A directional relay network system for unmanned aerial logistics and a coordination method thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of unmanned vehicle logistics directional relay network system and its coordination method, belong to intelligent logistics and unmanned vehicle application technical field, the system includes: multiple cellular airspace units, cellular airspace unit is constituted continuous grid in service area;Deployed in the center of each cellular airspace unit one micro hub, as the ground logistics node of corresponding unit;Wherein, each micro hub includes one terminal nest and at least two relay nests;Terminal nest is used to provide the storage and withdrawal interface of user goods;Each relay nest is arranged around terminal nest, and each relay nest is pre-allocated and fixedly responsible for the bidirectional goods transfer task between the unit where the micro hub is located and a particular adjacent unit;Terminal nest and each relay nest are connected by internal logistics transmission device 103.The application fundamentally simplifies scheduling and management complexity by deep coordination of cellular airspace grid, heterogeneous node division of labor, directional routing rules and high automation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of intelligent logistics and drone application technology, and in particular to a directional relay network system for drone logistics and its collaborative method. Background Technology

[0002] As an important component of the intelligent logistics system, drone logistics is developing rapidly due to its advantages such as flexibility, efficiency, and low contact. Building a matching, efficient, and reliable ground infrastructure network is a key foundation for ensuring the large-scale, commercial operation of drone logistics.

[0003] Currently, most mainstream ground infrastructure adopts a single-function, homogeneous node design, meaning that each drone hub (or drone airport) has similar basic functions such as takeoff and landing, charging, and cargo storage. When these homogeneous nodes are connected to form a network, all logistics operations, including cross-regional trunk line transfers, intra-regional branch line transfers, and last-mile delivery, must be completed mixed within nodes with identical physical structures. This architecture leads to complex processes and intense resource competition within individual nodes, easily creating operational bottlenecks and congestion, making it difficult to improve the overall network operating efficiency and becoming a major obstacle to scaling.

[0004] However, existing technological improvements largely focus on enhancing the automation level of individual nodes. For example, patent document CN118683776A discloses a tower-type UAV automatic battery swapping, charging, and cargo delivery platform, which features automatic battery swapping, charging, and cargo handover functions. While such solutions improve single-point operational capabilities, their design philosophy remains confined to the realm of homogeneous nodes, failing to achieve systemic innovation from the perspective of network topology. The direct consequence is that in such homogeneous networks, logistics route planning heavily relies on real-time calculations by the central control system, lacking structured guidance provided by the infrastructure itself. This results in arbitrary air traffic flow organization, intersecting routes, and a heavy load on the central dispatch system, making it difficult to cope with the stringent requirements of timeliness, reliability, and economy in future large-scale, high-concurrency urban low-altitude logistics scenarios.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need in this field for a new network architecture that can guide and simplify the flow of logistics from the physical architecture level, and realize specialized division of labor and efficient collaboration among nodes, so as to provide a stable and optimized physical foundation for upper-level intelligent scheduling algorithms to support large-scale and systematic drone logistics operations. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics and its coordination method, so as to solve the problems of complex internal network processes, low coordination efficiency and high dependence on complex central scheduling caused by the functional isomorphism of ground infrastructure nodes.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0008] This application discloses a directional relay network system for drone logistics, comprising the following steps:

[0009] Multiple cellular airspace units, which form a continuous grid within the service area;

[0010] A micro-hub is deployed at the center of each of the aforementioned cellular airspace units, serving as a ground logistics node for the corresponding unit;

[0011] Each of the micro-hubs includes a terminal nest and at least two relay nests;

[0012] The terminal unit is used to provide an interface for users to store and retrieve their goods;

[0013] Each of the relay nests is arranged around the terminal nest, and each relay nest is pre-assigned and fixed to be responsible for the bidirectional cargo transfer task between the unit where the micro-hub is located and a specific adjacent unit;

[0014] The terminal nest and each of the relay nests are connected by an internal logistics transmission device.

[0015] When the system is running, it generates a transportation path consisting of multiple consecutive relay directions based on the unit where the goods are located at their destination address. Within each transit micro-hub, the goods are automatically sorted into the corresponding specific relay nest according to the relay direction of their next hop. The dedicated drones dispatched by the relay nest then transport the goods to the next micro-hub along a pre-set point-to-point route connecting two fixed relay nests, reaching the destination unit directly through multiple relays.

[0016] A collaborative method for a directional relay network system for drone logistics based on any one of the above-mentioned methods includes the following steps:

[0017] Based on the shipping address and destination address of the logistics order, the corresponding departure cellular airspace unit and destination cellular airspace unit are parsed out, and based on the topological relationship of the continuous grid formed by the cellular airspace units, the sequence of micro-hubs that the goods need to flow through and the relay direction at each micro-hub are calculated and generated.

[0018] Within the micro-hub corresponding to the departure cellular airspace unit, the goods are sorted to the relay hive responsible for the first relay direction and loaded onto a dedicated drone;

[0019] The dedicated UAV is controlled to fly along a fixed route to the next micro-hub, where a relay drone is responsible for the opposite relay direction.

[0020] Within the relay nest of the next micro-hub, cargo transfer and battery replacement operations are performed on the arriving drones, and the cargo is reloaded onto the corresponding dedicated drone according to the next relay direction.

[0021] Repeated relay transportation and transfer operations until the goods arrive at the micro-hub corresponding to the destination cellular airspace unit;

[0022] Within the destination micro-hub, goods are transferred from the relay nest to the terminal nest and stored in the smart storage locker.

