Aircraft control method and apparatus, and aircraft

Abstract

An aircraft control method and apparatus, and an aircraft. The aircraft control method comprises: monitoring operating conditions of a main drive motor (S101); and, on the basis of the operating conditions of the main drive motor, performing torque distribution control on the main drive motor and / or a ducted motor by using a corresponding torque distribution control policy and taking into account a desired yaw moment outputted by a controller (S102). Thus, under normal operating conditions of the aircraft and faulty operating conditions of the motor, yaw control permission is reasonably distributed between the main drive motor and the ducted motor, so that the yaw control capability of the aircraft under the normal operating conditions and the fault-tolerant control capability of the motor after faults are improved, thereby ensuring the smooth completion of flight tasks.

Description

Aircraft control method, device and aircraft

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application number 202311380656.6, application date 2023-10-23, and patent name “Aircraft Control Method, Device and Aircraft”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of aircraft, and in particular to an aircraft control method, device, and aircraft. Background Art

[0003] In recent years, with the development of aircraft technology, aircraft have played an important role in the military, civilian, and scientific fields. Vertical take-off and landing aircraft, in particular, have become a hot topic in industry research due to their relatively low requirements for the site environment at take-off and landing locations. To achieve vertical take-off and landing, aircraft are generally designed as multi-rotor aircraft. Among them, aircraft that need to carry people have very high safety requirements. To meet these safety requirements, multi-rotor aircraft have various designs in terms of the number and layout of rotors. Hexacopter aircraft are one of the multi-rotor aircraft configurations that can meet the single-point failure requirements of electric aircraft motors.

[0004] However, current six-rotor aircraft cannot avoid the problem of weak yaw control ability during normal flight. On the other hand, when a motor failure occurs, the natural layout of the six-rotor means that as long as one motor fails, the aircraft will be in a state of torque imbalance. At this time, the remaining control ability is even weaker than that of an ordinary four-rotor aircraft, and the control and anti-interference capabilities will be greatly reduced. It is very likely to cause a crash and pose a great threat to the safety of people and property. Technical Solutions

[0005] The main purpose of this application is to provide an aircraft control method, device, aircraft and storage medium, aiming to improve the yaw control capability of the aircraft (especially the hexacopter) under normal operating conditions and the fault-tolerant control capability after motor failure, so as to ensure the safety and reliability of the aircraft.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present application provides an aircraft control method, the aircraft control method comprising:

[0007] Monitoring the operating condition of the main drive motor;

[0008] According to the working condition of the main drive motor, the torque distribution control of the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor is performed using a corresponding torque distribution control strategy in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller.

[0009] Optionally, the step of monitoring the working condition of the main drive motor includes:

[0010] Monitoring the actual rotational speed of the main drive motor;

[0011] Calculating the difference between the actual speed of the main drive motor and the expected speed output by the controller;

[0012] If the difference reaches a preset threshold, it is determined that the main drive motor has failed.

[0013] Optionally, the step of performing torque distribution control on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor according to the working condition of the main drive motor, using a corresponding torque distribution control strategy, and combining the desired yaw torque output by the controller includes:

[0014] If the main drive motor is in a normal working condition, a torque distribution control strategy under the normal working condition is selected, and torque distribution control is performed on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor using the torque distribution control strategy under the normal working condition in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller;

[0015] If at least one main drive motor is in a fault condition, the torque distribution control strategy under the fault condition is selected, and the torque distribution control strategy under the fault condition is used in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller to perform torque distribution control on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor.

[0016] Optionally, the step of performing torque distribution control on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor based on the torque distribution control strategy under normal working conditions in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller includes:

[0017] Determining whether each main drive motor can achieve the desired yaw moment output by the controller;

[0018] If not, the yaw moment that can be achieved by the main drive motor is allocated to the main drive motor, and based on the expected yaw moment and the yaw moment achieved by each main drive motor, the unallocated remaining yaw moment is calculated and allocated to the ducted motor.

[0019] Optionally, the step of determining whether each main drive motor can achieve the desired yaw moment output by the controller includes:

[0020] Calculating the rotational speed of the main drive motor after allocating the desired yaw moment to the main drive motor according to the desired yaw moment output by the controller and a preset first torque distribution relationship;

[0021] If the calculated rotational speed of the main drive motor is greater than or equal to the rotational speed of the main drive motor in a saturated state, it is determined that each main drive motor cannot achieve the desired yaw moment output by the controller.

[0022] Optionally, the step of allocating the yaw moment achievable by the main drive motor to the main drive motor, calculating an unallocated residual yaw moment based on the expected yaw moment and the yaw moment achieved by each main drive motor, and allocating the residual yaw moment to the ducted motor includes:

[0023] Based on the speed of the main drive motor in a saturated state and the first torque distribution relationship, allocating a yaw torque that can be achieved by the main drive motor to the main drive motor, and controlling the main drive motor at a corresponding speed;

[0024] Subtracting the yaw moment that can be achieved by each main drive motor from the desired yaw moment to calculate an unallocated residual yaw moment;

[0025] The remaining yaw moment is distributed to the ducted motor, and a corresponding speed is calculated based on the remaining yaw moment and a preset second torque distribution relationship to control the ducted motor.

[0026] Optionally, the step of performing torque distribution control on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor based on the torque distribution control strategy under a fault condition in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller includes:

[0027] According to the torque distribution control strategy under the fault condition, other desired torques except the desired yaw torque are distributed to the remaining main drive motors other than the fault condition, and the desired yaw torque is distributed to the ducted motor.

[0028] Optionally, the desired yaw moment corresponds to controlling a yaw channel, and the other desired moments correspond to controlling a pitch channel, a roll channel, and a throttle channel; the preset torque distribution relationship includes: a correspondence between torque, motor speed, and a control distribution matrix.

[0029] Optionally, the step of allocating the desired yaw moment to the ducted motor comprises:

[0030] Obtaining the yaw torque generated by the remaining main drive motor;

[0031] Subtracting the yaw moment generated by the remaining main drive motor from the desired yaw moment to obtain a target yaw moment;

[0032] The target yaw moment is distributed to the ducted motor.

[0033] Optionally, the step of obtaining the yaw torque generated by the remaining main drive motor includes:

[0034] Obtaining actual rotational speeds of the remaining main drive motors except the main drive motor that has a fault;

[0035] The yaw torque generated by the remaining main drive motors is obtained by estimating the actual rotation speed of the remaining main drive motors in combination with the corresponding control allocation matrix.

[0036] Optionally, the aircraft is a six-rotor aircraft, with six main drive motors and two ducted motors; the two ducted motors are respectively installed directly below two opposite main drive motors, and the thrust direction of the ducted motor is facing the nose direction of the six-rotor aircraft.

[0037] In addition, an embodiment of the present application further provides an aircraft, comprising:

[0038] An aircraft body, wherein the aircraft body is provided with a flight cabin;

[0039] A flight power system, comprising a frame and 2n main drive motors, wherein the frame is disposed on the aircraft body, and the 2n main drive motors are disposed on the frame, and the main drive motors are used to provide lift, thrust, and yaw moment to the aircraft body, wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and

[0040] an auxiliary yaw system connected to the aircraft body, the auxiliary yaw system comprising at least two ducted motors;

[0041] A controller is connected to the main drive motor and the ducted motor respectively, and is used to monitor the working condition of the main drive motor; according to the working condition of the main drive motor, the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor are subjected to torque distribution control using a corresponding torque distribution control strategy in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller.

[0042] Optionally, the aircraft body is symmetrical about a predetermined central axis plane, and the central axis plane is a vertical plane defined by the forward direction of the aircraft; the auxiliary yaw system includes two ducted motors, and the two ducted motors are respectively located on both sides of the central axis plane, and the 2n main drive motors are distributed on both sides of the central axis plane; and / or, in the direction in which the main drive motors are distributed, the center points of the 2n main drive motors are connected in sequence to form a polygon, and the two main drive motors located on the same diagonal line of the polygon constitute a pair of corresponding main drive motors.

[0043] Optionally, the controller is further configured to, when each of the main drive motors is in a normal operating condition, determine whether each main drive motor can achieve the desired yaw moment output by the controller; if at least one main drive motor cannot achieve the desired yaw moment output by the controller, allocate the yaw moment that can be achieved by the at least one main drive motor to the at least one main drive motor, and based on the desired yaw moment and the yaw moment that can be achieved by the allocated main drive motor, calculate the unallocated remaining yaw moment, and allocate the remaining yaw moment to the ducted motor.

[0044] Optionally, the controller is also used to control the corresponding main drive motor on the same diagonal as the faulty main drive motor to stop working when at least one main drive motor is in an abnormal working condition, and control the two ducted motors to operate to provide a compensating yaw moment to the aircraft body.

[0045] Optionally, the aircraft is a six-rotor aircraft, there are six main drive motors, and the two ducted motors are respectively installed directly below the two opposite main drive motors, and the thrust direction of the ducted motors is facing the nose direction of the six-rotor aircraft.

[0046] Optionally, the six main drive motors include a first main drive motor, a second main drive motor, a third main drive motor, a fourth main drive motor, a fifth main drive motor and a sixth main drive motor, and in the direction in which the main drive motors are distributed circumferentially, the six main drive motors are arranged in ascending order in a counterclockwise direction;

[0047] The first main drive motor and the fourth main drive motor form a pair of two, the second main drive motor and the fifth main drive motor form a pair of two, and the third main drive motor and the sixth main drive motor form a pair of two.

[0048] Optionally, each of the main drive motors is configured with a rotor, the rotors of the first main drive motor, the third main drive motor, and the fifth main drive motor are configured to rotate in a first direction, and the rotors of the second main drive motor, the fourth main drive motor, and the sixth main drive motor are configured to rotate in a second direction, which is opposite to the first direction.

[0049] Optionally, the controller is also used to control the fourth main drive motor corresponding to the first main drive motor to stop working when the first main drive motor is in an abnormal working condition, and control the two ducted motors to operate to provide a compensating yaw moment to the aircraft body.

[0050] The present application also provides an aircraft control device, comprising:

[0051] A monitoring module, used to monitor the working condition of the main drive motor;

[0052] A distribution module is used to perform torque distribution control on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor according to the working condition of the main drive motor, using a corresponding torque distribution control strategy and combining the desired yaw torque output by the controller.

[0053] An embodiment of the present application further proposes an aircraft, comprising: a memory, a processor, and an aircraft control program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the aircraft control program is configured to implement the steps of the aircraft control method described above.

