Miniaturized four-axis side rod of airplane
By designing a miniaturized quadcopter side stick that integrates multiple bearings and sensors, the problems of miniaturization and insufficient degrees of freedom of existing side sticks have been solved, achieving lightweight and multi-degree-of-freedom control and meeting the space requirements of the aircraft cockpit.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-27
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-14
AI Technical Summary
Existing aircraft side sticks are difficult to miniaturize due to their large size and weight, and they only have two degrees of freedom for control, which cannot meet the overall miniaturization design requirements of aircraft cockpits. This is especially true for helicopters, where yaw and vertical altitude control require additional equipment.
A miniaturized quadcopter side stick for aircraft was designed, integrating a universal joint assembly, a top cover assembly, a mask assembly, a housing, a base plate assembly, and a controller. It achieves four degrees of freedom control through various bearings and sensors, including yaw, pitch, roll, and vertical altitude manipulation.
It achieves lightweighting and miniaturization of the aircraft side stick, while increasing control freedom, saving cockpit space, integrating yaw and vertical control functions, and improving the flexibility of aircraft attitude control.
Smart Images
Figure CN121849347A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the technical field of aircraft cockpit side stick devices, specifically relating to a miniaturized four-axis control stick structure for aircraft. Background Technology
[0002] Aircraft cockpit sidesticks are typically used to control aircraft control surfaces. They are input devices through which the pilot sends control signals to the flight control computer (FNC). Their main function is to convert the pilot's actions into electrical signals, which are then transmitted to the FNC. The FNC processes these signals to create control signals for the control surfaces, thereby controlling the aircraft's attitude. Aircraft sidesticks are now widely used in aircraft cockpits. Common sidesticks have two degrees of freedom in two axes, allowing control of pitch and roll. Redundant angular displacement sensors are typically used to convert the control angle signal for each degree of freedom. In addition to these functions, aircraft sidesticks usually possess spring and damping characteristics. Spring force allows the sidestick to exhibit a certain return force; when the sidestick is not in the zero position, the spring force always acts as a force driving the sidestick back to zero. Damping characteristics prevent the pilot from making excessively rapid adjustments and also reduce the sidestick's zero-return overshoot and oscillation amplitude, improving the sidestick's dynamic characteristics.
[0003] As aircraft and low-altitude vehicles become increasingly smaller and lighter, the volume and space of aircraft cockpit equipment are also being compressed. Existing side sticks, due to their large size and weight, are not conducive to the overall miniaturization of the cockpit. Secondly, since side sticks only have two degrees of freedom, they can only control the aircraft's pitch and roll, while yaw control requires foot pedals. For helicopters, vertical altitude control also requires a collective pitch stick. Therefore, the arrangement of numerous devices has become a major challenge in the miniaturization design of aircraft cockpits. Summary of the Invention
[0004] This invention addresses the problem that aircraft side sticks are difficult to miniaturize and cannot be integrated with other aircraft attitude control devices such as pedals. It provides a miniaturized quadcopter side stick that can control the aircraft's attitude in four directions—yaw, pitch, roll, and vertical altitude—within a single side stick.
[0005] The technical solution of this invention is implemented as follows: A miniaturized quadcopter side stick for aircraft includes: a universal joint assembly, an upper cover plate assembly, a rear cover plate assembly, a left cover plate assembly, a right cover plate assembly, a front cover plate assembly, an outer shell, a bottom plate, a lower cover plate assembly, and a controller; The outer shell is a cube frame with a hollow center, which is the supporting part of the entire side rod. It provides mechanical mounting holes for the universal joint assembly, the top cover assembly, the four front, rear, left and right cover assemblies, the base plate, and the controller. The four mask assemblies, front, back, left, and right, are respectively installed on the four surfaces of the housing using screws and nuts; The universal joint assembly is connected to the inner ring of the first rolling bearing through the boss structure on the universal joint frame, while the outer ring of the first rolling bearing is installed with the housing through the bearing hole on the housing. The top cover assembly is mounted on the upper surface of the housing by screws. The top cover has a square through hole in the center, which allows the handle of the universal joint assembly to extend outward from the square through hole. The top cover assembly includes a flexible dust cover to prevent foreign objects from entering the side rod through the through hole. The base plate is mounted on the underside of the housing with screws, and the lower cover assembly is mounted on the lower surface of the base plate.