[0023] The directional relay network system and its collaborative method for UAV logistics provided in this application achieve the following beneficial effects by deeply coordinating cellular airspace grids, heterogeneous node division of labor, directional routing rules, and highly automated operations:

[0024] 1. Significantly improves logistics efficiency and throughput: The "dedicated" relay hub eliminates task mixing and scheduling conflicts. Combined with the "whole aircraft transfer and synchronous operation" mode in the cabin, the transit time of drones is reduced to minutes, which greatly improves the processing capacity of a single micro-hub and the overall network throughput.

[0025] 2. Significantly enhances system reliability and resilience: Fixed point-to-point routes simplify airspace management and reduce flight uncertainty; the status of each node within the micro-hub is shared in real time, and flexible detour routing can be dynamically implemented based on load. When a local node is overloaded or fails, the system can automatically divert traffic through relay in the adjacent direction to ensure the continuous and stable operation of the network.

[0026] 3. Excellent scalability and modular deployment advantages: As a standard encapsulation module, the "cellular-micro hub" has a highly unified physical structure and operating logic. It can be quickly copied, spliced ​​and deployed like building blocks as the network coverage expands, which greatly reduces the complexity of building and maintaining large-scale networks.

[0027] 4. Fundamentally simplifies scheduling and management complexity: The "spatial orientation routing" rule transforms global dynamic path planning into localized sorting decisions based on geographical location, providing clear, definite and optimized physical constraints for upper-level intelligent scheduling algorithms. This significantly reduces the computational load and communication overhead of the central scheduling system, making the operation and management of large-scale, high-concurrency logistics networks simple and efficient. Attached Figure Description

[0028] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a directional relay network system for drone logistics provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the relay machine nest provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the terminal housing provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0032] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a collaborative method for a directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics, provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0033] Among them, 100 is the terminal housing; 101 is the top landing platform; 102 is the cargo lifting and sorting device; 103 is the intelligent storage cabinet; 104 is the relay cargo collection area; 200 is the relay housing; 201 is the dedicated landing position; 202 is the dedicated take-off position; 203 is the integrated operation cabin; 204 is the cargo buffer mechanism; 205 is the battery storage and swapping mechanism; 206 is the operating robotic arm; and 207 is the load-bearing and transfer mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To make the technical solution of this application clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The terms "first," "second," etc., in the claims and specification of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such terms can be used interchangeably where appropriate. This is merely a way of distinguishing objects with the same attributes in the embodiments of this application. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of units is not necessarily limited to those units, but may include other units not explicitly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products, or apparatuses.

[0035] Example 1

[0036] This embodiment provides a directional relay network system for drone logistics, including:

[0037] Multiple cellular airspace cells form a continuous grid within the service area;

[0038] A micro-hub is deployed at the center of each cellular airspace unit, serving as the ground logistics node for the corresponding unit;

[0039] Each micro-hub includes a terminal nest 100 and at least two relay nests 200;

[0040] Terminal nest 100 is used to provide users with an interface for storing and retrieving goods;

[0041] Each relay nest 200 is arranged around the terminal nest 100, and each relay nest 200 is pre-assigned and fixed to be responsible for the bidirectional cargo transfer task between the unit where the micro-hub is located and a specific adjacent unit;

[0042] The terminal unit 100 is connected to each relay unit 200 via an internal logistics transmission device 103;

[0043] When the system is running, a transportation path consisting of multiple consecutive relay directions is generated based on the unit where the destination address of the goods is located. In each transit micro-hub, the goods are automatically sorted into the corresponding specific relay nest 200 according to the relay direction of the next hop. The dedicated drones dispatched by the relay nest 200 transport the goods to the next micro-hub along a pre-set point-to-point route connecting two fixed relay nests 200, and reach the destination unit directly through multiple relays.

[0044] This embodiment provides a directional relay network system for drone logistics, the core of which lies in constructing a ground logistics infrastructure that is tightly coupled with a regular airspace grid, has a clear division of labor, and is highly automated. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the system first divides the entire service area (such as a city or a specific logistics airspace) into multiple continuous cellular airspace units, which form a seamless grid on a plane. Each unit is preferably a regular hexagon, as it is optimal in terms of coverage efficiency and gapless arrangement, providing a structured airspace management foundation for UAV flights.

[0045] At the center of each cellular airspace unit, a fully functional micro-hub is physically deployed, serving as the unit's sole ground logistics node. This micro-hub is not a single, multi-functional nest, but rather employs an innovative "1+N" cluster architecture. Specifically, each micro-hub includes: one terminal nest 100 and at least two relay nests 200. Preferably, when the cellular airspace unit adopts a regular hexagonal structure, each micro-hub precisely contains six relay nests 200. These six relay nests 200 are evenly distributed circumferentially around the terminal nest 100, each uniquely corresponding to and responsible for cargo transfer tasks in the six adjacent directions (east, southeast, southwest, west, northwest, and northeast) of the hexagonal unit. This one-to-one fixed correspondence makes each relay nest 200 a dedicated gateway to a specific adjacent unit, achieving comprehensive and specialized coverage of all adjacent directions surrounding the entire unit.

[0046] The core function of Terminal Nest 100 is to serve as a user interface, directly facing the sender or receiver, providing an interface for storing and retrieving goods. Users can store parcels to be sent in the smart storage locker 103 of Terminal Nest 100, or retrieve delivered parcels from it by scanning a code, completing the handover between the "first mile" and the "last mile".

