Firebombing apparatus, aircraft and method of firebombing

Abstract

The application discloses a fire-fighting bomb throwing equipment, which comprises a bomb bin, a photographic pan-tilt and a height measuring device, wherein the photographic pan-tilt and the height measuring device are arranged at the bottom of the bomb bin, the bomb bin is internally provided with a bomb storage cavity, the bottom of the bomb bin is provided with a bomb throwing hole which is in communication with the bomb storage cavity, the height measuring device is used for detecting the distance between the height measuring device and the ground and generating height data, and the photographic pan-tilt is used for shooting the image below the bomb bin and aiming at the predicted bomb landing point on the ground; in combination with the height distance, a predicted bomb landing point is virtually generated in the photographic pan-tilt, so that the remote controller can quickly judge the predicted landing position of the fire extinguishing bomb at the moment, and the bomb throwing hitting accuracy is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of aircraft technology, and in particular to a fire-fighting bomb-throwing device, an aircraft, and a fire-fighting bomb-throwing aiming method. Background Technology

[0002] Forest firefighting drones are drones that carry fire extinguishing agents or fire extinguishing bombs to extinguish forest fires. When a forest firefighting drone flies over a fire site, it can drop the fire extinguishing agent or fire extinguishing bomb it carries. However, the bomb dropping by forest firefighting drones relies entirely on the experience and intuition of the operators who remotely control the drone. That is, the operators drop bombs based on experience using images transmitted back by the drone. There are no clear target references when dropping bombs, so the probability of the fire extinguishing bombs accurately hitting the target is relatively low. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of this invention is to provide a fire-fighting bomb-dropping device, an aircraft, and a fire-fighting bomb-dropping aiming method to solve the problem that existing fire-fighting drone bomb-dropping lacks target references.

[0004] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0005] A fire-fighting bomb-throwing device includes a bomb magazine, a camera pan-tilt unit, and a height measuring device;

[0006] The camera gimbal and the height measuring device are both located at the bottom of the magazine;

[0007] The magazine is equipped with a storage chamber, and the bottom of the magazine is equipped with a discharge port that communicates with the storage chamber; the height measuring device is used to detect the distance between it and the ground and generate height data; the camera gimbal is used to capture images of the area below the magazine and aim at the expected impact point on the ground.

[0008] In some alternative embodiments, the camera gimbal and the height measuring device are respectively located at both ends of the magazine.

[0009] In some alternative embodiments, the ammunition storage cavity is provided with a blocking mechanism, the blocking mechanism including a blocking block slidably connected to the inner wall of the ammunition storage cavity, the blocking block being disposed adjacent to the ammunition release hole, the blocking block being used to prevent the fire extinguishing ammunition from entering the ammunition release hole from the ammunition storage cavity.

[0010] In some alternative embodiments, the magazine is equipped with a communication module, which is electrically connected to the camera gimbal and the altimeter. The camera gimbal sends the image data, pitch angle information and heading angle information it generates to the communication module, and the altimeter sends the altitude data to the communication module.

[0011] In some alternative embodiments, the camera gimbal includes a three-axis gimbal and a camera, with the two ends of the three-axis gimbal connected to the magazine and the camera, respectively.

[0012] To address the same technical problem, the present invention also provides an aircraft including the fire-fighting bomb-throwing device as described above, wherein the bomb magazine of the fire-fighting bomb-throwing device is connected to the bottom of the aircraft.

[0013] In some alternative embodiments, the system further includes a body and a plurality of arms, all of which are connected to the body and have propellers at their ends.

[0014] In some alternative embodiments, a landing gear having a top end and a bottom end is also included, the top end of which is fixedly connected to the fuselage, the bottom end of which extends downward toward the fuselage, and the landing gear is located on the side of the fire-fighting bomb-throwing device.

[0015] To address the same technical problem, the present invention also provides a fire-fighting bomb-launching aiming method, comprising the following steps:

[0016] Step S10: Obtain reference distance data between the center point of the camera and the center point of the bomb-throwing device, and detect the height data between the center point of the bomb-throwing device and the ground;

[0017] Step S20: Calculate the target pitch angle information of the gimbal based on the reference distance data and altitude data;

[0018] Step S30: The gimbal adjusts its pitch angle according to the target pitch angle information, so that the optical axis of the camera, the reference vertical line and the ground intersect at the expected impact point.

