A pneumatically opened and closed mounting cabin and a dual-purpose water and air drone

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pneumatically openable and closable mounting cabin and a dual-purpose air-water drone. The pneumatically openable and closable mounting cabin comprises a cabin door, an airbag cabin, a hinge assembly and an airbag. The cabin door extends longitudinally, and the airbag cabin has an airbag cabin body extending longitudinally. The hinge assembly has an upper hinge and a lower hinge, the upper hinge is attached to the airbag cabin, and the lower hinge is attached to the cabin door, the cabin door is rotatably connected to the airbag cabin body through the hinge assembly, and the hinge assembly has a force to keep the cabin door closed. The airbag is arranged in an inner cavity formed by the airbag cabin body and the cabin door. When the airbag expands, the airbag overcomes the force of the hinge assembly and opens the cabin door to enter the outside world; when the airbag contracts, the airbag returns to the inner cavity, and the cabin door closes under the force of the hinge assembly. The mounting cabin connects the cabin door to the airbag cabin through the hinge assembly, and the cabin door can be opened and closed when the airbag located in the cabin expands or contracts. The mounting cabin uses a simple mechanical structure to realize the switching of different states of the air and underwater buoyancy devices.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention mainly relates to a pneumatically openable and closable mounting cabin, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a pneumatically openable and closable mounting cabin for a rotor cantilever of an ambi-air and water-based unmanned aerial vehicle and a ambi-air and water-based unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with the mounting cabin. Background Art

[0002] Dual-purpose drones are new drones that can cross the interface between water and air multiple times and can continue to navigate and be reused. Dual-purpose drones have the ability to dive underwater, cross water and air, and cruise in the air, and have broad application prospects in the fields of sea and air communications, search and rescue, and underwater equipment maintenance.

[0003] In a quad-rotor dual-purpose water-air drone, the quad-rotor is used to generate lift during the water-air crossing process to pull the drone from the water surface into the air. In this process, since the dual-purpose water-air drone floats on the water surface and there is a large amount of water in the fuselage, the quad-rotor needs to overcome not only the weight of the aircraft itself but also the weight of a large amount of attached water during the upward pulling process, which brings great challenges to the quad-rotor. In addition, this process will also greatly consume battery power and shorten the execution time of the quad-rotor dual-purpose water-air drone in tasks such as underwater diving and aerial cruising. At the same time, when the dual-purpose water-air drone stays on the water surface to perform the water-air crossing conversion, the propeller of the quad-rotor is close to the water surface. Once the fuselage is unstable during the crossing process, the propeller is likely to hit the water surface, causing damage to the propeller. Therefore, during the conversion process from diving to air flight, the drone needs to float on the water surface and keep the quad-rotor above the water surface at a certain height. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a pneumatically openable and closable mounting cabin and a water-air dyadic UAV having the mounting cabin.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a pneumatically openable and closable cargo compartment, comprising a door, an airbag compartment, a hinge assembly and an airbag. The door extends longitudinally, and the airbag compartment has an airbag compartment body extending longitudinally. The hinge assembly has an upper hinge and a lower hinge, the upper hinge is attached to the airbag compartment, and the lower hinge is attached to the door, the door is rotatably connected to the airbag compartment body through the hinge assembly, and the hinge assembly has a force to keep the door closed. The airbag is arranged in an inner cavity formed by the airbag compartment body and the door. When the airbag expands, the airbag overcomes the force of the hinge assembly and opens the door to the outside world; when the airbag contracts, the airbag returns to the inner cavity, and the door closes under the force of the hinge assembly.

[0006] Further, the hinge assembly further comprises a hinge rod and a hinge spring, the hinge rod extends through the hinge spring, the upper hinge and the lower hinge are rotatably connected to the hinge rod, and are respectively coupled to the hinge spring so that the hinge assembly has a force to keep the door closed. In a preferred embodiment, the upper hinge is provided with a first slot for receiving the airbag cabin body, and the lower hinge is provided with a second slot for receiving the door.

[0007] Further, the mounting compartment is provided with two hatches, which are arranged oppositely at the lower part of the airbag compartment body, and the two hatches and the airbag compartment body are configured into a longitudinally extending cylindrical structure, and the airbag is bonded to the inner top of the airbag compartment. In some embodiments, the mounting compartment is provided with four hinge assemblies, which are respectively arranged at both ends of the two hatches.

