Coaxial double-rotor-wing type water unmanned aerial vehicle and using method thereof

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of aircraft design and control, and relates to a coaxial double-rotor type water unmanned aerial vehicle and a use method thereof. Comprising a power component and a mounting component, the mounting component and the power component are structurally connected through a bolt, electrification is achieved through an aviation connector, the outer side of the lower portion of the power component is wrapped with a floating-assisting air bag, and the floating-assisting air bag is wrapped in a transverse ring layer mode and used for achieving stable water surface floating.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of aircraft design and control technology, and relates to a coaxial dual-rotor configuration amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle and its usage method. Background Technology

[0002] Aquatic unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are aircraft with amphibious capabilities, capable of performing tasks such as reconnaissance and monitoring, tourism, and cargo transportation. Currently, most domestically produced UAVs are designed for surface missions, with insufficient development for underwater missions. Underwater vehicles, however, suffer from drawbacks such as low speed, large weight, and difficulty in carrying and recovering. Traditional UAVs often float on the water using a hull or floats, lacking sufficient wave resistance and struggling to take off and land on wavy seas. A coaxial dual-rotor system for vertical takeoff and landing on water can effectively solve this problem.

[0003] Coaxial dual-rotor UAVs employ a coaxial counter-rotor design, resulting in a compact structure with radial dimensions typically smaller than comparable multi-rotor UAVs, facilitating storage and transportation. Furthermore, their center of gravity is usually located near the axis of gravity, ensuring fuselage self-balancing. The high-mounted lower rotor provides sheltered working space for under-mounted equipment, making them suitable for high-density, precise positioning tasks in underwater environments (such as inspection and fine-scale exploration). This effectively fills the gap in underwater application UAV products. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Purpose of the invention: This invention provides a coaxial dual-rotor configuration amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle and its usage method, enabling vertical take-off and landing on water, stable floating on the water surface, and aerial flight.

[0005] Technical solution: A coaxial dual-rotor configuration amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle includes a power unit and a mounting unit. The mounting unit and the power unit are structurally connected by bolts and powered by an aviation connector. The lower outer side of the power unit is wrapped with a buoyancy-aiding airbag, which is arranged in a horizontal ring to achieve stable floating on the water surface.

[0006] Furthermore, the power components include: an upper rotor, an upper disc-type power motor, a lower rotor, a lower disc-type power motor, a first servo motor, a power battery, a flight control system, and a buoyancy system. The upper and lower disc-type power motors are positioned vertically, with the output disc of the upper disc-type power motor facing downwards and the output disc of the lower disc-type power motor facing upwards, driving the upper and lower rotors to rotate in a coaxial counter-rotating manner. The blades of the upper and lower rotors are fixed to a rotor clamping head, which can fold 90°, achieving rotor deployment through centrifugal force during rotation. The first servo motor controls the torque variation of the upper and lower rotors via ball joint bolts and ball joint connecting rods. The power battery, flight control system, and buoyancy system are located within the cabin, which is watertight and has an aviation connector at the bottom for power connection to the mounted components. The power battery supplies power to the electrical components of the entire UAV body. The flight control system is used for flight control of the UAV. The buoyancy system controls the automatic inflation of the buoyancy airbags.

[0007] Furthermore, the buoyancy assist system includes: a second servo motor, an air cylinder, and an automatic deflation device. The automatic deflation device is connected to the air bag via an air nozzle and is connected to the second servo motor via a coupling. The air cylinder port is screwed onto the side wall of the automatic deflation device. The second servo motor controls the air cylinder to inflate the air bag.

[0008] Furthermore, the automatic deflation device includes: a housing, an air nozzle, an airtight inner cavity, and an airtight outer cavity, wherein the housing, the airtight outer cavity, and the airtight inner cavity are arranged sequentially from the outside to the inside. One end of the airtight inner cavity is connected to the second servo motor via a coupling, and an airtight inner cavity air inlet is provided on its side wall. An airtight outer cavity air inlet is provided on the side wall of the airtight outer cavity. The airtight outer cavity air inlet is a needle-shaped air inlet used to gradually puncture the gas cylinder during the process of screwing in the gas cylinder. The airbag is inflated by controlling whether the airtight inner cavity air inlet and the airtight outer cavity air inlet are aligned.

[0009] Furthermore, by using buoyancy-enhancing airbags and the internal structure of the cabin, the center of gravity is ensured to be lower than the center of buoyancy, thus achieving self-stabilization after tilting.

