Airborne anti-UAV target capture device and method

Abstract

The present invention provides an airborne anti-UAV target capture device and method thereof, the device comprises an angle-changing device, a base plate, angle-changing plates distributed around the base plate, and an ejection device fixed on each angle-changing plate; the ejection device comprises a power assembly, a traction head, an ejection push rod, and a traction head ballistic tube with an axis perpendicular to the angle-changing plate, the ejection push rod slides in the traction head ballistic tube; a plurality of traction heads are fixedly connected to the circumference of the capture net, each traction head is placed in the traction head ballistic tube, the power assembly provides thrust for the ejection push rod to eject the traction head; the angle-changing plate is hinged to the base plate; the angle-changing device connects the base plate and the angle-changing plate, and is used to adjust the inclination angle of the angle-changing plate relative to the base plate to change the launch angle of the traction head. The present invention drives the capture net to be captured by ejecting the traction head, and has strong reusability compared to high-pressure gas cylinders, and only needs to load the capture net and the traction head after each capture; and the capture net will not rebound before capturing the target UAV.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of anti-UAV, and in particular to an airborne anti-UAV target capture device and a method thereof. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the consumer drone market has developed rapidly, and many illegal drones have appeared, which seriously affect the safety of life and production, especially at airports, major conferences and large gatherings. This has led to the emergence of anti-drone technology. The development trend of anti-drone technology is to be systematic. Early practice shows that the integration of multiple detection methods can quickly detect drones; the organic integration of detection, tracking, aiming, interference and destruction functions can effectively respond to enemy drones. The second is to be smart. In order to effectively respond to the threat of a single small drone, anti-drone weapons will become more compact and portable. Existing anti-drone means are divided into hard kill and soft kill. Hard kill refers to shooting down illegal drones through weapons such as lasers and bullets; soft kill refers to interfering with illegal drones through electromagnetic interference, forcing them to land at a designated location. Since hard kill may cause secondary damage, and soft kill takes a long time to prepare each time and has high cost, a drone countermeasure device that can be carried on a drone is proposed, which can achieve autonomous aiming, is portable and flexible, and has a wide range of uses.

[0003] The Chinese invention patent with application number CN201810401184.0, application date April 12, 2018, and title "A UAV-mounted Net Gun Device" uses a high-pressure gas cylinder to push the traction head to eject the fiber net, but the reaction force when the high-pressure gas cylinder is released can easily cause the UAV performing the capture task to become unstable; the Chinese invention patent with application number CN201710166611.7, application date March 20, 2017, and title "A UAV-mounted Pneumatic Net Throwing Device" also uses a high-pressure gas cylinder for ejection. Although it solves the problem of reaction force, the use of high-pressure gas cylinders makes the cost of a single capture too high, and there is a problem of difficulty in aiming when capturing the target UAV. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the problem of large reaction force when using high-pressure gas cylinders, the present invention proposes to use a spring with smaller reaction force to provide ejection force for the airborne anti-UAV target capture device. To achieve the above purpose, the present invention adopts the following specific technical solutions:

[0005] An airborne anti-UAV target capture device comprises an angle-changing device, a base plate, angle-changing plates distributed around the base plate, and an ejection device fixed on each angle-changing plate;

[0006] The ejection device comprises a power assembly, a traction head, an ejection push rod and a traction head ballistic tube with an axis vertically variable angle plate, and the ejection push rod slides in the traction head ballistic tube;

[0007] A plurality of traction heads are fixedly connected to the circumference of the capture net, each traction head is placed in a traction head ballistic tube, and a power assembly provides elastic force through a spring for an ejection push rod to eject the traction head;

[0008] The variable angle plate is hinged to the bottom plate;

[0009] The angle-changing device connects the bottom plate and the angle-changing plate, and is used for adjusting the inclination angle of the angle-changing plate relative to the bottom plate to change the launching angle of the traction head.

