A light and small fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle wing controllable folding and unfolding mechanism

Abstract

This invention discloses a controllable folding and unfolding mechanism for a lightweight fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The mechanism comprises a shell connected to the UAV fuselage, with a rotating shaft rotatably connected to the shell's axis. This rotating shaft is connected to one of the UAV's wings. A torsion spring is fitted onto the rotating shaft and connected to both the rotating shaft and the shell. A motion component is mounted on the rotating shaft to achieve controllable folding and unfolding of the UAV's wings. A control component and a locking component are respectively mounted on the shell to limit the position of the motion component in the folded state and in the unfolded state. This solution can control the folding and unfolding actions of the UAV wings under conditions without external force constraints, provide buffering before full unfolding, and lock the wings after full unfolding.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of foldable fixed-wing drones, specifically relating to a controllable folding and unfolding mechanism for the wings of a lightweight fixed-wing drone. Background Technology

[0002] As drone technology matures, the demand for drones in various sub-sectors is increasing. Some applications require drones to take off using airborne launch (airborne projection) or tube launch methods. This requires drones to occupy a smaller space volume before takeoff in order to increase the number of drones that can be carried at one time or to reduce the size of the launch tube. An effective way to reduce the space volume occupied is to use folding wings.

[0003] The foldable fixed-wing UAV launched by the tube uses a wing folding mechanism that achieves wing folding under the constraint of the launch tube. After the UAV is launched from the tube, the wing will automatically unfold when it is no longer constrained by the launch tube. However, UAVs launched by airborne launch do not have the constraint of the launch tube, cannot autonomously constrain the folded wing, and cannot achieve controllable wing unfolding. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a controllable folding and unfolding mechanism for the wings of a lightweight fixed-wing UAV, enabling the folding and controllable unfolding of the wings of a foldable fixed-wing UAV under conditions without external force constraints.

[0005] The specific technical solution for achieving the objective of this invention is as follows:

[0006] A controllable folding and unfolding mechanism for the wings of a lightweight fixed-wing UAV includes a housing, a rotating shaft, a torsion spring, a motion component, a control component, and a locking component.

[0007] The shell is connected to the drone fuselage, and a rotating shaft is rotatably connected on the axis of the shell, which is connected to one wing of the drone.

[0008] A torsion spring is fitted on the rotating shaft, with one end of the torsion spring connected to the rotating shaft and the other end connected to the housing;

[0009] A motion component is provided on the rotating shaft to enable the controllable folding and unfolding of the drone's wings;

[0010] The housing is provided with a control component and a locking component, wherein the control component is used to limit the position of the motion component in the folded state of the wing, and the locking component is used to limit the position of the motion component in the unfolded state of the wing.

[0011] Furthermore, the control components include a driver and a rocker arm;

[0012] The actuator is mounted on the housing, and its output is connected to the rocker arm. The rocker arm is adjusted in position via the output of the actuator to limit the position of the motion component in the folded state of the wing.

[0013] Furthermore, the locking assembly includes a locking seat and a locking pin;

[0014] The locking seat is mounted on the housing, and a locking pin mounting hole is provided on the top of the locking seat. The locking pin is elastically mounted in the locking pin mounting hole by a compression spring, and maintains a tendency to move vertically upward under the elastic action of the compression spring.

[0015] Furthermore, the motion component includes a motion disc, a pulley, and a locking pin hole;

[0016] The moving plate is located at the top of the rotating shaft, and the moving plate is provided with pulleys and locking pin holes;

[0017] The pulley works in conjunction with the rocker arm to limit the movement of the motion components.

[0018] Furthermore, the motion assembly also includes a pulley mounting shaft, a limiting block, and a limiting buffer;

[0019] The pulley is rotatably mounted on the pulley mounting shaft via a thin-walled bearing.

[0020] The limiting block is set on the moving plate, and a limiting buffer that cooperates with the limiting block is set at the corresponding position on the locking seat.

