Lightweight airborne pod

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and discloses a lightweight airborne pod which comprises an azimuth base, an azimuth shaft, a U-shaped frame, a pitch shaft and an O-shaped frame, the U-shaped frame is made of continuous carbon fiber composite materials through 3D printing, pitch sleeves are arranged in inner holes in the two side faces of the U-shaped frame, the pitch shaft is arranged in the pitch sleeves, and the O-shaped frame is connected with the azimuth base. The O-shaped frame is installed on the U-shaped frame through a pitch shaft, an azimuth sleeve is arranged in an inner hole in the bottom face of the U-shaped frame, an azimuth shaft is arranged in the azimuth sleeve, and the azimuth base is connected to the azimuth shaft. According to the utility model, the inner hole is directly reserved during 3D printing, so that fiber damage during machining of the inner hole is avoided; the assembling precision of the shaft is improved by a method of gluing a metal sleeve in an inner hole of the U-shaped frame; and on the surface of the inner hole of the U-shaped frame, the bonding strength of the carbon fiber composite material and the sleeve is improved through a micro-texture machining method. The light weight of the airborne pod can be realized, and the cruising ability of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of UAV structural design, and particularly relates to a lightweight airborne pod. Background Art

[0002] The structural form of an optoelectronic pod is affected by the flight stability of the UAV, the types of sensors installed, and the equipment carried. Due to the different loads borne, the volume, weight, and overall structure of the pod will vary. In the aviation field, a smaller pod volume and lighter weight mean faster flight speed and longer flight distance. With the growing demand in the pod market, the relevant technologies in the optoelectronic pod field have developed quite rapidly in foreign countries in recent years, towards the direction of more sensors, lighter platform mass, smaller volume, and more stable flight. Therefore, the research on the miniaturization and lightening of the optoelectronic pod structure is of great significance.

[0003] In today's market, if the structural stiffness and strength can be improved while achieving structural lightweighting, it means having a very favorable advantage in the market competition. Currently, there are mainly two ways to achieve structural lightweighting: one is to adopt a lightweight structural form. When designing the structure, analyze the load form and magnitude of the structure, and correctly select the material distribution to form an optimized structural form; the other more effective and direct way is to use lightweight materials, and composite materials are the first choice for lightweight materials.

[0004] After searching the existing literature, the utility model patent named "A Composite Pod Frame Structure" (CN219313010U) provides a composite pod frame structure, including: a radome, a frame plate, and electronic equipment installed in the pod; a flange is provided at the edge of the frame plate, and the outer wall surface of the flange is lapped with the inner wall surface of the radome, separating the radome into a front compartment and a rear compartment; a plurality of mounting holes are provided on the frame plate, and the electronic equipment is installed in the front compartment through the mounting holes, and the cables of the electronic equipment pass through the mounting holes to be connected to the airframe. The frame plate of this utility model patent is formed by integrally laying composite materials with reinforcing ribs and flanges, and is not made by the continuous fiber 3D printing method. There is room for optimizing the stiffness and strength of the composite materials. At the same time, there are a plurality of mounting holes on the frame plate, and this method of drilling holes after laying the layers destroys the continuity of the carbon fiber, resulting in a reduction in the strength of the composite materials. Summary of the Utility Model

[0005] The problem to be solved by the utility model is the lightweighting problem of the airborne pod, so as to improve the endurance of the UAV.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the technical solution of the present utility model is to provide a lightweight airborne pod, including an azimuth base, an azimuth shaft, a U-shaped frame, a pitch shaft and an O-shaped frame. The U-shaped frame is made of continuous carbon fiber composite material. There are inner holes on the U-shaped frame. The inner hole openings on both side surfaces face inwards, and the inner hole opening on the bottom surface faces outwards. There are pitch sleeves in the inner holes on both side surfaces of the U-shaped frame, and a pitch shaft is arranged in the pitch sleeves. The O-shaped frame is installed on the U-shaped frame through the pitch shaft. There is an azimuth sleeve in the inner hole on the bottom surface of the U-shaped frame, and an azimuth shaft is arranged in the azimuth sleeve. The azimuth base is connected to the azimuth shaft.

[0007] Preferably, an azimuth bearing is provided between the azimuth shaft and the azimuth sleeve, and a pitch bearing is provided between the pitch shaft and the pitch sleeve.

[0008] Preferably, the azimuth base and the U-shaped frame can rotate 360°, and the U-shaped frame and the O-shaped frame can rotate 240°.

[0009] Preferably, a mechanical installation interface for connecting to a drone is provided on the azimuth base, and a connection cable for connecting to the drone extends out from the upper end of the azimuth shaft.

[0010] Preferably, the U-shaped frame is made of continuous carbon fiber composite material by 3D printing, and the inner holes on it are formed during printing.

[0011] Preferably, micro-textures are provided in the inner holes on the U-shaped frame, and the pitch sleeves and the azimuth sleeves are adhesively bonded in the inner holes where they are located.

