RU2714616C1 - Reusable unmanned aerial vehicle in a launching container and a method for launching a reusable unmanned aerial vehicle from a transport launching container - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: aviation.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to atmospheric unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Reusable UAV in transport launching container comprises fuselage, propulsion unit, booster stage, folding wing and tail unit. Each of wing brackets is made of telescopically interconnected parts installed with possibility of opening by means of spars, each of which is made of telescopically connected parts. Spar root part is rigidly fixed in root part of wing console, and in end part of wing console there is rigidly fixed strong frame, in which the side spar rests upon expansion. Outer ends of root and end parts of spar are made blind. UAV is equipped with folding landing gear. Method of launching the reusable UAV from the transport launching container involves start-up of the start-acceleration stage, movement of the UAV in the transport-launching container and beyond it. After that, empennage and root parts of UAV wing consoles are opened and fixed in flight position, with further extension of wing end consoles by means of telescopically extended spars and fixation in end position. Further, starting-booster stage is separated and UAV propulsion unit is started.

EFFECT: group of inventions is aimed at increasing range, height and duration of flight.

4 cl, 5 dwg

Description

The group of inventions relates to aircraft, and more particularly to atmospheric unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The invention describes the design of a reusable UAV with a folding wing of large elongation, which allows to place and launch it from a transport-launch container (TPK), which makes it possible to equip sea, aviation and ground carriers with UAV complexes.

In modern conditions and in the future, the main requirements ensuring the successful implementation of almost any military operation are the timeliness, reliability and accuracy of obtaining intelligence and targeting data. Quite successfully, this UAV is capable of solving strategic UAVs with a large radius of action and a high flight duration (more than 20-30 hours).

UAVs of this class have great potential for civilian use in terms of monitoring and patrolling areas with a high probability of emergency situations.

However, the widespread deployment of these systems is hindered by limited basing and storage conditions. A number of UAVs have impressive overall dimensions comparable to the dimensions of a light aircraft.

Almost all long-range UAVs require airfield base and hangar storage, and in some cases, daily maintenance. This seriously limits and complicates the widespread use of UAVs, as it implies the existence of an extensive airfield network equipped accordingly.

For the large-scale and operational use of UAVs of the type under consideration, the possibility of mass deployment of UAVs on carriers of various classes (sea, aviation, ground) is necessary. These UAV carriers can primarily be surface ships, airplanes and mobile land launchers based on wheeled or tracked chassis of high cross-country ability.

The use of carriers of these types can be realized with a compact placement of UAVs in a specialized launching device: a launcher or a transport-launch container (TPK). At the same time, one of the requirements for the compact placement of UAVs in the launcher is the ability to fold and open a wing of large elongation. Fulfillment of this condition will ensure a greater range and duration of the UAV flight.

Therefore, the search for technical solutions that allow compact placement of aircraft-type UAVs with a large elongation wing in a specialized launching device, which can significantly expand the options for basing and operating UAVs, is extremely relevant and important.

An incomplete set of these requirements is met by UAVs of the type RQ-4 Global Hawk, MQ-9 Reaper, MQ-1 Predator (BC Fetisov, VV Adamovsky and others. “Unmanned aircraft: terminology, classification, current status”, Ufa, Photon, 2014, p. 21, 23, 134). These aircraft have a large elongation wing, have a long flight duration (more than 20 hours) and are delivered in a transport container. However, the design of these UAVs does not imply a launch from a transport and launch container with subsequent automatic opening of a wing of large elongation.

The prior art also known various methods of folding and opening the consoles of the wing of the UAV and placing it in the TPK.

In patent No. US 2005/02118827 A1 dated 05/29/2005, IPC В64С 3/38, a UAV design with a single wing is proposed, which is placed in a folded position along the lower surface of the fuselage and is opened using a rotary mechanism. This scheme forms a compact placement of the wing, but does not provide for the possibility of disclosing a wing of large elongation. The maximum wing span does not actually exceed the longitudinal overall size of the aircraft. This does not allow to increase such characteristics of the aircraft as range, altitude and duration of flight.