[0008] Furthermore, the mounting compartment includes two fairing heads; the airbag compartment includes a ring body provided at both ends of the airbag compartment body, and the two fairing heads are respectively connected to the ring bodies. In some embodiments, the airbag compartment also includes a limit block provided on the airbag compartment body, and the limit block is configured to limit the movement of the door toward the inner cavity. Optionally, the airbag compartment is provided with a rib plate and a fixed socket; the rib plate extends longitudinally to the top of the outer wall of the airbag compartment body; the fixed socket includes a first part and a second part that are detachably connected, and the first part is fixedly connected to the rib plate. In some embodiments, the airbag compartment, the door, and the fairing head are all made of nylon carbon fiber material.

[0009] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a dual-purpose water and air UAV, which has a rotor cantilever, and the rotor cantilever is provided with the mounting compartment of the above-mentioned first aspect.

[0010] The features and advantages of the present invention include:

[0011] The pneumatic opening and closing mount cabin provided by the present invention has a door connected to the airbag cabin by a hinge assembly, and the door can be opened and closed when the airbag located in the cabin expands or contracts. The mount cabin uses a simple mechanical structure to achieve the switching of different states of the aerial and underwater buoyancy devices, meeting the buoyancy requirements of the dual-purpose air and water drone in different states. The dual-purpose air and water drone provided by the present invention realizes the buoyancy of the drone by arranging the aforementioned mount cabin on the rotor cantilever, which can effectively simplify the layout of the drone structure, reduce the weight of the drone structure, and increase the overall design space of the drone. In addition, the mount cabin provides buoyancy for the drone, which has the advantages of simple control method and low process complexity, and can greatly reduce the weight and cost of the existing dual-purpose air and water drone power device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments 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 creative work.

[0013] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the pneumatic opening and closing mounting cabin provided by the present invention;

[0014] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the airbag compartment and the fixed seat of the mounting compartment;

[0015] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the hinge assembly of the mounting compartment;

[0016] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the door of the mount bay in a closed state;

[0017] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the mount bay door in an open state.

[0018] 100-mounting compartment, 101-door, 102-airbag, 104-fairing head;

[0019] 10-airbag compartment, 11-communication hole, 12-airbag compartment body, 13-limiting block, 14-ring body, 16-installation port, 18-rib plate;

[0020] 20-hinge assembly, 21-upper hinge, 22-lower hinge, 24-hinge rod, 26-hinge spring, 25-hinge rod cover, 27-mounting hole, 28-first slot, 29-second slot;

[0021] 30-fixed card holder, 32-first part, 34-second part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] 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.

[0023] The present invention provides a pneumatically opened and closed mounting cabin 100, which can be detachably connected to the rotor boom of a dual-purpose water-air drone. The mounting cabin is provided with an openable and closable door, and an airbag is provided inside the mounting cabin. When the airbag is inflated, the airbag can push open the door and protrude out of the mounting cabin, providing buoyancy for the drone in the water so that the rotor propeller of the drone is at a certain distance from the water surface, which is convenient for taking off from the water surface; when the airbag is deflated, the airbag retracts into the mounting cabin, and the door is closed, which is convenient for storing the airbag.

[0024] See also Figures 1 to 4 The pneumatically opened and closed cargo compartment 100 includes an airbag compartment 10, a hinge assembly 20, a door 101 and an airbag 102. The airbag compartment 10 and the door 101 are connected by the hinge assembly 20 to form a shell of the cargo compartment 100, and the airbag 102 is arranged in the inner cavity of the shell, that is, the inner cavity formed by the airbag compartment 10 and the door 101.

[0025] Specifically, see Figure 1 , Figure 2 The airbag cabin 10 has a longitudinally extending arc-shaped airbag cabin body 12, and the cabin door 101 is configured as a longitudinally extending arc-shaped plate. The cabin door 101 is rotatably connected to the airbag cabin body 12 through a hinge assembly 20. The airbag cabin body 12 and the cabin door 101 can be configured as a longitudinally extending cylindrical structure, and the cross-section of the structure can be elliptical, circular, etc., which is conducive to reducing the flight resistance of the drone. In some embodiments, see Figure 4 The airbag cabin body 12 and the hatch 101 form a cylindrical structure with a circular cross section. The hatch 101 can be provided with one or two. In a preferred embodiment, the lower part of the airbag cabin body 12 is provided with two hatches 101 arranged opposite to each other.

