Quick release device and application thereof

Abstract

This invention provides a quick-release device and its application. The quick-release device is used for rapid assembly and disassembly between a drone and its payload. The quick-release device includes a payload sliding assembly and an onboard fixing assembly, which are detachably connected. This invention's quick-release device requires no tools during the entire assembly and disassembly process, achieving both mechanical and electrical connections through rapid assembly and disassembly, while retaining the traditional function of payload isolation against high-frequency vibrations.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) disassembly and assembly machinery technology, and in particular to a quick-release device and its application. [Background Technology]

[0002] As unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems have entered the international arena, UAV payloads have also entered a phase of rapid development. This rapid development of payloads, in turn, has expanded the application areas of UAVs. To cope with diverse environments and combat missions, a single UAV typically carries multiple payloads. When faced with unforeseen circumstances, the ability to quickly load and unload payloads is crucial.

[0003] Traditional drone payload connection methods such as Figure 1 As shown, several vibration isolators are used between the payload-side mounting plate and the aircraft-side mounting plate to isolate high-frequency vibrations generated during aircraft operation. The aircraft-side mounting plate has several screw mounting holes that mate with the threaded mounting positions of the payload on the aircraft. Load installation involves tightening the screws, a process requiring tools (such as screwdrivers). Threadlocker is also used to prevent loosening during screw tightening, making payload disassembly difficult. The number of times the screws can be reused is limited, and spare screws are typically required for replacement. Electrical connections use payload-side connectors and aircraft-side connectors, also requiring threaded connections, presenting the same problems as mechanical connections. Therefore, traditional UAV payloads suffer from the following technical problems during connection: 1) Load loading and unloading require tools, and threadlocker must be applied during installation to prevent loosening; 2) Screws have a limited number of reuses, requiring spares; 3) Loading and unloading takes a long time.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to study a quick-release device and its application to address the shortcomings of existing technologies and to solve or mitigate one or more of the aforementioned problems. [Summary of the Invention]

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a quick-release device and its application. The quick-release device requires no tools during the entire assembly and disassembly process, and can achieve mechanical and electrical connection through quick assembly and disassembly, while retaining the function of traditional load isolation of high-frequency vibration.

[0006] On one hand, the present invention provides a quick-release device for quick assembly and disassembly between a drone and its payload. The quick-release device includes a payload sliding assembly and an onboard fixing assembly, which are detachably connected.

[0007] The onboard mounting assembly includes an onboard mounting base and an electrical connector plug. The electrical connector plug is fixed to the onboard mounting base. One side of the onboard mounting base is fixedly connected to the UAV, and the other side is provided with a slide rail.

[0008] The load sliding assembly includes: a load mounting frame, an electrical connector socket, an aircraft end mounting plate, a load end mounting plate, a vibration isolator, and two guide rail mechanisms. The aircraft end mounting plate is connected to the load mounting frame via the load end mounting plate. The vibration isolator is disposed between the aircraft end mounting plate and the load end mounting plate. The electrical connector socket and the two guide rail mechanisms are all fixed on the load mounting frame. The aircraft end mounting plate is snap-fitted to the UAV, and the load end mounting plate is fixedly connected to the UAV load.

[0009] The two guide rail mechanisms are detachably connected to the slide rails. One end of the electrical connector plug is electrically connected to the UAV, and the other end is electrically connected to the load through the electrical connector socket.

[0010] In addition to the aspects and any possible implementations described above, a further implementation is provided in which the on-board mounting base has four UAV threaded positions on one side and a slide rail on the other side. One end of the slide rail has a slot and two plug threaded positions. The UAV is fixedly connected to the on-board mounting base through the four UAV threaded positions. The electrical connector plug is disposed in the slot and fixedly connected to the on-board mounting base through the two plug threaded positions.

[0011] In addition to the aspects and any possible implementations described above, a further implementation is provided in which the two guide rail mechanisms include two guide rails, each of which is provided with a pressure plate, a handle, a pin, an elastic retaining ring, and an adjusting shim at the same end. The pressure plate is fixedly disposed on the outer side of the end of the guide rail, the adjusting shim is disposed between the pressure plate and the guide rail, and the elastic retaining ring is disposed at both ends of the pin and located between the end of the pin and the handle.

[0012] In addition to the aspects and any possible implementations described above, a further implementation is provided in which a fixed slot, a middle slot, and a movable slot are provided between the two guide rails, and the movable slot, the middle slot, and the fixed slot are arranged sequentially from one end of the handle.

