An emergency fuel unloading device for a fixed-wing fuel unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of unmanned plane application technology, and disclose a fixed wing fuel unmanned plane emergency oil unloading device, including unmanned plane body and fixed in the outer surface of unmanned plane body wing and tail, the wing outside rear edge hinged has aileron, the end of each side wing is provided with oil unloading execution subassembly, oil unloading execution subassembly is located the position of wing outside leading edge corresponding aileron end. The fixed wing fuel unmanned plane emergency oil unloading device, through setting oil unloading execution subassembly, when unmanned plane encounters emergency condition and needs to adjust attitude, makes fuel from forward oil outlet and rear oil outlet to set angle and flow to spray, not only has improved the oil unloading speed, can reduce unmanned plane load in short time, prolongs the failure disposal time, more through the directional injection of fuel realizes the active regulation and control to unmanned plane attitude, significantly improves the controllability and safety of unmanned plane under emergency, effectively reduces the risk of unmanned plane falling damage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) application technology, specifically an emergency fuel unloading device for a fixed-wing fuel-powered UAV. Background Technology

[0002] Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are reusable aircraft that are unmanned and controlled by radio remote control or automatic programs. Their applications are widespread, extending to military, civilian, and scientific research fields. As demand continues to grow, the need to reduce UAV costs is increasing. The ability to safely and reliably recover UAVs without damage and enable multiple reuses has become a crucial indicator of UAV performance. Fixed-wing fuel-powered UAVs carry a large amount of fuel; when a malfunction leads to an accidental crash, the weight of the fuel accelerates the descent. To extend the time available for troubleshooting, excess fuel must be released while ensuring sufficient fuel to power the UAV.

[0003] An existing patent (publication number: CN202728579U) discloses a fuel release device for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including a fuel release valve and a vent valve. The fuel release valve is installed at the bottom of the fuel tank, and the vent valve is installed at the top of the fuel tank. The vent valve is installed at the rear of the fuel tank and connected to the top of the tank interior via a vent pipe. Both the fuel release valve and the vent valve are electric gate valves. The electric gate valve comprises: a motor connected to a gate via a linkage mechanism; and a face seal between the gate and the valve seat. A stop rod is mounted on the motor's rotating shaft at a fixed angle offset from the linkage mechanism, and microswitches are installed on both sides of the stop rod in the direction of rotation.

[0004] The aforementioned patent describes a fuel drain valve located at the bottom of the fuel tank and a vent valve at the top. After the engine stops for a few seconds, the drain valve at the bottom of the tank is opened, and the vent valve at the top is also opened, creating an airflow path. Fuel is then released autonomously under gravity. However, this autonomous release is slow, and the process cannot assist in adjusting the drone's attitude. In emergency situations such as attitude instability, the directional and quantitative release of fuel cannot help adjust the drone's center of gravity and flight attitude, potentially leading to the drone crashing and being damaged, or even causing a safety accident. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides an emergency fuel unloading device for fixed-wing fuel-powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which has the advantages of rapid fuel unloading and assisting in UAV attitude control during the unloading process, thus solving the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution: an emergency fuel unloading device for a fixed-wing fuel-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising a UAV body and wings and a tail fixed to the outer surface of the UAV body. An aileron is hinged to the outer trailing edge of the wing. Each wing end is equipped with a fuel unloading actuator, located at the position corresponding to the aileron end on the outer leading edge of the wing. The fuel unloading actuator includes a protective cover fixed to the inner wall of the wing. A support plate is hinged to the inner wall of the protective cover. A forward fuel injector and a rearward fuel injector are installed on the bottom surface of the support plate. An oil tank is located inside the UAV body. Hydraulic pumps are installed on both sides of the oil tank. An electromagnetic three-way valve is installed on the upper surface of the support plate. The output end of the hydraulic pump is connected to the corresponding electromagnetic three-way valve. The other two connectors of the electromagnetic three-way valve are respectively connected to the corresponding forward and rearward fuel injectors.

[0007] Furthermore, an adjustment motor is installed on the inner wall of each wing, and a connecting rod is installed at the output end of each adjustment motor, with the other end of the connecting rod fixed to its corresponding bearing plate.

