A fully automatic traction device for large unmanned aerial vehicles

Abstract

This specification discloses a fully automatic traction device for large unmanned aerial vehicles, which relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle traction technology, including a mobile chassis, a frame, a control system, a sensor system, and an automatic locking system. The mobile chassis is the basis for bearing and movement, and mainly includes a chassis, four Mecanum wheels, and a corresponding drive system; the sensor system is mainly used to sense the environment and locate navigation, so as to detect obstacles and rationally plan the movement path, and mainly includes a vehicle-mounted laser radar, a camera, and an inertial measurement unit; the automatic locking system mainly includes a motion mechanism in three directions, vertical, horizontal, and longitudinal, and a locking shaft at the end thereof, and controls the movement in three directions, thereby controlling the locking shaft at the end to lock the traction wheel of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the vertical and longitudinal movements are driven by electric cylinders, and the lateral movements are driven by motors, which solves the operation problems of turning, translating, and dragging in situ of the aircraft in the hangar or airport.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle traction, and in particular relates to a fully automatic traction device for a large unmanned aerial vehicle. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, large unmanned aerial vehicles have played an important role in many fields, such as search and rescue, material delivery, land surveying, reconnaissance and surveillance, and attack operations. With the continuous expansion of application fields, the ground maintenance and transportation work of large unmanned aerial vehicles has continued to increase. When large unmanned aerial vehicles need to be moved or repaired over short distances, they need to be towed by a traction device. The traction of large unmanned aerial vehicles in the existing technology still relies on manual use of a simple traction rod. One end of the traction rod is inserted into the traction wheel of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the traction rod is manually pulled to move the unmanned aerial vehicle. This method is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and there are safety hazards. The existing aircraft traction devices cannot achieve full automation. Manual guidance and intervention are required to clamp the aircraft wheels, and autonomous path planning decisions cannot be achieved. There are generally problems such as excessive turning radius. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a large-scale array microsystem thermal control structure to solve the problems that the current aircraft traction device cannot achieve full automation, cannot achieve autonomous path planning and decision-making, and generally has a turning radius that is too large.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0005] On the one hand, this specification provides a large-scale unmanned aerial vehicle fully automatic traction device, including:

[0006] Mobile chassis, frame, control system, sensor system and automatic locking system; the mobile chassis includes a chassis 14, four Mecanum wheels 18 installed at the bottom of the chassis 14 and a corresponding drive motor 22; the sensor system includes a vehicle-mounted laser radar 16, a camera 17 and an inertial measurement unit, wherein the vehicle-mounted laser radar 16 and the camera 17 are installed in front and on the side of the frame 1, respectively for identifying target information and environmental information; the inertial measurement unit is installed inside the frame 1, for capturing the position, posture and motion state information of the traction device; the automatic locking system is located at the rear of the frame 1, including a vertical motion mechanism, a lateral motion mechanism and a longitudinal motion mechanism and a locking shaft 9 at the end thereof, and by controlling the motion mechanisms in three directions, the locking shaft 9 at the end is controlled to lock the traction wheel 11 of the UAV.

[0007] Based on the above technical solution, this specification can achieve the following technical effects:

[0008] This device integrates sensor technology, servo control and other technologies, and can automatically tow UAVs with traction wheels of different sizes. It uses laser radar, camera and inertial measurement unit as measurement feedback elements, with high measurement accuracy, and can monitor the position, posture and motion status information of the traction device and the UAV in real time. The control system can independently plan the optimal motion path of the traction device based on the information feedback from each sensor, and continuously adjust it according to the real-time information, so that the traction device and the UAV can avoid obstacles and arrive at the designated location accurately; it adopts the Mecanum wheel movement method, which has the advantages of high flexibility, strong carrying capacity, small space occupation, independent drive, and easy programming. The overall motion accuracy of the device is high, which can effectively replace manual towing of large UAVs, and has broad market prospects, thereby solving the current problems that the aircraft traction device cannot be fully automated, cannot realize autonomous path planning decisions, and generally has a large turning radius. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 The traction wheel is located in the positioning groove in the front axial side view of one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 .

[0010] Figure 2 The traction wheel is located in the positioning groove in the front axial side view of one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 .

