WO2018194214A1

WO2018194214A1 - Fixed-wing drone using variable pitch propeller

Info

Publication number: WO2018194214A1
Application number: PCT/KR2017/005533
Authority: WO
Inventors: 유창범
Original assignee: (주)창성에프티
Priority date: 2017-04-18
Filing date: 2017-05-26
Publication date: 2018-10-25
Also published as: KR20180116849A

Abstract

A fixed-wing drone using a variable pitch propeller, according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprises: a body section formed in a lengthwise direction from a front end to a rear end; wing sections formed on both sides of the body portion in the form of fixed wings; a rotating section for rotating a propeller formed of a plurality of blades formed at the rear end of the body portion and having a variable pitch; and a control section for, when in a take-off and landing mode, varying the plurality of blades to a first pitch and rotating the same to generate driving force from the rear end to the front end of the body section, thereby moving the body section in a vertical direction with respect to the ground, and when in a flight mode, varying the plurality of blades to a second pitch and rotating the same to generate driving force from the front end to the rear end of the body section, thereby moving the body section in a horizontal direction with respect to the ground.

Description

Fixed-wing drones with variable pitch propellers

The present invention relates to a fixed-wing drone using a variable pitch propeller, and a technique for controlling vertical takeoff and landing and horizontal flight using one propeller is disclosed.

Unmanned drones can be classified into fixed wing drones, which are driven by propeller rotation and lifted through fixed wings, and rotorcraft drones that fly using thrust generated by the rotation of rotors. Fixed wing drones do not have vertical takeoffs and landings, which require runways, do not allow stationary flight, high accidents during takeoff and landing, and rotorcraft drones have to use multiple propellers, resulting in complicated control and high battery consumption. There is a limit to inefficiency.

As a solution to this problem, it uses a tilt rotor method to vertically take off and land a fixed-wing drone, or a method of mounting a plurality of multi-rotors on a wing, which is difficult due to technical difficulties of control, maintenance difficulty, and heavy gas. Deterioration is the biggest problem preventing the development of vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing drones.

Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-1663814 (2016. 10. 07 announcement) of the prior art relates to a "tail take-off and landing aircraft", during take-off and landing rotates around the body of the aircraft serves as a rotor, when cruising It discloses a technique for forming a variable wing that is fixed to the body portion of the aircraft to perform a fixed wing role.

However, in the case of the conventional technology, a plurality of propellers must be used, and a situation in which the efficiency of the efficiency is lowered by varying the main blade is not overcome.

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a fixed-wing drone using a variable pitch propeller that can change the pitch of the propeller to enable vertical take-off, landing, in-flight and turning flight only by the rotation of a single propeller responsible for thrust in the fixed-wing drone. For sake.

In addition, it is to provide a fixed-wing drone using a variable pitch propeller to effectively cancel the anti-torque generated during vertical takeoff and landing and turning flight.

In addition, it is to provide a fixed-wing drone using a variable pitch propeller capable of stable takeoff and landing and flight posture control by converting into a vertical wing during turning flight while serving as a support during vertical takeoff and landing.

Fixed wing drone using a variable pitch propeller according to an embodiment of the present invention, the body portion formed in the longitudinal direction from the front end to the rear end, the wing portion formed in the form of a fixed blade on both sides of the body portion, and is formed at the rear end of the body portion A rotating part for rotating the propeller consisting of a plurality of blades of variable pitch, and in the take-off and landing mode, by rotating the plurality of blades to the first pitch to generate a propulsion force from the rear end to the front end of the body portion from the ground And a control unit for moving in the vertical direction, in the flight mode, by varying and rotating the plurality of blades to a second pitch to generate a propulsion force from the front end to the rear end, thereby moving the body from the ground in the horizontal direction.

