Variable damping mechanism and unmanned aerial vehicle recovery device with same

Abstract

The invention provides a variable damping mechanism and an unmanned aerial vehicle recovery device with the same, and belongs to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle recovery. The problems that when a traditional unmanned aerial vehicle recycling device is used, a traditional damping structure is large in occupied space, has the electric power requirement and is greatly influenced by heat energy are solved. A variable damping mechanism comprises: a flexible elastic part which is integrally in a rope shape and has a free end at one end; the scroll elastic part is integrally in a coiled shape and is provided with a fixed end and an extension end, the extension end is connected with the other end of the flexible elastic part, and the free end is used for pulling the flexible elastic part to perform certain deformation and then driving the extension end of the scroll elastic part to act when being coupled with the unmanned aerial vehicle. The device is mainly used for unmanned aerial vehicle recovery.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle recovery, and in particular relates to a variable damping mechanism and a unmanned aerial vehicle recovery device having the same. Background Art

[0002] With the widespread application of high-tech in weapons and equipment, the development technology of UAVs has also made breakthrough progress. UAV technology has the characteristics of no casualties, few restrictions on use, high concealment and high cost-effectiveness. The status and role of military UAVs in modern warfare are becoming increasingly prominent. They can be used for battlefield reconnaissance, aerial surveillance, electronic countermeasures and ground attacks. Among them, fixed-wing UAVs have fast flight speed, long endurance and are suitable for long-distance continuous work. However, the large-scale use of UAVs has also brought about various problems that need to be broken through, such as the recovery of UAVs. The ground and shipboard recovery methods for small fixed-wing UAVs mainly include parachute recovery, net recovery, wing collision recovery and wire net composite aircraft back sky hook collision recovery. The wire net composite aircraft back sky hook collision ground and shipborne small UAV recovery system has the advantages of low wing strength requirements and avoiding damage to sensitive equipment at the front end of the UAV.

[0003] At present, the recovery bracket in the wire-net composite recovery system is large in size, difficult to transport, slow to install, and takes up a large space when there is no recovery mission. This recovery device uses elastic ropes to prevent the drone from being overloaded by excessive impact loads. At the same time, the elastic rope and coil spring combination provide variable damping to absorb the kinetic energy of the drone. The resolution recovery bracket can be quickly deployed. Compared with the traditional recovery system, it has the advantages of low recovery environment requirements, no electricity requirements, fast transportation, rapid deployment, and less space occupied when there is no recovery mission. It is of great significance for situations where the recovery location needs to be frequently changed and the conditions of the recovery location are poor. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention aims to propose a variable damping mechanism and a UAV recovery device having the same, so as to solve the problems that the traditional damping structure of the traditional UAV recovery device occupies a large space, has power requirements and is greatly affected by heat energy when in use.

[0005] To achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, a variable damping mechanism is provided, comprising:

[0006] The flexible elastic part is in the shape of a rope as a whole, and one end is a free end;

[0007] The scroll elastic part is in a coiled shape as a whole and is provided with a fixed end and an extension end, wherein the extension end is connected to the other end of the flexible elastic part, wherein the free end is used to pull the flexible elastic part to undergo a certain deformation when coupled with the drone, thereby driving the extension end of the scroll elastic part to move.

[0008] Furthermore, the flexible elastic part is an elastic rope.

[0009] Furthermore, the scroll elastic portion is a scroll spring damper.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drone recovery device, comprising a variable damping mechanism as described above, and further comprising:

[0011] A moving vehicle, wherein the variable damping mechanism is fixed on the moving vehicle;

[0012] The capture net is arranged on the mobile vehicle, and the variable damping mechanism and the capture net are sequentially arranged at intervals along the flight direction of the UAV.

[0013] Furthermore, the capture net surface is arranged perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

[0014] Furthermore, the recovery device also includes:

[0015] The rotating platform has a fixed end connected to the mobile vehicle and a rotating end for horizontal rotation;

[0016] A luffing device, the fixed end of which is connected to the rotating end of the rotary platform;

[0017] A telescopic lifting device, wherein the fixed end is connected to the variable amplitude end of the variable amplitude device, the telescopic end is connected to one end of the folding and unfolding drive mechanism, the middle part of the telescopic end is pivotally connected to a mechanical arm, the movable end of the mechanical arm is connected to the other end of the folding and unfolding drive mechanism for leveling the folding and unfolding drive mechanism, and the folding and unfolding drive mechanism is connected to a foldable recovery slide for controlling the folding and unfolding of the foldable recovery slide.

