KR102497731B1 - Air vehicle, advantageously a multicopter with swingable arm mounts - Google Patents

Abstract

The aircraft AV includes a body 10 and a plurality of lift generating means 61A, B and 62A, B. Each of the lift generating means is supported by a respective arm assembly 20A, B and connected to the body 10; The arm assembly is movable between a retracted position and an extended lockable and unlockable position. The arm assemblies 20A and B are arranged in pairs, and each pair of arm assemblies are interconnected via a central spindle 30 rotatably attached to the body 10 .

Description

Air vehicle, advantageously a multicopter with swingable arm mounts

As specified in the preamble to claim 1, the present invention relates to a multicopter operable as an air vehicle (AV), more particularly as a remotely controlled drone.

The prior art includes KR 10-1527544 B1, which discloses a foldable drone that can be reduced in size when the rotor arms are folded when the drone is not in use. A plurality of arms are provided between an upper plate and a lower plate of an airframe, and a rotor having a propeller driven by a motor is provided at a free end of each arm. A pair of front connection units and a pair of rear connection units are provided on the front and rear sides of the upper and lower plates. Since the width of the front connection unit is larger than that of the rear connection unit, the front and rear arms can be folded side by side without overlapping each other.

An object of the present invention is to provide a rotor-wing multi-copter type flight vehicle with multiple motors, advantageously capable of operating as a drone, designed to carry fixed and slung heavy cargo loads, advantageously in the range of about 300 kg to about 500 kg. AV) is provided.

In the development of the present invention, the inventors arranged the upper and lower engines and propellers in the arrangement of bracket arms shown and described herein, and rotated the upper and lower engines and propellers in opposite directions so that the instantaneous moment I found that rotation was favorably avoided. The "Switch-And-Lock" system is a mechanism that allows an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to be easily and quickly retrofitted to accommodate particularly rapid deployment. Rotor arms retracted for flight. It can be easily unfolded by swinging from a position to a securely locked extended position, or it can be quickly retracted by swinging the rotor arms towards the airframe of the AV for easy and compact transport. The air vehicle (AV) of the present invention can also be used at all times for increased flight time or maximum lifting capacity. Enables the option to select the optimum number of rotors to be operated. The switching mechanism advantageously includes a central spindle rotatably attached to the airframe of the vehicle AV. Rotor arm pairs are advantageously attached to respective first and second ends of the central spindle.

The locking mechanism consists of a spring-loaded locking cotter pin that slides onto a central spindle at a predefined angle of rotation of the rotor arms.

The present invention provides a swingable arm mount for an air vehicle having lift generating means, which vehicle is advantageously a multicopter according to attached patent claim 1 .

Thus, an air vehicle comprising a body and a plurality of lifting generating means is provided. Each of the lift generating means is supported by and connected to the body by a respective arm assembly, the arm assembly being movable between a retracted position and an extended lockable and unlockable position, the arm assembly comprising: Arranged in pairs, characterized in that each pair of arm assemblies are interconnected through a central spindle rotatably attached to the body.

In one embodiment, each pair of arm assemblies is mounted to the body at the same corner portion and forms an upper arm and a lower arm coupled to each other by the swing spindle, the spindles being each of a pair of upper arm attachment brackets and Journaled with lower arm attachment bracket. This forms a swingable arm pair that is swingable between the extended arm position and the retracted arm position.

The air vehicle may include a respective cover attachable to the body at each of the corner portions to provide protection for the swing spindle and journaling arrangements at each pair of upper and lower arm attachment brackets. .

The air vehicle may further include openings in each of the upper and lower arm attachment brackets, located on both sides of the large circular openings for accommodating the swing spindle, the openings in each of the upper arm attachment bracket and the lower arm attachment bracket being the upper and lower arm attachment brackets. To attach the cover to the arm attachment bracket and the lower arm attachment bracket, receive screws that fit into the corresponding openings in the top and bottom of the cover. Thereby, the cover serves to maintain and fix the separation of the relevant parts of the upper arm attachment bracket and the lower arm attachment bracket.

