KR20230091525A - Foldable fixed-wing unmmaned aerial system based on small rocket propulsion system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a folding fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle system based on a small rocket propulsion system, which includes a body, a variable wing connected to the body to be rotatable at a predetermined angle, a head unit located at the front in the moving direction, and a power unit located at the rear in the moving direction. Flight unit including; And a propulsion unit including a fixed skirt selectively coupled to the rear of the flight unit, a body extending from the fixed skirt, and a rocket engine provided at an end of the body and dissipating propulsive force; including, and coupled with the propulsion unit by the rocket engine being ignited. When the flight unit reaches a predetermined height, the fixed skirt is disengaged and separated from the rear of the flight unit, and a small rocket propulsion system-based foldable fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle system including electrical parts is provided.

Description

Foldable fixed-wing unmanned aerial system based on small rocket propulsion system {FOLDABLE FIXED-WING UNMMANED AERIAL SYSTEM BASED ON SMALL ROCKET PROPULSION SYSTEM}

The present invention relates to a folding fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle system based on a small rocket propulsion system.

Aviation vehicles, such as fixed-wing or multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles, are widely used in commercial, military and civilian applications. In particular, fixed-wing UAVs are efficient for long-distance cruising and have the advantage of being able to fly long distances with relatively little fuel compared to multi-rotor UAVs. It requires a sufficiently long runway space. Therefore, it was difficult to operate an unmanned aerial vehicle using a fixed wing in which the runway space was not secured, and even when performing the mission 9- of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the time and amount of fuel required to reach the predetermined area actually fulfilled the purpose. A significant amount is required than is required for flight to do so. Therefore, although the operation of fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles has the advantage of being able to fly long distances with low fuel consumption after reaching a certain altitude, there have been limitations in their wide use. improvement is urgently needed.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 2021-0045005 (2021. 04. 26)

One embodiment of the present invention aims to be able to use a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle for exploration by applying a rocket type in a method of reaching a mission altitude of an unmanned aerial vehicle.

The present invention relates to a folding fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle system based on a small rocket propulsion system, which includes a body, a variable wing connected to the body to be rotatable at a predetermined angle, a head unit located at the front in the moving direction, and a power unit located at the rear in the moving direction. Flight unit including; And a propulsion unit including a fixed skirt selectively coupled to the rear of the flight unit, a body extending from the fixed skirt, and a rocket engine provided at an end of the body and dissipating propulsive force; including, and coupled with the propulsion unit by the rocket engine being ignited. When the flight unit reaches a predetermined height, the fixed skirt is disengaged and separated from the rear of the flight unit, and a small rocket propulsion system-based foldable fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle system including electrical parts is provided.

In addition, the electrical unit further includes a communication unit that communicates with an external terminal, a sensor unit that detects the position of one or more of the flight unit and the propulsion unit, and a control unit that controls one or more of the flight unit and the propulsion unit, and the control unit has a variable wing. It can control the operation of the fixed skirt, the operation of the rocket engine, the posture of the flight unit, and the operation of the power unit.

In addition, when the propulsion unit is disengaged from the flight unit, the sensor unit detects whether the propulsion unit is located in the recoverable area, and when it is detected that the propulsion unit is located in the recoverable area, the rocket engine operates to reach the recoverable area by the control unit. When the propulsion unit reaches the recoverable area, the vertical posture is maintained by the control unit, and the parachute can be deployed when the vertical posture is maintained and located within the landing start range.

In addition, when the propulsion unit is disengaged from the flight unit, the flight unit is changed to a first posture in which the variable wings are deployed, and when the sensor unit detects that the flight unit is within a flightable range in the first posture, the flight unit moves to the target area by the control unit. When reaching the target area, the control unit achieves the predetermined flight purpose through the control of the variable wing, and when the predetermined flight objective is achieved, the flight unit turns to the recovery area by the control unit and moves, and when it reaches the recovery area Parachutes can be deployed.

In addition, the propulsion unit and the flight unit can be recovered after flight by being controlled independently by the control unit.

In addition, when the separation distance between the propulsion unit and the flight unit is detected by the sensor unit as being more than a predetermined distance after the separation between the propulsion unit and the flight unit, it may be detected that the coupling is released.

In addition, the sensor unit may sense the location of the flight unit and the propulsion unit through information including longitude, latitude, and altitude.

