• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    Multirotor drone with cylindrical wing. The present document describes an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with four or more rotary flight impellers (211-214), characterized in that it has a hollow cylindrical body (11) that acts both as a structural element, and to provide aerodynamic lift when the The vehicle moves with its axis close to the horizontal direction. For landing and take-off operations, however, the vehicle axis is positioned vertically, so that the same drive motors (211-214) provide the necessary upward force, without the need for additional driving elements. The control electronics (31) acts on each impeller independently to maneuver the vehicle in all directions of the space. However, at all times, the main direction of advance is the axial direction, minimizing aerodynamic drag. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)
    公开号:ES2664393A1
    申请号:ES201631348
    申请日:2016-10-18
    公开日:2018-04-19
    发明作者:José Manuel LÓPEZ LÓPEZ；Manuel ANDRÉS FERNÁNDEZ
    申请人:José Manuel LÓPEZ LÓPEZ；Manuel ANDRÉS FERNÁNDEZ；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:



    Multirotor drone with cylindrical wing
    Technical sector
    The invention falls within the sector of unmanned aerial vehicles, specifically those of medium size and provided with four or more driving elements per rotary flight.
    State of the art
    One of the most recently developed technical sectors with the best prospects for future expansion is that of unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as “drones” or UAVs, by its English acronym. The drone revolution is transforming companies in all sectors of activity, from agriculture to the film industry. Thus, according to a recent study by the consultant Pricewaterhouse Coopers (2015), the emerging market related to the use of drones can generate business opportunities for a total value of more than 127,000 million dollars. The sectors that can benefit most from the implementation of this type of technology are infrastructure, agriculture and transport.
    Each industry has different needs, so various solutions have been proposed in which different characteristics of the device are enhanced. The following must be assessed, among others: flight speed, payload capacity, maneuverability, accuracy, flight autonomy and, of course, the cost of each solution. In general, the 20 UAVs are usually classified into two broad categories: fixed-wing flight and rotary flight.
    Fixed-wing flight drones have one or more aerodynamic lift surfaces (wings) that provide an upward vertical force, and some drive system that exerts a horizontal forward force. Flight control usually depends on the use of aerodynamic surfaces of variable geometry, such as ailerons, fins and 25 rudders. They are essentially based on the same principles used by manned aircraft known as airplanes, light aircraft and gliders. Fixed-wing flight is usually considered very efficient, since it generally provides high load capacity and flight autonomy. Among its drawbacks, we can highlight that they require facilities equipped with runways for takeoff and landing, since the aircraft must travel large horizontal distances to safely start or stop the flight.
     The rotary flight drones have several driving elements provided with propellers and whose axes are initially arranged in the vertical direction. These impellers directly provide the vertical sustaining force necessary to start the flight, so an airfield with takeoff tracks is not necessary. Either by varying the angle 35 of the axles, either by changing the angle of attack of the propellers or by tilting the entire vehicle body in the vertical plane, it will be possible to make the impellers provide a horizontal component of force, in addition to the lift. Drones in this category are essentially based on the same principles that govern the flight of manned aircraft known as helicopters and gyros. In addition to takeoff 40
    Vertical, already commented, is usually cited as the greatest advantage of these aircraft that have great maneuverability, stability and precision in flight.
    Among the drones of small or medium size (from a few centimeters to a couple of meters in diameter, approximately), one of the solutions of greater implantation consists of a symmetrical distribution of 4 or more impellers of rotary flight 5, known as multirotor or Multicopter The thrust provided by each impeller can be controlled independently thanks to an electronic system comprising, among other elements, a controller board equipped with sensors and a set of electronic current intensity inverters. In this way it is possible to control the flight path of the apparatus without the need for aerodynamic surfaces of variable geometry, that is, without using ailerons. A much greater maneuverability is achieved than in the fixed wing arrangement, but generally at the cost of a reduction in flight autonomy and / or load capacity.
    Some of the latest contributions to the state of the art seek an intermediate approach between these two solutions. In particular, the document of US2016 / 0129998A1 patent proposes to use a flat fixed wing system for lift, a multirotor system for vertical takeoff, and one or more additional impellers - whose axes are positioned at an angle of 90 ° with respect to the first-- that provide horizontal thrust. We must emphasize that this solution keeps only one of the two impeller systems available at all times. In addition, during the ascent and descent of the vehicle the entire surface of the wings is in the plane perpendicular to the movement, offering great aerodynamic resistance without providing counterpart or thrust or lift.
    It would therefore be desirable to have a solution that combines the advantages of the fixed wing in terms of lift with those of the multirotor in terms of maneuverability, but that does not use redundant systems, acting as a non-useful load during the most of the duration of the flight, or that offer great aerodynamic resistance.
