An emergency air replenishment and recovery platform for UAVs in seamount terrain

Abstract

This invention discloses an emergency inflatable recovery platform for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in seamount terrain, mainly comprising a circular inflatable support platform, a power unit, and a fixing device. The circular inflatable support platform consists of airbags and an airbag recovery track. The airbags provide buoyancy to support the UAV and generate buoyancy during UAV recovery at sea, while the airbag recovery track is responsible for recovering and deploying the airbag structure. The power unit provides driving force to the emergency inflatable recovery platform for seamount terrain, enabling it to move rapidly in the air. To increase the stability of the recovery platform during UAV recovery, a support fixing device that can be anchored to the ground or seabed is provided at the lower end of the power unit. The emergency inflatable recovery platform for seamount terrain features rapid, cross-regional emergency recovery and transfer capabilities for small and medium-sized UAVs (including fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters) in seamount terrain (such as deserts, mountains, and seas), thereby reducing UAV losses during emergency recovery and increasing the UAV's mission radius.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of drone recovery, and in particular to an emergency inflation and recovery platform for drones in mountainous terrain. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous improvement of UAV performance and the evolution of carrier platforms, UAVs have gradually expanded from their initial relatively single function to serve multiple purposes, including decoys, radar countermeasures, electronic suppression, target correction, battlefield damage assessment, communication relay, reconnaissance, and combat, playing an increasingly important role. Furthermore, UAVs play a crucial role in "non-contact warfare" dominated by informationized and intelligent weapons, increasingly performing dangerous missions such as battlefield reconnaissance, anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, amphibious assault, and airborne early warning in certain special operational areas, thus securing sea and air control in future warfare and enhancing national defense capabilities. my country's terrain is complex, encompassing all five basic landform types globally. Special environments such as deserts, mountains, and seas pose significant challenges to the emergency recovery and transfer landing of UAVs. Therefore, researching emergency recovery and transfer landing platforms for fixed-wing UAVs and helicopters in mountainous and sea-adjacent terrain is of profound significance. It is not only crucial for reducing UAV losses and increasing their operational radius, but also for ensuring territorial security, and is a matter of widespread international concern.

[0003] Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) typically have a stronger fuselage than manned aircraft, can carry cargo, and are not limited by the physiological conditions of pilots, thus possessing significant military and civilian value. Traditional methods for recovering small and medium-sized UAVs mainly include conventional runway recovery, net-crash recovery, hook recovery, and parachute recovery.

[0004] Conventional runway recovery is the recovery method used by most fixed-wing UAVs. Its principle is similar to that of manned aircraft, requiring a dedicated runway or open area, thus lacking flexibility. To shorten the takeoff distance, some UAVs are equipped with a tailhook. During takeoff, the tailhook hooks onto an arresting cable on the ground, absorbing the UAV's kinetic energy through the elastic deformation of the arresting cable. For mountainous terrain, conventional runway recovery is less flexible, requiring the pre-construction of a runway on designated, relatively flat terrain, thus failing to meet the emergency recovery requirements of UAVs.

[0005] The net-crash recovery method involves deploying a recovery net at the stern of the ship, allowing the drone to fly directly into the net. After successful capture, the drone is lowered and manually removed from the net. Currently, there are four typical net-crash recovery structures both domestically and internationally: single-net three-pole, double-net two-pole, single-net single-pole, and single-net double-pole. The first two require energy-absorbing buffer devices, while the single-net single-pole structure requires a rotation drive device and a damper. The single-net double-pole structure primarily relies on the elastic deformation of the net and support structure to absorb energy and buffer the drone, without requiring additional damping buffer devices. The net-crash recovery method requires little space and simple equipment. The recovered drone does not require a landing device, and the accuracy requirements for landing trajectory tracking are low; only the lowest possible collision speed needs to be maintained. However, it has the following drawbacks: 1. When hitting the net, the lateral speed and sideslip angle should be minimized as much as possible, otherwise the probability of damage to the drone will increase; 2. For drones using propellers, the blades are prone to breakage or cutting the recovery net during recovery, increasing the risk of drone damage and maintenance costs, thereby affecting the preparation time and efficiency of the recovery device; 3. This recovery method requires a high degree of manual operation and is difficult to mechanize.

