Freight unmanned aerial vehicle air-drop device and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a freight unmanned aerial vehicle air-drop device and a control method thereof. The air-drop device of the freight unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a brake parachute; the spherical material bin is connected to the brake parachute and used for loading and transporting materials; the sliding mechanism is arranged on the outer wall of the spherical material bin around the whole circumference of the spherical material bin; the wind speed compensation mechanism is installed on the sliding mechanism in the mode that the wind speed compensation mechanism can slide around the whole circle of the spherical material bin, and the wind speed compensation mechanism conducts wind speed compensation action through self rotation so as to compensate for wind speed changes in the environment. The air speed compensation mechanism capable of sliding around the whole circle of the spherical material bin performs proper air speed compensation action through self rotation based on the air speed change in the environment in the air-drop stroke of the air-drop device of the freight unmanned aerial vehicle; the influence of natural factors such as wind speed change in the environment on the delivery accuracy of the transported materials of the freight unmanned aerial vehicle can be overcome, and the air-drop precision of the freight unmanned aerial vehicle is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and in particular to an airdrop device for a cargo unmanned aerial vehicle and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development and improvement of drone technology, drones are increasingly used in various fields of economic and military construction. The role of large cargo drones in the transportation of materials in various fields has received more and more attention and attention, especially in some special environments. When the landing environment does not allow, it is particularly important for large cargo drones to accurately and safely deliver the transported materials to the designated target delivery point. However, due to the influence of natural factors such as wind speed, accurate airdrops are very difficult. Therefore, the invention of an airdrop device that can achieve accurate airdrops of drones is of great significance for cargo drones in the field of material transportation.

[0003] Therefore, a cargo drone airdrop device and a control method thereof are needed to solve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention proposes a cargo drone airdrop device and a control method thereof, which can at least solve the aforementioned technical problems.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cargo drone airdrop device, which includes: a deceleration parachute; a spherical material bin connected to the deceleration parachute and used for loading and transporting materials; a sliding mechanism arranged on the outer wall of the spherical material bin around the entire circumference of the spherical material bin; a wind speed compensation mechanism installed on the sliding mechanism in a manner capable of sliding around the entire circumference of the spherical material bin, and performing a wind speed compensation action by rotating itself to compensate for changes in wind speed in the environment.

[0006] In some exemplary embodiments, it also includes: a remote controller, which obtains the ambient wind speed from the outside and remotely controls the wind speed compensation action or the intensity of the wind speed compensation mechanism based on the ambient wind speed, and the wind speed compensation mechanism performs the wind speed compensation action based on the control of the remote controller.

[0007] In some exemplary embodiments, the spherical material bin further includes: a cover body, which is connected to the lower end of the deceleration parachute and is used to close the main body of the spherical material bin; a hemisphere, which is the main body of the spherical material bin and is used to load and transport materials, and is connected to the cover body in a relatively rotatable manner; and a locking bolt, which connects the cover body and the hemisphere in a relatively rotatable manner to achieve the opening and closing of the spherical material bin.

[0008] In some exemplary embodiments, the sliding mechanism further includes: an annular guide rail connected to the outer wall of the spherical material bin around the entire circumference of the spherical material bin; and a sliding block engaged with the annular guide rail in a manner capable of sliding on the annular guide rail.

[0009] In some exemplary embodiments, the wind speed compensation mechanism further includes: an installation frame, which is installed on the sliding mechanism and can slide around the entire circumference of the spherical material bin; a power supply, which is used to provide power to the wind speed compensation mechanism; a power motor, which is housed and installed in the installation frame, and is connected to the power supply to receive power from the power supply, and the control end is connected to an external controller to provide rotational power to the wind speed compensation mechanism based on the control of the external controller; and a compensation propeller, which is housed and installed in the installation frame, and is connected to the power motor to receive power from the power motor and rotate.

[0010] In some exemplary embodiments, the wind speed compensation mechanism also includes: a wind plate, which is arranged outside the installation frame and movably installed on the outer wall of the installation frame, and is used to deflect to the same direction of the airflow under the action of the airflow, thereby driving the spherical material bin to move in the direction of horizontal crosswind.

[0011] In some exemplary embodiments, the power supply is received and installed in the sliding mechanism, or received and installed in the installation frame.

