A drone

Abstract

The present invention discloses a drone, which belongs to the field of drone charging technology. The drone includes a drone body, a charging connector assembly and a connecting terminal, wherein the drone body includes a fuselage, an arm and a leg, the arm is connected to the fuselage, the leg is connected below the arm, the connecting terminal is arranged on the fuselage and electrically connected to the battery inside the fuselage, the charging connector assembly is arranged on the leg, one end of the charging connector assembly can be plugged into the charging interface on the charging platform, and the other end is electrically connected to the connecting terminal. The drone omits the landing gear and arranges the charging connector assembly on the leg, which reduces the weight of the drone, reduces the power consumption of the drone, and prolongs the duration of a single flight of the drone.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle charging, and in particular to a unmanned aerial vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Drones have been increasingly used in recent years because they are not affected by ground traffic congestion, have high speed, can directly complete point-to-point service tasks, and are highly efficient. However, drones generally have a short flight time and cannot complete long-term and long-range flight requirements. In order to complete outdoor flights or smoothly perform tasks, existing drones generally have an automatic charging function.

[0003] The automatic charging function of a drone specifically means that when the drone is about to run out of power, it will fly to the nearest automatic charging airport to complete charging so that it can continue to fly. The charging connector assembly on the existing drone is set on the landing gear of the drone. The charging platform positions the landing gear to enable the charging connector assembly on the landing gear to be plugged into the charging interface on the charging platform, thereby charging the drone. However, the landing gear is heavy, which causes the drone battery to run out of power faster, further shortening the single flight time of the drone.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a lightweight drone with a charging function to solve the above-mentioned technical problems existing in the prior art. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a drone which is lightweight and has a charging function, thereby reducing the power consumption of the drone and extending the duration of a single flight of the drone.

[0006] To achieve this object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A drone comprises a drone body, wherein the drone body comprises a fuselage, an arm and a leg, wherein the arm is connected to the fuselage, and the leg is connected below the arm. The drone further comprises a charging connector assembly and a connecting terminal, wherein the connecting terminal is arranged on the fuselage and electrically connected to a battery inside the fuselage, and the charging connector assembly is arranged on the leg, wherein one end of the charging connector assembly can be plugged into a charging interface on a charging platform, and the other end is electrically connected to the connecting terminal.

[0008] As an optimal technical solution for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the charging connector assembly includes a charging probe and a probe socket, the probe socket is fixed on the machine leg, the charging probe is arranged on the probe socket, one end of the charging probe can be connected to the charging interface on the charging platform, and the other end is electrically connected to the connection terminal.

[0009] As a preferred technical solution for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the charging probe includes a positive probe and a negative probe, and the positive probe and the negative probe can be connected to the positive pole and the negative pole of the charging interface respectively.

[0010] As a preferred technical solution for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the charging connector assembly also includes a charging wire, one end of which is electrically connected to the charging probe, and the other end of which is electrically connected to the connecting terminal.

[0011] As an optimal technical solution for a drone, a U-shaped slot is provided on the probe needle holder, and the U-shaped slot is connected to the machine leg.

[0012] As a preferred technical solution for a drone, a first connecting hole is provided on the probe needle holder, and the first connecting hole is used to fix the probe needle holder on the machine leg.

[0013] As a preferred technical solution for a drone, the drone further comprises a support assembly, wherein the support assembly is connected to the machine leg, and the probe needle holder is fixedly connected to the support assembly.

[0014] As an optimal technical solution for a drone, the support assembly includes a fixing seat, the fixing seat is provided with a leg slot, the legs are inserted into the leg slot, the outer side wall of the leg slot is provided with a connecting ear, and the probe needle seat is connected to the connecting ear.

[0015] As a preferred technical solution for a drone, the support assembly also includes a fixed clamp and a connecting seat, the connecting seat is connected to the fixed seat, and the connecting seat and the fixed clamp are respectively clamped on opposite sides of the machine arm and are buckled and connected to each other.

[0016] As a preferred technical solution for a drone, a first connecting flange is provided on the fixed clamp, a second connecting flange is provided on the connecting seat, and the first connecting flange and the second connecting flange are fixedly connected.