[0006] Skyhook recovery technology is developed based on net-collision recovery technology. A typical skyhook recovery system consists of a capture device (drone wingtip hook, recovery rack, and recovery rope), an energy-absorbing buffer, and a guidance device. The guidance device guides the drone to the vicinity of the capture device. When the drone's wing strikes the recovery rope, the rope slides along the wing to the wingtip, where the wingtip hook catches and locks the rope. At this point, the engine stops, and the drone then performs a circling deceleration motion around the recovery rope. Once the swing amplitude decreases to a certain level, it is manually removed to complete the recovery. This recovery mechanism is relatively simple and suitable for use on ships with limited space. It can also meet the takeoff and landing requirements of larger drones. However, ensuring that the drone decelerates at the expected attitude is a major challenge in recovery operations.

[0007] Parachute recovery is a method of recovering drones by deploying a parachute at a suitable altitude and location to buffer speed during landing. It is widely used for low-speed drones. The drone needs to be equipped with a recovery parachute, which slows it down and allows it to touch the ground at a lower speed, thus achieving recovery. This method has advantages such as light weight, low site requirements, small packaged size, relatively low cost, stable performance, simple manufacturing process, and low dynamic load during parachute deployment. However, it also has disadvantages such as the parachute being highly susceptible to wind influences, and the inability to correct errors after deployment, making the drone prone to collisions with ground structures. Summary of the Invention

[0008] This invention discloses an emergency inflatable recovery platform for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in seamount terrain. This platform is capable of emergency recovery of small and medium-sized fixed-wing UAVs and helicopters in seamount terrain (such as deserts, mountains, and sea). It can pre-position itself at the UAV's intended landing location using its onboard power unit, then deploy its inflatable structure to form a recovery runway for the UAV's emergency landing. This UAV recovery method is not limited by terrain factors, enabling cross-regional emergency recovery of UAVs, reducing the difficulty of emergency recovery, minimizing UAV wear and tear, and also serving as a resupply platform to increase the UAV's operational radius and provide support for long-distance missions.

[0009] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0010] 1. The emergency inflatable recovery platform for UAVs in mountainous terrain has recovery and deployment functions. When performing a mission, the structure is deployed to recover the UAV. After the UAV is recovered, the inflatable recovery platform can be folded to reduce the size of the recovery platform and the drag during flight.

[0011] 2. The emergency air-filling and recovery platform for UAVs in seamount terrain can perform emergency recovery and transfer operations for UAVs in seamount terrain, reducing the danger of UAVs landing in emergency situations in seamount terrain and increasing the UAV's combat radius. Seamount terrain includes deserts, mountains, and sea.

[0012] 3. The emergency air-filling and recovery platform for UAVs in mountainous terrain is equipped with its own power system and has flight capability. After receiving the mission execution command, it can quickly fly to the mission area to carry out the mission. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 Front view of an emergency air replenishment and recovery platform for UAVs in seamount terrain;

[0014] Figure 2 Bottom view of an emergency air replenishment and recovery platform for UAVs in seamount terrain;

[0015] Figure 3 A view of an emergency air replenishment and recovery platform for UAVs in seamount terrain.

[0016] Figure 4 A perspective view of an emergency air replenishment and recovery platform for UAVs in seamount terrain;

[0017] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of an emergency air-filling and recovery platform for UAVs used in seamount terrain to recover fixed-wing UAVs.

[0018] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the self-recovery of an emergency air replenishment and recovery platform for UAVs in seamount terrain. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To make the objectives and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0020] like Figures 1-4 As shown, the emergency inflatable recovery platform for seamount terrain UAVs is equipped with a circular inflatable support platform at its upper end. This platform supports the UAV during recovery, deploys and recovers the airbag structure before and after recovery, and provides buoyancy when recovering the UAV at sea. When the UAV is preparing to land, the circular inflatable support platform automatically unfolds into a cone shape along both sides of the arc, providing good normal support for the fixed-wing UAV and establishing the runway required for recovery. When the UAV recovery environment is at sea, the circular inflatable support platform also provides the necessary buoyancy for the emergency inflatable recovery platform for seamount terrain UAVs. The circular inflatable support platform mainly consists of an airbag and an airbag recovery track. The airbag has a circular structure in the center and a conical structure around it. The circular structure is the helicopter recovery platform 16, mainly responsible for receiving the fixed-wing UAV that has decelerated to a standstill at the conical structure and directly recovering the helicopter. The conical part of the airbag is the fixed-wing UAV recovery runway 12, with a set of metal reinforcing frames 10 installed every 36° along its circumference to prevent large deformation of the conical part of the airbag during the recovery of the fixed-wing UAV, which could lead to recovery failure. The conical section of the airbag is a non-connected area, divided into two parts by two adjacent sets of metal reinforcing frames 10. One part is the main body of the conical airbag, and the other part is the area between the adjacent metal reinforcing frames 10. A metal mesh 7 composed of metal rods is provided at the lower end of the circular structure of the airbag, which is responsible for reinforcing the circular structure of the airbag. The conical and circular structures of the airbag are connected by a slide rail 13, allowing the conical structure to slide along the circumference of the slide rail.

