A cutting tool, a UAV and a tree barrier clearing method

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of tree barrier cleaning equipment, and discloses a cutting tool, an unmanned aerial vehicle and a tree barrier cleaning method. The cutting tool comprises a first support, at least one side of the first support in a first direction is provided with a cutting saw, the cutting saw and the first support are rotationally connected and form a first rotation shaft, the first rotation shaft is parallel to the first direction, the first support is provided with a clamping support opposite to the cutting saw, the clamping support and the first support are rotationally connected and form a second rotation shaft, and the clamping support and the cutting saw are arranged in a staggered mode in the first direction; the cutting saw and the clamping support are respectively provided with driving forces by first driving devices and second driving devices fixed on the first support. The application has the beneficial effects that the cutting tool and the branches are stably clamped, the trimming angle is adjustable, the cutting tool can cope with the cleaning working conditions of complex tree barriers, the working efficiency is high, and the safety is high.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of tree barrier cleaning equipment, in particular to a cutting tool, a UAV and a tree barrier cleaning method. BACKGROUND

[0002] In recent years, fast-growing forests are planted on a large scale, causing power grid enterprises to have power transmission line tripping situations due to insufficient safety distance of lines and trees every year, which has caused great threat to the safe and stable operation of power grids and power supply reliability. How to clean the trees along the power transmission line with insufficient safety distance has been a difficult problem for power transmission line operators.

[0003] The prior art mainly uses two methods, one is manual pruning, and the other is unmanned aerial vehicle pruning. Manual pruning has low safety. The cutting tool of the unmanned aerial vehicle pruning is generally a single saw type cutting tool, which is directly installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle for tree barrier cleaning. Since the branches are elastic, the cutting tool and the branches are prone to slip, resulting in low cutting efficiency. In addition, the cutting tool of the unmanned aerial vehicle has a fixed pruning angle and is not easy to adjust. The cleaning effect of complex tree barriers is poor, which can easily cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to crash and cause losses. At the same time, manual assistance is required for pruning complex tree barriers, which has low safety and low work efficiency. SUMMARY

[0004] The purpose of the present application is to provide a cutting tool, a UAV and a tree barrier cleaning method, which aims to solve the technical problems of the prior art, such as the cutting tool of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the branches being prone to slip, the pruning angle being fixed, not being easy to adjust, being unable to cope with the cleaning of complex tree barriers, having low work efficiency and low safety.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application provides a cutting tool, which comprises a first support, a cutting saw provided on at least one side of the first support along a first direction, the cutting saw and the first support being rotationally connected and forming a first rotation axis, the first rotation axis being parallel to the first direction, a clamping support provided on the first support and opposite to the cutting saw, the clamping support and the first support being rotationally connected and forming a second rotation axis, and the clamping support and the cutting saw being arranged in a staggered manner in the first direction.

[0006] The cutting saw and the clamping support are respectively provided with driving force by a first driving device and a second driving device fixed on the first support. The clamping support is rotated to a certain angle with the first support under the driving of the first driving device and is used for clamping branches. The cutting saw is rotated under the driving of the second driving device and is used for cutting branches.

[0007] Further, a rotating assembly is further included, the rotating assembly includes a second support, the second support includes a third driving device, an output end of the third driving device is rotationally connected with the first support and forms a third rotation axis, and the third rotation axis is perpendicular to the first rotation axis.

[0008] Further, the first support is provided with a through slot, the clamping support is rotatable relative to the first support and is accommodated in the through slot.

[0009] Further, opposite sides of the first support along a rotation direction of the cutting knife saw are both provided with outwardly extending protrusions, and opposite sides of the clamping support along a rotation direction of the clamping support are both provided with a plurality of groups of outwardly extending clamping protrusions.

[0010] Further, one end of the clamping support rotationally connected with the first support is a proximal end, and the other end of the clamping support away from the first support is a distal end; wherein along a direction from the distal end to the proximal end, intervals between the plurality of groups of clamping protrusions gradually decrease, and lengths of the plurality of groups of clamping protrusions outwardly extending gradually decrease.

