Composite wing inspection unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The utility model discloses a composite wing inspection unmanned aerial vehicle, and relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a fuselage assembly, a flight control system and a protection assembly. Wherein the fuselage assembly comprises a fuselage main body and a wing assembly arranged on the fuselage main body; the flight control system is integrated in the fuselage assembly and at least comprises a flight information collector arranged outside the fuselage main body; the protection assembly is arranged on the fuselage assembly and corresponds to the flight information collector; the protection assembly comprises a protection part which is arranged on the peripheral side of the information collector in a surrounding mode and can slide relative to the flight information collector, and the protection part can move in the direction close to the flight information collector and shield the upper portion of the flight information collector. The unmanned aerial vehicle can deal with flight in more complex climates, and the utilization rate and the anti-risk capability of the unmanned aerial vehicle are effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, specifically to a composite-wing inspection UAV. Background Technology

[0002] Compound-wing UAVs can cruise at high speeds and efficiency like fixed-wing UAVs, performing long-distance missions; they can also take off and land vertically and hover like rotary-wing UAVs, adapting to complex environments. In actual operations, UAVs often need to be equipped with cameras to acquire image information, and the stability and safety of the cameras are crucial, as they affect the success or failure of the mission and the accuracy of the data.

[0003] However, in different application scenarios, composite-wing drone cameras face a variety of potential risks. For example, they may collide with obstacles, causing the lens to break or internal components to be damaged; or they may be susceptible to airflow interference from the edges of tall buildings, causing them to sway and scrape against building walls or other protruding structures, affecting image quality; at the same time, weather factors also have a significant impact on composite-wing drone cameras, as rain and fog can easily adhere to the lens surface, making the captured images blurry, and in severe cases, even making it impossible to obtain useful information. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned defects or deficiencies in the prior art, it is desirable to provide a compound wing inspection drone.

[0005] This application provides a compound-wing inspection drone, including:

[0006] The fuselage assembly includes: a fuselage body and a wing assembly disposed on the fuselage body; the wing assembly is used to control the flight attitude of the UAV.

[0007] The flight control system includes at least: a flight information acquisition device disposed on the exterior of the fuselage body;

[0008] A protective component is disposed on the fuselage assembly and corresponding to the flight information collector; the protective component includes a protective part surrounding the information collector and capable of sliding and swinging relative to the flight information collector, the protective part being movable toward the flight information collector and shielding the top of the flight information collector.

[0009] According to the technical solution provided in this application, the wing assembly includes: side wings and a tail wing;

[0010] The side wings extend horizontally and are disposed on the main body of the fuselage, and the tail fin is V-shaped and disposed at the rear of the main body of the fuselage.

[0011] At least one counterweight is provided on the top of the main body of the drone, which is used to help the drone maintain a stable attitude.

[0012] According to the technical solution provided in this application, the UAV further includes: a drive assembly, the drive assembly including: drive units disposed on both sides of the bottom of the side wings;

[0013] The drive unit includes: a support rod, with a rotatable first propeller detachably connected to each end of the support rod; four first propellers are evenly arranged on both sides of the fuselage body, and the first propellers are used to provide lift for the UAV to fly.

[0014] According to the technical solution provided in this application, the protective part includes: a base, which is disposed at the bottom of the fuselage body, the base is annular, and the middle part is used to hang the flight information collector; the base is provided with slide rails extending along the length direction of the UAV on both sides;

[0015] The first protective cover, with its two ends respectively connected to the corresponding slide rails via sliders, can move towards the flight information collector.

[0016] According to the technical solution provided in this application, the protective part further includes: a second protective cover, which is fixed in the base and located on the side near the tail of the fuselage body;

[0017] Both the first protective cover and the second protective cover are arc-shaped structures, and the size of the second protective cover is smaller than that of the first protective cover; the first protective cover and the second protective cover together form the protective space of the flight information collector.

[0018] According to the technical solution provided in this application, the protection unit further includes: a transmission control unit; the transmission control unit is used to control the movement of the first protective cover;

[0019] The transmission control unit includes: a linear control unit and a rotation control unit;

[0020] The linear control unit includes: a connecting frame disposed between the two sliders, with both ends of the first protective cover movably connected to the connecting frame; a guide rod disposed between the two sliders, with the middle part of the guide rod threadedly connected to a lead screw, the extension direction of the lead screw being parallel to the extension direction of the slide rail, and one end of the lead screw being drively connected to the drive end of the first driving member.

[0021] The rotation control unit includes a rotating shaft that passes through the connecting frame and rotates to connect the two side walls of the first protective cover. The rotating shaft is used to drive the first protective cover to swing through a second driving component.

