Compound wing aircraft and control method therefor

Abstract

A control method for a compound wing aircraft (10). Flight modes of the compound wing aircraft (10) comprise a vertical take-off and landing mode, a cruise mode and a transition mode. A control system of the compound wing aircraft (10) comprises: a control module (1) and a flight control module (2), wherein the control module (1) comprises at least a first control component (11) and a second control component (12) that can be operated by a user. The control method comprises: controlling the first control component (11) to move within a certain range to send different commands to the flight control module (2) at different positions within the range, so as to respectively complete flight actions of the compound wing aircraft (10) under various flight modes (S101); and controlling the second control component (12) to move in a plurality of different directions to send different commands to the flight control module (2) in the different directions for respectively controlling flight parameters of the compound wing aircraft (10) under various modes, and controlling the speed or attitude of the compound wing aircraft (10) while controlling the first control component (11) (S102). The control method enables effective control of the compound wing aircraft (10) in multiple flight modes, with simple operation.

Description

Composite wing aircraft and method of operating the same TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of aircraft technology, in particular to a composite wing aircraft and a method of operating the same. BACKGROUND

[0002] The composite wing aircraft includes multiple flight modes. Different control buttons are required for controlling different flight modes, which increases the complexity of operation. Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a control system that can control the flight process of different modes, and has the characteristics of high safety and simple operation. SUMMARY

[0003] The purpose of the present application is to provide a composite wing aircraft and a method of operating the same. The operation system of the present application realizes effective control of the composite wing aircraft in multiple flight modes, and is simple to operate.

[0004] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a method of operating an aircraft for controlling the flight height and flight mode of the aircraft. The flight mode of the aircraft includes vertical take-off and landing mode, cruising mode and conversion mode. The operation system of the aircraft includes a control module and a flight control module. The control module includes at least one first control element and one second control element that can be operated by a user. The method includes moving the first control element along a range, and sending different instructions to the flight control module at different positions in the range to complete the flight action of the aircraft in each flight mode. Moving the second control element along multiple different directions to send different instructions to the flight control module for controlling the flight parameters of the aircraft in the vertical take-off and landing mode, the conversion mode and the cruising mode. The speed or attitude of the aircraft is controlled while the first control element is operated.

[0005] Optionally, the second control element moves along multiple different directions in each flight mode, and has different control mappings.

[0006] Optionally, the method of moving the second control element along multiple different directions to send different instructions to the flight control module for controlling the flight parameters of the aircraft in the vertical take-off and landing mode includes moving the second control element along the front-back direction to send instructions to the flight control module to control the forward and backward movement of the aircraft, and moving the second control element along the left-right direction to send instructions to the flight control module to control the left and right movement of the aircraft.

[0007] Optionally, the manipulating the second control moves in a plurality of different directions respectively, in which the different directions send different instructions to the flight control module for controlling flight parameters of the aircraft in the transition mode and the cruise mode, and specifically includes: in the cruise mode and the transition mode, controlling the second control to move in the front-back direction to control the aircraft to change the flight height; and controlling the second control to move in the left-right direction to control the aircraft to change the yaw angular velocity to realize coordinated turning.

[0008] Optionally, the second control is further provided with a cap-shaped button, and the manipulating method further includes: controlling the cap-shaped button to be pressed in a plurality of directions to send different instructions to the flight control module for controlling flight parameters of the aircraft in each mode, wherein the cap-shaped button has different control mappings in each flight mode when being pressed in the plurality of directions.

[0009] Optionally, the controlling the cap-shaped button to be pressed in a plurality of directions to send different instructions to the flight control module for controlling flight parameters of the aircraft in each mode specifically includes: in the vertical take-off and landing mode, controlling the cap-shaped button to be pressed in the front-back direction to control the aircraft to change the flight height; and controlling the cap-shaped button to be pressed in the left-right direction to control the aircraft to change the yaw angular velocity to realize coordinated turning.

