A foldable recovery device for fixed-wing UAV that is convenient for deployment on a ship hull

Abstract

The present invention relates to a foldable recovery device for a fixed-wing UAV that is convenient to arrange on a ship body, comprising a support platform installed on the ship body, and also comprising: a folding mechanism, a transverse hanging cable mechanism and a horizontal net-stretching mechanism, wherein both the transverse hanging cable mechanism and the horizontal net-stretching mechanism have a posture compensation function, and can compensate for the relative position and posture changes between the recovery device and the UAV caused by the swaying of the ship, and at the same time, due to the driving of the hanging cable follower mechanism and the net-stretching follower mechanism, the recovery device has a large-scale folding function in cooperation with the folding structure, solving the problem of a small capture window tolerance range and a large storage space occupied.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle recovery, and more specifically, to a foldable recovery device for a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle that is convenient for arrangement on a ship body. Background Art

[0002] The main recovery methods for fixed-wing drones include rope hooks, line collisions, arrested landings, partial recovery, net recovery, and aerial capture. There are also other options, such as runway recovery, parachute recovery, over-stall recovery, sea landing boat salvage recovery, and rotorcraft aerial capture recovery. Among them, net recovery technology is relatively mature and widely used, especially for drone recovery on the hull. The principle of net recovery is relatively simple. After receiving the command, the drone will reduce its speed to a certain range and fly to the arresting net. The arresting net and arresting cable will absorb the kinetic energy of the drone during the collision. Generally, a hook structure is installed on the drone to hook the arresting cable during landing to achieve the landing of the drone and finally achieve the recovery of the drone by hitting the net. However, due to the fixed position of the arresting net and the arresting cable, the drone has a large overload when landing and colliding. The vertical and lateral position tolerance ranges of the drone capture window are small, there are many joints, the overall rigidity is poor, and the existing recovery device cannot be folded and occupies a large storage space.

[0003] Therefore, how to solve the problem of existing UAV collision recovery? Since the position of the arresting net and the arresting cable is fixed, the height, angle, etc. cannot be adjusted, the vertical and lateral position tolerance range of the UAV capture window is small, there are many joints, the overall rigidity is poor, and it is easy to cause the UAV to crash. Moreover, the existing recovery device cannot be folded and occupies a large storage space. These problems have become important technical problems that professional and technical personnel in this field need to solve. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention provides a foldable recovery device for fixed-wing UAVs which is convenient for arrangement on a ship body, so as to solve the problem that the existing recovery device for UAVs colliding with a net is not easy to cause the UAVs to fall into the net, because the positions of the arresting net and the arresting cable are fixed, the vertical and lateral position tolerance ranges of the UAV capture window are small, there are many joints, the overall rigidity is poor, and the UAVs are easily caused to fall into the water. In addition, the existing recovery device cannot be folded and occupies a large storage space.

[0005] The foldable recovery device for fixed-wing UAV that is convenient to be arranged on a hull of the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A foldable recovery device for a fixed-wing UAV that is convenient for deployment on a ship hull comprises a support platform for installation on the ship hull, and further comprises:

[0007] The folding mechanism comprises two slides which are slidably arranged on the support platform and can slide to two sides of the support platform respectively, and mounting plates are arranged at both ends of the two slides;

[0008] The transverse hanging cable mechanism includes a first hanging cable mechanism and a second hanging cable mechanism, the bottom ends of which are respectively arranged on the two mounting plates, and the top ends are provided with an arresting cable, the arresting cable is used to cooperate with the belly hook of the belly of the drone to slow down and brake the horizontal speed of the drone to zero speed; the first hanging cable mechanism and the second hanging cable mechanism can be extended and tilted relative to the mounting plate to adjust the height and position of the arresting cable relative to the support platform;

[0009] The horizontal net-stretching mechanism comprises a first net-stretching mechanism and a second net-stretching mechanism, the front ends of which are respectively arranged on the two mounting plates and the ends of which are provided with receiving nets for receiving drones; the first net-stretching mechanism and the second net-stretching mechanism can be extended and swung.

[0010] Preferably, the two slides are arranged in parallel, and the upper end surface of the support platform is provided with two slide grooves respectively slidably matched with the slides, and the slide extends into the slide grooves to slide.