[0011] Further, the first support, the cutting knife saw and the clamping support are all arc-shaped structures.

[0012] The application further provides an unmanned aerial vehicle, which includes the cutting knife mentioned above and further includes an unmanned aerial vehicle body, a power module and a rotating support, the cutting knife is installed on the rotating support, the rotating support is provided with an accommodation cavity for accommodating the unmanned aerial vehicle body, the unmanned aerial vehicle body is arranged in the accommodation cavity, a driving mechanism is arranged in the unmanned aerial vehicle body, the cutting knife, the driving mechanism and the power module are electrically connected, an output end of the driving mechanism is provided with a transmission gear, an inner side wall of the accommodation cavity is provided with a driving tooth, and the transmission gear and the driving tooth are engaged to drive the rotating support to rotate relative to the unmanned aerial vehicle body.

[0013] Further, a mounting groove is arranged on a top of the rotating support, the cutting knife is rotationally installed in the mounting groove, a fourth driving device is arranged on the rotating support, the fourth driving device is used for driving the cutting knife to rotate relative to the rotating support and forms a fourth rotation axis, and the fourth rotation axis is parallel to the first rotation axis.

[0014] Further, a visual detection module or a sensor module is further included.

[0015] The application further provides a tree barrier cleaning method, which adopts the unmanned aerial vehicle mentioned above and includes the following steps.

[0016] Control the drone to fly to the tree obstacle clearing position, rotate the cutting blade to the branch cutting position, the first support and the second support rotate to make the first position adjustment, so that the branch is in the clamping range of the clamping support, the clamping support rotates to clamp the branch, and the cutting blade rotates to cut.

[0017] After the cutting is completed, the clamping bracket holds the branch in place. The drone is controlled by the remote controller to fly to the branch throwing position. The first bracket, the second bracket, and the rotating bracket rotate to make a second posture adjustment. The clamping bracket opens to throw the branch.

[0018] Compared with existing technologies, the cutting tool provided by this invention has the following advantages: It includes a first support, a cutting saw, and a clamping support. Before cutting branches, the branches are clamped and fixed, and then the cutting tool cuts the branches, preventing slippage during cutting. Furthermore, the cutting tool and the clamping support are rotatably connected to the first support, allowing adjustment of the clamping tightness and the cutting angle of the cutting tool. This makes it suitable for clearing complex tree obstacles and improves work efficiency. The drone provided by this invention has a rotating support, which can be rotated via a drive mechanism to adjust the overall cutting position of the cutting tool. This position adjustment is convenient, improves work efficiency, and ensures high safety. This invention also provides a tree obstacle clearing method. During branch cutting, a first attitude adjustment is performed to facilitate branch clamping. After cutting, a second attitude adjustment is performed to prevent interference with drone flight when discarding branches, ensuring stable and reliable control. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cutting tool according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a front view of the cutting tool according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the UAV according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 This is an exploded view of the components of the UAV according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the cutting blade and the rotating support of the UAV in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the UAV according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the main body of the drone according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 8This is a cross-sectional view of the UAV from another perspective in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 9 yes Figure 8 A magnified view of a section at point A in the middle;

[0028] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the battery module of the drone according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the rotating support structure of the drone according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] In the diagram: 1. UAV body; 1002. Through hole; 1001. Electrical contact; 1003. Arc-shaped groove; 1004. Positioning surface; 1005. Conductive contact; 1006. Wedge-shaped protrusion; 1007. Drive gear; 1008. Transmission gear; 2. Power module; 2001. Limiting groove; 2002. Wedge-shaped slide groove; 2003. Power receiving groove; 3. Rotating bracket; 3001. Drive gear; 3002. Conductive groove; 3003, platform; 3004, mounting gimbal; 3005, mounting groove; 3006, arc-shaped protrusion; 4, cutting tool; 4001, second bracket; 4002, first bracket; 4003, cutting saw; 4004, clamping bracket; 4005, protrusion; 4006, clamping spike; 4007, through groove; a-first rotating shaft; b-second rotating shaft; c-third rotating shaft; d-fourth rotating shaft. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0032] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "inner," and "outer," etc., used in this invention to indicate orientation or positional relationships are based on the positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are used only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device and element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

