Transmission device for unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

A transmission for an unmanned aerial vehicle is provided in which an arm driving a propeller may be disposed so as not to interfere with an air cleaner and a radiator. A transmission device for an unmanned aerial vehicle in which first to fourth arms are located at an upper portion of a fuselage and propellers are driven using an in-line four-cylinder engine, the transmission device comprising: a drive gear connected to a crankshaft; the clutch shaft driving gear is meshed with the driving gear; a bevel gear that drives a drive shaft, the drive shaft being perpendicular to the clutch shaft; a drive shaft base gear driven by the bevel gear; the top gear assembly comprises a driving shaft main gear, a left auxiliary gear meshed with the main gear, a reverse gear meshed with the main gear and a right auxiliary gear meshed with the reverse gear; the first bevel gear and the second bevel gear are meshed with the left auxiliary gear and drive the first arm and the second arm; and a third bevel gear and a fourth bevel gear engaged with the right pinion and driving the third arm and the fourth arm.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a transmission system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, and more particularly, to a transmission system for an unmanned aerial vehicle that allows a propeller drive arm to extend from a fuselage without raising the position of the arm so as to be configured in a manner that prevents interference with a radiator or air filter mounted on top of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent No. 6932411) discusses an unmanned aerial vehicle with a two-cylinder engine. When building a new unmanned aerial vehicle (quadcopter) with a four-cylinder engine to replace the aircraft's two-cylinder engine, the increase in the size of the air filter and radiator will cause interference with the four arms that drive the propellers. If the height of the drive shaft is increased to raise the mounting position of the arm, interference between the arm and the air filter or radiator can be avoided, but the overall height of the fuselage will increase. If the fuselage height is increased, the transportability of the fuselage to the airport and the ability to load cargo and equipment into the lower part of the fuselage will be affected.

[0003] Prior art literature Patent Literature Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6932411 Summary of the invention Technical issues In order to overcome the problems of the prior art, the present invention is directed to a transmission system for an unmanned aerial vehicle that allows a propeller drive arm to be configured in a manner that prevents interference with an air filter or a radiator.

[0004] Solutions to the problem According to the present invention, a transmission system for an unmanned aerial vehicle is provided, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises: a fuselage; four arms arranged on the fuselage in a clockwise direction, namely, a first arm, a second arm, a third arm and a fourth arm; propellers arranged at each end of the corresponding arm; and an in-line four-cylinder engine driving the propellers. The transmission system comprises the following components: A drive gear mounted on the crankshaft of an inline four-cylinder engine; a driven gear mounted on the clutch shaft and meshing with the driving gear; A bevel gear mounted on the clutch shaft via a centrifugal clutch, which drives a drive shaft perpendicular to the clutch shaft; a base gear mounted on the drive shaft, which is driven by the bevel gear; A top gear assembly comprising: A main gear mounted on the drive shaft; a left auxiliary gear meshing with the main gear; a reverse gear meshing with the main gear; a right auxiliary gear meshing with the reverse gear; a first bevel gear and a second bevel gear, each bevel gear meshing with the left pinion gear, wherein the first bevel gear drives the first arm and the second bevel gear drives the second arm; and The third bevel gear and the fourth bevel gear, each bevel gear is meshed with the right auxiliary gear, wherein the third bevel gear drives the third arm and the fourth bevel gear drives the fourth arm.

[0005] The inline four-cylinder engine was set up with the crankshaft arranged transversely, oriented left and right relative to the fuselage.

[0006] The inline four-cylinder engine is set up with the pistons arranged horizontally.

[0007] The air filter is arranged at the front upper part of the fuselage, and the radiator is arranged at the rear upper part of the fuselage.

