Infrared unmanned aerial vehicle take-off method for substation inspection

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle, especially relates to an infrared unmanned aerial vehicle take-off method for substation inspection, comprising the following steps: placing the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle on the ejection device; driving the angle adjusting device to a set angle in the vertical direction, and starting the image acquisition device; driving the horizontal rotating device, and identifying the image collected by the image acquisition device; when the image acquisition device collects a safety image, stopping the rotation of the horizontal rotating device; starting the ejection device, and starting the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle under the set condition, so that the take-off of the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle is realized. The present application automatically takes off through the take-off platform, and the inspection personnel do not need to work, on the other hand, the take-off height is reduced through the take-off mode of the inclination angle, and the safety of the take-off of the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and particularly relates to an infrared unmanned aerial vehicle take-off method for substation inspection. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of unmanned aerial vehicles, the unmanned aerial vehicles are applied more and more widely, for example, in traditional power inspection tasks, unmanned aerial vehicles are increasingly used to replace human work, and in heavy substation inspection tasks, an infrared camera is usually carried on an unmanned aerial vehicle to identify defects through post-image analysis.

[0003] In the prior art, a robot and unmanned aerial vehicle combined substation inspection intelligent system is disclosed in Chinese Patent No. CN112510553A, which is published on March 16, 2021, and the system realizes the inspection of a substation through an image acquisition device arranged on an unmanned aerial vehicle, realizes low-altitude inspection and identification inspection through signal connection with a robot, and the robot can charge the unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0004] However, the inventor finds that when the unmanned aerial vehicle takes off for substation inspection, the unmanned aerial vehicle needs to be manually assisted to take off in an open space because the space above the substation is blocked by high-voltage cables and the like, otherwise, the unmanned aerial vehicle is directly vertically taken off and is easily affected by high-voltage lines or obstacles to cause a safety accident. SUMMARY

[0005] In view of at least one of the above technical problems, the present application provides an infrared unmanned aerial vehicle take-off method for substation inspection, which improves the take-off method to improve the safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle take-off in a substation.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present application, an infrared unmanned aerial vehicle take-off method for substation inspection is provided, which comprises a take-off platform and an inspection unmanned aerial vehicle, the take-off platform comprises a horizontal rotating device, an angle adjusting device fixed on the horizontal rotating device, and an ejection device fixed on the angle adjusting device, the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle is placed on the ejection device in an initial state, the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle has an image acquisition device, and the acquisition direction of the image acquisition device is parallel to the nose direction of the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0007] The take-off method comprises the following steps:

[0008] The inspection unmanned aerial vehicle is placed on the ejection device;

[0009] The angle adjusting device is driven to a set angle in the vertical direction, and the image acquisition device is started;

[0010] The horizontal rotating device is driven, and the image acquired by the image acquisition device is identified;

[0011] stop the rotation of the horizontal rotating device when the image collecting device collects a safety image;

[0012] start the ejecting device and start the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle under a set condition to realize take-off of the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present application, after the ejecting device is started, the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle detects height data of the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle, and drives the rotor to rotate when reaching a set height.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present application, after the ejecting device is started, the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle detects acceleration and pitch angle of the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle, and drives the rotor to reach a hovering rotating speed when the acceleration of the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle attenuates and the included angle between the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle and the horizontal plane decreases.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present application, the angle adjustment range of the angle adjustment device is 0-80 degrees.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present application, the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle further has an aerodynamic shell, and the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle further has an infrared camera arranged protruding from the aerodynamic shell.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present application, the safety image is an image without obstacles or an image with obstacles having a distance greater than a take-off distance range of the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present application, the image collecting device judges the distance of the obstacle according to the angle of the angle adjustment device and the size of the recognized obstacle.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present application, the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle simulates a take-off path according to the angle of the angle adjustment device and the power data of the ejecting device, and judges whether the longest distance of the take-off path is less than the distance from the obstacle.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present application, the ejecting device is a elastic rope, a spring or a lead screw driving structure.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present application, the ejecting device comprises a linear guide rail, a sliding seat slidingly arranged on the guide rail, a lead screw assembly driving the sliding seat to slide along the guide rail, and a guard frame for preventing the sliding seat from derailing.

