A docking mechanism and method for ant colony cooperative drones

Abstract

The present invention discloses a docking mechanism and method for an ant colony cooperative drone, wherein the docking mechanism comprises a locking member and a docking member; a slide groove is provided on the upper end surface of the locking member, two sliders pre-tightened against each other by a spring are provided in the slide groove, and a circular locking hole is provided at the abutment position of the two sliders, and a first truncated cone-shaped groove is provided on the lower end surface of the two sliders with the locking through hole as the center; a second truncated cone-shaped groove is provided on the lower end surface of the locking member with the first groove as the center; a plurality of limit slots are evenly arranged around the second groove in the circumferential direction; the docking member comprises a base, a linear motor, a driving rod, a connecting rod, a top cone, a reset spring and a reverse cone; the base is hollow, and a conical protrusion matching with the second groove is provided on its upper end surface, and a plurality of limit buckles corresponding to the limit slots are evenly arranged around the conical protrusion in the circumferential direction. The present invention realizes the locking and separation of the locking member and the docking member, and can adjust the circumferential matching angle of the docking member and the locking member, and has a simple structure and is easy to use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of docking mechanisms, and in particular to a docking mechanism and method for an ant colony cooperative unmanned aerial vehicle. Background Art

[0002] After decades of development, drones have entered a period of rapid development. As the application fields of drones continue to expand and the types of missions become more and more extensive, the application of drones alone can no longer meet the complex and changing application environment. Therefore, research on drone ant colony collaboration and related fields has been launched. For drones controlled by ant colonies, if they can achieve aerial docking and separation through docking mechanisms, drones will have broader application prospects.

[0003] From the docking technology point of view, the existing docking mechanisms can be divided into two structures: electromagnetic locking and mechanical locking. The electromagnetic locking mechanism relies on the electromagnetic attraction between electromagnets for docking and locking, and its structure is relatively simple. However, during its operation, the magnets need to be powered on for a long time to ensure the docking and locking state between the drones, which consumes the precious power energy of the drones and has a certain impact on the endurance of the drones themselves. In addition, the electromagnetic field generated by long-term power supply will also have unpredictable effects on the flight control sensors (especially the compass) and flight control circuits.

[0004] The mechanical locking mechanism relies on mechanical cooperation to dock and lock. Since it uses the self-locking performance of the mechanical structure to lock, it does not need to consume the energy of the drone itself for a long time, and will not have a significant negative impact on the flight itself. In addition, the use of this mechanical docking mechanism can transfer a larger load. However, compared with the electromagnetic docking mechanism, this structure is generally more complex. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a docking mechanism and method for ant colony collaborative drones in view of the defects involved in the background technology.

[0006] The present invention adopts the following technical solutions to solve the above technical problems:

[0007] A docking mechanism for an ant colony cooperative drone, comprising a locking member and a docking member;

[0008] The upper end surface of the locking member is provided with a slide groove; a first slider, a second slider, a first pre-tensioning spring and a second pre-tensioning spring are provided in the slide groove, wherein the first slider and the second slider are both rectangular and can slide freely in the slide groove; one end of the first pre-tensioning spring abuts against one end of the slide groove, and the other end abuts against the first slider, one end of the second pre-tensioning spring abuts against the other end of the slide groove, and the other end abuts against the second slider, the first pre-tensioning spring and the second pre-tensioning spring are both in a compressed state, so that the first slider and the second slider abut against each other; a circular locking hole is provided at the abutment point of the first slider and the second slider, and a first truncated cone-shaped groove is provided on the lower end surfaces of the first slider and the second slider with the locking through hole as the center;

[0009] The lower end surface of the locking member is provided with a second concave-shaped ...; the locking hole, the first concave concave concave concave concave concave concave-shaped concave-shaped concave-shaped concave-shaped concave-shaped concave-shaped concave-shaped concave-shaped concave-shaped concave-shaped concave-shaped conca

[0010] The lower end surface of the locking member is evenly provided with a plurality of limit slots around the second groove in the circumferential direction;

[0011] The docking piece comprises a base, a linear motor, a driving rod, a connecting rod, a top cone, a return spring and a reverse frustum;

[0012] The base is hollow, and its upper end surface is provided with a conical protrusion matching the second groove, and the upper end surface of the base is evenly provided with a plurality of limit buckles corresponding to the limit grooves in a circumferential direction around the conical protrusion;

