KR20170135577A - Unmanned aerial vehicle with tilting and controllable pitch system - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having a tilting and pitch-adjustable system is applied thereto includes: a flight body portion; a flying blade portion including a blade portion formed on an upper portion of the flight body portion, a first thrust portion formed on opposite sides of a front portion of the flight body portion so as to be tiltable, and a second thrust portion formed on opposite sides of a rear portion of the flight body portion; and a flight controlling portion configured to, when a flight mode is a take-off mode, drive the first and second thrust portions to generate thrust in a vertical direction, and to, when the flight mode is a forward flying mode, control the tilting of the first thrust portion such that the first thrust portion generates thrust in a horizontal direction, and stop the driving of the second thrust portion.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle having a tilting and variable pitch system,

More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to a unmanned aerial vehicle to which a tilting and variable pitch system is applied that can reduce the loss of power by controlling a thrust body according to a flight mode.

Generally, unmanned aerial vehicles include all flying objects, such as unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles, which are remotely controlled by persons, or fly according to prior information.

These unmanned aerial vehicles are put into operation in areas that are not accessible to humans such as jungle, ogres, volcanic area, natural disaster area, nuclear power plant accident area, and are developed and commercialized not only for military use but also as individual hobby activities.

At this time, the unmanned aerial vehicle can be divided into fixed wing aircraft such as a general airliner and a rotary wing aircraft such as a helicopter. Here, the fixed-wing aircraft is capable of high-speed flight and has the advantage of excellent performance, but it has a disadvantage of requiring a separate take-off and landing facility such as a long runway and an auxiliary facility. On the other hand, a rotary wing aircraft has the advantage of being able to take off and land freely regardless of location or position without requiring a separate takeoff and landing facility because vertical takeoff and landing is possible. However, it is difficult to fly at high speed compared with fixed wing aircraft, There is a disadvantage that it is inferior.

Therefore, it is necessary to develop a unmanned aerial vehicle that reflects the advantages of fixed wing aircraft and rotor wing aircraft.

A related prior art is Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0472-9680000 entitled " automatic take-off and landing device for large unmanned aerial vehicle, registered on February 15, 2005).

An embodiment of the present invention provides a unmanned aerial vehicle to which a tilting and variable pitch system can be applied by controlling the tilting of the thrust body according to the flight mode or varying the pitch angle of the propeller of the thrust body to minimize power consumption .

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned problem (s), and another problem (s) not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

A tilting and variable pitch system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a flying body portion; A flying blade portion including a wing portion formed on an upper portion of the flying body portion, a first thrust portion formed on both sides of a front portion of the flying body portion so as to be tiltable, and a second thrust portion formed on both sides of a rear portion of the flying body portion. And when the flight mode is the take-off mode, drives the first and second thrust sections such that the first and second thrust sections generate thrust in the vertical direction, and when the flight mode is the forward flight mode, And a flight control unit for controlling the tilting of the first thrust unit and stopping the driving of the second thrust unit so as to generate thrust in the additional horizontal direction.

The flight control unit may control the tilting of the first thrust unit to cause the first thrust unit to generate thrust in the vertical direction and to restart the second thrust unit when the flight mode is the landing mode.

Wherein the first thrust portion is formed at both ends of a tilt pipe passing through a side surface of a front portion of the flying body portion, A slide screw which is connected to the servo motor and rotates by the power of the servo motor; A link having one side coupled to the tilt pipe and the other side coupled to the slide screw and rotating by rotation of the slide screw; And a tilt pipe that is rotated by the rotation of the link so that the first thrust portion is tilted.

Wherein the flight control unit checks the flight mode to control driving of the servo motor so that the propeller of the first and second thrust units operates with the vertical direction as the rotation axis when the flight mode is confirmed as the take-off mode, Controlling the operation of the servomotor so that the propeller of the first thrust section is tilted with the horizontal direction as the rotation axis when the flight mode is confirmed to be the forward flight mode, The propeller of the first thrust section controls the driving of the servomotor so that the propeller of the first thrust section tilts with the vertical direction as the rotational axis when the flight mode is determined to be the landing mode, It is possible to control the drive of the servo motor to operate.

Wherein the first thrust section comprises: a servo motor; A propeller comprising at least two blades; And a drive shaft connected between the servomotor and the propeller and transmitting a power of the servomotor to the propeller so that a pitch angle indicating an inclination angle of each of the blades varies within a predetermined angle.

