Safe landing system and method of unmanned aerial vehicle and unmanned aerial vehicle

By integrating sensors and controllers on the drone, combined with the dual protection of parachutes and airbags, the problem of insufficient altitude when the drone is instable is solved, resulting in the parachute being unable to be fully opened, and the safe landing and accident protection of the drone is achieved.

CN119551242AInactive Publication Date: 2025-03-04STATE GRID HENAN ELECTRIC POWER CO NEIXIANG COUNTY POWER SUPPLY CO
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202411852068.2
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-12-16
Publication Date
2025-03-04
Estimated Expiration
Not applicable · inactive patent

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In the existing drone safety landing system, parachutes have requirements for altitude. When the drone is instable, the altitude is low and the parachute cannot be fully opened, resulting in a drone crash and may cause a safety accident.

Method used

A safe landing system for drones is designed, including sensors, controllers, parachutes and airbags. The sensor collects the flight data of the drone, and the controller decides whether to turn on the parachute or airbag based on the altitude and other flight parameters, and closes the power system to prevent further damage.

Benefits of technology

Through the dual protection of parachutes and airbags, the drone can effectively land when instability is unstable, avoid crashes and safety accidents, while reducing the cost of recycling parachutes and airbags.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The invention discloses a safe landing system and method of an unmanned aerial vehicle and the unmanned aerial vehicle, the safe landing system of the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a sensor, a controller, a parachute and a safety air bag, because the parachute has a requirement for the height when the parachute is opened, when the height of the unmanned aerial vehicle is low, the parachute cannot be completely opened, and the safety air bag is opened; and a man-machine can hit the ground at a high speed, so that parts such as a fuselage, wings and propellers are damaged. And through protection of the safety air bag and the parachute, the unmanned aerial vehicle is protected against damage when the parachute cannot achieve the protection effect. The safe landing method of the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises the steps that when the unmanned aerial vehicle is unstable and the height is higher than a first preset height, the unmanned aerial vehicle has sufficient time to open a parachute, and at the moment, a controller controls opening of the parachute and closing of a power system of the unmanned aerial vehicle to reduce the falling speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle; when the unmanned aerial vehicle does not have enough time to completely open the parachute, the controller controls to open the safety air bag and close the power system of the unmanned aerial vehicle.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle landing, and in particular to a safe landing system and method for an unmanned aerial vehicle and the unmanned aerial vehicle. Background Art

[0002] When drones are performing missions, they usually carry expensive sensors, cameras and other equipment, as well as important data and information. Safe landing can ensure that these devices and data are properly protected after the mission is completed, avoiding damage or loss caused by falling. This not only helps to reduce economic losses, but also ensures the smooth progress of subsequent missions.

[0003] At present, the safe landing system of drones mainly includes parachutes and drone protection brackets. The drone protection brackets are always in working condition during flight. Although they play a protective role for the drone, they also have a certain weight and volume. This may affect the flight performance of the drone to a certain extent. The parachute is in a retracted state during operation. Compared with the bracket, it basically does not affect the performance of the drone. However, the parachute has requirements for the height of the drone. When the drone loses stability, the height is too low and the parachute cannot be fully opened. The drone may hit the ground at a high speed, causing damage to the fuselage, wings, propellers and other parts. When the drone falls, it may hit people or buildings on the ground, causing safety accidents. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the main purpose of the present invention is to provide a safe landing system, method and drone for a drone, which can solve the problem in the prior art that the parachute has requirements on the height of the drone. When the drone becomes unstable, the altitude is too low and the parachute cannot be fully opened, causing the drone to crash and cause a safety accident.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the technical solution of the present invention is achieved as follows:

[0006] A safe landing system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising: a sensor, a controller, a parachute and an airbag;

[0007] The parachute bag is fixedly connected above the drone fuselage, and the airbag is fixedly installed below the drone fuselage;

[0008] The sensor collects flight data of the drone, the sensor is electrically connected to the controller, and the controller obtains the flight data of the sensor;

[0009] The controller can also obtain flight data of the UAV flight control system;

[0010] The controller can control the opening of the parachute and the airbag;

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the controller can also shut down the power system of the drone and stop the rotation of the propeller of the drone.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the controller includes: a detection module and a control module;

[0013] The detection module receives the data from the sensor and performs calculations and comparisons. If it is determined that the drone is in an unstable state, the detection module transmits a signal to the control module.

