Unmanned hydrofoil aircraft with mass center adjusting capability

Abstract

The invention discloses an unmanned hydrofoil aircraft with the mass center adjusting capacity. The unmanned hydrofoil aircraft comprises a floating body, a front hydrofoil, a rear hydrofoil, propellers and a hydrofoil cross beam. Belongs to the technical field of unmanned aircrafts. The floating body comprises the mass center adjusting system, and a weight in the mass center adjusting system can move, so that the mass center position of the unmanned hydrofoil aircraft is adjusted, the control quantity of the unmanned hydrofoil aircraft is increased, and the control difficulty is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aircraft, and in particular to an unmanned hydrofoil aircraft with the ability to adjust the center of mass. Background Art

[0002] An unmanned hydrofoil vehicle is an unmanned vehicle that uses hydrofoils as a source of lift. Its horizontal power comes from the thrusters and its gravity is offset by the lift of the hydrofoils.

[0003] The existing unmanned hydrofoil aircraft adopts a layout of two front and rear fixed hydrofoils and two thrusters. The advantage of this layout is that it has fewer moving parts and good reliability and maintainability. However, its disadvantage is that the aircraft motion model is a 6-DOF rigid body strongly coupled nonlinear system. It relies on two control quantities to control the 6-DOF aircraft, which has obvious under-actuated characteristics and is difficult to control.

[0004] In order to solve the under-actuation problem, the control amount needs to be increased, while at the same time, the number of moving parts should be as small as possible and the maintainability should be good. Summary of the invention

[0005] Based on this, it is necessary to propose an unmanned hydrofoil vehicle with the ability to adjust the center of mass to address the above problems. By adding a center of mass adjustment system in the float, the center of mass position of the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle is adjusted through the movement of the mass block, thereby increasing the control amount of the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle and reducing the control difficulty.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0007] An unmanned hydrofoil vehicle with mass center adjustment capability, characterized in that it comprises a floating body, a front hydrofoil, a rear hydrofoil, a propeller, a hydrofoil cross beam, and a connecting vertical rod;

[0008] A center of mass adjustment system is installed in the buoy, and the center of mass adjustment system includes a first mass block unit that moves back and forth along the forward direction of the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle and / or a second mass block unit that is perpendicular to the movement direction of the first mass block unit;

[0009] The front hydrofoil is fixed to the front end of the hydrofoil cross beam, and the rear hydrofoil is fixed to the rear end of the hydrofoil cross beam;

[0010] The front hydrofoil comprises a left front hydrofoil and a right front hydrofoil, the left front hydrofoil and the right front hydrofoil are symmetrical about a symmetry plane, and the rear hydrofoil is symmetrical about the symmetry plane;

[0011] The propellers include two, which are respectively located on both sides of the symmetry plane and are symmetrically distributed, and the propellers are connected to the connecting vertical rods through propeller connectors;

[0012] The floating body is connected to the middle part of the hydrofoil cross beam through a connecting vertical rod, and the floating body is located above the propeller;

[0013] When the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle is located in the water and the propeller is not working, the buoyancy provided by the float enables the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle to float on the water surface;

[0014] When the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle is located in the water and the propulsion force of the propeller reaches a set value, the floating body leaves the water surface, and the gravity of the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle is offset by the lift provided by the front hydrofoil and the rear hydrofoil.

[0015] Furthermore, the connecting vertical rod is symmetrical about the symmetry plane, the hydrofoil cross beam is symmetrical about the symmetry plane, and the axis of the connecting vertical rod is perpendicular to the axis of the hydrofoil cross beam.

[0016] Further, the first mass block unit includes a first mass block, a first slide rail and a first driving assembly, and the first driving assembly drives the first mass block to move back and forth along the first slide rail; the first slide rail coincides with the symmetry plane;

[0017] The second mass block unit includes a second mass block, a second slide rail and a second driving assembly, wherein the second driving assembly drives the second mass block to move back and forth along the second slide rail; the second slide rail is perpendicular to the symmetry plane.

[0018] Further, the first drive assembly includes a first motor and a first transmission, the first transmission is connected to the first mass block, the first motor rotates to drive the first transmission, and the first transmission drives the first mass block to move, so that the center of mass of the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle changes;

[0019] The second drive assembly includes a second motor and a second transmission. The second transmission is connected to the second mass block. The second motor rotates to drive the second transmission. The second transmission drives the second mass block to move, causing the center of mass of the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle to change.

