Automatic positioning device, automatic positioning system and automatic positioning method

Abstract

The present invention discloses an automatic positioning device, an automatic positioning system and an automatic positioning method. The device includes: a first plate, a second plate, a magnetic metal conductive ball and a controller; the first plate has a reference point and a plurality of first conductive lines arranged along a straight line; a conductive part is formed on the second plate, and the conductive part is arranged opposite to the first conductive lines; the magnetic metal conductive ball is movably located between the first plate and the second plate and can conduct the first conductive lines and the conductive part. In the present invention, the magnetic metal conductive ball is attracted by magnetic force and moves between the first plate and the second plate. At different moving positions, different first conductive lines can be connected, that is, the first conductive lines and the conductive part are connected. The controller can adjust the direction during positioning through the connection relationship. In this way, positioning can be carried out automatically and conveniently without manual operation. It can be applied to wireless charging of mobile devices such as unmanned aerial vehicles, and has a wide range of applications.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of automatic positioning, and particularly to an automatic positioning device, an automatic positioning system, and an automatic positioning method. Background Art

[0002] With the development of charging technology, wireless charging technology has become increasingly mature. Wireless charging can be achieved for large devices such as cars and drones, as well as small devices such as mobile phones and watches.

[0003] For wireless charging of small items such as mobile phones, placing them on a wireless charging stand can achieve charging. However, for large devices such as cars and drones, how to achieve positioning during wireless charging, that is, how to align the coil on the device side with the coil on the charging side, has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0004] For electric vehicles, positioning can also be achieved through the operation of the driver. For example, a camera is installed under the vehicle, and the alignment influence between the coil under the vehicle and the ground coil is transmitted to the driver, enabling the driver to align them by himself.

[0005] For devices such as drones, if all rely on manual charging by operators, it will greatly affect their efficiency. Moreover, based on the current technological development, the application fields of drones are becoming more and more extensive, from impact shooting, to delivery, to pesticide spraying in agriculture and forestry, and fire rescue in the fire protection field, etc. How to achieve automatic positioning and charging of drones is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above, the present invention hopes to provide an automatic positioning device, an automatic positioning system, and an automatic positioning method to achieve automatic positioning conveniently and quickly.

[0007] The automatic positioning device of the present invention includes: a first plate, a second plate, a magnetic metal conductive ball, and a controller; wherein, the first plate has a reference point, and outside the reference point, there are multiple first conductive lines arranged along a straight line; a conductive part is formed on the second plate, and the conductive part is arranged opposite to the first conductive lines; the magnetic metal conductive ball is movably located between the first plate and the second plate, and can conduct the first conductive lines and the conductive part; the controller is connected to the first conductive lines and / or the conductive part, and determines the direction that needs to be adjusted for positioning by the conduction of different first conductive lines and the conductive part.

[0008] Preferably, the conductive part is a conductive plate.

[0009] Preferably, the conductive part is a second conductive line corresponding to the position and distribution of the first conductive lines.

[0010] Preferably, a reference circle is formed with the reference point as the center; the first conductive line is arranged along the radial direction of the reference circle.

[0011] Preferably, it further includes a first communicator, which is electrically connected to the controller.

[0012] The automatic positioning system of the present invention includes: a fixed device and a mobile device; a positioning magnet is provided on the fixed device; the mobile device includes the above-mentioned automatic positioning device; the positioning magnet drives the magnetic metal conductive ball to move between the first plate and the second plate through magnetism.

[0013] Preferably, the fixed device further includes a second communicator; the positioning magnet is an electromagnet, which is electrically connected to the second communicator, and when the second communicator receives a positioning instruction, the electromagnet starts to generate electromagnetic force.

[0014] The automatic positioning method of the present invention includes: the automatic positioning device arrives at the area to be positioned; the magnetic metal conductive ball is attracted by the positioning magnet and moves between the first plate and the second plate to conduct different first conductive lines and conductive parts; the controller receives the conduction signals of the first conductive lines and conductive parts to form a direction adjustment control signal; the direction adjustment signal is: when the first conductive line and the conductive part are conducted, taking the direction where the conducted first conductive line is located as the reference direction, adjusting in the same direction as the reference direction.