[0017] The present invention provides a drone, which includes a drone body, a charging connector assembly and a connecting terminal, wherein the drone body includes a fuselage, an arm and a leg, the charging connector assembly is arranged on the leg, and one end of the charging connector assembly can be plugged into a charging interface on a charging platform, and the other end is electrically connected to the connecting terminal to realize charging of the drone battery. Compared with the prior art, the landing gear is omitted, and the overall weight of the drone is significantly reduced, thereby reducing the power consumption of the drone and extending the single flight time of the drone. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 is an axle-side schematic diagram of a drone provided by a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 is an exploded view of a portion of the structure of a drone provided by a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 is a bottom view of a drone provided by a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a charging connector assembly provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of a support assembly provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Reference numerals:

[0024] 1. UAV body; 11. Fuselage; 12. Arm; 13. Leg; 2. Charging connector assembly; 21. Charging probe; 22. Probe needle holder; 221. U-shaped slot; 222. First connection hole; 23. Charging wire; 3. Connection terminal; 4. Support assembly; 41. Fixed seat; 411. Support leg; 412. Connecting ear; 4121. Second connection hole; 42. Fixed clamp; 43. Connecting seat. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the technical problem solved by the present invention, the technical solution adopted and the technical effect achieved more clearly, the technical solution of the present invention is further explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings and through specific implementation methods.

[0026] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected", "connected", and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0027] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0028] In the description of this embodiment, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and other directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of description and simplification of operation, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operate in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish in the description and have no special meaning.

[0029] like Figure 1 to Figure 5 As shown, this embodiment provides a drone, which includes a drone body 1, a charging connector assembly 2 and a connecting terminal 3, wherein the drone body 1 includes a fuselage 11, an arm 12 and a leg 13, the arm 12 is connected to the fuselage 11, the leg 13 is connected to the bottom of the arm 12, the connecting terminal 3 is arranged on the fuselage 11 and is electrically connected to the battery inside the fuselage 11, the charging connector assembly 2 is arranged on the leg 13, one end of the charging connector assembly 2 can be plugged into the charging interface on the charging platform, and the other end is electrically connected to the connecting terminal 3.

[0030] When the drone lands on the charging platform, the charging platform will correct the position of the drone to ensure that the charging connector assembly 2 on the drone is plugged into the charging interface on the charging platform, thereby realizing the automatic charging function of the drone. The drone in this embodiment directly sets the charging connector assembly 2 on the leg 13. Compared with the prior art in which the charging connector assembly 2 is set on the landing gear, the landing gear is omitted, which significantly reduces the overall weight of the drone, thereby reducing the power consumption of the drone and extending the duration of a single flight of the drone. It should be noted that the charging platform's position correction technology for the drone is not the focus of protection of this embodiment, and reference may be made to the prior art.

[0031] like Figure 2 to Figure 4 As shown, the charging connector assembly 2 includes a charging probe 21 and a probe needle holder 22. The probe needle holder 22 is fixed on the machine leg 13. The charging probe 21 is arranged on the probe needle holder 22. One end of the charging probe 21 can be connected to the charging interface on the charging platform, and the other end is electrically connected to the connection terminal 3. Specifically, a probe hole is provided on the probe needle holder 22. The charging probe 21 passes through and is interference-connected in the probe hole. When the position of the drone is corrected, the charging interface on the charging platform will be plugged into the charging probe 21 to realize the automatic charging function of the drone.

[0032] Furthermore, the charging probe 21 includes a positive probe and a negative probe, which can be connected to the positive and negative poles of the charging interface respectively, thereby realizing the function of automatically charging the battery of the drone.

[0033] like Figure 4As shown, the charging connector assembly 2 also includes a charging wire 23, one end of the charging wire 23 is electrically connected to the charging probe 21, and the other end is electrically connected to the connection terminal 3, thereby achieving the purpose of charging the battery after the charging probe 21 is connected to the charging interface.

[0034] like Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, in the present embodiment, the shape of the machine leg 13 is cylindrical. To facilitate the fixation of the probe needle holder 22 on the machine leg 13, a U-shaped card slot 221 is provided on the probe needle holder 22. The U-shaped card slot 221 is snapped onto the machine leg 13. The inner surface of the U-shaped card slot 221 is an arc surface structure adapted to the machine leg 13, so that the inner surface of the U-shaped card slot 221 can just abut against the outer surface of the machine leg 13, and the connection is more stable.