[0012] In some exemplary embodiments, it also includes: a wind speed sensor, which is arranged on the sliding mechanism or the wind speed compensation mechanism, for sensing the ambient wind speed, and is connected to the input end of the remote controller to output the sensed ambient wind speed to the remote controller.

[0013] In some exemplary embodiments, if the wind speed in the environment increases, the remote controller controls the compensation propeller to rotate forward to perform forward wind speed compensation; if the wind speed in the environment decreases, the remote controller controls the compensation propeller to rotate reversely to perform reverse wind speed compensation.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, a control method for a cargo drone airdrop device is provided, wherein the cargo drone airdrop device is the above-mentioned cargo drone airdrop device, and the control method comprises: causing the cargo drone airdrop device to be airdropped from a cargo drone from a predetermined airdrop starting position; monitoring the ambient wind speed during the airdrop journey of the cargo drone airdrop device; and the remote controller performing feedback control on the wind speed compensation action or intensity of the wind speed compensation mechanism based on the ambient wind speed.

[0015] In some exemplary embodiments, it also includes: before airdropping the cargo drone airdrop device from a predetermined airdrop starting position, the remote controller calculates the initial airdrop trajectory of the cargo drone airdrop device based on the ambient wind speed during the airdrop and determines the predetermined airdrop starting position; in the step of feedback controlling the wind speed compensation action or the intensity of the wind speed compensation mechanism, the wind speed compensation action or the intensity of the wind speed compensation mechanism is feedback controlled based on the initial airdrop trajectory and the ambient wind speed.

[0016] In some exemplary embodiments, the step of feedback controlling the wind speed compensation action or intensity of the wind speed compensation mechanism further includes: if the wind speed in the environment increases, the remote controller controls the wind speed compensation mechanism to rotate forward to perform forward wind speed compensation; if the wind speed in the environment decreases, the remote controller controls the wind speed compensation mechanism to rotate reversely to perform reverse wind speed compensation.

[0017] According to the present invention, during the airdrop journey of the cargo drone airdrop device, the wind speed compensation mechanism that can slide around the entire circumference of the spherical material bin performs appropriate wind speed compensation actions through its own rotation based on the wind speed changes in the environment. This can overcome the influence of natural factors such as wind speed changes in the environment on the accuracy of the delivery of transported materials by the cargo drone, thereby improving the airdrop accuracy of the cargo drone. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the prior art descriptions. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention, and for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the structure of the cargo drone airdrop device of the present invention is shown;

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram showing a partial cross-sectional state of the cargo drone airdrop device of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 The present invention is shown to be used for Figure 1-2 Flow chart of the control method of the cargo drone airdrop device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0023] The essence of the technical solution of the present invention is explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the structure of the cargo drone airdrop device of the present invention is shown. Figure 2 A structural schematic diagram showing a partial cross-sectional state of the cargo drone airdrop device of the present invention.

[0025] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the cargo drone airdrop device 10 of the present invention includes: a deceleration parachute 11, a spherical material bin 12 connected to the deceleration parachute 11 and used for loading and transporting materials, a sliding mechanism 13 arranged on the outer wall of the spherical material bin 12 around the entire circumference of the spherical material bin 12, and a wind speed compensation mechanism 14 installed on the sliding mechanism 13 in a manner that it can slide around the entire circumference of the spherical material bin 12 and performs wind speed compensation action by rotating itself to compensate for changes in wind speed in the environment.

[0026] The cargo drone airdrop device 10 of the present invention also includes a remote controller not shown in the figure, which obtains the ambient wind speed from the outside and remotely controls the wind speed compensation action or the intensity of the wind speed compensation mechanism 14 based on the ambient wind speed. The wind speed compensation mechanism 14 performs the wind speed compensation action based on the control of the remote controller.

[0027] The above-mentioned parts are described in detail.

[0028] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the spherical material bin 12 further includes a cover 121, a hemispherical body 122 and a locking bolt 123. The cover 121 is connected to the lower end of the parachute 11 and matches the shape of the hemispherical body 122, and is used to close the hemispherical body 122 as the main body of the spherical material bin 12. The hemispherical body 122 is the main body of the spherical material bin 12, and is connected to the cover 121 in a relatively rotatable manner, and is used to load and transport materials. The locking bolt 123 connects the cover 121 and the hemispherical body 122 in a relatively rotatable manner to achieve the opening and closing of the spherical material bin 12.