The air vehicle may further include a swing lock configured for each spindle to secure the arm pair in at least one of an extended position and a retracted position.

In one embodiment, the spindle includes a hollow portion, upper and lower openings in the hollow portion for actuating control, power or fuel lines between the swinging spindle and items mounted on each of the upper and lower arms; and and upper and lower central openings of the hollow swing spindle for operating the control, power or fuel lines between the swing spindle and equipment disposed in the body.

In one embodiment, the spindle is a tubular swing spindle having a cam on at least a portion of the swing spindle circumference and having openings for receiving and providing journaling to respective first and second portions of the swing spindle. first and second arm attachment brackets, first and second means for positioning the swing spindle in a gap between the first and second arm attachment brackets, and flush with the cam and a notch in the cam or A locking device comprising a movable cotter pin disposed to be movable between a locked position with the cotter pin disposed in a valley and a release position that is not horizontal with the cam.

The aircraft body may be a rectangular body, and an arm assembly pair is connected to each corner portion of the body.

In the following, the invention will be explained by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 is a first perspective view showing an embodiment of a multi-copter drone according to the present invention.
FIG. 2A is a second upper perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a multicopter drone according to the present invention shown in FIG. 1 .
Figure 2b is a third side perspective view showing an embodiment of the multi-copter drone according to the present invention shown in Figures 1 and 2a.
3 is an exploded view showing components of an embodiment of a motor/propeller arm bracket arrangement included in the embodiment of the multicopter drone according to the present invention shown in FIGS. 1, 2a and 2b; am.
Figure 4 is a side perspective partial assembly view showing an embodiment of the motor / propeller arm bracket device shown in Figure 3;
5A shows an embodiment of a motor/propeller arm bracket swing and locking/releasing arrangement in the embodiment of the motor/propeller arm bracket arrangement shown in FIGS. 3 and 4; It is a side perspective partial assembly view.
FIG. 5B is a partial side assembly view illustrating an embodiment of the motor/propeller arm bracket swing and lock/unlock device shown in FIG. 5A.
6 is an exploded view showing components of an embodiment of the motor/propeller arm bracket locking/unlocking device shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B.

For simplicity, the motor/propeller arm bracket is referred to as the arm and the chassis or frame as the body.

Reference is first made to FIG. 1 which shows a complete rotor-wing multicopter according to the present invention in a rotationally locked and ready-to-flight configuration from the body. In this figure, a substantially rectangular body 10, a plurality of upper arm attachment brackets 40A attached to the body to form upper corner portions of the body rectangle, attached to the body to form lower corners of the body rectangle. a plurality of lower arm attachment brackets 40B forming parts, a plurality of upper arms hinged from each of the upper parts of the corner of the body rectangle and extending upwardly and outwardly ( 20A), a plurality of lower arms 20B hinged from each of the lower portions of the corner of the body rectangle and extending downwardly and outwardly, attached to the outer ends of each of the upper arms 20A. a plurality of upper motor supports (60A); a plurality of lower motor supports 60B attached to the outer ends of each of the lower arms 20B; A plurality of upper motors 61A each having an upper motor driving propeller or rotor 62A and mounted on each of the upper motor support parts 60A, and a lower motor driving propeller or rotor 62B each having a lower motor support part (60B) A plurality of lower motors 61B mounted on each are identified. The body is configured to carry at least a power or fuel controller device to control the power applied to drive rotation of the propeller. In a wireless embodiment, the body is also configured to receive a power or fuel supply for the motor and controller. The motors 61A and 61B are energizing electric motors, and the power source is an electric battery onboard the vehicle of the present invention, a solar panel, or other means for providing or generating electric power. Each pair of upper arm 20A and lower arm 20B is mounted to the body at the same corner portion and journaled to each pair of upper arm attachment bracket 40A and lower arm attachment bracket 40B. ) coupled to each other by a swing spindle (not shown in FIG. 1). This forms a swingable arm pair that is swingable between an extended arm position and a retracted arm position. The body-attachable cover 50 provides at least a swing spindle (not shown in FIG. 1) and a journaling arrangement in each pair of upper arm attachment bracket 40A and lower arm attachment bracket 40B. Provided at each of the corners to protect.

