An aircraft active stability control system and method based on multi-layer rotating magnetic field coupling airborne eddy current damping

Abstract

This invention discloses an active stability control system and method for aircraft based on multi-layer rotating magnetic field coupling with airborne eddy current damping. The system employs at least two sets of counter-rotating magnetic field generating units to construct a three-dimensional alternating rotating magnetic field inside and outside the aircraft. This magnetic field, inducing eddy current damping force and attitude recovery torque, interacts with airborne metal damping components fixedly mounted on the aircraft body. Basic attitude disturbance rejection is provided by utilizing the gyro's axis-fixed property, and counter-rotating angular momentum is used to cancel out anti-torque. Precise attitude and position control is achieved by dynamically adjusting the rotational speed and phase difference of the magnetic field units. This invention decouples propulsion and attitude stabilization functions, enabling the aircraft to achieve long-term hovering in all scenarios and strong wind resistance even at low or zero propulsion power, making it suitable for various low-altitude and high-altitude aircraft.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of aerospace and low-altitude aircraft control technology, specifically relating to a control method and system that utilizes the axis-fixing property of a multi-layer positive and negative rotating magnetic field coupled with airborne electromagnetic eddy current damping to achieve airborne attitude self-stabilization, wind disturbance resistance, and low-power hovering of an aircraft. Background Technology

[0002] Existing aircraft (such as multi-rotor drones, airships, tethered balloons, etc.) generally rely on continuous propeller work or complex control surface deflection to maintain attitude and altitude. They suffer from three major, insurmountable, core flaws: Extremely high energy consumption: It must continuously consume energy to counteract gravity and wind disturbances. Once the power system fails, it is very easy to fall. The endurance is usually only a few hours.

[0003] Weak resistance to disturbances: It is easily affected by crosswinds and sudden changes in airflow, resulting in violent shaking and drifting, making it impossible to operate stably under complex weather conditions.

[0004] Control response delay: Relying on closed-loop feedback between sensors, controllers, and actuators, there is an inherent delay, and the stability is insufficient in extreme environments.

[0005] While existing technologies utilize high-speed rotating rigid bodies (such as control moment gyroscopes) to provide attitude stiffness, these methods can only resist changes in attitude angle and cannot provide damped maintenance of spatial position, nor can they achieve effective wind-resistant stability in unpowered states. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an aircraft stabilization control scheme that can significantly reduce maintenance power consumption and possess strong wind resistance capabilities across all scenarios. Summary of the Invention Purpose of the invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide an aircraft stability control method and system that integrates gyro fixed-axis property, reverse rotational angular momentum coupling and airborne electromagnetic eddy current damping, thereby solving the problems of high energy consumption, poor wind resistance and weak adaptability to all scenarios in existing aircraft. Core technology solutions

[0007] Multi-layered counter-rotating magnetic field system: It adopts at least two sets of coaxially layered magnetic field generating units, with adjacent units rotating at high speed in opposite directions. It utilizes the gyroscope's axis-fixed property to provide basic attitude stiffness, while the angular momentum vector cancels each other out to eliminate the overall anti-torque and avoid the aircraft's spin.

[0008] Airborne eddy current damping mechanism: A metal damping component is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the aircraft's stationary outer shell, serving as the basic carrier for eddy current damping. When the rotating magnetic field moves relative to the airborne metal damping component, eddy currents are induced, generating damping force and restoring torque that directly act on the fuselage, achieving stable control in all scenarios.

[0009] Dual-mode magnetic levitation support: In standby mode, it is a rigid mechanical support to ensure the safety of the ground structure; in operation mode, it switches to micron-level magnetic levitation contactless support to eliminate mechanical friction and achieve ultra-low power consumption and long-term rotation.

[0010] Dual-environment cavity optimization: The central high-vacuum cavity accommodates the high-speed rotating magnet, eliminating air resistance; the outer low-pressure helium cavity serves both heat dissipation and auxiliary static buoyancy, balancing system power consumption and weight.

[0011] Decoupled control architecture: The propulsion function and attitude stabilization function are completely decoupled. The external propulsion module is only responsible for displacement power, while the built-in magnetic field system is independently responsible for attitude and position maintenance. Beneficial effects

[0012] The range is increased by more than 10 times: the power consumption of the stable system is only 5%-10% of that of traditional propeller hovering, and it can achieve long-term hovering for several days.

