Microsystems and nanoscale unmanned devices

Abstract

The present application provides a micro system and a nano unmanned device, the micro system is used for the nano unmanned device, the micro system comprises a plurality of functional micro units, wherein the plurality of functional micro units have a unified interface and are assembled together in a stacked manner; and the number and / or type of the plurality of functional micro units are configured according to the nano unmanned device. According to the example embodiments of the present application, the plurality of micro units are assembled together in a stacked manner in three dimensions, so that the assembled micro system has the advantages of small weight and small volume. And the number and / or type of the plurality of micro units can be flexibly configured according to the nano unmanned device, so that the micro system has universality for different nano unmanned devices and is convenient for performing various application tasks.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of microsystems, and more specifically, to a microsystem and a nano-sized unmanned device. Background Technology

[0002] Nano-sized unmanned devices generally refer to unmanned systems weighing less than 50g and measuring less than 15cm, such as nano-sized drones, nano-sized unmanned vehicles, nano-sized unmanned boats, and nano-sized multi-legged robots. Nano-sized unmanned devices are often characterized by their small size, low power consumption, low cost, flexible deployment, and ease of mass production, making them particularly suitable for performing specific tasks in confined spaces that are normally difficult for humans to access.

[0003] With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, unmanned systems that possess fully autonomous control capabilities without relying on external control—i.e., intelligent unmanned systems—are becoming the forefront of the industry, and have already been realized and reported in large, medium, small, and micro unmanned systems. However, due to limitations in size, energy, or computing power of current nano-sized unmanned systems, there are currently no nano-sized intelligent unmanned systems with fully autonomous control capabilities.

[0004] Nano-sized unmanned systems generally consist of three parts: vehicle, payload, and control system. The control system is the key to achieving automation, autonomy, and intelligence.

[0005] The inventors have discovered that the control systems of publicly disclosed nano-unmanned systems primarily rely on external computing and communication, and the nano-unmanned systems themselves lack independence. Furthermore, nano-unmanned systems are generally used for specific missions, and different missions require different vehicles and payloads. Therefore, the compatibility of the control system is crucial, but existing compatibility methods are not suitable for nano-unmanned systems in terms of functionality and integration.

[0006] For example, Chinese patent CN108563236B discloses a method for automatically tracking targets using a nano-sized unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The nano-sized UAV transmits sensor data to a ground base station in real time. The ground base station runs intelligent computing and control algorithms and then sends flight control commands to the nano-sized UAV via wireless communication. While the nano-sized UAV is operating, the external computer and communication channel must remain operational in real time; therefore, the nano-sized UAV itself lacks independence.

[0007] For example, Chinese patent CN108423153A discloses a modular micro-UAV that allows for payload replacement to improve micro-UAV compatibility. However, this technology is based on conventional integration technology, resulting in low process integration and functional density, which cannot meet the strong constraints of nano-sized unmanned systems on size, weight, and power consumption. Furthermore, this technology can only replace the payload but not the control system, thus failing to achieve flexible configuration of nano-sized vehicles and mission payloads for different tasks, making it difficult to universally apply to various nano-sized platforms and payloads. Summary of the Invention

[0008] This application proposes a microsystem and a nano-sized unmanned device to solve at least one of the above-mentioned problems.

[0009] According to one aspect of this application, a microsystem is proposed for a nano-sized unmanned device, the microsystem comprising a plurality of functional micro-units, wherein the plurality of functional micro-units have a unified interface and are stacked together; and the number and / or type of the plurality of functional micro-units are configured according to the nano-sized unmanned device.

[0010] According to some embodiments, a plurality of interconnect micro-units are respectively located between two adjacent functional micro-units among the plurality of functional micro-units, wherein the plurality of interconnect micro-units and the plurality of functional micro-units have a unified interface, and the plurality of interconnect micro-units provide electrical interconnection for the plurality of functional micro-units.

[0011] According to some embodiments, each of the interconnect micro-units includes a cavity, the height of which is greater than or equal to the height of the device carried by the functional micro-unit adjacent to the cavity among the plurality of functional micro-units, such that the device carried by the adjacent functional micro-unit can be accommodated within the cavity of the interconnect micro-unit.

[0012] According to some embodiments, the plurality of functional micro-units includes at least one sensing micro-unit, at least one memory micro-unit, and at least one control micro-unit.

[0013] According to some embodiments, the plurality of functional micro-units further include: a drive micro-unit and / or an energy micro-unit.

