Unmanned aerial vehicle

By using clip assembly and elastic force to automatically fix the arm in the drone, the stability and portability of the traditional drone arm is solved, and automatic deployment and closing are achieved, improving flight safety and portability.

CN119305776APending Publication Date: 2025-01-14QISDA SUZHOU +1
View PDF 6 Cites 0 Cited by

Patent Information

Application Number
CN202310846010.6
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2023-07-11
Publication Date
2025-01-14

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Traditional folding drones need to be manually locked after the arm is expanded, which can easily lead to poor stability, complex operation and inconvenient portability, and the arm is not compact enough after it is folded, affecting flight safety and portability.

Method used

Design a drone whose arm can be automatically fixed by clamping assembly, and clamping it radially along the arm with the elastic force of the torsion spring and clamping fastener to achieve automatic expansion and retraction, ensuring flight stability and portability .

Benefits of technology

It improves the flight safety and portability of the drone, simplifies the operation process, avoids arm vibration and unnecessary collisions, and provides good flight effect and reliability.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

  • Figure CN119305776A_ABST
    Figure CN119305776A_ABST
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

The invention provides an unmanned aerial vehicle. The unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a body, a shaft seat, a vehicle arm and a toggle clip assembly. The shaft seat is arranged outside the body. The arm is pivoted on the shaft seat, and the arm can be movably attached to the body or unfolded from the body. The toggle clip assembly is movably pivoted on the shaft seat and surrounds the periphery of the shaft seat. When the arm is closed to the body, the arm is limited between the body and the toggle clip assembly. In the unfolding process of the vehicle arms, the toggle clip assemblies are pushed by the vehicle arms to pivot on the shaft seats. When the machine arm is unfolded from the body, the clamping and buckling assembly clamps and buckles the machine arm in the radial direction of the machine arm through elastic force.
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and in particular to a portable unmanned aerial vehicle. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the development of drones has been booming, and their applications in military, transportation, monitoring, aerial photography and other fields have become more and more widespread.

[0003] Traditional foldable drones usually need to use screws to manually lock each arm after the arms are unfolded. However, such a design will cause the stability of the drone arms to deteriorate when the user forgets to manually lock the arms. During flight, the arms are prone to vibration and displacement, causing the drone to lose balance, which is not conducive to flight safety. Or the locking structure of the arms is complicated, which is inconvenient for users to operate. In addition, the arms of traditional drones are not compact enough after being folded, making them inconvenient to carry.

[0004] How to make the UAV easy to operate and carry and how to make the arms provide good stability is the research direction in this field.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to design a new type of UAV to overcome the above-mentioned defects. Summary of the invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a drone whose arms can be folded for easy carrying, and can be unfolded and automatically fixed well to provide a good flight effect.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a drone, comprising

[0008] ontology;

[0009] An axle seat is arranged outside the body;

[0010] An arm is pivotally mounted on the shaft seat and is movably disposed between a first position and a second position;

[0011] A clip assembly is movably pivoted on the shaft seat and surrounds the periphery of the shaft seat;

[0012] When the arm moves to the first position, the arm is close to the body, and the arm is limited between the body and the clip assembly;

[0013] During the movement of the machine arm from the first position to the second position, the machine arm is gradually unfolded, and the clip assembly is pushed by the machine arm to pivot on the shaft seat;

[0014] When the machine arm moves to the second position, the machine arm has been unfolded from the main body, and the clamping assembly clamps the machine arm along the radial direction of the machine arm by an elastic force.

[0015] Preferably, the clip assembly includes a torsion spring and a clip member, wherein the torsion spring is disposed between the clip member and the shaft seat and provides the elastic force.

[0016] Preferably, the clamping member includes a limiting portion and a hook portion which are integrally formed and sequentially arranged along the pivot direction of the arm, the hook portion being located between the limiting portion and the torsion spring, and when the arm is abutted against the body, the arm is limited between the body and the limiting portion, and when the arm is unfolded from the body, the hook portion clamps the arm along the radial direction of the arm by the elastic force.

[0017] Preferably, the hook portion includes an inner surface facing the arm, the inner surface is in an inverted U shape, and when the arm is unfolded on the body, part of the arm is located in the inverted U shape.

[0018] Preferably, the hook portion includes an outer surface opposite to the inner surface and a reinforcing outer rib protruding from the outer surface.

