Modularized folding and unfolding supporting mechanism for carrying damaged aircraft

Abstract

The invention discloses a modular folding and unfolding supporting mechanism for carrying a damaged aircraft. The foldable truss is formed by connecting at least two foldable truss units. Each folding and unfolding truss unit comprises a middle vertical rod assembly, a supporting rod assembly, an upper chord structure, a lower chord structure, an inclined rod assembly and a power rod. The adjacent folding and unfolding truss units share one supporting rod assembly when connected, and therefore the peripheral frame type or grid type modular folding and unfolding supporting mechanism is formed. The invention has the following beneficial effects: the structure is compact, and the storage ratio is high; deployment is rapid and operation is efficient; the modular design is adopted, and adaptability is high; supporting is stable, safe and reliable; application is flexible, and rescue efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of foldable mechanical structures, and in particular relates to a modular foldable support mechanism for transporting damaged aircraft. The mechanism is suitable for ground support, posture adjustment or emergency transport of large objects, especially aircraft or their components. Background Art

[0002] As core equipment in modern transportation and defense, aircraft operation and efficient maintenance are of paramount importance. Professional support structures are urgently needed to ensure stable and reliable support for the fuselage, wings, landing gear, and other key components during aircraft manufacturing, routine maintenance, and in-depth overhauls, as well as emergency response after failures or accidents, such as transporting and restoring damaged aircraft.

[0003] Currently, traditional equipment and technologies used for aircraft support primarily rely on hydraulic or mechanical jacks and rigid support columns to provide support at specific load points. While simple in structure and with a defined load capacity, these methods are often bulky, have limited adjustment range and precision, and are time-consuming to deploy. They are particularly difficult to adapt to the irregular shapes of aircraft with misaligned or structurally damaged aircraft, and their portability and adaptability are particularly limited in emergency situations. Furthermore, the fixed rigid frame platforms commonly found in maintenance hangars or specialized ground support equipment are often designed for specific aircraft models, lacking versatility and being bulky, making them unsuitable for rapid transportation and operation in confined areas. While airbag-type lifting devices can adapt well to irregular surfaces and are commonly used in emergency rescue operations, their attitude control accuracy is low, their support rigidity is low, making them unsuitable for long-term, stable support, and they are susceptible to damage. Lifting and hoisting equipment such as cranes and truss cranes primarily focus on lifting and short-distance attitude adjustments, rather than providing continuous, stable, multi-point ground support. Furthermore, these devices are bulky, require a high-quality site, and are expensive to maintain.

[0004] In summary, existing technical solutions generally suffer from poor adaptability, difficulty coping with different aircraft types and complex ground conditions, low deployment efficiency, inconvenient storage and transportation, difficulty balancing structural rigidity and lightweighting, and low modularity and integration. Therefore, developing a new aircraft support mechanism with a compact structure, rapid deployment, strong adaptability, high load-bearing capacity, and easy modular expansion to overcome these many shortcomings of existing technologies has become a key technical challenge that needs to be urgently addressed in this field. This is particularly important in the fields of emergency rescue of damaged aircraft and efficient ground support, and has great practical significance and broad application prospects. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a modular folding and unfolding support mechanism for transporting a damaged aircraft.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the modular folding support mechanism for transporting damaged aircraft provided by the present invention is composed of at least two folding truss units connected together; each folding truss unit has a centrally symmetrical structure, including an intermediate vertical rod assembly, a pair of support rod assemblies symmetrically arranged on both sides of the intermediate vertical rod assembly, an upper chord structure connected to the upper part of the intermediate vertical rod assembly and the upper part of the pair of support rod assemblies, a lower chord structure connected to the lower part of the intermediate vertical rod assembly and the lower part of the pair of support rod assemblies, a pair of diagonal rod assemblies connected to the lower part of the intermediate vertical rod assembly and the upper part of the support rod assembly located on the same side, and a pair of power rods connected to the middle part of an diagonal rod assembly and the middle part of the support rod assembly located on the same side; adjacent folding truss units share a support rod assembly when connected, thereby forming a peripheral frame-type or grid-type modular folding support mechanism.

[0007] The intermediate vertical rod assembly includes a vertical rod, and an upper node and a lower node fixedly connected or integrally formed at the upper and lower ends of the vertical rod respectively; the upper node and the lower node are connecting components for connecting the upper chord structure, the lower chord structure and the diagonal rod assembly.

[0008] The pair of support rod assemblies are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the middle vertical rod assembly; each support rod assembly includes a support rod, a slider, an upper base and a lower base; the support rod is arranged vertically; the slider, the upper base and the lower base are all gear-like structures, and the center holes of the upper base and the lower base are respectively fixed at the upper and lower ends of the support rod; the slider is sleeved in the middle of the support rod through the center hole, so that it can perform reciprocating linear motion up and down along the axial direction of the support rod.

