Wing folding mechanism, unmanned aerial vehicle, and wing folding method thereof

Abstract

The present application discloses a wing-folding mechanism, a drone, and a wing-folding method thereof. The mechanism includes a fixed portion, a folding portion, an elastic hinge assembly, a first locking portion, and a second locking portion; one end of the elastic hinge assembly is connected to the end of the fixed portion, and the other end of the elastic hinge assembly is connected to the fixed end of the folding portion; the first locking portion is mounted on the fixed portion, and the second locking portion is mounted on the folding portion; when the folding portion is folded onto the fixed portion, the second locking portion is locked to the first locking portion, and the elastic member on the elastic hinge assembly is in an elastically deformed state. The drone includes the above-mentioned wing-folding mechanism; the fixed portion is the inner wing, and the folding portion is the outer wing. The end of the fixed portion away from the elastic hinge assembly is used to connect to the fuselage, and the direction of the folding axis of the outer wing is perpendicular to the extension direction of the wing leading edge. The present application solves the problems of high weight and large installation space in the folding structures in the prior art.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and specifically relates to a wing folding mechanism, an UAV, and a wing folding method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Folding wings originated from the need to increase the number of aircraft aboard aircraft carriers. Folding wings involve partially folding and stowing the wings, effectively reducing the aircraft's footprint and significantly increasing the number of aircraft aboard. With the continuous advancement of technology, drones have emerged as platforms for carrier aircraft. Large drones offer long flight times and high cruising altitudes, while small drones offer greater flexibility and speed. Combining these two, creating a carrier aircraft carrying a sub-aircraft, allows for a larger combat radius, greater flexibility, and enhanced concealment. Underwing mounts, compared to underbelly mounts, offer advantages such as a larger number of mounts, flexible mission execution, and redundancy. While combining these with folding wings can effectively increase underwing mount capacity, existing folding structures, such as those using hydraulic or planetary gear sets, are heavy and space-consuming, making them unsuitable for sub-aircraft applications requiring high cruising speeds, long flight times, and extremely thin airfoils. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present application solve the problems of heavy weight and large installation space in the folding structures in the prior art by providing a wing folding mechanism, a UAV and a wing folding method thereof.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned object, an embodiment of the present invention provides a wing folding mechanism, comprising a fixing portion, a folding portion, an elastic hinge assembly, a first locking portion, and a second locking portion;

[0005] One end of the elastic hinge assembly is connected to the end of the fixed portion, and the other end of the elastic hinge assembly is connected to the fixed end of the folding portion;

[0006] The first locking portion is mounted on the fixing portion, and the second locking portion is mounted on the folding portion;

[0007] When the folding portion is folded onto the fixing portion, the second locking portion is locked onto the first locking portion, and the elastic member on the elastic hinge assembly is in an elastically deformed state.

[0008] In a possible implementation, the elastic hinge assembly includes two or more spring hinges, and the axes of the two or more spring hinges are arranged in parallel.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the elastic hinge assembly includes a first spring hinge, a second spring hinge, a first mounting plate, a second mounting plate, and a connecting plate;

[0010] One end of the first mounting plate is connected to the lower surface of the end of the fixed portion, the other end of the first mounting plate is connected to a lever arm of the first spring hinge, the other lever arm of the first spring hinge is connected to a lever arm of the second spring hinge via the connecting plate, the other lever arm of the second spring hinge is connected to one end of the second mounting plate, and the other end of the second mounting plate is connected to the lower surface of the fixed end of the folding portion;

[0011] After the folding portion is flipped into place, the first spring hinge and the second spring hinge are respectively located on both sides of the butt joint between the folding portion and the fixing portion.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the springs on the first spring hinge and the second spring hinge have the same elastic coefficient;

[0013] An included angle between the first mounting plate and the connecting plate is smaller than or equal to an included angle between the second mounting plate and the connecting plate.

[0014] In a possible implementation, after the folding portion is unfolded into place, the preloaded elastic force of the spring on the first spring hinge is greater than or equal to the weight of the folding portion.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the fixed end of the folding portion is provided with an insert block, the upper surface of the insert block end is an abutment surface, the lower portion of the insert block end is an inclined surface, and the end of the fixed portion is provided with a slot adapted to the insert block structure.

[0016] In one possible implementation, when the folding portion is unfolded, a circle with a radius of a line connecting the first spring hinge axis and the inclined surface intersects with the lower edge of the folding portion, and an angle between a line connecting the first spring hinge axis and the end of the inclined surface and the horizontal direction is less than or equal to 90°.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the first locking portion includes an electromagnetic pin, and the electromagnetic pin is installed inside the fixing portion;

[0018] The second locking portion includes an angle piece, and the vertical portion of the angle piece is provided with a locking hole. When the folding portion is folded on the fixing portion, the end of the vertical portion extends into the interior of the fixing portion, and the pin body of the electromagnetic pin passes through the locking hole.