[0019] Preferably, the limiting portion includes a push section away from the hook portion, the push section has an arc surface or an inclined surface, and during the unfolding process of the arm, the push section is pushed by the arm and pivots on the shaft seat, so that the arm passes through the push section.

[0020] Preferably, the limiting portion further includes a flat section connected between the pushing section and the hook portion, the shaft seat includes a lower shaft seat, and the pushing section is formed by extending from the flat section in a direction away from the lower shaft seat.

[0021] Preferably, the shaft seat includes an upper shaft seat and a lower shaft seat, the machine arm is pivotally clamped between the upper shaft seat and the lower shaft seat by an axis, and the clamping member is movably pivoted on the upper shaft seat or the lower shaft seat and protrudes outside the shaft seat.

[0022] Preferably, the upper shaft seat and the lower shaft seat both include a plurality of positioning inner ribs, and at least a portion of the plurality of positioning inner ribs are radially arranged and arranged around the shaft portion and abut against an outer surface of the shaft portion.

[0023] Preferably, the lower shaft seat includes a fixed shaft and a positioning portion, the clip assembly includes a torsion spring and a clip member, the clip member includes an integrally formed hook portion and a pressing portion, the clip member and the torsion spring are both pivotally mounted on the fixed shaft, the fixed shaft is arranged near the hook portion and the pressing portion, the two ends of the torsion spring respectively abut against the pressing portion and the positioning portion, and provide the elastic force.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the arm of the drone provided by the present invention is pivoted on the axle seat and can be movably mounted on the body or unfolded from the body. The clip assembly can be movably pivoted on the axle seat and surround the circumference of the axle seat. When the arm is already in contact with the body, the arm is limited between the body and the clip assembly by the clip assembly to reduce the overall volume and avoid unnecessary collisions, thereby making the drone easy to carry and improving reliability. During the process of unfolding the arm, the clip assembly is pushed by the arm and pivoted on the axle seat. When the arm has been unfolded from the body, the clip assembly clamps the arm along the radial direction of the arm by elastic force, so that the unfolded arm can be automatically fixed to a specific position of the axle seat, which not only improves the flight safety of the drone, but also provides a good flight effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1A It is a partial three-dimensional schematic diagram of the arm of the drone according to one embodiment of the present invention being close to the main body;

[0026] Figure 1B for Figure 1A A partial top view of a

[0027] Figure 2 for Figure 1A A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the arm deployment process of a UAV;

[0028] Figure 3 for Figure 1A A three-dimensional diagram of the drone with its arms deployed;

[0029] Figure 4 for Figure 1A A schematic diagram of the main body and the lower axle seat of the UAV;

[0030] Figure 5 for Figure 1A Schematic diagram of the drone's arm;

[0031] Figure 6 for Figure 1A A partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of a UAV at the axle seat;

[0032] Fig. 7A for Figure 1A A three-dimensional schematic diagram of a drone with a clamping member not yet clamping an arm;

[0033] Figure 7B for Fig. 7A Schematic cross-sectional view of ;

[0034] Fig. 8A yes Figure 1A A three-dimensional schematic diagram of a clamping part of a drone clamping an arm;

[0035] Figure 8B yes Fig. 8A Schematic cross-section diagram of . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In order to provide a further understanding of the purpose, structure, features, and functions of the present invention, the following detailed description is given in conjunction with the embodiments.

[0037] Certain words are used in the specification and claims to refer to specific components. Those with ordinary knowledge in the field should understand that manufacturers may use different terms to refer to the same component. This specification and claims do not use differences in names as a way to distinguish components, but rather use differences in components' functions as the criteria for distinction. The term "including" mentioned throughout the specification and claims is an open-ended term and should be interpreted as "including but not limited to".

[0038] Figure 1A The figure is a partial three-dimensional schematic diagram of an arm of a drone being fitted against a main body according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1B yes Figure 1A A partial top view of the diagram. Figure 2 yes Figure 1A A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the drone's arm deployment process. Figure 3 yes Figure 1A A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the drone with its arms unfolded.