An embodiment of the present invention includes a folding fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle system based on a small rocket propulsion system capable of using a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle for exploration by applying a rocket type in a method of reaching a mission altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

1 is a perspective view showing an unmanned aerial vehicle as an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a perspective view showing a flight unit as an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an enlarged view showing a power unit as an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram showing an example of a flight path of a flight unit as an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a perspective view showing a propulsion unit as an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a cross-sectional view of a propulsion unit as an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a view showing take-off and recovery of a propulsion unit as an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a diagram showing a take-off sequence of an unmanned aerial vehicle as an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a flowchart illustrating steps from taking off of an unmanned aerial vehicle to recovery of a propulsion unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a flowchart illustrating steps from take-off of an unmanned aerial vehicle to recovery of a flight unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, this is only an example and the present invention is not limited thereto.

In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of the known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. In addition, terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, which may vary according to the intention or custom of a user or operator. Therefore, the definition should be made based on the contents throughout this specification.

The technical spirit of the present invention is determined by the claims, and the following examples are only one means for efficiently explaining the technical spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs.

An unmanned aerial vehicle 10 including a conventional fixed wing may require about 50% or more of energy to take off and reach a mission altitude, and particularly, a lot of energy is consumed in the take-off phase. Here, when a rocket propulsion engine is applied, a relatively large thrust can be generated for a short time during take-off, and if the energy required for the entire take-off of the unmanned aerial vehicle (10) is supplied instead, the cruising distance, the time to reach the mission area, the duration of the mission, etc. can improve. The technology applied to the present invention includes these technical elements.

The rocket-type unmanned aerial vehicle (10) of the present invention improves the cruising distance, mission time, and mission area arrival time of the existing unmanned aerial vehicle (10), thereby providing ocean exploration, rescue, It can be used for reconnaissance, etc., and by utilizing the characteristics of rocket propulsion, it can reach the mission area at supersonic speed and start activities immediately. Alternatively, it can be expected to secure the time economy consumed in the operational preparation stage, as the unmanned aerial vehicle can immediately operate in a wider radius with fewer ground bases and launch facilities.

1 is a perspective view showing an unmanned aerial vehicle 10 as an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 of the unmanned aerial vehicle system of the present invention may include a flight unit 100 and a propulsion unit 200. The flight unit 100 is a body for performing purposes such as exploration of a predetermined area during flight, and the propulsion unit 200 is a body for quickly moving the flight unit 100 to a predetermined position.

The flight unit 100 includes a body 110, a variable wing 111 connected to the body 110 to rotate at a predetermined angle, a head unit 120 located at the front in the moving direction, and a rear position in the moving direction. It may include a power unit 130; the propulsion unit 200 includes a fixed skirt 230 selectively coupled to the rear of the flight unit 100, a body 210 extending from the fixed skirt 230, and a body It may include a rocket engine 220 provided at the end of 210 and inverting propulsion.

When the rocket engine 220 is ignited and the flight unit 100 coupled with the propulsion unit 200 reaches a predetermined height, the fixed skirt 230 is disengaged from the rear of the flight unit 100 and separated, A small rocket propulsion system-based foldable fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle system including an electric unit 115 is provided.

In addition, the electrical unit 115 is a communication unit that communicates with an external terminal, a sensor unit that detects the position of one or more of the flight unit 100 and the propulsion unit 200, and of the flight unit 100 and the propulsion unit 200. A control unit for controlling one or more may be further included. Here, the control unit can control the operation of the variable wing 111, whether or not the fixed skirt 230 is coupled, the operation of the rocket engine 220, the posture of the flight unit 100, and the operation of the power unit 130. In addition, the propulsion unit 200 and the flight unit 100 may be recovered after flight by being independently controlled by each control unit.

As shown in FIG. 1 , in this example, the flight unit 100 and the propulsion unit 200 may be fixed by fixing the fixed skirt 230 provided on the propulsion unit 200 side. As described above, the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 includes a control unit, and all flights including take-off and landing may be controlled by the control unit. This may be based on preset flight information, and may be controlled according to control information input in real time through transmission and reception through a communication unit that is communicatively connected to an external terminal.

2 is a perspective view showing a flight unit 100 as an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, when the propulsion unit 200 is disengaged from the flight unit 100, the flight unit 100 is changed to a first posture in which the variable wings 111 are deployed, and the flight unit is operated by the sensor unit. When (100) is detected as a flightable range in the first attitude, the control unit moves to the target area, and when it reaches the target area, the control unit achieves a predetermined flight purpose through control of the variable wing 111. When the determined flight purpose is achieved, the flight unit 100 turns and moves to the recovery area by the control unit, and deploys a parachute when reaching the recovery area.

Here, the first posture refers to the form shown in FIG. 2 in which the variable wing 111 is laterally deployed, and after being moved by the propulsion unit 200 to a predetermined altitude, the propulsion unit 200 and the flight unit 100 Before and after the point of separation, the first posture may be changed. This is for continuous flight, and may be implemented at a position including latitude, longitude, and altitude for performing a predetermined purpose such as exploration by propulsion.

