Apparatus for orienting a single piece cargo item lifted via a winch of an aircraft
By designing an orientation device and utilizing the sliding mechanism of the orientation body and the mating parts, the problem of single cargo items swaying on the aircraft was solved, achieving stable orientation and improving the energy efficiency and flight distance of the aircraft.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- YIKEDA CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2021-10-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-10
AI Technical Summary
In existing technologies, single cargo items lifted by winches are prone to swaying when suspended on an aircraft, leading to unstable flight and high energy consumption. Furthermore, the loading and unloading process is complex, affecting flight time and distance.
Design an orientation device including an orientation body and an orientation pairing component. By retracting a winch, the orientation pairing component slides along a guide rail to achieve orientation of a single cargo item around a rotation axis. By utilizing the contact and sliding of the orientation protrusion with the sliding surface, the stable orientation of the cargo item relative to the aircraft is ensured.
It achieves stable orientation of cargo, reduces air resistance, improves the energy efficiency and flight time of aircraft, and simplifies the loading and unloading process.
Smart Images
Figure CN116888044B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to an orientation device for orienting a single cargo item (or cargo item, Stückgutteil) lifted by a winch of an aircraft about a rotation axis, which, when used as specified, is parallel to the yaw axis of the aircraft. Background Technology
[0002] As aircraft used for transporting single pieces of cargo, vertically launched aircraft, such as so-called quadcopters, are currently employed. A quadcopter is an aircraft that generates lift using four rotors or thrusters arranged in a plane and acting vertically downwards. The thrust of the quadcopter is generated by the tilting of the rotor plane. Such an aircraft can transport a certain load over a certain distance, depending on the drive power. The effective distance is limited by the available battery capacity, depending on the drive power and the load being lifted.
[0003] An aircraft equipped with a winch is known in the prior art for lifting single cargo items. Typically, loading and unloading of this aircraft involves lowering the winch to the loading or unloading point and securing the single cargo item to a lifting device at the end of the rope attached to the winch. This lifting device can be, for example, a hook, lug, or magnet. The single cargo item is secured to the winch's lifting device, mostly manually by an operator standing on the ground. The winch then raises the single cargo item to a position close to the lower side of the aircraft, where it remains during flight. However, during flight, the single cargo item suspended from the winch may experience swaying and rocking due to lateral or frontal gusts of wind. This results in an unstable flight condition for the aircraft.
[0004] Because individual cargo units are typically suspended freely from the aircraft's winch during flight, they are oriented with their sides having the largest inflow area along the direction of flight or inflow. Consequently, especially elongated cargo units, they rotate outwards along the direction of flight. This results in very high air resistance in the flight direction during flight. This leads to high energy consumption during flight. Consequently, the limited battery capacity directly results in short flight time, and consequently, short flight range.
[0005] As described above, since individual cargo pieces are suspended and secured to the aircraft's winch, their orientation may change and vary during loading, flight operations, and unloading. Therefore, the space requirements for unloading individual cargo pieces by lowering the winch must be reassessed, as these requirements may have changed compared to those during loading. This control and assessment of available space requirements can lead to increased time consumption during the unloading process. Particularly concerning the limited flight time of this type of aircraft due to its limited battery capacity, increased time consumption during the unloading process can result in reduced remaining flight time and consequently shortened effective distances for transporting individual cargo pieces. Summary of the Invention
[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide an orientation device for orienting a single cargo item lifted by a winch of an aircraft about a rotation axis, wherein when the orientation device is used as specified, the rotation axis is parallel to the yaw axis of the aircraft, so that the single cargo item can be oriented relative to the aircraft.