[0054] The aircraft control method, device, and aircraft proposed in the embodiments of the present application monitor the working condition of the main drive motor; according to the working condition of the main drive motor, the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor are subjected to torque distribution control using a corresponding torque distribution control strategy in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller. The aircraft involved in this solution is a six-rotor aircraft. Under normal working conditions and motor failure conditions, the six-rotor aircraft reasonably distributes the yaw control authority between the six main drive motors and the dual ducted motors, thereby improving the yaw control capability of the six-rotor aircraft under normal working conditions and the fault-tolerant control capability after motor failure, thereby ensuring the safety and reliability of the aircraft and the smooth completion of the flight mission. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of an aircraft provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a rotor rotating surface formed by the rotor of the aircraft shown in FIG1 ;

[0057] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the functional modules of the terminal device of the aircraft control device of the present application;

[0058] FIG4 is a flow chart of a first exemplary embodiment of an aircraft control method of the present application;

[0059] FIG5 is a configuration diagram of a hexacopter aircraft according to a first exemplary embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application;

[0060] FIG6 is a flow chart of a second exemplary embodiment of an aircraft control method of the present application;

[0061] FIG7 is a schematic flow chart of a third exemplary embodiment of an aircraft control method of the present application;

[0062] FIG8 is a module diagram of a control device belonging to the aircraft control device of the present application.

[0063] The realization of the objectives, functional features and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0064] Implementation Methods of the Application

[0065] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0066] The main solution of the embodiment of the present application is to perform torque distribution control on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor according to the operating conditions of the main drive motor, using a corresponding torque distribution control strategy in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller. In this solution, the hexacopter can rationally distribute the yaw torque to the six main drive motors and ducted motors, thereby enhancing the hexacopter's yaw control capability under normal operating conditions and its fault-tolerant control capability after motor failures, thereby improving the hexacopter's flight performance, safety, and reliability, and ensuring the smooth completion of the flight mission.

[0067] The embodiments of the present application take into account that current hexacopter aircraft have the following problems: on the one hand, they cannot avoid the problem of weak yaw control ability during normal flight; on the other hand, when a motor fails, due to the layout of the hexacopter, as long as one motor fails, the hexacopter aircraft will be in a state of torque imbalance. At this time, the control and anti-interference capabilities will be greatly reduced, and there is a high probability of a crash, posing a great threat to personal and property safety.

[0068] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application proposes an aircraft control solution, which can enhance the yaw control capability of the six-rotor aircraft under normal working conditions and the fault-tolerant control capability after motor failure by reasonably distributing the yaw torque to the six main drive motors and ducted motors, thereby effectively improving the flight performance and safety and reliability of the six-rotor aircraft.

[0069] Specifically, referring to FIG. 1 , FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an aircraft provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0070] As shown in Figure 1 , an embodiment of the present application proposes an aerial vehicle 200 for use in air travel. This vehicle can be used in a transportation vehicle with both land and air travel capabilities. The transportation vehicle can include a vehicle and the aerial vehicle 200, which are detachably coupled. In other embodiments, the vehicle and the aerial vehicle 200 may be integrated without separation. As a method, the aerial travel of the aerial vehicle 200 can provide the transportation vehicle with aerial travel capabilities.

[0071] Specifically, the aircraft 200 in the embodiment of the present application includes an aircraft body 210, a flight power system 220 and an auxiliary yaw system 230 provided on the aircraft body 210, and a control system 240 for controlling the flight of the aircraft 200.

[0072] The aircraft body 210 is the main structure of the aircraft. A flight cabin 2110 is provided on the aircraft body 210 for the pilot to sit in.

[0073] The flight power system 220 is used to provide power for the aircraft 200 to travel in the air. Driven by the flight power system 220 , the aircraft 200 can rise into the air and travel.

[0074] In one embodiment, the flight power system 220 includes a frame 2210 and 2n main drive motors 2220, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The main drive motors 2220 are disposed on the frame 2210 and are used to provide lift, thrust, and yaw moment to the aircraft body 210, thereby enabling the aircraft body 210 to ascend, descend, or hover. The number of main drive motors 2220 can be even or odd. In this embodiment, the number of main drive motors 2220 is set to an even number.

[0075] The frame 2210 is disposed on the aircraft body 210 .

[0076] In one embodiment, the frame 2210 is connected between the 2n main drive motors 2220 and the aircraft body 210 , serving as a mounting structure for connecting the main drive motors 2220 to the aircraft body 210 .

[0077] In order to cope with the situation where the yaw moment formed by the flight power system 220 is in an unbalanced state, such as yaw moment imbalance or at least one of the 2n main drive motors 2220 fails, the aircraft 200 in this embodiment is provided with an auxiliary yaw system 230. The auxiliary yaw system 230 is connected to the aircraft body 210. When the yaw moment formed by the flight power system 220 is in an unbalanced state, the auxiliary yaw system 230 can operate and provide a compensatory yaw moment to the aircraft body 210, so that the aircraft 200 can overcome the problem of being unable to yaw due to the unbalanced yaw moment.

[0078] In one embodiment, the auxiliary yaw system 230 includes at least two ducted motors 2310. The introduction of the ducted motors 2310 in this embodiment allows the yaw moment control capability of the aircraft 200 to be supplemented by the ducted motors 2310 when the yaw control capability of the aircraft 200 is weak during normal flight. By combining the main drive motors 2220 and the ducted motors 2310, the aircraft 200 can be smoothly controlled, thereby improving the yaw control capability of the aircraft 200 under normal operating conditions. Furthermore, in the event of a failure of the aircraft 200, the aircraft 200 can be prevented from losing control. For example, if at least one of the 2n main drive motors 2220 fails, resulting in an unbalanced yaw moment of the aircraft 200, the ducted motors 2310 can provide compensatory yaw moment to the aircraft body 210, thereby improving the fault-tolerant control capability of the aircraft 200 under the condition of a main drive motor 2220 failure and ensuring the safety and reliability of the aircraft 200.

[0079] In this embodiment, the control system 240 includes a controller, which is respectively connected to the main drive motor 2220 and the ducted motor 2310, and is used to monitor the working condition of the main drive motor 2220; according to the working condition of the main drive motor 2220, the main drive motor 2220 and / or the ducted motor 2310 are torque-distributed controlled with a corresponding torque distribution control strategy in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller.

[0080] Among them, the multiple main drive motors 2220 in this embodiment select main drive motors 2220 with the same output power. The multiple main drive motors 2220 with the same rated output power have relatively low requirements on the control system 240 of the aircraft and the overall structure of the aircraft 200, which can reduce the complexity of the control system 240 of the aircraft 200 and the overall structure of the aircraft 200, and reduce the development cost of the aircraft 200.

[0081] In some other embodiments, the multiple main drive motors 2220 can be a combination of main drive motors 2220 with multiple rated output powers. The advantage is that a more functional flight mode can be developed. For example, in this type of flight mode, the aircraft 200 can fly in harsh environments and climates, thereby improving the adaptability of the aircraft 200 to the flight environment and making the aircraft 200 more competitive in the market.

[0082] In this embodiment, the main drive motor 2220 uses a rotary power structure, such as a ducted fan or a rotor. The rotary main drive motor 2220 maintains a stable state relative to the structure of the aircraft body 210, which can simplify the installation structure of the main drive motor 2220. The specific embodiment of the fixed position of the main drive motor 2220 is that the main drive motor 2220 with a rotary structure has a rotation axis, and the rotation axis of the main drive motor 2220 is always fixed relative to the aircraft body 210 during flight. In other embodiments, the main drive motor 2220 can be a main drive motor 2220 with other operating modes, or the main drive motor 2220 can be movably installed on the aircraft body 210 to increase the flexibility of the main drive motor 2220 and improve the performance of the flight power system 220. This embodiment specifically introduces the main drive motor 2220 using the rotor 2221 type, and will not be emphasized again later.

[0083] When the aircraft 200 is in level flight, the angle between the rotation axis of the rotor 2221 of the main drive motor 2220 and the vertical plane is approximately less than or equal to 10°, and the rotors 2221 of multiple main drive motors 2220 are set differently.

[0084] In order to improve the ability of the aircraft 200 to cope with emergencies during its flight in the air and to improve the safety of the aircraft 200 during flight, this embodiment makes specific arrangements in terms of the number of main drive motors 2220, the distribution of the main drive motors 2220 on the aircraft body 210, the structure of the rotors 2221 of the main drive motors 2220, and the compensation mechanism for abnormal situations of the main drive motors 2220, which will be described in detail below.

[0085] In this embodiment, a vertical plane defined by the forward direction of the aircraft body 210 exists within a vertical plane that serves as the mid-axis plane of the aircraft body 210. The aircraft body 210 is symmetrical about the mid-axis plane, and the two sides of the aircraft body 210 in the forward direction are defined as the left and right sides of the aircraft body 210. The weight of the left and right sides of the aircraft body 210 is approximately the same or has a small difference, so that the left and right parts of the aircraft body 210 are essentially balanced.

[0086] In this embodiment, the auxiliary yaw system 230 includes two ducted motors 2310, one located on either side of the central axis plane. The 2n main drive motors 2220 are evenly distributed on either side of the central axis plane. In the direction in which the main drive motors 2220 are distributed, lines connecting the center points of the 2n main drive motors 2220 form a polygon, and two main drive motors 2220 located on the same diagonal of the polygon constitute a pair of corresponding main drive motors 2220.

[0087] As previously mentioned, in this embodiment, the number of main drive motors 2220 is set to an even number, and the multiple main drive motors 2220 can be evenly distributed on the left and right sides of the aircraft body 210, that is, the number of main drive motors 2220 corresponding to the left and right sides of the aircraft body 210 is the same, so that the driving force on the left and right sides of the aircraft body 210 is also in a roughly equal state. In other embodiments, corresponding settings can be made based on the structural characteristics of the aircraft body 210. For example, if the aircraft 200 is a fuel-powered aircraft 200, the number and layout of the main drive motors 2220 on the left and right sides of the aircraft body 210 can be determined based on the specific location of the fuel storage device on the aircraft 200 and the impact of the weight change of the fuel storage device on the center of gravity of the aircraft body 210 during flight.

[0088] The specific number of main drive motors 2220 needs to be specifically considered and set based on factors such as the weight of the aircraft body 210 and the output power of the main drive motors 2220 in actual conditions. In addition, it is also necessary to consider whether the mechanical structure of multiple main drive motors 2220 can meet the overall size requirements of the transport vehicle to adapt to public road settings and existing parking systems. The flight power system 220 in this embodiment includes six main drive motors 2220, which can meet the power requirements of the aircraft 200. In other embodiments, the number of main drive motors 2220 can also be set to 8, 10 or 12 based on the weight of the aircraft body 210.

[0089] In one embodiment, three main drive motors 2220 are provided on each of the left and right sides of the vehicle body 210 in the forward direction of the vehicle 200, thereby maintaining a roughly balanced state in the left-right direction. Furthermore, the vehicle body 210 is also roughly balanced in the forward direction of the vehicle 200. Specifically, the vehicle body 210 in this embodiment includes a first body portion, a second body portion, and a third body portion. The first, second, and third body portions are sequentially arranged and connected in parallel along the forward direction of the vehicle 200. The six main drive motors 2220 are divided into three groups, each with two main drive motors 2220. The three groups of main drive motors 2220 correspond to the first, second, and third body portions, respectively. The three groups of main drive motors 2220 bear the weight of the first, second, and third body portions, respectively, ensuring that the vehicle body 210 is also roughly balanced in the forward direction of the vehicle 200.