[0021] The top of each reinforcing frame 10 in the conical section of the airbag is connected to a circular retractable frame 15 composed of circular telescopic rods. The circular retractable frame 15 has the functions of limiting excessive deformation of the airbag, transferring the UAV payload, and traction airbag recovery and deployment. A traction rod 14 is provided at the top of the support beam at the bottom of each reinforcing frame in the conical section of the airbag. A traction rod control device 18 is fixed on the support beam at the initial position, and the other traction rods are provided with traction rod fixing devices 19. By coordinating the control of the traction rod 14, it can be recovered and deployed along its circumference, thereby driving the circular retractable frame 15 and the airbag connected to it, realizing the recovery and deployment of the circular inflatable support platform.

[0022] A power unit is installed at the lower end of the circular inflatable support platform, providing driving force for the emergency inflatable recovery platform for UAVs in mountainous terrain, enabling it to move rapidly in the air. The power unit consists of a shell 4, an upper support hydraulic cylinder 1, a lower support hydraulic cylinder 5, an inner support rod 9, a main control system 6, a propeller 11, an engine 8, and a guide vane 17. The shell 4 is used to fix the various parts of the power unit. The upper support hydraulic cylinder 1 connects the circular inflatable support platform and the power unit through a metal mesh 7 and the shell 4. The lower support hydraulic cylinder 5 connects the support fixing devices 2 through the shell 4. When recovering the UAV on uneven mountainous terrain, the lower support hydraulic cylinder 5 automatically adjusts its extension to ensure that the four support fixing devices 2 can support the ground. If adjusting the lower support hydraulic cylinder 5 cannot ensure that the circular inflatable support platform is in a horizontal position, the extension of the upper support hydraulic cylinder 1 can be adjusted to ensure that the circular inflatable support platform is in a horizontal position. The inner support rod 9 is located at the upper end of the housing 4 and is connected to the upper support hydraulic cylinder 1. It strengthens the housing 4 and prevents excessive deformation of the housing during engine 8 operation, which could lead to breakage of the upper and lower support hydraulic cylinders and the propeller 11. The main control system 6 integrates the communication system, the support hydraulic cylinder control system, the airbag deployment control system, and the engine control system. These systems are responsible for receiving and executing commands, adjusting the positions of the support hydraulic cylinders, controlling airbag inflation and recovery, and controlling the flight attitude of the sea-mountain terrain UAV emergency inflation and recovery platform, respectively. The propeller 11, engine 8, and deflector 17 provide power and attitude control.

[0023] The bottom of the lower support hydraulic cylinder 5 is equipped with a support fixing device 2. The support fixing device 2 is equipped with an anchoring device 3. When the UAV inflatable recovery platform lands, the anchoring device 3 is activated to make it closely connected to the ground or seabed, ensuring that the overall structure remains stable during the UAV recovery process.

[0024] like Figure 5 As shown, when preparing to recover a drone, the sea-mountain terrain drone emergency inflatable recovery platform flies to the drone's pre-landing position as instructed. After anchoring, it begins inflating and traction the airbags, ensuring full deployment. When a fixed-wing drone lands, it must fly into the conical airbag structure of the circular inflatable support platform in a predetermined attitude, then perform circular deceleration motion on it before finally parking at the helicopter landing position. The helicopter can land directly on the helicopter recovery platform in the center of the circular inflatable support platform.

[0025] When preparing for takeoff of a fixed-wing UAV, the UAV accelerates in a circular motion around the conical structure of the inflatable support platform. Once it reaches takeoff speed, it detaches from the runway, completing takeoff. The inflatable bladder is then deflated and towed for recovery. Finally, the engine is started, the anchoring device is released, and the UAV executes the next mission as instructed. When preparing for helicopter takeoff, the helicopter slowly takes off from the helicopter recovery platform. The same procedures are then performed on the emergency inflatable recovery platform for UAVs operating in mountainous terrain as on fixed-wing UAVs after takeoff.

