Catapult and aircraft system

Abstract

The utility model provides a catapult and an aircraft system, and relates to the technical field of aircraft catapulting. The ejector comprises a sliding rail, an ejection cabin, a trigger assembly, a sliding block assembly and an elastic connecting piece. The sliding rail comprises a first end and a second end in the first direction, and the ejection cabin is arranged on the sliding rail in a sliding mode and can slide between the first end and the second end; the trigger assembly comprises a limiting state and a releasing state, the ejection cabin is limited at the first end of the sliding rail when the trigger assembly is in the limiting state, and the ejection cabin can slide towards the second end of the sliding rail when the trigger assembly is in the releasing state; the sliding block assembly comprises a sliding block, and the sliding block can move between a first position and a second position in the second direction. One end of the elastic connecting piece is connected with the ejection cabin, and the other end is connected with the sliding block; when the ejection cabin is located at the first end of the sliding rail and the sliding block is located at the first position, the elastic connecting piece is in a stretching state. According to the catapult provided by the invention, the flight radius of the aircraft can be increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of aircraft technology, and more specifically, to a catapult and aircraft system. Background Technology

[0002] Micro flapping-wing aircraft have attracted widespread attention due to their small size, portability, flexible flight, and excellent stealth capabilities. Compared with micro fixed-wing aircraft and micro rotorcraft, their miniaturization is far greater. Moreover, flapping-wing aircraft do not have propellers or jet devices, so they can take off, accelerate, and hover quickly, and have broad application prospects in both civilian and defense fields.

[0003] However, the way ornithopter generates propulsion results in an energy conversion efficiency that is far lower than that of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. Therefore, for aircraft of the same size and energy source, the flight radius of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft is much larger than that of ornithopter.

[0004] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background section above is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of this disclosure, and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art known to those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a catapult and aircraft system that can increase the flight radius of an aircraft.

[0006] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a catapult is provided, the catapult comprising:

[0007] A slide rail, the slide rail including a first end and a second end along a first direction;

[0008] An ejection chamber, which is slidably mounted on the slide rail and is capable of sliding between the first end and the second end;

[0009] A trigger assembly includes a limiting state and a releasing state. When in the limiting state, the ejection chamber is limited to the first end of the slide rail. When in the releasing state, the ejection chamber can slide toward the second end of the slide rail.

[0010] A slider assembly, the slider assembly including a slider, the slider being movable along a second direction between a first position and a second position;

[0011] An elastic connector is provided, with one end connected to the ejection chamber and the other end connected to the slider; when the ejection chamber is located at the first end of the slide rail and the slider is located at the first position, the elastic connector is in a stretched state.

[0012] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the slider assembly and the ejection chamber are located on opposite sides of the slide rail.

[0013] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the catapult further includes:

[0014] A pulley is provided at the second end of the slide rail, and the elastic connector connects the ejection chamber and the slider through the pulley.

[0015] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the catapult is provided with a plurality of elastic connectors, one end of each elastic connector being connected to the catapult chamber and the other end being connected to the slider; or,

[0016] The catapult is provided with a plurality of elastic connectors, and the slider assembly includes a plurality of sliders; one end of the plurality of elastic connectors is connected to the catapult chamber, and the other end is connected to the plurality of sliders, and each slider is connected to at least one elastic connector.

[0017] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the slider assembly further includes:

[0018] drive;

[0019] A lead screw, one end of which is connected to the driver, the driver being configured to drive the lead screw to rotate;

[0020] A lead screw nut is provided on the lead screw and is set at the upper limit in the rotation direction of the lead screw. The slider is connected to the lead screw nut. When the lead screw rotates, the lead screw nut can reciprocate along the axial direction of the lead screw to drive the slider to reciprocate between the first position and the second position.

[0021] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the catapult further includes:

[0022] A slide rail bracket, wherein the slide rail is disposed on the slide rail bracket, and the trigger assembly and / or the slider assembly is disposed on the slide rail bracket.

[0023] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the catapult further includes:

[0024] A lifting frame, wherein the slide rail bracket is connected to the lifting frame, and the lifting frame is configured to drive the slide rail bracket to adjust the pitch angle.