[0014] Or the detection module receives the aircraft instability state signal transmitted by the flight control system and transmits the signal to the control module;

[0015] The control module controls the deployment of the parachute and airbags and the shutdown of the UAV power system.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the sensor collects the altitude of the drone, the descent speed of the drone, the tilt angle of the body, the acceleration of the drone falling and the power voltage value during the flight of the drone;

[0017] The present invention also discloses a safe landing method for an unmanned aerial vehicle, using any one of the safe landing systems for an unmanned aerial vehicle disclosed in the present invention, comprising:

[0018] The sensor monitors the flight status of the drone. When the drone is in an unstable state,

[0019] If the altitude of the UAV is higher than the first preset altitude, the controller controls the parachute to open and shuts down the power system of the UAV;

[0020] If the height of the drone is lower than the first preset height, the controller controls the airbag to open and shut down the power system of the drone.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment, when the height of the drone is higher than a first preset height, the controller determines that the drone is unstable, and the controller controls the parachute to open and shuts down the power system of the drone; if the drone falls to a second preset height and the falling speed of the drone is greater than the preset speed, the controller controls the airbag to open.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, the controller is used to determine whether the tilt angle of the drone is greater than or equal to a preset angle, and to determine that the drone is in an unstable state when the tilt angle is greater than or equal to the preset angle;

[0023] The controller is used to determine whether the falling acceleration of the drone is greater than a preset value, and to determine that the drone is in an unstable state when the acceleration is greater than the preset value.

[0024] The controller is used to determine whether the power voltage of the drone is lower than a preset value, and to determine that the drone is in an unstable state when the power voltage is lower than the preset value.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the preset value of the tilt angle of the drone is 70°, and the preset value of the falling acceleration of the drone is 7m / s2.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, when the flight control system detects that the drone is in an unstable state, the controller determines that the drone is in an unstable state.

[0027] The present invention also discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising: a fuselage, a backup power supply, and a safe landing system of the unmanned aerial vehicle disclosed in any one of the embodiments of the present invention, wherein the backup power supply and the safe landing system are fixedly connected to the fuselage, and the backup power supply is electrically connected to the safe landing system.

[0028] The safe landing system, method and drone of the present invention have the following beneficial effects:

[0029] A safe landing system for a drone includes: a sensor, a controller, a parachute and an airbag. Since the parachute has a requirement for the height when it is opened, when the drone is at a low altitude, the parachute cannot be fully opened, which may cause the drone to hit the ground at a high speed, resulting in damage to the fuselage, wings, propellers and other parts. The safe landing system for a drone disclosed in the present invention has dual protection of an airbag and a parachute, and protects the drone from damage when the parachute cannot play a protective role.

[0030] The present invention also discloses a method for the safe landing of a drone, including: a sensor monitors the flight state of the drone, when the drone is in an unstable state, if the drone is higher than a first preset height, a controller controls the opening of a parachute and shuts down the power system of the drone; if the drone is lower than the first preset height, the controller controls the opening of an airbag and shuts down the power system of the drone. When the drone is unstable, if the height is higher than the first preset height, the drone has sufficient time to open the parachute to reduce the falling speed of the drone, and at this time, the drone will open the parachute; but if the height is lower than the first preset height, the drone does not have sufficient time to fully open the parachute, and at this time, the airbag is opened to prevent the drone from crashing. The method for the safe landing of a drone of the present invention provides dual protection of the parachute and the airbag for the drone, and the parachute and the airbag are not opened at the same time, so that the drone is fully protected while reducing the recovery cost of the parachute and the airbag.

[0031] The present application also discloses a drone, comprising: a fuselage, a backup power supply, and a safe landing system for the drone described in any one of the disclosures of the present invention. Using any one of the safe landing methods for the drone described in the present invention, the backup power supply and the safe landing system are fixedly connected to the drone fuselage, and the backup power supply is electrically connected to the safe landing system. Using the backup power supply to power the safe landing system can save power for the drone, and can prevent the drone from becoming unstable when the power is insufficient, and the safe landing system cannot protect the drone. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0033] Figure 1 is a composition diagram of a safe landing system for a drone according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a flow chart of a safe landing method for a drone according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The method of the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments of the present invention.

[0036] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0037] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, it indicates the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0038] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein, for example. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0039] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used here to describe the spatial positional relationship between a device or feature and other devices or features as shown in the figure. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figure. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "below other devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used here are interpreted accordingly.

[0040] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the present invention provides a technical solution:

[0041] A safe landing system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that it comprises: a sensor, a controller, a parachute and an airbag;

[0042] The parachute bag is fixedly connected above the drone fuselage, and the airbag is fixedly installed below the drone fuselage;

[0043] The sensor collects flight data of the drone, the sensor is electrically connected to the controller, and the controller obtains the flight data of the sensor;

[0044] The controller can also obtain flight data from the drone’s flight control system;

[0045] The controller can control the opening of the parachute and airbag;

[0046] Since the parachute has a certain opening height requirement, when the drone is at a low altitude, the parachute cannot be fully opened, which may cause the drone to hit the ground at a high speed, resulting in damage to the fuselage, wings, propellers, etc. The dual protection of the airbag and parachute protects the drone from damage when the parachute cannot provide protection.