[0011] Figure 3 This is an axonometric view of the traction process of the traction wheel in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 4 It is a partial view of the automatic locking system in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a mobile chassis in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 6 The figure is a working flow chart of an automatic traction device in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] 1-frame, 2-warning light, 3-vertical motion base, 4-vertical motion slider, 5-lateral motion base, 6-lateral motion slider, 7-longitudinal telescopic mechanism, 8-positioning slot, 9-locking shaft, 10-traction wheel sleeve, 11-traction wheel, 12-baffle, 13-baffle control electric cylinder, 14-base, 15-vertical lifting electric cylinder, 16-vehicle laser radar, 17-camera, 18-Mecanum wheel, 19-flange, 20-coupling, 21-motor support, 22-drive motor, 23-motor DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description and claims. It should be noted that the drawings are all in very simplified form and are not in precise proportions, and are only used to conveniently and clearly assist in explaining the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0017] It should be noted that, in order to clearly explain the content of the present invention, the present invention specifically cites multiple embodiments to further illustrate different implementations of the present invention, wherein the multiple embodiments are enumerated rather than exhaustive. In addition, for the sake of brevity of explanation, the contents mentioned in the previous embodiments are often omitted in the subsequent embodiments. Therefore, the contents not mentioned in the subsequent embodiments can refer to the previous embodiments accordingly.

[0018] Example 1

[0019] Please refer to Figure 1-Figure 3 , is a large-scale UAV fully automatic traction device provided in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the device includes:

[0020] Mobile chassis, frame, control system, sensor system and automatic locking system; the mobile chassis includes a chassis 14, four Mecanum wheels 18 installed at the bottom of the chassis 14 and a corresponding drive motor 22; the sensor system includes a vehicle-mounted laser radar 16, a camera 17 and an inertial measurement unit, wherein the vehicle-mounted laser radar 16 and the camera 17 are installed in front and on the side of the frame 1, respectively for identifying target information and environmental information; the inertial measurement unit is installed inside the frame 1, for capturing the position, posture and motion state information of the traction device; the automatic locking system is located at the rear of the frame 1, including a vertical motion mechanism, a lateral motion mechanism and a longitudinal motion mechanism and a locking shaft 9 at the end thereof, and by controlling the motion mechanisms in three directions, the locking shaft 9 at the end is controlled to lock the traction wheel 11 of the UAV.

[0021] In this embodiment, reference Figure 5 The Mecanum wheel 18 is connected to the coupling 20 through the flange 19, and the other end of the coupling 20 is connected to the drive motor to realize power transmission, wherein the drive motor 22 is fixedly connected to the chassis 14 through the motor support 21; the power of the mobile chassis is successively transmitted to the Mecanum wheel 18 through the drive motor 22, the coupling 20, and the flange 19, so that the traction device can move quickly and omnidirectionally on the ground.

[0022] Specifically, the sensor system includes a vehicle-mounted laser radar 16, a camera 17, and an inertial measurement unit. The laser radar 16 is installed on the front and side of the frame 1 to capture the target information and obstacle information to be towed around the traction device. When the vehicle-mounted laser radar 16 captures multiple drone targets to be towed, the operator can select the designated target through the control system. The camera 17 is also installed on the front and side of the frame 1. During the movement of the automatic traction device, the camera 17 is used to identify traffic signs, lane lines, pedestrians and other information on the airport runway or in the hangar. The control system will assist in path planning and motion state decision-making based on the identification information. In addition, the automatic traction device is also equipped with an inertial measurement unit, which is installed inside the frame 1 to capture the position, posture and motion state information of the traction device. It has a small cumulative error and a wide coverage range, and is suitable for large-area, long-distance precise positioning. The control system can independently plan the optimal motion path of the traction device based on the information fed back by each sensor, and continuously adjust it according to the real-time information, so that the traction device and the drone can avoid obstacles and arrive at the designated location accurately. In addition, the traction device also has a homing function, that is, after completing the traction work, the traction device can autonomously return to the initial position and reset the coordinates to zero, which is convenient for next use.