[0019] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a drone, comprising the above-mentioned wing folding mechanism;

[0020] The fixed part is the inner wing, the folding part is the outer wing, the end of the fixed part away from the elastic hinge assembly is used to connect with the fuselage, and the direction of the folding axis of the outer wing is perpendicular to the extension direction of the wing leading edge.

[0021] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for folding the wings of a drone, using the above-mentioned drone, comprising the following steps:

[0022] The second locking portion is controlled to separate from the first locking portion, and the elastic potential energy of the elastic member is released, so that the elastic hinge assembly drives the outer wing to flip until the outer wing flips into place.

[0023] One or more technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present invention have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0024] Embodiments of the present invention provide a wing-folding mechanism, a drone, and a wing-folding method thereof. When the mechanism is deployed, the second locking portion and the first locking portion are controlled to separate, releasing the elastic potential energy of the elastic member, allowing the elastic hinge assembly to drive the folding portion to flip until it is in place. The provision of an elastic hinge assembly satisfies the folding requirements of the folding portion, resulting in a simple, easy-to-maintain, and highly reliable structure. The folding direction of the drone's outer wing is parallel to the extension direction of the wing's leading edge, ensuring that the leading edge of the folded outer wing extends in the same direction as the leading edge of the inner wing. This reduces the impact of the sub-drone on the aerodynamic performance of the parent drone when the sub-drone is mounted on the parent drone. By providing a spring at the hinge, the mechanism avoids the heavy weight and large installation space associated with a drive mechanism. The spring is mounted using the hinge shaft, eliminating the need for additional installation space. This mechanism facilitates spring torque adjustment and easy maintenance of the spring hinge, resulting in high practicality. The folding mechanism employed by the drone of the present invention is simple and reliable, offering high fault tolerance, ease of maintenance, and high reliability, effectively addressing the issue of a limited number of sub-wings mounted under high-speed aircraft. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for describing the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some of the embodiments described in this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be derived from these drawings without inventive effort.

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the folded state of the wing folding mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the unfolded state of the wing folding mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the folded state of a wing provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 4A schematic diagram of the flipping process of the outer wing provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the unfolded state of a wing provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 6 A comparison diagram of the wing folded state and the wing unfolded state of the drone provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure markings: 1-fixing part; 2-folding part; 21-insert block; 3-elastic hinge assembly; 31-first spring hinge; 32-second spring hinge; 33-first mounting plate; 34-second mounting plate; 35-connecting plate; 4-first locking part; 41-electromagnetic pin; 411-pin body; 5-second locking part; 51-angle piece; 511-locking hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. The terms "first", "second" and "third" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. In addition, the terms "installed", "connected" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be a communication between the two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0035] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the wing folding mechanism provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes a fixing portion 1, a folding portion 2, an elastic hinge assembly 3, a first locking portion 4, and a second locking portion 5.

[0036] One end of the elastic hinge assembly 3 is connected to the end of the fixed portion 1 , and the other end of the elastic hinge assembly 3 is connected to the fixed end of the folding portion 2 . The other end of the folding portion 2 is a free end.

[0037] The first locking portion 4 is mounted on the fixing portion 1 , and the second locking portion 5 is mounted on the folding portion 2 .

[0038] When the folding portion 2 is folded onto the fixing portion 1 , the second locking portion 5 is locked onto the first locking portion 4 , and the elastic member on the elastic hinge assembly 3 is in an elastically deformed state.

[0039] It should be noted that when this mechanism is deployed, the second locking portion 5 and the first locking portion 4 are controlled to separate, releasing the elastic potential energy of the elastic member, allowing the elastic hinge assembly 3 to drive the folding portion 2 to flip until the folding portion 2 is in place. The provision of the elastic hinge assembly 3 satisfies the folding requirements of the folding portion 2, resulting in a simple structure, easy maintenance, and high reliability. The angle between the folding portion 2 and the fixed portion 1 can be controlled by the interface between the folding portion 2 and the fixed portion 1 to form folded states with different angles.

[0040] In this embodiment, the elastic hinge assembly 3 includes more than two spring hinges, and the axes of the two or more spring hinges are arranged in parallel.

[0041] It should be noted that two or more spring hinges enable the folding part 2 to form at least a two-section folding structure. Such a folding structure has the characteristic of a large folding angle, which can meet the folding requirements of 180 degrees and above of the folding part 2, and also has the characteristic of occupying a small space after folding.