[0020] Furthermore, a watertight compartment is provided in the floating body, and a power supply system and a controller are installed in the watertight compartment; and a communication antenna is also provided on the floating body.

[0021] Furthermore, the interior of the connecting vertical rod and the thruster connecting piece are provided with interconnected cable channels, and the controller and the energy supply system control the drive motor and the thruster through the cables in the cable channels.

[0022] Furthermore, the propeller is located above the hydrofoil cross beam and between the front hydrofoil and the rear hydrofoil, and the propulsion direction of the propeller is substantially parallel to the hydrofoil cross beam.

[0023] Furthermore, the leading edges of the front hydrofoil and the rear hydrofoil are arc-shaped.

[0024] Furthermore, the mission load can be increased below the hydrofoil beam and on the floating body.

[0025] Implementing the embodiments of the present invention will have the following beneficial effects:

[0026] By adding a center of mass adjustment system to the float, the center of mass position of the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle can be accurately controlled, which is equivalent to adding one control variable to the vehicle control. This structure can be watertight and simple and reliable, so it can still maintain good reliability and maintainability with less control difficulty. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0028] in:

[0029] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the principle of the hydrofoil.

[0030] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the hydrofoil cross section.

[0031] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the position of the symmetry plane in the present invention.

[0033] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the floating structure of specific embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the floating body structure of specific embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the floating body structure of specific embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the floating body structure of specific embodiment 4 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] Hydrofoil is a wing that moves in water. Figure 1 As shown in the figure, when the hydrofoil moves in the water, the hydrofoil has a certain angle of attack with the incoming flow, and the wing section has a camber, so the pressure generated on the upper and lower surfaces is different, and the pressure on the lower surface is greater than that on the upper surface, thereby generating lift. Since the density of water is 800 times that of air, the hydrofoil has a large lift, and a smaller hydrofoil area can generate a larger lift.

[0039] The hydrofoil in the specific embodiment of the present invention adopts a sub-low-frequency airfoil with a round head and a pointed tail, and its dynamic characteristics are basically consistent with those of the wing. The thickness is about 12% of the chord length. The hydrofoil symmetry plane coincides with the chord of the wing section in the middle of the hydrofoil. The wing plane of the hydrofoil coincides with the chord of the wing section in the middle of the hydrofoil and is perpendicular to the hydrofoil symmetry plane. Figure 2 The structure of the right half of the hydrofoil is shown, and the right section in the figure is the symmetry plane of the hydrofoil.

[0040] As a type of surface vehicle, in its control field, the controlled object (vehicle) is considered to be a rigid body with six degrees of freedom, namely translation along three orthogonal directions and rotation around these three directions. In order to effectively control the vehicle, a sufficient number of control quantities are required. In the field of vehicles, the common treatment scheme revolves around the thruster, with the aim of increasing the number of directions in which the thruster water jets out. One feasible solution is to change the fixed installation mode of the thruster to a vector propulsion installation mode, that is, the thruster can rotate around at least one axis. Another feasible way is to add a rudder blade or a ducted rudder behind the thruster, that is, to deflect the water flow without the thruster moving.

[0041] The above solutions are relatively common means in surface vehicles, but the use of the above technical solutions requires the addition of corresponding motors and mechanical structures at or behind the mounting base of each propeller, which will cause the structure to be bloated and increase underwater resistance. One of the design requirements of unmanned hydrofoil vehicles is to maximize the range under the condition of a certain energy (given battery power), that is, to keep the water resistance as small as possible. Therefore, the above technical solutions conflict with the design requirements of unmanned hydrofoil vehicles in terms of water resistance, and other solutions need to be adopted to solve the problem of insufficient control.

[0042] The present invention changes the center of mass of the aircraft by adding a mass adjustment system in the floating body and adding a mass block that moves back and forth in the forward direction and / or the side direction. This solution has a mature structure and does not increase water resistance, meeting the design requirements of the unmanned hydrofoil aircraft in terms of water resistance.