[0025] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the first direction and the second direction are parallel.

[0026] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the elastic connector is a rubber component, which is attached to the ejection chamber and / or the slider.

[0027] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, when the slider is in the first position, the slider can trigger the trigger assembly, causing the trigger assembly to switch to the released state.

[0028] According to another aspect of this disclosure, an aircraft system is provided, the aircraft system comprising:

[0029] Aircraft;

[0030] The aforementioned catapult is configured to launch the aircraft through the catapult compartment.

[0031] In an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, when the trigger assembly is in the limiting state, it can limit the hook of the aircraft to the ejection compartment; when the trigger assembly is in the releasing state, it can cause the aircraft to move toward the second end of the slide rail under the action of the ejection compartment.

[0032] The catapult disclosed herein allows an aircraft to be mounted on a slide rail via a catapult compartment. The aircraft is placed in a ready-to-launch state by limiting the trigger assembly. At this point, the catapult compartment is connected to the first position via an elastic connector, which is in a stretched state. An elastic energy storage element in the elastically connected compartment stores energy for catapult launch. When the trigger assembly is released, the limiting effect on the catapult compartment is removed. The catapult compartment then moves rapidly on the slide rail under the elastic restoring force of the elastic connector, thus launching the aircraft. When the catapult compartment rapidly moves to the second end of the slide rail, the aircraft separates from the catapult compartment and continues to fly forward under inertia, achieving catapult takeoff. This allows the aircraft to be pre-deployed closer to the target via the catapult, increasing its flight radius.

[0033] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0034] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort.

[0035] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of a catapult and an aircraft provided for one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an aircraft system provided for one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a catapult provided for one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 4 An exploded view of a catapult provided for one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0039] Figure 5 An exploded view of a catapult provided as an embodiment of this disclosure from another perspective.

[0040] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0041] 10. Slide rail;

[0042] 20. Ejection chamber; 210. Ejection base plate; 220. Ejection chamber seat;

[0043] 30. Trigger assembly;

[0044] 40. Slider assembly; 410. Slider; 411. First position; 412. Second position; 420. Driver; 430. Lead screw; 440. Lead screw nut; 450. Lead screw support;

[0045] 50. Flexible connectors;

[0046] 60. Pulley;

[0047] 70. Slide rail bracket;

[0048] 80. Lifting frame; 810. Base; 820. Lower connecting rod; 830. Front connecting rod; 840. Middle connecting rod; 850. Rear connecting rod; 860. Cross beam; 870. Mounting rod; 880. Drive unit; 890. Upper connecting rod;

[0049] 90. Aircraft; 910. Hook. Detailed Implementation

[0050] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar structures, and therefore their detailed description will be omitted.

[0051] Although relative terms such as "up" and "down" are used in this specification to describe the relative relationship of one component of an icon to another, these terms are used only for convenience, such as according to the orientation of the examples shown in the accompanying drawings. It is understood that if the device of the icon is flipped upside down, the component described as "up" will become the component described as "down." When a structure is "up" of another structure, it may mean that the structure is integrally formed on the other structure, or that the structure is "directly" mounted on the other structure, or that the structure is "indirectly" mounted on the other structure through another structure.

[0052] The terms “a,” “one,” “the,” “the,” and “at least one” are used to indicate the existence of one or more elements / components / etc.; the terms “including” and “having” are used to indicate an open-ended inclusion and to mean that there may be other elements / components / etc. in addition to the listed elements / components / etc.; the terms “first,” “second,” etc. are used only as markers and are not a limitation on the number of objects.

[0053] Embodiments of this disclosure provide an aircraft system, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the aircraft system includes an aircraft 90 and a catapult, which is configured to launch the aircraft 90 via a catapult 20. The aircraft 90 can be, for example, a flapping-wing bionic aircraft. Since flapping-wing aircraft typically have a small cruising radius, the catapult allows the flapping-wing aircraft to be pre-deployed closer to the target and then automatically launched to perform its flight mission, thereby increasing its flight radius. Of course, the aircraft 90 can also be a fixed-wing aircraft. Fixed-wing aircraft can also be pre-deployed closer to the target and launched to increase their flight radius; this disclosure does not impose any limitations on this.