[0009] The upper chord structure is connected between the upper bases of the two support rod assemblies and the upper node of the middle vertical rod assembly, and includes two symmetrically arranged upper rods; one end of each upper rod is hinged between the upper parts of two adjacent gear teeth on the upper base of a support rod assembly, and the other end is hinged to one end of the upper node of the middle vertical rod assembly.

[0010] The lower chord structure is connected between the lower bases of the support rod assemblies on both sides and the lower node of the middle vertical rod assembly, and includes two symmetrically arranged lower rods; one end of each lower rod is hinged between two adjacent gear teeth on the lower base of a support rod assembly, and the other end is hinged to one end of the lower node of the middle vertical rod assembly.

[0011] The pair of diagonal rod assemblies are symmetrically arranged; each diagonal rod assembly includes at least one large diagonal rod and one small diagonal rod, and one end of the large diagonal rod and one end of the small diagonal rod are hinged together; the upper end of the diagonal rod assembly is hinged between the lower parts of adjacent gear teeth on the upper base of a support rod assembly through a rotating pair including a pin shaft, and is hinged to two identical gear teeth with the upper rod on the same folding truss unit, and the lower end is hinged to one end of the lower node of the intermediate vertical rod assembly through a rotating pair.

[0012] One end of each power rod is hinged to the upper part of an oblique rod assembly through a rotating pair, and the other end is hinged to two adjacent gear teeth on the sliding block of the corresponding support rod assembly through a rotating pair.

[0013] The modular folding and unfolding support mechanism for transporting a damaged aircraft provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0014] 1. Compact structure and high storage ratio: Through the symmetrical folding design and the introduction of power rods, the volume of the mechanism is significantly reduced in the folded state, effectively saving valuable loading space on the damaged aircraft trailer.

[0015] 2. Fast deployment and efficient operation: The slider drive mechanism cooperates with the power rod transmission, allowing the mechanism to quickly and synchronously convert from the retracted state to the deployed support state, and vice versa, significantly improving the trailer platform's operating efficiency at the emergency rescue site.

[0016] 3. Modular design and strong adaptability: The basic foldable truss units can be easily combined into modular foldable support structures of different shapes, thus being able to adapt to the diverse support needs of damaged aircraft of different sizes and shapes.

[0017] 4. Stable support, safe and reliable: The symmetrical truss structure design and the reliable locking mechanism of the diagonal rod assembly in the unfolded state ensure that the mechanism has excellent load-bearing capacity and structural stability, providing protection for the safe operation of the damaged aircraft towing platform under complex working conditions.

[0018] 5. Flexible application and improved rescue efficiency: This mechanism can be widely used in damaged aircraft towing, to provide temporary stable support, precise posture adjustment assistance for aircraft wings, fuselages, landing gear or other aircraft parts in accident or malfunction states, or to assist in fixation and shock absorption during transportation, thereby comprehensively improving the emergency rescue efficiency of the towing platform. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a foldable truss unit in a modular foldable support mechanism for transporting a damaged aircraft provided by the present invention when it is unfolded;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a foldable truss unit in a modular foldable support mechanism for transporting a damaged aircraft provided by the present invention when it is unfolded;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a folding truss unit in a modular folding support mechanism for transporting a damaged aircraft provided by the present invention when folded;

[0022] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of the configuration design of the foldable truss unit in the modular foldable support mechanism for transporting a damaged aircraft provided by the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 This is an enlarged view of the partial structure of the support rod assembly of the foldable truss unit in the modular foldable support mechanism for transporting a damaged aircraft provided by the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the movement process of the folding truss unit in the modular folding support mechanism for transporting a damaged aircraft provided by the present invention;

[0025] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a modular folding support mechanism composed of three of the above-mentioned folding truss units when unfolded;

[0026] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 The schematic diagram of the modular folding support mechanism shown is a structural diagram when it is folded;

[0027] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the modular folding support mechanism composed of 12 folding truss units described above when unfolded;

[0028] Figure 10 yes Figure 9 An enlarged view of a local structure of a support rod in the modular folding and unfolding support mechanism shown;

