Unit landing gear suitable for high-speed landing of unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The application discloses a unit type landing gear suitable for high-speed landing of a vehicle-mounted unmanned plane, which is a separate landing gear unit, can be matched with unmanned planes of different loads, and can be quickly and detachably installed with various unmanned planes through the setting of an avionics mounting plate. Furthermore, considering that different damping forces need to be provided when unmanned planes of different loads land, the landing gear is additionally provided with a quick mounting interface of a damper, and corresponding dampers can be quickly selected and mounted according to use requirements. After the unmanned plane and the landing gear land on a landing platform, the unmanned plane has forward inertia and has a tendency to move forward, the landing gear can allow the unmanned plane to move a predetermined distance, and in the moving process, the forward inertia is gradually offset by the damper, so that the unmanned plane is stably and safely landed on the landing platform.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of drone landing technology, and more specifically to a modular landing gear suitable for high-speed landing of vehicle-mounted drones. Background Technology

[0002] Drone landing control is an important branch of the drone control field. Different drone landing environments have completely different requirements for drone landing equipment. Currently, traditional landing gear structures are equipped with springs to buffer the impact force brought by falling from above, but the drone and landing gear cannot control the drone to land at high speed, especially not suitable for mobile landing platforms.

[0003] If a traditional drone is controlled to land on a landing platform during rapid maneuvers, the drone's large forward inertia will cause it to tilt, flip, bounce, or roll over due to the sudden and intense friction when its landing gear contacts the platform, potentially leading to collision damage.

[0004] In existing drone landing control schemes for mobile platforms, it is necessary to first control the drone to be directly above the landing platform, then control the drone and the landing platform to have the same speed in the horizontal direction, and finally control the drone to land. Such operations are too time-consuming and cannot be applied in many specific working conditions.

[0005] There is an urgent need for landing gear structures capable of rapidly landing drones when there is a significant relative speed between the drone and the landing platform in the horizontal direction. For mobile landing platforms, if the drone can complete the landing operation while moving towards the landing platform, it can maximize the drone recovery efficiency and has the greatest practical value, but there is currently no relevant research.

[0006] In addition, for a drone group, different mission types require different models of drones or drones with different payloads. Moreover, not every mission requires a quick landing on the landing platform. Therefore, the traditional drone structure with landing gear is outdated and can no longer meet the rapidly developing and flexible drone control requirements.

[0007] For the reasons mentioned above, the inventors have conducted in-depth research on UAV landing gear and UAV landing control process in order to design a new UAV landing gear structure that can solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To overcome the aforementioned problems, the inventors conducted in-depth research and designed a modular landing gear suitable for high-speed landing of vehicle-mounted drones. This landing gear is a separate unit, adaptable to drones with different loads. Furthermore, by incorporating avionics mounting plates, it allows for quick and easy installation and removal from various drones. Considering that drones with different loads require different damping forces during landing, the landing gear also features a quick-installation interface for dampers, allowing for rapid selection and installation of appropriate dampers according to usage requirements. After the drone and landing gear land on the landing platform, the drone exhibits forward inertia and a tendency to move forward. The landing gear allows the drone to move a predetermined distance, and during this movement, the dampers gradually counteract this forward inertia instead of immediately forcing the drone to stop. Therefore, the drone can land smoothly and safely on the landing platform, thus completing this invention.

[0009] Specifically, the purpose of this invention is to provide a modular landing gear suitable for high-speed landing of vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), characterized in that the landing gear includes an avionics mounting plate 1 and a base 2.

[0010] A support rod 3 is connected between the avionics mounting plate 1 and the base 2;

[0011] The avionics mounting plate 1 is provided with a connection socket 11, through which drones with different payloads can be detachably and quickly fixed to the landing gear;

[0012] Once the base 2 lands on the landing platform, the forward inertia of the UAV is eliminated by allowing the avionics mounting plate 1 to move forward a predetermined distance with the UAV on it.

[0013] The avionics mounting plate 1 is hinged to the support rod 3;

[0014] The support rod 3 is hinged to the base 2.

[0015] The support rod 3 is provided with at least four rods.

[0016] A damper 4 is provided between at least one support rod 3 and the base 2;

[0017] The damper 4 is hinged to the support rod 3, and the damper 4 is hinged to the base 2;

[0018] Once the base 2 lands on the landing platform, the damper 4 provides a damping force to impede the forward movement of the drone, thereby eliminating the drone's forward inertia.

