Aircraft, controller and control method of aircraft, and recording medium storing computer software program for controlling aircraft

• US 10,526,066 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2019
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hideo Suzuki
• Original Assignee: Hideo Suzuki
• Inventors: Suzuki, Hideo, Suzuki, Sachihiro, Matsushita, Kotaro, Hanada, Masaki, Shinohara, Toru, Niijima, Noriko, Nakamura, Tadao
• Primary Examiner(s): Benedik, Justin M
• Application Number:
  US16/398,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20190256191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 252 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 17/00 Aircraft stabilisation not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 19/02 Conjoint controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/08 with two or more rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/0016 the lift during taking-off being created by free or ducted propellers or by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/02 characterised by special use
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 9/06 with two or more independent movements
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/02 Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants fuselages specially adapted for mounting power plants B64C1/16; wings specially adapted for power plants B64C3/32
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 27/24 using steam or spring force jet aircraft B64D27/16
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 31/02 Initiating means
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/00 Type of UAV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/00 UAVs characterised by their flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0072 to counteract a motor failure
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0858 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft

Abstract

An aircraft encompasses a main-body, a frame-structure to support the main-body, main and auxiliary rotors provided to the frame-structure and a controller for controlling rotations of the main and auxiliary rotors. In a first mode, the controller delivers a same control signal for rotating the set of the main and auxiliary rotors, and when one of the main and auxiliary rotors becomes abnormal, the controller delivers the same control signal for compensating a decrease of the lift. In a second mode, the controller delivers a control signal only to the normal rotor for increasing the rotation of the normal rotor. Sets of the main and auxiliary rotors in divided regions adjacent to a subject divided region are rotated in a direction counter to the subject divided region. By the first and second modes, the lifts are equalized for balancing the aircraft.

Claims

1. An aircraft configured to take-off and land vertically, comprising:

a main-body, in which a gravity center is defined in a planar pattern;

a frame-structure configured to support the main-body, generating lifts in a same direction independently in each of a plurality of divided regions defined around the gravity center;

a plurality of main rotors rotating around corresponding first rotation shafts, respectively, each of the first rotation shafts being provided to the frame-structure, each of the plurality of main rotors being assigned in a respective one of the plurality of divided regions;

a plurality of auxiliary rotors rotating around corresponding second rotation shafts, respectively, each of the second rotation shafts being provided to the frame-structure and being rotated by a power-drive system independent from a power-drive system for the first rotation shafts, in a divided region selected from the plurality of divided regions, an auxiliary rotor of the plurality of auxiliary rotors being rotated in a same direction as a main rotor of the plurality of main rotors; and

a controller configured to control rotations of the main and auxiliary rotors according to first and second modes, such that

in the first mode, the controller delivers a same control signal for rotating the set of the main and auxiliary rotors in each of the plurality of divided regions at a same rotation and frequency, and in response to one of the main and auxiliary rotors in any one of the plurality of divided regions becoming abnormal and a value of lift in an abnormal divided region becoming insufficient, the controller delivers the same control signal for increasing a rotation of a normal rotor other than the abnormal rotor for compensating a decrease of the lift by the abnormal rotor, and

in the second mode, the controller delivers a control signal only to the normal rotor for increasing the rotation of the normal rotor,

wherein sets of the main and auxiliary rotors in divided regions adjacent to a subject divided region are controlled to be rotated in a direction counter to a rotation direction of the main rotor in the subject divided region,

wherein, in the first and second modes, the lifts of any set of the divided regions, in which the rotation directions are counter to each other, are equalized for balancing an orientation of the aircraft about a yaw axis, and the lifts in all of the plurality of divided regions are equalized for balancing the orientation about a roll axis and a pitch axis.

2. The aircraft of claim 1, wherein the plurality of divided regions is implemented by first, second, third, and fourth quadrants, the main rotor in the third quadrant is rotated in a same direction as a rotation direction of the main rotor in the first quadrant, and the main rotors in the second quandrant and the fourth quadrant are rotated in the direction counter to the rotation direction of the main rotor in the first quadrant.

3. The aircraft of claim 2, wherein, in each of the first to fourth quadrants, the main and auxiliary rotors are arranged so that, in a cross sectional plane vertical to rotation planes of the main and auxiliary rotors, levels of the rotation planes of the main and auxiliary rotors are away from each other, and areas of the rotation planes of the main and auxiliary rotors overlap with each other within a range smaller than a radius of the rotation planes.