[0010] Furthermore, the center of gravity was adjusted by symmetrically arranging the internal components of the cabin, filling them with buoyancy blocks, and using customized battery packs.

[0011] Furthermore, the mounting methods include electro-optical pods and underwater sensors.

[0012] Furthermore, by changing the mission payloads carried, it can perform tasks such as water quality testing, resource exploration, and underwater photography.

[0013] Furthermore, the coaxial dual-rotor configuration of the amphibious drone is stored or mounted in a cylindrical shape with the rotors folded, supporting hand-launched or tube-launched flight.

[0014] A method of using the above-mentioned coaxial dual-rotor configuration amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle includes: Upon receiving the start command, the flight control system activates the motors, and the rotors rapidly unfold outwards. Upon receiving the inflation command, the second servo motor rotates the airtight inner cavity, causing the air inlet of the airtight inner cavity to align with the air inlet of the airtight outer cavity. CO2 gas from the gas cylinder then enters the airtight inner cavity and is released in large quantities instantly through the air nozzle, inflating the buoyancy airbag. After inflation, the buoyancy airbag extends upwards, controlling the position of the center of buoyancy in the middle of the airbag, higher than the center of gravity, thus achieving stable floating on the water surface. When the UAV needs to take off vertically from the water surface, the flight control system sends a PID signal to start the upper and lower rotor motors. During the vertical ascent, altitude is controlled by collective pitch manipulation. Increasing the collective pitch increases lift and raises the altitude, while decreasing the collective pitch decreases lift and lowers the altitude. When the flight control system needs to perform yaw flight, it sends a command to the servo motor to generate a certain yaw angle. The servo motor drives the upper and lower rotors to change the rotor collective pitch through the ball joint bolt and ball joint connecting rod, and tilts the swashplate to achieve periodic torque change, thereby changing the aircraft's heading.

[0015] Beneficial effects: (1) Easy to store: After the rotor is folded, the whole machine is close to cylindrical, which makes it easy to store and carry.

[0016] (2) Water surface take-off and landing: Based on the coaxial dual rotor layout power form, combined with the buoyancy system, it can easily achieve vertical take-off and landing on the water surface.

[0017] (3) High scalability: The power components and mounting components of this coaxial dual-rotor amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle adopt a modular and separate design, and different mountings can be selected according to different needs to generate different products.

[0018] (4) Good wave resistance: The coaxial dual-rotor amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle achieves a low center of gravity design by mounting it under the airbag and uses airbags to ensure that the center of buoyancy is higher than the center of gravity, forming a restoring couple, which can improve its floating stability and ensure its wave resistance. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. The drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a coaxial dual-rotor configuration waterborne vertical take-off and landing UAV with its rotors retracted. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the rotor deployment state of a coaxial dual-rotor configuration waterborne vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Figure 3Schematic diagram of automatic venting device; Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Rotor; 2. Rotor clamp; 3. First servo; 4. Ball head bolt; 5. Flight control system; 6. Buoyancy airbag; 7. Upper rotary drive motor; 8. Ball head connecting rod; 9. Servo bracket; 10. Lower rotary drive motor; 11. Power battery; 12. Buoyancy system; 13. Second servo; 14. Automatic deflation device; 15. Air nozzle; 16. Airtight outer cavity; 17. Airtight inner cavity; 18. Housing; 19. Gas cylinder; 20. Coupling. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, 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.

[0022] The features and illustrative embodiments of various aspects of the present invention will now be described in detail. Numerous specific details are set forth in the following detailed description to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without requiring some of these specific details. The following description of embodiments is merely intended to provide a better understanding of the invention by illustrating examples of the invention. The invention is by no means limited to any specific setups and methods set forth below, but covers any improvements, substitutions, and modifications to structures, methods, and devices without departing from the spirit of the invention. Well-known structures and techniques are not shown in the drawings and the following description to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention.

[0023] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer" are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing and simplifying the invention, and should not be construed as limiting the invention. Furthermore, the use of ordinal numbers (e.g., "first and second," etc.) is for distinguishing objects and is not limited to this order, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0024] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly, encompassing both direct connection and indirect connection via an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0025] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments of the present invention and the features thereof can be combined with each other, and the various embodiments can be referenced and cited in each other. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0026] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

[0027] This invention provides a coaxial dual-rotor underwater drone. Before startup, the rotors are folded, and the entire drone is cylindrical for easy storage and deployment. After startup, the rotors automatically unfold, enabling vertical takeoff and landing on water, stable floating on the water surface, and aerial flight.

