A morphing aircraft with linkage between wing folding and tail extension

Abstract

The application discloses a deformable aircraft with linkage of wing folding and tail stretching, comprising a cabin assembly, a wing assembly, a tail assembly and a scissor stretching mechanism, the tail assembly is slidably arranged on the cabin assembly and connected with a folding and unfolding driving device inside the cabin assembly through the scissor stretching mechanism, the folding and unfolding driving device can simultaneously provide power for wing folding and tail stretching, when the folding and unfolding driving device drives the wing to unfold, the folding and unfolding driving device synchronously pushes the scissor stretching mechanism to elongate, so that the tail moves backward to increase the force arm, when the folding and unfolding driving device drives the wing to fold, the folding and unfolding driving device synchronously pulls the scissor stretching mechanism to contract, so that the tail is close to the fuselage. The application realizes the synchronous deformation of the wing and the tail through a single driving source, effectively reduces the structural weight, reduces the space cost of the aircraft, and improves the efficiency and reliability of the aircraft shape switching.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to morphing aircraft, specifically to a deformable aircraft with wing folding and tail extension linked together. Background Technology

[0002] Existing variable aircraft generally possess wing folding and extension capabilities, and some also have tail retraction and extension capabilities. However, variable aircraft that combine both wing folding and tail retraction and extension capabilities face the following technical challenges:

[0003] (1) The separate drive sources for wing folding and tail extension not only increase weight and reduce payload, but also lead to a complex control system and high energy consumption.

[0004] (2) The wing extension and tail extension are controlled by independent drive sources, lacking motion coupling and coordination. This leads to transient mismatch between the aerodynamic center and the center of gravity during flight mode switching, which in turn causes increased attitude fluctuations and decreased system stability.

[0005] (3) The contradiction between space utilization and stability: While reducing the folding volume, it is difficult to take into account the large aspect ratio and structural strength after unfolding, which limits the flight performance of the aircraft in multi-mode (such as rotor mode and fixed-wing mode) switching. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Purpose of the invention: The purpose of this invention is to provide a deformable aircraft that uses a single drive source to achieve the linkage between wing folding and tail extension.

[0007] Technical Solution: The present invention provides a deformable aircraft with wing folding and tail extension linkage, comprising a cabin assembly, an inner wing assembly, an outer wing assembly, a tail assembly, and a scissor telescopic mechanism; the cabin assembly includes a frame and a folding / extension drive device mounted on the frame, the tail assembly is slidably mounted on the cabin assembly and connected to the folding / extension drive device through the scissor telescopic mechanism; the folding / extension drive device drives the folding and unfolding movements of the inner and outer wing assemblies, and also provides power for the retraction and extension movements of the tail assembly; a guide block is installed at the bottom of the frame to constrain the degree of freedom of movement of the tail assembly, ensuring that the tail assembly can only perform linear reciprocating movements along the fuselage axis, eliminating lateral swaying.

[0008] Furthermore, the folding and extending drive device adopts a servo-link-slider mechanism. The servo is hinged to the circular hole on the slider through the link, providing power for the movement of the slider. Symmetrical output hinge holes are set on the left and right sides of the slider, which are connected to the inner and outer wing assemblies respectively. The tail assembly includes a movable link and a tail wing surface. There are two movable links, which are arranged parallel to each other. The tail ends of the two movable links are connected by a plate with a circular hole. The tail wing surface is mounted on the lower movable link. The scissor telescopic mechanism includes a scissor mechanism and a connector. The tail end node of the scissor mechanism is hinged to the connector on the lower movable link. The front end of the scissor mechanism has two nodes, the upper node of which is hinged to the upper node of the slider, and the lower node is hinged to the frame through the connector.

[0009] Furthermore, the connector has a convex structure, with a hole at the top for hinged connection to the front node of the scissor mechanism, and a threaded structure at the bottom for connection to the frame.

[0010] Furthermore, the guide block has a through hole with the axis of the through hole parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage; the movable link located below is slidably mounted on the guide block, providing motion direction constraint and shear support for the movable link.

[0011] Furthermore, the movable link located below is fixed with a damping pivot for assisting the rotation of the tail fin surface; the tail fin surface adopts a folding tail fin, and when the fuselage retracts, the distance between it and the cabin decreases, and the tail fin is driven to fold symmetrically by the shear force provided by the guide block, so that it maintains the same folding angle as the fuselage as a whole; when the fuselage unfolds, the tail fin surface unfolds with the extension of the movable link.

