Air vehicle and method and apparatus for control thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10814972-B2
Application number	US-201615767041-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2016
Priority date	Oct 30, 2015
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

An air vehicle comprising a main body and a pair of opposing wing members extending substantially laterally from the main body, at least a first propulsion device associated with a first of said wing members and a second propulsion device associated with a second of said wing members, each said propulsion device being arranged and configured to generate linear thrust relative to said main body, in use, the air vehicle further comprising a control module for generating a control signal configured to change a mode of flying of said air vehicle, in use, between a fixed wing mode and a rotary wing mode, wherein, in said fixed wing mode of flying, the direction of thrust generated by the first propulsion device relative to the main body is the same as the direction of thrust generated by the second propulsion device, and in said second mode of flying, the direction of thrust generated by the first propulsion device relative to the main body is opposite to that generated by the second propulsion device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air vehicle comprising:
a main body;
a pair of opposing wing members extending substantially laterally from the main body comprising a first wing member and a second wing member,
a first propulsion device associated with said first wing member;
a second propulsion device associated with said second wing member, wherein each said propulsion device is arranged and configured to generate linear thrust relative to said main body, in use;

wherein said propulsion devices comprise propellers,
a control module for generating a control signal configured to change a mode of flying of said air vehicle, in use, between a fixed wing mode and a rotary wing mode, wherein:
in said fixed wing mode of flying, said first propulsion device generates a first thrust and said second propulsion device generates a second thrust wherein there exists a primary direction of thrust relative to the main body, and wherein said first thrust and said second thrust are substantially equal and in a first direction, and
in said rotary wing mode of flying, a secondary orientation of a principal plane of said wing members relative to said main body is substantially the same as that in the fixed wing mode of flying, and the direction of thrust generated by the first propulsion device relative to the main body is in the first direction and the direction of thrust generated by said second propulsion device relative to said main body is in a second direction, wherein said second direction is substantially opposite to said first direction, so as to create a rotational force;

said wing members being fixedly coupled to said main body in said rotary wing mode of flying such that said main body is caused to rotate by said rotational force; and
said change of mode of flying is effected by changing the direction of rotation of one of said propellers.

2. The air vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:
the air vehicle is an unmanned air vehicle.

3. The air vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:
the control module is configured to receive a control input and generate a control signal representative thereof configured to change the mode of flying of said air vehicle from said fixed wing mode to said rotary wing mode.

4. The air vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:
said control module is configured to receive control inputs representative of vehicle movement and generate control signals configured to cause the respective vehicle movement.

5. The air vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein said control module is configured to receive control inputs representative of vehicle movement and generate control signals configured to cause the respective vehicle movement.

6. The air vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:
the air vehicle is an unmanned air vehicle.

7. A control module for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:
the control module is configured to receive a control input and generate a control signal representative thereof configured to change the mode of flying of said air vehicle from said fixed wing mode to said rotary wing mode.

8. The air vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:
said propulsion devices are fixedly coupled to respective wing members, and
at least one of said wing members is rotatably mounted with respect to said main body for rotation about an axis orthogonal to the width of the main body when in an upright orientation, between a first position which defines said fixed flying mode wherein said first thrust acts in the same direction as said second thrust relative to the main body, and a second position which defines said rotary wing flying mode wherein said first thrust acts in an opposite respective direction of said second thrust relative to said main body.

9. The air vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein:
said at least one wing member is configured to rotate through substantially 180° about said axis between said first and second positions.

10. The air vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein:
the at least one wing member is mounted to the main body via a coupling member, said coupling member engaging with an actuation device located in or on said main body, wherein operation of said actuation device is effected by said control signal and causes rotation of said at least one wing member via said coupling member.

11. The air vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein:
said at least one wing member is mounted to said main body via a geared spigot, the air vehicle further comprising:
a geared actuator assembly with which said geared spigot engages, in use, wherein rotation of said actuator causes corresponding rotation of said at least one wing member, via said geared spigot, between said first position and said second position.

12. The air vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:
said control module is configured to receive control inputs representative of vehicle movement and generate control signals configured to cause the respective vehicle movement.

13. The air vehicle according to claim 12 , wherein:
said vehicle movement comprises an increase or decrease in altitude, and
said control signals are configured to cause a respective substantially equal increase or decrease in thrust generated by both of said propulsion devices.

14. The air vehicle according to claim 12 , wherein:
said vehicle movement comprises a horizontal movement in a selected direction,
said wing members comprise selectively movable flight control members, and
said control signals are configured to effect cyclic control of said air vehicle by selectively changing the cross-sectional shape of the respective wing members by selective movement of said flight control members.

15. The air vehicle according to claim 12 , wherein:
said vehicle movement comprises a horizontal movement, and
said control signals are configured to alter the angle of attack of one or both said wing members to effect a selected horizontal movement of said vehicle.

16. The air vehicle according to claim 12 , wherein:
at least one of said propulsion devices includes blades, and
wherein said air vehicle includes a mechanism for changing the aerofoil cross-section of the blades of at least one of said propulsion devices, relative to the direction of movement of said vehicle, according to the relative location of said blades within a rotary cycle of said propeller.

17. A method of controlling an air vehicle comprising:
a main body and
a pair of opposing wing members extending substantially laterally from the main body and affixed thereto,
at least a first propulsion device associated a first of said wing members, and
a second propulsion device is arranged and configured to generate linear thrust relative to said main body by rotation of propellers, in use,
the method comprising:
changing a mode of flying of said air vehicle from a fixed wing mode, in which the principal plane of the wing members is in a first orientation relative to the main body and the direction of thrust generated by he firs and second propulsion devices relative to the main body is substantially the same, to a rotary wing mode, by
maintaining said first orientation of the principal plane of the wing members relative to the main body and
changing the direction of thrust generated by the first propulsion device by changing the direction of rotation of the propeller such that it is opposite to that generated by the second propulsion device relative to the main body so as to create a rotation force that causes said main body to rotate.

18. An air vehicle comprising:
a

Assignees

• Bae Systems Plc

Inventors

• Wright Julian David
• Colosimo Nicholas Giacomo Robert
• Warsop Clyde

Classifications

• B64C29/02 Primary

  having its flight directional axis vertical when grounded · CPC title

• B64U10/20

  Vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft (flying platforms B64U10/13; helicopters B64U10/17) · CPC title

• B64U50/13

  using external fans or propellers · CPC title

• B64U70/80

  Vertical take-off or landing, e.g. using rockets (rotorcrafts B64U10/10; VTOL aircraft B64U10/20) · CPC title

• B64U30/12

  Variable or detachable wings, e.g. wings with adjustable sweep · CPC title