[0013] Strong resistance to wind disturbance in all scenarios: Relying on airborne eddy current damping to provide stable torque, it can achieve wind-resistant steady state in any airspace without relying on the external environment.

[0014] Zero counter-torque interference: The multi-layered reverse rotational angular momentum cancels each other out, and the internal rotation does not generate any net reaction torque on the fuselage.

[0015] High reliability design: magnetic levitation operates without friction, eliminating mechanical wear and significantly extending system lifespan; dual-mode support design balances take-off and landing safety with operational efficiency.

[0016] The project is highly feasible: all materials and processes are existing mature technologies, and there is no need to break through the bottlenecks of basic science. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an active stability control system and method for an aircraft based on multi-layer rotating magnetic field coupling and airborne eddy current damping. 1-Magnetic field coupler assembly; 2-Central high-speed rotating magnet; 3-Magnetic levitation load-bearing and separation components (3-1 to 3-5); 4-Pressure balance and pressure relief valve (4-1 to 4-5); 5-Independent drive motor and sensor interface (5-1 to 5-5); 6-Multi-layer concentric magnetic ring / coil assembly (6-1 to 6-4); 7-Outermost rotating magnetic ring; 8-High-strength composite shell (fixed); 9-Vacuum chamber; 10-Inert gas chamber; 11-Airborne metal damping ring. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Overall architecture design

[0019] As shown in Figure 1, the active stability control system of the aircraft of the present invention adopts a double-shell structure of "internal dynamic and external static", which mainly consists of a magnetic field coupler assembly, a multi-layer rotating magnetic field generating module, a magnetic levitation load-bearing and separation component, a dual environmental cavity, a drive control unit, an attitude sensing module and an independent external propulsion module. Core rotation and suspension system

[0020] The core angular momentum carrier of the system is a multi-layer rotating magnetic field generating module (6), which contains at least two sets of coaxially layered magnetic field generating units (6-1 to 6-4). Each layer of magnetic field generating unit adopts a ring-shaped Halbach permanent magnet array, which is uniformly arranged along the circumference and can concentrate more than 80% of the magnetic field energy to the external space while shielding internal magnetic interference.

[0021] The magnetic levitation load-bearing and separation component (3) adopts an electromechanical coupling dual-mode design: Standby / Landing State: The component acts as a rigid load-bearing rod, providing mechanical support strength for rotating parts and ensuring structural safety when the ground is stationary.

[0022] Operating status: When the rotational speed of the magnetic field generating unit reaches 80% of the rated speed, the coil inside the component is energized to generate magnetic levitation force, causing the rotating part to physically separate from the supporting structure by 50-200μm, and enter the "zero friction magnetic levitation operating state".

[0023] This design completely eliminates the interference of frictional damping of mechanical bearings on the gyroscope's axis stability, while ensuring reliability during takeoff and landing. Multi-layer drive and field control

[0024] Each magnetic field generating unit is independently controlled via an independent drive motor and sensor interface (5), enabling precise adjustment of different speeds and rotation directions. Adjacent units rotate at high speeds in opposite directions, with equal magnitudes and opposite directions of angular momentum vectors, canceling each other out and ensuring that the internal rotation does not generate any net reaction torque on the aircraft fuselage.

[0025] By adjusting the speed difference and phase difference between adjacent magnetic field generating units, a three-dimensional alternating rotating magnetic field with controllable intensity, frequency, and spatial distribution can be constructed inside and outside the aircraft. Dual-environment cavity design

[0026] This embodiment employs a unique dual-environmental cavity design to balance low-resistance operation with heat dissipation and buoyancy requirements:

[0027] Central vacuum chamber (9): A sealed high vacuum environment (vacuum degree ≤10Pa) is used to house the central high-speed rotating magnet (2) and the magnetic levitation component (3), completely eliminating air friction resistance during high-speed rotation, enabling the system to maintain ultra-high speed with extremely low power consumption.

