Lidar-based cluster type unmanned aerial vehicle charging cabin and charging method

Abstract

The application provides a cluster type unmanned aerial vehicle charging cabin based on a laser radar and a charging method. The charging cabin comprises a laser radar station, a central scheduling laser charging station, a plurality of edge laser charging stations, a plurality of charging tracks and a scheduling track. The plurality of charging tracks are respectively arranged at the periphery of the plurality of edge laser charging stations. The scheduling track is arranged at the periphery of the central scheduling laser charging station. The scheduling track corresponding to the central scheduling laser charging station is arranged in a counterclockwise direction. The charging tracks corresponding to the plurality of edge laser charging stations are all arranged in a clockwise direction. The edges of the plurality of charging tracks are all connected with the edges of the scheduling track. The technical scheme can ensure that the unmanned aerial vehicle obtains the maximum input electric power during the charging process, greatly shortens the charging time of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and simultaneously ensures that the unmanned aerial vehicle hovering or hovering in the air does not need to land, and can continuously perform the aerial reconnaissance, communication task and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of drone charging, and in particular to a cluster-type drone charging chamber and charging method based on lidar. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, due to the flexibility, operability, and strong coverage capabilities of drones, research and applications of drones have rapidly emerged, with rapid development in areas such as communication, reconnaissance, and sensing. However, the biggest bottleneck in drone applications is currently their limited flight time, which severely restricts their use. Furthermore, in large-scale, swarm-based drone deployments, drone swarms are forced to interrupt missions and return to recharge or swap batteries due to time constraints, significantly wasting valuable work time. Moreover, some special missions require the rapid charging of each drone in the swarm, which is also a significant challenge. Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide a solution for rapidly charging drone swarms. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a clustered drone charging chamber and charging method based on lidar, to at least solve the technical problems of slow drone charging speed and inability to perform clustered drone charging.

[0004] The first aspect of this application proposes a cluster-type drone charging bay based on lidar, the charging bay including: lidar station, central dispatch lidar charging station, multiple edge lidar charging stations, multiple charging tracks and dispatch tracks;

[0005] The plurality of charging tracks are respectively arranged around the plurality of edge laser charging stations, the scheduling track is arranged around the central scheduling laser charging station, and the scheduling track corresponding to the central scheduling laser charging station is arranged in a counterclockwise direction, while the charging tracks corresponding to the plurality of edge laser charging stations are all arranged in a clockwise direction, and the edge of each plurality of charging tracks is connected to the edge of the scheduling track.

[0006] The lidar station is used to receive the charging signal sent by the drone, then generate a return command based on the current location of the drone, and send the return command to the drone, so that the drone enters the charging position of the charging track after receiving the return command.

[0007] The central dispatch laser charging station is used for dispatching edge laser charging stations and for charging drones that need to switch edge laser charging stations based on a preset illumination angle.

[0008] The edge laser charging station is used to emit a laser beam to the charging location of the drone based on a preset illumination angle for charging.

[0009] Preferably, the lidar station is also used to count the number of drones charging in the central dispatch lidar charging station and the number of drones charging in each edge lidar charging station.

[0010] Furthermore, the retrieval instruction includes: the charging location and the path to the charging location.

[0011] Furthermore, both the central laser charging station and the multiple edge laser charging stations can emit multiple laser beams.

[0012] The multiple laser beams are all irradiated onto their respective drones.

[0013] Furthermore, photoelectric sensors and timers are installed at each charging position on the charging track and on the scheduling track.

[0014] The photoelectric sensor is used to sense whether a drone has entered the current charging location or the scheduling track. When a drone is sensed to have entered the current charging location or the scheduling track, a timing command is sent to the timer.

[0015] The central dispatch laser charging station is also used to send a laser beam to the drone at the current location when the timer is timing;

[0016] The edge laser charging station is also used to send a laser beam to the drone at the current location when the timer is timing.