[0008] Beneficial Effects of the Invention The transmission system of the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention includes a top gear assembly, which includes a main gear mounted on a drive shaft, a left sub-gear meshed with the main gear, a reverse gear meshed with the main gear, and a right sub-gear meshed with the reverse gear. The top gear assembly is configured so that the first arm and the second arm extending to the left rear and left front of the fuselage, respectively, and the third arm and the fourth arm extending to the right front and right rear of the fuselage, respectively, are spaced apart in the lateral direction. The spacing between the first arm and the fourth arm and between the second arm and the third arm can be widened so that an air filter and a radiator can be placed in these spaces without interfering with the arms.

[0009] The inline four-cylinder engine is arranged with the crankshaft arranged transversely, oriented left-right relative to the fuselage, which makes it easier to achieve transverse balance of the fuselage compared to a configuration with the crankshaft oriented longitudinally.

[0010] The inline four-cylinder engine is arranged with the piston and cylinder arranged horizontally, so that the piston and cylinder remain horizontal and the crankshaft is arranged horizontally. This configuration reduces the height of the fuselage compared to the configuration in which the piston and cylinder are arranged vertically and the crankshaft is arranged horizontally.

[0011] Even when the air cleaner is disposed at the front upper portion of the fuselage and the radiator is disposed at the rear upper portion of the fuselage, the arms can be disposed without increasing the height of the transmission shaft to avoid interference with the air cleaner and the radiator, thereby reducing the height of the fuselage. In the side view, the positions of the second arm and the third arm can be disposed to be lower than the top of the air cleaner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 is an external view of an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with the transmission system of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2is a perspective view of the fuselage with the propeller, arms, canopy and legs removed.

[0014] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the fuselage, where Figure 2 The gear assembly on the upper mid-fuselage is exposed by removing the covering components.

[0015] Figure 4 It is an enlarged perspective view of the transmission system of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 A perspective view of the fuselage is shown with the propeller, arms and legs mounted.

[0017] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Plan view of the fuselage shown.

[0018] Figure 7 yes Figure 5 Left side view of the fuselage shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Hereinafter, the transmission system 100 of the UAV 200 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] Example Figure 1 1 is an external view of an unmanned aerial vehicle 200 equipped with the transmission system 100 of the present invention. The unmanned aerial vehicle 200 has four propellers 6 on the upper part of the fuselage 5. The lower part of the fuselage 5 is equipped with a pair of legs 38, and the fuselage 5 is covered by a canopy 39. In the plan view of the fuselage 5, the propellers 6 include a first propeller 1, a second propeller 2, a third propeller 3, and a fourth propeller 4 in a clockwise direction. The fuselage 5 also has a first arm 7, a second arm 8, a third arm 9, and a fourth arm 10 arranged roughly diagonally at its upper part, and the propellers 6 are mounted at the ends of the corresponding arms and configured to rotate horizontally. Therefore, the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is also called a quadcopter. Each propeller 6 has two blades 6a and is designed to overlap with adjacent propellers and be foldable. All four propellers are located at the same height.

[0021] Figure 2is a perspective view of the fuselage 5, in which the propeller, arm, canopy and leg are removed. The fuselage 5 includes: an air cleaner 11 arranged at the front upper part; a radiator 12 located at the rear upper part; and a muffler 13 extending rearward. The inline four-cylinder engine 15 is provided with a crankshaft 14 arranged transversely, oriented left and right relative to the fuselage 5. In the figure, the first arm 7, the second arm 8, the third arm 9 and the fourth arm 10 are removed. Therefore, relative to the front of the fuselage 5, the connection portion 7a of the first arm 7 protrudes to the left rear, the connection portion 8a of the second arm 8 protrudes to the left front, the connection portion 9a of the third arm 9 protrudes to the right front, and the connection portion 10a of the fourth arm 10 protrudes to the right rear.