[0022] According to the technical solution provided in this application, a buffer layer is also provided on the side of the base away from the bottom of the fuselage body;

[0023] The annular curvature of the base is matched with the outer arc shape of the first protective cover.

[0024] According to the technical solution provided in this application, a second propeller is also provided at the head of the fuselage body; each of the support rods is plugged into and connected to the side wing.

[0025] In summary, this technical solution specifically discloses a composite-wing inspection drone, comprising: a fuselage assembly, which includes a main fuselage body and a wing assembly disposed on the main fuselage body; the wing assembly is used to control the flight attitude of the drone; a flight control system, which is integrated inside the fuselage assembly, and includes at least: a flight information collector disposed on the outside of the main fuselage body; and a protection component, which is disposed on the fuselage assembly and corresponding to the flight information collector; the protection component includes: a protective part surrounding the information collector and slidable relative to the flight information collector, the protective part being movable toward the flight information collector and shielding the top of the flight information collector.

[0026] In existing technologies, the camera equipment carried by compound-wing inspection drones is often subjected to various challenges, such as interference from obstacles and airflow, as well as image acquisition in adverse weather conditions, which limits the application of drones. In this application, protective components are provided around the location of the flight information collector at the bottom of the main body to provide certain protection for the flight information collector. In adverse weather conditions, the protective components can move autonomously toward the flight information collector to provide multi-angle shielding protection, effectively improving the anti-interference capability and versatility of the drone. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Other features, objects, and advantages of this application will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a composite-wing inspection drone.

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of a composite-wing inspection drone.

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the protective component structure of a composite wing inspection drone.

[0031] Figure 4 This is a structural side view of the protective components of a compound-wing inspection drone.

[0032] The diagram is labeled as follows: 01, UAV; 1, fuselage assembly; 11, main fuselage; 2, wing assembly; 21, side wing; 22, tail wing; 3, flight information collector; 4, protection assembly; 41, base; 5, counterweight; 7, support rod; 8, first propeller; 9, slide rail; 10, second protective cover; 12, first protective cover; 13, slider; 14, connecting frame; 15, guide rod; 16, lead screw; 17, first drive component; 18, rotating shaft; 19, second drive component; 20, second propeller. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The present application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and not intended to limit it. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts relevant to the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0034] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. This application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0035] Example 1

[0036] Please refer to Figure 1 The schematic diagram shown in this embodiment illustrates a composite-wing inspection drone. This composite-wing inspection drone can protect the flight information collector without obstructing its data acquisition. Specifically, the composite-wing inspection drone includes:

[0037] The fuselage assembly 1 includes: a fuselage body 11 and a wing assembly 2 disposed on the fuselage body 11; the wing assembly 2 is used to control the flight attitude of the UAV 01.

[0038] The flight control system includes at least: a flight information acquisition unit 3 installed on the outside of the fuselage body 11;

[0039] The protective component 4 is disposed on the fuselage component 1 and is correspondingly disposed to the flight information collector 3. The protective component 4 includes a protective part that surrounds the information collector 3 and can slide and swing relative to the flight information collector 3. The protective part can move towards the flight information collector 3 and block the top of the flight information collector 3.

[0040] In this embodiment, the fuselage assembly 1 is the main component of the UAV 01, and a wing assembly 2 is provided on it to ensure the flight attitude of the UAV 01. During the design process of the wing assembly, it is also necessary to conduct multiple tests in accordance with the flight environment of the UAV 01 to obtain the wing orientation of each side of the wing assembly, which is not limited here. In addition, the fuselage assembly 1 also integrates part of the flight control system. The flight control system is the information processing center and control center of the UAV 01. It can perform functions such as attitude control of the UAV 01, avoidance of dangerous objects, and path planning. It is usually composed of a flight controller (FC) and sensors (such as IMU, barometer, GPS module, etc.). The flight controller calculates the current state of the UAV 01 based on the data collected by the sensors, and generates control commands through the control algorithm, which are then sent to the actuators such as motors or servos to complete the control of the UAV 01. The sensors here also include a flight information collector 3 that needs to be mounted on the bottom of the main body 11. The flight information collector 3 can be a camera device used to collect image or video information. The protective component 4 is a component used to protect the camera device mounted on the outside of the UAV 01. It has a protective part that can slide toward the camera device and swing. The protective part is mainly used to protect the flight information collector 3 when the UAV's flight environment is poor. The sliding is used to adjust the lateral distance between the protective part and the flight information collector 3, while the swing is used to control the angle of obstruction of the flight information collector 3 by the protective part to avoid interference with the flight information collector 3's operation.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment, the wing assembly 2 includes: a side wing 21 and a tail wing 22;

[0042] The side wings 21 extend horizontally and are mounted on the main body of the fuselage 11, while the tail fin 22 is V-shaped and is located at the tail of the main body of the fuselage 11.

