A pushing piece for an unmanned aerial vehicle nest fixing reset device and an unmanned aerial vehicle nest

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and mainly relates to a pushing piece for an unmanned aerial vehicle nest fixing reset device and an unmanned aerial vehicle nest, wherein the pushing piece comprises a front end fixed part and a rear end fixed part, the unmanned aerial vehicle is located between the front end fixed part and the rear end fixed part, and the front end fixed part is in stop cooperation with the front legs of the unmanned aerial vehicle; the rear end fixed part comprises a first mounting seat, a driving piece and a hook rotating around an up-down extending axis are arranged on the first mounting seat, the driving piece is in transmission connection with the hook to drive the hook to hook the rear legs of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The front end fixed part stops the front legs of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the rear end fixed part hooks the rear legs of the unmanned aerial vehicle, so that the fixing of the front side and the rear side of the unmanned aerial vehicle is realized respectively, the fixing of the whole unmanned aerial vehicle is realized, and when the unmanned aerial vehicle is used, the quick taking and using of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be realized by only controlling the driving piece to drive the hook to separate from the rear legs of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, and mainly relates to a pusher for a UAV nest fixing and resetting device and a UAV nest. Background Technology

[0002] There is currently a significant gap in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) patrol services, and the use of UAVs is becoming increasingly frequent and widespread. As a result, auxiliary equipment for UAV patrols has also seen substantial development. UAV nests are one such example. However, traditional methods of securing UAVs within UAV nests often easily cause secondary damage to the UAVs, affecting their lifespan to varying degrees.

[0003] To address the aforementioned deficiencies, patent document CN115107626B discloses a drone fixing device. This device includes a support base, a strapping assembly, and a clamping assembly. The support base supports the drone body. The strapping assembly includes multiple strapping members, with both ends of each member positioned on opposite sides of the support base. Adjacent strapping members form a propeller clearance space, and the strapping members secure the drone body to the support base. This drone fixing device secures the drone to the support base without requiring the folding and disassembly of the propellers, reducing wear caused by propeller installation and extending the device's service life.

[0004] However, the drone securing device uses multiple straps to fix the drone to the carrier, which is inconvenient for staff to fix the drone, and it is also inconvenient to remove the drone. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides a pusher for a drone nest fixing and resetting device and a drone nest, to solve the problems in the prior art where drones are inconvenient to fix and inconvenient to remove after fixing.

[0006] To solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A pusher for a drone nest fixing and resetting device includes a front fixing part and a rear fixing part, with the drone located between the front fixing part and the rear fixing part, and the front fixing part engaging with the drone's front landing gear.

[0008] The rear fixing part includes a first mounting base, on which a driving component and a hook that rotates about an axis extending vertically are provided. The driving component is connected to the hook to drive the hook to grab the rear foot of the drone.

[0009] It has the following beneficial effects: the front fixing part blocks the front foot of the drone, and the rear fixing part hooks the rear foot of the drone. In this way, the front and rear sides of the drone are fixed respectively, thereby achieving the fixation of the entire drone. When using the drone, you only need to control the drive component to drive the hook to separate from the rear foot of the drone to achieve quick take-out and use of the drone.

[0010] Furthermore, the first mounting base is provided with a switch trigger, which is electrically connected to a controller. The controller is electrically connected to a drive unit. The drone's rear footrest abuts against the switch trigger, and the controller controls the drive unit to drive the grappling hook to grab the drone's rear footrest.

[0011] It has the following beneficial effects: When it is necessary to recover the drone, the drone will land at this device, the front foot of the drone will contact the front fixed part, and the rear foot of the drone will contact the rear fixed part. After landing in place, the rear foot of the drone will touch the switch trigger, which will cause the drive component to drive the hook to grab the rear foot of the drone, thereby fixing the rear of the drone.

[0012] Furthermore, the first mounting base is provided with a rear foot mounting groove for engaging with the rear foot of the drone. The hook grabs the rear foot of the drone and fixes the rear foot of the drone in the rear foot mounting groove. The switch trigger is installed in the rear foot mounting groove.

[0013] It has the following beneficial effects: When the drone's rear footplate moves into the rear foot mounting slot, it will trigger the switch, indicating that the drone has been moved into place. At this time, the grappling hook will hook the drone's rear footplate, thereby fixing the drone to the rear.