Reference is made to FIG. 2A showing an embodiment of an air vehicle (AV) of the present invention in a perspective view from above. In this FIG. 2A, the two sets of upper and lower arms of the two arm pairs can be clearly distinguished in the right part of the picture because the viewpoint is slightly off-center to the left of the body center. In the left part of the picture, each upper arm substantially overlaps or is hidden from each lower arm of each arm pair so that only a portion of the motor and each propeller or rotor blade of each arm are visible and clearly distinguishable. do.

Corresponding to FIG. 2A , in FIG. 2B showing a perspective view from the side of the embodiment of the air vehicle (AV) of the present invention shown in FIG. 2A , the body and respective upper and lower arms are substantially overlapped and hidden, and each Most of the adjacent upper and lower arms are clearly distinguishable, with only the portion of the motor and the respective propeller or rotor blade of the arm being the most distant in relation to the camera position visible.

Reference is made to FIG. 3 which provides a first perspective exploded view of the components of a swingable arm arrangement in an air vehicle (AV) according to the present invention. In this embodiment, each of the upper arm 20A and the lower arm 20B is formed by respective first and second arm halves, which may be located respectively on the leftmost and rightmost sides of the figure. A plurality of circular features on the arm halves indicate the location of fasteners for connecting the arm halves to form an arm. Circular features at the inner part of the arms, together with circular features indicating the location of the fixtures for accommodating fixtures for attaching the arms of the arm pair to the top and bottom of the swing spindle 30 at the inner ends. A first pair of adjacent dotted lines representing negatives is also drawn. Also, a location for fasteners to receive fasteners for attaching the arms of the arm pair to the upper motor support 60A and the lower motor support 60B, respectively, at the outer arm ends, together with circular features at the outer portions of the arms. A second pair of adjacently positioned dotted lines is shown to indicate circular features representing . The upper and lower parts of the generally tubular, centrally located swing spindle 30 fit openings to the large circular openings in the upper arm attachment bracket 40A and the lower arm attachment bracket 40B, which in turn are at the corners of the body. It is fitted with the mounting arrangement of the phase. The dotted line passing through the longitudinal central axis of the swing spindle 30 and the large circular openings of the upper arm attachment bracket 40A and the lower arm attachment bracket 40B indicates the vertical line on which they will be assembled. The two small openings in the upper arm attachment bracket 40A and the lower arm attachment bracket 40B, respectively, located on either side of the large circular opening to accommodate the swing spindle, are the upper arm attachment bracket 40A and the lower arm attachment bracket 40B. Receive low screws in the corresponding openings at the top and bottom of the cover 50 to attach the cover to ). Thereby, the cover 50 also serves to maintain and fix the separation of the relevant parts of the upper arm attachment bracket 40A and the lower arm attachment bracket 40B. A swing lock arrangement, the components of which are collectively indicated at 70, is provided to hold each swing spindle 30 locked in at least one of the extended and retracted positions of the arm pair.

