A wing-passive-tilt vertical take-off and landing carrier-based transport unmanned aerial vehicle and method

Abstract

The application provides a vertical take-off and landing shipborne transport unmanned aerial vehicle with passive tiltable wings and a method, the vertical take-off and landing shipborne transport unmanned aerial vehicle with passive tiltable wings comprises a fuselage, passive tiltable wings and a V-shaped tail wing, passive tiltable wings are symmetrically arranged on the left side and the right side of the front part of the fuselage, and the V-shaped tail wing is arranged on the tail part of the fuselage, through the excellent flat flight performance, flexible vertical take-off and landing capability and smooth flight mode conversion capability of the aircraft, the capability of the ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore and border material flow is improved, and the action efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of aircraft design technology, specifically relating to a vertical take-off and landing shipborne transport drone with passively tiltable wings and its method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, aircraft carriers possess relatively mature combat formations. The construction of a carrier strike group requires an aircraft carrier as its core, equipped with destroyers, frigates, and supply ships. However, the transport of supplies between ships mainly relies on supply boats and transport helicopters. When a naval formation is sailing, the ships are typically 120-140 meters apart. Both of these transport methods are costly and less convenient for the urgent and rapid transport of important documents, medicines, spare parts, and other items. Traditional ship designs prioritize space utilization, resulting in limited usable space on board and demanding takeoff environments. In contrast, battlefield situations change rapidly, and rapid and precise supply transport can significantly alter the course of a war. Therefore, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) capable of vertical takeoff and landing and rapid delivery missions are particularly important.

[0003] Existing carrier-based transport aircraft typically operate using vertical / short takeoff and landing (VTOL / STOL) or catapult-assisted takeoff and arrested landing (CATOBAR) methods. VTOL / STOL allows aircraft to take off and land vertically over a short distance, suitable for the limited deck space on aircraft carriers. Catapult-assisted takeoff and arrested landing require catapults and arresting cables on the carrier to assist in takeoff and landing, suitable for larger aircraft carriers. However, for ships with limited usable space, carrier-based transport aircraft can only operate using VTOL / STOL methods.

[0004] Currently, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft mainly include rotorcraft VTOL aircraft, jet engine thrust steering VTOL / Short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft, and ducted-engine VTOL aircraft. Among them, tiltrotor VTOL aircraft have been widely used due to their advantages such as low cruise dead weight and stable fuselage attitude. However, tiltrotor UAVs face serious flight control challenges such as unsmooth mode transitions during the transition phase, as well as limited structural reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) shipborne transport drone with passively tiltable wings and a method thereof, which can effectively solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0006] The technical solution adopted in this invention is as follows:

[0007] This invention provides a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) carrier-based transport drone with passively tiltable wings, comprising a fuselage, passively tiltable wings, and a V-tail; the passively tiltable wings are symmetrically mounted on the left and right sides of the front of the fuselage; the V-tail is mounted on the rear of the fuselage.

[0008] Each of the passively tiltable wings includes a support wing, a main wing, a lockable tilting shaft, a forward propulsion unit, and a rear propulsion unit. The support wing is fixedly installed to the fuselage. The lockable tilting shaft is installed on the outer end face of the support wing. The main wing is rotatable around the lockable tilting shaft, and the lockable tilting shaft is located at the middle of the wing spars of the main wing, at the spanwise point of action of the total lift of the wing on one side. The forward propulsion unit and the rear propulsion unit are symmetrically installed on the bottom surface of the main wing, and the forward propulsion unit and the rear propulsion unit are respectively located on both sides of the lockable tilting shaft.

[0009] Preferably, the fuselage is tadpole-shaped, with a structure that is wide at the front and gradually narrows towards the rear.

[0010] Preferably, the trailing edge of each of the main wings is provided with flaps and ailerons.

[0011] Preferably, the V-tail is fixedly connected to the fuselage, and the trailing edge of the V-tail is provided with a left control surface and a right control surface on each side.

[0012] Preferably, a tricycle skid landing gear is installed on each of the left and right sides of the fuselage; a left-side hatch and a right-side hatch are provided at the tail of the fuselage.

