A control and deployment locking system for Π-type folding wings of tube-launched UAVs

Abstract

The present invention provides a control and deployment locking system for a tube-launched UAV Π-shaped folding wing, and belongs to the technical field of tube-launched UAV control. In addition to a rotation drive module for driving the main wing and the outer wings on both sides to rotate and deploy from a folded position and a deployment locking module for locking them to a fully deployed position, the system is also provided with an outer wing folding locking module for locking the outer wings on both sides to a folded position and a control module for controlling the time-sharing unlocking of the outer wings, so that the wing on one side rotating forward unlocks the outer wing when the main wing rotates to be perpendicular to the fuselage, and the wing on one side rotating backward unlocks the outer wing before the other outer wing at a predetermined time, generating a rolling restoring torque to balance the rolling torque generated by the difference in incoming flow speed on the wing surfaces on both sides at the initial stage of the main wing deployment, solving the problem that the control mode in which the outer wings are folded in the UAV launch tube by relying on the fuselage constraint and are deployed autonomously after the UAV is launched from the tube causes a large deviation in the rolling attitude of the UAV after it leaves the tube.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of tube-launched UAV control, and in particular relates to a control and deployment locking system for II-type folding wings of tube-launched UAVs. Background Art

[0002] Tube-launched drones, also known as tube-launched drones, can fold their wings and store them in the launch tube during storage, and unfold the wings after leaving the launch tube. There are currently two main ways to fold the wings of tube-launched drones, one is single folding and the other is double folding. Among them, single folding is mainly used for wings with small aspect ratios. An unfolding mechanism is arranged at the root of the wing, and the wing rotates and folds to the fuselage in a plane parallel to the speed plane of the drone; double folding is often used for wings with large aspect ratios. The wing includes a main wing and an outer wing. In addition to the rotation drive mechanism of the wing as a whole around the root of the wing, another mechanism is arranged between the main wing and the outer wing to make the outer wing rotate and fold to the main wing in a plane parallel to the movement plane when the fuselage is unfolded. This unfolding method causes a height difference between the main wing and the outer wing after the wing is unfolded, causing wing circulation loss and affecting the lift-to-drag ratio.

[0003] To this end, the secondary folding wings of the tube-launched UAV can adopt a Π-shaped folding wing including a main wing and an outer wing with no height difference when unfolded, wherein the outer wing can rotate relative to the main wing in a plane perpendicular to the movement plane of the fuselage when unfolded and move between a folded position and a fully unfolded position (during the rotation of the outer wing relative to the main wing, the wing is roughly Π-shaped, so it is called a Π-shaped folding wing). When the UAV is stored in the launch tube, the main wing is in a folded position under the constraint of the tube wall, and the outer wing between the main wing and the fuselage is folded on the main wing through the limit constraint of the fuselage; when the UAV is launched from the tube, first the constraint of the tube wall on the main wing is released, and the main wing is unfolded under the action of the main wing rotation drive mechanism connected to the fuselage. After the main wing is unfolded to a certain angle, the constraint of the fuselage on the outer wing is released, and at this time, the two outer wings are autonomously unfolded under the action of the outer wing rotation drive mechanism connecting the main wing and the outer wing. Summary of the invention

[0004] The applicant of this application has discovered that if the outer wing is folded in the launch tube of the drone relying on the constraints of the fuselage, and unfolds autonomously after the main wing is unfolded to a certain angle after the drone is launched from the tube, the drone will be subjected to a large rolling moment after leaving the tube. At this time, since the wings have not yet been fully unfolded, the control surfaces of the roll direction such as the ailerons have not yet exerted their control efficiency, and it is difficult to provide a restoring moment, resulting in the drone often experiencing a large roll after leaving the tube, and a large deviation in the roll attitude, resulting in loss of control and crashing.

[0005] In response to the above problems, the applicant carefully analyzed the reasons why the UAV had a large rolling moment after leaving the tube:

[0006] First, because the rear part of the UAV fuselage adopts a retractable design, when the outer wing is limited only by the fuselage, the outer wing on the upper side of the rear fuselage and moving forward with the main wing is released earlier than the outer wing on the upper side of the front fuselage and moving backward with the main wing;

[0007] Secondly, when the outer wing is in a folded state, the wing airfoil formed by the outer wing and the main wing can be approximated as an up and down symmetrical airfoil. When one side of the outer wing is released first, the airfoil of the main wing on the same side is converted into a high-lift airfoil, generating a lift greater than that of the other side wing, resulting in an imbalance of aerodynamic forces on both sides, and thus a larger rolling moment.

[0008] In response to this phenomenon, the applicant considered adjusting the restraint method of the outer wing, changing the original restraint method provided by the fuselage to a folding locking mechanism between the outer wing and the main wing, providing outer wing restraint through the locking mechanism, and releasing the outer wings on both sides simultaneously when the main wing rotates to a state perpendicular to the fuselage, in order to avoid generating a large rolling moment during the deployment of the outer wing.

[0009] However, the applicant found through further research that the control method of synchronously releasing the outer wings on both sides when the main wing rotates to a state perpendicular to the fuselage is not the optimal control method to achieve aerodynamic performance and control performance. The specific analysis is as follows: In the early stage of the main wing rotation and deployment, the wing at the rear of the fuselage rotates forward, and the wing at the front of the fuselage rotates backward. The flow velocity on the wing surface is formed by the superposition of its rotation speed and the free flow velocity vector. Since the launch speed of the drone is not large when it leaves the tube, that is, the free flow velocity is not much greater than the rotation speed, the rotation speed cannot be ignored when calculating the flow velocity on the wing surface, resulting in the flow velocity on the wing surface of the wing rotating backward at the front of the fuselage being significantly smaller than the flow velocity on the wing surface of the wing rotating forward, resulting in the lift of the wing rotating backward being significantly smaller than the lift of the wing rotating forward, which still leads to the aerodynamic imbalance on both sides of the drone, so that rolling torque will still appear during the deployment of the main wing.