[0010] The present invention can achieve the following technical effects:

[0011] The smaller reaction force of the spring also allows the UAV carrier to fly more stably and track and aim when capturing. There is no need to use ejection devices such as high-pressure gas cylinders or gunpowder. Instead, a spring ejection traction head is used to drive the capture net for capture. The spring is more reusable than a high-pressure gas cylinder. After each capture, only the capture net and traction head need to be loaded. The recoil during spring ejection is small, so there is no need for a shock-absorbing device. This makes the present invention more lightweight and has low performance requirements for the UAV carrier. The angle of the traction head away from the axis at the moment of ejection is adjusted in real time through the variable angle module, so that the capture net will not rebound before capturing the target UAV. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of an ejection device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of an angle-changing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the angle-changing device of an embodiment of the present invention at another angle;

[0016] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of a traction head launch tube according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the ejection push rod and the blocking rod of the embodiment of the present invention when they are working;

[0018] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of an ejection push rod according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 8 This is a control flow chart of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Fig. 9 The figure is a flow chart of the method of the present invention.

[0021] Figure numerals: 1. power assembly; 2. three-degree-of-freedom pan-tilt; 3. variable angle device; 11. traction head ballistic tube; 12. traction head ballistic tube base; 13. net placement box; 14. bottom plate; 15. variable angle plate; 16. baffle rod; 17. ejection push rod; 31. connecting rod; 32. screw slider base; 33. slider; 34. screw. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and do not constitute a limitation of the present invention.

[0023] like Figure 1 The airborne anti-UAV target capture device shown includes an angle-changing device 3, a base plate 14, angle-changing plates 15 distributed around the base plate 14, and an ejection device fixed on each angle-changing plate 15.

[0024] Preferably, the number of traction heads is 4, evenly distributed at the four corners of the net; the traction heads and the net are connected by a wire. In practical applications, the number of traction head ejection cylinders can be increased or decreased according to demand, and the length of the traction head ejection cylinder can also be changed according to the required springs. This article assumes that the number of traction heads is 4 for subsequent introduction.

[0025] Preferably, the traction head and the circumference of the catching net are fixedly connected via a connecting line.

[0026] Among them, Figure 2 The ejection device shown includes a power assembly 1, a traction head, an ejection push rod 17 and a traction head ballistic tube 11 with an axis perpendicular to the variable angle plate 15, and the ejection push rod 17 slides in the traction head ballistic tube 11; four traction heads are installed in four traction head ballistic tubes, and the four traction heads are connected to the four corners of the capture net with connecting lines. Each traction head is placed in the traction head ballistic tube 11, and the power assembly provides elastic force through a spring for the ejection push rod 17 to eject the traction head.

[0027] Among them, the variable angle plate 15 is hinged to the bottom plate 14; the bottom plate 14 is a rectangular plate, and four variable angle plates are hingedly installed around the bottom plate in a centrally symmetrical manner. The variable angle device 3 limits the angle between the variable angle plate 15 and the bottom plate, and the angle between the two plates facing the captured drone cannot be less than 180°. The variable angle device 3 connects the bottom plate 14 and the variable angle plate 15, and is used to adjust the inclination angle of the variable angle plate 15 relative to the bottom plate 14 to change the launch angle of the traction head. The variable angle device 3 can refer to the existing technology of the angle adjustment device of the two plates in the mechanical field, or preferably the structure described later.

[0028] Preferably, Figure 5-7 As shown, the ejection end of the ejection push rod 17 is slidably fitted in the traction head ballistic tube 11, and the spring abuts between the ejection end of the ejection push rod 17 and the bottom of the traction head ballistic tube 11; before the traction head is ejected, the spring is in a compressed state. The loading is completed by compressing the spring and the ejection push rod.

[0029] The other end of the ejection push rod 17 passes through the angle-changing plate 15; the power assembly also includes a blocking rod 16;

[0030] The other end of the ejection push rod 17 is provided with a groove. Before the ejection starts, one end of the blocking rod 16 is inserted into the groove and the spring is compressed by the ejection push rod 17. The other end of the blocking rod 16 is connected to the driving assembly. During the ejection, the driving assembly drives one end of the blocking rod 16 to leave the groove. On one side of the bottom surface of the bottom plate, a groove perpendicular to the axial direction of the traction head ballistic tube 11 is opened at the position where the other end of the ejection push rod extends after loading, and the width of the groove is slightly larger than the width of the blocking rod 16.

