An unmanned aerial vehicle using an auxiliary propeller to achieve attitude control
By installing auxiliary propellers at the wingtips of the UAV and controlling their deflection using a worm gear transmission mechanism, the drag problem caused by the reliance on aerodynamic components for UAV attitude control was solved, achieving higher maneuverability and payload capacity.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- 孙柏原
- Filing Date
- 2024-02-23
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-21
AI Technical Summary
The flight attitude stability and control of existing fixed-wing UAVs mainly rely on horizontal and vertical stabilizers, elevators, and rudders, resulting in high aerodynamic drag and limiting maneuverability.
Auxiliary propellers are installed at the wingtips of the left and right wings of the drone. The vertical rotation of the propellers is achieved through a worm gear transmission mechanism or a self-locking torque motor. The pitch and tilt attitude of the drone is controlled by the deflection of the propellers, eliminating the need for horizontal and vertical stabilizers, elevators, and rudders.
It achieves good maneuverability for drones, reduces flight drag, and increases flight speed and payload.
Smart Images
Figure CN224529028U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] A drone that uses auxiliary propellers for attitude control has an auxiliary propeller at the wingtip of each wing. These auxiliary propellers rotate vertically via a worm gear transmission mechanism or a self-locking torque motor. Simultaneous upward (downward) deflection of the two auxiliary propellers causes a positive pitch (nose-down) yaw around the transverse axis of gravity; differential deflection of the two propellers causes a tilt yaw around the drone's longitudinal axis. The combined deflection of the auxiliary propellers controls the drone's flight attitude. Background Technology
[0002] Currently, the flight attitude stability and control of fixed-wing UAVs are ensured by the aerodynamic characteristics of the horizontal and vertical stabilizers; the UAV's elevators and rudders are used for maneuverability control. However, the flight stability and status control components of the UAV generate aerodynamic drag, and attitude control is related to the UAV's flight aerodynamic characteristics, thus limiting its maneuverability. Summary of the Invention
[0003] A drone that uses auxiliary propellers for attitude control has an auxiliary propeller at the wingtip of each wing. These auxiliary propellers rotate vertically via a worm gear transmission mechanism or a self-locking torque motor. Simultaneous upward (downward) deflection of the two auxiliary propellers causes a positive pitch (nose-down) yaw around the transverse axis of gravity; differential deflection of the two propellers causes a tilt yaw around the drone's longitudinal axis. The combined deflection of the auxiliary propellers controls the drone's flight attitude.
[0004] The beneficial effects of this invention are: the attitude control of the UAV is achieved by using the steering of the auxiliary propeller, giving the UAV good maneuverability; the horizontal stabilizer and elevator are eliminated, as are the vertical stabilizer and rudder, thereby reducing flight drag and improving the flight speed and payload of the UAV. Attached Figure Description
[0005] Figure 1 This is a top view of a drone that uses an auxiliary propeller for attitude control, with the nose pointing upwards. 1 is the mounting base for the left auxiliary propeller; 2 is a rotating component; 3 is the power unit; 4 is the auxiliary propeller; 5 is the left wing; 6 is the fuselage; 7 is the main propeller; 8 is the right wing; 9 is the mounting base for the right auxiliary propeller; 10 is a rotating component; 11 is the power unit; and 12 is the right auxiliary propeller. Figure 2This is a front view of a UAV that uses an auxiliary propeller for attitude control, where 1 is the left auxiliary propeller; 5 is the left wing; 13 is the left landing gear; 6 is the fuselage; 14 is the main landing gear; 15 is the right landing gear; 8 is the right wing; and 12 is the right auxiliary propeller. Figure 3 This is a left view of a UAV that uses an auxiliary propeller for attitude control, where 14 is the main landing gear; 13 is the left landing gear; 6 is the fuselage; 5 is the left wing; 1 is the mounting base for the left auxiliary propeller; 3 is the power unit; 4 is the left auxiliary propeller; and 7 is the main propeller. Figure 4 This is a front view of a rotating component of a worm gear transmission mechanism for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that uses an auxiliary propeller for attitude control. 