[0029] The sliding mechanism 13 is arranged on the outer wall of the spherical material bin 12 around the entire circumference of the spherical material bin 12, and supports the wind speed compensation mechanism 14 so that the wind speed compensation mechanism 14 can slide around the entire circumference of the spherical material bin 12. Specifically, in this embodiment, Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the sliding mechanism 13 further includes an annular guide rail 131 and a sliding block 132. The annular guide rail 131 is connected to the outer wall of the hemispherical body 122 around the entire circumference of the hemispherical body 122 of the spherical material bin 12. The sliding block 132 is engaged with the annular guide rail 131 in a manner that it can slide around the entire circumference of the spherical material bin 12 on the annular guide rail 131.

[0030] The wind speed compensation mechanism 14 is mounted on the sliding mechanism 13 so as to be able to slide along the entire circumference of the spherical material bin 12 with the sliding block 132 of the sliding mechanism 13, and to perform wind speed compensation when the wind speed in the environment changes. Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the wind speed compensation mechanism 14 further includes a mounting frame 141, a power source 142, a power motor 143 and a compensation propeller 144. The mounting frame 141 is mounted on the sliding mechanism 13, specifically on the sliding block 132, for accommodating the power motor 143 and the compensation propeller 144, and can slide around the entire circumference of the spherical material bin 12 together with the sliding block 132 of the sliding mechanism 13. The power source 142 is accommodated and installed in the sliding mechanism 13, specifically in the sliding block 132, for providing power to the power motor 143. The power motor 143 is accommodated and installed in the mounting frame 141, and is connected to the power source 142 to receive power from the power source 142, and the control end is connected to an external controller, specifically the above-mentioned remote controller, and provides rotational power to the compensation propeller 144 based on the control of the controller. The compensation propeller 144 is accommodated and installed in the mounting frame 141, and is connected to the power motor 143, and receives power from the power motor 143 to rotate.

[0031] In this embodiment, if Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the wind speed compensation mechanism 14 may further include a wind plate 145. The wind plate 145 is disposed outside the mounting frame 141 and movably mounted on the outer wall of the mounting frame 141, and is used to deflect to the same direction of the airflow under the action of the airflow, thereby driving the spherical material bin 12 to move in the direction of the horizontal crosswind.

[0032] The cargo drone airdrop device 10 of the present invention may further include a wind speed sensor 15, which is used to sense the ambient wind speed. The wind speed sensor 15 may be as follows: Figure 1 , 2 As shown, it is arranged on the sliding block 132 of the sliding mechanism 13 , and can also be arranged on the mounting frame 141 in the wind speed compensation mechanism 14 .

[0033] In this case, the wind speed sensor 15 can be connected to the input end of the remote controller not shown in the figure above, and output the sensed ambient wind speed to the remote controller, and the output end of the remote controller is connected to the wind speed compensation mechanism 14, specifically, the control end of the power motor 143, and the wind speed compensation action achieved by the rotation of the compensation propeller 144 of the wind speed compensation mechanism 14 is feedback controlled according to the ambient wind speed sensed by the wind speed sensor 15, and the intensity of the wind speed compensation action of the compensation propeller 144 of the wind speed compensation mechanism 14 can also be feedback controlled.

[0034] When the cargo drone airdrop device 10 of this embodiment is used, the device is airdropped from the cargo drone at a predetermined airdrop starting position. At this time, the entire device is decelerated by the deceleration parachute 11. After being decelerated by the deceleration parachute 11, the device performs a uniform downward movement. During this process, the remote controller can use the wind speed sensor 15 to sense the environmental wind speed or obtain the environmental wind speed from other ways. When the wind speed in the environment changes, the remote controller controls the power motor 143 of the wind speed compensation mechanism 14 to rotate, and then controls the compensation propeller 144 to rotate to perform wind speed compensation action, thereby promoting the movement of the spherical material warehouse 12. At the same time, the wind plate 145 is deflected to the same direction of the airflow under the action of the airflow, thereby driving the spherical material warehouse 12 to move in the direction of the horizontal crosswind, thereby overcoming the trajectory difference caused by the change in horizontal wind force and improving the airdrop accuracy. In addition, when airdropping from a cargo drone, the trajectory can be calculated in the remote controller according to the environmental wind speed during airdrop and the predetermined airdrop starting position can be determined before airdropping. After airdropping, the wind speed compensation action is performed by the wind speed compensation mechanism 14 when the wind speed in the environment changes as described above. Specifically, when the wind speed in the environment increases, the compensation propeller 144 rotates forward to perform forward wind speed compensation; on the other hand, when the wind speed in the environment decreases, the compensation propeller 144 rotates reversely to perform reverse wind speed compensation.

