A deployable annular propeller and cross-domain navigation vehicle

Abstract

The present invention proposes a deployable annular propeller and a cross-domain vehicle, which belong to the field of annular propellers and include a hub, blades, and a locking portion. The blades are made of a flexible material, and the blades are bent and deformed into a first form or rebound and reset to a second form. One end of the blade is fixed to the outer peripheral wall of the hub and is set as a root, and the other end of the blade is a free end and is set as a tip; the blade is in the first form and bent into a ring, and the tip is connected to the locking portion; the locking portion releases the tip, and the blade switches to the second form. The annular propeller blades of the present invention are made of a flexible material and can be elastically deformed. By bending the blades into a ring and fixing their tips on the locking portion, the annular propeller formed is more suitable for scenarios where cross-domain vehicles are sailing underwater. When the tip of the blades is released from the control of the locking portion, the blades are reset and deformed into a non-annular propeller, which is more suitable for scenarios where cross-domain vehicles are sailing in the air, so that the blades have the ability to switch from an annular structure to a non-annular structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of cross-domain vehicles, and in particular to a deployable annular propeller and a cross-domain vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Cross-domain vehicles are a new concept capable of cross-domain navigation in various media environments. For example, Chinese patent CN113928068A discloses an underwater-air cross-domain vehicle capable of both underwater and aerial flight. As drone applications expand, cross-domain drones hold even greater promise for both military and civilian applications.

[0003] Drones are primarily propulsive devices for navigation, and the use of annular propellers for drone propulsion is becoming increasingly popular. Compared to conventional non-annular propellers, annular propellers have the advantage of doubling propulsion efficiency with the same number of blades. However, the use of annular propellers in cross-domain drones has encountered several challenges:

[0004] First, the physical properties of water and air are quite different, so the operating state and propulsion performance of the annular propeller in the two media will be significantly different.

[0005] Secondly, when a drone is sailing underwater, the propeller's rotation plane is vertical, providing horizontal propulsion. When a drone is sailing in the air, the propeller's rotation plane can be horizontal, providing vertical lift; or it can be vertical, providing horizontal jet thrust. However, annular propellers are typically used to provide lift and are not suitable for use as propellers providing jet thrust. Therefore, cross-domain navigation drones are not suitable for using annular propellers as a propulsion power source, which also limits the application scenarios of annular propellers. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of this, the present invention proposes a deployable annular propeller and a cross-domain navigation vehicle, which solves the problem that cross-domain navigation UAVs are not suitable for using annular propellers as a propulsion power source.

[0007] The technical solution of the present invention is achieved as follows: the present invention provides a deployable annular propeller, comprising a hub, whose central axis is the rotation axis of the annular propeller, a plurality of blades, which are arranged on the outer peripheral wall of the hub around the central axis; a locking part, which is arranged on the outer peripheral wall of the hub; wherein the blade is made of flexible material, the blade is bent and deformed into a first form or rebounds to a second form, one end of the blade is fixedly connected to the outer peripheral wall of the hub and is set as a root, and the other end of the blade is a free end and is set as a tip; the blade is in the first form and is bent into a ring, and the tip is connected to the locking part; the locking part releases the tip, and the blade switches to the second form.

[0008] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the tip portion and the locking portion are connected by an explosive bolt.

[0009] Based on the above technical solution, preferably, a slot is opened on the outer peripheral wall of the hub, and a locking part is provided in the slot; the blade is in a first form and bent into a ring, the tip is inserted into the slot and connected to the locking part; the blade switches to a second form and the tip exits the slot.

[0010] Further preferably, the blade includes a blade, one end of which is fixed to the outer peripheral wall of the hub and the other end extends to a tip; a bone rod, which is inserted into the blade, and one end is fixed to the outer peripheral wall of the hub and the other end extends to the end of the tip; wherein the blade is made of a flexible material and can be elastically deformed; the bone rod is made of a one-way shape memory alloy, and the tip is connected to the locking part, so that the bone rod is bent and deformed under force and drives the blade to deform accordingly, so that the blade is in the first form; the locking part releases the tip, the bone rod is heated to produce a one-way memory effect deformation and drives the blade to deform again, so that the blade switches to the second form.

[0011] More preferably, it further comprises a heating mechanism, which is arranged in the hub and electrically connected to the bone rod; wherein the heating mechanism is used to heat the bone rod and cause the bone rod to deform in a one-way memory effect.