[0033] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "first," "second," etc., are used to describe various types of information, but these terms are not limited to them; they are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this invention, "first" information may also be referred to as "second" information, and similarly, "second" information may also be referred to as "first" information.

[0034] For ease of explanation, the axial direction of the first rotation axis a is now defined as the first direction. The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a cutting tool 4, which can be installed on a drone for use. It includes a first bracket 4002, which serves as a mounting carrier for mounting other components. A cutting saw 4003 is provided on at least one side of the first bracket 4002 along a first direction. The cutting saw 4003 and the first bracket 4002 are rotatably connected to form a first rotating shaft a, which is parallel to the first direction. A clamping bracket 4004 is provided on the first bracket 4002 opposite to the cutting saw 4003. The clamping bracket 4004 and the first bracket 4002 are rotatably connected to form a second rotating shaft b. The clamping bracket 4004 and the cutting saw 4003 are offset in the first direction.

[0036] To facilitate the rotation of the cutting saw 4003 and the clamping bracket 4004, the cutting saw 4003 and the clamping bracket 4004 are driven by a first driving device and a second driving device fixed on the first bracket 4002, respectively. The first driving device and the second driving device are adaptively configured according to the connection position of the cutting saw 4003 and the clamping bracket 4004 with the first bracket 4002. The first driving device and the second driving device are not shown in the figure, only their respective rotation axes are shown. The output end of the first driving device is coaxial with the first rotation axis a, and the output end of the second driving device is coaxial with the second rotation axis b. The specific installation method can be adjusted according to the actual design. In this embodiment, the first driving device and the second driving device have the same structure and can both be motors. The clamping bracket 4004 rotates under the drive of the first driving device to form a certain angle with the first bracket 4002 and is used to clamp the branches. The cutting saw 4003 rotates under the drive of the second driving device and is used to cut the branches.

[0037] In this embodiment, in order to reduce the overall size of the cutting tool, such as Figure 2 As shown, the cutting saw 4003 and the clamping bracket 4004 are located at both ends of the first bracket 4002 and are arranged opposite to each other; furthermore, in order to facilitate the cutting of branches, the first bracket 4002 is provided with cutting saws 4003 on both sides along the first direction, and the cutting saw on either side can be activated for operation according to the actual working conditions.

[0038] To further adjust the trimming angle of cutting blade 4 and adapt it to more complex tree obstacle removal situations, please refer to... Figure 1The cutting tool 4 also includes a rotating assembly, which includes a second support 4001. The second support 4001 includes a third driving device. The output end of the third driving device is rotatably connected to the first support 4002 to form a third rotating shaft c, which is perpendicular to the first rotating shaft a. This allows for position adjustment of the cutting tool in three-dimensional space. Similarly, in this embodiment, the third driving device is also a motor.

[0039] To facilitate clamping tree branches and reduce the overall structure of the cutting tool, the first support 4002 is equipped with cutting saws 4003 on both sides along the first direction. The first support 4002 has a through groove 4007, and the clamping support 4004 can rotate relative to the first support 4002 and be accommodated within the through groove 4007. Driven by the second drive device, the clamping support 4004 can rotate 360°, allowing it to cooperate with the first support 4002 to clamp branches from bottom to top or vice versa.

