Cellular release device for swarming micro air vehicles

Abstract

A cluster-oriented micro air vehicle cellular release device is provided, comprising a cellular micro air vehicle release box, the release box comprising: a plurality of circular tube-shaped cavities for housing a plurality of micro air vehicles; a controllably openable door, the door enclosing the plurality of circular tube-shaped cavities; and a wireless remote control switch module for controlling opening of the door.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to a cellular delivery device for clustered micro-aerial vehicles, and the delivery device can particularly be a cellular delivery device for clustered passive micro-aerial vehicles. Background Art

[0002] Passive micro-aerial vehicles have broad application prospects in many fields such as environmental monitoring, terrain exploration, space display, and seed sowing due to their advantages such as small size, low noise, low cost, strong concealment, and the ability to carry specific functional circuit modules.

[0003] The design of a passive micro-aircraft launch box is one of the key factors affecting its flight performance. When designing a box for batch release of passive micro-aircraft, the following requirements must be met: (1) ensure that the initial posture of each micro-aircraft is consistent; (2) each micro-aircraft can be released at approximately the same time; (3) after release, each micro-aircraft can land smoothly; and (4) the impact of the drone wind field on the flight of the passive micro-aircraft should be minimized.

[0004] Existing delivery technology is mainly aimed at the delivery of conventional objects. The delivery box has a single configuration and few functions, making it difficult to simultaneously meet the requirements of fixing the initial posture of clustered passive micro-aircraft, nearly simultaneous controllable release, and avoiding the influence of drone wind fields.

[0005] Although there are designs for drone delivery boxes, most of them are integrated drone delivery box designs, and there is a lack of designs for clustered passive micro-aircraft delivery boxes.

[0006] Existing high-altitude delivery systems primarily utilize drone drop boxes, which are often rudimentary, bulky, and feature limited functionality. While existing drop boxes include multi-cavity drone delivery and recovery devices, these often have complex configurations and are unsuitable for the lightweight swarming passive micro-aircraft (MAVs), due to the requirements of the MAVs for initial configuration, surface friction within the drop box, and release speed.

[0007] In summary, there is still a lack of designs for cluster-type passive micro-aerial vehicle launch boxes on the market.

[0008] Therefore, it is urgent to develop a box design and preparation method specifically for the mass deployment of swarm-type passive micro-aircraft. This will have important practical value for the development and application of passive micro-aircraft. Summary of the Invention

[0009] This application is made in view of the above-mentioned state of the prior art. The purpose of this application is to provide a cellular delivery device that can accommodate and deliver multiple micro aerial vehicles.

[0010] The embodiments of the present application provide a cellular delivery device for swarming micro-aerial vehicles, which includes a cellular micro-aerial vehicle delivery box, which includes:

[0011] A plurality of cylindrical cavities for accommodating a plurality of micro aerial vehicles;

[0012] a door capable of being controlled to open, the door enclosing the plurality of cylindrical cavities; and

[0013] A wireless remote control switch module is used to control the opening of the door.

[0014] In at least one embodiment, one or more posture correction structures for correcting the initial posture of the micro aerial vehicle are provided on the door panel of the door and / or the peripheral wall of the cavity.

[0015] In at least one embodiment, a plurality of arc-shaped grooves are provided on the door panel of the door. The arc-shaped grooves are located at the center of the cylindrical cavity and are used to correct the initial posture of the micro aerial vehicle.

[0016] In at least one embodiment, a plurality of protrusions protruding radially inward are provided on the peripheral wall of the cavity, and slots are formed between the plurality of protrusions, and the slots are used to correct the initial posture of the micro air vehicle.

[0017] In at least one embodiment, the delivery box is in the shape of a cube, a cuboid or a cylinder, and further comprises side panels, which are arranged around the door, and the door is connected to the side panels via a bracket, a connecting rod or a hinge, and the delivery box further comprises a pulling device, which is used to pull the door open.

[0018] In at least one embodiment, the wireless remote control switch module includes a stepper motor or is controlled by a stepper motor.

[0019] In at least one embodiment, the drop box includes a plurality of hooks for lifting the drop box.

[0020] In at least one embodiment, the plurality of circular tubular cavities are arranged in an array.

[0021] In at least one embodiment, the dispensing device further includes a control device for wirelessly controlling the wireless remote control switch module to open the door.

[0022] In at least one embodiment, the delivery device further comprises a plurality of passive micro aerial vehicles, wherein the plurality of passive micro aerial vehicles are respectively accommodated in the plurality of cylindrical cavities.

[0023] The passive micro-aircraft is a four-blade passive micro-aircraft.