[0014] Furthermore, a rotating component is fixed to the output end of the driving component, the rotating component rotates around the output end of the driving component, and the rotating component has a transmission rod connected to the ball joint of the pawl.

[0015] Furthermore, the first mounting base is provided with a protective cover, and an installation space is formed between the protective cover and the first mounting base, in which the drive component, transmission rod and hook are located.

[0016] It has the following beneficial effects: the protective cover can prevent external influences on the drive components, transmission rods and grapples.

[0017] Furthermore, the protective cover has a clearance groove corresponding to the position of the rotating component, and the clearance groove is used to avoid the rotating component during rotation.

[0018] It has the following beneficial effects: when the rotating part needs to rotate, one end of the rotating part will enter the clearance groove, which can prevent the protective cover from affecting the rotation of the rotating part and ensure that the grappling hook can stably hook the rear foot of the drone.

[0019] Furthermore, the rear end fixing part has two parts, each of which has a first mounting seat. The claws on the two first mounting seats are arranged opposite each other so that the corresponding driving component drives the claws to hook the rear foot of the drone from opposite sides respectively.

[0020] It has the following beneficial effects: making the drone more stable.

[0021] Furthermore, the front-end fixing part includes a second mounting base, which has two front foot mounting slots for engaging with the front foot of the drone.

[0022] Furthermore, the second mounting base and the two first mounting bases are arranged in a V-shape, and the second mounting base is connected to the two first mounting bases respectively.

[0023] A drone nest includes a pusher for a drone nest fixing and resetting device.

[0024] It has the following beneficial effects: the front fixing part blocks the front foot of the drone, and the rear fixing part hooks the rear foot of the drone. In this way, the front and rear sides of the drone are fixed respectively, thereby achieving the fixation of the entire drone. When using the drone, you only need to control the drive component to drive the hook to separate from the rear foot of the drone to achieve quick take-out and use of the drone. Attached Figure Description

[0025] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent upon reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, several embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example and not limitation, and like or corresponding reference numerals denote like or corresponding parts, wherein:

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the nest;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a top view of the partially omitted pusher component;

[0028] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Enlarged view of point A in the middle;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of the actuator;

[0030] Figure 5 for Figure 5 Enlarged view of point B in the middle;

[0031] Figure 6 Top view of the actuator;

[0032] Figure 7 for Figure 6A cross-sectional view along the CC direction;

[0033] Figure 8 for Figure 7 Enlarged view of point D in the middle;

[0034] Figure 9 This is the control block diagram for the claw;

[0035] Figure 10 A first-person view structural diagram of the nest;

[0036] Figure 11 This is a structural schematic diagram of the nest from a second-person perspective;

[0037] Figure 12 for Figure 10 Enlarged view of point E in the middle.

[0038] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0039] 1. Helipad; 2. Landing pad; 3. Pushing component; 4. Claw; 5. Drive component; 6. Switch trigger; 7. Transmission rod; 8. First mounting base; 9. Rear foot mounting slot; 10. Front foot mounting slot; 11. Second mounting base; 12. Rotating component; 13. Roller; 14. Connecting component; 15. Clearance slot; 16. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); 17. Front footrest; 18. Rear footrest; 19. Step section; 20. Guide component; 21. Installation space; 22. Protective cover; 23. Controller. Detailed Implementation

[0040] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments described below are only some, not all, of the embodiments disclosed. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0041] Various non-limiting embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Any number of elements in the accompanying drawings is for illustrative purposes only and not for limitation, and any naming is for distinction only and has no limiting meaning. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the present invention can be combined with each other.

[0042] Example 1 of the pusher

[0043] like Figure 1 As shown, a pusher 3 is used for a drone nest fixing and resetting device, the pusher 3 being located on the landing pad 2 of the nest 1.

[0044] Specifically, the pusher 3 includes a linear drive assembly, a front fixing part and two rear fixing parts, and the front fixing part and the two rear fixing parts can be driven to move in a straight line on the apron 2 by the linear drive assembly. There are two linear drive assemblies, which are respectively placed on both sides of the apron 2. In this embodiment, the linear drive assembly can be a lead screw and nut pair.

[0045] In other embodiments, the linear drive assembly may be a cylinder assembly, a hydraulic cylinder assembly, or an electric actuator assembly.