[0021] Furthermore, the rotating shaft and the housing are rotatably connected by two sets of bearing assemblies;

[0022] Each bearing assembly includes a main shaft, thin-walled bearings, and thrust bearings;

[0023] Among them, the thrust bearing and the thin-walled bearing are fitted into the main shaft;

[0024] Thin-walled bearings are located on the outside of the main shaft, while thrust bearings are located on the inside of the main shaft.

[0025] Furthermore, a wing mounting plate is provided on the rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft is connected to one side wing of the UAV through the wing mounting plate.

[0026] Furthermore, the controllable folding and unfolding mechanisms of the two wings of the UAV are connected by a synchronous gear set to achieve synchronous wing unfolding;

[0027] The synchronous gear set is connected to the rotating shaft of the controllable folding and unfolding mechanism of the wings on both sides.

[0028] Furthermore, the limiting buffer is installed in the limiting buffer mounting hole reserved on the locking seat and is locked by the quick-release set screw.

[0029] Furthermore, the bottom of the housing is provided with a plurality of torsion spring mounting holes in the circumferential direction, and one end of the torsion spring connected to the housing is disposed in the torsion spring mounting hole;

[0030] Different torsion spring mounting holes are selected based on the required rotational inertia of the UAV wing and the deployment time requirements, thereby adjusting the initial torque of the torsion spring.

[0031] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0032] (1) The solution of the present invention is based on the cooperation of the rotating shaft, the motion component, the control component and the locking component to realize the control of the folding and unfolding action of the UAV wing under the condition of no external force constraint, the buffer before unfolding to the full position and the locking after unfolding to the full position;

[0033] (2) In the present invention, the rotating shaft connected to the wing is rotatably connected to the shell through two sets of bearings. Each bearing set includes a thin-walled bearing and a thrust bearing. The two sets of bearings constrain the rotating shaft axially and radially, while increasing the axial and radial overload resistance of the rotating shaft, reducing the friction and play between the rotating shaft and the shell, and reducing the wing sway caused by the bearing clearance.

[0034] (3) In the solution of the present invention, when the driver of the control component drives the rocker arm to release the pulley, rolling friction is formed between the rocker arm and the pulley, which effectively reduces the friction force when the rocker arm releases the pulley, so that the driver can unlock the large moment of rotation wing with a small driving force, thereby achieving low power consumption and controllable unlocking.

[0035] (4) Since the moment of inertia of the wing is large when it is deployed, the solution of the present invention uses the combination of the limiting block and the limiting buffer to limit and buffer the wing deployment movement, reduce the impact and extend the service life; the limiting buffer made of lead material constitutes a lead damper, which can absorb the large moment of inertia when the wing is deployed and prevent the rebound phenomenon when the limiting block collides with the limiting buffer.

[0036] (5) In the present invention, after the wing is deployed, the locking pin of the locking assembly corresponds axially to the locking pin hole on the moving disk of the moving assembly. The locking pin is inserted into the locking pin hole under the elastic action, forming a locking effect on the moving assembly, so that the moving assembly can no longer rotate, thereby realizing the locking of the wing in the deployed state.

[0037] (6) The present invention provides multiple torsion spring mounting holes in the circumferential direction at the bottom of the shell. Different torsion spring mounting holes are selected to install torsion springs according to the rotational inertia of the wing and the requirements of the deployment time, thereby realizing the adjustment of the initial torque of the torsion spring.

[0038] The present invention will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0039] Figure 1 This is a front view schematic diagram of the controllable folding and unfolding mechanism of the lightweight fixed-wing UAV wing of the present invention in the folded wing state.

[0040] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the controllable folding and unfolding mechanism for the wings of a lightweight fixed-wing UAV of the present invention in the folded wing state.

[0041] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the controllable folding and unfolding mechanism of the lightweight fixed-wing UAV wing of the present invention in the unfolded wing state.

[0042] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the controllable folding and unfolding mechanism for the wings of a lightweight fixed-wing UAV of the present invention in the folded state. Detailed Implementation

[0043] Example

[0044] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0045] As indicated in this application and claims, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the words "a," "an," "an," and / or "the" do not specifically refer to the singular and may also include the plural. Generally speaking, the terms "comprising" and "including" only indicate the inclusion of explicitly identified steps and elements, which do not constitute an exclusive list, and the method or apparatus may also include other steps or elements.

