Tethered cable assembly, cable box and drone system with movable insulation layer

Abstract

The present invention provides a tethered cable assembly, a cable box and a drone system with a movable insulating layer. The tethered cable assembly comprises a connector, a first movable part, a cable, an insulating assembly and a fixed plate. The connector is fixedly connected to the first movable part, and the first end of the cable is fixedly connected to the connector; the insulating assembly comprises an insulating tube, a second movable part and a positioning block. The cable passes through the insulating tube and can move relative to the insulating tube. The length of the insulating tube is less than the length of the cable. The second movable part is fixedly connected to the first end of the insulating tube, the second movable part is detachably connected to the first movable part, and the positioning block is fixedly connected to the second end of the insulating tube; the insulating tube passes through the fixed plate and can move relative to the fixed plate, the connector and the first end of the insulating tube are both located on the first side of the fixed plate, the positioning block is located on the second side of the fixed plate, and the positioning block is detachably connected to the fixed plate. The above scheme can reduce the risk of electric shock during the tethered cable retraction and extension process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of tethered drones, and in particular to an insulating cable assembly with a movable insulating layer, a cable box and a drone system. Background Art

[0002] A tethered drone is a type of drone that needs to be powered by the ground. A tethered drone needs to be connected to the ground with a power cable. The power cable needs to have a certain degree of insulation due to the particularity of the use environment. Figure 1 The existing cable 1 includes a first conductor 11, a first insulating layer 12, a second conductor 13 and a second insulating layer 14. The first conductor 11, the first insulating layer 12, the second conductor 13 and the second insulating layer 14 are sequentially covered and connected from the center of the cable 1 to the periphery of the cable 1. If there is no insulating layer outside the outer conductor of the cable, there is a risk of electric shock when the operator recovers the cable; however, the existing cable setting method is to fully cover the outer layer of the entire cable with an insulating layer. After all, the insulating layer has a certain thickness, so that the entire cable has weight. This weight is applied to the drone in the air. As the flight altitude increases, the length of the tethered cable increases, and the weight applied to the drone by the cable also increases, and the load of the drone also increases. Summary of the invention

[0003] A first object of the present invention is to provide a tethered cable assembly having a removable insulation layer.

[0004] A second object of the present invention is to provide a cable box comprising the above-mentioned tethered cable assembly.

[0005] A third object of the present invention is to provide a drone system comprising the above-mentioned tethered cable assembly.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned first purpose, the tethered cable assembly with a movable insulating layer provided by the present invention includes a connector, a first movable part, a cable, an insulating assembly and a fixed plate, the connector is fixedly connected to the first movable part, and the first end of the cable is fixedly connected to the connector; the insulating assembly includes an insulating tube, a second movable part and a positioning block, the cable passes through the insulating tube and can move relative to the insulating tube, the length of the insulating tube is less than the length of the cable, the second movable part is fixedly connected to the first end of the insulating tube, the second movable part is detachably connected to the first movable part, and the positioning block is fixedly connected to the second end of the insulating tube; the insulating tube passes through the fixed plate and can move relative to the fixed plate, the connector, the first movable part, the second movable part and the first end of the insulating tube are all located on the first side of the fixed plate, the positioning block and the second end of the cable are all located on the second side of the fixed plate, the first side of the fixed plate and the second side of the fixed plate are arranged away from each other, and the positioning block is detachably connected to the fixed plate.

[0007] It can be seen from the above scheme that the length of the insulating tube is smaller than the length of the cable to reduce the weight of the tethered cable assembly. Before the UAV flies, the first end of the cable is fixedly connected to the connector, the connector is located on the first side of the fixed plate, the connector is connected to the UAV, the cable passes through the insulating tube, the insulating tube passes through the fixed plate, and the cable is rolled on the second side of the fixed plate. When the UAV starts to rise, the rise of the UAV drives the connector to rise. Due to the connection between the first movable part and the second movable part, the movement of the connector drives the insulating tube to rise. As the UAV gradually rises, due to the positioning block of the insulating tube and the side wall limiter on the second side of the fixed plate, most of the insulating tube is pulled out from the second side of the fixed plate at this time, and the part of the cable close to the fixed plate is While providing protection, it prevents workers standing on the ground from touching the cables, reducing the risk of electric shock. As the drone rises, the drone is in working condition and the tethered cable is suspended in the air during the operation of the drone. The tethered cable in the air does not require insulation protection, which can minimize the weight of the tethered cable while improving the heat dissipation effect of the tethered cable. When the drone descends, the tethered cable begins to reel in. As the drone descends, the exposed tethered cable enters the insulating tube and moves in the tube, thereby reducing the risk of electric shock during the retraction and release of the tethered cable. The first movable part is reconnected with the second movable part, and as the cable is reeled in, the insulating tube is driven to enter the second side of the fixed plate to completely store the cable and the insulating tube.