[0022] The beneficial effect of the present application is that: the present application first lifts the unmanned aerial vehicle on the take-off platform to a certain angle, then collects the image in the take-off direction by the image collection device on the unmanned aerial vehicle, and realizes the take-off of the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle by the ejection device when the image in the take-off direction is confirmed to be safe, compared with the prior art, the unmanned aerial vehicle is automatically taken off by the take-off platform, and the inspection personnel do not need to work, on the other hand, the take-off height is also reduced by the take-off mode of the inclination angle, and the safety of the take-off of the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description will be briefly introduced below, obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments described in the present application, and other drawings can also be obtained according to these drawings without creative labor for those skilled in the art.

[0024] Figure 1 The structure schematic diagram of the take-off platform and the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle in the infrared unmanned aerial vehicle take-off method for substation inspection in the embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 2 The step flow chart of the infrared unmanned aerial vehicle take-off method for substation inspection in the embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 3 The take-off step schematic diagram of the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle in the embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 4 The structure schematic diagram of the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle in the embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 5 The structure schematic diagram of the take-off platform in the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, not all the embodiments.

[0030] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed" to another element, it can be directly on the other element or there can be intervening elements. When an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements can be present. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right", and the like as used herein are used for illustration only and are not intended to be limiting.

[0031] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0032] like Figures 1 to 5 The method for launching an infrared drone used for substation inspection is shown below. Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the takeoff method in this embodiment of the invention involves a takeoff platform 1 and an inspection drone 2. The takeoff platform 1 includes a horizontal rotation device 11, an angle adjustment device 12 fixed on the horizontal rotation device 11, and a catapult device 13 fixed on the angle adjustment device 12. The inspection drone 2 is initially placed on the catapult device 13. The inspection drone 2 has an image acquisition device 21, and the acquisition direction of the image acquisition device 21 is parallel to the nose direction of the inspection drone 2. It should be noted that the angle adjustment device 12 in this embodiment of the invention refers to adjusting the angle between the drone and the ground in the vertical direction. The catapult device 13 has various structural forms, such as using a spring for catapult, using an elastic rope, or using a motor screw structure.

[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, the takeoff method in this embodiment of the invention includes the following steps:

[0034] S10: Place the inspection drone 2 onto the ejection device 13; It should be noted that in this embodiment of the invention, the drone can be placed manually or by using a transfer clamp. In specific implementation, the take-off platform 1 can be fixed on the charging carrier. After the drone is charged, the clamp is used to transfer the drone onto the ejection device 13.

[0035] S20: Drive the angle adjustment device 12 to the set angle in the vertical direction and start the image acquisition device 21; In this embodiment of the invention, the adjusted angle is less than 90 degrees. In this embodiment of the invention, the drone's hovering time before takeoff is increased and the takeoff to stable hovering height is reduced by tilting the takeoff method.

[0036] S30: Drives the horizontal rotation device 11 and identifies the image acquired by the image acquisition device 21; the patented horizontal rotation device 11 is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the horizontal rotation device 11 can rotate 360 ​​degrees horizontally and uses an image recognition device to capture images during the rotation process. The image acquisition device 21 can be a camera, such as... Figure 1As shown in the figure, in this embodiment of the invention, the lens of the image acquisition device 21 is oriented in the same direction as the takeoff direction of the inspection drone 2, so as to collect whether there are obstacles in the takeoff direction of the drone.

[0037] S40: When the image acquisition device 21 acquires a safe image, the rotation of the horizontal rotation device 11 is stopped; here, a safe image means that there are no obstacles in the direction of the UAV's takeoff or the distance of the obstacles is greater than the takeoff distance of the UAV.

