A multi-task UAV mobile nest and inspection method

Abstract

The present invention provides a multi-task UAV mobile nest and inspection method, the nest comprising at least: a take-off and landing platform and a turntable divided into a plurality of UAV parking areas; the turntable is slidably connected to a horizontally arranged turntable guide rail, and the turntable guide rail is fixed by a bottom beam, and the turntable is driven by a first motor; a first reset component and a second reset component with a vertical reset direction are provided on the take-off and landing platform, and the first reset component and the second reset component are used to cooperate with the turntable to realize the removal and reset of the UAV; the present invention realizes the storage of multiple UAVs on the same platform, ensures the continuity of the UAV storage area and the UAV take-off and landing platform, and only needs to directly push the UAV out to realize the take-off of the UAV on the take-off and landing platform, avoiding the complicated positioning process when the UAV lands, and realizing more efficient multi-UAV joint take-off operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and in particular to a multi-task UAV mobile nest and an inspection method. Background Art

[0002] The statements in this section merely provide background art related to the present invention and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0003] At present, drones have become a reliable means of power inspection, greatly improving the quality and efficiency of equipment inspection operations. With the rapid development of drone and communication technology, drones have gradually evolved from independent operations to integrated applications of multiple products. Joint inspections by multiple drones are gradually becoming a normal form of power inspection.

[0004] The inventors found that most existing mobile drone nests use a hierarchical arrangement to store multiple drones. For example, Patent No. CN113183860A discloses a double-layer vehicle-mounted drone nest, which arranges two drones on two levels to achieve the storage of multiple drones. The above method requires a higher drone nest height and more stability measures to ensure the safety of the drones. At the same time, the above method generally requires the setting up of multiple corresponding take-off and landing platforms, which is not only costly, but also requires high landing control accuracy for the drones. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to address the shortcomings of the existing technology, the present invention provides a multi-task UAV mobile nest and inspection method. By dividing the turntable into multiple UAV storage areas, multiple UAVs can be stored on the same platform, ensuring the continuity of the UAV storage area and the UAV take-off and landing platform. The UAV only needs to be pushed out directly to take off from the take-off and landing platform, avoiding the complicated positioning process when the UAV lands, and realizing more efficient multi-UAV joint take-off operations.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention provides a multi-task UAV mobile nest.

[0008] A multi-task UAV mobile nest, comprising at least: a take-off and landing platform and a turntable divided into multiple UAV parking areas;

[0009] The turntable is slidably connected to a horizontally arranged turntable guide rail, and the turntable guide rail is fixed by a bottom beam, and the turntable is driven by a first motor;

[0010] The take-off and landing platform is provided with a first reset component and a second reset component with a vertical reset direction. The first reset component and the second reset component are used to cooperate with the turntable to realize the removal and reset of the drone.

[0011] As a further limitation of the first aspect of the present invention, the turntable is a circular turntable, and the circular turntable is equally divided into at least three parts, and one drone is arranged in each part.

[0012] As a further limitation of the first aspect of the present invention, it also includes a drone tripod, which is fixedly connected to the bottom beam through a locking mechanism.

[0013] As a further limitation of the first aspect of the present invention, contact springs for charging and communication are arranged inside the locking mechanism.

[0014] As a further limitation of the first aspect of the present invention, the turntable, the turntable guide rails and the bottom beam constitute a multi-machine platform, and a second motor for lifting is provided at the bottom of the multi-machine platform.

[0015] As a further limitation of the first aspect of the present invention, the system further includes a hatch, a positioning module, an upper shell, an antenna, a positioning base station, a lower shell, and a rotating arm, wherein the positioning module is arranged on the hatch, and the positioning base station is arranged on the upper shell;

[0016] The upper shell is connected to the lower shell, and the hatch is movably connected to the lower shell through a rotating arm. The hatch is used to cooperate with the upper shell and the lower shell to realize the closure of the take-off and landing platform and the turntable.

[0017] As a further limitation of the first aspect of the present invention, the rotating arm is driven by a chain, the driving sprocket is stationary, the driven wheel gear is synchronized with the shaft, and the driven sprocket passively maintains a corresponding rotation amount with the driving sprocket so that the hatch cover remains horizontal or the upper surface of the hatch cover is parallel to the upper surface of the upper shell.

