Multi-rotor space cooperative multi-pose unmanned aerial vehicle structure

Abstract

This invention discloses a multi-rotor, spatially coordinated, multi-pose unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) structure. The structure comprises at least two sets of rotor units, each rotatably connected to a payload platform via a rotary joint to achieve spatial pose transformation of the payload platform. The payload platform also includes an attitude detection unit, a coordination control unit, and an interface unit. The attitude detection unit, interface unit, and the drive motors of the rotor units are connected to the coordination control unit. The attitude detection unit detects the attitude of the payload platform. The coordination control unit, based on data input from the attitude detection unit and interface unit, controls the drive motors of the rotor units to achieve coordinated operation among the multiple sets of rotor units, thereby completing or maintaining the pose transformation of the payload platform. This invention enables the payload platform to change its spatial orientation in multiple directions, allowing for convenient adjustment of the equipment mounted on the payload platform to operate in the required posture for better aerial operations.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to improvements in rotorcraft unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, specifically to a multi-rotor, spatially coordinated, multi-pose UAV structure, belonging to the field of UAV technology. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, drones have been widely used in many fields due to their flexibility, convenience, and low cost. Drones have a payload platform on which necessary work equipment (payloads), such as cameras, spraying devices, and communication equipment, are mounted. The drone carries this equipment to the required high-altitude area for operation. Rotary-wing drones are the main structural form of drones. Currently, the rotors of rotary-wing drones are mostly fixed rigid structures. This means the orientation of the payload platform on the drone is predetermined. Once the payload platform's position is fixed, the orientation of the work equipment on it is also fixed, allowing only forward, backward, left, right, or horizontal movement or rotation within the horizontal plane. If the drone carries tools that require multi-directional scanning (such as cameras or radar), blind spots often exist due to its inherent mechanical structure. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the aforementioned shortcomings of existing technologies, the purpose of this invention is to provide a multi-rotor, spatially coordinated, multi-pose unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) structure. This invention enables the payload platform to change its spatial orientation in multiple ways, thereby facilitating the adjustment of the equipment mounted on the payload platform to operate in the required posture, thus better enabling the completion of aerial operational tasks.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0005] A multi-rotor spatial cooperative multi-pose unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) structure includes rotor units, a payload platform, and landing gear. The rotor units are in at least two groups, each rotatably connected to the payload platform via a rotary joint to achieve spatial pose transformation of the payload platform. The payload platform also includes an attitude detection unit, a cooperative control unit, and an interface unit. The attitude detection unit, interface unit, and the rotor unit's drive motors are connected to the cooperative control unit. The attitude detection unit detects the payload platform's attitude and provides pose data to the target payload. The interface unit provides the system with an interface for energy and data. The cooperative control unit controls the rotor unit's drive motors based on the relevant data input from the attitude detection unit and interface unit, enabling cooperative coordination among multiple rotor units to complete pose transformation or maintenance of the payload platform.

[0006] Furthermore, the landing gear is mounted on two opposite sides of the load platform via landing gear pivots; wherein two sets of rotor units are mounted on the other two opposite sides of the load platform.

[0007] Furthermore, the load platform is a spatial structure with a hollow center and low wind resistance.

[0008] Furthermore, in the two sets of rotor units installed on the other two opposite sides of the load platform, one set of rotor units is a reference rotor unit, and the other set of rotor units is an attitude adjustment rotor unit. The rotary joint corresponding to the reference rotor unit is a reference shaft parallel to the length direction of the side where the load platform is located. The reference rotor unit can be rotatably installed on the corresponding side of the load platform through the reference shaft. The rotary joint corresponding to the attitude adjustment rotor unit includes a universal joint and an attitude adjustment shaft. A support rod is provided at the center of the side of the load platform where the attitude adjustment rotor unit is located and extends outward perpendicular to the side. The ball joint socket / ball head is fixedly set at the extended end of the support rod. The ball head / ball socket of the universal joint is located at one end of the rotating arm. The other end of the rotating arm is rotatably connected to the middle of the attitude adjustment shaft. Rotor mechanisms are symmetrically provided at both ends of the attitude adjustment shaft and the reference shaft.

