Unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The embodiment of the utility model relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle. The robot comprises a robot body; an undercarriage is arranged at the bottom of the fuselage; the vehicle arms extend outwards from the vehicle body; a plurality of rotor assemblies; one rotor wing assembly is fixedly arranged on one vehicle arm; a plurality of accommodating spaces are formed in the rotor wing protective cover; the rotor wing shield is detachably fixed on the undercarriage; wherein, in response to the situation that the rotor wing protective cover is fixed on the undercarriage, one rotor wing assembly is accommodated in one accommodating space. By means of the integrally designed connection mode of the rotor wing protective cover and the undercarriage, higher structural strength is provided compared with a split rotor wing structure, and meanwhile the rotor wing protective cover and the undercarriage are detachably and fixedly connected; the rotor wing protective cover has the assembling flexibility that the split type rotor wing structure can be disassembled from / installed on the fuselage according to the use scene requirement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and in particular to a unmanned aerial vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Based on the needs of practical applications, some existing drones are equipped with additional rotor protection structures around the rotor. These rotor protection structures surround the rotor and can achieve the purpose of protecting the rotor and improving the rotor efficiency.

[0003] However, the additional rotor protection structure will have many negative effects on the flight operation of the drone, such as poor flight feel, greater flight resistance, reduced operability, and difficulty in meeting the operational requirements of fancy flying when in high maneuverability. Moreover, during the use of the drone, once the rotor protection structure is damaged or damaged, the entire drone body shell needs to be replaced, which has poor maintainability.

[0004] Some existing rotor protection structures are designed in a split type, so that the rotor protection structure can be removed or installed from the drone according to the needs of users in different application scenarios. However, the structural strength provided by such a split design structure is low and it is difficult to provide sufficient protection. Utility Model Content

[0005] The present application provides a UAV that can solve at least some of the defects existing in the application of rotor protection structures of existing UAVs.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a drone. The drone comprises: a fuselage; a landing gear is arranged at the bottom of the fuselage; a plurality of arms; the arms extend outward from the fuselage; a plurality of rotor assemblies; one rotor assembly is fixedly arranged at the end of one of the arms; a rotor shroud; the rotor shroud is formed with a plurality of accommodating spaces; the rotor shroud is detachably fixed to the landing gear; wherein, in response to the rotor shroud being fixed to the landing gear, one rotor assembly is accommodated in one of the accommodating spaces.

[0007] In some embodiments, the landing gear includes: a plurality of legs; each of the legs extends from the bottom of the fuselage in a direction away from the fuselage.

[0008] In some embodiments, the fuselage has a length dimension extending along the axial direction and a width dimension extending along the radial direction; the machine feet include a pair of first machine feet and a pair of second machine feet; the pair of first machine feet are symmetrically arranged along the radial direction; and the pair of second machine feet are symmetrically arranged along the axial direction.

[0009] In some embodiments, the machine foot includes: a support portion extending from the bottom of the fuselage in a direction away from the fuselage; and a foot formed at the end of the support portion; wherein the rotor shroud is detachably connected to the foot.

[0010] In some embodiments, the rotor shroud includes: a shroud body; a plurality of the accommodating spaces formed in the shroud body; a plurality of connecting parts; the connecting parts extend from the shroud body in a direction approaching the fuselage; wherein one of the connecting parts is detachably connected to one of the machine feet.

[0011] In some embodiments, the connecting portion is fixedly connected to the machine foot via a threaded structure.

[0012] In some embodiments, the threaded structure includes: a screw; a through hole is formed on the connecting portion to allow the screw to pass through; a threaded recess is formed in the foot and extends from the thickness direction of the foot; the inner surface of the threaded recess is formed with an internal thread that matches the screw; wherein, in response to the screw passing through the through hole of the connecting portion and being screwed and fixed in the threaded recess, the connecting portion is fixed to the machine foot.

[0013] In some embodiments, the threaded recess is formed by a nut secured to the foot.