[0029] Figure 11 yes Figure 9 The schematic diagram of the modular folding and unfolding support mechanism shown is shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0031] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the modular foldable support mechanism for transporting damaged aircraft provided by the present invention is composed of at least two foldable truss units 100 connected together; each foldable truss unit 100 has a centrally symmetrical structure, including an intermediate vertical rod assembly 10, a pair of support rod assemblies 20 symmetrically arranged on both sides of the intermediate vertical rod assembly 10, an upper chord structure 30 connected to the upper part of the intermediate vertical rod assembly 10 and the upper parts of the pair of support rod assemblies 20, a lower chord structure 40 connected to the lower part of the intermediate vertical rod assembly 10 and the lower parts of the pair of support rod assemblies 20, a pair of diagonal rod assemblies 50 connected to the lower part of the intermediate vertical rod assembly 10 and the upper parts of the support rod assemblies 20 located on the same side, and a pair of power rods 60 connected to the middle part of one diagonal rod assembly 50 and the middle part of the support rod assembly 20 located on the same side; adjacent foldable truss units 100 share one support rod assembly 20 when connected, thereby forming a peripheral frame-type or grid-type modular foldable support mechanism.

[0032] The intermediate vertical rod assembly 10 serves as the central symmetry axis and one of the main load-bearing components of the entire folding truss unit 100, and includes a vertical rod 11, and an upper node 12 and a lower node 13 fixed to or integrally formed at the upper and lower ends of the vertical rod 11 in the middle; the upper node 12 and the lower node 13 are connecting components for connecting the upper chord structure 30 and the lower chord structure 40 and the diagonal rod assembly 50.

[0033] The pair of support rod assemblies 20 are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the middle vertical rod assembly 10; each support rod assembly 20 includes a support rod 21, a slider 24, an upper base 22, and a lower base 23; wherein the support rod 21 is arranged vertically; the slider 24, the upper base 22, and the lower base 23 are all gear-like structures, and the center holes of the upper base 22 and the lower base 23 are respectively fixed to the upper and lower ends of the support rod 21; the slider 24 is inserted into the middle part of the support rod 21 through the center hole, so that it can reciprocate linearly up and down along the axial direction of the support rod 21, thereby driving the expansion and contraction of the entire folding truss unit 100 and ultimately determining the expansion range of the folding truss unit 100. The upper base 22 and the lower base 23 not only enhance the connection strength between the support rod 21 and the upper chord structure 30 and the lower chord structure 40, but also provide an interface for installing the entire modular folding support mechanism on the damaged aircraft trailer platform.

[0034] The upper chord structure 30 is connected between the upper bases 22 of the two support rod assemblies 20 and the upper node 12 of the intermediate vertical rod assembly 10. It comprises two symmetrically arranged upper rods 31. One end of each upper rod 31 is hinged between the upper portions of two adjacent gear teeth on the upper base 22 of a support rod assembly 20, and the other end is hinged to one end of the upper node 12 of the intermediate vertical rod assembly 10. When the folding truss unit 100 is deployed, the upper chord structure 30 constitutes the top compression member of the folding truss unit 100 and becomes the load-bearing component that directly contacts and supports the damaged aircraft.

[0035] The lower chord structure 40 is connected between the lower bases 23 of the support bar assemblies 20 on both sides and the lower node 13 of the middle vertical bar assembly 10. It includes two symmetrically arranged lower bars 41. One end of each lower bar 41 is hinged between two adjacent gear teeth on the lower base 23 of a support bar assembly 20, and the other end is hinged to one end of the lower node 13 of the middle vertical bar assembly 10. When the folding truss unit 100 is deployed, the lower chord structure 40 forms the bottom tension member of the folding truss unit 100 and provides a foundation for the stable installation of the entire folding truss unit 100 on the damaged aircraft trailer platform.

[0036] The pair of diagonal rod assemblies 50 are symmetrically arranged and are key components for realizing the folding, unfolding and locking functions of the modular folding support mechanism; each diagonal rod assembly 50 includes at least one large diagonal rod 51 and one small diagonal rod 52, and one end of the large diagonal rod 51 and one end of the small diagonal rod 52 are hinged together; the upper end of the diagonal rod assembly 50 is hinged between the lower parts of adjacent gear teeth on the upper base 22 of a support rod assembly 20 through a rotating pair including a pin shaft, and is hinged to two identical gear teeth with the upper rod 31 on the same folding truss unit 100, and the lower end is hinged to one end of the lower node 13 of the intermediate vertical rod assembly 10 through a rotating pair.

[0037] The power rod 60 is the core connecting rod for transmitting driving force; one end of each power rod 60 is hinged to the upper part of an inclined rod assembly 50 through a rotating pair, and the other end is hinged between two adjacent gear teeth on the slider 24 of the corresponding support rod assembly 20 through a rotating pair.