[0011] Preferably, the first hanging rope mechanism and the second hanging rope mechanism both include a main supporting mechanism and a hanging rope following mechanism, the main supporting mechanism includes a servo electric cylinder I, the bottom end of the cylinder body of the servo electric cylinder I is connected to the mounting plate via a first spherical hinge seat, and the top end of the piston rod is provided with a hanging rope interface connected to one end of the blocking rope; the hanging rope following mechanism includes a servo electric cylinder II and a servo electric cylinder III, the upper ends of the servo electric cylinder II and the servo electric cylinder III are hinged to the middle part of the cylinder body of the servo electric cylinder I, and the lower ends are connected to the mounting plate via a second spherical hinge seat.

[0012] Preferably, the first net stretching mechanism and the second net stretching mechanism both include an actuator and a net stretching following mechanism, the actuator includes a servo electric cylinder IV, the servo electric cylinder IV is configured as a long-stroke linear electric servo cylinder, the front end of the cylinder body and the end of the piston rod of the servo electric cylinder IV are respectively provided with a net hanging ring for fixing the receiving net, and the rear end of the cylinder body of the servo electric cylinder IV is hinged to the mounting plate; the net stretching following mechanism includes a servo electric cylinder V, the rear end of the cylinder body of the servo electric cylinder V is hinged to the mounting plate, and the front end of the piston rod is hinged to the cylinder body of the servo electric cylinder IV.

[0013] Preferably, a tension controller is also provided on the back of the mounting plate. After passing through the hanging rope interface, the two ends of the blocking rope respectively pass through the blocking rope through holes on the mounting plate and are connected to the tension controller installed on the back of the mounting plate. The tension output on the blocking rope is controlled by the tension controller.

[0014] Preferably, a storage compartment for accommodating the recovery device is provided in the hull, and the upper end surface of the storage compartment and the upper end surface of the hull are located in the same plane.

[0015] Preferably, the support platform is slidably connected to the storage compartment to drive the recovery device to rise and fall, slide rails are provided on both sides of the storage compartment, and a slider is provided on the support platform, and the slider extends into the slide rails.

[0016] Preferably, the storage compartment is arranged on the stern side of the hull.

[0017] Preferably, the tension controller is configured as a winch.

[0018] Preferably, it also includes a positioning pin for limiting the position of the slide, and the slide is positioned and locked by the positioning pin after sliding to a set position.

[0019] The invention has the beneficial effects of: a foldable recovery device for fixed-wing UAVs that is convenient to be arranged on a hull, the recovery device is folded and stored by a folding mechanism, and the occupied space is saved; the transverse hanging cable mechanism includes a first hanging cable mechanism and a second hanging cable mechanism, which can be extended and tilted relative to the mounting plate to adjust the height and position of the arresting cable relative to the support platform; the horizontal net-stretching mechanism includes a first net-stretching mechanism and a second net-stretching mechanism, which can be extended and swung; the transverse hanging cable mechanism and the horizontal net-stretching mechanism can both adjust the position and angle according to actual conditions, and both have a posture compensation function; when the UAV is recovered, the relative position and posture changes between the recovery device and the UAV caused by the swaying of the hull can be compensated by adjusting the position and posture of the transverse hanging cable mechanism and the horizontal net-stretching mechanism in real time. At the same time, due to the driving of the hanging cable follower mechanism and the net-stretching follower mechanism, the recovery device has the function of large folding in cooperation with the folding structure. By adding the posture compensation mechanism, the net-stretching receiving mechanism and the folding mechanism to the recovery device, the problems of the small tolerance range of the capture window and the large storage space occupied in the prior art can be effectively improved, and the success rate of the recovery and capture of the UAV and the safety and adaptability of the recovery can be effectively improved.

[0020] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0022] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0023] Figure 1A three-dimensional diagram of a folded state of a foldable recovery device for a fixed-wing UAV that is conveniently arranged on a hull according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a stereoscopic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention in a drone recovery state;

[0025] Figure 3 A perspective view of the unfolded state of the foldable recovery device of the fixed-wing UAV arranged on the hull according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 It is a composition diagram of the transverse hanging rope mechanism and the horizontal net stretching mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] In the figure:

[0028] 1-recovery device; 2-hull; 3-UAV; 4-belly hook; 5-first spherical hinge; 6-second spherical hinge; 7-sling; 8-chute; 9-hanging cable interface; 11-lateral hanging cable mechanism; 12-arresting cable; 13-horizontal net-stretching mechanism; 14-receiving net; 15-tension controller; 16-mounting plate; 17-slide; 18-support table; 111-servo electric cylinder I; 112-servo electric cylinder II; 113-servo electric cylinder III; 131-servo electric cylinder IV; 132-servo electric cylinder V. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] The following is an explanation of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the embodiments shown below do not limit the invention described in the claims. In addition, the entire contents of the configurations shown in the following embodiments are not limited to the solutions required as the invention described in the claims.