[0047] Each relay hub 200 specializes in transit, exhibiting a highly specialized function. Each relay hub 200 is pre-assigned and fixedly responsible for bidirectional cargo transit between the micro-hub unit and a specific adjacent unit. This means that, for example, a relay hub 200 responsible for the "eastward" direction has its drone fleet, internal buffer zone, and even flight path set up solely to connect its own unit with the adjacent unit to the east. It only handles all drones and cargo flying from its own unit to the adjacent unit to the east, and from the adjacent unit to its own unit, forming a stable and predictable "aerial conveyor belt." This design simplifies the complex dynamic path planning of the entire network into localized, deterministic decisions based on destination direction at each micro-hub node, i.e., "spatial directional routing."

[0048] To achieve efficient and automated cargo flow within the micro-hub from the terminal to each dedicated portal (relay cellar 200), the terminal cellar 100 and each relay cellar 200 are physically connected via an internal logistics transfer device 103. This device is responsible for the automated transfer of standard cargo containers between the cargo collection area of ​​the terminal cellar 100 and the working compartments of each relay cellar. In a specific and efficient implementation, the internal logistics transfer device 103 is a unidirectional closed-loop rail shuttle system. This system specifically includes:

[0049] 1) Track body: A circular main track laid underground or on the ground, using aluminum profiles or steel precision guide rails, with power supply and communication sliding contact lines integrated on the inside or top.

[0050] 2) Vehicle (shuttle): An AGV that operates autonomously on a track, equipped with drive wheels, servo motors, guide wheels, on-board controllers, communication modules, pallets for carrying standard cargo boxes, and locking mechanisms.

[0051] 3) Switch mechanism: Electric switches are installed on the circular track near each relay machine nest 200. The switch tongue is driven by an independent controller to switch between the "straight" and "turn into branch line" positions to guide the vehicle into the short branch line track leading to the unloading point of the specific engine room buffer area.

[0052] The system adopts centralized scheduling, reserves a time and space path for each vehicle, avoids conflicts through calculation, and can lock switches according to the dynamic priority of the task to form a "green channel".

[0053] The entire system operates according to a clear set of directional relay logic. When the central dispatch system receives a logistics order, it first maps the latitude and longitude information of the shipping and destination addresses onto a cellular grid, resolving the corresponding departure cellular airspace unit (e.g., C12) and destination cellular airspace unit (e.g., C07). Subsequently, based on the topological relationship (adjacency relationship) of the cellular grid, a path planning algorithm is run to calculate and generate the sequence of micro-hubs that the goods need to pass through from the departure point to the destination (e.g., C12→C11→C06→C07), as well as the relay direction of the goods within each micro-hub (e.g., "westward" within C12, leading to C11).

[0054] Within the shipping micro-hub (C12), after being sorted at the terminal nest 100, goods are transported by the internal logistics transfer unit 103 to the buffer area of ​​a specific relay nest 200 (300-W) responsible for the first relay direction (westward), and loaded onto a dedicated drone scheduled by that nest. The drone then flies to the next micro-hub along a pre-defined point-to-point route connecting the two fixed relay nests 200 (e.g., a fixed route from the "westward nest 300-W" of micro-hub C12 to the "eastward nest" of micro-hub C11). This route is fixed, has the shortest distance, and serves only the nests in this specific direction, ensuring high security.

[0055] At each transit micro-hub (such as C11), after the drone lands, the cargo it carries is automatically sorted and reloaded into the corresponding relay hub 200 in the corresponding direction (such as southwest) according to the relay direction of its next hop (such as "towards C06"). Through multiple relays, the cargo finally reaches the micro-hub where the destination unit (C07) is located and enters the intelligent storage cabinet 103 of the terminal hub 100 of that micro-hub, completing the final delivery to the user.

[0056] Example 2

[0057] The Relay Carrier Nest 200 is the core physical carrier for achieving efficient and automated transfer within the system. Its design revolves around a highly efficient process of "overall transfer and synchronous operation." For example... Figure 2 As shown, a relay machine nest 200 is mainly divided into three functional areas: the top docking platform, the middle integrated operation cabin 203, and the bottom carrying and transfer mechanism 207 operating space.

[0058] In one specific embodiment, the relay nest 200 includes:

[0059] The connecting platform is fixedly installed on the top of the relay aircraft nest 200. The connecting platform has a dedicated landing position 201 and a dedicated take-off position 202 arranged horizontally side by side.

[0060] The integrated work cabin 203 is located below the docking platform. The top of the integrated work cabin 203 has a landing opening and a takeoff opening that are respectively connected to the dedicated landing position 201 and the dedicated takeoff position 202.

[0061] The load transfer mechanism 207 is installed inside the integrated work cabin 203 and is used to move horizontally back and forth between the lower part of the landing opening and the lower part of the takeoff opening.

[0062] Specifically, a docking platform is fixedly mounted on the top steel frame of the relay nest 200. A key feature of this platform is the presence of horizontally parallel, physically separated, and structurally independent dedicated landing positions 201 and 202. These two positions are arranged side-by-side near the top of the frame, with a gap between them. This design achieves complete spatial decoupling of the landing and takeoff processes, allowing one UAV to perform pre-takeoff self-checks and take off at the takeoff position while another UAV performs landing and locking at the landing position. The two operations do not interfere with each other in physical space or operational sequence, significantly improving the throughput per unit time and fundamentally eliminating the risk of process conflicts.