[0008] Through the above scheme, the motor can drive the connecting rod to rotate the bearing plate around the hinge point of the inner wall of the protective cover, thereby adjusting the injection angle of the forward and backward fuel injectors and realizing flexible control of the fuel injection direction. When the UAV needs to adjust its pitch attitude, the bearing plate on one side of the wing can be rotated to make the forward or backward fuel injector spray fuel in a specific direction, and the recoil force can be used to assist in adjusting the attitude of the UAV.

[0009] Furthermore, in its normal state, the bottom surface of the bearing plate is flush with the outer surface of the wing, and both the forward and rearward fuel injectors adopt an inward-retracting design.

[0010] The above solution can effectively avoid the interference of airflow on the oil unloading actuator during flight, while reducing air resistance during drone flight and ensuring that the aerodynamic performance of the drone is not affected during normal flight.

[0011] Furthermore, both the forward and rearward fuel injection ports are equipped with atomizing nozzles, and the atomizing nozzles are fitted with removable filters.

[0012] Through the above scheme, the atomizing nozzle can atomize fuel into fine particles and spray them out. On the one hand, it can accelerate the evaporation rate of fuel and reduce the risk of flammable materials accumulating on the ground. On the other hand, atomized injection can make the recoil force of fuel injection more uniform and stable, and improve the accuracy of attitude adjustment.

[0013] Furthermore, the oil unloading actuator maintains a safe distance from the tail fin, and a rudder and elevator are provided at the tail fin location.

[0014] The above solution avoids the atomized fuel from the unloading actuator adhering to the tail fin during the unloading process, thus preventing it from affecting the normal operation of the rudder and elevator. This ensures that the aerodynamic control function of the tail fin is not interfered with by fuel injection, and improves the attitude stability of the UAV during emergency unloading.

[0015] Furthermore, a liquid level sensor is installed inside the oil tank. The liquid level sensor is a pressure-type liquid level sensor. The flight control system display interface of the UAV is equipped with a liquid level display that is electrically connected to the liquid level sensor. The liquid level sensor, the electromagnetic three-way valve, and the hydraulic pump are linked and controlled through the central controller of the UAV.

[0016] Through the above scheme, the liquid level sensor can monitor the remaining fuel in the fuel tank in real time and feed it back to the liquid level display, so that the operator can keep track of the fuel status in real time. When the drone encounters an emergency, the central controller can accurately control the start and stop of the hydraulic pump and the on / off state of the electromagnetic three-way valve according to the preset program or the operator's instructions, combined with the liquid level sensor data, so as to achieve precise control of the amount of fuel discharged, avoiding excessive fuel discharge that would cause the drone to lose power or insufficient fuel discharge that would prevent it from effectively adjusting its attitude.

[0017] Furthermore, an angle sensor is installed on the inner wall of the protective cover. The angle sensor is a Hall effect sensor, and the detection end of the angle sensor is connected to the rotation axis of the support plate.

[0018] Through the above scheme, when an object changes angle, the direction and intensity of the magnetic field change. The Hall effect device senses this change in the magnetic field and generates a corresponding voltage change. The Hall effect sensor infers the angle change by measuring the voltage change, which is used to monitor the rotation angle of the support plate in real time and feed the data back to the central controller. The central controller can precisely control the start / stop and rotation angle of the regulating motor based on the feedback data from the angle sensor, thereby achieving closed-loop control of the injection direction of the forward and rear fuel injectors, ensuring the accuracy and stability of attitude adjustment. When the support plate rotates to the preset angle, the angle sensor sends a signal, and the central controller controls the regulating motor to stop running, preventing excessive rotation of the support plate from causing structural damage or fuel injection direction deviation.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of this utility model has the following beneficial effects: This emergency fuel unloading device for fixed-wing fuel-powered drones utilizes fuel unloading actuators at the wingtips and adjustable forward and rearward fuel nozzles on the underside of a support plate. Powered by a hydraulic pump and controlled by a solenoid three-way valve, it enables rapid, directional, and metered fuel unloading. When the drone encounters an emergency requiring attitude adjustment, the central controller, based on real-time fuel level monitoring by a level sensor and the drone's attitude data, controls a motor to rotate the support plate, adjusting the injection angle of the nozzles. Simultaneously, it controls the hydraulic pump's output power and the switching of the solenoid three-way valve, ensuring fuel is ejected from the forward and rearward nozzles at a set angle and flow rate. This not only increases unloading speed and rapidly reduces drone load, extending troubleshooting time, but also enables proactive attitude control through directional fuel injection, significantly improving drone controllability and safety in emergency situations and effectively reducing the risk of drone crash damage. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present application; Figure 2 This is a bottom view of the overall wing of this application; Figure 3 This is a bottom view of the overall aileron of this application; Figure 4 This is a top view of the overall aileron of this application; Figure 5 This is a diagram showing the internal structure of the overall protective cover of this application; Figure 6 This is a sectional view of the side view of the overall bearing plate of this application; Figure 7 This is a sectional view of the overall wing top view of this application.

