Search

EP-4434897-B1 - AN UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE

EP4434897B1EP 4434897 B1EP4434897 B1EP 4434897B1EP-4434897-B1

Inventors

  • PRIOR, Stephen

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20191206

Claims (13)

  1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (100) comprising: a flight system (4) for producing thrust to manoeuvre the unmanned aerial vehicle (100), comprising: one or more flight rotors (42) defining a plane (X) passing through each flight rotor (42) and a thrust direction (46) generally perpendicular to the plane (X); and one or more electric motors (44) for driving the one or more flight rotors (42); a cargo area for coupling to or receiving a load (200); a load system (6) for providing thrust additional to the thrust provided by the flight system (4) to thereby lift a load (200) attached to a connection point and coupled to or received in the cargo area; and a controller (10) configured to control the flight system (4) and load system (6), characterised in that the load system (6) comprises: a plurality of gas turbine propulsion systems (62) fixed with N-fold rotational symmetry in the plane (X) of the flight rotors (42) around a centre of the unmanned aerial vehicle (100), wherein N is the number of gas turbine propulsion systems (62)
  2. The unmanned aerial vehicle (100) of claim 1, wherein each gas turbine propulsion system (62) is provided at an angle with respect to the thrust direction (46) of the flight rotors (42).
  3. The unmanned aerial vehicle (100) of any preceding claim, wherein each gas turbine propulsion system (62) comprises a ducted fan for producing the additional thrust in the form of its exhaust gas jet.
  4. The unmanned aerial vehicle (100) of claim 2, wherein each gas turbine propulsion system (62) comprises a turbojet; turbofan; or turboprop.
  5. The unmanned aerial vehicle (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the one or more flight rotors (42) of the flight system (4) comprises two or more rotors (42), arranged at an outer periphery of the unmanned aerial vehicle (100), preferably the two or more rotors (42) comprises four or eight rotors (42).
  6. The unmanned aerial vehicle (100) of claim 5, wherein each gas turbine propulsion system (62) is provided within a radius defined by the two or more rotors (42).
  7. The unmanned aerial vehicle (100) of any preceding claim, further comprising: a load sensor in communication with the controller (10), the load sensor being configured to provide a signal indicative of the weight (L) applied by the load (200) coupled to or received in the cargo area and attached to the connection point (8); wherein the controller (10) is configured to control the load system (6) in response to the signal indicative of the weight (L) applied to the connection point (8).
  8. The unmanned aerial vehicle (100) of claim 7, wherein the controller (10) is configured to control the load system (6) in a closed-loop control to balance the force provided by the load system (6) and the weight (L) applied to the connection point (8).
  9. The unmanned aerial vehicle (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the vehicle (100) has a first mode of operation in which the flight system (4) is operated to take-off and/or land the unmanned aerial vehicle (100) and in which the load system (6) is inactive.
  10. The unmanned aerial vehicle (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the cargo area is provided at a centre of the unmanned aerial vehicle (100).
  11. The unmanned aerial vehicle (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the cargo area comprises the connection point (8) and a tether (82).
  12. The unmanned aerial vehicle (100) of claim 11, wherein the tether (82) is releasably attached to the unmanned aerial vehicle (100) and/or to the load (200).
  13. The unmanned aerial vehicle (100) of claim 11, wherein the tether (82) is remotely releasable, preferably via an electro-magnet.

Description

The present invention relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle which is designed to lift and carry heavy loads. In particular, loads of up to and exceeding 100 kg are anticipated. The vehicle may be able to carry such loads distances up to 10 km. Unmanned aerial vehicles are generally well known, and include drones, rotorcopters, quadcopters, octocopters and the like. Such vehicles are typically provided with an electric motor which drives one or more rotors. The electric motor allows good mobility and manoeuvrability. However, it is difficult to generate a large lift thrust with these conventional vehicles. In particular, as the payload ratio grows there is a diminishing return in practical range as the required source of electrical power must vastly increase in size. Typically lithium ion batteries are used as a source of electrical power for the electric motors. Such lithium ion batteries can store energy at approximately 2.5 MJ/kg. Therefore, the electrically driven rotors result in a relatively poor endurance and flight range for loads above a minimal weight. This limitation is not an issue for many applications where there is little or no load to be lifted. Given the ease of use of drones in remote locations and inaccessible terrain there is a need for drones which are able to assist in heavy lifting. Such assistance may be useful in construction, military deployment or extraction and operations, rescue operations, commercial delivery, or the like. There is therefore a need for an improved drone which can assist with heavy lifting. US2007/0057113 provides a STOL/VTOL aircraft with electric fan engines on each wing and at the front of the fuselage to provide downward thrust, and with a single internal combustion engine provided centrally on the fuselage. The internal combustion engine can be tilted from a vertical configuration for vertical flight or hovering, to a horizontal configuration for horizontal flight. EP2881324 provides a coordinated lift arrangement including multiple lift vehicles which cooperate with each other to lift an external payload. Each lift vehicle has a control system, an elevation control device, a direction control device, a proximity detector, a positioning system, and a communication system by which it is controlled. US 10,071,804 provides an unmanned aerial vehicle for delivering a package suspended beneath the UAV. The vehicle includes an attachment mechanism and a tether which is configured to control the rate of descent of the package when released which the attachment mechanism above a drop zone. US2018/312247 provides a UAV with a plurality of propellers, a support wire, and a landing detector configured to detect the landing on the ground of freight supported on the wire. An unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present invention is provided according to claim 1. The unmanned aerial vehicle comprises: a flight system for providing thrust to manoeuvre the unmanned aerial vehicle comprising: one or more flight rotors defining a thrust direction and a plane generally perpendicular to the thrust direction; and one or more electric motors for driving the one or more flight rotors. The unmanned aerial vehicle further comprises a cargo area for coupling to or receiving a load; and a load system for providing thrust additional to the thrust provided by the flight system to thereby lift a load attached to a connection point and coupled to or received in the cargo area, the load system comprising: a plurality of gas turbine propulsion systems. The unmanned aerial vehicle further comprises a controller configured to control the flight system and load system. This unmanned aerial vehicle allows the electric flight rotors to be used for the high precision manoeuvrability required for general flight while the gas turbine propulsion system is used to provide lift for lifting a heavy load. This therefore allows the unmanned aerial vehicle to lift a heavy load while maintaining manoeuvrability during flight. The plurality of gas turbine propulsion systems can increase the amount of thrust available to lift the load. The gas turbine propulsion systems are arranged with N-fold rotational symmetry in the plane of the flight rotors around a centre of the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein N is the number of gas turbine propulsion systems. The rotational symmetry of the gas turbine propulsion systems allows these systems to balance one another and provide a force simply to aid in the lifting of the load which not affecting the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Each gas propulsion system may be provided at an angle with respect to the thrust direction of the flight rotors. The angle directs the gas propulsion systems to counteract the load and not affect the flight of the vehicle. Additionally, the jet plume does not impinge upon any load being carried. Each gas turbine propulsion system may comprise a ducted fan for producing the additional thrust in the form of its exhaust gas jet. Thr