[0063] To achieve rapid, accurate, and reliable locking of the UAV, the dedicated landing position 201 and the takeoff position platform structure incorporate a three-level collaborative scheme:

[0064] 1) Primary Positioning (Guidance): A ring-shaped LED guide light and multiple photoelectric sensors are embedded on the platform surface. When the UAV lands, its flight control system communicates with the light group to achieve initial photoelectric and electromagnetic guidance and centering.

[0065] 2) Secondary positioning (mechanical precision positioning): V-shaped or conical guide grooves are milled or cast on the platform surface. These guide grooves match the conical guide pins at the bottom of the UAV landing gear (or vice versa, the platform has pins and the UAV landing gear has grooves). After the UAV lands, under its own weight or slight driving force, the guide pins slide along the inclined surface into the bottom of the guide groove, achieving mechanical self-centering from centimeter to millimeter level.

[0066] 3) Three-level locking (rigid fixation): An electromagnetic locking mechanism is connected to the lower or side end of each guide slot on the internal structural components of the platform. When the UAV's positioning sensor (such as a miniature limit switch) is triggered, the electromagnet is energized, driving a self-locking claw or a rising wedge pin to lock the UAV's landing gear pin from the side or press against the locking hole from below, achieving secure positioning. The locking status is fed back to the local controller in real time by a Hall sensor.

[0067] At the center of each platform is a liftable interface module. This module is driven by a small servo motor or cylinder and can be lifted vertically.

[0068] This module integrates data communication contacts and power supply contacts. The data communication contacts are a set of gold-plated elastic probes (such as Pogo Pins) used to connect to the corresponding contact array on the UAV's underside, establishing a wired high-speed data channel. This is used to quickly download the next mission command after locking, upload flight logs, synchronize status information, and perform a more reliable pre-flight command verification than wireless communication.

[0069] The power supply contacts are another set of elastic probes with higher power capacity, used to provide DC power when the drone battery is severely depleted or when deep system maintenance is required, ensuring that the drone's core systems do not lose power.

[0070] After the drone is mechanically locked, the local controller drives the interface module to rise and dock. The docking is completed and confirmed by the contact impedance detection circuit and the alignment sensor on the module.

[0071] The carrying and transfer mechanism 207 is located inside the integrated work cabin 203 below the docking platform, and its mechanical mounting base is fixed to the bottom frame of the work cabin. Its core task is to perform precise reciprocating horizontal movement between the area below the landing opening and the area below the takeoff opening to complete the "pick-up-transport-placement" of the entire UAV.

[0072] In one specific embodiment, the load-bearing and transfer mechanism 207 includes:

[0073] The horizontal moving unit includes at least one linear guide rail fixed to the bottom of the integrated work cabin 203, a moving platform slidably connected to the guide rail, and a first drive unit that drives the moving platform to move along the guide rail.

[0074] The vertical lifting unit has its base fixedly mounted on the mobile platform;

[0075] The carrying tray is fixedly installed on top of the vertical lifting unit;

[0076] The carrying tray is driven to move up and down by the vertical lifting unit and moves horizontally with the mobile platform.

[0077] Specifically, the horizontal movement unit comprises two parallel, high-precision linear guide rails fixed to the bottom frame of the work cabin. A rigid moving platform (base) is connected to these two guide rails via a linear slider. The first drive unit is a servo motor, which drives a gear in a precision gear and rack mechanism to rotate via a coupling. The gear meshes with a rack fixed to the frame, thereby converting the rotational motion into linear motion of the moving platform. Alternatively, a servo motor can drive a synchronous pulley, which pulls the moving platform via a synchronous belt. The servo motor is equipped with an absolute encoder, which, together with limit switches at the ends of the guide rails, achieves closed-loop control of the platform's horizontal position.

[0078] The base of the vertical lifting unit is bolted to the moving platform and moves horizontally with the platform. This unit can be a cross-scissor lift: composed of multiple sets of connecting rods hinged by pins, with rollers at both ends rolling within guide grooves at the bottom of the moving platform and the upper support tray. A lifting servo motor drives the central connecting shaft of the scissor lift via a worm gear reducer or ball screw, thereby controlling the entire frame's expansion (ascent) and contraction (descent). An alternative solution is to use multiple sets (e.g., four) of synchronous electric push rods, with their cylinders fixed to the moving platform. The tops of the push rods are connected to the support tray, and a controller ensures synchronous lifting.

[0079] The support tray is a rigid, lightweight component (such as an aluminum alloy frame) that is fixedly mounted on top of the vertical lifting unit via a mounting plate. The top surface of the support tray is machined or fitted with a contoured bracket that precisely matches the landing gear profile of the target UAV. This contoured bracket integrates a retractable tapered locating pin and an electromagnetic locking module.

[0080] The retractable conical positioning pin, driven by a miniature cylinder or motor, can pop out upwards. It is used to guide and mechanically center the drone by first inserting into the corresponding guide hole at the bottom of the drone's landing gear when the tray is raised to lift the drone.

[0081] The electromagnetic locking module uses an electromagnet or an electromagnet-driven mechanical latch. Once the tray rises to a position where it is fully in contact with the bottom surface of the drone's landing gear (confirmed by a contact sensor), the electromagnetic locking module is energized, generating a strong magnetic force or driving the latch to firmly attach or lock the drone's landing gear to the tray, forming a rigid connection. The locking force is fed back by a sensor.