[0006] As a further aspect of the present invention: the universal joint assembly includes: a roll position sensor, a first roll bearing, a roll sensor magnet, a pitch control mechanism assembly, a second roll bearing, a bearing mounting plate, a roll spring force sensing assembly, and a roll damper. The pitch control mechanism assembly has a stepped shaft structure on both the front and rear sides. The two stepped shafts are coaxial and are used to install the first and second roll bearings. The bearing mounting plate is installed on the housing with screws, forming a frame integral with the housing. The outer ring of the first roll bearing mates with the bearing hole on the housing, and the outer ring of the second roll bearing mates with the bearing hole on the bearing mounting plate. The universal joint assembly can rotate around the central axis of the first and second roll bearings to generate the displacement of roll control. A section of shaft extends from the stepped shaft at the rear of the pitch control mechanism assembly, passing through the center hole of the second roll bearing and the bearing mounting plate, and a roll spring force sensing assembly is mounted on the outside. A cylindrical recessed hole is opened on the stepped shaft end face at the front of the pitch control mechanism assembly for bonding and installing the roll sensor magnet. The roll position sensor is mounted on the housing, with the center of its sensor chip aligned with the central axis of the roll sensor magnet. When the joystick generates a roll rotation, the roll sensor magnet rotates along with the pitch control mechanism assembly, generating relative motion with the roll position sensor mounted on the housing, thus producing an angular displacement. The pitch control mechanism assembly has an ear fork structure extending from the left front side for mounting the upper ear ring of the roll damper, while the lower ear ring of the roll damper is mounted on the corresponding ear fork structure on the base plate.
[0007] As a further embodiment of the present invention: the pitch control mechanism assembly includes: a pitch spring force sensing assembly, a first universal joint frame, a first pitch bearing, a yaw control mechanism assembly, a permanent magnet bracket, a pitch sensor magnetic field, a second pitch bearing, a second universal joint frame, a pitch position sensor, and a pitch damper. The yaw control mechanism assembly has a stepped shaft structure on each of its left and right sides for mounting the first and second pitch bearings and connecting them to the first and second universal joint frames. The stepped shaft on the left side has a threaded hole on its end face to provide an installation interface for the permanent magnet bracket in the pitch direction. The stepped shaft on the right side extends to the right from the bearing inner hole and the bearing hole of the first universal joint frame and passes through to mount the pitch spring force sensing assembly. The first and second universal joint frames are connected by screws to form a closed U-shaped frame. The pitch sensor magnet is bonded to the recess in the permanent magnet bracket and connected to the yaw control mechanism assembly through the aforementioned threaded hole. The pitch position sensor is installed on the left side surface of the second universal joint frame, with the center of its sensor chip aligned with the central axis of the pitch sensor magnet. When the joystick generates pitch rotation, the pitch sensor magnet rotates with the yaw control mechanism assembly, generating relative motion with the pitch position sensor installed on the second universal joint frame, thereby producing angular displacement.
[0008] As a further aspect of the present invention: the yaw control assembly includes: a handle, a yaw shaft, a pair of angular contact ball bearings, a needle roller bearing, a permanent magnet bracket, a yaw sensor magnet, a yaw shaft housing, and a yaw position sensor; The handle and the yaw shaft are connected by screws. The yaw shaft can transmit the yaw rotation motion generated by the handle to the yaw position sensor to detect the angular displacement of the yaw control. A pair of angular contact ball bearings are installed on the upper cylindrical shaft of the yaw shaft, and a needle roller bearing is installed on the lower cylindrical shaft. The outer rings of both the angular contact ball bearing and the needle roller bearing are connected to the yaw shaft housing, so the yaw shaft can rotate freely relative to the yaw shaft housing. The permanent magnet bracket is connected to the threaded hole on the lower end face of the yaw shaft via a threaded rod, and can rotate together with the yaw shaft during operation; the yaw sensor magnet is glued to the recess of the permanent magnet bracket and fixed to the permanent magnet bracket. The yaw position sensor is mounted on the lower end face of the yaw shaft housing by screws. The surface of the sensor chip is close to but not in contact with the surface of the sensor magnet. When the side stick produces a yaw control action, the sensor magnet and the yaw position sensor rotate relative to each other, thereby generating an angular displacement.