[0013] The base is provided with a through hole at the axis of the conical protrusion;

[0014] The linear motor is arranged in the base, and its output shaft is coaxially fixedly connected to the driving rod; one end of the driving rod away from the linear motor extends from the through hole of the base to the outside of the conical protrusion and is coaxially fixedly connected to one end of the connecting rod; the other end of the connecting rod is fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the top cone; the diameter of the bottom surface of the top cone and the diameter of the end surface of the driving rod are both larger than the diameter of the end surface of the connecting rod;

[0015] The reverse frustum is a hollow cone with openings at both ends. The reverse frustum and the return spring are both sleeved on the connecting rod, wherein one end of the return spring abuts against the inner wall of the reverse frustum and the other end abuts against the bottom surface of the top cone, so that the smaller end of the reverse frustum abuts against the top end of the telescopic rod.

[0016] As a further optimization solution of the docking mechanism for an ant colony cooperative UAV of the present invention, the limit slot is a hemispherical groove, and the limit buckle adopts a spring ball.

[0017] The present invention also discloses a docking method of the docking mechanism for an ant colony cooperative UAV, comprising the following steps:

[0018] When docking is required, the conical protrusion of the docking piece moves forward along the second groove under the action of external force until the conical protrusion and the second groove are fitted, and the limit buckle and the limit slot are forced to engage one by one to limit the circumferential movement of the docking piece and the locking piece; the linear motor is controlled to drive the top cone to press against the locking hole to move forward, so that the first slider and the second slider are forced to open; when the bottom of the top cone passes through the locking hole, the first slider and the second slider are stuck between the top cone and the reverse cone under the action of the first preload spring and the second preload spring, at which time the linear motor stops working, and the docking piece and the locking piece are locked in the axial direction;

[0019] When separation is required, the linear motor is controlled to drive the driving rod to continue to move forward, and the bottom surface of the reverse cone presses against the first groove, so that the first slider and the second slider are forced to open until the reverse cone passes through the locking hole and the outer wall and the locking hole press against each other. At this time, the linear motor is controlled to contract, the reverse cone is forced, the top cone overcomes the tension of the return spring, and its bottom surface presses against the bottom surface of the reverse cone. Then, the reverse cone forces the first slider and the second slider to open and pass the locking hole with the top cone. At this time, the linear motor is controlled to stop working, and the docking piece and the locking piece are unlocked in the axial direction; the conical protrusion of the docking piece moves away from the second groove under the action of external force, so that the limit buckle and the limit slot are forced to unlock one by one, and the docking piece and the locking piece are unlocked in the circumferential direction.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention adopts the above technical solution and has the following technical effects:

[0021] The present invention realizes locking and separation of the locking piece and the docking piece by means of a top cone and a reverse cone, and realizes circumferential locking by means of a marble and a limit slot. After locking, the shear force of the marble is overcome to allow the docking piece and the locking piece to rotate relative to each other to adjust the corresponding relationship between the marble and the limit slot, thereby adjusting the circumferential matching angle between the docking piece and the locking piece. The present invention has a simple structure and is easy to use, and effectively solves the problem that the guide cone and the top cone are too long to achieve docking when docking a drone. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the front side of the locking member in the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of the reverse side of the locking member in the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the docking piece in the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the local structure of the present invention when axially locked;

[0027] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the local structure of the present invention during axial unlocking.

[0028] In the figure, 1-locking piece, 2-docking piece, 3-slide groove, 4-first slider, 5-second slider, 6-first preload spring, 7-second preload spring, 8-second groove, 9-limiting groove, 10-first groove, 11-locking hole, 12-base, 13-linear motor, 14-top cone, 15-reset spring, 16-reverse cone, 17-driving rod, 18-connecting rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0030] The present invention can be implemented in many different forms and should not be considered to be limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make this disclosure thorough and complete, and will fully express the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art. In the accompanying drawings, components are enlarged for clarity.

[0031] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used here to describe various elements, components and / or parts, these elements, components and / or parts are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish elements, components and / or parts from each other. Therefore, the first element, component and / or part discussed below can become the second element, component or part without departing from the teaching of the present invention.