[0021] In the picture: 1. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fuselage; 2. Wings; 3. Tail fins; 4. Ailerons; 5. Oil unloading actuator; 501. Protective cover; 502. Support plate; 503. Forward oil injection port; 504. Rear oil injection port; 505. Hydraulic pump; 506. Solenoid three-way valve; 507. Adjusting motor; 508. Angle sensor; 6. Fuel tank; 7. Rudder; 8. Elevator. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0023] Please see Figure 1 - Figure 7 This embodiment of an emergency fuel unloading device for a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes a UAV body 1 and wings 2 and tail 3 fixed to the outer surface of the UAV body 1. Ailerons 4 are hinged to the outer trailing edge of the wings 2. Each wing 2 has a fuel unloading execution component 5 at its end, located at the position corresponding to the end of the aileron 4 on the outer leading edge of the wings 2. The fuel unloading execution component 5 includes a protective cover 501 fixed to the inner wall of the wings 2. A support plate 502 is hinged to the inner wall of the protective cover 501. A forward fuel injection port 503 and a rear fuel injection port 504 are installed on the bottom surface of the support plate 502. A fuel tank 6 is provided inside the UAV body 1. Hydraulic pumps 505 are installed on both sides of the fuel tank 6. An electromagnetic three-way valve 506 is installed on the upper surface of the support plate 502. The output end of the hydraulic pump 505 is connected to the corresponding electromagnetic three-way valve 506. The other two connectors of the electromagnetic three-way valve 506 are connected to the corresponding forward fuel injection port 503 and rear fuel injection port 504, respectively.

[0024] Please see Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 Each wing 2 has an adjustment motor 507 installed on its inner wall. The output end of the adjustment motor 507 is equipped with a connecting rod, and the other end of the connecting rod is fixed to its corresponding support plate 502. The adjustment motor 507 can drive the connecting rod to rotate the support plate 502 around the hinge point of the inner wall of the protective cover 501, thereby adjusting the injection angle of the forward fuel injector 503 and the rear fuel injector 504, and realizing flexible control of the fuel injection direction. When the UAV needs to adjust its pitch attitude, the support plate 502 on one side of the wing 2 can be rotated to make the forward fuel injector 503 or the rear fuel injector 504 spray fuel in a specific direction, and use the recoil force to assist in adjusting the attitude of the UAV. In normal condition, the bottom surface of the support plate 502 is flush with the outer surface of the wing 2. The forward fuel injector 503 and the rear fuel injector 504 are both designed to be inward, which can effectively avoid the interference of airflow on the fuel unloading execution component 5 during flight, and at the same time reduce the air resistance of the UAV during flight, ensuring that the aerodynamic performance of the UAV is not affected in normal flight.

[0025] Please see Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7Both the forward fuel injector 503 and the rear fuel injector 504 are equipped with atomizing nozzles, each with a removable filter. The atomizing nozzles atomize the fuel into fine particles before spraying them out. This accelerates fuel evaporation, reducing the risk of flammable materials accumulating on the ground. Furthermore, atomized spraying makes the recoil force of the fuel injection more uniform and stable, improving the accuracy of attitude adjustment. The fuel unloading actuator 5 maintains a safe distance from the tail fin 3. The tail fin 3 is equipped with a rudder 7 and an elevator 8. This prevents the atomized fuel from adhering to the tail fin 3 during fuel unloading, thus avoiding interference with the normal operation of the rudder 7 and elevator 8. This ensures that the aerodynamic control function of the tail fin 3 is not affected by fuel injection, improving the attitude stability of the UAV during emergency fuel unloading.