The flight control unit may control the operation of the first thrust unit so that the pitch angle of each of the blades varies within a certain angle based on the flight mode.

Wherein the flight control unit checks the flight mode to determine whether the blade is in a take-off mode or a landing mode, and when each of the blades has a pitch angle of 0 degrees with respect to a horizontal direction, And when it is determined that the flight mode is the forward flight mode, it is determined that the blades have a pitch angle higher than the pitch angle in the take-off mode or the landing mode with respect to the horizontal direction The operation of the servo motor of the first thrust section can be controlled.

Wherein the flight control unit controls the operation of the servo motor of the first thrust unit so that each of the blades has a pitch angle of more than 0 degrees and less than 40 degrees with respect to the horizontal direction when the flight mode is confirmed to be the forward flight mode .

The unmanned aerial vehicle to which the tilting and variable pitch system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied may further include a landing gear formed at a lower portion of the flying body portion so as to mitigate an impact upon flying landing.

The details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to minimize the power consumption by controlling the tilting of the thrust body or the pitch angle of the propeller of the thrust body according to the flight mode.

1 and 2 are perspective views illustrating an unmanned aerial vehicle to which a tilting and variable pitch system is applied according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the flight control unit of FIGS. 1 and 2 in detail.
4A to 4C are side views for explaining a tilting operation of the first thrust section under the control of the flight control section, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the first thrust section of FIGS. 1 and 2 in detail.
6A and 6B are perspective views illustrating an operation of varying the pitch angle of the propeller under the control of the flight control unit, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and / or features of the present invention, and how to accomplish them, will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is capable of many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, To fully disclose the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 are perspective views illustrating a unmanned aerial vehicle to which a tiltable and variable pitch system is applied according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the flight control unit of FIG. 1 and FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the first thrust section of FIGS. 1 and 2 in detail.

1 and 2, a tilting and variable pitch system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a flight body 110, a flight wing 120, a flight control unit 130, And a landing gear 140.

The flight body 110 is a body constituting the body of the unmanned air vehicle 100, and the flight control unit 130 to be described later may be installed therein.

The flying blade unit 120 may include a blade unit 122, a first thrust unit 124, and a second thrust unit 126.

The wing portion 122 is formed on the upper portion of the flying body 110 and can generate lifting force when the unmanned air vehicle 100 is flying.

The first thrust section 124 is formed on both sides of the front portion of the flying body 110 so as to be tiltable. That is, the first thrust section 124 may be formed at both ends of a tilt pipe (see "307 " in Fig. 3) passing through the front side of the flying body 110.

Hereinafter, the structure of the first thrust section 124 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

As shown in the drawing, the first thrust section 124 may include a servo motor 501, a propeller 509, and a drive shaft 504.

The servomotor 501 is a motor that provides power and can provide the power to the drive shaft 504 to be described later. For this, the first thrust section 124 may further include a lower link 502 and a bearing holder 503. The lower link 502 may connect the lower portion of the servo motor 501 and the lower portion of the drive shaft 504 such that the power of the servo motor 501 is transmitted to the drive shaft 504. That is, one end of the lower link 502 can be connected to the servo motor 501, and the other end can be connected to a lower portion of the drive shaft 504. The other end of the lower link 502 is connected to the drive shaft 504 via the bearing holder 503, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 504 < / RTI >

The propeller 509 may comprise at least two blades 510. In the present embodiment, two blades 510 are used. However, the present invention is not limited to the two blades 510, but may be implemented in a larger number. The propeller 509 may be configured such that the pitch angle indicating the angle of inclination of each of the blades 510 may vary within a predetermined angle. The first thrust section 124 may further include a fixed grip 505, a pitch arm 506, an upper link 507, and a center hub 508. The fixed grip 505 may be formed at each end of the blade 510 to rotate the blade 510 so that the pitch angle of the blade 510 varies. The upper link 507 is vertically coupled to both ends of a pitch arm 506 fixedly formed in a direction orthogonal to the drive shaft 504 at an upper portion of the drive shaft 504 to be described later, (506) and the fixed grip (505). The center hub 508 may be an assembly member of the fixed grip 505 and may be the center axis of the pitch angle of the blade 510.