[0010] Optionally, the controlling the cap-shaped button to be pressed in a plurality of directions to send different instructions to the flight control module for controlling flight parameters of the aircraft in each mode specifically includes: in the cruise mode, controlling the cap-shaped button to be pressed in the front-back direction to control the aircraft to change the cruise speed.

[0011] Optionally, the range includes at least a first position, a second position and a third position; the first position represents an airport elevation of the aircraft; the second position represents a transition height of the aircraft; and the third position represents a cruise height of the aircraft; and the manipulating method includes: placing the first control in the first position to send a first instruction to the flight control module to make the aircraft land to the airport elevation; or placing the first control in the third position to send a third instruction to the flight control module to make the aircraft rise to the cruise height.

[0012] Optionally, in the range, a plurality of points are distributed between the first position and the second position, representing different heights of the aircraft relative to the ground in the vertical take-off and landing mode, and a plurality of points are distributed between the second position and the third position, representing different heights of the aircraft relative to the ground in the cruise mode.

[0013] Optionally, the sending the first instruction to the flight control module to make the aerial vehicle land to the airport level height specifically comprises: sending the first instruction to the flight control module to make the flight control module control the aerial vehicle to land from the cruising mode to the airport level height, and the flight control module automatically and gradually controls the aerial vehicle to enter the transition mode first and then enter the vertical take-off and landing mode.

[0014] Optionally, the sending the third instruction to the flight control module to make the aerial vehicle rise to the cruising height specifically comprises: sending the third instruction to the flight control module to make the flight control module control the aerial vehicle to rise to the cruising height from the vertical take-off and landing mode or when staying on the ground, and the flight control module automatically and gradually controls the aerial vehicle to enter the transition mode first and then enter the cruising mode.

[0015] Optionally, the second control device is further provided with a backup button, the backup button can be used as a backup of the second control device, and the control method further comprises: controlling the backup button to move in the plurality of different directions to send different instructions to the flight control module, respectively used to control flight parameters of the aerial vehicle in the vertical take-off and landing mode, the transition mode and the cruising mode, and controlling the speed or attitude of the aerial vehicle while the first control device is controlled.

[0016] Optionally, the second control device is further provided with a backup mode switching button used to switch the aerial vehicle to a backup control mode: when the aerial vehicle is in the vertical take-off and landing mode, controlling the second control device to move in the front-rear direction to control the pitch angle of the aerial vehicle, and controlling the second control device to move in the left-right direction to control the roll angle of the aerial vehicle; when the aerial vehicle is in the cruising mode and the transition mode, controlling the second control device to move in the front-rear direction to control the pitch angle of the aerial vehicle, and controlling the second control device to move in the left-right direction to control the yaw angular velocity of the aerial vehicle.

[0017] The operating system of the present application realizes effective control of the compound wing aerial vehicle in multiple flight modes, and the operation is simple. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of the aerial vehicle operating method of the embodiment of the present application;

[0019] FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of the aerial vehicle operating method of the embodiment of the present application;

[0020] FIG. 3 shows a module schematic diagram of the compound wing aerial vehicle of the embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Fig. 4 shows a structural schematic diagram of the first control of the embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Fig. 5 shows a top view of the second control of the embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of flight routes of the aircraft in different modes of the embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Fig. 7 shows a structural schematic diagram of the second control of the embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Fig. 8 shows a schematic diagram of the cap-shaped button of the second control of the embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Fig. 9 shows a structural schematic diagram of the second control of the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The following embodiments further illustrate the technical solutions of the present application. It can be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application. In addition, it should be noted that, for the convenience of description, only parts related to the present application are shown in the drawings, not all.

[0028] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "linking" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be fixed connection, or detachable connection; it can be mechanical connection, or electrical connection; it can be direct connection, or indirect connection through intermediate medium; it can be the communication inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0029] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the "upper" or "lower" of the first feature to the second feature can include the direct contact of the first and second features, or the indirect contact of the first and second features through another feature between them. Moreover, the "upper", "above" and "on" of the first feature to the second feature includes the vertical direction of the first feature above and oblique above the second feature, or only indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The "below", "under" and "under" of the first feature to the second feature includes the vertical direction of the first feature below and oblique below the second feature, or only indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is less than that of the second feature.

