A small fixed-wing drone

Abstract

This application belongs to the field of fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) design technology, specifically relating to a small fixed-wing UAV, including a ring wing, a fuselage, and an engine; the ring wing includes an upper ring wing and a lower ring wing, which are smoothly transitioned by a symmetrical airfoil; the ring wing adopts a non-circular configuration, a2 / a3=2~3, where a2 is the distance from the top of the upper ring wing to the dividing line between the upper and lower ring wing, and a3 is the distance from the bottom of the lower ring wing to the dividing line between the upper and lower ring wing; the ring wing adopts a negative tilt angle design; the aspect ratio of the ring wing is 1.8~3; the fuselage is connected to the root of the lower ring wing; the engine is mounted on the fuselage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) design technology, specifically relating to a small fixed-wing UAV. Background Technology

[0002] Fixed-wing drones are finding increasingly widespread applications across various sectors of society. Traditional drone manufacturing heavily relies on process control, making it a labor-intensive industry that limits drone applications in certain scenarios. Replacing traditional drone manufacturing methods with 3D printing of non-metallic materials facilitates low-cost manufacturing and on-demand mass production of small fixed-wing drones.

[0003] Currently, most low-cost non-metallic materials available for 3D printing have lower mechanical properties, but their density is generally higher than that of traditional materials such as balsa wood and foam. In addition, due to the size limitations of consumer-grade 3D printing equipment, when 3D printing small fixed-wing drones, components such as wings, fuselage, and tail fins need to be printed in sections and then connected together. This further increases the structural weight of small fixed-wing drones and limits their performance.

[0004] In view of the aforementioned technical deficiencies, this application is hereby filed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide a small fixed-wing drone that combines non-metallic material 3D printing with a ring wing, enabling low-cost and rapid-response manufacturing of small fixed-wing drones, expanding the application scenarios of small fixed-wing drones, and overcoming or mitigating at least one of the known technical defects.

[0006] The technical solution of this application is:

[0007] A small fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes a ring wing, a fuselage, and an engine;

[0008] The ring wing consists of an upper ring wing and a lower ring wing, with a smooth transition between the upper and lower ring wing via a symmetrical airfoil.

[0009] The ring wing adopts a non-circular configuration, a2 / a3=2~3, where a2 is the distance from the top of the upper ring wing to the dividing line between the upper and lower ring wing, and a3 is the distance from the bottom of the lower ring wing to the dividing line between the upper and lower ring wing;

[0010] The ring wing adopts a negative tilt angle design;

[0011] The aspect ratio of the annular wing is 1.8~3;

[0012] The fuselage is connected to the root of the lower ring wing;

[0013] The engine is mounted on the fuselage.

[0014] According to at least one embodiment of this application, in the above-mentioned small fixed-wing UAV, the upper ring wing and the lower ring wing main body account for 90% of the ring wing wingspan and adopt a positive camber airfoil.

[0015] According to at least one embodiment of this application, in the above-mentioned small fixed-wing UAV, (a2+a3) / (2*a2)=0.8~1, where a1 is the distance from the dividing part of the upper ring wing and the lower ring wing to the left and right symmetrical planes of the upper ring wing and the lower ring wing.

[0016] According to at least one embodiment of this application, in the above-described small fixed-wing UAV, ailerons and flaps are arranged on the trailing edge of the lower ring wing;

[0017] An elevator is positioned above the trailing edge of the upper ring wing.

[0018] According to at least one embodiment of this application, in the above-described small fixed-wing UAV, δ = 5°~20°, where δ is the rearward tilt angle of the annular wing.

[0019] According to at least one embodiment of this application, in the above-described small fixed-wing UAV, the onboard equipment, payload, and battery are installed or integrated within the fuselage or the wing root of the lower ring wing.

[0020] According to at least one embodiment of this application, in the above-mentioned small fixed-wing UAV, the engine is a single or twin-engine counter-rotating ducted fan or a small turbojet engine, and the projection of the thrust axis in the left and right symmetrical planes of the annular wing passes through the center of gravity of the entire aircraft.

[0021] According to at least one embodiment of this application, in the above-described small fixed-wing UAV, the ring wing and fuselage structure are manufactured using non-metallic materials through 3D printing. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a small fixed-wing UAV provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a front view of the small fixed-wing UAV provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a side view of a small fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a configuration diagram of the annular wing provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0026] in:

[0027] 1-Ring wing; 2-Fuselage; 3-Engine.

[0028] To better illustrate this embodiment, some content in the accompanying drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced. They are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0029] To make the technical solution and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solution of this application will be described in a clearer and more complete manner below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only some embodiments of this application, and are only used to explain this application, not to limit this application. It should be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts related to this application are shown in the accompanying drawings, and other related parts can be referred to the general design.

[0030] Furthermore, unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this application description shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. The word "comprising" as used in this application description indicates that the concept preceding the word encompasses the concepts listed following the word and their equivalents, without excluding other related concepts.

[0031] Furthermore, the terms indicating location used in the description of this application are only used to indicate relative directions or positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, its relative positional relationship may also change accordingly. It should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, terms such as "installation" and "connection" used in the description of this application should be interpreted broadly. For example, a connection can be a fixed connection or a detachable connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand its specific meaning in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0032] A ring wing is a non-planar wing that effectively reduces wingspan while maintaining high lift despite limited wingspan. Furthermore, the ring wing is a high-rigidity closed structure, allowing for high load-bearing capacity using low-strength materials. It is also suitable for 3D printing technology. Based on this, this application provides a small fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle, such as… Figures 1-3 As shown, it includes a ring wing 1, a fuselage 2, and an engine 3. The ring wing 1 and fuselage 2 are manufactured using non-metallic materials through 3D printing.