[0013] The present invention also provides a flight method for a vertical takeoff and landing shipborne transport UAV with passively tiltable wings, comprising the following steps:

[0014] Step 1: Before takeoff, tilt the main wing to a vertical position along a lockable tilt axis through a three-dimensional trajectory, while restricting other tilt degrees of freedom of the main wing. The main wing is vertically positioned on both sides of the fuselage with its leading edge pointing upwards. Two propulsion units are distributed on each side of the midpoint of the leading edge of each main wing. Activate the propulsion units to provide takeoff lift for the aircraft, and the aircraft takes off vertically to the set altitude position.

[0015] Step 2: When it is necessary to switch from a vertical state to a horizontal state, the two propulsion units on each side are powered to generate a thrust difference, which drives the main wing to passively rotate forward around a lockable tilting axis with the midpoint of the trailing edge of the wing as the origin, around an axis at a 145° angle, until the inner section of the main wing is attached to the lower surface of the supporting wing, thus completing the mode conversion transition.

[0016] Step 3: Control the two propulsion units on each side to provide forward thrust, enabling the aircraft to fly in fixed-wing mode.

[0017] This invention provides a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) shipborne transport drone with passively tiltable wings and a method thereof, which has the following advantages:

[0018] The aircraft's excellent level flight performance, flexible vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, and smooth flight mode transitions enhance the flow of supplies between ships, between ships and the coast, and along the border, thereby improving operational efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 The overall layout diagram of the vertical takeoff and landing shipborne transport UAV with passively tiltable wings provided by the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 The overall layout diagram of the vertical take-off mode of the vertical take-off and landing shipborne transport UAV with passively tiltable wings provided by the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 A side view of the vertical take-off mode of the vertical take-off and landing shipborne transport UAV with passively tiltable wings provided by the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 Rear view of the vertical take-off mode of the vertical take-off and landing shipborne transport UAV with passively tiltable wings provided by the present invention.

[0023] Figure 5 A perspective view showing the mode transition of the vertical takeoff and landing shipborne transport UAV with passively tiltable wings provided by the present invention.

[0024] Figure 6 A top view showing the mode transition of the vertical takeoff and landing shipborne transport UAV with passively tiltable wings provided by the present invention.

[0025] Figure 7 A perspective view of the cruise mode of a vertical takeoff and landing shipborne transport UAV with passively tiltable wings provided by the present invention.

[0026] Figure 8 A top view of the cruise mode of the vertical takeoff and landing shipborne transport UAV with passively tiltable wings provided by the present invention.

[0027] in:

[0028] 1-Tadpole-shaped fuselage;

[0029] 2-Fairing;

[0030] 3A - Left front thruster unit; 3B - Right front thruster unit; 3C - Left rear thruster unit; 3D - Right rear thruster unit;

[0031] 4A - Left tricycle skid landing gear; 4B - Right tricycle skid landing gear;

[0032] 5A - Left flap; 5B - Right flap; 5C - Left aileron; 5D - Right aileron;

[0033] 6 - hatch; 6A - left hatch; 6B - right hatch;

[0034] 7A - Left control surface; 7B - Right control surface;

[0035] 8-tail cone;

[0036] 9A - Left support wing; 9B - Right support wing;

[0037] 10A - Left side lockable tilt hinge; 10B - Right side lockable tilt hinge. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0039] This invention provides a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) shipborne transport drone, addressing the challenges of transporting supplies to ships with high takeoff and landing requirements and to border defense operations in complex terrain. Through its excellent level flight performance, flexible VTOL capabilities, and smooth flight mode transitions, the drone enhances the flow of supplies between ships, between ships and the coast, and along border defense routes, thereby improving operational efficiency.

[0040] Specifically, the present invention provides a vertical take-off and landing shipborne transport drone with passively tiltable wings, including a fuselage, passively tiltable wings and a V-tail; the fuselage is tadpole-shaped, with a structure that is wide at the front and gradually narrows towards the rear.

[0041] The passively tiltable wings are symmetrically installed on the left and right sides of the front of the fuselage; the V-tail is installed at the rear of the fuselage; the V-tail is fixedly connected to the fuselage, and the trailing edge of the V-tail is provided with a left control surface and a right control surface on each side.