[0032] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention discloses a docking mechanism for an ant colony cooperative drone, comprising a locking member and a docking member;

[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, the upper end surface of the locking member is provided with a slide groove; the slide groove is provided with a first slider, a second slider, a first pre-tensioning spring and a second pre-tensioning spring, wherein the first slider and the second slider are both rectangular and can slide freely in the slide groove; one end of the first pre-tensioning spring is against one end of the slide groove, and the other end is against the first slider, one end of the second pre-tensioning spring is against the other end of the slide groove, and the other end is against the second slider, the first pre-tensioning spring and the second pre-tensioning spring are both in a compressed state, so that the first slider and the second slider are against each other; a circular locking hole is provided at the abutment between the first slider and the second slider, and a first truncated cone-shaped groove is provided on the lower end surfaces of the first slider and the second slider with the locking through hole as the center, as shown Figure 3 As shown;

[0034] like Figure 3As shown, the lower end surface of the locking member is provided with a second truncated cone-shaped groove with the first groove as the center, and the locking hole, the first groove, and the second groove are sequentially connected and coaxial; the lower end surface of the locking member is evenly provided with a plurality of limit grooves around the second groove in the circumferential direction;

[0035] like Figure 4 The docking member shown comprises a base, a linear motor, a driving rod, a connecting rod, a top cone, a return spring and a reverse frustum;

[0036] The base is hollow, and its upper end surface is provided with a conical protrusion matching the second groove, and the upper end surface of the base is evenly provided with a plurality of limit buckles corresponding to the limit grooves in a circumferential direction around the conical protrusion;

[0037] The base is provided with a through hole at the axis of the conical protrusion;

[0038] The linear motor is arranged in the base, and its output shaft is coaxially fixedly connected to the driving rod; one end of the driving rod away from the linear motor extends from the through hole of the base to the outside of the conical protrusion and is coaxially fixedly connected to one end of the connecting rod; the other end of the connecting rod is fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the top cone; the diameter of the bottom surface of the top cone and the diameter of the end surface of the driving rod are both larger than the diameter of the end surface of the connecting rod;

[0039] The reverse frustum is a hollow cone with openings at both ends. The reverse frustum and the return spring are both sleeved on the connecting rod, wherein one end of the return spring abuts against the inner wall of the reverse frustum and the other end abuts against the bottom surface of the top cone, so that the smaller end of the reverse frustum abuts against the top end of the telescopic rod.

[0040] The limit slot is a hemispherical groove, and the limit buckle adopts a spring ball.

[0041] The present invention also discloses a docking method of the docking mechanism for an ant colony cooperative UAV, comprising the following steps:

[0042] When docking is required, the conical protrusion of the docking piece moves forward along the second groove under the action of external force until the conical protrusion and the second groove are fitted, and the limit buckle and the limit slot are forced to engage one by one to limit the circumferential movement of the docking piece and the locking piece; the linear motor is controlled to drive the top cone to press against the locking hole and move forward, so that the first slider and the second slider are forced to open; when the bottom of the top cone passes through the locking hole, the first slider and the second slider are stuck between the top cone and the reverse cone under the action of the first preload spring and the second preload spring. At this time, the linear motor stops working, and the docking piece and the locking piece are locked in the axial direction. Figure 5 As shown;

[0043] When separation is required, the linear motor is controlled to drive the driving rod to continue to move forward, and the bottom surface of the reverse cone abuts against the first groove, so that the first slider and the second slider are forced to open until the reverse cone passes through the locking hole and the outer wall and the locking hole abut against each other. At this time, the linear motor is controlled to contract, the reverse cone is forced, the top cone overcomes the tension of the reset spring, and its bottom surface abuts against the bottom surface of the reverse cone. Then, the reverse cone forces the first slider and the second slider to open. Figure 6 As shown, the reverse cone carries the top cone through the locking hole, at which time the linear motor is controlled to stop working, and the docking piece and the locking piece are unlocked in the axial direction; the conical protrusion of the docking piece moves away from the second groove under the action of external force, so that the limit buckle and the limit slot are unlocked one by one, and the docking piece and the locking piece are unlocked in the circumferential direction.

[0044] The present invention realizes locking and separation of the locking piece and the docking piece by means of a top cone and a reverse cone, and realizes circumferential locking by means of a spring ball and a limiting slot. After locking, the shear force of the spring ball is overcome to allow the docking piece and the locking piece to rotate relative to each other to adjust the corresponding relationship between the spring ball and the slot, thereby adjusting the circumferential matching angle between the docking piece and the locking piece. The structure is simple and easy to use.