The drive shaft 504 may be connected between the servo motor 501 and the propeller 509. At this time, the driving shaft 504 can transmit the power of the servo motor 501 to the propeller 509 so that the pitch angle of each of the blades 510 varies within a certain angle.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 again, when the unmanned air vehicle 100 takes off or landing, the first thrust section 124 generates a thrust force in the vertical direction through the control of the flight control section 130 So that the unmanned air vehicle 100 can stably take off or land.

The first thrust section 124 generates a thrust force in the horizontal direction through the control of the flight control section 130 to be described later so that the unmanned air vehicle 100 moves forward after the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is taken off vertically can do.

The second thrust portion 126 is formed on both sides of the rear portion of the flying body portion 110.

The second thrust section 126 generates a thrust force in the vertical direction through the control of the flight control section 130 to be described later when the unmanned air vehicle 100 takes off or landing so that the unmanned air vehicle 100 stably takes off Or landing.

The second thrust unit 126 stops the driving of the unmanned air vehicle 100 through the control of the flight control unit 130 described below after the unmanned air vehicle 100 is vertically taken off, .

The flight control unit 130 may be installed in the front of the flight body 110. Hereinafter, the structure of the flight control unit 130 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

3, the flight control unit 130 includes a servo motor 301, a bearing holder 302, a slide screw 303, a slide nut 304, a link 305, a mount 306, (307).

The servo motor 301 is a motor that provides power and may be connected to the slide screw 303 to be described later.

The bearing holder 302 is connected to the rotation axis A to fix the slide screw 303.

One side of the slide screw 303 is connected to the servo motor 301 and is fixed by the bearing holder 302 connected to the rotation axis A and the other side thereof can be coupled with the slide nut 304. At this time, the slide screw 303 can be rotated by the power of the servo motor 301.

The slide nut 304 is formed with a nut holder (not shown) and is connected to the rotation axis B, and is movable in the forward and backward directions by the rotation of the slide screw 303.

The link 305 is connected to the rotation axis B, one side of which is coupled with the tilt pipe 307, and the other side of which can be coupled with the slide screw 303. At this time, the link 305 can be rotated by the rotation of the slide screw 303.

The mount 306 is mounted with a rotatable bearing (not shown) and can fix the tilt pipe 307.

The tilt pipe 307 can be rotated by the rotation of the link 305 so that the first thrust section 124 is tilted as a tilting axis of rotation of the first thrust section 124.

1 and 2, the flight control unit 130 may control at least one of tilting or driving of the first and second thrust units 124 and 126 based on the flight mode. Here, the flight mode may include a take-off mode, a landing mode, or an advanced flight mode.

Hereinafter, the flight control unit 130 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5. FIG.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, when the flight mode is the take-off mode, the flight control unit 130 controls the first and second thrust units 124 and 126 to generate thrust in the vertical direction, 1 and the second thrust sections 124, 126, respectively.

Specifically, when it is determined that the flight mode is the take-off mode, the flight control unit 130 checks the flight mode and determines that the propeller 509 of the first and second thrust units 124 and 126 is in the vertical direction The driving of the servo motor 301 can be controlled so as to operate as a rotating shaft. Accordingly, the propeller 509 of the first and second thrust units 124 and 126 generates a thrust force in the vertical direction, thereby allowing the flying body 110 to take off.

The flight control unit 130 controls the tilting of the first thrust unit 124 so that the first thrust unit 124 generates thrust in the horizontal direction when the flight mode is the forward flight mode, The driving of the thrust section 126 is stopped.

Specifically, when it is determined that the flight mode is the forward flight mode, the flight control unit 130 checks the flight mode, and the propeller 509 of the first thrust unit 124 tilts with the horizontal direction as the rotation axis It is possible to control the driving of the servo motor 301 to operate. Thus, the propeller 509 of the first thrust section 124 generates a thrust force in the horizontal direction so that the flying body 110 can advance forward.

The flight control unit 130 controls the tilting of the first thrust unit 124 to cause the first thrust unit 124 to generate thrust in the vertical direction when the flight mode is the landing mode, The thrust section 126 can be driven again.

When it is determined that the flight mode is the landing mode, the propeller 509 of the first thrust section 124 performs a tilting operation with the vertical direction as the rotation axis, The driving of the servomotor 301 can be controlled so that the propeller 509 of the second thrust section 126 operates again in the vertical direction as the rotational axis. Accordingly, the propeller 509 of the first and second thrust units 124 and 126 generates a thrust force in the vertical direction, thereby allowing the flying body 110 to land.