Also known is the opening pattern of the wing consoles of UAVs of the Switchblade type (Reference manual “Unmanned Aerial Vehicles”, Voronezh, Scientific Book, 2015, pp. 521-522). The UAV is equipped with an electric motor, a battery and a payload.

UAV launch is carried out from a portable launch tube as a mortar. After starting from the tube, the UAV automatically opens its plumage and wing consoles on the principle of a “penknife”. Switchblade UAV landing is carried out “on the belly” using the longitudinal sliding method.

However, the above diagram also does not provide for the disclosure of a wing of large elongation. The length of the open wing console with this disclosure method also does not exceed the longitudinal overall size of the UAV.

Known technical solution for the deployment of UAV reconnaissance and target designation type KZO developed by the German concern STN Atlas (Reference manual "Unmanned aerial vehicles", Voronezh, Scientific book, 2015, pp. 182-185).

The UAV is a low wing monoplane. The UAV case is made of composite materials. Two-cylinder piston UAV engine with a pushing two-blade propeller. The wing consoles are straight, of small elongation with two transverse axes of folding. The range of this UAV is 100 km, the flight duration is 3.5 hours.

The UAV launch, transportation and storage system is containerized. The container is placed on a wheeled automobile chassis. KZO UAVs are launched from an inclined container launcher using a rocket launcher (RD). Launch taxiway launch scheme is flow-through, i.e. the front and back covers of the container launcher are open.

In this case, the opening of the wing consoles of the KZO UAV from the folded transportation position to the flight configuration is carried out inside the container launcher before the launch of the rocket engine.

After the KZO UAV leaves the container and the main propulsion system starts, the launch rocket engine is separated and the UAV flies along the programmed path (https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/KZO).

This solution is in technical essence closest to the proposed invention and is taken as a prototype.

However, technical solutions in terms of the design of the UAV and the method of starting the UAV from TPK, implemented in the prototype, are associated with the following difficulties and disadvantages:

1. The shown designs and methods of opening the wing do not allow placing the UAV with the wing of large elongation in a small-sized TPK. The UAV prototype occupies a container, the dimensions of which are: length - 3.05 m, width - 2.44 m, height - 2.44 m. This makes it impossible to place it not only on an aircraft carrier, but makes it difficult to base it on a sea carrier because of the significant overall dimensions and method start in connection with the flow diagram of the launch of the launch taxiway.

The use of KZO UAVs from a mobile launcher (car chassis) is also fraught with significant difficulties and high requirements for the launch position. So, to implement the KZO UAV launch method, a launching ground of about 100 × 100 m in size is required. This imposes significant limitations on the ability to quickly select a launch position. In this case, the formation of the flight configuration (opening of the wing) is carried out at the launch position inside the container launcher with the help of staff. In this regard, the time for UAV preparation for launch reaches 30 minutes, which significantly reduces the efficiency of UAV use and in a number of specific operations makes it practically useless.

2. The proposed technical solutions do not provide for the unified deployment of UAVs on any other types of carriers (marine, aviation and ground);

3. The presented layout schemes for UAVs in TPK do not provide for equipping UAVs with a take-off and landing landing gear (that is, in fact, almost all UAVs located in TPKs are reusable, but with a short service life).

The technical objective of the proposed solution is to eliminate these drawbacks and create the possibility of placing UAVs in TPK and launching from it, the implementation of which provided:

- placement of a UAV with a folded wing of large elongation, take-off and landing gear and plumage in a small-sized TPK;

- the disclosure of the wing of great elongation after the exit of the UAV from the small-sized TPK;

- the possibility of a unified deployment of the first or more UAVs on the main types of carriers - sea, aviation, land;

- reusability of UAV use.

The technical result is the ability to:

- compact placement of UAVs in TPK on typical sea, aviation and land carriers;

- reusable start and use of UAVs from TPK;

- increase the range, altitude and duration of the UAV flight.