[0012] Furthermore, when the scissor lift is fully extended, the links of the scissor lift tend to be parallel.

[0013] Furthermore, the tail section of the fuselage is equipped with an openable fairing, which retracts into the fairing when the scissor lift mechanism is retracted.

[0014] Furthermore, there is a preset transmission ratio between the wing's folding angle and the tail's extension / retraction displacement. This transmission ratio is adjusted by changing the position of the hinge point between the front end of the scissor mechanism and the folding / retraction drive device. The correspondence between the wing's folding angle and the tail's extension / retraction position is achieved through the adjustment of the transmission ratio.

[0015] Furthermore, the inner wing assembly includes an inner wing drive spars and an inner wing main surface. The inner wing drive spars have a pair of protruding round rods at their ends, which are hinged to the round holes of the slider component in the folding and unfolding drive device via sleeves at the ends of the round rods. The inner wing main surface covers the inner wing drive spars. The outer wing assembly includes an outer wing drive spars and an outer wing main surface, and its connection with the folding and unfolding drive device is similar to that of the inner wing assembly.

[0016] Furthermore, the frame is mainly composed of upper and lower plates and connecting columns to form a frame structure. The front ends of the upper and lower plates are connected by end plates, which form a power module mounting base. The power module mounting base is used to install the power module at the front end of the frame to provide power for the flight of the aircraft.

[0017] Beneficial effects: Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following significant advantages:

[0018] (1) By designing a folding and telescopic linkage drive device, the present invention combines the rotational motion of the wing with the telescopic motion of the tail, which solves the problems of large system weight, high energy consumption and complex control system caused by configuring independent drive sources for the wings and tail in the existing scheme, and significantly improves the effective payload and endurance of the aircraft.

[0019] (2) By connecting the scissor mechanism with the wing drive structure, the present invention establishes a transmission ratio mapping relationship between the wing folding angle and the tail extension displacement, which solves the problem in the prior art that the lack of coupling and coordination between the wing and tail movements leads to the instantaneous mismatch between the aerodynamic center and the center of gravity during flight mode switching (such as switching from rotor mode to fixed wing mode) and the decrease in system stability. It achieves smooth switching of flight modes and effectively improves flight stability.

[0020] (3) This invention utilizes the large telescopic ratio of the scissor telescopic mechanism, combined with the constraint of the guide block at the bottom of the fuselage, to solve the contradiction between the small folding volume and the large unfolding lever arm and structural strength of the variant aircraft. In the folded state, the tail fin retracts close to the fuselage, which has a high space utilization rate and is convenient for vertical take-off and landing and storage. In the unfolded state, the tail fin moves back a lot to obtain a large aspect ratio and a long lever arm. The lateral sway is eliminated by the guiding constraint of the guide block, which ensures the longitudinal stability and structural strength during cruise. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a deformable aircraft with wing folding and tail extension linkage provided by an embodiment of the present invention (the overall structure shown in the figure is a half-model of the aircraft, and the complete aircraft is based on the symmetry of the central cabin).

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the deformable aircraft in the unfolded state in an embodiment of the present invention (the diagram mainly shows the internal structure of the cabin assembly and the combination of the cabin assembly and the wing assembly, while the external structure of the cabin assembly, such as the fairing, is hidden).

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the deformable aircraft in a folded state according to an embodiment of the present invention (the diagram mainly shows the internal structure of the cabin assembly and the combination of the cabin assembly and the wing assembly, while the external structure of the cabin assembly, such as the fairing, is hidden).

[0024] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of the cabin components in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the internal installation structure of the cabin components in an embodiment of the present invention (omitted). Figure 4 External components such as fairings and skins (in the middle).