[0007] This objective is achieved according to the invention by a orientation device having an orientation body that can be fixed to the underside of an aircraft and an orientation mating member that can be fastened to a single cargo piece. The orientation mating member has an orientation protrusion pointing in the direction of the aircraft when the orientation device is used as intended. The orientation body has a guide rail, the sliding surface of which faces the orientation mating member. When the orientation mating member moves toward the aircraft, the retraction of a winch causes the orientation protrusion of the orientation mating member to come into contact with the sliding surface. As the winch continues to retract, causing the orientation mating member to continue axially moving toward the aircraft along a rotation axis, the orientation protrusion slides along the sliding surface, causing the orientation mating member to rotate about the rotation axis, thereby orienting the single cargo piece relative to the aircraft. By achieving orientation of the single cargo piece solely through the retraction of the winch, complex and potentially malfunction-prone control or communication devices are unnecessary. This allows the orientation device to be manufactured particularly cost-effectively.
[0008] By orienting individual cargo items relative to the aircraft, their preferred orientation relative to the aircraft can be adjusted. This allows for particularly advantageous adjustment of air resistance in the direction of flight during operation, achieving the lowest possible air resistance. This enables exceptionally energy-efficient flight, thereby providing longer flight times and consequently greater flight ranges.
[0009] In an advantageous implementation of the inventive concept, the sliding surface of the guide rail is configured such that it at least partially has an angle of ascent, which is determined by the normal axis perpendicular to the orientation of the sliding surface and the axis of rotation. This design, which gives the sliding surface an angle of ascent, allows for particularly advantageous determination of the direction and magnitude of the directional movement of individual items. To enable particularly good adjustment of the rotation of the oriented pair or the individual item about the axis of rotation, and to achieve particularly large rotation angles, in an advantageous design of the orientation device according to the invention, the angle of ascent is continuous along the direction of the guide rail.
[0010] The continuous ascent of the sliding surface can be advantageously achieved by extending the guide rail spirally around a longitudinal axis of the orientation body that is parallel to the yaw axis of the aircraft. When the winch retracts, the axis of rotation of the orientation pair or individual cargo piece around it can be aligned with the longitudinal axis of the orientation body.
[0011] To enable rotation of the oriented pair or individual cargo item in a preferred direction, an advantageous design of the present invention involves a guide rail extending helically around the longitudinal axis of the oriented body at a 360-degree angle. Performing a complete 360-degree rotation around the longitudinal axis of the oriented body via the guide rail advantageously eliminates the need for a specific orientation of the oriented pair. Regardless of which area of the sliding surface causes the oriented pair to abut against the sliding surface during winch retraction, the oriented protrusion can slide along the sliding surface as the winch continues to retract, and can bring the rotation of the oriented pair or individual cargo item to a position or orientation defined by the end of the 360-degree rotated guide rail. This allows for a particularly advantageous and uniquely defined orientation of the individual cargo item.
[0012] To transfer individual cargo items to the desired corrected orientation with the smallest possible rotational distance, according to the invention, the guide rail is configured to have at least two guide rail segments, wherein these guide rail segments extend helically and in opposite directions about the longitudinal axis of the orientation body. Here, the orientation pair or individual cargo item is also brought to a position defined by the colliding end regions of the two guide rail segments. This allows for a particularly advantageous and unique orientation of the individual cargo item.
[0013] In order to secure individual cargo pieces particularly reliably to the desired correct orientation, an advantageous design of the orientation device according to the invention is provided such that the orientation protrusion is form-fitted and secured to at least one guide rail segment.
[0014] The shape fit of the directional protrusion can be achieved particularly well by the fact that the guide rail of the directional device according to the invention has at least one recess disposed within the guide rail, wherein the directional protrusion can be disposed within the recess.
[0015] To achieve rotation of the directional body with particularly high energy efficiency and ease, an advantageous implementation of the inventive concept is configured such that the protruding surface of the directional protrusion, which can abut against the sliding surface, and / or the sliding surface, have a low coefficient of friction. This particularly low coefficient of friction of the friction pair can be achieved by harmonizing the material or surface properties. For example, a metal-metal friction pair can have a particularly low coefficient of friction. Alternatively, a plastic-metal friction pair can be used, wherein, for example, the plastic can be PTFE. Or a plastic-plastic friction pair can be chosen, wherein, in particular, PTFE slides particularly well on PTFE.