[0015] The automatic positioning device, automatic positioning system and automatic positioning method of the present invention enable the magnetic metal conductive ball to be attracted by magnetic force and move between the first plate and the second plate. At different moving positions, different first conductive lines can be connected, that is, the first conductive line and the conductive part are connected. The controller can perform direction adjustment during positioning through the connection relationship. In this way, positioning can be carried out automatically and conveniently without manual operation. It can be applied to wireless charging of mobile devices such as drones, and has a wide range of applications. Description of the Drawings

[0016] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the automatic positioning device of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 It is an exploded schematic diagram of the automatic positioning device of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 It is a first structural schematic diagram of the first plate in the automatic positioning device of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 It is a second structural schematic diagram of the first plate in the automatic positioning device of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 5 It is a third structural schematic diagram of the first plate in the automatic positioning device of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic positioning system of the present invention.

[0022] Reference numerals:

[0023] The first plate 1; the second plate 3; the magnetic metal conductive ball 5; the positioning magnet 6; the controller 7; the first conductive line 11; the first communicator 91; the second communicator 92. Detailed implementation manners

[0024] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below. The examples of the embodiments are shown in the drawings, in which the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below by referring to the drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

[0025] The present invention provides an automatic positioning device, hereinafter referred to as the "device". The device includes a first plate 1, a second plate 3, a magnetic metal conductive ball 5 (hereinafter referred to as the conductive ball 5 or the ball 5), and a controller 7. The device can be installed and used on various devices. For example, when installed on a drone, it can achieve the automatic positioning of the drone. These applications will be described later.

[0026] The first plate 1 and the second plate 3 are arranged opposite to each other, and the magnetic metal conductive ball 5 is movably clamped between the first plate 1 and the second plate 3. On the surface of the first plate 1 facing the second plate 3, there is a reference point, and outside the reference point, there are a plurality of first conductive lines 11 arranged in a straight line. The reference point is generally selected at the center position of the first plate 1. On the surface of the second plate 3 facing the first plate 1, a conductive portion is formed. That is, the conductive portion faces the first conductive line 11. The magnetic metal conductive ball 5 can conduct different first conductive lines 11 and the conductive portion between the first plate 1 and the second plate 3.

[0027] The controller 7 is connected to the first conductive line and / or the conductive portion, and determines the direction that needs to be adjusted for positioning by conducting different first conductive lines 11 and the conductive portion. Simply put, the controller 7 can obtain which first conductive line 11 is conducted with the conductive portion, so as to know the position where the magnetic metal conductive ball 5 is located, and the direction in which the ferromagnetic metal conductive ball 5 deviates is the direction of adjustment. Generally, this direction is the direction of the line connecting the reference point and the magnetic metal conductive ball 5.

[0028] In use, it is generally positioned towards the magnetic mechanism. For example, when applied to a drone, a magnetic mechanism such as a magnet is provided on the unit for charging the drone. When the drone approaches the magnet with the above device, the magnetic metal conductive ball 5 is attracted by the magnet and shifted, thereby conducting the first conductive line 11 and the conductive part at the corresponding position, and the controller 7 issues a corresponding displacement signal. This displacement signal can directly control the position movement or give a hint for the position movement. For example, when used for automatic charging of a drone, this signal can directly control the movement of the drone. And when used for parking assistance of a car, it can be an indication for the driver to move.

[0029] The above conductive part can be a conductive plate or a second conductive line corresponding to the position and distribution of the first conductive line 11.

[0030] Taking the reference point as the center, a reference circle is formed; the first conductive line 11 is arranged along the radius direction of the reference circle. If the conductive part has the same position and distribution as the first conductive line 11, then it should also be set in this way.

[0031] The same setting method should also be adopted.

[0032] Reference can be made to Figures 3 to 5 , which shows a schematic layout diagram of the first conductive line 11.

[0033] In Figure 3 The first conductive lines 11 shown are radially distributed, and their starting points are located on the same ring. And each first conductive line 11 does not cross each other. That is, they are all arranged along the radius direction of the reference circle, and their endpoints are all on the reference circle. Based on this setting method, the closer to the reference circle, the denser the arrangement of the first conductive lines 11, and the farther away, the sparser. In order to avoid the lack of distribution of the first conductive lines 11 at positions far from the reference circle and affect positioning, the arrangement shown in Figure 4 is formed. At positions far from the reference circle, additional first conductive lines 11 are inserted. For the convenience of description, we call the first conductive lines 11 with endpoints on the reference the long lines, and the additionally inserted first conductive lines 11 the short lines. The short lines are sandwiched between two adjacent long lines to fill the vacancies in the part far from the reference circle. According to needs, first conductive lines 11 can also be added to other vacant parts, such as the gaps between the long lines and the short lines. The specific number of settings can be set according to the actual size.

