced and the number of devices increased.

[0011] Furthermore, when the drone's wheels run over the arresting cable, the tensioned arresting cable compresses the support plate, causing the support plate to move downwards. This increases the angle between the rocker arm and the strut, causing the slider to move along the guide rail and compress the spring hydraulic buffer. After the drone's wheels pass over the arresting cable, the spring hydraulic buffer rebounds, the slider moves away from the baffle, and the lifting assembly lifts the support plate, allowing the support plate to help the arresting cable rebound quickly and restore its height.

[0012] This invention provides a lifting function for the arresting cable. Compared with traditional cable lifting devices, it can allow the aircraft wheels to run over the arresting cable, causing the arresting cable to drop to a lower height. It also helps the arresting cable rebound when the aircraft wheels leave the arresting cable, thereby accelerating the recovery speed and increasing the recovery height of the arresting cable. This reduces fuselage turbulence when the carrier-based aircraft runs over the arresting cable and improves the success rate of the carrier-based aircraft engaging the cable.

[0013] The workflow of this invention is as follows:

[0014] Before the carrier-based aircraft lands and is arrested, the arresting cable is tensioned by pre-tensioning forces at both ends. The arresting cable lifting device is distributed below the arresting cable to lift the arresting cable and keep it at a certain height off the ground. The arresting cable is located at the rear end of the lifting device support plate.

[0015] When the aircraft's nose wheel runs over the arresting cable, the arresting cable, due to tension, will press down on the support plate. The support plate will press down on the lifting assembly, increasing the angle between the lifting assembly's strut and rocker arm. This causes the strut to push the slider along the guide rail towards the baffle, compressing the spring hydraulic damper and lowering the height of the support plate. At the same time, the arresting cable placed above the support plate will also lower in height.

[0016] After the current wheel passes the arresting cable, the spring hydraulic damper rebounds, and through the slider and lifting assembly, it raises the height of the support plate, thereby raising the height of the arresting cable above the support plate.

[0017] When the main drone wheel approaches the arresting cable, it will repeat the process of the front wheel pressing the cable. Because the ground support force on the main drone wheel is several times that of the front drone wheel, the arresting cable will be pressed to the ground compared to the front drone wheel, and the support plate will be pressed down to a lower height than the front drone wheel.

[0018] After the main wheel passes the arresting cable, the arresting cable will be lifted to a certain height due to its own tension and the lifting effect of the support plate. Finally, the arresting hook will collide with the arresting cable, completing the cable hanging process.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are:

[0020] I. An interception system was designed for medium and large-sized drones, which can successfully stop medium and large-sized drones within a short distance. There are very few products with similar functions on the market, and this product fills the gap in this type of product.

[0021] Second, based on the need for multiple types and qualities of UAVs to participate in UAV swarm operations, collaborative operations, and system-of-systems operations, the interception system can autonomously adapt to changes in UAV mass within a certain range, providing short-distance landing conditions for UAVs.

[0022] Third, the arresting system incorporates active control technology, which can control the arresting force in real time during the UAV arresting process, making the change in arresting force more gradual, improving the problem of arresting force reduction in the middle and later stages of the arresting process, and improving the arresting efficiency.

[0023] Fourth, an energy recovery system can be added to the arresting system to recover the kinetic energy of the drone, convert it into electrical energy and store it in a supercapacitor, thus replenishing the energy of the arresting device and saving energy. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a diagram of the lifting cable device;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the lifting cable device;

[0026] Figure 3a This is a diagram of the lifting cable arrangement.

[0027] Figure 3b This is a layout diagram of traditional raised blocks;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a diagram of the front wheel cable compression.

[0029] Figure 5 This is the cable diagram for the main engine wheel;

[0030] Figure 6 It is a diagram of the barrier hook and cable;

[0031] Figure 7These are before-and-after comparison images of the addition of the lifting cable device.

[0032] Labels in the diagram:

[0033] 1-Spring hydraulic buffer, 2-Support plate, 3-Baffle, 4-Guide rail, 5-Rocker arm, 6-Support rod, 7-Slider, 8-Sliding hinge seat. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To clearly illustrate the technical features of this patent, the following detailed description is provided through specific embodiments and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0035] The present invention comprises a fixed support, a lifting assembly, a spring-hydraulic buffer 1, and a support plate 2; wherein there are two sets of lifting assemblies and spring-hydraulic buffers 1, which are arranged symmetrically.