[0023] In this embodiment, the chassis 14 is provided with a positioning groove 8 for placing the traction wheel; the rear of the chassis 14 is provided with a baffle 12 and an electric cylinder 13 for driving the baffle 12 to be retracted or lowered; when the automatic locking system is ready to work, that is, when the traction wheel 11 is ready to be pulled into the positioning groove 8 or pulled from the positioning groove 8 to the ground, the electric cylinder 13 pushes the baffle 12 to be lowered, and after the automatic locking system finishes working, the electric cylinder 13 retracts to retract the baffle 12

[0024] In this embodiment, reference Figure 4 The automatic locking system includes a vertical motion base 3, a vertical motion slider 4, a vertical lifting electric cylinder 15, a transverse motion base 5, a transverse motion slider 6, a motor 23, a longitudinal telescopic mechanism 7, and a locking shaft 9; wherein the vertical motion base 3 is vertically mounted on the frame 1, the vertical motion slider 4 moves up and down along the vertical motion base 3, the transverse motion base 5 is fixedly mounted on the vertical motion slider 4, the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 7 is mounted on the transverse motion slider 6, and the locking shaft 9 is mounted at the end of the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 7; the vertical lifting electric cylinder 15 is fixed on the chassis 14, and the top end is connected to the transverse motion base 5.

[0025] In this embodiment, a traction wheel sleeve 10 is provided on the side of the traction wheel 11. When the traction device tows the UAV, the locking shaft 9 is connected to the traction wheel sleeve and maintains a locked state.

[0026] In this embodiment, the automatic locking system includes two sets of vertical lifting electric cylinder 15, vertical motion base 3, vertical motion slider 4, lateral motion slider 6, longitudinal telescopic mechanism 7, and locking shaft 9; the two lateral motion sliders 6 always keep moving towards each other.

[0027] Specifically, when the automatic locking system is working, the vertical lifting electric cylinder 15 first drives the locking shaft 9 to move up and down so that the locking shaft 9 and the traction wheel sleeve 10 are at the same horizontal height, and then the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 7 is extended to make the locking shaft 9 and the traction wheel sleeve 11 at the same axis, and then the motor 23 drives the two lateral motion sliders 6 to move toward each other, so that the locking shaft 9 is inserted into the traction wheel sleeve 10, and then the vertical lifting electric cylinder 15 and the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 7 move at the same time, so that the traction wheel 11 moves along the baffle 12 to the positioning groove 8 in the traction cavity.

[0028] In this embodiment, the automatic locking system satisfies the traction work of UAVs with traction wheels of different sizes by adjusting the vertical lifting electric cylinder 15 and the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 7.

[0029] Specifically, after the drone is towed to the designated area, the automatic locking system unlocks the drone. First, the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 7 and the vertical lifting electric cylinder 15 work simultaneously, causing the traction wheel 11 to move to the ground along the baffle 12, and then the transverse motion slider 6 moves to both sides and returns to the initial zero position, causing the locking shaft 9 to disengage from the traction wheel sleeve 10, and then the vertical lifting electric cylinder 15 and the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 7 return to the initial zero position.

[0030] It should be noted that when the automatic locking system is ready to work, that is, when the drone traction wheel 11 is ready to be towed into the positioning groove 8 or towed from the positioning groove 8 to the ground, the electric cylinder 13 pushes the baffle 12 down. After the automatic locking system finishes working, the electric cylinder 13 contracts to retract the baffle 12.

[0031] In this embodiment, the vertical motion slider 4 and the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 7 are both equipped with photoelectric sensors to provide feedback on the movement status of the locking shaft 9.

[0032] In this embodiment, the vertical motion base 3, the lateral motion base 5 and the longitudinal telescopic mechanism 7 are all provided with a zero position sensor and a limit position sensor.

[0033] In this embodiment, two warning lights 2 are installed on the frame 1, which keep flashing during the movement of the traction device, so as to ensure the visibility and safety of the traction device and the UAV.

[0034] In this embodiment, the control system is installed inside the frame 1, and mainly includes a microprocessor and a display. In addition, it can maintain communication with the remote control device through wireless transmission, and the operator can also perform emergency operations and target and path selection through the remote control device.

[0035] In this embodiment, auxiliary components such as a power supply and an adapter are installed inside the frame 1.

[0036] It should be noted here that in order to ensure that the automatic locking system can smoothly move the drone traction wheel 11 into the positioning groove 8, the posture of the traction device and the traction wheel must be kept the same through sensor feedback information when the automatic locking system is working.