[0043] At least one counterweight 5 is provided on the top of the main body 11. The counterweight 5 is used to help the UAV 01 maintain a stable attitude.

[0044] Specifically, the wing assembly 2 has two wings, the left wing and the right wing. The shape and size of the two wings 21 vary depending on the specific design and performance requirements of the UAV 01. In this application, the planar shape of the wing 21 is trapezoidal to generate lift and control flight attitude. Its material is usually made of lightweight but high-strength material to ensure its strength and stability in flight. The tail wing 21 has a V-shaped shape. This design allows the UAV 01 to achieve good stability, attitude control and reduce drag in flight. At the same time, a second propeller 20 is also provided at the head of the fuselage body 11. The second propeller 20 is also used to increase takeoff lift, enabling the UAV to leave the ground and stay in the air. In addition, at least one counterweight 5 is provided on the top of the fuselage body 11. The counterweight 5 helps the aircraft maintain balance and stability. During the design and operation of the UAV, it is necessary to ensure that its center of gravity is in a suitable position to ensure flight performance and safety.

[0045] In a preferred embodiment, the UAV 01 further includes a drive assembly, which includes drive units disposed on both sides of the bottom of the side wing 21.

[0046] The drive unit includes: a support rod 7, with a rotatable first propeller 8 detachably connected to each end of the support rod 7; four first propellers 8 are evenly arranged on both sides of the fuselage body 11, and the first propellers 8 are used to provide lift for the UAV 01 to fly.

[0047] Specifically, the power source of the UAV 01 is provided by a drive assembly, which includes drive units located on both sides of the bottom of the side wing 21. The drive unit includes two support rods 7, which can be plugged into and fixed to the side wing 21, making it easy to store the UAV 01. The two support rods 7 are generally symmetrically arranged along the length extension line of the main body 11, and each end of the two support rods 7 is provided with a first propeller 8. Finally, the four first propellers 8 are evenly arranged. The rotating first propellers 8 provide a large lift for the UAV 01, which helps the UAV 01 to take off quickly and vertically, improving the efficiency of mission completion.

[0048] In a preferred embodiment, the protective part includes: a base 41, which is disposed at the bottom of the fuselage body 11; the base 41 is annular, and the middle part is used to attach the flight information collector 3; and slide rails 9 extending along the length direction of the UAV 01 are provided on both sides of the base 41.

[0049] The first protective cover 12, with its two ends respectively connected by sliders 13 and corresponding slide rails 9, can move towards the flight information collector 3.

[0050] The protective unit is generally located on the main body 11 of the fuselage. The base 41 here is ring-shaped, and the central space is the mounting area for the flight information collector 3, which is conducive to the rapid positioning of the flight information collector 3. In addition, slide rails 9 extending along the length of the UAV 01 are provided on both sides of the base 41 to provide sliding guidance for the first protective cover 12. Here, the two ends of the first protective cover 12 are respectively slidably engaged with the slide rails 9 using sliders 13. In the design, a convex and groove interlocking form can be adopted to ensure the connection stability of the two.

[0051] In a preferred embodiment, the protective part further includes: a second protective cover 10, which is fixed in the base 41 and located on the side near the tail of the fuselage body 11;

[0052] Both the first protective shield 12 and the second protective shield 10 are arc-shaped structures, and the size of the second protective shield 10 is smaller than that of the first protective shield 12; the first protective shield 12 and the second protective shield 10 together form the protective space of the flight information collector 3.

[0053] In addition, the protection unit also includes a second protective shield 10, which can be fixed in the annular base 41 at the bottom of the fuselage body 11, and is positioned near the tail of the fuselage body 11. Here, the second protective shield 10 can be directly used to protect against wind or obstacles coming from the rear of the flight information collector 3. There are two arrangements for the relative positions of the second protective shield 10 and the first protective shield 12 (see [reference]). Figure 3 and Figure 2 (The order of the two positions can be set according to the actual situation, and this application does not impose any special restrictions.) This is because when a drone is equipped with a camera, an auxiliary device can generally be added to the tail. In this way, the main flight information collector 3 is used to undertake the collection task (such as checking high-altitude facilities for workers, drawing maps for surveyors, etc.). Therefore, although its rear view is blocked by the second protective cover 10, it will not affect the execution of the task.

