Hydrogen-powered unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The invention discloses a hydrogen-powered unmanned aerial vehicle, and belongs to the field of unmanned aerial vehicles, the hydrogen-powered unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a fuselage structure and a power system, the fuselage structure comprises a nacelle fuselage provided with a hydrogen storage bottle, a propeller is installed at the front end of the nacelle fuselage, the power system is installed in the nacelle fuselage, a supporting plate is fixed above the nacelle fuselage, and the two sides of the supporting plate are connected with unmanned aerial vehicle wings; the unmanned aerial vehicle wings are connected with ailerons, the unmanned aerial vehicle wings are connected with the unmanned aerial vehicle empennage through connecting rods, the unmanned aerial vehicle empennage is connected with an elevator and a rudder, and an undercarriage is fixed below the nacelle fuselage. The power system adopts a proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell as an energy conversion device, the fuel cell can efficiently convert hydrogen and oxygen into electric energy and only generate water and heat, the efficiency of the conversion process is far higher than that of a traditional internal combustion engine or a battery, and therefore the cruising ability of the unmanned aerial vehicle is improved, and the unmanned aerial vehicle is reasonable in design, long in service life and low in cost. The energy is saved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and in particular to a hydrogen-powered UAV. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of drone technology, drones have been widely used in many scenarios due to their convenience and flexibility. They have shown great potential in many fields such as aerial photography, environmental monitoring, agricultural plant protection, and logistics distribution. However, traditional drones mostly rely on lithium batteries as a power source, which have disadvantages such as low energy density, short battery life, and long charging time. In addition, improper post-processing of discarded batteries can easily cause environmental pollution. Traditional lithium batteries cannot provide drones with longer-term power needs, while fuel-powered drones are not conducive to environmental development. The flight time of drones has always been one of the important factors limiting their further development. Therefore, the development of a new energy-driven drone system is of great significance for improving drone performance and reducing environmental impact. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of the above-mentioned technical deficiencies, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a hydrogen-powered UAV, which integrates advanced hydrogen fuel cells as a power source and combines optimized aerodynamic design to achieve long-term, long-distance, low-noise flight operations of the UAV while meeting zero-emission environmental protection standards.

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] The present invention provides a hydrogen-powered UAV, comprising a fuselage structure and a power system;

[0006] The fuselage structure includes a nacelle fuselage, a support plate is fixed above the nacelle fuselage, drone wings are connected to both sides of the support plate, ailerons are connected to the drone wings, the drone wings are fixedly connected to the drone tail wing through a connecting rod, an elevator is connected to the tail of the drone tail wing, and two rudders are arranged on both sides of the drone tail wing;

[0007] The power system includes a hydrogen storage bottle, a proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell and a current converter arranged inside the nacelle fuselage. A propeller and a motor for driving the propeller are provided at the front end of the nacelle fuselage. The proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell provides electrical energy to the motor through the current converter. A control valve is provided at the outlet of the hydrogen storage bottle and is connected to the proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell to provide hydrogen thereto.

[0008] Preferably, a landing gear is installed at the bottom of the front end of the nacelle fuselage to enable the UAV to take off on a runway.

[0009] Preferably, a battery compartment for placing an exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell and a hydrogen storage compartment for placing a hydrogen storage bottle are provided at the tail of the nacelle fuselage, and a partition is provided between the hydrogen storage compartment and the battery compartment.

[0010] Preferably, the exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell is electrically connected to the current converter and the motor via a wire, and the wire is arranged inside the nacelle fuselage.

[0011] Preferably, the hydrogen storage bottle is connected to the exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell through a hydrogen transmission pipe, and the hydrogen transmission pipe is arranged inside the nacelle fuselage.

[0012] Preferably, the hydrogen storage bottle is composed of an aluminum alloy liner and a fiber winding layer, which greatly improves the safety of the hydrogen storage bottle.

[0013] Preferably, the fuselage structure is prepared by a fiber forming process.

[0014] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0015] 1. The present invention uses hydrogen as energy. Compared with traditional batteries or other fuels, hydrogen can store more energy and provide longer flight time at the same weight.

[0016] 2. Proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cells are used as energy conversion devices. Proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cells can efficiently convert hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy while only producing water and heat. The efficiency of this conversion process is much higher than that of traditional internal combustion engines or batteries, thereby improving the endurance of the drone.

[0017] 3. The hydrogen-powered UAV of the present invention adopts a fiber molding process to prepare the UAV body, which reduces the body weight while ensuring the strength of the body, increases the effective load, and is beneficial to increasing the flight time of the UAV. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a hydrogen-powered drone provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a power system provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Description of reference numerals:

[0022] 1-proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell, 2-current converter, 3-partition, 4-control valve, 5-motor, 6-propeller, 7-hydrogen storage bottle, 8-hydrogen transmission pipe, 9-nacelle fuselage cover, 10-nacelle fuselage, 11-UAV wing, 12-aileron, 13-UAV tail, 14-rudder, 15-connecting rod, 16-landing gear, 17-elevator, 18-support plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. 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.