[0017] Furthermore, the lidar station is also used to send a transfer command to the drone when the edge lidar charging station where the drone is currently located is already operating at full capacity;

[0018] The transfer instruction includes: the laser charging station to which the transfer is to be made and the transfer path.

[0019] Furthermore, the edge laser charging station is also used to send a rotating laser beam at the same speed as the drone's constant-speed circling when the drone is charging in a constant-speed circling mode.

[0020] The edge laser charging station is also used to send a laser beam to the charging location of the drone when the drone is charging in hover mode.

[0021] Furthermore, when the drone to be charged leaves the edge laser charging station, which is already operating at full capacity, and enters the scheduling track but before leaving the scheduling track, the central scheduling laser charging station emits a laser beam to charge the drone.

[0022] Preferably, the laser beam illuminates the solar panel carried on the drone.

[0023] A second aspect of this application proposes a method for charging clustered drones based on lidar, the method comprising:

[0024] When the lidar station receives a charging signal from the drone, it generates a return command based on the drone's current location and sends the return command to the drone.

[0025] After receiving the return command, the drone enters the charging position on the charging track based on a preset path;

[0026] When the drone arrives at the charging location, the laser charging station corresponding to the charging location emits a laser beam to the drone based on a preset illumination angle to charge it.

[0027] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application bring at least the following beneficial effects:

[0028] This application proposes a cluster-type UAV charging bay and charging method based on lidar. The charging bay includes: a lidar station, a central scheduling lidar charging station, multiple edge lidar charging stations, multiple charging tracks, and a scheduling track. The multiple charging tracks are respectively arranged around the multiple edge lidar charging stations, and the scheduling track is arranged around the central scheduling lidar charging station. The scheduling track corresponding to the central scheduling lidar charging station is arranged in a counterclockwise direction, and the charging tracks corresponding to the multiple edge lidar charging stations are all arranged in a clockwise direction. The edges of each of the multiple charging tracks are connected to the edge of the scheduling track. The lidar station is used to receive a charging signal sent by a UAV, then generate a return command based on the current location of the UAV, and send the return command to the UAV, so that the UAV enters the charging position of the charging track after receiving the return command. The central scheduling lidar charging station is used for scheduling the edge lidar charging stations and emitting laser beams to UAVs that need to switch edge lidar charging stations based on a preset illumination angle for charging. The edge lidar charging stations are used to emit laser beams to the charging position of the UAV based on a preset illumination angle for charging. The technical solution proposed in this application can ensure that the UAV receives maximum input power during the charging process, greatly shortening the charging time of the UAV. At the same time, laser charging can ensure that the UAV hovering or circling in the air does not need to land, and can continuously perform aerial reconnaissance, communication and other tasks.

[0029] Additional aspects and advantages of this application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0030] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of this application will become apparent and readily understood from the following description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0031] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a clustered drone charging bay based on lidar according to an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of a cluster-type drone charging bay based on lidar according to an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a photoelectric sensor and a timer according to an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a laser radar-based clustered drone charging method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure Labels

[0036] 1. LiDAR station, 2. Central dispatch laser charging station, 3. Edge laser charging station, 4. Charging track, 5. Dispatch track, 6. Photoelectric sensor, 7. Timer. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0038] This application proposes a cluster-type UAV charging bay and charging method based on lidar. The charging bay includes: a lidar station, a central scheduling lidar charging station, multiple edge lidar charging stations, multiple charging tracks, and a scheduling track. The multiple charging tracks are respectively arranged around the multiple edge lidar charging stations, and the scheduling track is arranged around the central scheduling lidar charging station. The scheduling track corresponding to the central scheduling lidar charging station is arranged in a counterclockwise direction, and the charging tracks corresponding to the multiple edge lidar charging stations are all arranged in a clockwise direction. The edges of each of the multiple charging tracks are connected to the edge of the scheduling track. The lidar station is used to receive a charging signal sent by a UAV, then generate a return command based on the current location of the UAV, and send the return command to the UAV, so that the UAV enters the charging position of the charging track after receiving the return command. The central scheduling lidar charging station is used for scheduling the edge lidar charging stations and emitting laser beams to UAVs that need to switch edge lidar charging stations based on a preset illumination angle for charging. The edge lidar charging stations are used to emit laser beams to the charging position of the UAV based on a preset illumination angle for charging. The technical solution proposed in this application can ensure that the UAV receives maximum input power during the charging process, greatly shortening the charging time of the UAV. At the same time, laser charging can ensure that the UAV hovering or circling in the air does not need to land, and can continuously perform aerial reconnaissance, communication and other tasks.

