A low-compensation UAV cooling and environmental control system and its cooling method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a low-compensation UAV cooling and environmental control system and its cooling method, belonging to the technical field of UAVs. It includes an air intake duct, an air-liquid heat exchanger, an exhaust duct and a liquid supply assembly; the air intake duct is connected to one end of the air-liquid heat exchanger, and the other end of the air-liquid heat exchanger is connected to the exhaust duct; wherein, the liquid supply assembly is mainly composed of a liquid cooling pump and an expansion tank; the liquid outlet of the air-liquid heat exchanger is connected to the upper liquid return port of the expansion tank, the lower liquid outlet of the expansion tank is connected to the liquid inlet of the liquid cooling pump, the liquid supply port of the liquid cooling pump is connected to the liquid inlet of the electronic equipment load, and the liquid outlet of the electronic equipment load is connected to the liquid inlet of the air-liquid heat exchanger. The present invention has the advantages of improving the use efficiency of the heat exchanger, reducing the compensation loss of the environmental control system, reducing the fuel consumption of the UAV, improving the endurance of the UAV, and increasing the combat range and usage scenarios of the UAV.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and particularly relates to a low-compensation unmanned aerial vehicle cooling and environmental control system and a cooling method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Medium and large unmanned aerial vehicles such as the Wing Loong, Rainbow, and Tengdun series often carry reconnaissance and side-looking payloads for reconnaissance and attack missions. As the performance indicators of the payloads increase and the requirements for computing and processing capabilities become higher and higher, the heat generated by the used circuit boards and chips also increases accordingly. In order to meet the requirements of full-region and all-weather use, a ring control liquid supply system with ram air direct cooling is often adopted.

[0003] The ring control liquid supply system usually consists of a liquid supply component and an air-liquid heat exchanger, and provides low-temperature coolant for electronic equipment loads. Ram air flows through the air-liquid heat exchanger, and heat exchange is carried out through the heat exchanger fins to cool the coolant, and then the liquid supply component pressurizes and transports it to the electronic equipment load for heat exchange to cool the load and achieve the purpose of cooling.

[0004] In order to improve efficiency, reduce volume and weight, the air-liquid heat exchanger generally adopts a plate-fin heat exchanger structure. One installation method of the air-liquid heat exchanger is to directly place it outside the aircraft or pod, and air can directly flow through the heat exchanger; another method is to place the air-liquid heat exchanger inside the pod, introduce ram air through an air intake duct, and discharge it to the atmosphere through an exhaust duct after flowing through the heat exchanger.

[0005] The compensation loss generated by the heat exchanger in the first installation method can never be avoided and reduced. At the same time, the heat exchanger protrudes outside the unmanned aerial vehicle or pod, destroying the original aerodynamic shape, and the increase in resistance during high-speed flight is more obvious, which also affects the maneuverability of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0006] In the second installation method, in addition to the heat exchanger, the air intake duct further increases the system flow resistance, reduces the system air intake efficiency and increases the compensation. In order to improve the total pressure recovery coefficient, the air intake duct generally adopts a funnel shape, which will protrude into the boundary layer of the unmanned aerial vehicle or pod body, also destroy the original aerodynamic shape, reduce the maneuverability of the unmanned aerial vehicle and shorten the endurance.

[0007] Since the ring control liquid supply system needs to meet the requirements of full-region and all-weather use during design, the heat exchange structure and indicators are generally designed according to the most stringent temperature (high environmental temperature extreme value, minimum flight speed) conditions, and there is often a large margin during most of the use time. In order to adjust the heat exchange amount of the air-liquid heat exchanger, some ring control systems set an electric control valve at the air intake duct, and control the air intake amount of the ram air by controlling the opening and closing area of the valve, further increasing the system resistance and compensation loss. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a low-compensation UAV environmental control system and its control method that avoid the deficiencies in the above background technology, which can improve the utilization efficiency of the heat exchanger, reduce the compensation loss of the environmental control system, reduce the fuel consumption of the UAV, improve the endurance of the UAV, and increase the combat range and usage scenarios of the UAV.

