A type of loitering fixed-wing drone

Abstract

This invention discloses a loitering fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) belonging to the field of aircraft technology. It features a control wing similar to a leading-edge extension wing mounted on the nose, with a diameter slightly smaller than the fuselage's overall dimensions. This allows it to be inserted into the launch tube without folding. A micro servo motor controls the control wing's rotation along the fuselage axis. An X-shaped wing is mounted in the middle of the fuselage. This X-shaped wing can be folded backward for storage. A torsion spring controls its automatic deployment after ejection from the launch tube. Upon reaching a predetermined position, a stop prevents the X-shaped wing from folding forward further, and a pin pops out to lock the wing. The aircraft's heading, pitch, and roll are controlled by the rotating control wing on the nose, enabling flexible maneuverability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of aircraft technology, specifically relating to a loitering fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Background Technology

[0002] Loitering fixed-wing UAVs, as a traditional fixed-wing flight carrier, generate lift through their wings and have a long loiter time. They can be used for aerial patrols, reconnaissance and surveillance, and when carrying explosive payloads, they can serve as precision-guided smart munitions, meeting the needs of the informationized battlefield.

[0003] Currently, loitering drones mainly fall into three categories: fixed-wing, folding-wing, and multi-rotor. Fixed-wing loitering drones come in three types: the first type has non-foldable and non-removable wings, resulting in large size and inconvenience for carrying and launch; the second type has foldable wings, but the tilting mechanism and control surfaces contribute to its size and weight; the third type has detachable wings, but it cannot be deployed immediately, requiring disassembly and reassembly before launch, leading to long deployment times, cumbersome operation, and slow response. Folding-wing loitering drones also suffer from the size and weight of their tilting mechanism and control surfaces. Multi-rotor loitering drones suffer from short endurance, indirectly resulting in short loitering distances. For example, a conventional layout man-portable loitering munition (publication number CN109323633A, application date 2019.02.12) uses traditional... Fixed-wing aircraft provide lifting surfaces, are structurally reliable, have high cruising speeds, and long loiter times, but are still limited by size, making them inconvenient to carry and takeoff and landing. A tandem loitering munition for quick assembly and disassembly (publication number CN115610653A, application date 2023.01.17) proposes a scheme for quick assembly and disassembly of the front and rear wings and vertical tail fins. However, this scheme still requires manual assembly of the front and rear wings and vertical tail fins before takeoff, and cannot achieve rapid autonomous takeoff. A multi-rotor loitering munition (publication number CN111056015A, application date 2020.04.24) proposes a rotor scheme in which the operator manually deploys the arms and controls the aircraft to the target area to perform missions. This scheme is not limited by terrain and can hover in place, but multi-rotor aircraft all suffer from short endurance, which indirectly leads to short loitering distances. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a loitering fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that controls the aircraft's heading, pitch, and roll by rotating rudders on the nose, enabling flexible maneuverability.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A loitering fixed-wing UAV has a control wing similar to a strake wing installed at the nose. Its diameter is slightly smaller than the fuselage's overall dimensions, allowing it to be inserted into the launch tube without folding. The control wing rotates along the fuselage axis via a miniature servo motor. An X-shaped wing is installed in the middle of the fuselage. The X-shaped wing can be folded backward for storage. It is automatically unfolded after being ejected from the launch tube by a torsion spring. Once it reaches a predetermined position, a stop prevents the X-shaped wing from folding forward further, and a pin pops out to lock the wing.

[0007] The flight controller and data link are located at the front of the fuselage and behind the servo motors. There are hatches at the lower front and rear of the fuselage, which can be used to install payloads as needed for the mission. The battery is located at the rear of the fuselage and can be quickly replaced through the battery compartment cover. A propeller is installed at the tail of the fuselage, which uses tail thrust. The propeller can be folded forward for storage.

[0008] Beneficial effects: This invention provides a loitering fixed-wing UAV that controls heading, pitch, and roll through a rotating control wing design, enabling flexible maneuverability. It eliminates the traditional vertical and horizontal tails, and the wings have no control surfaces, which greatly reduces the volume and weight of the tail tilting mechanism and control surfaces, thus meeting the envelope shape requirements. The X-shaped wings of this invention can be folded and extended, facilitating carrying, transportation, and tube-launched takeoff. Compared with rotary-wing loitering UAVs, it has a higher flight speed, longer endurance, and a smaller envelope shape. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the deployment of the drone in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0010] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the unfolded cross-sectional view of the UAV in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0011] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the three views of the UAV in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0012] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the control wing shell of the UAV in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the rudder wing of the UAV in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the wing deployment and folding mechanism of the UAV in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 7 This is a front view of the UAV deployment phase in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 8 This is a side view of the UAV deployment phase in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 9 This is a top view of the UAV deployment phase in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 10 This is a bottom view of the UAV deployment phase in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 11 This is an axonometric view of the UAV deployment phase in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 12 This is a front view of the drone during the folding and storage stage in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 13 This is a side view of the drone during the folding and storage stage in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 14 This is a top view of the drone during the folding and storage stage in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 15 This is a bottom view of the drone during the folding and storage stage in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Among them, 1-rudder wing, 2-fuselage, 3-wing, 4-battery compartment cover, 5-motor, 6-propeller mount, 7-propeller, 8-battery, 9-GPS antenna, 10-data link antenna, 11-payload, 12-data link, 13-flight controller; 101-rudder wing shell mount, 102-servo motor, 103-servo motor mount, 104-rudder wing shell; 301-wing mount, 302-torsion spring, 303-screw, 304-spring plunger pin. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments:

