Tandem wing unmanned aerial vehicle
The drone, designed with a tandem wing layout and multi-functional propeller assembly, solves the problems of short flight time and large space occupation of EVTOL aircraft, achieving efficient and safe passenger and cargo carrying capabilities, reducing maintenance costs and increasing flight time.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202423207174.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-23
- Publication Date
- 2025-12-12
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-12-23
AI Technical Summary
Existing EVTOL aircraft have short flight time, large wing space requirements, high maintenance costs, and are mostly fuel-powered, resulting in significant pollution.
It adopts a tandem wing layout design, combining propeller assembly and landing gear, optimizing wing shape and angle, increasing the difference in wing unfolded area, and employing convertible propeller modes, with multiple landing gear configurations to adapt to passenger or cargo carrying needs.
While maintaining lift and load, the wing length was reduced, the takeoff and landing space requirements were lowered, safety and stability were improved, the range was enhanced, maintenance costs were reduced, and the reliability of the power layout was improved.
Smart Images
Figure CN223658431U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of aircraft, and in particular to the structural design of tandem-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Background Technology
[0002] Most existing EVTOLs are multi-rotor aircraft, and most carry only one or two people, resulting in relatively short flight times. While later models include fixed-wing EVTOLs, their overall wing area is smaller, their rated payload is also lower, and their increase in flight time is limited. Other types of fixed-wing business jets or light sport aircraft have relatively long wings, requiring large hangars, occupying a large area, and incurring high maintenance costs. Moreover, they are all powered by internal combustion engines, which are not as clean as electric motors. Summary of the Invention
[0003] The UAV designed in this utility model adopts a tandem wing layout design, which reduces the space required for takeoff and parking while ensuring the same lift and load, thus solving the technical problems of large space occupation and high maintenance costs of existing fixed-wing aircraft.
[0004] The tandem-wing UAV designed in this utility model includes a cabin, a front wing and a rear wing arranged longitudinally along the cabin, propeller assemblies arranged on the front and rear wings, and landing gear arranged under the cabin. The installation height of the front wing is lower than that of the rear wing, and the unfolded area of the rear wing is greater than that of the front wing. The installation angle of the front wing is greater than that of the rear wing. The height difference between the front and rear wings is 1.1 to 1.3 times the thickness of the front wing. The installation angle of the front wing is 4.5°, and the installation angle of the rear wing is 2.5°. The cross-section of the front and rear wings is a convex-concave airfoil.
[0005] A further improvement of this utility model is that the propeller assembly includes a pair of symmetrically arranged horizontally mounted lift propellers and a pair of symmetrically arranged forward propellers for propelling the aircraft forward. One embodiment includes a connecting rod between the canard and aft wing, with the lift propeller mounted on the connecting rod and the forward propeller mounted at the end of the connecting rod. Another embodiment includes multiple symmetrically arranged auxiliary rods on the canard and aft wing, with the lift propeller mounted on the auxiliary rod and the forward propeller mounted at the end of the auxiliary rod. A third embodiment includes a pair of symmetrically arranged steering propellers that can switch between horizontal and forward modes.
[0006] Depending on the intended use of the tandem-wing UAV, the landing gear is designed in different ways. When used for carrying people, the landing gear includes a shock-absorbing front landing gear and a micro-shock-absorbing rear landing gear. When used for carrying cargo, the landing gear includes a retractable shock-absorbing front landing gear and a retractable shock-absorbing rear landing gear.
[0007] The present invention adopts the above-mentioned technical solution, which greatly reduces the wing length of the drone, improves its stability, and enhances its safety. Attached Figure Description
[0008] Figure 1 This is one of the three-dimensional schematic diagrams of the tandem-wing UAV of this utility model. Figure 2 This is the second three-dimensional schematic diagram of the tandem-wing UAV of this utility model. Figure 3 This is the third three-dimensional schematic diagram of the tandem-wing UAV of this utility model. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the front and rear wings of the tandem-wing UAV of this utility model. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the mounting angle of the forewing of the tandem-wing UAV of this utility model. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the rear wing mounting angle of the tandem-wing UAV of this utility model. Figure 7 This is one of the schematic diagrams of the front landing gear of the tandem-wing UAV of this utility model. Figure 8 This is the second schematic diagram of the front landing gear of the tandem-wing UAV of this utility model. Figure 9 This is one of the schematic diagrams of the rear landing gear of the tandem-wing UAV of this utility model. Figure 10 This is the second schematic diagram of the rear landing gear of the tandem-wing UAV of this utility model. Detailed Implementation
[0009] The specific embodiments of this utility model are described in conjunction with the above-mentioned accompanying drawings.