[0014] According to some embodiments, the sensing microunit includes a sensing microunit substrate; a first unified interface disposed on the sensing microunit substrate; and a plurality of microsensors for collecting sensing data and disposed on the sensing microunit substrate, so that the sensing data collected by the plurality of microsensors is sent to the storage microunit and / or control microunit through the first unified interface.

[0015] According to some embodiments, the microsensor includes an inertial microsensor, an optical flow microsensor, a near-infrared ranging microsensor, a miniature visible light camera, an acoustic microsensor, and / or a barometric pressure microsensor.

[0016] According to some embodiments, the in-memory computing microunit includes an in-memory computing microunit substrate; a second unified interface disposed on the in-memory computing microunit substrate; an off-chip hybrid memory for storing algorithm code, model parameters and / or real-time data; and an intelligent computing chip disposed on the in-memory computing microunit substrate for using the second unified interface to acquire sensing data collected by the sensing microunit and / or output data of the control microunit, perform computational processing, and send the computational processing results to the control microunit through the second unified interface.

[0017] According to some embodiments, the control microunit includes a control microunit substrate; a third unified interface disposed on the control microunit substrate; and a microcontroller disposed on the control microunit substrate, which uses the third unified interface to acquire sensing data collected by the sensing microunit and / or the computational processing results output by the storage and computing microunit, executes a main control algorithm, and sends control signals to the driving microunit through the third unified interface.

[0018] According to some embodiments, the control microunit further includes a wireless transceiver disposed on the control microunit substrate for performing wireless communication, exchanging data, or measurement and control commands.

[0019] According to some embodiments, the nano-shaped unmanned device includes a nano-shaped vehicle, and the driving micro-unit includes a driving micro-unit substrate; a fourth unified interface is disposed on the driving micro-unit substrate; a vehicle electrical interface is disposed on the driving micro-unit substrate; and a driving circuit is disposed on the driving micro-unit substrate. The circuit obtains control signals through the fourth unified interface, converts the control signals, and performs motion control on the nano-shaped vehicle through the vehicle electrical interface.

[0020] According to some embodiments, the energy micro-unit includes an energy micro-unit substrate; a fifth unified interface disposed on the energy micro-unit substrate; an energy harvester disposed on the energy micro-unit substrate for harvesting energy; an energy storage unit disposed on the energy micro-unit substrate for storing or releasing the energy harvested by the energy harvester; and an energy manager disposed on the energy micro-unit substrate for converting the energy stored in the energy storage unit and sending it out through the fifth unified interface.

[0021] According to some embodiments, the plurality of functional micro-units and the plurality of interconnecting micro-units have the same size.

[0022] According to one aspect of this application, a nano-sized unmanned device is proposed, comprising a microsystem as described in any of the preceding claims.

[0023] According to some embodiments, the nano-sized unmanned device weighs less than 50g and / or has a size of less than 15cm.

[0024] According to some embodiments, the nano-unmanned device is a nano-unmanned drone, a nano-unmanned vehicle, a nano-unmanned surface vessel, or a nano-legged robot.

[0025] According to the exemplary embodiments of this application, by assembling multiple micro-units together in a three-dimensional manner in a stacked manner, the assembled microsystem has advantages such as small weight and small size. Furthermore, the number and / or type of each micro-unit can be flexibly configured according to the nano-sized unmanned device, making the microsystem universally applicable to different nano-sized unmanned devices and facilitating the execution of various application tasks. Attached Figure Description

[0026] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below.

[0027] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates a device block diagram of a microsystem according to an example embodiment of this application.

[0028] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an interconnected microcell structure according to an example embodiment of this application is shown.

[0029] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a microsystem according to an example embodiment of this application is shown.

[0030] Figure 4 This diagram illustrates the composition of a sensing microunit according to an example embodiment of this application.

[0031] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates the composition of a memory micro-unit according to an example embodiment of this application.

[0032] Figure 6 This diagram illustrates the composition of a control microunit according to an example embodiment of this application.

[0033] Figure 7 This diagram illustrates the composition of a driving microunit according to an example embodiment of this application.

[0034] Figure 8 This diagram illustrates the composition of an energy micro-unit according to an example embodiment of this application.

[0035] Figure 9 This invention illustrates a nano-sized unmanned device according to an example embodiment of this application.

[0036] Figure 10a A schematic diagram of a nano-drone according to an example embodiment of this application is shown.

[0037] Figure 10bA schematic diagram of a nano-sized unmanned vehicle according to an example embodiment of this application is shown.

[0038] Figure 10c A schematic diagram of a nano-sized unmanned surface vessel according to an example embodiment of this application is shown.