[0012] More preferably, when the blade is bent into a ring shape, the inner ring contour of the ring is used as the inner edge, and the bone rod is inserted into the blade along the inner edge.

[0013] Further preferably, the locking portion includes two telescopic mechanisms, which are symmetrically arranged in the slot and respectively aligned with the two blade surfaces of the tip; two clamping blocks, which are respectively connected to the two telescopic mechanisms and move toward or away from the blade surfaces of the tip under the drive of the telescopic mechanisms; wherein the two clamping blocks move toward each other at the same time and clamp the tip, or the two clamping blocks move away from each other at the same time and release the tip.

[0014] More preferably, the locking portion further includes a cable mechanism, which is arranged at the bottom of the slot; wherein a through hole is opened in the blade, one end of the through hole is connected to the outside world, and the other end of the through hole extends toward the free end of the bone rod and exposes the end of the bone rod; the cable mechanism is connected to the end of the bone rod through a cable passing through the through hole, and the cable mechanism pulls the bone rod through the cable and causes the bone rod to be deformed by force, or the cable mechanism releases the cable.

[0015] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the direction of the annular propeller toward downstream is taken as the positive direction, the root is set at the part of the hub close to the downstream, and the tip is bent into a ring toward the part of the hub close to the upstream.

[0016] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a cross-domain vehicle, which adopts the above-mentioned deployable annular propeller; when the cross-domain vehicle is sailing underwater, the blades are in a first form and bent into a ring, and the tip is connected to the locking part; when the cross-domain vehicle is sailing in the air, the locking part releases the tip, and the blades switch to the second form.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the expandable annular propeller and cross-domain vehicle of the present invention have the following advantages:

[0018] Beneficial effects:

[0019] (1) The annular propeller blades of the present invention are made of flexible material and can be elastically deformed. By bending the blades into a ring and fixing their tips on a locking portion, the formed annular propeller is more suitable for scenarios where cross-domain vehicles navigate underwater. When the tips of the blades are released from the control of the locking portion, the blades are reset and deformed into non-annular propellers, which are more suitable for scenarios where cross-domain vehicles navigate in the air. By enabling the blades to switch from an annular structure to a non-annular structure according to the switching of cross-domain scenarios, the versatility of the annular propeller is improved.

[0020] (2) The present invention inserts a bone rod made of a one-way shape memory alloy into the blade of the propeller. The bone rod is deformed and bent under stress and reset after being heated, thereby realizing the function of converting the propeller from an annular structure to a non-annular structure. The invention is suitable for propellers made of metal or plastic materials.

[0021] (3) The cross-domain vehicle of the present invention only crosses from water to air, so there is no need to consider the problem of the blades being converted from an annular structure to a non-annular structure and then retracted. Therefore, the present invention realizes the one-way shape change of the annular propeller through the variable design of the blades, thereby improving the applicability and versatility of the annular propeller in the cross-domain vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. 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 any creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the annular propeller of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the blade tip of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the annular propeller of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 is a side view of another embodiment of the annular propeller of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 is a top sectional view of another embodiment of the annular propeller of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 is a partial top sectional view of the blade of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 7 for Figure 6 Enlarged view of point A in the middle;

[0030] Figure 8 It is a partial cross-sectional view of the locking portion of the present invention.

[0031] In the figure: 1. hub; 101. slot; 2. blade; 21. blade; 22. rod; 201. root; 202. tip; 203. through hole; 3. locking part; 31. telescopic mechanism; 32. clamping block; 33. cable mechanism; 301. explosive bolt; 4. heating mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The following will be combined with the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described 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 making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, a deployable annular propeller of the present invention includes a hub 1, blades 2 and a locking portion 3.

[0034] The central axis of the hub 1 is the rotation axis of the annular propeller.

[0035] A plurality of blades 2 are arranged around the central axis on the outer peripheral wall of the hub 1. The blades 2 are made of a flexible material, specifically, a shape memory alloy, so that the blades 2 have the ability to bend and deform into a first shape or rebound and return to a second shape. One end of the blade 2 is fixedly connected to the outer peripheral wall of the hub 1 and is configured as a root 201, and the other end of the blade 2 is a free end and is configured as a tip 202. Because the blades 2 need to have good deformation properties and maintain a good streamlined outer profile after deformation when the blades 2 switch between the first and second shapes, the blades 2 need to be relatively thin and plate-like.