[0013] In addition to the aspects and any possible implementations described above, a further implementation is provided in which the intermediate slot is an inverted trapezoid, the intermediate slot being fitted between the movable slot and the fixed slot, the base angle of the inverted trapezoid being 135° and the apex angle being 45°.

[0014] In addition to the aspects described above and any possible implementations, a further implementation is provided in which the guide rail mechanism is disposed on both sides of the load mounting frame.

[0015] In addition to the aspects described above and any possible implementations, a further implementation is provided in which the area of ​​the load-end mounting plate is not greater than the area of ​​the aircraft-end mounting plate.

[0016] In addition to the aspects and any possible implementations described above, a further implementation is provided in which the aircraft end mounting plate is provided with four mounting clips, the UAV is provided with clip connection holes, and the aircraft end mounting plate is connected to the clip connection holes on the UAV through the four mounting clips.

[0017] In addition to the aspects described above and any possible implementations, a further implementation is provided in which the quick-release device further includes a cable passing through a load mounting bracket, and the electrical connector socket is connected to the electrical connector plug via the cable.

[0018] In addition to the aspects described above and any possible implementation, an application of a quick-release device is provided, which is used to make physical and electrical connections between the UAV and its payload.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present invention can achieve the following technical effects:

[0020] 1. This invention enables load loading and unloading without tools;

[0021] 2. The quick-release device of this invention has a reliable connection and requires no subsequent maintenance;

[0022] 3. This invention can achieve rapid mechanical and electrical connections;

[0023] 4. This invention can maintain the original vibration isolation form of the load. If the original load does not require vibration isolation, this mechanism can still be used.

[0024] 5. The various components in this invention can be modularly fastened to the top structure.

[0025] Of course, any product implementing this invention does not necessarily need to achieve all of the technical effects described above at the same time. [Attached Image Description]

[0026] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the quick-release device described in the background section of this invention;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of a quick-release device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a top view of a quick-release device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a partial view of a copper plate water tank provided in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 These are six shapes of the water tank cross-section for a high-speed crystallizer provided in one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Implementation Methods

[0032] To better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] It should be understood that the described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] The terminology used in the embodiments of this invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” as used in the embodiments of this invention and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0035] This invention provides a quick assembly and disassembly device for a drone and its payload, the quick assembly and disassembly device comprising: a payload sliding assembly and an onboard fixing assembly, the payload sliding assembly and the onboard fixing assembly being detachably connected;

[0036] The onboard mounting assembly includes: an onboard mounting base, an electrical connector plug, and mounting base screws. The electrical connector plug is fixed to the onboard mounting base by the mounting base screws. One side of the onboard mounting base is fixedly connected to the UAV, and the other side is provided with a slide rail.

[0037] The load sliding assembly includes: a load mounting bracket, an electrical connector socket, an aircraft end mounting plate, a load end mounting plate, a vibration isolator, load screws, and two guide rail mechanisms. The aircraft end mounting plate is connected to the load mounting bracket via the load end mounting plate. The vibration isolator is disposed between the aircraft end mounting plate and the load end mounting plate. The electrical connector socket and the two guide rail mechanisms are all fixed to the load mounting bracket by load screws. The aircraft end mounting plate is snap-fitted to the UAV, and the load end mounting plate is fixedly connected to the load.

[0038] The two guide rail mechanisms are detachably connected to the slide rails. One end of the electrical connector plug is electrically connected to the UAV, and the other end is electrically connected to the load through the electrical connector socket.

[0039] The mounting base has four UAV threaded positions on one side and a slide rail on the other side. One end of the slide rail has a slot and two plug threaded positions. The UAV is fixedly connected to the mounting base via the four UAV threaded positions. The electrical connector plug is located in the slot and fixedly connected to the mounting base via the two plug threaded positions. The two guide rail mechanisms include two guide rails. Each end of the two guide rails has a pressure plate, a handle, a hinged screw, a pin, a spring retaining ring, an adjusting shim, a set screw, a pin, and a guide rail screw. The pressure plate is fixed to the outside of the guide rail end by the guide rail screw. One end of the hinged screw passes through the pressure plate and is located inside the guide rail, while the other end is connected to the handle via the pin. The adjusting shim is located between the pressure plate and the guide rail. The set screw is located through the fixing hole provided on the guide rail and the hinged screw. The spring retaining ring is located at both ends of the pin and between the pin end and the handle. The two guide rails have a fixed slot, a middle slot, and a movable slot, which are arranged sequentially from the handle end. The intermediate slot is an inverted trapezoid, fitting between the movable slot and the fixed slot. The base angle of the inverted trapezoid is 135°, and the apex angle is 45°. The guide rail mechanism is located on both sides of the load mounting frame. The area of ​​the load end mounting plate is no larger than the area of ​​the aircraft end mounting plate. The aircraft end mounting plate has four mounting clips, and the UAV has clip connection holes. The aircraft end mounting plate connects to the clip connection holes on the UAV through the four mounting clips.

