A variable flapping-wing aircraft with tail-linked control

Abstract

This invention relates to a variable flapping-wing aircraft with tail-wing linkage control, belonging to the technical field of flapping-wing aircraft. The front end of a hollow cup motor is fixedly connected to a motor bracket in the flapping-wing support. The output shaft of the hollow cup motor extends to the other side of the motor bracket and connects to a horizontal cam of the flapping-wing mechanism. The rear end of the hollow cup motor is fixedly connected to the tail wing support. The front end of the tail wing support is also fixedly connected to two flapping-wing support rods, the middle part is connected to a vertical tail wing mechanism, and the rear end is connected to a horizontal tail wing mechanism. The vertical tail wing of the vertical tail wing mechanism is fixedly bonded to the horizontal tail wing of the horizontal tail wing mechanism. The advantages are a novel structure, achieving the effect of maintaining high lift, improving the aerodynamic performance of the wing, increasing sweeping motion, enhancing the wing's flexibility and the biomimetic nature of the flapping-wing aircraft. The tail wing consists of a horizontal tail wing and a vertical tail wing, driven by linear servos, enabling linkage control of the horizontal and vertical tail wing, increasing overall flexibility.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of flapping-wing aircraft, in particular to a tail linkage control variable body flapping-wing aircraft. BACKGROUND

[0002] Flapping-wing aircraft has a wide application prospect in military and civilian fields due to its small size, light weight, low noise and good operability. However, due to the involvement of bionics, unsteady aerodynamics and other disciplines, there are many problems in the development of flapping-wing aircraft. The bionics degree is generally far from that of natural flying creatures, and the flight performance is not satisfactory, which restricts the development of flapping-wing aircraft.

[0003] At present, the wings of flapping-wing aircraft mostly adopt simple flat plates or flexible films, but the wings of natural flying creatures are much more complex. For example, the wings of dragonflies, the best flying creatures in nature, are not only more flexible in movement than artificial wings, but also have their own unique structures. The front edge of the dragonfly wing has a wrinkle structure. Studies have shown that the wrinkle structure can make the front edge vortex continuously adhere to the surface of the dragonfly wing during flapping, maintain high lift, reduce friction resistance, and improve the aerodynamic performance of the dragonfly wing.

[0004] Known flapping-wing aircraft, such as the bionic flapping-wing robot in Chinese patent “Autonomous folding and deforming wing of bionic flapping-wing robot” (CN 114560084 A), proposes a deforming wing that can be actively folded and unfolded. The feather piece is driven to rotate relative to the inclined rod by the rotating assembly, which improves the bionics degree of the wing, but this structure is not conducive to flapping movement, which will affect the generation of lift of the aircraft and greatly reduce the aerodynamic performance of the flapping-wing aircraft. The two-segment wing deformable bird-like flapping-wing aircraft and driving method in Chinese patent “Two-segment wing deformable bird-like flapping-wing aircraft and driving method” (CN 113492974 A) proposes a deformable flapping-wing aircraft with two wings. The inner wing and the outer wing of the wing produce a phase difference through the flapping-wing linkage mechanism, realizing the spanwise deformation of the wing. However, the gap between the inner wing and the outer wing is too large, which will affect air flow during flapping, disturb air vortex, and cannot maintain the high lift generated by flapping, reducing the overall aerodynamic performance of the aircraft. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a tail linkage control variable body flapping-wing aircraft to solve the problem of low bionics degree and inability to maintain high lift of current flapping-wing aircraft.

[0006] The technical scheme adopted by the present application is to comprise a flapping wing support, a hollow cup motor, a flapping wing mechanism, a tail wing support, a vertical tail wing mechanism and a horizontal tail wing mechanism, wherein the front end of the hollow cup motor is fixedly connected with the motor support in the flapping wing support, the output shaft of the hollow cup motor extends to the other side of the motor support and is connected with the horizontal cam of the flapping wing mechanism, the rear end of the hollow cup motor is fixedly connected with the tail wing support, the front end of the tail wing support is also fixedly connected with two flapping wing support rods, the middle part is connected with the vertical tail wing mechanism, and the rear end is connected with the horizontal tail wing mechanism, and the vertical tail wing of the vertical tail wing mechanism is fixedly bonded with the horizontal tail wing of the horizontal tail wing mechanism.