[0031] Specifically, the ejection end of the ejection push rod 17 is as follows Figure 5 As shown, the spring is compressed in the traction head ballistic tube by the ejection push rod 17, and the other side of the bottom plate, i.e., the bottom side thereof, is Figure 6 As shown, one end of the blocking rod 16 cooperates with the slot on the ejection push rod 17, and the ejection push rod 17 is limited after the spring is compressed. Figure 6 As shown, in order to prevent the ejection push rod 17 from being separated from the system during ejection, an external thread is tapped at the end of the ejection push rod 17. After the ejection push rod is installed, a screw is used at the end to limit the ejection push rod 17 after ejection.

[0032] Preferably, the driving assembly is a steering gear that drives each blocking rod 16, and all steering gears move simultaneously to make one end of the blocking rod 16 disengage from the groove. The four blocking rods 16 are synchronously controlled by four steering gears. After the aiming of the target UAV is completed, the four steering gears move simultaneously to make one end of the blocking rod 16 disengage from the groove of the ejection push rod 17. The spring release pushes the ejection push rod 17 to eject the traction head, and the traction head brings out the capture net through the connection line between the traction head and the capture net. Since the traction head ballistic tube 11 faces four different directions respectively, the traction head can drive the capture net to open, and the target UAV is captured when the capture net has the largest opening area through the angle calculated by the control system.

[0033] Preferably, the variable angle plate 15 is provided with a guide hole that cooperates with the ejection push rod 17. The variable angle plate 15 and the traction head ballistic tube base 12 are provided with guide holes respectively, so that the ejection end of the ejection push rod 17 can pass through the variable angle plate 15 and enter the traction head ballistic tube 11. There is a clearance fit between the ejection push rod 17 and the guide hole, and the guide hole plays a certain guiding role for the ejection push rod 17.

[0034] Preferably, the target capture device further comprises a net placement box 13 fixed on the top surface of the bottom plate 14, and a slot is provided on the net placement box 13 and a slot is provided at a corresponding position of the traction head ballistic tube 11, so that the connection line between the traction head and the net can pass through the slot. The four ballistic tubes are slotted so that the connection line between the traction head and the net can pass through the slot. The net placement box is installed in the middle of the four traction head ballistic tubes, and the four sides of the net placement box are slotted so that the connection line between the traction head and the net can pass through the slot.

[0035] Preferably, Figure 3-4 As shown, the angle-changing device 3 includes a slider 33 and a screw rod 34 that cooperate with each other, and a connecting rod 31 that is equal in number to the traction head;

[0036] The screw rod 34 is vertically fixed on the center of the bottom surface of the bottom plate 14, and the slider 33 is sleeved on the outside of the screw rod 34. The screw rod 34 is driven by the motor to rotate so as to drive the slider 33 to move along the axial direction of the screw rod 34.

[0037] One side of the variable angle plate is provided with a hinge connected to the connecting rod 31, and the traction head ballistic tube and the base 14 are cooperatively installed on the other side of the variable angle plate.

[0038] The four variable angle plates 15 are connected to the hinges on the four surfaces of the slider through the connecting rod 31 to form a crank slider mechanism. The angle of the variable angle plate is adjusted by controlling the position of the slider, thereby controlling the opening angle of the four traction head ballistic tubes. The traction head ballistic tube is controlled to have different angles according to the distance between the UAV carrier and the target UAV when launching the net.

[0039] One end of the connecting rod 31 is hinged to the circumference of the slider 33, and the other end of the connecting rod 31 is hinged to the angle-changing plate 15. The firing angle of the traction head ballistic tube 11 is adjusted by adjusting the position of the slider 33 on the screw rod 34. The screw slider base 32 is fixedly mounted on the bottom plate 14. There are four symmetrical hinge seats on the four faces of the slider 33, which are connected to the hinge seat on one side of the angle-changing plate 15 through the connecting rod 31. The firing angle of the traction head is adjusted by adjusting the position of the slider 33 on the screw rod 34.