[0010] Since there is no control rudder to balance the rolling moment during the unfolding of the main wing, the applicant considered controlling the unfolding time difference of the outer wings on both sides so that the outer wing on the side of the wing that rotates backward can be unfolded first, so that the airfoil of the wing part on this side is converted into a high-lift airfoil first, which can generate greater lift than the approximately symmetrical airfoil of the other wing, thereby providing a rolling restoring moment, so that the UAV is in a balanced state with a roll angle of 0° when the main wing is unfolded to be vertical to the fuselage.

[0011] In summary, the present invention aims to solve the problem that the outer wings of the tube-launched UAV Π-type folding wings in the prior art are folded in the UAV launch tube by the fuselage constraint and unfolded autonomously after the UAV is launched from the tube, which will cause a large deviation in the rolling attitude of the UAV after it leaves the tube. The present invention provides a control and unfolding locking system suitable for the tube-launched UAV Π-type folding wings. The present invention sets folding locking mechanisms for the outer wings on both sides respectively, and controls the two outer wing folding locking mechanisms to unlock in time, so that the outer wings at the rear of the fuselage when the main wings are unfolded are unlocked when the main wings rotate to be perpendicular to the fuselage, and the outer wings at the front of the fuselage are unlocked at a specific time before the outer wings at the rear of the fuselage. A method for determining the time difference of the time-sharing unlocking of the outer wings on both sides is further proposed, so that the outer wings on the side rotating backwards are opened first, thereby generating a rolling restoring torque, thereby balancing the rolling torque generated by the difference in the incoming flow speed on the wing surfaces of the two sides in the initial stage of the main wing unfolding.

[0012] To achieve the above purpose, the technical solution provided by the present invention is:

[0013] The present invention provides a control and deployment locking system for a tube-launched UAV Π-shaped folding wing, wherein the folding wing comprises a main wing and a first outer wing and a second outer wing respectively connected to both sides of the main wing, and the control and deployment locking system comprises a folding locking module, a rotation driving module, a deployment locking module and a control module;

[0014] The folding and locking module comprises a first outer wing folding and locking module and a second outer wing folding and locking module for respectively locking the first outer wing and the second outer wing into a folded position;

[0015] The rotation drive module includes a main wing rotation drive module for driving the main wing to rotate and unfold from a folded position in a plane parallel to the speed direction of the drone after the drone is launched from the tube, and a first outer wing rotation drive module and a second outer wing rotation drive module for driving the first outer wing and the second outer wing to rotate and unfold from a folded position in a plane perpendicular to the speed direction of the drone after the first outer wing folding locking module and the second outer wing folding locking module are unlocked respectively;

[0016] The deployment locking module comprises a main wing deployment locking module for locking the main wing to a fully deployed position, and a first outer wing deployment locking module and a second outer wing deployment locking module for respectively locking the first outer wing and the second outer wing to a fully deployed position, when the main wing, the first outer wing and the second outer wing are fully deployed, the first outer wing and the second outer wing abut against the main wing and are in the same plane;

[0017] The control module is used to control the time-sharing unlocking of the first outer wing and the second outer wing in the folded position. The control module receives the UAV's leaving the control tube signal, and takes the main wing unlocking of the UAV leaving the control tube as time 0 and starts timing. When time Tt is reached, the control module outputs a first outer wing unlocking signal for unlocking the first outer wing to unfold it to the first outer wing folding locking module. When time T is reached, the control module outputs a second outer wing unlocking signal for unlocking the second outer wing to unfold it later than the first outer wing at time t, wherein T is the time from the main wing being unlocked to rotating to a state perpendicular to the fuselage, and t is obtained according to the following process:

[0018] Step 1, determine the time T required for the main wing to rotate from unlocking to perpendicular to the fuselage, and set the initial value of t; determine the linear velocity of each section of the wing according to the rotation angular velocity of the main wing after unlocking, and calculate the incoming flow velocity of each section of the wing at each moment in the process of the main wing rotating from unlocking to perpendicular to the fuselage in combination with the launch speed of the Π-type folding wing UAV;

[0019] Step 2, establishing a first simplified three-dimensional model and a second simplified three-dimensional model of the wing, the first simplified three-dimensional model being a wing model in which both outer wings on both sides are folded to the main wing and locked with the main wing; the second simplified three-dimensional model being a wing model in which the outer wings of one wing rotating backward are unfolded, while the outer wings of the one wing rotating forward are kept folded to the main wing and locked with the main wing;

[0020] Step 3, using the established first simplified three-dimensional model and the incoming flow velocity of each wing section and the main wing rotation angular velocity obtained in step 1, with the main wing unlocked as time 0, simulate and calculate the force of the first simplified three-dimensional model in the time period Tt, and obtain the roll angle θ1 around the center of the first simplified three-dimensional model at time Tt;

[0021] Step 4, using the established second simplified three-dimensional model and the incoming flow velocity of each wing section and the main wing rotation angular velocity obtained in step 1, taking the second simplified three-dimensional model in a roll angle state of θ1 as an initial state, simulating and calculating the force of the second simplified three-dimensional model in a time period t, and obtaining the roll angle θ2 around the center of the second simplified three-dimensional model at time T;

[0022] Step 5, determine whether the roll angle θ2 is 0°, if so, obtain the t value, if not, proceed to step 6;

[0023] Step 6, increase or decrease the value of t according to the positive or negative value of the roll angle θ2, and repeat steps 3 to 5 until the t value at which the roll angle θ2 is 0° is obtained.

[0024] Further, the main wing is respectively provided with an inner mounting seat at the joint surface between the main wing and the first outer wing and the second outer wing, and the first outer wing and the second outer wing are respectively provided with an outer mounting seat at the joint surface, and the first outer wing rotation drive module and the second outer wing rotation drive module each include a first hinge assembly;

[0025] The first hinge assembly is used to rotatably connect the corresponding outer wing to the main wing, and includes a torsion spring, a first rotating shaft and a hinge seat.

[0026] The torsion spring is sleeved on the first rotating shaft, one end of the torsion spring abuts against the main wing, and the other end abuts against the outer wing. After the corresponding outer wing folding locking module is unlocked, the corresponding outer wing automatically rotates and unfolds from the folded position under the action of the torsion spring.