4. The aircraft of claim 2, wherein, in each of the first to fourth quadrants, the first rotation shaft of the main rotor and the second rotation shaft of the auxiliary rotor are coaxial.

5. The aircraft according to claim 2, further comprising:

a first tilt member configured to tilt rotation planes of the main and auxiliary rotors simultaneously in each of the first quadrant and the second quadrant; and

a second tilt member configured to tilt rotation planes of the main and auxiliary rotors in each of the third quadrant and the fourth quadrant.

6. The aircraft according to claim 2, wherein in each of the plurality of divided regions, the main rotor is allocated on a side closer to the main-body with respect to the auxiliary rotor.

7. The aircraft according to claim 2, wherein the controller controls rotations of the main and auxiliary rotors independently in each of the first to fourth quadrants.

8. The aircraft of claim 7, wherein, in each of the first to fourth quadrants, the controller is configured to control the rotations of the main and auxiliary rotors and perform switching based on an attitude of the main-body.

9. The aircraft of claim 4, wherein, in the first mode, the main and auxiliary rotors are rotated in such phase that the main and auxiliary rotors are prevented from overlapping with each other.

10. The aircraft of claim 2, each of the plurality of divided regions further comprising a third rotor being rotated in a same direction as the direction of the main rotor, the third rotor being arranged between the main and auxiliary rotors in each of the first to fourth quadrants.

11. A control method for controlling an aircraft configured to take-off and land vertically, the aircraft comprising a main-body in which a gravity center for first to fourth quadrants is defined in a planar pattern, a frame-structure for supporting the main-body, four sets of main and auxiliary rotors allocated in the first to fourth quadrants, and a rotation direction of the set of the main and auxiliary rotors in the second and fourth quadrants is opposite to a rotation direction of the main rotor in the first quadrant, the control method comprising:

rotating the main rotors arranged with first rotation shafts allocated to the frame-structure, in each of the first to fourth quadrants for lifting the main-body in a same direction, independently in each of the first to fourth quadrants;

rotating the auxiliary rotors arranged with second rotation shafts allocated to the frame-structure in each of the first to fourth quadrants and are rotated in a same rotation direction as the main rotor, respectively, by power-drive systems independent from power-drive systems of the main rotors; and

controlling rotations of the main and auxiliary rotors with first and second modes, such that in the first mode, by delivering a same control signal for rotating the set of the main and auxiliary rotors in each of the first to fourth quadrants at a same rotation frequency, and in response to one of the main and auxiliary rotors in any one of the first to fourth quadrants becoming abnormal and a value of lift in an abnormal quadrant becoming insufficient, delivering the same control signal for increasing a rotation of a normal rotor other than the abnormal rotor for compensating a decrease of the lift by the abnormal rotor, and in the second mode, delivering a control signal only to the normal rotor for increasing the rotation of the normal rotor,

wherein values of lifts in each of the two quadrants having the rotation directions counter to each other are equalized for balancing an orientation of the aircraft about a yaw axis, and values of lifts in each of the first to fourth quadrants are equalized for balancing the orientation about a roll axis and a pitch axis.

12. A controller for controlling an aircraft configured to take-off and land vertically, the aircraft comprising a main-body in which a gravity center for first to fourth quadrants is defined in a planar pattern, a frame-structure for supporting the main-body, four sets of main rotors and auxiliary rotors allocated in the first to fourth quadrants to the frame-structure, the controller comprising:

a flight controller configured to rotate the main and auxiliary rotors, the auxiliary rotor being rotated by a power-drive system independent from a power-drive system of the main rotor, to generate lifts in a same direction independently in the first to fourth quadrants; and

a line-control unit configured to rotate the sets of the main and auxiliary rotors in each of the first to fourth quadrants, operating with first and second modes, such that in the first mode, by delivering a same control signal for rotating the set of the main and auxiliary rotors at a same rotation frequency, and in response to one of the main and auxiliary rotors in any one of the first to fourth quadrants becoming abnormal and a value of lift in an abnormal quadrant becoming insufficient, the line-control unit delivers the same control signal for increasing a rotation of a normal rotor other than the abnormal rotor for compensating a decrease of the lift by the abnormal rotor, and that in the second mode, the line-control unit delivers a control signal only to the normal rotor for increasing the rotation of the normal rotor,

wherein a rotation direction of the set of the main and auxiliary rotors in the second and fourth quadrants is opposite to a rotation direction of the main rotor in the first quadrant, and a rotation direction of the set of the main and auxiliary rotors in the second and fourth quadrants is a same as the rotation direction of the main rotor in the first quadrant, and