[0043] Please refer to Figure 3 The present invention discloses an unmanned hydrofoil vehicle with a fully movable rear hydrofoil, comprising a floating body 1, a front hydrofoil 2, a rear hydrofoil 3, a propeller 4, a hydrofoil cross beam 5, and a connecting vertical rod 6. From top to bottom, the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle comprises a floating body 1, a propeller 4, a front hydrofoil 2, and a rear hydrofoil 3, and the above components are fixed to the connecting vertical rod 6 through respective connecting pieces.

[0044] For ease of description, the center of mass of the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle is selected as the origin, its forward direction is the x-direction, the z-axis is vertically upward, and oxyz is the right-hand rectangular coordinate system. Therefore, the six degrees of freedom of the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle are translation along the forward horizontal x-direction, translation in the horizontal y-direction, translation in the vertical z-direction (sinking and floating), rotation around the x-axis (rolling), rotation around the y-axis (pitch), and rotation around the z-axis.

[0045] The front hydrofoil 2 includes a left front hydrofoil and a right front hydrofoil, the left front hydrofoil and the right front hydrofoil are symmetrical about the symmetry plane 8, and the rear hydrofoil is symmetrical about the symmetry plane 8;

[0046] like Figure 4 As shown, the front hydrofoil 2 has a symmetry plane 8, namely the xoz plane, and the rear hydrofoil 3 is also symmetrical about the symmetry plane 8. The wing planes of the front hydrofoil 2 and the rear hydrofoil 3 can be in the same horizontal plane, or they can be in different horizontal planes. The wing planes of the front hydrofoil 2 and the rear hydrofoil 3 can have a certain angle with the xoy plane, or they can be parallel to the xoy plane. The leading edges of the front hydrofoil 2 and the rear hydrofoil 3 are arc-shaped.

[0047] From the perspective of structural control convenience, in a specific embodiment, the connecting vertical rod 6 is symmetrical about the symmetry plane 8, and the hydrofoil cross beam 5 is symmetrical about the symmetry plane 8. As a preferred embodiment, the hydrofoil cross beam may be parallel to the x-axis, or have a small angle with the x-axis. Further, the axis of the connecting vertical rod 6 is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the hydrofoil cross beam 5, or parallel to the z-axis.

[0048] The propellers 4 include two, which are respectively located on both sides of the symmetry plane 8 and are symmetrically distributed. In the specific embodiment of the present invention, there are two. The propellers 4 are connected to the connecting vertical rod 6 through the propeller connector 7. The propellers 4 are located above the hydrofoil cross beam 5 and between the front hydrofoil 2 and the rear hydrofoil 3. The propulsion direction of the propellers 4 is substantially parallel to the hydrofoil cross beam 5.

[0049] The floating body 1 is connected to the middle of the hydrofoil beam 5 via a connecting vertical rod 6 , and the floating body 1 is located above the propeller 4 .

[0050] A center of mass adjustment system is installed in the buoy, and the center of mass adjustment system includes a first mass block unit that moves back and forth along the forward direction of the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle and / or a second mass block unit that is perpendicular to the movement direction of the first mass block unit.

[0051] The first mass block unit includes a first mass block, a first slide rail and a first drive assembly, the first drive assembly drives the first mass block to move back and forth along the first slide rail; the first slide rail coincides with the symmetry plane; the first drive assembly includes a first motor and a first transmission, the first transmission is connected to the first mass block, the first motor rotates to drive the first transmission, and the first transmission drives the first mass block to move, so that the center of mass of the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle changes.

[0052] The second mass block unit includes a second mass block, a second slide rail and a second drive assembly, and the second drive assembly drives the second mass block to move back and forth along the second slide rail; the second slide rail is perpendicular to the symmetry plane; the second drive assembly includes a second motor and a second transmission, and the second transmission is connected to the second mass block. The second motor rotates to drive the second transmission, and the second transmission drives the second mass block to move, so that the center of mass of the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle changes.

[0053] From the perspective of control decoupling, it is easy to think of a solution to set a mass block in the x-axis direction and / or the y-axis direction to adjust the center of mass. As an alternative, it is technically feasible to select a direction that is not parallel to the x-axis or y-axis as the direction of motion of the mass block, or to select two non-orthogonal directions of motion, but it is generally not selected because it is not decoupled from the direction of motion.