[0090] Referring to FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, in order to reserve a sufficiently large operating space for each main drive motor 2220 , a plurality of main drive motors 2220 are sequentially and spaced apart in a surrounding arrangement on the frame 2210 . For ease of understanding, when the aircraft 200 is in level flight, the aircraft 200 is projected onto a horizontal plane, and the projections of the plurality of main drive motors 2220 are distributed around the periphery of the projection of the aircraft body 210 , so that the plurality of main drive motors 2220 diverge relative to the aircraft body 210 , thereby avoiding structural collisions between adjacent or nearby main drive motors 2220 during transport, and ensuring a high degree of safety for the aircraft 200 in flight. However, in order to avoid excessive dispersion of the positions of the plurality of main drive motors 2220 , the degree of divergence of the plurality of main drive motors 2220 is limited in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the rotor 2221 of the main drive motor 2220 forms a rotor rotating surface 2224 when rotating. When the aircraft 200 is in a level flight state, the aircraft 200 is projected onto the horizontal plane, and the projected parts of the rotor rotating surfaces 2224 of at least two adjacent main drive motors 2220 overlap, so that the multiple main drive motors 2220 have a certain degree of integrity and correlation, and the aerodynamic efficiency of the rotor of the main drive motor 2220 is improved.

[0091] In this embodiment, multiple main drive motors 2220 are arranged in a divergent manner. The lines connecting the center points of the multiple main drive motors 2220 form a polygon. The geometric center of the polygon and the center of gravity of the aircraft body 210 are located on the same vertical line, or the parallel distance between the vertical line containing the geometric center of the polygon and the vertical line containing the center of gravity of the aircraft body 210 is small, so that the aircraft 200 can maintain a balanced and stable state during flight. It should be understood that the above-mentioned polygonal formation should be understood as forming a polygon by connecting the center points of the multiple main drive motors 2220 when projected on a horizontal plane.

[0092] Furthermore, the multiple main drive motors 2220 in this embodiment are arranged in a centrally symmetrical manner. It can be understood that the polygon formed by the multiple main drive motors 2220 is roughly a centrally symmetrical figure, so that the driving force formed by any three connected main drive motors 2220 in this embodiment is roughly the same as the driving force formed by the other three connected main drive motors 2220, further improving the balance and safety of the aircraft 200 in flight.

[0093] In this embodiment, the two main drive motors 2220 located on the same diagonal of the polygon constitute a pair of corresponding main drive motors 2220, and the corresponding two main drive motors 2220 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center. When the output power of the two main drive motors 2220 is the same, the two main drive motors 2220 form a balanced external force group relative to the aircraft body 210, and in the direction of the connection between the two main drive motors 2220, the aircraft body 210 can maintain balance under the action of the two main drive motors 2220. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rotation directions of the rotors 2221 of the two main drive motors 2220 in the relative group are set in opposite directions so as to be able to form a yaw moment. Furthermore, in order to achieve the divergence of the positions of the multiple main drive motors 2220 relative to the aircraft body 210, the frame 2210 in this embodiment includes a bracket and a plurality of arms, the bracket is arranged at the top of the aircraft body 210, and the plurality of arms are arranged on the bracket. The arms are used to mount the main drive motors 2220, so the number of arms is consistent with the number of main drive motors 2220. For example, in this embodiment, the number of arms is consistent with the number of main drive motors 2220, both being six. The six main drive motors 2220 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the six arms, and each main drive motor 2220 is mounted on a corresponding arm. The multiple arms are arranged in a sequentially spaced relationship along the circumference of the bracket. The arms extend relative to the bracket in a direction away from the center of the bracket so that the multiple main drive motors 2220 are connected to the aircraft body 210 in a divergent state.

[0094] Please refer to Figure 2. The aircraft in this embodiment is a six-rotor aircraft, and there are six main drive motors 2220. For the convenience of explanation and distinction between each main drive motor 2220, the six main drive motors 2220 in this embodiment are respectively defined as a first main drive motor 2230, a second main drive motor 2240, a third main drive motor 2250, a fourth main drive motor 2260, a fifth main drive motor 2270 and a sixth main drive motor 2280. The six main drive motors 2220 are arranged in a circumferential manner. In the counterclockwise direction of the circumferential arrangement, the six main drive motors 2220 are arranged in ascending order, that is, in the counterclockwise direction, the first main drive motor 2230, the second main drive motor 2240, the third main drive motor 2250, the fourth main drive motor 2260, the fifth main drive motor 2270 and the sixth main drive motor 2280 are arranged in sequence. When the aircraft 200 is projected onto a horizontal plane in flight, with the forward direction of the aircraft 200 as a reference direction, the second main drive motor 2240, the third main drive motor 2250, and the fourth main drive motor 2260 are located to the left of the aircraft body 210, while the first main drive motor 2230, the sixth main drive motor 2280, and the fifth main drive motor 2270 are located to the right of the aircraft body 210. Specifically, the third main drive motor 2250 is located on the left side of the aircraft body 210, the second module 2240 is located at the left front of the aircraft body 210, and the fourth main drive motor 2260 is located at the left rear of the aircraft body 210. The sixth main drive motor 2280 is located on the right side of the aircraft body 210, the first main drive motor 2230 is located at the right front of the aircraft body 210, and the fifth main drive motor 2270 is located at the right rear of the aircraft body 210.

[0095] The first main drive motor 2230 and the fourth main drive motor 2260 are located on the same diagonal line and are paired in pairs, the second main drive motor 2240 and the fifth main drive motor 2270 are located on the same diagonal line and are paired in pairs, and the third main drive motor 2250 and the sixth main drive motor 2280 are located on the same diagonal line and are paired in pairs. Each main drive motor is configured with a rotor. Assuming that the rotors of the first main drive motor 2230, the third main drive motor 2250, and the fifth main drive motor 2270 are configured to rotate in a first direction (e.g., clockwise), and the rotors of the second main drive motor 2240, the fourth main drive motor 2260, and the sixth main drive motor 2280 are configured to rotate in a second direction (e.g., counterclockwise), the second direction is set opposite to the first direction.

[0096] In this embodiment, the first main drive motor 2230, the second main drive motor 2240, the fourth main drive motor 2260 and the fifth main drive motor 2270 are arranged at intervals at the four corners of the aircraft body 210 in the forward direction of the aircraft 200. The structures of the first main drive motor 2230, the second main drive motor 2240, the fourth main drive motor 2260 and the fifth main drive motor 2270 and the airflow generated do not interfere with each other. Therefore, in this embodiment, the rotation axis of the rotor 2221 of the first main drive motor 2230, the second main drive motor 2240, the fourth main drive motor 2260 and the fifth main drive motor 2270 is arranged along the vertical direction, that is, the blades 2222 of the first main drive motor 2230, the second main drive motor 2240, the fourth main drive motor 2260 and the fifth main drive motor 2270 are arranged horizontally to form a horizontal rotor rotating surface 2224, so as to provide a vertical driving force to the aircraft body 210.

[0097] Please refer to Figure 1. The auxiliary yaw system 230 of the aircraft 200 of this embodiment includes two ducted motors 2310. The two ducted motors 2310 are arranged on the aircraft body 210. The aircraft 200 of this embodiment is a six-rotor aircraft. There are six main drive motors 2220. The two ducted motors 2310 are respectively installed directly below the two opposite main drive motors 2220. The thrust direction of the ducted motors 2310 is facing the nose direction of the aircraft 200.

[0098] Specifically, as previously described, the introduction of ducted motor 2310 in this embodiment can, on the one hand, supplement the yaw moment control capability of aircraft 200 when its yaw control capability is weak during normal flight. Combining the main drive motor 2220 and ducted motor 2310, this allows for stable flight control of aircraft 200, thereby improving the yaw control capability of aircraft 200 under normal operating conditions. On the other hand, in the event of a failure of aircraft 200, this ensures that aircraft 200 does not lose control.

[0099] Therefore, in this embodiment, the ducted motor 2310 can provide auxiliary yaw force to compensate for the yaw moment deviation caused by the failed main drive motor 2220 when the yaw moment generated by the six main drive motors 2220 is unbalanced or when one of the six main drive motors 2220 fails.

[0100] The ducted motor 2310 in this embodiment utilizes a rotary power structure, such as a ducted fan or rotor. This rotary power structure maintains stability relative to the structure of the aircraft body 210, simplifying the installation of the ducted motor 2310. The fixed position of the ducted motor 2310 is specifically manifested as follows: the ducted motor 2310, with a rotary structure, has a rotation axis. During flight, the rotation axis of the ducted motor 2310 remains fixed relative to the aircraft body 210. In other embodiments, the ducted motor 2310 can be a ducted motor 2310 with other operating modes, or it can be movably mounted on the aircraft body 210 to increase its flexibility and improve the performance of the auxiliary yaw system 230. In this embodiment, a ducted fan is used as the ducted motor 2310. This ducted fan can generate a large yaw torque, resulting in less drag when the aircraft 200 is in flight, and higher overall operating efficiency. In other embodiments, the ducted motor 2310 can also be a rotor. In this embodiment, the ducted fan is used as the ducted motor 2310 to specifically introduce the ducted motor 2310, which will not be emphasized again in the following text.

[0101] Additionally, when aircraft 200 is in level flight, the angle between the rotation axis of the rotor of ducted motor 2310 and the horizontal plane is approximately less than or equal to 5° in this embodiment. In other embodiments, the angle between the rotation axis of ducted motor 2310 and the horizontal plane can be adaptively adjusted based on actual conditions.

[0102] Referring to Figure 1 , to facilitate illustration of the specific location of each ducted motor 2310 on the aircraft body 210 and its relative positional relationship to other structures, in this embodiment, the two ducted motors 2310 are defined as a first ducted motor 2311 and a second ducted motor 2312. Specifically, the first ducted motor 2311 is disposed in correspondence with the third main drive motor 2250 and is mounted on the first arm corresponding to the third main drive motor 2250. The second ducted motor 2312 is disposed in correspondence with the sixth main drive motor 2280 and is mounted on the second arm corresponding to the sixth main drive motor 2280. The first and second arms are located on the left and right sides of the aircraft body 210, respectively, in the direction of forward motion of the aircraft 200. When the aircraft body 210 deflects, the first and second ducted motors 2311 and 2312, mounted on the first and second arms, exert a significant deflection torque. When the rated power of the first ducted motor 2311 and the second ducted motor 2312 remains unchanged, the compensation adjustment range formed by the first ducted motor 2311 and the second ducted motor 2312 being arranged on the first arm and the second arm is larger than the compensation adjustment range formed by the first ducted motor 2311 and the second ducted motor 2312 being arranged on the four arms other than the first arm and the second arm.

[0103] In this embodiment, the ducted fan of the first ducted motor 2311 and the rotor 2221 of the third main drive motor 2250 are both disposed on the first arm. Specifically, the ducted fan of the first ducted motor 2311 and the rotor 2221 of the third main drive motor 2250 can be located at a point on the first arm away from the aircraft body 210. This point is farther from the center of gravity of the aircraft body 210, resulting in a relatively long lateral moment arm and a relatively large yaw moment, thereby increasing the power efficiency of the first ducted motor 2311.