[0007] The flapping wing support comprises two flapping wing support rods and a motor support, wherein the motor support has two through holes and is fixedly connected with the flapping wing support rods, the flapping wing support rods are used for connecting and fixing the tail wing support and the hollow cup motor, and provide support for the flapping wing mechanism.

[0008] The flapping wing support rod is a cylindrical carbon fiber rod.

[0009] The flapping wing mechanism comprises a horizontal cam, a cylindrical protrusion, a left flapping gear, a sliding groove, a right flapping gear, a first fixing frame, a first pin, a cam rod, a connecting rod, a second pin, a spring, a second fixing frame, a wing, a sleeve and a wing vein, wherein the horizontal cam is connected with the output shaft of the hollow cup motor, the eccentric cylindrical protrusion on the horizontal cam slides in the sliding groove on the left flapping gear during rotation, and simultaneously drives the left flapping gear to reciprocate up and down around the flapping wing support rod; the right flapping gear is engaged with the left flapping gear to realize synchronous movement, the right flapping gear and the left flapping gear are respectively connected with two wings through the first pin, the first fixing frame is assembled at the front end of the left flapping gear and the right flapping gear and is fixedly connected with the flapping wing support rod, the horizontal cam cooperates with the cam rod to form a cam mechanism, the second fixing frame is fixedly connected with the flapping wing support rod and is used for limiting the positions of the spring and the cam rod, the spring presses the cam rod on the horizontal cam to ensure that the cam rod is in contact with the surface of the horizontal cam at all times, one end of the connecting rod is assembled in the gap of the cam rod on the flapping wing support rod, the other end is connected with the two wings through the second pin, the front end of the wing vein is fixedly connected with the wing, the rear end is assembled on the flapping wing support rod and is located between the motor support and the sleeve, and the sleeve is sleeved on the flapping wing support rod.

[0010] The vertical tail mechanism comprises a first linear servo, a first screw, a vertical tail servo connecting rod, a third pin, a fourth pin, a vertical tail bracket, a fifth pin and a vertical tail, wherein the first linear servo is fixed on the tail bracket by the first screw, the displacement output part of the first linear servo is equipped with the vertical tail servo connecting rod, and the vertical tail servo connecting rod is hinged with the front end of the vertical tail bracket through the third pin; the middle sliding groove part of the vertical tail bracket is connected with the tail bracket through the fourth pin, and the fourth pin is fixedly connected with the tail bracket; the vertical tail is assembled in the groove at the rear end of the vertical tail bracket and is connected through the fifth pin, and the vertical tail is fixedly connected with the horizontal tail.

[0011] The first linear servo is an LSM1300 linear servo.

[0012] The horizontal tail mechanism comprises a second linear servo, a second screw, a horizontal tail servo connecting rod, a sixth pin, a horizontal tail bracket, a seventh pin and a horizontal tail, wherein the second linear servo is fixed on the tail bracket by the second screw, the displacement output part of the second linear servo is equipped with the horizontal tail servo connecting rod, the horizontal tail servo connecting rod is fixedly connected with the front end of the horizontal tail bracket, and the horizontal tail servo connecting rod is gap-fitted with the hole diameter on the second linear servo, the middle sliding groove part of the horizontal tail bracket is connected with the tail bracket through the sixth pin, and the sixth pin is fixedly connected with the tail bracket; the horizontal tail is assembled in the groove at the rear end of the horizontal tail bracket and is connected through the seventh pin.

[0013] The second linear servo is an LSM1300 linear servo.