The flight control unit 130 may control the first thrust unit 124 to vary the pitch angle of the propeller 509 of the first thrust unit 124 based on the flight mode.

In other words, the flight control unit 130 may control the operation of the first thrust unit 124 so that the pitch angle of each of the blades 510 varies within a certain angle based on the flight mode.

Specifically, when the flying mode is checked to be the take-off mode or the landing mode, the flight control unit 130 checks each of the blades 510 to have a pitch angle of 0 degrees with respect to the horizontal direction The operation of the servo motor 501 of the first thrust section 124 can be controlled.

If the flying mode is determined to be the forward flight mode and the blades 510 are in the take-off mode or the landing mode with respect to the horizontal direction, It is possible to control the operation of the servo motor 501 of the first thrust section 124 so as to have a pitch angle higher than the pitch angle of the first thrust section 124. [

For example, when it is determined that the flight mode is the forward flight mode, the flight control unit 130 controls the first and second thrusts so that each of the blades 510 has a pitch angle of more than 0 degrees and less than 40 degrees, The operation of the servomotor 501 of the control unit 124 can be controlled.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 again, the landing gear 140 may be coupled to the lower portion of the flying body 110 to alleviate an impact upon landing.

4A to 4C are side views for explaining a tilting operation of the first thrust section under the control of the flight control section, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the tilting operation of the first thrust unit will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4C in accordance with the flight mode.

4A, when the flight mode is the take-off mode (V-TOL MODE), the first thrust section 124 must generate a large thrust for lifting the unmanned air vehicle 100 , The thrust can be generated toward the upward direction.

3) of the propeller of the first thrust section 124 (see FIG. 5) is controlled by the flight control section (see "130" Quot; 509 ") may operate in the vertical direction as the rotational axis.

Accordingly, the first thrust section 124 may be formed on both sides of the front portion of the flying body portion (refer to 110 in FIG. 1) with the upper side facing upward.

4B and 4C, when the flight mode is the CRUISE MODE, the first thrust unit 124 generates a large thrust for advancing the unmanned air vehicle 100 So that thrust can be generated toward the front.

For this purpose, the flight control unit 130 controls the driving of the servo motor 301 so that the propeller 509 of the first thrust unit 124 operates in the horizontal direction on the rotation axis.

That is, as the servo motor 301 is driven, the slide screw 303 can rotate. Then, the link 305 can be rotated in the forward and backward directions by the rotation of the slide screw 303. Then, the tilt pipe 307 can be rotated by the rotation of the link 305.

Accordingly, the first thrust section 124 can be tilted in a direction parallel to the flight body 110. As a result, the first thrust section 124 may be formed on both sides of the front portion of the flying body portion (see "110" in Fig. 1) with the upper side facing forward.

Meanwhile, when the flight mode is the landing mode, the first thrust unit 124 can be controlled to be tilted as in the case where the flight mode is the take-off mode.

6A and 6B are perspective views illustrating an operation of varying the pitch angle of the propeller under the control of the flight control unit, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the pitch angle varying operation of the propeller will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B in accordance with the flight mode.

First, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the flight mode is the take-off mode (V-TOL MODE), the first thrust section (see 124 in FIGS. 1 to 3) Since the thrust for lifting must be large, thrust can be generated using the pitch angle of the propeller 509 at a relatively small angle.

For this, each of the blades 510 of the propeller 509 may have a pitch angle of 0 degree with respect to the horizontal direction in a state where the upper side of the first thrust section 124 is directed upward.

6B, when the flight mode is the CRUISE MODE, the first thrust unit 124 must generate a large thrust force for moving the UAV 100 forward. Therefore, The thrust can be generated using the pitch angle of the propeller 509 at a relatively high angle.

For this, each of the blades 510 of the propeller 509 may have a pitch angle that varies within a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction in a state where the upper side of the first thrust section 124 is facing forward.

That is, as the servo motor 501 is driven, the bearing holder 503 can be lowered through the lower link 502. Then, the driving shaft 504 and the pitch arm 506 can also be lowered together by the downward movement of the bearing holder 503. The downward movement of the pitch arm 506 is transmitted to the fixed grip 505 through the upper link 507 so that the fixed grip 505 can rotate about the axis of the center hub 507 have.