[0009] Furthermore, a shaft hole is provided on the rotating arm, and the attitude adjustment shaft passes through the shaft hole and is rotatably connected to the rotating arm through a bearing; at least two mounting brackets are provided on the load platform mounting side corresponding to the reference rotor unit, and the two mounting brackets are respectively provided with mounting holes with the same axis, and the reference rotating shaft passes through the two mounting holes and is rotatably connected to the mounting bracket through a bearing.

[0010] Furthermore, there are multiple sets of reference rotor units and attitude adjustment rotor units. All reference rotor units are rotatably mounted on the corresponding sides of the load platform at equal intervals via their respective reference shafts, and all reference shafts are located on the same straight line. All attitude adjustment rotor units are mounted on the corresponding sides of the load platform at equal intervals via rotary joints. In the initial state, all attitude adjustment shafts are located on the same straight line. The drive motors of all reference rotor units and attitude adjustment rotor units are respectively connected to the collaborative control unit. All reference rotor units work synchronously under the control of the collaborative control unit. All attitude adjustment rotor units work synchronously under the control of the collaborative control unit.

[0011] Furthermore, the landing gear consists of 2N sets, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; each of the two sides corresponding to the load platform has N sets of landing gear, which are respectively installed on the corresponding side of the load platform via landing gear shafts, wherein there is one set of landing gear at each end of the corresponding side of the load platform, and the remaining landing gear is installed between the two ends with all landing gears arranged at equal intervals; the load platform is equipped with a landing gear motor connected to the landing gear shaft, and the landing gear motor is also connected to the coordination control unit. Under the control of the coordination control unit, the landing gear motor drives the landing gear shaft to rotate, thereby realizing the opening or retraction of the landing gear.

[0012] The attitude detection unit is embedded in the middle of the load platform.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0014] 1. Multi-rotor spatial coordination. This invention is equipped with multiple sets of rotor units, and each set of rotor units is connected to the payload platform through a rotary joint. Through the coordination of two or more sets of rotor units on the UAV, the attitude deformation and maintenance of the UAV system can be realized, and the pitch and azimuth adjustment of the aerial payload platform can be completed.

[0015] 2. Flatten for takeoff and flatten for recovery. The flattened, portable storage method reduces transportation and space costs, and the flattened structure provides maximum power for the system's smooth takeoff and recovery.

[0016] 3. The payload platform achieves a wide range of angle adjustments. Through the coordinated operation of multiple sets of rotors above and below, the payload platform can scan a wide range of angles, providing a wider scanning angle compared to traditional single UAV systems. Theoretically, it can achieve a full 360° scanning angle. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 - A schematic diagram of the multi-rotor spatial cooperative multi-pose unmanned aerial vehicle structure of the present invention (initial attitude).

[0018] Figure 2 - A schematic diagram of the multi-rotor spatial cooperative multi-pose unmanned aerial vehicle structure of this invention (takeoff attitude).

[0019] Figure 3 - A schematic diagram of the multi-rotor space cooperative multi-pose unmanned aerial vehicle structure (flight attitude) of this invention.

[0020] Figure 4 -Schematic diagram of the multi-rotor space cooperative multi-pose unmanned aerial vehicle structure of the present invention (azimuth scanning attitude).

[0021] Figure 5 -Schematic diagram of the multi-rotor space cooperative multi-pose UAV structure of the present invention (pitch scanning attitude).

[0022] Figure 6 - A schematic diagram of the pitch adjustment transformation of a multi-rotor spatially coordinated multi-pose UAV according to the present invention.

[0023] Figure 7 - Schematic diagram of other postures of the multi-rotor space cooperative multi-pose UAV of the present invention.

[0024] Among them, 1-rotor unit; 2-load platform; 3-landing gear; 4-attitude detection unit; 5-cooperative control unit; 6-interface unit; 7-reference rotor unit; 8-attitude adjustment rotor unit; 9-reference shaft; 10-universal joint; 11-attitude adjustment shaft; 12-support rod; 13-rotating arm; 14-rotor mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0026] See Figures 1-7 The present invention discloses a multi-rotor space cooperative multi-pose unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) structure, including a rotor unit 1, a payload platform 2, and a landing gear 3; the rotor unit 1 is used to provide the lift required for the entire UAV structure; the payload platform 2 is used for mounting the target payload; and the landing gear 3 is used for supporting the UAV system before takeoff and after landing.