The rotating unit may include a propeller in which a pair of blades having an airfoil shape in cross section is connected in a straight line through a hub at a center thereof, and a first driving unit connected by the hub and a drive shaft to rotate the pair of blades. And a plate moving along the driving shaft and connected to the pair of blades through a plurality of first links, and connected through the plate and the plurality of second links to vary the pitch of the pair of blades. And, it may include a second drive for changing the inclination of the rotation surface of the pair of blades.

The apparatus may further include a sensing unit configured to sense at least one or more of a position, an altitude, a speed, an acceleration, and an inclination of the body unit, wherein the wing unit is formed to rotate at a predetermined angle on one side of the wing unit to generate reaction torque according to the rotating unit. A rotational auxiliary blade to offset and a flight auxiliary wing which is formed to rotate at a predetermined angle on the other side of the wing part to assist flight, and the control unit has a front end of the body part in accordance with an operation mode of the body part through the sensing part. The rotational auxiliary wing or the flight auxiliary wing can be controlled to control the posture when flying in the vertical direction toward the ground or the body portion is flying in the horizontal direction with the ground.

The apparatus may further include an image acquisition unit formed at the front end of the body unit to acquire an image, and the controller may drive the image acquisition unit when the body unit switches to vertical flight among horizontal flights.

The apparatus may further include a sensing unit configured to detect at least one or more of a position, an altitude, a speed, an acceleration, and an inclination of the body unit, wherein the controller is configured to charge when the body unit is less than a predetermined value during vertical flight at the first position. The controller may return to the second position wherever possible and control to return to the first position to perform vertical flight when the charging is completed.

Accordingly, the pitch of the propeller can be varied to enable vertical takeoff, landing, in-flight, and turning flight by only rotating the single propeller that is responsible for the thrust in the fixed-wing drone, thereby efficiently increasing the flight time.

In addition, it is possible to effectively offset the anti-torque generated during vertical takeoff and landing and turning flight to enable a stable flight.

In addition, it functions as a support during vertical take-off and landing, so that it can be converted into vertical wings during turning flight, and stable take-off and landing control is possible.

1 is a block diagram of a fixed-wing drone using a variable pitch propeller according to an embodiment of the present invention,

2 is a detailed configuration diagram of a rotating part of a fixed-wing drone using a variable pitch propeller according to FIG. 1,

3 is an exemplary diagram for explaining a flight mode of a fixed wing drone using a variable pitch propeller according to FIG. 1;

4 is an exemplary view for explaining a relationship between a fixed-wing drone and a docking station using a variable pitch propeller according to FIG. 1;

5 and 6 are exemplary views for explaining that the support is added to the fixed wing drone using the variable pitch propeller according to FIG. 1.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terms used are terms selected in consideration of functions in the embodiments, and the meaning of the terms may vary depending on the intention or precedent of the user or operator. Therefore, the meaning of the terms used in the embodiments to be described later, according to the definition if specifically defined herein, and if there is no specific definition should be interpreted to mean generally recognized by those skilled in the art.

1 is a block diagram of a fixed wing drone using a variable pitch propeller according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a detailed configuration diagram of a rotating part of the fixed wing drone using a variable pitch propeller according to Figure 1, Figure 3 It is an exemplary view for explaining the flight mode of the fixed-wing drone using a variable pitch propeller according to.

1 to 3, the fixed wing drone 100 using the variable pitch propeller according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a body part 110, a wing part 120, a rotating part 130, and a controller 140. Include.

Body portion 110 is formed in the longitudinal direction from the front end to the rear end. The body unit 110 may be formed of a lightweight synthetic resin material, and a rechargeable battery (not shown), a part of the rotating unit 130 to be described later, and a controller 140 may be mounted therein. Body 110 is possible to take off and landing in the vertical direction, it is possible to fly in the horizontal direction. On both sides of the body portion 110, the wing portion 120 is formed in the form of a fixed blade, the rear end is rotated 130 is shaped. In this case, the rotating surface of the rotating unit 130 and the wing surface of the wing 120 is formed in a vertical direction to each other. The rotating part 130 is formed on a central axis along the longitudinal direction of the body part 110.