[0027] Two hinged seats are respectively arranged at two axial ends of the torsion spring, and are respectively fixed to the inner mounting seat and the outer mounting seat, and the first rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the hinged seat.

[0028] Furthermore, the first outer wing deployment locking module and the second outer wing deployment locking module are each two groups of buckle assemblies, and the two groups of buckle assemblies are symmetrically arranged about a plane perpendicular to the axis of the first rotating shaft, and each group of buckle assemblies includes a pin, a hook and a tension spring; the hook is arranged on the corresponding outer wing, is L-shaped and the middle part is rotatably sleeved on the pin, the pin is fixed to the outer mounting seat, one end of the tension spring is fixed to the outer wing in the corresponding outer wing, and the other end connects the first end of the hook to the outer mounting seat, and the hook-shaped second end of the hook enters the interior of the main wing and overlaps the inner mounting seat when the outer wing is in a fully deployed position, and is tightened around the pin under the action of the tension spring.

[0029] Furthermore, the outer mounting seat is provided with a protrusion at the joint surface, and the inner mounting seat is provided with a recess at the joint surface, and the protrusion can cooperate with the recess; the pin shaft is installed on the protrusion, and the middle part of the hook is located inside the protrusion, the first end and the second end extend out of the protrusion, and the bottom of the recess is provided with an opening for the second end of the hook to pass through.

[0030] Furthermore, the buckle assembly also includes a sleeve, which is used to accommodate the tension spring and is inserted into the corresponding outer wing.

[0031] Furthermore, the first outer wing rotation drive module and the second outer wing rotation drive module each include a second hinge assembly, the second hinge assembly includes an inner hinge portion protruding from the inner mounting seat and an outer hinge portion protruding from the outer mounting seat, and also includes a second rotating shaft rotatably connected to the inner hinge portion and the outer hinge portion, and the second rotating shaft is coaxially arranged with the first rotating shaft.

[0032] Furthermore, the first outer wing folding locking module and the second outer wing folding locking module each include a pin shaft pin hole structure with a pull rope and a release mechanism with scissors; one end of the pull rope is connected to the pin shaft, and the other end is connected to the corresponding outer wing. When the outer wing is in the folded position, the pin shaft is inserted into the pin hole on the main wing and the pull rope is in a tensioned state, thereby locking the outer wing; the release mechanism is arranged on the main wing, and after receiving the corresponding first outer wing unlocking signal or the second outer wing unlocking signal, it drives the scissors to open and close and cut the pull rope, thereby unlocking and releasing the corresponding outer wing from the folded position.

[0033] Furthermore, the main wing rotation drive module realizes the rotation drive of the main wing through the rotating shaft and the torsion spring. The middle part of the main wing is hinged to the fuselage through the rotating shaft. The torsion spring is sleeved on the rotating shaft, and the two ends are respectively abutted against the main wing and the fuselage.

[0034] Furthermore, the main wing deployment locking module is a spring-driven pin-hole structure. When the main wing is deployed, the spring drives the pin on the fuselage to insert into the pin hole on the main wing, thereby locking the main wing to the fuselage.

[0035] The advantages of the present invention are:

[0036] 1. The present invention conducts an in-depth analysis of the problem that the roll attitude of the Π-type folding wing of a tube-launched UAV after leaving the tube has a large deviation, and provides a control and deployment locking system for the Π-type folding wing of a tube-launched UAV. In addition to comprising a rotation drive module for driving the main wing and the outer wings on both sides to rotate and unfold from the folded position and a deployment locking module for locking them to the fully unfolded position, the system is also provided with two outer wing folding locking modules for respectively locking the outer wings on both sides to the folded position, and a control module for controlling the time-sharing unlocking of the outer wings on both sides, so that the wing rotating forward unlocks the outer wing when the main wing rotates to be perpendicular to the fuselage, and the wing rotating backward unlocks the outer wing before the other outer wing by a predetermined time t, thereby generating a roll restoring torque, thereby balancing the roll torque generated by the difference in incoming flow speed on the wing surfaces of both sides at the initial stage of the main wing unfolding, and ensuring the stable flight of the UAV after leaving the tube; in addition, the present invention also proposes a method for determining the time difference t of the time-sharing unlocking of the outer wings on both sides, taking the roll angle of the UAV being 0° when the main wing is unfolded to be perpendicular to the fuselage as the target, and iteratively calculating the value of the time difference t.

[0037] 2. The outer wing deployment locking module in the present invention is composed of two groups of buckle assemblies arranged symmetrically. In each group of buckle assemblies, the hooks arranged on the outer wings enter the inside of the main wing and overlap on the inner mounting seat when the outer wings are fully deployed and engage with the main wing under the tension of the tension spring, thereby reliably locking the outer wings in the fully deployed position, ensuring the reliability of the wings when deployed and the good flight performance of the UAV.

[0038] 3. The present invention provides an inner mounting seat that can be directly mounted on the main wing and an outer mounting seat that can be mounted on the outer wing, and the articulated seat is correspondingly an integral part of the two mounting seats. This structure realizes the modularization of the outer wing rotation drive module and the outer wing deployment locking module, which can facilitate its assembly and disassembly with the wing, and improves the maintainability and applicability of the system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] The features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily understood through the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are not drawn to scale and in which some features are exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components:

[0040] Figure 1 It is a schematic stereogram of the control and deployment locking system of the II-type folding wings of a tube-launched UAV of the present invention when both outer wings are in the folded position during use;

[0041] Figure 2 It is a schematic stereoscopic diagram of the control and deployment locking system of the Π-type folding wing of a tube-launched UAV of the present invention when one outer wing is fully deployed and the other outer wing is not yet deployed;

[0042] Figure 3 It is a schematic stereogram of the control and deployment locking system of the II-type folding wings of a tube-launched UAV of the present invention when both outer wings are fully deployed during use;

[0043] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the unfolding process of the wings of the drone of the present invention in use;

[0044] Figure 5 The structure diagram of the outer wing rotation drive module and the outer wing deployment locking module in the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 1 , wherein the outer wings are in a folded position;

[0045] Figure 6 The structure diagram of the outer wing rotation drive module and the outer wing deployment locking module in the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 2 , wherein the outer wings are in a fully extended position;

[0046] Figure 7 is a schematic three-dimensional diagram of the inner mounting seat in the present invention;

[0047] Figure 8 It is a schematic stereogram of the external mounting seat in the present invention.

