High-speed drones and other flying objects

Abstract

To provide an aircraft that can perform high-speed horizontal flight and vertical takeoff and landing.SOLUTION: An aircraft includes a vertical ascent / descent and horizontal flight propeller and a horizontal flight wing. The aircraft can ascend and descend by rotating the horizontal flight wing vertically and fly horizontally at high speed by rotating the horizontal flight wing horizontally, furthermore can fly a long distance while loading an object thereon.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an aircraft such as a new type of drone that can perform vertical takeoff and landing and horizontal flight at high speed.

Background Art

[0002] A normal airplane taxis on a runway until it reaches a speed at which it can take off. Conversely, when landing, it also taxis from the moment of landing until it stops, so a runway is required. Generally, a distance of about 1.5 km to 3 km is necessary. Therefore, a VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing Aircraft) is required. As this type of aircraft, helicopters, Ospreys, drones, etc. are known. A helicopter uses one propeller for hovering, ascending, descending, and horizontal flight, respectively, as shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, 1 is the airframe, 3 is the tail rotor, and 32 is the motor for propeller rotation.

[0003] Since helicopters have a low horizontal speed, the Osprey (FIG. 2), which has a high horizontal speed, was developed. The Osprey was invented by the inventor in 1953 and was taught to Mr. Lawrence Bell, the CEO of Bell Aircraft Corporation. It has only recently been put into practical use by Bell Aircraft Corporation. It has propellers with tilt control capabilities at both ends of the main wing, and by controlling the tilt angle of these propellers, hovering and horizontal flight are possible. To perform ascending and straight-ahead operations, the tilt angle of the propellers is changed from 0 degrees to 90 degrees. However, many accidents occur during the conversion of the rotors to horizontal and vertical positions. In FIG. 2, 1 is the airframe, 34 is the Osprey ascending / descending / forward propeller, 4 is the horizontal tail, 5 is the Osprey engine rotation axis, and 33 is the Osprey propeller engine, which has only recently become popular. FIG. 3 shows a known drone, which was also invented by the inventor in 1940 and has only recently become popular. In FIG. 3, 6 is the drone propeller, 7 is the drone ascending / descending motor, 8 is the drone propeller guide, and 9 is the receiving device, camera, etc.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As described above, an airplane cannot take off or land at a place without a runway. Ordinary airplanes have the drawback of not having vertical takeoff / landing and hovering functions. To solve such problems, a flying object with vertical takeoff / landing and hovering functions has been considered. A helicopter is a flying object with vertical takeoff / landing and hovering functions and has been active in saving lives in shipwreck accidents, mountain distress accidents, etc. However, since its horizontal flight speed is slow, its flight range is also short, and the amount of load it can carry is small, a flying object to replace the helicopter is required. In the case of an Osprey-type airplane, when taking off or landing vertically, the wind from the propeller hits the wings, resulting in aerodynamic inefficiency. Also, drones such as shown in Fig. 3 are known, but drones have a slow horizontal flight speed and cannot fly long distances, and they can be overturned by crosswinds and are not all-weather types. Although Amazon and others have plans for them, they are not suitable for cargo delivery or rapid transportation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The present invention for solving the above problems is configured by providing a propeller for vertical ascent / descent and forward movement and a stabilizer for horizontal flight. This is a means different from an autogyro that cannot perform vertical ascent / descent.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, it has a high horizontal speed, can carry a large load over a long distance with low energy, is all-weather, has safe and stable vertical takeoff / landing and hovering functions, has no wing force loss caused by the propeller wind hitting the wings during takeoff and ascent, does not require a tilt rotor, has a simple control structure, has no accidents, is easy to manufacture and low-cost, and can provide a vertical takeoff / landing type high-speed long-distance safe airplane that can surely deliver general merchandise transportation at high energy efficiency, high speed, and over a long distance, which is an epoch-making invention that produces time-saving and main deep effects in the industry.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] The present invention is a newly invented aircraft made in view of such problems. It is provided with a propeller for ascent and descent, a propeller for forward movement, and wings for horizontal flight that may or may not rotate, and can perform vertical takeoff and landing and hovering. Of course, it has a high horizontal flight speed, low energy loss, can fly long distances, and is an all-weather type that can perform stable flight even in bad weather. The purpose is to provide a new vertical takeoff and landing type aircraft (new VTOL). It should be noted that the present invention is based on a different concept from conventional drones, helicopters, Ospreys, and autogyros.