[0033] Ring Wing 1 configuration as Figure 4 As shown, the design includes an upper and lower ring wing, with the main body of the upper and lower ring wing accounting for 90% of the ring wing's span. It employs a positive camber airfoil, which achieves a large lift coefficient while ensuring trim. The upper and lower ring wing smoothly transitions with a symmetrical airfoil. In contrast, traditional ring wings with a rotating body configuration, if not using a symmetrical airfoil, always have half of the airfoil with the opposite camber to the other half, resulting in lower aerodynamic efficiency.

[0034] Ring wing 1 adopts a non-circular configuration, which is derived from a circular configuration. a2 / a3 = 2~3, (a2+a3) / (2*a2) = 0.8~1, where a2 is the distance from the top of the upper ring wing to the boundary line between the upper and lower ring wing, and a3 is the distance from the bottom of the lower ring wing to the boundary line between the upper and lower ring wing. a1 is the distance from the boundary between the upper and lower ring wing to the left and right symmetrical planes of the upper and lower ring wing, and its length is approximately the same as a3. This design lowers the center of gravity of ring wing 1, and the lower ring wing is more gently sloping along its span, facilitating the placement of ailerons and flaps on the trailing edge of the lower ring wing. Simultaneously, it reduces the coupling of roll and yaw.

[0035] The ring wing 1 adopts a negative tilt angle design, with a rearward tilt angle δ of 5°~20°, which can improve the aerodynamic efficiency of the ring wing and increase the lever arm of the tailless ring wing, making it easier to place the elevator above the trailing edge of the upper ring wing.

[0036] The aspect ratio of the ring wing 1 should be 1.8~3. It should not be designed too small to avoid drastically reducing aerodynamic efficiency, nor should it be designed too large to avoid increasing the volume of the ring wing 1, which would be detrimental to size control.

[0037] The fuselage 2 is connected to the root of the lower ring wing. Onboard equipment, payloads, batteries, etc. are installed or integrated in the fuselage or the root of the lower ring wing to achieve a low center of gravity design.

[0038] Engine 3 is mounted on fuselage 2. It can be a single or twin-engine counter-rotating ducted fan, or a small turbojet engine. The projection of the thrust axis in the left and right symmetry planes of the annulus 1 passes through the center of gravity of the entire aircraft.

[0039] The small fixed-wing UAV disclosed in the above embodiments combines the design of the ring wing with the low center of gravity of the whole aircraft, which realizes the longitudinal balance of the whole aircraft. The ring wing itself has a huge lateral projection area, which can ensure the lateral stability of the whole aircraft.

[0040] Compared with traditional small fixed-wing UAVs, the small fixed-wing UAV disclosed in the above embodiments adopts a tailless ring wing layout, which can effectively reduce the wingspan, reduce the number of parts, and allow the use of low-strength materials for 3D printing manufacturing. This is conducive to achieving low-cost and rapid response manufacturing and expanding the application scenarios of small fixed-wing UAVs.

[0041] The technical solution of this application has been described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of protection of this application is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Without departing from the principles of this application, those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or substitutions to the relevant technical features, and the technical solutions after these changes or substitutions will all fall within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A small fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that, Includes the ring wing (1), fuselage (2), and engine (3); The ring wing (1) includes an upper ring wing and a lower ring wing, with a smooth transition between the upper and lower ring wing using symmetrical airfoils; The ring wing (1) adopts a non-circular configuration, a2 / a3=2~3, where a2 is the distance from the top of the upper ring wing to the dividing line between the upper and lower ring wings, and a3 is the distance from the bottom of the lower ring wing to the dividing line between the upper and lower ring wings; The ring wing (1) adopts a negative tilt angle design; The aspect ratio of the annular wing (1) is 1.8~3; The fuselage (2) is connected to the root of the lower ring wing; The engine (3) is mounted on the fuselage (2).

2. The small fixed-wing UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper and lower ring wings account for 90% of the wingspan of the ring wing (1) and adopt a positive camber airfoil.

3. The small fixed-wing UAV according to claim 2, characterized in that... (a2+a3) / (2*a2)=0.8~1.

4. The small fixed-wing UAV according to claim 3, characterized in that, Ailerons and flaps are arranged on the trailing edge of the lower ring wing; An elevator is positioned above the trailing edge of the upper ring wing.

5. The small fixed-wing UAV according to claim 4, characterized in that, δ = 5°~20°, where δ is the rearward tilt angle of the ring wing (1).

6. The small fixed-wing UAV according to claim 5, characterized in that, Airborne equipment, payloads, and batteries are installed or integrated within the fuselage or lower ring wing root.

7. The small fixed-wing UAV according to claim 6, characterized in that, The engine (3) is a single or twin-engine counter-rotating ducted fan or a small turbojet engine. The projection of the thrust axis in the left and right symmetry planes of the ring wing (1) passes through the center of gravity of the whole machine.

8. The small fixed-wing UAV according to claim 7, characterized in that, The ring wing (1) and fuselage (2) structures are manufactured using non-metallic materials through 3D printing.

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