[0018] As a further limitation of the first aspect of the present invention, the mobile machine nest further includes a base, the base including a connecting plate, a shock absorber, a side support, a trapezoidal screw, a strong support jack and an end face locking device;

[0019] The shock absorber is arranged on each supporting beam of the connecting plate, the connecting plate is fixedly connected to the bottom of the lower shell, the trapezoidal lead screw is threadedly connected to the strong support jack, and the end face locking device is connected to the strong support jack through the side support.

[0020] A second aspect of the present invention provides a multi-task drone inspection method.

[0021] A multi-task UAV inspection method, using the multi-task UAV mobile nest described in the first aspect of the present invention, includes the following steps:

[0022] According to the obtained drone inspection tasks, determine the drone that needs to perform the inspection tasks;

[0023] Control the turntable to move so that the drone to be taken off is aligned with the take-off and landing platform, and the drone is moved to the take-off and landing platform through the first reset component. The drone takes off and performs the inspection mission;

[0024] After the drone inspection is completed, it lands on the take-off and landing platform, and is reset and adjusted to the center through the first reset component and the second reset component. The turntable is controlled to move, and the hangar entrance where the drone is located is aligned with the take-off and landing platform. The drone is moved into the turntable through the first reset component.

[0025] As a further limitation of the second aspect of the present invention, the router signal data is intercepted to determine the network status;

[0026] When the network conditions are good, the drone performs RTK positioning through the mobile communication network. When the network conditions are poor, differential correction data is broadcast to the drone through the wireless link.

[0027] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0028] 1. The present invention innovatively develops a multi-task UAV mobile nest. By dividing the turntable into multiple UAV storage areas, multiple UAV storage is realized, ensuring the continuity of the UAV storage area and the UAV take-off and landing platform. The UAV only needs to be pushed out directly to achieve take-off from the take-off and landing platform, avoiding the complex positioning process when the UAV lands, and realizing the joint take-off operation of multiple UAVs and autonomous inspection operations with or without a network.

[0029] 2. The present invention innovatively develops a multi-task UAV mobile nest and designs a base for nest stability, which not only ensures the stability of the nest on the vehicle, but also achieves a more stable and convenient fixation to the vehicle body.

[0030] Advantages of additional aspects of the present invention will be given in part in the following description and in part will be obvious from the following description, or will be learned through practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of the present invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute improper limitations on the present invention.

[0032] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a multi-task UAV mobile nest provided in Example 1 of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0033] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a multi-task UAV mobile nest provided in Example 1 of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0034] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of a multi-task UAV mobile nest provided in Example 1 of the present invention Figure 3 ;

[0035] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of a multi-task UAV mobile nest provided in Example 1 of the present invention Figure 4 ;

[0036] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a lock provided in Example 1 of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the transmission of the driving wheel and the driven wheel provided in Example 1 of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a base provided in Example 1 of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of network communication provided in Example 1 of the present invention;

[0040] Among them, 1-hatch cover; 2-positioning module; 3-UAV; 4-upper shell; 5-antenna; 6-positioning base station; 7-tripod; 8-locker; 9-turntable; 10-front and rear reset rods; 11-left and right reset rods; 12-lower shell; 13-rotating arm; 14-turntable guide rail; 15-bottom beam; 16-turntable motor; 17-motor; 18-connecting plate; 19-shock absorber; 20-side support; 21-trapezoidal screw; 22-strong support jack; 23-end face locking; 24-contact spring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0042] It should be noted that the following detailed descriptions are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs.

[0043] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present invention. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0044] In the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features thereof may be combined with each other.

[0045] Example 1:

[0046] like Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, embodiment 1 of the present invention provides a multi-task UAV mobile nest, including a canopy 1, a positioning module 2, a UAV 3, an upper shell 4, an antenna 5, a positioning base station 6, a tripod 7, a locker 8, a turntable 9, a front and rear reset 10, a left and right reset 11, a lower shell 12 and a rotating arm 13;

[0047] Among them, the hatch 1, the upper shell 4 and the lower shell 12 belong to the protective outer shell of the whole machine, which provide the protection required for outdoor operations for the machine nest. The left and right reset rods 11 and the front and rear reset rods 10 realize the precise reset operation of the drone. The turntable 9 provides the machine nest with multi-machine accommodation, and the turntable 9 can be divided into multiple drone parking areas.