[0014] In some embodiments, a limiting protrusion is formed on one of the surfaces of the foot; and a limiting recess matching the limiting protrusion is provided at the extended end of the connecting portion; wherein the limiting protrusion and the limiting recess are arranged around the threaded structure.

[0015] In some embodiments, the rotor assembly includes: a power unit; the power unit is fixed to the end of the arm and has a power output shaft; a propeller; the propeller is mounted on the power output shaft and can rotate under the drive of the power output shaft; wherein the accommodating space is circular; the power unit is located at a circular position of the circular accommodating space.

[0016] At least one advantageous aspect of the drone provided by the embodiments of the present application is that, through the integrated design of the rotor shroud and the landing gear connection, a higher structural strength is provided relative to the split rotor structure, and through the detachable fixed connection between the rotor shroud and the landing gear, the rotor shroud has the assembly flexibility of a split rotor structure, which can be removed / installed from the fuselage according to the needs of the usage scenario. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] One or more embodiments are exemplarily described by corresponding drawings, which do not constitute limitations on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings represent similar elements, and the figures in the drawings do not constitute proportional limitations unless otherwise stated.

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the drone provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a drone provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a rotor shroud provided in an embodiment of the present application when it is fixed to a machine foot;

[0021] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of one of the machine feet provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 5 It is a cross-sectional view of one of the machine feet provided in an embodiment of the present application, showing the situation when it is assembled with screws.

[0023] Description of reference numerals:

[0024] 10. Fuselage; 11. Landing gear; 11a. First leg; 11b. Second leg; 111. Supporting part; 112. Leg;

[0025] 20. Machine arm;

[0026] 30. Rotor assembly; 31. Power unit; 32. Propeller;

[0027] 40. rotor shroud; 411. shroud body; 412. connecting part; 413. limiting depression;

[0028] 51. Screw; 51a. Head of screw; 51b. Shaft of screw; 52. Thread depression; 53. Nut. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The present application is described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments. It should be emphasized that the following description is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application and its application.

[0030] It should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "upper", "lower", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. used in this specification indicate the orientation or position relationship based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. Terms such as "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated; therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features; "multiple" means two or more; "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0031] The "rotor shroud" is an annular structure such as a duct and / or a guard ring arranged on the periphery of the drone propeller. It improves aerodynamic efficiency and protects the propeller by surrounding the propeller. A typical rotor shroud is usually designed to be integrated with the fuselage shell, and is formed by extending the fuselage shell outward. In some embodiments, it may also be called an "integrated guard ring." However, such an integrated guard ring cannot be removed and separated from the fuselage. Therefore, once damaged, the entire fuselage shell needs to be replaced. Moreover, when the drone performs high-maneuvers or fancy flights, the guard ring will also cause additional resistance, resulting in a decrease in the flight operation feel and controllability of the drone.

[0032] Therefore, some split-type rotor shrouds are used. "Split-type design" means dividing the rotor shroud into multiple independent structural components, and then connecting these structural components with appropriate connection structures to form the required rotor shroud. For example, for a typical quad-rotor drone, the split-type rotor shroud can usually be designed as four relatively independent guard rings, which are fixed to the fuselage through a detachable fixed connection.

[0033] Although such a split design provides the convenience of detachable installation of the rotor shroud, it also significantly reduces the structural strength of the rotor shroud.

[0034] Therefore, the drone provided in the embodiment of the present application adopts a specific structural design method in which the rotor shroud is detachably fixed to the landing gear. Therefore, the drone using this connection structure has the advantage of easy disassembly of the rotor shroud while ensuring the overall structural strength of the rotor shroud, and has the advantages of both split design and integrated design.

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the drone provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 As shown, the UAV includes: a fuselage 10, a plurality of arms 20, a plurality of rotor assemblies 30 and a rotor shroud 40.

[0036] The fuselage 10 refers to the main part of the multi-drone, which is mainly composed of a fuselage shell forming the outer contour of the fuselage and functional modules (e.g., flight control system and battery module) contained in the internal space of the fuselage shell or functional modules (e.g., camera module) mounted outside the fuselage shell.