[0027] The rotor unit 1 comprises at least two groups, each group of rotor units 1 being rotatably connected to the load platform 2 via a rotary joint to achieve spatial pose transformation of the load platform. The rotary joint is used to connect the load platform and the rotor unit and to perform spatial pose transformation. The load platform 2 also includes an attitude detection unit 4, a cooperative control unit 5, and an interface unit 6. The attitude detection unit 4, the interface unit 6, and the drive motors of the rotor units are respectively connected to the cooperative control unit 5. The attitude detection unit 4 detects the attitude of the load platform and provides pose data for the target load. The interface unit 6 provides an interface for energy and data to the system. The cooperative control unit 5 controls the drive motors of the rotor units based on the relevant data input from the attitude detection unit and the interface unit, enabling coordinated operation among multiple rotor units to complete the pose transformation or maintenance of the load platform.

[0028] In this embodiment, the load platform 2 is a rectangular structure with four sides, and the landing gear 3 is mounted on two opposite sides of the load platform via landing gear pivots; wherein two sets of rotor units 1 are mounted on the other two opposite sides of the load platform.

[0029] To reduce wind resistance and lower the weight of the load platform, the load platform 2 is designed as a spatial structure with a matrix-like hollowed-out center.

[0030] Two sets of rotor units are installed on the opposite two sides of the load platform. One set of rotor units is a reference rotor unit 7, and the other set of rotor units is an attitude adjustment rotor unit 8. The rotary joint corresponding to the reference rotor unit 7 is a reference shaft 9 that is parallel to the length direction of the side where the load platform is located. The reference rotor unit 7 can be rotatably installed on the corresponding side of the load platform through the reference shaft 9. The rotary joint corresponding to the attitude adjustment rotor unit 8 includes a universal joint 10 and an attitude adjustment shaft 11. A support rod 12 is provided at the center of the side of the load platform where the attitude adjustment rotor unit is located and extends outward perpendicular to the side. The ball joint socket / ball head is fixedly set at the extended end of the support rod 12. The ball joint socket / ball head is set at one end of the rotating arm 13. The other end of the rotating arm 13 is rotatably connected to the middle of the attitude adjustment shaft 11. Rotor mechanisms 14 are symmetrically provided at both ends of the attitude adjustment shaft 11 and the reference shaft 9.

[0031] Specifically, a shaft hole is provided on the rotating arm, and the attitude adjustment shaft passes through the shaft hole and is rotatably connected to the rotating arm through a bearing. At least two mounting brackets are provided on the load platform mounting side corresponding to the reference rotor unit. Each of the two mounting brackets has mounting holes with the same axis, and the reference rotating shaft passes through the two mounting holes and is rotatably connected to the mounting bracket through a bearing.

[0032] This invention controls the relative spatial positions of the reference rotor unit and the attitude adjustment rotor unit, thereby driving the rotation of the rotary joint and achieving changes in the spatial pitch angle of the payload platform. In other words, the payload platform is passively attitude-adjusted by the rotor units, and each small rotor structure within each rotor unit is driven by a drive motor, which is powered and controlled by an interface unit. Figure 2 For example, to change the pitch angle of the load platform in this state, both the lower reference rotor unit and the upper attitude adjustment rotor unit can move horizontally in single-rotor unit mode. The only difference is the speed difference between the reference rotor unit and the attitude adjustment rotor unit. Since all rotor units are connected to the load platform via rotary joints, the load platform will naturally pitch to achieve the required pitch angle. In this case, there is both horizontal movement and pitch change. Alternatively, one can remain stationary while the other moves horizontally, ensuring a speed difference in the horizontal direction. In this case, only pitch change occurs, without overall translation. Generally, the unit that moves or has a faster speed is the attitude adjustment rotor unit, while the reference rotor unit remains stationary or moves slower relative to the attitude adjustment rotor unit. In either case, a relative speed and movement between the two units are necessary for the load platform to have a spatial position change relative to the reference rotor unit, i.e., rotation relative to the reference axis.

[0033] If you want Figure 2 In this state, if the drone is moved horizontally as a whole, then the upper and lower rotor units only need to move horizontally in single-rotor unit mode, with the only requirement being that the upper and lower rotor units are synchronized. If... Figure 2 In this state, the payload platform of the UAV is rotated around the vertical axis to change its orientation (spatial orientation). Then, the upper and lower rotor units only need to rotate the payload platform around the vertical axis in single rotor unit mode, and the upper and lower rotor units only need to be synchronized.

