A compact layout of a spherical drone

Abstract

The application relates to a compact layout spherical unmanned aerial vehicle, which comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle body, a spherical shell and a despinning frame, the despinning frame comprises a ring frame and a curved connecting rod, the ring frame is provided with a first connecting point, a second connecting point, a third connecting point and a fourth connecting point, the connecting line of the first connecting point and the second connecting point is a first connecting line, the connecting line of the third connecting point and the fourth connecting point is a second connecting line, and the first connecting line and the second connecting line are perpendicular to each other; the ring frame at the first connecting point and the second connecting point is rotationally connected with the top center and the bottom center of the spherical shell through first rolling bearings respectively, the two ends of the curved connecting rod are rotationally connected with the ring frame at the third connecting point and the fourth connecting point through second rolling bearings respectively, the first rolling bearing axis passes through the first connecting line, and the second rolling bearing axis passes through the second connecting line; the top of the unmanned aerial vehicle body is rotationally connected with the middle part of the curved connecting rod through a third rolling bearing, and the bottom of the unmanned aerial vehicle body is provided with a plurality of rotors.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle, and particularly relates to a compact layout spherical unmanned aerial vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] The spherical unmanned aerial vehicle at least includes three parts, a spherical shell, a connecting frame and an internal unmanned aerial vehicle. The current spherical shell design mostly adopts a banner-shaped spherical shell, which is composed of meridians and parallels. The composition is simple, but the impact resistance is not enough. Some connecting frames are composed of two rings. The size of the internal quadcopter is limited by the size of the innermost ring, resulting in low space utilization in the spherical shell. Some connecting frames are composed of a frame ring and a connecting straight rod. The size of the internal quadcopter is determined by the size of the frame ring, which improves the space utilization in the spherical shell. However, the straight rod mostly penetrates the unmanned aerial vehicle body, which requires a separate design of a suitable frame and is not suitable for ordinary rotor unmanned aerial vehicles.

[0003] The stronger the impact resistance of the spherical shell of the spherical unmanned aerial vehicle is, the stronger the overall anti-collision ability is. The more compact the internal layout of the spherical unmanned aerial vehicle is, the smaller the size design can be, and the anti-impact ability can be increased. The simple connection between the quadcopter and the connecting frame can increase the universality of the protection shell, so that an ordinary rotor unmanned aerial vehicle can also be designed and installed with a protection spherical shell. At present, there is no spherical unmanned aerial vehicle satisfying the above design in this field. SUMMARY

[0004] In order to solve one or several technical problems existing in the prior art, the present application provides a compact layout spherical unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0005] The technical scheme for solving the above technical problems is as follows: a compact layout spherical unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising an unmanned aerial vehicle body, a spherical shell and a despinning frame, the despinning frame comprising a ring frame and a curved connecting rod, the ring frame having a first connection point, a second connection point, a third connection point and a fourth connection point, the first connection point and the second connection point being connected by a first line, the third connection point and the fourth connection point being connected by a second line, the first line and the second line being perpendicular to each other and both passing through the center of the spherical shell.

[0006] The ring frame at the first connection point and the second connection point is rotatably connected to the center of the top and the center of the bottom of the spherical shell through a first rolling bearing, respectively. The two ends of the curved connecting rod are rotatably connected to the ring frame at the third connection point and the fourth connection point through a second rolling bearing, respectively. The axis of the first rolling bearing passes through the first line, and the axis of the second rolling bearing passes through the second line. The top of the unmanned aerial vehicle body is rotatably connected to the middle part of the curved connecting rod through a third rolling bearing. The bottom of the unmanned aerial vehicle body is provided with a plurality of rotors.

[0007] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: The compact spherical UAV of this invention employs a combination of a ring frame and curved connecting rods. The essential function of the curved connecting rods is to increase the vertical dimension of the UAV while reducing its horizontal dimension. The under-rotor layout essentially sacrifices stability to reduce the horizontal dimension, which can reduce the spacing between adjacent rotors, making the rotor spacing (rotor diameter / intervening rotor spacing * 100%) reach 92%. After reducing the size of the UAV, a smaller spherical shell can be designed. This makes the UAV body structure within the spherical shell compact and highly impact-resistant.