[0039] See also Figures 1A to 3 The drone 100 of this embodiment includes a body 110, an axle seat 120, an arm 130, and a clip assembly 140. In this embodiment, the shape of the body 110 is, for example, close to a quadrilateral, and the axle seat 120, the arm 130, and the clip assembly 140 are, for example, four groups, and the four groups of the axle seat 120, the arm 130, and the clip assembly 140 are respectively arranged at the four corners of the body 110. Of course, the shape of the body 110 and the number of the axle seat 120, the arm 130, and the clip assembly 140 are not limited to this.

[0040] In this embodiment, the shaft seat 120 is disposed outside the body 110. The arm 130 is disposed along the first rotation axis A1 ( Figure 2 ) is pivotally mounted on the shaft seat 120, and the arm 130 is movably disposed between a first position and a second position; when the arm 130 is in the first position, the arm 130 is close to the body 110 ( Figure 1A and Figure 1B ); During the movement of the arm 130 from the first position to the second position, the arm 130 gradually unfolds ( Figure 2 ); When the arm 130 moves to the second position, the arm 130 has been unfolded from the body 110 (with Figure 3 ).

[0041] The clip assembly 140 is movably pivoted on the shaft seat 120 and surrounds the periphery of the shaft seat 120. In this embodiment, please refer to Figure 2 Taking the clip assembly 140 at the lower right corner of the drawing as an example, the clip assembly 140 is rotated along a second rotation axis A2 ( Figure 2 ) is pivotally mounted on the shaft seat 120 and can be flipped relative to the shaft seat 120.

[0042] In this embodiment, if Figure 1A and Figure 1B As shown, when the arm 130 is close to the body 110 , the arm 130 is confined between the body 110 and the clip assembly 140 to reduce the overall volume and make the drone 100 easy to carry.

[0043] like Figure 2 As shown, during the process that the arm 130 rotates along the first rotation axis A1 and is unfolded relative to the body 110 , the clip assembly 140 is pushed by the arm 130 and pivots along the second rotation axis A2 relative to the shaft seat 120 .

[0044] like Figure 3 As shown, when the arm 130 is deployed from the body 110, the clamping assembly 140 clamps the arm 130 along the radial direction of the arm 130 by an elastic force to fix the arm 130. Therefore, the deployed arm 130 can be well fixed to provide a good flight effect.

[0045] The specific structure of the drone 100 of this embodiment will be described below.

[0046] Figure 4 yes Figure 1A Schematic diagram of the drone's main body and lower axle seat. Figure 5 yes Figure 1A Schematic diagram of the drone's arm. Figure 6 yes Figure 1A Schematic diagram of a partial cross-section of a UAV at the axle seat.

[0047] See also Figures 4 to 6 The shaft seat 120 of this embodiment includes an upper shaft seat 122 ( Figure 6 ) and the lower shaft seat 124. Figure 6 As shown, the arm 130 ( Figure 5 ) is pivotally mounted between the upper shaft seat 122 and the lower shaft seat 124 via a shaft portion 132. The blade 134 is disposed at an end of the arm 130 away from the shaft portion 132.

[0048] like Figure 4 and Figure 6 It can be seen that each of the upper shaft seat 122 and the lower shaft seat 124 includes a plurality of positioning inner ribs 127, at least some of which are as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, the positioning inner ribs 127 are arranged radially and annularly outside the shaft portion 132, and the positioning inner ribs 127 abut against the outer surface 145 of the shaft portion 132. The positioning inner ribs 127 can be used as bearings to position the shaft portion 132 and rotate smoothly, thereby reducing the friction between the shaft portion 132 and the shaft seat 120.

[0049] Fig. 7A yes Figure 1A A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the UAV's clamping parts before clamping the machine arm. Figure 7B yes Fig. 7A See Figure 3 , Fig. 7A and Figure 7B The clip assembly 140 includes a torsion spring 141 ( Figure 7B ) and the clip 142. Figure 7B As shown, the torsion spring 141 is disposed between the clip 142 and the shaft seat 120 and provides elastic force. In this embodiment, the clip 142 is movably pivoted on the lower shaft seat 124 and protrudes out of the shaft seat 120. In other embodiments, the clip 142 is movably pivoted on the upper shaft seat 122, and the relationship between the clip 142 and the shaft seat 120 is not limited thereto.