[0048] The machine nest described in this embodiment can park three drones through the turntable 9 (that is, it is divided into three drone parking areas, each drone parking area occupies a 120° range of the turntable arc). When receiving an inspection task, the cabin door 1 is opened, and the No. 1 drone is sent to the take-off and landing point through the turntable 9. The aircraft is taken out through the front and rear reset rods 10 and sent to the take-off position. The drone takes off automatically, and lands through RTK+ vision after completing the task. Then, precise positioning is achieved through the front and rear reset rods 10 and the left and right reset rods 11, and the drone is returned to the original position area of ​​the turntable 9 by the front and rear reset rods 10. At this time, the turntable 9 is rotated to control the No. 2 drone to take off. The take-off process is the same as that of the No. 1 drone, and will not be repeated here.

[0049] Optionally, in some other implementations, the front and rear reset rods 10 and the left and right reset rods 11 are all flexible reset rods made of rubber or hydrogel. Specifically, the working principle is as follows:

[0050] The theoretical value of friction between the UAV's carrying tripod and the take-off and landing platform is obtained, and the theoretical friction value is compared with the measured friction value to obtain the UAV's thrust threshold. When the tension of the flexible reset component is greater than the UAV's thrust threshold, it is determined that the UAV's reset is blocked, and the thrust of the flexible reset component is reduced. When the thrust is reduced, the flexible material shrinks and deforms.

[0051] Optionally, a theoretical value of the friction force of the UAV support tripod is obtained according to the friction coefficient between the support tripod and the take-off and landing platform.

[0052] Optionally, the theoretical value of the friction force is compared with the measured value to obtain the UAV thrust threshold, including: the UAV thrust threshold is the sum of the tension force threshold and the friction force when the flexible reset component is not pushed;

[0053] Among them, when the actual value of friction force is greater than the theoretical value of friction force, the friction force is the actual value of friction force, otherwise, the friction force is the theoretical value of friction force.

[0054] The mobile drone nest of the present invention realizes the convenience of multiple drone deployment applications through a multi-drone rotating mechanism. The horizontal rotating multi-drone deployment solution is to divide the circle into three parts, with a drone position set every 120 degrees. Therefore, this solution can accommodate up to three drones at the same time.

[0055] It is understandable that in some other implementations, the circle can also be designed into quarters or five parts, or divided into more parts. The size of the drone is mainly considered here. When the size of the drone can be met, it can be divided into multiple areas according to specific working conditions. Those skilled in the art can make a choice based on the specific working conditions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0056] In this embodiment, the turntable 9 is in the form of a whole plate, and the bottom is supported by a hexagonal bottom beam 15 (the bottom beam 15 is stationary). The use of the hexagonal bottom beam 15 can achieve a more stable support for the turntable 9 while ensuring the stability of the bottom beam 15 itself; it is understandable that in some other implementations, a heptagonal or octagonal bottom beam 15 can also be used. Under the premise of meeting the requirements of cost and processing accuracy, it can be set to a higher number of sides, which will not be repeated here.

[0057] In this embodiment, a turntable guide rail 14 is added to ensure the parallelism of the turntable, and a hollow turntable motor 16 (i.e., the first motor) is selected as the main drive. The vertical pressure is absorbed by the bottom beam 15 and the turntable guide rail 14. At this time, the turntable motor 16 only needs to provide the torque required for rotation.

[0058] In this embodiment, the design of the turntable only provides a platform for the deployment of multiple drones. In actual operation, the drones not only need to be deployed, but also need to operate with the mobile nest product. Therefore, the drones need to be effectively fixed. The drone arms are foldable. The main design is that they are easy to store during the process of taking and placing and turnover. In order to achieve effective fixation of multiple drone applications, this embodiment designs a tripod 7 for the drone, and indirectly fixes the drone through the tripod 7. The fixation of the tripod 7 is achieved by using a locker 8 to achieve 5-degree-of-freedom locking, and then the motor 17 (i.e., the second motor) at the bottom of the multi-machine platform completes the 6-degree-of-freedom constraint of the drone, such as Figure 5 shown.

