A multi-layer mother-child type unmanned aerial vehicle retracting and deploying device

Abstract

The present invention discloses a multi-layer mother-and-child type unmanned aerial vehicle retracting and releasing device, comprising an installation platform, a lifting device, and at least two layers of rolling curtain mechanisms, wherein the lifting device is installed on the installation platform, and the lifting device drives the rolling curtain mechanism to realize vertical lifting and lowering, and the at least two layers of rolling curtain mechanisms are closed in sequence from top to bottom to realize the release of the sub-machine; and the at least two layers of rolling curtain mechanisms are unfolded in sequence from bottom to top to realize the recovery of the sub-machine. The device can realize the release and recovery of multiple sub-machines, reduce the cost of the mother-and-child type unmanned aerial vehicle system, and improve the feasibility of the system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and in particular to a retracting and releasing device for a mother-and-child type unmanned aerial vehicle which can be autonomously released and recovered in the air. Background Art

[0002] Due to the characteristics of UAVs being less affected by road conditions and being convenient and flexible, small UAVs currently play an important role in military and civilian fields such as aerial photography, disaster relief, power inspection, environmental testing, traffic monitoring, and reconnaissance and strike. However, due to their own characteristics such as short range, short endurance, and poor load-bearing capacity, small UAVs are subject to many limitations in practical applications. In order to expand the operating application radius of small UAVs, extend the operating time of small UAVs, enhance the mission reliability of small UAVs, and reduce system costs, a retractable platform device for multi-layered mother-and-child unmanned aerial vehicles for autonomous release and recovery in the air is proposed. A single large mother drone uses a retractable platform device to carry multiple child drones. After transporting the child drones to the mission scene to perform the mission, the child drones are recovered by the retractable platform.

[0003] The research on the mother-child UAV retracting and releasing device was conducted as early as the last century. The US DC-130 and Predator used the retracting and releasing device under the wing to carry UAVs; the Z-11 added a retracting and releasing mechanism on the landing gear to carry the "SW6" to perform tasks. The Chinese patent "A UAV Cluster Release Device, Aerial Cluster Release System and UAV" with the publication number CN112061414A proposed a UAV cluster release device, which mainly includes a carrier and a support. The carrier drives the support to move upward or downward, and releases the UAV after reaching the designated position.

[0004] Existing mother-and-child drone retracting and releasing devices mostly adopt a drop-type release method, with the child drone mounted under the wing of the mother drone or hidden in the belly of the drone, which can achieve a quick and safe release of the child drone. Fixed-wing or multi-rotor mother drones have different retracting and releasing devices due to their different flight capabilities. Fixed-wing mother-and-child drones have fast flight speeds, making it difficult to achieve precise coordinated recovery at the same speed, and generally only the release of the child drone is considered; multi-rotor mother-and-child drones can hover in the air and have the conditions for recovery.

[0005] Fixed-wing retractable devices do not consider the recovery problem. Due to the limited load of the sub-machine, it does not have long-term endurance. After performing the mission, the sub-machine is often unable to be recovered due to energy exhaustion, resulting in cost waste. Multi-rotor retractable devices, such as the Chinese patent "A UAV Cluster Delivery Device, Aerial Cluster Delivery System and UAV" with publication number CN112061414A, only consider the release process of the sub-machine, and do not take the recovery process into account. At the same time, because it uses a dual transmission device, it puts forward high requirements on the synchronization of the transmission. The retractable device proposed in the paper "Toward Autonomous In-flight Docking of Unmanned Multi-rotor Aerial Vehicles" can only realize the release and recovery of one sub-machine, and does not consider the release and recovery of multiple sub-machines.

[0006] Therefore, a multi-layer structured mother-and-child UAV retracting and launching device is provided to enable the release and recovery of multiple mother-and-child UAVs, reduce the cost of the mother-and-child UAV system, and improve the feasibility of the system. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present invention provides a novel mother-and-child type UAV retracting and releasing device capable of releasing and recovering multiple drones, which can autonomously release and recover multiple drones in the air.

[0008] A multi-layer mother-and-child type unmanned aerial vehicle folding and unfolding device comprises an installation platform, a lifting device, and at least two layers of rolling curtain mechanisms. The lifting device is installed on the installation platform, and the lifting device drives the rolling curtain mechanism to achieve vertical lifting and lowering. The at least two layers of rolling curtain mechanisms are closed in sequence from top to bottom to achieve the release of the child aircraft; and the at least two layers of rolling curtain mechanisms are unfolded in sequence from bottom to top to achieve the recovery of the child aircraft.