[0037] The body 10 can be configured to any suitable size and shape according to actual needs, and is not specifically limited here. Figure 2 As shown, the bottom of the fuselage 10 may have a suitable structural shape to form a landing gear 11. The "landing gear" refers to the supporting structure of the drone on the ground and during take-off and landing, which bears the weight of the fuselage and prevents the fuselage from directly contacting the ground. Correspondingly, the "bottom of the fuselage" refers to the part of the drone facing or close to the ground when it is on the ground and during landing.

[0038] In some embodiments, the landing gear 11 may be composed of a plurality of legs. Each leg extends from the bottom of the fuselage in a direction away from the fuselage. Thus, a support frame may be formed at the bottom of the fuselage 10 to play the supporting function of the landing gear.

[0039] For details, please continue to refer to Figure 1 When the bottom of the fuselage 10 is substantially rectangular, the landing gear 11 may include a pair of first legs 11 a and a pair of second legs 11 b.

[0040] Among them, a pair of first legs 11a are symmetrically arranged along the radial direction of the fuselage 10, and a pair of second legs 11b are symmetrically arranged along the axial direction of the fuselage 10. In this embodiment, "radial" refers to the width direction of the roughly rectangular fuselage. "Axial" refers to the length direction of the rectangular fuselage. More specifically, the first legs 11a and the second legs 11b can be tilted at a certain angle relative to the thickness direction of the fuselage to form a "narrow at the top and wide at the bottom" landing gear structure (that is, the rectangular area surrounded by the ends of the four legs is significantly larger than the size of the fuselage) to provide stable support for the fuselage.

[0041] The arm 20 is a structure connecting the fuselage and the rotor. It can extend outward from the fuselage to a certain length to provide a corresponding fixed installation position for the rotor or other functional modules. The arm 20 can be selected to use any suitable size, structure and number according to the actual needs, and is not specifically limited here. For example, Figure 1 The figure shows an example of four arms extending outward from the fuselage.

[0042] The rotor assembly 30 is a component used to provide flight power for the drone. It can be fixedly mounted on the arm 20. For example, Figure 1 The figure shows a situation where four rotor assemblies 30 are provided. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the number of the rotor mechanisms may also be four pairs, six pairs or other numbers.

[0043] Specifically, each rotor assembly 30 may include: a power device 31 and a propeller 32 .

[0044] The power device 31 is a component that provides mechanical power and is used to convert storable energy (e.g., electrical energy or chemical energy) into the rotational motion of the power output shaft. For example, the power device 21 may be an electric motor that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.

[0045] The propeller 32 can be directly (not through a transmission mechanism) or indirectly (through a transmission mechanism) connected to the power output shaft of the power device 31, so that it rotates at a specific speed under the drive of the power device 31 to provide flight power for the drone.

[0046] The rotor shroud 40 is an integrated structural component. It has a plurality of relatively independent accommodation spaces formed inside by the surrounding main body structure, and each accommodation space is used to accommodate one of the above-mentioned rotor assemblies 30. "Relatively independent" means that these accommodation spaces are not completely separated from each other by the physical structure of the rotor shroud.

[0047] In this embodiment, the rotor shroud 40 can be detachably fixed to the landing gear 11, so as to achieve a rigid connection with the fuselage 10. For example, the rotor shroud 40 can be fixedly connected to a pair of first machine feet 11a and a pair of second machine feet 11b respectively.

[0048] "Removably fixed" refers to the connection direction between two rigidly connected parts that can be assembled or separated from each other according to actual needs. It can be achieved in a variety of different connection methods, such as threaded connection.

[0049] The drone provided in the embodiment of the present application provides a higher structural strength than a split rotor structure by detachably connecting the integrated rotor shroud to the landing gear, while enabling the rotor shroud to have the detachable flexibility of the split rotor structure.

[0050] In order to fully illustrate the specific implementation of the drone of the embodiment of the present application, the following is a detailed description taking the detachable fixed connection between a machine foot and a rotor cover as an example.

