Out now for $250. Anybody have any experience if this can be converted into autonomy with a Pixhawk or similar?
Overview
VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) RC models are usually a mixed bag when it comes to performance. If they are stable, their speed and agility is often lackluster. If they are nimble, pilots have to work harder to transition between hovering and airplane flight. The Convergence™ VTOL park flyer changes all that. Its unique design and exclusive flight control software give you the best of both agility and stability while making the transition between multirotor and airplane flight so smooth and predictable, you will feel right at home your first time on the sticks.
Sleek and Simple
Unlike complex VTOL aircraft that rotate the entire wing and require as many as four motors to achieve vertical and forward flight, the Convergence™ park flyer uses a simple, yet sleek, delta-wing design with three brushless motors - two rotating motors on the wing and a fixed-position motor in the tail.
In multirotor flight the wing-mounted motors rotate up into the vertical position to provide lift and flight control along with the motor in the tail. In airplane flight, the wing-mounted motors rotate down into the horizontal position and the model's elevons take over pitch and bank control. Yaw control in airplane flight is provided by differential thrust from the wing-mounted motors.
Exclusive Flight Control Software Makes it Easy
At the heart of it all is flight control software that has been expertly tuned by designer, Mike McConville, so almost any RC pilot can experience the fun of VTOL flight.
Automated Transition
Making the transition between multirotor and airplane flight is as simple as flipping a switch. The flight controller will smoothly rotate the two wing-mounted motors into the correct flight attitude and activate the rear motor as needed.
Stability and Acro Flight Modes
These two flight modes give you a wide range of performance for every phase of flight.
Stability Mode
- In multirotor flight, Stability Mode will limit pitch and bank angles and work to keep the model level when you release the sticks. This allows you to take off and land like a pro, even if you've never flown a multirotor before. In airplane flight, it will limit pitch and bank angles and automatically return the wings to level when the sticks are released.
- Stability Mode automatically engages during the transition between multirotor and airplane flight. It seamlessly maintains self-leveling and angle limits from one phase of flight to the other, making this the easiest RC VTOL experience you will find anywhere.
Acro Mode
In Acro Mode there are no angle limits or self-leveling in any phase of flight. During multirotor flight, the model will behave like a conventional multirotor that pitches and banks in whatever direction you want it to fly. It can flip and roll like other multirotors, too.
In airplane flight, Acro Mode lets you perform a wide range of aerobatic maneuvers. And because you have the forward thrust of two brushless motors working for you, there is plenty of speed and power to spare. You can even use the differential thrust of the motors to perform unique spinning and tumbling maneuvers.
Comments
The latest PX4 developer version supports the Convergence configuration out of the box now: http://px4.io/portfolio/e-flite-convergence/
That concepts looks familiar Greenbird
With that concept you have less dead weight in forward flight.
The ArduPilot team has been doing good work on tilt-motor support, and it looks like the supported configuration is a lot like this one.
The configuration could be developed and would then be more efficient. A conventional higher aspect ratio wing without sweepback. Use A longer tail, perhaps with a fin behind the tail with the rear motor atop the fin. The motor on the tail could then be quite small. Use a 2 blade prop on the rear motor and contrive some arrangement to align the blade to the airflow when it isn't in use. A twin becomes quite tempting. Twins are always a good arrangement for FPV.
@Andy +1
In fact you can use the two wing mounted motors to control yaw. Swing one wing motor back and one forward. That is economical since you already have them hinge mounted with servos
Good question, I think they are using ailerons to control it, the airflow will push against the aileron and push to make it turn
All tricopter configurations I have ever seen have rear motor
on servo gimbal to correct yaw efect of rotating propellers.
How did they solve this....
This configuration is already supported by Arduplane, although documentation is scarce and there are only a few using it. There's a thread here: http://discuss.ardupilot.org/t/tiltrotor-support-for-plane/8805/78
Using only 2 motors has a lot of stability issues as it doesn't have a complicated swashplate system for pitch control. You have to balance the aircraft exactly on the motors, meaning the motors have to be exactly on the CG and can't be ahead of the wing. Also, to avoid interference of the propwash on the wing the motors have to be mounted half propeller diameter away from the tip of the wing. Or the entire wing has to tilt (= complication)
3 motors is the best compromise with the minimal required stability, good lifting qualities and with 2 motors supplying forward thrust it's only carrying the weight of 1 superfluous motor in forward flight not 4 in the case of a quadcopter type with a 5th for forward thrust.
I was thinking that we can get rid of the rear propeller, as it is an extra weight by implementing bi-copter techniques. I mean the two wing propellers can implement bi-copter technique to hover, take off & land, and when flying it can fly normally. That should reduce hardware, cost and increase endurance.
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