Folding propeller, applied aircraft and working method
By designing a folding propeller with positioning holes, guide grooves, actuation chambers, positioning pins and springs, the compatibility issues of UAV piston engine propeller in transportation, storage, maintenance, mounting and use are solved, and higher adaptability and performance are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411810464.9
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-10
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-28
AI Technical Summary
The non-folding propellers equipped with existing drone piston engines have poor versatility and compatibility in transportation, storage, maintenance, mounting and use, and are especially not suitable for multi-platform launch.
A folding propeller is designed. By setting a positioning hole, guide groove, actuating cavity, positioning pin and spring between the blade and the straight section, the blade is folded and unfolded, ensuring stable fixation under different states.
The design not only simplifies the folding and deployment process of the propeller, improves its adaptability and compatibility in multi-platform launch, but also reduces weight and complexity and improves performance.
Smart Images

Figure CN119705903A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of aircraft structure design, and specifically designs a foldable propeller, an aircraft using the foldable propeller, and a working method. Background Art
[0002] Aviation piston engines are widely used in various types of aircraft due to their fuel economy, and piston engines are usually equipped with propellers to provide thrust for drones.
[0003] However, as a special-purpose UAV, it usually needs to meet the technical indicators of multiple platform launches, and its transportation, storage, maintenance, mounting and use all need to be compatible with other equipment. On the other hand, although the propeller structure of the folding solution in the direction of the incoming flow is relatively simple and easy to implement, it objectively increases the total length of the UAV and is not suitable for equipment compatibility and multi-platform launches. Summary of the invention
[0004] Purpose of the invention: In view of the poor versatility and compatibility of the current non-folding propellers equipped with UAV piston engines in transportation, storage, maintenance, mounting and use, the present invention provides a new type of folding propeller by analyzing the root causes of the problem, and also provides the application of this folding propeller.
[0005] Technical solution: In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention proposes a foldable propeller, including a straight section and blades arranged on both sides of the straight section, and the blades on either side are rotatably connected to the straight section; a positioning hole and a guide groove are arranged at the root of the blade; an actuating chamber is arranged on the straight section; a positioning pin and a spring are arranged in the actuating chamber; a through hole is axially opened at one end of the actuating chamber adjacent to the root of the blade, and the spring is in a compressed state, with one end supporting the root of the actuating chamber and the other end supporting the end of the positioning pin; the end of the positioning pin is fixedly connected to the shift gear, and the other end can be extended along the through hole at the end of the actuating chamber under the action of the spring, and after extending, it slides and cooperates with the guide groove at the root of the blade; during the deployment of the blade, the end of the positioning pin slides along the guide groove, and when the blade is fully deployed, the end of the positioning pin is just stuck in the positioning hole at the root of the blade to achieve limited fixation of the blade.
[0006] Furthermore, the foldable propeller designed as above also includes a folding pin, and the root of the blade and the straight section are rotatably connected through the folding pin, and the blade can rotate around the folding pin.
[0007] Furthermore, the root of the blade is configured as a spherical structure, and a guide groove is provided on the surface of the spherical structure of the root.
[0008] Furthermore, a spring seat is arranged at the root of the actuating cavity provided on the straight section, and one end of the spring is fixed on the spring seat.
[0009] Furthermore, the cross-section of the actuating chamber is Ω-shaped, which limits the spring and ensures that the spring and the positioning pin move in a directional manner in the actuating chamber, while preventing the spring and the positioning pin from escaping from the actuating chamber.
[0010] Furthermore, the shifter is in an I-shaped structure, with one end embedded in the actuating cavity and the other end placed outside the actuating cavity, so as to facilitate adjustment of the shifter position.
[0011] On the other hand, the folding propeller designed as above can be applied to an aircraft. The present invention also proposes an aircraft, including a fuselage, an engine and a folding propeller designed as above. The engine drives the propeller to provide thrust for the entire aircraft.
[0012] The foldable propeller of the present invention as mentioned above, when it is necessary to change the blades in the unfolded state back to the folded state, the shifter is turned to compress the spring, the positioning pin is pulled out of the positioning hole, and then the blades can be folded;
[0013] When the blade is folded, the end of the positioning pin is located in the guide groove, and the root of the positioning pin acts on the spring, so that the spring is in a compressed state;
[0014] When the blade changes from the folded state to the unfolded state, the positioning pin moves relatively along the guide groove and moves in a directional manner under the constraint of the actuating chamber, and the spring gradually stretches; after the positioning pin moves to align with the positioning hole, the positioning pin automatically inserts into the positioning hole, and the blade is fixed in the fully unfolded position;
[0015] If the propeller needs to return to the folded state from the unfolded position, the shift lever is manually turned to compress the spring, the positioning pin is pulled out of the positioning hole, and then the propeller is manually rotated to the folded position.
[0016] Technical effect: The new foldable propeller proposed by the present invention eliminates the constraint on the foldable propeller when the aircraft leaves the launch device, and the blades are transformed from a folded state to an unfolded state. Under the action of the spring, the positioning pin is inserted into the positioning hole to fix the blades in the unfolded position. The new foldable propeller of the present invention has a novel design, simple structure, light weight, and high performance. It can provide reliable power for unmanned aerial vehicles launched from multiple platforms, solves the problem that the transportation, storage, maintenance, mounting and use of the piston engine of the unmanned aerial vehicle must meet the compatibility with other equipment, and has significant engineering application value. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the foldable propeller of the present invention;
[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the folding state of the foldable propeller of the present invention;
[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the foldable propeller of the present invention in an unfolded state;
[0020] Among them, there are a blade 1, a straight section 2, a folding pin 3, a positioning hole 4, a guide groove 5, a positioning pin 6, an actuating cavity 7, a spring 8, and a shifter 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the present invention discloses a novel foldable propeller used for launching unmanned aerial vehicles on multiple platforms.