[0048] In the figure: 1-main wing; 2-inner mounting seat, 21-recess, 22-opening, 23-through hole, 24-weight-reducing hole of inner mounting seat; 3-first outer wing; 4-outer mounting seat, 41-protrusion, 42-pin shaft hole, 43-weight-reducing hole of outer mounting seat; 5-second outer wing; 6-first hinge assembly, 61-torsion spring, 62-first rotating shaft, 63-hinge seat; 7-hook assembly, 71-pin shaft, 72-hook, 721-first end portion, 722-second end portion, 723-inclined portion, 73-tension spring; 74-sleeve, 8-second hinge assembly, 81-inner hinge portion, 82-outer hinge portion, 83-second rotating shaft. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings by means of exemplary embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that the following detailed description of the present invention is only for the purpose of illustration, and is not intended to limit the present invention.

[0050] It should be pointed out that, in the context of the present invention, the terms "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", "clockwise" and "counterclockwise" etc. indicating directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0051] In addition, terms such as "first" and "second" are for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features.

[0052] The present invention provides a control and deployment locking system for a tube-launched UAV's Π-type folding wing, which can be used to realize the tube-launched UAV's wings from a folded state in a launch tube to a fully deployed state perpendicular to the fuselage after the UAV is launched from the tube, wherein the folding wing includes a main wing and two outer wings respectively connected to both sides of the main wing, in the folded state, the outer wings on both sides are folded under the main wing, and the wings are folded onto the fuselage in parallel with the fuselage, in the fully deployed state, the outer wings on both sides are in contact with the main wing and are in the same plane with the main wing without a height difference, and at the same time, the main wing is locked to the fuselage perpendicularly, and the outer wings are locked to the main wing. The control and deployment locking system for a tube-launched UAV's Π-type folding wing provided by the present invention is now described in detail.

[0053] First, the overall reference Figures 1 to 3The Π-shaped folding wing comprises a main wing 1 and a first outer wing 3 and a second outer wing 5 connected to both ends of the main wing 1, wherein the first outer wing 3 is located on the side of the wing that rotates backward when unfolded, and the second outer wing 5 is located on the side of the wing that rotates forward when unfolded. The cross-sections of the main wing and the outer wing at the joint surface are the same, so as to achieve a main wing and an outer wing without a height difference, thereby ensuring the best lift-to-drag ratio of the drone. Using the folding wing control and unfolding locking system provided by the present invention, the wing can be moved from Figure 1 The folded state parallel to the fuselage is changed to Figure 2 The expansion process state, and then change to Figure 3 The unfolded position is perpendicular to the fuselage.

[0054] like Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , it shows the wing unfolding process when the tube-launched UAV is launched. First, as Figure 4 As shown in (a) of the figure, the UAV wing is loaded into the launch tube in a folded state with the outer wing folded under the main wing, and is kept in the folded state under the limit constraint of the tube wall on the main wing. Figure 4 As shown in (b), after the UAV is launched from the tube, the tube wall constraint is eliminated, and the main wing rotates and unfolds from the folded position in a plane parallel to the speed direction of the UAV. At this time, the outer wings on both sides remain folded to the main wing, and then, as shown in Figure 4 As shown in (c) and (d) in the figure, the outer wing on the side of the wing rotating backwards first rotates and unfolds from the folded position in a plane perpendicular to the speed direction of the drone, that is, the movement plane of the outer wing unfolding is perpendicular to the movement plane of the main wing unfolding. At this time, the outer wing on the side of the wing rotating forward always remains in the folded position. After the outer wing unfolds for a predetermined time, Figure 4 As shown in (e) in the figure, the main wing is fully unfolded and perpendicular to the fuselage. At this time, the outer wing on the side of the wing that rotates forward begins to rotate and unfold, as shown in Figure 4 As shown in (f) in the figure, the wing finally unfolds into Figure 4 The state shown in (g) in FIG. Therefore, the outer wing on the side of the wing rotating backward, i.e., the first outer wing 3, is deployed at a predetermined time before the outer wing on the side of the wing rotating forward, i.e., the second outer wing 5. To achieve this time-sharing deployment of the outer wings on both sides, the outer wings on both sides cannot be folded in the launch tube by relying on the fuselage constraint. It is necessary to provide a locking mechanism for the outer wings to lock the outer wings in the folded position, so as to prevent the outer wings on both sides from autonomously deploying after the drone leaves the tube. In addition, when the outer wings need to be deployed, their locking mechanism must be controlled, and the outer wings can only be deployed after the lock on the outer wings is released. Therefore, the locking mechanisms of the outer wings on both sides must be unlocked in a time-sharing manner.

[0055] To this end, as an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a control and deployment locking system for a tube-launched UAV's II-type folding wing includes a folding locking module, a rotation driving module, a deployment locking module and a control module.

[0056] The folding locking module includes a first outer wing folding locking module and a second outer wing folding locking module for respectively locking the first outer wing 3 and the second outer wing 5 to the folded position. The locking of the outer wing in the folded position is a known mature technology, so it is not shown in the figure. For example, the first outer wing folding locking module and the second outer wing folding locking module each include a pin shaft pin hole structure with a pull rope and a release mechanism with scissors. One end of the pull rope is connected to the pin shaft, and the other end is connected to the corresponding outer wing. When the outer wing is in the folded position, the pin shaft is inserted into the pin hole on the main wing and the pull rope is in a tensioned state, thereby locking the outer wing. The release mechanism is arranged on the main wing, and after receiving the corresponding first outer wing unlocking signal or the second outer wing unlocking signal (to be described in detail below), the scissors are driven to open and close to cut the pull rope, thereby unlocking and releasing the corresponding outer wing from the folded position.