[0014] The advantages of the present application are that the structure is novel, the cam mechanism and the flapping mechanism are coupled, the wing of the flapping-wing aircraft can realize transformation, the wrinkle structure is added to the leading edge of the wing, the leading edge vortex is continuously attached to the surface, the effect of maintaining high lift is achieved, the aerodynamic performance of the wing is improved, the sweeping motion is added to the wing on the basis of the flapping motion, the flexibility of the wing is increased, and the bionics degree of the flapping-wing aircraft is improved. In addition, the tail of the flapping-wing aircraft is divided into a horizontal tail and a vertical tail, and the horizontal tail and the vertical tail are driven by linear servos, so that the linkage control of the horizontal tail and the vertical tail can be realized, and the flexibility of the whole is increased. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 is the overall structure schematic diagram after transformation of the present application;

[0016] Figure 2 is the overall structure schematic diagram before transformation of the present application;

[0017] Figure 3 is the rack and motor schematic diagram of the present application;

[0018] Figure 4is a schematic diagram of a partial assembly of the flapping mechanism of the present application;

[0019] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the flapping mechanism of the present application;

[0020] Figure 6 is an exploded view of the flapping mechanism of the present application;

[0021] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the tail mechanism of the present application;

[0022] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the tail mechanism of the present application from another perspective. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] As shown in Figure 1 , 3 , the flapping mechanism includes a flapping support 1, a hollow cup motor 2, a flapping mechanism 3, a tail support 4, a vertical tail mechanism 5 and a horizontal tail mechanism 6, wherein the front end of the hollow cup motor 2 is fixedly connected with the motor support 102 in the flapping support 1, the output shaft of the hollow cup motor 2 extends to the other side of the motor support 102 and is connected with the horizontal cam 301 of the flapping mechanism 3, the rear end of the hollow cup motor 2 is fixedly connected with the tail support 4, the front end of the tail support 4 is also fixedly connected with two flapping support rods 101, the middle part is connected with the vertical tail mechanism 5, and the rear end is connected with the horizontal tail mechanism 6, the vertical tail 508 of the vertical tail mechanism 5 is fixedly bonded with the horizontal tail 607 of the horizontal tail mechanism 6.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3 , the flapping support 1 includes two flapping support rods 101 and a motor support 102, wherein the motor support 102 has two through holes and is fixedly connected with the flapping support rods 101, the flapping support rods 101 are cylindrical carbon fiber rods, which are used to connect and fix the tail support 4 and the hollow cup motor 2, and provide support for the flapping mechanism 3, it should be noted that the flapping support rods 101 are also connected with other components, so enough space should be left on the flapping support rods 101.

[0025] As shown in Figure 2 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, the flapping mechanism 3 includes a horizontal cam 301, a cylindrical protrusion 302, a left flapping gear 303, a sliding groove 304, a right flapping gear 305, a first fixed frame 306, a first pin 307, a cam rod 308, a connecting rod 309, a second pin 310, a spring 311, a second fixed frame 312, a wing 313, a sleeve 314 and a wing vein 315. The horizontal cam 301 is connected with the output shaft of the hollow cup motor 2. The eccentric cylindrical protrusion 302 on the horizontal cam 301 slides in the sliding groove 304 on the left flapping gear 303 with rotation, and drives the left flapping gear 303 to reciprocate up and down around the flapping support rod 101. The right flapping gear 305 is engaged with the left flapping gear 303 to realize synchronous movement. The right flapping gear 305 and the left flapping gear 303 are connected with the two wings 313 through the first pin 307 respectively, to realize the flapping movement of the wings 313. The first fixed frame 306 is assembled at the front end of the left flapping gear 303 and the right flapping gear 305, and is fixedly connected with the flapping support rod 101, to limit the positions of the two flapping gears on the flapping support rod 101. The edge part of the horizontal cam 301 can be regarded as a horizontal cam, which cooperates with the cam rod 308 to form a cam mechanism. When the horizontal cam 301 rotates, the cam rod 308 can output linear reciprocating displacement. The second fixed frame 312 is fixedly connected with the flapping support rod 101, to limit the positions of the spring 311 and the cam rod 308. The spring 311 presses the cam rod 308 against the horizontal cam 301, to ensure that the cam rod 308 is in contact with the surface of the horizontal cam 301 at all times. One end of the connecting rod 309 is assembled in the gap of the cam rod 308 on the flapping support rod 101, and the other end is connected with the two wings 313 through the second pin 310 respectively. The function is to transmit the linear reciprocating displacement movement of the cam rod 308 to the wings 313. The wing vein 315 is fixedly connected with the wing 313 at the front end and is assembled on the flapping support rod 101 at the rear end, and the rear end is located between the motor bracket 102 and the sleeve 314. The sleeve 314 is sleeved on the flapping support rod 101, to limit the position of the wing vein 315 on the flapping support rod 101.