[0010] Depend on Figures 1 to 6As can be seen from the diagram, this tandem-wing UAV of the present invention includes a cabin 10, a forewing 20 and a rearwing 30 arranged longitudinally along the cabin 10, a propeller assembly 40 arranged on the forewing and rearwing, and a landing gear 50 arranged under the cabin 10. The installation height of the forewing 20 is lower than that of the rearwing 30, and the unfolded area of the rearwing 30 is greater than that of the forewing 20. The installation angle of the forewing 20 is greater than that of the rearwing 30. One preferred embodiment is that the height difference between the forewing 20 and the rearwing 30 is 1.1 to 1.3 times the thickness of the forewing 20. Another preferred embodiment is that the installation angle of the forewing 20 is 4.5° and the installation angle of the rearwing 30 is 2.5°. A third preferred embodiment is that the cross-sections of the forewing 20 and the rearwing 30 are convex-concave airfoils. This invention employs a tandem wing design, which significantly improves payload and safety compared to multi-rotor UAVs. Compared to single-wing fixed-wing aircraft, it greatly shortens wing length for the same lift and payload, reducing storage space and significantly lowering the requirements for takeoff and landing points. The tandem wing design provides strong anti-stall performance; even at high angles of attack, the forewing stalls first, causing the aircraft to automatically pitch down to increase airspeed and prevent a complete stall, thus ensuring higher safety. In the design, the forewing's angle of attack is greater than the rear wing's, making it easier for the aircraft to climb and less prone to nose-dive, thereby improving safety. Therefore, the forewing is designed with a 4.5-degree angle of attack, and the rear wing with a 2.5-degree angle. Furthermore, to avoid airflow interaction between the wings, a height difference is designed between the forewing and rear wing, with the forewing lower than the rear wing, preferably by 200mm, and the height difference preferably being 1.2 times the thickness of the forewing. Considering both comfort and capacity, the fuselage design is compact to reduce drag and overall weight. Furthermore, the fuselage cross-section is designed with a rounded transition, which ensures both structural compressive and tensile strength while also providing passenger comfort and an aesthetically pleasing appearance. The airfoil is a concave-convex design, which, compared to the double-convex airfoils of high-speed aircraft, generates greater lift even at lower speeds, thus requiring less power for level flight.
[0011] Depend on Figures 1 to 3As can be seen from the diagram, the propeller assembly 40 of this invention includes a pair of symmetrically arranged horizontally mounted lift propellers 41 and a pair of symmetrically arranged forward propellers 42 for propelling the aircraft forward. The propeller layout is designed in several ways: First, a connecting rod 60 is provided between the canard 20 and the aft 30, with the lift propellers 41 mounted on the connecting rod 60 and the forward propellers 42 mounted at the end of the connecting rod 60; Second, multiple symmetrically arranged auxiliary rods 70 are provided on the canard 20 and the aft 30, with the lift propellers 41 mounted on the auxiliary rods 70 and the forward propellers 42 mounted at the end of the auxiliary rods 70; Third, the propeller assembly 40 includes a pair of symmetrically arranged steering propellers 43 that can switch between horizontal and forward modes. This aircraft can carry both passengers and cargo, fulfilling both commercial and cargo purposes. Furthermore, in the tandem wing configuration, various layouts can be achieved, allowing for independent operation of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and tail thrust. It can also be designed with tilt-powered propulsion, where part of the vertical takeoff power can switch to forward pull or rearward push for level flight after takeoff, facilitating various distributed propulsion layouts. Compared to existing conventional tilt-rotor EVTOLs, this third layout offers higher safety. If the tilt rotor jams or malfunctions, the rotor between the two wings can quickly activate to support the aircraft and land safely. Because the center of gravity of the tandem wings is between the front and rear wings, it possesses rotor parachute capability. Moreover, for the same wing area, the tandem wings provide greater and more stable lift converted from air resistance during landing than a single pair of wings, thus enhancing safety. In this third layout, the arms are relatively thicker, allowing batteries to be directly mounted on the arms, significantly shortening wiring. Furthermore, because the batteries on the arms are independent, a fault in one part will not affect the entire aircraft's wiring, enabling timely emergency landings. Tandem-wing aircraft, unlike other types of fixed-wing aircraft, are easier to design with multiple manually operated control surfaces for unpowered gliding landings. The biggest advantage of tandem wings is that they can achieve high reliability and high thrust-to-weight ratio while reducing takeoff and landing space.