[0057] The rotation drive module includes a main wing rotation drive module for driving the main wing 1 to rotate and unfold from a folded position in a plane parallel to the speed direction of the drone after the drone is launched from the tube, and a first outer wing rotation drive module and a second outer wing rotation drive module for driving the first outer wing 3 and the second outer wing 5 to rotate and unfold from a folded position in a plane perpendicular to the speed direction of the drone after the first outer wing folding locking module and the second outer wing folding locking module are unlocked respectively.

[0058] The main wing rotation drive module can be realized by known mature technology and is not shown in the figure. Optionally, the rotation drive of the main wing 1 is realized by a rotating shaft and a torsion spring. The middle part of the main wing 1 is hinged to the fuselage through a rotating shaft, and the torsion spring is mounted on the rotating shaft, and the two ends are respectively abutted against the main wing and the fuselage.

[0059] To facilitate the assembly and disassembly of the first and second outer wing rotation drive modules and the folding wings, the main wing 1 includes an inner mounting seat 2, and the first outer wing 3 and the second outer wing 5 each include an outer mounting seat 4. The inner mounting seat 2 is sleeved on the main wing 1 at the joint surface between the main wing 1 and the corresponding outer wing, and the outer mounting seat 4 is sleeved on the corresponding outer wing at the joint surface. The rotation drive module can be installed and fixed through the inner mounting seat 2 and the outer mounting seat 4. Screws can also be used to strengthen the connection between the inner mounting seat 2 and the outer mounting seat 4 and the corresponding main wing or outer wing.

[0060] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first outer wing rotation driving module and the second outer wing rotation driving module each include a first hinge assembly 6 to rotatably connect the outer wings on both sides to the main wing 1 .

[0061] Combined with reference Figure 5The first hinge assembly 6 includes a torsion spring 61, a first rotating shaft 62 and a hinge seat 63. The first hinge assembly 6 can be arranged along the direction from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the wing and at a position slightly close to the leading edge and where the thickness of the wing is the largest, so as to ensure that the outer wing is completely in contact with the main wing 1 at the joint surface when fully extended, so as to optimize the flight performance of the UAV.

[0062] The torsion spring 61 is arranged along the chord length direction of the wing and is sleeved on the first rotating shaft 62. One end of the torsion spring 61 abuts against the main wing 1, and the other end abuts against the corresponding outer wing. The outer wing can be in a folded position when locked by an outer wing folding locking module, such as a pin shaft pin hole structure with a pull rope. After the outer wing folding locking module is unlocked, such as after a release mechanism with scissors takes effect, the outer wing automatically rotates from the folded position to a fully unfolded position in a plane perpendicular to the speed direction of the drone under the action of the restoring force of the torsion spring 61.

[0063] Two hinge seats 63 for mounting the first rotating shaft 62 are respectively provided at the two axial ends of the torsion spring 61, and the two hinge seats at each end are respectively fixed to the inner mounting seat 2 and the outer mounting seat 4 at the joint surface. In an optional embodiment of the present invention, the hinge seat 63 is an integral part protruding from the inner mounting seat 2 or the outer mounting seat 4. This structure can further realize the modularization of the outer wing rotation drive module and improve the maintainability and applicability of the system.

[0064] The first rotating shaft 62 is rotatably connected to the hinge seat 63, specifically, it is connected through the holes on each hinge seat 63. The position of the first rotating shaft 62 is set so that the outer wings on both sides are in contact with the main wing 1 and in the same plane in the unfolded position. When the outer wings are in the folded position, in the cross section taken along the joint surface of the wing, the axis of the first rotating shaft 62 is centrally located in the gap between the main wing 1 and the outer wing. In addition, in the wingspan direction, the axis of the first rotating shaft 62 can be located in the joint surface of the main wing 1 and the corresponding outer wing.

[0065] The deployment locking module includes a main wing deployment locking module for locking the main wing 1 to a fully deployed position, and a first outer wing deployment locking module and a second outer wing deployment locking module for respectively locking the first outer wing 3 and the second outer wing 5 to a fully deployed position. When the main wing 1, the first outer wing 3 and the second outer wing 5 are fully deployed, the first outer wing 3 and the second outer wing 5 abut against the main wing 1 and are in the same plane.

[0066] The main wing deployment locking module can be implemented using known mature technology, not shown in the figure. In particular, a pin-hole structure driven by a spring can be selected. When the main wing 1 is deployed into place, the spring drives the pin on the fuselage to be inserted into the pin hole on the main wing 1, thereby locking the main wing 1 to the fuselage.

[0067] The first outer wing deployment locking module and the second outer wing deployment locking module must ensure that the outer wings on both sides are reliably locked in the fully deployed position. Figure 5 and Figure 6 In an optional embodiment, the first outer wing deployment locking module and the second outer wing deployment locking module are each two sets of buckle assemblies 7, which are used to reliably lock the first outer wing 3 and the second outer wing 5 to the fully deployed position. The two sets of buckle assemblies 7 are symmetrically arranged about a plane perpendicular to the axis of the first rotating shaft 62, and are particularly arranged at the middle of the torsion spring 61. The buckle assemblies 7 are arranged on the corresponding outer wings, and each set of buckle assemblies 7 includes a pin 71, a hook 72 and a tension spring 73. The hook 72 can overlap and hook on the inner mounting seat 2 of the main wing 1 to achieve the locking of the outer wings on both sides.

[0068] The hook 72 is generally L-shaped, and has a first end 721 and a second end 722. The middle portion connecting the first end 721 and the second end 722 is rotatably mounted on the pin 71, so that the first end 721 and the second end 722 of the hook 72 can rotate around the pin 71. The pin 71 is fixed to the outer mounting seat 4 in parallel with the joint surface of the main wing and the outer wing, and is arranged to be perpendicular to the axis of the first rotating shaft 62. The first end 721 of the hook 72 is connected to the tension spring 73. Preferably, two holes are provided on the first end 721 for the tension spring 73 to pass through, so that the tension spring 73 is hooked to the hook 72. The second end 722 of the hook 72 is used to enter the interior of the main wing 1 and cooperate with the inner mounting seat 2 when the outer wing is in the fully extended position, and can be hook-shaped to overlap with the inner mounting seat 2. In order to facilitate the overlapping of the hook 72, in a specific embodiment, as Figure 6 As clearly shown in the figure, an inclined portion 723 is provided on the second end portion 722 of the hook 72, and the inclined surfaces of the inclined portions 723 of the two hooks face away from each other. When the outer wing is about to move to the fully extended position, the inclined surfaces of the inclined portions 723 of the hook 72 can slide along the inner mounting seat 2, thereby smoothly entering the main wing 1 and engaging with the inner mounting seat 2.