[0009] The installation platform comprises an upper base plate, a lower base plate, and four upright posts with slide grooves, and the rolling curtain mechanism cooperates with the slide grooves to realize the lifting and lowering of the rolling curtain mechanism.

[0010] The lifting device includes a rack, a reduction gear, and a motor. The rack is installed between the upper base plate and the lower base plate. The motor is connected to the reduction gear, and the reduction gear is meshed with the rack. The lifting device relies on the gear rack device to realize the lifting and lowering movement of the entire roller shutter mechanism. When released, the lower layer moves to the upper layer, and the upper roller shutter is retracted to avoid blocking the lower sub-machine, and can minimize the influence of factors such as air flow disturbance caused by the mother machine cavity, so as to realize the rapid and safe take-off of the sub-machine. Furthermore, when recovering, the upper roller shutter is closed and the lower roller shutter is unfolded. The visual markers are recognized by the downward-looking lens of the sub-machine to realize landing. Each time a sub-machine is recovered, the roller shutter of that layer is moved downward, and this cycle is repeated to realize the recovery and placement process.

[0011] The rolling mechanism includes a base, a crossbeam, a flexible material, a pulley, a load-bearing beam, a soft rope, a driving motor, and a reduction gear set. The base cooperates with the slide groove of the column through four-corner sliders. Crossbeams are arranged at both ends of the base. The crossbeam is fixedly connected to the base through a pulley. The reduction gear set is meshed with the driving motor and is installed at one end of the crossbeam. Guide rails are arranged on both sides of the base. The load-bearing beam is installed in the guide rails. The flexible material covers the load-bearing beam. The soft rope connects all the load-bearing beams through the holes at both ends of the load-bearing beam. The two ends of the soft rope are fixed to the winch of the crossbeam, so that the load-bearing beam can slide freely along the guide rail. The two ends of the guide rail are in a trumpet shape. Visual markers are sprayed on the flexible material. The motor is used to rotate and drive the roller blinds to move, so that the roller blinds can be folded or unfolded. When unfolded, the sub-machine can land, and the weight of the sub-machine is supported by the load-bearing beam. Since the roller blind plane is made of flexible material and the load-bearing beams are dispersed, it can provide additional cushioning when the sub-machine lands on the flexible material to ensure the safety of the landing; since the roller blind plane is made of flexible material, the roller blind can be wrapped around the crossbar when the motor rotates, so that the sub-machine on the next layer can take off smoothly, so that it can have the ability to release and recover multiple sub-machines. Furthermore, during recovery, the downward-looking camera carried by the sub-machine is used to identify the visual markers sprayed on the flexible material to achieve visual-assisted positioning and recovery process.

[0012] An autonomous aerial retracting and releasing system for unmanned aerial vehicles comprises a mother aircraft and the above-mentioned multi-layer mother-child type unmanned aerial vehicle retracting and releasing device, and a lifting device drives an upper layer rolling curtain mechanism to move from bottom to top, and when the rolling curtain mechanism moves upward with the lifting device to a predetermined position, the upper layer sub-machine is separated from the rolling curtain mechanism, and the sub-machine is released; the upper layer rolling curtain mechanism is closed, and the flight passage of the lower layer sub-machine is opened; the lifting device drives the lower layer rolling curtain mechanism to move from bottom to top, and when the rolling curtain mechanism moves upward with the lifting device to a predetermined position, the lower layer sub-machine is separated from the rolling curtain mechanism, and the sub-machine is released. The sub-machine is placed; the take-off process is repeated to realize the take-off of multiple sub-machines; and the lower roller shutter mechanism is unfolded, the sub-machine flies to the top of the mother machine, identifies the visual marker, and lands on the roller shutter mechanism, and the lifting device drives the roller shutter mechanism to move downward to a specified position to recover the sub-machine; the upper roller shutter mechanism is unfolded, and the upper sub-machine landing channel is opened; the sub-machine flies to the top of the mother machine, identifies the visual marker, and lands on the roller shutter mechanism, and the lifting device drives the roller shutter mechanism to move downward to a specified position to recover the sub-machine; the landing process is repeated to realize the recovery of multiple sub-machines.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0014] 1. The retractable device uses a roller shutter mechanism, so that the device can simultaneously realize the release and recovery of the sub-machine, recover the sub-machine, enhance the feasibility of the parent-child machine system, and reduce the cost of the system. By spraying markers on the flexible material of the roller shutter, during the landing process, the sub-machine can use the downward-looking lens to identify the visual markers and land, so as to realize the recovery of the sub-machine and increase the landing accuracy of the sub-machine. The present invention uses roller shutters and markers to realize the recovery of the sub-machine, which increases the practicality of the parent-child machine system.

