Outdoor unmanned aerial vehicle wireless charging device based on image recognition

Abstract

The invention discloses an outdoor unmanned aerial vehicle wireless charging device based on image recognition. The outdoor unmanned aerial vehicle wireless charging device comprises a transparent parking platform, a charging module, a charging module position adjusting mechanism, an image acquisition module and a control unit. The transparent parking platform is used for landing and parking of the unmanned aerial vehicle; the image acquisition module is arranged below the transparent parking platform and is used for acquiring pictures of the unmanned aerial vehicle on the transparent parking platform; the control unit receives the collected image, extracts the position information of the power receiving coil of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and outputs a control instruction to the charging module position adjusting mechanism according to the position information of the power receiving coil; the charging module is installed on the charging module position adjusting mechanism and located below the transparent parking platform, and the charging module position adjusting mechanism adjusts the position of the charging module according to the control instruction, so that the charging module is electromagnetically coupled with the power receiving coil. The high-precision coupling of the coil of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be realized, the wireless charging efficiency is improved, the operation cruising ability and certain outdoor anti-interference ability of the unmanned aerial vehicle are ensured, and the service life is prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of wireless charging of unmanned aerial vehicles, and in particular to an outdoor wireless charging device for unmanned aerial vehicles based on image recognition. Background Art

[0002] Unmanned aircraft complete normal flight operations through radio remote control equipment and self-contained program control devices. Unmanned aircraft generally include unmanned helicopters, unmanned fixed-wing aircraft, unmanned multi-rotor aircraft, unmanned airships and unmanned paragliders. Unmanned aircraft can survey and photograph the terrain, carry out sowing, fertilizing and artificial rainfall during flight.

[0003] However, short flight time is a common problem of drones. The autonomous execution of drone tasks is limited by their flight time. Most of the current solutions are to set up electromagnetic induction wireless charging platforms on the flight route. Electromagnetic induction wireless charging technology uses the principle of electromagnetic induction. There is a coil at the transmitting end and the receiving end. On the power transmission coil, the changing electric field generates a changing magnetic field, and then the magnetic field induces an electric field on the power receiving coil, thereby realizing energy transmission. The efficiency of electromagnetic induction wireless charging is closely related to the alignment accuracy of the power transmission coil and the power receiving coil. The more accurate the alignment, the higher the charging efficiency. The greater the position offset between the power receiving coil and the power transmission coil, the lower the charging efficiency. However, these wireless charging platforms also have the problem of difficulty in quickly achieving accurate alignment between the power transmission coil and the power receiving coil.

[0004] Therefore, current wireless charging solutions for drones generally have the disadvantages of low charging efficiency or long coil alignment time. In addition, various environmental factors when drones are working outdoors, such as strong light interference, dust and mud, insects, etc., and long-term work in hot seasons can easily cause coil overheating, which will affect the efficiency of wireless charging. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to address the deficiencies in the prior art, this application proposes an outdoor UAV wireless charging device based on image recognition, which uses a machine vision recognition method to control the transmission coil to move to the UAV charging coil for coupling charging, and can achieve precise wireless charging coupling alignment, providing technical support for the UAV's endurance.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0007] An outdoor UAV wireless charging device based on image recognition, comprising: a transparent parking platform, a charging module, a charging module position adjustment mechanism, an image acquisition module, and a control unit;

[0008] The transparent parking platform is used for landing and parking of the drone;

[0009] The image acquisition module is arranged below the transparent parking platform and toward the transparent parking platform, and is used to collect pictures of the drone on the transparent parking platform;

[0010] The control unit receives the image captured by the image acquisition module, extracts the position information of the power receiving coil of the drone, and outputs a control instruction to the charging module position adjustment mechanism according to the position information of the power receiving coil;

[0011] The charging module is installed on the charging module position adjustment mechanism and is located below the transparent parking platform. The charging module position adjustment mechanism adjusts the position of the charging module according to the control instruction so that the charging module is electromagnetically coupled with the power receiving coil.

