Tilt-rotor aircraft and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of aircrafts, in particular to a tilt rotor aircraft. The tilt-rotor aircraft comprises a fuselage, canards, main wings, a first tilt-rotor group, a second tilt-rotor group and a third tilt-rotor group, the canards are arranged at the nose of the fuselage, the main wings are arranged at the tail of the fuselage, the first tilt-rotor group is arranged on the canards, the second tilt-rotor group and the third tilt-rotor group are arranged on the main wings, and the second tilt-rotor group and the third tilt-rotor group are arranged at the tail of the fuselage. The first tilting wing set is located on the axis of the mass center of the aircraft, the second tilting wing set is located on the axis of the mass center of the aircraft, and projections of at least four tilting wings in the first tilting wing set, the second tilting wing set and the third tilting wing set on the horizontal plane form a parallelogram with the mass center of the aircraft as the center. According to the aircraft, the canard wings are matched with the four balance tilting wings, so that the flight performance and the flight safety of the aircraft can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of aircraft, and in particular to a tilt-rotor aircraft and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the vigorous development of unmanned aerial vehicles, there are more and more types and shapes of aircraft on the market, which are basically divided into two categories: multi-rotor and composite wing. Composite wings are divided into two types. One is a multi-rotor + fixed-wing design, where the rotor is used to provide lift and the fixed wing is used to provide propulsion. The other is a tilt-composite wing, which can change the thrust direction by tilting to provide lift or propulsion. The vertical flight of an aircraft requires the cooperation of multiple rotors. For existing aircraft, when one of the rotors is damaged during flight, the balance of each rotor is destroyed, and the aircraft cannot take off and land safely, which has poor safety. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to solve the technical problem of poor safety of the above-mentioned existing aircraft, the present invention provides a tilt-rotor aircraft with improved safety and a control method thereof.

[0004] A first aspect of the present invention provides a tilt-rotor aircraft, comprising a fuselage, a canard, a main wing, a first tilt-wing group, a second tilt-wing group and a third tilt-wing group, wherein the canard is arranged at the nose of the fuselage, the main wing is arranged at the tail of the fuselage, the first tilt-wing group is arranged on the canard, the second tilt-wing group and the third tilt-wing are arranged on the main wing, and the second tilt-wing group is located on the axis of the mass center of the aircraft, wherein the projections of at least four tilt-wings of the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group and the third tilt-wing group on the horizontal plane constitute a parallelogram centered on the mass center of the aircraft.

[0005] In some embodiments, when the aircraft is in a vertical state, the tilt wings of at least one of the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group, and the third tilt-wing group are tilted so that the thrust line is directed toward the bottom of the fuselage; when the aircraft is in a flying state, the tilt wings of at least one of the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group, and the third tilt-wing group are tilted so that the thrust line is directed toward the tail.

[0006] In some embodiments, when the aircraft is in a vertical state, the tilt-wings of the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group and the third tilt-wing group are all tilted so that the thrust line is toward the bottom of the fuselage; when the aircraft is in a flying state, the tilt-wings of the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group and the third tilt-wing group are all tilted so that the thrust line is toward the tail.

[0007] In some embodiments, along the long axis direction of the fuselage, the aircraft is divided into a relative left and right side, the first tilt-wing group includes a left tilt-wing and a right tilt-wing respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the canard, the second tilt-wing group includes a left second tilt-wing and a right second tilt-wing respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the main wing, and the third tilt-wing group includes a left third tilt-wing and a right third tilt-wing respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the main wing.

[0008] In some embodiments, the aircraft has a first balanced power combination, and the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group and the third tilt-wing group are combined into the first balanced power combination.

[0009] In some embodiments, along the long axis direction of the fuselage, the aircraft is divided into a relative left and right side, and the aircraft has a second balanced power combination, and the tilt-wing on the left side of the first tilt-wing group, the tilt-wing on the left side of the second tilt-wing group, the tilt-wing on the right side of the second tilt-wing group and the tilt-wing on the right side of the third tilt-wing group are combined into the second balanced power combination.

[0010] In some embodiments, along the long axis direction of the fuselage, the aircraft is divided into a relative left and right side, and the aircraft has a third balanced power combination, and the tilt-wing on the right side of the first tilt-wing group, the tilt-wing on the right side of the second tilt-wing group, the tilt-wing on the left side of the second tilt-wing group and the tilt-wing on the left side of the third tilt-wing group are combined into a third balanced power combination.

[0011] In some embodiments, the aircraft has a fourth balanced power combination, and the first tilt-wing group and the third tilt-wing group are combined into the fourth balanced power combination.