[0035] Furthermore, the probe needle holder 22 is also provided with a first connection hole 222, and the first connection hole 222 is used to fix the probe needle holder 22 to the machine leg 13. Specifically, the probe needle holder 22 can be fixed to the machine leg 13 by passing a fixing member such as a bolt or a screw through the first connection hole 222.

[0036] Since the surface of the charging platform may be uneven or have accumulated water, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the drone also includes a support assembly 4, which is connected to the leg 13, and the probe needle seat 22 is fixedly connected to the support assembly 4. The support assembly 4 is used to increase the height of the charging connector assembly 2, ensuring that the drone can land stably on the charging platform and avoid contact between the charging connector assembly 2 and water, ensuring that the drone is charged more safely. Specifically, according to the height of the leg 13, it is determined whether to set the support assembly 4 on the leg 13.

[0037] Specifically, Figure 5 As shown, the support assembly 4 includes a fixed seat 41, and a machine leg groove is provided on the fixed seat 41, and the machine leg 13 is inserted into the machine leg groove. A connecting ear 412 is provided on the outer wall of the machine leg groove, and the probe needle seat 22 is connected to the connecting ear 412. Specifically, a second connecting hole 4121 is provided on the connecting ear 412, and the probe needle seat 22 abuts on the connecting ear 412, so that the first connecting hole 222 and the second connecting hole 4121 are arranged opposite to each other, and a fixing member such as a bolt or a screw passes through the first connecting hole 222 and the second connecting hole 4121 to fix the probe needle seat 22 on the fixed seat 41.

[0038] Furthermore, the support assembly 4 also includes a fixed clamp 42 and a connecting seat 43, the connecting seat 43 is connected to the fixed seat 41, and the connecting seat 43 and the fixed clamp 42 are respectively clamped on opposite sides of the machine arm 12 and are mutually buckled and connected. Specifically, a first clamping portion is provided on the fixed clamp 42, and a second clamping portion is provided on the connecting seat 43. The upper surface of the machine arm 12 abuts in the first clamping portion, and the lower surface of the machine arm 12 abuts in the second clamping portion, so as to avoid damaging the structure of the drone body 1, so that the combination of the support assembly 4 and the charging connector assembly 2 can adapt to different types of drones.

[0039] Furthermore, a first connecting flange is provided on the fixing hoop 42, and a second connecting flange is provided on the connecting seat 43. When the fixing hoop 42 is buckled with the connecting seat 43, the first connecting flange and the second connecting flange abut against each other and are fixedly connected by bolts and other fixing parts. The purpose of fixing the connecting seat 43 to the machine arm 12 is achieved by the first connecting flange and the second connecting flange. The connecting seat 43 is connected to the fixing seat 41, thereby achieving the purpose of fixing the fixing seat 41 to the machine leg 13. The probe needle seat 22 of the charging connector assembly 2 is fixed to the fixing seat 41 through the connecting ear 412, thereby achieving the fixed connection between the charging connector assembly 2 and the machine leg 13.

[0040] Preferably, the fixing seat 41 includes a support leg 411 arranged at the bottom of the leg slot, and the support leg 411 is used to raise the height of the charging connector assembly 2. The height of the support leg 411 is set based on making the bottom of the drone at the same horizontal plane. The bottom of the drone being at the same horizontal plane can make it easier for the charging platform to position the drone, and when the legs 13 of the drone are all provided with charging connector assemblies 2, the charging connector assemblies 2 are at the same height, so that the charging interface on the charging platform can be successfully docked with any of the charging connector assemblies 2, thereby realizing the charging function of the drone and ensuring the stability of the drone during charging.