[0019] Among them, a damper 4 with an appropriate damping size is selected and installed according to the payload of the UAV installed on the avionics mounting plate 1;

[0020] Preferably, a fixing sleeve 5 is provided on the support rod 3, and the fixing sleeve 5 is detachably hinged to the damper 4;

[0021] Preferably, the fixing sleeve 5 can reciprocate along the length of the support rod 3 and be fixed on the support rod 3.

[0022] The resistance provided by the damper 4 increases as the deformation of the damper 4 increases.

[0023] Once the base 2 lands on the landing platform, the forward movement of the avionics mounting plate 1 and the UAV on it causes the support rod 3 to tilt forward.

[0024] Preferably, during the forward tilting process of the support rod 3, the maximum allowable tilt angle of the support rod 3 is 40-50 degrees.

[0025] The base 2 includes two flat tubes 21 arranged parallel to each other.

[0026] A magnet 6 is provided at the bottom of the flat tube 21, which is used to quickly fix the base 2 and landing gear to the landing platform.

[0027] The support rod 3 includes two front support rods 31 located at the front and two rear support rods 32 located at the rear.

[0028] Preferably, a front fixed connecting rod 33 is connected between the two front support rods 31, and a rear fixed connecting rod 34 is connected between the two rear support rods 32.

[0029] The beneficial effects of this invention include:

[0030] (1) The unit landing gear for high-speed landing of vehicle-mounted UAVs provided by the present invention enables the UAV to land quickly when there is a large relative horizontal speed with the landing platform, and because the UAV is allowed to continue to move forward a certain distance, it has more deceleration time and can achieve a smooth and safe landing of the UAV.

[0031] (2) The modular landing gear provided by the present invention, which is suitable for high-speed landing of vehicle-mounted UAVs, can be adapted to UAVs with different loads and realize the quick disassembly and installation of UAVs and landing gear. Correspondingly, it can also quickly replace the adapted damper, thereby realizing the rapid landing requirements of a landing gear structure to adapt to a variety of UAVs and a variety of loads. Attached Figure Description

[0032] Figure 1 This invention provides a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a modular landing gear applicable to high-speed landing of vehicle-mounted drones.

[0033] Figure 2 This invention provides a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a modular landing gear applicable to high-speed landing of vehicle-mounted drones.

[0034] Figure 3 This invention provides a schematic diagram of the side structure of the modular landing gear for high-speed landing of vehicle-mounted drones when not in use.

[0035] Figure 4 This invention provides a schematic diagram of the side structure of the modular landing gear for high-speed landing of vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicles during landing.

[0036] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates the structure of the modular landing gear for high-speed landing of vehicle-mounted drones, where the front support rod is retractable.

[0037] Component descriptions in the attached diagram

[0038] 1 - Avionics Mounting Plate

[0039] 2-Base

[0040] 3-Support rod

[0041] 11 - Connection Socket

[0042] 4-Damper

[0043] 5 - Fixed sleeve

[0044] 21-Flat tube

[0045] 6 - Magnet sheet

[0046] 31 - Front support rod

[0047] 32 - Rear support rod

[0048] 321 - Support rod body

[0049] 322 - Telescopic pole

[0050] 323 - Flexible Boss

[0051] 324 - Elastic Groove

[0052] 325 - Anti-slip baffle

[0053] 33 - Front Fixed Connecting Rod

[0054] 34 - Rear Fixed Connecting Rod Detailed Implementation

[0055] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Through these descriptions, the features and advantages of the present invention will become clearer and more apparent.

[0056] The term “exemplary” as used herein means “serving as an example, embodiment, or illustration.” Any embodiment illustrated herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as superior to or better than other embodiments. Although various aspects of embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale unless specifically indicated otherwise.

[0057] According to the present invention, a modular landing gear suitable for high-speed landing of vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicles is provided, such as... Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the landing gear includes an avionics mounting plate 1 and a base 2.

[0058] Preferably, the avionics mounting plate is made of metal or carbon fiber and has multiple connection holes 11. Through these connection holes 11, drones with different payloads can be detachably and quickly fixed to the landing gear, so that the landing gear can be adapted to different drones, especially drones with different loads. That is, for different drone operation tasks, different drones can be selected, and when a rapid landing is required, only one landing gear of this application needs to be used.

[0059] By setting the modular landing gear in this application, and especially by setting the avionics mounting plate 1, various types of existing UAVs can be directly modified and applied, enabling them to perform rapid landing and recovery operations after being fitted with the landing gear in this application.