[0082] After the drone is transported into and fixed in a fixed work station within the integrated work cabin 203 by the carrying and transfer mechanism 207, the integrated automated system inside the cabin will perform cargo loading and unloading and battery replacement operations in parallel, which is the key to compressing the transit time to minutes or even seconds.

[0083] In one specific embodiment, the integrated work cabin 203 is also equipped with a work robot arm 206, a cargo buffer mechanism 204 and a battery storage and replacement mechanism 205; the cargo buffer mechanism 204 and the battery storage and replacement mechanism 205 are arranged adjacent to each other and are both located within the working range of the work robot arm 206.

[0084] The cargo buffer mechanism 204 is used to temporarily store arriving and pending cargo. Preferably, this mechanism is an automated warehouse based on a shuttle and telescopic forks. It includes:

[0085] Multi-layer racks: constructed from aluminum alloy profiles and fixed to one or both walls inside the work compartment.

[0086] Standardized cargo box: with bottom guide grooves and side RFID tags.

[0087] Shuttle: Moves horizontally on a ground track in front of the shelf, driven by a servo motor.

[0088] Telescopic forks: Installed on the lifting platform of the shuttle, they are driven by a motor and can extend and retract in both directions, allowing them to be precisely inserted into the grooves at the bottom of the cargo box.

[0089] The working principle of cargo storage is as follows: the robotic arm 206 places the unloaded cargo box on the fixed transfer platform, the shuttle moves to the transfer platform, the forks extend to lift the cargo box, and it is stored in the designated empty space on the shelf according to the instructions.

[0090] The working principle of cargo retrieval is as follows: the control system commands a certain cargo location to retrieve a box to be shipped. The shuttle moves to the cargo location, the forks extend to retrieve the box, and then it is transported to the transfer table for the robotic arm 206 to grab.

[0091] The battery storage and swapping mechanism 205 is used for rapid standardization of quick-change battery modules for drones. Preferably, it employs a matrix-style multi-compartment drawer charging rack. It includes:

[0092] The main body of the charging rack is fixed inside the work compartment on the opposite side or below the cargo buffer mechanism 204, and consists of a matrix of multiple independent drawer compartments.

[0093] Charging drawers: Each drawer is an independent unit with built-in flexible power contacts, communication contacts (for communicating with the battery BMS), locking mechanisms (such as electromagnetic locks), and cooling fans.

[0094] Battery Management System (BMS): Integrated into the local controller, it monitors the real-time status (SOC, SOH, temperature) of the batteries in each drawer.

[0095] The robotic arm 206 is the core component for performing specific operations. It is preferably a six-DOF tandem articulated robotic arm. Its base is fixedly mounted on a support beam at the center of the top of the work cabin via a flange-mounted inverted mounting system. All joints are driven by an integrated servo joint module, featuring high repeatability (e.g., ±0.1mm) and a sufficient working radius to cover fixed workstations, handover platforms, and battery compartments.

[0096] Furthermore, its end flange is equipped with a male connector for a tool quick-change device, which can automatically connect to female connectors of different tool heads. The tool head includes at least a cargo gripper and a battery insertion / removal tool head. The cargo gripper is a servo-driven, parallel two-finger gripper with replaceable fingers and an internal pressure sensor. The battery insertion / removal tool head has a latch, electrical connector, and guide mechanism that matches the battery module.

[0097] In a more integrated design, the end effector employs a single duplex structure, internally integrating two independent drive systems in parallel. The upper part houses the drive motor and transmission mechanism for the electric parallel grippers; the lower part contains the battery insertion / removal head, which includes a linear telescopic motor for overall insertion / removal and a rotary gripper drive motor for locking / releasing the battery. Physically, both mechanisms are always in place. During operation, the controller electronically switches between enabling one system and locking the other, achieving "function switching" without physical replacement time.

[0098] In one specific embodiment, the integrated work cabin 203 is also equipped with a visual positioning system, which includes a global vision camera fixed inside the cabin and a local vision camera installed at the end of the work robot arm 206.

[0099] The vision positioning system provides high-precision "visual guidance" for the robotic arm 206 to ensure operational accuracy. The system adopts a composite mode of global guidance + local fine-tuning, including a global vision camera fixed to the top of the cabin and a local vision camera installed at the end of the robotic arm 206.

[0100] Specifically, the global vision camera is a high-resolution binocular stereo camera, fixedly installed at the center of the top of the work cabin, used to quickly perform 3D point cloud scanning after the drone enters, and obtain the rough pose of key components such as the drone, cargo door, and battery compartment.

[0101] This local vision camera is a high frame rate 2D industrial camera that is directly integrated and mounted on the end effector (or tool head) of the robotic arm for millimeter-level real-time positioning and visual servo control when approaching a target.

[0102] The processing unit of this vision positioning system is a dedicated industrial vision controller that runs vision algorithms and communicates with the robotic arm 206 in real time. Through pre-completed "hand-eye calibration," the camera-recognized coordinates can be converted into motion commands in the robotic arm's base coordinate system or the tool coordinate system.

[0103] After the drone enters its designated workstation, the system's local controller follows a strict state machine logic to drive the entire workflow:

[0104] First, the execution of each sub-action (such as "robotic arm moves to cargo door", "gripper closes", "carrying pallet descends") is triggered by receiving a specific feedback signal from a preceding sensor. For example, the trigger conditions for the "robotic arm performs unloading" action include: Signal_Platform_At_WorkStation (carrying pallet has reached the workstation coordinates), Signal_UAV_Stable (lateral auxiliary support has extended), Signal_Door_Closed (door is closed), etc.