The wing portion 120 is formed in a fixed blade shape on both sides of the body portion 110. The wing portion 120 may be formed to have an area wider from the front end to the rear end of the body portion 110. The wing 120 itself is formed in the form of a fixed wing that does not move during take-off and landing. The wing 120 may be formed in an airfoil shape in cross section. A solar panel is formed on the surface of the wing 120 to convert solar energy into electrical energy. LED display unit is formed on the surface of the wing 120, it is also possible to display a variety of information in the form of symbols, letters, figures.

In addition, the wing 120 may further include an auxiliary wing (121). The auxiliary wing 121 is formed on one side of the wing portion 120 located at the rear end of the body portion 110 to face the rotating portion 130 to be described later. The auxiliary wing 121 serves to cancel the reaction torque acting as the body portion 110 by the rotation unit 130. The auxiliary wing 121 is controlled to rotate at a predetermined angle on one side of the wing 120. The auxiliary wing 121 may be set to a different angle of rotation from the wing 120 according to the speed, rotation direction, etc. of the rotating unit 130. Accordingly, the fixed wing drone 100 may minimize a phenomenon in which the body is distorted by the rotating unit 130 even during vertical take-off and landing flight, stop flight, and horizontal flight. The auxiliary wing 121 may be formed in the shape of an airfoil cross section.

The rotating part 130 is formed at the rear end of the body part 110 to rotate the propeller 131 composed of a plurality of blades (131-1) having a variable pitch. The rotating surface of the rotating unit 130 is made perpendicular to the body portion 110, it can move the body portion 110 in the vertical direction. In addition, the rotation unit 130 may control the inclination of the body portion 110 by varying the pitch of the blade 131-1, and may move in the horizontal direction with the ground. In other words, the rotating unit 130 adjusts the variable pitch of the blade 131-1 of the propeller 131 differently according to the case where the fixed wing drone 100 is in the vertical take-off and landing mode, in the stationary flight mode, or in the horizontal flight mode. Can be.

Referring to FIG. 2, the rotating unit 130 specifically includes a propeller 131, a first driving unit 132, a plate 133, and a second driving unit 134. Propeller 131 has a pair of blades (131-1) formed in the shape of an airfoil cross-section is connected in a straight line through the hub (131-2) in the center. In this case, the number of blades 131-1 may vary according to a user setting, and the description will be made in the minimum unit. The pair of blades 131-1 are formed to have a variable pitch. The lower portion of the hub 131-2 is connected to the first driving unit 132 through the driving shaft 132-1 to rotate the pair of blades 131-1.

The first driving unit 132 is connected to the hub 131-2 of the propeller 131 through a central axis to rotate the pair of blades 131-1. The first drive unit 132 may be implemented as an electric motor, it is possible to accelerate and decelerate, it is preferable that the forward and reverse rotation. The first driver 132 is fixed to the inside of the body portion 110 and is connected to a battery inside the body portion 110 to receive power. The rotational speed of the first driver 132 is controlled by the controller 140.

The plate 133 is a disk shape with a hole formed at the center thereof and moves along the drive shaft 132-1. The plate 133 is connected to the pair of blades 131-1 through the plurality of first links 133-1. In addition, the plate 133 is connected to the second driver 134 described later through the plurality of second links 133-2. In other words, the plurality of first links 133-1 are connected to one side of the plate 133, and the plurality of second links 133-2 are connected to the other side of the plate 133. The plate 133 serves as an intermediate to transfer the driving force of the second driver 134 to the pair of blades 131-1.

The second driver 134 is connected to the plate 133 through the plurality of second links 133-2. The second driver 134 may be formed in plural, and for example, may implement a three-servo system. The second driving unit 134 varies the height and inclination of the plate 133 through the second link 133-2, and changes the plate 133 through the first link 133-1 in cooperation with the plate 133. The pitch of the pair of blades 131-1 is variable. In this case, the pitch of the pair of blades 131-1 and the inclination of the rotating surface can also be varied.