[0012] Furthermore, the charging module position adjustment mechanism includes two groups of mutually perpendicular screw moving parts, which are arranged along the x-direction and the y-direction respectively; the screw moving parts arranged along the y-direction include a y-direction screw rod, a driving motor and a y-direction rotating joint; there are two y-direction screw rods and they are arranged parallel to each other, and the driving motor is connected to the end of each y-direction screw rod, and the y-direction screw rod is driven to rotate forward or reverse by the driving motor; each y-direction screw rod is threadedly connected with a y-direction rotating joint; the screw moving parts arranged along the x-direction include an x-direction screw, an x-direction rotating joint and a driving motor; the two ends of the x-direction screw are respectively connected to the two y-direction rotating joints, and the x-direction screw is also equipped with a driving motor, and the x-direction screw is driven to rotate forward or reverse by the driving motor; the x-direction screw is threadedly connected with an x-direction rotating joint, and the x-direction rotating joint is connected to the charging module 1.

[0013] Furthermore, the charging module includes a charging module PCB board, a charging coil, an airflow guide, a charging module fan, a thermal conductive silicone sheet, and a heat sink; the charging coil is embedded in the PCB board, and a thermal conductive silicone sheet and a heat sink are arranged in sequence from the bottom of the charging module PCB board outward, and the heat sink is covered with through holes; the airflow guide is arranged circumferentially around the PCB board, and an opening is provided along the airflow guide, and a charging module fan is provided at the opening.

[0014] Furthermore, the charging module includes at least one charging coil, which is connected to a power source; the charging coil is electromagnetically coupled with the power receiving coil of the drone for charging.

[0015] Furthermore, there are three charging coils arranged in an array.

[0016] Furthermore, the center of the PCB board is connected to a rotating servo, and the rotating servo drives the PCB board to rotate.

[0017] Furthermore, the transparent parking platform is made of tempered glass, and a color-changing glass is attached to the lower layer of the tempered glass.

[0018] Furthermore, a heat dissipation grille, an insect screen, and a heat dissipation fan are arranged around the outdoor UAV wireless charging device.

[0019] Furthermore, the transparent parking platform is equipped with a cleaning structure, and the cleaning structure adopts a cleaning brush, and the cleaning brush is slidably connected to the transparent parking platform.

[0020] Furthermore, the charging module position adjustment mechanism is suspended by a support rod, a transparent parking platform is arranged above the charging module position adjustment mechanism, and a camera is arranged on the lower surface of the charging module position adjustment mechanism.

[0021] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0022] 1. This application uses a machine vision module to control the transmission coil of the charging module to coincide with the horizontal projection of the drone, accurately and efficiently completing electromagnetic coupling. There is no need to use complex codes to control the precise landing of the drone, saving memory space and improving the efficiency of wireless charging alignment.

[0023] 2. This application uses a combination structure of a charging coil thermal conductive silicone sheet and a heat sink as well as a heat exhaust rail and a fan. The bottom thermal conductive silicone sheet effectively contacts the heat-prone components to directly discharge the heat. The side fan discharges air outward to guide the air on the surface of the PCB board to carry the heat flow of the components and discharge it through the rail. Two methods are used to discharge heat from the upper and lower surfaces respectively, greatly improving the heat dissipation efficiency and ensuring long-term outdoor operation of the device.

[0024] 3. The present application uses a dust removal structure to control a cleaning brush to clean the tempered glass on the upper surface of the shell. Considering that the actual working environment of the device is outdoors, regular automatic cleaning can save manpower, extend the service life of the glass, and improve the accuracy of the recognition module. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of a wireless charging device.

[0026] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the top view of the structure of the wireless charging device.

[0027] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the top view of the charging module.

[0028] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of heat dissipation of the charging module airflow guide.

[0029] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the hierarchical structure of the charging module.

[0030] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the heat dissipation of the bottom structure of the charging module.

[0031] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram of the rear structure of the wireless charging device.

[0032] In the figure: 1. charging module, 101. charging module PCB board, 102. charging coil, 103. air flow guide rail, 104. charging module fan, 105. thermal conductive silicone sheet, 106. heat sink, 201. y-direction lead screw, 203. dust removal structure support rod, 204. y-direction rotary joint, 205. x-direction lead screw, 206. rotary servo, 207. drive motor, 208. x-direction rotary joint, 301. camera, 302. identification module PCB board, 401. transparent parking platform, 402. color-changing glass, 403. heat dissipation grille, 404. partition net, 405. cooling fan, 501. dust removal structure slide rail, 502. dust removal support rod, 503. cleaning brush. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "higher", "lower" and the like indicating the orientation or positional relationship are all based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. In addition, in the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, or a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0035] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the present invention:

[0036] refer to Figure 1-7 The outdoor UAV wireless charging device based on image recognition shown in the figure includes: a transparent parking platform 401, a charging module 1, a charging module position adjustment mechanism, an image acquisition module, and a control unit; wherein,

[0037] The transparent parking platform 401 is used for the landing and parking of the drone.