[0039] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of a microsystem assembly of a nano-unmanned aerial vehicle according to an example embodiment of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0040] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this application will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar parts, and therefore repeated descriptions of them will be omitted.

[0041] The described features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Numerous specific details are provided in the following description to give a full understanding of embodiments of this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical solutions of this disclosure can be practiced without one or more of these specific details, or other methods, components, materials, apparatus, or operations may be employed. In these cases, well-known structures, methods, apparatuses, implementations, materials, or operations will not be shown or described in detail.

[0042] The flowcharts shown in the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative and do not necessarily include all content and operations / steps, nor do they necessarily have to be performed in the described order. For example, some operations / steps can be broken down, while others can be combined or partially combined; therefore, the actual execution order may change depending on the specific circumstances.

[0043] The terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or apparatuses.

[0044] With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, unmanned systems capable of fully autonomous control without external assistance are becoming increasingly prevalent in the industry. However, current nano-sized unmanned systems are limited in size, energy, and computing power. Furthermore, the control systems of publicly available nano-sized unmanned systems rely on external computing and communication, resulting in a lack of independence. Additionally, nano-sized unmanned systems are often used to perform different tasks, each requiring different vehicles and payloads. Existing unmanned systems cannot flexibly configure nano-sized vehicles and payloads for different tasks, making them unsuitable for a wide range of nano-sized platforms and payloads.

[0045] According to the exemplary embodiments of this application, by assembling multiple micro-units together in a three-dimensional, stacked manner, the assembled microsystem possesses advantages such as small weight and small size. By flexibly configuring the number and / or types of the multiple micro-units according to the nano-unmanned device, the microsystem becomes universally applicable to different nano-unmanned devices, facilitating the execution of various application tasks.

[0046] According to other embodiments of this application, by integrating sensing micro-units, in-memory computing micro-units, control micro-units, drive micro-units, and energy micro-units together, the microsystem can break free from the constraints of ground stations or communication channels, thereby possessing autonomous control capabilities and expanding the application scenarios and working range of nano-sized unmanned devices equipped with the microsystem.

[0047] According to some other embodiments of this application, each micro-unit is processed using mature technology, and the integration method of each micro-unit is simple, which facilitates mass production.

[0048] The specific embodiments according to this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] According to some embodiments of this application, a microsystem for nano-sized unmanned devices is proposed, which can achieve autonomous control by including multiple micro-units.

[0050] According to some embodiments, multiple micro-units have a unified interface and are assembled together in a stacked manner, so that the assembled microsystem has advantages such as small weight and small size.

[0051] According to other embodiments, the number and / or type of multiple micro-units can be flexibly configured according to the nano-unmanned device, making the microsystem universal for different nano-unmanned devices and facilitating the execution of various application tasks.

[0052] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates a device block diagram of a microsystem according to an example embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 1The microsystem comprises a plurality of stacked functional micro-units (represented by rectangular frames) and a plurality of interconnecting micro-units (represented by bidirectional arrows) located between adjacent micro-units. According to embodiments of this application, the interconnecting micro-units and the functional micro-units have a unified interface, and the interconnecting micro-units provide electrical interconnection for the functional micro-units.

[0053] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates an interconnected microcell structure according to an example embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 2 The interconnecting microcells shown are used to provide the mechanical fixation, device height accommodation, and electrical connection functions required for the stacking and assembly of other functional microcells.

[0054] like Figure 2 As shown, the interconnect micro-unit includes a unified interface 110, a cavity 161, and an interconnect micro-unit substrate 162. The unified interface 110 is identical in spatial distribution and signal definition to the unified interfaces of other functional micro-units, enabling electrical interconnection to other functional micro-units when the interconnect micro-unit is stacked with them.

[0055] For example, Figure 2 The unified interface 110 shown is a set of through-hole pads evenly distributed around the interconnect microcell substrate 162, and each pad has solder.

[0056] For example, the distribution and signal definition of the unified interface of the functional micro-unit and the interconnect micro-unit on the corresponding substrate are completely identical in the three-dimensional vertical projection. Therefore, when the micro-units are stacked, the unified interface on different substrates can form a fully interconnected and continuous three-dimensional electrical channel.

[0057] like Figure 2 As shown, cavity 161 is a cutout window located on interconnect microcell substrate 162. The thickness of the cavity is the same as that of the substrate. When interconnect microcells and functional microcells are stacked, cavity 161 provides vertical accommodating space for the devices carried on the functional microcells. Since interconnect microcells and functional microcells are stacked alternately, when the microsystem according to the embodiment of this application includes N functional microcells, N-1 interconnect microcells are used between them.