[0051] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the rotor shroud provided in an embodiment of the present application when fixed to a machine foot. Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the rotor shroud provided in an embodiment of the present application when being removed from the machine foot.

[0052] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the machine foot 110 includes a supporting portion 111 and a foot portion 112 .

[0053] The support portion 111 extends from the bottom of the fuselage in a direction away from the fuselage. The support portion 111 may be roughly in the shape of a long strip, with sufficient strength and inclination angle. Preferably, the support portion 111 may also be provided with one or more functional mechanisms to enrich the functions of the landing gear, for example, a telescopic mechanism may be provided to realize the telescopic function of the machine foot, or a shock absorbing mechanism composed of a spring or a hydraulic buffer device may be provided to absorb the impact and vibration during take-off and landing.

[0054] The foot 112 is formed at the end of the support portion and may have a relatively flat shape to ensure sufficient contact area with the ground and provide a better support effect. The rotor shroud 40 is connected to the foot 112 to achieve detachable fixation with the landing gear 11 .

[0055] Specifically, Figure 3 As shown, the rotor shroud 40 includes a shroud body 411 and a connecting portion 412 .

[0056] The shield body 411 is the main entity structure, and the above-mentioned accommodation space is formed inside it, so as to cover the rotor assembly 40. "Cover" refers to the situation that the rotor assembly 40 is surrounded by the annular shield body 411 and is located in its internal space.

[0057] The connecting part 412 is a connecting part extending from the shield body toward the fuselage. It can have a suitable inclination angle and extension length so that it can correspond to the foot position of the machine foot. Figure 3, the connection between a connection portion 412 and a foot portion 112 is exemplarily shown. In other embodiments, the number of connection portions 412 can also be set to be the same as the number of machine feet 110, thereby providing sufficient connection sites to ensure the reliability of the rigid connection between the rotor shroud 40 and the fuselage 10.

[0058] In some embodiments, the connection portion 412 and the foot portion 112 may be fixedly connected to each other via a threaded structure.

[0059] For details, please continue to refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 The thread structure may include a screw 51 and a thread recess 52 disposed on the foot 112 .

[0060] The threaded recess 52 is a circular recess extending from the thickness direction of the foot to form a circular recess inside the foot. An internal thread matching the screw 51 is provided on the inner surface of the circular recess. Figure 5 As shown, the threaded depression 52 can be formed by a nut 53 fixed to the foot. The nut 53 can be embedded and fixed in the machine foot by an in-mold injection molding process, thereby forming the above-mentioned threaded depression at the foot position.

[0061] In addition, the connecting portion 412 is provided with a through hole for allowing the screw 51 to pass through. The size of the through hole can be slightly larger than the screw rod 51b of the screw 51 and significantly smaller than the head 51a of the screw 51, so that the screw 51 can be locked by its head 51a to limit the movement of the connecting portion 412.

[0062] In actual use, Figure 3 As shown, the screw 51 can pass through the through hole of the connecting portion 412 and be fixed in the threaded recess 52 by screwing, and the connecting portion 412 is fixed to the foot of the machine foot by the head of the screw 51. When removing the rotor shroud 40, the screw 51 can be removed from the foot 412 of the machine foot by screwing in the reverse direction, and the rotor shroud 40 can be removed from the fuselage after the restriction on the connecting portion 412 is released.

[0063] Further, after disassembly, if Figure 5 As shown, the screw 51 can be screwed back on the foot to prevent the screw 51 from being lost and also will not affect the normal use of the landing gear 11.

[0064] Better yet, please continue reading Figure 5 , the foot portion 112 may be provided with a limited position protrusion 113. Figure 3, the connection part 412 is provided with a limiting recess 413 adapted to the limiting protrusion 113. Thus, when the connection part 412 is fixed to the foot part 112, the limiting protrusion 113 can be locked and accommodated in the corresponding limiting recess 413, playing a role of auxiliary positioning.