[0042] Each passively tiltable wing includes a support wing, a main wing, a lockable tilting shaft, a forward propulsion unit, and a rear propulsion unit. The support wing is fixedly mounted to the fuselage. The lockable tilting shaft is mounted on the outer end face of the support wing. The main wing is rotatable around the lockable tilting shaft, which is located at the middle of the wing spars of the main wing, at the spanwise point of application of the total lift of the wing on one side. The forward propulsion unit and the rear propulsion unit are symmetrically mounted on the bottom surface of the main wing, and are located on opposite sides of the lockable tilting shaft. Each main wing has flaps and ailerons at its trailing edge.

[0043] The fuselage has a tricycle skid landing gear installed on each of the left and right sides of its belly; the fuselage has a left-side cabin door and a right-side cabin door at the tail.

[0044] The present invention also provides a flight method for a vertical takeoff and landing shipborne transport unmanned aerial vehicle with passively tiltable wings, comprising the following steps:

[0045] Step 1: Before takeoff, tilt the main wing to a vertical position along a lockable tilt axis through a three-dimensional trajectory, while restricting other tilt degrees of freedom of the main wing. The main wing is vertically positioned on both sides of the fuselage with its leading edge pointing upwards. Two propulsion units are distributed on each side of the midpoint of the leading edge of each main wing. Activate the propulsion units to provide takeoff lift for the aircraft, and the aircraft takes off vertically to the set altitude position.

[0046] Step 2: When it is necessary to switch from a vertical state to a horizontal state, the two propulsion units on each side are powered to generate a thrust difference, which drives the main wing to passively rotate forward around a lockable tilting axis with the midpoint of the trailing edge of the wing as the origin, around an axis at a 145° angle, until the inner section of the main wing is attached to the lower surface of the supporting wing, thus completing the mode conversion transition.

[0047] Step 3: Control the two propulsion units on each side to provide forward thrust, enabling the aircraft to fly in fixed-wing mode.

[0048] The following describes a specific implementation structure with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0049] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides a vertical take-off and landing shipborne transport unmanned aerial vehicle, which mainly includes a tadpole-shaped fuselage, a passively tiltable wing, a V-tail, and a distributed power unit design.

[0050] A vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) carrier-based transport UAV with passively tiltable wings includes a tadpole-shaped fuselage 1, a fairing 2 at the front of the fuselage, and a tail cone 8 at the rear. The tadpole-shaped fuselage 1 has a structure that is wider at the front and gradually narrows towards the rear. Symmetrically mounted support wings are mounted on both sides of the tadpole-shaped fuselage 1: a left support wing 9A and a right support wing 9B. A main wing is mounted on the outer side of each support wing; therefore, the main wing includes a left main wing and a right main wing. A left flap 5A and a left aileron 5C are located at the trailing edge of the left main wing; a right flap 5B and a right aileron 5D are located at the trailing edge of the right main wing. Each main wing can rotate around a lockable tilting pivot mounted on the support wing section. Specifically, the left main wing rotates around the left lockable tilting pivot 10A, and the right main wing rotates around the left aileron 10A. The wing rotates around the right-side lockable tilting pivot 10B; each main wing is equipped with two propulsion units, therefore, the left main wing is equipped with the left forward propulsion unit 3A and the left rear propulsion unit 3C; the right main wing is equipped with the right forward propulsion unit 3B and the right rear propulsion unit 3D; the two propulsion units on each main wing are located on both sides of the tilting pivot; the tail adopts a V-tail layout and is fixed to the fuselage, with left control surfaces 7A and right control surfaces 7B on both sides of the trailing edge of the V-tail; each side of the fuselage belly is equipped with a tricycle skid landing gear, namely: left tricycle skid landing gear 4A and right tricycle skid landing gear 4B, and the belly tail is equipped with a door 6, including a left door 6A and a right door 6B, which can be opened and closed by a hydraulic device.