[0008] The despinning frame, equipped with three-degree-of-freedom rolling bearings, serves as the connecting and coupling component between the spherical shell and the drone. Composed of a ring frame, a curved connecting rod, and several rolling bearings, the three-axis despinning frame provides three rotational degrees of freedom, allowing the fixed connection between the spherical shell and the quadcopter drone to be released, ensuring their rotational movements do not interfere with each other. When the spherical drone collides with an external obstacle, the impact is absorbed by the shell, maintaining the quadcopter drone's stability.

[0009] Based on the above technical solution, the present invention can be further improved as follows.

[0010] Furthermore, the annular frame includes four arc-shaped rods and four first connectors. The four arc-shaped rods are connected sequentially through the first connectors to form the annular frame. The first connection point, the second connection point, the third connection point, and the fourth connection point are respectively located at the four first connectors.

[0011] The beneficial effects of adopting the above-mentioned further solution are: using four arc-shaped rods to form a ring frame facilitates connection and fixation, and improves structural stability.

[0012] Furthermore, the first connector includes two symmetrically arranged clamps, the two ends of which are fixedly connected to the ends of two adjacent arc-shaped rods, and the middle of the two clamps forms an assembly channel for installing the outer ring of the first rolling bearing or the outer ring of the second rolling bearing. The inner rings of the two first rolling bearings are fixedly connected to the top center and bottom center of the spherical shell, respectively.

[0013] The beneficial effect of adopting the above-mentioned further solution is that the rolling bearing and the arc-shaped rod are connected and fixed by the first connecting piece with two clamping plate structures.

[0014] Furthermore, a clamping gap is formed between the two ends of the two clamping plates, and the end of the arc-shaped rod is inserted into the clamping gap and fixedly connected to the clamping plates by screws.

[0015] Furthermore, the bending connecting rod includes a first straight rod segment, a diagonal rod segment, and a second straight rod segment. Both ends of the first straight rod segment are connected to diagonal rod segments, and the free ends of the diagonal rod segments are connected to the second straight rod segments. The second straight rod segments are arranged parallel to the first straight rod segments, and the angle between the diagonal rod segments and the first straight rod segments is greater than 90°. The top of the UAV body is rotatably connected to the middle of the first straight rod segment via a third rolling bearing. The free ends of the two second straight rod segments are rotatably connected to the annular frames at the third and fourth connection points via second rolling bearings. The axis of the third rolling bearing intersects the axis of the second rolling bearing.

[0016] The beneficial effect of adopting the above-mentioned further solution is that the structure of using straight rod segments and diagonal rod segments facilitates the connection between the UAV body and the ring frame.

[0017] Furthermore, the first straight rod segment includes two coaxially spaced straight rods, one end of each straight rod is connected to two diagonal rod segments, the other ends of the two straight rods are spaced apart and fixedly connected by a second connector, the outer ring of the third rolling bearing is fixedly connected to the second connector, and the inner ring of the third rolling bearing is fixedly connected to the top of the UAV body.

[0018] Furthermore, the top of the drone body is provided with an assembly plate, the peripheral edge of the assembly plate is fixedly connected to the top of the drone body, the assembly plate is arranged parallel to the top of the drone body, the middle part of the assembly plate is rotatably connected to the middle part of the curved connecting rod through a third rolling bearing, and the axis of the third rolling bearing is arranged perpendicular to the assembly plate.

[0019] The beneficial effect of adopting the above-mentioned further solution is that the mounting plate facilitates the connection between the UAV body and the bending link.

[0020] Furthermore, the spherical shell comprises multiple regular polyhedra, which together form the spherical shell. Each regular polyhedron is formed by multiple connecting rods connected sequentially, and adjacent connecting rods are connected by a node.

[0021] The beneficial effects of adopting the above-mentioned further solution are: the spherical shell adopts a regular polyhedral design, which has all-round protection capabilities, can prevent the drone propeller from contacting obstacles, and when a collision occurs, the impact force is evenly distributed, resulting in a stronger impact resistance effect.

[0022] Furthermore, the spherical shell is a regular dodecahedral spherical shell structure, including 90 connecting rods and 60 nodes; the spherical shell is connected by the 90 connecting rods and 60 nodes to form 12 regular pentagons and 20 regular hexagons, and the four sides of each regular pentagon are regular hexagons; the regular pentagons at the top and bottom of the spherical shell are provided with spoke connectors, and the center of the spoke connectors is rotatably connected to the annular frame through a first rolling bearing.