[0047] The controller can also shut down the drone's power system and stop the drone's propellers from rotating. When the drone loses stability, the airbag or parachute will be deployed. If the propeller continues to rotate, it may get entangled with the parachute rope or cut the airbag. Therefore, it is necessary to shut down the drone's power system and stop the drone's propellers from rotating.

[0048] The controller includes: a detection module and a control module;

[0049] The detection module receives the data from the sensor and performs calculations and comparisons. If it determines that the drone is in an unstable state, it transmits a signal to the control module;

[0050] Or the detection module receives the aircraft instability state signal transmitted by the flight control system and transmits the signal to the control module;

[0051] The control module controls the deployment of the parachute and airbags and the shutdown of the UAV power system.

[0052] The sensor collects the altitude of the drone, the descent speed of the drone, the tilt angle of the drone, the acceleration of the drone's fall, and the power voltage value during the flight;

[0053] The present invention also discloses a safe landing method for an unmanned aerial vehicle, using any one of the safe landing systems for an unmanned aerial vehicle disclosed in the present invention, comprising:

[0054] The sensor monitors the flight status of the drone. When the drone is in an unstable state,

[0055] If the altitude of the UAV is higher than the first preset altitude, the controller controls the parachute to open and shuts down the power system of the UAV;

[0056] If the height of the drone is lower than the first preset height, the controller controls the airbag to open and shut down the power system of the drone.

[0057] The first preset height is 20m. When the drone loses stability, if the flight altitude is higher than 20m, the drone's falling time is enough to open the parachute and reduce the drone's falling speed. The drone lands under the protection of the parachute. However, when the drone's altitude is lower than 20m, since it takes 2-3 seconds for the drone to open the parachute, within 20m, the drone does not have enough time to open the parachute and reduce the drone's falling speed. At this time, the airbag needs to be opened to prevent the drone from crashing. The airbag's opening speed is generally tens of milliseconds, plus the time delay of the sensor and controller, 20m is enough for the airbag to open smoothly. At this time, the drone lands under the protection of the airbag. Since the recovery of the drone's parachute and airbag both require costs, when the aircraft loses stability, it is first determined whether the drone or the airbag should be opened, and both will not be opened at the same time. If both are opened at the same time, the transitional protection will cause the recovery cost of the parachute and airbag to double.

[0058] If the drone becomes unstable above the first preset height, the controller determines that the drone is unstable, and the controller controls the parachute to open and shut down the power system of the drone. However, the parachute fails and does not open or does not open completely. At this time, in order to prevent the drone from crashing, when the drone falls to the second preset height and the falling speed of the drone is greater than the preset speed, the controller controls the airbag to open. The second preset height is 4-8m, and the preset speed is 4-6m / s. The preferred second preset height is 6m, and the preset speed is 5m / s. The drone falls to the second preset height, but the falling speed of the drone is still fast. This may be caused by a parachute failure. The airbag needs to be opened to avoid damage to the drone. The drone will land under the protection of the airbag. The airbag's opening speed is generally 30-50ms, plus the time delay of the sensor and controller (in um or ms), 4-8m is enough for the airbag to open smoothly. Because when the drone falls from more than 20m to 6m, the falling speed of the drone is less than 5m / s, which means that the parachute has been opened and has worked. At this time, the drone lands safely under the protection of the parachute without opening the airbag.

[0059] The controller is used to determine whether the tilt angle of the drone is greater than or equal to the preset angle, and to determine that the drone is in an unstable state when it is greater than or equal to the preset angle; the preset value of the tilt angle of the drone is 70°. The tilt angle of the drone can be decomposed into the pitch angle of the drone and the roll angle of the drone, that is, the tilt angle of the drone is the arithmetic square root of the sum of the squares of the pitch angle of the drone and the roll angle of the drone:

[0060]

[0061] Among them, α is the tilt angle of the drone, β is the pitch angle of the drone collected by the sensor, and γ is the roll angle of the drone collected by the sensor.

[0062] The controller is used to determine whether the acceleration of the drone's fall is greater than the preset value, and if it is greater than the preset value, it is determined that the drone is in an unstable state. The preset value of the drone's fall acceleration is 7m / s 2 , the acceleration range of drones on the market is 2-6m / s 2 If the falling acceleration of the drone exceeds the normal range, in addition to the influence of wind speed, it is generally caused by the instability of the drone. Therefore, if the falling acceleration of the drone exceeds 7m / s 2 , the drone will be judged to be unstable. The controller is used to judge whether the power voltage of the drone is lower than the preset value, and judge the drone to be in an unstable state when it is lower than the preset value. The preset value of the drone power voltage varies depending on different models and uses. The power voltage range of drones is usually between 3.7V and 44.4V, but the specific voltage depends on the type of drone, the single cell voltage of the battery, and the number of battery cells in series.