[0034] In this invention, all rotor units are generally horizontal when the state is maintained; when the attitude changes or when resisting crosswinds, each small rotor is tilted at a small angle to provide lateral driving force / resistance.

[0035] In this invention, the landing gear consists of 2N sets, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. Each of the two sides corresponding to the load platform has N sets of landing gear, which are mounted on the corresponding side of the load platform via landing gear shafts. One set of landing gear is located at each end of the corresponding side of the load platform, with the remaining landing gear installed between the ends, ensuring all landing gears are evenly spaced. The load platform contains a landing gear motor connected to the landing gear shaft. This landing gear motor is also connected to a collaborative control unit. Under the control of the collaborative control unit, the landing gear motor drives the landing gear shaft to rotate, thereby opening or retracting the landing gear. When the UAV is deployed, the landing gear is open, the load platform and all rotor units are suspended and horizontal, and the UAV is in a flattened state. This flattened structure reduces transportation and space costs, and provides maximum power for stable takeoff and recovery.

[0036] In this embodiment, N is 2, meaning there are four sets of landing gear, with two sets of landing gear on each of the two sides corresponding to the load platform and located at both ends of the corresponding side of the load platform.

[0037] The attitude detection unit is embedded in the middle of the load platform.

[0038] To enhance the payload capacity of the UAV and adapt to more applications, this invention employs multiple sets of reference rotor units and attitude adjustment rotor units. All reference rotor units are rotatably mounted on corresponding sides of the payload platform via their respective reference shafts at equal intervals, with all reference shafts aligned on the same straight line (or alternatively, all reference shafts can be connected as a single, continuous reference shaft). All attitude adjustment rotor units are mounted on corresponding sides of the payload platform via rotary joints at equal intervals. Initially, all attitude adjustment shafts are aligned on the same straight line. The drive motors of all reference rotor units and attitude adjustment rotor units are connected to a collaborative control unit, and all reference rotor units operate synchronously under the control of the collaborative control unit. All attitude adjustment rotor units also operate synchronously under the control of the collaborative control unit. Of course, during installation, it is necessary to ensure that the rotors and auxiliary mechanisms of all rotor units do not spatially interfere with the payload platform under any circumstances.

[0039] The number of reference rotor units and attitude adjustment rotor units in this invention can be single or multiple, depending on the load weight and spatial dimensions of the payload platform. The rotor units can be arranged in a spatial layout. The reference rotor unit and attitude adjustment rotor unit each adopt a multi-rotor structure, including but not limited to a quadcopter structure. Multi-rotors generally adopt a planar structure.

[0040] Figure 1 The diagram illustrates the placement posture of the multi-rotor spatial cooperative multi-pose UAV according to the present invention. Figure 2 In takeoff posture; Figure 3 In flight attitude; Figure 4 Orientation scanning posture; Figure 5This is the pitch scan posture. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of pitch adjustment. When the load platform is vertical, its upper end can yaw left and right around a horizontal axis (or universal joint) perpendicular to the plane of the paper, with a maximum yaw angle of 50°. During the yaw, the attitude adjustment rotor unit remains stationary, while the reference rotor unit yaws along with the load platform; simultaneously, the two rotate relative to each other, ensuring that the reference rotor unit remains horizontal at all times. Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating other postures of the multi-rotor spatially coordinated multi-pose UAV of the present invention. When the UAV of the present invention performs azimuth adjustment as a whole, it uses... Figure 3 For example, to make a load platform in a vertical position face different directions, the entire system needs to rotate around the vertical axis. axis During rotation, the relative positions of the reference rotor unit and the attitude adjustment rotor unit remain unchanged. When adjusting the pitch angle, the relative positions of the reference rotor unit and the attitude adjustment rotor unit change, driving the adjustment of the payload platform's pitch angle through this change in spatial relative position. The same principle applies to adjustments made by the UAV in other states.

[0041] As shown in the accompanying figures, the multi-pose UAV structure of this invention has the advantages of multi-attitude transformation and a large-angle range of payload platform adjustment, making it suitable for various aerial payload platforms with orientation change requirements. Furthermore, multiple rotor units can be added to the payload platform to increase the UAV's power and achieve stronger payload capacity, depending on payload requirements. This invention enables flattened takeoff and flattened recovery. The portable storage method after flattening reduces transportation and space costs, and the flattened structure provides maximum power for stable takeoff and recovery of the system.