[0039] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrates an embodiment of this application of a clustered drone charging bay and charging method based on lidar.

[0040] Example 1

[0041] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a cluster-type drone charging bay based on lidar according to an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 1 As shown, the charging bay includes: a lidar station 1, a central dispatching lidar charging station 2, multiple edge lidar charging stations 3, multiple charging tracks 4, and a dispatching track 5;

[0042] The plurality of charging tracks 4 are respectively arranged around the plurality of edge laser charging stations 3, the scheduling track 5 is arranged around the central scheduling laser charging station 2, and the scheduling track corresponding to the central scheduling laser charging station 2 is arranged in a counterclockwise direction, while the charging tracks corresponding to the plurality of edge laser charging stations 3 are all arranged in a clockwise direction, and the edges of each plurality of charging tracks 4 are connected to the edges of the scheduling track 5.

[0043] The lidar station 1 is used to receive the charging signal sent by the drone, then generate a return command based on the current location of the drone, and send the return command to the drone, so that the drone will go to the charging location after receiving the return command.

[0044] The retrieval instruction includes: the charging location and the path to the charging location;

[0045] For example, a ground-based lidar station 1 detects and tracks a drone waiting to be charged in the cluster, and issues a command to the drone to enter the charging chamber. Upon receiving the command, the drone enters the charging track of the charging chamber along the tangent direction of the track, and flies clockwise or counterclockwise around the lidar charging station at a constant speed along the charging track.

[0046] The central dispatch laser charging station 2 is used for dispatching the edge laser charging station 3 and for charging the drones that need to switch to the edge laser charging station 3 based on a preset illumination angle.

[0047] The edge laser charging station 3 is used to emit a laser beam to the charging location of the drone based on a preset illumination angle for charging.

[0048] The laser beam can illuminate the solar panels carried on the drone.

[0049] It should be noted that, Figure 1 This is merely an illustration of a cluster-type drone charging bay based on lidar provided by the present invention, and does not limit the structure of the charging bay of the present invention.

[0050] It should be noted that, as Figure 2 As shown, to address the charging needs of large-scale clustered drones, this embodiment designs a clustered drone charging bay consisting of a central dispatch laser charging station 2 and N edge laser charging stations 3, capable of simultaneously charging M×N drones. Each edge laser charging station 3 can emit up to M laser beams for charging. Figure 2 Taking M=6 as an example, and the number of laser charging stations N=5 as an example.

[0051] Drones can be freely deployed across various charging stations. Once a drone enters the charging bay's track, it can hover or fly at a constant speed to locate and charge. When a drone moves, it launches from a fixed position and performs timed flights. The charging station locates and charges the drone, eliminating the need for constant tracking and aiming, which greatly reduces the complexity of the charging bay.

[0052] The charging orbit of the charging chamber consists of a central ring (the charging flight orbit of the central dispatch laser charging station 2, i.e., dispatch orbit 5) and N sub-rings, i.e., charging orbits 4 (the charging flight orbits of each edge laser charging station 3, i.e., charging orbits 4).