[0028] The outer inert gas chamber (10) is filled with high-purity helium gas at a pressure of 0.05-0.1 MPa. Utilizing the fact that helium's density is only 1 / 7 that of air, it can provide 1%-5% of the overall weight of the device with auxiliary static buoyancy, effectively reducing the load on the propulsion system. Simultaneously, utilizing helium's high thermal conductivity, the Joule heat generated during coil operation is rapidly and efficiently transferred to the inner wall of the inert gas chamber (i.e., the inner side of the high-strength composite shell 8) through helium convection and conduction, and then dissipated into the environment via the shell (8). Preferably, the conductive structure integrated inside the high-strength composite shell (8) serves as part of the airborne metal damping assembly, not only providing damping force but also enhancing the system's heat dissipation efficiency through its excellent thermal conductivity, achieving an integrated design of damping and heat dissipation functions.

[0029] The outer shell is equipped with a pressure balancing and pressure relief valve (4), which can automatically adjust the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the inert gas chamber according to the flight altitude to prevent the shell from deforming or cracking due to the low air pressure at high altitude. Airborne eddy current damping mechanism

[0030] An onboard metal damping assembly (11), including a copper damping ring, an aluminum alloy frame, a battery casing, and other conductive structures of the fuselage, is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the high-strength composite shell (8). This assembly is located within the coverage of a three-dimensional alternating rotating magnetic field and serves as the basic carrier for the system to generate eddy current damping.

[0031] Working principle: When the aircraft tilts or drifts, relative motion occurs between the rotating magnetic field and the onboard metal damping components fixed to the fuselage. According to the law of electromagnetic induction, the changing magnetic field induces eddy currents in the metal components. According to Lenz's law, these eddy currents generate an electromagnetic reaction force that opposes the relative motion, i.e., eddy current damping force. This damping force acts directly on the aircraft body, quickly suppressing attitude jitter and generating attitude recovery torque.

[0032] Airborne metal damping components are the basic carrier for generating eddy current damping, while external conductors are only used for performance enhancement in specific scenarios. When an aircraft flies in an area equipped with an external conductor coupling medium (such as a takeoff and landing field with a conductive copper mesh or a shipboard metal deck), the three-dimensional alternating rotating magnetic field can also induce auxiliary eddy current damping force with the external conductor, further enhancing its resistance to wind disturbance. Anti-torque elimination principle

[0033] By controlling adjacent magnetic field generating units to rotate in opposite directions, their angular momentum vectors are made equal in magnitude and opposite in direction, thus canceling each other out and preventing the internal rotation system from generating a net reaction torque on the fuselage. In addition, the external load-bearing shell remains fixed, serving only as a structural load-bearing component and aerodynamic shape, and does not participate in rotational motion, further ensuring the stability of the aircraft's attitude. Closed-loop control process

[0034] The complete control flow of the system is as follows: When the control system is powered on, the magnetic levitation load-bearing and separation components are in a state of rigid mechanical support.

[0035] The multi-layer rotating magnetic field generating unit is driven to make adjacent units rotate in opposite directions, thereby constructing positive and negative gyro fixed-axis magnetic fields with mutually canceling angular momentum.

[0036] When the rotational speed reaches 80% of the rated speed, the magnetic levitation load-bearing and separation components switch to magnetic levitation non-contact support.

[0037] The attitude perception module collects the aircraft's pitch, roll, and position data in real time and sends them to the drive control unit.

[0038] When the attitude deviation exceeds the threshold, the drive control unit increases the rotation speed of the magnetic field generating unit, enhances the magnetic field strength and eddy current damping force, and improves the attitude stiffness.

[0039] When the position drift exceeds the threshold, the drive control unit adjusts the phase difference between adjacent magnetic field generating units, changes the spatial distribution of the three-dimensional alternating magnetic field, and generates a directional reset torque.

[0040] After the aircraft reaches the target position, it reduces the power of the independent external propulsion module and relies on the eddy current damping force and reset torque generated by the coupling of the rotating magnetic field and the airborne metal damping components to maintain a low-power hovering state.