This will radically expand the possibilities of using UAVs during search, reconnaissance and rescue operations, long-term monitoring and patrolling of areas with a high risk of emergency situations.

The technical result is due to the fact that:

- a reusable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in a transport and launch container containing a fuselage, a propulsion system, a booster stage, a folding wing and a tail unit, characterized in that each of the wing consoles is made of two or more telescopically connected parts installed with the possibility of opening with the help of one or more spars, each of which is made of telescopically connected parts, while the root part of the spar is rigidly fixed in the root part of the wing console, in the end portion of the wing console is configured rigidly mounted power frame, wherein the side member abuts after razdvizheniya, outer root ends and the end portions of the spar are made blind, wherein the UAV is equipped with folding runway chassis. As a propulsion system can be used turbojet, propeller, electric propeller propulsion system. At the same time, a reusable UAV can be equipped with a system of automatic refueling in flight and / or a system of automatic recharge of electric energy in flight.

- A method of launching a reusable unmanned aerial vehicle from a transport and launch container, including launching a launch-booster stage, moving an unmanned aircraft in and out of the transport and launch container, characterized in that after the unmanned aircraft is completely out of the transport and launch container, opening and fixing in the flight position of the plumage and the root parts of the UAV wing consoles, followed by extension of the wing end consoles using telescopic and nominated spars and lockable in the end position, after which the separated booster stage of starting-and-trigger and propulsion of UAV.

At the same time, a large range and flight altitude in combination with a high flight duration is provided by equipping the UAV with a long elongation wing. The wing of high elongation has an increased aerodynamic quality, which determines the high profitability, duration, range and flight height of the UAV (GI Zhitomirsky “Aircraft Design”, Moscow, Mechanical Engineering, 1995, pp. 56-57).

The problem of placing a UAV with a wing of large elongation in the TPK is solved by the fact that each of the wing consoles is divided into two or more kinematic parts joined together by a telescopic movable joint using a telescopic spar.

The Figure 1 presents a diagram of the compact placement of UAVs in TPK and operational configurations of UAVs.

The Figure 2 presents a diagram of the disclosure of a telescopic wing using a telescopic spar.

The Figure 3 presents a diagram of the disclosure of the plumage and wing consoles of a large elongation of the UAV after starting from TPK.

The Figure 4 presents the options for placing UAVs on carriers.

The Figure 5 presents the options for the use of UAVs from various carriers.

The following notation is accepted:

1. UAV;

2. TPK;

3. TPK cover;

4. Start-and-boost stage (СРС);

5. Propulsion system;

6. The plumage of the UAV;

7. UAV wing;

8. The root part of the wing console;

9. The end of the wing console;

10. Telescopic side member of the wing console;

11. Block of sensors and UAV detection sensors;

12. The front strut of the UAV take-off and landing gear;

13. The rear struts of the UAV take-off and landing gear;

14. The fuselage of the UAV;

15. Surface ship carrier UAV;

16. Aircraft carrier UAV;

17. Mobile launcher carrier UAV;

18. UAV exit;

19. Disclosure of plumage and root parts of UAV wing consoles;

20. Extension of the end parts of the UAV wing consoles;

21. Programmed UAV flight path;

22. The area of search and detection of UAVs;

23. Object of search and rescue;

24. Surface ship rescue service;

25. The spacecraft;

26. Transferring data about the detected object to the medium;

27. Data transmission to a rescue ship;

28. Data transmission to the spacecraft;

29. UAV turn to the nearest airfield;

30. Landing of the UAV at the nearest airfield;

31. Airfield landing UAV.

In the initial position for transportation, storage and operation of the UAV (1) with folded plumage (6) and wing (7) is placed in the TPK (2) (fragment (a), figure 1).

In the forward part of the UAV fuselage (14) there is a block of sensors and detection sensors (11), in the rear part of the UAV there is a propulsion system (5) (fragment (a), figure 1). CPC (4) is tandemly docked to the rear of the fuselage (14) (fragment (b), figure 1).

