An unmanned aerial vehicle using four auxiliary propellers for attitude control
By installing four auxiliary propellers on the drone and using a worm gear transmission mechanism to achieve attitude control, the problems of limited drone maneuverability and high flight drag were solved, resulting in higher maneuverability and flight speed.
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, which leads to limited maneuverability and increased flight drag.
Four auxiliary propellers are used at the wingtips of the left and right main wings and the front wing of the UAV. They rotate through a worm gear transmission mechanism or a self-locking torque motor, and work together with differential deflection to control the flight attitude of the UAV, eliminating the need for horizontal and vertical stabilizers, elevators and rudders.
It improves the maneuverability of drones, reduces flight drag, increases payload, and increases flight speed.
Smart Images
Figure CN224529029U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] A drone employing four auxiliary propellers for attitude control has one auxiliary propeller at the wingtip of each main wing and one auxiliary propeller at the wingtip of each forewing. These four 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 on the forewings causes a positive pitch (nose-down) yaw around the transverse axis of gravity. Similarly, simultaneous upward (downward) deflection of the two auxiliary propellers on the main wing causes a positive pitch (nose-down) yaw around the transverse axis of gravity. Differential deflection of the two auxiliary propellers on the forewings causes a tilt yaw around the drone's longitudinal axis. The combined deflection of the four auxiliary propellers achieves attitude control of the drone. 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 employing four auxiliary propellers for attitude control has one auxiliary propeller at the wingtip of each main wing and one auxiliary propeller at the wingtip of each forewing. These four 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 on the forewings causes a positive pitch (nose-down) yaw around the transverse axis of gravity. Similarly, simultaneous upward (downward) deflection of the two auxiliary propellers on the main wing causes a positive pitch (nose-down) yaw around the transverse axis of gravity. Differential deflection of the two auxiliary propellers on the forewings causes a tilt yaw around the drone's longitudinal axis. The combined deflection of the four auxiliary propellers achieves attitude control of the drone.
[0004] The beneficial effects of this invention are: the attitude control of the UAV is achieved by using the steering of four auxiliary propellers, 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 1This is a top view of a UAV that uses four auxiliary propellers for attitude control, with the nose pointing upwards. The components are: 1. Left main wing auxiliary propeller; 2. Mounting base for the left main wing auxiliary propeller; 3. Rotating component; 4. Power unit; 5. Left front wing auxiliary propeller; 6. Power unit; 7. Rotating component; 8. Mounting base for the left front wing auxiliary propeller; 9. Left front wing; 10. Left main wing; 11. Fuselage; 12. Right front wing; 13. Right front wing auxiliary propeller; 14. Power unit; 15. Rotating component; 16. Mounting base for the right front wing auxiliary propeller; 17. Main propeller; 18. Right main wing; 19. Mounting base for the right main wing auxiliary propeller; 20. Rotating component; 21. Power unit; 22. Right main wing auxiliary propeller. Figure 2 This is a front view of a UAV that uses four auxiliary propellers for attitude control. In the diagram, 23 is the auxiliary propeller of the left main wing; 24 is the left main wing; 25 is the auxiliary propeller of the left front wing; 26 is the left landing gear; 27 is the fuselage; 28 is the main landing gear; 29 is the main propeller; 30 is the right landing gear; 31 is the auxiliary propeller of the right front wing; 32 is the right main wing; and 33 is the auxiliary propeller of the right main wing. Figure 3 This is a left view of a UAV that uses four auxiliary propellers for attitude control. In this view, 34 is the main landing gear; 35 is the left landing gear; 36 is the auxiliary propeller of the left front wing; 37 is the power plant; 38 is the mounting base for the auxiliary propeller of the left front wing; 39 is the left main wing; 40 is the fuselage; 41 is the mounting base for the auxiliary propeller of the left main wing; 42 is the power plant; 43 is the auxiliary propeller of the left main wing; and 44 is the main propeller. Figure 4 This is a UAV that uses four auxiliary propellers for steering to achieve attitude control. It has a front view of the rotating parts of the worm gear transmission mechanism. In the figure, 45 is the power output shaft of the power unit, on which the auxiliary propellers and fairing are fixed; 46 is the power unit; 47 is the worm; 48 is the shaft of the rotating parts; 49 is the worm wheel of the rotating parts; 50 is the drive motor of the worm; and 51 is the fixed base of the rotating parts. Figure 5 This is a top view of the rotating component, where 52 is the power output shaft of the power unit, on which the auxiliary propeller and fairing are fixed; 53 