[0042] In this embodiment, the elastic hinge assembly 3 includes a first spring hinge 31 , a second spring hinge 32 , a first mounting plate 33 , a second mounting plate 34 , and a connecting plate 35 .

[0043] One end of the first mounting plate 33 is connected to the lower surface of the end of the fixed part 1, and the other end of the first mounting plate 33 is connected to a force arm of the first spring hinge 31. The other force arm of the first spring hinge 31 is connected to a force arm of the second spring hinge 32 through the connecting plate 35. The other force arm of the second spring hinge 32 is connected to one end of the second mounting plate 34, and the other end of the second mounting plate 34 is connected to the lower surface of the fixed end of the folding part 2.

[0044] After the folding portion 2 is flipped into place, the first spring hinge 31 and the second spring hinge 32 are respectively located on both sides of the joint between the folding portion 2 and the fixing portion 1 .

[0045] It should be noted that this mechanism utilizes two spring hinges, each equipped with an in-shaft spring with adjustable torque, which ensures a set folding force when the folding portion 2 folds. The first spring hinge 31 and the second spring hinge 32 are folded into place in sequence, and the second locking portion 5 is locked to the first locking portion 4, securing the folding portion 2 and the fixed portion 1 relative to each other.

[0046] In this embodiment, the elastic coefficients of the springs on the first spring hinge 31 and the second spring hinge 32 are the same.

[0047] When the folding portion 2 is in the folded state, the angle between the first mounting plate 33 and the connecting plate 35 is smaller than or equal to the angle between the second mounting plate 34 and the connecting plate 35 .

[0048] It should be noted that if Figure 4 As shown, the second spring hinge 32 is closer to the outer wing tip than the first spring hinge 31, i.e., R2>R1, causing the second spring hinge 32 to rebound first. At this point, the angle between the second mounting plate 34 and the connecting plate 35 is 180°. Subsequently, the first spring hinge 31 rebounds, and the angle between the first mounting plate 33 and the connecting plate 35 is also 180°, thus preventing interference at the joint of the folding portion 2 when it is folded.

[0049] In this embodiment, after the folding portion 2 is unfolded into place, the preloaded elastic force of the spring on the first spring hinge 31 is greater than or equal to the weight of the folding portion 2 .

[0050] It should be noted that the first spring hinge 31 serves the purpose of supporting the folding portion 2, especially when the wing is in a stationary state, thereby ensuring the stability of the wing and improving the reliability of the wing during flight.

[0051] In this embodiment, an insert block 21 is provided at the fixed end of the folding portion 2, the upper surface of the end of the insert block 21 is a contact surface, the lower part of the end of the insert block 21 is a slope, and the end of the fixed portion 1 is provided with a slot adapted to the structure of the insert block 21.

[0052] It should be noted that after the folding portion 2 is folded into place, the insert block 21 is inserted into the slot, and the end surfaces of the folding portion 2 and the fixed portion 1 abut. When the folding portion 2 tends to flip due to the second spring hinge 32, the abutting surface of the insert block 21 abuts the top wall of the slot, thereby preventing the folding portion 2 from flipping.

[0053] In this embodiment, when the folding portion 2 is unfolded, a circle with a radius of the line connecting the rotating axis of the first spring hinge 31 and the inclined surface intersects with the lower edge of the folding portion 2, and the angle between the line connecting the rotating axis of the first spring hinge 31 and the end of the inclined surface and the horizontal direction is less than or equal to 90°.

[0054] It should be noted that the line connecting the rotating axis of the first spring hinge 31 and the inclined surface is perpendicular to the rotating axis of the first spring hinge 31. The line connecting the rotating axis of the first spring hinge 31 and the inclined surface forms a plurality of circles of different radii, and all of the circles meet the condition of having an intersection with the lower edge of the folding portion 2. This arrangement ensures that when the folding portion 2 rotates, the insert block 21 will not interfere with the lower edge of the fixed portion 1, thereby ensuring that the insert block 21 is smoothly inserted into the slot. The angle between the line connecting the rotating axis of the first spring hinge 31 and the end of the inclined surface and the horizontal direction is less than or equal to 90°, that is, the rotating axis of the first spring hinge 31 is closer to the side of the fixed portion 1 relative to the insert block 21, so the insert block 21 will not interfere with the top wall of the slot during the folding process.

[0055] In this embodiment, the first locking portion 4 includes an electromagnetic pin 41 , which is installed inside the fixing portion 1 .