[0054] Furthermore, both the first protective shield 12 and the second protective shield 10 are arc-shaped structures, forming a large protective area. However, in order not to obstruct the flight information collector 3, the second protective shield 10 and the first protective shield 12 do not need to be designed to form a closed space. However, since the size of the second protective shield 10 is smaller than that of the first protective shield 12, the second protective shield 10 can be covered by the first protective shield 12 at some swing angles. Therefore, there is no need to impose too many restrictions on its specific shape design. It is only necessary to control the swing angle of the first protective shield 12.

[0055] In a preferred embodiment, the protection unit further includes: a transmission control unit; the transmission control unit is used to control the movement of the first protective cover 12; the transmission control unit includes: a linear control unit and a rotation control unit;

[0056] The linear control unit includes: a connecting frame 14 disposed between two sliders 13, with both ends of the first protective cover 12 movably connected to the connecting frame 14; a guide rod 15 disposed between the two sliders 13, with the middle part of the guide rod 15 threadedly connected to the lead screw 16, the extension direction of the lead screw 16 being parallel to the extension direction of the slide rail 9, and one end of the lead screw 16 being drive-connected to the drive end of the first drive member 17.

[0057] The rotation control unit includes a rotating shaft 18 that passes through the connecting frame 14 and rotates to connect the two side walls of the first protective cover 12. The rotating shaft 18 is used to drive the first protective cover 12 to swing through the second driving member 19.

[0058] Specifically, the linear control unit drives the first protective cover 12 to move along the slide rail 9. This is achieved by using a guide rod 15 and a lead screw 16 located between the two sliders 13. By activating the first drive unit 17, the guide rod 15 is controlled to move along the length of the lead screw 16, thereby driving the slider 13 to move linearly along the slide rail 9. In this way, the first protective cover 12 can move towards the flight information collector 3. Furthermore, the swinging of the first protective cover 12 is achieved by using a connecting frame 14 and a rotating shaft 18 located at the bottom of the slider 13. The connecting frame 14 has a certain structural space to effectively avoid structural collisions with the second protective cover 10. The two ends of the first protective cover 12 are rotatably connected to the connecting frame 14 via the rotating shaft 18, and then the rotating shaft 18 is connected to the second drive unit 19 to drive the swinging operation of the first protective cover 12.

[0059] It should be noted that, to protect the camera equipment without obstructing its field of view, structural avoidance is necessary when mounting the flight information collector 3. This can be achieved by adjusting the mounting height and angle of the flight information collector 3; no specific limitations are imposed here. Furthermore, the swing angle of the first protective cover 12 needs to be set in conjunction with the swing angle of the camera equipment, the drone's flight attitude, and the actual usage environment. Its activation should also be determined based on environmental changes. Specific control measures can be implemented by integrating the protective cover's control into the drone's flight control system. This allows the flight control system to coordinate and control the protective cover's swing angle based on the flight attitude and the camera's operating status. For example, when the drone performs turns, ascents, descents, or other flight operations, the flight control system will simultaneously adjust the angles of the camera and the protective cover to ensure the camera's field of view is unaffected. This operation can be achieved using the flight control system, commonly employing a PID control algorithm. This algorithm calculates the control quantity by performing proportional, integral, and derivative operations on the error between the target angle and the actual angle, thereby driving the motor to adjust the protective cover's angle.

[0060] In a preferred embodiment, a buffer layer is also provided on the side of the base 41 away from the bottom of the fuselage body 11;

[0061] The annular curvature of the base 41 is matched with the outer arc shape of the first protective cover 12.

[0062] During the design process, considering the risk of the first protective shield 12 colliding with the surface of the base 41 during the swinging process, a buffer layer is provided on the side of the base 41 away from the bottom of the fuselage body 11. It should be noted that the matching of the annular curvature of the base 41 with the outer arc of the first protective shield 12 mainly refers to the presence of a contact point or contact surface between the lowest point of the arc edge of the first protective shield 12 and the surface of the base 41, rather than the fact that the edge of the first protective shield 12 can be completely in contact with the base 41 during the swinging process. This is because the first protective shield 12 can be a regular quarter circle or a planar unfolded leaf-shaped structure. Under such a structural design, when the first protective shield 12 swings to contact the base 41, it is actually a point contact or a certain range of surface contact.