[0026] The drone is provided with an air source (e.g., an air cylinder), which can provide air to the airbag 102. The airbag 102 is fluidically connected to the airbag 102 through a tube. A connecting hole 11 is provided on the top of the airbag cabin body 12. In some embodiments, the connecting hole 11 is fluidically connected to the airbag 102, and one end of the tube can be connected to the connecting hole 11. In other embodiments, one end of the tube is connected to the airbag 102, and the tube extends through the connecting hole 11.

[0027] The airbag 102 is bonded to the top of the inner side of the airbag compartment 10, such as the top of the inner wall of the airbag compartment body 12. The airbag 102 can be inflated or deflated through the communicating hole 11. The airbag 102 can be configured as a long strip airbag extending in the longitudinal direction when deflated.

[0028] See also Figure 3The hinge assembly 20 includes an upper hinge 21, a lower hinge 22, a hinge rod 24 and a hinge spring 26. The hinge rod 24 extends through the hinge spring 26, the upper hinge 21 and the lower hinge 22 are rotatably connected to the hinge rod 24, and the upper hinge 21 and the lower hinge 22 are respectively coupled to the hinge spring 26 so that the upper hinge 21 and the lower hinge 22 are kept in the initial position under the elastic force of the hinge spring 26. The upper hinge 21 is connected to the airbag cabin body 12, and the lower hinge 22 is connected to the cabin door 101. In some embodiments, when the hatch 101 is closed, the upper hinge 21 and the lower hinge 22 are just located at the initial position; in other embodiments, after the hatch 101 is closed, the hinge assembly 20 has a tendency to return to the initial position (the upper hinge 21 and the lower hinge 22 have a tendency to move toward each other), that is, in the initial position, the opening of the upper hinge 21 and the lower hinge 22 is smaller than the opening of the upper hinge 21 and the lower hinge 22 when the hatch 101 is closed. The upper hinge 21 and the lower hinge 22 are configured to have an arc-shaped plate-like portion extending in the longitudinal direction, the arc-shaped plate-like portion of the upper hinge 21 is attached to the airbag cabin body 12, for example, attached to the inner side or the outer side of the arc-shaped plate-like portion, and the arc-shaped plate-like portion of the lower hinge 22 is attached to the hatch 101. In some embodiments, the arc-shaped plate-like portion of the upper hinge 21 is provided with a first slot 28 extending in the longitudinal direction, and the first slot 28 is used to receive the airbag cabin body 12, that is, the side wall of the airbag cabin body 12 is attached to the first slot 28, which is conducive to the firm connection between the two. Similarly, the arc-shaped plate-like portion of the lower hinge 22 is provided with a second slot 29 extending in the longitudinal direction, and the second slot 29 is used to receive the cabin door 101, that is, the side wall of the cabin door 101 is attached to the second slot 29. The arc-shaped plate-like portions of the upper hinge 21 and the lower hinge 22 are respectively provided with mounting holes 27, and the airbag cabin body 12 and the cabin door 101 are also provided with corresponding holes. The upper hinge 21 and the airbag cabin body 12, and the lower hinge 22 and the cabin door 101 are respectively fixedly connected by bolts or rivets.

[0029] One end of the hinge rod 24 is provided with a limiting boss. In some embodiments, the hinge assembly 20 further includes a hinge rod cover 25, which is provided at the other end of the hinge rod 24. The limiting boss of the hinge rod 24 and the hinge rod cover 25 are used to limit the longitudinal movement of the upper hinge 21, the lower hinge 22, and the hinge spring 26 provided on the hinge rod 24 and prevent them from loosening and falling off, so that the hinge assembly 20 remains as a whole. The airbag cabin body 12 is provided with a mounting opening 16, and the hatch 101 is also provided with a corresponding mounting opening. The mounting opening 16 of the airbag cabin body 12 and the mounting opening of the hatch 101 are used to accommodate the middle part of the hinge assembly 20 (i.e., the part other than the arc-shaped plate-shaped part).