16 is the power output shaft of the power unit, on which the auxiliary propeller and fairing are fixed; 17 is the power unit; 18 is the worm; 19 is the shaft of the rotating component; 20 is the worm wheel of the rotating component; 21 is the drive motor of the worm; and 22 is the fixed base of the rotating component. Figure 5 This is a top view of the rotating component, where 16 is the power output shaft of the power unit, on which an auxiliary propeller and fairing are fixed; 17 is the power unit; 18 is the worm gear of the rotating component; 20 is the worm; 22 is the fixed base of the rotating component; and 21 is the drive motor of the worm. Figure 6 This is a left view of a rotating component of a worm gear transmission mechanism in an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that uses an auxiliary propeller for attitude control. 22 is the fixed base of the rotating component; 17 is the power unit; and 16 is the power output shaft of the power unit. Figure 7 This is a front view of the rotating components of the power unit, where 16 is the power output shaft of the power unit; 17 is the power unit. Figure 8 This is a top view of the rotating components of the power unit, where 16 is the power output shaft of the power unit; 17 is the power unit itself. Figure 9 This is a left view of the rotating components of the power unit, where 17 is the power unit and 16 is the power output shaft of the power unit. Detailed Implementation
[0006] In UAVs that use auxiliary propeller steering for attitude control, the main propeller and auxiliary propeller generate the propulsion for horizontal flight. When the auxiliary propeller deflects, its thrust is decomposed into a forward thrust and a vertical force. The vertical force, with its torque on the lateral axis, produces a pitch yaw around the fuselage's lateral axis, while its torque on the longitudinal axis produces a roll yaw around the fuselage's longitudinal axis. Attitude control using auxiliary propeller steering is achieved by the UAV's flight control system adjusting the direction of the auxiliary propeller's thrust according to the attitude signals output by the UAV's attitude sensors. A unidirectional deflection of the auxiliary propeller produces a pitch yaw around the fuselage's lateral axis; a differential deflection produces a roll yaw around the fuselage's longitudinal axis. This allows for stable flight state control and attitude control of a fixed-wing UAV that lacks aerodynamic flight attitude stabilization and adjustment control components. The stability and attitude changes of the UAV's flight state are no longer related to the UAV's aerodynamic flight attitude adjustment components (horizontal and vertical stabilizers, elevators, and rudders). The UAV lacks the aerodynamic drag generated by these components, which is beneficial for increasing the UAV's payload. Among the rotating components, the power unit ( Figure 4 17) and the worm gear of the rotating component ( Figure 4 20) utilizes a rotating shaft ( Figure 4 19) are fixed together; when there is a control signal, the worm gear drives the motor ( Figure 4 21) drives the worm gear ( Figure 4 The 18th component rotates, thereby driving the worm gear and the power unit to rotate together. The rotating component of the power unit ( Figure 7 The shaft hole has a keyway to ensure that the power unit ( Figure 7 17) and worm gear ( Figure 4 The permalink in 20).
Claims
1. A type of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that uses auxiliary propellers for steering to achieve attitude control, wherein there is an auxiliary propeller at the wingtip of each wing, characterized in that: The drone's flight attitude is controlled by a combination of auxiliary propeller deflection, giving it excellent maneuverability. The elimination of the horizontal stabilizer and elevator, as well as the vertical stabilizer and rudder, reduces flight drag and helps improve the drone's flight speed and payload.
2. The UAV that uses auxiliary propeller steering to achieve attitude control according to claim 1, characterized in that: The auxiliary propeller can achieve vertical rotation through a rotating component with a worm gear transmission mechanism or a self-locking torque motor.
3. The UAV that uses auxiliary propeller steering to achieve attitude control according to claim 1, characterized in that: The simultaneous upward (downward) deflection of the two auxiliary propellers causes the fuselage to tilt (hook up) around the transverse axis of the center of gravity; the differential deflection of the two auxiliary propellers causes the fuselage to tilt around the longitudinal axis of the UAV; the combined deflection of the auxiliary propellers achieves flight stability and attitude control of the UAV.