[0009] As a further aspect of the present invention: the permanent magnet support material is a non-magnetic material, which is used to isolate the sensor magnet from the yaw shaft, so as to avoid the magnetic steel material affecting the magnetic field line direction of the permanent magnet and improve the sensing accuracy.
[0010] As a further aspect of the present invention: a fork structure extends from the front side of the yaw shaft housing to provide an installation interface for the pitch damper.
[0011] As a further aspect of the present invention: the roll damper is a linear damper that can output a damping force proportional to the speed.
[0012] As a further aspect of the present invention: the pitch damper is a linear damper that can output a damping force proportional to the speed.
[0013] As a further aspect of the present invention: the vertical degree of freedom of the side rod is achieved by a cylindrical dial located at the rear of the upper end of the handle. This dial can rotate around its own axis and has a self-centering effect.
[0014] As a further aspect of the present invention, the bearing mounting plate is designed with two boss structures, which can limit the side rod roll control angle within the range of ±13°.
[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: 1. Compared with the common two-degree-of-freedom aircraft side stick, the present invention has more control freedom (four degrees of freedom), and the configuration of the present invention is compact, which takes into account both weight reduction and miniaturization while increasing the degree of freedom.
[0016] 2. This invention integrates the yaw and vertical control mechanisms into a single side stick, greatly saving cockpit space.
[0017] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Attached Figure Description
[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the direction definition of the aircraft side stick according to the present invention; Figure 2 This is an exploded structural diagram of the aircraft side stick assembly of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the yaw control mechanism component structure in this invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the pitch control mechanism component in this invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the roll control mechanism component structure in this invention; Figure 6 A simplified structural diagram of the pitch / roll damper mechanism; Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the motion of the pitch / roll damper; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the sensor mounting structure; Figure 9 A cross-sectional view of the yaw control mechanism component in this invention. Detailed Implementation
[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0020] In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention.
[0021] The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0022] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figures 1-9 The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below.
[0023] Example 1 This invention provides a miniaturized four-axis side stick for aircraft, comprising four tandem degrees of freedom for controlling the vertical, yaw, pitch, and roll attitudes of the aircraft.
[0024] The present invention includes a universal joint assembly, an upper cover plate assembly, a rear cover plate assembly, a left cover plate assembly, a right cover plate assembly, a front cover plate assembly, a housing, a base plate, a lower cover plate assembly, and a controller.
[0025] The outer casing is a hollowed-out cubic frame that provides mechanical mounting holes for the universal joint assembly, top cover assembly, four front, rear, left, and right cover assemblies, base plate, and controller. The four front, rear, left, and right cover assemblies are mounted to the four surfaces of the outer casing using screws and nuts. The top cover assembly is mounted to the upper surface of the outer casing with screws. The top cover has a square through-hole in its center, allowing the handle from the universal joint assembly to extend outwards. The top cover assembly includes a resilient dust cover to prevent foreign objects from entering the side rod through the through-hole. The base plate assembly is mounted to the lower side of the outer casing with screws, and the lower cover assembly is mounted to the lower surface of the base plate.
[0026] Furthermore, the universal joint assembly is installed with the inner ring of the first rolling bearing through the boss structure on the second universal joint frame, while the outer ring of the first rolling bearing is installed with the housing through the bearing hole on the housing.