[0038] The image acquisition module is disposed below the transparent parking platform 401 and arranged toward the transparent parking platform 401 , and is used to collect pictures of the drone on the transparent parking platform 401 .

[0039] The control unit 302 receives the image captured by the image acquisition module, extracts the position information of the power receiving coil of the drone, and outputs a control instruction to the charging module position adjustment mechanism according to the position information of the power receiving coil.

[0040] The charging module 1 is installed on the charging module position adjustment mechanism, which is located below the transparent parking platform 401. The charging module position adjustment mechanism adjusts the position of the charging module 1 according to the control instruction, so that the charging module 1 is electromagnetically coupled with the power receiving coil.

[0041] More specifically, the charging module 1 includes a charging coil 102 , which is connected to a power source; charging is performed by electromagnetically coupling the charging coil 102 with a power receiving coil of the drone parked on the transparent parking platform 401 .

[0042] More specifically, the charging module position adjustment mechanism includes two groups of mutually perpendicular screw moving parts, which are arranged along the x direction and the y direction respectively below the transparent parking platform 401; wherein, the screw moving parts arranged along the y direction include a y-direction screw rod 201, a drive motor 207 and a y-direction rotating joint 204; there are two y-direction screw rods 201 and they are arranged parallel to each other, and a drive motor 207 is connected to the end of each y-direction screw rod 201, and the y-direction screw rod 201 is driven by the drive motor 207 to rotate forward or reverse; each y-direction screw rod 201 is threadedly connected with a y-direction rotating joint 204, and during the forward or reverse rotation of the y-direction screw rod 201, the rotation is converted into linear motion along the y direction through the y-direction rotating joint 204. The screw moving parts arranged along the x direction include an x-direction screw 205, an x-direction screw joint 208 and a driving motor 207; the two ends of the x-direction screw 205 are respectively connected to the two y-direction screw joints 204, so the x-direction screw 205 can perform linear motion synchronously with the y direction. The x-direction screw 205 is also equipped with a driving motor 207, which can be installed at the connection between the x-direction screw 205 and the y-direction screw joint 204, and the x-direction screw 205 is driven to rotate forward or reverse by the driving motor 207; the x-direction screw 205 is threadedly connected with an x-direction screw joint 208, and the x-direction screw joint 208 is connected to the charging module 1; the x-direction screw joint 208 converts the rotation of the x-direction screw 205 into linear motion along the x direction. In this way, the adjustment of the position of the charging module 1 in the xy plane is realized. Among them, the signal of the driving motor 207 is connected to the control unit 302, and the corresponding action is performed according to the control instruction output by the control unit 302. More specifically, in this embodiment, three charging coils 102 are provided, and the three charging coils 102 are arranged in an array.

[0043] More specifically, when multiple charging coils 102 are provided, in order to better align the charging coils 102 with the power receiving coils of the drone, the present invention further equips the charging coils 102 with a rotary servo 206, and uses the rotary servo 206 to drive the charging coils 102 to rotate and adjust the angle θ. Figure 3-6 As shown, it includes a charging module PCB board 101, a charging coil 102, an airflow guide 103, a charging module fan 104, a thermal conductive silicone sheet 105, and a heat sink 106; the center of the PCB board 101 is connected to a rotating servo 206, which drives the PCB board 101 to rotate, and multiple charging coils 102 are embedded on the PCB board 101. A thermal conductive silicone sheet 105 and a heat sink 106 are sequentially arranged outward from the bottom of the charging module PCB board 101. The thermal conductive silicone sheet 105 can effectively conduct the heat of the high-power device in the PCB board 101 to the heat sink 106, and the heat sink 106 is covered with through holes, which can effectively discharge the heat flow downward. The airflow guide 103 is arranged circumferentially around the PCB board 101, and an opening is provided at every 90° position along the outer side of the airflow guide 103, and the charging module fan 104 is provided at the opening, and the hot air is discharged outward by using the charging module fan 104 and the airflow guide 103.