[0037] In summary, this device integrates sensor technology, servo control and other technologies, and can automatically tow UAVs with traction wheels of different sizes. Laser radar, camera and inertial measurement unit are used as measurement feedback elements, with high measurement accuracy, and can monitor the position, posture and motion state information of the traction device and the UAV in real time. The control system can independently plan the optimal motion path of the traction device based on the information feedback from each sensor, and continuously adjust it according to the real-time information, so that the traction device and the UAV can avoid obstacles and arrive at the designated location accurately; the Mecanum wheel movement method is adopted, which has the advantages of high flexibility, strong carrying capacity, small space occupation, independent drive, and convenient programming. The overall motion accuracy of the device is high, which can effectively replace manual towing of large UAVs, and has broad market prospects, thereby solving the current problems that the aircraft traction device cannot be fully automated, cannot realize autonomous path planning decisions, and generally has a large turning radius.

[0038] Example 2

[0039] Please refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6 The figure shows a working method of a fully automatic traction device for a large unmanned aerial vehicle provided by this embodiment.

[0040] In this embodiment, the method includes:

[0041] After receiving the traction command, the traction device obtains information fed back by the vehicle-mounted laser radar 16, the camera 17 and the inertial measurement unit;

[0042] Determine the target to be towed based on the information fed back by the on-board laser radar 16, the camera 17 and the inertial measurement unit;

[0043] Based on the position information of the to-be-towed target and the information fed back by the on-board laser radar 16, the camera 17 and the inertial measurement unit, the vehicle autonomously plans the movement path and moves toward the to-be-towed target;

[0044] After reaching the target position to be towed, the electric cylinder 13 pushes the baffle 12 down, and the automatic locking mechanism locks the traction wheel 11 of the target to be towed and pulls it into the positioning groove 8, and then the electric cylinder 13 contracts to retract the baffle 12;

[0045] The traction device tractions the target to be traction to the designated position according to the motion path;

[0046] After reaching the designated position, the electric cylinder 13 pushes the baffle 12 down, and the automatic locking mechanism locks the traction wheel 11 to move along the baffle 12 to the ground, and then the automatic locking mechanism unlocks the traction wheel 11, and the electric cylinder 13 contracts to retract the baffle 12 to complete the current traction task.

[0047] Specifically, when the automatic traction device receives the traction instruction, it first selects the target to be traction according to the information fed back by the radar 16, the camera 17 and the inertial measurement unit, autonomously plans the movement path of the traction device and continuously moves toward the target position. During the movement of the traction device, it receives the information fed back by the sensor in real time and optimizes the movement path. In order to ensure that the traction wheel 11 is smoothly towed into the positioning groove 8, the traction device must move to the front of the traction wheel 11, and the posture of the traction device must be consistent with the posture of the traction wheel; then the baffle 12 is lowered, and the automatic locking mechanism locks the traction wheel 11 and tows it into the positioning groove 8 in the traction cavity; then the traction device tows the UAV to the designated area according to the planned movement path, and after arriving at the designated area, the automatic locking mechanism unlocks the traction wheel 11; then, according to the received information, it is selected to return to the initial position or continue to perform the next traction task.

[0048] Based on this, this device realizes the fully automatic traction of large UAVs, replacing the traditional manual traction operation, with a high degree of automation and flexible movement.

[0049] The above is a description of a specific embodiment of the present specification. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps described in the claims can be performed in an order different from that in the embodiments and still achieve the desired results. In addition, the specific order or sequential order shown in the process depicted in the drawings is not necessarily required to achieve the desired results. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0050] The above is only an embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various changes and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A fully automatic traction device for a large unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that: include: Mobile chassis, racks, control systems, sensor systems, and automatic locking systems; The mobile chassis comprises a chassis (14), four Mecanum wheels (18) installed at the bottom of the chassis (14), and a corresponding drive motor (22); the sensor system comprises a vehicle-mounted laser radar (16), a camera (17), and an inertial measurement unit, wherein the vehicle-mounted laser radar (16) and the camera (17) are installed at the front and side of the frame (1) and are used to identify target information and environmental information respectively; the inertial measurement unit is installed inside the frame (1) and is used to capture the position, posture and motion state information of the traction device; the automatic locking system is located at the rear of the frame (1), and comprises a vertical motion mechanism, a lateral motion mechanism, a longitudinal motion mechanism and a locking shaft (9) at the end thereof, and controls the locking shaft (9) at the end thereof to lock the traction wheel (11) of the unmanned aerial vehicle by controlling the motion mechanisms in three directions.