[0018] Furthermore, the foldable recovery slide includes two split slides, the folding drive mechanism has two symmetrically arranged rotating ends, each of the split slides is connected to the corresponding rotating end of the folding drive mechanism, and when the two rotating ends of the folding drive mechanism rotate, the two split slides are driven to connect or separate.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0020] 1. The variable damping mechanism can form a two-stage deceleration structure by setting the flexible elastic part and the scroll elastic part. The flexible elastic part can prevent the UAV from being overloaded by excessive impact load. At the same time, the combination of the flexible elastic part and the scroll elastic part can provide variable damping to absorb the kinetic energy of the UAV, which is safer and more practical. There is no heating phenomenon, and the traditional electronic power structure is omitted. The cost is low and the reliability is high;

[0021] 2. This recovery device adopts the form of a mobile vehicle, which can be adjusted according to the flight conditions of the drone to complete the corresponding coordination, thereby improving the mobility of the recovery device, which is of great significance for situations where the recovery location needs to be frequently changed and the recovery location conditions are poor;

[0022] 3. This recovery device is provided with a foldable recovery slide that can be folded and unfolded, which can save space when not in use. When unfolded, it can form a slide for the drone to glide during recovery. In combination with the variable damping mechanism, it can better reduce the kinetic energy of the drone, thereby achieving a better recovery effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The accompanying drawings constituting a part of the present invention are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings:

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a drone recovery device according to the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 A top view of the relative position arrangement of the telescopic lifting device, the foldable recovery slideway and the folding and unfolding drive mechanism of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 The present invention Figure 2 Side view of

[0027] Figure 4 A diagram showing the relative positions of the elastic rope, the volute spring damper and the capture net of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of the scroll spring damper described in the present invention.

[0029] Mobile vehicle 1; rotating platform 2; variable amplitude device 3; telescopic lifting device 4; mechanical arm 4-1; foldable recovery slide 5; folding and unfolding drive mechanism 6; drive module 6-1; connecting piece 6-2; unmanned aerial vehicle back hook 7; elastic rope 8; vortex spring damper 9; capture net 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely explain the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict, and the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments.

[0031] It should be noted that the descriptions of the present invention regarding directions such as "left", "right", "left side", "right side", "upper", "lower", "top", "bottom", etc. are all defined based on the relationship between the orientations or positions shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the structure described must be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore, cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "multiple" is more than two, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0032] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0033] The present embodiment is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. According to one aspect of the present invention, a variable damping mechanism is provided, comprising:

[0034] The flexible elastic part is in the shape of a rope as a whole, with one end being a free end. The flexible elastic part is provided to decelerate the UAV by one level in the initial stage and bear the corresponding load, thereby helping the UAV to decelerate.

[0035] The scroll elastic part is in a coiled shape as a whole and is provided with a fixed end and an extended end, the extended end is connected to the other end of the flexible elastic part, wherein the free end is used to pull the flexible elastic part to deform to a certain extent when coupled with the drone, and then drive the extended end of the scroll elastic part to move. The scroll elastic part is provided to reduce the volume of the occupied space in a limited space, and any elastic part that saves space and does not require electric energy to execute components can be used in this application.

[0036] In this embodiment, the flexible elastic part is an elastic rope 8. As a conventional component, the elastic rope 8 is easy to obtain and inexpensive. Any elastic rope that can withstand impact loads during the recovery of the drone and ensure reasonable service life and reliability can be used in this application.

[0037] In this embodiment, the scroll elastic part is a scroll spring damper 9. The scroll spring damper 9 has a good space resolution effect and is tightened after being stretched. Due to the angular deformation, a torque is generated, thereby converting the kinetic energy of the aircraft into elastic potential energy, and the speed decreases. The cooperation between the scroll spring damper 9 and the elastic rope 8 can form a variable damping structure to ensure that there is no overload phenomenon during the entire process of drone recovery and ensure the smoothness of recovery. For the scroll spring damper 9, as shown in the attached Figure 5As shown, one end of the internal coil spring is fixed, and the other end is connected to one end of the elastic rope 8. In the present application, in order to achieve a good recovery effect, it is necessary to install a drone back sky hook 7 on the drone. For the elastic rope 8, the other end can be provided with a hook structure that cooperates with the drone back sky hook 7 or a structure that is conducive to the hooking of the drone back sky hook 7, such as a circle, so as to achieve the effect of improving the recovery accuracy.

[0038] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drone recovery device, comprising a variable damping mechanism as described above, and further comprising:

[0039] Mobile vehicle 1, the variable damping mechanism is fixed on the mobile vehicle 1; the mobile vehicle 1 is set to improve the maneuverability of recovery. During the operation of the drone, there are often usage scenarios in which the operation location and the recovery location change. Then, installing the variable damping mechanism on the mobile vehicle 1 can improve the maneuverability of recovery, thereby reducing the difficulty of recovering the drone. At the same time, it can return in time when the battery life is insufficient, avoiding falling incidents caused by insufficient power, and improving the safety of operation.

