Convertible unmanned aerial vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12187467-B2
Application number	US-202217660257-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2022
Priority date	Oct 23, 2019
Publication date	Jan 7, 2025
Grant date	Jan 7, 2025

Abstract

The embodiments is an unmanned aerial vehicle. The unmanned aerial vehicle includes: an airframe; and a fixed-wing assembly and a rotor assembly, both replaceably connected to the airframe. The fixed-wing assembly is connected to the airframe to form a vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle and the rotor assembly is connected to the airframe to form a multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle, thereby implementing an unmanned aerial vehicle that can switch between the vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle and the multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An unmanned aerial system, comprising:
an airframe; and
a fixed-wing assembly and a rotor assembly, both replaceably connectable to the airframe,
wherein the fixed-wing assembly is configured to be connected to the airframe to form a vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle and wherein the rotor assembly is configured to be connected to the airframe to form a multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle;
wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle further comprises a tail wing assembly detachably connected to the airframe; and
both a lower vertical stabilizer and the fixed-wing assembly are connected to the airframe to form the vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle; the tail wing assembly is rotatable relative to the airframe around a pitch axis direction when the tail wing assembly is connected to the airframe;
the tail wing assembly is rotatable relative to the airframe around the pitch axis direction when the tail wing assembly is connected to the airframe
two second mounting portions are disposed on the airframe;
the two second mounting portions are respectively disposed on two sides of the airframe in the pitch axis direction of the airframe, each of the second mounting portions comprises a second mounting surface, and a shaft hole and an arc-shaped guide hole are jointly formed on the two second mounting portions, both the shaft hole and the arc-shaped guide hole passing through second mounting surfaces of the two second mounting portions, the shaft hole being provided in the pitch axis direction and the arc-shaped guide hole being provided around the shaft hole;
the tail wing assembly comprises a rotary shaft, a transmission shaft and two tail wing components; and
the rotary shaft is configured to be inserted into the shaft hole and has two ends both exposed outside the shaft hole; the transmission shaft is configured to be inserted into the arc-shaped guide hole has two ends both exposed outside the arc-shaped guide hole; each tail wing component comprises a second assembling surface for being in contact with a second mounting surface of a corresponding second mounting portion.

2. The unmanned aerial system according to claim 1 , wherein the airframe is elongated along in a roll axis direction and comprises a vehicle head at a forward end, a vehicle tail at a rearward end, and a vehicle body positioned between the vehicle head and vehicle tail, all arranged along the roll axis direction.

3. The unmanned aerial system according to claim 2 , wherein first rotor motors are disposed on a side of the airframe in a yaw axis direction of the airframe; and
a rotary shaft of the first rotor motor extends in the yaw axis direction.

4. The unmanned aerial system according to claim 3 , wherein two of the first rotor motors are disposed on the side of the airframe in the yaw axis direction of the airframe; and
one of the first rotor motors is disposed at the vehicle head or at a position on the vehicle body with a first predetermined distance from the vehicle head and the other of the first rotor motors is disposed at the vehicle tail or at a position on the vehicle body with a second predetermined distance from the vehicle tail.

5. The unmanned aerial system according to claim 4 , wherein two antennas are further disposed on the side on which the first rotor motors are disposed in the yaw axis direction of the airframe; and
the two antennas and the two of the first rotor motors are all arranged in the roll axis direction and the antennas and the first rotor motors are disposed alternately.

6. The unmanned aerial system according to claim 3 , wherein the lower vertical stabilizer is disposed on an other side of the airframe facing away from the first rotor motors in the yaw axis direction of the airframe; and
the lower vertical stabilizer is disposed at the vehicle tail.

7. The unmanned aerial system according to claim 6 , wherein a landing gear is further disposed on the other side of the airframe facing away from the first rotor motors in the yaw axis direction of the airframe; and
the landing gear comprises two support portions and the two support portions and the lower vertical stabilizer are jointly configured to support the airframe.

8. The unmanned aerial system according to claim 6 , wherein the airframe comprises two first mounting portions respectively disposed on two sides of the airframe in the pitch axis direction of the airframe;
the rotor assembly comprises two arm components, wherein each arm component comprises a first assembling portion, the first assembling portion being configured to be connected to a corresponding second mounting portion; and
the fixed-wing assembly comprises two side wing components, wherein each side wing component comprises a second assembling portion, the second assembling portion being configured to be connected to a corresponding first mounting portion.

9. The unmanned aerial system according to claim 8 , wherein the each arm component further comprises an arm body and a second rotor motor; and
an end of the arm body is connected to the first assembling portion and an other end of the arm body is connected to the second rotor motor.

10. The unmanned aerial system according to claim 9 , wherein the arm body extends in the pitch axis direction.

11. The unmanned aerial system according to claim 9 , wherein a rotary shaft of the second rotor motor extends in the yaw axis direction.

12. The unmanned aerial system according to claim 9 , wherein a second propeller is mounted on the rotary shaft of the second rotor motor;
a first propeller is mounted on the rotary shaft of the first rotor motor; and
a size of the second propeller is equal to a size of the first propeller.

13. The unmanned aerial system according to claim 8 , wherein the each side wing component further comprises a side wing body, a wingtip and a third rotor motor;
an end of the side wing body is connected to the second assembling portion, an other end of the side wing body is connected to the wingtip and the third rotor motor is mounted on the wingtip; and
the wingtip is rotatable relative to the side wing body around the pitch axis direction.

14. The unmanned aerial system according to claim 13 , wherein a rotary shaft of the third rotor motor is perpendicular to the pitch axis direction.

15. The unmanned aerial system according to claim 13 , wherein the side wing body extends in the pitch axis direction.

16. The unmanned aerial system according to any of claim 13 , wherein a third propeller is mounted on a rotary shaft of the third rotor motor;
a first propeller is mounted on the rotary shaft of the first rotor motor; and
a size of the third propeller is less than a size of the first propeller.

17. The unmanned aerial system according to any of claim 8 , wherein each first mounting portion comprises a first mounting surface and connecting rods formed on the first mounting surface, the first mounting surface facing away from the vehicle body, the connecting rods extending in the pitch axis direction; and
either of each first assembling portion and each second assembling portion comprises a first assembling surface, a first side surface and eccentric wheels, wherein the first assembling surface is configured to be attached to the first mounting surface and connecting holes are formed on the first assembling surface, the connecting rods are configured to insert into the connected holes; the first side surface is adjacent to the first assembling surface and rotating holes are formed on the first

Assignees

• Autel Robotics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Liu Qiang
• Chen Gang
• Wang Kangli
• Wang Shenglong
• Lee Maxwell
• He Wenzhong
• Pan Xiangxi

Classifications

• B64U30/40

  Empennages, e.g. V-tails (foldable or collapsible UAVs B64U20/50) · CPC title

• B64U10/14

  with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters · CPC title

• B64U10/20

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

• B64U30/14 Primary

  detachable · CPC title

• B64U30/291

  Detachable rotors or rotor supports · CPC title