JP2024036475A - flying object - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flying object capable of efficiently and safely changing from hovering to horizontal flying.

SOLUTION: A flying object comprises: a flying unit equipped with a vane and a rotary vane provided in the vane; an airframe that supports the flying unit; and a connection unit that displaceably connects the vane and the rotary vane so that the vane can maintain a negative angle of elevation with respect to a rotary center shaft of the rotary vane at least during hovering. Thus, safe changing can be executed from hovering to horizontal flying.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an aircraft, and particularly relates to an aircraft in which a thrust section and a wing section are movably connected.

2. Description of the Related Art There are two known types of aircraft that include a rotor (rotary wing) and a main wing: a so-called tilt rotor type and a tilt wing type.

Patent Document 1 discloses an aircraft in which the main wing is fixed to the main body, and the entire rotor including the motor is movable in the vertical direction and the flight direction (tilt rotor type).

On the other hand, Patent Document 2 discloses an aircraft in which the main wing and the main body are configured to be displaceable in the vertical direction and the flight direction, and the entire motor and rotor are fixed to the main wing (tilt wing method).

Special table 2013-501677 publication JP2017-81360A

According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the main wing enters a wide area behind the propeller during ascent, resulting in poor flight efficiency for the main wing.

According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, the entire main wing is displaced and is therefore unstable due to wind resistance.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a flying object that enables efficient and safe transition from hovering to horizontal flight.

According to the invention,
a flight section including a wing section and a rotor provided on the wing section;
a fuselage section that supports the flight section;
a connecting portion that connects the wing portion and the rotor blade in a displaceable manner so that the wing portion can maintain a negative angle of attack with respect to the rotation center axis of the rotor blade at least during hovering;
A flying object is obtained.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a flying object that enables efficient and safe transition from hovering to horizontal flight.

1 is a diagram of a flying object according to an embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated aircraft is in a landing state. FIG. 3 is a top view of the aircraft. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure explaining the flying object based on embodiment of this invention. The illustrated aircraft is in a state of ascent. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure explaining the flying object based on embodiment of this invention. The illustrated flying object is in a state of flight in the forward direction. It is a graph showing lift and resistance characteristics of an airfoil. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an aircraft of the present invention.

The invention according to this embodiment has the following configuration.
[Item 1]
a flight section including a wing section and a rotor provided on the wing section;
a fuselage section that supports the flight section;
a connecting portion that connects the wing portion and the rotor blade in a displaceable manner so that the wing portion can maintain a negative angle of attack with respect to the rotation center axis of the rotor blade at least during hovering;
flying object.
[Item 2]
The aircraft described in item 1,
comprising a boarding section that can be independently displaced from the fuselage section;
flying object.
[Item 3]
The aircraft described in item 2,
The fuselage section extends horizontally and vertically with respect to the flight direction,
The boarding section is provided approximately at the center of the fuselage section when viewed from the side.
flying object.

Next, a flying vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Structure>
As shown in FIG. 1, the flying object 1 according to the present embodiment generally includes a flight section 10, a fuselage section 20, a boarding section 30, and a connecting section 40. The flight section 10 includes a wing section 100, a motor 102, and a propeller (rotor blade) 104. A motor 102 is movably attached to the wing section 100 via a connecting section 40 . The fuselage section 20 supports the flight section 100. The fuselage section 20 (and the flight section 10 fixed to the fuselage section 20) and the boarding section 30 are configured to be able to be independently displaced.

As shown in FIG. 2, the flying object 1 according to this embodiment has an H-shape when viewed from above. That is, the flying object 1 includes two flight sections 10 provided at the front and rear, and a fuselage section 20 (and a boarding section 30) that connects these.

As described above, the flight section 10 includes a wing section 100, a motor 102, and a propeller 104. In addition. In the following description, the X, Y, and Z axes in the figures correspond to directions as follows.
X-axis: 1st horizontal direction (+X direction: left, -X direction: right)
Y-axis: 2nd horizontal direction (+Y direction: front, -Y direction: rear)
Z axis: Vertical direction (+Z direction: top, -Z direction: bottom)

The wing portion 100 extends in the X direction, and is a portion where lift is generated by the motor 102. In the initial state (the state shown in FIG. 1), the leading edge faces upward and the trailing edge faces downward. The wing section 100 includes a front wing section 100 and a rear wing section 100.