[0046] like Figure 10 , Figure 11 As shown, the drone 16 mentioned in this embodiment is a multi-rotor drone disclosed in Chinese patent document CN220865682U, which is prior art, therefore it will not be described in detail in this embodiment. The drone nest 1 mentioned in this embodiment is used to dock the multi-rotor drone disclosed in the aforementioned patent document. The drone nest 1 can accommodate the drone 16 inside the drone nest 1.

[0047] The drone 16 is located between the front fixing part and the rear fixing part. The drone 16 is secured by the front fixing part and two rear fixing parts. The two rear fixing parts are connected to the front fixing part, forming a V-shaped structure. When securing the drone 16, it is located inside the V-shaped structure. Specifically, the front fixing part engages with the front footrest 17 of the drone 16 to secure the front of the drone 16, and the rear fixing part engages with the rear footrest 18 of the drone 16 to secure the rear of the drone 16.

[0048] like Figures 2-5 As shown, each rear fixing part includes a first mounting base 8. Each first mounting base 8 is provided with a driving member 5 and a hook 4 that rotates around an axis extending vertically. The hooks 4 on the two first mounting bases 8 are arranged opposite to each other so that the corresponding driving member 5 can drive the corresponding hook 4 to hook the rear foot 18 of the drone 16 from opposite sides to fix the rear of the drone 16. This fixing method can make the drone 16 more stable.

[0049] When the drone 16 lands on the helipad 2, the front fixing part blocks the front landing gear 17 of the drone 16, and the rear fixing part hooks the rear landing gear 18 of the drone 16. This achieves fixation on the front and rear sides of the drone 16, thus securing the entire drone 16. When using the drone 16, simply control the drive component 5 to drive the hook 4 to separate from the rear landing gear 18 of the drone 16, and the drone 16 can take off vertically, allowing for quick and easy removal and use.

[0050] like Figure 3 , Figure 9As shown, each first mounting base 8 is equipped with a switch trigger 6, which is electrically connected to a controller 23. The controller 23 is electrically connected to the drive unit 5. The signal triggered by the switch trigger 6 is transmitted to the controller 23, which controls the operation of the drive unit 5. When the rear footrest 18 of the drone 16 comes into contact with the switch trigger 6, triggering the switch trigger 6, the controller 23 controls the corresponding drive unit 5 to drive the pawl 4 to hook the rear footrest 18 of the drone 16, thereby completing the fixation of the rear of the drone 16.

[0051] When drone 16 needs to be retrieved, it will land at this device. The front landing gear 17 of drone 16 will contact the front mounting part, and the rear landing gear 18 will contact the rear mounting part. The order of contact is not fixed; either side can contact first, then last, or simultaneously. After drone 16 lands, its rear landing gear 18 will touch the switch trigger 6. The switch trigger 6 will transmit a signal to the controller 23, which will control the drive component 5 to drive the grappling hook 4 to engage the rear landing gear 18, thus securing the rear of drone 16. When drone 16 needs to be released, the controller 23 will control the drive component 5 to drive the grappling hook 4 to disengage from the rear landing gear 18, removing the rear securing of drone 16. Drone 16 can then take off.

[0052] The first mounting base 8 has a rear foot mounting groove 9 for engaging with the rear footrest 18 of the drone 16. The grappling hook 4 hooks onto the rear footrest 18 of the drone 16 and fixes it within the rear foot mounting groove 9. A switch trigger 6 is mounted in the rear foot mounting groove 9. When the rear footrest 18 of the drone 16 moves into the rear foot mounting groove 9, it will contact the switch trigger 6, indicating that the drone 16 has been moved into position. At this time, the grappling hook 4 will engage the rear footrest 18 of the drone 16, thus securing the rear of the drone 16. The rear foot mounting groove 9 has a first stop surface that extends vertically and engages with the front of the rear footrest 18 of the drone 16. The switch trigger 6 is also located on the first stop surface. The grappling hook 4 has a second stop surface that extends vertically and faces away from the first stop surface. This second stop surface engages with the rear of the rear footrest 18 of the drone 16. The rear of the drone 16 is fixed by the first stop surface of the rear foot mounting groove 9 and the second stop surface of the hook 4.