[0054] The catapult disclosed herein will now be described in detail.

[0055] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the ejector includes: a slide rail 10, an ejection chamber 20, a trigger assembly 30, a slider assembly 40, and an elastic connector 50. The slide rail 10 includes a first end and a second end along a first direction. The ejection chamber 20 is slidably disposed on the slide rail 10 and is capable of sliding between the first end and the second end. The trigger assembly 30 includes a limiting state and a releasing state. When in the limiting state, the ejection chamber 20 is limited to the first end of the slide rail 10. When in the releasing state, the ejection chamber 20 is capable of sliding toward the second end of the slide rail 10. The slider assembly 40 includes a slider 410, which is capable of moving along a second direction between a first position 411 and a second position 412. One end of the elastic connector 50 is connected to the ejection chamber 20, and the other end is connected to the slider 410. When the ejection chamber 20 is located at the first end of the slide rail 10 and the slider 410 is located at the first position 411, the elastic connector 50 is in a stretched state.

[0056] The catapult disclosed herein allows the aircraft 90 to be mounted on the slide rail 10 via the catapult 20. The aircraft 90 is placed in a ready-to-launch state by limiting the trigger assembly 30. At this time, the catapult 20 is connected to the first position 411 via an elastic connector 50, which is in a stretched state. The elastic energy storage element, through this elastic connection, stores energy for catapult launch. When the trigger assembly 30 is released, the limiting effect on the catapult 20 is removed, and the aircraft 90 launches... The ejection bay 20 moves rapidly on the slide rail 10 under the elastic restoring force of the elastic connector 50, thereby ejecting the aircraft 90 through the ejection bay 20; when the ejection bay 20 moves rapidly to the second end of the slide rail 10, the aircraft 90 separates from the ejection bay 20, and the aircraft 90 continues to fly forward under inertia, thereby realizing the ejection take-off of the aircraft 90, so that the aircraft 90 can be deployed in advance to a position closer to the target through the catapult, and take off through the catapult to increase the flight radius.

[0057] It is understandable that the installation of the aircraft 90 in the ejection compartment 20 can limit the connection between the aircraft 90 and the ejection compartment 20 in the ejection direction, so that when the ejection compartment 20 moves from the first end to the second end on the slide rail 10, it drives the aircraft 90 to move synchronously. When the ejection compartment 20 stops moving or moves from the second end to the first end on the slide rail 10, the aircraft 90 separates from the ejection compartment 20.

[0058] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3As shown, the ejection bay 20 includes an ejection base plate 210 and an ejection bay seat 220. The ejection base plate 210 is slidably connected to the slide rail 10, and the ejection bay seat 220 is disposed on the ejection base plate 210. The aircraft 90 is placed on the ejection base plate 210, with at least a portion of the tail of the aircraft 90 located within the ejection bay seat 220. The shape of the ejection bay seat 220 can match the tail structure of the aircraft 90 to reduce the gap between the ejection bay seat 220 and the tail of the aircraft 90, thereby improving the stability of ejecting the aircraft 90. When the ejection base plate 210 moves from the first end to the second end on the slide rail 10, it drives the aircraft 90 to move synchronously through the ejection bay seat 220. When the ejection base plate 210 moves to the second end on the slide rail 10, the ejection bay seat 220 separates from the aircraft 90. The aircraft 90 can be equipped with a hook 910, which can cooperate with the ejection seat 220 to launch the aircraft 90.

[0059] It should be noted that the phrase "when the ejection base plate 210 moves to the second end of the slide rail 10" can be understood as the ejection bay seat 220 separating from the aircraft 90 when the ejection base plate 210 moves to the end of the second end of the slide rail 10, i.e., at the end of the slide rail 10; or it can be understood as the ejection bay seat 220 separating from the aircraft 90 when the ejection base plate 210 moves to the end near the second end of the slide rail 10, i.e., near the end of the slide rail 10. This disclosure does not limit the ejection connection structure between the aircraft 90 and the ejection bay 20, nor the separation position of the aircraft 90 from the ejection bay 20 during ejection.