[0008] A further solution is that the first movable member is a first magnet, the second movable member is a second magnet, and the first magnet and the second magnet attract each other.

[0009] It can be seen that the first movable member and the second movable member are connected by magnetic force, and the structure is simple.

[0010] A further solution is that the second magnet is annular, and the inner circle of the second magnet is fixedly connected to the insulating tube.

[0011] It can be seen that the second magnet is arranged around the outer circumference of the insulating tube to keep the second magnet balanced on the insulating tube, so that the connection between the joint and the insulating tube is more stable.

[0012] A further solution is that the cable includes a first conductor layer, an insulating layer and a second conductor layer. Along the radial direction of the cable, the insulating layer covers the outer circumference of the first conductor layer, and the second conductor layer covers the outer circumference of the insulating layer.

[0013] It can be seen that the two layers of conductors ensure the transmission effect of the cable while reducing the weight of the cable.

[0014] A further solution is that the insulating component includes a third magnet, the third magnet is arranged on the side wall of the second side of the fixing plate, the positioning block is a fourth magnet, and the third magnet and the fourth magnet attract each other.

[0015] It can be seen that after the third magnet and the fourth magnet are connected, the position of the insulating tube can be kept unchanged, the insulating tube can be prevented from moving backward, and the protection length of the cable with exposed conductors can be shortened.

[0016] A further solution is that the fixing plate is arranged along the horizontal direction.

[0017] A further solution is that the third magnet is annular, and the insulating tube passes through the inner circle of the third magnet.

[0018] A further solution is that the third magnet is fixedly arranged on the side wall of the second side of the fixing plate.

[0019] To achieve the second objective mentioned above, the cable box provided by the present invention comprises a tethered cable assembly with a movable insulating layer as mentioned above and a box body, and a fixing plate is arranged on the box body.

[0020] To achieve the third objective mentioned above, the drone system provided by the present invention includes a drone and the tethered cable assembly as mentioned above, and the connector is connected to the drone. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a cross-sectional view of a tethered cable in the background art along the radial direction of the tethered cable.

[0022] Figure 2 It is a structural diagram of an embodiment of a drone system of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional view of a cable in a tethered cable assembly with a movable insulating layer according to the present invention along the radial direction of the cable.

[0024] Figure 4 1 is a diagram showing a first state of a tethered cable assembly with a movable insulating layer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 5 It is a connection diagram of another implementation manner of the first movable member and the second movable member in the embodiment of the tethered cable assembly with a movable insulating layer of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 6 1 is a second state diagram of an embodiment of a tethered cable assembly with a movable insulating layer according to the present invention.

[0027] Figure 7 4 is a diagram showing a third state of a tethered cable assembly with a movable insulating layer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] The present invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] See also Figure 2The UAV system of the present invention includes a UAV 2, a tethered cable assembly 3 and a cable box 4. The tethered cable assembly 3 includes a connector, a cable 1 and an insulating tube 6. The connector 5 is connected to the UAV 2. A cable retracting device may be provided in the cable box 4. The cable retracting device is used to reel in the cable 1. The cable 1 can be reeled on the cable retracting device and the second end of the cable 1 is connected to a ground power supply. The first end of the cable 1 starts from the retracting device and the first end of the cable 1 passes through the insulating tube 6 and is connected to the connector.

[0030] See also Figure 3 The cable 1 in this embodiment includes a first conductor layer 11, an insulating layer 12 and a second conductor layer 13. The first conductor layer 11, the insulating layer 12 and the second conductor layer 13 are sequentially wrapped and connected along the radial direction of the cable 1 from the center of the cable 1 to the outer periphery of the cable 1. The first conductor layer 11 is the center of the cable 1. Along the radial direction of the cable 1, the insulating layer 12 is wrapped around the outer periphery of the first conductor layer 11, and the second conductor 13 is wrapped around the outer periphery of the insulating layer 12. When the drone 2 stays in the air and enters the working state, the cable 1 is suspended in the air. The suspended cable 1 does not need to be protected by the insulating layer. Therefore, the length of the insulating tube 6 can be much smaller than the length of the cable 1 between the drone and the cable box 4 to reduce the weight of the drone 2. As a specific embodiment, the insulating tube 6 can be three meters or more in length, so that the operator standing on the ground cannot touch the cable 1 without the protection of the insulating tube 6; or the insulating tube 6 can be as long as 10 to 20 meters to prevent birds or branches in the air from interfering with the cable 1 in the air.