The variable wing 111 may be adjusted in altitude and flight direction during flight while an aileron (not shown) is controlled by a controller. Furthermore, the driving of the power unit 130 may be made during flight of the flight unit 100 for flight power. As shown in FIG. 3 below, the power unit 130 may generate thrust with the propeller 131 through a change of direction to maintain flight through maintenance and control of lift.

3 is an enlarged view showing a power unit 130 as an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the power unit 130 may include a propeller 131, a rudder 132, a housing 133, and a motor unit 134. The motor unit 134 may be located at the rear and covered from the outside by the housing 133 . Air movement generated from the propeller 131 is formed through the space between the housing 133 and the motor unit 134. That is, the housing 133, the motor unit 134, and the propeller 131 may be provided coaxially coupled.

In addition, the housing 133 is coupled to the rudder 132 at a plurality of points so that the axis of the body 110 of the flight unit 100 may be staggered by adjusting the rudder 132, and through this, thrust is generated. By generating the generated direction differently from the traveling direction, it is possible to generate the magnitude and direction of thrust according to the flight direction and necessity.

4 is a diagram showing an example of a flight path of the flight unit 100 as an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, it is possible to fly in a predetermined flight area through the steering of the flight unit 100 described above with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, and to perform exploration such as detecting and grasping the terrain (G) through flight. can be done Of course, this is limited to the purpose of exploration, and can be applied to various purposes according to the user's choice. When the exploration of the predetermined terrain (G), detection area (S), etc., which is the purpose of the flight, is completed, it is possible to turn and land at the take-off position or the predetermined recovery position of the flight unit 100. The control flow of the flight unit 100 controlled by the controller during take-off, flight, and landing is shown in FIG. 8 and a flowchart showing the take-off sequence of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 as an embodiment of the present invention. As an embodiment, it may be made according to the flow shown in FIG. 10, which is a flowchart showing the steps from take-off of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 to the recovery of the flight unit 100.

On the other hand, the ejected unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is operated by the intervention of the control unit even when it is located within the longitude, latitude, and altitude of the mission area of a predetermined distance input in advance, and the flight unit 100 by detaching the fixed skirt 230. ) is separated. At this time, the fixed skirt 230 supports the weight of the flight unit 100 during the propulsion of the rocket engine 220 and combines the body 210 and the flight unit 100 of the propulsion unit 200, and the hinge when deployed It rotates 180 degrees along the way to release the coupling, and minimizes drag during recovery flight by positioning the nose cone 240 stored inside in the front.

In addition, when the flight unit 100 is separated from the propulsion unit 200 and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, the variable wing 111 is deployed and the propeller 131 of the power unit 130 starts to operate to restore the posture horizontally. It is desirable to be controlled so that Thereafter, after performing the mission by flying to the detection area (S), when the mission is completed, it is possible to return to a predetermined location such as the initial take-off location and land. At the time of landing, a parachute (not shown) may be deployed to land.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the propulsion unit 200 as an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the propulsion unit 200 as an embodiment of the present invention. 5 and 6, the propulsion unit 200 includes a body 210, a rocket engine 220 located at one end of the body 210, and a fixed skirt 230 located at the other end of the body 210. include Specifically, the nose cone 240 is provided at the other end of the propulsion unit 200, and when the propulsion unit 200 located inside the body 210 is disengaged from the flight unit 100, the sensor unit propels the unit. Detects whether the 200 is located in the recoverable area, and when it is detected that the propulsion unit 200 is located in the recoverable area, the rocket engine 220 is operated to reach the recoverable area by the control unit, and the propulsion unit ( 200) is maintained in a vertical attitude by the control unit when it reaches a recoverable area, and when located within a landing start range in a state in which the vertical attitude is maintained, the parachute can be deployed. The parachute (not shown) may be provided so that it can be deployed while viewing an opening on the surface of the body 210 .