[0026] Figure 6 This is a structural schematic diagram of the inner wing assembly (the wing assembly on the side closest to the center cabin) in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a structural schematic diagram of the outer wing assembly (wing assembly on the side away from the center cabin) in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the tail fin assembly in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the scissor telescopic mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] Appendix Figures 1 to 9 The accompanying figure labels are as follows:

[0032] 100, Cabin assembly; 101, Frame; 102, Power module mounting base; 103, Guide block; 104, Folding drive device; 110, Fairing; 200, Wing assembly; 210, Inner wing assembly; 211, Inner wing drive spars; 212, Inner wing main surface; 220, Outer wing assembly; 221, Outer wing drive spars; 222, Outer wing main surface; 300, Tail assembly; 301, Movable link; 302, Tail surface; 400, Scissor telescopic mechanism; 401, Scissor mechanism; 402, Connector.

[0033] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, this embodiment of the invention provides a deformable aircraft with linked wing folding and tail extension, including a cabin assembly 100 (one central cabin and four power cabins; the figure shows a partial structural schematic and not the entire cabin is fully depicted; the complete fuselage is shown in the figure). Figure 1 The diagram shows a symmetrical layout of the center cabin, wing assembly 200, tail assembly 300, and scissor telescopic mechanism 400. Wing assembly 200 includes inner wing assembly 210 and outer wing assembly 220.

[0034] like Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the cabin assembly 100 includes a frame 101, guide blocks 103, a folding drive device 104, and external structures such as a fairing 110. The frame 101, as the fuselage skeleton, is the main load-bearing structure, primarily composed of upper and lower plates and connecting columns forming a frame structure. The front ends of the upper and lower plates are connected by end plates, which form a power module mounting base 102. The power module mounting base 102 is used to mount the power module at the front end of the frame 101, providing a power source for the aircraft's flight. The guide blocks 103 are fixed to the bottom of the lower plates. The guide blocks 103 have through holes, the axis of which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage. These through holes constrain the degrees of freedom of the tail assembly 300, ensuring that the tail assembly 300 can only perform linear reciprocating motion along the fuselage axis, eliminating lateral swaying. The folding / unfolding drive device 104 employs an existing servo-linkage-slider mechanism. The servo is fixed to the lower plate and hinged to the slider via a connecting rod through a circular hole, providing power for the slider's movement. Symmetrical output hinge holes are provided on both sides of the slider, connecting to the inner and outer wing assemblies on either side, and are connected to the scissor telescopic mechanism 400 via an upper node. The servo drives the slider's movement via the connecting rod, thereby providing power for the folding and unfolding movements of the inner wing assembly 210 and the outer wing assembly 220, as well as the retraction and extension movements of the tail assembly 300.

[0035] like Figure 6 As shown, the inner wing assembly 210 includes an inner wing drive spars 211 and an inner wing main surface 212. The inner wing drive spars 211 is a supporting structure for the inner wing assembly 210, and its ends have a pair of protruding round rods. The ends of the round rods are hinged to the round holes of the slider component in the folding and unfolding drive device 104 through sleeves. The inner wing main surface 212 covers the inner wing drive spars 211, providing an airfoil for the inner wing drive spars 211, thereby providing lift for the aircraft and enhancing the shear stability of the inner wing drive spars 211.

[0036] like Figure 7 The outer wing assembly 220 shown includes an outer wing drive spars 221 and an outer wing main surface 222. Its connection with the folding and unfolding drive device 104 is similar to that of the inner wing assembly 210, and will not be described in detail here.

[0037] like Figure 8 As shown, the tail fin assembly 300 includes two movable links 301 and a tail fin surface 302. The two movable links 301 are arranged parallel to each other vertically. The tail ends of the two movable links 301 are connected by a plate with a circular hole, defining their longitudinal relative position. The lower movable link 301 is slidably mounted on a guide block 103, which provides directional constraint and shear support for the movable link 301. Simultaneously, the lower movable link 301 is fixed with a connector that can be hinged to the tail end of the scissor telescopic mechanism 400, as well as a damping shaft for assisting the rotation of the tail fin surface 302.

[0038] The tail fin 302 is a folding tail fin. When the fuselage retracts, the distance between it and the cabin decreases. The shear force provided by the guide block 103 drives the tail fin to fold symmetrically, maintaining the same folding angle as the fuselage as the overall structure (the folding angle of the wing assembly 200 relative to the frame 101, and the folding angle of the tail fin changes synchronously with the wing folding angle according to a preset transmission ratio). This achieves the retraction of the tail fin surface, further reducing the space occupied and improving space utilization efficiency. When the fuselage unfolds, the tail fin 302 unfolds along with the extension of the movable linkage 301, enhancing the longitudinal stability of the aircraft. The folding tail fin and damping pivot are existing technologies.