The thrust generating section 10 generates forward propulsive force by rotating a propeller (thrust generating section) 104.

The motor 102 can be replaced by an engine or the like. Propeller 104 is driveable by motor 102 and rotates clockwise and/or counterclockwise about an axis of rotation of motor 102 (eg, a longitudinal axis of the motor).

In this embodiment, the motor 102 can rotate the propellers 104 all in the same direction, or can rotate them independently. Some of the propellers 104 rotate in one direction and other propellers 104 rotate in the other direction. The blades constituting the propeller 104 can all rotate at the same rotation speed, or can rotate at different rotation speeds. The rotation speed can be determined automatically or manually based on the dimensions (for example, size, weight) and control conditions (speed, direction of movement, etc.) of the moving body.

The propeller 104 rotates in response to the output from the motor 102. As the propeller 104 rotates, a propulsive force is generated to cause the flying object 1 to take off from the ground G, move horizontally, and land at the destination. Note that the propeller 104 can rotate to the right, stop, and rotate to the left.

The blades of the propeller 104 of the present invention have an elongated shape. Any number of blades (rotors) may be used (eg, 1, 2, 3, 4, or more blades). Further, the shape of the blade can be any shape such as a flat shape, a curved shape, a twisted shape, a tapered shape, or a combination thereof.

Note that the shape of the blade can be changed (for example, expanded/contracted, folded, bent, etc.). The blades may be symmetrical (having identical upper and lower surfaces) or asymmetrical (having differently shaped upper and lower surfaces).

The blades can be formed into airfoils, wings, or any suitable geometry to generate dynamic aerodynamic forces (eg, lift, thrust) as the blades are moved through the air. The blade geometry can be selected accordingly to optimize the dynamic aerodynamic properties of the blade, such as increasing lift and thrust and reducing drag.

The fuselage section 20 extends rearward from the center of the front wing section 100 and is connected to the center of the rear wing section 100.

The fuselage section 20 according to the present embodiment can be formed of a material appropriately selected from carbon, stainless steel, aluminum, magnesium, etc., or an alloy or combination thereof.

The fuselage section 20 has a substantially annular accommodating section that includes the boarding section 30 . The housing section is provided near the approximate center of the body section 20.

The riding section 30 has a substantially annular shape corresponding to the shape of the accommodating section, and is located inside the accommodating section. The riding section 30 and the accommodating section are configured to be able to be independently displaced in a substantially annular circumferential direction.

<Flight mode>
Next, the form and deformation during flight will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

The propeller 104 according to this embodiment is provided in front of the leading edge of the wing section 100. In the landing state shown in FIG. 1, the leading edge of the wing section 100 is directed upward, and the motor unit is oriented to generate at least an upward propulsive force. The leg portion 202 and the rear wing portion (and the motor 102) function as parts that support the flying object 1 during landing.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the flying object 1 is ascending and hovering, the wing section 100 is at a negative angle of attack with respect to the rotation center axis of the propeller 104. At this time, the connecting portion 40 functions so that both the front propeller 104 and the rear propeller 104 have a negative angle of attack with respect to the rotation center axis of the propeller 104.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, when transitioning from vertical takeoff (FIG. 3) to horizontal movement (FIG. 4), the fuselage section 20 is displaced in the circumferential direction as indicated by the double-headed arrow in the figure. , displacement from a horizontal position to a forward-leaning position. At this time, the riding section 30 remains facing the same direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, even during horizontal movement, the blade portion 100 has a negative angle of attack with respect to the rotation center axis of the propeller 104. At this time, the connecting portion 40 functions so that both the front propeller 104 and the rear propeller 104 have a negative angle of attack with respect to the rotation center axis of the propeller 104. At this time, the connecting portion 40 functions so that both the front propeller 104 and the rear propeller 104 have a negative angle of attack with respect to the rotation center axis of the propeller 104.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the lift and drag characteristics of the airfoil. The horizontal axis in FIG. 5 shows the angle of attack, and the vertical axis shows the drag coefficient and lift coefficient. As is clear from FIG. 5, the drag coefficient is smaller for negative angles of attack than for positive angles of attack. Furthermore, it can be seen that if an aircraft is manufactured with an angle of attack of -6 degrees, the lift of the main wing is equivalent to that of an aircraft with an angle of attack of zero. In this way, by setting the blade portion 100 at a negative angle of attack with respect to the rotation center axis of the propeller 104, it becomes possible to suppress an excessive angle of attack of the blade portion 100 while suppressing the drag force in the wake of the propeller.