[0038] The working process of the folding truss unit 100 is described as follows:

[0039] When a driving device on the damaged aircraft trailer platform, such as a hydraulic cylinder or an electric push rod, is used to drive the sliders 24 on a pair of support rod assemblies 20 to move upward synchronously, the sliders 24 accurately convert the linear motion into the rotational motion of each rod (small diagonal rod 52 and large diagonal rod 51) in the diagonal rod assembly 50 through the power rod 60 connected to it.

[0040] Since the diagonal rod assembly 50 is hinged to the upper base 22 of the support rod assembly 20 and the lower node 13 of the middle vertical rod assembly 10, and the upper rod 31 of the upper chord structure 30 and the lower rod 41 of the lower chord structure 40 are also hinged to the corresponding nodes and bases, the movement of the diagonal rod assembly 50 will drive the entire upper chord structure 30 and the lower chord structure 40 to produce coordinated geometric deformation, so that the entire folding truss unit 100 is Figure 3 The compact state shown is gradually unfolded, and during the unfolding process, Figure 2 As shown, until reaching Figure 1 Shown in fully deployed support position.

[0041] During the deployment process, due to the symmetrical structural design and synchronous drive, the movements of the mechanisms on both sides remain consistent, ensuring the smoothness and reliability of the deployment process.

[0042] When the folding truss unit 100 is fully unfolded to the preset working position, Figure 1As shown, the axes of the large diagonal rod 51 and the small diagonal rod 52 within each diagonal rod assembly 50 are precisely aligned, or slightly offset from a collinear position, forming a small, predetermined over-center locking angle. This geometric locking mechanism provides self-locking capability in the deployed state, resisting the tendency to collapse caused by external loads. This reliably locks the folding truss unit 100 in the deployed support state, providing continuous, stable support for the damaged aircraft without causing unintended retraction.

[0043] Conversely, when the folding truss unit 100 needs to be retracted from the expanded support state, the drive device drives the slider 24 to move downward synchronously. In the initial stage, an unlocking action is required to overcome the initial resistance of the over-center lock. Subsequently, the downward movement of the slider 24 drives the diagonal rod assembly 50 in the reverse direction through the power rod 60, thereby driving the upper chord structure 30 and the lower chord structure 40 to fold together, and finally the entire unit is smoothly and compactly restored to the original state. Figure 3 In the collapsed state shown, the unit occupies a minimum space, making it easy to transport or store on a damaged aircraft trailer platform.

[0044] In addition, the upper chord structure 30 is composed of two symmetrically arranged upper rods 31, and the lower chord structure 40 is composed of two symmetrically arranged lower rods 41. This rod system structure is clear and the force transmission path is clear.

[0045] The foldable truss unit 100 of the present invention can be considered to be composed of two unilaterally deployable sub-units symmetrically assembled around a central vertical rod assembly 10. Each unilaterally deployable sub-unit comprises a support rod assembly 20, an upper rod 31, a lower rod 41, a power rod 60, and a diagonal rod assembly 50. This modular concept of symmetrical assembly not only facilitates uniform force distribution and improves the overall stability of the structure, but also lays the foundation for subsequent larger-scale modular networking.

[0046] The movement of the upper sliders 24 of the pair of support rod assemblies 20 provides the primary driving force input for the rapid deployment and retraction of the folding truss unit 100 during operation on a damaged aircraft trailer. In certain designs, the rotation of the lower rod 41 can be designed as an auxiliary driving force input point, connecting with other movable components to coordinate the synchronous movement of the mechanisms on both sides, thereby enhancing deployment reliability and movement synchronization under complex operating conditions (e.g., uneven ground and uneven load) on a damaged aircraft trailer.

[0047] In order to further improve the adaptability to different damaged aircraft and different towing operation scenarios, the present invention adopts a modular design concept.

[0048] A typical structure of the modular foldable support mechanism for transporting damaged aircraft provided by the present invention is a peripheral frame type modular foldable support mechanism surrounded by three of the above-mentioned foldable truss units 100, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8 The peripheral frame-type modular foldable support mechanism is in the shape of a triangular prism, with three foldable truss units 100 arranged in an array at equal 60° circumferential angles. Adjacent foldable truss units 100 share a support rod assembly 20 when connected, thus forming an integral structure with a triangular cross-section.

[0049] This triangular prism-shaped modular folding support mechanism is very suitable for providing three-point stable support to a damaged aircraft on a damaged aircraft trailer platform due to the inherent stability of its triangular cross-section, or for providing local precise support to specific key parts of the damaged aircraft (such as the lower part of the engine compartment, near the main landing gear area, etc.) that require precise and stable support.