[0058] According to some embodiments, the substrates of each functional micro-unit and each interconnecting micro-unit adopt a uniform size, so that the integrated microsystem has a regular cubic shape. Each functional micro-unit is processed using mature technology, and the micro-units are assembled together in a three-dimensional manner in a stacked manner. The integration method is simple and facilitates mass production and integration with nano-carriers.

[0059] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a microsystem according to an example embodiment of this application is shown, such as Figure 3The functional micro-units of the microsystem shown include a sensing micro-unit 11, a memory computing micro-unit 12, a control micro-unit 13, a drive micro-unit 14, an energy micro-unit 15, and an interconnection micro-unit 16.

[0060] According to some embodiments of this application, the micro-units of the microsystem are stacked together and have the same size and uniform interface, with an interconnecting micro-unit 16 provided between each two adjacent functional micro-units.

[0061] According to some embodiments, the types and quantities of functional micro-units are flexibly selected to form a microsystem based on the sensing, computing, control, driving, energy and interconnection requirements of the nano-unmanned device.

[0062] For example, Figure 3 The microsystem shown includes five functional micro-units (sensing micro-unit 11, in-memory computing micro-unit 12, control micro-unit 13, drive micro-unit 14, and energy micro-unit 15) and four interconnecting micro-units.

[0063] It should be noted that each microsystem includes at least one 11 sensing microunit, one 12 memory microunit, and one 13 control microunit, and an interconnecting microunit 16 is provided between two adjacent functional microunits. According to some other embodiments, each microsystem also includes at least one 14 driving microunit and one 15 energy microunit.

[0064] The sensing micro-unit 11 is the unit of the microsystem to acquire external and self-parameters. For example, it collects sensing data such as its own motion state, environmental parameters, and target characteristics, and sends these sensing data to the storage and computing micro-unit 12 and the control micro-unit 13 through the first unified interface 117.

[0065] Figure 4 This diagram illustrates the composition of a sensing microunit according to an example embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 4 The sensing micro-unit shown includes multiple sensing units, such as an inertial micro-sensor 111, an optical flow micro-sensor 112, a near-infrared ranging micro-sensor 113, a miniature visible light camera 114, a barometric pressure micro-sensor 115, and / or a sound micro-sensor 116. Among them, the inertial micro-sensor 111 is a 6-axis inertial measurement unit, and the ranging micro-sensor 113 is a single-line or multi-line near-infrared time-of-flight radar or an ultrasonic ranging micro-sensor.

[0066] like Figure 4 The first unified interface 117 and multiple sensing units shown are disposed on the sensing micro-unit substrate 118, and the spatial distribution and signal definition of the first unified interface 117 and the unified interface 110 of the interconnecting micro-unit are exactly the same.

[0067] The in-memory computing microunit 12 is the core unit of the microsystem that executes deep neural network algorithms. It performs intelligent computational processing on the raw data collected by the sensing microunit 11 or the sensing data fused by the control microunit 13, realizing intelligent calculation and prediction of information about itself, the environment, and the target. The computation results are sent to the control microunit 13 through a second unified interface to provide a basis for the autonomous decision-making of the control microunit 13. The deep neural network includes algorithms such as MobileNet, Blazeface, or YOLO, and the fusion algorithm of the control microunit 13 is Kalman filtering.

[0068] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates the composition of a memory computing micro-unit according to an example embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 5 The illustrated in-memory computing micro-unit includes an in-memory computing micro-unit substrate 123, a second unified interface 124, an off-chip hybrid memory 122, and an intelligent computing chip 121. The second unified interface 124, the off-chip hybrid memory 122, and the intelligent computing chip 121 are disposed on the in-memory computing micro-unit substrate 123, and the spatial distribution and signal definition of the second unified interface 124 are identical to those of the unified interface 110 of the interconnecting micro-units. The off-chip hybrid memory 122 is used to store algorithm code, model parameters, and / or real-time data. The intelligent computing chip accesses the off-chip hybrid memory and runs intelligent algorithms. Both the number of intelligent computing chips and the number of off-chip memories can be one or multiple.

[0069] According to some embodiments, the intelligent computing chip 121 is an ultra-low power parallel computing chip, such as the GWT GAP8 chip, and the off-chip memory is a hybrid chip integrating RAM and FLASH with a high-speed memory access interface, such as the S71KS512.