[0019] In some alternative embodiments, prior to step S10, the following steps are also included:

[0020] Step S1: Adjust the heading angle of the gimbal so that the optical axis of the camera intersects the reference vertical line.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0022] The height measurement device can detect the height distance between it and the ground. The camera gimbal is used to capture images below the bomb bay and aim at the expected impact point on the ground. Combined with the height distance, a virtual expected impact point is generated in the camera gimbal, allowing the remote operator to quickly determine the expected landing position of the fire extinguishing bomb and improve the accuracy of bombing. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of the fire-fighting bomb-throwing device for the invention;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of Embodiment 3 of the invention;

[0025] In the diagram: 10. Bomb bay; 11. Bomb storage chamber; 12. Bomb release port; 13. Stop block; 20. Camera gimbal; 21. Three-axis gimbal; 22. Camera; 30. Altitude measuring device; 40. Airframe; 50. Arm; 51. Propeller; 60. Landing gear; V. Reference distance data; H. Altitude data; a. Pitch angle; β. Yaw angle; P. Expected impact point. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more complete description will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, the invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of the invention.

[0027] It should be noted that when a component is said to be "fixed to" another component, it can be directly attached to the other component or there may be an intervening component. When a component is said to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intervening component. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this document are for illustrative purposes only.

[0028] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the specification of this invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0029] Example 1

[0030] Combination Figure 1 As shown, the fire-fighting bomb-throwing device of the present invention is schematically illustrated, including a bomb magazine 10, a camera pan-tilt head 20, and a height measuring device 30.

[0031] Both the camera gimbal 20 and the altimeter 30 are located at the bottom of the ammunition magazine 10. The camera gimbal 20 includes a three-axis gimbal 21 and a camera 22. The two ends of the three-axis gimbal 21 are connected to the ammunition magazine 10 and the camera 22, respectively. The three-axis gimbal 21 can adjust the direction of the camera 22 so that the camera 22 can capture images or videos from different angles. The altimeter 30 is preferably a millimeter-wave radar, which can measure its height above the ground and generate altitude data H.

[0032] The ammunition magazine 10 has a storage chamber 11 for holding fire extinguishing shells. The bottom of the magazine 10 has a discharge port 12 that communicates with the storage chamber 11, allowing the fire extinguishing shells to be discharged from the storage chamber 11 through the discharge port 12. A camera pan-tilt unit 20 is used to capture images below the magazine 10 and aim at the expected impact point P on the ground. Therefore, a virtual expected impact point P is displayed in the camera pan-tilt unit 20, enabling remote operators to quickly determine the expected landing location of the fire extinguishing shell, thus improving the accuracy of the bomb's hit.

[0033] In this embodiment, the camera gimbal 20 and the height measuring device 30 are respectively located at both ends of the magazine 10. Specifically, the magazine 10 has a front end and a rear end, the camera gimbal 20 is located at the front end, and the height measuring device 30 is located at the rear end.

[0034] Furthermore, the ammunition storage chamber 11 is equipped with a blocking mechanism, which includes a blocking block 13 slidably connected to the inner wall of the ammunition storage chamber 11. The blocking block 13 is disposed adjacent to the ammunition release hole 12. The blocking block 13 is used to prevent the fire extinguishing ammunition from entering the ammunition release hole 12 from the ammunition storage chamber 11. When the blocking block 13 slides relative to the ammunition storage chamber 11 and makes way for the fire extinguishing ammunition, the fire extinguishing ammunition can be discharged from the ammunition storage chamber 11 through the ammunition release hole 12. Of course, the blocking mechanism may also include a piston cylinder, with its two ends connected to the inner wall of the ammunition storage chamber 11 and the blocking block 13, respectively. The piston cylinder extends to drive the blocking block 13 to block the fire extinguishing ammunition, and conversely, the piston cylinder retracts to drive the blocking block 13 to make way for the fire extinguishing ammunition.

[0035] In order to transmit the image data, pitch angle information, and heading angle information generated by the camera gimbal 20, as well as the altitude data H generated by the altimeter 30, to the remote ground control station, the camera gimbal 20 is equipped with a communication device. This communication device can transmit the image data, the pitch angle information, and the heading angle information of the camera 22 to the remote ground control station. When the fire-fighting bomb-throwing equipment is mounted on the aircraft, the altimeter 30 is connected to the aircraft's flight controller via a CAN bus, and the altitude data H generated by the altimeter 30 is transmitted to the remote ground control station through the communication module of the flight controller.

[0036] Example 2

[0037] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the fire-fighting bomb-throwing device of the present invention is schematically illustrated, including a bomb magazine 10, a camera pan-tilt head 20, and a height measuring device 30.