[0026] like Figures 1-6 As shown, a loitering fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle includes a rudder 1, a fuselage 2, a wing system, and a power system;

[0027] The control wing includes a control wing shell 104, a servo motor 102, a control wing shell mounting base 101, and a servo motor mount 103. The surface of the control wing shell 1 is designed with a pair of small wings that can adjust the nose's direction of deviation during flight by controlling lift through rotation. The wingspan of these small wings is slightly smaller than the fuselage diameter. Figure 4As shown, a streamlined transition area is designed at the junction of the winglet and the fuselage to facilitate the integration of the winglet and the fuselage. To connect the winglet shell 104 with the servo motor 102, a winglet shell mounting base 101 is arranged inside the winglet shell 104. The servo motor mount 103 is arranged at the front end of the fuselage 2 and is fixedly connected to the servo motor 102, so that the winglet shell 104, the winglet shell mounting base 101, the servo motor 102, the servo motor mount 103, and the fuselage 2 are interconnected.

[0028] The fuselage 2 includes a fuselage shell 201, a battery compartment cover 4, a battery 8, a GPS antenna 9, a data link antenna 10, a payload 11, a data link 12, and a flight controller 13. The data link 12 and flight controller 13 are located at the front end inside the fuselage shell 201. The payload 11 is placed in the payload bay behind the data link 12 and flight controller 13, and the payload 11 is inserted through the payload bay opening at the bottom of the fuselage. A recessed area is provided at the rear end of the fuselage shell 201 for wing storage. The battery 8 is located at the rear end inside the fuselage shell 201 for convenient storage. For convenient battery 8 replacement and equipment maintenance, a battery compartment cover 4 is located at the top of the recessed area at the rear end of the fuselage shell 201; the GPS antenna 9 is installed inside the fuselage shell 201, located in front of the head of the battery 8; the data link antenna 10 is located in front of the GPS antenna 9, and the foldable part of the data link antenna 10 is folded and stored under the belly of the fuselage 2 in the recessed area; the data link antenna 10 is the information transceiver of the data link 12; the information and commands of the flight control 13 are communicated and exchanged with the ground station through the data link 12. The location information obtained by GPS antenna 9 is transmitted back to flight controller 13; data link 12 is divided into ground end and sky end, the attached figure shows the sky end, the sky end is installed on the UAV, it is used to transmit information and commands between flight controller 13 on the UAV and ground station, it is bidirectional transmission (e.g., the ground station can transmit commands to flight controller through data link, and flight controller can feed back information to ground station after receiving commands through data link). Data link 12 is used together with data link antenna 10, and the two transmit information through feed line; flight controller 13 realizes the take-off and landing and attitude control (such as pitch, yaw and roll) of UAV by controlling servo motor 102; payload 11 can be equipment or ammunition, which is delivered to the designated location by UAV. In this embodiment, the attached figure shows ammunition, which is detonated by flight controller; battery 8 powers all equipment.

[0029] The wing system includes a wing 3, a wing mounting base 301, a torsion spring 302, a screw 303, and a spring plunger pin 304. The wing mounting base 301 is installed in the middle of the fuselage. The four wings 3 are fixed to the four planes of the wing mounting base 301 by the screws 303, which facilitates the folding and unfolding of the wings 3. The torsion spring 302 is installed between the wing 3 and the wing mounting base 301 to control the wing 3 from the folded state to the unfolded state. The spring plunger pin 304 installed on the side of the screw 303 will cooperate with the slot on the wing 3 to lock the wing in the unfolded state when the wing 3 is unfolded to the appropriate position.

[0030] The power system includes a power motor 5, a propeller mounting base 6, and a propeller 7. The motor 5 is mounted on the tail end of the fuselage via a motor mounting base, and the propeller 7 is connected to the motor 5 via the propeller mounting base 6. The propeller 7 can be folded forward and backward. In the stowed state, it folds forward into the propeller recess area of ​​the fuselage, and in the unfolded state, it rotates and unfolds under the drive of the motor 5.