Therefore, according to the flying object of this embodiment, it is possible to safely transition from hovering to horizontal flight.

<General structure>
FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the flying vehicle of the present invention. The above-described flying object may have a configuration as shown in FIG. 6, for example.

A flight controller may have one or more processors, such as a programmable processor (eg, a central processing unit (CPU)).

The flight controller has a memory (not shown) and can access the memory. The memory stores logic, code, and/or program instructions that are executable by the flight controller to perform one or more steps.

The memory may include, for example, a separable medium or external storage such as an SD card or random access memory (RAM). Data acquired from cameras and sensors may be communicated directly to and stored in memory. For example, still image/video data taken with a camera or the like is recorded in the built-in memory or external memory.

The flight controller includes a control module configured to control conditions of the aircraft. For example, the control module may be configured to adjust the spatial configuration, velocity, and/or acceleration of an air vehicle having six degrees of freedom (translational motion x, y, and z, and rotational motion θ _x , θ _y , and θ _z ). Controls the propulsion mechanism (motor, etc.) of the aircraft. The control module can control one or more of the states of the mounting section and sensors.

The flight controller is in communication with a transceiver configured to send and/or receive data from one or more external devices (eg, a terminal, display, or other remote controller). The transceiver may use any suitable means of communication, such as wired or wireless communication.

For example, the transceiver may utilize one or more of a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), infrared, wireless, WiFi, point-to-point (P2P) network, telecommunications network, cloud communication, etc. be able to.

The transmitting/receiving unit can transmit and/or receive one or more of data acquired by sensors, processing results generated by a flight controller, predetermined control data, user commands from a terminal or a remote controller, etc. .

Sensors according to this embodiment may include inertial sensors (acceleration sensors, gyro sensors), GPS sensors, proximity sensors (eg, lidar), or vision/image sensors (eg, cameras).

The flying vehicle of the present invention can be expected to be used as a flying vehicle dedicated to medium- to long-range home delivery services, and as an industrial flying vehicle for wide-area surveillance services and mountain reconnaissance and rescue services. In addition, the flying vehicle of the present invention can be used in aircraft-related industries such as multicopters and drones, and furthermore, the flying vehicle of the present invention can be suitably used as a flying vehicle that is equipped with a camera and the like and can carry out aerial photography missions. It can also be used in various industries such as the security field, agriculture, and infrastructure monitoring.

The embodiments described above are merely illustrative to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to be interpreted as limiting the present invention. It goes without saying that the present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and that the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

In the embodiment described above, an example was shown in which the flying vehicle of the present invention is applied to a manned flying vehicle. However, it is not limited to this. The flying vehicle of the present invention may be applied to an unmanned flying vehicle.

1 Flying body 10 Flight section 100 Wing section 102 Motor 104 Propeller (rotor wing)
20 Airframe section 30 Boarding section

Claims (3)

a flight section including a wing section and a rotor provided on the wing section;
a fuselage section that supports the flight section;
a connecting portion that connects the wing portion and the rotor blade in a displaceable manner so that the wing portion can maintain a negative angle of attack with respect to the rotation center axis of the rotor blade at least during hovering;
flying object. The flying object according to claim 1,
comprising a boarding section that can be independently displaced from the fuselage section;
flying object. The flying object according to claim 2,
The fuselage section extends horizontally and vertically with respect to the flight direction,
The boarding section is provided approximately at the center of the fuselage section when viewed from the side.
flying object.