[0069] The axis of the tension spring 73 is perpendicular to the axis of the pin shaft 71 and the axis of the first rotating shaft 62. One end of the tension spring 73 is fixedly connected to the outer wing in the outer wing, and the other end connects the first end 721 of the hook 72 to the outer mounting seat 4. When the outer wing is in the fully deployed position, the hook-shaped second end 722 of the hook 72 overlaps the inner mounting seat 2 and is tightened around the pin shaft 71 under the action of the tension spring 73. Specifically, the restoring force of the tension spring 73 pulls the first end 721 of the hook 72 connected thereto, so that the hook 72 rotates around the pin shaft 71, so that the second end 722 of the hook 72 is pulled toward the inner mounting seat 2, so as to be tightly pressed on the inner mounting seat 2, thereby achieving reliable engagement between the hook 72 and the inner mounting seat 2, thereby locking the outer wing in the deployed position. The symmetrical arrangement of the two sets of buckle assemblies 7 allows the outer wing to be locked to the main wing 1 at two positions through two hooks. In addition, the main wing 1 is connected to the outer wing at the first rotating shaft 62, and the outer wing is reliably locked through three connections, thereby ensuring the reliability of the folding wing when it is fully unfolded and the good flight performance of the UAV.

[0070] It can be seen that this structure of the inner mounting seat 2 and the outer mounting seat 4 realizes the modularization of the outer wing rotation drive module and the outer wing deployment locking module. During assembly, it is only necessary to assemble the torsion spring 61 and the first rotating shaft 62 to the inner mounting seat 2, assemble the pin shaft 71, the hook 72 and the tension spring 73 to the outer mounting seat 4, and connect the two mounting seats to the main wing 1 and the outer wings on both sides respectively. Assembly and disassembly can be carried out conveniently and quickly. Therefore, this structure can facilitate its assembly and disassembly with the wing, thereby improving the maintainability and applicability of the system of the present invention.

[0071] Now refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 In order to facilitate the installation of the buckle assembly 7 and its cooperation with the main wing 1, in some embodiments, the outer mounting seat 4 is provided with a protruding portion 41 protruding outward at the joint surface, and the protruding portion 41 is hollow, and the inner mounting seat 2 is provided with a recessed portion 21 recessed inward at the joint surface, and the protruding portion 41 can cooperate with the recessed portion 21. The pin 71 is installed on the protruding portion 41, specifically through the pin hole 42 on the protruding portion 41. The middle part of the hook 72 is located inside the protruding portion 41, and the first end 721 and the second end 722 extend out of the protruding portion 41 to allow the first end 721 to be connected to the tension spring 73, and the second end 722 to cooperate with the inner mounting seat 2. The bottom of the recess 21 is provided with an opening 22, and the opening 22 allows the second end 722 of the hook 72 to pass through and enter the inside of the main wing 1. In addition, the inner mounting seat 2 can be symmetrically arranged with through holes 23 on both sides of the recess 21 for accommodating the first end 721 of the hook 72.

[0072] In order to conveniently install the tension spring 73 on the outer wing, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. Figure 6As shown, the buckle assembly 7 further includes a sleeve 74 , which is inserted into the outer wing and is used to coaxially accommodate the tension spring 73 .

[0073] Optionally, to facilitate the installation of the tension spring 73, the tension spring 73 can be directly connected to the sleeve 74. To this end, one end of the sleeve 74 has a bottom and is provided with two openings. One end of the tension spring 73 is fixed through the openings, that is, the tension spring 73 is directly hooked on the sleeve 74 and is fixed. The other end of the sleeve 74 passes through the outer mounting seat 4, and the end surface of the sleeve 74 at this end is flush with the outer mounting seat 4.

[0074] like Figure 7 As shown, the inner mounting seat 2 is provided with inner mounting seat weight-reducing holes 24 to reduce the weight of the folding wing. The number and shape and size of the inner mounting seat weight-reducing holes 24 are not subject to specific restrictions. Figure 8 As shown, the outer mounting seat 4 may also be provided with outer mounting seat weight-reducing holes 43 to reduce the weight of the folding wing. The number, shape and size of the outer mounting seat weight-reducing holes 43 are also not subject to specific restrictions.

[0075] In other embodiments of the present invention, referring to Figure 5 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 In order to ensure the reliability of the rotatable connection between the first outer wing 3 and the second outer wing 5 and the main wing 1, a second hinge assembly 8 is provided for the first outer wing rotation drive module and the second outer wing rotation drive module, respectively. The second hinge assembly 8 includes an inner hinge portion 81 protruding from the inner mounting seat 2 and an outer hinge portion 82 protruding from the outer mounting seat 4, and also includes a second rotating shaft 83 rotatably connected to the inner hinge portion 81 and the outer hinge portion 82, and the second rotating shaft 83 is coaxially arranged with the first rotating shaft 62. The inner hinge portion 81 and the outer hinge portion 82 may contact each other. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the structure of the inner hinge portion 81 and the outer hinge portion 82 is not limited thereto, and they may also be separate components and connected to the corresponding inner mounting seat or outer mounting seat.

[0076] The control module is used to control the time-sharing unlocking of the first outer wing 3 and the second outer wing 5 in the folded position to realize the time-sharing deployment of the outer wings on both sides. Specifically, the second outer wing 5 is deployed when the main wing 1 is fully deployed and perpendicular to the fuselage, and the first outer wing 3 is deployed before the second outer wing 5 at a predetermined time to ensure that the roll angle of the drone is 0° when the main wing is deployed to be perpendicular to the fuselage, thereby realizing stable flight of the drone after leaving the tube.