[0040] The quick-release device also includes a cable that passes through the load mounting bracket, and the electrical connector socket is connected to the electrical connector plug via the cable.

[0041] The present invention also provides an application of a quick-release device, which is used to make physical and electrical connections between a drone and its payload.

[0042] Example 1:

[0043] This invention relates to a quick-release device consisting of an on-machine fixing component and a load sliding component. The on-machine fixing component is fixed to the carrier machine or other fixed parts, while the load sliding component is fixed to the load. To assemble the load, open the two handles on the load sliding component and slide the load inward along the slide rail of the on-machine fixing component. Once the load reaches the bottom of the slide rail, tighten the handles to complete the mechanical and electrical installation of the load. To disassemble the load, open the two handles on the load sliding component and pull the load outward along the slide rail of the on-machine fixing component to remove the load. The entire assembly and disassembly process requires no tools, enabling quick mechanical and electrical connections while retaining the traditional load's function of isolating high-frequency vibrations.

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, the onboard mounting assembly consists of an onboard mounting base, an electrical connector plug, and screws.

[0045] The mounting bracket is a part with a slide rail that can be fixed to the carrier or other fixed parts via four threaded positions on its top. At the bottom of the slide rail, there is a slotted position and two threaded positions for fixing the electrical connector plug.

[0046] like Figure 4 As shown, the load sliding assembly consists of two guide rail mechanisms, a load mounting bracket, an electrical connector socket, an aircraft end mounting plate, a load end mounting plate, a vibration isolator, and screws.

[0047] like Figure 3 As shown, the guide rail mechanism consists of a guide rail, a fixed slot, a middle slot, a movable slot, a pressure plate, a handle, a hinged screw, a pin, a spring retaining ring, an adjusting shim, a set screw, a pin, and a screw. The fixed slot, middle slot, and movable slot each have a groove of the same size, which allows them to slide into the guide rail without falling out. The fixed slot has a mounting hole with the guide rail for inserting a pin for fixation. The movable slot is threadedly connected to the pressure plate. The contact surfaces between the fixed slot and the middle slot, and between the middle slot and the movable slot, are at a 45° angle to the guide rail. When the pressure plate is pushed close to the guide rail, the middle slot can be lifted; when it is moved away, the middle slot falls freely under gravity. The handle can be rotated on the hinged screw via the pin and spring retaining ring. The hinged screw can be fixed to the guide rail. The handle and pressure plate form a cam mechanism, meaning that the handle allows the pressure plate to move closer to or further away from the guide rail, thereby adjusting the height of the middle slot. The hinge screw has a raised dot on its top, which slightly interferes with a flat surface inside the handle, preventing it from easily locking when the handle is open. The threaded connection between the hinge screw and the guide rail allows for coarse adjustment of the lifting height of the intermediate slot. An adjusting shim can be added between the pressure plate and the movable slot for fine adjustment of the lifting height of the intermediate slot. The hinge screw can be locked in place using a set screw at the threaded position on the top of the guide rail.

[0048] Several vibration isolators are used between the load-side mounting plate and the aircraft-side mounting plate to isolate high-frequency vibrations generated during aircraft operation. The aircraft-side mounting plate has four screw mounting holes that mate with the load mounting bracket, which can be used to mount two guide rail mechanisms and one electrical connector socket.

[0049] like Figure 5 As shown, when the load sliding assembly slides into the fixed assembly on the machine, the handle is in the open position, and the middle slot is pressed against the load mounting bracket by gravity, with a small gap inside the slide rail. When the load sliding assembly slides into the bottom of the fixed assembly on the machine, the electrical connector plug is precisely inserted into the socket. When the handle is tightened, the middle slot is lifted, achieving an interference fit with the slide rail, thereby using this friction to achieve a mechanical connection of the load.