    For this purpose, a novel multicopter design is proposed that uses a cylindrical wing to take advantage of aerodynamic lift, but uses the same set of impellers both to produce the vertical force 30 during takeoff and landing, as well as to Produce horizontal force during cruise flight. In addition, it is achieved at all times that the transverse movement surface is minimal, both when it is vertical and when it is horizontal.
    Description of the invention
    The present invention relates to a new multirotor drone design that makes use of a cylindrical wing to achieve an improved balance between maneuverability, efficiency and flight autonomy. For simplicity and clarity, the description provided here refers to a configuration equipped with four impeller elements of rotary flight (quadcopter), although it should also be understood as applicable to provisions with six (hexacopter), eight (octocopter) or any other number 40 items. Similarly, when talking about “the camera” it should be understood that
    It can refer to any set consisting of one or more video and / or photo cameras, as well as any other set of sensors, depending on the industrial use of the drone.
    The main element of the present invention is a rigid and light cylinder (11) that acts as an aerodynamic bearing surface when its axis is located at an angle close to the horizontal. Attached to the leading edge of the cylindrical wing (11), in a suitable symmetrical arrangement, the impulse elements each formed by a motor (211-214), a propeller (221-224) and an electronic speed variator ( 231-234). The rest of the components can be placed in one of the following configurations: i) on the inner face of the cylinder (11); ii) in one or several rigid and light plates (12) whose front edges are parallel to a diameter of the cylinder and whose planes are parallel to the longitudinal plane 10 of the vehicle. In embodiments with central plate or plates, these may be configured to provide additional aerodynamic thrust when the vehicle's axis is horizontal or near the horizontal.
    Among the components mentioned above can be found: flight and avionics control electronics (31), radio control and / or autonomous navigation electronics 15 (32), the payment charge if any (not shown in the figures), the signal transmission and reception systems (33), the cameras and sensors (34), and the battery (41) and / or fuel tank for the drive system. In the implementation shown in the figures, all these elements are aligned on the same diameter of the cylinder, in order to reduce moments of inertia and facilitate the maneuverability of the vehicle and, at the same time, reduce the surface subject to aerodynamic resistance when the vehicle moves in the axial direction.
    The aerial vehicle object of the present invention has two flight modes, differentiated according to the direction of the axis of the cylindrical wing (11): with vertical axis and with the horizontal axis. In both cases, the main direction of movement is the axial direction, so that the cylinder (11) offers very low drag drag.
     The axis of the cylinder (11) remains vertical during take-off and landing maneuvers, as well as when high spatial precision is required, for example, when the drone locks in a fixed position in space. In this flight mode, the drone behaves similarly to other quadcopters available in the prior art. The impellers provide the vertical thrust necessary to control the rise and fall of the apparatus. The control system (31) introduces slight variations in the speed of rotation of each of the impellers independently to ensure that the vehicle travels in the different directions of space. These movements in the horizontal plane will generally be performed at relatively low speeds, in order to achieve a precise adjustment in the location of the vehicle. During this flight mode the cylindrical wing (11) does not provide support, although it does provide mechanical rigidity to the assembly.
    The axis of the cylinder (11) remains horizontal or near the horizontal direction, when the vehicle travels in the horizontal plane at a height approximately 40 constant. In this arrangement, both the cylindrical wing (11) and the central plate (12) if the
    would, provide the aerodynamic lift necessary to maintain height. Most of the thrust provided by the driving elements (211-214) is used to provide horizontal feed force. In this way it will be possible to acquire high speeds even for not very high powers.
    The flight electronics (31) controls the speed ratio of the 5 impellers located at the bottom (212 and 214) in relation to those located at the top (211 and 213) to control the pitch angle of the device . This allows the vehicle to change height gradually, as well as control the angle of attack of the aerodynamic lift surfaces (11 and 12). Especially at relatively low speeds, a certain angle of pitch on the horizontal 10 may also be required for the impellers to provide a vertical component of appreciable force. This situation will occur mainly just before switching to the vertical axis configuration or just after changing from said configuration. In fact, it will be the differentiated action of the lower impellers (212 and 214) with respect to the superior ones (211 and 213) that will allow the vehicle to alternate between the two flight modes 15 described.
    The flight electronics (31) can also act independently on the impellers located in the right half of the vehicle (213 and 214) in relation to those located in the left half (211 and 212). In this way the flight heading is controlled in the horizontal plane. Therefore, in the implementation described here, all the navigation control is carried out by varying the action of the impulse elements, the use of aerodynamic surfaces of variable geometry (ailerons, rudders or fins) is not required.
