A vehicle-mounted intelligent unmanned aerial vehicle automatic guidance and tracking system and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a vehicle-mounted intelligent unmanned aerial vehicle automatic guidance and tracking system and method, comprising an unmanned aerial vehicle and a transport vehicle for taking off and landing the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle is provided with an infrared emitting device, and the transport vehicle is provided with a photographing device for photographing infrared light spots, wherein the photographing device is rotatably connected to a mounting seat on the transport vehicle, and a driving mechanism for driving the photographing device to rotate 360 ​​degrees is provided in the transport vehicle. The invention is used to increase the range and angle of the image photographing device to capture infrared light spots, thereby improving the guidance and tracking capabilities of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and has a simple and practical structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and in particular to an automatic guidance and tracking system and method for a vehicle-mounted intelligent unmanned aerial vehicle. Background Art

[0002] A drone is an unmanned drone controlled by a radio remote control device and a self-contained program control device. Since it is unmanned, tracking and guiding the drone is a big problem. The existing method is to install an infrared transmitter on the drone, shoot the infrared light spots emitted by the drone through the image acquisition module on the transport vehicle, and identify the position information of the infrared light spots, and then analyze and calculate the captured infrared light spots through the control program on the transport vehicle to track or guide the drone. However, the current image acquisition module on the transport vehicle has a fixed capture capability and range, and cannot capture and shoot the infrared light spots emitted by the drone over a large range, making the transport vehicle's tracking and guiding effect on the drone poor. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the invention is to provide a vehicle-mounted intelligent unmanned aerial vehicle automatic guidance and tracking system and method, which is used to increase the range and angle of the image capture device to capture infrared light spots, thereby improving the guidance and tracking capabilities of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the structure is simple and practical.

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the invention adopts the following solutions:

[0005] A vehicle-mounted intelligent unmanned aerial vehicle automatic guidance and tracking system comprises a unmanned aerial vehicle and a transport vehicle for taking off and landing the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle is provided with an infrared transmitting device, the transport vehicle is provided with a shooting device for shooting infrared light spots, the shooting device is rotatably connected to a mounting seat on the transport vehicle, and a driving mechanism for driving the shooting device to rotate 360 ​​degrees is provided in the transport vehicle.

[0006] In this solution, the shooting device is rotatably connected to the mounting seat of the transport vehicle. A driving mechanism is provided in the transport vehicle, and the driving mechanism drives the shooting device to rotate within a range of 360°. In this way, when the shooting device is shooting infrared light spots, the shooting device can capture a wider range of infrared light spots emitted from the drone, and its shooting angle can be adjusted arbitrarily, and the infrared light spots can be captured and shot at any angle anytime and anywhere. In this way, the guidance and tracking of the drone can be stronger, the structure is simple and practical, and it is also easy to operate.

[0007] Optionally, the driving mechanism is arranged in a power box inside the transport vehicle, and the driving mechanism includes a motor, a turntable, a rotating shaft and a driving rod. The output end of the motor is arranged upward and connected to the center of the turntable, the end of the turntable is connected to the rotating shaft, and a ring is provided on the rotating shaft. One end of the driving rod is inserted into the ring and can rotate relative to the ring, and the other end passes through the mounting seat upward and is connected to the shooting equipment.

[0008] Optionally, a spherical groove is provided on the top of the mounting seat, and a guide hole is provided at the bottom of the spherical groove and passes through the mounting seat. The guide hole allows the driving rod to pass through and its diameter is 3-4 times the diameter of the driving rod. The diameter of the spherical groove is larger than the diameter of the guide hole. A matching rotating body is provided in the spherical groove, and the rotating body is connected to the shooting device.

[0009] Optionally, the rotating body is spherical or hemispherical.

[0010] Optionally, a limiting sphere having a diameter greater than a diameter of the ring is provided at the lower end of the driving rod.

[0011] Optionally, the upper end of the driving rod is connected to a fixing mechanism for installing the shooting equipment, and the fixing mechanism includes a mounting tube, a tube cover and a fixing piece. The upper end of the mounting tube is open and the lower end is closed. The lower end of the mounting tube is fixedly connected to the rotating body. The shooting equipment is fixed in the mounting tube through the fixing piece. Both ends of the tube cover are open and the lower end thereof is threadedly connected to the upper end of the mounting tube.