[0031] After being ejected, the aforementioned UAV's X-shaped wings change from a folded state to an unfolded state under the action of the tilting mechanism. A torsion spring controls the automatic unfolding after ejection from the tube. Once at the predetermined position, a stop prevents the X-shaped wings from folding forward further, and a pin pops out to lock the wings. The X-shaped wings provide lift for the UAV and, together with the control wings, maintain its stability. The propellers rotate and unfold under the drive of motors, which in turn power the UAV. Servo motors control the control wings to achieve the UAV's heading, pitch, and roll, enabling flexible maneuverability.

[0032] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A loitering fixed-wing drone, characterized in that, The head of the unmanned aerial vehicle is provided with a rudder wing, the rudder wing comprises a rudder wing shell, a servo motor, a rudder wing shell fixing seat, a servo motor fixing seat and a winglet; a pair of winglets are arranged on the surface of the rudder wing shell, the winglets can control the lift to adjust the deviation direction of the head during flight by self-rotation, and the wing span of the winglets is slightly smaller than the diameter of the fuselage; the servo motor is fixed in the rudder wing shell, and the servo motor is fixedly connected with the head of the unmanned aerial vehicle; in order to connect the rudder wing shell and the servo motor, the rudder wing shell fixing seat is arranged in the rudder wing shell; The servo motor fixing seat is arranged at the front end of the fuselage and is fixedly connected with the servo motor, so that the rudder wing shell, the rudder wing shell fixing seat, the servo motor, the servo motor fixing seat and the fuselage are connected with each other; the rudder wing is controlled to rotate along the axial direction of the fuselage by the micro servo motor, so as to control the lift to adjust the deviation direction of the head during flight by the winglets; a wing system is arranged at the middle position of the fuselage, the wing system can be folded and stored rearward, a torsional spring is used to control the wing system to automatically expand after being ejected from the barrel, a stop block prevents the wing from continuing to fold forward after reaching a predetermined position, and the wing is locked.

2. The loitering fixed-wing drone according to claim 1, characterized in that, The servo motor is connected with the front end of the head through the servo motor fixing seat.

3. The loitering fixed-wing drone according to claim 1, characterized in that, The combination of the winglet and the rudder wing shell is a streamlined transition area.

4. The loitering fixed-wing drone of claim 1, wherein, The wing system comprises a wing, a wing fixing seat, a torsional spring, a screw and a spring plunger pin; the wing fixing seat is arranged at the middle end of the fuselage, the wing comprises four pieces which are fixed to four planes of the wing fixing seat by the screw; the torsional spring is arranged between the wing and the wing fixing seat and is used for controlling the wing to be ejected from the storage state to the expanded state, and the spring plunger pin arranged on the side of the screw cooperates with the clamping groove on the wing to lock the position of the wing in the expanded state when the wing is expanded to the appropriate position.

5. The loitering fixed-wing drone according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that, The fuselage comprises a fuselage shell, a battery hatch, a battery, a GPS antenna, a data link antenna, a load, a data link and a flight control; the data link and the flight control are arranged at the front end in the fuselage shell, the load is arranged in the load cabin behind the data link and the flight control, the load is put into the load cabin from the load hatch at the lower part of the fuselage; a sunken area is arranged at the middle rear end of the surface of the fuselage shell for storing the wing; the battery is arranged at the rear end in the fuselage shell, and the battery hatch is arranged at the top of the sunken area at the rear end of the surface of the fuselage shell; the GPS antenna is arranged inside the fuselage shell and is located in front of the head of the battery; The data link antenna is arranged in front of the GPS antenna, and the foldable part of the data link antenna is folded and stored below the sunken area of the fuselage.

6. The loitering fixed-wing drone according to claim 5, characterized in that, The data link antenna is the information receiving and transmitting device of the data link, the information and data of the flight control are exchanged with the ground station through the data link, the flight control controls the unmanned aerial vehicle by controlling the servo motor, and the information obtained by the GPS antenna is transmitted to the flight control.

7. The loitering fixed-wing drone according to claim 6, characterized in that, The data link comprises a ground end and a sky end, the sky end is arranged on the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the sky end and the ground end are bidirectional transmission.

8. The loitering fixed-wing drone of claim 1, wherein, The unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a power system, the power system comprises a power motor and a propeller; the motor is arranged at the tail end of the fuselage through a motor fixing seat; the propeller is connected with the motor and is arranged behind the motor.

9. The loitering fixed-wing drone according to claim 8, characterized in that, The propeller can be folded forward and backward, and in the storage state, the propeller is folded forward into the propeller sunken area of the fuselage, and in the unfolded state, the propeller is rotated and unfolded under the driving of the motor.

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