[0023] The beneficial effects of adopting the above-mentioned further scheme are as follows: Choosing a regular dodecahedron as the spherical shell has several advantages. On the one hand, the dodecahedron has a high degree of sphericity, and its outer frame is approximately a sphere. This prevents significant disturbance to the quadcopter drone during collisions due to sharp edges. Furthermore, the collision force exhibits good isotropic properties. Additionally, its structural complexity is moderate, reducing design and manufacturing difficulty and the weight of the spherical shell. The regular dodecahedron spherical shell consists of 60 nodes and 90 edges. The spherical frame contains 12 pentagons and 20 hexagons, exhibiting excellent symmetry. The frame is composed only of identical edges and connecting nodes, and the diameter of the spherical drone is only related to the edge length of the regular dodecahedron.

[0024] Furthermore, the length of the connecting rod is a. and These are the unit normal vectors of the pentagon and hexagon, respectively; the angle between the connecting rod forming the regular hexagon and the face of the adjacent regular pentagon is θ. l65 The angle between the face containing the regular hexagon and the face containing the adjacent regular pentagon is θ. p65 The angle between the face containing the regular hexagon and the face containing the adjacent regular hexagon is θ. p66 The height of the regular pentagon is h5, the height of the regular pentagon is h6, and the distance d between the regular pentagon at the top and bottom of the spherical shell is... 55 The distance d between two relatively parallel regular hexagons 66 The distance between the two farthest connecting rods in the spherical shell is d. a The distance between the two farthest connecting rods in the spherical shell is d. p ;

[0025] in,

[0026]

[0027]

[0028]

[0029]

[0030] θ p66=π-2θ p65 -2θ l65 ;

[0031] h5=a(cos(18°)+cos(54°));

[0032] h6 = 2acos(30°). Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the compactly arranged spherical unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure connecting the UAV body and the curved connecting rod of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3 This is a structural schematic diagram of the relevant parameters of the spherical shell of the present invention. Figure 1 ;

[0036] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of the relevant parameters of the spherical shell of the present invention. Figure 2 ;

[0037] Figure 5 This is a structural schematic diagram of the relevant parameters of the spherical shell of the present invention. Figure 3 ;

[0038] Figure 6 This is a structural schematic diagram of the relevant parameters of the spherical shell of the present invention. Figure 4 ;

[0039] Figure 7a A schematic diagram of the power layout with the rotor mounted on top of the drone body;

[0040] Figure 7b For the power layout of the drone body, adopt Figure 7a A schematic diagram of a rotor in a statically stable state;

[0041] Figure 8a A schematic diagram of the power layout of the UAV with its rotor mounted on the bottom;

[0042] Figure 8b For the power layout of the drone body, adopt Figure 8a A schematic diagram of a rotor in a statically unstable state;

[0043] Figure 9a shows the adoption Figure 8a When the rotor is positioned under the rotor, different static states are caused by different center of gravity positions;

[0044] Figure 9b shows the adoption of Figure 8b When the rotor is positioned under the rotor, different static states are caused by different center of gravity positions.

[0045] The attached diagram lists the components represented by each number as follows:

[0046] 1. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) body; 11. Rotor; 12. Assembly plate; 13. Second connector;

[0047] 2. Connecting rod; 21. Joint; 22. Spoke connector;

[0048] 3. Circular frame; 31. Bending connecting rod; 32. Arc-shaped rod; 33. First connecting piece; 34. Clamping plate; 35. Screw; 36. Straight rod; 37. Diagonal rod section; 38. Second straight rod section;

[0049] 4. First rolling bearing; 41. Second rolling bearing; 42. Third rolling bearing. Detailed Implementation

[0050] The principles and features of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The examples given are only for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0051] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a compact spherical drone of this embodiment includes a drone body 1, a spherical shell, and a despinning frame. The despinning frame includes an annular frame 3 and a curved connecting rod 31. The annular frame 3 has a first connection point, a second connection point, a third connection point, and a fourth connection point. The line connecting the first connection point and the second connection point is the first connection line, and the line connecting the third connection point and the fourth connection point is the second connection line. The first connection line and the second connection line are perpendicular to each other and both pass through the center of the spherical shell.