2. The fully automatic traction device for large unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The Mecanum wheel (18) is connected to the coupling (20) via a flange (19), and the other end of the coupling (20) is connected to a drive motor to achieve power transmission, wherein the drive motor (22) is fixedly connected to the chassis (14) via a motor support (21); the power of the mobile chassis is sequentially transmitted through the drive motor (22), the coupling (20), and the flange (19), and finally transmitted to the Mecanum wheel (18), so that the traction device can move quickly and omnidirectionally on the ground.

3. The fully automatic traction device for large unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The chassis (14) is provided with a positioning groove (8) for placing a traction wheel; the rear of the chassis (14) is provided with a baffle (12) and an electric cylinder (13) for driving the baffle (12) to be retracted or lowered; when the automatic locking system is ready to work, that is, when the traction wheel (11) is ready to be pulled into the positioning groove (8) or pulled from the positioning groove (8) to the ground, the electric cylinder (13) pushes the baffle (12) to be lowered; after the automatic locking system finishes working, the electric cylinder (13) contracts to retract the baffle (12).

4. The fully automatic traction device for large unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The automatic locking system comprises a vertical motion base (3), a vertical motion slider (4), a vertical lifting electric cylinder (15), a transverse motion base (5), a transverse motion slider (6), a motor (23), a longitudinal telescopic mechanism (7), and a locking shaft (9); wherein the vertical motion base (3) is vertically mounted on the frame (1), the vertical motion slider (4) moves up and down along the vertical motion base (3), the transverse motion base (5) is fixedly mounted on the vertical motion slider (4), the longitudinal telescopic mechanism (7) is mounted on the transverse motion slider (6), and the locking shaft (9) is mounted at the end of the longitudinal telescopic mechanism (7); the vertical lifting electric cylinder (15) is fixed on the chassis (14), and the top end is connected to the transverse motion base (5).

5. The fully automatic traction device for large unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A traction wheel shaft sleeve (10) is provided on the side of the traction wheel (11), and when the traction device is towing the drone, the locking shaft (9) is connected to the traction wheel shaft sleeve and remains in a locked state.

6. The fully automatic traction device for large unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The automatic locking system comprises two sets of vertical lifting electric cylinders (15), vertical motion bases (3), vertical motion slide blocks (4), lateral motion slide blocks (6), longitudinal telescopic mechanisms (7), and locking shafts (9); the two lateral motion slide blocks (6) always maintain opposite-direction movement.

7. The large-scale UAV fully automatic traction device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The vertical motion slide block (4) and the longitudinal telescopic mechanism (7) are both equipped with photoelectric sensors to provide feedback on the movement status of the locking shaft (9).

8. The fully automatic traction device for large unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The vertical motion base (3), the lateral motion base (5) and the longitudinal telescopic mechanism (7) are all provided with a zero position sensor and a limit position sensor.

9. The fully automatic traction device for large unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two warning lights (2) are installed on the frame (1) and keep flashing during the movement of the traction device.

10. A working method using the large-scale unmanned aerial vehicle fully automatic traction device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: include: After receiving the traction instruction, the traction device obtains information fed back by the vehicle-mounted laser radar (16), the camera (17) and the inertial measurement unit; Determine the target to be towed based on information fed back by the vehicle-mounted laser radar (16), the camera (17) and the inertial measurement unit; Based on the position information of the target to be towed and the information fed back by the on-board laser radar (16), the camera (17) and the inertial measurement unit, the vehicle autonomously plans a movement path and moves toward the target to be towed; After reaching the target position to be towed, the electric cylinder (13) pushes the baffle (12) down, and the automatic locking mechanism locks the traction wheel (11) of the target to be towed and pulls it into the positioning groove (8), and then the electric cylinder (13) contracts to retract the baffle (12); The traction device tractions the target to be traction to the designated position according to the motion path; After reaching the designated position, the electric cylinder (13) pushes the baffle (12) down, the automatic locking mechanism locks the traction wheel (11) and moves along the baffle (12) to the ground, then the automatic locking mechanism unlocks the traction wheel (11), the electric cylinder (13) contracts, and the baffle (12) is retracted, completing the current traction task.

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