[0026] Please see Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 The fuel tank 6 is equipped with a pressure-type fuel level sensor. The flight control system display of the UAV 1 is electrically connected to the fuel level sensor. The fuel level sensor, solenoid three-way valve 506, and hydraulic pump 505 are linked and controlled by the UAV's central controller. The fuel level sensor monitors the fuel level in the fuel tank 6 in real time and feeds it back to the fuel level display, allowing operators to monitor the fuel status. In case of an emergency, the central controller can precisely control the start / stop of the hydraulic pump 505 and the on / off state of the solenoid three-way valve 506 based on a preset program or operator instructions, combined with fuel level sensor data. This allows for precise control of the fuel discharge, preventing over-discharge from causing the UAV to lose power or under-discharge from hindering effective fuel adjustment. In addition to the orientation adjustment, the inner wall of the protective cover 501 is also equipped with an angle sensor 508. The angle sensor 508 is a Hall effect sensor, and its detection end is connected to the rotation axis of the support plate 502. When the object's angle changes, the direction and intensity of the magnetic field change. The Hall device senses this change in the magnetic field and generates a corresponding voltage change. The Hall effect sensor infers the angle change by measuring the voltage change, which is used to monitor the rotation angle of the support plate 502 in real time and feed the data back to the central controller. The central controller can accurately control the start, stop, and rotation angle of the regulating motor 507 based on the feedback data from the angle sensor 508, thereby achieving closed-loop control of the injection direction of the forward fuel injector 503 and the rear fuel injector 504, ensuring the accuracy and stability of the orientation adjustment. When the support plate 502 rotates to a preset angle, the angle sensor 508 sends a signal, and the central controller controls the regulating motor 507 to stop operating, preventing excessive rotation of the support plate 502 that could cause structural damage or fuel injection direction deviation.

[0027] It should be noted that during use, regular maintenance should be performed on the fuel unloading actuator 5, especially the removable filter at the atomizing nozzle. This filter should be checked and cleaned regularly according to the instruction manual to prevent clogging that could affect fuel atomization and injection pressure. The regulating motor 507 and hydraulic pump 505, as key actuators, should be regularly checked for operational status and insulation performance of their wiring to prevent fuel unloading failure due to motor malfunction or short circuits. Before each flight, operators must test the linkage logic between the central controller and components such as the level sensor, angle sensor 508, and electromagnetic three-way valve 506 via the ground control station. This simulates the fuel unloading process under different emergency conditions, confirming that each component responds promptly and acts accurately, ensuring the entire system is in good working order and providing reliable assurance for the safe flight of the UAV.

[0028] The working principle of the above embodiment is as follows: When the UAV encounters an emergency such as attitude imbalance during flight, the central controller first receives the imbalance signal from the UAV's own attitude sensors such as gyroscopes and accelerometers, and combines it with the fuel level data in the fuel tank 6 monitored in real time by the liquid level sensor. Since the forward fuel injector 503 is normally aligned with the front of the UAV body 1 and angled downwards, and the rear fuel injector 504 is aligned with the rear of the UAV body 1 and angled downwards, if it is necessary to adjust the pitch attitude, for example when the UAV nose pitches down, the central controller will quickly start the attitude adjustment program, control the adjustment motors 507 on both wings 2 or one wing 2 of the UAV to operate, and the adjustment motors 507 drive the support plate 5 through the connecting rod. 02 The hinge point on the inner wall of the protective cover 501 rotates upward, causing the spray direction of the forward fuel injector 503 and the rear fuel injector 504 to be further deflected downward. At the same time, the central controller controls the hydraulic pump 505 to start, pressurize the fuel in the fuel tank 6 and deliver it to the electromagnetic three-way valve 506. The electromagnetic three-way valve 506 switches to the passage connected to the forward fuel injector 503 according to the preset command. After the fuel is atomized by the atomizing nozzle of the forward fuel injector 503, it is sprayed forward and downward at high speed with a set flow rate and angle. The sprayed atomized fuel generates a backward and upward recoil force. This recoil force acts on the end of the wing 2, forming an upward torque to lift the nose, thereby effectively counteracting the downward tendency of the nose and assisting the UAV to restore a level flight attitude.