[0027] Furthermore, the universal joint assembly includes: a roll position sensor, a first roll bearing, a roll sensor magnet, a pitch control mechanism assembly, a second roll bearing, a bearing mounting plate, and a roll spring force sensing assembly.
[0028] Furthermore, the pitch control mechanism assembly has a stepped shaft structure on both the front and rear sides, with the two stepped shafts being coaxial and used to install the first and second roll bearings.
[0029] Furthermore, the bearing mounting plate is mounted on the housing with screws, forming a frame integral with the housing. The outer ring of the first rolling bearing mates with the bearing hole on the housing, and the outer ring of the second rolling bearing mates with the bearing hole on the bearing mounting plate. The pitch control mechanism assembly can rotate around the central axis of the first and second rolling bearings to generate a rolling control displacement.
[0030] Furthermore, the pitch control mechanism assembly includes: a pitch spring force sensor assembly, a first universal joint frame, a first pitch bearing, a yaw control mechanism assembly, a permanent magnet bracket, a pitch sensor magnetic field, a second pitch bearing, a second universal joint frame, a pitch position sensor, and a pitch damper.
[0031] Furthermore, the first gimbal frame is connected to the second gimbal frame to form a closed U-shaped frame. The pitch sensor magnet is bonded to a recess in the permanent magnet bracket and connected to the yaw control mechanism assembly. The pitch position sensor is mounted on the left side surface of the second gimbal frame, with the center of its sensor chip aligned with the central axis of the pitch sensor magnet. When the joystick generates a pitch rotation, the pitch sensor magnet rotates with the yaw control mechanism assembly, creating relative motion with the pitch position sensor mounted on the second gimbal frame, thereby generating angular displacement.
[0032] Furthermore, the yaw control mechanism assembly has stepped shaft structures on both the left and right sides for mounting the first and second pitch bearings and connecting them to the first and second universal joint frames. The left stepped shaft has a threaded hole on its end face to provide an interface for mounting the permanent magnet bracket in the pitch direction. The right stepped shaft extends to the right from the bearing inner hole and the bearing hole of the first universal joint frame, and protrudes to mount the pitch spring force sensing assembly.
[0033] Furthermore, the yaw control assembly includes: a handle, a yaw shaft, a pair of angular contact ball bearings, a needle roller bearing, a permanent magnet bracket, a yaw sensor magnet, a yaw shaft housing, and a yaw position sensor.
[0034] Furthermore, the handle is connected to the yaw shaft, which transmits the yaw rotational motion generated by the handle to the yaw position sensor for detecting the angular displacement of the yaw control. A pair of angular contact ball bearings are installed on the upper cylindrical shaft of the yaw shaft, and a needle roller bearing is installed on the lower cylindrical shaft. The outer rings of both the angular contact ball bearings and the needle roller bearing are mated and connected to the yaw shaft housing, thus allowing the yaw shaft to rotate freely relative to the yaw shaft housing.
[0035] Furthermore, the permanent magnet bracket is connected to the threaded hole on the lower end face of the yaw shaft via a threaded rod, allowing it to rotate together with the yaw shaft during operation. The yaw sensor magnet is glued into the recess of the permanent magnet bracket, thus securing it to the bracket.
[0036] Furthermore, the yaw position sensor is mounted on the lower end face of the yaw shaft housing by screws. The surface of the sensor chip is close to but does not contact the surface of the sensor magnet. When the side rod produces a yaw maneuver, the sensor magnet and the yaw position sensor rotate relative to each other, thereby generating an angular displacement. The inner side of the yaw shaft housing has a limit boss, which limits the yaw maneuver angle to a specific range.
[0037] Furthermore, the vertical freedom of the side lever is achieved through a cylindrical dial located at the upper rear of the handle (where the thumb is when the hand is gripping it). This dial can rotate around its own axis and has a self-centering effect.