[0012] In summary, the present utility model has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0013] 1. The present utility model uses carbon fiber composite material instead of metal material to achieve structural lightweight, with high strength and stiffness, which is beneficial to reducing the weight of the overall structure, thereby improving the endurance of the drone.

[0014] 2. The present utility model uses 3D printing technology of continuous carbon fiber composite material to form the U-shaped frame, with a simple process flow, short manufacturing cycle, low manufacturing cost, and no need for secondary processing.

[0015] 3. When processing the U-shaped frame of the present utility model, inner holes are directly reserved to avoid damaging the continuity of carbon fiber during secondary hole processing. At the same time, metal sleeves are embedded in the inner holes to solve the problem of low connection accuracy between carbon fiber composite material and the pitch shaft.

[0016] 4. After the inner hole of the U-shaped frame of the present utility model is finely processed, textures are machined on its surface by means such as laser machining. By controlling the shape, size, and distribution of the textures, the wetting performance of the inner hole surface can be improved, thereby enhancing the bonding strength between the inner hole of the carbon fiber composite material and the metal sleeve. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the processing of the U-shaped frame of the present utility model;

[0018] Figure 2 Overall schematic diagram of the U-shaped frame of the present utility model;

[0019] Figure 3 Enlarged schematic diagram of the surface structure of the inner hole in the U-shaped frame of the present utility model;

[0020] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the sectional structure of the airborne pod of the present utility model;

[0021] Figure 5 Overall schematic diagram of the airborne pod of the present utility model;

[0022] In the figure: 1, azimuth base; 2, azimuth sleeve; 3, azimuth bearing; 4, azimuth shaft; 5, U-shaped frame; 6, pitch sleeve; 7, pitch bearing; 8, pitch shaft; 9, O-shaped frame. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0023] The following Figures 1-5 further elaborates on the present utility model in detail.

[0024] The present utility model discloses a manufacturing method of a composite material U-shaped frame. Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the U-shaped frame 5 is made of carbon fiber composite material and is formed by 3D printing with continuous carbon fibers, including the following steps:

[0025] Step 1: Use computer-aided design software for three-dimensional modeling to determine the shape and size of the U-shaped frame 5;

[0026] Step 2: Control the feeding of the multi-nozzle mechanical structure system of 3D printing. Among them, the thermoplastic material is continuously fed into the hot melt nozzle under the feeding action of the extrusion wheel, melted into a liquid state in the nozzle, and then extruded to realize the forming of the thermoplastic material layer.

[0027] Step 3: The forming method of continuous carbon fiber composite materials is different from that of thermoplastic materials. Since the melting point of carbon fiber materials is as high as 3000 °C, only the resin material coated on the surface of the carbon fiber materials can be melted in the hot melt nozzle. Therefore, under the feeding action of the feeding device, the carbon fiber composite materials are extruded from the hot melt nozzle, so that the resin melted on the surface of the carbon fiber composite materials is bonded to the lower thermoplastic material layer to realize the forming of the carbon fiber composite material layer;

[0028] Step 4: The materials are printed layer by layer according to a predetermined path through a 3D printer, and after forming, heat treatment is carried out to manufacture the complete U-shaped frame 5.

[0029] In a further embodiment, referring to Figure 3 , in Step 1, when performing three-dimensional modeling on the U-shaped frame 5, inner holes are reserved on the surface of the U-shaped frame 5, and the inner holes are directly machined through 3D printing technology to avoid drilling after 3D forming, so as to ensure the continuity of carbon fibers and guarantee the strength of the carbon fiber composite material;

[0030] In Step 4, after printing is completed, the inner holes of the U-shaped frame 5 are finely machined, and then micro-textures are machined by laser to improve its surface wettability, which is beneficial to improving the bonding strength. Then, sleeves are bonded in the inner holes, and the sleeves are polished. After polishing, bearings are installed;

[0031] Laser processing of micro-textures is a method of constructing micro-structures on the surface of materials using laser technology, which is usually used to enhance the functionality of the surface, such as increasing friction, reducing friction loss, improving optical properties, etc. In the present utility model, mainly by designing appropriate texture shapes and sizes, the surface wettability of the carbon fiber composite material is improved, and its bonding performance with metal embedded parts is enhanced, including the following steps:

[0032] S1. Design micro-textures: Use computer-aided design software to design the micro-texture structure. The micro-texture structure is a hexagonal micro-texture. In other embodiments, the micro-texture structure can be grooves, pits or other shapes;

[0033] S2. Preparation work: After the inner holes of the U-shaped frame 5 are finely machined such as grinding, the surface of the inner holes is pre-treated, such as surface cleaning, removing oil stains, etc.

[0034] S3. Select laser parameters: According to factors such as the type, thickness of the U-shaped frame 5 material, and the required micro-texture geometric dimensions, select appropriate laser parameters, including laser power, scanning speed, laser focus spot size, etc.;

[0035] S4. Laser processing: Load the designed micro-texture pattern into the laser processing equipment, and start the processing program. The laser beam scans and processes on the surface of the inner hole according to the preset path to form a texture array;

[0036] S5. Control the processing quality: During the processing, it is necessary to monitor the processing quality in real time to ensure that the dimensions, shapes, and surface qualities of the micro-texture structures meet the design requirements;

[0037] S6. Post-processing: After the laser processing is completed, post-processing work needs to be carried out, such as cleaning the surface, removing residues, and surface-treating the processed area, etc., to improve the quality and stability of the micro-texture.