[0030] In this application, the VTOL mode can be implemented by any known airframe and driving method, such as multi-rotor, single-screw (e.g. helicopter), jet, etc. The present application specifically includes all such airframes and driving methods, or combinations thereof. The cruise mode can be implemented by any known airframe and driving method, such as fixed-wing, multi-rotor, single-screw (e.g. helicopter), jet, etc. Likewise, the present application specifically includes all such airframes and driving methods, or combinations thereof.

[0031] In this application, the VTOL mode can be described as multi-rotor mode in some embodiments. It is specifically noted that when described as multi-rotor mode, it is not limited to only multi-rotor, but can also be described as other airframes and driving methods.

[0032] In this application, the cruise mode can be described as fixed-wing mode. It is specifically noted that when described as fixed-wing mode, it is not limited to only fixed-wing, but can also be described as other airframes and driving methods.

[0033] The flight modes of the compound wing aircraft include VTOL mode, cruise mode and transition mode. In the VTOL mode, after the compound wing aircraft generates airspeed, the rotor motor rotates slowly to generate lift, and after reaching a certain airspeed, the aircraft is switched to the cruise mode by the fixed wing to generate lift. In the cruise mode, the tail propeller serves as the forward thrust of the aircraft, and the fixed wing provides lift, and the rotor motor is no longer needed to provide lift.

[0034] Embodiments of the present application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, such as FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, which provide a method for controlling an aircraft, including the following steps:

[0035] Step 101: moving the first control along a range, and sending different instructions to the flight control module at different positions in the range to complete the flight actions of the aircraft in each flight mode.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, the control system of the compound wing aircraft 10 includes a control module 1 and a flight control module 2. The control module 1 includes a first control 11 and a second control 12, both of which can be controlled by a user. Moving the first control 11 along a range, and sending different instructions to the flight control module 2 at different positions in the range to complete the flight actions of the compound wing aircraft 10 in each flight mode, i.e. from the VTOL mode, through the transition mode, to the cruise mode, or from the cruise mode, through the transition mode, to the VTOL mode.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 2, the step 101 specifically comprises: placing the first control in the first position to send the first instruction to the flight control module, so that the aircraft lands to the airport elevation; or placing the first control in the third position to send the third instruction to the flight control module, so that the aircraft ascends to the cruising altitude.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 4, the different positions in the movable range of the first control 11 include at least the first position A, the second position B and the third position C. The first control 11 includes a base 110 and a pull rod 111 rotatably attached to the base 110, and the pull rod 111 is controllable to rotate back and forth in the range from the point A to the point C around the base 110. The first position A represents the airport elevation of the aircraft. The second position B represents the transition altitude of the aircraft; and the third position C represents the cruising altitude of the aircraft.

[0039] The first control 11 is placed in the third position C to send the third instruction to the flight control module 2, so that the aircraft ascends to the cruising altitude. Specifically, when the aircraft is in the vertical take-off and landing mode or stays on the ground, the pull rod 111 of the first control 11 is controlled to rotate to the third position C, and the control module 1 sends the third instruction to the flight control module 2, so that the flight control module 2 controls the aircraft to ascend from the vertical take-off and landing mode or the position of staying on the ground to the cruising altitude, and the flight control module 2 automatically and gradually controls the aircraft to enter the transition mode and then enter the cruising mode.

[0040] The first control 11 is placed in the first position A to send the first instruction to the flight control module 2, so that the aircraft lands to the airport elevation. Specifically, when the aircraft is in the cruising mode, the pull rod 111 of the first control 11 is controlled to rotate to the first position A, and the control module 1 sends the first instruction to the flight control module 2, so that the flight control module 2 controls the aircraft to descend from the position of the cruising mode to the airport elevation, and the flight control module 2 automatically and gradually controls the aircraft to enter the transition mode and then enter the vertical take-off and landing mode.