[0104] Specifically, the first arm has a top side and a bottom side facing away from each other, with the top side of the first arm facing the sky and the bottom side facing the ground. The rotor 2221 of the third main drive motor 2250 is located on the top side of the first arm, and the ducted fan of the first ducted motor 2311 is located on the bottom side of the first arm. This ensures that the third main drive motor 2250 and the first ducted motor 2311 are spaced apart from each other to avoid structural collisions.

[0105] Furthermore, in order to reduce the impact of the airflow on the ducted fan of the first ducted motor 2311 from the blade ends of the third main drive motor 2250, in this embodiment, the ducted fan of the first ducted motor 2311 is arranged to avoid the blades of the rotor 2221 of the third main drive motor 2250. Specifically, in this embodiment, the ducted fan of the first ducted motor 2311 has a rotation center (i.e., a rotation axis). The rotor 2221 of the third main drive motor 2250 includes a hub 2223, and the two blades 2222 of the third main drive motor 2250 are connected to opposite sides of the hub 2223 of the third main drive motor 2250. The hub 2223 of the rotor 2221 of the third main drive motor 2250 forms a first maximum rotation surface when in a rotating state. When the aircraft 200 is projected toward the horizontal plane, the projection surface of the first maximum rotation surface covers the rotation center (that is, the rotation axis) of the ducted fan of the first ducted motor 2311, so that the rotation center of the ducted fan of the first ducted motor 2311 and its surrounding structures correspond to the hub 2223 of the third main drive motor 2250. From a macroscopic structural point of view, the rotation center (that is, the rotation axis) of the ducted fan of the first ducted motor 2311 is located directly below the hub 2223 of the third main drive motor 2250. Therefore, the airflow at the hub 2223 of the third main drive motor 2250 is small and weak, and the downwash flow of the rotor has little effect on the ducted fan of the first ducted motor 2311.

[0106] Similarly, the ducted fan of the second ducted motor 2312 in this embodiment has a rotation center (ie, a rotation axis). The rotor of the sixth main drive motor 2280 includes a hub, and the two blades of the sixth main drive motor 2280 are connected to opposite sides of the hub of the sixth main drive motor 2280. The hub of the rotor of the sixth main drive motor 2280 forms a second maximum rotation surface when the aircraft 200 is in a rotating state. When the aircraft 200 is projected toward the horizontal plane, the projection surface of the second maximum rotation surface covers the rotation center of the ducted fan of the second ducted motor 2312, so that the rotation center of the ducted fan of the second ducted motor 2312 and its surrounding structure correspond to the hub setting of the sixth main drive motor 2280. From a macroscopic structural point of view, the rotation center (that is, the axis of rotation) of the ducted fan of the second ducted motor 2312 is located directly below the hub of the sixth main drive motor 2280. Therefore, the airflow rate below the hub of the sixth main drive motor 2280 is relatively small and weak, and has little impact on the ducted fan of the second ducted motor 2312.

[0107] In order to monitor the working status of each main drive motor 2250 and control the working node of the ducted motor 2310 according to the working status of each main drive motor 2250 , the aircraft 200 in this embodiment is controlled by a controller of the control system 240 .

[0108] The controller is electrically connected to the main drive motor 2220 and the ducted motor 2310 respectively to enable information exchange and instruction execution.

[0109] When each main drive motor 2220 is in normal working conditions, the controller determines whether each main drive motor 2220 can achieve the expected yaw moment output by the controller; if at least one main drive motor 2220 cannot achieve the expected yaw moment output by the controller, the yaw moment that the main drive motor 2220 can achieve is allocated to the main drive motor 2220, and based on the expected yaw moment and the yaw moment that the allocated main drive motor 2220 can achieve, the unallocated remaining yaw moment is calculated, and the remaining yaw moment is allocated to the ducted motor 2310.

[0110] Furthermore, when at least one main drive motor 2220 is in an abnormal working condition, that is, when at least one main drive motor 2220 fails, the controller can control the corresponding main drive motor 2220 on the same diagonal as the failed main drive motor 2220 to stop working, and control the two ducted motors 2310 to operate to provide a compensating yaw moment to the aircraft body 210.

[0111] Specifically, the control mechanism of the controller for the failure of one of the main drive motors 2220 is:

[0112] When any one of the multiple main drive motors 2220 fails, the controller stops the corresponding main drive motors 2220 on the same diagonal as the failed main drive motor 2220, and controls the two ducted motors 2310 to operate to provide a compensating yaw moment to the aircraft 200. The magnitude of the compensating yaw moment is approximately equal to the difference between the actual yaw moment jointly formed by the remaining four main drive motors 2220 and the target yaw moment (i.e., the desired yaw moment output by the controller). The controller enables the aircraft 200 to cope with the failure of the main drive motor 2220, ensuring the safety of the pilot and the aircraft 200.

[0113] Additionally, the controller's control mechanism for the six main drive motors 2220 operating normally but causing yaw moment imbalance is as follows:

[0114] The controller controls the operation of the two ducted motors 2310 to provide a compensating yaw moment to the aircraft 200. The magnitude of the compensating yaw moment is roughly equal to the difference between the actual yaw moment jointly constituted by the six main drive motors 2220 and the target yaw moment (i.e., the desired yaw moment output by the controller).

[0115] As can be seen from the foregoing, the first main drive motor 2230 and the fourth main drive motor 2260 are paired in pairs, the second main drive motor 2240 and the fifth main drive motor 2270 are paired in pairs, and the third main drive motor 2250 and the sixth main drive motor 2280 are paired in pairs. Each group of main drive motors 2220 can keep the aircraft body 210 balanced on the corresponding diagonal line.

[0116] To simplify the controller's control over the six power modules 2220, the controller in this embodiment is further configured to: when any one of the main drive motors 2220 fails, control the main drive motor 2220 corresponding to the failed main drive motor 2220 to stop operating, and control the two ducted motors 2310 to operate to provide a compensating yaw moment to the aircraft body 210. The advantage of this arrangement is that, assuming the first main drive motor 2230 fails, the controller controls the fourth main drive motor 2260 to stop operating, and controls the two ducted motors 2230 to operate to compensate for the deviation in yaw moment caused by the failure of the first and fourth main drive motors 2230, 2260. During this process, the controller only needs to make the two vector power modules 2310 groups make up for the yaw torque required for the deflection of the aircraft body 210, and can omit or reduce the consideration of the fourth main drive motor 2260. For example, the differences in position, output power, and resistance encountered by the fourth main drive motor 2260 and the two ducted motors 2230 can simplify the controller's calculation steps, improve work efficiency, and enable the aircraft 200 to resume normal driving in a shorter time when flying.

[0117] Furthermore, assuming that the first main drive motor 2230 fails, the controller controls the fourth main drive motor 2260 to stop working, and the second main drive motor 2240, the fifth main drive motor 2270, the third main drive motor 2250, and the sixth main drive motor 2280 can still maintain the balance of the aircraft body 210. The controller only needs to control the four main drive motors 2220 that are working normally to increase the output power to compensate for the traction in the vertical direction and achieve the target traction. There is no need to comprehensively consider the balance adjustment between the second main drive motor 2240, the third main drive motor 2250, the fourth main drive motor 2260, the fifth main drive motor 2270, and the sixth main drive motor 2280.

[0118] Through the above-mentioned scheme, this embodiment uses the corresponding torque distribution control strategy according to the working conditions of the main drive motor, combined with the desired yaw torque output by the controller to perform torque distribution control on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor, thereby reasonably distributing the yaw torque to the six main drive motors and ducted motors, thereby enhancing the yaw control capability of the hexacopter under normal working conditions and the fault-tolerant control capability after motor failure, thereby effectively improving the flight performance and safety and reliability of the hexacopter.

[0119] Referring to Figure 3, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the functional modules of the terminal device to which the aircraft control device of this application belongs. The aircraft control device can be a device independent of the terminal device and capable of data processing, and can be hosted on the terminal device in the form of hardware or software. The terminal device can be a fixed-wing aircraft, a multi-rotor aircraft, or other intelligent aircraft with flight effects. In this embodiment, a hexacopter aircraft is used as an example.

[0120] In this embodiment, the terminal device to which the aircraft control apparatus belongs includes at least a sensor 110 , a flight control module 120 , a memory 130 and a communication module 140 .

[0121] Memory 130 stores an operating system and aircraft control programs. The aircraft control device can store information such as the main drive motor's operating conditions and the desired control torque output by the controller. Sensor 110 can be a gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer, etc. The flight control module receives flight status data from the sensors and calculates corresponding control instructions based on a preset flight control algorithm to control the motor's speed and thrust. Communication module 140 can be a wireless LAN, Bluetooth, radio frequency, etc., and communicates with an external device server through communication module 140.

[0122] When the aircraft control program in the memory 130 is executed by the processor, the following steps are implemented:

[0123] Monitoring the operating condition of the main drive motor;

[0124] According to the working condition of the main drive motor, the torque distribution control of the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor is performed using a corresponding torque distribution control strategy in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller.

[0125] Furthermore, when the aircraft control program in the memory 130 is executed by the processor, the following steps are also implemented:

[0126] Monitoring the actual rotational speed of the main drive motor;

[0127] Calculating the difference between the actual speed of the main drive motor and the expected speed output by the controller;

[0128] If the difference reaches a preset threshold, it is determined that the main drive motor has failed.

[0129] Furthermore, when the aircraft control program in the memory 130 is executed by the processor, the following steps are also implemented:

[0130] If the main drive motor is in a normal working condition, a torque distribution control strategy under the normal working condition is selected, and torque distribution control is performed on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor using the torque distribution control strategy under the normal working condition in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller;

[0131] If at least one main drive motor is in a fault condition, the torque distribution control strategy under the fault condition is selected, and the torque distribution control strategy under the fault condition is used in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller to perform torque distribution control on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor.

[0132] Furthermore, when the aircraft control program in the memory 130 is executed by the processor, the following steps are also implemented:

[0133] Determining whether each main drive motor can achieve the desired yaw moment output by the controller;

[0134] If not, the yaw moment that can be achieved by the main drive motor is allocated to the main drive motor, and based on the expected yaw moment and the yaw moment achieved by each main drive motor, the unallocated remaining yaw moment is calculated and allocated to the ducted motor.

[0135] Furthermore, when the aircraft control program in the memory 130 is executed by the processor, the following steps are also implemented:

[0136] Calculating the rotational speed of the main drive motor after allocating the desired yaw moment to the main drive motor according to the desired yaw moment output by the controller and a preset first torque distribution relationship;

[0137] If the calculated rotational speed of the main drive motor is greater than or equal to the rotational speed of the main drive motor in a saturated state, it is determined that each main drive motor cannot achieve the desired yaw moment output by the controller.

[0138] Furthermore, when the aircraft control program in the memory 130 is executed by the processor, the following steps are also implemented:

[0139] The desired yaw moment is used to control the yaw channel, and the other desired moments are used to control the pitch channel, the roll channel, and the throttle channel.