[0054] Please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the floating structure of the specific embodiment 1. In the specific embodiment 1, a first mass block unit 11 is provided in the floating body 1, including a first mass block 111, a first slide rail 112 and a first drive assembly 113. The first drive assembly 113 drives the first mass block 111 to move back and forth along the first slide rail 112. The axis of the first slide rail 112 is located in the symmetry plane and parallel to the x-axis. In this specific embodiment, the first drive assembly 113 is a motor driven screw transmission. This structure is well known and will not be described in detail.

[0055] Please refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6Schematic diagram of the floating structure of the specific embodiment 2. In the specific embodiment 2, a second mass block unit 12 is provided in the floating body 1, including a second mass block 121, a second slide rail 122, and a second drive assembly 123. The second drive assembly 123 drives the second mass block 121 to move back and forth along the second slide rail 122. The axis of the second slide rail 122 is perpendicular to the symmetry plane and parallel to the y-axis. In this specific embodiment, the second drive assembly 123 is a motor driving a screw through a gear set. This structure is well known and will not be described in detail.

[0056] Please refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 3 is a schematic diagram of the floating structure of the specific embodiment 3. In the specific embodiment 3, a first mass block unit 13 and a second mass block unit 14 are provided in the floating body 1. In this specific embodiment, the second mass block unit 14 is located in front of the first mass block unit 13. Obviously, the second mass block unit 14 can also be located behind the first mass block unit 13.

[0057] The first mass block unit 13 includes a first mass block 131, a first slide rail 132 and a first driving assembly 133. The first driving assembly 133 drives the first mass block 131 to move back and forth along the first slide rail 132. The axis of the first slide rail 132 is located in the symmetry plane and parallel to the x-axis. The second mass block unit 14 includes a second mass block 141, a second slide rail 142 and a second driving assembly 143. The second driving assembly 143 drives the second mass block 141 to move back and forth along the second slide rail 142. The axis of the second slide rail 142 is perpendicular to the symmetry plane and parallel to the y-axis. In this specific embodiment, the first driving assembly 133 is driven by a motor to drive a screw, and the second driving assembly 143 is driven by a motor through a gear set to drive a screw. These structures are well known and will not be described in detail.

[0058] Please refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the floating structure of the specific embodiment 4. In the specific embodiment 4, a first mass block unit 15 and a second mass block unit 16 are provided in the floating body 1, which are overlapped and orthogonal. In this specific embodiment, the second mass block unit 16 is located above the first mass block unit 15. Obviously, the second mass block unit 16 can also be located below the first mass block unit 15.

[0059] The first mass block unit 15 includes a first mass block 151, a first slide rail 152 and a first driving assembly 153. The first driving assembly 153 drives the first mass block 151 to move back and forth along the first slide rail 152. In this specific embodiment, there are two first slide rails 152, which are symmetrical about the symmetry plane and whose axes are parallel to the x-axis. The second mass block unit 16 is installed on the first mass block 151, and includes a second mass block 161, a second slide rail 162 and a second driving assembly 163. The second driving assembly 163 drives the second mass block 161 to move back and forth along the second slide rail 162. The axis of the second slide rail 162 is perpendicular to the symmetry plane and parallel to the y-axis.

[0060] In this specific embodiment, the first drive assembly 153 is a screw transmission driven by two synchronous motors, and the second drive assembly 163 is a screw transmission driven by a motor through a gear set. These structures are well known and will not be described in detail.

[0061] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the manner in which the first drive assembly and / or the second drive assembly drives the mass to move should not be restricted, that is, all feasible linear drive schemes should be considered to be within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0062] When the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle is in the water and the propeller 4 is not working, the buoyancy provided by the float 1 enables the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle to float on the water surface.

[0063] When the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle is in the water and the propulsion force of the propeller 4 reaches a set value, the floating body 1 leaves the water surface, and the gravity of the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle is offset by the lift provided by the front hydrofoil 2 and the rear hydrofoil 3 .

[0064] Mission loads can be added below the hydrofoil beam 5 and on the floating body 1. Mission loads can include sonar and pan / tilt platform. The sonar is provided below the hydrofoil beam 5, and the pan / tilt platform is provided on the floating body 1. Infrared cameras, cameras, etc. can be installed to shoot water surface images, and broadcasting speakers can also be installed to warn and drive away targets. Underwater cameras can also be provided below the hydrofoil beam 5 to record underwater images. Mission loads can also be micro underwater robots or other loads.