[0012] A second aspect of the present invention provides a control method for the tilt-rotor aircraft provided in the first aspect of the present invention, comprising the following steps:

[0013] Controlling all four balanced tilt-wings to tilt until the thrust line is directed toward the bottom of the fuselage, so that the aircraft is in a vertical state, the four balanced tilt-wings are at least four tilt-wings of the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group and the third tilt-wing group, whose projections on the horizontal plane form a parallelogram with the mass center of the aircraft as the center.

[0014] In some embodiments, it also includes:

[0015] The four balanced tilting wings are controlled to tilt in a direction where the thrust line is toward the tail, so that the aircraft is in a flying state.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the tilt-rotor aircraft provided by the present invention arranges the second tilt-wing group on the axis of the mass center of the aircraft, and the projections of at least four tilt-wings of the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group and the third tilt-wing group on the horizontal plane form a parallelogram with the mass center of the aircraft as the center. On the one hand, sufficient power can be guaranteed. When one tilt-wing fails, the other tilt-wings can provide sufficient power. On the other hand, the projections of the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group and the third tilt-wing group on the horizontal plane form four tilt-wings of a parallelogram with the mass center of the aircraft as the center, forming the four balanced tilt-wings. The loads are basically the same, and there will be no problem of excessive load of a single power or two powers, which will cause abnormalities. When one of the tilt-wings fails, the four balanced tilt-wings can maintain power balance, achieve safe flight and landing, and improve safety. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for describing the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work, among which:

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a three-dimensional assembly structure of a tilt-rotor aircraft provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A top view of the tilt-rotor aircraft shown;

[0020] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A side view of the tiltrotor aircraft shown;

[0021] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a first balanced power combination of the tiltrotor aircraft shown;

[0022] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a second balanced power combination of the tiltrotor aircraft shown;

[0023] Figure 6 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a third balanced power combination of the tiltrotor aircraft shown;

[0024] Figure 7 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a fourth balanced power combination of the tiltrotor aircraft shown;

[0025] Figure 8 for Figure 1 A bottom view of the tiltrotor aircraft is shown;

[0026] Fig. 9 A control method for a tilt-rotor aircraft is provided in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are described clearly and completely below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] In the present invention, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. The terms "first" and "second" are used only for descriptive purposes to distinguish objects such as substances from each other, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features.

[0029] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 ,in, Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a three-dimensional assembly structure of a tilt-rotor aircraft provided in an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 for Figure 1 The tilt-rotor aircraft 10 includes a fuselage 11, a canard 12, a main wing 13, a first tilt-wing group 14, a second tilt-wing group 15, and a third tilt-wing group 16. The canard 12 is provided at the nose 111 of the fuselage 11, the main wing 13 is provided at the tail 112 of the fuselage 11, the first tilt-wing group 14 is provided at the wingtip of the canard 12, the second tilt-wing group 15 is provided at the wingtip of the main wing 13, and is located on the axis of the mass center of the aircraft 10, and the third tilt-wing group 16 is provided at the middle section of the main wing 13. The projections of at least four tilt-wings of the first tilt-wing group 14, the second tilt-wing group 15, and the third tilt-wing group 16 on the horizontal plane form a parallelogram centered on the mass center of the aircraft 10, and the at least four tilt-wings forming a parallelogram are defined as a group of four balanced tilt-wings.

[0030] In some embodiments, the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group, and the third tilt-wing group have at least two groups of four balanced tilt-wings.

[0031] In some embodiments, the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group, and the third tilt-wing group have at least three groups of four balanced tilt-wings.

[0032] In this embodiment, the tilt wings of the first tilt-wing group 14, the second tilt-wing group 15, and the third tilt-wing group 16 are axisymmetric along the long axis L of the fuselage 11 and axisymmetric along the axis M of the center of mass of the aircraft 10. The total number of the tilt wings in the first tilt-wing group 14, the second tilt-wing group 15, and the third tilt-wing group 16 is greater than four.

[0033] Among them, please refer to Figure 3 ,for Figure 1 The side view of the tilt-rotor aircraft is shown. Along the height direction of the fuselage 111, the position of the nose 111 is lower than the position of the tail 112, the end of the nose 111 is a pointed round head, the end of the tail 112 is a flat head, the canard 12 is a delta wing, and the main wing 13 is a straight wing.

[0034] It can be understood that the above-mentioned “axis symmetry” can be roughly symmetrical or completely symmetrical.