[0016] In one advantageous implementation of the inventive concept, the directional mating member is configured to have a securing device for fastening the directional mating member to a single item. For example, the directional mating member can be fastened to the single item by means of a securing device implemented as a flathead or thumbtack. Alternatively, the securing device can be implemented as a platform through which packing straps, cable ties, or ropes can be guided, thereby fastening the directional mating member to the single item. Alternatively, the securing device can be implemented as a hook and loop fastener, wherein one side of the hook and loop fastener is attached to one side of the directional mating member and the other side of the hook and loop fastener is attached to the single item.
[0017] In order for the orientation pair and the individual cargo piece fixed at the orientation pair to slide particularly well along the sliding surface of the guide track of the orientation body regardless of the shape and external dimensions of the individual cargo piece, in an advantageous design of the orientation device according to the invention, the orientation protrusion is designed to extend in a direction away from the direction in which the individual cargo piece is pointing.
[0018] To prevent the sinking of individual cargo items fixed at the winch after the winch is retracted by the drive motor, the winch is configured according to the present invention to have a self-locking plug-in transmission mechanism. This further ensures that the directional protrusions abutting the sliding surface do not lose contact with the sliding surface, thereby preventing loss of orientation of the individual cargo items.
[0019] The objective stated at the beginning is also achieved by an aircraft assembly having an aircraft and a single cargo piece arranged at a winch of the aircraft and an orientation device as described above, wherein, when the single cargo piece moves toward the aircraft, an orientation mating part of the orientation device fastened to the single cargo piece can engage with an orientation body of the orientation device arranged on the underside of the aircraft. Attached Figure Description
[0020] Other advantageous designs of the orientation device are explained based on the embodiment shown in the figures. Wherein:
[0021] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a schematic diagram of the orientation device according to the invention during the orientation process is shown.
[0022] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a schematic diagram of an orientation device according to the invention is shown in an orientation in which the oriented mating parts are fastened in a shape-fitting manner.
[0023] Figure 3 A perspective view of the orientation body of the orientation device according to the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation
[0024] exist Figure 1 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the orientation device 1 according to the invention during the orientation of a single cargo piece 4 lifted by the winch 2 of the aircraft 3. The orientation pairing member 6 is activated by means of... Figure 2 The clamp 18, shown in dashed lines, is fixed to the rope 5 of the winch 2. The orientation pair 6 of the orientation device 1 is fastened to the single cargo piece 4 via a fixing device 7 implemented as a cable tie. The orientation body 8 of the orientation device 1 is fixed to the lower side 9 of the aircraft 3. The orientation body 8 has a guide rail 10 with a sliding surface 11 facing the orientation pair 6. The guide rail 10 extends helically about the longitudinal axis 13 of the orientation body 8, which extends parallel to the yaw axis 12 of the aircraft 1. The guide rail 10 has two guide rail segments 14 that extend helically and oppositely about the longitudinal axis 13 of the orientation body 8, wherein, in Figure 1 The diagram shows only one guide rail segment 14. The orientation pair 6 has an orientation protrusion 15 pointing towards the aircraft 3, which, in the illustrated embodiment, abuts against the sliding surface 11 of the guide rail 10 by the retraction of the winch 2. As the winch 2 continues to retract, causing the orientation pair 6 to move axially toward the aircraft 3 along a rotation axis 16 parallel to the longitudinal axis 13, the orientation protrusion 15 slides along the sliding surface 11, causing the orientation pair 6 to rotate about the rotation axis 16, thereby orienting the single cargo piece 4 relative to the aircraft 3.
[0025] exist Figure 2A cross-sectional view of a schematic diagram of the orientation device 1 according to the invention is depicted. The guide rail 10 has a recess 17 disposed within the guide rail 10. As the orientation mating member 6 moves axially along the rotation axis 16 toward the aircraft 3 due to the continued retraction of the winch 2, the orientation protrusion 15 slides along the sliding surface 11, thereby allowing the orientation protrusion 15 to be disposed within the recess 17, and oriented and form-fittingly fastened relative to the orientation body 8 and thus relative to the aircraft 3. Here, the common width defined by the clamp 6 and the orientation protrusion 15 is implemented to be larger than the through hole of the orientation body 8. Figure 3 The maximum spacing A is shown in the figure. This ensures that the clamp 6 and the orientation pair 6 will not tilt and get stuck within the orientation body 8 when the orientation pair 6 may tilt. This enables a particularly reliable orientation process for a single piece of cargo 4.