[0070] The control micro-unit 13 is the main control unit of the microsystem and the core unit for realizing autonomous control of the nano-intelligent unmanned system. It obtains the raw sensing data collected by the sensing micro-unit 11 or the intelligent algorithm calculation results of the storage and computing micro-unit 12 through the third unified interface 134, makes autonomous decisions based on this, and then sends control signals to the driving micro-unit 14 through the third unified interface 134.

[0071] Figure 6 The diagram illustrates the composition of a control microunit according to an example embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 6 The control microunit shown includes a control microunit substrate 133, a third unified interface 134, a microcontroller 131, and a wireless transceiver 132, wherein the wireless transceiver 132, the third unified interface 134, and the microcontroller 131 are disposed on the control microunit substrate 133. Furthermore, the spatial distribution and signal definition of the third unified interface 134 are identical to those of the unified interface 110 of the interconnecting microunits.

[0072] According to some embodiments, the microcontroller 131 uses the third unified interface 134 to acquire sensing data collected by the sensing microunit 11 and / or the computational processing results output by the in-memory computing microunit 12, executes the main control algorithm, such as classical Kalman filter velocity estimation or position estimation, and sends control signals to the driving microunit 14 through the third unified interface 134. For example, a real-time operating system runs on the microcontroller 131, and a main control program runs on the real-time operating system to generate control signals, which are then sent to the driving microunit 14 through the third unified interface 134.

[0073] The wireless transceiver 132 has wireless communication capabilities in one or more frequency bands; for example, the wireless transceiver operates in the radio frequency band. The microsystem interacts with other unmanned systems or ground base stations via the wireless transceiver 132 to exchange data and control commands, such as telemetry and control commands and data.

[0074] According to other embodiments, when the wireless transceiver 132 is not turned on, the microsystem collects environmental data through the sensing micro-unit, performs deep network operations using the storage-computing micro-unit, outputs control signals through the control micro-unit, and uses the driving micro-unit to achieve motion control, thereby realizing autonomous movement and independent operation.

[0075] The drive micro-unit 14 is a unit used by the microsystem to drive the actuator of the nano-vehicle to realize the movement of the nano-unmanned device.

[0076] Figure 7 This diagram illustrates the composition of a driving microunit according to an example embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 7 The driving micro-unit shown includes a driving circuit 141, a vehicle electrical interface 142, a driving micro-unit substrate 143, and a fourth unified interface 144. The driving circuit 141, the vehicle electrical interface 142, and the fourth unified interface 144 are disposed on the driving micro-unit substrate 143, and the fourth unified interface 144 has the same spatial distribution and signal definition as the unified interface 110 of the interconnecting micro-units.

[0077] The drive micro-unit 14 obtains control signals from the control micro-unit 13 of the microsystem through the fourth unified interface 144. After signal conversion by the drive circuit 141, the signals are applied to the actuator of the nano-vehicle through the vehicle electrical interface 142 to drive the nano-vehicle to achieve self-movement control.

[0078] The vehicle electrical interface 142 is an electrical interface adapted to the actuators of the nano-vehicle for transmitting drive signals from the microsystem to the nano-vehicle. According to some embodiments, the actuators include rotors, wheels, propellers, and foot-like mechanisms.

[0079] The energy micro-unit 15 acquires, stores, and manages energy for the microsystem and supplies energy to other micro-units, enabling each micro-unit to function properly.

[0080] Figure 8 This diagram illustrates the composition of an energy micro-unit according to an example embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 8 The energy micro-unit shown includes an energy harvester 151, an energy storage device 152, an energy manager 153, a fifth unified interface 155, and an energy micro-unit substrate 154. The energy harvester 151, the energy storage device 152, the energy manager 153, and the fifth unified interface 155 are disposed on the energy micro-unit substrate 154, and the fifth unified interface 155 has the same spatial distribution and signal definition as the unified interface 110 of the interconnecting micro-unit.

[0081] Energy harvester 151 is used to harvest environmental energy, such as light energy, electromagnetic energy, vibration energy, and / or thermoelectric energy. Energy storage device 152 is used to store and release the energy harvested by energy harvester 151. According to some embodiments, energy storage device 152 utilizes supercapacitors and / or lithium batteries to store and release energy. Energy manager 153 is used to convert electrical energy and supply energy to other micro-units through a fifth unified interface 155.

[0082] Figure 9 This application illustrates a nano-sized unmanned device according to an example embodiment of the present application, such as... Figure 9 The nano-unmanned device shown includes a microsystem 901, a nano-vehicle 903, and a payload 905 as described in any of the preceding descriptions.