To make landing on the airfield, the UAV has front (12) and rear (13) landing gears that can be retracted into the fuselage (14) (fragment (g), figure 1).

The plumage (6) of the UAV is made according to a “V” -shaped scheme, with the possibility of folding along the upper surface of the fuselage (14) (fragments (b), figure 1).

To ensure high flight performance of the UAV (1), the wing (7) has a large elongation, each of the consoles of which consists of two telescopically connected parts: the root (8) and the end (9) (fragment (g), figure 1) . The end parts (9) of the wing consoles (7) contain locking mechanisms with the possibility of fixing in the final position (fragment (b), figure 2).

To ensure the extension of the wing end portion from the root in the wing structure, a telescopic spar is provided, made of two or more kinematic parts hermetically joined together by a movable telescopic connection like a folding telescope. The root part of the spar is rigidly fixed in the root part of the wing console, and in the end part of the wing console the whole power frame is made integrally, in which the spar rests after the movement.

The outer ends of the root and end parts of the telescopic spar are made deaf to ensure operability and tightness.

The kinematic parts of the spar can be straight cylindrical shells, or direct prismatic shells. The design of the telescopic spar is movable and hollow with the possibility of changing the internal volume.

The root parts of the wing consoles (8) are made folding on the principle of a “penknife” in the ventral or dorsal or in the fuselage space of the UAV (1) and are equipped with mechanisms (for example, based on springs, pneumatic or hydraulic actuators), which serve for their opening and subsequent fixation in flight position (fragments (b) and (c), figure 3). The end part of the wing console (9) and the telescopic spar (10) in the folded position are placed in the root part of the wing console (8) (fragment (a), figure 2).

Consider the method of starting the proposed UAV (1) from TPK (2).

Opening the front cover (3) TPK (2). The UAV (1) is fired from the TPK (2) by means of a special gas generator or by starting the CPC engine (4), for example, operating in the “tightened” full throttle mode. After the pressure in the bottom volume of the TPK (2) reaches a predetermined UAV level (1), sliding on the support plates along the guide cylindrical surface of the TPK (2), begins a rectilinear accelerated movement. The nose of the UAV departs from the front end of the TPK (2), and then the front of the fuselage (14) leaves the TPK (2).

After the complete exit (absence of UAV parts in the container), the UAV (1) from the TPK (2) using the hydraulic or pneumatic actuators, the root parts of the wing consoles (8) and plumage (6) are opened and fixed by spring mechanisms in the flight position (fragments ( b) and (c), figure 3).

After the root parts (8) of the wing consoles (7) are opened to the flight position, they are fixed in it using spring lock mechanisms.

After fixing the root consoles (8) of the wing (7) of the UAV (1) in the flight position, the telescopic extension of the end parts (9) from the root parts (8) of each of the two wing consoles using the telescopic spar (fragment (c), figure 3) .

To ensure telescopic extension of the end parts (9) into the inner space of the telescopic spar (10) of each of the wing consoles (7), a working fluid (liquid or gas) is simultaneously supplied along high-pressure paths (fragment (b), figure 2).

As a result, the end parts (9) of the wing consoles (7) are advanced to the final flight position, followed by fixing using locking mechanisms.

CPC (4) accelerates the UAV (1) to a predetermined speed and, upon completion of work, is separated from the tail of the UAV under the action of pyro-pushers and the incoming flow. After separation of the CDS (4), the UAV flight configuration (1) is formed (fragment (c), figure 1), operations are carried out to start the propulsion system (5), and the UAV (1) begins to fly in march mode along the programmed path.

By increasing or decreasing the pressure of the working fluid (gas or liquid) inside the telescopic spar, it is possible to increase or decrease the longitudinal dimension of the spar, thereby opening or folding the telescopic parts of the UAV wing console.

This design of the wing extension consoles of large elongation allows successively, starting from the root and ending with the end parts, to open, and after landing, compactly fold the wing consoles of large elongation to its original position (for example, in the dorsal, or dorsal, or in the dorsal spaces of the UAV).