[0036] The locking portion 3 is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the hub 1. The blade 2 is in the first configuration and is bent into a ring shape, with the tip 202 connected to the locking portion 3; the locking portion 3 releases the tip 202, and the blade 2 switches to the second configuration.

[0037] According to the principle of the present invention, when the blade 2 is connected to the locking portion 3 at the tip 202, the blade 2 is an annular propeller structure and is in the first form. At this time, the annular propeller is suitable for scenarios of sailing in water. After the navigation scenario of the cross-domain vehicle changes, the locking portion 3 releases the tip 202, which can be regarded as the annular structure of the blade 2 being disconnected at the tip 202. Therefore, the blade 2 can switch to the second form through deformation, and the blade 2 in the second form is transformed into a non-annular structure. At this time, the annular propeller is suitable for scenarios of sailing in the air. However, in this solution, the blade 2 only has the ability to transform from the annular first form to the non-annular second form and expand and deform, but does not have the ability to retract. Therefore, when the annular propeller of the present application is used on a cross-domain vehicle, the cross-domain vehicle only needs to consider the situation of sailing from water to air, and does not need to consider the situation of the vehicle returning to water for sailing.

[0038] exist Figure 2 In a preferred embodiment shown, to achieve switchable connection between the tip 202 of the blade 2 and the locking portion 3, the two are connected by an explosive bolt 301. Explosive bolt 301 is a type of bolt used in the aerospace field to connect boosters to rocket bodies. Furthermore, this connection method is suitable for blades 2 made of metal; the blades 2 of this embodiment have good structural strength and are suitable for large aircraft.

[0039] exist Figure 3 In a preferred embodiment shown, tip portion 202 of blade 2 and locking portion 3 are connected in another manner. A slot 101 is defined on the outer wall of hub 1, and locking portion 3 is disposed within slot 101. Blade 2 is in a first configuration and bent into a ring shape, with tip portion 202 inserted into slot 101 and connected to locking portion 3. Blade 2 is switched to a second configuration, with tip portion 202 removed from slot 101. This embodiment's connection method is suitable for blades 2 made of plastic or polymer materials.

[0040] exist Figure 6 In a preferred embodiment shown, in order to make the blade 2 have deformation properties and at the same time make the blade 2 have good structural strength to avoid structural deformation of the blade 2 during high-speed rotation, the blade 2 includes a blade 21 and a rod 22.

[0041] One end of the blade 21 is fixed to the outer wall of the hub 1 and the other end extends to form a tip 202. The blade 21 is made of a flexible material that is elastically deformable and has high elasticity and plasticity. Specifically, styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer TPS, olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer TPO, TPV, etc. can be used.

[0042] A rod 22 is inserted into the blade 21. One end of the rod 22 is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the hub 1, and the other end extends to the end of the tip 202. The rod 22 is made of a one-way shape memory alloy. The one-way shape memory alloy is a nickel-titanium shape memory alloy such as titanium-nickel-copper, titanium-nickel-iron, or titanium-nickel-chromium. Copper-nickel alloys, copper-aluminum alloys, copper-zinc alloys, and iron alloys can also be used. When the blade 2 is initially in an annular structure, the tip 202 is connected to the locking portion 3, causing the bone rod 22 to bend and deform under force and drive the blade 21 to deform accordingly, so that the blade 2 is in the first form; and when the locking portion 3 releases the tip 202, the bone rod 22 is heated to produce a one-way memory effect deformation and drive the blade 21 to deform again, so that the blade 2 switches to the second form; because the bone rod 22 is made of a one-way shape memory alloy material, after the temperature drops, the bone rod 22 will not be affected by external force and will not shrink again to its bent and deformed form under force, so that the blade 2 has a non-annular structure.

[0043] exist Figure 6 In a preferred embodiment shown, a heating mechanism 4 is further included to increase the temperature of the bone rod 22 to cause it to deform.

[0044] Heating mechanism 4 is a thermocouple, located within hub 1 and electrically connected to rod 22. Heating mechanism 4 heats rod 22 and causes deformation of rod 22 due to a one-way memory effect. To prevent adverse effects on hub 1 during operation, heating mechanism 4 is encased in thermal insulation material before installation within hub 1.