[0039] like Figure 9 As shown, the scissor telescopic mechanism 400 includes a scissor mechanism 401 and a connecting member 402. The scissor mechanism 401 is formed by multiple sets of cross-hinged connecting rods connected end-to-end by pins, creating a telescopic geometry, which is existing technology. The tail end node of the scissor mechanism 401 is hinged to the connecting member on the lower movable connecting rod 301. The front end of the scissor mechanism 401 has two nodes, the upper node of which is hinged to the upper node of the slider, and the lower node is hinged to the frame 101 via the connecting member 402. The connecting member 402 has a convex structure, with a hole at the top for hinged connection to the front end node of the scissor mechanism 401, and a threaded structure at the bottom for connection to the frame 101. Accordingly, the longitudinal movement of the folding and unfolding drive device 104 simultaneously drives the folding and unfolding of the wing assembly and the extension and retraction of the scissor telescopic mechanism, providing power for the movement of both when the servo motor is working, thus achieving coordinated wing folding and unfolding and tail extension and retraction.

[0040] To further reduce drag, the linkages of the scissor lift mechanism 401 tend to be parallel when fully extended. A fairing 110 (an openable structure; when closed, it forms a continuous aerodynamic shape; when open, it is used for assembly and maintenance of the scissor lift mechanism 400) is located at the rear of the fuselage. When the scissor lift mechanism 400 retracts, the scissor lift mechanism 401 retracts into the fairing 110, maintaining a good aerodynamic shape.

[0041] There is a preset transmission ratio between the wing folding angle and the tail extension displacement. This transmission ratio can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the hinge point between the front end of the scissor mechanism 401 and the folding drive device 104. By adjusting the transmission ratio, the correspondence between the wing folding angle and the tail extension position can be achieved.

[0042] The working principle of this invention is as follows:

[0043] The folding drive device 104 can simultaneously output wing rotation power and tail extension / retraction power.

[0044] Deployment Process: When the UAV is cruising or in fixed-wing flight mode, the folding / deployment drive device 104 connects to the inner and outer wing components respectively through symmetrical output hinge holes on both sides of the slider. During operation, it synchronously drives the two wings to perform equal-amplitude, counter-rotating folding / deployment movements (e.g., Figure 2 (As shown). Simultaneously with the deployment of the wing assembly 200, the folding drive device 104 extends the scissor telescopic mechanism 400, which in turn moves the movable link 301 away from the cabin assembly 100. When the wing assembly 200 is fully deployed to a horizontal position, the scissor telescopic mechanism 400 extends to its maximum stroke, and the movable link 301 moves rearward to its furthest position. At this point, the tail fin lever arm is at its maximum, and the aircraft is in fixed-wing flight mode.

[0045] Folding process: When the drone needs to take off and land vertically, hover, or be stored, the folding drive device 104 drives the wing assembly 200 to rotate downwards towards the cabin assembly 100 (e.g., Figure 3 (As shown). During the folding process of the wing assembly 200, the folding drive device 104 pulls the scissor telescopic mechanism 400 to retract, which in turn pulls the movable link 301 to move closer to the cabin assembly 100. When the wing assembly 200 is folded down, the wing is close to the cabin, the scissor telescopic mechanism 400 retracts to its minimum volume, and the tail fin surface 302 is pulled back and folded to a position close to the cabin assembly 100. At this time, the aircraft is in its most compact structural state and can be used for vertical take-off and landing or portable transportation in quadcopter mode.

[0046] In summary, this invention utilizes a single drive source for wing folding and extension, and achieves synchronous extension and retraction of the tail fin through a scissor telescopic mechanism, significantly optimizing the variability efficiency and structural simplicity of the aircraft.

Claims

1. A deformable aircraft with wing folding and tail extension linkage, characterized in that, The system includes a cabin assembly (100), an inner wing assembly (210), an outer wing assembly (220), a tail assembly (300), and a scissor telescopic mechanism (400). The cabin assembly (100) includes a frame (101) and a folding and unfolding drive device (104) mounted on the frame (101). The tail assembly (300) is slidably mounted on the cabin assembly (100) and connected to the folding and unfolding drive device (104) via the scissor telescopic mechanism (400). The folding and unfolding drive device (104) drives the folding and unfolding movements of the inner and outer wing assemblies and also provides power for the retraction and extension movements of the tail assembly (300). A guide block (103) is installed at the bottom of the frame (101) to constrain the degree of freedom of movement of the tail assembly (300) and ensure that the tail assembly (300) can only make linear reciprocating movements along the fuselage axis, eliminating lateral swaying.