[0053] Figure 2 The flight path of each edge laser charging station 3 is clockwise, while the direction in which the central dispatch laser charging station 2 connects to the adjacent edge laser charging station 3 is counterclockwise. This route design allows the drone to traverse any charging station along its flight path when entering the laser charging chamber, and to freely fly along the dispatching track 5 of the central dispatch laser charging station 2, tangentially, to the various charging tracks 4 of the edge laser charging stations 3.

[0054] Each edge laser charging station 3 can emit a maximum of M laser beams, which can rotate at a constant speed or remain stationary.

[0055] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the lidar station 1 is also used to count the number of drones charging in the central dispatch lidar charging station 2 and the number of drones charging in each edge lidar charging station 3.

[0056] It should be noted that after the drone is fully charged, it automatically flies away from the charging compartment along the tangent of the charging track and sends a departure signal to the lidar station 1. The lidar station 1 counts the drones that have entered each edge lidar charging station 3 for charging and the drones that are being charged by the centrally scheduled lidar charging station 2 based on the departure signal and the return command.

[0057] Furthermore, both the central laser charging station 2 and the multiple edge laser charging stations 3 can emit multiple laser beams;

[0058] The multiple laser beams are all irradiated onto their respective drones.

[0059] It should be noted that each edge laser charging station 3 can emit a maximum of M laser beams. When the M laser beams are working, i.e., when irradiating the drones to be charged, they are evenly distributed at different positions on the charging track, i.e., the charging positions. The laser beams can rotate at a constant speed or remain stationary, and can work as a single beam or multiple beams simultaneously. The number of working laser beams is matched to the number of drones entering the charging track of that laser charging station.

[0060] In the embodiments disclosed herein, such as Figure 3 As shown, photoelectric sensors 6 and timers 7 are installed at each charging position on the charging track 4 and on the scheduling track 5.

[0061] The photoelectric sensor 6 is used to sense whether a drone has entered the current charging position or the scheduling track 5. When it senses that a drone has entered the current charging position or the scheduling track 5, it sends a timing command to the timer 7.

[0062] The central dispatch laser charging station 2 is also used to send a laser beam to the drone at the current location when the timer 7 is timing;

[0063] The edge laser charging station 3 is also used to send a laser beam to the drone at the current location when the timer 7 is timing.

[0064] Furthermore, the lidar station 1 is also used to send a transfer command to the drone when the edge lidar charging station 3 where the drone is currently located is already operating at full capacity;

[0065] The transfer instruction includes: the laser charging station to which the transfer is to be made and the transfer path.

[0066] It should be noted that if the current edge laser charging station 3 that the drone enters is already operating at full capacity, that is, all M laser beams are charging M drones, then the drone will receive a transfer command and fly to the adjacent edge laser charging station 3 along the scheduling track 5 of the central scheduling laser charging station 2. When the drone to be charged needs to leave the edge laser charging station 3 that is already operating at full capacity and has not yet reached the edge laser charging station 3 to which it needs to be transferred, the central scheduling laser charging station 2 will emit a laser beam to charge the drone.

[0067] That is, when the drone to be charged leaves the edge laser charging station 3 which is already operating at full capacity and enters the scheduling track 5, but before leaving the scheduling track 5, the central scheduling laser charging station 2 emits a laser beam to charge the drone.

[0068] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the edge laser charging station 3 is further configured to send a rotating laser beam at the same speed as the drone's constant-speed circling mode to the charging location where the drone is currently located when the drone is charging in a constant-speed circling mode.

[0069] The edge laser charging station 3 is also used to send a laser beam to the charging location of the drone when the drone is charging in hover mode.

[0070] For example, if no one is charging in the uniform rotation mode, a timer starts when the device enters the charging position. The edge laser charging station 3 receives the timer signal and then emits the corresponding charging beam from that position while rotating at that speed.

[0071] If the drone uses hovering charging mode, a timer will start after it enters the orbital charging position, and the drone will hover at that position. At this time, the edge laser charging station 3 receives the timing signal and then emits the corresponding charging beam from that position, aiming it at the hovering drone.