[0038] The U-shaped frame 5 of the present utility model has excellent strength and stiffness, excellent fatigue characteristics, excellent temperature performance, and strong corrosion resistance. It helps to reduce the overall structural weight, can maintain high strength and stiffness under long-term cyclic loads, has good stability and high-temperature resistance in high-temperature environments, and is not prone to deformation or failure.

[0039] A lightweight airborne pod using the above composite material U-shaped frame, referring to Figure 4 and Figure 5 , includes an azimuth base 1, an azimuth shaft 4, a U-shaped frame 5, a pitch shaft 8, and an O-shaped frame 9. The inner holes on both sides of the U-shaped frame 5 open inward, and the inner holes on the bottom surface open outward. The U-shaped frame 5 is made of continuous carbon fiber composite material. A pitch sleeve 6 is provided in the inner holes on both sides of it. A pitch shaft 8 is provided in the pitch sleeve 6. The O-shaped frame 9 is installed on the U-shaped frame 5 through the pitch shaft 8. An azimuth sleeve 2 is provided in the inner hole on the bottom surface of the U-shaped frame 5. An azimuth shaft 4 is provided in the azimuth sleeve 2. The azimuth base 1 is connected to the azimuth shaft 4.

[0040] In a further embodiment, an azimuth bearing 3 is provided between the azimuth shaft 4 and the azimuth sleeve 2, a pitch bearing 7 is provided between the pitch shaft 8 and the pitch sleeve 6. A mechanical installation interface for connecting to a drone is provided on the azimuth base 1. The upper end of the azimuth shaft 4 extends out the connecting cable for connecting to the drone, enabling the entire pod to be connected to the drone. The azimuth base 1 and the U-shaped frame 5 can rotate 360°, and the U-shaped frame 5 and the O-shaped frame 9 can rotate 240°.

[0041] The overall pod of the present utility model has a spherical shape, which can maximize the satisfaction of the aerodynamic requirements of airborne products. The overall shape is simple and compact, and can well envelope the internal structure and antenna in the pod. The frame form of the airborne pod adopts a two-axis and two-frame structure. The main supporting component, the U-shaped frame 5, is directly formed by 3D printing of continuous carbon fiber composite material, achieving lightweight. When 3D printing, inner holes are directly reserved through path optimization, avoiding damage to the fiber continuity during the inner hole processing, thereby improving the strength of the U-shaped frame 5, and at the same time improving the stiffness and strength of the pod structure, which is beneficial to improving the endurance and comprehensive performance of the airborne pod.

[0042] It should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention rather than to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the technical solutions of the present invention can be modified or equivalently replaced without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, and they should all be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A lightweight airborne pod, characterized in that: The invention comprises an azimuth base (1), an azimuth axis (4), a U-shaped frame (5), a pitch axis (8) and an O-shaped frame (9), wherein the U-shaped frame (5) is made of a continuous carbon fiber composite material, an inner hole is provided on the U-shaped frame (5), the inner holes on the two side surfaces are opened inwards, and the inner hole on the bottom surface is opened outwards, a pitch sleeve (6) is provided in the inner holes on the two side surfaces of the U-shaped frame (5), the pitch sleeve (6) is provided with a pitch axis (8), the O-shaped frame (9) is mounted on the U-shaped frame (5) via the pitch axis (8), an azimuth sleeve (2) is provided in the inner hole on the bottom surface of the U-shaped frame (5), the azimuth sleeve (2) is provided with an azimuth axis (4), and the azimuth base (1) is connected to the azimuth axis (4).

2. The lightweight airborne pod according to claim 1, characterized in that: An azimuth bearing (3) is provided between the azimuth axis (4) and the azimuth sleeve (2), and a pitch bearing (7) is provided between the pitch axis (8) and the pitch sleeve (6).

3. The lightweight airborne pod according to claim 2, characterized in that: The azimuth base (1) and the U-shaped frame (5) can be rotated 360 degrees, and the U-shaped frame (5) and the O-shaped frame (9) can be rotated 240 degrees.

4. The lightweight airborne pod according to claim 1, characterized in that: The azimuth base (1) is provided with a mechanical installation interface for connecting to a drone, and a connection cable for connecting to the drone extends out from the upper end of the azimuth axis (4).

5. The lightweight airborne pod according to claim 1, characterized in that: The U-shaped frame (5) is made of continuous carbon fiber by 3D printing, and the inner hole thereon is formed during printing.

6. The lightweight airborne pod according to claim 5, characterized in that: A micro texture is provided in the inner hole of the U-shaped frame (5), and the pitch sleeve (6) and the azimuth sleeve (2) are glued in the inner holes where they are located.

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