[0060] Preferably, a support rod 3 is connected between the avionics mounting plate 1 and the base 2. The support rod can be a hollow carbon fiber tube, which can reduce the weight of the landing gear. The main function of the support rod 3 is to connect the avionics mounting plate 1 and the base 2, so that the landing gear as a whole has a certain height and space volume, and plays a role in vibration reduction and support.

[0061] In a preferred embodiment, after the base 2 lands on the landing platform, the forward inertia of the UAV is eliminated by allowing the avionics mounting plate 1 to move forward a predetermined distance with the UAV on it. In this application, "forward" refers to the direction of flight of the UAV.

[0062] In traditional technical solutions, after a drone lands, its horizontal velocity immediately drops to zero. In order to quickly counteract the huge forward inertia in the horizontal direction, a sufficiently large force must be applied in the horizontal direction, which may result in the drone overturning or being damaged. In this application, after the drone's landing gear base 2 lands on the landing platform, the drone is allowed to continue moving forward a certain distance. This allows the drone to maintain its horizontal velocity to zero even with a smaller force applied in the horizontal direction, thereby improving the stability of the drone's landing.

[0063] In a preferred embodiment, the avionics mounting plate 1 is hinged to the support rod 3; the support rod 3 is hinged to the base 2; through the hinged connection, the avionics mounting plate 1 and the base 2 can generate a certain relative displacement in the horizontal direction, that is, after the base 2 lands and is fixed, the avionics mounting plate 1 can continue to move forward a certain distance, gradually decelerate during the movement, until it finally stops completely, completing a fast and stable landing under the high-speed flight condition of the UAV.

[0064] Preferably, the direction of travel of the UAV lies in the plane containing the rotational direction allowed by the hinge connection.

[0065] In a preferred embodiment, at least four support rods 3 are provided. When the drone has not landed, all support rods are of equal length, and two support rods on the same side are parallel to each other. Figure 3 As shown, the support rod 3, together with the avionics mounting plate 1 and the base 2, forms a parallelogram structure. After landing, the process of the avionics mounting plate 1 moving forward can be similar to the process of a parallelogram gradually flattening, that is, from... Figure 2 Transition to Figure 3 The process.

[0066] Preferably, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, a damper 4 is provided between at least one support rod 3 and the base 2; the number of dampers 4 provided depends on factors such as the size of the UAV load and the balance of the UAV body, and can be selected according to the actual situation.

[0067] The damper 4 is hinged to the support rod 3 and the base 2. The hinged connection allows the damper to adjust its angle accordingly during the tilting of the support rod 3, preventing the damper from locking up and allowing the support rod to tilt smoothly for buffering.

[0068] After the base 2 lands on the landing platform, the damper 4 provides a damping force to prevent the drone from moving forward, thereby eliminating the forward inertia of the drone. That is, the forward movement of the drone causes the support rod 3 to tilt, and the tilting of the support rod 3 compresses the damper. The damper then provides a reaction force, i.e., a damping force, to prevent the support rod 3 from moving forward, and finally provides a reaction force for the drone to move forward, thereby slowing down the drone until it finally stops completely.

[0069] In a preferred embodiment, a damper 4 with an appropriate damping size is selected and installed according to the payload of the UAV mounted on the avionics mounting plate 1.

[0070] Preferably, a fixing sleeve 5 is provided on the support rod 3, and the fixing sleeve 5 is detachably hinged to the damper 4; preferably, the fixing sleeve 5 can reciprocate along the length direction of the support rod 3 and be fixed on the support rod 3.

[0071] In this application, by setting a fixed sleeve 5, dampers of different models and sizes can be quickly and easily installed on the landing gear. This allows the landing gear to select and install the most suitable damper according to the load requirements of the UAV, thereby improving the adaptability of the landing gear and enabling it to be compatible with various models and loads of UAVs.

[0072] In a preferred embodiment, the resistance provided by the damper 4 increases with the increase of the deformation of the damper 4. That is, the support rod 3 compresses and causes the damper to deform. When the tilt of the support rod 3 is greater, the reverse damping force provided by the damper is greater, causing the support rod 3 to stop tilting quickly, that is, the UAV to stop moving forward quickly. Preferably, the damping force provided by the damper can increase rapidly when approaching the deformation limit value of the damper 4, thereby avoiding rigid contact between the damper and the support rod and reducing the possibility of damage to the UAV and landing gear structure.

