An unmanned aerial vehicle detection pendant

Abstract

The present invention discloses a drone detection pendant, which relates to the technical field of drone photography. It includes a rope assembly, a baffle and a rigid straight rod; one end of the rope assembly is connected to the baffle, and the other end is used to connect a drone device; one end of the rigid straight rod is fixedly installed on the baffle, and the other end is used to connect a photographing device. The setting of the baffle can prevent the drone from descending to touch the forest trees and affect the normal operation of the drone, and the rigid straight rod connecting the photographing device facilitates the smoother up and down movement of the photographing device. The present invention can avoid the drone flight failure caused by the drone flying too low and touching the forest trees, and is convenient for the photographing device to penetrate into the forest canopy for image acquisition.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of drone shooting, and particularly to a drone detection pendant. Background Art

[0002] The sub-canopy parts of forests and trees have very high biodiversity, including epiphytes, animal nests, and flowers of some plants, etc. Observing this area has important scientific significance. However, observing this part has always been difficult. Observing from the ground upwards is difficult to effectively observe the situation of the sub-canopy due to the tall trees and the obstruction of the tree trunks. If observing by climbing manually, it is time-consuming, laborious and has certain risks. At the same time, since the branches in the sub-canopy part can no longer support the weight of a person, the observation range of manual climbing is also limited to a certain extent. Observing by directly using a drone for aerial photography or satellite remote sensing can only observe the situation on the surface of the canopy due to the obstruction of the canopy leaves and cannot penetrate below the canopy to observe the sub-canopy. If using lidar for three-dimensional point cloud reconstruction, the color image cannot be seen intuitively, and due to the problems of resolution and data processing, it is difficult to accurately restore the detailed parts of the sub-canopy through algorithms, but these details are precisely the most important in scientific research.

[0003] Therefore, a more convenient, fast, safe, intuitive and low-cost solution is needed to intuitively obtain image information of various angles in the sub-canopy of forest trees. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a drone detection pendant to solve the problem that drone shooting cannot penetrate below the canopy to observe the sub-canopy.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, an embodiment of the present invention provides a drone detection pendant, including a rope assembly, a baffle and a rigid straight rod;

[0006] One end of the rope assembly is connected to the baffle, and the other end is used to connect a drone device;

[0007] One end of the rigid straight rod is fixedly installed on the baffle, and the other end is used to connect a shooting device.

[0008] Preferably, a threaded interface is provided at the end of the rigid straight rod connected to the shooting device for matching the tripod connection hole at the bottom of the shooting device.

[0009] Preferably, the rope assembly includes a first soft rope and a second soft rope; the first soft rope and the second soft rope are symmetrically arranged when connecting the drone device to balance the center of gravity of the drone device.

[0010] Preferably, the position where the first soft rope contacts the baffle is the first connection point, the position where the second soft rope contacts the baffle is the second connection point, and the position where the rigid straight rod contacts the baffle is the third connection point;

[0011] The distances from the first connection point and the second connection point to the third connection point are equal.

[0012] Preferably, a protective cover is provided at one end of the rigid straight rod connecting the photographing device, and the protective cover is used to tightly sleeve the bottom of the photographing device.

[0013] Preferably, the protective cover has a streamlined structure.

[0014] Preferably, the rigid straight rod is sleeved with a plurality of long rods in ascending order of diameter from the outside. In the retracted state, all long rods except the long rod with the largest diameter are received inside the long rod with the largest diameter. In the extended state, each telescopic rod can be stretched as needed; the top end of the long rod with the smallest diameter is the end connected to the photographing device.

[0015] Preferably, a tensile force detection device is further included, and the tensile force detection device is arranged between the rope assembly and the baffle or at one end of the rope assembly connected to the drone device.

[0016] Preferably, the color of the baffle is red or yellow.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] The present invention discloses a drone detection pendant, including a rope assembly, a baffle, and a rigid straight rod; one end of the rope assembly is connected to the baffle, and the other end is used to connect to a drone device; one end of the rigid straight rod is fixedly installed on the baffle, and the other end is used to connect to a photographing device. The baffle can prevent the drone from descending and touching the trees, affecting the normal operation of the drone. The rigid straight rod connecting the photographing device facilitates the smoother up and down movement of the photographing device. The present invention can avoid the drone flight failure caused by the drone flying too low and touching the trees, and is convenient for the photographing device to penetrate into the tree canopy for image acquisition. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, the drawings required for implementation will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a drone detection pendant provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 Schematic structural diagram of the drone detection pendant provided by another embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 Schematic connection structure diagram among the baffle, the rope assembly and the tensile force detection device in the drone detection pendant provided by a certain embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 Schematic connection structure diagram among the baffle, the rope assembly and the tensile force detection device in the drone detection pendant provided by another embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0024] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without making creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0025] It should be understood that the step numbers used in the text are only for convenient description and do not limit the execution order of the steps.