[0028] (1) The coaxial dual-rotor configuration of the amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle adopts a modular and separable design, which allows for flexible replacement of the payload.

[0029] like Figure 1-3 The coaxial dual-rotor configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) consists of two parts: a power unit and a mounting unit. The power unit mainly includes rotor 1, rotor clamping head 2, first servo motor 3, ball joint bolt 4, flight control system 5, buoyancy airbag 6, upper rotor disc motor 7, ball joint connecting rod 8, servo motor bracket 9, lower rotor disc motor 10, power battery 11, buoyancy system 12; second servo motor 13, and automatic deflation device 14. The upper and lower rotor disc motors (upper rotor disc motor 7 and lower rotor disc motor 10) are positioned vertically, with the output disc of upper rotor disc motor 7 facing downwards and the output disc of lower rotor disc motor 10 facing upwards, driving the upper and lower rotors to rotate in a coaxial counter-rotating manner. The upper and lower rotor blades are fixed to the rotor clamping head 2, which can fold 90°, and the rotor 1 unfolds through centrifugal force during rotation. The first servo motor 3 controls the torque of the upper and lower rotors 1 through the ball joint bolt 4 and ball joint connecting rod 8.

[0030] The cabin mainly contains the flight control system 5, the power battery 11, and the buoyancy system 12. The entire cabin is watertight, with an aviation connector at the bottom for powering the mounted components. The flight control system 5 contains the flight control computer hardware and ESCs, with the power battery 11 located below it. The buoyancy system 12 mainly includes an automatic deflation device 14, an air cylinder 19, and a second servo motor 13, which is a micro servo motor.

[0031] The mounting components and power components are structurally connected by bolts and powered via aviation connectors. The mounting method is unlimited; different mission payloads such as electro-optical pods and underwater sensors can be selected as needed, offering high expandability. By changing the carried mission payloads, various tasks such as water quality monitoring, resource exploration, and underwater photography can be performed. (2) Through the design of the buoyancy-aiding airbag 6 and its internal structure, the center of gravity is ensured to be lower than the center of buoyancy, which can achieve self-stabilization after tilting. By symmetrically arranging internal equipment, filling with buoyancy blocks, and customizing battery packs, the center of gravity position is designed. By setting up buoyancy-aiding airbags 6 to automatically inflate and control the position of the center of buoyancy, it can be ensured that the center of gravity of the whole aircraft is on the central axis of the airframe structure. The center of gravity is lower than the center of buoyancy, and gravity and buoyancy always form a force couple, enabling the coaxial dual-rotor configuration of the waterborne UAV to float stably on the water surface.

[0032] The buoyancy-enhancing airbag 6 is wrapped around the lower outer side of the power unit in a horizontal concentric ring. Its inflation is controlled by the automatic deflation device 14, gas cylinder 19, and micro-servo motor 13 within the buoyancy-enhancing system 12. As the gas cylinder is threaded onto the shell, the needle-shaped air inlet in the airtight outer cavity gradually punctures the cylinder. The automatic deflation device mainly comprises a shell 18, an air nozzle 15, an airtight inner cavity 17, an airtight outer cavity 16, and a coupling 20. The flight control system issues commands to control the micro-servo motor 13 to rotate, causing the deflation device 14 to open its valve, releasing CO2 gas from the gas cylinder through the air nozzle 19. Within 10 seconds, the airbag 6 on the outer side of the power unit shell inflates, providing buoyancy for the coaxial UAV to float on water.

[0033] The coaxial dual-rotor amphibious drone is stored or mounted in a cylindrical configuration with the rotors folded (rotor blades close to the fuselage), supporting hand-launched or tube-launched flight. Upon receiving the start command, the flight control system activates the motors, and the rotors rapidly unfold outwards.

[0034] When the drone receives the inflation command, the micro-servo motor rotates the airtight inner cavity of the automatic deflation device, aligning the air inlet of the airtight inner cavity with the air inlet of the airtight outer cavity. CO2 gas from the cylinder then enters the airtight inner cavity and is released instantly in large quantities through the nozzle, inflating the buoyancy-aiding airbag. After inflation, the airbag extends upwards, controlling the center of buoyancy to be in the middle of the airbag, higher than the center of gravity, thus achieving stable floating on the water surface.