[0038] S50: Activate the catapult device 13 and launch the inspection drone 2 under the set conditions to achieve the take-off of the inspection drone 2.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the drone is first raised to a certain angle on the take-off platform 1, and then the image acquisition device 21 on the drone is used to acquire the image in the take-off direction. When the image in the take-off direction is confirmed to be safe, the inspection drone 2 is launched by the ejection device 13. Compared with the prior art, the drone takes off automatically through the take-off platform 1 without the need for inspection personnel. On the other hand, the take-off method with the tilt angle also reduces the overall take-off height and improves the safety of the inspection drone 2 take-off.

[0040] Based on the above embodiments, in order to achieve the takeoff of the inspection drone 2 after ejection, such as Figure 3 As shown in the diagram, after the ejection device 13 is activated, the inspection drone 2 detects its altitude data and drives its rotor to rotate when it reaches the set altitude. Because the drone is launched at an angle, its flight trajectory will be as follows: Figure 3 As shown in the inclined parabola, the height of the inspection drone 2 first reaches its highest point and then descends. In this embodiment of the invention, the set height is set near the highest point of the parabola. At this time, the rotor of the inspection drone 2 is activated to achieve the levitation of the inspection drone 2.

[0041] In another embodiment of the present invention, please continue to refer to Figure 3 After the catapult device 13 is activated, the inspection drone 2 detects its acceleration and pitch angle. When the acceleration of the inspection drone 2 decreases and the angle between the inspection drone 2 and the horizontal plane decreases, its rotor is driven to reach the hovering speed. Due to the elastic force of the catapult device 13, the acceleration of the inspection drone 2 first increases and then decreases. As the acceleration decreases, the drone's altitude is also close to the highest point of the catapult. At this time, by monitoring the drone's pitch angle, the optimal hovering state is achieved. Of course, it should also be noted that the pitch angle in this invention can be adjusted by setting the drone's shape, weight distribution, and takeoff angle so that the drone is in a position similar to the highest point when it reaches the highest position. Figure 3In the horizontal state shown in the figure, the rotation speed of the rotor is increased, so as to achieve the hovering or height increase of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0042] In the embodiment of the present application, the angle adjustment range of the angle adjustment device 12 is 0-80 degrees. Here, 0-80 degrees refers to the angle with the horizontal plane. In some embodiments of the present application, the take-off angle is preferably 60 degrees, so as to take into account the take-off height and the launching distance in the length direction. Of course, the take-off angle can also be adjusted by the person skilled in the art according to the actual situation. On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, the shape of the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle 2 is also improved in the embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 4 As shown in the figure, the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle 2 also has an aerodynamic shell 22, and the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle 2 also has an infrared camera 23 which protrudes from the aerodynamic shell 22. Here, the aerodynamic shell 22 refers to the shape of the unmanned aerial vehicle shell and the aircraft cabin, which is similar through smooth curved surfaces, and the overall shape is a rectangular cuboid. By such arrangement, the air resistance during launching can be reduced. In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, the support for fixing the rotor can also be arranged in the shape of a wing, so as to improve the attitude during taxiing flight, which is similar to the combination of a jet aircraft and a helicopter.

[0043] In the embodiment of the present application, the safety image is an image without obstacles or an image in which the distance of the obstacles is greater than the take-off distance range of the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle 2. When judging whether it is safe in detail, one kind is that the collected image is the sky without obstacles, at this time the unmanned aerial vehicle can be directly launched, and the other kind is that there are obstacles, at this time it is necessary to judge whether the obstacles interfere with the take-off. In some embodiments of the present application, the image collection device 21 judges the distance of the obstacles according to the angle of the angle adjustment device 12 and the size of the recognized obstacles. When judging in detail, first, the front view image of each component in the transformer substation and the cable diameter is input, then the collected image is restored to the front view according to the angle, and then the distance is judged according to the reduction ratio of the image.