[0044] More specifically, in this embodiment, the charging module position adjustment mechanism is suspended by a support rod 502, a transparent parking platform 401 is arranged above the charging module position adjustment mechanism, and a camera 301 is arranged on the lower surface of the charging module position adjustment mechanism, and the camera 301 is used to collect the bottom image of the drone on the transparent parking platform 401 upward, in preparation for the next step of identifying the position of the power receiving coil. Support rods 502 are connected to the bottom of both ends of the screw rod 201 in the y direction.

[0045] More specifically, the transparent parking platform 401 is made of tempered glass, and in order to prevent strong outdoor light from interfering with the camera's recognition of the power receiving coil and its carrier, a color-changing glass 402 is attached to the lower layer of the tempered glass, which can effectively weaken the strong light interference caused by direct sunlight and improve the recognition accuracy and universality of the embodiment.

[0046] More specifically, the outdoor drone wireless charging device can also be provided with a heat dissipation grille 403, an insect screen 404, and a cooling fan 405 around it. The cooling fan 405 discharges the heat in the device through the heat dissipation grille 403 to improve the heat dissipation effect. The screen 404 can prevent insects or large particles of pollutants from entering the device, thereby improving the adaptability of the device in the outdoors.

[0047] More specifically, the camera 301 is connected to the identification module PCB board 302 by signal, and the identification module PCB board 302 receives the picture collected by the camera 301, and extracts the position information of the power receiving coil through the built-in image processing method, and outputs the control instruction to the charging module position adjustment mechanism according to the position information of the power receiving coil. The image processing method can be processed by Canny edge detection and Hough transform method.

[0048] More specifically, the device is also equipped with a cleaning structure, including a cleaning brush 503, which is mounted on a dust removal support rod 502, and the bottom of the cleaning brush 503 is in contact with the surface of the transparent parking platform 401; the bottom of the dust removal support rod 502 is slidably connected to the dust removal structure slide 501 on the side of the device. When there is no drone docked on the glass surface 401, the dust removal support rod 502 slides along the dust removal structure slide 501, driving the cleaning brush 503 to move along the surface of the transparent parking platform 401, and then removing the dust on the surface of the transparent parking platform 401, realizing a simple cleaning and dust removal function, and reducing the impact of outdoor dust and mud contaminating the glass on the camera recognition accuracy.

[0049] Based on the above introduction to the structure of an outdoor UAV wireless charging device based on image recognition, the following is a further description of the working process of the device. Figure 1 When the UAV reaches the surface of the platform tempered glass 401 in any posture, the camera 301 installed at the bottom of the platform will identify the geometric center of the vertical projection of the power receiving coil group at the bottom of the UAV with reference to the two-dimensional coordinates (x, y) of the plane where the tempered glass is located and the body deflection angle θ.

[0050] See also Figure 2 The PCB board 302 at the bottom of the platform controls the charging module position adjustment mechanism to move along the x and y directions according to the parameters obtained by the camera 301, and moves the charging module 1 from the initial default standby position to below the power receiving coil group, so that the geometric center coincides with the coordinates (x, y), and controls the rotary servo 206 to rotate to a specified angle θ so that the charging coil 102 in the charging module 1 coincides with the vertical projection of the power receiving coil group, thereby completing precise electromagnetic coupling.

[0051] After charging is completed, the camera 301 automatically identifies the next drone for electromagnetic coupling alignment, otherwise it returns to the default starting point and waits.

[0052] Finally, it should be emphasized that in order to allow ordinary technicians in this field to more easily understand the improvements of the present invention over the prior art, some drawings and descriptions of the present invention have been simplified, and for the sake of clarity, some other elements are omitted in this application document. Ordinary technicians in this field should realize that these omitted elements may also constitute the content of the present invention.