[0040] Furthermore, to prevent the branch from slipping during clamping, the first support 4002 and the clamping support 4004 are designed biomimetously, referencing the structure of the foreleg femur and tibiae of a mantis. Specifically, in this embodiment, the first support 4002 has outwardly extending protrusions 4005 spaced apart on both opposite sides along the rotation direction of the cutting saw 4003, and the clamping support 4004 has several sets of outwardly extending clamping spikes 4006 spaced apart on both opposite sides along its rotation direction. The end of the clamping support 4004 rotatably connected to the first support 4002 is defined as the proximal end, and the end away from the first support 4002 is defined as the distal end. (See also...) Figure 1 , Figure 2 Along the direction from the distal end to the proximal end, the interval between several sets of clamping spikes 4006 gradually decreases, and the outward extension length of several sets of clamping spikes 4006 decreases sequentially. This design makes the branch clamping process more stable and prevents the branch from slipping during or after cutting. Furthermore, the first support 4002, the cutting saw 4003, and the clamping support 4004 are all arc-shaped structures.

[0041] To adapt the cutting tool provided by this invention to a drone, this invention also provides a drone, see below. Figures 3 to 6 It includes the aforementioned cutting tool 4, as well as the drone body 1, power module 2, and rotating bracket 3. The cutting tool 4 is mounted on the rotating bracket 3, which has a receiving cavity for accommodating the drone body 1. Both the drone body 1 and the power module 2 are located within the receiving cavity.

[0042] Among them, the drone body 1 refers to a drone device with independent flight capabilities and conventional functions in the field, such as navigation and wireless control; the power module 2 is used to supply power to the electrical components inside the drone body 1 and the cutting tool 4.

[0043] For easier installation of the drone body 1 and power module 2, please refer to... Figure 7 As shown, a positioning surface 1004 is provided at the upper end of the drone body 1. A wedge-shaped protrusion 1006 is provided in the middle of the positioning surface 1004 along the length direction of the drone body 1. Conductive contacts 1005 are evenly distributed on both sides of the wedge-shaped protrusion 1006 on the positioning surface 1004. (See reference...) Figure 8 , Figure 9 The bottom of the power module 2 is provided with a wedge-shaped groove 2002 corresponding to the wedge-shaped protrusion 1006, and on both sides of the wedge-shaped groove 2002 are power receiving grooves 2003 corresponding to the conductive contacts 1005. During installation, the power module 2 is inserted from one end of the positioning surface 1004, so that the wedge-shaped protrusion 1006 is inserted into the wedge-shaped groove 2002, and the conductive contacts 1005 are located in the power receiving grooves 2003, thereby realizing the electrical connection between the UAV body 1 and the power module 2.

[0044] like Figure 11 As shown, the rotating bracket 3 is a ring structure, which covers the outside of the power module 2 and the drone body 1, and also serves as the mounting carrier for the cutting tool 4. In order to facilitate the adjustment of the trimming position of the cutting tool 4, the rotating bracket 3 can drive the cutting tool 4 to rotate synchronously. The rotating bracket 3 can rotate around the drone body 360°. Furthermore, a drive mechanism is provided inside the drone body 1. The cutting tool 4, the drive mechanism and the power module 2 are electrically connected. The output end of the drive mechanism is provided with a transmission gear, and the inner side wall of the cavity is provided with a drive tooth 3001. The transmission gear and the drive tooth 3001 mesh to drive the rotating bracket 3 to rotate relative to the drone body 1.

[0045] Specifically, see Figure 6 The drive mechanism includes a drive motor, the output shaft of which is fixed with a drive gear 1007. A transmission gear set is symmetrically meshed on both sides of the drive gear 1007. The outermost transmission gear 1008 in the transmission gear set meshes with the drive gear 3001 for transmission.

[0046] To facilitate the installation and positioning of the drone body 1 and the rotating bracket 3, and to enable electrical connection, the inner wall of the rotating bracket 3 is provided with an arc-shaped protrusion 3006. At both ends of the drone body 1, there are arc-shaped grooves 1003 corresponding to the arc-shaped protrusion 3006. Similarly, the power module 2 is also provided with a limiting groove 2001 corresponding to the arc-shaped protrusion 3006, which can axially limit the rotation of the rotating bracket 3.