[0045] exist Figure 6 In a preferred embodiment shown, when the blade 2 is bent into a ring shape, the inner ring contour of the ring is used as the inner edge, and the bone rod 22 is inserted into the blade 21 along the inner edge. Under this design, the bone rod 22 is closer to the inner edge of the ring-shaped blade 2, so the length of the bone rod 22 is shorter; at the same time, after the blade 2 is deformed into a non-ring structure, the bone rod 22 is closer to the trailing edge position of the blade 2. On the one hand, it can be regarded as the spine of the blade 2 at this time, so that the blade 2 has better structural strength. On the other hand, the thickness of the trailing edge of the blade 2 is larger than the thickness of the leading edge, which also avoids setting the bone rod 22 on the leading edge of the blade 2, resulting in an increase in the thickness of the leading edge, thereby reducing the effect of the streamlined outer contour of the blade 2 conforming to the rotation direction of the propeller.

[0046] exist Figure 8In a preferred embodiment shown, when the tip 202 of the blade 2 is inserted into the slot 101 , in order to fix the annular structure of the blade 2 , the locking portion 3 includes a telescopic mechanism 31 and a clamping block 32 .

[0047] The two telescopic mechanisms 31 are symmetrically arranged in the slot 101 and are respectively aligned with the two blade surfaces of the tip 202. The telescopic mechanisms 31 can be telescopic gas rods.

[0048] The two clamping blocks 32 are connected to the two telescopic mechanisms 31, respectively, and are driven by the telescopic mechanisms 31 to move toward or away from the blade surface of the tip 202. The two clamping blocks 32 move toward each other simultaneously to clamp the tip 202, or move away from each other simultaneously to release the tip 202. To prevent damage to the blade 2, the clamping blocks 32 can be rubber blocks.

[0049] exist Figure 7 In a preferred embodiment shown, if the blade 2 is fixed only by clamping it with two clamping blocks 32, the blade 2 is actually locked by friction at this time, and it is difficult to avoid the problem that the tip 202 of the blade 2 is disengaged from the slot 101 due to centrifugal force during the rotation process of the blade 2. The locking part 3 also includes a cable mechanism 33.

[0050] A through hole 203 is defined in the blade 21 , one end of the through hole 203 is in communication with the outside, and the other end of the through hole 203 extends toward the free end of the bone rod 22 and exposes the end of the bone rod 22 .

[0051] The cable mechanism 33 is arranged at the bottom of the slot 101. The cable mechanism 33 is connected to the end of the bone rod 22 through a cable passing through the through hole 203. The cable mechanism 33 pulls the bone rod 22 through the cable and deforms the bone rod 22, or releases the cable mechanism 33.

[0052] exist Figure 4 In a preferred embodiment shown, with the annular propeller facing downstream as the positive direction, the root portion 201 is located at the downstream portion of the hub 1, and the tip portion 202 is bent into a ring shape toward the upstream portion of the hub 1. In this case, the root portion 201 and the tip portion 202 can be considered the leading and trailing roots of the annular blade 2. Generally speaking, if the blade 2 is separated from its trailing root (i.e., the tip portion 202) and deformed into a non-annular structure, the leading edge and trailing edge of the original annular blade 2 will simultaneously transform into the leading edge of the non-annular blade 2, and the inner ring contour edge of the original annular blade 2 will transform into the trailing edge of the non-annular blade 2. At this time, the streamlined outer contour of the non-annular blade 2 complies with the direction of propeller rotation. If the blade 2 is separated from its leading root (i.e., the root 201) and deformed into a non-annular structure, the leading edge and trailing edge of the original annular blade 2 will simultaneously transform into the trailing edge of the non-annular blade 2, causing the streamlined outer contour of the non-annular blade 2 to oppose the direction of propeller rotation.

[0053] like Figure 1 As shown, combined Figure 5 A cross-domain vehicle of the present invention adopts a deployable annular propeller of any of the above-mentioned embodiments; this cross-domain vehicle mainly refers to a water-air cross-domain vehicle, specifically a drone that first navigates underwater and then enters the air from the water. The drone can then dock on land or on the deck of a ship, so there is no need to consider the situation where the drone returns to the water from the air to navigate. Therefore, when the cross-domain vehicle is sailing underwater, the blade 2 is in a first form and bent into a ring, and the blade 2 forms an annular propeller structure, at which time the tip 202 is connected to the locking part 3; and when the cross-domain vehicle needs to cross the domain to navigate in the air, the locking part 3 releases the tip 202, so that the tip 202 of the blade 2 is unlocked, and the blade 2 switches to the second form, so that the blade 2 forms a non-annular structure; since the vehicle will not return to the water afterwards, the blade 2 does not need to have the ability to deform from the non-annular structure back to the annular structure.