    Description of the drawings
    The figures accompanying this document represent various views of the invention, in two of its possible configurations (with a central plate and without it). The 25 views represented are:
    Figures 1 and 2: Front and side views of the invention, in a configuration that makes use of a central plate located in one of the diameters of the wing. The curved arrows shown in Figure 1 indicate a possible configuration for the direction of rotation of the driving propellers. 30
    Figures 3 and 4: Front and side views of the invention, in a configuration without central plate. The curved arrows shown in Figure 3 have the same meaning as in Figure 1.
    Figure 5: Isometric perspective view of the same configuration with a central plate shown in Figures 1 and 2. 35
    Figure 6: Isometric perspective view of the same configuration without central plate shown in Figures 3 and 4.
    The numbering is consistent between figures: the same number always represents the same element. To facilitate the description, a numbering system is used
    hierarchical: the first digit corresponds to the system, the second to the type of element and the third to each of the individual instances of that element in the represented embodiment. The following lists all these elements:
    Structural system (digit ‘1’): cylindrical wing (11), center plate (12).
    Drive plant (digit ‘2’): drive motors (211-214), propellers (221-224), 5 electronic speed drives (231-234).
    Electronics (digit '3'): integrated circuit with flight control electronics (31), radio control and / or autonomous navigation electronics (32), signal reception and transmission electronics (33), video camera and sensors (3. 4).
    Other elements (digit ‘4’): batteries (41). 10
    Embodiment
    Next, a possible embodiment of the invention is described in detail. A configuration with four drive elements (211-214) powered by a lithium polymer battery (41) has been chosen, with elements mounted on a central plate (12), remotely piloted by radio control (32-33) and provided of a 15 video camera (34) that sends images in real time to the pilot.
    The structural and aerodynamic support elements, that is, the cylindrical wing (11) and the central plate (12), can be manufactured in a wide variety of materials, such as graphite, carbon fiber, fiberglass, aluminum, etc. To lighten the weight of the vehicle, a combination of materials can be used. For example, carbon fiber 20 can be used for the attack ring of the cylinder, as it is the part to which the driving elements are fixed (211-214), and the rest of the cylindrical wing can be manufactured in another lighter and cheaper material as plastic polymer or even reinforced cardboard. The relationship between height and diameter of the wing should be adjusted according to the size, weight and load of the vehicle. The example shown in the figures corresponds to an implementation of small size, about 25 250 mm in diameter.
    Each of the impulse elements (211-214) can be any type of engine that, when provided with a suitable propeller, can provide the vertical upward force necessary to lift the vehicle and its payload, if any. For example, they can be high-efficiency, brushless electric motors of 1900 kV (revolutions 30 per minute and per volt). The direction of rotation of some motors and others must be alternated, as shown in Figure 1 for an arrangement of 4 motors. Implementations with different number of motors or different direction of rotation configuration are possible. It should also be understood as belonging to the true scope of the invention, those impeller systems that do not use a propeller to provide thrust, such as reactors, turboreactors, internal combustion engines, etc.
    The propellers (221-224) may be made of polymer, fiberglass, carbon fiber or any other suitable material. They must have the number of blades, size and angle of advance necessary so that, together with the engines, they can meet the
    navigation and load requirements of the vehicle. For example, 2 blade propellers, 6 inches in diameter and 3.5 inches of feed per screw revolution.
    Electronic variable speed drives (231-234), better known by its English acronym ESC, may belong to any of the models available in the current state of the art, provided that they provide the necessary power for the proper functioning of the elements. impulsive For example, for the electric motors mentioned above, optical coupling ESCs and up to 20 amps of intensity can be used. In the embodiments shown in the figures, the drives are located next to the electronics system, but in other implementations they can be located near the motors, on either side of the wing (11). 10
    The electronic flight control system (31) can be any of the models currently available in the prior art. You will have at least: (i) a central processing unit and random read memory to perform flight calculations in real time; (ii) permanent memory, although possibly rewritable, with the programmed flight modes; (iii) analog and / or digital inputs to communicate with the navigation and radio control electronics (32); (iv) the digital and / or analog outputs necessary to be able to act independently on each of the drives (231-234). In addition, it must be provided with the necessary sensors to accurately determine the position and orientation angles of the vehicle at all times. These sensors comprise, for example, three-axis solid-state accelerometers, 20 solid-state gyroscopes, global geo-positioning systems, barometers, magnetic compasses, and so on.