[0038] Both the camera gimbal 20 and the altimeter 30 are located at the bottom of the ammunition magazine 10. The camera gimbal 20 includes a three-axis gimbal 21 and a camera 22. The two ends of the three-axis gimbal 21 are connected to the ammunition magazine 10 and the camera 22, respectively. The three-axis gimbal 21 can adjust the direction of the camera 22 so that the camera 22 can capture images or videos from different angles. The altimeter 30 is preferably a millimeter-wave radar, which can measure its height above the ground and generate altitude data H.

[0039] The ammunition magazine 10 has a storage chamber 11 for holding fire extinguishing shells. The bottom of the magazine 10 has a discharge port 12 that communicates with the storage chamber 11, allowing the fire extinguishing shells to be discharged from the storage chamber 11 through the discharge port 12. A camera pan-tilt unit 20 is used to capture images below the magazine 10 and aim at the expected impact point P on the ground. Therefore, a virtual expected impact point P is displayed in the camera pan-tilt unit 20, enabling remote operators to quickly determine the expected landing location of the fire extinguishing shell, thus improving the accuracy of the bomb's hit.

[0040] In this embodiment, the camera gimbal 20 and the height measuring device 30 are respectively located at both ends of the magazine 10. Specifically, the magazine 10 has a front end and a rear end, the camera gimbal 20 is located at the front end, and the height measuring device 30 is located at the rear end.

[0041] Furthermore, the ammunition storage chamber 11 is equipped with a blocking mechanism, which includes a blocking block 13 slidably connected to the inner wall of the ammunition storage chamber 11. The blocking block 13 is disposed adjacent to the ammunition release hole 12. The blocking block 13 is used to prevent the fire extinguishing ammunition from entering the ammunition release hole 12 from the ammunition storage chamber 11. When the blocking block 13 slides relative to the ammunition storage chamber 11 and makes way for the fire extinguishing ammunition, the fire extinguishing ammunition can be discharged from the ammunition storage chamber 11 through the ammunition release hole 12. Of course, the blocking mechanism may also include a piston cylinder, with its two ends connected to the inner wall of the ammunition storage chamber 11 and the blocking block 13, respectively. The piston cylinder extends to drive the blocking block 13 to block the fire extinguishing ammunition, and conversely, the piston cylinder retracts to drive the blocking block 13 to make way for the fire extinguishing ammunition.

[0042] Specifically, the bomb bay 10 is equipped with a communication module, which is electrically connected to the camera gimbal 20 and the altimeter 30. The camera gimbal 20 transmits its generated image data, pitch angle information, and yaw angle information to the communication module, while the altimeter 30 transmits its altitude data H to the communication module. The communication module can be a 4G communication module, used to transmit the data generated by the camera gimbal 20 and the altimeter 30 to a remote control station. This fire-fighting launch device can be mounted on aircraft with different flight configurations.

[0043] Example 3

[0044] To address the same technical problem, this embodiment provides an aircraft, including a fire-fighting bomb-throwing device as described in Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2, wherein the bomb magazine 10 of the fire-fighting bomb-throwing device is connected to the bottom of the aircraft. The aircraft also includes a fuselage 40 and multiple arms 50, all of which are connected to the fuselage 40. Each arm 50 has a propeller 51 at its end, thus forming a multi-rotor aircraft.

[0045] Specifically, the aircraft also includes a landing gear 60 with a top and a bottom. The top of the landing gear 60 is fixedly connected to the fuselage 40, and the bottom of the landing gear 60 extends downward toward the fuselage 40. The landing gear 60 is located outside the fire-fighting bomb-throwing equipment, and multiple legs of the landing gear 60 are distributed to support the extension mechanism for fixing the fire-fighting bomb-throwing equipment.

[0046] Example 4

[0047] Combination Figure 1 As shown, in order to solve the same technical problem, this embodiment also provides a fire-fighting bomb-throwing aiming method, including the following steps:

[0048] Step S1: Adjust the heading angle of the gimbal of the fire-fighting bomb-throwing device so that the optical axis of the camera 22 intersects the reference perpendicular line passing through the center point of the bomb-throwing hole 12 of the fire-fighting bomb-throwing device.

[0049] Step S10: Obtain the reference distance data V between the center point of the camera 22 and the bomb-throwing hole 12 of the fire-fighting bomb-throwing equipment, and detect the height data H between the center point of the bomb-throwing hole 12 and the ground; wherein, when the aircraft is stably hovering in the air, the deflection angle β between the plane where the bomb-throwing hole 12 is located and the reference vertical line passing through the center point of the bomb-throwing hole 12 is 90 degrees, that is, the plane where the bomb-throwing hole 12 is located is a horizontal plane.