[0031] refer to Figure 1-4 As shown, this specific embodiment provides a foldable recovery device for a fixed-wing UAV that is convenient for deployment on a hull, including a support platform 18 for installation on a hull 2, and also includes:

[0032] The folding mechanism includes two slides 17, which are slidably disposed on a support platform 18 and can slide to both sides of the support platform 18 respectively, and mounting plates 16 are disposed at both ends of the two slides 17;

[0033] The transverse hanging cable mechanism 11 includes a first hanging cable mechanism and a second hanging cable mechanism which are symmetrically arranged, the bottom ends of which are respectively arranged on two mounting plates 16, and the top ends are provided with an arresting cable 12, the arresting cable 12 is used to cooperate with the belly hook 4 on the belly of the UAV 3 to slow down and brake the horizontal speed of the UAV 3 to zero speed. Specifically, the belly of the UAV 3 and the belly hook 4 are connected by a sling 7, so that the belly hook 4 can hook the arresting cable 12; the first hanging cable mechanism and the second hanging cable mechanism can be extended and tilted relative to the mounting plate 16 to adjust the height and position of the arresting cable 12 relative to the support platform 18;

[0034] Specifically, Figure 2 and 3 As shown, two slides 17 are arranged in parallel, and the upper end surface of the support platform 18 is provided with two slide grooves 8 respectively slidably matched with the slides 17, and the slide extends into the slide grooves to slide. Further, the slide 17 is set in a long strip shape, and the two slides 17 can slide horizontally along the slide grooves 8 to the two sides of the support platform 18 under the action of external force to drive the recovery device 1 to fold or unfold, and further, it also includes a positioning pin for limiting the slide 17, and the slide 17 is positioned and locked by the positioning pin after sliding to the set position.

[0035] Furthermore, the first hanging rope mechanism and the second hanging rope mechanism both include a main support mechanism and a hanging rope follower mechanism, the main support mechanism includes a servo electric cylinder I 111, the bottom end of the cylinder body of the servo electric cylinder I 111 is connected to the mounting plate 16 through the first spherical hinge seat 5, and the top end of the piston rod is provided with a hanging rope interface 9 connected to one end of the blocking rope 12, and the blocking rope 12 maintains the lateral span of the blocking rope 12 through the hanging rope interface 9; the hanging rope follower mechanism includes a servo electric cylinder II 112 and a servo electric cylinder III 113, the upper ends of the servo electric cylinder II 112 and the servo electric cylinder III 113 are hinged to the middle part of the cylinder body of the servo electric cylinder I 111 (the hinged structure is as shown in FIG. Figure 4 The figure shows the existing structure, which will not be repeated in this article), and the lower end is connected to the mounting plate 16 through the second spherical hinge seat 6. Under the joint driving action of the servo electric cylinder I 111, the servo electric cylinder II 112, and the servo electric cylinder III 113, when the UAV 3 is recovered, the attitude deviation caused by the flight path control of the UAV 3 can be compensated by adjusting the attitude of the end of the transverse hanging cable mechanism 11; after the UAV 3 is recovered, the transverse hanging cable mechanism 11 can be driven by the servo electric cylinder I 111, the servo electric cylinder II 112, and the servo electric cylinder III 113 to complete the contraction and folding of the transverse hanging cable mechanism 11, saving storage space.

[0036] The horizontal net-spreading mechanism 13 is arranged parallel to the ship deck, and includes a first net-spreading mechanism and a second net-spreading mechanism which are symmetrically arranged, and the front ends are respectively arranged on two mounting plates 16, and the end is installed with a receiving net 14 for receiving the drone 3; the first net-spreading mechanism and the second net-spreading mechanism can be extended and swung.