[0022] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the fuselage 5, with the covering parts removed, Figure 2 The gear assembly at the upper portion of the middle fuselage 5 is exposed. The bases of the connecting portion 7a of the first arm 7 protruding to the left rear and the connecting portion 8a of the second arm 8 protruding to the left front are configured to be separated from the bases of the connecting portion 9a of the third arm 9 protruding to the right front and the connecting portion 10a of the fourth arm 10 protruding to the right rear in the transverse direction relative to the advancing direction of the fuselage 5. This configuration allows the first arm 7 protruding to the left rear and the fourth arm 10 protruding to the right rear to be arranged in a manner that prevents them from colliding with the radiator 12. Similarly, the second arm 8 protruding to the left front and the first arm 9 protruding to the right front can also be arranged to prevent them from colliding with the air cleaner 11.

[0023] Figure 4 1 is an enlarged perspective view of the transmission system 100 of the present invention. The first propeller 1, the second propeller 2, the third propeller 3 and the fourth propeller 4 are driven by an inline four-cylinder engine 15. The inline four-cylinder engine 15 includes a first piston 16, a second piston 17, a third piston 18 and a fourth piston 19. Each piston is arranged horizontally, which helps to reduce the height of the fuselage 5. The crankshaft 14 is arranged horizontally and is oriented left and right relative to the fuselage 5. The crankshaft 14 rotates due to the intake, compression, combustion and exhaust movements of each piston. The crankshaft 14 is provided with a drive gear 20 that rotates together with the crankshaft 14.

[0024] The crankshaft 14 is attached with a horizontally aligned clutch shaft 23, which is equipped with a driven gear 21 meshing with the drive gear 20. When the rotation of the driven gear 21 meshing with the drive gear 20 becomes constant, the internal centrifugal clutch 22 in the driven gear 21 is activated, driving the follower gear 37 to rotate, which in turn rotates the bevel gear 24 mounted on the clutch shaft 23. The rotation of the bevel gear 24 drives the base gear 26 mounted on the vertical drive shaft 25 perpendicular to the clutch shaft 23 to rotate. Then, the rotation of the base gear 26 drives the main gear 27 mounted on the drive shaft 25 to rotate.

[0025] The rotation of the main gear 27 drives the left sub gear 28 mounted on the left sub drive shaft 29 and meshed with the main gear 27 to rotate. At the same time, the reverse gear 30 also meshed with the main gear 27 rotates. The rotation of the reverse gear 30 drives the right sub gear 31 mounted on the right sub drive shaft 32 and meshed with the reverse gear 30 to rotate. The main gear 27, the left sub gear 28, the reverse gear 30 and the right sub gear 31 are collectively referred to as a top gear assembly 40. Instead of driving the first to fourth arms directly from the main gear 27, the driving force can be distributed between the left sub gear 28 and the right sub gear 31 to drive the arms.

[0026] The rotation of the left pinion 28 then rotates the first bevel gear 33 meshed with the left pinion 28, thereby driving the first arm 7. Similarly, the rotation of the left pinion 28 rotates the second bevel gear 34 meshed with the left pinion 28, thereby driving the second arm 8. The rotation of the right pinion 31 rotates the third bevel gear 35 meshed with the right pinion 31, thereby driving the third arm 9. Similarly, the rotation of the right pinion 31 rotates the fourth bevel gear 36 meshed with the right pinion 31, thereby driving the fourth arm 10.

[0027] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 A perspective view of the fuselage 5 is shown, wherein the propeller, arms and legs are mounted. As shown in the figure, the first arm 7 protruding to the left rear and the fourth arm 10 protruding to the right rear can be arranged so as not to interfere with the radiator 12. Similarly, the second arm 8 protruding to the left front and the third arm 9 protruding to the right front can be arranged so as not to interfere with the air filter 11.

[0028] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 5 is a plan view of the fuselage 5 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, a top gear assembly 40 is provided, which includes a main gear 27, a left sub-gear 28 meshing with the main gear 27, a reverse gear 30 meshing with the main gear 27, and a right sub-gear 31 meshing with the reverse gear 30. This configuration allows the first arm and the second arm extending to the left rear and the left front, respectively, and the third arm and the fourth arm extending to the right front and the right rear, respectively, to be separately arranged in the lateral direction. Therefore, the first arm 7 protruding to the left rear and the fourth arm 10 protruding to the right rear can be arranged so as not to interfere with the radiator 12. Similarly, the second arm 8 protruding to the left front and the third arm 9 protruding to the right front can be arranged so as not to interfere with the air filter 11.