Accordingly, the blade 510 of the propeller 509 may have a pitch angle in which one is clockwise and the other is counterclockwise. As a result, each of the blades 510 may have a pitch angle that varies within a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction in a state that the upper side of the first thrust section 124 is facing forward.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be determined by the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, Modification is possible. Accordingly, the spirit of the present invention should be understood only by the appended claims, and all equivalent or equivalent variations thereof are included in the scope of the present invention.

110:
120: Flying wing
122: wing portion
124: first thrust section
126: second thrust section
130:
140: Landing gear
301, 501: Servo motor
302, 503: Bearing holder
303: Slide screw
304: Slide nut
305, 502, 507: Link
306: Mount
307: Tilt pipe
504:
505: Fixed grip
506: pitch arm
508: Center hub
509: Propeller
510: blade

Claims (9)

A flight body;
A flying blade portion including a wing portion formed on an upper portion of the flying body portion, a first thrust portion formed on both sides of a front portion of the flying body portion so as to be tiltable, and a second thrust portion formed on both sides of a rear portion of the flying body portion. And
When the flight mode is the take-off mode, drives the first and second thrust sections such that the first and second thrust sections generate thrust in the vertical direction, and when the flight mode is the forward flight mode, A tilting of the first thrust section is controlled so as to generate a thrust in a horizontal direction and a driving of the second thrust section is stopped,
Wherein the tilting and variable pitch system is applied to the unmanned aerial vehicle.
The method according to claim 1,
The flight control unit
Wherein when the flight mode is the landing mode, the first thrust section controls the tilting of the first thrust section so as to generate the thrust in the vertical direction, and re-drives the second thrust section. Applied unmanned aerial vehicle.
The method according to claim 1,
The first thrust section
Wherein the tilting pipe is formed at both ends of a tilting pipe passing through a side surface of a front portion of the flying body,
The flight control unit
Servo motor;
A slide screw which is connected to the servo motor and rotates by the power of the servo motor;
A link having one side coupled to the tilt pipe and the other side coupled to the slide screw and rotating by rotation of the slide screw; And
The tilting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first thrust section
Wherein the tilting and variable pitch system is applied to the unmanned aerial vehicle.
The method of claim 3,
The flight control unit
And controlling the driving of the servomotor so that the propeller of the first and second thrust portions operate with the vertical direction as a rotation axis when the flight mode is confirmed as the take-off mode by checking the flight mode,
And controlling the driving of the servomotor so that the propeller of the first thrust section is tilted with the horizontal axis as a rotation axis when the flight mode is confirmed to be the forward flight mode,
The control unit controls the driving of the servomotor so that the propeller of the first thrust unit tilts with the vertical direction as the rotation axis when the flight mode is confirmed to be the landing mode and the propeller of the second thrust unit And the driving of the servomotor is controlled so as to re-operate with the vertical direction as a rotation axis.
The method according to claim 1,
The first thrust section
Servo motor;
A propeller comprising at least two blades; And
A drive shaft connected to the servo motor and the propeller for transmitting the power of the servo motor to the propeller so that a pitch angle indicating a tilted angle of each of the blades varies within a predetermined angle,
Wherein the tilting and variable pitch system is applied to the unmanned aerial vehicle.
6. The method of claim 5,
The flight control unit
Wherein the operation of the first thrust section is controlled so that the pitch angle of each of the blades varies within a predetermined angle based on the flight mode.
The method according to claim 6,
The flight control unit
Controlling the operation of the servo motor of the first thrust section such that each of the blades has a pitch angle of 0 degrees with respect to the horizontal direction when the flight mode is determined to be the take-off mode or the landing mode,
And when the flying mode is confirmed to be the forward flight mode, the first and second thrusts are set such that each of the blades has a pitch angle higher than the pitch angle in the take-off mode or the landing mode with respect to the horizontal direction, And the operation of the sub-servo motor is controlled by the tilting and variable pitch system.
8. The method of claim 7,
The flight control unit
And controls the operation of the servo motor of the first thrust section so that each of the blades has a pitch angle of more than 0 degrees and less than 40 degrees with respect to the horizontal direction when it is confirmed that the flight mode is the forward flight mode Unmanned aerial vehicle with tilting and variable pitch system.
The method according to claim 1,
A landing gear formed on a lower portion of the flying body portion so as to alleviate an impact upon flying landing,
Further comprising a tilting and variable pitch system.

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