[0026] To illustrate the orientation of the entity 8, in Figure 3 The diagram shows a perspective view of the orientation body 8 of the orientation device 1 according to the present invention. The guide rail 10 has two guide rail sections 14 that extend helically and oppositely about the longitudinal axis 13 of the orientation body 8. The orientation protrusions 15 of the orientation mating member 6 can be arranged in the recesses 17 constructed in the two guide rail sections 14.
Claims
1. An orientation device (1) for orienting a single cargo item (4) lifted by a winch (2) of an aircraft (3) about a rotation axis (16), wherein, when the orientation device (1) is used as specified, the rotation axis is parallel to the yaw axis (12) of the aircraft (3), wherein, The orientation device (1) has an orientation body (8) that can be fixed to the lower side (9) of the aircraft (3) and an orientation mating member (6) that can be fastened to a single cargo piece (4). When the orientation device (1) is used as specified, the orientation mating member (6) has a single orientation protrusion (15) pointing towards the aircraft (3). The orientation body (8) has a guide rail (10), the sliding surface (11) of which faces the orientation mating member (6). During directional movement, the retraction of the winch (2) causes the individual directional protrusion (15) of the orientation pair (6) to abut against the sliding surface (11), and as the winch (2) continues to retract, causing the orientation pair (6) to continue axially moving toward the aircraft (3) along the rotation axis (16), the individual directional protrusion (15) slides along the sliding surface (11) and causes the orientation pair (6) to rotate about the rotation axis (16), thereby orienting the single cargo piece (4) relative to the aircraft (3) in exactly one orientation.
2. The orientation device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sliding surface (11) of the guide rail (10) is configured such that the sliding surface has at least a partial rise angle, wherein the rise angle is determined by the normal axis perpendicular to the orientation of the sliding surface (11) and the rotation axis (16).
3. The orientation device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that, The ascent angle is continuous along the direction of the guide rail (10).
4. The orientation device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The guide track (10) extends spirally around the longitudinal axis (13) of the orientation body (8) which is parallel to the yaw axis (12) of the aircraft (3).
5. The orientation device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The guide rail (10) extends spirally around the longitudinal axis (13) of the orientation body (8) at a 360-degree angle.
6. The orientation device (1) according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The guide rail (10) has at least two guide rail segments (14), wherein the guide rail segments (14) extend spirally and oppositely about the longitudinal axis (13) of the orientation body (8).
7. The orientation device (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that, The directional protrusion (15) can be form-fitted and fastened to at least one of the guide rail sections (14).
8. The orientation device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that, The guide rail (10) has at least one recess (17) disposed within the guide rail (10), wherein the directional protrusion (15) is disposed within the recess (17).
9. The orientation device (1) according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The directional protrusion (15) has a low coefficient of friction on the protrusion surface that can abut against the sliding surface (11) and / or the sliding surface (11).
10. The orientation device (1) according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The directional pairing member (6) has a fixing device (7) for fastening the directional pairing member (6) to the single cargo piece (4).
11. The orientation device (1) according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The directional protrusion (15) is designed to extend in a direction away from the direction pointed to by the single cargo piece (4).
12. The orientation device (1) according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The winch (2) has a self-locking worm gear transmission mechanism.
13. An aircraft assembly having an aircraft (3) and a single cargo disposed at a winch (2) of the aircraft (3) and a directional device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, When the single cargo piece moves toward the aircraft (3), the orientation pairing part (6) of the orientation device (1) fastened to the single cargo piece (4) can engage with the orientation body of the orientation device (1) arranged on the lower side (9) of the aircraft (3).