[0045] After the drone is docked and locked, it can achieve roll rotation according to its needs. Before the rotation, the shrapnel marbles are in the pop-up state and stuck in their corresponding grooves. During the roll rotation, the shrapnel marbles on the docking parts are contracted by the shear force. After rotating a certain angle, the shrapnel marbles encounter the next groove and pop out again, achieving rotation locking and ending the rotation.

[0046] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art in the art to which the present invention belongs. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in common dictionaries should be understood to have meanings consistent with the meanings in the context of the prior art, and will not be interpreted with idealized or overly formal meanings unless defined as herein.

[0047] The specific implementation methods described above further illustrate the objectives, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present invention in detail. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific implementation method of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A docking mechanism for ant colony cooperative drones, characterized in that: Contains locking and docking parts; The upper end surface of the locking member is provided with a slide groove; a first slider, a second slider, a first pre-tensioning spring and a second pre-tensioning spring are provided in the slide groove, wherein the first slider and the second slider are both rectangular and can slide freely in the slide groove; one end of the first pre-tensioning spring abuts against one end of the slide groove, and the other end abuts against the first slider, one end of the second pre-tensioning spring abuts against the other end of the slide groove, and the other end abuts against the second slider, the first pre-tensioning spring and the second pre-tensioning spring are both in a compressed state, so that the first slider and the second slider abut against each other; a circular locking hole is provided at the abutment point of the first slider and the second slider, and a first truncated cone-shaped groove is provided on the lower end surfaces of the first slider and the second slider with the locking through hole as the center; The lower end surface of the locking member is provided with a second concave-shaped ... The lower end surface of the locking member is evenly provided with a plurality of limit slots around the second groove in the circumferential direction; The docking piece comprises a base, a linear motor, a driving rod, a connecting rod, a top cone, a return spring and a reverse frustum; The base is hollow, and its upper end surface is provided with a conical protrusion matching the second groove, and the upper end surface of the base is evenly provided with a plurality of limit buckles corresponding to the limit grooves in a circumferential direction around the conical protrusion; The base is provided with a through hole at the axis of the conical protrusion; The linear motor is arranged in the base, and its output shaft is coaxially fixedly connected to the driving rod; one end of the driving rod away from the linear motor extends from the through hole of the base to the outside of the conical protrusion and is coaxially fixedly connected to one end of the connecting rod; the other end of the connecting rod is fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the top cone; the diameter of the bottom surface of the top cone and the diameter of the end surface of the driving rod are both larger than the diameter of the end surface of the connecting rod; The reverse frustum is a hollow cone with openings at both ends. The reverse frustum and the return spring are both sleeved on the connecting rod, wherein one end of the return spring abuts against the inner wall of the reverse frustum and the other end abuts against the bottom surface of the top cone, so that the smaller end of the reverse frustum abuts against the top end of the telescopic rod.

2. The docking mechanism for ant colony cooperative drone according to claim 1, characterized in that: The limit slot is a hemispherical groove, and the limit buckle adopts a spring ball.

3. The docking method of the docking mechanism for the ant colony cooperative drone according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The following steps are involved: When docking is required, the conical protrusion of the docking piece moves forward along the second groove under the action of external force until the conical protrusion and the second groove are fitted, and the limit buckle and the limit slot are forced to engage one by one to limit the circumferential movement of the docking piece and the locking piece; the linear motor is controlled to drive the top cone to press against the locking hole to move forward, so that the first slider and the second slider are forced to open; when the bottom of the top cone passes through the locking hole, the first slider and the second slider are stuck between the top cone and the reverse cone under the action of the first preload spring and the second preload spring, at which time the linear motor stops working, and the docking piece and the locking piece are locked in the axial direction; When separation is required, the linear motor is controlled to drive the driving rod to continue to move forward, and the bottom surface of the reverse cone presses against the first groove, so that the first slider and the second slider are forced to open until the reverse cone passes through the locking hole and the outer wall and the locking hole press against each other. At this time, the linear motor is controlled to contract, the reverse cone is forced, the top cone overcomes the tension of the return spring, and its bottom surface presses against the bottom surface of the reverse cone. Then, the reverse cone forces the first slider and the second slider to open and pass the locking hole with the top cone. At this time, the linear motor is controlled to stop working, and the docking piece and the locking piece are unlocked in the axial direction; the conical protrusion of the docking piece moves away from the second groove under the action of external force, so that the limit buckle and the limit slot are forced to unlock one by one, and the docking piece and the locking piece are unlocked in the circumferential direction.

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