Reference is now made to FIG. 4 which provides a first perspective assembly view of the components shown in FIG. 3 assembled into a swingable arm pair system ready to be mounted on a body to form an air vehicle (AV) in accordance with the present invention. In this assembly, the upper motor support 60A and the lower motor support 60B are respectively provided with an upper motor 61A and a lower motor 61B, and a pair of swingable arms 20A and 20B are upper arm mounted It is positioned in a retracted position relative to bracket 40A and lower arm mounting bracket 40B. A swing spindle lock arrangement 70 is provided in a bore at each end of a pair of upper guide supports 71A and lower guide supports 71B, upper guide supports 71A and lower guide supports 71B. A plurality of guide rods 72 having first and second ends configured to be held on the guide rods 72, and a cotter pin 73 sliding back and forth in the longitudinal direction of the guide rods 72 arranged in parallel. A plate-shaped cotter pin 73 having a plurality of parallel through holes configured to receive each one of the guide rods 72, a return spring 74 and an elongated release button 75 ). When assembled and positioned between the pair of upper arm attachment brackets 40A and lower arm attachment brackets 40B, the cotter pin 73 engages the upper guide support 71A and the lower guide support ( 71B) is slidable on the guide rod in the gap between them. The cotter pin 73 is generally held in the locked position by a spring arranged to urge the cotter pin into the locked position. In the locked position of the cotter pin in the gap between the upper guide support 71A and the lower guide support 71B, the cotter pin is level with the cam 34 (see Fig. 6) arranged in the central part of the swing spindle 30. and the protruding end of the cotter pin rides on the side of the cam or is disposed in a notch in the cam. When in the notch of the cam, the spindle can be rotated until the edge of the cam touches the edge of the cotter pin, at which point further rotation by the cotter pin is blocked. The extended release button is disposed in an associated guide support of one of the upper guide support 71A and the lower guide support 71B on the opposite side of the plate-shaped cotter pin with reference to the position of the return spring 74, one end of which is the return spring ( 74) is located on or adjacent to the opposing surface of the cotter pin and the other end projects from the associated guide support. Thus, by applying a pushing force to the protruding end of the release button 75 in a direction against the force of the return spring 74, the cotter pin will slide along the guide rods to a position where they are no longer level with the cam. . When not level with the cam of the swing spindle, there is no interaction between the cam and the cotter pin and the swing spindle rotates freely by journaling at the large openings of the upper arm mounting bracket 40A and the lower arm mounting bracket 40B. When the release button 75 is released while the raised portion of the cam is facing the protruding end of the cotter pin, the swing spindle 30 is sufficiently rotated so that the cam notch moves the protruding end of the cotter pin between the upper guide support 71A and the lower guide support 71A. The return spring 74 will force the cotter pin to the side of the cam until it is positioned so that it can move back to the locked position in the gap between the guide supports 71B.

Reference is made to FIG. 5A , which provides a second perspective assembly view showing a subassembly that does not include the arm and arm-related components shown in FIG. 3A . This figure shows upper openings 32A and lower openings 32B of the hollow swing spindle for control, power or fuel lines between the swing spindle and items mounted on upper and lower arms 20A and 20B, respectively, and An upper central opening 33A and a lower central opening 33B of the hollow swinging spindle for the control, power or fuel lines between the swinging spindle and equipment disposed in the body of the vehicle (AV) of the present invention are shown. Other components and elements shown in this figure correspond to those shown in FIG. 4 .

Reference is made to FIG. 5B with a clearer view of the extended release button and return spring disposed on the upper guide support 71A in this embodiment, which provides a second side view showing the subassembly shown in FIG. 5A. The cotter pin is clearly level with the cam portion 34 of the swing spindle 30, so that the cotter pin is in a locked position, the protruding end of the cotter pin being disposed in a notch or "valley" of the cam 34 .

Reference is made to FIG. 6 which provides a third perspective exploded view showing the components comprising an advantageous embodiment of a locking device 70 that locks the swing spindle from rotation. Locking the swing spindles from rotation secures the pair of arms 20A, 20B associated with a predetermined swing position, which may be at least one of a retracted position or an extended position. In this embodiment, the locking device 70 has a triangular cross-section and includes a lower guide support 71B with an upper bore at each of the three corners to receive and retain the lower portion of one of the three guide rods, a return spring (74), three guide rods (72), a cotter pin (73) with three parallel holes at the corners of the triangle for sliding on the guide rods (72), having a triangular cross-section, of the three guide rods An upper guide support 71A having a bore in the top at each of the three corners to receive and hold one lower part, a central bore to receive a release button, the upper end of which protrudes from the upper end of the upper guide support 71A. It includes a release button elongated so that its lower end rests on the upper surface of the cotter pin 73. For reference, when the notch or "valley" of the cam 34 faces the cotter pin, how is the end of the cotter pin protruding in the direction of the swing spindle 30 flush with the cam portion 34 of the swivel spindle 30? A swing spindle 30 is also shown in this figure to explain how it can be. Here, the notch or "valley" of cam 34 in this embodiment is shown to actuate about 180 degrees of rotation of swing spindle 30 . An upper plinth protruding radially outwardly on swing spindle 30 for illustration of a means for journaling swing spindle 30 in the large circular openings of upper arm attachment bracket 40A and lower arm attachment bracket 40B. Further details of finger 31A and lower flange 31B are shown. By providing a means for holding swing spindle 30, cam portion 34 is also positioned between upper arm attachment bracket 40A and lower arm attachment bracket 40B.