[0056] The second locking portion 5 includes an angle piece 51 , and a locking hole 511 is provided on the vertical portion of the angle piece 51 . When the folding portion 2 is folded onto the fixing portion 1 , the end of the vertical portion extends into the interior of the fixing portion 1 , and the pin body 411 of the electromagnetic pin 41 passes through the locking hole 511 .

[0057] It should be noted that when the folding portion 2 needs to be unfolded, the pin body 411 of the electromagnetic pin 41 is retracted. After the second locking portion 5 releases the electromagnetic pin 41, the end of the vertical portion is withdrawn from the interior of the fixed portion 1 until the folding portion 2 is fully unfolded. The first locking portion 4 and the second locking portion 5 have a simple structure, and the cooperation is reliable and stable, which is not prone to failure.

[0058] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a UAV, comprising the above-mentioned wing folding mechanism.

[0059] The fixed part 1 is the inner wing, the folding part 2 is the outer wing, the end of the fixed part 1 away from the elastic hinge assembly 3 is used to connect with the fuselage, and the direction of the folding axis of the outer wing is perpendicular to the extension direction of the wing leading edge.

[0060] It should be noted that if Figure 6 As shown, the folding axis of the outer wing is perpendicular to the extension direction of the wing's leading edge, ensuring that the leading edge of the folded outer wing extends in the same direction as the leading edge of the inner wing. This reduces the impact of the sub-plane on the aerodynamic performance of the mothership when the sub-plane is mounted on the mothership. By placing a spring at the hinge, this mechanism avoids the heavy weight and large installation space associated with a drive mechanism. The spring is installed using the hinge shaft, eliminating the need for additional installation space. This mechanism also facilitates spring torque adjustment and easy maintenance of the spring hinge, making it highly practical.

[0061] After the mother aircraft takes off and reaches a predetermined altitude, it deploys the daughter aircraft. The daughter aircraft then flips the outer wings until they fold into place. The greater the torque of the spring hinges in the wing-folding mechanism, the faster the wings deploy. The folding mechanism employed by the drone of the present invention is simple and reliable, offering high fault tolerance, ease of maintenance, and high reliability. This solution effectively addresses the issue of a limited number of underwing mounts for high-speed daughter aircraft. This solution can increase the number of underwing mounts to six or more, significantly increasing mission complexity, diversity, and success rates, enabling the mother aircraft to meet the demands of mounting multiple small drones.

[0062] The wing-folding mechanism can be widely used in similar under-wing mounted UAVs, as well as in cruise missiles with high space requirements. The wing-folding mechanism has the characteristics of low cost, simple structure, easy maintenance and high reliability.

[0063] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the drone wing folding method provided by the embodiment of the present invention uses the above-mentioned drone and includes the following steps:

[0064] The second locking portion 5 and the first locking portion 4 are controlled to separate, and the elastic potential energy of the elastic member is released, so that the elastic hinge assembly 3 drives the outer wing to flip until the outer wing flips into place.

[0065] It should be noted that the provision of the elastic hinge assembly 3 can meet the folding requirements of the folding portion 2, and the structure is simple, easy to maintain, and highly reliable. This method solves the problems of the folding structures in the prior art, such as high weight and large installation space.

[0066] In this embodiment, the elastic hinge assembly 3 drives the outer wing to flip, including the following steps:

[0067] Because the springs on the first and second spring hinges 31, 32 have the same elastic coefficient, the second spring hinge 32 is closer to the outer wing tip than the first spring hinge 31, and the angle between the first mounting plate 33 and the connecting plate 35 is less than or equal to the angle between the second mounting plate 34 and the connecting plate 35, the second spring hinge 32 rebounds into position first, with the angle between the second mounting plate 34 and the connecting plate 35 now being 180°. Subsequently, the first spring hinge 31 rebounds into position, with the angle between the first mounting plate 33 and the connecting plate 35 now being 180°, and the outer wing flips into position.

[0068] It should be noted that after the outer wing is flipped into place, the connecting plate 35 spans the connection between the outer wing and the inner wing. When the UAV is flying, the wing is subjected to the upward air lift, so that the wing can still maintain structural stability, avoiding the problem of the outer wing folding upward and affecting the flight performance of the UAV.

[0069] In this embodiment, after the outer wing is turned over and in place, the insert block 21 is inserted into the slot, and the abutting surface of the insert block 21 abuts against the top surface of the slot. The space between the outer wing end beams forms the slot structure.