[0052] The annular frame 3 at the first and second connection points is rotatably connected to the top center and bottom center of the spherical shell respectively via the first rolling bearing 4. The two ends of the bent connecting rod 31 are rotatably connected to the annular frame 3 at the third and fourth connection points respectively via the second rolling bearing 41. The axis of the first rolling bearing 4 passes through the first connecting line, and the axis of the second rolling bearing 41 passes through the second connecting line. The top of the UAV body 1 is rotatably connected to the middle of the bent connecting rod 31 via the third rolling bearing 42. The bottom of the UAV body 1 is provided with multiple rotors 11.

[0053] The drone body 1 can be a tri-rotor drone, a quadcopter drone, etc., meaning the number of rotors 11 can be arbitrarily set. The connecting rod 2 is a straight structure, which can be made of carbon fiber. Adjacent connecting rods 2 are connected by nodes 21, which can be manufactured by 3D printing, combining the advantages of light weight and high strength. Choosing a quadcopter drone as the internal power source and control unit has the advantages of simple structural composition and control method, and powerful performance. A connecting component (assembly plate) can be designed on the top of the drone, making disassembly simple. Different shapes of connecting components can be designed for different drones, making the spherical shell suitable for more common drones.

[0054] This embodiment features a compact spherical UAV with a combination of a ring frame and curved links. The curved links essentially increase the UAV's vertical dimensions while reducing its horizontal dimensions. The under-rotor layout sacrifices stability for the reduced horizontal dimensions, allowing for a smaller spacing between adjacent rotors. This results in a rotor spacing (rotor diameter / intervening rotor spacing * 100%) of 92%, enabling the design of a smaller spherical shell. This makes the UAV's internal structure compact and highly impact-resistant. The de-rotation frame has three degrees of freedom rolling bearings, serving as the connecting coupling between the spherical shell and the UAV. The three-axis de-rotation frame, consisting of a ring frame, a curved link, and several rolling bearings, provides three rotational degrees of freedom, allowing the fixed connection between the spherical shell and the quadcopter UAV to be released, ensuring their rotational movements do not interfere with each other. When the spherical UAV collides with an external obstacle, the impact is absorbed by the shell, maintaining the quadcopter UAV's stability.

[0055] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the annular frame 3 in this embodiment includes four arc-shaped rods 32 and four first connecting members 33. The four arc-shaped rods 32 are connected sequentially through the first connecting members 33 to form the annular frame. The first connection point, second connection point, third connection point, and fourth connection point are respectively located at the four first connecting members 33. The annular frame can adopt a near-square structure, with arc-shaped corners, while the annular frame at the first connecting members 33 has a straight structure to facilitate connection with the first connecting members 33. Using four arc-shaped rods to form the annular frame facilitates connection and fixation, resulting in better structural stability.

[0056] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the first connector 33 in this embodiment includes two symmetrically arranged clamping plates 34. The two ends of the clamping plates 34 are respectively fixedly connected to the ends of two adjacent arc-shaped rods 32. The middle portion of the two clamping plates 34 forms an assembly channel for installing the outer ring of the first rolling bearing 4 or the outer ring of the second rolling bearing 41. The inner rings of the two first rolling bearings 4 are respectively fixedly connected to the top center and bottom center of the spherical shell. The first connector using a two-clamping-plate structure connects and fixes the rolling bearings to the arc-shaped rods. The middle portion of the clamping plates 34 has an arc-shaped structure, and the two clamping plates 34, when joined together, easily form a circular assembly channel.

[0057] like Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, a clamping gap is formed between the two ends of the two clamping plates 34. The end of the arc-shaped rod 32 is inserted into the clamping gap and fixedly connected to the clamping plate 34 by screws 35. Both ends of each clamping plate 34 are connected and fixed to the arc-shaped rod 32 by screws 35.

[0058] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the bending connecting rod 31 in this embodiment includes a first straight rod segment, an inclined rod segment 37, and a second straight rod segment 38. Both ends of the first straight rod segment are connected to the inclined rod segment 37, and the free ends of the inclined rod segments 37 are connected to the second straight rod segments 38. The second straight rod segments 38 are arranged parallel to the first straight rod segment, and the angle between the inclined rod segments 37 and the first straight rod segment is greater than 90°. The top of the UAV body 2 is rotatably connected to the middle of the first straight rod segment via a third rolling bearing 42. The free ends of the two second straight rod segments 38 are rotatably connected to the annular frame 3 at the third and fourth connection points via second rolling bearings 41. The axis of the third rolling bearing 42 intersects the axis of the second rolling bearing 41. This structure, combining straight and inclined rod segments, facilitates the connection between the UAV body and the annular frame.

