ICON - Convertible VTOL-FW mini UAS - Pro S3

Icon: a transformer drone

ICON joins in a single product two souls, a versatile multicopter style one and a fixed wing performing one. Aerodynamics laws tells us that a standard fixed wing aircraft has a better efficiency compared to rotating wing aircraft. For this reason a standard fixed wing vehicle uses way more energy compared to same class rotating wing one. In other word with the energy quantity, aircraft can fly more than helicopters, although those ones are a lot more flexible, allowing vertical takeoff and landings.

ICON has been conceived with this analysis in mind: a fixed wing drone with additional four lifting motors giving it vertical take-off and landing capabilities.

Switching form one flight mode to another would be a very complicate operation without the aid of a very sophisticated but reliable electronic control board making it very easy. In all assisted manual flight modes, converting form hover to cruise and vice versa is as simple as switching a two position lever; ICON takes care of the rest.

Converting from hover to cruise mode is started by the activation of the pushing motor; once the minimum flight speed has been exceeded; lifting motors are slowly switched off.

In the same way, cruise to hover conversion is started switching the pushing motor off, raising the nose in order to reduce speed, and upon minimum speed approaching activating the lifting motors.

OK, but what are pilot tasks?

During fully automatic flight pilot simply does nothing; safety and regulations compliancy remains under his responsibility. During manual assisted flight pilot starts mission like the one he would operate with a multirotor, triggers the conversion by activating the appropriate switch. At the end of the mission, after taking the vehicle back to the home location, he triggers the cruise to hover conversion by activating the same switch and lands the UAV like a multirotor.

Robust and versatile

Thanks to its EPO frame, ICON is particularly damage tolerant and versatile at the same time. Carbon made lifting arms are connected to wing with a very quick and easy assembly maneuver without the need to manually connect any power nor signal cables. All system is stored in a rugged case without the need to remove propeller or lifting rotors.

Easy to fly

ICON is very easy to operate. Majority of scenarios can be operated with fully automatic flight, allowing satisfying results.

Some specific condition requires pilots to take over manual control of the drone: in this case, the on board electronic makes this situation very easy.

During hover mode, ICON behaves exactly like any other big multirotor; control are the classical altitude/position mode, widely known from most users. During cruise mode, ICON becomes a fixed wing drone at all. Sophisticated but reliable control laws embedded in the autopilot, makes manual guidance during cruise mode particularly easy: pilot is requires to simply steer drones left and right where ever he wants, leaving the autopilot deal with aerodynamic laws and constrains.

ICON, sophisticated but easy.

ICON has been developed and design with end-user requires in minds; he is required to assemble and operate in harsh conditions and in a very short time. All manual electrical connection have been eliminated embedding all connectors into the frame. Lifting arms assembly is made possible with the aid of a common hex wrench to lock high resistance fixing screws. Wings are joined to fuselage without the aid of any tool.

Drone is ready to flight in less than ten minutes.