[0054] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A deployable annular propeller, characterized in that: include: A hub (1), the central axis of which is the rotation axis of the annular propeller, A plurality of blades (2) are arranged on the outer peripheral wall of the hub (1) around a central axis; A locking portion (3) is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the hub (1); A slot (101) is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the hub (1), and a locking portion (3) is provided in the slot (101); The blade (2) is made of a flexible material, and the blade (2) is bent and deformed into a first shape or rebounds and returns to a second shape. One end of the blade (2) is fixedly connected to the outer peripheral wall of the hub (1) and is set as a root (201), and the other end of the blade (2) is a free end and is set as a tip (202). The blade (2) is in a first form and is bent into a ring shape, and the tip (202) is inserted into the slot (101) and connected to the locking portion (3); The locking portion (3) releases the tip portion (202), and the blade (2) switches to the second form and causes the tip portion (202) to exit the slot (101).

2. The deployable annular propeller according to claim 1, characterized in that: The blade (2) comprises: a blade (21), one end of which is fixedly connected to the outer peripheral wall of the hub (1) and the other end of which extends to form a tip (202); A bone rod (22) is inserted into the blade (21), with one end fixed to the outer peripheral wall of the hub (1) and the other end extending to the end of the tip (202); Wherein, the blade (21) is made of a flexible material and is capable of elastic deformation; The bone rod (22) is made of a one-way shape memory alloy, and the tip (202) is connected to the locking portion (3), so that the bone rod (22) is bent and deformed under force and drives the blade (21) to deform accordingly, so that the blade (2) is in the first form; The locking portion (3) releases the tip (202), and the bone rod (22) is heated to deform due to a one-way memory effect and drives the blade (21) to deform again, so that the blade (2) switches to the second form.

3. The deployable annular propeller according to claim 2, characterized in that: Also includes: A heating mechanism (4) is disposed in the hub (1) and is electrically connected to the bone rod (22); The heating mechanism (4) is used to heat the bone rod (22) and cause the bone rod (22) to deform in a one-way memory effect.

4. The deployable annular propeller according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the blade (2) is bent into a ring shape, the inner ring contour of the ring is used as the inner edge, and the bone rod (22) is inserted into the blade (21) along the inner edge.

5. The deployable annular propeller according to claim 2, characterized in that: The locking portion (3) comprises: Two telescopic mechanisms (31) are symmetrically arranged in the slot (101) and are respectively aligned with two blade surfaces of the tip (202); Two clamping blocks (32) are respectively connected to the two telescopic mechanisms (31) and are driven by the telescopic mechanisms (31) to move toward or away from the blade surface of the tip (202); The two clamping blocks (32) simultaneously move toward each other and clamp the tip (202), or the two clamping blocks (32) simultaneously move away from each other and release the tip (202).

6. The deployable annular propeller according to claim 5, characterized in that: The locking portion (3) further includes: A cable mechanism (33) is arranged at the bottom of the slot (101); A through hole (203) is provided in the blade (21), one end of the through hole (203) is connected to the outside world, and the other end of the through hole (203) extends toward the free end of the bone rod (22) and exposes the end of the bone rod (22); The cable mechanism (33) is connected to the end of the bone rod (22) via a cable passing through the through hole (203); the cable mechanism (33) pulls the bone rod (22) via the cable and causes the bone rod (22) to deform under stress, or the cable mechanism (33) releases the cable.

7. The deployable annular propeller according to claim 1, characterized in that: Taking the direction of the annular propeller toward the downstream as the positive direction, the root (201) is arranged at a portion of the hub (1) close to the downstream, and the tip (202) is bent into a ring shape toward a portion of the hub (1) close to the upstream.

8. A cross-domain vehicle, characterized by: A deployable annular propeller according to any one of claims 1 to 7; When the cross-domain vehicle is sailing underwater, the blade (2) is in a first configuration and is bent into a ring shape, and the tip (202) is connected to the locking portion (3); When the cross-domain vehicle is sailing in the air, the locking portion (3) releases the tip (202), and the blade (2) switches to the second form.

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