[0065] There is also a watertight compartment inside the buoy, in which the energy supply system and controller are installed; there is also a communication antenna on the buoy. The controller includes hardware equipment such as attitude sensors, radars, rangefinders, GPS / Beidou global positioning systems, which enable the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle to work unmanned, as well as software systems such as power control systems, path planning and navigation obstacle avoidance systems, and communication control systems.

[0066] A cable channel is provided between the interior of the connecting vertical rod 10 and the thruster connecting member 9, and the energy supply system and the controller control the driving motor 11 and the thruster 4 through the cables in the cable channel.

[0067] The technical features of the above embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0068] The above embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the present application. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. An unmanned hydrofoil vehicle with mass center adjustment capability, characterized in that: It includes a floating body, a front hydrofoil, a rear hydrofoil, a propeller, a hydrofoil beam, and a connecting vertical rod; A center of mass adjustment system is installed in the buoy, and the center of mass adjustment system includes a first mass block unit that moves back and forth along the forward direction of the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle and / or a second mass block unit that is perpendicular to the movement direction of the first mass block unit; The front hydrofoil is fixed to the front end of the hydrofoil cross beam, and the rear hydrofoil is fixed to the rear end of the hydrofoil cross beam; The front hydrofoil comprises a left front hydrofoil and a right front hydrofoil, the left front hydrofoil and the right front hydrofoil are symmetrical about a symmetry plane, and the rear hydrofoil is symmetrical about the symmetry plane; The propellers include two, which are respectively located on both sides of the symmetry plane and are symmetrically distributed, and the propellers are connected to the connecting vertical rods through propeller connectors; The floating body is connected to the middle part of the hydrofoil cross beam through a connecting vertical rod, and the floating body is located above the propeller; When the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle is located in the water and the propeller is not working, the buoyancy provided by the float enables the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle to float on the water surface; When the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle is located in the water and the propulsion force of the propeller reaches a set value, the floating body leaves the water surface, and the gravity of the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle is offset by the lift provided by the front hydrofoil and the rear hydrofoil.

2. The unmanned hydrofoil vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting vertical rod is symmetrical with respect to the symmetry plane, the hydrofoil cross beam is symmetrical with respect to the symmetry plane, and the axis of the connecting vertical rod is perpendicular to the axis of the hydrofoil cross beam.

3. The unmanned hydrofoil vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first mass block unit comprises a first mass block, a first slide rail and a first driving assembly, wherein the first driving assembly drives the first mass block to move back and forth along the first slide rail; the first slide rail coincides with the symmetry plane; The second mass block unit includes a second mass block, a second slide rail and a second driving assembly, wherein the second driving assembly drives the second mass block to move back and forth along the second slide rail; the second slide rail is perpendicular to the symmetry plane.

4. The unmanned hydrofoil vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first drive assembly includes a first motor and a first transmission, the first transmission is connected to the first mass block, the first motor rotates to drive the first transmission, and the first transmission drives the first mass block to move, so that the center of mass of the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle changes; The second drive assembly includes a second motor and a second transmission. The second transmission is connected to the second mass block. The second motor rotates to drive the second transmission. The second transmission drives the second mass block to move, causing the center of mass of the unmanned hydrofoil vehicle to change.

5. The unmanned hydrofoil vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that: The floating body is also provided with a watertight compartment, in which a power supply system and a controller are installed; the floating body is also provided with a communication antenna.

6. The unmanned hydrofoil vehicle according to claim 5, characterized in that: The interior of the connecting vertical rod and the thruster connecting piece are provided with interconnected cable channels, and the controller and the energy supply system control the drive motor and the thruster through the cables in the cable channels.

7. The unmanned hydrofoil vehicle according to claim 6, characterized in that: The propeller is located above the hydrofoil cross beam and between the front hydrofoil and the rear hydrofoil, and the propulsion direction of the propeller is substantially parallel to the hydrofoil cross beam.

8. The unmanned hydrofoil vehicle according to claim 7, characterized in that: The leading edges of the front hydrofoil and the rear hydrofoil are arc-shaped.

9. The unmanned hydrofoil vehicle according to claim 8, characterized in that: The mission load can be increased below the hydrofoil beam and on the floating body.

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