[0035] According to the cargo drone airdrop device 10 of the present invention, the wind speed compensation mechanism 14 that can slide around the entire circumference of the spherical material bin 12 performs appropriate wind speed compensation actions through its own rotation based on the wind speed changes in the environment during the airdrop journey. This can overcome the influence of natural factors such as wind speed changes in the environment on the accuracy of the cargo drone's delivery of transported materials, thereby improving the cargo drone's airdrop accuracy.

[0036] Although the cargo drone airdrop device 10 of this embodiment has been described in detail above, various modifications may be made to the above embodiment.

[0037] For example, in the above embodiment, the power supply 142 in the wind speed compensation mechanism 14 is housed and installed in the sliding block 132 of the sliding mechanism 13, but it is not limited to this. The power supply 142 can also be housed and installed in the installation frame 141 together with the power motor 143 and the compensation propeller 144 in the wind speed compensation mechanism 14.

[0038] Figure 3 The flow chart of the control method of the cargo drone airdrop device of the present invention is shown. The control method of the cargo drone airdrop device of the present invention is used for the above Figures 1-2 A control method for a cargo drone airdrop device 10.

[0039] like Figure 3 As shown, the control method 300 of the cargo drone airdrop device of the present invention includes:

[0040] Step 301, airdropping the cargo drone airdrop device from the cargo drone from a predetermined airdrop starting position;

[0041] Step 302, monitoring the ambient wind speed during the airdrop journey of the cargo drone airdrop device;

[0042] Step 303, the remote controller performs feedback control on the wind speed compensation action or its intensity of the wind speed compensation mechanism 14 based on the ambient wind speed. Specifically, if the wind speed in the environment increases, the remote controller controls the wind speed compensation mechanism 14 to rotate forward to perform forward wind speed compensation, and if the wind speed in the environment decreases, the remote controller controls the wind speed compensation mechanism 14 to rotate reversely to perform reverse wind speed compensation.

[0043] In addition, in the above step 301, before the above cargo drone airdrop device is airdropped from the cargo drone, the remote controller can calculate the initial airdrop trajectory of the above cargo drone airdrop device based on the ambient wind speed during the airdrop and determine the airdrop starting position for airdrop, and in step 303, based on the above initial airdrop trajectory and the ambient wind speed, feedback control is performed on the wind speed compensation action or the intensity of the wind speed compensation mechanism 14.

[0044] According to the present invention, by appropriately controlling the wind speed compensation mechanism 14 in the above-mentioned cargo drone airdrop device that can slide around the entire circumference of the spherical material bin 12 based on the wind speed changes in the environment and performing appropriate wind speed compensation actions through its own rotation, it is possible to overcome the influence of natural factors such as wind speed changes in the environment on the accuracy of the delivery of transported materials by the above-mentioned cargo drone airdrop device, thereby improving the airdrop accuracy of the cargo drone.

[0045] Those skilled in the art should understand that the relevant description of the control method for the cargo drone airdrop device of the present invention can be understood by referring to the relevant description of the cargo drone airdrop device of the present invention.

[0046] It should be understood that "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mentioned throughout the specification means that specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" appearing throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present invention, the size of the serial number of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiment of the present application. The above-mentioned serial numbers of the embodiment of the present application are for description only and do not represent the advantages and disadvantages of the embodiment.

[0047] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." does not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element.