[0063] Based on the above description, this application proposes a composite-wing inspection drone, the specific working principle of which is as follows: when the drone 01 takes off, the mounting position of the flight information collector 3 is adjusted in advance to prevent the launch structure from obstructing it. Then, the flight control system can control the rotation of the first propeller 8 and the second propeller 21 to provide lift for the drone 01, so that the drone 01 can take off. In case of severe weather, the first drive component 17 can be activated to drive the slider 13 to move along the slide rail 9, so that the first protective cover 12 moves to the target position. Then, according to the drone 01 and the flight information collector 3, the swing angle of the first protective cover 12 is adjusted by the second drive component 19 so that the first protective cover 12 can provide a certain degree of protection for the flight information collector 3, but will not block the field of vision of the flight information collector 3.

[0064] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and an explanation of the technical principles employed. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of the invention involved in this application is not limited to technical solutions formed by specific combinations of the above-described technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by arbitrary combinations of the above-described technical features or their equivalents without departing from the inventive concept. For example, technical solutions formed by substituting the above features with (but not limited to) technical features with similar functions disclosed in this application.

Claims

1. A composite-wing inspection drone, characterized in that, include: The fuselage assembly (1) includes: a fuselage body (11) and a wing assembly (2) disposed on the fuselage body (11); the wing assembly (2) is used to control the flight attitude of the UAV (01); The flight control system includes at least: a flight information collector (3) disposed outside the fuselage body (11); The protective component (4) is disposed on the fuselage assembly (1) and is disposed corresponding to the flight information collector (3); the protective component (4) includes: a protective part surrounding the information collector (3) and capable of sliding and swinging relative to the flight information collector (3), the protective part being able to move toward the flight information collector (3) and shield the flight information collector (3) from above.

2. The composite-wing inspection drone according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wing assembly (2) includes: a side wing (21) and a tail wing (22); The side wings (21) extend horizontally and are disposed on the fuselage body (11), and the tail wing (22) is V-shaped and is disposed at the tail of the fuselage body (11); At least one counterweight (5) is provided on the top of the main body (11), and the counterweight (5) is used to help the UAV (01) maintain a stable attitude.

3. The composite-wing inspection drone according to claim 2, characterized in that, The drone also includes a drive assembly, which includes drive units located on both sides of the bottom of the side wing (21); The drive unit includes: a support rod (7), with a rotatable first propeller (8) detachably connected to each end of the support rod (7); four first propellers (8) are evenly arranged on both sides of the fuselage body (11), and the first propellers (8) are used to provide lift for the UAV (01) to fly.

4. The composite-wing inspection drone according to claim 1, characterized in that, The protective part includes: a base (41), which is disposed at the bottom of the fuselage body (11). The base (41) is ring-shaped and its middle part is used to hang the flight information collector (3); the base (41) is provided with slide rails (9) extending along the length direction of the UAV (01) on both sides. The first protective cover (12) has two ends that can move toward the flight information collector (3) through the cooperation of sliders (13) and corresponding slide rails (9).

5. A composite-wing inspection drone according to claim 4, characterized in that, The protective part further includes: a second protective cover (10), which is fixed inside the base (41) and located on the side near the tail of the fuselage body (11); Both the first protective cover (12) and the second protective cover (10) are arc-shaped structures, and the size of the second protective cover (10) is smaller than that of the first protective cover (12); the first protective cover (12) and the second protective cover (10) together form the protective space of the flight information collector (3).

6. The composite-wing inspection drone according to claim 4, characterized in that, The protection unit further includes a transmission control unit; the transmission control unit is used to control the movement of the first protective cover (12); The transmission control unit includes: a linear control unit and a rotation control unit; The linear control unit includes: a connecting frame (14) disposed between the two sliders (13), with both ends of the first protective cover (12) movably connected to the connecting frame (14); a guide rod (15) disposed between the two sliders (13), with the middle part of the guide rod (15) threadedly connected to the lead screw (16), the extension direction of the lead screw (16) being parallel to the extension direction of the slide rail (9), and one end of the lead screw (16) being drively connected to the drive end of the first driving member (17); The rotation control unit includes a rotating shaft (18) that passes through the connecting frame (14) and is rotatably connected to both sides of the first protective cover (12). The rotating shaft (18) is used to drive the first protective cover (12) to swing through the second driving member (19).

7. A composite-wing inspection drone according to claim 5, characterized in that, A buffer layer is also provided on the side of the base (41) away from the bottom of the fuselage body (11); The annular curvature of the base (41) is matched with the outer arc shape of the first protective cover (12).

8. A composite-wing inspection drone according to claim 3, characterized in that, The fuselage body (11) is also provided with a second propeller (20) at its head; each of the support rods (7) is plugged into the side wing (21).

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