[0034] In addition to Figure 3 and Figure 4 the two arrangement methods shown, it can also be as shown in Figure 5As shown, there are multiple segments of the first conductive line 11 - on each radial direction of the reference circle, multiple first conductive lines 11 are arranged. During positioning, the magnetic metal conductive ball 5 will be attracted by the magnetic force. With this arrangement, different first conductive lines 11 can be conducted through the magnetic metal conductive ball 5 to determine the position relative to the target point.

[0035] For example, if the first conductive line 11 that is conducted is the outermost one in a radial direction, it indicates a relatively far distance, while if it is the innermost one, it means being very close to the target. It should be noted that the positioning in this application refers to precise positioning within a small range, rather than positioning within a large range. Take the charging of a drone as an example. For large-range positioning, the drone can achieve it through GPS, which can enable the drone to find the general area where the charger is located and dock nearby. The small-range positioning in this application is about how to find the precise charging position on the charger - as is well known, during wireless charging, the coil of the device to be charged (drone) needs to be aligned with the coil of the charger, or within a reasonable matching range, otherwise charging cannot be carried out or the charging efficiency is low. It can be seen that the small-range positioning in this application is to enable the drone to accurately align the charging coil.

[0036] As can be seen from the above, when performing the positioning required by this application, the magnetic metal conductive ball 5 is already within the range where it can be attracted by the magnetic force of the target point.

[0037] There may also be a situation where, when using an arrangement such as Figure 5 , due to the relatively far distance, the attraction force of the magnetic metal conductive ball 5 on the magnetic metal conductive ball 5 is not large enough. Although the distance is still far, the magnetic metal conductive ball 5 may not move to the outermost side and conduct the outermost first conductive line 11. This situation may exist, but it does not affect the positioning of this application. As it moves in the corresponding direction, the magnetic metal conductive ball 5 may gradually conduct the outer first conductive lines 11 (getting closer to the target point, the magnetic force increases), and then gradually conduct inwards (the target point has passed the outer side and is moving towards the reference circle). If this situation occurs, it can be judged that it is due to the influence of the distance. Of course, generally, this special situation will not occur because, as mentioned above, the small-range positioning in this application is already within the range of magnetic attraction, and the size of this device does not need to be too large, and the mass of the magnetic metal conductive ball 5 is also relatively light. Therefore, it can be attracted by the magnetic force to achieve positioning.

[0038] Preferably, the automatic positioning device further includes a first communicator 91, which can be used to communicate with the second communicator 92 of the target point. When used for wireless charging, it can make the charger end ready for charging. The first communicator 91 can be electrically connected to the controller 7 and is controlled by the controller 7.

[0039] The present invention also discloses an automatic positioning system. Refer to Figure 6 , which includes: a fixed device A and a mobile device B; the fixed device A is provided with a positioning magnet 6; the mobile device B includes the above-mentioned automatic positioning device; the positioning magnet 6 drives the magnetic metal conductive ball 5 to move between the first plate 1 and the second plate 3 through magnetism. The automatic positioning device is arranged on the mobile device B for positioning with the fixed device A, and the purpose of their positioning can be various. For example, it can be used to park the mobile device B, or to charge the mobile device B, etc.

[0040] Figure 6 In

[0041] , the fixed device A is shown as a charging stand, and the installation position of the charging stand is not limited. For example, it can be arranged on the ground. In some embodiments, it can also be arranged on the top of a street lamp or a telegraph pole to charge a drone. The mobile device B is shown as a drone. Figure 6 Taking Figure 6 as an example, the drone realizes positioning with the charging stand through the automatic positioning device installed thereon for wireless charging.

[0042] The fixed device A further includes a second communicator 92; the positioning magnet 6 is an electromagnet and is electrically connected to the second communicator 92. When the second communicator 92 receives a positioning instruction, the electromagnet starts to generate electromagnetic force.

[0043] Taking an example to illustrate, when the drone needs to be charged, it first needs to perform large-scale positioning through devices such as GPS to move and land on the charging stand, and then perform small-scale positioning through the automatic positioning system, that is, to align the power receiving coil B1 and the charging coil A1, or to make the two in a matching position for charging. It should be noted that using the drone here is only an example. For example, the automatic positioning system of the present application can also be used in the automatic parking of a car. The car is driven by the driver or automatically to the corresponding charging position, and then the position of the in-vehicle coil (that is, the power receiving coil B1) and the charging coil A1 at the ground end is corresponded through this automatic positioning system.