[0140] Furthermore, when the aircraft control program in the memory 130 is executed by the processor, the following steps are also implemented:

[0141] Based on the speed of the main drive motor in a saturated state and the first torque distribution relationship, allocating a yaw torque that can be achieved by the main drive motor to the main drive motor, and controlling the main drive motor at a corresponding speed;

[0142] Subtracting the yaw moment that can be achieved by each main drive motor from the desired yaw moment to calculate an unallocated residual yaw moment;

[0143] The remaining yaw moment is distributed to the ducted motor, and a corresponding speed is calculated based on the remaining yaw moment and a preset second torque distribution relationship to control the ducted motor.

[0144] Furthermore, when the aircraft control program in the memory 130 is executed by the processor, the following steps are also implemented:

[0145] According to the torque distribution control strategy under the fault condition, other desired torques except the desired yaw torque are distributed to the remaining main drive motors other than the fault condition, and the desired yaw torque is distributed to the ducted motor.

[0146] Furthermore, when the aircraft control program in the memory 130 is executed by the processor, the following solutions are also implemented:

[0147] The desired yaw moment corresponds to controlling the yaw channel, and the other desired moments correspond to controlling the pitch channel, the roll channel, and the throttle channel; the preset torque distribution relationship includes: a correspondence between torque, motor speed, and a control distribution matrix.

[0148] Furthermore, when the aircraft control program in the memory 130 is executed by the processor, the following steps are also implemented:

[0149] Obtaining the yaw torque generated by the remaining main drive motor;

[0150] Subtracting the yaw moment generated by the remaining main drive motor from the desired yaw moment to obtain a target yaw moment;

[0151] The target yaw moment is distributed to the ducted motor.

[0152] Furthermore, when the aircraft control program in the memory 130 is executed by the processor, the following steps are also implemented:

[0153] Obtaining actual rotational speeds of the remaining main drive motors except the main drive motor that has a fault;

[0154] The yaw torque generated by the remaining main drive motors is obtained by estimating the actual rotation speed of the remaining main drive motors in combination with the corresponding control allocation matrix.

[0155] Furthermore, when the aircraft control program in the memory 130 is executed by the processor, the following solutions are also implemented:

[0156] The aircraft is a six-rotor aircraft, has six main drive motors and two ducted motors; the two ducted motors are respectively installed directly below the two opposite main drive motors, and the thrust direction of the ducted motors is facing the nose direction of the six-rotor aircraft.

[0157] This embodiment, through the above-mentioned solution, specifically monitors the operating condition of the main drive motor; based on the operating condition of the main drive motor, a corresponding torque distribution control strategy is used, combined with the desired yaw torque output by the controller, to perform torque distribution control on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor. This solution can enhance the yaw control capability of an aircraft (especially a hexacopter) under normal operating conditions and the fault-tolerant control capability after a main drive motor failure by rationally distributing the yaw torque to the main drive motor and the ducted motor, thereby effectively improving the flight performance, safety, and reliability of the aircraft.

[0158] Based on the above-mentioned terminal device architecture and aircraft structure but not limited to the above-mentioned architecture and structure, an embodiment of the method of the present application is proposed.

[0159] 4, which is a flow chart of a first exemplary embodiment of an aircraft control method of the present application. The aircraft control method includes:

[0160] Step S101, monitoring the working condition of the main drive motor;

[0161] The execution subject of the method of this embodiment can be an aircraft, which is equipped with a controller, a main drive motor and a ducted motor. This embodiment takes a six-rotor aircraft as an example.

[0162] An aircraft generally has four channels, including a yaw channel, a pitch channel, a roll channel, and a throttle channel.

[0163] The yaw channel is used to control the rotation of the aircraft around the vertical axis. Its main function is to control the heading of the aircraft, that is, the direction or heading angle of the aircraft.

[0164] The pitch channel is used to control the rotation of the aircraft around the horizontal axis. Its main function is to control the pitch angle of the aircraft, that is, the forward and backward tilt angle of the aircraft.

[0165] The roll channel is used to control the rotation of the aircraft around the longitudinal axis. Its main function is to control the roll angle of the aircraft, that is, the sideways tilt angle of the aircraft.

[0166] The throttle channel is used to control the thrust or speed of the aircraft. Its main function is to adjust the power output of the aircraft and control the ascent, descent and forward speed of the aircraft.

[0167] Due to the current six-rotor layout of aircraft, on the one hand, it is impossible to avoid the problem of weak yaw control ability during normal flight. On the other hand, when a motor fails, the natural layout of the six-rotor will cause the aircraft to be in a state of torque imbalance as long as one motor fails. The control and anti-interference capabilities will be greatly reduced, and there is a high probability of a crash, posing a great threat to the safety of people and property.

[0168] Therefore, this embodiment introduces a ducted motor to supplement the aircraft's yaw moment control capability. Combining the main drive motor and the ducted motor, this allows for smooth control of the aircraft during flight missions. The introduction of the ducted motor serves two purposes: one is to increase the aircraft's controllable yaw moment under normal circumstances; the other is to ensure that the aircraft does not lose control in the event of a failure. In the prior art, if only one motor fails, the yaw moment becomes unbalanced, causing the aircraft to fall. This application utilizes the ducted motor to supplement this unbalanced yaw moment, maintaining the aircraft's balance.

[0169] In this embodiment, the controller is used to control the flight of the aircraft. It can output the desired yaw moment of the aircraft and can also output other desired moments. The desired yaw moment of the aircraft is the control moment corresponding to controlling the heading channel of the aircraft, and the other desired moments are the control moments corresponding to controlling the remaining three channels of the aircraft. The other desired moments include: pitch moment, roll moment, and throttle moment; the aircraft controls the yaw channel through the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor, while the remaining pitch channel, roll channel, and throttle channel are mainly controlled by the main drive motor.

[0170] The main drive motor, a motor that provides the primary thrust and power for an aircraft, is typically installed in the aircraft's primary propulsion system, such as the main rotor of a multirotor aircraft or the main engine of a fixed-wing aircraft. Its operating principle is to generate sufficient thrust to enable the aircraft to take off, maintain flight, and perform various flight maneuvers. By rotating propellers, thrusters, or other propulsion devices, electrical energy is converted into mechanical energy, generating thrust to propel the aircraft.

[0171] Ducted motors are used to control the attitude and stability of an aircraft and are typically installed on the aircraft's control surfaces, such as rudders, ailerons, and elevators. Their operating principle is to change the position and angle of the control surfaces, thereby generating changes in airflow or water flow, thereby changing the aircraft's attitude and stability. By rotating the control surfaces, ducted motors change the direction and intensity of the airflow or water flow, thereby generating a control torque that enables the aircraft to perform attitude adjustments, turns, and lifts. Compared to ordinary motors, ducted motors are generally covered with a protective casing, which not only provides protection but also provides additional lift.

[0172] In this embodiment, the ducted motors are arranged in pairs, for example, two ducted motors, each mounted directly below two opposing main drive motors. The thrust of the ducted motors is directed toward the nose of the aircraft, ensuring that the yaw moments provided by the two motors are opposite. The structural layout of the main drive motors and ducted motors can be explained with reference to Figures 1 and 2 and the corresponding aircraft embodiments, and will not be described in detail here.

[0173] To ensure stable flight under all operating conditions, such as maintaining yaw control capabilities under normal operating conditions and fault-tolerant control capabilities after motor failures, and to ensure the safety and reliability of the aircraft, in this embodiment, the operating conditions of the main drive motors must first be monitored to distribute and control the aircraft's torque according to different operating conditions. The main drive motor operating conditions include both normal and fault conditions. For fault conditions, the difference between the actual speed of the main drive motor and the expected speed set by the flight control system can be used to determine whether the main drive motor has failed.

[0174] In order to enhance the yaw control capability of the aircraft under normal operation and the fault tolerance capability under motor failure conditions, this embodiment uses at least two ducted motors and several main drive motors to reasonably distribute the yaw torque in the aircraft, thereby achieving stable flight of the aircraft under different working conditions.

[0175] Taking a hexacopter as an example, the configuration diagram of the aircraft is shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5. Six main drive motors are installed around the fuselage of the aircraft, and two ducted motors are also configured. The CCW on each main drive motor indicates that the main drive motor provides thrust or power in the forward rotation direction, while the CW indicates that the main drive motor provides thrust or power in the reverse rotation direction.

[0176] The two ducted motors are installed diagonally directly below the main drive motors. For example, they can be installed directly below main engines 3 and 6, 2 and 5, or 1 and 4, as shown in Figure 5. Each ducted motor is enclosed in a protective casing, which not only provides protection but also provides additional lift. The thrust of each ducted motor is directed toward the nose of the aircraft, ensuring that the yaw moments assigned to each motor are opposite.

[0177] In this embodiment, both the main drive motor and the ducted motor are connected to the aircraft's controller. The main drive motor, such as a brushless DC motor or a brushed DC motor, provides thrust and power for the aircraft. The main drive motor is typically controlled by an electronic speed controller (ESC). An ESC is an electronic device used to control motor speed and drive. In aircraft, the main drive motor is typically controlled by an ESC. The ESC receives control signals and adjusts the motor's speed and power output, enabling aircraft maneuverability and control.

[0178] The controller sends control signals to the ESCs via signal lines connected to the ESCs, controlling the speed and thrust of the main drive motors. The ESCs are typically connected to the aircraft's power system to provide the power required by the motors.

[0179] Ducted motors are typically used to control an aircraft's attitude and stability, like servos or brushless DC motors. They are typically controlled by a flight controller. The controller sends control signals to the motor via signal cables connected to the motor, controlling its rotation angle and speed. Ducted motors are typically connected to the aircraft's power system, providing the motor with the necessary power.

[0180] In this embodiment, the operating conditions of the main drive motor include but are not limited to two conditions: the main drive motor is in a normal operating condition and the main drive motor is in a motor fault operating condition.

[0181] As an implementation method, the principle of monitoring the working condition of the main drive motor can be as follows:

[0182] First, the actual speed of each main drive motor must be monitored. The difference between the actual speed of each main drive motor and the desired speed output by the controller must be calculated. If the calculated difference between the actual speed of a main drive motor and the desired speed output by the controller reaches a preset threshold, the main drive motor is determined to have failed, and thus to be in a faulty operating condition. The desired speed output by the controller can be calculated using the torque output by the controller combined with a preset torque distribution relationship.

[0183] In one embodiment, a controller connected to the main drive motor can monitor the motor's operating condition. The controller obtains the motor's operating status and performance parameters in real time and, based on the motor's operating condition, implements a corresponding torque distribution strategy. For example, in a hexacopter, by monitoring the main drive motor's operating condition, torque distribution can be adjusted according to actual needs, improving the hexacopter's dynamic balance, conserving energy, and enhancing safety. This is crucial for the stable flight and safe operation of the hexacopter.

[0184] Step S102 : performing torque distribution control on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor according to the working condition of the main drive motor and the corresponding torque distribution control strategy in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller.