[0070] When the outer wing is fully deployed, the shortest line connecting the pivot axis of the first spring hinge 31 and the insert 21 is longer than the distance from the pivot axis of the first spring hinge 31 to the lower edge of the inner wing. When the outer wing rotates about the pivot axis of the first spring hinge 31, the structural arrangement of the insert 21 prevents interference between the insert 21 and the lower edge of the inner wing. Furthermore, the pivot axis of the first spring hinge 31 is closer to the fuselage than the insert 21, so the insert 21 does not interfere with the top wall of the inner wing during folding. The insert 21 effectively improves the accuracy of the outer wing's deployed position. During flight, the drone's wings are subject to upward lift, and the insert 21 can also transmit loads during flight, providing greater reliability than constraints solely through the elastic force of the spring hinge.

[0071] In this embodiment, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and non-restrictive, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and it is intended that all variations that come within the meaning and range of equivalents of the claims be included within the present invention.

Claims

1. A wing folding mechanism, characterized in that: It comprises a fixing portion (1), a folding portion (2), an elastic hinge assembly (3), a first locking portion (4), and a second locking portion (5); One end of the elastic hinge assembly (3) is connected to the end of the fixed portion (1), and the other end of the elastic hinge assembly (3) is connected to the fixed end of the folding portion (2); The first locking portion (4) is mounted on the fixing portion (1), and the second locking portion (5) is mounted on the folding portion (2); When the folding portion (2) is folded onto the fixing portion (1), the second locking portion (5) is locked onto the first locking portion (4), and the elastic member on the elastic hinge assembly (3) is in an elastically deformed state; The elastic hinge assembly (3) comprises a first spring hinge (31) and a second spring hinge (32); after the folding portion (2) is flipped into place, the first spring hinge (31) and the second spring hinge (32) are respectively located on both sides of the joint between the folding portion (2) and the fixed portion (1).

2. The wing folding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic hinge assembly (3) comprises more than two spring hinges, and the shafts of the two or more spring hinges are arranged in parallel.

3. The wing folding mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The elastic hinge assembly (3) comprises a first mounting plate (33), a second mounting plate (34), and a connecting plate (35); One end of the first mounting plate (33) is connected to the lower surface of the end of the fixed portion (1), the other end of the first mounting plate (33) is connected to a force arm of the first spring hinge (31), the other force arm of the first spring hinge (31) is connected to a force arm of the second spring hinge (32) through the connecting plate (35), the other force arm of the second spring hinge (32) is connected to one end of the second mounting plate (34), and the other end of the second mounting plate (34) is connected to the lower surface of the fixed end of the folding portion (2).

4. The wing-folding mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The springs on the first spring hinge (31) and the second spring hinge (32) have the same elastic coefficient; The included angle between the first mounting plate (33) and the connecting plate (35) is smaller than or equal to the included angle between the second mounting plate (34) and the connecting plate (35).

5. The wing-folding mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: After the folding portion (2) is unfolded into place, the preloaded elastic force of the spring on the first spring hinge (31) is greater than or equal to the weight of the folding portion (2).

6. The wing-folding mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The fixed end of the folding portion (2) is provided with an insert block (21), the upper surface of the end of the insert block (21) is an abutment surface, the lower portion of the end of the insert block (21) is an inclined surface, and the end of the fixed portion (1) is provided with a slot adapted to the structure of the insert block (21).

7. The wing-folding mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: When the folding portion (2) is in an unfolded state, a circle with a radius of a line connecting the first spring hinge (31) rotating axis and the inclined surface intersects the lower edge of the folding portion (2), and an angle between a line connecting the first spring hinge (31) rotating axis and the end of the inclined surface and a horizontal direction is less than or equal to 90°.

8. The wing-folding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first locking portion (4) comprises an electromagnetic pin (41), and the electromagnetic pin (41) is installed inside the fixing portion (1); The second locking portion (5) includes an angle piece (51), and a locking hole (511) is provided on the vertical portion of the angle piece (51). When the folding portion (2) is folded onto the fixing portion (1), the end of the vertical portion extends into the interior of the fixing portion (1), and the pin body (411) of the electromagnetic pin (41) passes through the locking hole (511).

9. A drone, characterized by: comprising a wing folding mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8; The fixed portion (1) is an inner wing, the folding portion (2) is an outer wing, the end of the fixed portion (1) away from the elastic hinge assembly (3) is used for connection with the fuselage, and the direction of the folding axis of the outer wing is perpendicular to the extension direction of the wing leading edge.

10. A method for folding the wings of a drone, characterized in that: Using the drone as claimed in claim 9, comprising the following steps: The second locking portion (5) and the first locking portion (4) are controlled to separate, and the elastic potential energy of the elastic member is released, so that the elastic hinge assembly (3) drives the outer wing to flip until the outer wing flips into place.

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