[0041] Preferably, in this embodiment, the number of charging connector assemblies 2 is at least one. When the number of charging connector assemblies 2 is multiple, a part of them can be used for charging, and the other part can be used to transmit the charging status signal. In addition, it is also possible to adopt a method of setting three probes on the probe needle holder 22, two of which are charging probes 21, and the other is a signal probe, so as to realize the function that the same charging connector assembly 2 can both charge and transmit the charging status signal. The purpose of setting multiple charging connector assemblies 2 is to ensure that when one of the charging connector assemblies 2 is damaged, the remaining charging connector assemblies 2 can serve as spare connectors. The charging interface on the charging platform can be charged by plugging it into one of the charging connector assemblies 2, which reduces the accuracy requirements of the charging platform for the position correction of the drone and simplifies the charging process. The fact that the charging connector assembly 2 and the signal probe can transmit the charging status signal is a relatively mature technology in the prior art and will not be repeated here.

[0042] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, two charging connector assemblies 2 are preferably provided. The two charging connector assemblies 2 are respectively provided on the two shorter legs 13 of the drone. Therefore, a support assembly 4 needs to be provided under the corresponding charging connector assembly 2, which, on the one hand, increases the height of the charging connector assembly 2, and on the other hand, makes the bottom of the drone on the same horizontal plane. One of the two charging connector assemblies 2 is used to charge the battery, and the other is used to transmit the charging status signal; or both charging connector assemblies 2 are used for battery charging. Preferably, in this embodiment, one of the two charging connector assemblies 2 is used to transmit the charging status signal, and the other is used for battery charging.

[0043] The above contents are only preferred embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, according to the concept of the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scopes. The content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising an unmanned aerial vehicle body (1), the unmanned aerial vehicle body (1) comprising a fuselage (11), an arm (12) and a leg (13), the arm (12) being connected to the fuselage (11), the leg (13) being connected below the arm (12), characterized in that: The drone further comprises a charging connector assembly (2) and a connecting terminal (3); the connecting terminal (3) is arranged on the fuselage (11) and is electrically connected to a battery inside the fuselage (11); the charging connector assembly (2) is arranged on the leg (13); one end of the charging connector assembly (2) is capable of being plugged into a charging interface on a charging platform, and the other end is electrically connected to the connecting terminal (3); The charging connector assembly (2) comprises a charging probe (21) and a probe needle holder (22); the probe needle holder (22) is fixed to the machine leg (13); the charging probe (21) is arranged on the probe needle holder (22); one end of the charging probe (21) can be connected to the charging interface on the charging platform, and the other end is electrically connected to the connection terminal (3); The drone also includes a support assembly (4), the support assembly (4) being connected to the machine leg (13), and the probe needle seat (22) being fixedly connected to the support assembly (4); the support assembly (4) including a fixing seat (41), the fixing seat (41) being provided with a machine leg slot, the machine leg (13) being inserted into the machine leg slot, a connecting ear (412) being provided on the outer side wall of the machine leg slot, and the probe needle seat (22) being connected to the connecting ear (412); the fixing seat (41) including a supporting leg (411) being provided at the bottom of the machine leg slot, the supporting leg (411) being used to raise the height of the charging connector assembly (2), and the height of the supporting leg (411) being set based on the bottom of the drone being on the same horizontal plane.

2. The drone according to claim 1, characterized in that: The charging probe (21) comprises a positive pole probe and a negative pole probe, and the positive pole probe and the negative pole probe can be connected to the positive pole and the negative pole of the charging interface respectively.

3. The drone according to claim 1, characterized in that: The charging connector assembly (2) further comprises a charging wire (23), one end of the charging wire (23) being electrically connected to the charging probe (21), and the other end of the charging wire (23) being electrically connected to the connecting terminal (3).

4. The drone according to claim 1, wherein: The probe needle seat (22) is provided with a U-shaped slot (221), and the U-shaped slot (221) is snap-connected to the machine leg (13).

5. The drone according to claim 1, wherein: The probe needle seat (22) is provided with a first connection hole (222), and the first connection hole (222) is used to fix the probe needle seat (22) on the machine leg (13).

6. The drone according to claim 1, wherein: The support assembly (4) further comprises a fixing hoop (42) and a connecting seat (43), wherein the connecting seat (43) is connected to the fixing seat (41), and the connecting seat (43) and the fixing hoop (42) are respectively clamped on opposite sides of the machine arm (12) and are mutually buckled and connected.

7. The drone according to claim 6, characterized in that: The fixing hoop (42) is provided with a first connecting flange, the connecting seat (43) is provided with a second connecting flange, and the first connecting flange and the second connecting flange are fixedly connected.

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