The controller 140 is formed inside the body part 110 and rotates the plurality of blades 131-1 at a first pitch in a take-off and landing mode. When the pair of blades 131-1 is changed to the first pitch, propulsion force is generated while air moves from the rear end of the body part 110 to the front end. Fixed wing drone 100 of the present invention is the rear end facing the sky, the front end is to take off and landing vertically facing the ground. Therefore, the fixed wing drone 100 may take off and land or stop flight while the body 110 moves in the vertical direction.

In addition, the controller 140 rotates the plurality of blades 131-1 to the second pitch in the flight mode. When the pair of blades 131-1 is changed to a second pitch, propulsion force is generated while air moves from the front end of the body part 110 to the rear end. In the fixed wing drone 100 of the present invention, the attitude of the fixed wing drone 100 is changed while the pair of blades 131-1 varies from the first pitch to the second pitch. In the first pitch, the body part 110 moves up, down, or stops in the vertical direction, and in the second pitch, the body part 110 moves in the horizontal direction.

In addition, the control unit 140 may control the angle of the auxiliary wing 121 of the wing 120. In this case, the auxiliary wing 121 may be adjusted in angle by a drive means that operates separately from the rotating unit 130. The control unit 140 is the angle of the auxiliary wing 121 to adjust the flight itself while removing the anti-torque by the rotary unit 130 while the fixed wing drone 100 is vertical takeoff and landing, stationary flight, or turning flight. To control. In this case, the angle of the pair of auxiliary wings 121 may be varied according to the inclination of the body 110 of the fixed wing drone (! 00), the direction of the wind around, the rotational speed of the rotating unit 130, and the like.

In addition, the control unit 140 may include a communication module to transmit and receive a control signal through wireless communication with an external user terminal. The controller 140 may transmit and receive a control signal for a flight path, a flight posture, a battery, and the like of the fixed wing drone 100 using RF communication, network communication, or satellite communication.

The fixed wing drone 100 of the present invention may take off and land in the vertical direction as shown in (a) of FIG. 3 or may stop in the air. In addition, the fixed wing drone 100 of the present invention is able to fly in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. In this case, one propeller 131 is used, and the attitude of the fixed blade drone 100 may be changed by varying the pitch of the pair of blades 131-1. In other words, the pitch of the blade 131-1 when the fixed wing drone 100 moves in the vertical direction as shown in (a) and the blade when the fixed wing drone 100 moves in the horizontal direction as shown in (b) ( 131-1) can be controlled in the opposite direction.

On the other hand, the fixed wing drone 100 using a variable pitch propeller according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a detector 150 and the image acquisition unit 160.

The detector 150 detects at least one of the position, altitude, speed, acceleration, and tilt of the body 110. The sensing unit 150 transmits the sensing information to the control unit 140 at a preset time period. In this case, the control unit 140 is the front end of the body portion 110 toward the ground in accordance with the operation mode of the body portion 110 through the sensing unit 150, or the body portion 110 and the ground Control your attitude when flying in the horizontal direction. In addition, the controller 140 may control the auxiliary rotor 121 to correct the posture of the fixed wing drone 100.

The image acquisition unit 160 is formed at the tip of the body unit 110 to acquire an image. The image acquisition unit 160 photographs the ground because the distal end of the body 110 faces the ground. The image acquisition unit 160 may monitor the ground situation. Image information obtained from the image acquisition unit 160 may be transmitted to an external server at a predetermined time period. In this case, the controller 140 may drive the image acquisition unit 160 when the body 110 switches to vertical flight of horizontal flight. In other words, after the fixed-wing drone 100 makes vertical landing and landing, the body portion 110 moves horizontally while moving to the target point, and then the posture is changed so that the body portion 110 becomes vertical flight again at the target point. The image acquisition unit 160 is driven. This is to ensure that the fixed-wing drone 100 obtains an image only at a selected point when having a mission of reconnaissance.