Having described the invention by way of example and with reference to embodiments of the invention, it will be understood that other embodiments embodying the principles and aspects of the invention are also considered within the scope of the claims. As an example, an air vehicle (AV) implementation may have only upper arms 20A or only lower arms 20B, or even upper arms 20A or lower arms ( 20B) may be an embodiment in which other combinations are included. Similarly, the motor supports may be oriented differently than disclosed herein, and the arms may be of other designs, but only one design is shown to illustrate and explain the present invention.

Claims (8)

As an aircraft (AV) including a body (10) and a plurality of lift generating means (61A, B, 62A, B),
Each of the lift generating means is supported by a respective arm assembly 20A,B and connected to the body 10 through each arm assembly 20A,B, the arm assembly having a retracted position and an extended locked and movable between releaseable positions;
The arm assemblies 20A and B are arranged in pairs, and each arm assembly pair is interconnected through a swing spindle 30 rotatably attached to the body 10,
the swing spindle (30) is a tubular swing spindle with a cam (34) on at least a portion of its circumference;
first and second arm attachment brackets (40A, 40B) having openings for receiving and providing journaling for respective first and second portions of the swing spindle; a locking device comprising first and second means for positioning in the gap between the arm attachment brackets and a cotter pin (73);
The flight vehicle is arranged so that the cotter pin is movable between a locked position disposed in a notch or valley of the cam and a release position that is not horizontal with the cam. According to claim 1,
Each pair of arm assemblies forms an upper arm (20A) and a lower arm (20B) mounted at the same corner portion on the body (10) and coupled to each other by the swing spindle (30);
The swing spindle is journaled to each pair of first arm attachment bracket 40A and second arm attachment bracket 40B, whereby the arm pair is swingable between an extended arm position and a retracted arm position. aircraft to form. According to claim 2,
attachable to the body 10 at each of the corner portions to at least protect the journaling arrangement in each pair of the swing spindle 30 and the first arm attachment bracket 40A and the second arm attachment bracket 40B. An air vehicle further comprising respective covers (50). According to claim 3,
Each of the first arm attachment bracket 40A and the second arm attachment bracket 40B further includes openings located on both sides of large circular openings in which the swing spindle is to be accommodated, and wherein the first arm attachment bracket 40A ) and the openings in each of the second arm attachment brackets 40B of the cover 50 for attaching the cover 50 to the first arm attachment bracket 40A and the second arm attachment bracket 40B. It accommodates screws that fit into the corresponding openings at the top and bottom, whereby the cover 50 maintains separation of the relevant parts of the first arm attachment bracket 40A and the second arm attachment bracket 40B. An air vehicle that plays a role in fixing and fixing. According to claim 2,
and a swing fixture (70) configured for each swing spindle (30) to secure the arm pair in at least one of an extended position and a retracted position. According to claim 2,
The swing spindle 30 includes a hollow portion, and an upper opening ( 32A) and a lower opening 32B, an upper central opening 33A and a lower central opening ( 33A) and a lower central opening ( 33B). delete According to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The body is a rectangular body, and a pair of arm assemblies are connected to respective corner portions of the body.

Images