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0010] A low-compensation UAV cooling environmental control system includes an air intake duct, an air-liquid heat exchanger, an exhaust duct, and a liquid supply assembly;

[0011] One end of the air intake duct is connected to the air-liquid heat exchanger, and the other end of the air-liquid heat exchanger is connected to the exhaust duct;

[0012] Among them, the liquid supply assembly mainly consists of a liquid cooling pump and an expansion tank;

[0013] The liquid outlet of the air-liquid heat exchanger is connected to the upper liquid return port of the expansion tank, the lower liquid outlet of the expansion tank is connected to the liquid inlet of the liquid cooling pump, the liquid supply port of the liquid cooling pump is connected to the liquid inlet of the electronic equipment load, and the liquid outlet of the electronic equipment load is connected to the liquid inlet of the air-liquid heat exchanger;

[0014] Further, the liquid supply assembly further includes a temperature sensor and a controller; the air intake duct consists of a funnel-shaped air inlet, an electric lifting mechanism, and a corrugated hose; the funnel-shaped air inlet is connected to one end of the air-liquid heat exchanger through a corrugated pipe;

[0015] Among them, the temperature sensor is arranged at the liquid supply port of the liquid cooling pump; both the temperature sensor and the electric lifting mechanism are electrically connected to the controller;

[0016] In the standby state of the system, the funnel-shaped air inlet is inside the pod; in the working state of the system, the controller controls the electric elevator to adjust the position of the funnel-shaped air inlet outside the pod according to the difference between the value of the temperature sensor on the liquid supply assembly and the required liquid supply temperature of the electronic equipment load.

[0017] Further, the exhaust duct includes a louver exhaust port; the electric lifting mechanism is driven by a servo motor or a stepper motor.

[0018] A cooling method for a low-compensation UAV cooling environmental control system, which is used for the above-mentioned low-compensation UAV cooling environmental control system, and the specific process is as follows:

[0019] When the UAV takes off and lands and the electronic equipment load does not need to be turned on, the environmental control system is not powered on, the funnel-shaped air inlet of the air intake duct is inside the pod, and there is no ram air intake in the air-liquid heat exchanger of the environmental control system, without causing compensation loss;

[0020] When the drone flies to the designated area, the electronic device starts to work and activates the environmental control system. The controller controls the electric lifting mechanism to raise the funnel-shaped air inlet outside the cabin body to half of the total stroke. When the liquid supply temperature is stable, according to the value t of the temperature sensor on the liquid supply component 供 and the required liquid supply temperature t for the load of the electronic device 液 the difference controls the lifting position of the funnel-shaped air inlet. When t 供 < t 液 the air inlet is lowered; when t 供 > t 液 the air inlet is raised. When |t 供 - t 液 | ≥ 10, the single adjustment amplitude of the funnel-shaped air inlet is 0.1 times the total stroke. When 10 > |t 供 - t 液 | > 2, the single adjustment amplitude of the funnel-shaped air inlet is 1 mm. After each adjustment, |t 供 - t 液 | is recalculated until |t 供 - t 液 | ≤ 2, and the control ends;

[0021] When the mission ends and the drone starts to return, the environmental control system stops working, and the controller retracts the funnel-shaped air inlet into the cabin.

[0022] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0023] 1. Before the drone climbs, descends, and reaches the designated working area, the environmental control system does not need to be turned on. The funnel-shaped air inlet is submerged within the outer shape of the cabin body, without damaging the streamlined aerodynamic shape of the pod. There is no ram air intake in the air-liquid heat exchanger, greatly reducing the compensation loss;

[0024] 2. The exhaust air duct adopts a louver structure form, which is installed parallel to the outer surface of the pod, does not protrude from the cabin body, and does not damage its starting shape. At the same time, due to the entrainment effect of the air flow near the louvers, the inlet and outlet pressure difference is further increased, improving the efficiency of the environmental control system;

[0025] 3. When the external environmental conditions do not reach the most severe conditions (high environmental temperature extreme value, minimum flight speed, minimum air density), the funnel-shaped air inlet is raised to the designated height according to the need of the liquid supply temperature, rather than being raised to the highest height. The advantage of this is to reduce the impact of the design margin, reduce the actual ram air intake, reduce the compensation loss, and reduce the negative impact of the funnel-shaped air inlet on the aerodynamic shape. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 It is the schematic diagram of the environmental control system;

[0027] Figure 2 It is a diagram of the ram air flow path;

[0028] Figure 3 It is a side view of the air extraction duct and the nacelle when the environmental control system is working;

[0029] Figure 4 It is a side view of the air extraction duct and the nacelle when the environmental control system is not working;

[0030] Figure 5 It is a bottom view of the exhaust duct and the nacelle;

[0031] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of a funnel-shaped air inlet;

[0032] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of a louvered exhaust port;

[0033] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of an air-liquid heat exchanger;

[0034] Figure 9 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the controller, expansion tank and liquid cooling pump.