[0035] The aircraft 10 has a vertical state and a flying state. When the aircraft 10 is in the vertical state, it can take off and land. When the aircraft 10 is in the flying state, it can fly in the air. Along the take-off and landing directions of the aircraft 10, the top and bottom of the aircraft are defined, and along the direction of the long axis L of the fuselage 11, the left and right sides of the aircraft 10 are defined.

[0036] When the aircraft 10 is in a vertical state, the tilt wings of at least one of the first tilt-wing group 14, the second tilt-wing group 15 and the third tilt-wing group 16 are tilted to a direction where the thrust line is directed toward the bottom of the fuselage 10. When the aircraft 10 is in a flying state, the tilt wings of at least one of the first tilt-wing group 14, the second tilt-wing group 15 and the third tilt-wing group 16 are tilted to a direction where the thrust line is directed toward the tail 112. For example, when the aircraft 10 is in a vertical state, the tilt wings of the first tilt-wing group 14, the second tilt-wing group 15 and the third tilt-wing group 16 can all be tilted to a direction where the thrust line F1 is directed toward the bottom of the fuselage 10, such as Figure 1 As shown, or, the tilt wings of the first tilt-wing group 14 and the second tilt-wing group 15 are tilted to the direction of the thrust line toward the bottom of the fuselage 10, or, the tilt wings of the third tilt-wing group 16 are tilted to the direction of the thrust line toward the bottom of the fuselage 10. When the aircraft 10 is in a flying state, the tilt wings of the first tilt-wing group 14, the second tilt-wing group 15 and the third tilt-wing group 16 can all be tilted to the direction of the thrust line F2 toward the tail 112, as shown in FIG. Figure 3As shown, either the tilt wings of the first tilt-wing group 14 and the second tilt-wing group 15 are tilted to a direction where the thrust line is toward the tail 112 , or the tilt wings of the third tilt-wing group 16 are tilted to a direction where the thrust line is toward the tail 112 .

[0037] It should be noted that the tilt-wing can be configured such that the blades are connected to the main wing 13 or the canard 12 through a tilt assembly to achieve tilting. The tilt assembly can be a connecting rod, a pivot, etc., which is not specifically limited here.

[0038] The aircraft 10 has a first balanced power combination, a second balanced power combination, a third balanced power combination and a fourth balanced power combination, the first tilt-wing group 14, the second tilt-wing group 15 and the third tilt-wing group 16 are combined into a first balanced power combination; the tilt-wing on the left side of the first tilt-wing group 14, the tilt-wing on the left side of the second tilt-wing group 15, the tilt-wing on the right side of the second tilt-wing group 15 and the tilt-wing on the right side of the third tilt-wing group 16 are combined into a second balanced power combination; the tilt-wing on the right side of the first tilt-wing group 14, the tilt-wing on the right side of the second tilt-wing group 15, the tilt-wing on the left side of the second tilt-wing group 15 and the tilt-wing on the left side of the third tilt-wing group 16 are combined into a third balanced power combination; the aircraft 10 has a fourth balanced power combination, the first tilt-wing group 14 and the third tilt-wing group 16 are combined into a fourth balanced power combination.

[0039] In this embodiment, the first tilt-wing group 14 includes a left tilt-wing 141 and a right tilt-wing 142 respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the canard 12, the second tilt-wing group 15 includes a left second tilt-wing 151 and a right second tilt-wing 152 respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the main wing 13, and the third tilt-wing group 16 includes a left third tilt-wing 161 and a right third tilt-wing 162 respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the main wing 13.

[0040] The left first tilt-wing 141, the right first tilt-wing 142, the left second tilt-wing 151, the right second tilt-wing 152, the left third tilt-wing 161 and the right fourth tilt-wing 162 form a first balanced power combination. Figure 4 The left first tilt wing 141, the left second tilt wing 151, the right second tilt wing 152 and the right third tilt wing 162 form a second balanced power combination, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 The right first tilt-rotor wing 142, the right second tilt-rotor wing 152, the left second tilt-rotor wing 151 and the left second tilt-rotor wing 151 form a third balanced power combination, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 The left first tilt wing 141, the right first tilt wing 142, the left third tilt wing 161 and the right third tilt wing 162 form a fourth balanced power combination, as shown in FIG. Figure 7 shown.

[0041] When the left first tilt-wing 141, the right first tilt-wing 142, the left second tilt-wing 151 and the right second tilt-wing 152 are tilted from the direction of the nose 111 to the top of the fuselage 11, they can change from providing propulsion to providing lift, and when they are tilted from the top of the fuselage 11 to the direction of the nose 111, they can change from providing lift to providing propulsion. When the left third tilt-wing 161 and the right third tilt-wing 162 are tilted from the direction of the tail 112 to the bottom of the fuselage 11, they can change from providing propulsion to providing lift, and when they are tilted from the bottom of the fuselage 11 to the direction of the tail 112, they can change from providing lift to providing propulsion.