[0041] In the above range, there are many points distributed between the first position A and the second position B, representing different altitudes of the aircraft in the vertical take-off and landing mode. There are many points distributed between the second position B and the third position C, representing different altitudes of the aircraft in the cruising mode. It should be noted that the area between the two second positions B in the figure represents the transition mode between the vertical take-off and landing mode and the cruising mode, and the pull rod 111 of the first control 11 cannot stay in the transition area.

[0042] Now refer to Fig. 6 for illustration, which shows the flight path of the aircraft in each state mode. When the first control 11 is directly pushed from 0 degree to 180 degree (e.g. directly pushed from 0 degree to 180 degree within a few seconds), the aircraft starts from the position P0, enters the VTOL mode, slowly rises, experiences the path F1 and F2, and when rising to the point P2, starts to enter the forward conversion mode, it is noted that during the conversion process, the height of the aircraft does not change, but the aircraft is converted along the path F3 in the figure until the position P3 completes the conversion mode, and then starts to enter the climbing stage, and when climbing to the position P4, the fixed-wing cruise mode is started, and the aircraft starts to cruise. Similarly, the aircraft enters the VTOL mode from the cruise mode through the conversion mode, and the flight path is reversed, which is not described here.

[0043] Step 102: controlling the second control to move in multiple different directions respectively, sending different instructions to the flight control module in different directions respectively, for controlling the flight parameters of the aircraft in each mode, and controlling the speed or attitude of the aircraft while controlling the first control.

[0044] While controlling the first control 11, the speed or attitude of the aircraft can also be controlled by controlling the second control 12. Specifically, in the VTOL mode, the second control 12 is controlled to move in the front-back direction to control the aircraft to move forward and backward, and the second control 12 is controlled to move in the left-right direction to control the aircraft to move left and right. Or, in the cruise mode and the conversion mode, the second control 12 is controlled to move in the front-back direction to control the aircraft to change the flight height, and the second control 12 is controlled to move in the left-right direction to control the aircraft to change the yaw angular velocity to realize coordinated turning.

[0045] As shown in Fig. 5, the second control 12 is a two-channel joystick, which can be operated while the first control 11 is controlled. The second control 12 is controlled to move in multiple different directions respectively, sending different instructions to the flight control module 2 in different directions respectively, for controlling the flight parameters of the aircraft in the VTOL mode, the flight parameters in the conversion mode, and the flight parameters in the cruise mode, and controlling the speed or attitude of the aircraft.

[0046] The second control 12 moves in multiple different directions, which has different control mappings in each flight mode. Specifically, in the VTOL mode, the second control 12 is controlled to move in the front-back direction to control the aircraft to move forward and backward, and the second control 12 is controlled to move in the left-right direction to control the aircraft to move left and right.

[0047] In the cruising mode and the conversion mode, after the aircraft is raised to the cruising height by the first control 11, the second control 12 can be controlled to move in the front-back direction to control the aircraft to change the flight height. For example, when the second control 12 moves forward, the aircraft is controlled to increase the height, and can break through the previous maximum cruising height. Correspondingly, when the second control 12 moves backward, the aircraft is controlled to decrease the height.

[0048] In addition, in the cruising mode and the conversion mode, after the aircraft is raised to the cruising height by the first control 11, the second control 12 can be controlled to move in the left-right direction to control the aircraft to change the yaw angular velocity, and realize coordinated turning, and the greater the turning range is, the greater the yaw angular velocity is. For example, the second control 12 is controlled to move leftward to control the aircraft to yaw leftward. The second control 12 is controlled to move rightward to control the aircraft to yaw rightward.

[0049] Further, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the second control 12 is further provided with a cap-shaped button 121, different instructions are sent to the flight control module 2 by pressing the cap-shaped button 121 in multiple directions, for controlling the flight parameters of the aircraft in each mode, and the cap-shaped button 121 has different control mappings in each flight mode when pressed in multiple directions. In the vertical take-off and landing mode, the cap-shaped button 121 is pressed in the front-back direction to control the aircraft to change the flight height, the second control 12 increases the height control of the aircraft by the cap-shaped button 121, which can be used as a backup control channel to increase the safety factor.