[0073] The damper in this application can be composed of a spring and a connecting rod structure, wherein the spring is a variable stiffness spring, such as a variable pitch spring, a variable wire diameter spring, or a variable coil diameter spring.

[0074] In a preferred embodiment, after the base 2 lands on the landing platform, the forward movement of the avionics mounting plate 1 and the UAV on it causes the support rod 3 to tilt forward.

[0075] Preferably, during the forward tilting of the support rod 3, the maximum allowable tilt angle of the support rod 3 is 30 degrees. The tilt angle is defined as follows: a cross section is set along the direction in front of the unmanned aircraft, which divides the landing gear into two completely symmetrical parts. The projection of the support rod 3 onto this cross section is called the support rod projection. When the support rod projection is perpendicular to the ground, it is in a vertical state with a tilt angle of 0. The angle by which the support rod projection deviates from the vertical direction is the tilt angle. Under the action of the damper, when the landing gear has not landed, this tilt angle is not zero, generally having a tilt angle of 10-20 degrees. This angle, combined with the resistance in the damper, ensures that the landing gear does not sway during flight and does not affect the control effect of the UAV.

[0076] After the drone lands on the landing platform, the maximum tilt angle of support rod 3 is set to 40-50 degrees, which is sufficient to allow the drone to move forward a large distance, provide sufficient buffer space and time, ensure the overall stability and balance of the drone and landing gear, reduce the risk of the drone tipping over, and ensure a smooth and reliable landing process.

[0077] In a preferred embodiment, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the base 2 includes two flat tubes 21 arranged parallel to each other, and the length direction of both flat tubes 21 is consistent with the forward flight direction of the drone. The shape of the flat tubes ensures sufficient strength while reducing the weight of the landing gear. The front end of the flat tube 21 is curved upwards to accommodate the special situation of the drone landing with its nose down. Preferably, the hinged connection between the damper 4 and the flat tube 21 is through a ball joint, so that complex relative rotation can be performed between the damper and the flat tube 21.

[0078] Preferably, a magnet 6 is provided at the bottom of the flat tube 21, which quickly fixes the base 2 and landing gear to the landing platform, especially the landing platform with an iron plate on top. Through the cooperation of the magnet and the iron plate, the base 2 can be quickly and firmly fixed to the landing platform. Combined with the hinged support rod and damper, the UAV gradually eliminates forward inertia by moving forward, enabling the UAV and landing gear to complete a fast and safe landing at a relatively high speed. Preferably, the landing gear structure in this application can meet the requirements of a 20kg-class UAV to land at a maximum horizontal speed of 40km / h. Furthermore, for a 10kg-class UAV, if the same damper is used, the allowable landing speed can reach 50km / h; the allowable landing speed and / or allowable landing load can also be increased by replacing the damper with one that provides greater damping force.

[0079] In a preferred embodiment, the support rod 3 includes two front support rods 31 located at the front and two rear support rods 32 located at the rear. One front support rod 31 and one rear support rod 32 are hinged to a flat tube 21. Figure 1 As shown;

[0080] Preferably, a front fixed connecting rod 33 is connected between the two front support rods 31, and a rear fixed connecting rod 34 is connected between the two rear support rods 32; this allows the two front support rods 31 to tilt synchronously and the two rear support rods 32 to tilt synchronously, making the landing gear as a whole stable on both sides and reducing the risk of rollover.

[0081] More preferably, the rear support rod 32 is a telescopic support rod. When the tension on the rear support rod 32 is greater than a preset critical value, that is, when the landing speed and load of the UAV exceed the critical value, due to the possibility of landing risks, such as rollover, damage or secondary bounce, the rear support rod 32 can be extended, so that the UAV is adjusted from its original straight posture to a forward tilt posture, and then continues to move forward in the forward tilt posture.

[0082] The process of stretching the rear support rod 32 will consume the drone's energy, thus achieving a deceleration effect. On this basis, the drone can further increase energy consumption by moving forward in a forward tilting posture, so as to reduce the drone's forward speed to zero as soon as possible.