[0024] The cellular delivery device for clustered micro-aircraft provided in this application can accommodate and deliver multiple micro-aircraft, thereby achieving unified delivery of clustered micro-aircraft. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 This is the overall appearance of the clustered passive micro-aircraft delivery box proposed by the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the honeycomb structure within the cavity of the cluster-type passive micro-aircraft delivery box proposed by the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a structural distribution diagram of the arc-shaped grooves on the door panel of the cluster passive micro-aircraft delivery box proposed by the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional view of the cluster passive micro-aerial vehicle drop box proposed by the present invention after it is opened;

[0029] Figure 5 This is another overall appearance diagram of the cluster-type passive micro-aircraft delivery box proposed by the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a bottom view of the honeycomb structure within the cavity of the cluster passive micro-aerial vehicle delivery box proposed by the present invention.

[0031] 1-Hole structure for threading the rope of the drop box; 2-Panel on the side of the drop box; 3-Tension device on the drop box; 4-Wireless remote control switch module; 5-Movable door panel of the drop box; 6-Passive micro-aircraft; 7-Correction groove in the cavity of the drop box; 8-Arc-shaped groove; 9-Bump; 10-Blade of the aircraft; 11-Circular tube. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The following describes exemplary embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these specific descriptions are only used to teach those skilled in the art how to implement the present application, and are not intended to exhaust all possible embodiments of the present application, nor to limit the scope of the present application.

[0033] The embodiments of the present application provide a cellular delivery device (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "delivery box") for swarming micro aerial vehicles.

[0034] To address the problem that existing drone drop boxes lack the ability to correct the initial posture of swarm-type passive micro-aircraft and enable batch release, the present invention proposes a drop box capable of simultaneously releasing multiple passive micro-aircraft in the same posture. This drop box is a honeycomb-type micro-aircraft drop box comprising multiple cylindrical cavities, a resilient door, and a wireless remote control switch module 4. Unlike conventional single-cavity drop boxes, this drop box addresses the initial posture requirements of swarm-type passive micro-aircraft and their need for controlled release. Arc-shaped grooves 8 are provided on the door panel 5 (i.e., the movable door panel 5) of the drop box, corresponding to the center of each cylindrical cavity. Corresponding structures on the bottom of the aircraft, such as electronic components or other functional devices, can contact the arc-shaped grooves 8 to facilitate initial posture correction of the passive micro-aircraft. The drop box door opens and closes via a stepper motor switch, for example, controlled by a wireless remote control. To ensure reliable door opening, a tensioning device 3 (i.e., upper tensioning device 3) comprising an elastic rubber is provided. This tensioning device 3 may also include a spring, or a spring may replace the elastic rubber. The above series of settings can ensure that the passive micro-aircraft can be deployed in a controllable manner.

[0035] Optionally, the drop box can be a cube, a rectangular parallelepiped, or a cylindrical structure. The drop box can also include side panels, which are arranged around the door. The door can be connected to the side panels via a bracket, a connecting rod, or a hinge. The drop box also includes a pulling device 3, which can be used to pull the door open.

[0036] The design principle of this drop box is innovative, and the preparation method is simple and easy. It has great application potential in the launch and application of clustered passive micro-aerial vehicles and related products.

[0037] The present invention realizes the function of uniform and controllable delivery of clustered passive micro-aerial vehicles in the delivery box through the honeycomb structure design, the arc-shaped groove 8 design on the door panel 5 of the delivery box and the operation of the wireless remote control stepper motor.

[0038] First, the basic geometric dimensions and configurations of each chamber of the drop box are determined based on the geometric configuration of the passive micro-aircraft, the posture required for delivery, and the total number of aircraft. The three-dimensional structure of the cellular drop box for clustered passive micro-aircraft is designed using engineering design software (e.g., Solidworks). Considering that passive micro-aircraft are generally equipped with certain functional circuits, especially the bottom of the micro-aircraft is often tilted after being placed in the drop box due to the functional circuits or devices, which will seriously affect the flight posture of the passive micro-aircraft cluster. For this reason, a corresponding arc-shaped groove 8 is designed on the door panel 5 of the drop box. The groove 8 faces the micro-aircraft and faces the bottom of the drop box. Figure 1 中的下侧( Figure 3The inner side of the paper is recessed to help the micro-aircraft maintain its correct initial posture. Secondly, the honeycomb-shaped drop box for swarming passive micro-aircraft is simple and reliable to manufacture. This can be accomplished by directly bonding acrylic sheets and straight round tubes.