[0105] Secondly, after receiving the "synchronous operation" command, the local controller does not simply execute the sequence "unloading → storing box → retrieving box → loading → battery swapping" sequentially. Instead, it employs a spatiotemporal trajectory joint optimization algorithm. This algorithm decomposes tasks such as unloading, loading, and battery swapping into atomic actions, using the shortest total operation time as the objective function. It optimizes the position and velocity of each joint of the robotic arm at discrete time steps, while simultaneously incorporating kinematic limits, dynamic limits, logical sequence requirements between actions, and collision-free requirements between the robotic arm and itself, as well as the environment (drone, shelf), as constraints. This constructs a large-scale nonlinear optimization problem, which is then solved using a sequential quadratic programming (SQP) solver. This allows for the planning of a joint optimal trajectory that enables smooth movement of the robotic arm (or multiple robotic arms / multiple tool heads) and high temporal overlap (e.g., when the robotic arm is transporting old goods back to the warehouse, its path is planned to pass near the new goods retrieval point; or in a single-arm system, the optimized trajectory allows the gripper operation and the preparatory movement of the battery tool head to interweave in time).

[0106] Furthermore, the decision to perform a battery swap is not made by a single command. The local controller integrates predictive commands from the cloud (based on estimated battery consumption based on flight distance and payload) and real-time battery data (actual SOC, voltage, and temperature) from the drone's interface for local arbitration. For example, even if the cloud predicts that a battery swap is not needed, but detects that the actual battery charge is below a safety threshold or a fault code exists, the local controller will force a battery swap operation.

[0107] Furthermore, during critical precision operations, such as the final 10mm of battery insertion / removal, the system initiates real-time visual servo control. The end-effector camera continuously captures images of the battery interface, the algorithm calculates the positional deviation in real time, and forms a closed-loop control signal to dynamically adjust the robotic arm's end-effector pose, ensuring alignment accuracy.

[0108] Example 3

[0109] Terminal Nest 100 serves as a bridge connecting users to the directional relay network. For example... Figure 3 As shown, it has a take-off and landing platform on top for drones to take off and land for "first and last mile" transportation. The core component is its internal cargo lifting and sorting device 102.

[0110] The cargo lifting and sorting device 102 is a dedicated module with coupled structure and integrated control, fixedly installed within the vertical shaft of the terminal nest 100 building structure. The device's inlet docks with the take-off and landing platform to receive cargo from the drone or transfer cargo to the departing drone. It includes:

[0111] 1. Vertical Lifting Mechanism: A high-precision ball screw pair driven by a servo motor, whose nut seat is connected to the base of the horizontal moving mechanism via a connecting plate. Linear guide rails are provided on both sides of the screw for guidance.

[0112] 2. Horizontal moving mechanism: a set of precision linear modules, whose track (stator) is fixed to the nut seat connecting plate of the vertical lifting mechanism; its slider (mover) is fixed to the bottom of the integrated load-bearing tray through the mounting plate.

[0113] 3. Integrated Carrying Pallet: A rigid platform whose upper surface supports goods. Crucially, it integrates a scanning module array: including a fixed barcode scanner for upward scanning and a lateral auxiliary vision camera, both directly fixed to supports below or to the side of the pallet. In the retracted position, the upper surface of the pallet is flush with the horizontal conveyor belt; in the extended position, it is suspended in a vertical shaft.

[0114] 4. Sensing system: including limit switches to detect whether the pallet is in place, and photoelectric sensors to detect whether there are goods on the pallet.

[0115] The workflow is as follows: The drone unloads the package onto a temporary workstation on the top landing platform 101, which is equipped with a pusher and a fixed scanner. The scanner initially identifies the package information. The pusher at the temporary workstation pushes the package into the shaft and onto a carrying pallet located at the bottom waiting position. After a sensor is triggered, the vertical lifting mechanism starts, driving the entire horizontal moving mechanism and the pallet to the bottom of the landing platform. Simultaneously, the pallet's built-in scanning module accurately scans the stationary package to obtain the destination cellular address. The control system calculates the relay direction based on the destination address. Subsequently, the vertical lifting mechanism descends to the sorting layer. The vertical arrival signal triggers the horizontal moving mechanism, and the carrying pallet extends horizontally, smoothly pushing the package onto the corresponding horizontal conveyor belt. According to control commands, the horizontal conveyor belt system routes the package to one of two exits via a guide. The first exit connects to the replenishment channel of the multi-compartment intelligent storage cabinet 103, storing packages belonging to the current cellular user in the corresponding compartment; the second exit connects to the relay cargo collection area 104. The area is divided into several sub-buffer zones in six directions. Packages are sent to the sub-buffer zone corresponding to the relay direction for temporary storage. Packages in the relay cargo collection area 104 are automatically picked up by vehicles of the one-way closed loop track shuttle system according to scheduling instructions and transported to the buffer zone of the relay nest 200 in the corresponding direction.

[0116] Example 4

[0117] This embodiment provides a collaborative method for a directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics based on the above-mentioned system, such as... Figure 4 As shown, it includes the following steps:

[0118] S110. Based on the shipping address and destination address of the logistics order, the corresponding departure cellular airspace unit and destination cellular airspace unit are parsed out, and based on the topological relationship of the continuous grid formed by the cellular airspace units, the sequence of micro-hubs that the goods need to flow through and the relay direction at each micro-hub are calculated and generated.