Folding of the UAV plumage is standard along the UAV longitudinal axis on the outer surface of the UAV fuselage.

Thanks to this, the claimed technical result is achieved: placement of a UAV with a large elongation wing in the TPK.

The proposed technical solution allows you to place a UAV (1), for example, on a surface ship (fragment (a), figure 4), a transport aircraft (fragment (b), figure 4), a mobile launcher (fragment (c), figure 4) in number of at least two units.

Consider the application of the UAV under consideration (1) from one of the typical carriers: surface ship (15), aircraft carrier (16) and mobile ground launcher (17) (figure 5).

The output of the UAV (1) from the TPK (2) is carried out by starting the CPC engine (4). After starting the CPC engine (4), the UAV begins a rectilinear accelerated motion along the internal guides of the TPK (2).

After the exit (18) of the UAV (1) from the TPK (2), the root parts of the wing console (8) and the tail unit (6) of the UAV are opened and fixed in the flight position (19). After fixing the root consoles (8) of the wing (7) of the UAV (1) in the flight position, the extension (20) of the end parts (9) of the wing consoles (7) begins.

After completion of the formation of the flight configuration of the UAV (1), the SRS (4) accelerates the UAV (1) to a predetermined speed and, upon completion of work, is separated from the UAV (1) under the influence of pyro-pushers and the incoming air flow. After separation of the CDS (4), the formation of the UAV flight configuration (1) and the propulsion system (6) are launched. After the operations for its launch, the UAV (1) starts the flight in marching mode along the programmed path (21).

After starting the propulsion system (5) and the beginning of the marching flight along the programmed path (21), the block of sensors and detection sensors (11) is turned on and a search and detection zone (22) is formed.

When the search object (23) enters the search and detection zone (22), the UAV airborne communications complex performs:

- data transfer (26) about the detected search object to the corresponding UAV carrier;

- data transmission (27) about the detected search object to the surface ship of the rescue service (24);

- data transmission (28) about the detected search object on the spacecraft (25) of the monitoring orbital group.

After completing the process of transmitting data about the detected search object (23), the UAV (1) performs a program turn (29) and flies to the nearest airfield (31), where it lands (30) by means of the provided front struts (12) and rear struts (13) ) landing gear.

After passing the technical inspection, troubleshooting and routine maintenance, an UAV (1) can be placed in a prepared TPK (2) at the airport (31) and is ready for reuse.

Summing up, we can conclude that equipping the UAV with a telescopic folding wing of large elongation with a telescopic multi-link spar, plumage, take-off and landing gear allows you to place UAVs in a small-sized TPK with minimal restrictions on basing on any typical aviation, sea and ground carriers.

This opens up great opportunities for the operational use of reusable strategic UAVs from any typical media in order to obtain target designation data, reconnaissance, monitoring and patrolling.

Claims (4)

1. A reusable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in a transport and launch container comprising a fuselage, a propulsion system, a booster stage, a folding wing and a tail unit, characterized in that each of the wing consoles is made of two or more telescopically connected parts, installed with the possibility of opening with the help of one or more spars, each of which is made of telescopically connected parts, while the root part of the spar is rigidly fixed in the root part of the wing console, and in the end part of the wing console, a rigidly mounted power frame is made, in which the spar abuts after sliding, the outer ends of the root and end parts of the spar are made blind, while the UAV is equipped with folding take-off and landing landing gear. 2. A reusable unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that it is equipped with an automatic refueling system in flight. 3. A reusable unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that it is equipped with a system for automatically recharging electric energy in flight. 4. A method for launching a reusable unmanned aerial vehicle from a transport and launch container, including launching a launch and booster stage, moving an unmanned aircraft in and out of a transport and launch container, characterized in that after the unmanned aerial vehicle is completely out of the transport and launch container disclose and fix in the flight position the plumage and the root parts of the UAV wing consoles, followed by extension of the wing end consoles using telescopic Ki extended spars and fixation in the final position, after which the start-acceleration stage is separated and the UAV propulsion system is launched.

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