[0039] The two sides of the passive micro-aircraft drop box are provided with perforated "ears", namely hooks 1 (hole structure 1 for threading ropes in the drop box. It can be understood that the hole structure formed in the hook is the main structure for connecting with the external rope). Multiple hooks 1 can be provided. In the example shown in the figure (for example Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 4 ), four hooks 1 are shown, though the present application is not limited thereto. Hooks 1 can be mounted to a panel on the side of the drop box, namely, side panel 2. By tying the "ears" of the drop box with ropes from under the drone, the drop box can be brought to a designated altitude and hovered. Then, by wirelessly remotely opening the drop box door, the passive micro-aircraft cluster inside will spin and stabilize under the combined effects of gravity and air flow, thereby achieving the purpose of controlled release of the passive micro-aircraft.

[0040] The drop box may have a top panel opposite a door panel (see Figure 4 ) or have no top panel, i.e. the top can be open (see Figure 5 ).

[0041] Aiming at the problem of launching clustered passive micro-aircraft, the present invention is inspired by the honeycomb structure and integrates the circular tubular cavities together, combined with the design of the arc-shaped grooves 8 at the corresponding positions on the door panel 5, to achieve the purpose of initial attitude calibration and unified launch of clustered passive micro-aircraft.

[0042] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the cluster-type passive micro-aircraft delivery box at the moment of delivery, which mainly includes a circular tubular cavity, an arc-shaped groove 8, a wireless remote control switch module 4, a door switch elastic rubber, an "ear"-shaped hook, and a cluster-type passive micro-aircraft.

[0043] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the honeycomb circular tube structure within the drop box, clearly showing the shape and arrangement of the circular tube structure. Based on the specific passive micro-aircraft group, the internal structure of the circular tube is individually designed to ensure consistency in the initial configuration. Here, multiple circular tubes 11 can be arranged in a matrix, especially with their outer walls close together. Here, the circular tubes 11 can be used to form a cavity, but other means can also be used to form the cavity, such as injection molding, 3D printing, etc.

[0044] Preferably, the material of the delivery box can be acrylic, but is not limited thereto.

[0045] As a preference, Figure 2 The passive micro-aircraft in the embodiment is a 4-blade aircraft, but is not limited thereto.

[0046] Preferably, for a passive micro-aircraft with four blades, the number of the cylindrical inner slots (i.e., the correction slots 7 in the delivery box cavity) is four, and the number of the corresponding arc-shaped grooves on the door panel is one, but not limited thereto. Figure 6 The reference numeral 10 in the figure shows a blade of the aircraft, which is located in the groove between the protrusions 9.

[0047] like Figure 2 As shown, multiple passive micro-aircraft are placed one by one in the corresponding circular tube 11 before being launched. Since multiple protrusions 9 protruding radially inward in the circular tube 11 define multiple card slots and the arc-shaped groove design on the corresponding door panel, it can ensure that the initial posture of the passive micro-aircraft remains in the expected setting.

[0048] Figure 3 This is a top view of the arc-shaped groove on the drop box's door panel 5. Before release, the lower end of each passive micro-aircraft contacts the inside of the arc-shaped groove. Combined with the groove design within the circular tube, this ensures the initial stability of the passive micro-aircraft and ensures a smooth landing when the drop box's door panel 5 is opened.

[0049] As a preference, Figure 3 The groove of the delivery box is arc-shaped, but not limited to this.

[0050] like Figure 6 As shown, multiple passive micro-aircraft can be set in multiple circular tubes 11, and multiple micro-aircraft can be stacked in one circular tube 11. The inner tube wall of the circular tube 11 can form multiple (for example, four) protrusions 9, and correction grooves 7 in the delivery box cavity can be formed between adjacent protrusions 9 (for example, four correction grooves 7 in the delivery box cavity can be formed in one circular tube 11). The blades 10 of the micro-aircraft can be confined to the correction grooves 7 in the delivery box cavity to correct the posture of the micro-aircraft in the delivery box. It can be understood that the correction grooves 7 in the delivery box cavity and the arc-shaped grooves 8 on the movable door panel 5 can jointly correct the posture of the micro-aircraft in the delivery box.

[0051] like Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, there can be two door panels 5, so that the drop box has double doors, and the two door panels 5 can be symmetrically arranged. In one example, the door can be a single door. In another example, the door can be detachably connected to the side panel 2, and the aircraft can be released by separating the door.

[0052] like Figure 1As shown, a wireless remote control switch module 4 can be positioned at the junction of two door panels 5. The wireless remote control switch module 4 can be mounted to the side panel 2 and maintain the door closed. The wireless remote control switch module 4 includes a steering gear, a shaft mounted to the steering gear, and a baffle connected to the shaft. The baffle is positioned at the junction of the two door panels 5 to block the two panels. When the steering gear is activated, the shaft extends, and the baffle moves downward, allowing the door to open.

[0053] There can be one or two wireless remote control switch modules 4 . In the case of two wireless remote control switch modules 4 , the two wireless remote control switch modules 4 can be arranged opposite to each other along the joints of the two door panels 5 .

