FOLDABLE DRONE

• US 20160340021A1
• Filed: 12/29/2015
• Published: 11/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Zero Zero Infinity Technology Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen Zero Zero Infinite Technology Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Beijing Zero Zero Infinity Technology Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen Zero Zero Infinite Technology Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wang, Mengqiu, Wang, Zhaozhe, Zhang, Xuyang, Zhang, Guanqun, Gong, Shuang, Zhang, Yalin, Wang, Jinglong, Zhang, Tong, Liu, Lixin
• Granted Patent: US 10,035,589 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/30 Parts of fuselage relatively movable to reduce overall dimensions of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/006 Safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/08 with two or more rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/50 Foldable or collapsible UAVs with frangible components B64U20/30
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/70 Constructional aspects of the UAV body
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/29 Constructional aspects of rotors or rotor supports; Arrangements thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/20 Transmission of mechanical power to rotors or propellers
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/00 Transport or storage specially adapted for UAVs
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/70 in containers B64U80/60 takes precedence

Abstract

A foldable drone is provided to improve the portability of the drone, which includes a drone body and a rotary wing part connected to the drone body. The rotary wing part includes a first rotary wing module and a second rotary wing module with each having at least one rotary wing, and the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module are respectively articulated to two sides of the drone body, to allow the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module to rotate about their respective articulating shafts, so as to be folded or unfolded.

Claims

1. A foldable drone, comprising a drone body and a rotary wing part connected to the drone body, wherein the rotary wing part comprises a first rotary wing module and a second rotary wing module with each having at least one rotary wing, and the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module are respectively articulated to two sides of the drone body, to allow the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module to rotate about respective articulating shafts to be folded or unfolded.

2. The foldable drone according to claim 1, wherein first positioning members in cooperation with each other are provided on surfaces, facing towards each other, of the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module, to allow the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module to be fixed to each other by the first positioning members when the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module are folded.

3. The foldable drone according to claim 1, wherein second positioning members in cooperation with each other are provided on surfaces, facing towards each other, of the first rotary wing module and the drone body respectively, and/or second positioning members in cooperation with each other are provided on surfaces, facing towards each other, of the second rotary wing module and the drone body respectively, to allow the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module to be fixed to the drone body by the second positioning members when the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module are unfolded.

4. The foldable drone according to claim 1, wherein the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module can be unfolded into the same plane;

and/or,

the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module can be unfolded into the same plane as the drone body, or a plane formed by unfolding the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module is in parallel with one surface of the drone body.

5. The foldable drone according to claim 4, wherein a vertical cross section of the drone body is of a T shape, and the articulating shafts extend from two ends of a vertical portion of the T shape to form connecting ends configured to respectively connect the first rotary wing module or the second rotary wing module;

and the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module are in parallel with and fits a transverse portion of the T shape when the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module are unfolded.

6. The foldable drone according to claim 1, wherein when the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module are folded, outer side surfaces of the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module are both not beyond outer side surfaces of the drone body.

7. The foldable drone according to claim 1, wherein the first rotary wing module is provided with a first gear, the second rotary wing module is provided with a second gear engaged with the first gear, and axes of the first gear and the second gear are respectively in parallel with the articulating shafts on the same sides as the first gear and the second gear.

8. The foldable drone according to claim 7, wherein the two articulating shafts are arranged on the drone body, and the first gear and the second gear are respectively sleeved on and articulated to the respective articulating shafts on the same sides as the first gear and the second gear.

9. The foldable drone according to claim 6, wherein each of the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module comprises at least two rotary wings connected to each other, and the rotary wings are arranged linearly.

10. The foldable drone according to claim 9, wherein in each of the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module, two rotary wings, which are adjacent, are articulated, one of the rotary wings constitutes a basic rotary wing, and other rotary wings constitute folding rotary wings, each of the first rotary wing module and the second rotary wing module is articulated to the drone body via the basic rotary wing, and the folding rotary wings are allowed to be sequentially folded to the basic rotary wing, or sequentially unfolded from the basic rotary wing.

11. The foldable drone according to claim 2, wherein the first rotary wing module is provided with a first gear, the second rotary wing module is provided with a second gear engaged with the first gear, and axes of the first gear and the second gear are respectively in parallel with the articulating shafts on the same sides as the first gear and the second gear.

12. The foldable drone according to claim 3, wherein the first rotary wing module is provided with a first gear, the second rotary wing module is provided with a second gear engaged with the first gear, and axes of the first gear and the second gear are respectively in parallel with the articulating shafts on the same sides as the first gear and the second gear.

13. The foldable drone according to claim 4, wherein the first rotary wing module is provided with a first gear, the second rotary wing module is provided with a second gear engaged with the first gear, and axes of the first gear and the second gear are respectively in parallel with the articulating shafts on the same sides as the first gear and the second gear.

14. The foldable drone according to claim 5, wherein the first rotary wing module is provided with a first gear, the second rotary wing module is provided with a second gear engaged with the first gear, and axes of the first gear and the second gear are respectively in parallel with the articulating shafts on the same sides as the first gear and the second gear.

15. The foldable drone according to claim 6, wherein the first rotary wing module is provided with a first gear, the second rotary wing module is provided with a second gear engaged with the first gear, and axes of the first gear and the second gear are respectively in parallel with the articulating shafts on the same sides as the first gear and the second gear.

16. The foldable drone according to claim 11, wherein the two articulating shafts are arranged on the drone body, and the first gear and the second gear are respectively sleeved on and articulated to the respective articulating shafts on the same sides as the first gear and the second gear.

17. The foldable drone according to claim 12, wherein the two articulating shafts are arranged on the drone body, and the first gear and the second gear are respectively sleeved on and articulated to the respective articulating shafts on the same sides as the first gear and the second gear.

18. The foldable drone according to claim 13, wherein the two articulating shafts are arranged on the drone body, and the first gear and the second gear are respectively sleeved on and articulated to the respective articulating shafts on the same sides as the first gear and the second gear.

19. The foldable drone according to claim 14, wherein the two articulating shafts are arranged on the drone body, and the first gear and the second gear are respectively sleeved on and articulated to the respective articulating shafts on the same sides as the first gear and the second gear.

20. The foldable drone according to claim 15, wherein the two articulating shafts are arranged on the drone body, and the first gear and the second gear are respectively sleeved on and articulated to the respective articulating shafts on the same sides as the first gear and the second gear.