[0053] In this embodiment, a rotating component 12 is fixed to the output end of the drive component 5. The rotating component 12 rotates around the output end of the drive component 5. The rotating component 12 has a ball joint with a transmission rod 7, and the transmission rod 7 is ball jointed with the grappling hook 4. When the drive component 5 operates, it will cause the rotating component 12 to rotate. The ball joint between the rotating component 12 and the transmission rod 7 is eccentric, that is, the position of the ball joint does not coincide with the rotation axis of the output end of the drive component 5. Thus, when the rotating component 12 rotates, the transmission rod 7 will pull the grappling hook 4 to move, thereby realizing the contact or separation of the grappling hook 4 with the rear footrest 18 of the UAV 16. In this embodiment, the drive component 5 is a servo motor.

[0054] In other embodiments, the driving component 5 is a cylinder. The fixed end of the cylinder is hinged to the first mounting base 8, and the telescopic end of the cylinder is hinged to the grappling hook 4. The telescopic end of the cylinder extends and retracts to achieve contact or separation between the grappling hook 4 and the rear foot 18 of the UAV 16. The hinge axis between the fixed end of the cylinder and the first mounting base 8, and the hinge axis between the telescopic end of the cylinder and the grappling hook 4, both extend in the vertical direction. The driving component 5 can also be a hydraulic cylinder or an electric push rod.

[0055] like Figures 6-8 As shown, a protective cover is provided on the first mounting base 8, and an installation space is formed between the protective cover and the first mounting base 8. The driving component 5, the rotating component 12, the transmission rod 7, and the hook 4 are all located in the installation space. In this embodiment, the protective cover can prevent external influences on the driving component 5, the transmission rod 7, and the hook 4, thus providing protection.

[0056] Because the rotating component 12 needs to rotate and has a certain length, when the height of the installation space is insufficient, a clearance groove 15 corresponding to the position of the rotating component 12 needs to be set on the protective cover. The clearance groove 15 is connected to the installation space and is recessed outward so that it can be used to avoid the rotating component 12 during rotation. When the rotating component 12 needs to rotate, one end of the rotating component 12 will enter the clearance groove 15. This can prevent the protective cover from affecting the rotation of the rotating component 12 due to insufficient height of the installation space. Setting the clearance groove 15 can ensure that the grappling hook 4 can stably hook the rear footrest 18 of the drone 16.

[0057] The front-end fixing part in this embodiment includes a second mounting base 11, which has two front foot mounting slots 10 for engaging with the front feet 17 of the drone 16. Each front foot mounting slot 10 has a third stop surface that extends vertically and faces away from the second stop surface. When the drone 16 lands and reaches the position of the front foot mounting slot 10, the second stop surface engages with the front feet 17 of the drone 16. Simultaneously, because the rear feet 18 of the drone 16 engage with the second stop surface, and the third stop surface faces away from the second stop surface, both the front and rear sides of the drone 16 can be secured.

[0058] In this embodiment, the front foot mounting slot 10 is a flared slot, facing the rear of the drone 16. The flared slot makes it easier for the front foot 17 of the drone 16 to fit into the front foot mounting slot 10.

[0059] The second mounting base 11 and the two first mounting bases 8 are arranged in a V-shape, and the second mounting base 11 is connected to the two first mounting bases 8 respectively, so that the second mounting base 11 and the two first mounting bases 8 become a whole.

[0060] Each of the two first mounting bases 8 has a freely rotatable roller 13 on its lower side. The two rollers 13 roll on the helipad 2, thereby enabling the movement of the connected front-end fixing part and the two rear-end fixing parts on the helipad 2. Simultaneously, the helipad 2 has two parallel sliding grooves arranged at intervals, the extending direction of which is the same as the direction of movement of the rollers 13. Each of the two first mounting bases 8 has a connecting member 14 on its lower side, which slides within the corresponding sliding groove.

[0061] Two fixed seats are provided on the lower side of the helipad 2, and two linear drive components are respectively mounted on the corresponding fixed seats. The connector 14 passes through the sliding groove and connects to the corresponding linear drive component. The linear drive component drives the connector 14 to move, thereby driving the front fixed part and the two rear fixed parts to move. At this time, the two rollers 13 roll on the helipad 2, which facilitates the movement of the front fixed part and the two rear fixed parts.

[0062] Two guide members 20 are provided on the landing pad 2. The two guide members 20 protrude upwards and are respectively used to correspond one-to-one with the rear foot mounting slots 9. When the drone 16 docks on the landing pad 2, the nest 1 will guide the drone 16 to dock directly in front of the two guide members 20. When fixing the drone 16, the front fixing part and the two rear fixing parts move towards the guide members 20. During this movement, the front foot 17 of the drone 16 will enter the front foot mounting slot 10, and the rear foot 18 of the drone 16 will enter the rear foot mounting slot 9, thus ensuring that the drone 16 is correctly fixed.