[0029] Figure 7 yes Figure 5A left side view of the fuselage 5 is shown. The inline four-cylinder engine 15 is configured with the crankshaft 14 oriented transversely relative to the fuselage 5, making it easier to achieve left-right balance of the fuselage. The inline four-cylinder engine 15 is configured with the pistons arranged horizontally, which reduces the height of the aircraft compared to a vertical arrangement of the pistons. The air filter 11 is located in the front upper portion of the fuselage 5, and the radiator 12 is located in the rear upper portion. The top gear assembly 40 allows the arm to avoid interference with the air filter 11 and radiator 12 without increasing the height of the drive shaft 25. In the side view, it can be seen that the second arm 8 is located below the top of the air filter 11.

[0030] Industrial Applicability The present invention is suitable as a transmission system for unmanned aerial vehicles, allowing the propeller drive arm to avoid interference with the radiator or air filter without raising its position.

[0031] Description of Reference Numerals 1. First propeller 2. Second propeller 3. The third propeller 4. Fourth propeller 5. Body 6. Propeller 6a. Leaves 7. First Arm 7a. Connection 8. Second Arm 8a. Connection 9. Third Arm 9a. Connection 10. Fourth Arm 10a. Connection 11. Air filter 12. Radiator 13. Muffler 14. Crankshaft 15. Inline four-cylinder engine 16. First Piston 17. Second piston 18. Third piston 19. Fourth Piston 20. Drive gear 21. Driven gear 22. Centrifugal clutch 23. Clutch shaft 24. Bevel gear 25. Drive shaft 26. Base gear 27. Main gear 28. Left auxiliary gear 29. Left auxiliary drive shaft 30. Reverse gear 31. Right auxiliary gear 32. Right auxiliary drive shaft 33. First bevel gear 34. Second bevel gear 35. The third bevel gear 36. Fourth bevel gear 37. Follower gear 38. Legs 39. Hood 40. Top gear assembly 100. Transmission system 200. Unmanned aerial vehicle.

Claims

1. A transmission system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, in, The unmanned aerial vehicle comprises: body; four arms, namely a first arm, a second arm, a third arm and a fourth arm arranged on the fuselage in a clockwise direction; a propeller disposed at each end of a respective arm; and an inline four-cylinder engine driving said propeller; The transmission system comprises: a drive gear mounted on the crankshaft of the inline four-cylinder engine; a driven gear mounted on the clutch shaft and meshing with the driving gear; a bevel gear mounted on the clutch shaft via a centrifugal clutch, which drives a drive shaft perpendicular to said clutch shaft; a base gear mounted on the drive shaft and driven by the bevel gear; A top gear assembly comprising: a main gear mounted on the drive shaft; a left auxiliary gear meshing with the main gear; a reverse gear meshing with the main gear; and a right auxiliary gear meshing with the reverse gear; a first bevel gear and a second bevel gear, each bevel gear being meshed with the left pinion gear, the first bevel gear driving the first arm, and the second bevel gear driving the second arm; and A third bevel gear and a fourth bevel gear, each bevel gear is meshed with the right pinion gear, the third bevel gear drives the third arm, and the fourth bevel gear drives the fourth arm.

2. The transmission system of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, in: The inline four-cylinder engine is arranged with the crankshaft disposed transversely and oriented left and right relative to the fuselage.

3. The transmission system for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, in, The inline four-cylinder engine is configured with horizontally arranged pistons.

4. The transmission system of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, in, The air filter is located at the front upper part of the fuselage, and the radiator is located at the rear upper part of the fuselage.

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