A compound wing unmanned aerial vehicle with a vector motor seat

Abstract

The application provides a composite wing unmanned plane with a vector motor seat, which comprises a frame, the frame comprises a left fuselage and a right fuselage, a front wing is connected between the front ends of the left fuselage and the right fuselage, aircraft vertical tails are fixed to the rear ends of the left fuselage and the right fuselage, an aircraft rear wing is fixed between the two aircraft vertical tails, and a first power unit is installed on the front wing. The application has the following beneficial effects: the front wing double motors of the application can be tilted, in the take-off stage, the front wing motors face downward, and the vertical take-off can be realized by cooperating with the double motors on the fuselage, in the take-off to cruising stage, the rear wing motors provide power, the fuselage and the front wing motors slowly reduce power until the unmanned plane can smoothly glide, at this time, the front wing double motors can be turned to face forward, the four motors simultaneously provide power for the unmanned plane, and the full attitude control of the plane can be realized through the motors and double wing rudders.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a compound-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a vector motor mount, belonging to the field of UAV technology. Background Technology

[0002] Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) represent a significant development direction in the field of aviation technology. They combine the vertical takeoff and landing and hovering capabilities of multi-rotor aircraft with the high-speed cruise and high aerodynamic efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft, making them irreplaceable in both military and civilian applications, such as precision mapping, material delivery, border patrol, and disaster emergency response. Currently, the technical approaches to achieving VTOL functionality in engineering practice mainly include the following three typical configurations: The hybrid propulsion configuration employs a parallel arrangement of an independent multi-rotor lift system and a fixed-wing propulsion system. During vertical takeoff and landing, the lift system provides vertical thrust; upon transitioning to level flight, the propulsion system provides forward thrust, while the lift system ceases operation to reduce aerodynamic drag. This configuration suffers from two inherent technical drawbacks: first, the lift system becomes a dead weight during cruise, significantly reducing the aircraft's payload and flight time performance; second, the coexistence of the two systems complicates the propulsion architecture, increasing structural weight and manufacturing costs, and posing a severe challenge to system reliability and maintenance.

[0003] Tilting-powered configurations utilize mechanical actuators to tilt the entire power unit or wing surface, dynamically adjusting the thrust vector direction. Typical examples include tiltrotor and tiltwing airfoil layouts. While this approach avoids the "dead weight" problem, it introduces more complex electromechanical control challenges: First, the tilting mechanism involves high-precision transmission, locking, and control systems, resulting in high mechanical complexity and a significantly increased risk of failure. Second, during tilting, a strong unsteady aerodynamic coupling effect exists between the rotor slipstream and the wing surface, easily inducing sudden changes in the aircraft's pitch moment, increasing control instability and crash risk during the transition phase of flight.

[0004] The fixed thrust vectoring configuration uses deflectors, spoilers, or finite-angle motor deflection to locally adjust the thrust direction. However, it has significant limitations in engineering applications: on the one hand, the deflector introduces aerodynamic obstruction and thrust loss, resulting in low energy conversion efficiency; on the other hand, its thrust vectoring range and dynamic response performance are limited, making it difficult to achieve multi-degree-of-freedom, high-precision attitude control and failing to meet the robustness requirements for smooth mode transitions in complex environments.

[0005] At the aerodynamic configuration level, compared to conventional monoplane configurations, tandem wing configurations have become an effective way to improve the aerodynamic performance of UAVs due to their advantages such as higher lift-to-drag ratio, smoother stall characteristics, and larger longitudinal static stability margin. However, existing technologies have not yet solved the problem of deep integration between tandem wing configurations and high-performance propulsion systems: existing propulsion solutions either generate dead weight, have overly complex mechanisms, or have low aerodynamic control efficiency, making it difficult to fully realize the aerodynamic potential of tandem wing configurations. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the purpose of this invention is to provide a compound wing UAV with a vector motor mount.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solution: A compound-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a vector motor mount includes a frame comprising a left fuselage and a right fuselage. A canard is connected between the front ends of the left and right fuselages. Vertical tails are fixed to the rear ends of both the left and right fuselages. A rear wing is fixed between the two vertical tails. A first power unit is mounted on the canard. A third power unit is mounted on the left and right fuselages. A second power unit is mounted on the rear wing. Control surfaces are mounted on the canard and rear wing. A flight controller is mounted on the left and right fuselages.

[0008] Furthermore, the first power unit includes two vector motor mounts symmetrically mounted on the front end of the aircraft's forewings. A front motor mount is connected to the vector motor mount, and a forewing motor one and a forewing motor two are respectively mounted on the front end of the two front motor mounts.

[0009] Furthermore, the third power unit includes a fuselage motor one and a fuselage motor two, which are respectively installed at the bottom of the left fuselage and the right fuselage.