[0015] 2. The multi-layer rolling curtain mechanism enables the device to have the ability to retract and release multiple sub-machines. When releasing the sub-machine, the upper rolling curtain mechanism is closed, and the lower sub-machine can take off; when recovering, the lower rolling curtain is first unfolded, and after the sub-machine falls, its upper rolling curtain is unfolded again, thus realizing the recovery of multiple sub-machines. The present invention adopts a multi-layer rolling curtain mechanism to enable it to have the ability to release and recover multiple sub-machines, thereby increasing the integrity of the mother-child system.

[0016] 3. It has a lifting device. Each layer of the rolling curtain mechanism is equipped with a corresponding motor and gear lifting device, which can allow the sub-aircraft to be close to the upper part of the mother aircraft during takeoff and landing. Compared with other designs, it can effectively avoid the airflow interference caused by the mother aircraft cavity, increase the success rate of the sub-aircraft takeoff, and avoid the instability of the sub-aircraft takeoff. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the retractable device releasing the first-layer sub-machine;

[0018] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the first sub-machine recovered by the retractable device;

[0019] Figure 3 This is the unfolded diagram of the rolling shutter mechanism;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a diagram of the shutter mechanism closing;

[0021] Among them, 1-installation platform, 11-upper base plate, 12-pillar, 13-lower base plate, 2-lifting device, 21-rack, 22-gear, 23-motor, 3-rolling device, 31-base, 32-beam, 33-flexible material, 34-pulley, 35-load-bearing beam, 36-soft rope, 37-driving motor 1, 38-reduction gear set 1, 39-driving motor 2, 40-reduction gear set 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] A retractable device with multiple rack release and recovery functions, such as Figure 1As shown, it includes: a mounting platform 1, a lifting device 2, and a rolling shutter mechanism 3. The mounting platform includes an upper base plate 11, a lower base plate 13, and four columns 12 with slide grooves, and the slide grooves cooperate with the rolling shutter mechanism to serve as guide rails for the movement of the rolling shutter mechanism.

[0023] The lifting device 2 includes a rack 21, a reduction gear 22, and a motor 23. The rack is installed between the upper base plate 11 and the lower base plate 13, and each layer of the rolling curtain is installed with a corresponding lifting motor 23 and a reduction gear 22, and the gear and the rack are meshed with each other.

[0024] The rolling shutter mechanism 3 includes a base 31, a cross beam 32, a flexible material 33, a pulley 34, a load-bearing beam 35, a soft rope 36, a driving motor 1 37, a reduction gear set 1 38, a driving motor 2 39, and a reduction gear set 2 40. The base 31 cooperates with the guide rail of the column 12 through four-corner sliders. The base 31 is equipped with a guide rail, and the load-bearing beam 35 is installed in the guide rail. The two ends of the guide rail adopt a flared smooth design, so that the load-bearing beam 35 can enter the guide rail more easily; the soft rope 36 passes through the holes at the two ends of the load-bearing beam 35 to connect all the load-bearing beams 35. The two ends of the soft rope 36 pass through the small holes on the winch of the crossbeam 32 and are fixed to the crossbeam 32, so that the load-bearing beam 35 can slide freely along the guide rail. The flexible material 33 covers the load-bearing beam 35. The crossbeam 32 is set at both ends of the base 31. The two ends of the crossbeam 32 are fixed in the bearing 34, and the bearing 34 is installed on the base 31. The reduction gear set 1 38 is meshed with the drive motor 1 37 and is installed at one end of the crossbeam 32 to realize the unfolding of the roller blind. The reduction gear set 2 40 is meshed with the drive motor 2 39 and is installed at the other end of the base 31 to realize the folding of the roller blind.

[0025] The present invention is mainly divided into two working states: a release state and a recovery state.

[0026] The release state of the retractable device is as follows Figure 1 As shown. The rolling curtain mechanism 3 is in the unfolded state, relying on the platform composed of the flexible material 33 and the load-bearing beam 35 to support the weight of the sub-machine, and the motor 23 drives the reduction gear 22 to bring the upper rolling curtain mechanism 3 up to the specified position along the rack 21, and then lock it, and the upper sub-machine can take off. At this time, the driving motor 37 drives the soft rope 36 to be wound around the crossbeam 32, so that the rolling curtain platform can be stored on one side of the crossbeam 32, and the flight channel of the lower sub-machine is opened. The lower rolling curtain mechanism 3 also relies on the lifting device 2 to rise to a suitable position, and the take-off process is repeated to realize the take-off of multiple sub-machines. At the same time, before each sub-machine takes off, the rolling curtain mechanism 3 is raised to a suitable height as much as possible, avoiding the airflow interference caused by the mother machine cavity, and ensuring the success rate of the sub-machine take-off.