[0009] Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are the 10th embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is fundamentally different from the other embodiments. Specifically, in the previous embodiments, the wings were fixed and a forward propeller was provided separately, but the tenth embodiment has rotating wings and no forward propeller. In the previous embodiments, no blades were placed in the propeller wake so as not to disturb the wake of the propeller for ascending and descending. The blades were fixed. In addition, the forward propeller and the propeller for ascending and descending were provided separately. This tenth embodiment is an embodiment with a completely different concept from the previous embodiments, and is an embodiment that further improves the efficiency of the present invention. Specifically, in order to streamline the structure, propellers for ascending and descending are mounted on the wings, and the wings are positioned perpendicular to the propeller to increase propeller efficiency without disturbing the propeller wake with the wings, and if the axial direction of the propeller changes, the wing direction also rotates accordingly, so that the propeller wake is aligned with the wing surface direction, and the propeller wake is not constantly disturbed by the wings. In addition, instead of providing a forward propeller, in order to use it as both an ascending and descending propeller, the blades are rotated approximately 90 degrees as described above, and the propeller direction is rotated approximately 90 degrees to make it a forward propeller. This is often mistakenly thought to be the same as the Osprey, but it is a fundamentally different invention from the Osprey. The Osprey has fixed wings, and a rotating engine and propeller are attached to the tip of the wing, so that the wing does not rotate even when the propeller rotates, whereas in this invention, the engine and propeller are fixed to the wing, and the wing is not fixed and rotates together with the wing that rotates in the propeller direction. In this way, it is different from the Osprey. Furthermore, in the case of the Osprey, the propeller wake hits the wing, reducing the propeller efficiency, whereas in this invention, the propeller and the wing are always at a right angle, and when the propeller tilts, the wing tilts at the same angle, so the propeller wake does not hit the wing, and the propeller wake is greatly improved. In addition, in an osprey, since the engine and propeller rotate at the wingtips, structural problems such as vibration and strength occur. However, in the present invention, since the engine and propeller are firmly fixed to the wing, no structural problems occur. Also, in an osprey, since an engine and propeller that rotate are provided at the tip of the wing, it is necessary to strengthen the wing spar, which increases the weight and reduces the aerodynamic performance. In contrast, in the present invention, since the wing spar is lighter than in the osprey system, the aerodynamic performance is improved. In an osprey, since there are an engine and propeller at the wingtips, resonance due to a long span occurs, the vibration is large, the centroid is poor, and finally, a crash accident due to vibration has occurred. In contrast, in the present invention, since the engine and propeller are not at the tip of the wing but in the strong central part, no resonance occurs, it is safe, and the centroid is good.

[0010] This will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and below. FIG. 4 is a plan view of an example of the tenth embodiment. A motor 55 for rotating the wing 57, a motor 56 for rotating the wing 58, a battery 54 for driving the motors 55 and 56, a vertical fin 14, a front main wing 57, and a rear main wing 58 are provided on the fuselage 53. A propeller motor 7 and a propeller 6 are mounted on the front main wing 57, and a propeller 6'-driving motor 7' and a propeller 6' are mounted on the rear main wing 58. FIG. 5 is a view of this seen from the front. FIG. 6 is a view of this seen from the side. Reference numeral 59 denotes a landing gear and luggage holding part. A camera and luggage 60 are placed on the CG 68 of this aircraft, and it is devised so that it can always fly horizontally regardless of the various weights of the luggage. Here, the important thing is that the propeller motor 7 is attached to the front wing 57 so that the wing 57 has an angle of attack α 62 with respect to the thrust line of the propeller 6. Similarly, the propeller 6'-driving motor 7' is attached to the rear wing 58 so that the rear wing 58 also has an angle of attack β. α and β are of course different angles.

[0011] Figure 7 is a top view in which the front main wing 57, the rear main wing 58, and the propellers 6, the shared motor 7, the propeller 6', and the shared motor 7' mounted thereon are rotated 90 degrees by the rotation shaft 67 of the motor 55 and the rotation shaft 70 of the motor 56. Figure 8 is a view of this from the front. Figure 9 is a side view of Figure 7.

[0012] In this state, the aircraft of the present invention rotates the propeller 6 by the motor 7, rotates the propeller 6' by the motor 7', and vertically takes off and ascends. At this time, the trailing flow of the propellers 6 and 6' is designed so that the wings 57 and 58 cannot block it. Next, the motors 55 and 56 are gradually rotated, and the propellers 6 and 6', and the wings 57 and 58 are rotated around the rotation shafts 69 and 70 to the position shown in Figure 9. Thereby, the fuselage is floated by the wings 57 and 58, and horizontal flight at high speed is achieved by the thrust of the propellers 6 and 6'. If necessary, shooting is performed with the camera 60. When arriving at the destination, the motors 55 and 56 are rotated in the reverse direction to the above, and the wings 57, 58, the propellers 6, 6' are gradually turned upward around the rotation shafts 60, 76, and vertically descend. Also at this time, since the wings do not interfere with the trailing flow of the propellers, the propeller efficiency is improved. Figure 10 shows an embodiment of the present invention in which only one motor 55 is used to rotate the wings 57 and 58 without using the two motors 55 and 56 in Figures 4 to 9, thereby enabling weight reduction of the aircraft. The motor is preferably a stepping motor. The rotational force 66 of the motor 55 becomes the rotational force 67 through the lever 61, the pivot 62, the connecting beam 63, the pivot 64, and the lever 65, and rotates the shaft 70.