Through this process, the propulsion unit 200 may be recovered to the ground (L) while drawing a trajectory as shown in FIG. 7 below. Figure 7 is a view showing the take-off and recovery of the propulsion unit 200 as an embodiment of the present invention. After the separation between the 200 and the flight unit 100, when it is detected that the separation distance is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance, it may be detected that the coupling is released. The predetermined distance means at least a distance greater than the separation distance at which the flight unit 100 and the propulsion unit 200 can normally perform their respective flights.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 10 of the present invention is launched as the rocket engine 220 of the propulsion unit 200 is ignited during take-off and obtains a target cruising altitude and speed. When energy required for take-off and cruise is obtained through the propulsion unit 200, the propulsion unit 200 and the flight unit 100 are separated, and the propulsion unit 200 is a double pulse rocket motor, which is a kind of rocket engine 220. It is recovered by flying by re-propulsion, and the flight unit 100 cruises to the mission area through a self-propelled device. Depending on the type of mission and the required arrival time, the altitude and speed at the time of separation can be adjusted through the control unit, and accordingly, the recovery of the propulsion unit 200 is performed by vertical landing or gliding with separate wings. The separated flight unit 100 performs a specific mission in the mission area and then lands in the recovery area using altitude.

In addition, as a specific example, the above-described electronic unit 115 includes a servomotor and a control computer for controlling each unit, a GPS and an inertial navigation device for measuring flight information, a communication sensor, a battery pack for power supply, and a launch pad for combining. It may include a launch pad coupling device. Among the rocket propulsion parts, the double pulse rocket motor is a single solid rocket propulsion engine that is divided into two parts during take-off and landing, and after ejection of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10, the front wings are deployed to supply flight kinetic energy to the recovery area.

The control flow of the propulsion unit 200 controlled by the control unit during take-off, flight, and landing is shown in FIG. 8 and a flowchart showing the take-off sequence of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 as an embodiment of the present invention. As an embodiment of the above, it may be made according to the flow shown in FIG. 9, which is a flowchart showing steps from taking off of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 to recovery of the propulsion unit 200.

Although representative embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications are possible to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. . Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments and should not be defined, and should be defined by not only the claims to be described later, but also those equivalent to these claims.

10: UAV
100: flight department
110: body
110a: folding surface
111: variable wing
115: electrical part
120: head part
130: power unit
131: propeller
132: rudder
133: housing
134: motor unit
200: propulsion unit
210: body
220: rocket engine
221: control wing
230: fixed skirt
231: skirt hinge
240: nose cone
S: detection area
G: Terrain
L: ground

Claims (7)

A flight unit including a body, a variable wing connected to the body to rotate at a predetermined angle, a head unit located in front of the moving direction, and a power unit located at the rear of the moving direction; and
A propulsion unit including a fixed skirt selectively coupled to the rear of the flight unit, a body extending from the fixed skirt, and a rocket engine provided at an end of the body and dissipating thrust,
When the rocket engine is ignited and the flight unit coupled with the propulsion unit reaches a predetermined height, the fixed skirt is disengaged from the rear of the flight unit and separated, and a small rocket propulsion system-based foldable fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle system including electric parts. .
The method of claim 1,
The electrical unit further includes a communication unit communicating with an external terminal, a sensor unit detecting a position of one or more of the flight unit and the propulsion unit, and a control unit controlling one or more of the flight unit and the propulsion unit,
The control unit,
A folding fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle system based on a small rocket propulsion system that controls the operation of the variable wing, whether or not the fixed skirt is coupled, the operation of the rocket engine, the posture of the flight unit, and the operation of the power unit.
The method of claim 2,
When the propulsion unit is disengaged from the flight unit,
The sensor unit detects whether the propulsion unit is located in a recoverable area,
When it is detected that the propulsion unit is located in the recoverable area, the rocket engine is operated to reach the recoverable area by the control unit;
When the propulsion unit reaches a recoverable area, the control unit maintains a vertical posture,
A folding fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle system based on a small rocket propulsion system that deploys a parachute when located within a landing start range in a state where the vertical posture is maintained.
The method of claim 2,
When the propulsion unit is disengaged from the flight unit,
The flight unit is changed to a first posture in which the variable wing is deployed,
When the sensor unit detects that the flight unit is within a range capable of flying in the first attitude, the control unit flies to a target area,
When reaching the target area, a predetermined flight purpose is achieved through control of the variable wing by the controller,
When the predetermined flight purpose is achieved, the flight unit turns and moves to the recovery area by the control unit,
A folding fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle system based on a small rocket propulsion system that deploys a parachute when reaching the recovery area.
According to claim 3 or claim 4,
The propulsion unit and the flight unit are each controlled by the control unit and are independently controlled so that they are recovered after flight.
According to claim 3 or claim 4,
Disengagement of the propulsion unit and the flight unit is a small rocket that detects that the coupling is released when the sensor unit detects that the separation distance is more than a predetermined distance after the separation between the propulsion unit and the flight unit. A folding fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle system based on a propulsion system.
The method of claim 2,
The sensor unit,
A small rocket propulsion system-based foldable fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle system that detects the position of the flight unit and the propulsion unit through information including longitude, latitude, and altitude.

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