[0027] When the slave is recovered, it will be in recovery state, as shown in the diagram Figure 2As shown. When the first sub-machine is recovered, the bottom roller shutter mechanism 3 is in the unfolded state, and the flexible material 33 is sprayed with a marker. The sub-machine first uses GPS to fly above the mother machine, and then uses the downward camera to identify the marker, and lands on the roller shutter platform through the control program. Since the roller shutter platform is composed of flexible material 33 and a number of load-bearing beams 35, it has good buffering capacity, which can ensure that the sub-machine will not rebound when it lands on the roller shutter platform. After the lower sub-machine lands successfully, the lifting device 2 is used to drive the roller shutter mechanism 3 to move downward to the specified position, and the upper roller shutter mechanism 3 is unfolded, and the landing process is repeated. The application of markers and the implementation of the roller shutter mechanism ensure that the present invention can realize the recovery of multiple sub-machines.

[0028] The above description is only a specific implementation mode of the present invention and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-layer mother-child type unmanned aerial vehicle retracting and releasing device, characterized in that: It includes an installation platform, a lifting device, and at least two layers of rolling curtain mechanisms. The lifting device is installed on the installation platform, and the lifting device drives the rolling curtain mechanism to achieve vertical lifting. The at least two layers of rolling curtain mechanisms are closed in sequence from top to bottom to release the sub-machine; the at least two layers of rolling curtain mechanisms are unfolded in sequence from bottom to top to recycle the sub-machine; The rolling curtain mechanism includes a base, a crossbeam, a flexible material, a bearing, a load-bearing beam, a soft rope, a driving motor, and a reduction gear set. The base cooperates with the slide groove of the column through four-corner sliders. Crossbeams are arranged at both ends of the base. The crossbeam is fixedly connected to the base through bearings. The reduction gear set and the driving motor are meshed with each other and installed at both ends of the crossbeam to realize the unfolding and folding of the rolling curtain. Guide rails are arranged on both sides of the base. The load-bearing beam is installed in the guide rails. The flexible material covers the load-bearing beam. The soft rope connects all the load-bearing beams through holes at both ends of the load-bearing beams. Both ends of the soft rope are fixed to the winch of the crossbeam, so that the load-bearing beam can slide freely along the guide rails. The installation platform includes an upper bottom plate, a lower bottom plate, and four columns with slide grooves, and the rolling curtain mechanism cooperates with the slide grooves to realize the lifting and lowering of the rolling curtain mechanism; The lifting device includes a rack, a reduction gear, and a motor, wherein the rack is installed between the upper bottom plate and the lower bottom plate, the motor and the reduction gear are installed on the rolling curtain mechanism, the motor is connected to the reduction gear, and the reduction gear is meshed with the rack; The two ends of the guide rail are in a bell-mouth shape; The upper surface of the flexible material is sprayed with visual markers.

2. An autonomous aerial retraction and deployment system for unmanned aerial vehicles, characterized in that: It comprises a mother machine and the multi-layer mother-child type unmanned aerial vehicle retracting and launching device as claimed in claim 1, In addition, the lifting device drives the upper roller blind mechanism to move upward from the bottom, and when the upper roller blind mechanism moves upward with the lifting device to a predetermined position, the upper sub-machine is separated from the upper roller blind mechanism, and the upper sub-machine is released; the upper roller blind mechanism is closed, and the upper flight channel of the lower sub-machine is opened; the lifting device drives the lower roller blind mechanism to move upward from the bottom, and when the lower roller blind mechanism moves upward with the lifting device to a predetermined position, the lower sub-machine is separated from the lower roller blind mechanism, and the lower sub-machine is released; Repeat the take-off process to achieve multiple aircraft take-off; In addition, the lower roller blind mechanism is unfolded, the lower sub-machine flies to the top of the mother machine, identifies the visual marker, and lands on the lower roller blind mechanism, and the lifting device drives the lower roller blind mechanism to move downward to a specified position, and the lower sub-machine is recovered; the upper roller blind mechanism is unfolded, and the landing channel of the upper sub-machine is opened; the upper sub-machine flies to the top of the mother machine, identifies the visual marker, and lands on the upper roller blind mechanism, and the lifting device drives the upper roller blind mechanism to move downward to a specified position, and the upper sub-machine is recovered; Repeat the landing process to achieve multiple-frame recovery.

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