[0035] In the figure: nacelle 1, funnel-shaped air inlet 20, louvered exhaust hole 30, air-liquid heat exchanger 40, liquid inlet 401, liquid outlet 402, liquid cooling pump 51, expansion tank 52, temperature sensor 53, controller 60, liquid supply port 511, liquid return port 521. Specific implementation mode

[0036] Next, in combination with the attached drawings and examples, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described. However, the embodiments described herein are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without making creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0037] A low-compensation UAV cooling environmental control system includes an air extraction duct, an air-liquid heat exchanger, an exhaust duct and a liquid supply assembly;

[0038] One end of the air extraction duct is connected to the air-liquid heat exchanger, and the other end of the air-liquid heat exchanger is connected to the exhaust duct;

[0039] Among them, the liquid supply assembly is mainly composed of a liquid cooling pump and an expansion tank;

[0040] The liquid outlet of the air-liquid heat exchanger is connected to the upper liquid return port of the expansion tank, the lower liquid outlet of the expansion tank is connected to the liquid inlet of the liquid cooling pump, the liquid supply port of the liquid cooling pump is connected to the liquid inlet of the electronic equipment load, and the liquid outlet of the electronic equipment load is connected to the liquid inlet of the air-liquid heat exchanger;

[0041] Furthermore, the liquid supply assembly also includes a temperature sensor and a controller; the air duct is composed of a funnel-shaped air inlet, an electric lifting mechanism and a corrugated hose; the funnel-shaped air inlet is connected to one end of the air-liquid heat exchanger through a corrugated tube;

[0042] Wherein, the temperature sensor is arranged at the liquid supply port of the liquid cooling pump; the temperature sensor and the electric lifting mechanism are both connected to the controller circuit;

[0043] When the system is in standby mode, the funnel-shaped air inlet is inside the pod; when the system is in working mode, the controller controls the electric lift to adjust the position of the funnel-shaped air inlet outside the pod according to the difference between the temperature sensor value on the liquid supply component and the liquid supply temperature required by the electronic equipment load.

[0044] Furthermore, the exhaust air duct includes a shutter exhaust port; the electric lifting mechanism is driven by a servo motor or a stepper motor.

[0045] A cooling method for a low-compensation UAV cooling and environmental control system is used for the above-mentioned low-compensation UAV cooling and environmental control system. The specific process is as follows:

[0046] When the UAV takes off and lands and the electronic equipment load does not need to be turned on, the environmental control system is not powered on, the funnel-shaped air inlet of the air duct is inside the pod, and the air-liquid heat exchanger of the environmental control system has no ram air intake, which does not cause compensation loss;

[0047] When the drone flies to the designated area, the electronic equipment starts working, the environmental control system is started, and the controller controls the electric lifting mechanism to raise the funnel-shaped air inlet to the outside of the cabin. The raised position is 1 / 2 of the total stroke. When the liquid supply temperature stabilizes, according to the temperature sensor value t on the liquid supply component 供 And the required liquid supply temperature t of the electronic equipment load 液 The difference of controls the lifting position of the funnel-shaped air inlet. 供 <t 液 Under the condition, lower the air intake; when t 供 >t 液 When the air inlet is raised, 供 -t 液 When 丨≥10, the single adjustment range of the funnel-shaped air inlet is 0.1 times the total stroke. When 10>丨t 供 -t 液 When 丨>2, the single adjustment range of the funnel-shaped air inlet is 1mm, and 丨t is recalculated after each adjustment. 供 -t 液 丨, until丨t 供 -t 液 When 丨≤2, the control ends;

[0048] When the mission ends and the aircraft starts to return, the environmental control system stops working, and the controller retracts the funnel-shaped air inlet into the cabin.

[0049] The solution of this embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings as follows:

[0050] Refer to Figure 1 , the components of this embodiment include an air intake duct, an air-liquid heat exchanger, an exhaust duct, a liquid cooling pump, an expansion tank, a controller, and an electronic equipment load;

[0051] The air intake duct is connected to one end of the air-liquid heat exchanger, and the other end of the air-liquid heat exchanger is connected to the exhaust duct; the liquid outlet of the air-liquid heat exchanger is connected to the upper liquid return port of the expansion tank, the upper liquid outlet of the expansion tank is connected to the liquid inlet of the liquid cooling pump, the liquid supply port of the liquid cooling pump is connected to the liquid inlet of the electronic equipment load, and the liquid outlet of the electronic equipment load is connected to the liquid inlet of the air-liquid heat exchanger.

[0052] Refer to Figure 2 , the ram air passes through the funnel-shaped air inlet, the corrugated hose, the air-liquid heat exchanger, and the louvered exhaust port in sequence to take away heat. The electric lift adjusts the position of the funnel-shaped air inlet outside the pod.

[0053] Refer to Figure 3 and Figure 6 , the opening direction of the funnel-shaped air inlet is the same as the course, and the air intake is smoother.

[0054] Refer to Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 7 , the louvered exhaust holes are located at the bottom of the pod.

[0055] Refer to Figure 8 , both the liquid inlet 401 and the liquid outlet 402 are arranged on one side of the air-liquid heat exchanger 40.