[0047] A through hole 1002 communicating with the inner cavity of the UAV body is provided in the middle of the arc-shaped groove 1003. The outermost transmission gear of the transmission gear set passes through the through hole 1002 and meshes with the drive gear 3001. At the same time, electrical contacts 1001 are provided on the high end faces on both sides of the arc-shaped groove 1003. Meanwhile, the inner side wall of the rotating bracket 3 is provided with conductive grooves 3002 that cooperate with the electrical contacts 1001, so that the components of the rotating bracket 3 always maintain electrical connection during the rotation process, for the transmission of power supply and control signals.

[0048] To facilitate the installation and positioning of the cutting tool 4, the top of the rotating bracket 3 is provided with a mounting groove 3005. To facilitate the placement and retraction of the cutting tool in the mounting groove 3005, the cutting tool 4 is rotatably mounted in the mounting groove 3005. The rotating bracket 3 is provided with a fourth driving device, which is used to drive the cutting tool to rotate relative to the rotating bracket 3 and form a fourth rotating shaft d. The fourth rotating shaft d is parallel to the first rotating shaft a. Similarly, in this embodiment, the fourth driving device can be a motor.

[0049] Reference Figure 10 , Figure 11 The rotating bracket 3 consists of an inner ring and an outer ring. The inner ring has an arc structure, and for stable operation, its circumference is greater than half the circumference of a circle with a constant diameter. However, to achieve lightweight design and easier installation, its circumference is less than three-quarters the circumference of a circle with a constant diameter. The outer ring of the rotating bracket 3 can be adapted to installation requirements. Considering the compactness of the device, it can also be designed as a ring structure. To cooperate with the inner ring of the rotating bracket 3, the top of the power module 2 and the sides of the drone body 1 are arc-shaped. To facilitate monitoring during drone use, the drone also includes a visual monitoring module or a sensor module. For easy installation, the two ends of the outer ring of the rotating bracket 3 extend outward to form a platform 3003. A gimbal 3004 is mounted on the platform 3003, and the visual monitoring module or sensor module is mounted on the gimbal 3004.

[0050] The present invention also provides a method for clearing tree obstructions, comprising the following steps:

[0051] Control the drone to fly to the tree obstacle clearing position, rotate the cutting blade to the branch cutting position, the first support and the second support rotate to make the first position adjustment, so that the branch is in the clamping range of the clamping support, the clamping support rotates to clamp the branch, and the cutting blade rotates to cut.

[0052] After the cutting is completed, the clamping bracket holds the branch in place. The drone is controlled by the remote controller to fly to the branch throwing position. The first bracket, the second bracket, and the rotating bracket rotate to make a second posture adjustment. The clamping bracket opens to throw the branch.

[0053] The first posture adjustment is to facilitate the clamping bracket 4004 to hold the tree branch for easy cutting. The second posture adjustment is to avoid interfering with the drone's flight when throwing the tree branch.

[0054] Compared with existing technologies, the cutting tool provided by this invention has the following advantages: It includes a first support, a cutting saw, and a clamping support. Before cutting branches, the branches are clamped and fixed, and then the cutting tool cuts the branches, preventing slippage during cutting. Furthermore, the cutting tool and the clamping support are rotatably connected to the first support, allowing adjustment of the clamping tightness and the cutting angle of the cutting tool. This makes it suitable for clearing complex tree obstacles and improves work efficiency. The drone provided by this invention has a rotating support, which can be rotated via a drive mechanism to adjust the overall cutting position of the cutting tool. This position adjustment is convenient, improves work efficiency, and ensures high safety. This invention also provides a tree obstacle clearing method. During branch cutting, a first attitude adjustment is performed to facilitate branch clamping. After cutting, a second attitude adjustment is performed to prevent interference with drone flight when discarding branches, ensuring stable and reliable control.