[0040] The capture net 10 is arranged on the mobile vehicle 1, and the variable damping mechanism and the capture net 10 are sequentially arranged in intervals along the flight direction of the drone. The capture net 10 can cooperate with the variable damping mechanism to form a second line of protection for drone recovery and safely recover the drone.

[0041] In this embodiment, the surface of the capture net 10 is arranged perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The orientation of the surface of the capture net 10 can better recover the drone, expand the contact area, and reduce the difficulty of operation for the drone operator. The specific fixing form of the capture net 10 can be reasonably selected according to the actual mobile vehicle 1. It can be fixed on the mobile vehicle 1 through a bracket, or it can be installed on the foldable recovery chute 5 mentioned later. The fixing form can be fixed to the corresponding bracket by setting binding ropes at the four corners. The corresponding selection can be made according to actual needs. Any capture net 10 that can be recovered in combination with the foldable recovery chute 5 can be used in this application.

[0042] In this embodiment, the recovery device further comprises:

[0043] The rotating platform 2 has a fixed end connected to the mobile vehicle 1, and a rotating end used for horizontal rotation; the rotating platform 2 is provided to reasonably adjust the position of the foldable recovery slide 5 in the horizontal plane. The rotating platform 2 can use an existing recovery platform, and any rotating platform that can rotate the rotating end in the horizontal plane can be used in this application. For the rotating platform 2, the driving mode of the rotating end can be selected to be a motor combined with a reducer to drive the rotating end to rotate. The power supply form can be connected to the power supply module of the mobile vehicle 1 for power supply according to actual conditions, such as a battery or a vehicle-mounted battery, and the connection method can be selected from existing technologies according to actual conditions.

[0044] The luffing device 3 has a fixed end connected to the rotating end of the rotating platform 2; the luffing device 3 is provided to change the working amplitude of the telescopic lifting device 4 through the luffing device 3 after the rotating platform 2 adjusts its horizontal position. The existing swing arm type luffing mechanism can be used, and the fixed end of the swing arm type luffing mechanism is connected to the rotating end of the rotating platform 2, so that the rotating platform 2 can adjust the position of the operating end of the swing arm of the luffing device 3 in the horizontal direction. For details, please refer to the rotating structure and luffing structure of the crane, which can be transplanted into the present application as a preferred form for use.

[0045] The telescopic lifting device 4 has a fixed end connected to the variable amplitude end of the variable amplitude device 3, and a telescopic end connected to one end of the folding and unfolding driving mechanism 6. The middle part of the telescopic end is pivoted to the mechanical arm 4-1, and the movable end of the mechanical arm 4-1 is connected to the other end of the folding and unfolding driving mechanism 6 for leveling the folding and unfolding driving mechanism 6. The folding and unfolding driving mechanism 6 is connected to the foldable recovery slide 5 to control the folding and unfolding of the foldable recovery slide 5. The telescopic lifting device 4 is set to further adjust the position of the folding and unfolding driving mechanism 6 on the premise that the positions of the aforementioned rotating platform 2 and the variable amplitude device 3 are adjusted, and then adjust the position of the foldable recovery slide 5, so as to provide a prerequisite for the maximum flexible and adaptive adjustment of the recovery drone. The telescopic lifting device 4 can adopt a hydraulic cylinder telescopic structure, or a ball screw driven slider, and then the telescopic end is connected to the slider. It can be selected according to actual needs. The general principle of use is that the fixed end is connected to the variable amplitude end of the variable amplitude device 3, and the energy supply form also adopts the vehicle-mounted energy supply method. The robot arm 4-1 is specifically in the form of a hydraulic cylinder, and the movable end is connected to the folding and unfolding drive mechanism 6. Therefore, during the movement of the movable end of the robot arm 4-1, the angle between the folding and unfolding drive mechanism 6 and the horizontal plane can be adjusted until the folding and unfolding drive mechanism 6 is in a horizontal state, and the adjustment is completed.