Claims

1. An emergency air inflation and recovery platform for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in sea-mountain terrain, characterized in that: The emergency inflatable recovery platform for seamount terrain drones is equipped with a circular inflatable support platform at the top, which supports the drone during recovery, deploys and recovers the airbag structure before and after recovery, and generates buoyancy when recovering the drone at sea. The power unit at the bottom of the platform provides the driving force for rapid movement in the air. The bottom of the platform is equipped with a support and fixing device, which, through its own anchoring device, allows it to be firmly connected to the ground or seabed, ensuring good stability during drone recovery. The circular inflatable support platform mainly consists of an airbag and an airbag recovery track. The airbag has a circular structure in the center and a conical structure around it. The circular structure is the helicopter recovery platform, mainly responsible for receiving fixed-wing UAVs that decelerate to a stop at the conical structure and directly recovering the helicopter. The conical part of the airbag is the fixed-wing UAV recovery runway. A set of metal reinforcing frames is set on it every 36° to prevent the airbag from deforming too much during the recovery of the fixed-wing UAV, which would cause the recovery to fail. The conical part of the airbag is a non-connected area, which is divided into two parts by two adjacent sets of metal reinforcing frames. One part is the main body of the conical airbag, and the other part is the part between the adjacent metal reinforcing frames. The conical and circular structures of the airbag are connected by a sliding rail, allowing the conical structure to slide along the circumference of the sliding rail.

2. The emergency air replenishment and recovery platform for seamount terrain UAVs according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of each reinforcing frame in the conical section of the airbag is connected to a circular telescopic frame composed of circular telescopic rods. The circular telescopic frame has the functions of limiting excessive deformation of the airbag, transferring the UAV payload, and traction airbag recovery and deployment.

3. The emergency air replenishment and recovery platform for seamount terrain UAVs according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each reinforcing frame in the conical airbag has a traction rod at the top of its lower support beam. The support beam at the initial position is fixed with a traction rod control device, and the other traction rods are fixed with traction rod fixing devices. The traction rods can be retracted and deployed along their respective circumferences through coordinated control, thereby driving the connected circular retractable frame and airbag to achieve the retraction and deployment of the circular inflatable support platform.

4. The emergency air replenishment and recovery platform for seamount terrain UAVs according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power unit consists of a shell, an upper support hydraulic cylinder, a lower support hydraulic cylinder, an inner support rod, a main control system, a propeller, an engine, and a guide vane. The shell is used to fix the various parts in the power unit. The upper support hydraulic cylinder is responsible for connecting the circular inflatable support platform and the power unit, and the lower support hydraulic cylinder is responsible for connecting the support and fixing device. When it is necessary to recover the UAV on uneven and complex terrain, the upper and lower hydraulic cylinders will automatically adjust their extension to keep the upper circular inflatable support platform in a horizontal state. The inner support rod can strengthen the shell and prevent it from deforming excessively. The main control system is responsible for receiving and executing commands, controlling the inflation, recovery and deployment of airbags, the position of each supporting hydraulic cylinder, and the flight attitude of the emergency inflation and recovery platform for UAVs in mountainous terrain; the propeller, engine and deflector are responsible for providing power and attitude control.

5. The emergency air replenishment and recovery platform for seamount terrain UAVs according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support and fixing device is equipped with an anchoring device. When the emergency inflatable recovery platform for seamount terrain UAVs lands on its own, the anchoring device is activated to make it closely connected to the ground or seabed, ensuring that the overall structure remains stable during the UAV recovery process.

6. The emergency air replenishment and recovery platform for seamount terrain UAVs according to claim 1, characterized in that: When preparing to recover the drone, the emergency inflatable recovery platform for the sea-mountain terrain drone flies to the pre-landing position of the drone in advance as required. After anchoring, it begins to inflate and pull the airbag to fully deploy the airbag. When the fixed-wing drone lands, it needs to fly into the circular inflatable support platform in a predetermined attitude, and then perform a circular deceleration motion inside it, and finally stop at the helicopter landing position. When the helicopter lands, it can land directly on the helicopter recovery platform in the circular inflatable support platform. The drone take-off process is the reverse of the recovery process.

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