[0012] Optionally, the mounting tube has fixing holes distributed in a cross shape around its circumference, the inner wall of the fixing hole is provided with an internal thread, the side wall of the fixing piece is provided with an external thread matching the internal thread, the fixing piece is threadedly connected to the fixing hole, and a rubber pad is provided at the end of the fixing piece located in the mounting tube.

[0013] Optionally, a filter is fixed to the upper end of the tube cover.

[0014] Optionally, a cylinder is provided on the side wall of the cylinder cover, a brush for cleaning the filter is connected to the output end of the cylinder, a nozzle is provided on the side wall opposite to the cylinder, and the nozzle pipeline is connected to a liquid storage tank filled with cleaning liquid in the transport vehicle.

[0015] Optionally, the outer sealing sleeve of the mounting seat is provided with a waterproof cover.

[0016] A method for guiding and tracking a drone, applied to any one of the automatic guiding and tracking systems for a drone, the method comprising:

[0017] The infrared transmitting device on the drone transmits infrared rays;

[0018] The photographing device is driven by a motor to rotate 360 ​​degrees, photographs infrared rays to obtain an image containing infrared light spots, and identifies position information of the infrared light spots in the image;

[0019] The control program in the transport vehicle identifies the location information of the infrared light spots in the image based on the captured infrared light spot images, thereby tracking and guiding the position of the drone.

[0020] The invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] 1. In the invention, the photographing device is rotatably connected to the mounting seat of the transport vehicle, and a driving mechanism is provided in the transport vehicle. The driving mechanism drives the photographing device to rotate within a range of 360°. In this way, when the photographing device is shooting infrared light spots, the photographing device can capture a wider range of infrared light spots emitted from the drone, and its shooting angle can be adjusted arbitrarily, and the infrared light spots can be captured and photographed at any angle anytime and anywhere, so that the guidance and tracking of the drone can be stronger, the structure is simple and practical, and it is also easy to operate.

[0022] 2. Shooting equipment of different sizes can be placed in the installation tube and fixed by fixing parts. The shooting equipment can be replaced at any time, which is convenient and fast, and the model of shooting equipment can be flexibly selected.

[0023] 3. A cylinder is provided on the cylinder cover. The brush connected to the output end of the cylinder can clean the filter to ensure the cleanliness of the filter, so that the picture of the infrared light spot taken by the shooting equipment is cleaner, which is more conducive to the guidance and tracking of the drone; at the same time, a nozzle is also provided to spray cleaning liquid when the brush is cleaning, so that the cleaning effect of the filter is better. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the invention;

[0025] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the shooting device after deflection;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the interaction between the drone and the shooting equipment.

[0027] Figure numerals: 1-transport vehicle, 2-power box, 3-limiting sphere, 4-ring, 5-guide hole, 6-mounting tube, 7-shooting equipment, 8-tube cover, 9-infrared emitting device, 10-sprinkler, 11-filter, 12-brush, 13-cylinder, 14-L-shaped plate, 15-fixing part, 16-rotating body, 17-spherical groove, 18-mounting seat, 19-driving rod, 20-rotating shaft, 21-turntable, 22-motor, 23-UAV, 24-waterproof cover. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with embodiments and drawings, but the embodiments of the invention are not limited thereto.

[0029] In the description of the invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "longitudinal", "lateral", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", "front", "back", "top", "bottom" and the like indicate directions or positional relationships based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, or are the directions or positional relationships in which the inventive product is usually placed when in use. They are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the invention.

[0030] In the description of the invention, it is also necessary to explain that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "disposed", "opened", "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0031] Example 1

[0032] like Figure 1-3 As shown, a vehicle-mounted intelligent UAV automatic guidance and tracking system includes a UAV 23 and a transport vehicle 1 for taking off and landing the UAV 23, wherein the UAV 23 is provided with an infrared emitting device 9, and the transport vehicle 1 is provided with a shooting device 7 for shooting infrared light spots, wherein the shooting device 7 is rotatably connected to a mounting seat 18 on the transport vehicle 1, and a driving mechanism for driving the shooting device 7 to rotate 360° is provided in the transport vehicle 1.