[0055] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and substitutions can be made without departing from the technical principles of the present invention, and these improvements and substitutions should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), characterized in that: The device includes a drone body (1), a power module (2), a rotating bracket (3), and a cutting tool. The cutting tool is mounted on the rotating bracket (3). The rotating bracket (3) has a cavity for accommodating the drone body (1). The drone body (1) is located in the cavity. The drone body (1) has a drive mechanism. The cutting tool, the drive mechanism, and the power module (2) are electrically connected. The output end of the drive mechanism has a transmission gear. The inner sidewall of the cavity has a drive tooth (3001). The transmission gear and the drive tooth (3001) mesh to drive the rotating bracket (3) to rotate relative to the drone body (1). The cutting tool includes a first support (4002), and a cutting saw (4003) is provided on at least one side of the first support (4002) along a first direction. The cutting saw (4003) and the first support (4002) are rotatably connected to form a first rotating shaft. The first rotating shaft is parallel to the first direction. A clamping support (4004) is provided on the first support (4002) opposite to the cutting saw (4003). The clamping support (4004) and the first support (4002) are rotatably connected to form a second rotating shaft. The clamping support (4004) and the cutting saw (4003) are offset in the first direction. The cutting saw (4003) and the clamping bracket (4004) are driven by a first driving device and a second driving device fixed to the first bracket (4002), respectively. The clamping bracket (4004) rotates under the drive of the first driving device to form a certain angle with the first bracket (4002) and is used to clamp the tree branch; the cutting saw (4003) rotates under the drive of the second driving device and is used to cut the tree branch. The top of the rotating bracket (3) is provided with a mounting groove (3005), and the cutting tool is rotatably mounted in the mounting groove (3005). The rotating bracket (3) is provided with a fourth driving device, which is used to drive the cutting tool to rotate relative to the rotating bracket (3) and form a fourth rotating shaft. The fourth rotating shaft is parallel to the first rotating shaft. It also includes a rotating assembly, which includes a second bracket (4001).

2. The UAV as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The second bracket (4001) includes a third driving device, the output end of which is rotatably connected to the first bracket (4002) to form a third rotating shaft, which is perpendicular to the first rotating shaft.

3. The UAV as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The first bracket (4002) is provided with the cutting saw (4003) on both sides along the first direction. The first bracket (4002) is provided with a through groove (4007). The clamping bracket (4004) can rotate relative to the first bracket (4002) and be accommodated in the through groove (4007).

4. The UAV as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The first bracket (4002) has outwardly extending protrusions (4005) spaced apart on both sides of the opposite side along the rotation direction of the cutting saw (4003), and the clamping bracket (4004) has a number of sets of outwardly extending clamping spikes (4006) spaced apart on both sides of the opposite side along its rotation direction.

5. The UAV as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The end of the clamping bracket (4004) that is rotatably connected to the first bracket (4002) is the proximal end, and the end that is away from the first bracket (4002) is the distal end; wherein, along the direction from the distal end to the proximal end, the interval between the several sets of clamping spikes (4006) gradually decreases, and the length of the several sets of clamping spikes (4006) extending outward decreases sequentially.

6. The UAV as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The first bracket (4002), the cutting saw (4003), and the clamping bracket (4004) are all arc-shaped structures.

7. The UAV as described in claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a visual inspection module or a sensor module.

8. A method for clearing tree obstacles, using the drone described in any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Control the drone to fly to the tree obstacle clearing position, rotate the cutting blade to the branch cutting position, the first support and the second support rotate to make the first position adjustment, so that the branch is in the clamping range of the clamping support, the clamping support rotates to clamp the branch, and the cutting blade rotates to cut. After the cutting is completed, the clamping bracket holds the branch in place. The drone is controlled by the remote controller to fly to the branch throwing position. The first bracket, the second bracket, and the rotating bracket rotate to make a second posture adjustment. The clamping bracket opens to throw the branch.

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