[0044] The drone will send a charging signal through the first communicator 91. The second communicator 92 receives this signal, and the positioning magnet 6 starts to work. When the positioning magnet 6 is not an electromagnet but a permanent magnet, the first communicator 91 is not used. The operation of whether to perform positioning can be directly carried out through the controller 7. For example, when the drone does not need to be charged and only needs to park, it can perform large-scale positioning only through GPS and park at the designated position. When charging is not required, the controller 7 can cut off the power supply between the first conductive line 11 and the conductive part, so that even if the magnetic metal conductive ball 5 moves, the first conductive line 11 will not be conducted.

[0045] Taking the case of having an electromagnet as an example, when the second communicator 92 receives the signal from the first communicator 91, it charges the electromagnet, which has magnetic force and attracts the magnetic metal conductive ball 5 to move. After that, the positioning is achieved, which has been described above and will not be elaborated here.

[0046] The present invention also provides an automatic positioning method, including:

[0047] The automatic positioning device arrives at the area to be positioned; the magnetic metal conductive ball 5 is attracted by the positioning magnet 6 and moves between the first plate 1 and the second plate 3 to conduct different first conductive lines 11 and the conductive part; the controller 7 receives the conduction signal of the first conductive line 11 and the conductive part and forms a direction adjustment control signal; the direction adjustment signal is: when the first conductive line 11 and the conductive part are conducted, taking the direction where the conducted first conductive line 11 is located as the reference direction, adjust in the same direction as the reference direction.

[0048] The structure, features and effects of the present invention have been described in detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the scope shown in the drawings. All changes made according to the concept of the present invention, or modified into equivalent embodiments with equivalent changes, still within the spirit covered by the description and the drawings, should be within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic positioning device, characterized in that, Comprising: A first plate (1), a second plate (3), a magnetic metal conductive ball (5), and a controller (7); wherein, The first plate (1) has a reference point. Outside the reference point, there are multiple first conductive lines (11) arranged in a straight line; the first conductive lines (11) are distributed in a radial manner. A conductive portion is formed on the second plate (3), and the conductive portion is arranged facing the first conductive lines (11). The magnetic metal conductive ball (5) is movably located between the first plate (1) and the second plate (3), and can conduct the first conductive lines (11) and the conductive portion. The controller (7) is connected to the first conductive line and / or the conductive portion, and determines the direction that needs to be adjusted for positioning by the conduction of different first conductive lines (11) and the conductive portion.

2. The automatic positioning device according to claim 1, wherein The conductive portion is a conductive plate.

3. The automatic positioning device according to claim 1, wherein The conductive portion is a second conductive line (31) corresponding to the position and distribution of the first conductive lines (11).

4. The automatic positioning device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein Taking the reference point as the center of a circle, a reference circle is formed; The first conductive lines (11) are arranged along the radial direction of the reference circle.

5. The automatic positioning device according to claim 1, wherein It further includes a first communicator (91), which is electrically connected to the controller (7).

6. An automatic positioning system, characterized in that, Comprising: A fixed device (A) and a mobile device (B); The fixed device (A) is provided with a positioning magnet (6); The mobile device (B) includes the automatic positioning device according to any one of claims 1-5; The positioning magnet (6) magnetically drives the magnetic metal conductive ball (5) to move between the first plate (1) and the second plate (3).

7. The automatic positioning system according to claim 6, wherein The fixed device (A) further includes a second communicator (92); The positioning magnet (6) is an electromagnet, which is electrically connected to the second communicator (92). When the second communicator (92) receives a positioning instruction, the electromagnet starts to generate electromagnetic force.

8. An automatic positioning method, characterized in that, Comprising: The automatic positioning device arrives at the area that needs to be positioned; The magnetic metal conductive ball (5) is attracted by the positioning magnet (6) and moves between the first plate (1) and the second plate (3) to conduct different first conductive lines (11) and the conductive portion; the first conductive lines (11) are distributed in a radial manner. The controller (7) receives the conduction signals of the first conductive lines (11) and the conductive portion, and forms a direction adjustment control signal. The direction adjustment signal is: when the first conductive lines (11) and the conductive portion are conducted, taking the direction where the conducted first conductive lines (11) are located as the reference direction, adjust in the same direction as the reference direction.

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