[0046] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps described in these embodiments do not limit the scope of this application. It should also be understood that, for ease of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn to actual scale. Techniques, methods, and devices known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and devices should be considered part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following drawings denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it need not be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0047] Combination Figures 1 to 4 A controllable folding and unfolding mechanism for the wings of a lightweight fixed-wing UAV includes a housing 1, a rotating shaft 2, a torsion spring 3, a motion component, a control component, and a locking component.

[0048] The shell 1 is connected to the fuselage of the drone, and a rotating shaft 2 is rotatably connected on the axis of the shell 1. The rotating shaft 2 is connected to one wing of the drone.

[0049] A torsion spring 3 is sleeved on the rotating shaft 2, with one end of the torsion spring 3 connected to the rotating shaft 2 and the other end connected to the housing 1;

[0050] The shell is used to house the rotating shaft 2 and connect it to the drone fuselage. The rotating shaft 2 and the torsion spring 3 work together to realize the folding and unfolding of the drone wings.

[0051] The rotating shaft 2 and the housing 1 are rotatably connected by two sets of bearings.

[0052] Each bearing assembly includes a main shaft, a thin-walled bearing 4, and a thrust bearing 5;

[0053] In this design, a shim is added to each side of the thrust bearing 5, and then it is fitted into the main shaft together with the thin-walled bearing 4. The thin-walled bearing 4 is placed on the outside of the main shaft, and the thrust bearing 5 is placed on the inside of the main shaft.

[0054] Two sets of bearings constrain the rotating shaft 2 axially and radially, while increasing the axial and radial overload resistance of the rotating shaft 2, reducing the friction and play between the rotating shaft 2 and the housing 1, and reducing the wing sway caused by bearing clearance.

[0055] The rotating shaft 2 is equipped with a motion component for controlling the folding and unfolding of the drone's wings;

[0056] The housing 1 is provided with a control component and a locking component, wherein the control component is used to limit the position of the motion component in the folded state of the wing, and the locking component is used to limit the position of the motion component in the unfolded state of the wing.

[0057] In addition, in order to deploy the two wings of the drone simultaneously, the controllable folding and deployment mechanisms of the two wings are connected by a synchronous gear set to achieve synchronous wing deployment, increasing the flexibility of the structural design.

[0058] The synchronous gear set is connected to the rotating shaft 2 of the controllable folding and unfolding mechanism of the two wings, that is, the synchronous folding and unfolding of the two wings is achieved through the synchronous gear set.

[0059] More specifically: In this embodiment, the control component includes a driver 7 and a rocker arm 8;

[0060] The driver 7 is mounted on the housing 1. In this embodiment, it is mounted in a slot on the housing 1 to limit the movement of the motor. The output end of the driver 7 is connected to the rocker arm 8. The rocker arm 8 is adjusted in position through the output end of the driver 7 to limit the position of the motion component in the folded state of the wing.

[0061] In this embodiment, the driver 7 is implemented by a motor, and the rocker arm 8 is mounted on the output shaft of the motor.

[0062] The locking assembly includes a locking seat 9 and a locking pin 10;

[0063] The locking seat 9 is mounted on the housing 1 and is fixed to the housing 1 by screws. The top of the locking seat 9 is provided with a locking pin mounting hole. The locking pin 10 is elastically mounted in the locking pin mounting hole by a compression spring and maintains a vertical upward movement tendency under the elastic action of the compression spring.

[0064] The motion component includes a motion disc 11, a pulley 12, and a locking pin hole 13;

[0065] The motion disk 11 is located at the top of the rotating shaft 2. The motion disk 11 is provided with a pulley 12 and a locking pin hole 13. The locking pin hole 13 cooperates with the locking pin 10. When the wing is folded, the rocker arm 8 blocks the pulley 12, so that the motion component cannot rotate under the action of the torsion spring 3. At this time, the locking pin 10 is in elastic contact with the bottom of the motion disk 11.

[0066] The pulley 12 works in conjunction with the rocker arm 8 to limit the movement of the motion components.