[0056] Refer to Figure 9 , the temperature sensor is arranged at the position of the liquid supply port of the liquid cooling pump.

[0057] The process of the temperature reduction method in this embodiment is as follows:

[0058] When the UAV takes off and lands and the electronic equipment load does not need to be turned on, the environmental control system is not powered on, the funnel-shaped air inlet of the air intake duct is inside the pod, and there is no ram air intake in the air-liquid heat exchanger of the environmental control system, so no compensation loss is caused;

[0059] When the UAV flies to the designated area and the electronic equipment starts to work, the environmental control system is started, and the controller controls the electric lifting mechanism to raise the funnel-shaped air inlet to the outside of the cabin body. The raised position is 1 / 2 of the total stroke. When the supply liquid temperature is stable, according to the value t of the temperature sensor on the liquid supply component 供 and the required supply liquid temperature t of the electronic equipment load液 The difference controls the lifting position of the funnel-shaped air inlet. At t 供 < t 液 condition, the air inlet is lowered; when t 供 > t 液 time, the air inlet is raised. When |t 供 - t 液 | ≥ 10, the single adjustment amplitude of the funnel-shaped air inlet is 0.1 times the total stroke. When 10 > |t 供 - t 液 | > 2, the single adjustment amplitude of the funnel-shaped air inlet is 1 mm. After each adjustment, |t 供 - t 液 | is recalculated until |t 供 - t 液 | ≤ 2, the control ends;

[0060] When the mission ends and the return flight starts, the environmental control system stops working, and the controller retracts the funnel-shaped air inlet into the cabin.

Claims

1. A low-compensation UAV cooling and environmental control system, characterized in that, It includes an air intake duct, an air-liquid heat exchanger, an exhaust duct and a liquid supply assembly; One end of the air intake duct is connected to the air-liquid heat exchanger, and the other end of the air-liquid heat exchanger is connected to the exhaust duct; Among them, the liquid supply assembly mainly consists of a liquid cooling pump and an expansion tank; The liquid outlet of the air-liquid heat exchanger is connected to the upper liquid return port of the expansion tank, the lower liquid outlet of the expansion tank is connected to the liquid inlet of the liquid cooling pump, the liquid supply port of the liquid cooling pump is connected to the liquid inlet of the electronic equipment load, and the liquid outlet of the electronic equipment load is connected to the liquid inlet of the air-liquid heat exchanger; The liquid supply assembly further includes a temperature sensor and a controller; the air intake duct consists of a funnel-shaped air inlet, an electric lifting mechanism and a corrugated hose; the funnel-shaped air inlet is connected to one end of the air-liquid heat exchanger through a corrugated pipe; Among them, the temperature sensor is arranged at the liquid supply port position of the liquid cooling pump; both the temperature sensor and the electric lifting mechanism are electrically connected to the controller; In the standby state of the system, the funnel-shaped air inlet is inside the pod; in the working state of the system, the controller controls the electric elevator to adjust the position of the funnel-shaped air inlet outside the pod according to the difference between the value of the temperature sensor on the liquid supply assembly and the required liquid supply temperature of the electronic equipment load.

2. The low-compensation UAV cooling and environmental control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The exhaust duct includes a louver exhaust port; the electric lifting mechanism is driven by a servo motor or a stepper motor.

3. A cooling method for a cooling and environmental control system of a low-compensation unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that, For a low-compensation UAV cooling and environmental control system as described in claim 2, the specific process is as follows: When the UAV takes off and lands and the electronic equipment load does not need to be turned on, the environmental control system is not powered on, the funnel-shaped air inlet of the air intake duct is inside the pod, and there is no ram air intake in the air-liquid heat exchanger of the environmental control system, so no compensation loss is caused; When the drone flies to the designated area, the electronic device starts to work and activates the environmental control system. The controller controls the electric lifting mechanism to raise the funnel-shaped air inlet outside the cabin to 1 / 2 of the total stroke. When the liquid supply temperature is stable, according to the value t of the temperature sensor on the liquid supply component 供 and the required liquid supply temperature t for the load of the electronic device 液 , the lifting position of the funnel-shaped air inlet is controlled by the difference. When t 供 < t 液 , the air inlet is lowered; when t 供 > t 液 , the air inlet is raised. When |t 供 - t 液 | ≥ 10, the single adjustment amplitude of the funnel-shaped air inlet is 0.1 times the total stroke. When 10 > |t 供 - t 液 | > 2, the single adjustment amplitude of the funnel-shaped air inlet is 1 mm. After each adjustment, |t 供 - t 液 | is recalculated until |t 供 - t 液 | ≤ 2, and the control ends; When the mission ends and the UAV starts to return, the environmental control system stops working, and the controller retracts the funnel-shaped air inlet into the pod.

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