[0029] If the drone's nose pitches up, the central controller controls the solenoid three-way valve 506 to switch to a path connected to the rear fuel injector 504. Fuel is atomized through the rear fuel injector 504 and sprayed downwards and backwards, generating a forward and upward recoil force, creating a downward torque to lower the nose and achieve rapid pitch correction. During this process, the angle sensor 508 monitors the rotation angle of the support plate 502 in real time and feeds the data back to the central controller. When the support plate 502 rotates to a preset angle, the angle sensor 508 sends a signal, and the central controller immediately controls the adjustment motor 507 to stop operating, ensuring... The injection angle is precisely controllable. Meanwhile, the fuel level sensor continuously monitors the remaining fuel. When the fuel is discharged to a safe threshold or the UAV attitude returns to stability, the central controller controls the hydraulic pump 505 to stop working, the electromagnetic three-way valve 506 closes the oil circuit, the fuel discharge execution component 5 stops injecting fuel, and the support plate 502 is reset to the normal position flush with the outer surface of the wing 2 under the drive of the regulating motor 507. The forward fuel injector 503 and the rear fuel injector 504 retract inward, restoring the aerodynamic shape of the UAV during normal flight. The whole process is responsive and effectively improves the attitude stability and survivability of the UAV in emergency situations.

[0030] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0031] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of this application, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An emergency fuel unloading device for a fixed-wing fuel-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising a UAV fuselage (1) and a wing (2) and a tail fin (3) fixed to the outer surface of the UAV fuselage (1), wherein an aileron (4) is hinged to the outer trailing edge of the wing (2), characterized in that: Each wing (2) is provided with an oil unloading assembly (5) at its end. The oil unloading assembly (5) is located at the position corresponding to the end of the aileron (4) on the outer leading edge of the wing (2). The oil unloading assembly (5) includes a protective cover (501) fixed to the inner wall of the wing (2). A support plate (502) is hinged to the inner wall of the protective cover (501). A forward oil spray port (503) and a rearward oil spray port (504) are installed on the bottom surface of the support plate (502). The UAV body (1) is equipped with an oil tank (6) inside. Hydraulic pumps (505) are installed on both sides of the oil tank (6). An electromagnetic three-way valve (506) is installed on the upper surface of the support plate (502). The output end of the hydraulic pump (505) is connected to the corresponding electromagnetic three-way valve (506). The other two connectors of the electromagnetic three-way valve (506) are connected to the corresponding forward injection port (503) and the rear injection port (504) respectively.

2. The emergency fuel unloading device for a fixed-wing fuel-powered unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each wing (2) has an adjustment motor (507) installed on its inner wall. The output end of the adjustment motor (507) is equipped with a connecting rod, and the other end of the connecting rod is fixed to its corresponding bearing plate (502).

3. The emergency fuel unloading device for a fixed-wing fuel-powered unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the bearing plate (502) is in normal condition, its bottom surface is flush with the outer surface of the wing (2), and both the forward fuel injector (503) and the rear fuel injector (504) adopt an inward-retracting design.

4. The emergency fuel unloading device for a fixed-wing fuel-powered unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that: Both the forward injection port (503) and the rear injection port (504) are equipped with atomizing nozzles, and the atomizing nozzles are provided with removable filters.

5. The emergency fuel unloading device for a fixed-wing fuel-powered unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The unloading execution component (5) maintains a safe distance from the tail fin (3), and the tail fin (3) is provided with a rudder (7) and an elevator (8).

6. The emergency fuel unloading device for a fixed-wing fuel-powered unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The oil tank (6) is equipped with a liquid level sensor. The liquid level sensor is a pressure type liquid level sensor. The flight control system display interface of the UAV body (1) is equipped with a liquid level display that is electrically connected to the liquid level sensor. The liquid level sensor, electromagnetic three-way valve (506), and hydraulic pump (505) are linked and controlled through the central controller of the UAV.

7. The emergency fuel unloading device for a fixed-wing fuel-powered unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: An angle sensor (508) is also installed on the inner wall of the protective cover (501). The angle sensor (508) is a Hall effect sensor, and the detection end of the angle sensor (508) is connected to the rotation axis of the support plate (502).

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