4 is an exemplary view for explaining the relationship between a fixed-wing drone and a docking station using a variable pitch propeller according to FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 4, the fixed wing drone 100 of the present invention may land on the docking station 1000 on the ground to transmit data and charge / discharge the battery. An identification unit 1100 is formed at an upper portion of the docking station 1000 so that the fixed wing drone 100 may authenticate with the docking station 1000 through radio waves. In addition, the fixed wing drone 100 may be recognized by photographing the upper portion of the docking station (1000). The fixed wing drone 100 may automatically return to the docking station 1000 to charge the battery when the remaining battery level during the flight is less than the preset value at the preset target point. When the battery is charged, the fixed wing drone 100 may automatically move back to the final target point.

5 and 6, the fixed wing drone 100 using the variable pitch propeller according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include a support 170. The support part 170 is formed at the rear end of the body part. When the fixed-wing drone 100 is taken off and landed, the support 170 is deployed as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, and during flight, the fixed wing drone 100 closely contacts the body 110 as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. do. In this case, the support 170 is preferably formed to be accommodated in the receiving groove (not shown) formed on the outer peripheral surface of the body portion 110 to minimize the resistance of the wind during the flight. The support unit 170 is formed in a structure that can be stably mounted on the ground in order to take off and landing in a state in which the fixed wing drone 100 is not held by a person by hand.

In this case, the wing unit 120 may further include an additional auxiliary wing 122 in addition to the auxiliary wing 121. Additional auxiliary wing 122 is formed to rotate at a predetermined angle on the other side of the wing portion 120 to assist the flight. The additional auxiliary wing 122 is arranged side by side with the auxiliary wing 121. In other words, the auxiliary wing 121 and the additional auxiliary wing 122 are arranged in the wing 120 located at the rear end of the body 110. The additional auxiliary wing 122 serves to facilitate the fine-tuning of the posture change, the change of altitude, and the offset of the anti-torque while the fixed wing drone 100 is in flight. The additional auxiliary wing 122 may be controlled independently of the auxiliary wing 121. The additional auxiliary wing 122 may be formed in an airfoil shape in cross section.

In detail, the support unit 170 includes a support 171, a connection unit 172, and a third driving unit 173.

The support 171 is formed in plural, preferably three or more. Support 171 is rotated at a predetermined angle from the outer peripheral surface of the body portion (110). The plurality of supports 171 are connected to one side by the fixing part 171-1 to be rotatable. In other words, one side of the support 171 is connected to the fixing portion 171-1, the other side is in contact with the ground. It is also possible to form a buffer member at the other end of the support (171).

In addition, a vertical wing 171-2 may be formed at one side of the support 171. Vertical wing 171-2 is a wing formed in a direction perpendicular to the body portion (110). In the vertical wing 171-2, when the fixed wing drone 100 is vertically taken off and landed, the support 171 is deployed outward as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. The vertical wing 171-2, as shown in (a) and (b) of Figure 6 when the fixed wing drone 100 is flying in the horizontal direction and the ground surface, such as turning flight, while being folded to the body portion 110 side serves as a wing. do. Accordingly, it is possible to facilitate the flight attitude control of the fixed wing drone 100.

The connection part 172 may be connected so that one side may be rotatable with one side of the support 171, and the other side may be connected to the moving part 172-1. The connecting portion 172 may be formed in the same number as the support 171, but is not necessarily limited thereto. The connection part 172 serves to expand or fold the support 171 as the moving part 172-1 moves.

The third driving unit 173 is connected to the moving unit 172-1 using the moving rod 173-1 as the output shaft. The third driving unit 173 may allow the support 171 to be deployed or folded while varying the position of the moving unit 172-1 by adjusting the length of the moving rod 173-1. When the third driving unit 173 moves the moving unit 172-1 to the fixing unit 171-1, the support 171 is folded to the outer peripheral surface of the body unit 110, and the moving unit 172-1 is fixed to the moving unit 172-1. Moving in the opposite direction of (171-1), the support 171 is deployed to expand from the outer peripheral surface of the body portion (110).