[0051] Therefore, in this invention, each wing comprises a support wing and a main wing, connected by a lockable tilting shaft installed at the midpoint of the main wing spars on each side, at the spanwise point of application of the total lift of that wing. When unlocked, the main wing can tilt along the lockable tilting shaft to a vertical position via a three-dimensional trajectory, while simultaneously restricting other tilting degrees of freedom of the main wing. Before takeoff, the main wings are vertically positioned on both sides of the fuselage with their leading edges pointing upwards. Two propulsion units are distributed on each side of the midpoint of the leading edge of each main wing, providing lift for the aircraft. After reaching a certain altitude, the aircraft passively rotates forward around an axis tilted at a 145° angle with the midpoint of the trailing edge as the origin, causing the main wing to transition from a vertical to a horizontal state. The four propulsion units on the leading edge of the wing then provide forward thrust, enabling the aircraft to fly in fixed-wing mode. Figures 1-4 This is a vertical mode diagram; such as Figures 5-6 This is a pattern transition diagram; such as Figures 7-8 This is a cruise mode diagram.

[0052] The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) carrier-based transport UAV with passively tiltable wings provided by this invention has the following design features:

[0053] (I) This scheme moves the main wing tilt axis outward to the middle position of the two propulsion units. Here, the thrust generated by the two propulsion units acts on both sides equally, and the torque on the tilt axis cancels each other out. Therefore, under any flight conditions, it mainly bears the longitudinal force, which reduces the torque on the tilt axis. This makes the tilt axis structure design lighter, reduces the structural weight, improves the structural reliability, and increases the overall load ratio of the aircraft.

[0054] (ii) The power for tilting the main wing of the aircraft is provided by the torque generated by the thrust difference between the propellers on both sides of the lockable tilting shaft, which does not require an additional power unit, thus reducing the size and space occupied by the whole aircraft.

[0055] This invention utilizes propellers distributed on both sides of the wing to provide different thrusts for smooth and efficient mode switching of the UAV, combining the advantages of both vertical take-off and landing UAVs and fixed-wing UAVs.

[0056] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flight method for a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) carrier-based transport UAV with passively tiltable wings, characterized in that, The vertical takeoff and landing carrier-based transport UAV with passively tiltable wings includes a fuselage, passively tiltable wings, and a V-tail; the passively tiltable wings are symmetrically installed on the left and right sides of the front of the fuselage; the V-tail is installed at the rear of the fuselage. Each of the passively tiltable wings includes a support wing, a main wing, a lockable tilting shaft, a forward propulsion unit, and a rear propulsion unit. The support wing is fixedly installed to the fuselage. The lockable tilting shaft is installed on the outer end face of the support wing. The main wing is rotatable around the lockable tilting shaft, and the lockable tilting shaft is located at the middle of the wing spars of the main wing, at the spanwise point of action of the total lift of the wing on one side. The forward propulsion unit and the rear propulsion unit are symmetrically installed on the bottom surface of the main wing, and the forward propulsion unit and the rear propulsion unit are respectively located on both sides of the lockable tilting shaft. The fuselage is tadpole-shaped, with a structure that is wide at the front and gradually narrows towards the rear. The flight method includes the following steps: Step 1: Before takeoff, tilt the main wing to a vertical position along a lockable tilt axis through a three-dimensional trajectory, while restricting other tilt degrees of freedom of the main wing. The main wing is vertically positioned on both sides of the fuselage with its leading edge pointing upwards. Two propulsion units are distributed on each side of the midpoint of the leading edge of each main wing. Activate the propulsion units to provide takeoff lift for the aircraft, and the aircraft takes off vertically to the set altitude position. Step 2: When it is necessary to switch from a vertical state to a horizontal state, control the two propulsion units on each side to generate a thrust difference, so that the main wing passively rotates forward around the lockable tilt axis with the midpoint of the trailing edge of the wing as the origin around the axis at a 145° angle until the inner section of the main wing is attached to the lower surface of the supporting wing, thus completing the mode conversion transition. Step 3: Control the two propulsion units on each side to provide forward thrust, enabling the aircraft to fly in fixed-wing mode.

2. The flight method of a vertical takeoff and landing shipborne transport UAV with passively tiltable wings according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each side of the main wing has flaps and ailerons at its trailing edge.

3. The flight method of a vertical takeoff and landing shipborne transport UAV with passively tiltable wings according to claim 1, characterized in that, The V-tail is fixedly connected to the fuselage, and the trailing edge of the V-tail is provided with a left control surface and a right control surface on each side.

4. The flight method of a vertical takeoff and landing shipborne transport UAV with passively tiltable wings according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fuselage has a tricycle skid landing gear installed on each of the left and right sides of its belly; the fuselage has a left-side cabin door and a right-side cabin door at the tail.

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