[0185] The desired yaw moment refers to the torque in the yaw direction that is desired within the control system of an aircraft or motion device to achieve a specific yaw motion or control objective. The desired yaw moment is intended to maintain the aircraft's balance and prevent it from losing control during yaw motion. By controlling the magnitude and direction of the yaw moment, the aircraft can achieve the desired yaw motion and maintain stability.

[0186] In this embodiment, when the controller monitors the working condition of the main drive motor, it distributes torque to the main drive motor and the ducted motor using a corresponding torque distribution control strategy in combination with the desired output yaw torque.

[0187] In this embodiment, corresponding torque distribution control strategies are configured according to different working conditions.

[0188] For normal working conditions, a torque distribution control strategy under normal working conditions is configured.

[0189] For fault conditions, a torque distribution control strategy under fault conditions is configured.

[0190] Among them, the torque distribution control strategy under normal working conditions is: first, the desired torque output by the controller needs to be distributed to the original main drive motors, and whether the main drive motors can achieve the required control torque is monitored. If the main drive motors cannot achieve the required control torque, the remaining yaw torque is distributed to the ducted motors.

[0191] The torque distribution control strategy for motor failure conditions is as follows: When the controller detects a main drive motor failure, it distributes torque between the main drive motor and the ducted motor, combining the desired torque output by the controller. Specifically, once a main drive motor failure is detected, yaw angle control is completely transferred to the ducted motor, leaving the remaining main drive motors only needing to control the remaining three channels. This solves the problem of yaw torque imbalance after a motor failure and improves the hexacopter's controllability after a motor failure.

[0192] Specifically, if the main drive motor is in a normal working condition, the torque distribution control strategy under normal working conditions is selected, and the torque distribution control strategy under normal working conditions is used for torque distribution. First, the desired torque output by the controller needs to be distributed to each of the original main drive motors, and the main drive motors need to be monitored to see whether they can achieve the desired desired yaw torque. If the main drive motor cannot achieve the desired desired yaw torque, that is, the main drive motor is in a saturated state, then the remaining yaw torque that cannot be distributed will be distributed to the ducted motor to achieve it. That is, the remaining yaw torque will be distributed to the ducted motor. Since the yaw control capability of the six-rotor layout itself is relatively weak, the above-mentioned yaw torque distribution strategy can solve the problem that the yaw motion will become the shortest board limiting the performance of the aircraft when encountering a large yaw disturbance or expecting a relatively large yaw motion in practice. Therefore, this distribution control strategy can greatly improve the flight performance of the six-rotor aircraft.

[0193] If at least one main drive motor is in a fault condition, the torque distribution control strategy under the fault condition is selected, and the torque distribution control strategy under the fault condition is used. Specifically, when the controller detects a motor fault, the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor will be subjected to torque distribution control in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller. By reasonably distributing the yaw torque between the main drive motor and the ducted motor, it is possible to solve the problem that when the aircraft has a motor fault, the yaw control of the aircraft may fail, the aircraft cannot maintain a stable heading, the aircraft's attitude is unbalanced, and the aircraft cannot maintain a balanced flight attitude. In the prior art, as long as one main drive motor fails and the yaw torque is unbalanced, the aircraft will fall. In this embodiment, the ducted motor is used to supplement the unbalanced yaw torque so that the aircraft remains balanced.

[0194] It can be seen from the above scheme that in this embodiment, according to the working condition of the main drive motor, the method of torque distribution control of the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor with the corresponding torque distribution control strategy combined with the expected yaw torque output by the controller mainly considers two working conditions: when the main drive motor is in normal working condition and when the main drive motor is in motor failure condition.

[0195] It should be noted that the ducted motor in this embodiment can be applied to other power devices and the same effect can be achieved using the control strategy proposed in this application.

[0196] Taking a hexacopter as an example, by monitoring the operating conditions of the main drive motors, a corresponding torque distribution control strategy is implemented based on the desired yaw torque output by the controller to control torque distribution of the main drive motors and / or the ducted motors. This enhances the hexacopter's yaw control capabilities under normal operating conditions and its fault-tolerant control capabilities in the event of motor failure, thereby ensuring the stability and safety of the aircraft.

[0197] Referring to Figure 6, which is a flow chart of a second exemplary embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application, based on the embodiment shown in Figure 4 above, in this embodiment, based on the above step S101, according to the working condition of the main drive motor, a torque distribution control strategy is implemented for the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor in accordance with the corresponding torque distribution control strategy, combined with the desired yaw torque output by the controller. The torque distribution control strategy under normal working conditions is described in detail, specifically including:

[0198] Determining whether each main drive motor can achieve the desired yaw moment output by the controller;

[0199] If not, the yaw moment that can be achieved by the main drive motor is allocated to the main drive motor, and based on the expected yaw moment and the yaw moment achieved by each main drive motor, the unallocated remaining yaw moment is calculated and allocated to the ducted motor.

[0200] Compared with the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , this embodiment also includes a torque distribution strategy when the main drive motor is in a normal working condition.

[0201] Specifically, in this embodiment, after monitoring that the main drive motor is in normal working condition, the desired yaw torque output by the controller is first distributed to the original main drive motors, and then it is detected whether each main drive motor can achieve all the desired yaw torques.

[0202] If it is detected that the main drive motor can fully realize the required expected yaw moment, the controller distributes all the expected yaw moments to the main drive motor, and the main drive motor controls the yaw channel.

[0203] If the main drive motor is detected as saturated and unable to achieve the desired yaw moment, the unallocated yaw moment is calculated and the remaining calculated yaw moment is allocated to the ducted motor. The ducted motor uses the allocated yaw moment to provide additional thrust. Finally, the required yaw moment is achieved by the main drive motor and the remaining yaw moment is achieved by the ducted motor, thus meeting the aircraft's yaw control requirements.

[0204] Specifically, whether each main drive motor can achieve the desired yaw moment output by the controller can be determined by calculating the speed of the main drive motor in combination with the torque distribution strategy, wherein the torque distribution strategy is reflected by a preset torque distribution relationship. The specific implementation scheme is as follows:

[0205] First, according to the desired yaw moment output by the controller and a preset first torque distribution relationship, the speed of the main drive motor after the desired yaw moment is distributed to the main drive motor is calculated;

[0206] If the calculated speed of the main drive motor is greater than or equal to the maximum speed of the main drive motor in the saturated state, or the speed of the main drive motor is less than or equal to the minimum speed of the main drive motor in the saturated state, it is determined that each main drive motor cannot achieve the expected yaw moment output by the controller.

[0207] If each main drive motor cannot achieve the expected yaw moment output by the controller, the yaw moment that can be achieved by the main drive motor is allocated to the main drive motor, and based on the expected yaw moment and the yaw moment achieved by each main drive motor, the unallocated remaining yaw moment is calculated and allocated to the ducted motor.

[0208] Specifically, as an implementation method, the implementation scheme is as follows:

[0209] First, based on the speed of the main drive motor in a saturated state and the first torque distribution relationship, the yaw torque that can be achieved by the main drive motor is allocated to the main drive motor, and the main drive motor is controlled at a corresponding speed.

[0210] Then, the yaw moment that can be achieved by each main drive motor is subtracted from the desired yaw moment to calculate the unallocated residual yaw moment.

[0211] Finally, the remaining yaw moment is distributed to the ducted motor, and the corresponding speed is calculated based on the remaining yaw moment and a preset second torque distribution relationship to control the ducted motor.

[0212] The following takes a six-rotor aircraft as an example to explain this embodiment in detail:

[0213] Taking a hexacopter as an example, the hexacopter includes six main drive motors and two ducted motors. When the controller detects that the main drive motors are in normal operating conditions, it first distributes all the desired yaw torque to the original six main drive motors. If it detects that the main drive motors cannot fully achieve the required yaw torque, the controller calculates the unallocated yaw torque and distributes the remaining yaw torque to the two ducted motors. The two ducted motors provide additional thrust through the allocated yaw torque. Finally, the six main drive motors are combined to achieve the required yaw torque, and the two ducted motors are combined to achieve the remaining yaw torque, thereby meeting the hexacopter's yaw control requirements.

[0214] The desired control quantity output by the controller can be expressed as u = [T, τ x ,τ y ,τ z ], is the desired thrust and pitch, roll and yaw moments, the controller output is to be realized by the actuator, and the distribution relationship of the torque distribution strategy can be expressed by the following formula: u=BW;

[0215] Among them, B is the control allocation matrix, which can be expressed as follows for a six-rotor:

[0216] Among them, c T is the lift coefficient of the rotor, c L is the torque coefficient, l is the lever arm of each axis, I xx , I yy and I zz is the moment of inertia, and W is the square of the motor speed.

[0217] Due to the addition of two ducted motors, the control allocation strategy of this application calculates the six main drive motors and the two ducted motors separately. This is because if both are placed in the same B array, the ducted motor only controls the yaw channel in this application, which will lead to loss of accuracy in the calculation. Therefore, the above allocation relationship can be changed to u1 = B1W1 and u2 = B2W2;

[0218] The subscript 1 represents the control allocation of the six main drive motors, and the subscript 2 represents the control allocation of the ducted motor. It should be noted that the above representations are all normalized.

[0219] The control allocation strategy proposed in this application is divided into two parts, namely the strategy under normal working conditions and the strategy under motor failure conditions. The control strategy under normal working conditions is shown in Figure 4. When the controller outputs the desired control torque, it is first allocated to the original six main drive motors, that is, first calculate However, in practice, if the desired force or torque is too large, the motor will be saturated, that is, the motor speed reaches the maximum speed w max Or the minimum speed w min Since the ducted motor can provide yaw torque, if the desired torque is too large at this time, the yaw torque that the six main drive motors cannot achieve can be completed by the ducted motor, that is, the total yaw torque required is τ z , the maximum yaw moment that can be achieved by the six main drive motors is τ z1max , then the input of the ducted motor is u2=τ z2 =τ z -τ z1 .

[0220] Specifically, based on the above distribution formula, the distribution relationship between the desired yaw moment output by the controller and the above-mentioned preset first torque can be obtained, and the yaw moment u1 distributed to the main drive motor can be obtained, that is, u1=B1W1. Based on u1=B1W1, the speed W1 of the main drive motor after the desired yaw moment is distributed to the main drive motor can be obtained, that is, The speed W1 can be used to determine whether the main drive motor has reached a saturation state.

[0221] Assume that the maximum speed of the main drive motor in saturation state is w max , the lowest speed in saturation state is w min , if W1 is greater than or equal to w max , or, W1 is less than or equal to w min , it is determined that each main drive motor cannot achieve the expected yaw moment output by the controller.

[0222] Based on the rotational speed of the main drive motor in a saturated state and the first torque distribution relationship, ie, u1=B1W1, the yaw torque that can be achieved by the six main drive motors is distributed to the main drive motor.