[0059] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the first straight rod segment in this embodiment includes two coaxially spaced straight rods 36. One end of each straight rod 36 is connected to two inclined rod segments 37. The other ends of the two straight rods 36 are spaced apart and fixedly connected by a second connector 13. The outer ring of the third rolling bearing 42 is fixedly connected to the second connector 13, and the inner ring of the third rolling bearing 42 is fixedly connected to the top of the UAV body 1. Specifically, as shown... Figure 2 As shown, the straight rod, the diagonal rod segment 37, and the second straight rod segment 38 are integrally connected to form a Z-shaped structure. The structure of the second connecting member 13 is the same as that of the first connecting member 33, which also uses two clamping plates to hold the ends of the straight rod 36 and fix them together with screws.

[0060] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the top of the drone body 1 is provided with an assembly plate 12. The peripheral edge of the assembly plate 12 is fixedly connected to the top of the drone body 1. The assembly plate 12 is arranged parallel to the top of the drone body 1. The middle part of the assembly plate 12 is rotatably connected to the middle part of the curved connecting rod 31 through a third rolling bearing 42. The axis of the third rolling bearing 42 is arranged perpendicular to the assembly plate 12. The assembly plate facilitates the connection between the drone body and the curved connecting rod.

[0061] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the spherical shell in this embodiment comprises multiple regular polyhedra, which together form the spherical shell. Each regular polyhedron is formed by multiple connecting rods 2 connected sequentially, and adjacent connecting rods 2 are connected by a node 21. The spherical shell adopts a regular polyhedron design, which has all-round protection capabilities, can prevent the drone propeller from contacting obstacles, and when a collision occurs, the impact force is evenly distributed, resulting in stronger impact resistance.

[0062] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the spherical shell in this embodiment is a regular dodecahedron spherical shell structure, including 90 connecting rods 2 and 60 nodes 21. The spherical shell is connected by the 90 connecting rods 2 and 60 nodes 21 to form 12 regular pentagons and 20 regular hexagons, with each regular pentagon having four regular hexagons on all four sides. The regular pentagons at the top and bottom of the spherical shell are provided with spoke connectors 22, and the center of each spoke connector 22 is rotatably connected to the annular frame 3 through a first rolling bearing 4. Choosing a regular dodecahedron as the spherical shell has several advantages. On the one hand, the dodecahedron has a high degree of sphericity, and the outer frame is approximately a sphere, so it will not cause significant disturbance to the quadcopter UAV during a collision due to obvious sharp edges. The collision force also has good isotropic properties during a collision. Furthermore, its structural complexity is moderate, reducing the design and manufacturing difficulty and the weight of the spherical shell. The dodecahedral spherical shell consists of 60 nodes and 90 edges. The spherical frame contains 12 pentagons and 20 hexagons. The frame structure has good symmetry. The frame consists of only two parts: identical edges and connecting nodes. The diameter of the spherical UAV is only related to the edge length of the dodecahedral.

[0063] like Figures 3 to 6 As shown, the length of the connecting rod 2 in this embodiment is 'a' (this length can be set as needed). and These are the unit normal vectors of the pentagon and hexagon, respectively; the angle between the connecting rod 2 forming the regular hexagon and the face of the adjacent regular pentagon is θ. l65 The angle between the face containing the regular hexagon and the face containing the adjacent regular pentagon is θ. p65The angle between the face containing the regular hexagon and the face containing the adjacent regular hexagon is θ. p66 The height of the regular pentagon is h5, the height of the regular pentagon is h6, and the distance d between the regular pentagon at the top and bottom of the spherical shell is... 55 The distance d between two relatively parallel regular hexagons 66 The distance between the two farthest connecting rods 2 in the spherical shell is d. a The distance between the two farthest connecting rods 2 in the spherical shell is d. p ;

[0064] in,

[0065]

[0066]

[0067]

[0068] θ p66 =π-2θ p65 -2θ l65 ;h5=a(cos(18°)+cos(54°)); h6=2acos(30°).

