Deployable UAV Wings With Sweeping Gearbox for Compact Launch
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current compact unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configurations are limited in flight range, endurance, and payload capacity.
Innovation Solution
The UAV is designed with deployable components including telescoping wings, deployable stabilizers, and a modular payload, allowing configurations from a compact arrangement for storage and launch to an expanded arrangement for high-endurance flight, with features like trailing-edge hinged ailerons, flexible fairings, and a propulsion mechanism that deploys without external assistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the UAV uses a compact configuration with wings stowed against the fuselage, then portability and storage efficiency are improved, but flight range and endurance are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The UAV employs dynamically reconfigurable wings that can transition between stowed and deployed positions. The wings are designed with telescoping sections and variable sweep angles, allowing the aircraft to optimize its configuration for different phases of operation - compact for storage/transport and expanded for extended flight missions.
Solution Approach 2:
The wing structure is divided into multiple telescoping sections that can be independently adjusted. This segmentation allows progressive deployment of wing span during flight, enabling the UAV to start with a compact configuration and gradually extend to full span for maximum endurance without requiring the entire wing structure to be permanently extended.
2Volume of moving object
If the UAV uses a compact configuration with wings stowed against the fuselage, then portability is improved, but payload capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The UAV features dynamically adjustable wing span and sweep angle that can be optimized for different payload configurations. When carrying heavy payloads, the wings can be deployed to full span to provide additional lift capacity, while maintaining compact storage when payloads are minimal.
Solution Approach 2:
The wing geometry parameters (span, sweep angle, area) are made variable through telescoping and pivoting mechanisms. This allows the UAV to change its aerodynamic parameters to match mission requirements and payload weight, optimizing lift-to-weight ratio for maximum payload capacity when needed.
3Duration of action of moving object
If the UAV employs telescoping wings with multiple sections, then flight endurance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The telescoping wing sections are nested within each other in a compact arrangement, with each section containing the next smaller section. This nesting approach maximizes space efficiency while minimizing the number of external support structures needed, reducing overall system complexity despite the multi-section design.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple functions are combined into integrated components - the telescoping mechanism also serves as the structural support, the fairing provides both aerodynamic coverage and mechanical guidance for wing movement, and the control system manages both sweep and telescoping operations through coordinated actuation.
4Loss of energy
If the UAV uses flexible fairings to accommodate wing deployment, then aerodynamic efficiency is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fairing is constructed from flexible composite materials that can bend and deform to accommodate the changing wing geometry during deployment. This flexibility allows the fairing to maintain aerodynamic smoothness throughout the transition sequence without requiring precision-machined rigid joints or complex sealing mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible fairing acts as an intermediary element between the moving wing sections and the fixed fuselage. It absorbs the geometric changes and maintains aerodynamic continuity, mediating the transition between compact and deployed configurations while protecting the underlying mechanical structures from aerodynamic loads.
Data Source
AI summary
An unmanned aerial vehicle with deployable components (UAVDC) is disclosed. The system may include a sweeping gearbox designed to deploy at least one wing from a compact to a deployed arrangement. A controller may be configured to detect launch conditions, monitor for conditions, and trigger the gearbox upon condition fulfillment. Activation of the sweeping gearbox may result in wing deployment, adapted to the detected conditions. The method may involve deploying wings using the sweeping gearbox, launching detection, monitoring for conditions, and activating the gearbox for wing deployment upon condition detection.