[0026] It should be understood that the terms used in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used in the specification of the present invention and the appended claims, unless otherwise clearly specified in the context, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms.

[0027] The terms "comprising" and "including" indicate the presence of the described features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components and / or their combinations.

[0028] The term "and / or" refers to any combination and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes these combinations.

[0029] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 Schematic structural diagram of the drone detection pendant provided by a certain embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the drone detection pendant includes a rope assembly 1, a baffle 2 and a rigid straight rod 3;

[0030] One end of the rope assembly 1 is connected to the baffle 2, and the other end is used to connect to the drone device;

[0031] One end of the rigid straight rod 3 is fixedly installed on the baffle 2, and the other end is used to connect the photographing device.

[0032] In this embodiment, the baffle 2 can be used to limit the excessive entry of the descending part into the forest canopy, so as to prevent the upper rope part from entering the forest canopy and being hooked or entangled by tree branches. If it is found that the baffle has reached the surface of the forest canopy, the descent can be stopped. In addition, the baffle can also reduce the influence of the airflow generated by the drone on the photographing and the forest canopy.

[0033] In this embodiment, the rigid straight rod 3 is used to connect the photographing device and descend into the forest canopy for photographing. Its hard and smooth texture can avoid being entangled by branches and leaves, ensuring the smooth progress of its retracting and extending process.

[0034] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of the drone detection pendant provided by another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a threaded interface 4 is provided at one end of the rigid straight rod 3 connecting the photographing device for matching the tripod connection hole at the bottom of the photographing device.

[0035] In a certain embodiment, the rope assembly includes a first soft rope and a second soft rope; the first soft rope and the second soft rope are symmetrically arranged when connecting the drone device to balance the center of gravity of the drone device.

[0036] In this embodiment, the double-rope design of the rope assembly can ensure symmetric connection on the drone to balance the center of gravity of the drone, reduce the influence of the load on the flight stability of the drone, and in addition, it can also reduce the rotation of the rope itself during the hoisting process and reduce its influence on the photographing.

[0037] Furthermore, in order to more specifically illustrate the positions of the rope assembly and the rigid straight rod on the baffle, the position where the first soft rope contacts the baffle is the first connection point, the position where the second soft rope contacts the baffle is the second connection point, and the position where the rigid straight rod contacts the baffle is the third connection point; the distances from the first connection point and the second connection point to the third connection point are equal.

[0038] In the embodiment of the present invention, as Figure 2 shown, a protective cover 5 is provided at one end of the rigid straight rod connecting the photographing device, and the protective cover 5 is used to tightly sleeve the bottom of the photographing device. During the use of the drone detection assembly, the protective cover 5 tightly sleeves the bottom of the photographing device, which can strengthen the connection between the photographing device and the rigid straight rod 3, and can play a protective role for the photographing device after entering the forest canopy, preventing it from being scratched by tree branches.

[0039] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the protective cover 5 is a streamlined structure. Generally, the photographing equipment is a square structure with edges and corners. When entering the canopy of trees for photographing, the edges and corners are easy to get hung upside down with branches. The streamlined protective cover 5 covers the tail of the photographing equipment, trims its shape, makes it a smooth streamline, and reduces its folding angle to avoid hooking branches during the process of retracting and releasing, resulting in the situation that it cannot be recovered.

[0040] In one embodiment, the rigid straight rod is composed of several long rods arranged in order from small to large diameter. In the contracted state, all the long rods except the long rod with the largest diameter are stored inside the long rod with the largest diameter. In the extended state, each section of the telescopic rod can be stretched as needed; the top of the long rod with the smallest diameter is the end connected to the shooting device. The length of the rigid straight rod can be adjusted according to actual needs, and the long rods can be nested to form a shorter straight rod for easy carrying.

[0041] See also Figures 3 - 4 The drone detection pendant provided by the embodiment of the present invention also includes a tension detection device 6, which is arranged between the rope assembly and the baffle or at one end of the rope assembly connected to the drone device. During the use of the drone detection pendant, the remote controller obtains the detection data of the tension detection device 6 in real time. During the normal operation of the drone device, the detection data of the tension detection device 6 will not show a large transient change. However, when the drone device descends during flight, when the baffle 2 contacts the tree canopy, the detection data of the tension detection device 6 will change, warning the drone device not to descend further to avoid descending too deep and causing rope entanglement.