[0083] According to some embodiments, the nano-unmanned device is a nano-unmanned drone, a nano-unmanned vehicle, a nano-unmanned boat, or a nano-legged robot, and the nano-unmanned device weighs less than 50g and / or has a size of less than 15cm.

[0084] Figure 10a This diagram illustrates a nano-sized unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) according to an example embodiment of this application. Figure 10b This diagram illustrates a nano-sized unmanned vehicle according to an example embodiment of this application. Figure 10c This diagram illustrates a nano-sized unmanned surface vessel according to an example embodiment of this application, such as... Figures 10a-10c Any of the nano-type unmanned devices shown includes a microsystem 1, a nano-type vehicle 2, and a payload 3. The microsystem 1 is the microsystem as described above, used to realize the autonomous intelligent control of the nano-type unmanned device. The nano-type vehicle 2 can be a nano-type UAV, a nano-type unmanned vehicle, a nano-type unmanned boat, a nano-type multi-legged robot, or other nano-type platform. The payload 3 is oriented towards a specific task, and different payloads can be selected for different tasks.

[0085] Microsystem 1 is assembled by alternating layers of multiple functional micro-units and interconnected micro-units. The types and quantities of functional micro-units can be flexibly configured according to the requirements of the nano-carrier 2 and the payload 3 for the control system. By combining different nano-carriers and payloads, different nano-intelligent unmanned devices with autonomous control capabilities are formed, thereby achieving the independence and universality of autonomous control of nano-unmanned devices.

[0086] Figure 11 This diagram illustrates a microsystem assembly of a nano-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) according to an example embodiment of this application. The following is a summary of the process. Figure 11 Taking nano-sized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as an example, this paper details the autonomous identification and control process of nano-sized UAVs.

[0087] like Figure 11 The nano-sized UAV carrier shown has a wheelbase of 6.5 cm, a weight of 20 g, and a maximum takeoff weight of 42 g. The carrier consists of a frame, four brushless coreless motors, and a three-bladed propeller. Electrical interfaces for the coreless motors are provided on the frame. This nano-sized UAV carrier works in conjunction with a microsystem to achieve autonomous identification and flight control of the nano-sized UAV.

[0088] like Figure 11 As shown, the microsystem is assembled by alternating layers of sensing microunit 11, in-memory computing microunit 12, control microunit 13, drive microunit 14, energy microunit 15, and four interconnecting microunits 16. Each microunit has the same unified interface 110, and the stacking enables cross-layer three-dimensional electrical signal interconnection between the microunits.

[0089] The sensing micro-unit 11 includes an inertial micro-sensor 111, an optical flow micro-sensor 112, a ranging micro-sensor 113, a miniature visible light camera 114, and a barometric pressure micro-sensor 115. It is used to measure the linear acceleration, angular acceleration, linear velocity, angular velocity, and altitude of the nano-UAV itself, and to acquire visible light images and multi-directional target distances.

[0090] For example, the inertial microsensor 111 is a six-axis inertial measurement unit, the ranging microsensor 113 is a five-dot array near-infrared time-of-flight sensor facing different directions, and the visible light miniature camera 114 is an ultra-low power 324*324 pixel camera.

[0091] The in-memory computing micro-unit 12 includes an intelligent computing chip 121 and an off-chip memory 122, which are used to cache and perform intelligent recognition calculations on the image stream captured by the visible light miniature camera 114 from the in-memory computing micro-unit 11 and the depth point cloud data acquired by the ranging micro-sensor 113, including target classification, face recognition, gesture recognition, etc.

[0092] For example, the intelligent computing chip 121 is an ultra-low power parallel computing architecture chip, and the off-chip memory 122 is a hybrid chip integrating RAM and FLASH with a high-speed memory interface. The FLASH storage part is used to store programs and neural network parameters, and the RAM part is used to cache sensing data and computing data.

[0093] The control micro-unit 13 includes a microcontroller 131 and a wireless transceiver 132. It is used to fuse motion information obtained from the inertial micro-sensor 111, optical flow micro-sensor 112, and barometric pressure micro-sensor 115 of the sensing micro-unit 11 and recognition calculation results obtained from the in-memory computing micro-unit 12 via the intelligent computing chip 121. Based on this, it runs the main control algorithm of the nano-UAV, drives the four propellers of the nano-UAV carrier, and simultaneously sends and receives telemetry and control commands.

[0094] For example, the microcontroller 131 is a 32-bit general-purpose microcontroller, and the wireless transceiver 132 is a Bluetooth wireless microcontroller with a low-power processor core.