[0026] The connecting rod 309 transmits the linear reciprocating displacement movement to the wings 313, to realize the sweep movement of the wing leading edge. Since the wing surface of the wing 313 is flexible, when the leading edge of the wing 313 is pulled forward by the connecting rod 309, the wing surface of the leading edge part is unfolded forward, as shown in Figure 2 When the leading edge of the wing 313 moves backward, the wing surface of the leading edge part is squeezed, and the position of the wing vein 315 is fixed. The wing surface of the leading edge part can only be folded to form a wrinkle structure, to realize the morphing of the wing of the flapping aircraft, as shown in Figure 1 .

[0027] As shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, the vertical tail mechanism 5 includes a first linear actuator 501, a first screw 502, a vertical tail actuator connecting rod 503, a third pin 504, a fourth pin 505, a vertical tail bracket 506, a fifth pin 507, and a vertical tail 508. The first linear actuator 501 is an LSM1300 linear actuator, which can output controllable linear displacement and realize reset. The first linear actuator 501 is fixed on the tail bracket 4 by the first screw 502. The displacement output part of the first linear actuator 501 is assembled with the vertical tail actuator connecting rod 503. The vertical tail actuator connecting rod 503 is hinged with the front end of the vertical tail bracket 506 through the third pin 504. The middle sliding groove part of the vertical tail bracket 506 is connected with the tail bracket 4 through the fourth pin 505, and the fourth pin 505 is fixed with the tail bracket 4. The vertical tail 508 is assembled in the groove at the rear end of the vertical tail bracket 506 and is connected through the fifth pin 507. At the same time, the vertical tail 508 is adhesively fixed with the horizontal tail 607. When the flapping-wing aircraft turns left, the first linear actuator 501 outputs right displacement. The vertical tail actuator connecting rod 503 fixed therewith also moves right, driving the front end of the vertical tail bracket 506 to move synchronously. The vertical tail bracket 506 rotates as a whole around the fourth pin 505. The middle part of the vertical tail bracket 506 is provided with a sliding groove to prevent jamming and can slide along the fourth pin 505. The rear end of the vertical tail bracket 506 and the vertical tail 508 swing left, realizing left turning of the flapping-wing aircraft. The right turning process is similar, except that the first linear actuator 501 needs to output left displacement. In addition, when the horizontal tail 607 swings up or down, the vertical tail 508 fixed therewith rotates around the fifth pin 507, thereby moving synchronously with the horizontal tail 607, realizing linkage control between the vertical tail 508 and the horizontal tail 607.

[0028] As Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, the horizontal tail mechanism 6 comprises a second linear servo 601, a second screw 602, a horizontal tail servo connecting rod 603, a sixth pin 604, a horizontal tail bracket 605, a seventh pin 606 and a horizontal tail 607, the second linear servo 601 is also an LSM1300 linear servo, wherein the second linear servo 601 is fixed on the tail bracket 4 by the second screw 602, the displacement output part of the second linear servo 601 is assembled with the horizontal tail servo connecting rod 603, the horizontal tail servo connecting rod 603 is fixedly connected with the front end of the horizontal tail bracket 605 and simultaneously forms a clearance fit with the hole diameter on the second linear servo 601 to avoid being stuck during movement, the middle sliding groove part of the horizontal tail bracket 605 is connected with the tail bracket 4 through the sixth pin 604, and the sixth pin 604 is fixedly connected with the tail bracket 4; the horizontal tail 607 is assembled in the groove at the rear end of the horizontal tail bracket 605 and is connected through the seventh pin 606, and the horizontal tail 607 is fixedly connected with the vertical tail 508. When the flapping-wing aircraft climbs upward, the second linear servo 601 outputs downward displacement to drive the horizontal tail servo connecting rod 603 and the front end of the horizontal tail bracket 605 to move synchronously, the horizontal tail bracket 605 rotates as a whole around the sixth pin 604, the middle part of the horizontal tail bracket 605 is provided with a sliding groove to prevent being stuck, can slide along the sixth pin 604, and the rear end of the horizontal tail bracket 605 and the horizontal tail 607 swing upward to realize upward climbing of the flapping-wing aircraft; the downward diving movement process is similar, except that the second linear servo 601 needs to output upward displacement. In addition, when the vertical tail 508 swings left or right, the horizontal tail 607 fixedly connected with the vertical tail 508 rotates around the seventh pin 606 to move synchronously with the vertical tail 508, thereby realizing linkage control between the horizontal tail 607 and the vertical tail 508.