[0013] Figure 11 shows an embodiment of the present invention different from Figure 10, in which the wings 57 and 58 are rotated by utilizing the non-reversibility of the bevel gear 68. Figures 12 and 13 show other embodiments of the present invention. In the embodiments of Figures 7, 8, and 9, the efficiency of the rear propeller 6' deteriorates in the wake of the front propeller 6. Therefore, the other embodiments of the present invention shown in Figures 12 and 13 improve this situation. In this embodiment, the wake of the front propeller 6 is outside the rotation range of the rear propeller 6', so the efficiency of the rear propeller 6' does not decrease. Figure 12 shows the situation during ascent or descent, and Figure 13 shows the situation during horizontal flight. Thus, the efficiency of the rear propeller 6' does not decrease. Figure 12 shows the situation during ascent or descent, and Figure 13 shows the situation during horizontal flight. This Another embodiment of the invention consists of a single tilt main rotor 69, a torque correction tail rotor 70, a fixed main wing 57, and a fixed tail wing 58.

[0014] The present invention is applicable not only to drones but also to actual aircraft. In that case, the propellers are rotated by an engine. Also, the present invention includes cases where jet engines or rockets are used instead of propellers.

Industrial Applicability

[0015] The present invention is a new type of aircraft that is safer and has a higher horizontal speed compared to known drones, known tiltrotors such as Ospreys, and other vertical takeoff and landing aircraft such as helicopters. Current drones are not suitable for high-speed transportation because they are slow for long-distance item transportation such as mail order and logistics, cannot fly long distances, and consume a lot of energy. However, when the present invention is applied to a drone, items can be transported at high speed and long-distance photography becomes possible. Also, when the present invention is applied to an aircraft carrying people, it can be active in rapid mountain rescue, shipwreck rescue, etc. in far-off places, so there is great industrial applicability. In addition, the aircraft of the present invention does not require pitch control compared to a helicopter, so the rudder is simple and low-cost. Also, the horizontal speed is high, the cruising distance is long, and there are no accidents due to the tilt of the Osprey, so it is safe and the range of use expands. Also, if the size of the aircraft is increased, a large number of people can be carried, and it can also depart for islands without an airport, compensating for the transportation inconvenience of islanders, so the industrial and defense applicability is extremely large. Moreover, if the present invention is launched near the stratosphere, converts the solar energy received by the wings into microwaves, and transmits them to the ground for use as electrical energy, it can supply valuable energy to resource - poor Japan and also serve as an alternative to reconnaissance satellites. Its potential for defense and industrial applications is extremely large.

Explanation of Signs

[0016] 1 Aircraft body 2 Main rotor 3 Tail rotor 4 Horizontal stabilizer 5 Rotating shaft for Osprey engine 6 Drone propeller 6’ The same above (rear part) 7 Drone ascending / descending motor 7’ The same above (rear part) 8 Drone propeller guard 9 Receiver, camera, etc. 14 Vertical stabilizer 32 Motor for propeller rotation 33 Engine for Osprey propeller 34 Propeller for Osprey ascending / descending / forward movement 45 Fuselage girder 46 Engine for actual machine forward propeller 47 Actual machine forward propeller 48 Rotor dedicated to actual machine ascending / descending 49 Main wing dedicated to actual machine horizontal flight 50 Horizontal stabilizer dedicated to actual machine horizontal flight 51 Vertical stabilizer dedicated to actual machine horizontal flight 52 Engine for rotor dedicated to actual machine ascending / descending 53 Fuselage 54 Battery, electronic circuit, etc. 55 Rotation conduction lever for motor 55 (stepping motor) 56 Rotation conduction lever for rear wing motor (stepping motor) 57 Front wing 58 Rear wing 59 Cargo loading and landing device 60 Cargo 61 Rotation conduction lever of motor 55 62 The same above pivot 63 Rear wing rotation connecting beam as above 64 Pivot as above 65 Lever as above 66 Rotation direction of front wing rotation motor 67 Rear wing as above 68 Wing rotation bevel gear 69 Tilt main rotor 70 Torque correction tail rotor

Claims

【Claim 1】 A rotating horizontal flight wing composed of a front main wing and a rear main wing is provided at the same height before and after the fuselage. A propeller drive unit that serves as a combination of three functions: direct ascent, descent, and forward movement is provided only at the longitudinal ends of all the horizontal flight wings. When ascending and descending, the horizontal flight wing does not interfere with the downstream flow of the propeller. When in horizontal flight, the downstream flow of the propeller of the front main wing is outside the rotation range of the propeller of the rear main wing. A flying object characterized by this.

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