[0095] The drive micro-unit 14 includes a drive circuit 141 and a vehicle electrical interface 142, which is used to obtain the rotor control signal of the nano-UAV from the control micro-unit 13, and directly drive the rotor of the nano-UAV through the vehicle electrical interface after conversion by the drive circuit.

[0096] For example, the drive circuit 141 consists of four high-power field-effect transistors, and the vehicle electrical interface 142 consists of four coreless motor connectors. Each field-effect transistor is connected to one motor connector. The vehicle electrical interface 142 is located on the outer side of the 14 drive microcells.

[0097] The energy micro-unit 15 includes an energy harvester 151, an energy storage unit 152, and an energy manager 153, which are used to provide the micro-system with external environmental energy harvesting, energy storage, and energy distribution management for each micro-unit, respectively.

[0098] For example, the energy harvester 151 is a photovoltaic cell and is located on the upper surface of the energy microcell 15; the energy storage device 152 is located on the lower surface of the energy microcell 15 and includes a supercapacitor and a lithium battery, which can provide long-term energy storage and instantaneous power output.

[0099] exist Figure 11 In the embodiment shown, the intelligent microsystem uses a total of 4 interconnect micro-units, 1 sensing micro-unit, 1 storage micro-unit, 1 control micro-unit, 1 drive micro-unit, and 1 energy micro-unit. The nine micro-units have the same substrate size and interface definition. After assembly, the unified interface of each unit forms a three-dimensional through common signal channel. The protruding devices carried on each functional micro-unit are accommodated in the cavity of the adjacent interconnect micro-unit.

[0100] For example, the functional micro-unit substrates are stacked and connected by solder balls pre-embedded on the upper and lower surfaces of the interconnect micro-units.

[0101] According to some embodiments, the assembled microsystem weighs 7g and has dimensions of 18mm*18mm*20mm. After being embedded in the aforementioned 6.5cm wheelbase nano-sized UAV, it enables the UAV to have functions such as target recognition, face recognition, gesture command interaction, autonomous search and tracking, autonomous flight control and obstacle avoidance, and all-terrain altitude hold flight, and reserves a 15g payload margin for carrying mission payloads.

[0102] According to the embodiments of this application, a microsystem is proposed that integrates sensing, storage computing, control, drive and energy functions. It does not rely on external computing and communication and has the ability to work autonomously and independently. This enables nano-sized unmanned devices to break free from the constraints of ground stations and communication channels, thereby expanding the application scenarios and working range of nano-sized unmanned devices.

[0103] According to some embodiments, the micro-units can be configured by freely combining the types and quantities of each micro-unit, and can be flexibly adjusted according to the characteristics of the controlled nano-vehicle, so that the fully autonomous control function has universality for different nano-unmanned devices and is suitable for performing a variety of tasks.

[0104] According to other embodiments, each micro-unit is assembled in a stacked manner to achieve three-dimensional compact integration. The internal components carried by the functional micro-unit are housed in the hollow cavity of the interconnected micro-units adjacent to it. This makes the assembled intelligent micro-system have the advantages of small weight, small size and high integration. It ensures that the nano-carrier has a remaining load margin while driving the micro-system, thereby improving the carrying capacity and task performance of the nano-intelligent unmanned system.

[0105] According to the microsystem proposed in this application, each micro-unit can be processed separately using mature technology, and the integration method between the micro-units is simple, enabling the mass production of nano-sized unmanned devices.

[0106] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above modules can be distributed in the device as described in the embodiments, or they can be modified accordingly and placed in one or more devices that are unique to this embodiment. The modules in the above embodiments can be combined into one module, or they can be further divided into multiple sub-modules.

[0107] The embodiments of this application have been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The descriptions of the embodiments above are only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this application. Furthermore, any changes or modifications made by those skilled in the art based on the ideas of this application, and on the specific implementation methods and application scope of this application, are all within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