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, the fixed support includes a guide rail 4 and a baffle 3, as... Figure 2 As shown, the cross-sectional shape of the guide rail 4 is C rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise. The guide rail 4 restricts the freedom of the slider 7 in the groove, which can only slide along the long axis of the guide rail 4. The baffle 3 is installed at both ends of the guide rail 4 to close the guide rail 4.

[0037] like Figure 2 As shown, the lifting assembly includes a slider 7, a rocker arm 5, and a support rod 6; a hinge support is provided above the slider 7, which is hinged to one end of the support rod 6; the other end of the support rod 6 is hinged to a hinge support in the middle of the lower part of the support plate 2; one end of the rocker arm 5 is hinged to a hinge support in the middle of the guide rail 4, and the other end is hinged to a hinge support on the outer side of the support plate 2; the middle part of the rocker arm 5 is hinged to the middle part of the support rod 6.

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown, one end of the spring hydraulic buffer 1 is fixed to the baffle 3, and the other end is fixed to the slider 7. The baffle 3 is arranged at both ends of the guide rail 4. The spring hydraulic buffer 1 is parallel to the long axis of the guide rail. When the slider 7 slides along the guide rail 4 toward the baffle 3, it will press the spring hydraulic buffer 1.

[0039] like Figure 2 As shown, the cross-sectional shape of the support plate 2 is a convex shape rotated 180 degrees. The upper surface is flat and used to contact the arresting cable. The lower surface is provided with four hinge supports along the tensile direction of the cross section. Two of them are sliding hinge seats 8, which are slidably connected to both ends of the support plate 2 (specifically, a slide can be opened on the support plate 2, and a guide block can be fixedly set on the top surface of the sliding hinge seat). The other two hinge supports are fixed hinge seats, which are fixedly connected to the middle of the support plate 2 and arranged adjacently.

[0040] As shown in Figure 3, several rope lifting devices are arranged below the arresting cable. The long axis of the guide rail 4 is perpendicular to the cable axis. The lifting devices are embedded inside the deck and fixed to the deck. The embedment depth is such that the upper surface of the guide rail 4 is coplanar with the top of the deck. The number of devices is controlled by the span of the arresting cable and the rope rebound requirements. If a more concentrated and uniform rope rebound height is required, the device spacing needs to be appropriately increased and the number of devices reduced. If it is necessary to increase the rope bounce height, speed up the bounce response, and reduce the stabilization time, the device spacing needs to be appropriately reduced and the number of devices increased.

[0041] The workflow of this invention is as follows:

[0042] Before the carrier-based aircraft lands and is arrested, the arresting cable is tensioned by pre-tensioning forces at both ends. The arresting cable lifting device is distributed below the arresting cable to lift the arresting cable and keep it at a certain height off the ground. The arresting cable is located at the rear end of the lifting device support plate 2.

[0043] When the aircraft carrier's nose wheel runs over the arresting cable, the arresting cable will press down on the support plate 2 due to tension. The support plate 2 presses down on the lifting assembly, and the angle between the lifting assembly's strut 6 and rocker arm 5 increases, causing the strut 6 to push the slider 7 along the guide rail 4 towards the baffle 3, compressing the spring hydraulic buffer 1, thus lowering the height of the support plate 2. At the same time, the arresting cable placed above the support plate 2 also lowers in height.

[0044] After the current wheel passes the arresting cable, the spring hydraulic buffer 1 rebounds, and through the slider 7 and the lifting assembly, it drives the support plate 2 to rise in height, thereby raising the height of the arresting cable above the support plate 2.

[0045] When the main landing gear of the UAV approaches the arresting cable, it will repeat the process of the front landing gear pressing the cable. Since the main landing gear is the main load-bearing component, the ground support reaction force on the main landing gear is several times that of the previous wheels. Therefore, the arresting cable will be pressed to the ground compared to the front landing gear, and the support plate 2 will be pressed down to a lower height than the front landing gear.