[0031] See also Figure 4The moored cable assembly 3 further includes a first movable member 7, a second movable member 8, a fixed plate 9 and a positioning block 10. The fixed plate 9 is arranged on the cable box 4. In the present embodiment, the fixed plate 9 serves as a side plate of the cable box 4. The fixed plate 9 is arranged in the horizontal direction and is arranged on the top of the cable box 4. The insulating tube 6 passes through the fixed plate 9, and the outer peripheral wall of the insulating tube 6 is in clearance fit with the fixed plate 9. The first end of the cable 1 and the first end 61 of the insulating tube 6 are both located on the first side 91 of the fixed plate 9, and the second end of the cable 1, the second end 62 of the insulating tube, and the cable retracting and releasing device are all located on the second side 92 of the fixed plate 9. The first side 91 of the fixed plate 9 and the second side 92 of the fixed plate 9 are arranged in a manner opposite to each other. The first side 91 of the fixed plate 9 is located outside the cable box 4, and the second side 92 of the fixed plate 9 faces the inside of the cable box 4. In the present embodiment, the first movable member 7 is a first magnet, and the second movable member 8 is a second magnet. The magnetic properties of the first movable member 7 and the second movable member 8 are opposite. On the first side 91 of the fixed plate 9, the first movable member 7 is fixedly connected to the connector 5. The first movable member 7 may be annular. The first end of the cable 1 passes through the inner circle of the first movable member 7 and is connected to the connector 5. The connector 5 is connected to the drone 2. The second movable member 8 is fixedly connected to the first end 61 of the insulating tube 6. The second movable member 8 may be annular. The insulating tube 6 is cylindrical. The inner circle of the second movable member 8 may be connected to the outer periphery of the insulating tube 6. In this embodiment, the radial width of the first magnet 7 along the second magnet 8 is greater than the radial width of the second magnet 8; this prevents the first magnet 7 from entering the insulating tube 6 from the inner circle of the second magnet 8 when the drone 2 descends, and the connection between the first magnet 7 and the second magnet 8 cannot be achieved.

[0032] As another embodiment, see Figure 5, the first movable member 71 is engaged with the second movable member 80, the first movable member 71 is a first card block, the material of the first card block 71 is rubber, and the cable 1 can pass through the first card block 71. Three second card blocks 81 are arranged on the inner wall of the second movable member 80, and the three second card blocks 81 surround a hollow part 82, and the first card block 71 and the second card block 81 are engaged. Before the joint 5 rises with the drone 2, the second card block 81 is located between the joint 5 and the first card block 71, the movement of the drone 2 drives the movement of the joint 5, and then drives the movement of the first card block 71, and the first card block 71 drives the second card block 81 to move. As the drone 2 gradually rises, the driving force F of the drone 2 rising is greater than the engagement force between the first card block 71 and the second card block 81, and the first card block 71 slides out of the hollow part 82 through its own deformation, and the first card block 71 and the second card block 82 are disconnected. When the drone 2 descends, the cable retracting and unwinding device starts to wind the cable, the first clamping block 71 slides into the hollow portion 82 by its own deformation, and the connector 5 is engaged with the second clamping block 82. In this embodiment, the width of the connector 5 along the radial direction of the cable 1 is greater than the width of the hollow portion 82 along the radial direction of the cable 1. A first inclined guide surface 83 is provided on the side wall of the second clamping block 81 facing the connector 5, and a second inclined guide surface 84 is provided on the side wall of the second clamping block 81 facing the fixing plate 9, and both the first inclined guide surface 83 and the second inclined guide surface 84 are arc-shaped.

[0033] On the second side 92 of the fixed plate 9, the second end 62 of the insulating tube 6 is fixedly connected to the positioning block 10, and the width of the positioning block 10 along the radial direction of the insulating tube 6 is greater than the radial width of the insulating tube 6. When the insulating tube 6 moves, the positioning block 10 and the side wall of the second side 92 of the fixed plate 9 are limitedly matched to prevent the insulating tube 6 from being separated from the fixed plate 9. In this embodiment, in order to fix the position of the insulating tube 6 on the fixed plate 9, a third magnet 101 is fixedly connected to the side wall of the second side 92 of the fixed plate 9, and the positioning block 10 is a fourth magnet, and the third magnet 101 and the fourth magnet 10 attract each other.