[0050] More specifically, by Figure 7B It can be seen that the lower shaft seat 124 includes a fixed shaft 125 and a positioning portion 126. The clip 142 includes an integrally formed hook portion 143, a limiting portion 150 and a pressing portion 147. The hook portion 143 is located between the limiting portion 150 and the pressing portion 147. The portion of the clip 142 between the hook portion 143 and the pressing portion 147 and the torsion spring 141 are both pivotally arranged on the fixed shaft 125. Therefore, the fixed shaft 125 is located near the hook portion 143 and the pressing portion 147. In addition, the two ends of the torsion spring 141 abut against the pressing portion 147 and the positioning portion 126, and provide elastic force.

[0051] As can be seen from the above configuration, the clip 142 can rotate around the fixed shaft 125 when subjected to force, thereby deforming the torsion spring 141. At this time, the torsion spring 141 accumulates elastic force, and when the force on the clip 142 disappears, the elastic force will be released to return the clip 142 to its original position.

[0052] In this embodiment, the hook portion 143 includes an inner surface 144 facing the arm 130, an outer surface 145 opposite to the inner surface 144, and a reinforcing outer rib 146 protruding from the outer surface 145. The inner surface 144 of the hook portion 143 is in an inverted U shape to accommodate and position the arm 130. The reinforcing outer rib 146 is used to increase the structural strength of the hook portion 143.

[0053] In addition, in this embodiment, the hook portion 143 and the limiting portion 150 are not arranged in a straight line. Figure 2 and Fig. 7A As shown, the limiting portion 150 and the hook portion 143 are sequentially arranged along the circumferential direction of the first rotation axis A1. The limiting portion 150 includes a push section 152 away from the hook portion 143, and the push section 152 has an arc surface 153. In other embodiments, the push section 152 may also have an inclined surface, and the form of the push section 152 is not limited to this. In addition, the limiting portion 150 includes a flat section 154 connected between the push section 152 and the hook portion 143. In this embodiment, the push section 152 is formed by the flat section 154 extending in a direction away from the lower shaft seat 124.

[0054] Please go back Figure 1B In the present embodiment, when the arm 130 moves to the first position, the arm 130 is close to the body 110 . At this time, the arm 130 is limited between the body 110 and the limiting portion 150 of the clip 142 .

[0055] Please match Figure 2 and Fig. 7A When the arm 130 moves from the first position to the second position, the arm 130 pivots relative to the shaft seat 120 around the first rotation axis A1, the arm 130 gradually unfolds, the arc surface 153 of the push section 152 of the limiter 150 is pushed by the arm 130, and pivots relative to the shaft seat 120 around the second rotation axis A2, the push section 152 moves upward, and the arm 130 passes through the push section 152, and then the arm 130 passes through the horizontal extension section 154. At this time, the torsion spring 141 accumulates elastic force.

[0056] Fig. 8A yes Figure 1A A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the clamping parts of the drone clamping the machine arm. Figure 8B yes Fig. 8A Please refer to the cross-sectional diagram of Figure 3 , Fig. 8A and Figure 8B The arm 130 includes a positioning block 136, the outer contour of which corresponds to the inner surface 144 (inverted U-shape) of the hook portion 143. When the arm 130 moves to the second position, the arm 130 is unfolded on the body 110, and the hook portion 143 rotates back to its original position by releasing the elastic force of the torsion spring 141. The hook portion 143 clamps the positioning block 136 of the arm 130 along the radial direction of the arm 130 to fix the arm 130. At this time, the hook portion 143 is perpendicular to the arm 130. Figure 8B As shown, at this time, part of the arm 130 (that is, the positioning block 136) is located in the inverted U-shape, and is well fixed by the lower shaft seat 124 and the hook portion 143 in the up and down directions, and is also well fixed by the hook portion 143 in the left and right directions.

[0057] Of course, in other embodiments, the positioning block 136 may be omitted, and the hook portion 143 may directly clip the cylindrical machine arm 130, but the shape of the machine arm 130 is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, the shape of the inner surface 144 of the hook portion 143 may correspond to the outer contour of the part of the machine arm 130 to be clipped.