    The navigation and radio control system (32) can be presented in any of the unmanned varieties: remote manned radio control, semi-autonomous flight guided by intermediate landmarks or beacons, preprogrammed fixed route flight, adaptive autonomous flight 25, etc. In this exemplary embodiment, a radio-controlled remote manned system is chosen, consisting of a radio frequency receiver (33) in the 2.1 GHz industrial-scientific-technical band of 8 channels in series, equipped with 2 antennas and compatible with the most used protocols in radio control. The remote pilot has a suitable radio station (not shown in the figures), paired with said receiver. It should be understood that the system used for radio control does not constitute the main object of the invention and that, therefore, it is extensible to any other means of wireless communication by electromagnetic waves, whether in radio, microwave or visible light frequencies.
    In this implementation example, navigation is complemented by an analog video signal 35, captured by a camera (34) provided with a transmitter (33) in the industrial-scientific-technical band of 4.8 GHz, and a circular polarization antenna (not shown in the figures). The remote pilot has a receiver for the video signal and a suitable display or display device (the pilot and his equipment are not shown in the figures). It should be understood that other implementations of this invention 40 may be equipped with other sets of cameras, sensors and additional and independent signals to the radio control.
    All the power supply of the vehicle described in this embodiment is electric, both in the impulse plant and in electronics and avionics. It is possible, therefore, to use a single source of energy (41). For example, a lithium polymer (LiPo) battery with 4 cells in series, 2100 mA · h capacity, and capable of providing the current requirements of the impulse plant. 5 Other implementations may require the use of several independent energy sources, for example, a photovoltaic cell for electronics and a chemical fuel tank for engines.
    The implementation is completed with small elements not shown in the figures: connectors and structural supports necessary to fix all components 10 in position; cables and electronic components necessary to complete the electrical circuits, stabilize them and adjust their working voltage, etc. Other implementations will require additional elements, for example, pipes and valves for hydraulic systems in cases where the impulse plant consists of chemical fuel engines. In the configurations shown in the figures, no payment charge is included. In embodiments that do include it, it will be placed in symmetrical arrangements that ensure the load balance. The necessary connectors must also be added to fix the payload to the vehicle body (11 and / or 12), as well as to facilitate loading and unloading. The inclusion of all these elements will be evident for those who know the prior art and seek to take advantage of the present invention for an industrial application.
    Industrial application
    The present invention can be used in all those economic areas in which technology, regulations and investment efforts allow the use of drones: agriculture, infrastructure, security, transport, media and entertainment, mining, insurance ... In particular, Thanks to its precise vertical take-off and landing, together with improved flight autonomy and greater cruising speed, they make the multicopter provided with a cylindrical wing especially suitable for the transport and distribution of small-format parcels.
     30
    权利要求:
    Claims (6)
    [1]
    Claims
    1. Unmanned aerial vehicle (multirotor drone) equipped with:
    a) at least four driving motors, the thrust of which is controlled independently by an electronic system;
    b) an electronic control system configured to send control signals to the 5 motors in response to signals received from a remote location;
    c) and a source of energy;
    characterized in that it has a tubular body that, in addition to acting as a structural element, provides aerodynamic lift when the vehicle travels in the axial direction (cylindrical wing). 10
    [2]
    2. Multirotor drone according to claim 1 wherein the motors are located at the leading edge of the cylindrical wing so as to provide thrust in the direction of the axis of the cylindrical wing.
    [3]
    3. Multirotor drone according to claim 2 provided with one or more flat plates fixed to the cylindrical wing, arranged in the longitudinal direction and with their leading edges parallel to one of the wing diameters, which provide additional aerodynamic thrust and structural rigidity.
    [4]
    4. Multirotor drone according to claim 2 provided with at least one video camera and electronics for video transmission.
    [5]
    5. Multirotor drone according to claim 2 provided with a fixing mechanism for transporting a payload which is located: on the inner face of the cylindrical wing; or in the central plate or plates if you have them according to claim 3.
    [6]
    6. Multirotor drone according to claim 2 wherein the remote control system is complemented, or replaced, by an autonomous navigation system, with or without beaconing. 25
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    ES2664393B1|2019-01-30|
    引用文献:
    公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题
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    US20160318609A1|2015-05-01|2016-11-03|Other Lab, Llc|System and method for flying trucks|
    法律状态:
    2019-01-30| FG2A| Definitive protection|Ref document number: 2664393 Country of ref document: ES Kind code of ref document: B1 Effective date: 20190130 |
    2019-09-12| FA2A| Application withdrawn|Effective date: 20190906 |
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    ES201631348A|ES2664393B1|2016-10-18|2016-10-18|Multirotor drone with cylindrical wing|ES201631348A| ES2664393B1|2016-10-18|2016-10-18|Multirotor drone with cylindrical wing|
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