[0010] Furthermore, the second power unit includes a rear wing motor one and a rear wing motor two, both of which are mounted on a rear wing motor mount, and the two rear wing motor mounts are symmetrically mounted on the rear wing of the aircraft.

[0011] Furthermore, the control surfaces include aileron control surfaces and elevator control surfaces. The two aileron control surfaces are respectively located on the left and right sides of the aircraft canard. A control servo motor 1 connected to the aileron control surface is installed at each end of the aircraft canard. The two elevator control surfaces are respectively located on the left and right sides of the aircraft rear wing. A control servo motor 2 connected to the elevator control surface is installed at each end of the aircraft rear wing. Both the control servo motor 1 and the control servo motor 2 are connected to the flight controller.

[0012] Furthermore, the flight controller adopts the Pixhawk 6C open-source flight controller and integrates an inertial measurement unit, barometer, and GPS module.

[0013] Furthermore, the front landing gear and the rear landing gear are respectively installed on the front and rear sides of the bottom of the left fuselage and the right fuselage.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this invention are: The dual motors of the forewing in this invention can tilt. During takeoff, the forewing motors face downwards and work in conjunction with the dual motors on the fuselage to achieve vertical takeoff and landing. During the transition from takeoff to cruise, the rear wing motors provide power, while the fuselage and forewing motors gradually reduce power until the UAV can glide smoothly. At this point, the dual forewing motors can turn forward, and all four motors simultaneously provide power to the UAV. Full attitude control of the aircraft can be achieved through the motors and the dual wing control surfaces.

[0015] This invention employs a tandem wing configuration, which significantly improves the lift-to-drag ratio of the UAV, enhances stall characteristics, and strengthens longitudinal stability, thereby comprehensively improving the aerodynamic efficiency of the aircraft.

[0016] The twin-fuselage configuration of this invention reduces unnecessary redundant weight. At the same time, the height difference between the front and rear wings greatly reduces the risk of airflow conflict in conventional tandem-wing aircraft. The connecting part of the rear wing can be regarded as a twin vertical tail. Furthermore, the control logic of the front and rear wings eliminates the need for vertical and horizontal stabilizers to assist the aircraft's attitude, which greatly optimizes the aircraft's aerodynamic efficiency.

[0017] This invention achieves efficient reuse of a single power unit across multiple modes of takeoff, landing, and cruise by integrating a deflectable vector motor mount into the canard. This design eliminates complex mechanical tilting mechanisms and redundant power systems, fundamentally eliminating ineffective loads, simplifying the overall structure, improving reliability and maintainability, and effectively avoiding adverse interference between the thrust system and aerodynamic surfaces.

[0018] The unmanned aerial vehicle system of this invention has the advantages of compact structure, light weight, reliable operation and smooth mode switching, and has outstanding practical value in military and civilian application scenarios such as precision mapping, logistics transportation, long-term patrol and emergency rescue. 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 embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, 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 1This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a compound-wing UAV with a vector motor mount according to the present invention. Figure 1 ; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a compound-wing UAV with a vector motor mount according to the present invention. Figure 2 ; Figure 3 This is a partial structural diagram of a compound-wing UAV with a vector motor mount according to the present invention. Figure 1 ; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the right fuselage structure of a compound-wing UAV with a vector motor mount according to the present invention; Figure 5 This is a partial structural diagram of a compound-wing UAV with a vector motor mount according to the present invention. Figure 2 .

[0021] In the diagram, 1. Forward wing motor 1; 2. Forward wing motor 2; 3. Fuselage motor 1; 4. Fuselage motor 2; 5. Rear wing motor 1; 6. Rear wing motor 2; 7. Rear wing motor mount; 8. Forward motor mount; 9. Vector motor mount rotating motor; 10. Front landing gear; 11. Rear landing gear; 12. Left fuselage; 13. Right fuselage; 14. Forward wing; 15. Rear wing; 16. Vertical tail. Detailed Implementation

[0022] 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, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0023] Please see Figures 1-5 This invention provides a technical solution for a compound-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a vector motor mount, comprising a frame including a left fuselage 12 and a right fuselage 13. A front landing gear 10 and a rear landing gear 11 are respectively mounted on the front and rear sides of the bottom of the left fuselage 12 and the right fuselage 13. The height control of the front landing gear 10 and the rear landing gear 11 can control the angle of attack during takeoff. A canard wing 14 is connected between the front ends of the left fuselage 12 and the right fuselage 13. A vertical tail 16 is fixed to the rear ends of both the left fuselage 12 and the right fuselage 13. A rear wing 15 is fixed between the two vertical tails 16. A first power unit is mounted on the canard wing 14. A third power unit is mounted on the left fuselage 12 and the right fuselage 13. A second power unit is mounted on the rear wing 15. Control surfaces are mounted on the canard wing 14 and the rear wing 15. A flight controller is mounted on the left fuselage 12 and the right fuselage 13.