[0042] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 8 , Figure 8 for Figure 1 The aircraft 10 further includes a landing gear assembly 17, the landing gear assembly 17 including a front support frame 171, front wheels 172, a rear support frame 173 and rear wheels 174, the front support frame 171 is disposed below the front section of the fuselage 11, the front wheels 172 are disposed at the ends of the front support frame 171, the rear support frame 173 is disposed on both sides of the rear section of the fuselage 11, the rear wheels 174 are disposed at the ends of the rear support frame 173, and the rear support frame 173 is extended from the fuselage 11 to the side and lower side of the fuselage 11.

[0043] In a further embodiment, the canard 12 is a differential canard, and the canard 12 on the left and right sides of the aircraft 10 can be deflected in different directions.

[0044] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a control method for a tilt-rotor aircraft, which is applied to the aircraft 10 and includes:

[0045] 101. Controlling all four balanced tilt-wings to tilt until the thrust line is directed toward the bottom of the fuselage, so that the aircraft is in the vertical state, wherein the four balanced tilt-wings are at least four tilt-wings of the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group, and the third tilt-wing group, whose projections on the horizontal plane form a parallelogram with the mass center of the aircraft as the center;

[0046] 102. Control all four balancing tilt wings to tilt until the thrust line is directed toward the tail, so that the aircraft is in the flight state.

[0047] It is understandable that there is no order for steps 101 and 102. The first balanced power assembly, the second balanced power assembly, the third balanced power assembly and the fourth balanced power assembly include at least one set of four balanced tilt-rotor wings.

[0048] It can also be understood that when the aircraft controls the four balanced tilt wings to tilt, it can also control the other tilt wings that do not constitute the four balanced tilt wings to tilt. For example, when the aircraft 10 controls the second balanced power combination to tilt, it can also control the right tilt wing 142 to tilt.

[0049] Compared with the prior art, the canard 12 of the aircraft 10 provided by the present invention is arranged on the nose 111, and the canard 12 is arranged in front of the main wing 13, as a horizontal stabilizing surface, when flying at a large angle of attack, the airflow flowing through the canard 12 and the main wing 13 interacts with each other, generating vortices on the upper surface of the main wing 13, reducing the pressure on the upper surface of the main wing 13, increasing the pressure difference between the upper surface and the lower surface of the main wing 13, improving the lift coefficient, and enhancing the maneuverability and short-distance takeoff and landing capability of the aircraft 10. At the same time, when the aircraft 10 performs high-intensity maneuvers, such as pitching up, circling with a small radius, etc., the vortices of the canard 12 and the main wing 13 are coupled with each other, and the lift is enhanced, so that the aircraft 10 can have better maneuverability.

[0050] The canard 12 is provided on the nose 111, so that the control surface is located at the front of the aircraft 10, the control force generated by the deflection of the control surface is directed in the same direction as the direction of the increase in the directional force required by the command, and the control surface directly faces the incoming flow, and responds quickly to the command, so that the aircraft 10 has a higher control efficiency. Therefore, the aircraft 10 has a high lift coefficient and control efficiency at the same time, and thus has a statically unstable characteristic, and needs to continuously adjust the deflection of the canard 12 through the flight control system to maintain balance, thereby improving the control response capability of the aircraft 10.

[0051] The canard 12 is disposed on the nose 111 and provides positive lift to the nose 111 at a large angle of attack. The total lift of the aircraft 10 is increased, thereby reducing the trim resistance and improving the endurance of the aircraft 10 .

[0052] When the canard 12 is a differential canard, direct side force control can be achieved by rudder manipulation, and direct lift control and drag adjustment can be achieved by manipulation of the canard 12 plus the trailing edge flap of the main wing 13. Therefore, the aircraft 10 can more easily achieve direct force control.

[0053] The canard 12 is arranged on the nose 111, and the tail 112 does not need to be provided with a stabilizing tail. Therefore, the wing load of the aircraft 10 is lighter, which can improve the disadvantage of poor landing performance due to inability to fully use the trailing edge flaps, and can improve the maneuverability of the aircraft 10.