[0033] In this embodiment, the shooting device 7 is rotatably connected to the mounting seat 18 of the transport vehicle 1. The shooting device 7 uses a high-speed camera. After the infrared emitting device 9 of the drone 23 emits infrared rays, the high-speed camera shoots the infrared rays to obtain an image containing infrared light spots. A waterproof cover 24 is provided on the outer sealing sleeve of the mounting seat 18. The size of the waterproof cover 24 matches the mounting seat 18. When installed, it is directly sleeved on the mounting seat 18. When the shooting device 7 is not in use, the waterproof cover 24 can protect the shooting device 7 from water, sun and collision. The mounting seat 18 has a certain height, which can prevent rainwater from flowing to the top surface of the mounting seat 18. A driving mechanism is provided in the transport vehicle 1. The driving mechanism drives the shooting device 7 to rotate within a range of 360°. In this way, when the shooting device 7 shoots infrared light spots, the shooting device 7 captures a wider range of infrared light spots emitted from the drone 23, and its shooting angle can be adjusted arbitrarily. The infrared light spots can be captured and shot at any angle anytime and anywhere, so that the guidance and tracking of the drone 23 can be stronger, the structure is simple and practical, and it is also easy to operate.

[0034] Example 2

[0035] Based on the above embodiments

[0036] like Figure 1-3 As shown, specifically, the driving mechanism is arranged in the power box 2 inside the transport vehicle 1, and the driving mechanism includes a motor 22, a turntable 21, a rotating shaft 20 and a driving rod 19. The output end of the motor 22 is arranged upward and connected to the center of the turntable 21, the end of the turntable 21 is connected to the rotating shaft 20, and a ring 4 is provided on the rotating shaft 20. One end of the driving rod 19 is inserted into the ring 4 and can rotate relative to the ring 4, and the other end is upwardly penetrated through the mounting seat 18 and then connected to the shooting device 7.

[0037] Specifically, a spherical groove 17 is provided on the top of the mounting seat 18, and a guide hole 5 is provided at the bottom of the spherical groove 17 and penetrates the mounting seat 18. The guide hole 5 allows the driving rod 19 to pass through and its diameter is 3-4 times the diameter of the driving rod 19. The diameter of the spherical groove 17 is larger than the diameter of the guide hole 5. A matching rotating body 16 is provided in the spherical groove 17, and the rotating body 16 is connected to the shooting device 7.

[0038] Specifically, the rotating body 16 is spherical or hemispherical. The hemispherical rotating body 16 is selected to ensure the rotation flexibility. The top of the hemispherical rotating body 16 is a flat surface, which is also convenient for connecting with the shooting device 7.

[0039] Specifically, a limiting sphere 3 having a diameter greater than that of the collar 4 is provided at the lower end of the driving rod 19 to prevent the driving rod 19 from slipping off the collar 4 during the rotation process.

[0040] In this embodiment, a power box 2 is fixed inside the transport vehicle 1, and the motor 22 adopts a three-phase asynchronous motor 22, which is convenient for controlling the rotation angle and speed. The motor 22 is vertically fixed to the bottom surface of the power box 2 by bolts, and its output end is connected to the center position of the bottom surface of the turntable 21 upward. The rotating shaft 20 is fixed at the end of the turntable 21. The rotating shaft 20 is located in the radial direction. A collar 4 is welded on the upper end of the rotating shaft 20. The lower end of the driving rod 19 is sleeved in the collar 4. The driving rod 19 is vertically upward through the guide hole 5 and is connected and fixed to the center of the bottom end of the rotating body 16. The guide hole 5 The diameter is 3-4 times the diameter of the driving rod 19, so that the space for the driving rod 19 to rotate is larger, and the guide hole 5 will not hinder the driving rod 19. The motor 22 is started, driving the turntable 21 to rotate, and the shaft 20 follows the rotation. Since the shaft 20 is fixed at the end of the turntable 21, the shaft 20 rotates eccentrically, and the collar 4 on the shaft 20 drives the driving rod 19 to rotate eccentrically. The driving rod 19 can drive the rotating body 16 to rotate arbitrarily in the spherical groove 17, so that the shooting device 7 can rotate arbitrarily in the range of 360°, and can capture the infrared rays emitted by the drone 23 in all directions and angles, take infrared light spot pictures, and then transmit the pictures to the control program in the conveying vehicle for analysis and calculation, so as to better guide and track the drone 23.

[0041] Example 3

[0042] Based on Example 2

[0043] like Figure 1-3 As shown, the upper end of the driving rod 19 is connected to a fixing mechanism for installing the photographing device 7, and the fixing mechanism includes a mounting tube 6, a tube cover 8 and a fixing member 15. The upper end of the mounting tube 6 is open and the lower end is closed. The lower end of the mounting tube 6 is fixedly connected to the rotating body 16. The photographing device 7 is fixed in the mounting tube 6 by the fixing member 15. The tube cover 8 has openings at both ends and its lower end is threadedly connected to the upper end of the mounting tube 6.