[0067] Combination Figure 2 and Figure 3 It can be seen that the rocker arm 8 can adjust its position under the drive of the driver 7. When it is in the limit state, it can limit the movement disk 11 by contacting the pulley 12. When it is lifted under the drive of the driver 7, the pulley 12 loses its limit and the movement disk 11 rotates under the drive of the torsion spring 3 until it reaches the locked position.

[0068] When the wing is in the deployed state, the locking pin 10 is inserted into the locking pin hole 13 under the elastic action of the compression spring; the end of the locking pin 10 can adopt a conical structure, and the locking pin hole 13 adopts a conical hole that matches the end of the conical structure of the locking pin 10. The conical hole has a small fitting clearance and a small misalignment.

[0069] The motion assembly also includes a pulley mounting shaft 14, a limiting block 15, and a limiting buffer 16;

[0070] The pulley 12 is rotatably mounted on the pulley mounting shaft 14 via a thin-walled bearing. When the driver 7 drives the rocker arm 8 to release the pulley 12, rolling friction is formed between the rocker arm 8 and the pulley 12, which effectively reduces the friction force when the rocker arm 8 releases the pulley 12, so that the driver 7 can unlock the wing with a large moment of rotational inertia with a smaller driving force.

[0071] The limiting block 15 is set on the moving plate 11, and a limiting buffer 16 that cooperates with the limiting block 15 is set at the corresponding position on the locking seat 9; in this embodiment, the limiting buffer 16 is set in the limiting buffer mounting hole reserved on the locking seat 9 and is locked by the quick-release set screw 17.

[0072] The limiting buffer 16 is made of lead material. The moment of inertia of the wing when it is deployed is large. The limiting block 15 and the limiting buffer 16 work together to limit and buffer the wing deployment movement, reduce impact and extend service life. The limiting buffer 16 made of lead material constitutes a lead damper. The lead damper can absorb the large moment of inertia when the wing is deployed and prevent rebound when the limiting block 15 collides with the limiting buffer 16.

[0073] A wing mounting plate 6 is mounted on the rotating shaft 2. The rotating shaft 2 is connected to one side wing of the UAV via the wing mounting plate 6. The wing mounting plate 6 is bolted to the UAV wing.

[0074] The bottom of the housing 1 is provided with a plurality of torsion spring mounting holes 18, and one end of the torsion spring 3 connected to the housing 1 is provided in the torsion spring mounting hole 18.

[0075] Different torsion spring mounting holes 18 are selected according to the required rotational inertia of the UAV wing and the deployment time requirements, thereby adjusting the initial torque of the torsion spring 3.

[0076] The status of this solution during its implementation by the organization is as follows:

[0077] When the drone's wings are folded, the main wing is parallel to the fuselage, the torsion spring is in a state of energy storage, and the wing rotor is engaged with the unlocking device. Figure 2 As shown;

[0078] The torsion spring 3 is loaded and stored, giving the rotating shaft 2 an initial torque. Under the initial torque of the rotating shaft 2, the motion component tends to accelerate its rotational motion. The rocker arm 8 of the control component is in a horizontal position, the pulley 12 of the motion component is in contact with the rocker arm 8, the motion component is blocked by the rocker arm 8 along the tangential direction of the rotational motion, and the motion component is in a stationary state. The locking pin 10 of the locking component is in elastic contact with the bottom of the motion disk 11 of the motion component. At this time, the wing is in a folded state.

[0079] The wing deployment process and deployment state, such as Figure 3 As shown;

[0080] After receiving the unlocking control signal, the driver 7 of the control component controls the rocker arm 8 to rotate. When the rocker arm 8 releases the pulley 12 of the motion component, the torsion spring 3 releases its stored force to provide torque to the rotating shaft 2. The rotating shaft 2 drives the motion component to start accelerating its rotation. The locking pin 10 of the locking component makes elastic sliding contact with the bottom of the motion disk 11 of the motion component. When the limiting block 15 of the motion component collides with the limiting buffer 16, the motion component stops moving. The locking pin 10 of the locking component is axially aligned with the locking pin hole 13 on the motion disk 11 of the motion component. Under the elastic action of the compression spring, the locking pin 10 is inserted into the locking pin hole 13, forming a locking effect on the motion component, so that the motion component can no longer rotate and remains stationary. At this time, the wing completes the deployment process and is locked in the deployed state.