[0038] This invention discloses a miniaturized four-axis side stick for aircraft, which is significantly smaller in size and offers more degrees of freedom compared to the two-axis side sticks currently used in the aviation industry. This side stick has four degrees of freedom, allowing control of the aircraft in four directions: yaw, pitch, roll, and vertical altitude. The invention consists of four parts: a handle, a yaw axis, a pitch axis, and a roll axis. The handle has a dial for vertical axis control input. The roll axis includes a pitch axis assembly and a pair of deep groove ball bearings, allowing rotation around a roll bearing mounted on a housing. The pitch axis includes a yaw axis assembly and a pair of deep groove ball bearings, allowing rotation around a pitch bearing mounted on a universal joint frame. The yaw axis includes a handle assembly, a pair of angular contact ball bearings, and a needle roller bearing, allowing rotation around the bearing housing centerline on the yaw axis housing. Furthermore, the roll and pitch axes are connected to a damper mechanism, which provides damping force feedback to the pilot during operation.
[0039] Example 2 This invention provides a miniaturized quadcopter side stick for aircraft, the direction of which is defined as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the components constituting the present invention include: universal joint assembly 102, upper cover plate assembly 101, rear cover plate assembly 103, left cover plate assembly 104, right cover plate assembly 109, front cover plate assembly 106, housing 105, bottom plate 107, lower cover plate assembly 108, and controller 110.
[0040] The outer shell 105 is a cubic frame with a hollow center, which is the supporting part of the entire side rod. It provides mechanical mounting holes for the universal joint assembly 102, the upper cover plate assembly 101, the four front, rear, left and right cover plate assemblies, the base plate, and the controller.
[0041] The four mask assemblies, front, back, left, and right, are respectively installed on the four surfaces of the outer casing 105 using screws and nuts.
[0042] Universal joint assembly 102 is mounted to the inner ring of the first rolling bearing via a cylindrical boss on the universal joint frame, while the outer ring of the first rolling bearing is mounted to the housing via a bearing hole on the housing 105.
[0043] The top cover assembly 101 is mounted on the upper surface of the housing 105 by screws. The top cover has a square through-hole in the center, allowing the handle in the universal joint assembly 102 to extend outward through the square through-hole. The top cover assembly includes a resilient dust cover to prevent foreign objects from entering the side rod through the through-hole.
[0044] The base plate assembly is mounted on the underside of the housing 105 by screws, and the lower cover plate assembly 108 is mounted on the lower surface of the base plate.
[0045] The components that make up the universal joint assembly 102 include: a roll position sensor 401, a first roll bearing 402, a roll sensor magnet 403, a pitch control mechanism assembly 404, a second roll bearing 405, a bearing mounting plate 406, a roll spring force sensing assembly 407, and a roll damper 408.
[0046] The pitch control mechanism assembly 404 has a stepped shaft structure on both the front and rear sides, with the two stepped shafts coaxial, used to mount the first and second roll bearings. The bearing mounting plate is mounted on the housing 105 with screws, forming a frame integral with the housing. The outer ring of the first roll bearing 402 mates with the bearing hole on the housing, and the outer ring of the second roll bearing 405 mates with the bearing hole on the bearing mounting plate. The universal joint assembly 102 can rotate around the central axis of the first and second roll bearings, generating a roll control displacement.
[0047] A stepped shaft extends from the rear of the pitch control mechanism assembly 404, passing through the center hole of the second roll bearing 405 and the bearing mounting plate 406, and a roll spring force sensor assembly 407 is mounted on its outer side. The roll spring force sensor assembly provides a return force for the roll operation of the side stick.
[0048] The bearing mounting plate 406 is designed with two boss structures, which can limit the side rod roll control angle within the range of ±13°.
[0049] A cylindrical recess is provided on the stepped shaft end face at the front of the pitch control mechanism assembly for attaching and mounting the roll sensor magnet.
[0050] The roll position sensor is mounted on the housing 105, with the center of its sensor chip aligned with the central axis of the roll sensor magnet 403. When the joystick generates a roll rotation, the roll sensor magnet rotates with the pitch control mechanism assembly 404, generating relative motion with the roll position sensor 401 mounted on the housing, thereby producing an angular displacement.