[0035] When a drone needs to take off vertically from the water surface, the flight control system sends a PID signal to simultaneously activate the upper and lower rotor motors. During vertical ascent, altitude is controlled through collective pitch manipulation; increasing collective pitch increases lift and the drone ascends, while decreasing collective pitch decreases lift and the drone descends. When the flight control system needs to perform yaw flight, it sends a command to the servo motors to simultaneously generate a certain yaw angle. The servo motors, via ball joint bolts and ball joint linkages, drive the upper and lower rotors to change the collective pitch and tilt the swashplate to achieve periodic torque variation, thereby changing the drone's heading.

[0036] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A coaxial dual-rotor configuration amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that, include: The power unit and the mounting unit are connected by bolts and powered by aviation connectors. The lower outer part of the power unit is wrapped with a buoyancy airbag, which is a horizontally layered enclosure.

2. The coaxial dual-rotor configuration amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power components include: upper rotor, upper disc motor, lower rotor, lower disc motor, first servo, power battery, flight control system, and buoyancy system. The upper rotor's output disc faces downwards, while the lower rotor's output disc faces upwards, driving the upper and lower rotors to rotate coaxially in opposite directions, respectively. The blades of the upper and lower rotors are fixed to the rotor clamping head, which can fold 90°. The rotors unfold using centrifugal force during rotation. The first servo motor controls the torque variation of the upper and lower rotors via ball joint bolts and ball joint connecting rods. The power battery, flight control system, and buoyancy system are located inside the cabin, which is watertight and has an aviation connector at the bottom for power connection to the mounted components. The power battery provides power; the flight control system is used for flight control; and the buoyancy system controls the automatic inflation of the buoyancy airbags.

3. The coaxial dual-rotor configuration amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The buoyancy system includes: a second servo motor, an air cylinder, and an automatic deflation device. The automatic deflation device is connected to the air bag through an air nozzle and is connected to the second servo motor through a coupling. The air cylinder port is screwed to the side wall of the automatic deflation device, and the air cylinder is controlled by the second servo motor.

4. The coaxial dual-rotor configuration amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic deflation device includes a housing, an airtight outer cavity, and an airtight inner cavity arranged sequentially from the outside to the inside. One end of the airtight inner cavity is connected to the second servo motor via a coupling and the side wall is provided with an airtight inner cavity air inlet. The side wall of the airtight outer cavity is provided with an airtight outer cavity air inlet, which is a needle-shaped air inlet.

5. The coaxial dual-rotor configuration amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The center of gravity is kept below the center of buoyancy by using buoyancy-enhancing airbags and the internal structure of the cabin.

6. The coaxial dual-rotor configuration amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The center of gravity is adjusted by symmetrically arranging the internal components of the cabin, filling them with buoyancy blocks, and using custom battery packs.

7. The coaxial dual-rotor configuration amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting methods include electro-optical pods and underwater sensors.

8. The coaxial dual-rotor configuration amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, By changing the payload carried, tasks such as water quality testing, resource exploration, and underwater photography can be performed.

9. The coaxial dual-rotor configuration amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coaxial dual-rotor configuration of the amphibious drone is stored or mounted in a cylindrical shape with the rotors folded, and supports hand-launched or tube-launched flight.

10. A method of using a coaxial dual-rotor configuration amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle as described in any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, include: Upon receiving the start command, the flight control system starts the motors, and the rotor quickly unfolds outward. Upon receiving the inflation command, the second servo drives the airtight inner cavity to rotate. When the air inlet of the airtight inner cavity coincides with the air inlet of the airtight outer cavity, CO2 gas in the gas cylinder will enter the airtight inner cavity and be released in large quantities instantly through the air nozzle to inflate the buoyancy airbag. After the buoyancy airbag is inflated, it extends upward and unfolds, controlling the position of the center of buoyancy in the middle of the airbag, which is higher than the center of gravity. When taking off vertically from the water, the flight control system sends PID signals to start the upper and lower rotor motors; altitude control is achieved through collective pitch control; when the flight control unit needs to perform yaw flight, it sends a command to make the servo motors simultaneously produce a certain yaw angle. The servo motors drive the upper and lower rotors to change the collective pitch of the rotors through the ball joint bolts and ball joint connecting rods, and tilt the swashplate to achieve periodic torque change, thereby changing the aircraft's heading.

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