[0048] The above is only an embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A cargo drone airdrop device, characterized in that: include: Driving parachute; A spherical cargo warehouse, which is connected to the deceleration parachute and is used to load and transport cargo; A sliding mechanism, which is arranged on the outer wall of the spherical material bin around the entire circumference of the spherical material bin; The wind speed compensation mechanism is installed on the sliding mechanism in a manner that it can slide around the entire circumference of the spherical material bin, and performs wind speed compensation action by rotating itself to compensate for changes in wind speed in the environment.

2. The cargo drone airdrop device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A remote controller obtains the ambient wind speed from the outside and remotely controls the wind speed compensation action or the intensity of the wind speed compensation mechanism based on the ambient wind speed. The wind speed compensation mechanism performs the wind speed compensation action based on the control of the remote controller.

3. The cargo drone airdrop device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spherical material warehouse further comprises: A cover body, which is connected to the lower end of the deceleration parachute and is used to close the main body of the spherical material bin; A hemisphere, which is the main body of the spherical material bin, is used to load and transport materials, and is connected to the cover body in a relatively rotatable manner; and A locking bolt connects the cover body and the hemispherical body in a relatively rotatable manner to realize the opening and closing of the spherical material bin.

4. The cargo drone airdrop device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sliding mechanism further comprises: an annular guide rail connected to the outer wall of the spherical material bin around the entire circumference of the spherical material bin; and The sliding block is embedded in the annular guide rail in a manner that it can slide on the annular guide rail.

5. The cargo drone airdrop device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wind speed compensation mechanism further comprises: A mounting frame, which is mounted on the sliding mechanism and can slide around the entire circumference of the spherical material bin; A power source, used to provide power to the wind speed compensation mechanism; a power motor, which is received and installed in the installation frame, connected to the power source to receive power from the power source, and has a control end connected to an external controller to provide rotational power for the wind speed compensation mechanism based on control of the external controller; and The compensating propeller is housed and installed in the installation frame, connected to the power motor, and rotates by receiving power from the power motor.

6. The cargo drone airdrop device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The wind speed compensation mechanism also includes: A wind plate is arranged outside the installation frame and movably mounted on the outer wall of the installation frame, and is used to deflect to the same direction of the airflow under the action of the airflow, thereby driving the spherical material bin to move in the direction of horizontal crosswind; The power source is received and installed in the sliding mechanism, or received and installed in the installation frame.

7. The cargo drone airdrop device according to claim 2, characterized in that: Also includes: A wind speed sensor, which is arranged on the sliding mechanism or the wind speed compensation mechanism, is used to sense the ambient wind speed and is connected to the input end of the remote controller to output the sensed ambient wind speed to the remote controller; If the wind speed in the environment increases, the remote controller controls the compensation propeller to rotate forward to perform forward wind speed compensation. If the wind speed in the environment decreases, the remote controller controls the compensation propeller to rotate reversely to perform reverse wind speed compensation.

8. A method for controlling a cargo drone airdrop device, characterized in that: The cargo drone airdrop device is the cargo drone airdrop device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The control method comprises: causing the cargo drone airdrop device to be airdropped from the cargo drone from a predetermined airdrop starting position; Monitoring the ambient wind speed during the airdrop journey of the cargo drone airdrop device; and The remote controller performs feedback control on the wind speed compensation action or the intensity of the wind speed compensation mechanism based on the ambient wind speed.

9. The control method of the cargo drone airdrop device according to claim 8, characterized in that: Also includes: Before airdropping the cargo drone airdrop device from a predetermined airdrop starting position, the remote controller calculates an initial airdrop trajectory of the cargo drone airdrop device based on the ambient wind speed during airdrop and determines the predetermined airdrop starting position. In the step of performing feedback control on the wind speed compensation action or the intensity of the wind speed compensation mechanism, the wind speed compensation action or the intensity of the wind speed compensation mechanism is feedback controlled based on the initial airdrop trajectory and the ambient wind speed.

10. The control method of the cargo drone airdrop device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The step of performing feedback control on the wind speed compensation action or the intensity of the wind speed compensation mechanism further comprises: If the wind speed in the environment increases, the remote controller controls the wind speed compensation mechanism to rotate forward to perform forward wind speed compensation. If the wind speed in the environment decreases, the remote controller controls the wind speed compensation mechanism to rotate reversely to perform reverse wind speed compensation.

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