[0053] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the design ideas and features of the present invention, and their purpose is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of the present invention and implement it accordingly. The protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Therefore, any equivalent changes or modifications made based on the principles and design ideas disclosed by the present invention are within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An outdoor UAV wireless charging device based on image recognition, characterized in that: include: A transparent parking platform (401), a charging module (1), a charging module position adjustment mechanism, an image acquisition module, and a control unit; The transparent parking platform (401) is used for the landing and parking of the drone; The image acquisition module is arranged below the transparent parking platform (401) and is arranged toward the transparent parking platform (401), and is used to acquire images of the drone on the transparent parking platform (401); The control unit (302) receives the image collected by the image collection module, extracts the position information of the power receiving coil of the drone, and outputs a control instruction to the charging module position adjustment mechanism according to the power receiving coil position information; The charging module (1) is mounted on a charging module position adjustment mechanism and is located below the transparent parking platform (401). The charging module position adjustment mechanism adjusts the position of the charging module (1) according to a control instruction, so that the charging module (1) is electromagnetically coupled to the power receiving coil.

2. The outdoor UAV wireless charging device based on image recognition according to claim 1, characterized in that: The charging module position adjustment mechanism comprises two groups of mutually perpendicular lead screw moving parts, which are arranged in the x direction and the y direction respectively; the lead screw moving part arranged in the y direction comprises a y-direction lead screw (201), a drive motor (207) and a y-direction rotational connection part (204); two y-direction lead screws (201) are provided and arranged in parallel with each other, and the drive motor (207) is connected to the end of each y-direction lead screw (201), and the y-direction lead screw (201) is driven by the drive motor 207 to rotate forward or reverse; each y-direction lead screw (201) is threadedly connected with a y-direction The screw moving part arranged along the x-direction includes an x-direction screw (205), an x-direction screw (208) and a driving motor (207); the two ends of the x-direction screw 205 are respectively connected to the two y-direction screws (204); the x-direction screw (205) is also equipped with a driving motor (207), and the driving motor (207) drives the x-direction screw (205) to rotate forward or reverse; the x-direction screw (205) is threadedly connected with the x-direction screw (208), and the x-direction screw (208) is connected to the charging module (1).

3. The outdoor UAV wireless charging device based on image recognition according to claim 1, characterized in that: The charging module (1) comprises a charging module PCB board (101), a charging coil (102), an airflow guide rail (103), a charging module fan (104), a thermally conductive silicone sheet (105), and a heat sink (106); the charging coil (102) is embedded in the PCB board (101); a thermally conductive silicone sheet (105) and a heat sink (106) are sequentially arranged outward from the bottom of the charging module PCB board (101); the heat sink (106) is covered with through holes; the airflow guide rail (103) is arranged circumferentially around the PCB board (101), and an opening is provided along the airflow guide rail (103); and the charging module fan (104) is provided at the opening.

4. The outdoor UAV wireless charging device based on image recognition according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The charging module (1) comprises at least one charging coil (102), and the charging coil (102) is connected to a power source; the charging coil (102) is electromagnetically coupled with a power receiving coil of the drone for charging.

5. The outdoor UAV wireless charging device based on image recognition according to claim 4 is characterized in that: The charging coils (102) are provided in three numbers, and the three charging coils (102) are arranged in an array.

6. The outdoor UAV wireless charging device based on image recognition according to claim 5, characterized in that: The center of the PCB board (101) is connected to a rotating steering gear (206), and the rotating steering gear (206) drives the PCB board (101) to rotate.

7. The outdoor UAV wireless charging device based on image recognition according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transparent parking platform (401) is made of tempered glass, and a color-changing glass (402) is attached to the lower layer of the tempered glass.

8. The outdoor UAV wireless charging device based on image recognition according to claim 1, characterized in that: A heat dissipation grille (403), an insect-proof net (404), and a heat dissipation fan (405) are arranged around the outdoor unmanned aerial vehicle wireless charging device.

9. The outdoor UAV wireless charging device based on image recognition according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transparent parking platform (401) is equipped with a cleaning structure, and the cleaning structure adopts a cleaning brush (503). The cleaning brush (503) is slidably connected to the transparent parking platform (401).

10. The outdoor UAV wireless charging device based on image recognition according to claim 1, characterized in that: The charging module position adjustment mechanism is suspended via a support rod (502), a transparent parking platform (401) is arranged above the charging module position adjustment mechanism, and a camera (301) is arranged on the lower surface of the charging module position adjustment mechanism.

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