[0081] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A controllable folding and unfolding mechanism for the wings of a lightweight fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that, Includes housing (1), rotating shaft (2), torsion spring (3), motion assembly, control assembly and locking assembly; The shell (1) is connected to the fuselage of the UAV, and a rotating shaft (2) is rotatably connected on the axis of the shell (1). The rotating shaft (2) is connected to one wing of the UAV. A torsion spring (3) is fitted on the rotating shaft (2), with one end of the torsion spring (3) connected to the rotating shaft (2) and the other end connected to the housing (1); A motion component is provided on the rotating shaft (2) to realize the controllable folding and unfolding of the UAV wings; The housing (1) is provided with a control component and a locking component, wherein the control component is used to limit the position of the motion component in the folded state of the wing, and the locking component is used to limit the position of the motion component in the unfolded state of the wing; The control components include a driver (7) and a rocker arm (8); The driver (7) is mounted on the housing (1). The output end of the driver (7) is connected to the rocker arm (8). The rocker arm (8) is adjusted in position through the output end of the driver (7) to limit the position of the motion component in the folded state of the wing. The locking assembly includes a locking seat (9) and a locking pin (10). The locking seat (9) is provided on the housing (1). The top of the locking seat (9) is provided with a locking pin mounting hole. The locking pin (10) is elastically installed in the locking pin mounting hole by a compression spring and maintains a vertical upward movement trend under the elastic action of the compression spring. The motion component includes a motion disc (11), a pulley (12), and a locking pin hole (13). The moving disk (11) is located at the top of the rotating shaft (2), and a pulley (12) and a locking pin hole (13) are provided on the moving disk (11). The pulley (12) works in conjunction with the rocker arm (8) to limit the movement of the motion components.

2. The controllable folding and unfolding mechanism for the wings of a lightweight fixed-wing UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that, The motion assembly also includes a pulley mounting shaft (14), a limiting block (15), and a limiting buffer (16). The pulley (12) is rotatably mounted on the pulley mounting shaft (14) via a thin-walled bearing; The limiting block (15) is set on the moving plate (11), and a limiting buffer (16) that cooperates with the limiting block (15) is set at the corresponding position on the locking seat (9).

3. The controllable folding and unfolding mechanism for the wings of a lightweight fixed-wing UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating shaft (2) and the housing (1) are rotatably connected by two sets of bearings; Each bearing assembly includes a main shaft, a thin-walled bearing (4), and a thrust bearing (5). Among them, the thrust bearing (5) and the thin-walled bearing (4) are fitted into the main shaft; Thin-walled bearing (4) is located on the outside of the main shaft, and thrust bearing (5) is located on the inside of the main shaft.

4. The controllable folding and unfolding mechanism for the wings of a lightweight fixed-wing UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating shaft (2) is provided with a wing mounting plate (6), and the rotating shaft (2) is connected to one side wing of the UAV through the wing mounting plate (6).

5. The controllable folding and unfolding mechanism for the wings of a lightweight fixed-wing UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controllable folding and unfolding mechanisms of the two wings of the UAV are connected by a synchronous gear set to achieve synchronous wing unfolding. The synchronous gear set is connected to the rotating shaft (2) of the controllable folding and unfolding mechanism of the wings on both sides.

6. The controllable folding and unfolding mechanism for the wings of a lightweight fixed-wing UAV according to claim 5, characterized in that, The limiting buffer (16) is installed in the limiting buffer mounting hole reserved on the locking seat (9) and locked by the quick-release screw (17).

7. The controllable folding and unfolding mechanism for the wings of a lightweight fixed-wing UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the housing (1) is provided with a plurality of torsion spring mounting holes (18) in the circumferential direction, and one end of the torsion spring (3) connected to the housing (1) is provided in the torsion spring mounting hole (18); Different torsion spring mounting holes (18) are selected according to the required rotational inertia of the UAV wing and the deployment time requirements, thereby adjusting the initial torque of the torsion spring (3).

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