[0040] Preferably, the hardware part of the target capture device includes a binocular camera, a three-degree-of-freedom gimbal, a net-launching device, and a launch angle adjustment device, and the control part includes a communication module and a target position calculation module. The four traction heads are ejected by springs to launch the net, the target position is captured by a binocular camera, and the three-degree-of-freedom gimbal is used for automatic aiming to achieve the capture of illegal drones. It can assist the drone carrier to track and aim at the target drone at close range, improve the capture success rate, and also retain the advantages of the spring, so that the target can be captured more safely and reliably. The smaller reaction force of the spring also allows the drone carrier to fly more stably and track and aim more stably when capturing.

[0041] The target capture device also includes a binocular camera, a three-degree-of-freedom platform 2 and a control system, and the base plate 14 is fixed on the three-degree-of-freedom platform 2;

[0042] The binocular camera is used to obtain the image of the target UAV, and the control system calculates the target position of the target UAV based on the image;

[0043] The control system controls the three-degree-of-freedom pan-tilt platform 2 to perform automatic aiming, and the control system calculates and controls the launch angle of the traction head.

[0044] like Figure 8-9 As shown, a method for capturing a drone using a target capture device, wherein the control system includes a communication module, a target position calculation module, and a gimbal controller for controlling a three-degree-of-freedom gimbal 2, and includes the following steps:

[0045] S1. When the UAV carrier receives the capture command, the UAV carrier approaches the target UAV;

[0046] S2, obtain left and right images through binocular cameras, transmit the left and right images to the target position solving module through the communication module, and the target position solving module obtains the disparity map by binocular stereo matching, and then solves and obtains the target position;

[0047] S3: The target position is transmitted to the gimbal controller through the communication module, and the position of the target UAV relative to the UAV carrier is calculated through two coordinate transformations. Because the motion range of the 3DOF gimbal 2 is limited, the angle that the 3DOF gimbal 2 needs to be corrected must be solved in conjunction with the position and attitude of the drone. Therefore, the position relationship of the 3DOF gimbal 2 relative to the target drone is calculated. (where Z, Y, and t represent the coordinate system of the UAV carrier, the three-degree-of-freedom gimbal, and the target UAV coordinate system, respectively; x z Indicates the coordinates of the target position in the Z coordinate system, x t Represents the position information of the target in the t coordinate system; It represents the coordinate transformation matrix that transforms the target position information in the Y coordinate system into the target position information in the Z coordinate system. represents the coordinate conversion matrix that converts the target position information in the t coordinate system into the target position information in the y coordinate system), and the gimbal controller solves the gimbal offset angle;

[0048] S4. After the control system controls the three-degree-of-freedom gimbal 2 to aim at the target UAV, the launch angle is calculated according to the gimbal offset angle and the distance between the target UAV and the target capture device to ensure that the capture net can be opened to the maximum area when capturing the UAV.

[0049] The present invention adopts an automatic aiming system, and can capture the UAV carrier when it is closer to the target. Therefore, there is no need to use ejection devices such as high-pressure gas cylinders or gunpowder. Instead, a spring ejection traction head is used to drive the capture net for capture. The spring has strong reusability compared to the high-pressure gas cylinder. After each capture, only the capture net and the traction head need to be loaded. The recoil during spring ejection is small, so no shock-absorbing device is required, which makes the present invention more lightweight and has low performance requirements for the UAV carrier. The angle of the traction head away from the axis at the moment of ejection is adjusted in real time by the variable angle module, so that the capture net will not rebound before capturing the target UAV.

[0050] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, without contradiction.