[0012] Depend on Figures 7 to 10 As can be seen from the diagram, this utility model designs different landing gear configurations for different applications. When used for carrying passengers, the landing gear 50 includes a shock-absorbing nose landing gear 51 and a micro-shock-absorbing rear landing gear 52. When used for carrying cargo, the landing gear 50 includes a retractable shock-absorbing nose landing gear 53 and a retractable shock-absorbing rear landing gear 54. Aircraft equipped with wheeled landing gear can achieve short takeoff and landing in certain areas, providing greater payload and range than vertical takeoff and landing.
[0013] The above description, in conjunction with specific preferred embodiments, provides a further detailed explanation of the present invention. It should not be construed that the specific implementation of the present invention is limited to these descriptions. For those skilled in the art, various simple deductions or substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and all such modifications and substitutions should be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.
Claims
1. A tandem-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising a cabin (10), a forewing (20) and a rearwing (30) arranged longitudinally along the cabin (10), a propeller assembly (40) arranged on the forewing and rearwing, and a landing gear (50) arranged under the cabin (10), characterized in that: The installation height of the front wing (20) is lower than that of the rear wing (30), and the unfolded area of the rear wing (30) is greater than that of the front wing (20), and the installation angle of the front wing (20) is greater than that of the rear wing (30).
2. The tandem-wing UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The height difference between the front wing (20) and the rear wing (30) is 1.1 to 1.3 times the thickness of the front wing (20).
3. The tandem-wing UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting angle of the front wing (20) is 4.5° and the mounting angle of the rear wing (30) is 2.5°.
4. The tandem-wing UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross-sections of the front wing (20) and the rear wing (30) are convex-concave wings with an upward convex shape and a downward concave shape.
5. The tandem-wing UAV according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The propeller assembly (40) includes a pair of symmetrically arranged horizontally mounted lift propellers (41) and a pair of symmetrically arranged forward propellers (42) for propelling the aircraft forward.
6. The tandem-wing UAV according to claim 5, characterized in that: A connecting rod (60) is also provided between the front wing (20) and the rear wing (30), the lifting propeller (41) is provided on the connecting rod (60), and the forward propeller (42) is provided at the end of the connecting rod (60).
7. The tandem-wing UAV according to claim 5, characterized in that: The front wing (20) and rear wing (30) each have a plurality of symmetrically arranged auxiliary rods (70), a lifting propeller (41) is arranged on the auxiliary rod (70), and the forward propeller (42) is arranged at the end of the auxiliary rod (70).
8. The tandem-wing UAV according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The propeller assembly (40) includes a pair of symmetrically arranged steering propellers (43) that can switch between horizontal and forward modes.
9. The tandem-wing UAV according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: When the tandem-wing UAV is used for manned operation, the landing gear (50) includes a shock-absorbing front landing gear (51) and a micro-shock-absorbing rear landing gear (52).
10. The tandem-wing UAV according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: When the tandem-wing UAV is used for cargo transport, the landing gear (50) includes a retractable shock-absorbing front landing gear (53) and a retractable shock-absorbing rear landing gear (54).