[0044] Optionally, the mounting tube 6 has fixing holes distributed in a cross shape in the circumference, the inner wall of the fixing hole is provided with an internal thread, the side wall of the fixing member 15 is provided with an external thread matching the internal thread, the fixing member 15 is threadedly connected to the fixing hole, and the end of the fixing member 15 located in the mounting tube 6 is provided with a rubber pad.

[0045] Optionally, a filter 11 is fixed to the upper end of the tube cover 8. The filter 11 is used to filter out other light signals so that the shooting device 7 can shoot infrared rays.

[0046] In this embodiment, a mounting tube 6 is fixed on the rotating body 16 by bolts. The upper end of the mounting tube 6 is open and the lower end is closed. The upper end is used to place the photographing device 7. After the photographing device 7 is placed, the photographing device 7 is firmly clamped in the cross direction by rotating the fixing parts 15 around. The rubber pads at the ends of the fixing parts 15 can protect the photographing device 7 from scratches. Through the fixing parts 15 with adjustable lateral displacement, photographing devices 7 of different sizes can be installed in the mounting tube 6, which is more practical and convenient for installation and disassembly. The tube cover 8 is threadedly connected to the upper end of the mounting tube 6, and a rubber ring can be clamped at the connection to play a certain waterproof role. The lens of the photographing device 7 can realize infrared shooting through the filter 11, and at the same time, it can prevent debris from entering the mounting tube 6.

[0047] Example 4

[0048] Based on the above embodiments

[0049] like Figure 1-3 As shown, a cylinder 13 is provided on the side wall of the cylinder cover 8, and a brush 12 for cleaning the filter 11 is connected to the output end of the cylinder 13. A nozzle 10 is provided on the side wall opposite to the cylinder 13, and a pipeline of the nozzle 10 is connected to a storage tank filled with cleaning liquid in the transport vehicle 1.

[0050] In this embodiment, the cylinder 13 is transversely fixed on the side wall of the cylinder cover 8 by an L-shaped plate 14, the output end of the cylinder 13 is parallel to the filter 11, and the output end is connected to the brush 12, the brush 12 is in contact with the filter 11, the length of the brush 12 is the same as or greater than the diameter of the filter 11, and the brush 12 is pushed to clean the filter 11 by the reciprocating extension and contraction of the output end of the cylinder 13, and the extension and contraction stroke of the cylinder 13 is the same as the diameter of the filter 11, so that the entire surface of the filter 11 can be ensured to be cleaned; a nozzle 10 fixed to the side wall of the cylinder cover 8 is provided on the opposite side of the cylinder 13, the nozzle 10 is connected to the liquid storage tank in the transport vehicle 1 through a pipeline, and the liquid storage tank contains cleaning liquid, and a booster pump can also be arranged on the pipeline. When the debris on the filter 11 is difficult to clean, the booster pump can be started to pump the cleaning liquid to the nozzle 10 onto the filter 11, and then cooperate with the brush 12 The cleaning effect can be effectively enhanced to ensure that the pictures discharged by the shooting device 7 are cleaner, which is more conducive to tracking and guiding the drone 23.

[0051] Example 5

[0052] like Figure 3 As shown, a method for guiding and tracking a UAV is applied to the automatic guiding and tracking system for a UAV, and the method comprises:

[0053] The infrared emitting device 9 on the drone 23 emits infrared rays;

[0054] The photographing device 7 is driven by the motor 22 to rotate 360°, photograph infrared rays to obtain an image containing infrared light spots, and identify the position information of the infrared light spots in the image;

[0055] The control program in the transport vehicle 1 identifies the position information of the infrared light spot in the image based on the captured infrared light spot image, thereby tracking and guiding the position of the drone 23.

[0056] The working principle of the present invention is as follows: when the transport vehicle 1 needs to track and guide the UAV 23, the waterproof cover 24 is opened to expose the high-speed camera, and the control program of the transport vehicle 1 controls the motor 22 to start, and the motor 22 drives the driving rod 19 to make an eccentric rotation. The eccentric rotation of the driving rod 19 drives the rotating body 16 to rotate 360° in the spherical groove 17, and the rotating body 16 drives the high-speed camera to follow the rotation, so that the high-speed camera can shoot the infrared light spots emitted by the UAV 23 in a large range and at multiple angles, and then transmit the picture to the control program in the transport vehicle for analysis and calculation, so as to better guide and track the UAV 23.