[0037] Furthermore, the first net stretching mechanism and the second net stretching mechanism both include an actuator and a net stretching follower mechanism, the actuator includes a servo electric cylinder IV131, the servo electric cylinder IV131 is configured as a long-stroke linear electric servo cylinder, the front end of the cylinder body and the end of the piston rod of the servo electric cylinder IV131 are respectively provided with a net hanging ring for fixing the receiving net 14, the receiving net 14 is suspended on the servo actuator IV131 on both sides through the net hanging ring, and the rear end of the cylinder body of the servo electric cylinder IV131 is hinged to the mounting plate 16 (the hinge structure thereof is as shown in FIG. Figure 4 The existing structure is shown in FIG. 1 , and no further description is given herein); the net-stretching follower mechanism includes a servo electric cylinder V132, the rear end of the cylinder body of the servo electric cylinder V132 is hinged to the mounting plate 16 (the hinge structure of which is as shown in FIG. 1 ). Figure 4 The figure shows the existing structure, which will not be repeated in this article). The front end of the piston rod is hinged to the cylinder body of the servo electric cylinder IV131. Driven by the servo actuator IV131 and the servo actuator V132, the end of the horizontal net-stretching mechanism 13 can achieve one degree of freedom of translation and one degree of swing in the horizontal direction to adapt to the position change of the falling point of the drone 3 and accurately receive the drone 3 falling into the receiving net. After the arresting cable 12 slows down and brakes the horizontal speed of the drone 3 to zero speed, the drone 3 can be automatically withdrawn through the extension and folding of the servo electric cylinder IV131.

[0038] In summary, the transverse hanging cable mechanism 11 and the horizontal net-stretching mechanism 13 can adjust the position and angle according to the actual situation, and both have the posture compensation function. When the UAV 3 is recovered, the position and posture of the transverse hanging cable mechanism 11 and the horizontal net-stretching mechanism 13 can be adjusted in real time to compensate for the relative position and posture changes between the recovery device and the UAV 3 caused by the swaying of the hull 2. At the same time, due to the drive of the hanging cable follower mechanism and the net-stretching follower mechanism, the folding structure enables the recovery device 1 to have a large-scale folding function. By adding the transverse hanging cable mechanism 11, the horizontal net-stretching mechanism 13 and the folding mechanism to the recovery device 1, the problems of the small tolerance range of the capture window and the large storage space occupied in the prior art can be effectively improved, and the success rate of the recovery and capture of the UAV and the safety and adaptability of the recovery can be effectively improved.

[0039] This arrangement solves the problem of existing UAV recovery after it hits the net. Since the positions of the arresting net and the arresting cable are fixed, the height, angle, etc. cannot be adjusted, the vertical and lateral position tolerance ranges of the UAV capture window are small, there are many joints, the overall rigidity is poor, and it is easy to cause the UAV to crash. Moreover, the existing recovery device cannot be folded and takes up a large storage space.

[0040] In the preferred embodiment of this embodiment, Figure 3 and 4As shown, a tension controller 15 is also provided on the back of the mounting plate 16. After passing through the cable interface 9, both ends of the blocking cable 12 pass through the blocking cable holes on the mounting plate 16 and are connected to the tension controller 15 installed on the back of the mounting plate 16. The tension controller 15 controls the output of the tension on the blocking cable 12. Specifically, the tension controller 15 can be set as a winch. The specific structure and working method of the winch refer to the prior art, and will not be repeated in this article.

[0041] In the preferred solution, a storage compartment for accommodating the recovery device is provided in the hull 2, and the upper end surface of the storage compartment is located in the same plane as the upper end surface of the hull 2. The support platform 18 is slidably connected with the storage compartment to drive the recovery device 1 to rise and fall. Slide rails are provided on both sides of the storage compartment, and a slider is provided on the support platform. The slider extends into the slide rail. When the recovery device 1 needs to be stored, it is first folded, and then the slider and the slide rail cooperate to slide and descend into the storage compartment with the support platform 18. When the drone 3 needs to be recovered, the slider and the slide rail cooperate to slide upward and rise to the deck with the support platform 18 to recover the drone 3. In this way, the problem of occupying a large storage space is effectively solved.

[0042] Specifically, the storage compartment can be arranged on one side of the stern of the hull 2. Of course, it can also be loaded on other appropriate parts of the hull 2, and this solution does not make specific restrictions.

[0043] In summary, the setting of the receiving network 14 in this embodiment can prevent the drone from falling into the water during recovery, thereby effectively improving the success rate of drone recovery and capture and the safety and adaptability of recovery.

[0044] It should be noted that the words "first" and "second" in this article do not limit the specific order. The words "upper" and "lower" in this article refer to the upper and lower Figure 2 , 3 In the directions in 4, the “front” and “rear” refer to the end closer to the receiving network as the front and the end farther from the receiving network as the rear.

[0045] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are 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 protection scope of the present invention.

[0046] It can be understood that the same or similar parts of the above embodiments can be referenced to each other, and the contents not described in detail in some embodiments can refer to the same or similar contents in other embodiments.