[0119] S120. Within the micro-hub corresponding to the departure cellular airspace unit, the goods are sorted to the relay nest 200 responsible for the first relay direction and loaded onto a dedicated UAV.

[0120] S130, control the dedicated drone to fly along a fixed route to the next micro-hub to the relay nest 200 responsible for the opposite relay direction;

[0121] S140. In the relay nest 200 of the next micro-hub, perform cargo transfer and battery replacement operations on the arriving drone, and reload the cargo into the corresponding dedicated drone according to the next relay direction of the cargo.

[0122] S150, repeated relay transportation steps and transfer operation steps, until the goods arrive at the micro-hub corresponding to the destination cellular airspace unit;

[0123] S160. Within the destination micro-hub, the goods are transferred from the relay nest 200 to the terminal nest 100 and stored in the smart storage cabinet 103.

[0124] The specific process flow is as described in Example 1, starting with order parsing and generating the relay chain. Within each relay machine nest 200, the standardized process of "whole machine transfer and synchronous operation" as described in Example 2 is executed.

[0125] It should also be noted that the collaborative operation of the entire system is driven by distributed intelligence. At the micro-hub level, terminal nest 100 and the local controllers of all relay nests 200 are connected via high-speed industrial Ethernet switches, forming a local area network edge computing cluster. They broadcast their respective device status (such as busy / idle, fault), resource status (such as buffer inventory, battery availability), and task queue length in real time.

[0126] Based on this, the system also has a flexible routing strategy: the central or edge scheduling system monitors the load status of relay hubs 200 in different directions within each micro-hub in real time. When it is determined that the load in a certain direction (such as 300-E eastward) exceeds a preset threshold (e.g., the task queue is too long), or the expected waiting time exceeds the threshold T, it is determined that the load in that direction is too high. To avoid congestion, the scheduling algorithm is immediately activated, no longer sending all newly arrived goods destined for the east to 300-E, but dynamically redistributing some goods to adjacent hubs with lighter current loads, such as northeast (300-NE) or southeast (300-SE), according to the cost function (considering the total estimated time increment, the current load of the target replacement hub, and additional transfer operation costs).

[0127] For goods assigned to 300-NE, the system re-plans their routes. For example, the original route "C12 (East) → C13" becomes "C12 (Northeast) → C9 → (change direction within the C9 micro-hub) → C13". The algorithm ensures that although the total time for the new route is slightly increased, it effectively avoids long queues in the eastbound direction of C12, thus improving overall throughput and average delivery time from a system-wide perspective.

[0128] The reallocation decision and new path information are immediately updated to the global task tracking system and the local controller of the relevant micro-hub, ensuring seamless operation in subsequent steps.

[0129] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of this patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics, characterized in that, include: Multiple cellular airspace units, which form a continuous grid within the service area; A micro-hub is deployed at the center of each of the aforementioned cellular airspace units, serving as a ground logistics node for the corresponding unit; Each of the micro-hubs includes a terminal nest and at least two relay nests; The terminal unit is used to provide an interface for users to store and retrieve their goods; Each of the relay nests is arranged around the terminal nest, and each relay nest is pre-assigned and fixed to be responsible for the bidirectional cargo transfer task between the unit where the micro-hub is located and a specific adjacent unit; The terminal nest and each of the relay nests are connected by an internal logistics transmission device. When the system is running, it generates a transportation path consisting of multiple consecutive relay directions based on the unit where the goods are located at their destination address. Within each transit micro-hub, the goods are automatically sorted into the corresponding specific relay nest according to the relay direction of their next hop. The dedicated drones dispatched by the relay nest then transport the goods to the next micro-hub along a pre-set point-to-point route connecting two fixed relay nests, reaching the destination unit directly through multiple relays.

2. The directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cellular airspace unit has a regular hexagonal structure, and each micro-hub contains six relay nests; the six relay nests are evenly distributed circumferentially, and each uniquely corresponds to and is responsible for the cargo transfer in the six adjacent directions of the regular hexagonal unit.

3. A directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The relay nest includes: The connecting platform is fixedly installed on top of the relay aircraft nest, and the connecting platform is equipped with horizontally parallel dedicated landing positions and dedicated take-off positions; An integrated work cabin is located below the docking platform. The top of the integrated work cabin has a landing opening and a takeoff opening that are respectively connected to the dedicated landing position and the dedicated takeoff position. A load-bearing transfer mechanism is installed inside the integrated work cabin and is used for reciprocating horizontal movement between the area below the landing opening and the area below the takeoff opening.

4. The directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics according to claim 3, characterized in that, The load-bearing and transfer mechanism includes: A horizontal moving unit includes at least one linear guide rail fixed to the bottom of the integrated work cabin, a moving platform slidably connected to the guide rail, and a first driving unit that drives the moving platform to move along the guide rail. A vertical lifting unit, the base of which is fixedly installed on the mobile platform; A carrying tray is fixedly installed on top of the vertical lifting unit; The carrying tray is driven to move up and down by the vertical lifting unit and moves horizontally with the mobile platform.

5. A directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics according to claim 4, characterized in that, The top surface of the carrying tray is provided with a contour bracket, and the contour bracket is provided with a retractable positioning pin and an electromagnetic locking module; the first drive unit of the horizontal moving unit is a servo motor and a gear rack mechanism or synchronous belt mechanism connected thereto; the vertical lifting unit is a cross scissor lift or multiple sets of synchronous electric push rods.