wherein, values of the lifts in each of the two quadrants having the rotation directions counter to each other are equalized for balancing an orientation of the aircraft about a yaw axis, and values of the lifts in the first to fourth quadrants are equalized for balancing the orientation about a roll axis and a pitch axis.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a control program of an aircraft configured to take-off and land vertically, the aircraft comprising a main-body in which a gravity center for first to fourth quadrants is defined in a planar pattern, a frame-structure for supporting the main-body, four sets of main and auxiliary rotors allocated in the first to fourth quadrants, and a rotation direction of the set of the main and auxiliary rotors in the second and fourth quadrants is opposite to a rotation direction of the main rotor in the first quadrant, the control program causing a computer to execute processing for controlling the aircraft by a series of instructions for performing operations comprising:

rotating the main rotors arranged with first rotation shafts allocated to the frame-structure, in each of the first to fourth quadrants for lifting the main-body in a same direction, independently in each of the first to fourth quadrants;

rotating the auxiliary rotors arranged with second rotation shafts allocated to the frame-structure in each of the first to fourth quadrants and are rotated in a same rotation direction as the main rotor, respectively, by power-drive systems independent from power-drive systems of the main rotors; and

controlling rotations of the main and auxiliary rotors with first and second modes, such that in the first mode, by delivering a same control signal for rotating the set of the main and auxiliary rotors in the first to fourth quadrants at a same rotation frequency, and in response one of the main and auxiliary rotors in any one of the first to fourth quadrants becomng abnormal and a value of lift in an abnormal quadrant becoming insufficient, delivering the same control signal for increasing a rotation of a normal rotor other than the abnormal rotor for compensating a decrease of the lift by the abnormal rotor, and that in the second mode, delivering a control signal only to the normal rotor for increasing the rotation of the normal rotor,

wherein by the control program, the computer executes processing to perform operations further comprising equalizing values of lifts in each of the two quadrants having the rotation directions counter to each other so that an orientation of the aircraft about a yaw axis are balanced, and for equalizing values of lifts in each of the first to fourth quadrants so that the orientation about a roll axis and a pitch axis are balanced.

14. An aircraft having a plurality of dense rotors, each of the dense rotors comprising a main rotor rotating around a first rotation shaft and an auxiliary rotor rotating around a second rotation shaft, the second rotation shaft being parallelly away from the first rotation shaft in a cross sectional plane vertical to a rotation plane of the main rotor, the second rotation shaft being rotated by a power-drive system independent from the first rotation shaft, the auxiliary rotor rotating in a same direction as the main rotor, the rotation planes of the main and auxiliary rotors being away from each other in the cross sectional plane, and the rotation planes of the main and auxiliary rotors partially overlapping with each other, the aircraft comprising:

an airframe in which a gravity center for first to fourth quadrants is defined in a planar pattern;

a main wing configured to generate lifts by advancement of the airframe, the main wing being fixed to a center of the airframe;

the dense rotors arranged in the first to fourth quadrants to generate lifts in a same direction independently in the first to fourth quadrants; and

a controller configured to control rotations of the dense rotors with first and second modes, such that in the first mode, the controller delivers a same control signal for rotating the dense rotors in each of the first to fourth quadrants at a same rotation frequency, and in response to one of the main and auxiliary rotors in any one of the first to fourth quadrants becoming abnormal and a value of lift in an abnormal quadrant becoming insufficient, the controller delivers the same control signal for increasing a rotation of a normal rotor other than the abnormal rotor for compensating a decrease of the lift by the abnormal rotor, and in the second mode, the controller delivers a control signal only to the normal rotor for increasing the rotation of the normal rotor,

wherein the dense rotors in another quadrant adjacent to the first quadrant are rotated in a direction counter to a rotation direction of the dense rotor in the first quadrant, and

wherein, values of the lifts in each of the two quadrants having the rotation directions counter to each other are equalized for balancing an orientation of the aircraft about a yaw axis, and the values of the lifts in the first to fourth quadrants are equalized for balancing the orientation about a roll axis and a pitch axis.

15. The aircraft of claim 14, wherein the dense rotors are arranged on at least one of a nose of the airframe, a side in an advancing direction of the main wing, and a side opposite to the advancing direction of the main wing.

16. The aircraft of claim 14, further comprising a tail wing provided to a rear portion of the airframe,

wherein the dense rotors are arranged on at least one of a side in an advancing direction of the tail wing and the side opposite to an advancing direction of the main wing.