[0042] The above embodiments of the present invention are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to limit the implementation of the invention. Those skilled in the art can make other variations and modifications based on the above description. It is impossible to exhaustively list all possible implementations here. All obvious variations or modifications derived from the technical solutions of the present invention are still within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-rotor space-cooperative multi-pose unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) structure, comprising a rotor unit, a payload platform, and a landing gear, characterized in that: The rotor unit comprises at least two sets, each set of rotor units being rotatably connected to the load platform via a rotary joint to achieve spatial pose transformation of the load platform. The load platform also includes an attitude detection unit, a cooperative control unit, and an interface unit. The attitude detection unit, interface unit, and the drive motors of the rotor units are respectively connected to the cooperative control unit. The attitude detection unit detects the attitude of the load platform and provides pose data to the target load. The interface unit provides the system with an interface for energy and data. The cooperative control unit, based on the relevant data input from the attitude detection unit and interface unit, controls the drive motors of the rotor units to achieve cooperative coordination among multiple sets of rotor units to complete the pose transformation or maintenance of the load platform. The landing gear is mounted on two opposite sides of the load platform via landing gear pivots; two sets of rotor units are mounted on the other two opposite sides of the load platform. Two sets of rotor units are installed on the opposite two sides of the load platform. One set of rotor units is a reference rotor unit, and the other set of rotor units is an attitude adjustment rotor unit. The rotary joint corresponding to the reference rotor unit is a reference shaft parallel to the length direction of the side where the load platform is located. The reference rotor unit can be rotatably installed on the corresponding side of the load platform through the reference shaft. The rotary joint corresponding to the attitude adjustment rotor unit includes a universal joint and an attitude adjustment shaft. A support rod is provided at the center of the side of the load platform where the attitude adjustment rotor unit is located and extends outward perpendicular to the side. The ball joint socket / ball head is fixedly set at the extended end of the support rod. The ball head / ball socket of the universal joint is located at one end of the rotating arm. The other end of the rotating arm is rotatably connected to the middle of the attitude adjustment shaft. Rotor mechanisms are symmetrically provided at both ends of the attitude adjustment shaft and the reference shaft.

2. The multi-rotor space cooperative multi-pose unmanned aerial vehicle structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The load platform is a hollow, low-wind-resistance spatial structure.

3. The multi-rotor space cooperative multi-pose unmanned aerial vehicle structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A shaft hole is provided on the rotating arm, and the attitude adjustment shaft passes through the shaft hole and is rotatably connected to the rotating arm through a bearing; at least two mounting brackets are provided on the load platform mounting side corresponding to the reference rotor unit, and the two mounting brackets are respectively provided with mounting holes with the same axis. The reference shaft passes through the two mounting holes and is rotatably connected to the mounting bracket through a bearing.

4. The multi-rotor space cooperative multi-pose unmanned aerial vehicle structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reference rotor unit and attitude adjustment rotor unit are multiple sets. All reference rotor units are rotatably mounted on the corresponding side of the load platform at equal intervals through their respective reference rotating shafts, and all reference rotating shafts are located on the same straight line. All attitude adjustment rotor units are mounted on the corresponding side of the load platform at equal intervals through rotary joints. In the initial state, all attitude adjustment rotating shafts are located on the same straight line. The drive motors of all reference rotor units and attitude adjustment rotor units are respectively connected to the collaborative control unit. All reference rotor units work synchronously under the control of the collaborative control unit. All attitude adjustment rotor units work synchronously under the control of the collaborative control unit.

5. The multi-rotor space cooperative multi-pose unmanned aerial vehicle structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The landing gear consists of 2N sets, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. Each of the two sides corresponding to the load platform has N sets of landing gear, which are mounted on the corresponding side of the load platform via landing gear shafts. Each end of the corresponding side of the load platform has one set of landing gear, and the remaining landing gear is mounted between the ends, with all landing gears arranged at equal intervals. The load platform contains a landing gear motor connected to the landing gear shaft. The landing gear motor is also connected to a coordination control unit. Under the control of the coordination control unit, the landing gear motor drives the landing gear shaft to rotate, thereby opening or retracting the landing gear.

6. The multi-rotor space cooperative multi-pose unmanned aerial vehicle structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The attitude detection unit is embedded in the middle of the load platform.

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