[0042] In the embodiment of the present invention, the color of the baffle is red or yellow. The use of bright colors can facilitate observation to control the operation of the device. In addition, the drone detection pendant is mainly used for forest detection, and red or yellow devices will be more conspicuous and easy to observe in the green forest.

[0043] In a specific embodiment, the use of the UAV detection pendant: First, install the shooting device (preferably a panoramic camera) at the threaded part of the rigid straight rod 3 and put on the protective sleeve 5; Second, symmetrically connect the rope assembly 1 to the left and right sides in the flight direction of the UAV device; Third, set the shooting device to the interval shooting mode so that it takes an image every fixed time; Fourth, take off the UAV device to the height where the UAV detection pendant is completely suspended in the air; Fifth, stretch the rigid straight rod 3 to the required length; Sixth, fly the UAV to the target area, and slowly descend according to the image in the shooting screen carried by the UAV, and slowly insert the part below the baffle into the crown of the tree for shooting; Seventh, according to the shooting screen carried by the UAV, when it is seen that the baffle touches the branches and leaves, or the rope assembly 1 becomes loose, stop descending and maintain the height, and wait for a certain time to take a sufficient number of images; (In the seventh step, when there is a tension detection device 6, make corresponding operations according to the alarm signal of the tension detection device 6); Eighth, after taking enough images, slowly lift the height, extract the shooting device, and fly to the next point of interest, and repeat the sixth to seventh steps until the UAV returns; Ninth, the UAV returns. When recovering, slowly descend while retracting the rope assembly 1 to prevent it from being caught in the power device of the UAV and causing the UAV to crash; Tenth, remove the shooting device from the connecting component, export the photos and select effective materials.

[0044] Compared with the prior art, the present invention can efficiently, conveniently, quickly and safely observe the color images at all angles of the sub-canopy (between the main trunk and the crown of the tree), giving the observer a feeling of being on the scene without considering the camera pointing, while ensuring the safety of the carrier aircraft and the payload, and not being hooked or entangled by the branches. In addition, the present invention has a simple structure, is compatible with common consumer UAVs and panoramic cameras on the market, the equipment is easy to obtain from the market, and is convenient to store and carry.

[0045] The above is the preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the principle of the present invention, several improvements and retouches can be made, and these improvements and retouches are also regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A drone detection pendant, characterized in that, it includes a rope assembly, a baffle, a rigid straight rod, and a tensile force detection device; One end of the rope assembly is connected to the baffle, and the other end is used to connect to the drone device; One end of the rigid straight rod is fixedly installed on the baffle, and the other end is used to connect to the shooting device; The tensile force detection device is arranged between the rope assembly and the baffle or at one end of the rope assembly connected to the drone device; Among them, when shooting the tree crown, when it is seen that the baffle touches the branches and leaves, or the rope assembly becomes loose, the drone stops descending and maintains its altitude, waiting for a certain period of time to take a sufficient number of images.

2. The drone detection pendant according to claim 1, characterized in that, One end of the rigid straight rod connected to the shooting device is provided with a threaded interface for matching the tripod connection hole at the bottom of the shooting device.

3. The drone detection pendant according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rope assembly includes a first soft rope and a second soft rope; the first soft rope and the second soft rope are symmetrically arranged when connecting to the drone device to balance the center of gravity of the drone device.

4. The drone detection pendant according to claim 3, characterized in that, The position where the first soft rope contacts the baffle is the first connection point, the position where the second soft rope contacts the baffle is the second connection point, and the position where the rigid straight rod contacts the baffle is the third connection point; The distances from the first connection point and the second connection point to the third connection point are equal.

5. The drone detection pendant according to claim 1, characterized in that, One end of the rigid straight rod connected to the shooting device is provided with a protective cover, and the protective cover is used to tightly sleeve the bottom of the shooting device.

6. The drone detection pendant according to claim 5, characterized in that, The protective cover is of a streamlined structure.

7. The drone detection pendant according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rigid straight rod is sleeved by several long rods in ascending order of diameter from the outside. In the contracted state, all long rods except the longest diameter long rod are received inside the longest diameter long rod, and each section of the telescopic rod can be stretched as needed in the extended state; the top of the smallest diameter long rod is the end connected to the shooting device.

8. The drone detection pendant according to claim 1, characterized in that, The color of the baffle is red or yellow.

Images