[0057] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the invention and does not impose any form of limitation on the invention. According to the technical essence of the invention, within the spirit and principle of the invention, any simple modification, equivalent replacement and improvement of the above embodiment shall still fall within the protection scope of the technical solution of the invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted intelligent unmanned aerial vehicle automatic guidance and tracking system, comprising an unmanned aerial vehicle (23) and a transport vehicle (1) for taking off and landing the unmanned aerial vehicle (23), characterized in that: The drone (23) is provided with an infrared emitting device (9), the transport vehicle (1) is provided with a photographing device (7) for photographing infrared light spots, the photographing device (7) is rotatably connected to a mounting seat (18) on the transport vehicle (1), and a driving mechanism for driving the photographing device (7) to rotate 360 ​​degrees is provided in the transport vehicle (1); The driving mechanism is arranged in a power box (2) inside the transport vehicle (1), and comprises a motor (22), a turntable (21), a rotating shaft (20) and a driving rod (19). The output end of the motor (22) is arranged upward and connected to the center of the turntable (21). The end of the turntable (21) is connected to the rotating shaft (20). A collar (4) is provided on the rotating shaft (20). One end of the driving rod (19) is inserted into the collar (4) and can rotate relative to the collar (4). The other end of the driving rod (19) is passed through the mounting seat (18) upward and is connected to the shooting device (7). The mounting seat (18) is provided with a spherical groove (17) at the top, and a guide hole (5) penetrating the mounting seat (18) is provided at the bottom of the spherical groove (17). The guide hole (5) allows the driving rod (19) to pass through and has a diameter that is 3-4 times the diameter of the driving rod (19). The diameter of the spherical groove (17) is larger than the diameter of the guide hole (5). A matching rotating body (16) is provided in the spherical groove (17), and the rotating body (16) is connected to the shooting device (7). The lower end of the driving rod (19) is provided with a limiting sphere (3) having a diameter greater than that of the collar (4); The upper end of the driving rod (19) is connected to a fixing mechanism for mounting the photographing device (7), the fixing mechanism comprising a mounting tube (6), a tube cover (8) and a fixing member (15); the mounting tube (6) has an open upper end and a closed lower end; the lower end of the mounting tube (6) is fixedly connected to the rotating body (16); the photographing device (7) is fixed in the mounting tube (6) via the fixing member (15); the tube cover (8) has openings at both ends and its lower end is threadedly connected to the upper end of the mounting tube (6); and a filter (11) is fixed to the upper end of the tube cover (8); A cylinder (13) is provided on the side wall of the cylinder cover (8), and a brush (12) for cleaning the filter (11) is connected to the output end of the cylinder (13). A nozzle (10) is provided on the side wall opposite to the cylinder (13), and a pipeline of the nozzle (10) is connected to a storage tank containing cleaning liquid in the transport vehicle (1).

2. The vehicle-mounted intelligent unmanned aerial vehicle automatic guidance and tracking system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The rotating body (16) is spherical or hemispherical.

3. The vehicle-mounted intelligent unmanned aerial vehicle automatic guidance and tracking system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The mounting tube (6) has fixing holes distributed in a cross shape in the circumferential direction, the inner wall of the fixing hole is provided with an internal thread, the side wall of the fixing piece (15) is provided with an external thread matching the internal thread, the fixing piece (15) is threadedly connected to the fixing hole, and a rubber pad is provided at the end of the fixing piece (15) located in the mounting tube (6).

4. The vehicle-mounted intelligent unmanned aerial vehicle automatic guidance and tracking system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The outer sealing sleeve of the mounting seat (18) is provided with a waterproof cover (24).

5. A method for guiding and tracking an unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that: The method applied to the automatic guidance and tracking system for unmanned aerial vehicles according to any one of claims 1 to 4 comprises: The infrared emitting device (9) on the drone (23) emits infrared rays; The photographing device (7) is driven by a motor (22) to rotate 360 ​​degrees, photograph infrared rays to obtain an image containing infrared light spots, and identify position information of the infrared light spots in the image; The control program in the transport vehicle (1) identifies the position information of the infrared light spot in the image based on the captured infrared light spot image, thereby tracking and guiding the position of the drone (23).

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