[0054] The tilt wings of the first tilt-wing group 14, the second tilt-wing group 15 and the third tilt-wing group 16 are axially symmetrical along the long axis L of the fuselage 111 and axially symmetrical along the axis M of the mass center of the aircraft 10. The second tilt-wing group 15 is located on the axis M of the mass center of the aircraft 10, forming a symmetrical redundant layout. On the one hand, sufficient power can be guaranteed. When one tilt-wing fails, the other tilt-wings can provide sufficient power. On the other hand, the tilt wings of the first tilt-wing group 14, the second tilt-wing group 15 and the third tilt-wing group 16 are symmetrical in two directions. The loads of all the tilt-wings are basically the same, and there will be no problem of excessive load of a single power or two powers, resulting in abnormalities. When one of the tilt-wings fails, the other tilt-wings can still be combined into a balanced power combination to achieve safe flight and landing, thereby improving safety.

[0055] The rear support frame 173 is extended from the fuselage 11 to the lower side of the fuselage 11, and can serve as a vertical stabilizer to increase the heading stability performance.

[0056] The above descriptions are only some embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the invention specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tilt-rotor aircraft, comprising a fuselage, It is characterized in that Also includes: a canard, provided at the nose of the fuselage; A main wing, arranged at the tail of the fuselage; A first tilt-rotor wing group, arranged on the canard; The second tilt-wing group and the third tilt-wing group are arranged on the main wing, and the second tilt-wing group is located on the axis of the mass center of the aircraft, The projections of at least four tilt-wings of the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group and the third tilt-wing group on the horizontal plane form a parallelogram centered on the mass center of the aircraft.

2. The tilt-rotor aircraft according to claim 1, It is characterized in that When the aircraft is in a vertical state, the tilt wings of at least one of the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group and the third tilt-wing group are tilted so that the thrust line is directed toward the bottom of the fuselage; when the aircraft is in a flying state, the tilt wings of at least one of the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group and the third tilt-wing group are tilted so that the thrust line is directed toward the tail.

3. The tilt-rotor aircraft according to claim 1, It is characterized in that When the aircraft is in a vertical state, the tilt wings of the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group and the third tilt-wing group are all tilted so that the thrust line is toward the bottom of the fuselage; when the aircraft is in a flying state, the tilt wings of the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group and the third tilt-wing group are all tilted so that the thrust line is toward the tail.

4. The tilt-rotor aircraft according to claim 1, It is characterized in that Along the long axis direction of the fuselage, the aircraft is divided into a relative left side and a right side, the first tilt-wing group includes a left tilt-wing and a right tilt-wing respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the canard, the second tilt-wing group includes a left second tilt-wing and a right second tilt-wing respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the main wing, and the third tilt-wing group includes a left third tilt-wing and a right third tilt-wing respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the main wing.

5. The tilt-rotor aircraft according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The aircraft has a first balanced power combination, and the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group and the third tilt-wing group are combined to form the first balanced power combination.

6. The tilt-rotor aircraft according to claim 1, It is characterized in that Along the long axis direction of the fuselage, the aircraft is divided into a left side and a right side relative to each other, and the aircraft has a second balanced power combination, and the tilt-wing on the left side of the first tilt-wing group, the tilt-wing on the left side of the second tilt-wing group, the tilt-wing on the right side of the second tilt-wing group and the tilt-wing on the right side of the third tilt-wing group are combined into the second balanced power combination.

7. The tilt-rotor aircraft according to claim 1, It is characterized in that Along the long axis direction of the fuselage, the aircraft is divided into a relative left side and a right side, and the aircraft has a third balanced power combination, and the tilt-wing on the right side of the first tilt-wing group, the tilt-wing on the right side of the second tilt-wing group, the tilt-wing on the left side of the second tilt-wing group and the tilt-wing on the left side of the third tilt-wing group are combined into a third balanced power combination.

8. The tilt-rotor aircraft according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The aircraft has a fourth balanced power combination, and the first tilt-wing group and the third tilt-wing group are combined into the fourth balanced power combination.

9. A control method for a tilt-rotor aircraft according to any one of claims 1 to 8, It is characterized in that include: Controlling all four balanced tilt-wings to tilt until the thrust line is directed toward the bottom of the fuselage, so that the aircraft is in a vertical state, the four balanced tilt-wings are at least four tilt-wings of the first tilt-wing group, the second tilt-wing group and the third tilt-wing group, whose projections on the horizontal plane form a parallelogram with the mass center of the aircraft as the center.

10. The control method according to claim 9, It is characterized in that It is characterized by further comprising: The four balanced tilting wings are controlled to tilt in a direction where the thrust line is toward the tail, so that the aircraft is in a flying state.

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