Meanwhile, a buffer part (not shown) is formed between the fixing part 171-1 and the moving part 172-1 to maintain a gap between the fixing part 171-1 and the moving part 172-1. It can also play a role. The shock absorbing part serves to absorb the shock transmitted through the support 171 when the support 171 lands on the ground in a deployed state. The buffer part may be formed in a spring shape, but it is also possible to use a hydraulic damper structure.

The controller 140 controls the support unit 170 according to the flight mode of the fixed wing drone 110. In this case, the deployment angle of the support 171 may be variably adjusted according to the weight of the body 110 or the material of the ground surface. In addition, the auxiliary wing 121 or the additional auxiliary wing 122 of the wing 120 can be controlled simultaneously or separately to minimize the impact during landing. In this case, the subsidiary wing 122 may be driven to finely control the anti-torque, thereby inducing precise takeoff and landing of the fixed wing drone 100.

The present invention has been described above with reference to the preferred embodiments described with reference to the drawings, but is not limited thereto. Accordingly, the invention should be construed by the description of the claims, which are intended to cover obvious variations that can be derived from the described embodiments.

Claims

Body portion formed in the longitudinal direction from the front end to the rear end;

Wing parts formed in a fixed blade shape on both sides of the body portion;

A rotation part formed at a rear end of the body part to rotate a propeller composed of a plurality of blades having a variable pitch; And

In the take-off and landing mode, the plurality of blades are variably rotated to a first pitch to generate propulsion force from the rear end of the body portion to the tip, thereby moving the body portion from the ground in the vertical direction, and in the flight mode, the plurality of blades are moved to the second direction. A fixed-wing drone using a variable pitch propeller comprising a control unit for varying the pitch to rotate to generate a driving force from the front end to the rear end to move the body in the horizontal direction from the ground.
The method of claim 1,

The rotating part,

A propeller in which a pair of blades formed in an airfoil shape in cross section are connected in a straight line through a hub at a center thereof;

A first driver connected to the hub and a drive shaft to rotate the pair of blades;

A plate moving along the drive shaft and connected to the pair of blades through a plurality of first links; And

Fixed wing drone using a variable pitch propeller connected to the plate through a plurality of second links, the second drive unit for varying the pitch of the pair of blades, or the inclination of the rotational surface of the pair of blades .
The method of claim 1,

Further comprising a sensing unit for sensing at least one or more of the position, altitude, speed, acceleration, tilt of the body portion,

The wing portion,

A rotating auxiliary blade which is formed to rotate at a predetermined angle on one side of the wing to offset the reaction torque according to the rotating part; And

It is formed to rotate at a predetermined angle on the other side of the wing comprises a flight auxiliary wing to assist the flight,

The control unit,

According to the operation mode of the body portion through the sensing unit to control the rotational auxiliary wing or the flight auxiliary wing so that the front end of the body portion to fly in the vertical direction toward the ground, or the body portion to control the attitude when flying in the horizontal direction with the ground. Fixed-wing drones with variable pitch propellers.
The method of claim 1,

It is formed on the front end of the body portion further comprises an image acquisition unit for obtaining an image,

The control unit,

Fixed wing drone using a variable pitch propeller to drive the image acquisition unit when the body portion is switched to vertical flight of the horizontal flight.
The method of claim 1,

Further comprising a sensing unit for sensing at least one or more of the position, altitude, speed, acceleration, tilt of the body portion,

The control unit,

Using a variable pitch propeller to control the body to return to the second position that can be charged when the remaining capacity of the battery during the vertical flight in the first position is less than the preset value, and to return to the first position to perform vertical flight when the charging is completed Fixed wing drones.