[0034] See also Figure 4 Before the drone 2 starts working, the connector 5, the first magnet 7 and the second magnet 8 are all located outside the cable box 4, and the first magnet 7 and the second magnet 8 attract each other. Most of the cable 1 and the insulating tube 6 are located inside the cable box 4, and the third magnet 101 and the fourth magnet 10 are separated. When the drone 2 starts to rise, Figure 6 The connector 5 moves with the rise of the drone 2. Due to the attraction between the first magnet 7 and the second magnet 8, the movement of the connector 5 drives the insulating tube 6 to move. The insulating tube 6 moves relative to the fixed plate, and the insulating tube is pulled out of the cable box 4 until the third magnet 101 and the fourth magnet 10 are attracted. Figure 7As the drone 2 gradually rises, the driving force of the drone 2 is greater than the suction force between the first magnet 7 and the second magnet 8, the first magnet 7 and the second magnet 8 are disconnected, and the insulating tube 6 stops moving under the limit of the fourth magnet 10. At this time, the insulating tube 6 insulates and protects the part of the cable 1 close to the ground to prevent the operator standing on the ground from touching and causing electric shock. When the drone 2 descends, the cable retracting and releasing device starts to retract, the connector 5 gradually descends, the first magnet 7 and the second magnet 8 are reconnected, and the movement of the connector 5 drives the movement of the insulating tube 6, and the insulating tube 6 is returned to the cable box 4 until the second magnet 8 is adjacent to the side wall of the first side 91 of the fixing plate 9. In the above-mentioned retracting process, under the action of the third magnet 101 and the fourth magnet 10, the position of the insulating tube 6 remains unchanged, and the cable 1 continues to enter the insulating tube as the line is retracted. At this time, the insulating tube 6 protects the cable 1 with the second conductor 13 exposed, while preventing the operator from directly touching the cable 1 with the second conductor 13 exposed, thereby reducing the risk of electric shock during the recovery process of the moored cable 1 until the insulating tube 6 is returned to the cable box 4.

[0035] Finally, it should be emphasized that the above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various changes and modifications. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tethered cable assembly with a movable insulation layer, characterized in that: include: Connectors; a first movable member, the joint being fixedly connected to the first movable member; a cable, a first end of the cable being fixedly connected to the connector; an insulating assembly, the insulating assembly comprising an insulating tube, a second movable member and a positioning block, the cable passes through the insulating tube and can move relative to the insulating tube, the length of the insulating tube is less than the length of the cable, the second movable member is fixedly connected to the first end of the insulating tube, the second movable member is detachably connected to the first movable member, and the positioning block is fixedly connected to the second end of the insulating tube; a fixed plate, the insulating tube passes through the fixed plate and can move relative to the fixed plate, the joint, the first movable member, the second movable member and the first end of the insulating tube are all located on the first side of the fixed plate, the positioning block and the second end of the cable are all located on the second side of the fixed plate, the first side of the fixed plate and the second side of the fixed plate are arranged to be separated, and the positioning block is detachably connected to the fixed plate; The first movable member is a first magnet, the second movable member is a second magnet, and the first magnet and the second magnet attract each other; The insulating component includes a third magnet, and the third magnet is arranged on the side wall of the second side of the fixing plate. The positioning block is a fourth magnet, and the third magnet and the fourth magnet attract each other.

2. The tethered cable assembly with a movable insulation layer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second magnet is annular, and the inner circle of the second magnet is fixedly connected to the insulating tube.

3. The tethered cable assembly with a movable insulation layer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cable comprises a first conductor layer, an insulating layer and a second conductor layer. In the radial direction of the cable, the insulating layer covers the outer circumference of the first conductor layer, and the second conductor layer covers the outer circumference of the insulating layer.

4. The tethered cable assembly with a movable insulation layer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixing plate is arranged along the horizontal direction.

5. The tethered cable assembly with a movable insulation layer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The third magnet is annular, and the insulating tube passes through the inner circle of the third magnet.

6. The tethered cable assembly with a movable insulation layer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The third magnet is fixedly disposed on the side wall of the second side of the fixing plate.

7. Cable box, characterized in that: The cable box comprises a tethered cable assembly with a movable insulating layer as described in any one of claims 1 to 6 and a box body, and the fixing plate is arranged on the box body.

8. UAV system, characterized by : comprising a drone and a tethered cable assembly with a movable insulation layer as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the connector is connected to the drone.

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