[0077] The control module can receive the drone's leaving the control tube signal, and take the main wing unlocking when the drone leaves the control tube as time 0 and start timing. When time Tt is reached, the control module outputs a first outer wing unlocking signal for unlocking the first outer wing 3 so that it can be unfolded to the first outer wing folding locking module. When a predetermined time T is reached, that is, time t has passed after the first outer wing 3 is unlocked, the control module outputs a second outer wing unlocking signal for unlocking the second outer wing 5 so that it can be unfolded later than the first outer wing t time, wherein T is the time from the main wing being unlocked to rotating to a state perpendicular to the fuselage.

[0078] According to the present invention, the time difference t of the delayed deployment of the outer wings on both sides can be obtained according to the following process:

[0079] Step S1, determine the time T required for the main wing 1 to rotate from unlocking to a state perpendicular to the fuselage, and set the initial value of t; determine the linear velocity of each section of the wing according to the rotation angular velocity of the main wing after unlocking, and calculate the incoming flow velocity of each section of the wing at each moment in the process of the main wing rotating from unlocking to a state perpendicular to the fuselage in combination with the launch speed of the Π-type folding wing UAV;

[0080] Step S2, establishing a first simplified three-dimensional model and a second simplified three-dimensional model of the wing, the first simplified three-dimensional model being Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the outer wings on both sides are folded to the main wing and locked to the main wing; the second simplified three-dimensional model is Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the wing model in which the wing rotating backwards unfolds the outer wing, i.e., the first outer wing 3, while the wing rotating forwards keeps the outer wing, i.e., the second outer wing 5, folded to the main wing and locked with the main wing;

[0081] Step S3, using the established first simplified three-dimensional model and the incoming flow velocity of each wing section and the main wing rotation angular velocity obtained in step 1, with the main wing unlocked as time 0, simulate and calculate the force of the first simplified three-dimensional model in the time period Tt, and obtain the roll angle θ1 around the center of the first simplified three-dimensional model at time Tt;

[0082] Step S4, using the established second simplified three-dimensional model and the incoming flow velocity of each wing section and the main wing rotation angular velocity obtained in step 1, taking the second simplified three-dimensional model in a roll angle state of θ1 as an initial state, simulating and calculating the force of the second simplified three-dimensional model in a time period t, and obtaining the roll angle θ2 around the center of the second simplified three-dimensional model at time T;

[0083] Step S5, determining whether the roll angle θ2 is 0°, if so, obtaining the t value, if not, proceeding to step S6;

[0084] Step S6, increasing or decreasing the value of t according to the positive or negative value of the roll angle θ2, and repeating steps S3 to S5 until a t value of 0° is obtained for the roll angle θ2.

[0085] As described above, the control and deployment locking system for the Π-type folding wings of a tube-launched UAV of the present invention, in addition to including a rotation drive module for driving the main wing and the outer wings on both sides to rotate and deploy from a folded position and a deployment locking module for locking them to a fully deployed position, is also provided with two outer wing folding locking modules for locking the outer wings on both sides to the folded position, and a control module for controlling the time-sharing unlocking of the outer wings on both sides, so that the wing rotating forward unlocks the outer wing when the main wing rotates to be perpendicular to the fuselage, and the wing rotating backward unlocks the outer wing before the other outer wing by a predetermined time t, thereby generating a rolling restoring moment, thereby balancing the rolling moment generated by the difference in incoming flow speed on the wing surfaces of both sides at the initial stage of the main wing deployment, and ensuring the stable flight of the UAV after leaving the tube; in addition, the present invention also proposes a method for determining the time difference t of the time-sharing unlocking of the outer wings on both sides, taking the UAV roll angle of 0° when the main wing is deployed to be perpendicular to the fuselage as the target, and iteratively calculating the value of the time difference t.

[0086] In the simulation example, the obtained t value is 10 milliseconds. The actual test flight results show that the use of this system can achieve stable flight of the Π-type folding-wing tube-launched UAV after it leaves the tube, and can solve the problem of large deviation in the rolling attitude of the UAV after leaving the tube and difficulty in recovering the attitude.

[0087] Finally, it should be noted that the features mentioned and / or shown in the above description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be combined in the same or similar manner into one or more other embodiments, combined with the features in other embodiments or substituted for the corresponding features in other implementations. The technical solutions obtained by these combinations or substitutions shall also be deemed to be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control and deployment locking system for a tube-launched UAV's II-shaped folding wing, wherein the folding wing comprises a main wing and a first outer wing and a second outer wing respectively connected to both sides of the main wing, characterized in that: The control and deployment locking system includes a folding locking module, a rotation driving module, a deployment locking module and a control module; The folding and locking module comprises a first outer wing folding and locking module and a second outer wing folding and locking module for respectively locking the first outer wing and the second outer wing into a folded position; The rotation drive module comprises a main wing rotation drive module for driving the main wing to rotate and unfold from a folded position in a plane parallel to the speed direction of the drone after the drone is launched from the tube, and a first outer wing rotation drive module and a second outer wing rotation drive module for respectively driving the first outer wing and the second outer wing to rotate and unfold from a folded position in a plane perpendicular to the speed direction of the drone after the first outer wing folding locking module and the second outer wing folding locking module are unlocked; The deployment locking module comprises a main wing deployment locking module for locking the main wing to a fully deployed position, and a first outer wing deployment locking module and a second outer wing deployment locking module for respectively locking the first outer wing and the second outer wing to a fully deployed position, when the main wing, the first outer wing and the second outer wing are fully deployed, the first outer wing and the second outer wing abut against the main wing and are in the same plane; The control module is used to control the time-sharing unlocking of the first outer wing and the second outer wing in the folded position. The control module receives the drone's departure signal, and takes the main wing unlocking when the drone leaves the control as time 0 and starts timing. When time Tt is reached, the control module outputs a first outer wing unlocking signal for unlocking the first outer wing to unfold it to the first outer wing folding locking module. When time T is reached, the control module outputs a second outer wing unlocking signal for unlocking the second outer wing to unfold it later than the first outer wing at time t, wherein T is the time from the main wing being unlocked to rotating to a state perpendicular to the fuselage, and t is obtained according to the following process: Step 1, determine the time T required for the main wing to rotate from unlocking to perpendicular to the fuselage, and set the initial value of t; determine the linear velocity of each section of the wing according to the rotation angular velocity of the main wing after unlocking, and calculate the incoming flow velocity of each section of the wing at each moment in the process of the main wing rotating from unlocking to perpendicular to the fuselage in combination with the launch speed of the Π-type folding wing UAV; Step 2, establishing a first simplified three-dimensional model and a second simplified three-dimensional model of the wing, wherein the first simplified three-dimensional model is a wing model in which both outer wings on both sides are in a state of being folded to the main wing and locked with the main wing; the second simplified three-dimensional model is a wing model in which the outer wings of one wing rotating backward are unfolded, while the outer wings of the one wing rotating forward are kept in a state of being folded to the main wing and locked with the main wing; Step 3, using the established first simplified three-dimensional model and the incoming flow velocity of each wing section and the main wing rotation angular velocity obtained in step 1, with the main wing unlocked as time 0, simulate and calculate the force of the first simplified three-dimensional model in the time period Tt, and obtain the roll angle θ1 around the center of the first simplified three-dimensional model at time Tt; Step 4, using the established second simplified three-dimensional model and the incoming flow velocity of each wing section and the main wing rotation angular velocity obtained in step 1, taking the second simplified three-dimensional model in a roll angle state of θ1 as an initial state, simulating and calculating the force of the second simplified three-dimensional model in a time period t, and obtaining the roll angle θ2 around the center of the second simplified three-dimensional model at time T; Step 5, determine whether the roll angle θ2 is 0°, if so, obtain the t value, if not, proceed to step 6; Step 6, increase or decrease the value of t according to the positive or negative value of the roll angle θ2, and repeat steps 3 to 5 until the t value at which the roll angle θ2 is 0° is obtained.