[0046] After the main wheel passes the arresting cable, the arresting cable will be lifted to a certain height due to its own tension and the lifting effect of the support plate 2. Finally, the arresting hook will collide with the arresting cable to complete the cable hanging process.

[0047] Furthermore, the simulation results curves of the arresting maneuver and the corresponding results of the arresting process are as follows: Figures 4 to 6 As shown in the figure, the curve on the left represents the change in the height of the middle section of the arresting cable over time, and the curve on the right represents the corresponding state of the drone. For ease of display, the drone's fuselage and one landing gear have been hidden, leaving only the landing gear and arresting hook visible. Figure 4 As shown, the curve enters its first downward inflection point when the front wheel first contacts the arresting cable; after the front wheel passes the cable, the curve recovers somewhat. Figure 5As shown, the curve enters its second inflection point when the main engine wheel contacts the arresting cable. At this point, the arresting cable is pressed to the ground, and the main engine wheel rises again after passing over it. Figure 6 As shown, after the arresting hook is attached to the cable, the curve enters the third inflection point, at which point the arresting cable will be accelerated and lifted.

[0048] Furthermore, compared to traditional lifting mechanisms, for example... Figure 7 As shown, it can be seen that compared to Figure 3b The traditional jacking block (which lacks pressing and resetting functions and remains stationary, relying solely on the rope's elasticity and preload for movement) differs from the traditional mechanism in this design. After the front lift begins compression, the new lifting mechanism descends deeper, minimizing its impact on the front lift. When the main lift begins pressing the rope, the new lifting mechanism compresses the rope to 62.42mm before rebounding to 80.74mm, compared to 68.98mm and 96.25mm for the traditional mechanism. The new mechanism compresses the rope lower and rebounds more significantly when the main lift reaches the rope position, resulting in less impact on the main lift, less internal turbulence, and improved attitude stability for both the front and main lifts, thus increasing the success rate of rope attachment for the UAV. The rope bottoming time is essentially the same for both mechanisms. The new lifting mechanism rebounds faster than the traditional one, with a rebound height of 103.27mm, a 25% improvement over the traditional 82.62mm rebound height.

[0049] There are many specific ways to implement this invention. The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements can be made without departing from the principle of this invention, and these improvements should also be considered within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle arresting cable lifting device, characterized by, The unmanned aerial vehicle arresting cable lifting device comprises a fixed support, a lifting assembly, a spring hydraulic buffer (1) and a support plate (2); One end of the spring hydraulic buffer (1) is fixedly installed in the fixed support, and the other end is fixedly connected with a sliding block (7); the support plate (2) is horizontally arranged above the fixed support, and a fixed hinge seat is fixedly connected to the center of the bottom surface of the support plate (2); a sliding hinge seat (8) is arranged at the end of the bottom surface of the support plate (2) and is in sliding connection with the support plate (2); The lifting assembly comprises a middle hinge-connected rocker arm (5) and a supporting rod (6); one end of the rocker arm (5) is hingedly connected to the middle part of the fixed support, and the other end is hingedly connected to the sliding hinge seat (8); one end of the supporting rod (6) is hingedly connected to the sliding block (7), and the other end is hingedly connected to the fixed hinge seat; When the unmanned aerial vehicle wheel rolls over the arresting cable, the tensioned arresting cable will press the support plate, the support plate moves downward, the included angle between the rocker arm and the supporting rod increases, the sliding block moves along the guide rail and compresses the spring hydraulic buffer; after the wheel passes over the arresting cable, the spring hydraulic buffer rebounds, the sliding block moves away from the baffle, the support plate is lifted through the lifting assembly, the support plate helps the arresting cable to quickly rebound and restores the height of the arresting cable.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle arresting cable lifting device of claim 1, wherein, The lifting assembly and the spring hydraulic buffer (1) are both provided with two and are symmetrically arranged along the center of the fixed support.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle arresting cable lifting device of claim 1, wherein, The fixed support comprises a guide rail (4) and a baffle (3) fixedly installed at the end of the guide rail (4); the spring hydraulic buffer (1) is fixedly installed on the baffle (3); and the sliding block (7) is in sliding connection in the guide rail (4).

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