[0030] Please continue to see Figure 1 , Figure 2In some embodiments, a hinge assembly 20 is provided at each end of each hatch 101, that is, the mount cabin 100 is provided with four hinge assemblies 20. The upper hinge 21 and the lower hinge 22 of the hinge assembly 20 are coupled to the hinge spring 26 respectively, the upper hinge 21 is fixedly connected to the airbag cabin body 12, and the lower hinge 22 is connected to the hatch 101, so that the hinge assembly 20 has the force to keep the hatch 101 closed. When the airbag 102 expands, the airbag 102 overcomes the force of the hinge assembly 20 (that is, the elastic force of the hinge spring) and opens the hatch 101 to the outside world; when the airbag 102 shrinks, the airbag 102 returns to the inner cavity formed by the airbag cabin 10 and the hatch 101, and the hatch 101 is closed under the force of the hinge assembly 20.

[0031] In some embodiments, the airbag cabin 10 also includes a stopper 13 disposed on the airbag cabin body 12, and the stopper 13 is configured to limit the door 101 from moving inward. Specifically, the stopper 13 is disposed on the inner wall at both ends of the airbag cabin body 12 and extends in the circumferential direction. The airbag cabin 10 also includes a ring body 14 disposed at both ends of the airbag cabin body 12, and the mounting cabin 100 includes a fairing head 104, and two fairing heads 104 are respectively connected to the ring body 14. The fairing head 104, the airbag cabin 10, and the door 101 form a complete shell, and the airbag cabin 10 has a fluid shape, which is conducive to reducing the flight resistance of the drone. The fairing head 104, the airbag cabin 10, and the door 101 can be processed from nylon carbon fiber (for example, by 3D printing), which not only meets the strength requirements of the mounting cabin 10, but also greatly reduces its weight.

[0032] See also Figure 2 In some embodiments, the airbag capsule 10 further includes a rib plate 18, which is disposed on the top of the outer wall of the airbag capsule body 12 and extends from one end to the other end of the airbag capsule body 12. The rib plate 18 is provided to help strengthen the strength of the airbag capsule 10.

[0033] The mounting compartment 100 further includes a fixing base 30 disposed on the airbag compartment 10, and the fixing base 30 is used to connect the mounting compartment 100 to the rotor boom of the drone. Specifically, the fixing base 30 is configured as a lifting lug, and the fixing base 30 is connected to the rib plate 18. More specifically, the fixing base 30 includes a first portion 32 and a second portion 34 that are detachably connected, wherein the first portion 32 is fixedly connected to the rib plate 18. The first portion 32 and the second portion 34 are connected by bolts or the like to form a lifting lug.

[0034] In some embodiments, the airbag compartment 10 is divided into a plurality of compartments in the longitudinal direction, each compartment can be independently provided with an airbag 102, and the plurality of compartments can share a door 101 or independently provide doors 101. Providing a plurality of airbags 102 is conducive to ensuring that the mounting compartment 100 can still generate sufficient buoyancy after some airbags 102 are damaged or fail.

[0035] In some embodiments, the hatch 101 may also be provided with a through hole that penetrates the hatch 101, and the through hole may be provided along the lower side of the hatch 101. The through hole makes the pressure inside the cabin consistent with that outside, and is conducive to draining water inside the cabin after the hatch 101 is closed.

[0036] The present invention also provides a drone provided with the aforementioned mounting cabin 100, the drone is provided with a gas cylinder, and the gas cylinder is in fluid communication with the airbag 101. The mounting cabin 100 is connected to the rotor boom of the drone via a fixed card holder 30. The drone can be provided with one or more mounting cabins 100 according to actual needs.