[0050] The foregoing has provided a detailed description of a quick-release device and its application provided in the embodiments of this application. The descriptions of the embodiments above are merely for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this application; furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that, based on the ideas of this application, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0051] Certain terms are used in the specification and claims to refer to specific components. Those skilled in the art will understand that hardware manufacturers may use different names to refer to the same component. This specification and claims do not distinguish components based on differences in name, but rather on differences in function. The terms "comprising" and "including" used throughout the specification and claims are open-ended and should be interpreted as "comprising / including but not limited to". "Approximately" means that within an acceptable margin of error, those skilled in the art can solve the technical problem and substantially achieve the technical effect within a certain margin of error. The following descriptions in the specification are preferred embodiments for carrying out this application; however, these descriptions are for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. The scope of protection of this application shall be determined by the appended claims.

[0052] It should also be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a product or system comprising a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a product or system. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the product or system that includes said element.

[0053] It should be understood that the term "and / or" used in this article is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0054] The foregoing description illustrates and describes several preferred embodiments of this application. However, as previously stated, it should be understood that this application is not limited to the forms disclosed herein and should not be construed as excluding other embodiments. It can be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments, and can be altered within the scope of the application concept described herein through the foregoing teachings or techniques or knowledge in related fields. Any modifications and variations made by those skilled in the art that do not depart from the spirit and scope of this application should be within the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A quick-release device for rapid assembly and disassembly between a drone and its payload, characterized in that, The quick-release device includes a load sliding assembly and an on-machine fixing assembly, which are detachably connected. The onboard mounting assembly includes an onboard mounting base and an electrical connector plug. The electrical connector plug is fixed to the onboard mounting base. One side of the onboard mounting base is fixedly connected to the UAV, and the other side is provided with a slide rail. The load sliding assembly includes: a load mounting frame, an electrical connector socket, an aircraft end mounting plate, a load end mounting plate, a vibration isolator, and two guide rail mechanisms. The aircraft end mounting plate is connected to the load mounting frame via the load end mounting plate. The vibration isolator is disposed between the aircraft end mounting plate and the load end mounting plate. The electrical connector socket and the two guide rail mechanisms are all fixed on the load mounting frame. The aircraft end mounting plate is snap-fitted to the UAV, and the load end mounting plate is fixedly connected to the UAV load. The two guide rail mechanisms are detachably connected to the slide rails, and one end of the electrical connector plug is electrically connected to the UAV, while the other end is electrically connected to the load through the electrical connector socket. The two guide rail mechanisms include two guide rails. Each of the two guide rails is provided with a pressure plate, a handle, a pin, an elastic retaining ring, and an adjusting shim at the same end. The pressure plate is fixedly disposed on the outside of the end of the guide rail. The adjusting shim is disposed between the pressure plate and the guide rail. The elastic retaining ring is disposed at both ends of the pin and is located between the end of the pin and the handle. A fixed slot, a middle slot, and a movable slot are provided between the two guide rails, and the movable slot, the middle slot, and the fixed slot are arranged sequentially from one end of the handle; The intermediate slot is an inverted trapezoid, which fits between the movable slot and the fixed slot. The base angle of the inverted trapezoid is 135° and the apex angle is 45°. The handle and the pressure plate form a cam mechanism. When the handle is fastened, the cam mechanism drives the pressure plate, causing the middle slot to be lifted and to achieve an interference connection with the slide rail.

2. The quick-release device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting base has four UAV threaded positions on one side and a slide rail on the other side. One end of the slide rail has a slot and two plug threaded positions. The UAV is fixedly connected to the mounting base through the four UAV threaded positions. The electrical connector plug is set in the slot and fixedly connected to the mounting base through the two plug threaded positions.

3. The quick-release device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide rail mechanism is located on both sides of the load mounting frame.

4. The quick-release device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The area of ​​the load end mounting plate is not greater than the area of ​​the aircraft end mounting plate.

5. The quick-release device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The aircraft end mounting plate is provided with four mounting clips, and the drone is provided with clip connection holes. The aircraft end mounting plate is connected to the clip connection holes on the drone through the four mounting clips.

6. The quick-release device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The quick-release device also includes a cable that passes through the load mounting bracket, and the electrical connector socket is connected to the electrical connector plug via the cable.

7. The application of a quick-release device, characterized in that, The quick-release device described in any one of claims 1-6 is used to make physical and electrical connections between the drone and its payload.

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