2. The deformable aircraft with wing folding and tail extension linkage according to claim 1, characterized in that, The folding and unfolding drive device (104) adopts a servo-linkage-slider mechanism. The servo is hinged to the circular hole on the slider through the linkage, providing power for the movement of the slider. Symmetrical output hinge holes are provided on the left and right sides of the slider, which are connected to the inner and outer wing assemblies respectively. The tail assembly (300) includes a movable link (301) and a tail wing surface (302). There are two movable links (301), which are arranged parallel to each other vertically. The tail ends of the two movable links (301) are connected by plates with circular holes. Connected; the tail wing surface (302) is mounted on the lower movable link (301); the scissor telescopic mechanism (400) includes a scissor mechanism (401) and a connector (402), the tail end node of the scissor mechanism (401) is hinged to the connector on the lower movable link (301); the front end of the scissor mechanism (401) has two nodes, the upper node is hinged to the upper node of the slider, and the lower node is hinged to the frame (101) through the connector (402).

3. The deformable aircraft with wing folding and tail extension linkage according to claim 2, characterized in that, The connector (402) has a convex structure, with a hole at the top that is hinged to the front end node of the scissor mechanism (401), and a threaded structure at the bottom that is connected to the frame (101).

4. The deformable aircraft with wing folding and tail extension linkage according to claim 2, characterized in that, The guide block (103) has a through hole, the axis of which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage; the movable link (301) located below is slidably mounted on the guide block (103), providing motion direction constraint and shear support for the movable link (301).

5. The deformable aircraft with wing folding and tail extension linkage according to claim 4, characterized in that, The movable link (301) located below is fixed with a damping shaft for assisting the rotation of the tail wing surface (302); the tail wing surface (302) adopts a folding tail wing. When the fuselage is retracted, the distance between it and the cabin is reduced. The tail wing is driven to fold symmetrically by the shear force provided by the guide block (103) so that it maintains the same folding angle as the fuselage as a whole; when the fuselage is unfolded, the tail wing surface (302) unfolds with the extension of the movable link (301).

6. The deformable aircraft with wing folding and tail extension linkage according to claim 2, characterized in that, When the scissor mechanism (401) is fully extended, the links of each stage of the scissor mechanism (401) tend to be parallel.

7. The deformable aircraft with wing folding and tail extension linkage according to claim 2, characterized in that, The tail section of the fuselage is equipped with an openable fairing (110). When the scissor telescopic mechanism (400) is retracted, the scissor mechanism (401) is retracted into the fairing (110).

8. The deformable aircraft with wing folding and tail extension linkage according to claim 2, characterized in that, There is a preset transmission ratio between the wing folding angle and the tail extension displacement. This transmission ratio is adjusted by adjusting the position of the hinge point between the front end of the scissor mechanism (401) and the folding drive device (104). The wing folding angle and the tail extension position are corresponded by adjusting the transmission ratio.

9. The deformable aircraft with wing folding and tail extension linkage according to claim 2, characterized in that, The inner wing assembly (210) includes an inner wing drive spars (211) and an inner wing main surface (212). The inner wing drive spars (211) has a pair of protruding round rods at the end, which are hinged to the round holes of the slider component in the folding and unfolding drive device (104) through sleeves at the ends of the round rods. The inner wing main surface (212) covers the inner wing drive spars (211). The outer wing assembly (220) includes an outer wing drive spars (221) and an outer wing main surface (222), and its connection with the folding and unfolding drive device (104) is similar to that of the inner wing assembly (210).

10. The deformable aircraft with wing folding and tail extension linkage according to claim 1, characterized in that, The frame (101) is mainly composed of upper plate, lower plate and connecting column to form a frame structure. The front ends of the upper and lower plates are connected by end plates, and the end plates form a power module mounting base (102). The power module mounting base (102) is used to install the power module at the front end of the frame (101) to provide power for the flight of the aircraft.

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