is the power unit; 54 is the worm gear of the rotating component; 55 is the worm; 56 is the fixed base of the rotating component; and 57 is the drive motor of the worm. Figure 6 A left view of the rotating component of a worm gear transmission mechanism for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that uses four auxiliary propellers for attitude control, wherein 58 is the fixed base of the rotating component; 59 is the power unit; and 60 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 61 is the power output shaft of the power unit; 62 is the power unit itself. Figure 8This is a top view of the rotating components of the power unit, where 63 is the power output shaft of the power unit; 64 is the power unit itself. Figure 9 This is a left view of the rotating components of the power unit, where 65 is the power unit and 66 is the power output shaft of the power unit. Detailed Implementation
[0006] This UAV uses four auxiliary propellers for attitude control. During horizontal flight, the main propeller and auxiliary propellers generate the propulsion for horizontal flight. When the two auxiliary propellers on the forewing deflect in the same direction, the thrust of the auxiliary propellers is decomposed into a forward thrust and a vertically upward (downward) force. The vertically upward (downward) force, combined with the torque on the transverse axis, causes the UAV to pitch about the transverse axis of the fuselage. When the auxiliary propellers on the forewing deflect differentially, the differential thrust of the auxiliary propellers, combined with the torque on the longitudinal axis, causes the UAV to roll about the longitudinal axis of the fuselage. Similarly, when the two auxiliary propellers on the main wing deflect in the same direction, the thrust of the auxiliary propellers is decomposed into a forward thrust and a vertically upward (downward) thrust. The vertically upward (downward) thrust, combined with the torque on the transverse axis, causes the UAV to pitch about the transverse axis of the fuselage. When the auxiliary propellers on the main wing deflect differentially, the differential thrust of the auxiliary propellers, combined with the torque on the longitudinal axis, causes the UAV to roll about the longitudinal axis of the fuselage. Attitude control is achieved using an auxiliary propeller steering combination. This involves the UAV's flight control system adjusting the thrust (pull) direction of the auxiliary propeller based on attitude signals output from the UAV's attitude sensors. Differential deflection of the auxiliary propeller on the front or main wing produces tilt adjustment around the fuselage's longitudinal axis; unidirectional deflection of the auxiliary propeller on the front or main wing produces pitch adjustment around the fuselage's transverse axis. This allows for stable flight control and attitude control of the fixed-wing UAV in the absence of aerodynamic attitude stabilization and adjustment control components. The stability and attitude changes of the UAV's flight state are no longer related to its aerodynamic attitude adjustment components (horizontal and vertical stabilizers, elevators, and rudders). The absence of aerodynamic drag generated by these components helps increase the UAV's payload. Among the rotating components, the power unit (…) Figure 4 46) and the worm gear of the rotating component ( Figure 4 49) utilizes a rotating shaft ( Figure 4 48) are fixed together; when there is a control signal, the worm gear drives the motor ( Figure 4 50) drives the worm gear ( Figure 4 The 47th 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 62) and worm gear ( Figure 4 The permalink in 49).
Claims
1. A UAV that uses four auxiliary propellers for attitude control, wherein there is one auxiliary propeller at the wingtip of each of the left and right main wings and one auxiliary propeller at the wingtip of each of the left and right front wings, characterized in that: The attitude control of the UAV is achieved by using the steering of four auxiliary propellers, 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 UAV's flight speed and payload.
2. The UAV that utilizes four auxiliary propellers for 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 utilizes four auxiliary propellers for attitude control according to claim 1, characterized in that: The simultaneous upward (downward) deflection of the two auxiliary propellers on the front wing causes the fuselage to undergo a positive pitching (pitching) deflection around the transverse axis of the center of gravity; the simultaneous upward (downward) deflection of the two auxiliary propellers on the main wing causes the fuselage to undergo a positive pitching (pitching) deflection around the transverse axis of the center of gravity.
4. The UAV that utilizes four auxiliary propellers for attitude control according to claim 1, characterized in that: The differential deflection of the two auxiliary propellers on the front wing causes the fuselage to tilt around the longitudinal axis of the UAV. The differential deflection of the two auxiliary propellers on the main wing causes the fuselage to tilt around the longitudinal axis of the drone. The drone achieves flight stability and attitude control through the combined deflection of auxiliary propellers.