[0024] See Figure 3 The first power unit includes two vector motor mounts 9 symmetrically mounted on the front end of the aircraft canard 14. A front motor mount 8 is connected to each vector motor mount 9. Canard motor 1 and canard motor 2 are respectively mounted on the front ends of the two front motor mounts 8. The vector motor mounts 9 can rotate from -90 degrees to 0 degrees. During takeoff, canard motor 1 and canard motor 2 face downwards; during cruise, they face forward with a 2-degree upward mounting angle. Canard motor 1 and canard motor 2 are composed of two Langyu X2814KV800 brushless motors, controlled by Hobbywing Flyfun 40A ESCs, and mounted on two multi-degree-of-freedom deflectable vector motor mounts 9 located on the canard. These motor mounts are driven by high-torque digital servos, enabling continuous deflection of the thrust direction from vertically downwards to horizontally forwards.

[0025] See Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 The third power unit includes fuselage motor 3 and fuselage motor 4, which are respectively installed at the bottom of the left fuselage 12 and the right fuselage 13. Both fuselage motors 3 and 4 are arranged downwards. Their main function is to cooperate with canard motor 1 and canard motor 2 during takeoff. The relationship between each motor and servo can be set through the remote control channel or the flight control to control the aircraft to take off during the vertical takeoff phase, thereby realizing the vertical takeoff and landing of the tandem wing UAV. Aft wing motor 5 and aft wing motor 2 are composed of two T-Motor F60Pro IV KV1750 brushless motors, which are controlled by Hobbywing Flyfun 30A ESCs. The thrust direction is always vertically downwards, and they are dedicated to providing supplementary lift during the vertical takeoff and landing phase.

[0026] See Figure 1 , Figure 5 The second power unit includes a rear wing motor 5 and a rear wing motor 6. Both rear wing motor 5 and rear wing motor 6 are mounted on rear wing motor mounts 7. The two rear wing motor mounts 7 are symmetrically mounted on the rear wing 15 of the aircraft. The rear wing motor mount 7 is a rear wing motor box with a 1-degree upward mounting angle. The motor box is connected to the rear wing by bolts. The connection between the motor box and the rear wing fits in shape. The rear wing motor 5 and rear wing motor 6 are composed of two T-Motor MN5208KV340 brushless motors, which are controlled by Hobbywing Flyfun 60A ESCs respectively, providing cruise main thrust and differential control torque.

[0027] See Figures 1-3The control surfaces include aileron control surfaces and elevator control surfaces. The two aileron control surfaces are respectively located on the left and right sides of the aircraft canard 14. Each end of the aircraft canard 14 is equipped with a control servo (not shown in the figure) connected to the aileron control surface. The two elevator control surfaces are respectively located on the left and right sides of the aircraft rear 15. Each end of the aircraft rear 15 is equipped with a control servo (not shown in the figure) connected to the elevator control surface. All control servos 1 and control servos 2 are Silver Swallow ES08MA II rudders and are connected to the flight controller. The flight controller adopts the Pixhawk 6C open source flight controller and integrates an inertial measurement unit, barometer, and GPS module. It is responsible for flight mode management, attitude calculation, hybrid control logic (coordinating motor differential speed and control surface deflection), and navigation.

[0028] Flight controller and flight control or remote control channel control are not the same control method; they belong to different levels of related concepts. The flight controller is the core hardware and control algorithm system for achieving attitude stabilization, navigation, and autonomous flight of a UAV. It directly processes sensor data and outputs control signals to the electronic speed controller to adjust motor speeds. Its function focuses on the aircraft's automated stability and execution. Flight control or remote control channel control, on the other hand, refers to the process by which the user issues higher-level commands to the flight controller via the remote controller. The specific control steps include: the operator manipulates the remote controller's joystick and switch to generate control signals, which are received by the UAV receiver and transmitted to the flight controller; the flight controller calculates the commands from each channel according to the preset flight mode, using them as the target expected value, while simultaneously integrating the actual aircraft state data acquired by its own sensors. Through its internal control algorithm, it calculates the error between the expected value and the actual value and outputs corresponding adjustment signals to the electronic speed controller. Finally, the motors adjust their speeds to achieve the user's commands. In short, the remote control channel is the input interface for user commands, while the flight controller is the core processing unit that parses, integrates, and executes these commands; the power system uses a 6S 10000mAh lithium polymer battery to power all motors, ESCs, flight controllers, and servos.