[0060] In some embodiments, such as Figures 2-5 As shown, the slide rail 10 is mounted on the slide rail bracket 70, and the trigger assembly 30 and / or the slider assembly 40 are mounted on the slide rail bracket 70. By setting the slide rail bracket 70, the integration of the various assemblies in the catapult is improved.

[0061] The slide rail bracket 70 has a plate-like frame structure, on which the slide rail 10, the ejection chamber 20 and the slider assembly 40 are all assembled to improve the structural stability of the ejector.

[0062] The slide rail bracket 70 can be formed of carbon fiber sheet. Two semi-enclosed stainless steel cylindrical linear guide slide rails 10 are fixed on the slide rail bracket 70. Four semi-enclosed sliders are added to the bottom of the ejection base plate 210 to make the ejection chamber 20 and the slide rail 10 slide stably connected.

[0063] The ejection chamber 20 may be made of nylon material to reduce its weight and the loss of ejection force provided by the elastic connector 50.

[0064] In some embodiments, the slider assembly 40 and the ejection chamber 20 are located on opposite sides of the slide rail 10. By positioning the slider assembly 40 and the ejection chamber 20 on opposite sides of the slide rail 10, i.e., the movement direction of the slider 410 in the slider assembly 40 is opposite to the movement direction of the ejection chamber 20, the structural compactness of the slider assembly 40 and the ejection chamber 20 can be improved, and the size of the ejector can be reduced under the premise of the same ejection stroke.

[0065] Among them, such as Figures 2-5 As shown, the catapult also includes a pulley 60, which is mounted on the slide rail bracket 70 and located at the second end of the slide rail 10. The elastic connector 50 connects the catapult chamber 20 and the slider 410 via the pulley 60. By setting the pulley 60, the two ends of the elastic connector 50 are positioned on both sides of the slide rail 10, making the movement of the elastic connector 50 smoother. This reduces the resistance brought by the system when the elastic connector 50 releases its elastic stored energy, allowing more elastic restoring force to act on the catapult chamber 20, thereby enhancing the catapult effect on the aircraft 90 and increasing the catapult distance of the aircraft 90.

[0066] In this configuration, the first and second directions are parallel. Specifically, when the two ends of the elastic connector 50 are located on the upper and lower sides of the slide rail 10 via pulleys 60, the elastic connectors 50 on the upper and lower sides of the slide rail 10 are parallel. This allows the slider 410 to move parallel to the ejection chamber 20 in the opposite direction, improving the stability of the ejector when launching the aircraft 90. Alternatively, the first and second directions can be non-parallel, meaning they can form an angle. As long as the elastic connector 50 can stretch and store energy to drive the ejection chamber 20 to launch the aircraft 90, this disclosure does not impose any limitations on this.

[0067] The elastic connector 50 can be a rubber component, such as a rubber belt. A rubber belt has good elastic properties, meaning it possesses good tensile energy storage capacity, which allows it to apply more acceleration force to the ejection chamber 20 when it is released, thereby enhancing the ejection effect on the aircraft 90. Simultaneously, using a rubber belt allows for better cooperation with the pulley 60, reducing the loss of tensile energy stored by the elastic connector 50. Of course, the elastic connector 50 can also be a spring or other elastic connector; this disclosure does not impose any limitations on this.

[0068] The rubber components can be attached to the ejection chamber 20 and / or the slider 410. This attachment method facilitates flexible assembly and replacement, improving the ease of installation and maintenance.

[0069] In some embodiments, the ejector is provided with a plurality of elastic connectors 50, one end of which is connected to the ejection chamber 20 and the other end is connected to the slider 410. This allows for the provision of multiple rubber bands to enhance the tensile energy storage to a certain extent, thereby increasing the acceleration force applied to the ejection chamber 20 when it is released.

[0070] In some embodiments, the ejector may be provided with a plurality of elastic connectors 50, and the slider assembly 40 may include a plurality of sliders 410; one end of the plurality of elastic connectors 50 is connected to the ejection chamber 20, and the other end is connected to the plurality of sliders 410, and each slider 410 is connected to at least one elastic connector 50, so that multiple rubber strips and multiple sliders 410 can be set to improve the stretching energy storage to a certain extent, thereby improving the application of more acceleration force to the ejection chamber 20 when the ejection chamber 20 is released.