[0051] The pitch control mechanism assembly has an ear fork structure extending from its left front side for mounting the upper ear ring of the roll damper 408, while the lower ear ring of the roll damper is mounted on the corresponding ear fork structure on the base plate 409.
[0052] The pitch control mechanism assembly includes: a pitch spring force sensor assembly 301, a first universal joint frame 302, a first pitch bearing 303, a yaw control mechanism assembly 304, a permanent magnet bracket 305, a pitch sensor magnet 306, a second pitch bearing 307, a second universal joint frame 308, a pitch position sensor 309, and a pitch damper 310.
[0053] The yaw control mechanism assembly 304 has stepped shaft structures on both its left and right sides for mounting the first and second pitch bearings (303, 307) and connecting with the first and second universal joint frames (302, 308). The left stepped shaft has a threaded hole at its end face to provide an interface for mounting the permanent magnet bracket 305 in the pitch direction. The right stepped shaft extends to the right from the bearing inner hole and the bearing hole of the first universal joint frame, and protrudes to mount the pitch spring force sensor assembly 301.
[0054] The first and second gimbal frames are connected by screws to form a closed U-shaped frame. The pitch sensor magnet is bonded to a recess in the permanent magnet bracket and connected to the yaw control mechanism assembly through the aforementioned threaded hole. The pitch position sensor is mounted on the left side surface of the second gimbal frame, with the center of its sensor chip aligned with the central axis of the pitch sensor magnet. When the joystick generates a pitch rotation, the pitch sensor magnet rotates with the yaw control mechanism assembly, creating relative motion with the pitch position sensor mounted on the second gimbal frame, thus generating angular displacement.
[0055] The yaw control assembly includes: a handle, a yaw shaft, a pair of angular contact ball bearings, a needle roller bearing, a permanent magnet bracket, a yaw sensor magnet, a yaw shaft housing, and a yaw position sensor.
[0056] The handle and yaw shaft are connected by screws. The yaw shaft transmits the yaw rotational motion generated by the handle to the yaw position sensor, which detects the angular displacement of the yaw control. A pair of angular contact ball bearings are installed on the upper cylindrical shaft of the yaw shaft, and a needle roller bearing is installed on the lower cylindrical shaft. The outer rings of both the angular contact ball bearings and the needle roller bearing are connected to the yaw shaft housing, so the yaw shaft can rotate freely relative to the yaw shaft housing.
[0057] The permanent magnet bracket is connected to the threaded hole on the lower end face of the yaw shaft via a threaded rod, allowing it to rotate along with the yaw shaft during operation. The yaw sensor magnet is glued to a recess in the permanent magnet bracket, thus securing it to the bracket.
[0058] The yaw position sensor is mounted on the lower end face of the yaw shaft housing by screws. The surface of the sensor chip is close to but not in contact with the surface of the sensor magnet. When the side stick produces a yaw control action, the sensor magnet and the yaw position sensor rotate relative to each other, thereby generating an angular displacement.
[0059] The permanent magnet support material is a non-magnetic material, such as aluminum, magnesium or other non-metals, used to isolate the sensor magnet from the yaw shaft, to prevent the magnetically conductive steel material from affecting the magnetic field lines of the permanent magnet, and to improve sensing accuracy.
[0060] The yaw shaft housing has a fork-like structure extending from the front, which provides an mounting interface for the pitch damper.
[0061] The roll damper is a linear damper that can output a damping force proportional to the speed.
[0062] The pitch damper is a linear damper that can output a damping force proportional to the speed.
[0063] The core structure of a traditional aircraft side stick is a two-degree-of-freedom universal joint mechanism, which allows the pilot to input control commands in two directions: pitch (X-axis) and roll (Y-axis). The core innovation of this invention lies in the core three-degree-of-freedom universal joint mechanism, which allows the pilot to input control commands in three directions: pitch (X-axis), roll (Y-axis), and yaw (Z-axis).