6. The directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics according to claim 3, characterized in that, Both the dedicated landing position and the dedicated takeoff position are equipped with: V-shaped or conical guide grooves formed on the surface of the docking platform; An electromagnetic locking mechanism built into the docking platform and corresponding to the guide groove; And a liftable interface module located in the central area of ​​the guide groove, the interface module being provided with data communication contacts and power supply contacts.

7. A directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics according to claim 3, characterized in that, The integrated work cabin is also equipped with a robotic arm, a cargo buffer mechanism, and a battery storage and swapping mechanism; the cargo buffer mechanism and the battery storage and swapping mechanism are located adjacent to each other and are both within the working range of the robotic arm.

8. A directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics according to claim 7, characterized in that, The robotic arm is a six-degree-of-freedom tandem joint robotic arm, and its end effector is equipped with a tool quick-change device, which is used to change the cargo gripper and battery insertion / removal tool.

9. A directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics according to claim 8, characterized in that, The end effector is an integrated duplex structure, which integrates an electric parallel gripper for picking up goods and a battery operating head for inserting and removing batteries.

10. A directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics according to claim 7, characterized in that, The integrated work cabin is also equipped with a visual positioning system, which includes a global vision camera fixed inside the cabin and a local vision camera installed at the end of the robotic arm.

11. A directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics according to claim 7, characterized in that, The cargo buffer mechanism includes a shuttle car that moves on a track and telescopic forks mounted on the shuttle car; The battery storage and swapping mechanism includes multiple independent charging drawers, each of which is equipped with charging contacts and communication contacts.

12. The directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics according to claim 1, characterized in that, The terminal nest includes: Top landing platform; The cargo lifting and sorting device has its inlet connected to the top lifting platform, its first outlet connected to the intelligent storage cabinet, and its second outlet connected to the relay cargo collection area. The relay cargo collection area is connected to each of the relay machine nests through the internal logistics transmission device.

13. A directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics according to claim 12, characterized in that, The cargo lifting and sorting device includes a vertical lifting mechanism, a horizontal moving mechanism, and an integrated carrying pallet; the carrying pallet is driven to move vertically by the vertical lifting mechanism and horizontally by the horizontal moving mechanism, and the carrying pallet integrates a scanning module for scanning cargo information.

14. A directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics according to claim 12, characterized in that, The internal logistics transmission device is a one-way closed wake-up track shuttle system, including a circular track laid underground, a vehicle running on the track, and a switch mechanism that controls the switching of the vehicle between the circular track and the branch track leading to each relay station.

15. A directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics according to claim 1, characterized in that, The terminal nests within the same micro-hub are connected to all the relay nests via local area network communication, forming an edge computing cluster to exchange status information in real time and perform collaborative elastic scheduling.

16. A collaborative method for a directional relay network system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) logistics based on any one of claims 1-15, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Based on the shipping address and destination address of the logistics order, the corresponding departure cellular airspace unit and destination cellular airspace unit are parsed out, and based on the topological relationship of the continuous grid formed by the cellular airspace units, the sequence of micro-hubs that the goods need to flow through and the relay direction at each micro-hub are calculated and generated. Within the micro-hub corresponding to the departure cellular airspace unit, the goods are sorted to the relay hive responsible for the first relay direction and loaded onto a dedicated drone; The dedicated UAV is controlled to fly along a fixed route to the next micro-hub, where a relay drone is responsible for the opposite relay direction. Within the relay nest of the next micro-hub, cargo transfer and battery replacement operations are performed on the arriving drones, and the cargo is reloaded onto the corresponding dedicated drone according to the next relay direction. Repeated relay transportation and transfer operations until the goods arrive at the micro-hub corresponding to the destination cellular airspace unit; Within the destination micro-hub, goods are transferred from the relay nest to the terminal nest and stored in the smart storage locker.

17. The collaborative method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The specific steps of the transfer operation include: The drone, which has landed at a dedicated landing position, is moved as a whole into a fixed work station inside the integrated work cabin using a carrying and transfer mechanism. The robotic arm simultaneously performs the following operations at the fixed work station: unloading goods from the drone and transferring them to the cargo buffering mechanism, retrieving goods to be shipped from the cargo buffering mechanism and loading them into the drone, and replacing the drone battery. After the operation is completed, the UAV is moved out of the integrated operation cabin by the carrying and transfer mechanism and transported to the dedicated take-off position for take-off.

18. The collaborative method according to claim 17, characterized in that, In the synchronous execution step, the motion path of the robotic arm is planned by a spatiotemporal trajectory joint optimization algorithm, so that unloading, loading and battery swapping operations are executed concurrently in time. And / or, the synchronous execution step makes decisions based on the fusion of predictive instructions issued from the cloud and local real-time sensor data from the drone.

19. The collaborative method according to claim 16, characterized in that, In the transfer operation steps, the horizontal movement and vertical lifting of the carrying and transferring mechanism, the operation sequence of the working robotic arm, and the lifting of the interface module on the docking platform are all triggered by receiving the corresponding sensor feedback signal.

20. The collaborative method according to claim 16, characterized in that, It also includes the elastic routing step: Real-time monitoring of the load status of relay nests in different relay directions within each micro-hub; When it is determined that the load in a certain direction exceeds the preset threshold, some of the goods that are subsequently planned to be sent to that direction will be redistributed to the relay hub in another relay direction with a lighter current load within the same micro-hub. Planning transport routes for redistributed goods, the routes including one or more additional transfers via the other direction to adjacent units.

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