[0063] Mini drones: These small devices usually use a single battery with a voltage of 3.7V and are suitable for simple flight missions. The voltage preset value of this type of drone is 1.5-3V.

[0064] Small and medium-sized drones: These drones usually use battery voltages between 11.1V (3S battery) and 14.8V (4S battery) to provide sufficient power and support more complex flight operations. The voltage preset value of these drones is 4-8V lower than the rated voltage.

[0065] Large UAVs: For large UAVs that require higher performance, the voltage range may be between 22.2V (6S battery) and 44.4V (12S battery), or even higher. High voltage can support larger loads and longer flight time. The voltage preset value of such UAVs is 8-20V lower than the rated voltage value.

[0066] When the flight control system detects that the drone is in an unstable state, the controller determines that the drone is in an unstable state. During the flight of the drone, the flight control system of the drone will always monitor the flight status of the drone. The controller can read the data of the flight control system. When the flight control system determines that the drone is in an unstable state, the controller will determine that the drone is in an unstable state and then decide to deploy the parachute and / or airbag.

[0067] A drone comprises: a fuselage, a backup power supply, and any one of the drone safety landing systems disclosed in the present invention, wherein the safety landing system and the backup power supply are fixedly connected to the drone fuselage, and the backup power supply is electrically connected to the safety landing system to supply power to the electrical equipment of the safety landing system. The safety landing system can also be connected to the drone power supply, but this will consume the drone power, thereby reducing the drone's endurance. In addition, the backup power supply can prevent the drone from becoming unstable when the power is insufficient, and the safety landing system cannot protect the drone. The drone uses any one of the drone safety landing methods disclosed in the present invention, so that the drone is effectively protected when it becomes unstable.

[0068] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A safe landing system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that: include: sensors, controls, parachutes and airbags; The parachute bag is fixedly connected above the drone fuselage, and the airbag is fixedly installed below the drone fuselage; The sensor collects flight data of the drone, the sensor is electrically connected to the controller, and the controller obtains the flight data of the sensor; The controller can also obtain flight data of the UAV flight control system; The controller can control the opening of the parachute and the airbag.

2. The safe landing system for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller can also shut down the power system of the drone and stop the rotation of the propeller of the drone.

3. The safe landing system for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that: The controller comprises: a detection module and a control module; The detection module receives the data from the sensor and performs calculations and comparisons. If it is determined that the drone is in an unstable state, the detection module transmits a signal to the control module. Or the detection module receives the aircraft instability state signal transmitted by the flight control system and transmits the signal to the control module; The control module controls the deployment of the parachute and airbags and the shutdown of the UAV power system.

4. The safe landing system for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensor collects the altitude of the drone, the descent speed of the drone, the tilt angle of the drone, the acceleration of the drone's fall and the power voltage value during the flight of the drone.

5. A method for safe landing of an unmanned aerial vehicle, using the safe landing system for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: include: The sensor monitors the flight status of the drone. When the drone is in an unstable state, If the altitude of the UAV is higher than the first preset altitude, the controller controls the parachute to open and shuts down the power system of the UAV; If the height of the drone is lower than the first preset height, the controller controls the airbag to open and shut down the power system of the drone.

6. The safe landing method of a drone according to claim 5, characterized in that: If the drone altitude is higher than the first preset altitude, the controller determines that the drone is unstable, and the controller controls the parachute to open and shuts down the power system of the drone; if the drone falls to the second preset altitude and the drone's falling speed is greater than the preset speed, the controller controls the airbag to open.

7. The safe landing method of a drone according to claim 5, characterized in that: The controller is used to determine whether the tilt angle of the drone is greater than or equal to a preset angle, and to determine that the drone is in an unstable state when the tilt angle is greater than or equal to the preset angle; The controller is used to determine whether the falling acceleration of the drone is greater than a preset value, and to determine that the drone is in an unstable state when it is greater than the preset value; The controller is used to determine whether the power voltage of the drone is lower than a preset value, and to determine that the drone is in an unstable state when the power voltage is lower than the preset value.

8. The safe landing method of a drone according to claim 7, characterized in that: The preset value of the tilt angle of the drone is 70°, and the preset value of the falling acceleration of the drone is 7m / s 2 .

9. The safe landing method of a drone according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the flight control system detects that the drone is in an unstable state, the controller determines that the drone is in an unstable state.

10. A drone, characterized in that: include: A fuselage, a backup power supply, and a safe landing system for an unmanned aerial vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, using a safe landing method for an unmanned aerial vehicle as described in any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the backup power supply and the safe landing system are fixedly connected to the fuselage of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the backup power supply is electrically connected to the safe landing system.