[0044] In the embodiment of the present application, regarding the flight distance when the unmanned aerial vehicle takes off, the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle 2 simulates the take-off path according to the angle of the angle adjustment device 12 and the power data of the launching device 13, and judges whether the farthest distance of the take-off path is less than the distance between the obstacles. As shown in Figure 3 When calculating the take-off path of the unmanned aerial vehicle in detail, the height from the launching point to the highest point and the horizontal displacement are calculated according to the acceleration provided by the launching device 13 and the weight data and take-off angle of the unmanned aerial vehicle. It is assumed that the inspection unmanned aerial vehicle 2 vertically takes off after reaching the highest point, at this time the take-off path of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be drawn, as long as the horizontal distance between the position towards which the unmanned aerial vehicle takes off and the launching device 13 is less than the distance between the obstacles, the take-off condition of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be met.

[0045] In some embodiments of the present invention, the power source of the ejection device 13 has various structural forms, such as elastic rope, spring, or screw drive structure. In one specific embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the ejection device 13 includes a linear guide rail 13a, a sliding seat 13b slidably mounted on the guide rail, a lead screw assembly 13c that drives the sliding seat 13b to slide along the guide rail, and a protective frame 13d to prevent the sliding seat 13b from derailing. Thus, during ejection, the inspection drone 2 is first placed on the sliding seat 13b, with the rear end of the sliding seat 13b abutting against the rear end of the inspection drone 2. Then, the lead screw assembly 13c is driven to rotate, causing the sliding seat 13b to move rapidly towards the far end. After the sliding seat 13b reaches the far end, the inspection drone 2 separates from the sliding seat 13b, thus launching the inspection drone 2.

[0046] Those skilled in the art should understand that this invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to this invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the invention as claimed. The scope of protection of this invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for taking off an infrared unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for substation inspection, characterized in that, The system includes a takeoff platform and an inspection drone. The takeoff platform includes a horizontal rotation device, an angle adjustment device fixed on the horizontal rotation device, and a catapult device fixed on the angle adjustment device. The inspection drone is initially placed on the catapult device. The inspection drone has an image acquisition device, and the acquisition direction of the image acquisition device is parallel to the nose direction of the inspection drone. The takeoff method includes the following steps: Place the inspection drone onto the ejection device; Drive the angle adjustment device to the set angle in the vertical direction and start the image acquisition device; Drive the horizontal rotation device and recognize the image acquired by the image acquisition device; When the image acquisition device acquires a safe image, the rotation of the horizontal rotation device stops. The ejection device is activated, and the inspection drone is launched under set conditions to achieve takeoff of the inspection drone; The safety image is an image without obstacles or an image whose distance from obstacles is greater than the takeoff distance range of the inspection drone. The image acquisition device determines the distance to the obstacle based on the angle of the angle adjustment device and the size of the identified obstacle; The inspection drone simulates a takeoff path based on the angle adjustment device and the power data of the catapult device, and determines whether the farthest distance of the takeoff path is less than the distance to the obstacle.

2. The infrared UAV take-off method for substation inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that, After the catapult is activated, the inspection drone detects its altitude data and drives its rotor to rotate when it reaches the set altitude.

3. The infrared UAV take-off method for substation inspection according to claim 2, characterized in that, After the catapult is activated, the inspection drone detects its acceleration and pitch angle. When the acceleration of the inspection drone decreases and the angle between the inspection drone and the horizontal plane becomes smaller, its rotor is driven to reach the hovering speed.

4. The infrared UAV take-off method for substation inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The angle adjustment range of the angle adjustment device is 0 to 80 degrees.

5. The infrared UAV take-off method for substation inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inspection drone also has an aerodynamic shell, and an infrared camera protruding from the aerodynamic shell is located inside the inspection drone.

6. The infrared UAV take-off method for substation inspection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ejection device is driven by an elastic rope, spring, or screw.

7. The infrared UAV take-off method for substation inspection according to claim 6, characterized in that, The ejection device includes a linear guide rail, a sliding seat slidably mounted on the guide rail, a lead screw assembly for driving the sliding seat to slide along the guide rail, and a protective frame for preventing the sliding seat from derailing.

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