[0071] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown, the slider assembly 40 also includes a driver 420, a lead screw 430, and a lead screw nut 440. One end of the lead screw 430 is connected to the driver 420, and the driver 420 is configured to drive the lead screw 430 to rotate. The lead screw nut 440 is disposed on the lead screw 430 and is limited by the slide rail bracket 70 in the rotation direction of the lead screw 430. The slider 410 is connected to the lead screw nut 440. The lead screw nut 440 can reciprocate along the axial direction of the lead screw 430 to drive the slider 410 to reciprocate between the first position 411 and the second position 412.

[0072] Through the cooperation of the driver 420, the lead screw 430, and the lead screw nut 440, the driver 420 drives the lead screw 430 to rotate, thereby adjusting the position of the lead screw nut 440 on the lead screw 430. This, in turn, drives the slider 410 to move synchronously, thus adjusting the position of the slider 410. When the ejection chamber 20 needs to be positioned at the first end of the slide rail 10, the driver 420 drives the lead screw 430 to rotate, causing the lead screw nut 440 to move towards the second position 412 on the lead screw 430, thereby causing the slider 410 to be positioned at the second position 412. When energy storage is required via the elastic connector 50, the driver 420 drives the lead screw 430 to rotate in the opposite direction, causing the lead screw nut 440 to move towards the first position 411 on the lead screw 430, thereby causing the slider 410 to move towards the first position 411. During this movement, the slider 410 stretches the elastic connector 50, allowing the elastic connector 50 to stretch and store energy.

[0073] The slide rail bracket 70 may be provided with a lead screw support 450. The end of the lead screw 430 away from the driver 420 is located in the lead screw support 450. The part of the lead screw 430 located in the lead screw support 450 is not threaded.

[0074] Among them, such as Figures 3-5 As shown, the catapult can be equipped with two elastic connectors 50 and two sliders 410. The two elastic connectors 50 and two sliders 410 are distributed on both sides of the lead screw 430, that is, the two sliders 410 are driven to move simultaneously by a lead screw nut 440.

[0075] In some embodiments, when the slider 410 is at the first position 411, the slider 410 can trigger the trigger assembly 30, causing the trigger assembly 30 to switch to the released state. When the lead screw 430 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction by the driver 420, so that the lead screw nut 440 moves toward the first position 411 on the lead screw 430, thereby driving the slider 410 to move toward the first position 411, when the slider 410 moves to the first position 411, the trigger assembly 30 can be triggered by the slider 410, causing the trigger assembly 30 to switch to the released state, thereby releasing the ejection chamber 20 and thus ejecting the aircraft 90. It can be seen that controlling the ejection of the aircraft 90 does not require a separate device to trigger the trigger assembly 30; it can be achieved through the slider assembly 40, making the ejection of the aircraft 90 fully automated. Of course, a separate device for triggering the trigger assembly 30 can also be provided, or the trigger assembly 30 can be manually triggered; this disclosure does not limit this.

[0076] The trigger assembly 30 may include a trigger bracket, a trigger shaft, a blade, a tooth, and a tension spring. The trigger assembly 30 is installed at the end of the lead screw 430 near the driver 420. The trigger bracket is installed on the slide rail bracket 70, and the trigger shaft is installed on the trigger bracket. The blade and tooth are rotatably connected to the trigger shaft. The tooth is located above the slide rail bracket 70 and is used to limit the ejection chamber 20 during the energy storage process of the slider 410. The blade is located below the slide rail bracket 70 and is triggered when the slider 410 is fully charged. The blade drives the tooth to rotate against the elastic force of the tension spring to release the ejection chamber 20 and the aircraft 90.