[0024] like Figure 1 to Figure 2 As shown, a hydrogen-powered UAV includes a fuselage structure and a power system;

[0025] The fuselage structure includes a nacelle fuselage 10, a support plate 18 is fixed above the nacelle fuselage 10, drone wings 11 are connected to both sides of the support plate 18, ailerons 12 are connected to the drone wings 11, the drone wings 11 are connected to the drone tail 13 through a connecting rod 15, an elevator 17 is connected to the tail of the drone tail 13, and two rudders 14 are provided on both sides of the drone tail 13;

[0026] The aileron 12, the elevator 17, and the rudder 14 need to be manipulated. The aileron 12, the elevator 17, and the rudder 14 are all connected to corresponding servos, which are connected to an external remote control receiver. The transmitter provides a signal to the remote control receiver, which converts and transmits the signal to the servo. The servo swings to drive the control surface and change the aircraft attitude. This method of controlling the aileron 12, the elevator 17, and the rudder 14 is a prior art and will not be described in detail.

[0027] The power system includes a hydrogen storage bottle 7, a proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell 1 and a current converter 2 arranged inside the nacelle fuselage 10. A propeller 6 and a motor 5 for driving the propeller 6 are provided at the front end of the nacelle fuselage 10. The proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell 1 provides electrical energy to the motor 5 through the current converter 2. A control valve 4 is provided at the outlet of the hydrogen storage bottle 7 and is connected to the proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell 1 to provide hydrogen thereto.

[0028] A landing gear 16 is installed at the bottom of the front end of the nacelle fuselage 10 to enable the UAV to take off on a runway.

[0029] The tail of the nacelle fuselage 10 is provided with a battery compartment for placing an exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell 1 and a hydrogen storage compartment for placing a hydrogen storage bottle 7, and a partition 3 is provided between the hydrogen storage compartment and the battery compartment.

[0030] The exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell 1 is electrically connected to the current converter 2 and the motor 5 via a wire, and the wire is arranged inside the nacelle fuselage 10 .

[0031] The hydrogen storage bottle 7 is connected to the exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell 1 through a hydrogen transmission pipe 8 , and the hydrogen transmission pipe 8 is arranged inside the nacelle fuselage 10 .

[0032] The hydrogen storage bottle is composed of an aluminum alloy lining and a fiber winding layer, which greatly improves the safety of the hydrogen storage bottle.

[0033] The fuselage structure is prepared by a fiber forming process.

[0034] A nacelle fuselage cover 9 is provided at the front end of the nacelle fuselage 10 , and the motor 5 is arranged in the nacelle fuselage 10 . The nacelle fuselage cover 9 covers the motor 5 in the nacelle fuselage 10 , and the motor 5 shaft extends out of the nacelle fuselage cover 9 and is connected to the propeller 6 .

[0035] The working mode of this embodiment is as follows: the hydrogen-powered UAV adopts the proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell 1 for energy and power supply. During the operation of the battery, hydrogen reaches the anode of the proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell 1 through the hydrogen transmission pipe 8, and loses two electrons through the catalyst to become protons in ionic state. The hydrogen ions will pass through the proton exchange membrane to the cathode in a hydrated form, and the electrons will flow into the cathode side through the external loop to generate electrical energy. The proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell can provide stable power uninterruptedly until the fuel is exhausted. After the fuel is exhausted, the fuel can be quickly replenished and the power can be supplied again, which can effectively improve the efficiency of the operation. The setting of the control valve 4 is convenient for controlling the transportation of hydrogen and the power generation of the proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell 1. The proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell is used as an energy conversion device. The fuel cell can efficiently convert hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy, and only produces water and heat. The efficiency of this conversion process is much higher than that of traditional internal combustion engines or batteries, thereby improving the endurance of the UAV. The invention has a reasonable design, a simple structure, a long life, and is energy-saving and environmentally friendly.

[0036] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A hydrogen-powered drone, characterized in that: Including fuselage structure and power system; The fuselage structure comprises a nacelle fuselage (10), a support plate (18) is fixed above the nacelle fuselage (10), drone wings (11) are connected to both sides of the support plate (18), and the drone wings (11) are fixedly connected to the drone tail wing (13) via a connecting rod (15); The power system comprises a hydrogen storage bottle (7) arranged inside a nacelle fuselage (10), a proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell (1) and a current converter (2); a propeller (6) and a motor (5) for driving the propeller (6) are arranged at the front end of the nacelle fuselage (10); the proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell (1) provides electrical energy to the motor (5) through the current converter (2); and a control valve (4) is provided at the outlet of the hydrogen storage bottle (7) and is connected to the proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell (1) to provide hydrogen thereto.

2. A hydrogen-powered drone as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: A landing gear (16) is installed at the bottom of the front end of the nacelle fuselage (10).

3. A hydrogen-powered UAV as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The tail portion of the nacelle fuselage (10) is provided with a battery compartment for accommodating an exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell (1) and a hydrogen storage compartment for accommodating a hydrogen storage bottle (7), and a partition (3) is provided between the hydrogen storage compartment and the battery compartment.

4. A hydrogen-powered UAV as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The membrane exchange hydrogen fuel cell (1) is electrically connected to the current converter (2) and the motor (5) via a wire, and the wire is arranged inside the nacelle fuselage (10).

5. A hydrogen-powered UAV as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The hydrogen storage bottle (7) is connected to the exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cell (1) via a hydrogen transmission pipe (8), and the hydrogen transmission pipe (8) is arranged inside the nacelle fuselage (10).

6. A hydrogen-powered UAV as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The hydrogen storage bottle is composed of an aluminum alloy lining and a fiber winding layer.

7. A hydrogen-powered UAV as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The fuselage structure is prepared by a fiber forming process.

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