[0064] The two-degree-of-freedom universal joint mechanism utilizes the decoupling principle of spatial dual-axis orthogonality, allowing only two-directional control commands to be input. However, a maximum of three axes can be orthogonal in space. Theoretically, it is possible to inherit three orthogonal control axes through the universal joint structure, thereby allowing control commands to be input in three directions. Therefore, based on this theory, this invention adds a yaw axis to the traditional two-degree-of-freedom universal joint mechanism, allowing the pilot to input control commands in three directions. From the pilot's intuitive perspective, in addition to control actions such as pushing forward / pushing back and pushing left / right on the side stick, yaw can also be controlled by turning clockwise / counterclockwise.
[0065] In addition to the three-degree-of-freedom universal joint mechanism, a dial is designed on the handle to further increase the dimensionality of the mechanism, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the dial is independent of the three-degree-of-freedom universal joint. The pilot controls its rotation with his thumb, which allows the pilot to input collective pitch control commands to the aircraft, that is, to control the ascent and descent of the aircraft's rotors.
[0066] In general, this invention utilizes a three-degree-of-freedom universal joint mechanism and a dial wheel to form a four-degree-of-freedom control mechanism. Compared to the traditional aircraft side stick which only has pitch and roll control functions, this mechanism integrates four control axes and has control functions in four directions: pitch, roll, yaw, and collective pitch.
[0067] Thus, the objective of this invention has been achieved.
[0068] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A miniaturized quadcopter side stick for aircraft, characterized in that, include: Universal joint assembly, top cover assembly, rear cover assembly, left cover assembly, right cover assembly, front cover assembly, housing, base plate, lower cover assembly, and controller; The outer shell is a cube frame with a hollow center, which is the supporting part of the entire side rod. It provides mechanical mounting holes for the universal joint assembly, the top cover assembly, the four front, rear, left and right cover assemblies, the base plate, and the controller. The four mask assemblies, front, back, left, and right, are respectively installed on the four surfaces of the housing using screws and nuts; The universal joint assembly is connected to the inner ring of the first rolling bearing through the boss structure on the universal joint frame, while the outer ring of the first rolling bearing is installed with the housing through the bearing hole on the housing. The top cover assembly is mounted on the upper surface of the housing by screws. The top cover has a square through hole in the center, which allows the handle of the universal joint assembly to extend outward from the square through hole. The top cover assembly includes a flexible dust cover to prevent foreign objects from entering the side rod through the through hole. The base plate is mounted on the underside of the housing with screws, and the lower cover assembly is mounted on the lower surface of the base plate.
2. The miniaturized quadcopter side stick for aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that, The universal joint assembly includes: a roll position sensor, a first roll bearing, a roll sensor magnet, a pitch control mechanism assembly, a second roll bearing, a bearing mounting plate, a roll spring force sensing assembly, and a roll damper. The pitch control mechanism assembly has a stepped shaft structure on both the front and rear sides. The two stepped shafts are coaxial and are used to install the first and second roll bearings. The bearing mounting plate is installed on the housing with screws, forming a frame integral with the housing. The outer ring of the first roll bearing mates with the bearing hole on the housing, and the outer ring of the second roll bearing mates with the bearing hole on the bearing mounting plate. The universal joint assembly can rotate around the central axis of the first and second roll bearings to generate the displacement of roll control. A section of shaft extends from the stepped shaft at the rear of the pitch control mechanism assembly, passing through the center hole of the second roll bearing and the bearing mounting plate, and a roll spring force sensing assembly is mounted on the outside. A cylindrical recessed hole is opened on the stepped shaft end face at the front of the pitch control mechanism assembly for bonding and installing the roll sensor magnet. The roll position sensor is mounted on the housing, with the center of its sensor chip aligned with the central axis of the roll sensor magnet. When the joystick generates a roll rotation, the roll sensor magnet rotates along with the pitch control mechanism assembly, generating relative motion with the roll position sensor mounted on the housing, thus producing an angular displacement. The pitch control mechanism assembly has an ear fork structure extending from the left front side for mounting the upper ear ring of the roll damper, while the lower ear ring of the roll damper is mounted on the corresponding ear fork structure on the base plate.