[0046] In this embodiment, the foldable recovery slide 5 includes two split slides, and the folding drive mechanism 6 has two symmetrically arranged rotating ends. Each of the split slides is connected to the corresponding rotating end of the folding drive mechanism 6. When the two rotating ends of the folding drive mechanism 6 rotate, the two split slides are driven to dock or separate. The split slide is connected to the driving module 6-1 through the connecting member 6-2. The driving module 6-1 can drive the connecting member 6-2 to move, thereby driving the corresponding split slide to move. In this application, in the conventional form, the two split slides are separated and arranged parallel to each other on both sides of the folding drive mechanism 6. When each driving module 6-1 drives the connecting member 6-2 to rotate 90 degrees, the two split slides are spliced ​​to form a complete slide. The variable damping mechanism and the capture net 10 are connected to the same split slide or to different split slides respectively, which can be selected according to actual needs. The driving module 6-1 can be driven by a motor and a reducer to drive the connecting member 6-2. The distinguishing recovery bracket formed by the rotating platform 2, the variable amplitude device 3, and the telescopic lifting device 4 can be quickly deployed. Compared with the traditional recovery system, it has the advantages of low recovery environment requirements, no electricity requirements, fast transportation, rapid deployment, and less space occupied when there is no recovery task. It is of great significance for the situation where the recovery location needs to be frequently changed and the conditions of the recovery location are poor.

[0047] When in use, after the mobile vehicle 1 arrives at the designated location, the rotating platform 2 is operated to rotate its rotating end to adjust the horizontal position, and then the spatial position is adjusted by the amplitude device 3, and then the position in the vertical direction is adjusted by the telescopic lifting device 4, and the folding drive mechanism 6 is adjusted to a horizontal state by the mechanical arm 4-1. At this time, the foldable recovery slide 5 is also kept horizontal, and then the drive module 6-1 is operated to drive the split slide to merge into one through the connector 6-2. At this time, the recovery conditions are ready. After the drone flies over, the sky hook 7 on the back of the drone hooks the elastic rope 8 and pulls the elastic rope 8. After the elastic rope 8 is stretched to a certain extent, it drives the elongated end of the volute spring damper 9 to move, and after tightening to a certain extent, it enters the capture net 10 to complete the recovery of the drone. The variable damping drone recovery device combined with the elastic rope and the coil spring uses a flat non-contact volute spring to replace the brake to play a braking role. It does not have the problem of heat accumulation, has a simple structure, and has a low maintenance cost. At the same time, it does not require power intervention, and also solves the problem of large volume of the linear spring.

[0048] The controllers, sensors, control programs, etc. that may be involved in the above description are all existing technologies and will not be described in detail.

[0049] The embodiments of the present invention disclosed above are only used to help illustrate the present invention. The embodiments do not describe all the details in detail, nor do they limit the invention to the specific implementation methods described. According to the content of this specification, many modifications and changes can be made. This specification selects and specifically describes these embodiments in order to better explain the principles and practical applications of the present invention, so that those skilled in the art can understand and use the present invention well.

Claims

1. A variable damping mechanism, characterized in that: include: The flexible elastic part is in the shape of a rope as a whole, and one end is a free end; The scroll elastic part is in a coiled shape as a whole and is provided with a fixed end and an extension end, wherein the extension end is connected to the other end of the flexible elastic part, wherein the free end is used to pull the flexible elastic part to undergo a certain deformation when coupled with the drone, thereby driving the extension end of the scroll elastic part to move.

2. A variable damping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible elastic part is an elastic rope (8).

3. A variable damping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The scroll elastic part is a scroll spring damper (9).

4. A drone recovery device, comprising a variable damping mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: Also includes: A moving vehicle (1), wherein the variable damping mechanism is fixed on the moving vehicle (1); The capture net (10) is arranged on the mobile vehicle (1), and the variable damping mechanism and the capture net (10) are sequentially arranged at intervals along the flight direction of the drone.

5. The drone recovery device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The surface of the capture net (10) is arranged perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

6. The drone recovery device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The recovery device also includes: A rotating platform (2), the fixed end of which is connected to the moving vehicle (1), and the rotating end of which is used for horizontal rotation; A luffing device (3), the fixed end of which is connected to the rotating end of the rotary platform (2); A telescopic lifting device (4), wherein a fixed end is connected to the variable amplitude end of the variable amplitude device (3), a telescopic end is connected to one end of a folding and unfolding driving mechanism (6), a middle portion of the telescopic end is pivotally connected to a mechanical arm (4-1), a movable end of the mechanical arm (4-1) is connected to the other end of the folding and unfolding driving mechanism (6) for leveling the folding and unfolding driving mechanism (6), and the folding and unfolding driving mechanism (6) is connected to a foldable recovery slide (5) for controlling the folding and unfolding of the foldable recovery slide (5).

7. The drone recovery device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The foldable recovery slide (5) comprises two split slides, the folding drive mechanism (6) has two symmetrically arranged rotating ends, each of the split slides is connected to the corresponding rotating end of the folding drive mechanism (6), and when the two rotating ends of the folding drive mechanism (6) rotate, the two split slides are driven to dock or separate.

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