[0050] The cap-shaped button 121 is pressed in the left-right direction to control the aircraft to change the yaw angular velocity and realize coordinated turning. In the cruising mode, the cap-shaped button 121 is pressed in the front-back direction to control the aircraft to change the cruising speed. In this case, the second control 12 increases the yaw control of the aircraft by the cap-shaped button 121, which can be used as a backup control channel to increase the safety factor.

[0051] The second control 12 is further provided with a backup button 122, which can be used as a backup of the different control mappings of the second control 12 in each flight mode to cope with the failure of the front-back and left-right control of the second control 12. The backup button 122 can be moved in multiple front-back and left-right directions to send different instructions to the flight control module in different directions, respectively for controlling the flight parameters of the aircraft in the vertical take-off and landing mode, the flight parameters in the conversion mode, and the flight parameters in the cruising mode, and controlling the speed or attitude of the aircraft.

[0052] The second control 12 is also provided with a backup mode switching button 123 for switching the aircraft to a backup control mode. In the backup control mode, when the aircraft is in the VTOL mode, moving the second control 12 in the front-back direction is used to control the pitch angle of the aircraft, and moving the second control 12 in the left-right direction is used to control the roll angle of the aircraft. When the aircraft is in the cruising mode and the transition mode, moving the second control 12 in the front-back direction is used to control the pitch angle of the aircraft, and moving the second control 12 in the left-right direction is used to control the yaw angular velocity of the aircraft. When the navigation data (such as speed information) is insufficient, the control mode can be switched to the backup control mode through the backup mode switching button to deal with the situation of control failure caused by information loss.

[0053] The application realizes effective control of the compound wing aircraft in multiple flight modes through an operation method, and the operation is simple.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 9, in an embodiment, the second control 12 is also provided with an alarm clearing button 124 for turning off part of the alarm sound prompts. In an embodiment, the second control 12 is also provided with a reply trigger 125 for turning on the microphone when the pilot communicates with the ground crew or the tower.

[0055] The second embodiment of the application provides a compound wing aircraft, as shown in FIG. 1, which adopts the above-mentioned operation method. The operation system of the aircraft includes a control module 1 and a flight control module 2. The operation method of the compound wing aircraft of the second embodiment of the application realizes effective control of the compound wing aircraft in multiple flight modes, and the operation is simple.

[0056] The above-mentioned embodiments only exemplarily illustrate the principles and effects of the application. Any person skilled in the art can modify or change the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the purpose of the application. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or changes completed by those skilled in the art without departing from the purpose of the application should be covered by the claims of the application.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a flight height and a flight mode of an aircraft, the flight mode of the aircraft including a vertical take-off and landing mode, a cruising mode and a transition mode, characterized in that, The control system of the aircraft comprises a control module and a flight control module, the control module comprises at least a first control and a second control which can be controlled by a user. Controlling the first control to move along a range, different positions in the range send different instructions to the flight control module, respectively completing the flight action of the aircraft in each flight mode. Controlling the second control to move along multiple different directions, different directions send different instructions to the flight control module, respectively used to control the flight parameters of the aircraft in the vertical take-off and landing mode, the transition mode, and the cruising mode, and controlling the speed or attitude of the aircraft while controlling the first control.

2. The aircraft handling method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second control moves along multiple different directions in each flight mode with different control mappings.

3. The aircraft handling method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controlling the second control to move along multiple different directions, different directions send different instructions to the flight control module, respectively used to control the flight parameters of the aircraft in the vertical take-off and landing mode, specifically includes: in the vertical take-off and landing mode, controlling the second control to move along the front-back direction to control the aircraft to move forward and backward; controlling the second control to move along the left-right direction to control the aircraft to move left and right.