2. The control and deployment locking system for the II-type folding wings of a tube-launched UAV according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The main wing is provided with inner mounting seats at the joint surfaces between the main wing and the first outer wing and the second outer wing, respectively, and the first outer wing and the second outer wing are provided with outer mounting seats at the joint surfaces, respectively, and the first outer wing rotation drive module and the second outer wing rotation drive module each include a first hinge assembly; The first hinge assembly is used to rotatably connect the corresponding outer wing to the main wing, and includes a torsion spring, a first rotating shaft and a hinge seat. The torsion spring is sleeved on the first rotating shaft, one end of the torsion spring abuts against the main wing, and the other end abuts against the outer wing. After the corresponding outer wing folding locking module is unlocked, the corresponding outer wing automatically rotates and unfolds from the folded position under the action of the torsion spring. The hinged seats are provided with two at each axial end of the torsion spring, and are respectively fixedly connected to the inner mounting seat and the outer mounting seat, and the first rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the hinged seats.

3. The control and deployment locking system for the II-type folding wings of a tube-launched UAV according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The first outer wing deployment locking module and the second outer wing deployment locking module are each two groups of buckle components, the two groups of buckle components are symmetrically arranged about a plane perpendicular to the axis of the first rotating shaft, and each group of buckle components includes a pin, a hook and a tension spring; The hook is arranged on the corresponding outer wing, is L-shaped, and the middle part is rotatably mounted on the pin shaft. The pin shaft is fixed to the outer mounting seat. One end of the tension spring is fixedly connected to the outer wing in the corresponding outer wing, and the other end connects the first end of the hook to the outer mounting seat. The hook-shaped second end of the hook enters the interior of the main wing and overlaps the inner mounting seat when the outer wing is in a fully extended position, and is tightened around the pin shaft under the action of the tension spring.

4. The control and deployment locking system for the II-type folding wings of a tube-launched UAV according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The outer mounting seat is provided with a protrusion at the joint surface, and the inner mounting seat is provided with a recess at the joint surface, and the protrusion can be matched with the recess; The pin is installed on the protrusion, and the middle part of the hook is located inside the protrusion, the first end and the second end extend out of the protrusion, and the bottom of the recess is provided with an opening for the second end of the hook to pass through.

5. The control and deployment locking system for the II-type folding wings of a tube-launched UAV according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The buckle assembly further comprises a sleeve, which is used to accommodate the tension spring and is inserted into the corresponding outer wing.

6. The control and deployment locking system for the II-type folding wings of a tube-launched UAV according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The first outer wing rotation drive module and the second outer wing rotation drive module each further include a second hinge assembly, the second hinge assembly including an inner hinge portion protruding from the inner mounting seat and an outer hinge portion protruding from the outer mounting seat, and further including a second rotating shaft rotatably connected to the inner hinge portion and the outer hinge portion, the second rotating shaft being coaxially arranged with the first rotating shaft.

7. The control and deployment locking system for the II-type folding wings of a tube-launched UAV according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The first outer wing folding locking module and the second outer wing folding locking module each include a pin-shaft pin-hole structure with a pull rope and a release mechanism with scissors; One end of the pull rope is connected to the pin shaft, and the other end is connected to the corresponding outer wing. When the outer wing is in the folded position, the pin shaft is inserted into the pin hole on the main wing and the pull rope is in a tensioned state, thereby locking the outer wing; The release mechanism is arranged on the main wing, and after receiving the corresponding first outer wing unlocking signal or the second outer wing unlocking signal, drives the scissors to open and close to cut the pull rope, thereby unlocking and releasing the corresponding outer wing from the folded position.

8. The control and deployment locking system for the II-type folding wings of a tube-launched UAV according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The main wing rotation drive module realizes rotation drive of the main wing through a rotating shaft and a torsion spring. The middle part of the main wing is hinged to the fuselage through the rotating shaft. The torsion spring is sleeved on the rotating shaft, and two ends thereof are respectively abutted against the main wing and the fuselage.

9. The control and deployment locking system for the II-type folding wings of a tube-launched UAV according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The main wing deployment locking module is a pin-hole structure driven by a spring. When the main wing is deployed, the spring drives the pin on the fuselage to be inserted into the pin hole on the main wing, thereby locking the main wing and the fuselage.

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