[0051] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art may change, modify, replace and modify the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

[0052] The above specific implementations of the present invention do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present invention. Any other corresponding changes and modifications made based on the technical concept of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. Airborne anti-UAV target acquisition device, characterized in that: It comprises an angle-changing device (3), a base plate (14), angle-changing plates (15) distributed around the base plate (14), and an ejection device fixed on each angle-changing plate (15); The ejection device comprises a power assembly, a traction head, an ejection push rod (17), and a traction head ballistic tube (11) whose axis is perpendicular to the variable angle plate (15), and the ejection push rod (17) slides in the traction head ballistic tube (11); A plurality of the traction heads are fixedly connected to the circumference of the capture net, each of the traction heads is placed in the traction head ballistic tube (11), and the power assembly provides elastic force through a spring for the ejection push rod (17) to eject the traction head; The variable angle plate (15) is hinged to the bottom plate (14); The angle-changing device (3) is connected to the bottom plate (14) and the angle-changing plate (15), and is used to adjust the inclination angle of the angle-changing plate (15) relative to the bottom plate (14) so ​​as to change the launching angle of the traction head; The ejection end of the ejection push rod (17) is slidably fitted in the traction head ballistic tube (11), and the spring is abutted between the ejection end of the ejection push rod (17) and the bottom of the traction head ballistic tube (11); before the traction head is ejected, the spring is in a compressed state; The other end of the ejection push rod (17) passes through the angle-changing plate (15); The power assembly also includes a blocking rod (16); The other end of the ejection push rod (17) is provided with a groove, and before the ejection starts, one end of the blocking rod (16) is inserted into the groove and the spring is compressed by the ejection push rod (17); The other end of the blocking rod (16) is connected to a driving assembly, and during ejection, the driving assembly drives one end of the blocking rod (16) to leave the groove; The angle-changing device (3) comprises a sliding block (33) and a screw rod (34) that cooperate with each other, and a number of connecting rods (31) equal to the number of the traction heads; The screw rod (34) is vertically fixed at the center of the bottom surface of the bottom plate (14), the slider (33) is sleeved on the outside of the screw rod (34), and the screw rod (34) is driven by the motor to rotate so as to drive the slider (33) to move along the axial direction of the screw rod (34); One end of the connecting rod (31) is hinged to the circumference of the slider (33), and the other end of the connecting rod (31) is hinged to the angle-changing plate (15). The firing angle of the traction head ballistic barrel (11) is adjusted by adjusting the position of the slider (33) on the screw rod (34).

2. The target capture device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving assembly is a steering gear that drives each of the blocking rods (16), and all the steering gears move simultaneously, causing one end of the blocking rod (16) to escape from the groove.

3. The target capture device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The variable angle plate (15) is provided with a guide hole that cooperates with the ejection push rod (17).

4. The target capture device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the traction heads is 4, evenly distributed at the four corners of the fishing net; The traction head and the catching net are connected via a connecting line.

5. The target capture device according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes a net placement box (13) fixed on the top surface of the bottom plate (14), and slots are provided at corresponding positions of the slots on the net placement box (13) and the traction head ballistic tube (11), so that the connection line between the traction head and the net can pass through the slots.

6. The target capture device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: It also includes a binocular camera, a three-degree-of-freedom platform (2) and a control system, wherein the base plate (14) is fixed on the three-degree-of-freedom platform (2); The binocular camera is used to obtain an image of the target UAV, and the control system calculates the target position of the target UAV based on the image; The control system controls the three-degree-of-freedom pan / tilt platform (2) to perform automatic aiming, and the control system calculates and controls the launch angle of the traction head.

7. A method for capturing a drone using the target capture device of claim 6, wherein the control system comprises a communication module, a target position calculation module and a pan / tilt controller for controlling the three-degree-of-freedom pan / tilt (2), characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1. When the UAV carrier receives a capture command, the UAV carrier approaches the target UAV; S2, obtaining left and right images through the binocular camera, transmitting the left and right images to the target position solving module through the communication module, and the target position solving module solves the target position using a binocular stereo matching algorithm; S3, the target position is transmitted to the PTZ controller via the communication module, and the PTZ controller calculates the PTZ offset angle; S4, after the control system controls the three-degree-of-freedom gimbal (2) to aim, the launch angle is calculated according to the gimbal offset angle and the distance between the target UAV and the target capture device.

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