[0063] The working process of this invention is as follows:

[0064] When it is necessary to retrieve and secure the drone 16, the drone 16 lands on the landing pad 2. The nest 1 guides the drone 16 to land in the correct position. Then, the linear drive assembly operates, causing the front fixing part and the two rear fixing parts to move toward the drone 16. The front foot mounting slot 10 engages with the front foot 17 of the drone 16. The rear foot 18 of the drone 16 contacts the switch trigger 6. The controller 23 controls the drive component 5 to drive the grappling hook 4 to hook the rear foot 18 of the drone 16, thereby completing the securing of the drone 16.

[0065] When the nest 1 needs to release the drone 16, the linear drive 5 operates, driving the front fixing part and the two rear fixing parts to move forward. At the same time, the drone 16 also moves with the front fixing part and the two rear fixing parts. When it reaches the set position, the controller 23 controls the drive 5 to open the hook 4, so that the hook 4 separates from the rear foot 18 of the drone 16 and is no longer fixed to the rear foot 18 of the drone 16. Then the linear drive 5 continues to operate, moving the front fixing part and the two rear fixing parts away from the drone 16 by a certain distance, and then the drone 16 can take off.

[0066] Example 2 of the pusher

[0067] The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that, as Figure 10 , Figure 11 , Figure 12 As shown, the drone 16 in this embodiment has a step 19 on its rear footrest 18. When the grappling hook 4 moves to the rear footrest 18 of the drone 16, the grappling hook 4 is located on the upper side of the step 19. The step 19 and the lower side of the grappling hook 4 form a stop engagement. In this way, even if the drone 1 tilts when it is retracted into the nest, the drone 16 can be stably fixed on the landing pad 2, which increases the stability of the drone 16.

[0068] Implementation of the nest

[0069] The nest 1 includes a pusher 3, which is the pusher 3 in embodiment 1 or embodiment 2 described above.

Claims

1. A pusher for a drone nest fixing and resetting device, characterized in that, It includes a front-end fixing part and a rear-end fixing part, with the drone located between the front-end fixing part and the rear-end fixing part. The front-end fixing part is in a stop-and-holding cooperation with the drone's front landing gear. The rear fixing part includes a first mounting base, on which a driving component and a hook that rotates about an axis extending vertically are provided. The driving component is connected to the hook to drive the hook to grab the rear foot of the drone. The first mounting base is equipped with a switch trigger, which is electrically connected to a controller. The controller is electrically connected to a drive unit. The drone's rear footrest abuts against the switch trigger, and the controller controls the drive unit to drive the grappling hook to grab the drone's rear footrest. The first mounting base is provided with a rear foot mounting groove for engaging with the rear foot of the drone. The hook grabs the rear foot of the drone and fixes the rear foot of the drone in the rear foot mounting groove. The switch trigger is installed in the rear foot mounting groove. The output end of the drive component is fixed with a rotating component, which rotates around the output end of the drive component. The rotating component has a ball joint with a transmission rod, which is connected to the pawl ball joint.

2. The pusher for a UAV nest fixing and resetting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first mounting base is equipped with a protective cover, and an installation space is formed between the protective cover and the first mounting base. The drive component, transmission rod and hook are located in the installation space.

3. A pusher for a UAV nest fixing and resetting device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The protective cover has a clearance groove corresponding to the position of the rotating component, and the clearance groove is used to avoid the rotating component when it rotates.

4. A pusher for a UAV nest fixing and resetting device according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The rear-end fixing part has two parts, each of which has a first mounting seat. The claws on the two first mounting seats are arranged opposite each other so that the corresponding driving component drives the claws to hook the drone's rear footplate from opposite sides respectively.

5. A pusher for a UAV nest fixing and resetting device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The front-end fixing part includes a second mounting base, which has two front foot mounting slots for engaging with the front foot of the drone.

6. A pusher for a UAV nest fixing and resetting device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The second mounting base and the two first mounting bases are arranged in a V-shape, and the second mounting base is connected to the two first mounting bases respectively.

7. A drone nest, characterized in that, Includes a pusher for a drone nest fixing and resetting device as described in any one of claims 1-6.

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