[0072] It's important to note that lasers possess strong directionality and concentrated energy, making them a powerful long-distance energy transmission method with high output power and photoelectric conversion efficiency. Using lasers for remote charging of drones allows for controllable laser irradiation time and angle, providing 24 / 7 uninterrupted power. Furthermore, by controlling the laser's incident angle, ensuring the laser spot consistently illuminates the solar panels carried by the hovering or circling drone, the drone receives maximum input power throughout the charging process, significantly reducing charging time. Simultaneously, laser charging allows drones hovering or circling to continue aerial reconnaissance and communication missions without landing. Once inside the charging bay, the drone will continuously charge until fully charged and depart. No laser charging station is required; the station can determine the drone's charging location from a fixed position on the track and perform laser irradiation.

[0073] In summary, the laser radar-based clustered UAV charging bay proposed in this embodiment can ensure that the UAV receives maximum input power throughout the charging process, greatly shortening the charging time. At the same time, laser charging can ensure that UAVs hovering or circling in the air do not need to land, allowing them to continuously perform aerial reconnaissance, communication, and other tasks.

[0074] Based on the lidar-based cluster drone charging bay provided in the above embodiments, the present invention also provides a lidar-based cluster drone charging method, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the method includes:

[0075] Step 1: When the lidar station receives the charging signal sent by the drone, it generates a retrieval command based on the drone's current location and sends the retrieval command to the drone;

[0076] Step 2: After receiving the return command, the drone enters the charging position on the charging track based on the preset path;

[0077] Step 3: When the drone arrives at the charging location, the laser charging station corresponding to the charging location emits a laser beam to the drone based on a preset illumination angle to charge it.

[0078] It should be noted that the system uses ground-based lidar to detect and track drones waiting to be charged within the cluster, and then issues a command for the drone to enter the charging bay. The drone enters the charging bay's charging track and flies counter-clockwise around the central laser charging station or clockwise around the edge laser charging stations at a constant speed, following the pre-designed charging track.

[0079] Furthermore, when the drone is charging in a constant-speed hovering mode, a rotating laser beam with the same speed as the drone's constant-speed hovering is sent to the charging location where the drone is currently located.

[0080] When the drone is charging in hover mode, a laser beam is sent to the charging location where the drone is currently located.

[0081] The charging method provided in this embodiment allows the drone to be freely scheduled at various charging stations. Once the drone enters the charging compartment's track, it can hover or fly at a constant speed to locate and charge. When the drone moves, it starts from a fixed position and performs timed flights. The charging station locates and charges it, eliminating the need for constant tracking and aiming at the drone, which greatly reduces the complexity of the charging compartment.

[0082] The flight path, or charging path, of each edge laser charging station is clockwise, while the dispatching path of the central dispatch laser charging station connects to adjacent edge laser charging stations in a counter-clockwise direction. This route design allows drones to traverse any charging station along their flight path when entering the laser charging bay, and to freely fly tangentially along the dispatching path of the central dispatch laser charging station to the various charging paths of the edge laser charging stations.

[0083] It should be noted that if the current edge laser charging station that the drone enters is already operating at full capacity, that is, all M laser beams are charging M drones, then the drone will receive a laser radar transfer command and fly to an adjacent laser charging station along the scheduling track of the central dispatch laser charging station. During the journey, the central dispatch laser charging station will continue to charge the drone.

[0084] Once fully charged, the drone automatically flies away from the charging bay along the tangent of the charging track, informing the lidar that it has left the charging station. The lidar station will track the drones entering each lidar charging station and those currently being charged at lidar charging stations centrally managed by the center.

[0085] In summary, the laser radar-based clustered UAV charging method proposed in this embodiment can ensure that the UAV receives maximum input power throughout the charging process, greatly shortening the charging time. At the same time, laser charging can ensure that UAVs hovering or circling in the air do not need to land, and can continuously perform aerial reconnaissance, communication and other tasks.