[0029] The attitude control of the UAV is achieved through a hybrid control of motors and control surfaces. The dual control surfaces on the rear wing control the pitch attitude, the differential speed of the motors controls the yaw attitude, and the control surfaces on the front and rear wings control the roll attitude. The positional relationship of the four motors is also considered when the UAV is in flight. The dual motors on the rear wing can affect the pitch attitude through differential speed, and can also affect the roll attitude in coordination with the differential speed of the front motor. Because the attitude of the UAV is controlled by both differential speed and control surfaces, the UAV has stronger control performance compared to traditional UAVs.

[0030] In addition, the UAV adopts a tandem wing aerodynamic layout, including a canard and a rear wing. Extensive experimental evidence demonstrates that during the transition from vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) to horizontal cruise, the aircraft can still achieve normal flight cruise missions even with only the rear wing's dual motors providing power. Therefore, the rear wing's dual motors, which only provide power and differential control, are defined as the aircraft's second power unit. These motors are fixed to the rear wing motor mounts and do not have vectoring capabilities; thus, they only provide power and differential control, which greatly ensures the aircraft's stability during VTOL transitions.

[0031] The first power unit's canard motor 1 and canard motor 2 are mainly responsible for cooperating with the fuselage motor 3 and fuselage motor 4 of the third power unit, which are fixed to the twin fuselages, to provide thrust during the vertical takeoff and landing phase, enabling the aircraft to achieve vertical takeoff and landing.

[0032] During the vertical takeoff and landing phase, the vector motor mount 9 on the aircraft's canard 14 deflects to a downward thrust direction, working together with the lift propulsion unit on the fuselage to provide main lift and achieve vertical takeoff and landing operations. The vector motor mount 9 is controlled by a servo motor, and the motor stops rotating when rotating. Therefore, the torque on the servo motor is relatively small, which can safely control the motor mount to perform vector rotation.

[0033] During vertical takeoff and landing, the rear wing motor 5 and rear wing motor 6 of the second power unit start and gradually increase forward thrust, while the output power of the first power unit decreases accordingly. During this process, the vector motor mount rotating motor 9 deflects continuously, smoothly transitioning its thrust direction from vertically downward to horizontally forward, thereby achieving a stable transition between flight attitude and power mode.

[0034] During the horizontal cruise phase, the vector motor mount rotates the motor 9 in a forward-biased state. The first power unit and the second power unit work together to provide forward thrust, enabling the UAV to enter a high-efficiency, high-speed cruise state.

[0035] Although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A compound-wing unmanned aerial vehicle with a vector motor mount, characterized in that, The aircraft includes a frame comprising a left fuselage (12) and a right fuselage (13). A canard (14) is connected between the front ends of the left fuselage (12) and the right fuselage (13). A vertical tail (16) is fixed to the rear ends of both the left fuselage (12) and the right fuselage (13). A rear wing (15) is fixed between the two vertical tails (16). A first power unit is mounted on the canard (14). A third power unit is mounted on the left fuselage (12) and the right fuselage (13). A second power unit is mounted on the rear wing (15). Control surfaces are mounted on the canard (14) and the rear wing (15). A flight controller is mounted on the left fuselage (12) and the right fuselage (13).

2. A compound-wing UAV with a vector motor mount according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first power unit includes two vector motor mounts rotating motors (9) symmetrically mounted on the front end of the aircraft canard (14). The vector motor mounts rotating motors (9) are connected to front motor mounts (8). The front ends of the two front motor mounts (8) are respectively mounted with canard motor one (1) and canard motor two (2).

3. A compound-wing UAV with a vector motor mount according to claim 2, characterized in that, The third power unit includes a fuselage motor one (3) and a fuselage motor two (4), which are respectively installed at the bottom of the left fuselage (12) and the right fuselage (13).

4. A compound-wing UAV with a vector motor mount according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second power unit includes a rear wing motor one (5) and a rear wing motor two (6). Both the rear wing motor one (5) and the rear wing motor two (6) are mounted on a rear wing motor mount (7). The two rear wing motor mounts (7) are symmetrically mounted on the rear wing (15) of the aircraft.

5. A compound-wing UAV with a vector motor mount according to claim 4, characterized in that, The control surfaces include aileron surfaces and elevator surfaces. The two aileron surfaces are respectively located on the left and right sides of the aircraft canard (14). At each end of the aircraft canard (14), there is a control servo connected to the aileron surface. The two elevator surfaces are respectively located on the left and right sides of the aircraft rear wing (15). At each end of the aircraft rear wing (15), there is a control servo connected to the elevator surface. Both control servo one and control servo two are connected to the flight controller.

6. A compound-wing UAV with a vector motor mount according to claim 5, characterized in that, The flight controller uses the Pixhawk 6C open-source flight controller and integrates an inertial measurement unit, barometer, and GPS module.

7. A compound-wing UAV with a vector motor mount according to claim 6, characterized in that, The front landing gear (10) and the rear landing gear (11) are respectively installed on the front and rear sides of the bottom of the left fuselage (12) and the right fuselage (13).

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