[0223] It is assumed that the maximum yaw moment that can be achieved by the six main drive motors is τ z1max , the maximum yaw moment that the ducted motor can provide is τ z2max , the total yaw moment required can be τ z , the unallocated remaining yaw moment can be τ z2 , then the unallocated residual yaw moment is calculated by subtracting the yaw moment that can be achieved by each main drive motor from the desired yaw moment, that is, u2 = τ z2 =τ z -τ z1 .

[0224] Based on the preset second torque distribution relationship , The yaw moment assigned to the ducted motor is u2, that is, u2=B2W2. Based on u2=B2W2, the speed W2 of the ducted motor after the desired yaw moment is assigned to the ducted motor can be obtained, that is,

[0225] The remaining yaw moment u2 is distributed to the ducted motor, and the speed of the ducted motor is obtained based on the remaining yaw moment u2 and the preset second torque distribution relationship, that is, The corresponding rotation speed W2 is obtained, and the ducted motor is controlled based on the rotation speed.

[0226] At this time, the maximum yaw moment of the hexacopter becomes τ z1max +τ z2max Since the hexacopter layout itself has a relatively weak yaw control capability, when encountering a large yaw disturbance or expecting a relatively large yaw motion in practice, the yaw motion will become the shortest board that limits the performance of the aircraft. Therefore, this control strategy of this embodiment can greatly improve the flight performance of the hexacopter.

[0227] Through the above-described embodiment, the desired yaw torque is distributed to the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor according to the operating conditions of the main drive motor, thereby improving the aircraft's yaw control performance and enhancing control performance. When the main drive motor is saturated, the remaining yaw torque is distributed to the ducted motor, which can reduce the load on the main drive motor and extend its life. It can also maximize the thrust of the motor and improve the efficiency and endurance of the aircraft. At the same time, the reasonable distribution of torque can balance the load of the ducted motor and improve the performance and life of the main drive motor and ducted motor.

[0228] Referring to Figure 7, which is a flow chart of a third exemplary embodiment of the aircraft control method of the present application, based on the embodiment shown in Figure 4 above, in this embodiment, based on the above step S101, according to the working condition of the main drive motor, a torque distribution control strategy is implemented for the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller, and the torque distribution control strategy under the motor fault working condition is described in detail, specifically including:

[0229] Compared to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , this embodiment further includes a control strategy for distributing the yaw torque when the main drive motor is in a motor failure condition.

[0230] Specifically, using a torque distribution control strategy under fault conditions, the desired torques other than the desired yaw torque are distributed to the remaining main drive motors other than the faulty main drive motor, and the desired yaw torque is distributed to the ducted motors. For example, in a hexacopter equipped with two ducted motors, if at least one main drive motor fails, the controller can stop the corresponding main drive motors on the same diagonal as the faulty main drive motor and control the two ducted motors to provide compensatory yaw torque to the aircraft.

[0231] Among them, the other desired torques correspond to controlling the pitch channel, the roll channel, and the throttle channel; the preset torque distribution relationship includes: the correspondence between the torque, the motor speed, and the control distribution matrix.

[0232] In this embodiment, motor failure refers to any failure that causes the motor to stop rotating and fail to provide thrust. When a single motor failure occurs, as shown in Figure 5, if a main drive motor (such as motor 1) fails, in order to balance the torque, the controller first controls the corresponding main drive motor (such as motor 4) on the same diagonal as the failed main drive motor (such as motor 1) to stop working. The speed of the main drive motor (motor 4) on the opposite diagonal will drop rapidly. The remaining main drive motors (motors 2, 3, 5, and 6) will rotate in opposite directions. Even a small pitch or roll maneuver will cause an imbalance in the yaw torque and cause the aircraft to crash.

[0233] Therefore, this embodiment proposes a control strategy for distributing yaw torque when the main drive motor is in a motor failure condition. A controller controls the operation of the two ducted motors to provide a compensatory yaw torque to the aircraft. The magnitude of the compensatory yaw torque is roughly equal to the difference between the actual yaw torque jointly generated by the remaining four main drive motors (motors 2, 3, 5, and 6) and the target yaw torque (i.e., the desired yaw torque output by the controller). The controller enables the aircraft to cope with the phenomenon of main drive motor failure, ensuring the safety of the pilot and the aircraft.

[0234] Among them, the difference between the expected speed output by the flight control and the actual speed can be calculated to determine whether the motor is faulty. Once a motor failure is detected, the strategy is to transfer all the yaw torque to the ducted motor, and the remaining expected force and torque T,τ x ,τ y This is achieved by the remaining main drive motors, thus avoiding the imbalance of the yaw moment caused by the above-mentioned maneuver.

[0235] Wherein, as an embodiment, the step of allocating the desired yaw moment to the ducted motor includes:

[0236] Obtaining the yaw torque generated by the remaining main drive motors except the main drive motor that has failed; subtracting the yaw torque generated by the remaining main drive motors from the desired yaw torque to obtain a target yaw torque; and allocating the target yaw torque to the ducted motor.

[0237] Wherein, as an embodiment, the step of obtaining the yaw torque generated by the main drive motor includes:

[0238] Obtaining actual rotational speeds of the remaining main drive motors except the main drive motor that has a fault;

[0239] The yaw torque generated by the remaining main drive motors is obtained by estimating the actual rotation speed of the remaining main drive motors in combination with the corresponding control allocation matrix.

[0240] Specifically, taking a six-rotor aircraft as an example, assuming that T,τ x ,τ y The remaining desired forces and moments, the total yaw moment required is τ z , the yaw torque generated by the remaining main drive motor is τ' z1 , the yaw torque to be achieved by the ducted motor is τ z2 :

[0241] First, you can determine whether the motor is faulty by calculating the difference between the expected speed output by the flight control and the actual speed;

[0242] If the No. 1 motor of a hexacopter fails, in order to balance the torque, the No. 4 motor on the same diagonal as the failed No. 1 motor will be stopped first, and the speed of the No. 4 motor on the opposite diagonal will drop rapidly. The strategy at this time is to let the ducted motor realize all the yaw torque, and the remaining desired force and torque T,τ x ,τ y This is achieved by the remaining motors 2, 3, 5 and 6.

[0243] In addition, since the yaw torque generated by the remaining main drive motor at this time is equivalent to a "disturbance" for the ducted motor, this part of the torque needs to be subtracted when calculating the desired yaw torque of the ducted motor.

[0244] Therefore, when calculating the desired yaw moment of the ducted motor, that is, the yaw moment τ to be achieved z2 When τ z2 =τ z , and also to offset the unbalanced yaw torque generated by the remaining main drive motors, and this part of the yaw torque needs to be estimated by the actual speed of the remaining motors.

[0245] Specifically, first, the actual rotation speeds of the remaining main drive motors except the main drive motor that has a fault are obtained;

[0246] Then, the actual speed of the remaining main drive motor is estimated by combining the corresponding control allocation matrix, that is, τ' z1 =B1'(4)*W1', based on τ' z1 =B1'(4)*W1', the yaw torque generated by the remaining main drive motor can be obtained;

[0247] Finally, the desired yaw moment is subtracted from the yaw moment generated by the remaining main drive motors, that is, τ z2 =τ z -τ' z1 , obtain the target yaw moment, and distribute the target yaw moment to the ducted motor.

[0248] Wherein, B1'(4) represents the fourth row of the control allocation matrix B and the column of the failed motor is set to 0, and W1' is the speed of the remaining motors.

[0249] Therefore, in the event of a motor failure, the ducted motor fully controls the yaw channel, leaving the main drive motor to control only the remaining three channels: pitch, roll, and throttle. The ducted motor controls the aircraft's yaw motion by distributing the resulting yaw torque.

[0250] For example, a hexacopter consists of six main drive motors and two ducted motors. If the controller detects a main drive motor failure, it distributes the desired torques, except for the desired yaw torque, to the six main drive motors. It also obtains the yaw torques generated by the remaining main drive motors, subtracts the yaw torques generated by the remaining main drive motors from the total desired yaw torque output, and finally distributes the target yaw torque to the two ducted motors. The ducted motors control the hexacopter's yaw motion using the distributed yaw torques.

[0251] The above technical solution enhances the fault-tolerant control capability after motor failure, even in the event of an unbalanced yaw torque distribution due to at least one motor failure, potentially causing the hexacopter to crash. By centralizing yaw channel control on the ducted motors, the hexacopter's flexibility and maneuverability can be increased. In this embodiment, by utilizing the ducted motors to compensate for the unbalanced yaw torque, the method achieves a more sensitive response to yaw control commands, enabling the hexacopter to more quickly adjust its heading and maintain balance during flight.

[0252] The following describes this embodiment in detail with reference to specific scenarios:

[0253] For example, taking a six-rotor aircraft as an example, the six-rotor aircraft is equipped with a controller, six main drive motors and two ducted motors, and the six main drive motors and the two ducted motors are all connected to the aircraft controller.

[0254] The hexacopter has six main drive motors mounted around its fuselage. CCW on each motor indicates it's providing thrust or power in the forward direction, while CW indicates it's providing thrust or power in the reverse direction. Two ducted motors are mounted diagonally below the main drive motors, with their thrust directed toward the nose of the hexacopter.

[0255] When using a hexacopter to perform a flight mission, the controller will monitor the working condition of the hexacopter's main drive motor in real time.

[0256] If it is monitored that the main drive motor of the hexacopter is in normal working condition, the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor are torque-distributed controlled according to the normal working condition of the main drive motor using the corresponding torque distribution control strategy combined with the desired yaw torque output by the controller.

[0257] Specifically, if the controller detects that the main drive motor is in normal working condition, and the six-rotor aircraft needs to yaw to the right, the controller will first output the desired right yaw torque and distribute the desired right yaw torque to the six main drive motors. If the main drive motor is in a saturated state and cannot achieve the required right yaw torque, the undistributed right yaw torque will be calculated based on the desired right yaw torque and the yaw torque achieved by each main drive motor, and the remaining undistributed right yaw torque will be distributed to the ducted motor to achieve it. In this way, the thrust of the main drive motor and ducted motor on the right side can be increased, and the thrust of the main drive motor and ducted motor on the left side can be reduced to generate a right yaw torque, thereby achieving the yaw motion of the six-rotor aircraft.

[0258] If the controller detects that a main drive motor on the left side of the hexacopter has failed and is unable to provide thrust, it will redistribute the torque of the main drive motor and the ducted motor based on the location and type of the failed motor.

[0259] First, the controller controls the corresponding main drive motor on the same diagonal line as the faulty main drive motor to stop working, and completely distributes the yaw torque to the ducted motor, which controls the yaw angle. Then, the other desired torques are distributed to the remaining main drive motors, and the remaining main drive motors only need to control the remaining three channels.

[0260] Specifically, the controller will distribute other desired torques in addition to the desired yaw torque, such as pitch torque, roll torque, throttle torque, etc. to the remaining main drive motors, subtract the yaw torque generated by the remaining main drive motors from the desired yaw torque to obtain the target yaw moment, and distribute the target yaw moment to the ducted motor, thereby providing a compensatory yaw torque for the aircraft and realizing the balanced yaw motion of the six-rotor aircraft.