[0059] Specifically, the motor 17 is fixed to the take-off and landing platform by bolts. When the drone needs to move up and down, the output end of the motor 17 extends into the bottom slot of the tripod 7, and the tripod 7 drives the drone to move up and down under the drive of the motor 17.

[0060] In addition to the drone's fixed function, the tripod 7 also serves as the bottom charging terminal. The drone can be charged from the tripod 7 through the charging shrapnel on both sides.

[0061] The inner side of the locker 8 is equipped with contact springs required for charging. There are four springs in total, two of which serve as charging poles and two as 485 protocol communication ports. The 485 protocol is used to control the power on and off of the drone. The design of the tripod 7 and the locker 8, on the one hand, serves as a charging end to charge the battery after the drone is in operation, and on the other hand, the pressure of the springs ensures that the aircraft is free from bumps during the rotation of the aircraft nest axis.

[0062] The hatch cover 1 is opened by the rotating arm 13. Figure 6 As shown, the chain drive is specifically adopted. The main problem that needs to be overcome is how to ensure that the upper plane of the hatch cover 1 is kept parallel to the upper shell 4 during the opening process of the hatch door. The transmission relationship is shown in the following formula:

[0063] z1n1p=z2n2p

[0064] On the left are the parameters of the driving wheel, and on the right are the parameters of the driven wheel. z1 and z2 are the number of teeth, n1 and n2 are the revolutions per minute, and p is the pitch. To ensure that the speed of the driving wheel and the driven wheel is consistent, z1=z2, that is, gears of the same specifications are selected. The specific solution is that the driving wheel shaft rotates with a fixed size, and the driven wheel gear is synchronized with the shaft. The rotation of the driving wheel shaft drives the driven wheel to rotate. Since the driving sprocket is stationary, the driven sprocket will passively maintain a corresponding rotation amount with the driving sprocket, thereby keeping the hatch 1 level.

[0065] In this embodiment, the application process of the multi-task UAV mobile nest needs to take into account the fixation and shock absorption process to avoid vibration when it is mounted on a vehicle. In this embodiment, a special base is designed, such as Figure 7 As shown, it mainly includes a connecting plate 18, a shock absorber 19, a side support 20, a trapezoidal screw 21, a strong support jack 22 and an end face lock 23, wherein the shock absorber 19 is used to absorb the vibration generated during the operation, and its principle is wire rope shock absorber shock absorption; the connecting plate 18 is used to connect with the lower shell 12 (preferably through bolt connection), by rotating the screw 21, the strong support jack is unfolded, and the force is finally transmitted to the end face lock 23 through the side support 20, completing the process from left to right in the figure, and achieving a more stable and convenient fixation to the vehicle body.

[0066] The autonomous inspection described in this embodiment realizes the control of the drone through the digital and image transmission link. The drone remote control link needs to ensure the effective propagation of the signal. Therefore, the machine nest is designed with a dedicated gain external antenna as the basis for effective signal propagation.

[0067] Currently, most drones use network RTK for precise positioning. However, due to terrain and regional restrictions, some areas have no network coverage. Therefore, this embodiment specifically proposes a method for accurately positioning drones that meets the requirements of civil satellite precise positioning without being restricted by the communication network. The drone nest has a built-in RTK positioning base station with a built-in antenna.

[0068] like Figure 8 As shown, first, the built-in controller intercepts the router signal data to determine the network status. When the network condition is good, the drone connects to the network through 4G or 5G for RTK positioning. When the network condition is poor, the system detects that the RTK signal is poor and broadcasts differential correction data to the drone via a wireless link, solving the problem of automatic drone inspections in areas without network access.

[0069] Specifically, the vehicle-mounted base station combines the original satellite positioning with the satellite broadcast positioning difference to obtain a fixed solution. After obtaining centimeter-level absolute positioning coordinates in areas without communication networks, it switches to base station mode and transmits the positioning differential data to the drone remote controller through the device's data broadcast communication module. The remote controller then broadcasts the data to the drone's flight control system, achieving centimeter-level precision positioning of the drone in areas without communication network coverage.