Claims

1. A microsystem for a nano unmanned device, the microsystem comprising: a plurality of functional micro-units and a plurality of interconnection micro-units, wherein the plurality of functional micro-units have uniform interfaces and are stacked together; and the number and / or type of the plurality of functional micro-units are configured according to the nanoscale unmanned device, so that the micro-system is universal for different nanoscale unmanned devices and facilitates the execution of various external application tasks; the plurality of interconnection micro-units have uniform interfaces and are respectively located between two adjacent functional micro-units of the plurality of functional micro-units, wherein the plurality of interconnection micro-units and the plurality of functional micro-units have uniform interfaces, and the plurality of interconnection micro-units provide electrical interconnection for the plurality of functional micro-units; each of the interconnection micro-units includes a cavity, the height of the cavity is greater than or equal to the height of a device carried by a functional micro-unit adjacent to the cavity in the plurality of functional micro-units, so that the device carried by the adjacent functional micro-unit can be accommodated in the cavity of the interconnection micro-unit; the plurality of functional micro-units include at least one sensing micro-unit, at least one storage-computing micro-unit, at least one control micro-unit, a driving micro-unit, and / or an energy micro-unit, the micro-system integrates the sensing micro-unit, the storage-computing micro-unit, the control micro-unit, the driving micro-unit, and the energy micro-unit together, so that the micro-system has autonomous control function; the interconnection micro-unit further includes a cavity and an interconnection micro-unit substrate, the uniform interface of the interconnection micro-unit is completely same as the uniform interface of other functional micro-units in spatial distribution and signal definition, so that when the interconnection micro-unit is stacked with other functional micro-units, the interconnection micro-unit can provide electrical interconnection for other functional micro-units; the distribution position and signal definition of the uniform interface of the functional micro-unit and the interconnection micro-unit on the corresponding substrate are completely same in three-dimensional vertical projection, and when the micro-units are stacked, the uniform interfaces on different substrates form a completely interconnected and penetrating three-dimensional electrical channel.

2. The microsystem according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensing micro-unit includes: a sensing micro-unit substrate; a first uniform interface disposed on the sensing micro-unit substrate; and a plurality of micro-sensors for collecting sensing data and disposed on the sensing micro-unit substrate, so that the sensing data collected by the plurality of micro-sensors is sent to the storage-computing micro-unit and / or the control micro-unit through the first uniform interface.

3. The micro-system of claim 2, wherein the micro-sensor includes an inertial micro-sensor, an optical flow micro-sensor, a near-infrared ranging micro-sensor, a miniature visible light camera, a sound micro-sensor, and / or a barometric pressure micro-sensor.

4. The microsystem of claim 1, wherein the storage-computing micro-unit includes: a storage-computing micro-unit substrate; a second uniform interface disposed on the storage-computing micro-unit substrate; an off-chip hybrid memory for storing algorithm code, model parameters, and / or real-time data; and an intelligent computing chip disposed on the storage-computing micro-unit substrate, for acquiring sensing data collected by the sensing micro-unit and / or output data of the control micro-unit through the second uniform interface, performing operation processing, and sending the operation processing result to the control micro-unit through the second uniform interface.

5. The microsystem of claim 1, wherein the control micro-unit includes: a control micro-unit substrate; a third uniform interface disposed on the control microcell substrate; a microcontroller disposed on the control microcell substrate, configured to acquire sensing data collected by the sensing microcell and / or operation processing results output by the computing microcell via the third uniform interface, execute a main control algorithm, and send a control signal to the driving microcell via the third uniform interface.

6. The microsystem of claim 5, wherein The control microcell further comprises a wireless transceiver, The wireless transceiver is disposed on the control microcell substrate and configured to perform wireless communication, interact with data or measurement and control instructions.

7. The microsystem of claim 1, wherein The nanoscale unmanned device comprises a nanoscale carrier, and the driving microcell comprises: a driving microcell substrate; a fourth uniform interface disposed on the driving microcell substrate; a carrier electrical interface disposed on the driving microcell substrate; a driving circuit disposed on the driving microcell substrate, configured to acquire a control signal via the fourth uniform interface, convert the control signal, and control the nanoscale carrier to move via the carrier electrical interface.

8. The microsystem of claim 1, wherein, The energy microcell comprises: an energy microcell substrate; a fifth uniform interface disposed on the energy microcell substrate; an energy acquirer disposed on the energy microcell substrate and configured to acquire energy; an energy storage device disposed on the energy microcell substrate and configured to store or release the energy acquired by the energy acquirer; an energy manager disposed on the energy microcell substrate and configured to convert the energy stored in the energy storage device and send the converted energy via the fifth uniform interface.

9. The microsystem of claim 1, wherein, The plurality of functional microcells and the plurality of interconnection microcells have the same size.

10. A nano unmanned device, characterized by, The microsystem comprises any one of claims 1-9.

11. The nanocraft of claim 10, wherein, The nanoscale unmanned device has a weight of less than 50g and / or a size of less than 15cm.

12. The nanocraft of claim 10, wherein, The nanoscale unmanned device is a nanoscale unmanned aerial vehicle, a nanoscale unmanned vehicle, a nanoscale unmanned ship, or a nanoscale multi-legged robot.

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