[0047] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables one skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to one skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but rather to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A foldable recovery device for a fixed-wing UAV that is convenient for deployment on a ship hull, comprising a support platform for installation on the ship hull, It is characterized in that Also includes: The folding mechanism comprises two slides which are slidably arranged on the support platform and can slide to two sides of the support platform respectively, and mounting plates are arranged at both ends of the two slides; The transverse hanging cable mechanism includes a first hanging cable mechanism and a second hanging cable mechanism, the bottom ends of which are respectively arranged on the two mounting plates, and the top ends are provided with an arresting cable, the arresting cable is used to cooperate with the belly hook of the belly of the drone to slow down and brake the horizontal speed of the drone to zero speed; the first hanging cable mechanism and the second hanging cable mechanism can be extended and tilted relative to the mounting plate to adjust the height and position of the arresting cable relative to the support platform; The horizontal net-stretching mechanism comprises a first net-stretching mechanism and a second net-stretching mechanism, the front ends of which are respectively arranged on the two mounting plates and the ends of which are provided with receiving nets for receiving drones; the first net-stretching mechanism and the second net-stretching mechanism can be extended and swung.

2. The foldable recovery device for fixed-wing UAV that is convenient for deployment on a ship hull as claimed in claim 1, It is characterized in that The two slides are arranged in parallel, and the upper end surface of the support platform is provided with two slide grooves respectively slidably matched with the slides, and the slide extends into the slide grooves to slide.

3. The foldable recovery device for fixed-wing UAV that is convenient for deployment on a ship hull as claimed in claim 1, It is characterized in that The first hanging rope mechanism and the second hanging rope mechanism both include a main supporting mechanism and a hanging rope following mechanism. The main supporting mechanism includes a servo electric cylinder I, the bottom end of the cylinder body of the servo electric cylinder I is connected to the mounting plate via a first spherical hinge seat, and the top end of the piston rod is provided with a hanging rope interface connected to one end of the blocking rope; the hanging rope following mechanism includes a servo electric cylinder II and a servo electric cylinder III, the upper ends of the servo electric cylinder II and the servo electric cylinder III are hinged to the middle part of the cylinder body of the servo electric cylinder I, and the lower ends are connected to the mounting plate via a second spherical hinge seat.

4. The foldable recovery device for fixed-wing UAV that is convenient for deployment on a ship hull as claimed in claim 1, It is characterized in that The first net stretching mechanism and the second net stretching mechanism both include an actuator and a net stretching follower mechanism, the actuator includes a servo electric cylinder IV, the servo electric cylinder IV is configured as a long-stroke linear electric servo cylinder, the front end of the cylinder body and the end of the piston rod of the servo electric cylinder IV are respectively provided with a net hanging ring for fixing the receiving net, and the rear end of the cylinder body of the servo electric cylinder IV is hinged to the mounting plate; the net stretching follower mechanism includes a servo electric cylinder V, the rear end of the cylinder body of the servo electric cylinder V is hinged to the mounting plate, and the front end of the piston rod is hinged to the cylinder body of the servo electric cylinder IV.

5. The foldable recovery device for fixed-wing UAV that is convenient for deployment on a ship hull as claimed in claim 3, It is characterized in that A tension controller is also provided on the back of the mounting plate. The two ends of the blocking cable pass through the blocking cable holes on the mounting plate after passing through the hanging cable interface and are connected to the tension controller installed on the back of the mounting plate. The tension output on the blocking cable is controlled by the tension controller.

6. The foldable recovery device for fixed-wing UAV that is convenient for deployment on a ship hull as claimed in claim 1, It is characterized in that A storage compartment for accommodating the recovery device is provided in the hull, and an upper end surface of the storage compartment and an upper end surface of the hull are located in the same plane.

7. The foldable recovery device for fixed-wing UAV that is convenient for deployment on a ship hull as claimed in claim 6, It is characterized in that The support platform is slidably connected to the storage compartment to drive the recovery device to rise and fall. Slide rails are arranged on both sides of the storage compartment. A slider is arranged on the support platform, and the slider extends into the slide rails.

8. The foldable recovery device for fixed-wing UAV that is convenient for deployment on a ship body as claimed in claim 7, It is characterized in that The storage compartment is arranged at one side of the stern of the hull.

9. The foldable recovery device for fixed-wing UAV that is convenient for deployment on a ship hull as claimed in claim 5, It is characterized in that The tension controller is configured as a winch.

10. The foldable recovery device for fixed-wing UAV that is convenient for deployment on a ship hull as claimed in claim 2, It is characterized in that It also includes a positioning pin for limiting the position of the slide, and the slide is positioned and locked by the positioning pin after sliding to a set position.

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