[0054] (1)技术层面:

[0055] Traditional drone drop boxes are often bulky and have a single cavity, lacking a device for controlled deployment of swarming passive micro-aircraft. Inspired by the honeycomb structure, the present invention utilizes a densely packed tubular cavity structure integrated into an intelligent drop box. Each cylindrical chamber has multiple slots (calibration slots 7 within the drop box cavity) aligned with the passive micro-aircraft configuration, while the corresponding door panel 5 at the bottom of the cylindrical tube features an arc-shaped groove to facilitate calibration of the passive micro-aircraft's initial posture. The micro-aircraft within each chamber can be released collectively by opening the door with a wireless remote control switch module 4.

[0056] (2)应用层面:

[0057] At the application level, the present invention is mainly designed for the deployment of clustered passive micro-aircraft, which can meet the uniformity of the posture and release process of the passive micro-aircraft cluster, and has unique application advantages in using passive micro-aircraft for environmental monitoring, terrain exploration, plant sowing and other aspects.

[0058] Inspired by the honeycomb structure, the present invention cleverly designs a honeycomb-type controllable delivery box for clustered passive micro-aerial vehicles, which can realize the simultaneous release of multiple passive micro-aerial vehicles without affecting each other.

[0059] The present invention designs a groove for passive micro-aircraft attitude correction on the door panel of the drop box, so as to maintain the consistency of the initial attitudes of the passive micro-aircraft in the cluster.

[0060] The invention adopts wireless remote control to control the opening and closing of the delivery box door by controlling the rotation of a steering gear. A latch piece is installed on the steering gear and can rotate with the steering gear to control the opening and closing of the door.

[0061] The cellular delivery device of the present application can also be used to deliver active or semi-active micro-aircraft. The card slot in the present application is particularly beneficial for attitude correction of passive micro-aircraft. In the case of active micro-aircraft, for example, the card slot may not be provided.

[0062] The passive micro-aircraft here refers specifically to an unpowered aircraft, or an aircraft whose flight process mainly relies on external forces rather than its own power.

[0063] It should be understood that at least some aspects or features of the above-mentioned embodiments, examples or examples may be appropriately combined.

[0064] It is understood that in this application, when the number of parts or components is not specifically limited, the number may be one or more, and the term "plurality" herein refers to two or more. Where the number of parts or components is shown in the drawings and / or described in the specification as a specific number, such as two, three, or four, the specific number is generally illustrative and not restrictive, and may be understood as a plurality, i.e., two or more. However, this does not mean that this application excludes the case of one.

[0065] It should be understood that the above embodiments, examples, or examples are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the present application. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications and changes to the above embodiments, examples, or examples based on the teachings of the present application without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A cellular delivery device for clustered micro-aerial vehicles, characterized in that: The device comprises a cellular micro-aerial vehicle drop box, which includes: A plurality of cylindrical cavities for accommodating a plurality of micro aerial vehicles; a door capable of being controlled to open, the door enclosing the plurality of cylindrical cavities; and A wireless remote control switch module (4) is used to control the opening of the door, The door panel and the peripheral wall of the cavity are provided with one or more posture correction structures for correcting the initial posture of the micro aerial vehicle. The door panel is provided with a plurality of arc-shaped grooves (8), the arc-shaped grooves (8) being located at the center of the cylindrical cavity and being used for correcting the initial posture of the micro-aircraft. A plurality of protrusions (9) protruding radially inward are provided on the peripheral wall of the cavity, and a clamping groove is formed between the plurality of protrusions (9), and the clamping groove is used to correct the initial posture of the micro-aircraft.

2. The cellular delivery device for clustered micro-aerial vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The delivery box is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped or a cylinder, and further comprises side panels, which are arranged around the door, and the door is connected to the side panels via a bracket, a connecting rod or a hinge. The delivery box further comprises a pulling device (3), and the pulling device (3) is used to pull the door open.

3. The cellular delivery device for clustered micro-aerial vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wireless remote control switch module (4) includes a stepping motor or is controlled by a stepping motor.

4. The cellular delivery device for clustered micro-aerial vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The delivery box comprises a plurality of hooks (1) for lifting the delivery box.

5. The cellular delivery device for clustered micro-aerial vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multiple circular tubular cavities are arranged in an array.

6. The cellular delivery device for clustered micro-aerial vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a control device for wirelessly controlling the wireless remote control switch module (4) to open the door.

7. The cellular delivery device for clustered micro-aerial vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a plurality of micro-aircraft, wherein the micro-aircraft are passive micro-aircraft, and the plurality of passive micro-aircraft are respectively accommodated in the plurality of cylindrical cavities. The passive micro-aircraft is a four-blade passive micro-aircraft.

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