[0086] 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 this application. 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.

[0087] Any process or method description in the flowchart or otherwise herein can be understood as representing a module, segment, or portion of code comprising one or more executable instructions for implementing custom logic functions or processes, and the scope of the preferred embodiments of this application includes additional implementations in which functions may be performed not in the order shown or discussed, including substantially simultaneously or in reverse order depending on the functions involved, as should be understood by those skilled in the art to which embodiments of this application pertain.

[0088] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting this application. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A cluster-type drone charging bay based on lidar, characterized in that, The charging bay includes: a lidar station, a central dispatching lidar charging station, multiple edge lidar charging stations, multiple charging tracks, and a dispatching track; The multiple charging tracks are respectively set around the multiple edge laser charging stations, and the scheduling track is set around the central scheduling laser charging station. The scheduling track corresponding to the central scheduling laser charging station is set in a counterclockwise direction, and the charging tracks corresponding to the multiple edge laser charging stations are all set in a clockwise direction. The edges of each of the multiple charging tracks are connected to the edges of the scheduling track, so that when the UAV enters the laser charging chamber, it can traverse any charging station along the flight path, freely fly along the scheduling track of the central scheduling laser charging station, and fly along the tangential direction to each charging track of the edge laser charging station. The lidar station is used to receive the charging signal sent by the drone, then generate a return command based on the current location of the drone, and send the return command to the drone, so that the drone enters the charging position of the charging track after receiving the return command. The central dispatch laser charging station is used for dispatching edge laser charging stations and for charging drones that need to switch edge laser charging stations based on a preset illumination angle. The edge laser charging station is used to emit a laser beam to the charging location of the drone based on a preset illumination angle for charging. Photoelectric sensors and timers are installed at each charging position on the charging track and on the scheduling track. The photoelectric sensor is used to sense whether a drone has entered the current charging location or the scheduling track. When a drone is sensed to have entered the current charging location or the scheduling track, a timing command is sent to the timer. The central dispatch laser charging station is also used to send a laser beam to the drone at the current location when the timer is timing; The edge laser charging station is also used to send a laser beam to the drone at the current location when the timer is timing; The edge laser charging station is also used to send a rotating laser beam at the same speed as the drone's constant-speed circling when the drone is charging in a constant-speed circling mode. The edge laser charging station is also used to send a laser beam to the charging location of the drone when the drone is charging in hover mode.

2. The charging case as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The lidar station is also used to count the number of drones charging in the central dispatch lidar charging station and the number of drones charging in each edge lidar charging station.

3. The charging case as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The retrieval instruction includes: the charging location and the path to the charging location.

4. The charging case as described in claim 3, characterized in that, Both the central dispatch laser charging station and the multiple edge laser charging stations can emit multiple laser beams. The multiple laser beams are all irradiated onto their respective drones.

5. The charging case as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The lidar station is also used to send a transfer command to the drone when the edge lidar charging station where the drone is currently located is already operating at full capacity. The transfer instruction includes: the laser charging station to which the transfer is to be made and the transfer path.

6. The charging case as described in claim 5, characterized in that, When the drone to be charged leaves the edge laser charging station, which is already operating at full capacity, and enters the scheduling track, but before leaving the scheduling track, the central scheduling laser charging station emits a laser beam to charge the drone.

7. The charging case as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The laser beam illuminates the solar panels carried on the drone.

8. A method for charging clustered drones based on lidar, according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the method is characterized in that, The method includes: When the lidar station receives a charging signal from the drone, it generates a return command based on the drone's current location and sends the return command to the drone. After receiving the return command, the drone enters the charging position on the charging track based on a preset path; When the drone arrives at the charging location, the laser charging station corresponding to the charging location emits a laser beam to the drone based on a preset illumination angle to charge it.

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