Claims

1. A multi-layer rotating magnetic field coupling eddy current damping based aircraft active stability control system, characterized in that, include: The multi-layer rotating magnetic field generating module includes at least two sets of magnetic field generating units arranged coaxially in layers. Each unit is controlled by an independent drive mechanism. Adjacent units rotate at high speed in opposite directions, and their angular momentum vectors cancel each other out. The attitude sensing module is used to collect the aircraft's pitch, roll, and position data in real time. The drive control unit is electrically connected to the attitude sensing module and the multi-layer rotating magnetic field generating module. The airborne metal damping assembly is fixedly installed on the non-rotating structure of the aircraft body and is located within the external magnetic field coverage area of ​​the multi-layer rotating magnetic field generating module. An external propulsion module, independent of the stability control system, is used to provide displacement power for the aircraft; When the multi-layer rotating magnetic field module rotates, it forms a three-dimensional alternating rotating magnetic field in the space inside and outside the aircraft, which induces eddy currents with the airborne metal damping components, forming eddy current damping force and attitude recovery torque. The drive control unit dynamically adjusts the rotational speed and phase difference of each magnetic field generating unit based on attitude and position data to maintain the attitude stability and position holding of the aircraft.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein, The three-dimensional alternating rotating magnetic field can also induce eddy currents with the external conductor coupling medium to form an auxiliary damping force; the external conductor coupling medium includes a ground conductive grid, a shipborne conductor panel, or a conductive grid deployed in the air.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein, It also includes an internal dynamic and external static double-layer shell, the double-layer shell comprising a static external load-bearing shell and an internal rotating mounting frame, which are not mechanically rigidly connected; the multi-layer rotating magnetic field generating module is set on the internal rotating mounting frame, and the airborne metal damping component is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the external load-bearing shell.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein, It also includes a dual-environment chamber, which consists of a central high-vacuum chamber and an outer low-pressure inert gas chamber that are sealed and isolated from each other. The central high-vacuum chamber is used to accommodate high-speed rotating components and has a vacuum degree of ≤10Pa. The outer low-pressure inert gas chamber is filled with helium gas at 0.05-0.1MPa for heat dissipation and to provide 1%-5% of the total weight of the machine with auxiliary static buoyancy.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein, It also includes a magnetic levitation load-bearing and separation component. In standby mode, the magnetic levitation load-bearing and separation component is a rigid mechanical support. When the rotation speed of the magnetic field generating unit reaches 80% of the rated speed, it generates a magnetic levitation force to form a 50-200μm non-contact gap between the rotating component and the support structure, thereby achieving zero-friction rotation.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein, The magnetic field generating unit adopts a ring-shaped Halbach permanent magnet array or a superconducting electromagnetic coil array, which is uniformly arranged along the circumference to enhance the external magnetic field strength and shield internal magnetic interference.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein, The external load-bearing shell is made of carbon fiber composite material and has an integrated conductive structure inside, serving as part of the airborne metal damping assembly; the counter-torque of the internal rotating components is not transmitted to the fuselage.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein, It also includes a pressure-balancing intelligent pressure relief valve, which is installed on the external load-bearing shell and automatically adjusts the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the inert gas chamber according to the flight altitude.

9. An aircraft active stability control method based on multi-layer rotating magnetic field coupling eddy current damping, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. The control system is powered on, and the magnetic levitation load-bearing and separation components are in a state of rigid mechanical support; S2. Drive the multi-layer rotating magnetic field generating unit to make adjacent units accelerate and rotate in opposite directions, thereby constructing positive and negative gyro fixed-axis magnetic fields with mutually canceling angular momentum; S3. When the rotational speed reaches 80% of the rated speed, the magnetic levitation load-bearing and separation components switch to magnetic levitation non-contact support; S4. The attitude perception module collects the pitch, roll and position data of the aircraft in real time and sends them to the drive control unit; S5. When the attitude deviation exceeds the threshold, the drive control unit increases the rotation speed of the magnetic field generating unit to enhance the magnetic field strength and eddy current damping force, thereby improving the attitude stiffness. S6. When the position drift exceeds the threshold, the drive control unit adjusts the phase difference between adjacent magnetic field generating units, changes the spatial distribution of the three-dimensional alternating magnetic field, and generates a directional reset torque. S7. After the aircraft reaches the target position, it reduces the power of the independent external propulsion module and relies on the eddy current damping force and reset torque generated by the coupling of the rotating magnetic field and the airborne metal damping components to maintain a low-power hovering state.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The primary eddy current damping is generated by the airborne metal damping components. When the aircraft is in an area equipped with an external conductor coupling medium, the external conductor can be used to generate auxiliary damping force. The multi-layer rotating magnetic field generating unit operates in the central high-vacuum cavity with a vacuum degree ≤10Pa, achieving ultra-low power consumption and long-term rotation. When the aircraft needs to move, it is powered by an external propulsion module independent of the stability control system. The stability control system is only responsible for attitude and position maintenance.

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