[0050] Step S20: Calculate the target pitch angle information of the gimbal based on the reference distance data V and altitude data H. Taking the aircraft as a stable hovering aircraft as an example, the angle β between the plane where the bomb hole 12 is located and the reference perpendicular line passing through the center point of the bomb hole 12 is 90°, that is, the plane where the bomb hole 12 is located is a horizontal plane. Given the reference data and altitude data H, which are the two legs of a right triangle, the angle b between the line connecting the intersection of the camera 22 and the reference perpendicular line and the ground and the reference perpendicular line can be obtained. The pitch angle a of the camera 22 in the centering state (the yaw angle and pitch angle of the camera 22 are both 0 at this time) can be obtained. Then, based on the actual state angle returned by the camera 22 and combined with the preset algorithm, the target deflection angle of the camera 22 (including the pitch angle and yaw angle) is obtained. Of course, in reality, when the aircraft is hovering stably in the air, the altimeter 30, camera 22 and bomb hole 12 are not on the same plane. However, since the positions of the altimeter 30, camera 22 and bomb hole 12 are fixed and known, the altitude data H measured by the altimeter 30 can be used to calculate the altitude distance between the plane where the bomb hole 12 is located and the ground after calculation by the existing algorithm.

[0051] Step S30: The gimbal adjusts the deflection angle of camera 22 under the control of the ground control station software according to the target deflection angle information, so that the optical axis of camera 22, the reference vertical line, and the ground intersect at the expected impact point P. A virtual crosshair is displayed in the center of the image captured by camera 22, and the crosshair is aimed at the aforementioned expected impact point P.

[0052] In summary, the height measuring device 30 can detect the height distance between itself and the ground, and the camera gimbal 20 is used to capture images below the ammunition magazine 10 and aim at the expected impact point P on the ground. Combined with the height distance, an expected impact point P is virtually generated in the camera gimbal 20, enabling remote operators to quickly determine the expected landing position of the fire extinguishing bomb and improve the accuracy of bombing.

[0053] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made based on the content of the present invention's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fire-fighting bomb-throwing device, characterized in that, The fire-fighting bomb-throwing equipment employs a fire-fighting bomb-throwing aiming method. The equipment includes a bomb magazine, a camera pan-tilt unit, and an altitude measuring device. The camera pan-tilt unit includes a camera. Both the camera pan-tilt unit and the altitude measuring device are located at the bottom of the bomb magazine. The camera pan-tilt unit and the altitude measuring device are respectively located at both ends of the bomb magazine. The bomb magazine contains a storage chamber, and the bottom of the bomb magazine has a bomb-throwing hole communicating with the storage chamber. The altitude measuring device is used to detect the distance between itself and the ground and generate altitude data. The camera pan-tilt unit is used to capture images below the bomb magazine and aim at the expected impact point on the ground. The fire-fighting bomb-throwing aiming method includes the following steps: Adjust the heading angle of the camera pan-tilt head of the fire-fighting bomb-throwing device so that the optical axis of the camera intersects the reference perpendicular line passing through the center point of the bomb-throwing hole of the fire-fighting bomb-throwing device; Acquire reference distance data between the camera and the center point of the bomb-throwing port of the fire-fighting bomb-throwing device, and detect the height data between the center point of the bomb-throwing port and the ground. Based on the reference distance and height data, the target pitch angle information of the camera gimbal is calculated; The camera gimbal adjusts its pitch angle according to the target pitch angle information, so that the optical axis of the camera, the reference vertical line, and the ground intersect at the expected impact point.

2. The fire-fighting bomb-throwing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ammunition storage chamber is equipped with a blocking mechanism, which includes a blocking block slidably connected to the inner wall of the ammunition storage chamber. The blocking block is disposed adjacent to the ammunition release hole and is used to prevent the fire extinguishing ammunition from entering the ammunition release hole from the ammunition storage chamber.

3. The fire-fighting bomb-throwing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The magazine is equipped with a communication module, which is electrically connected to the camera gimbal and the altimeter. The camera gimbal sends the generated image data, pitch angle information and heading angle information to the communication module, and the altimeter sends the altitude data to the communication module.

4. The fire-fighting bomb-throwing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The camera gimbal includes a three-axis gimbal and a camera, with the two ends of the three-axis gimbal connected to the magazine and the camera, respectively.

5. An aircraft, characterized in that, Includes the fire-fighting bomb-throwing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bomb magazine of the fire-fighting bomb-throwing device is connected to the bottom of the aircraft.

6. The aircraft according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes a body and multiple arms, all of which are connected to the body, and each arm has a propeller at its end.

7. The aircraft according to claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes a landing gear having a top end and a bottom end, the top end of which is fixedly connected to the fuselage, the bottom end of which extends downward toward the fuselage, and the landing gear is located on the side of the fire-fighting bomb-throwing device.

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