[0037] Figure 4 and Figure 5 The hatch 101 of the mounting compartment 100 is shown in a closed or open state. Figure 4 , the airbag 102 is not inflated, and the elastic force of the hinge spring 26 keeps the hatch 101 closed. When the drone receives the floating command in the water, the gas cylinder starts to inflate the airbag 102. Figure 5 , the airbag 102 expands to overcome the elastic force of the hinge spring 26 and open the hatch 101 to the outside world. The expanded airbag 102 provides buoyancy for the drone. When the drone floats to a certain distance from the water surface of the drone's four-rotor propeller to ensure that the propeller does not beat on the water surface, the drone can take off from the water surface to achieve the drone's two-medium crossing. After the drone takes off from the water surface to a certain height, it starts to deflate the airbag 102, and the gas in the airbag 102 can return to the gas cylinder. At this time, after the airbag 102 shrinks, when the thrust generated by the gas inside the airbag 102 is less than the elastic force of the spring hinge 26, the hatch 101 begins to close, the airbag 102 gradually returns to the cabin, and the hatch 101 closes.

[0038] The mounting compartment 100 connects the door 101 to the airbag compartment 10 through the hinge assembly 20, and the door 101 can be opened and closed when the airbag 102 expands or contracts. The mounting compartment 100 uses a simple mechanical structure to switch between different states of the aerial and underwater buoyancy devices, meeting the buoyancy requirements of the dual-use air-water UAV in different states. In addition, the mounting compartment can effectively simplify the layout of the UAV structure, reduce the weight of the UAV structure, and increase the overall design space of the UAV. Providing buoyancy for the UAV through the mounting compartment 100 has the advantages of simple control method and low process complexity, which can greatly reduce the weight and cost of the existing dual-use air-water UAV power device.

[0039] The above are only several embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art may make various changes or modifications to the embodiments of the present invention based on the contents of the invention in the application documents without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A pneumatically openable and closable mounting compartment for a dual-purpose air-water UAV, wherein the dual-purpose air-water UAV has a rotor propeller, characterized in that: The pneumatically opened and closed mounting compartment comprises: An airbag capsule, wherein the airbag capsule has an airbag capsule body extending longitudinally; Two hatches extending longitudinally, the two hatches are arranged opposite to each other at the lower part of the airbag cabin body, and the two hatches and the airbag cabin body are configured to form a longitudinally extending cylindrical structure; four hinge assemblies, each door being rotatably connected to the airbag compartment body by two hinge assemblies respectively, each hinge assembly having an upper hinge and a lower hinge, the upper hinge being attached to the airbag compartment, the lower hinge being attached to one door, each hinge assembly having a force for keeping the connected door closed; and An airbag, the airbag being arranged in an inner cavity formed by the airbag compartment body and the two compartment doors, and being bonded to the inner top of the airbag compartment; Among them, during the process of the amphibious aerial drone transforming from submersion to aerial flight, the airbag expands to overcome the force of the hinge assembly so that the two doors are opened from the bottom to allow access to the outside world, and the airbag provides buoyancy for the amphibious aerial drone so that the rotor propeller is above the water surface by a certain distance; after the amphibious aerial drone is launched, the airbag is exhausted and retracted back into the inner cavity, and the two doors are automatically closed under the force of the hinge assembly.

2. The mounting compartment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper hinge is provided with a first slot for receiving the airbag cabin body, and the lower hinge is provided with a second slot for receiving the cabin door.

3. The mounting compartment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hinge assembly also includes a hinge rod and a hinge spring, wherein the hinge rod extends through the hinge spring, the upper hinge and the lower hinge are rotatably connected to the hinge rod and are respectively coupled to the hinge spring so that the hinge assembly has a force to keep the hatch closed.

4. The mounting compartment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The two hinge assemblies are respectively arranged at two ends of a hatch.

5. The mounting compartment according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: Also included are two fairing heads; The airbag cabin comprises ring bodies arranged at two ends of the airbag cabin body, and the two fairing heads are respectively connected to the ring bodies.

6. The mounting compartment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The airbag module further includes a limit block disposed on the airbag module body, and the limit block is configured to limit the movement of the door toward the inner cavity.

7. The mounting bay according to claim 6, characterized in that: The airbag compartment is provided with a rib plate and a fixed seat; The rib plate extends longitudinally to the top of the outer wall of the airbag compartment body; The fixed base includes a first part and a second part that are detachably connected, and the first part is fixedly connected to the rib plate.

8. The mounting compartment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The airbag cabin, the cabin door and the fairing head are all made of nylon carbon fiber material.

9. A dual-purpose air-water drone with a rotor cantilever, characterized in that: The rotor cantilever is provided with a mounting compartment as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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