[0029] The flapping-wing bracket 1 is used for mounting the hollow cup motor 2 and providing support for the flapping-wing mechanism 3; the hollow cup motor 2 is a power source of the flapping-wing mechanism 3; the flapping-wing mechanism 3 mainly comprises a left flapping gear 303, a right flapping gear 305, a horizontal cam 301 and a cam rod 308, the flapping movement of the wing 313 around the flapping support rod 101 is realized through the up-down reciprocating swing of the two flapping gears, the horizontal cam 301 can output horizontal linear motion when rotating in cooperation with the cam rod 308, thereby realizing the morphing of the wing; the vertical tail mechanism 5 is driven by the first linear servo 501 and is used for realizing controllable left-right swing and reset action of the vertical tail 508; the horizontal tail mechanism 6 is driven by the second linear servo 601 and is used for realizing controllable up-down swing and reset action of the horizontal tail 607.

[0030] The specific working process of the present application is as follows:

[0031] (1) When the aircraft takes off, the hollow cup motor 2 is powered on, and its output shaft drives the horizontal cam 301 to rotate. The eccentric cylindrical protrusion 302 on the horizontal cam 301 slides in the sliding groove 304 on the left flapping gear 303, simultaneously driving the left flapping gear 303 to reciprocate up and down around the flapping wing support rod 101. The right flapping gear 305 is engaged with the left flapping gear 303 to realize synchronous movement, thereby completing the flapping wing movement of the wing 313. At the same time, the edge of the horizontal cam 301 forms a cam mechanism with the cam rod 308, causing the cam rod 308 to output a linear reciprocating displacement movement, which is transmitted to the wing 313 through the connecting rod 309, realizing the sweep movement of the wing leading edge. At the same time, since the wing surface of the wing 313 is flexible, when the leading edge of the wing 313 is pulled forward by the connecting rod 309, the wing surface of the leading edge part is unfolded forward, as shown in FIG. 8A. When the leading edge of the wing 313 moves backward, the wing surface of the leading edge part is compressed, and the position of the wing vein 315 is fixed. The wing surface of the leading edge part can only be folded to form a wrinkle structure, thereby realizing the morphing of the flapping wing aircraft wing, as shown in FIG. 8B. Figure 2 Figure 1

[0032] (2) When the flapping wing aircraft turns left, the first linear actuator 501 outputs a right displacement, thereby driving the vertical tail boom 506 to rotate as a whole around the fourth pin 505, and the vertical tail 508 is driven by the vertical tail boom 506 to swing left, realizing the left turning of the flapping wing aircraft. The right turning process is similar, except that the first linear actuator 501 needs to output a left displacement. At the same time, when the vertical tail 508 swings left and right, the horizontal tail 607 fixed thereto rotates around the seventh pin 606, thereby moving synchronously with the vertical tail 508, realizing the tail linkage control between the horizontal tail 607 and the vertical tail 508.

[0033] (3) When the flapping wing aircraft climbs upward, the second linear actuator 601 outputs a downward displacement, thereby driving the horizontal tail boom 605 to rotate as a whole around the sixth pin 604, and the horizontal tail 607 is driven by the horizontal tail boom 605 to swing upward, realizing the upward climbing of the flapping wing aircraft. The downward diving process is similar, except that the second linear actuator 601 needs to output an upward displacement. At the same time, when the horizontal tail 607 swings up and down, the vertical tail 508 fixed thereto rotates around the fifth pin 507, thereby moving synchronously with the horizontal tail 607, realizing the tail linkage control between the vertical tail 508 and the horizontal tail 607.​​