[0261] Therefore, by selecting appropriate torque distribution control strategies according to different working conditions and combining them with the expected yaw torque output by the controller, the torque distribution control of the main drive motor and the ducted motor is realized. This not only improves the yaw control capability of the hexacopter under normal working conditions and the fault-tolerant control capability after motor failure, but also ensures that the hexacopter can complete its flight mission safely and reliably.

[0262] In addition, as shown in FIG8 , an embodiment of the present application further provides an aircraft control device, the device comprising:

[0263] A monitoring module, used to monitor the working condition of the main drive motor;

[0264] A distribution module is used to perform torque distribution control on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor according to the working condition of the main drive motor, using a corresponding torque distribution control strategy and combining the desired yaw torque output by the controller.

[0265] This embodiment realizes the aircraft control principle and implementation process. Please refer to the above embodiments for details, which will not be described here one by one.

[0266] In addition, an embodiment of the present application also proposes an aircraft, which includes: a memory, a processor, and an aircraft control program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the aircraft control program is configured to implement the steps of the aircraft control method described above.

[0267] Since all the technical solutions of all the aforementioned embodiments are adopted when the aircraft control program is executed by the processor, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought by all the technical solutions of all the aforementioned embodiments, which will not be described one by one here.

[0268] In addition, an embodiment of the present application further provides a storage medium on which an aircraft control program is stored. When the aircraft control program is executed by a processor, the steps of the aircraft control method described above are implemented.

[0269] Since the aircraft control program adopts all the technical solutions of all the aforementioned embodiments when executed by the processor, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought about by all the technical solutions of all the aforementioned embodiments, which will not be described one by one here.

[0270] It should be noted that the function of the data storage operation in the present embodiment can be integrated into a separate functional unit or integrated into multiple functional unit modules. The storage device for storing data is not limited to the electrically erasable programmable read-only memory. Other storage media such as random access memory, read-only memory, Flash memory, U disk, mobile hard disk, magnetic disk and optical disk can all be used as storage media.

[0271] Compared to the prior art, the aircraft control method, device, and aircraft proposed in the embodiments of the present application monitor the operating conditions of the main drive motors; based on the operating conditions of the main drive motors, the main drive motors and / or the ducted motors are subjected to torque distribution control using a corresponding torque distribution control strategy in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller. This solution proposes a dual-ducted control strategy that rationally distributes the yaw torque between the six main drive motors and the ducted motors, thereby enhancing the yaw control capability of the hexacopter under normal operating conditions and the fault-tolerant control capability after motor failures, effectively improving the performance, safety, and reliability of the hexacopter and ensuring the smooth completion of the flight mission.

[0272] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or system comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or system. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or system comprising the element.

[0273] The serial numbers of the above embodiments of the present application are for description only and do not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.

[0274] Through the description of the above implementation methods, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be implemented by means of software plus the necessary general hardware platform, and of course can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) as described above, and includes a number of instructions for enabling a terminal device (which can be a mobile phone, computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in each embodiment of the present application.

[0275] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application and do not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present application specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an aircraft, characterized in that: The aircraft includes a plurality of main drive motors and at least two ducted motors, and the main drive motors and the ducted motors are both connected to a controller of the aircraft. The method includes: Monitoring the working condition of the main drive motor; According to the working condition of the main drive motor, the torque distribution control of the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor is performed with a corresponding torque distribution control strategy in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The step of monitoring the working condition of the main drive motor comprises: Monitoring the actual rotation speed of the main drive motor; Calculating the difference between the actual speed of the main drive motor and the expected speed output by the controller; If the difference reaches a preset threshold, it is determined that the main drive motor fails.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The step of performing torque distribution control on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor according to the working condition of the main drive motor and the corresponding torque distribution control strategy in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller comprises: If the main drive motor is in a normal working condition, a torque distribution control strategy under the normal working condition is selected, and the torque distribution control strategy under the normal working condition is used to perform torque distribution control on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller; If at least one main drive motor is in a fault condition, the torque distribution control strategy under the fault condition is selected, and the torque distribution control strategy under the fault condition is used in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller to perform torque distribution control on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The step of performing torque distribution control on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor based on the torque distribution control strategy under normal working conditions and the desired yaw torque output by the controller comprises: Determining whether each main drive motor can achieve the desired yaw moment output by the controller; If not, the yaw moment that can be achieved by the main drive motor is allocated to the main drive motor, and based on the expected yaw moment and the yaw moment achieved by each main drive motor, the unallocated remaining yaw moment is calculated and allocated to the ducted motor.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The step of judging whether each main drive motor can achieve the desired yaw moment output by the controller comprises: Calculating the rotation speed of the main drive motor after allocating the expected yaw moment to the main drive motor according to the expected yaw moment output by the controller and a preset first moment allocation relationship; If the calculated rotation speed of the main drive motor is greater than or equal to the rotation speed of the main drive motor in a saturated state, it is determined that each main drive motor cannot achieve the desired yaw moment output by the controller.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The step of allocating the yaw moment that can be achieved by the main drive motor to the main drive motor, calculating the unallocated residual yaw moment based on the expected yaw moment and the yaw moment achieved by each main drive motor, and allocating the residual yaw moment to the ducted motor comprises: Based on the speed of the main drive motor in a saturated state and the first torque distribution relationship, the yaw torque that can be achieved by the main drive motor is allocated to the main drive motor, and the main drive motor is controlled at a corresponding speed; The unallocated residual yaw moment is calculated by subtracting the yaw moment that can be achieved by each main drive motor from the desired yaw moment; The remaining yaw moment is distributed to the ducted motor, and a corresponding rotation speed is calculated based on the remaining yaw moment and a preset second torque distribution relationship to control the ducted motor.

7. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The step of performing torque distribution control on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor based on the torque distribution control strategy under the fault condition in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller comprises: According to the torque distribution control strategy under fault conditions, other desired torques except the desired yaw torque are distributed to the remaining main drive motors other than the fault condition, and the desired yaw torque is distributed to the ducted motor.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The desired yaw moment corresponds to controlling the yaw channel, and the other desired moments correspond to controlling the pitch channel, the roll channel, and the throttle channel; And / or, the preset torque distribution relationship includes: a corresponding relationship between the torque, the motor speed and the control distribution matrix.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The step of allocating the desired yaw moment to the ducted motor comprises: Obtaining the yaw torque generated by the remaining main drive motor; Subtracting the yaw moment generated by the remaining main drive motor from the desired yaw moment to obtain a target yaw moment; The target yaw moment is distributed to the ducted motor.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The step of obtaining the yaw torque generated by the remaining main drive motor comprises: Acquire the actual rotation speeds of the remaining main drive motors except the main drive motor that has a fault; The yaw torque generated by the remaining main drive motors is obtained by estimating the actual rotation speed of the remaining main drive motors in combination with the corresponding control allocation matrix.

11. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The aircraft is a six-rotor aircraft, has six main drive motors and two ducted motors; the two ducted motors are respectively installed directly below two opposite main drive motors, and the thrust direction of the ducted motors is directly facing the nose direction of the six-rotor aircraft.

12. An aircraft, characterized in that: The aircraft comprises: An aircraft body, wherein the aircraft body is provided with a flight cabin; A flight power system, the flight power system comprising a frame and 2n main drive motors, the frame being arranged on the aircraft body, the 2n main drive motors being arranged on the frame, the main drive motors being used to provide lift, thrust and yaw moment to the aircraft body, wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and an auxiliary yaw system connected to the aircraft body, wherein the auxiliary yaw system includes at least two ducted motors; A controller is connected to the main drive motor and the duct motor respectively, and is used to monitor the working condition of the main drive motor; according to the working condition of the main drive motor, the main drive motor and / or the duct motor are subjected to torque distribution control with a corresponding torque distribution control strategy in combination with the desired yaw torque output by the controller.

13. The aircraft according to claim 12, characterized in that The aircraft body is symmetrical about a predetermined central axis plane, and the central axis plane is a vertical plane defined by the forward direction of the aircraft; the auxiliary yaw system includes two ducted motors, and the two ducted motors are respectively located on both sides of the central axis plane, and the 2n main drive motors are distributed on both sides of the central axis plane; and / or, in the direction in which the main drive motors are distributed, the central points of the 2n main drive motors are connected in sequence to form a polygon, and the two main drive motors located on the same diagonal line of the polygon constitute a pair of corresponding main drive motors.

14. The aircraft according to claim 13, characterized in that The controller is also used to determine whether each main drive motor can achieve the expected yaw moment output by the controller when each main drive motor is in a normal operating condition; if at least one main drive motor cannot achieve the expected yaw moment output by the controller, the yaw moment that can be achieved by the main drive motor is allocated to the at least one main drive motor, and based on the expected yaw moment and the yaw moment that can be achieved by the allocated main drive motor, the unallocated remaining yaw moment is calculated, and the remaining yaw moment is allocated to the ducted motor.

15. The aircraft according to claim 13, characterized in that The controller is also used to control the corresponding main drive motor on the same diagonal as the faulty main drive motor to stop working when at least one main drive motor is in an abnormal working condition, and control the two ducted motors to operate to provide a compensating yaw moment to the aircraft body.

16. The aircraft according to claim 13, characterized in that The aircraft is a six-rotor aircraft, there are six main drive motors, and the two ducted motors are respectively installed directly below two opposite main drive motors, and the thrust direction of the ducted motors is directly facing the nose direction of the six-rotor aircraft.

17. The aircraft according to claim 16, characterized in that The six main drive motors include a first main drive motor, a second main drive motor, a third main drive motor, a fourth main drive motor, a fifth main drive motor and a sixth main drive motor. In the direction in which the main drive motors are circumferentially distributed, the six main drive motors are arranged in ascending order in a counterclockwise direction; The first main drive motor and the fourth main drive motor form a pair of two, the second main drive motor and the fifth main drive motor form a pair of two, and the third main drive motor and the sixth main drive motor form a pair of two.

18. The aircraft according to claim 17, characterized in that Each of the main drive motors is configured with a rotor, the rotors of the first main drive motor, the third main drive motor and the fifth main drive motor are configured to rotate in a first direction, and the rotors of the second main drive motor, the fourth main drive motor and the sixth main drive motor are configured to rotate in a second direction, and the second direction is opposite to the first direction.

19. The aircraft according to claim 18, characterized in that The controller is also used to control the fourth main drive motor corresponding to the first main drive motor to stop working when the first main drive motor is in an abnormal working condition, and control the two ducted motors to operate to provide a compensating yaw moment to the aircraft body.

20. An aircraft control device, characterized in that: The aircraft includes a plurality of main drive motors and at least two ducted motors, and the device includes: A monitoring module, used to monitor the working condition of the main drive motor; The distribution module is used to perform torque distribution control on the main drive motor and / or the ducted motor according to the working condition of the main drive motor and the corresponding torque distribution control strategy in combination with the expected yaw torque output by the controller.

21. An aircraft, characterized in that: The aircraft comprises: a memory, a processor, and an aircraft control program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the aircraft control program is configured to implement the steps of the aircraft control method according to claim 1 .

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