[0077] In some embodiments, such as Figures 2-5As shown, the catapult also includes: a lift platform 80, and a slide rail support 70 connected to the lift platform 80. The lift platform 80 is configured to adjust the pitch angle of the slide rail support 70. By setting the lift platform 80, the pitch angle of the slide rail support 70 relative to the horizontal plane can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the launch angle ∠A of the aircraft 90, which is, for example, 30°. By adjusting the launch angle of the aircraft 90, the launch distance of the aircraft 90 can be increased, thereby increasing the flight radius of the aircraft 90. The launch angle ∠A can, of course, be less than 30° or greater than 30°; when the ground on which the catapult is placed is not horizontal, the lift platform 80 can be adjusted to make the launch angle ∠A of the aircraft 90 reach the ideal angle. In addition, when the aircraft 90 is in the ready-to-launch state, the elevator 80 can be lowered to a low-profile position to conceal the aircraft 90; when the aircraft 90 needs to be launched, the elevator 80 is raised to the required ejection angle to eject the aircraft 90.

[0078] Among them, such as Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown, the lifting frame 80 includes a base 810, a lower connecting rod 820, a front connecting rod 830, a middle connecting rod 840, a rear connecting rod 850, a cross beam 860, a mounting rod 870, a drive device 880, and an upper connecting rod 890. The two bases 810 are arranged one in front of the other, and the two lower connecting rods 820 connect the two bases 810 to form a support for a rectangular frame. The two upper connecting rods 890 are connected together by the two mounting rods 870, which are located at both ends of the upper connecting rods 890, forming a support frame for the slide rail bracket 70. The support frame is connected to the slide rail bracket 70. Two front connecting rods 830 are connected by multiple middle connecting rods 840 to form an intermediate support frame. The support base and the support frame are connected together through the intermediate support frame. The intermediate support frame is rotatably connected to the support base and the support frame to form a Z-shaped structure, so that the support base and the support frame support can rotate relative to each other. Two rear connecting rods 850 are connected together by cross beams 860 to form a tail support frame. The tail support frame is supported between the support base and the support frame and is rotatably connected to the support base and the support frame to improve the structural strength of the rotation between the support base and the support frame. The drive device 880 is rotatably connected between the mounting rod 870 on the support frame and the middle connecting rod 840 of the intermediate support frame to adjust the distance between the mounting rod 870 and the middle connecting rod 840, thereby adjusting the pitch angle of the support frame relative to the support base, thereby adjusting the pitch angle of the slide rail 10, and finally adjusting the ejection angle of the aircraft 90.

[0079] The drive unit 880 can be an electric cylinder or a motor assembly, which is driven by electronic control to enable the catapult to be automatically controlled without the need for manual on-site adjustment, thereby enabling the catapult and the aircraft 90 to be deployed in advance at a position closer to the target.

[0080] The base 810, lower connecting rod 820, front connecting rod 830, middle connecting rod 840, rear connecting rod 850, cross beam 860, mounting rod 870, drive device 880, and upper connecting rod 890 can be fixedly connected by bolts or rotatably connected, facilitating the assembly and handling of the lifting frame 80. Of course, welding, riveting, bonding, snap-fitting, etc., can also be used for connection, and this disclosure does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0081] The base 810, lower connecting rod 820, front connecting rod 830, middle connecting rod 840, rear connecting rod 850, cross beam 860, mounting rod 870, and upper connecting rod 890 can be made of aluminum profiles, which have high structural strength, light weight, and good corrosion resistance in outdoor environments. Of course, other metals or alloys, non-metallic plastic materials or carbon fiber materials, or composite materials of metals and non-metals can also be used.

[0082] It should be noted that the above description of the components in the lifting frame 80 is only an exemplary description of the preferred embodiment. The number of the base 810, lower connecting rod 820, front connecting rod 830, middle connecting rod 840, rear connecting rod 850, cross beam 860, mounting rod 870, drive device 880 and upper connecting rod 890 can be selected as needed. Those skilled in the art can also select other structural forms of lifting frames. Any lifting frame that can achieve the same technical effect, that is, realize the adjustment of the pitch angle of the slide rail bracket 70 of the catapult, is within the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0083] In some embodiments, the slide rail bracket 70 may also be provided with a control component for controlling the slider assembly 40 and the lifting frame 80 to control the launch angle and launch timing of the aircraft 90, thereby achieving automated control of the aircraft 90.