4. The aircraft control method of claim 1, wherein, The controlling the second control to move along multiple different directions, different directions send different instructions to the flight control module, respectively used to control the flight parameters of the aircraft in the transition mode and the cruising mode, specifically includes: in the cruising mode and the transition mode, controlling the second control to move along the front-back direction to control the aircraft to change the flight height; controlling the second control to move along the left-right direction to control the aircraft to change the yaw angular velocity to realize coordinated turning.

5. The aircraft control method of claim 1, wherein, The second control is also provided with a cap-shaped button, and the control method further comprises: controlling the cap-shaped button to be pressed along multiple directions to send different instructions to the flight control module, respectively used to control the flight parameters of the aircraft in each mode, wherein the cap-shaped button is pressed along multiple directions in each flight mode with different control mappings.

6. The aircraft handling method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The controlling the cap-shaped button to be pressed along multiple directions to send different instructions to the flight control module, respectively used to control the flight parameters of the aircraft in each mode, specifically includes: in the vertical take-off and landing mode, controlling the cap-shaped button to be pressed along the front-back direction to control the aircraft to change the flight height; controlling the cap-shaped button to be pressed along the left-right direction to control the aircraft to change the yaw angular velocity to realize coordinated turning.

7. The aircraft control method of claim 5, wherein, The controlling the cap-shaped button to be pressed along multiple directions to send different instructions to the flight control module, respectively used to control the flight parameters of the aircraft in each mode, specifically includes: in the cruising mode, controlling the cap-shaped button to be pressed along the front-back direction to control the aircraft to change the cruising speed.

8. The aircraft control method of claim 1, wherein, The different positions in the range at least include a first position, a second position, and a third position; The first position represents the airport elevation of the aircraft. The second position represents a transition altitude of the aircraft; The third position represents a cruising altitude of the aircraft; The control method comprises: placing the first control in a first position to send a first instruction to the flight control module, so that the aircraft lands to the airport altitude; Alternatively, placing the first control in a third position to send a third instruction to the flight control module, so that the aircraft ascends to the cruising altitude.

9. The aircraft handling method according to claim 8, characterized in that, In the range, a plurality of points are distributed between the first position and the second position, representing different altitudes of the aircraft relative to the ground in the VTOL mode, and a plurality of points are distributed between the second position and the third position, representing different altitudes of the aircraft relative to the ground in the cruising mode.

10. The aircraft handling method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The sending of the first instruction to the flight control module so that the aircraft lands to the airport altitude specifically comprises: sending the first instruction to the flight control module, so that the flight control module controls the aircraft to land from the cruising mode to the airport altitude, and the flight control module automatically and gradually controls the aircraft to enter the transition mode first and then enter the VTOL mode.

11. The aircraft handling method of claim 8, wherein, The sending of the third instruction to the flight control module so that the aircraft ascends to the cruising altitude specifically comprises: sending the third instruction to the flight control module, so that the flight control module controls the aircraft to ascend to the cruising altitude from the VTOL mode or when staying on the ground, and the flight control module automatically and gradually controls the aircraft to enter the transition mode first and then enter the cruising mode.

12. The aircraft control method of claim 1, wherein, The second control is further provided with a backup button, which can serve as a backup of the second control, and the control method further comprises: controlling the backup button to move in a plurality of different directions to send different instructions to the flight control module, respectively used to control flight parameters of the aircraft in the VTOL mode, flight parameters of the aircraft in the transition mode, and flight parameters of the aircraft in the cruising mode, while the first control is controlled.

13. The aircraft control method of claim 1, wherein, The second control is further provided with a backup mode switching button, which is used to switch the aircraft to a backup control mode: when the aircraft is in the VTOL mode, the second control is controlled to move in the front-rear direction to control the pitch angle of the aircraft, and the second control is controlled to move in the left-right direction to control the roll angle of the aircraft; when the aircraft is in the cruising mode and the transition mode, the second control is controlled to move in the front-rear direction to control the pitch angle of the aircraft, and the second control is controlled to move in the left-right direction to control the yaw angular velocity of the aircraft.

14. A compound wing aircraft characterized by, The control method comprises any one of the control methods in claims 1-13.

Images