[0083] like Figure 5 As shown, the rear support rod 32 includes a support rod body 321 and a telescopic rod 322. The support rod body 321 is hinged to the damper 4 and the base 2, respectively. The bottom end of the telescopic rod 322 extends into the support rod body 321, and the top end is hinged to the avionics mounting plate. Multiple elastic protrusions 323 are provided on the outer side of the bottom end of the telescopic rod 322, and multiple elastic grooves 324 are provided inside the support rod body 321. The elastic protrusions 323 are embedded in the elastic grooves 324 and pressed and fixed together, thus fixing the support rod body 321 and the telescopic rod 322 together and enabling them to bear a certain force. When the tensile force acting on the support rod body 321 and the telescopic rod 322 exceeds a preset value, the elastic fixing relationship between the elastic grooves 324 and the elastic protrusions 323 can be broken, increasing the overall length of the rear support rod 32. An anti-detachment baffle 325 is provided on the support rod body 321 to ensure that the support rod body 321 and the telescopic rod 322 do not detach from each other.

[0084] The present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments; however, these embodiments are merely exemplary and illustrative. Various substitutions and modifications can be made to the present invention based on these embodiments, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A unit landing gear suitable for high speed landing of a drone on a vehicle, characterized in that, The landing gear comprises an avionics mounting plate (1) and a base (2), A support rod (3) is connected between the avionics mounting plate (1) and the base (2); A connecting jack (11) is formed on the avionics mounting plate (1), through which unmanned aerial vehicles of different load capacities are detachably and quickly fixed on the landing gear; When the base (2) lands on the landing platform, the forward inertia of the unmanned aerial vehicle is eliminated by allowing the avionics mounting plate (1) to move forward by a predetermined distance with the unmanned aerial vehicle thereon; The avionics mounting plate (1) is hinged to the support rod (3); The support rod (3) is hinged to the base (2); The support rod (3) is provided with at least four, A damper (4) is arranged between at least one support rod (3) and the base (2); The resistance provided by the damper (4) increases with the increase of the deformation amount of the damper (4); The damper (4) is hinged to the support rod (3) and the base (2); When the base (2) lands on the landing platform, the forward inertia of the unmanned aerial vehicle is eliminated by the damping force provided by the damper (4) to resist the forward movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle; The base (2) comprises two flat tubes (21) arranged in parallel with each other, A magnet sheet (6) is arranged at the bottom of the flat tube (21), by which the base (2) and the landing gear are quickly fixed on the landing platform; The support rod (3) comprises two front support rods (31) located at the front and two rear support rods (32) located at the rear; The rear support rod (32) is an extensible support rod, which can be elongated when the pulling force acting on the rear support rod (32) is greater than a preset critical value; The rear support rod (32) comprises a support rod main body (321) and an extensible rod (322), the support rod main body (321) is hinged to the damper (4) and the base (2), respectively, the bottom end of the extensible rod (322) extends into the support rod main body (321), and the top end of the extensible rod (322) is hinged to the avionics mounting plate; a plurality of elastic bosses (323) are arranged outside the bottom end of the extensible rod (322), and a plurality of elastic grooves (324) are arranged inside the support rod main body (321), the elastic bosses (323) are embedded into the elastic grooves (324) and are fixed by being pressed against each other, so that the support rod main body (321) and the extensible rod (322) are fixedly connected and can bear a certain force; when the pulling force acting on the support rod main body (321) and the extensible rod (322) is greater than a preset value, the elastic fixing relationship between the elastic grooves (324) and the elastic bosses (323) can be pulled apart, so that the overall length of the rear support rod (32) is increased, and a anti-disengagement baffle (325) is arranged on the support rod main body (321) to ensure that the support rod main body (321) and the extensible rod (322) do not disengage from each other.

2. The unitary landing gear suitable for high-speed landing of a vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein According to the load capacity of the unmanned aerial vehicle installed on the avionics mounting plate (1), a damper (4) with appropriate damping size is selected and installed.

3. The unit type landing gear suitable for high-speed landing of the vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that, A fixing sleeve (5) is arranged on the support rod (3), and the support rod (3) and the damper (4) are detachably hinged through the fixing sleeve (5); The fixing sleeve (5) can reciprocate along the length direction of the support rod (3) and is fixed on the support rod (3).

4. The unit type landing gear suitable for high-speed landing of the vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, After the base (2) lands on the landing platform, the support rod (3) is tilted forward by the forward movement of the avionics mounting plate (1) and the unmanned aerial vehicle thereon.

5. The unit type landing gear suitable for high-speed landing of the vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that, During the tilting of the support rod (3) forward, the maximum tilting angle of the support rod (3) is 40-50 degrees.

6. The unit type landing gear suitable for high-speed landing of the vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, A front fixed connecting rod (33) is connected between the two front support rods (31), and a rear fixed connecting rod (34) is connected between the two rear support rods (32).

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