[0050] Figure 9 、 Figure 10 The figure shows a grid-type modular foldable support structure composed of 12 of the above-mentioned foldable truss units 100. These foldable truss units 100 are flexibly arranged and combined on the damaged aircraft trailer platform according to a predetermined networking method, thereby forming an integrated work platform capable of providing multi-point, large-scale and stable support for damaged aircraft of different types, sizes and degrees of damage. Figure 11 As shown, the above-mentioned grid-type modular folding support mechanism is supported on the wing of the damaged aircraft 200, and the unfolding height of each folding truss unit 100, the relative position and spacing between the folding truss units 100, etc. can be accurately adjusted according to the actual situation on site.

Claims

1. A modular folding and supporting mechanism for transporting a damaged aircraft, characterized by: The modular foldable support mechanism for transporting a damaged aircraft is formed by connecting at least two foldable truss units (100); each foldable truss unit (100) has a central symmetrical structure, comprising an intermediate vertical rod assembly (10), a pair of support rod assemblies (20) symmetrically arranged on both sides of the intermediate vertical rod assembly (10), an upper chord structure (30) connected to the upper part of the intermediate vertical rod assembly (10) and the upper parts of the pair of support rod assemblies (20), a lower chord structure (40) connected to the lower part of the intermediate vertical rod assembly (10) and the lower parts of the pair of support rod assemblies (20), a pair of oblique rod assemblies (50) connected to the lower part of the intermediate vertical rod assembly (10) and the upper parts of the support rod assemblies (20) located on the same side, and a pair of power rods (60) connected to the middle part of an oblique rod assembly (50) and the middle part of the support rod assembly (20) located on the same side; adjacent foldable truss units (100) share one support rod assembly (20) when connected, thereby forming a peripheral frame type or grid type modular foldable support mechanism.

2. The modular folding and unfolding support mechanism for transporting a damaged aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The intermediate vertical rod assembly (10) comprises a vertical rod (11), and an upper node (12) and a lower node (13) fixedly connected or integrally formed at the upper and lower ends of the vertical rod (11) in the middle; the upper node (12) and the lower node (13) are connecting components for connecting the upper chord structure (30) and the lower chord structure (40) and the diagonal rod assembly (50).

3. The modular folding and unfolding support mechanism for transporting a damaged aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pair of support rod assemblies (20) are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the middle vertical rod assembly (10); each support rod assembly (20) comprises a support rod (21), a slider (24), an upper base (22) and a lower base (23); wherein the support rod (21) is arranged vertically; the slider (24), the upper base (22) and the lower base (23) are all gear-shaped structures, and the center holes of the upper base (22) and the lower base (23) are respectively fixed to the upper and lower ends of the support rod (21); the slider (24) is sleeved on the middle part of the support rod (21) through the center hole, so that it can perform reciprocating linear motion up and down along the axial direction of the support rod (21).

4. The modular folding and unfolding support mechanism for transporting a damaged aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper chord structure (30) is connected between the upper bases (22) of the two support rod assemblies (20) and the upper node (12) of the middle vertical rod assembly (10), and includes two symmetrically arranged upper rods (31); one end of each upper rod (31) is hinged between two adjacent upper parts of the gear teeth on the upper base (22) of a support rod assembly (20), and the other end is hinged to one end of the upper node (12) of the middle vertical rod assembly (10).

5. The modular folding and unfolding support mechanism for transporting a damaged aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower chord structure (40) is connected between the lower bases (23) of the support rod assemblies (20) on both sides and the lower node (13) of the middle vertical rod assembly (10), and includes two symmetrically arranged lower rods (41); one end of each lower rod (41) is hinged between two adjacent gear teeth on the lower base (23) of a support rod assembly (20), and the other end is hinged to one end of the lower node (13) of the middle vertical rod assembly (10).

6. The modular folding and unfolding support mechanism for transporting a damaged aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pair of diagonal rod assemblies (50) are symmetrically arranged; each diagonal rod assembly (50) includes at least one large diagonal rod (51) and one small diagonal rod (52), one end of the large diagonal rod (51) and one end of the small diagonal rod (52) being hinged together; the upper end of the diagonal rod assembly (50) is hinged between the lower parts of adjacent gear teeth on the upper base (22) of a support rod assembly (20) through a rotating pair including a pin, and is hinged to two identical gear teeth on the upper rod (31) on the same folding truss unit (100); the lower end is hinged to one end of the lower node (13) of the middle vertical rod assembly (10) through a rotating pair.

7. The modular folding and unfolding support mechanism for transporting a damaged aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: One end of each power rod (60) is hinged to the upper part of an oblique rod assembly (50) through a rotating pair, and the other end is hinged between two adjacent gear teeth on a slider (24) of a corresponding support rod assembly (20) through a rotating pair.

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