[0022] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the foldable propeller is composed of a blade 1, a straight section 2, a folding pin 3, a positioning hole 4, a guide groove 5, a positioning pin 6, an actuating chamber 7, a spring 8, a shifter 9, etc. The blade 1 is rotatably connected to the straight section 2 through the folding pin 3. The blade root is provided with a positioning hole 4 and a guide groove 5; the straight section 2 is provided with an actuating chamber 7; the actuating chamber 7 is provided with a positioning pin 6 and a spring 8; and a shifter 9 fixed to the root of the positioning pin is also provided.
[0023] See also Figure 1 , Figure 2 When the blade is folded, the head of the positioning pin 6 is located in the guide groove 5, and the root of the positioning pin 6 acts on the spring 8, so that the spring 8 is in a compressed state.
[0024] like Figure 3 As shown, a working method of a foldable propeller,
[0025] When the aircraft is in the launch device, the propeller is constrained by the launch device and is in a folded state; when the aircraft is ejected from the launch device, the launch device constraint disappears, and at this time, under the combined action of the incoming aerodynamic force and the centrifugal force generated by the shaft drive, the propeller moves from the folded state to the unfolded state.
[0026] When the blade 1 changes from the folded state to the unfolded state, the positioning pin 6 moves relatively along the guide groove 5, and the shifter 9 moves in a directional manner under the constraint of the actuating chamber 7, and the spring 8 gradually stretches. After the positioning pin 6 moves to align with the positioning hole 4, the positioning pin 6 automatically inserts into the positioning hole 4, and the blade 1 is fixed in the fully unfolded position.
[0027] If the blade 1 needs to return from the unfolded position to the folded state, the shifter 9 is manually turned to compress the spring 8, the positioning pin 6 is pulled out from the positioning hole 4, and then the blade 1 is manually rotated to the folded position.
[0028] The foldable propeller designed as above in the present invention can be applied to an aircraft, wherein the aircraft comprises a fuselage, an engine and the foldable propeller designed as above, and the engine provides power for the foldable propeller.
[0029] The above specific implementation methods or implementation cases are only used to explain the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present application. Any parts not described in detail are deemed to be conventional technical means or common knowledge in the field. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that based on the design concept of the present application, the technical solutions recorded in the aforementioned implementation methods can also be adaptively modified, or some or all of the features therein can be replaced by equivalents. These modifications or replacements do not cause the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.
Claims
1. A foldable propeller, characterized in that: It includes a straight section and blades arranged on both sides of the straight section, and the blades on either side are rotatably connected to the straight section; a positioning hole and a guide groove are arranged at the root of the blade; an actuating chamber is arranged on the straight section; a positioning pin and a spring are arranged in the actuating chamber; a through hole is axially opened at one end of the actuating chamber near the root of the blade, and the spring is in a compressed state, with one end supporting the root of the actuating chamber and the other end supporting the end of the positioning pin; the end of the positioning pin is fixedly connected to the shift gear, and the other end can be extended along the through hole at the end of the actuating chamber under the action of the spring, and after being extended, it slides and cooperates with the guide groove at the root of the blade; during the deployment of the blade, the end of the positioning pin slides along the guide groove, and when the blade is fully deployed, the end of the positioning pin is just stuck in the positioning hole at the root of the blade, so as to realize the limited fixation of the blade.
2. A foldable propeller according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a folding pin, through which the root of the blade and the straight section are rotatably connected, and the blade can rotate around the folding pin.
3. A foldable propeller as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The root of the blade is arranged as a spherical structure, and a guide groove is arranged on the surface of the spherical structure of the root.
4. A foldable propeller according to claim 1, characterized in that: A spring seat is arranged at the root of the actuating cavity arranged on the straight section, and one end of the spring is fixed on the spring seat.
5. A foldable propeller as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: The cross section of the actuating chamber is Ω-shaped, which limits the spring.
6. A foldable propeller as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The shifter is in an I-shaped structure, with one end embedded in the actuating cavity and the other end placed outside the actuating cavity.
7. A foldable propeller as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: When the paddle in the unfolded state needs to be transformed back to the folded state, the shift lever is turned to compress the spring, the positioning pin is pulled out of the positioning hole, and then the paddle can be folded; When the blade is folded, the end of the positioning pin is located in the guide groove, and the root of the positioning pin acts on the spring, so that the spring is in a compressed state; When the blade changes from the folded state to the unfolded state, the positioning pin moves relatively along the guide groove and moves in a directional manner under the constraint of the actuating chamber, and the spring gradually stretches; after the positioning pin moves to align with the positioning hole, the positioning pin automatically inserts into the positioning hole, and the blade is fixed in the fully unfolded position; If the paddle needs to be returned to the folded state from the unfolded position, the shift lever is turned to compress the spring, the positioning pin is pulled out of the positioning hole, and then the paddle is rotated to the folded position.
8. An aircraft, comprising a fuselage, an engine and a foldable propeller as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the engine drives the propeller to provide thrust for the entire aircraft.
9. An aircraft according to claim 8, characterized in that: When the aircraft is in the launching device, the propeller is constrained by the launching device and is in a folded state; when the aircraft is ejected from the launching device, the launching device constraint disappears, and at this time, under the combined action of the incoming aerodynamic force and the centrifugal force generated by the shaft drive, the propeller moves from a folded state to an unfolded state.