3. The miniaturized quadcopter side stick for aircraft according to claim 2, characterized in that, The pitch control mechanism assembly includes: a pitch spring force sensor assembly, a first universal joint frame, a first pitch bearing, a yaw control mechanism assembly, a permanent magnet bracket, a pitch sensor magnetic field, a second pitch bearing, a second universal joint frame, a pitch position sensor, and a pitch damper. The yaw control mechanism assembly has a stepped shaft structure on each of its left and right sides for mounting the first and second pitch bearings and connecting them to the first and second universal joint frames. The stepped shaft on the left side has a threaded hole on its end face to provide an installation interface for the permanent magnet bracket in the pitch direction. The stepped shaft on the right side extends to the right from the bearing inner hole and the bearing hole of the first universal joint frame and passes through to mount the pitch spring force sensing assembly. The first and second universal joint frames are connected by screws to form a closed U-shaped frame. The pitch sensor magnet is bonded to the recess in the permanent magnet bracket and connected to the yaw control mechanism assembly through the aforementioned threaded hole. The pitch position sensor is installed on the left side surface of the second universal joint frame, with the center of its sensor chip aligned with the central axis of the pitch sensor magnet. When the joystick generates pitch rotation, the pitch sensor magnet rotates with the yaw control mechanism assembly, generating relative motion with the pitch position sensor installed on the second universal joint frame, thereby producing angular displacement.
4. The miniaturized quadcopter side stick for aircraft according to claim 3, characterized in that, The yaw control assembly includes: a handle, a yaw shaft, a pair of angular contact ball bearings, needle roller bearings, a permanent magnet bracket, a yaw sensor magnet, a yaw shaft housing, and a yaw position sensor; The handle and the yaw shaft are connected by screws. The yaw shaft can transmit the yaw rotation motion generated by the handle to the yaw position sensor to detect the angular displacement of the yaw control. A pair of angular contact ball bearings are installed on the upper cylindrical shaft of the yaw shaft, and a needle roller bearing is installed on the lower cylindrical shaft. The outer rings of both the angular contact ball bearing and the needle roller bearing are connected to the yaw shaft housing, so the yaw shaft can rotate freely relative to the yaw shaft housing. The permanent magnet bracket is connected to the threaded hole on the lower end face of the yaw shaft via a threaded rod, and can rotate together with the yaw shaft during operation; the yaw sensor magnet is glued to the recess of the permanent magnet bracket and fixed to the permanent magnet bracket. The yaw position sensor is mounted on the lower end face of the yaw shaft housing by screws. The surface of the sensor chip is close to but not in contact with the surface of the sensor magnet. When the side stick produces a yaw control action, the sensor magnet and the yaw position sensor rotate relative to each other, thereby generating an angular displacement.
5. The miniaturized quadcopter side rod for aircraft according to claim 4, characterized in that, The permanent magnet support is made of a non-magnetic material, which is used to isolate the sensor magnet from the yaw shaft, so as to avoid the magnetic steel material affecting the magnetic field lines of the permanent magnet and improve the sensing accuracy.
6. The miniaturized quadcopter side stick for aircraft according to claim 4, characterized in that, The yaw shaft housing has a fork-like structure extending from the front, which provides an mounting interface for the pitch damper.
7. The miniaturized quadcopter side stick for aircraft according to claim 2, characterized in that, The roll damper is a linear damper that can output a damping force proportional to the speed.
8. The miniaturized quadcopter side stick according to claim 3, characterized in that, The pitch damper is a linear damper that can output a damping force proportional to the speed.
9. The miniaturized quadcopter side stick for aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vertical freedom of the side lever is achieved through a cylindrical dial located at the rear of the upper end of the handle. This dial can rotate around its own axis and has a self-centering effect.
10. The miniaturized quadcopter side stick for aircraft according to claim 2, characterized in that, The bearing mounting plate is designed with two boss structures, which can limit the side rod roll control angle to within ±13°.