[0069] This embodiment features a compact spherical drone. Reducing the diameter of the spherical drone essentially means reducing the propeller pitch (the distance between the rotors). If the drone cannot accommodate additional components horizontally, the drone body can be designed using a stacking method, such as... Figure 7a , Figure 7b , Figure 8a and Figure 8b As shown in the image. There are two ways to install the drone body: one is to install it with the rotor on top, as shown in the image. Figure 7a As shown, the center of gravity G is below the point of application of lift P, and the rotor is in a statically stable state during flight. Figure 7b As shown. However, the proximity of the rotor to the bending rod increases the diameter of the triaxial annular frame, which in turn increases the diameter of the spherical shell. Another mounting method is to mount the rotor below, as shown... Figure 8a As shown, the center of gravity G is above the point of application of lift P, and the UAV body is in a statically unstable state during flight. Figure 8b As shown, by adjusting the bending rod, the rotor plane of the UAV body can be brought closer to the center of the despinning frame to obtain the maximum layout space inside the spherical shell. Considering that the UAV itself has stable control capabilities and can fly smoothly in a statically unstable state, this paper chooses... Figure 8a The rotor mounting method at the bottom achieves the design specifications for a small-sized spherical drone.

[0070] If a spherical drone quadcopter can maintain its position in any environment Figure 8a The attitude shown in Figures 9a and 9b indicates that the UAV has the ability to take off and land at will. The attitude of taking off and landing at will is determined by the relative position of the UAV’s center of gravity and the bending stick.

[0071] When the distance H1 between the two curved rods is less than the distance H2 between the curved rod and the center of gravity G, the quadcopter drone, along with the curved connecting rod, is stably positioned at the bottom of the spherical frame, as shown in Figure 9a, and has the ability to take off and land in any environment. When H1 is greater than H2, as shown in Figure 9b, the drone body, along with the curved connecting rod, is stably positioned at the top of the spherical shell, and does not have the ability to take off and land in any environment. In the design of a spherical drone, simply adjusting H1 to be less than H2 is sufficient to achieve the function of taking off and landing in any environment.

[0072] The compact spherical UAV layout of this embodiment is of great significance for the safe flight of the UAV in complex environments. This embodiment proposes a spherical UAV with a curved linkage and a lower-mounted rotor layout. By moving the horizontally positioned rotor components on the UAV body to the vertical direction, the horizontal layout of the UAV rotor is made more compact. For UAVs using propellers (i.e., rotors) of the same size, a smaller wheelbase can be obtained, resulting in a smaller despinning frame and a smaller spherical shell. This allows the spherical UAV to adapt to more confined environments. Furthermore, a smaller UAV has lower internal stress and stronger impact resistance. This solution is significant for improving the impact resistance and environmental exploration capabilities of spherical UAVs. At the same time, the spherical UAV designed in this solution has a simple connection between the spherical shell and the UAV, and the protective shell has a certain degree of versatility. This design method can be used to design protective shells for ordinary UAVs.