Claims

1. A tail wing linkage controlled variable body ornithopter characterized by: The vertical tail mechanism comprises a first linear actuator, a first screw, a vertical tail actuator connecting rod, a third pin, a fourth pin, a vertical tail frame, a fifth pin and a vertical tail, wherein the first linear actuator is fixed on the tail frame by the first screw, a displacement output part of the first linear actuator is provided with the vertical tail actuator connecting rod, the vertical tail actuator connecting rod is hinged to the front end of the vertical tail frame through the third pin; a middle sliding groove part of the vertical tail frame is connected to the tail frame through the fourth pin, and the fourth pin is fixed to the tail frame; the vertical tail is assembled in a recess at the rear end of the vertical tail frame and is connected through the fifth pin, and the vertical tail is fixedly bonded to the horizontal tail. The flapping mechanism comprises a horizontal cam, a cylindrical protrusion, a left flapping gear, a sliding groove, a right flapping gear, a first fixing frame, a first pin, a cam rod, a connecting rod, a second pin, a spring, a second fixing frame, a wing, a sleeve and a wing vein, wherein the horizontal cam is connected to the output shaft of the hollow cup motor, the eccentric cylindrical protrusion on the horizontal cam slides in the sliding groove on the left flapping gear during rotation, and simultaneously drives the left flapping gear to reciprocate up and down around the flapping support rod; the right flapping gear is engaged with the left flapping gear to realize synchronous movement, the right flapping gear and the left flapping gear are respectively connected to the two wings through the first pin, the first fixing frame is assembled at the front end of the left flapping gear and the right flapping gear and is fixedly connected to the flapping support rod, the horizontal cam cooperates with the cam rod to form a cam mechanism, the second fixing frame is fixedly connected to the flapping support rod and is used for limiting the positions of the spring and the cam rod, the spring presses the cam rod against the horizontal cam to ensure that the cam rod is in contact with the surface of the horizontal cam at all times, one end of the connecting rod is assembled in the gap of the cam rod on the flapping support rod, the other end is connected to the two wings through the second pin, the front end of the wing vein is fixedly connected to the wing, the rear end is assembled on the flapping support rod and is located between the motor support and the sleeve, and the sleeve is sleeved on the flapping support rod.

2. A tail wing linked control variable body ornithopter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flapping support comprises two flapping support rods and a motor support, wherein the motor support has two through holes and is fixedly connected to the flapping support rods, the flapping support rods are used for connecting and fixing the tail frame and the hollow cup motor and providing support for the flapping mechanism.

3. A tail wing linked control variable body ornithopter according to claim 2, wherein: The flapping support rod is a cylindrical carbon fiber rod.

4. A tail wing linked control variable body ornithopter according to claim 1, wherein: The vertical tail mechanism comprises a first linear actuator, a first screw, a vertical tail actuator connecting rod, a third pin, a fourth pin, a vertical tail frame, a fifth pin and a vertical tail, wherein the first linear actuator is fixed on the tail frame by the first screw, a displacement output part of the first linear actuator is provided with the vertical tail actuator connecting rod, the vertical tail actuator connecting rod is hinged to the front end of the vertical tail frame through the third pin; a middle sliding groove part of the vertical tail frame is connected to the tail frame through the fourth pin, and the fourth pin is fixed to the tail frame; the vertical tail is assembled in a recess at the rear end of the vertical tail frame and is connected through the fifth pin, and the vertical tail is fixedly bonded to the horizontal tail.

5. A tail wing linked control variable body ornithopter according to claim 4, wherein: The first linear actuator is an LSM1300 linear actuator.

6. A tail wing linked control variable body ornithopter according to claim 1, wherein: The horizontal tail mechanism comprises a second linear servo, a second screw, a horizontal tail servo connecting rod, a sixth pin, a horizontal tail frame, a seventh pin and a horizontal tail, wherein the second linear servo is fixed on the tail frame by the second screw, a displacement output part of the second linear servo is assembled with the horizontal tail servo connecting rod, the horizontal tail servo connecting rod is fixedly connected with the front end of the horizontal tail frame and is in clearance fit with a hole diameter on the second linear servo, a middle sliding groove part of the horizontal tail frame is connected with the tail frame through the sixth pin, and the sixth pin is fixedly connected with the tail frame; the horizontal tail is assembled in a groove at the rear end of the horizontal tail frame and is connected through the seventh pin.

7. A tail wing linked control variable body ornithopter according to claim 6, wherein: The second linear servo is an LSM1300 linear servo.

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