[0070] More specifically, in this embodiment, the observation data of the global reference station and the regional reference station are used to extract each error source, obtain the corrected high-precision positioning data, and then broadcast it to the terminal via satellite or the Internet. Then, taking advantage of the fact that the errors have similar characteristics when the distance between the base station and the mobile station is short, the error terms are directly eliminated by subtraction to obtain high-precision relative position.

[0071] The foregoing description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and variations of the present invention are possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention are intended to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-task UAV mobile nest, characterized in that: At least include: a take-off and landing platform and a turntable divided into multiple drone parking areas; The turntable is slidably connected to a horizontally arranged turntable guide rail, and the turntable guide rail is fixed by a bottom beam, and the turntable is driven by a first motor; The take-off and landing platform is provided with a first reset component and a second reset component with a vertical reset direction, and the first reset component and the second reset component are used to cooperate with the turntable to realize the removal and reset of the UAV; Both the first reset component and the second reset component are flexible reset components. The theoretical value of the friction between the UAV's carrying tripod and the take-off and landing platform is obtained, and the theoretical friction value is compared with the measured friction value to obtain the UAV thrust threshold. When the tension of the flexible reset component is greater than the UAV thrust threshold, it is determined that the UAV's reset is obstructed, and the thrust of the flexible reset component is reduced. When the thrust is reduced, the flexible reset component shrinks and deforms.

2. The multi-task UAV mobile nest according to claim 1, characterized in that: The turntable is a circular turntable, and the circular turntable is equally divided into at least three parts, and one drone is arranged in each part.

3. The multi-task UAV mobile nest according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a UAV tripod, which is fixedly connected to the bottom beam through a locking mechanism.

4. The multi-task UAV mobile nest according to claim 3, characterized in that: Contact springs for charging and communication are arranged inside the locking mechanism.

5. The multi-task UAV mobile nest according to claim 1, characterized in that: The turntable, the turntable guide rails and the bottom beam constitute a multi-machine platform. A second motor for lifting is provided at the bottom of the multi-machine platform.

6. The multi-task UAV mobile nest according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a hatch, a positioning module, an upper shell, an antenna, a positioning base station, a lower shell and a rotating arm, the positioning module is arranged on the hatch, and the positioning base station is arranged on the upper shell; The upper shell is connected to the lower shell, and the hatch is movably connected to the lower shell through a rotating arm. The hatch is used to cooperate with the upper shell and the lower shell to realize the closure of the take-off and landing platform and the turntable.

7. The multi-task UAV mobile nest according to claim 6, characterized in that: The rotating arm is driven by a chain, the driving sprocket is stationary, the driven wheel gear is synchronized with the shaft, and the driven sprocket passively maintains a corresponding rotation amount with the driving sprocket to keep the hatch cover horizontal or the upper surface of the hatch cover parallel to the upper surface of the upper shell.

8. The multi-task UAV mobile nest according to claim 6, characterized in that: The mobile machine nest also includes a base, which includes a connecting plate, a shock absorber, a side support, a trapezoidal screw, a strong support jack and an end face locking device; The shock absorber is arranged on each supporting beam of the connecting plate, the connecting plate is fixedly connected to the bottom of the lower shell, the trapezoidal lead screw is threadedly connected to the strong support jack, and the end face locking device is connected to the strong support jack through the side support.

9. A multi-task drone inspection method, characterized in that: Using the multi-task UAV mobile nest according to any one of claims 1 to 8 includes the following process: According to the obtained drone inspection tasks, determine the drone that needs to perform the inspection tasks; Control the turntable to move so that the drone to be taken off is aligned with the take-off and landing platform, and the drone is moved to the take-off and landing platform through the first reset component. The drone takes off and performs the inspection mission; After the drone inspection is completed, it lands on the take-off and landing platform, and is reset and adjusted to the center through the first reset component and the second reset component. The turntable is controlled to move, and the hangar entrance where the drone is located is aligned with the take-off and landing platform. The drone is moved into the turntable through the first reset component.

10. The multi-task UAV inspection method according to claim 9, characterized in that: Intercept router signal data and determine network status; When the network conditions are good, the drone performs RTK positioning through the mobile communication network. When the network conditions are poor, differential correction data is broadcast to the drone through the wireless link.

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