[0065] Specifically, the limiting protrusion 113 and the limiting recess 413 can be arranged in a manner of surrounding the threaded structure. For example, the limiting protrusion 113 can be an annular protrusion protruding from the surface of the foot, and the threaded recess is located in the center of the annular protrusion. Correspondingly, the limiting recess 413 can be a circular groove adapted to the annular protrusion 413. Such a design can ensure that the through hole position can accurately face the threaded recess located in the foot, and can also improve the connection strength between the two.

[0066] In addition, the protrusion height of the limiting protrusion 113 can be greater than the thickness of the head of the screw 51, so that the head of the screw screwed and fixed in the threaded recess 52 will not contact the ground when falling.

[0067] It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the threaded structure shown in the drawings of the specification is a paired structure. Therefore, under the premise of not affecting each other and satisfying the rigid connection between the foot and the connecting part, the arrangement positions of the above-mentioned threaded recess and the through hole can be replaced with each other, and are not limited to those shown in the drawings of the specification. For example, the threaded recess is arranged in the connecting part, and the through hole is opened in the foot.

[0068] It should be noted that one or more structural components disclosed in the above embodiments can be omitted or added according to the actual needs to provide corresponding functions or technical effects. The above structural components are not mutually exclusive or related and can be used in any combination to form multiple different embodiments.

[0069] The above contents are further detailed descriptions of the present application in combination with specific / preferred implementation methods, and it cannot be determined that the specific implementation of the present application is limited to these descriptions. For ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A drone, characterized in that: include: A fuselage; a landing gear is provided at the bottom of the fuselage; A plurality of arms; the arms extending outward from the fuselage; A plurality of rotor assemblies; one of the rotor assemblies is fixedly disposed on one of the machine arms; A rotor shroud; the rotor shroud is formed with a plurality of accommodating spaces; the rotor shroud is detachably fixed to the landing gear; Wherein, in response to the rotor shroud being fixed to the landing gear, one of the rotor assemblies is accommodated in one of the accommodating spaces.

2. The drone according to claim 1, characterized in that: The landing gear comprises: a plurality of machine feet; each of the machine feet extends from the bottom of the fuselage in a direction away from the fuselage.

3. The drone according to claim 2, characterized in that: The fuselage has a length dimension extending in the axial direction and a width dimension extending in the radial direction; The machine feet include a pair of first machine feet and a pair of second machine feet; the pair of first machine feet are symmetrically arranged along the radial direction; and the pair of second machine feet are symmetrically arranged along the axial direction.

4. The drone according to claim 2, characterized in that: The machine foot comprises: A support portion extending from the bottom of the fuselage in a direction away from the fuselage; and a foot portion formed at a distal end of the support portion; Wherein, the rotor shroud is detachably connected to the foot.

5. The drone according to claim 4, characterized in that: The rotor shroud comprises: A shield body; a plurality of accommodating spaces are formed in the shield body; A plurality of connecting parts; the connecting parts extend from the shield body toward the direction close to the fuselage; Wherein, one of the connecting parts is detachably connected to one of the machine feet.

6. The drone according to claim 5, characterized in that: The connecting portion is fixedly connected to the machine foot via a threaded structure.

7. The drone according to claim 6, characterized in that: The thread structure comprises: The connecting portion is provided with a through hole for allowing the screw to pass through; A threaded depression extending from the thickness direction of the foot is formed in the foot; an inner surface of the threaded depression is formed with an internal thread matching the screw; In which, in response to the screw passing through the through hole of the connecting part and being screwed and fixed in the threaded recess, the connecting part is fixed on the machine foot.

8. The drone according to claim 7, characterized in that: The threaded recess is formed by a nut secured to the foot.

9. The drone according to claim 6, characterized in that: The foot is provided with a limiting protrusion; the connecting portion is provided with a limiting recess matched with the limiting protrusion; Wherein, the limiting protrusion and the limiting recess are arranged around the thread structure.

10. The drone according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The rotor assembly comprises: A power device; the power device is fixed at the end of the machine arm and has a power output shaft; Propeller; the propeller is mounted on the power output shaft and can rotate under the drive of the power output shaft; Wherein, the accommodating space is circular; the power device is located at a circular position of the circular accommodating space.

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