[0084] The control component includes a controller, a battery, and a communication module. The battery powers the control component, the slider assembly 40, and the elevator 80. The communication module communicates with a terminal, receiving commands from the terminal. The controller then controls the slider assembly 40 and the elevator 80 based on these commands, enabling remote control of the aircraft 90. The communication module also monitors the catapult's status. Alternatively, the control component can control the slider assembly 40 and the elevator 80 based on preset commands, without needing to receive commands from the terminal.

[0085] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A catapult, characterized in that, include: The slide rail (10) includes a first end and a second end along a first direction; Ejection chamber (20), which is slidably disposed on the slide rail (10) and is capable of sliding between the first end and the second end; The trigger assembly (30) includes a limiting state and a releasing state. When in the limiting state, the ejection chamber (20) is limited to the first end of the slide rail (10). When in the releasing state, the ejection chamber (20) can slide toward the second end of the slide rail (10). A slider assembly (40) includes a slider (410) that is movable along a second direction between a first position and a second position; An elastic connector (50) is provided, one end of which is connected to the ejection chamber (20) and the other end of which is connected to the slider (410). When the ejection chamber (20) is located at the first end of the slide rail (10) and the slider (410) is located at the first position, the elastic connector (50) is in a stretched state.

2. The catapult according to claim 1, characterized in that, The slider assembly (40) and the ejection chamber (20) are located on opposite sides of the slide rail (10).

3. The catapult according to claim 2, characterized in that, The catapult also includes: A pulley (60) is provided at the second end of the slide rail (10), and the elastic connector (50) connects the ejection chamber (20) and the slider (410) through the pulley (60).

4. The catapult according to claim 1, characterized in that, The catapult is provided with a plurality of elastic connectors (50), one end of each elastic connector (50) being connected to the catapult chamber (20) and the other end being connected to the slider (410); or, The ejector is provided with a plurality of elastic connectors (50), and the slider assembly (40) includes a plurality of sliders (410); one end of the plurality of elastic connectors (50) is connected to the ejection chamber (20), and the other end is connected to the plurality of sliders (410), and each slider (410) is connected to at least one elastic connector (50).

5. The catapult according to claim 1, characterized in that, The slider assembly (40) also includes: Drive (420); A lead screw (430), one end of which is connected to the driver (420), the driver (420) being configured to drive the lead screw (430) to rotate; A lead screw nut (440) is provided on the lead screw (430) and is set at the upper limit in the rotation direction of the lead screw (430). The slider (410) is connected to the lead screw nut (440). When the lead screw (430) rotates, the lead screw nut (440) can reciprocate along the axial direction of the lead screw (430) to drive the slider (410) to reciprocate between the first position and the second position.

6. The catapult according to claim 1, characterized in that, The catapult also includes: A slide rail bracket (70), wherein the slide rail (10) is disposed on the slide rail bracket (70), and the trigger assembly (30) and / or the slider assembly (40) are disposed on the slide rail bracket (70).

7. The catapult according to claim 6, characterized in that, The catapult also includes: A lifting frame (80) is provided, wherein the slide rail bracket (70) is connected to the lifting frame (80), and the lifting frame (80) is configured to drive the slide rail bracket (70) to adjust the pitch angle.

8. The catapult according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first direction and the second direction are parallel.

9. The catapult according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic connector (50) is a rubber component, which is attached to the ejection chamber (20) and / or the slider (410).

10. The catapult according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the slider (410) is in the first position, the slider (410) can trigger the trigger assembly (30) to switch the trigger assembly (30) to the release state.

11. An aircraft system, characterized in that, include: Aircraft (90); The catapult according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the catapult is configured to launch the aircraft (90) through the catapult compartment (20).

12. The aircraft system according to claim 11, characterized in that, When the trigger assembly (30) is in the limiting state, it can limit the hook (910) of the aircraft (90) on the ejection compartment (20); when the trigger assembly (30) is in the releasing state, it can cause the aircraft (90) to move toward the second end of the slide rail (10) under the drive of the ejection compartment (20).

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