[0058] In summary, the arm of the drone of the present invention is pivoted on the axle seat, and can be movably mounted on the body or unfolded from the body. The clip assembly can be movably pivoted on the axle seat, and surrounds the circumference of the axle seat. When the arm is already in contact with the body, the arm is limited between the body and the clip assembly by the clip assembly to reduce the overall volume and avoid unnecessary collisions, thereby making the drone easy to carry and improving reliability. During the process of unfolding the arm, the clip assembly is pushed by the arm and pivoted on the axle seat. When the arm has been unfolded from the body, the clip assembly clamps the arm along the radial direction of the arm by elastic force, so that the unfolded arm can be automatically fixed to a specific position of the axle seat, which not only improves the flight safety of the drone, but also provides a good flight effect.

[0059] The present invention has been described by the above-mentioned relevant embodiments, however, the above-mentioned embodiments are only examples for implementing the present invention. It must be pointed out that the disclosed embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention. On the contrary, changes and modifications made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention are all within the scope of patent protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A drone, characterized in that: include: ontology; An axle seat is arranged outside the body; An arm is pivotally mounted on the shaft seat and is movably disposed between a first position and a second position; A clip assembly is movably pivoted on the shaft seat and surrounds the periphery of the shaft seat; When the arm moves to the first position, the arm is close to the body, and the arm is limited between the body and the clip assembly; During the movement of the machine arm from the first position to the second position, the machine arm is gradually unfolded, and the clip assembly is pushed by the machine arm to pivot on the shaft seat; When the machine arm moves to the second position, the machine arm has been unfolded from the main body, and the clamping assembly clamps the machine arm along the radial direction of the machine arm by an elastic force.

2. The drone according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamp assembly comprises a torsion spring and a clamp member. The torsion spring is arranged between the clamp member and the shaft seat and provides the elastic force.

3. The drone according to claim 2, characterized in that: The clamping member includes a limiting portion and a hook portion which are integrally formed and sequentially arranged along the pivot direction of the arm. The hook portion is located between the limiting portion and the torsion spring. When the arm is close to the body, the arm is limited between the body and the limiting portion. When the arm is unfolded from the body, the hook portion clamps the arm along the radial direction of the arm by the elastic force.

4. The drone according to claim 3, characterized in that: The hook portion includes an inner surface facing the arm, the inner surface is in an inverted U shape, and when the arm is unfolded on the body, part of the arm is located in the inverted U shape.

5. The drone according to claim 4, characterized in that: The hook portion includes an outer surface opposite to the inner surface and a reinforcing outer rib protruding from the outer surface.

6. The drone according to claim 3, characterized in that: The limiting portion includes a push section away from the hook portion, the push section has an arc surface or an inclined surface, and when the machine arm is unfolded, the push section is pushed by the machine arm and pivots on the shaft seat, so that the machine arm passes through the push section.

7. The drone according to claim 6, characterized in that: The limiting portion further comprises a flat extension section connected between the push section and the hook portion, the shaft seat comprises a lower shaft seat, and the push section is formed by extending from the flat extension section in a direction away from the lower shaft seat.

8. The drone according to claim 1, wherein: The shaft seat comprises an upper shaft seat and a lower shaft seat, the machine arm is pivotally clamped between the upper shaft seat and the lower shaft seat by an axis, and the clamping member is movably pivotally mounted on the upper shaft seat or the lower shaft seat and protrudes out of the shaft seat.

9. The drone according to claim 8, characterized in that: The upper shaft seat and the lower shaft seat both include a plurality of positioning inner ribs, at least a portion of the plurality of positioning inner ribs are radially arranged and annularly disposed on the shaft portion and abut against the outer surface of the shaft portion.

10. The drone according to claim 8, characterized in that: The lower shaft seat includes a fixed shaft and a positioning portion, the clip assembly includes a torsion spring and a clip member, the clip member includes an integrally formed hook portion and a pressing portion, the clip member and the torsion spring are both pivotally mounted on the fixed shaft, the fixed shaft is arranged near the hook portion and the pressing portion, the two ends of the torsion spring are respectively abutted against the pressing portion and the positioning portion, and provide the elastic force.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Unmanned aerial vehicle skeleton and unmanned aerial vehicle

    CN108438216A

  • Rack and unmanned aerial vehicle

    CN110325440A

  • Arm assembly and unmanned aerial vehicle

    CN113795424A

  • Unmanned aerial vehicle body and unmanned aerial vehicle

    CN209290654U

  • Arm and unmanned aerial vehicle

    CN214608062U