[0073] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0074] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0075] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise explicitly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0076] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0077] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0078] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A compactly designed spherical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), characterized in that, The device includes a drone body, a spherical shell, and a despinning frame. The despinning frame includes an annular frame and a curved connecting rod. The annular frame has a first connection point, a second connection point, a third connection point, and a fourth connection point. The line connecting the first connection point and the second connection point is the first connection line, and the line connecting the third connection point and the fourth connection point is the second connection line. The first connection line and the second connection line are perpendicular to each other and both pass through the center of the spherical shell. The annular frames at the first and second connection points are rotatably connected to the top and bottom centers of the spherical shell via first rolling bearings, respectively. The two ends of the curved connecting rod are rotatably connected to the annular frames at the third and fourth connection points via second rolling bearings, respectively. The axis of the first rolling bearing passes through the first connecting line, and the axis of the second rolling bearing passes through the second connecting line. The top of the UAV body is rotatably connected to the middle of the curved connecting rod via a third rolling bearing, and the bottom of the UAV body is provided with multiple rotors. The bending connecting rod includes a first straight rod segment, a diagonal rod segment, and a second straight rod segment. Both ends of the first straight rod segment are connected to diagonal rod segments, and the free ends of the diagonal rod segments are connected to the second straight rod segments. The second straight rod segments are arranged parallel to the first straight rod segments, and the angle between the diagonal rod segments and the first straight rod segments is greater than 90°. The top of the UAV body is rotatably connected to the middle of the first straight rod segment via a third rolling bearing. The free ends of the two second straight rod segments are rotatably connected to the annular frames at the third and fourth connection points via second rolling bearings. The axis of the third rolling bearing intersects the axis of the second rolling bearing. The first straight rod segment includes two straight rods arranged coaxially at intervals. One end of each of the two straight rods is connected to two diagonal rod segments. The other ends of the two straight rods are arranged at intervals and fixedly connected by a second connector. The outer ring of the third rolling bearing is fixedly connected to the second connector, and the inner ring of the third rolling bearing is fixedly connected to the top of the UAV body. The drone body is mounted with the rotor at the bottom, and the center of gravity is... At the point of application of lift Above, during flight, the drone body is in a statically unstable state. By adjusting the bending rod, the rotor plane of the drone body can be brought closer to the middle position of the despinning frame to obtain the maximum layout space inside the spherical shell. When the distance between the bending link and the line connecting the bending links Smaller than the bending rod and center of gravity distance At that time, the quadcopter drone, along with its curved connecting rod, is stably positioned under the spherical frame, enabling it to take off and land in any environment; when Greater than At that time, the drone body, along with the curved connecting rod, was stably placed on the upper part of the spherical shell, and it did not have the ability to take off and land in any environment; the spherical drone design was adjusted during the process. Less than To enable spherical drones to take off and land in any environment.

2. The compact spherical UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that, The annular frame includes four arc-shaped rods and four first connectors. The four arc-shaped rods are connected sequentially through the first connectors to form the annular frame. The first connection point, the second connection point, the third connection point, and the fourth connection point are respectively located at the four first connectors.

3. The compact spherical UAV according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first connector includes two symmetrically arranged clamps. The two ends of the two clamps are fixedly connected to the ends of two adjacent arc-shaped rods, respectively. The middle of the two clamps forms an assembly channel for installing the outer ring of the first rolling bearing or the outer ring of the second rolling bearing. The inner rings of the two first rolling bearings are fixedly connected to the top center and bottom center of the spherical shell, respectively.

4. A compact spherical unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that, A clamping gap is formed between the two ends of the two clamping plates, and the end of the arc-shaped rod is inserted into the clamping gap and fixedly connected to the clamping plates by screws.

5. A compact spherical unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the drone body is provided with an assembly plate, the peripheral edge of the assembly plate is fixedly connected to the top of the drone body, the assembly plate is arranged parallel to the top of the drone body, the middle part of the assembly plate is rotatably connected to the middle part of the curved connecting rod through a third rolling bearing, and the axis of the third rolling bearing is arranged perpendicular to the assembly plate.

6. A compact spherical unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The spherical shell comprises multiple regular polyhedra, which together form the spherical shell. Each regular polyhedron is formed by multiple connecting rods connected sequentially, and adjacent connecting rods are connected by a node.

7. A compact spherical unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 6, characterized in that, The spherical shell is a regular dodecahedral spherical shell structure, including 90 connecting rods and 60 nodes; the spherical shell is connected by the 90 connecting rods and 60 nodes to form 12 regular pentagons and 20 regular hexagons, and the four sides of each regular pentagon are regular hexagons; the regular pentagons at the top and bottom of the spherical shell are provided with spoke connectors, and the center of the spoke connectors is rotatably connected to the annular frame through a first rolling bearing.

8. A compact spherical unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 7, characterized in that, The length of the connecting rod is a. and These are the unit normal vectors of the pentagon and hexagon, respectively; the angle between the connecting rod forming the regular hexagon and the face of the adjacent regular pentagon is... The angle between the face of the regular hexagon and the face of the adjacent regular pentagon is... The angle between the face containing the regular hexagon and the face containing the adjacent regular hexagon is... The height of the regular pentagon is The height of the regular pentagon is The distance between the regular pentagon at the top and the regular pentagon at the bottom of the spherical shell The distance between two relatively parallel regular hexagons The distance between the two farthest connecting rods in the spherical shell is The distance between the two farthest connecting rods in the spherical shell is ; in, ; ； ； ； ； ； ； ； 。

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