Hydrogen power mooring unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of mooring unmanned aerial vehicles, in particular to a hydrogen power mooring unmanned aerial vehicle which comprises a sky end and a ground end, a pipeline is arranged between the sky end and the ground end, and the pipeline is used for conveying fuel at the ground end to the sky end; the sky end comprises an aircraft, a fuel cell stack is fixedly mounted at the lower end of the aircraft, an avionics bin is fixedly mounted at the position, located at the lower end of the aircraft, of one side of the fuel cell stack, and a hydrogen receiving opening is formed in the lower portion of the fuel cell stack. The high-pressure hydrogen in the hydrogen cylinder just reaches the working pressure when reaching the fuel cell stack after passing through the pressure reducer at the ground end and the on-way pressure drop of the pipeline; the problems that a traditional mooring unmanned aerial vehicle with a hydrogen fuel cell energy storage system and an electric pile at the ground end is powered by a high-voltage direct-current or alternating-current cable, so that power transmission loss is large, and the weight of the cable is high are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of tethered drones, in particular to a hydrogen-powered tethered drone. Background Art

[0002] Tethered drones have been widely used in security monitoring, communication relay, emergency rescue and environmental monitoring due to their advantages such as continuous power supply, long-term hovering and high stability. Traditional tethered drone systems mainly rely on ground power to supply power to the aerial platform through cables to achieve long-term operation.

[0003] In the prior art, tethered drones mainly use diesel generators and chemical batteries as energy supply systems. Diesel generators and lithium batteries have the problems of large size, high noise, serious pollution and inconvenient maintenance, while lithium batteries have limited energy density, which limits the working time of tethered drones. Even if the ground connection wires ensure the operation of tethered drones using lithium batteries, the system weight and power loss caused by the cables will also affect the convenience of tethered drone operations.

[0004] Based on the above situation, it is an urgent problem to design a system that does not require diesel generators and chemical batteries as energy supply system to ensure that tethered drones can work conveniently and durably. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a hydrogen-powered tethered drone to solve the problems raised in the above-mentioned background technology.

[0006] The purpose of the present invention can be achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0007] A hydrogen-powered tethered drone comprises an air terminal and a ground terminal, wherein a pipeline is provided between the air terminal and the ground terminal, and the pipeline is used to transport fuel from the ground terminal to the air terminal;

[0008] The sky end includes an aircraft, a fuel cell stack is fixedly installed at the lower end of the aircraft, an avionics compartment is fixedly installed on one side of the fuel cell stack and located at the lower end of the aircraft, and a hydrogen receiving port is arranged below the fuel cell stack;

[0009] The ground end includes a hydrogen cylinder and a pressure reducer connected to the hydrogen cylinder, the inlet of the pressure reducer is connected to the hydrogen cylinder, and the outlet of the pressure reducer is connected to the hydrogen receiving port through a pipeline.

[0010] Preferably, an exhaust mechanism is fixedly connected to the portion of the pipeline close to the sky end, the exhaust mechanism includes an exhaust pipe which is arranged obliquely and connected to the pipeline, a separator ring is fixedly connected inside the exhaust pipe, a pressure spring is fixedly connected to one side of the separator ring, a sealing plug with a platform design is fixedly connected to one end of the pressure spring, and a closing ring used in conjunction with the sealing plug is fixedly connected inside the exhaust pipe.

[0011] Preferably, one end of the exhaust pipe is fixedly connected to a connecting sleeve, a closing cover is threadedly connected to the connecting sleeve, and a control valve is installed on the exhaust pipe.

[0012] Preferably, a hard protective cover is fixedly connected to a portion of the pipe close to the sky end, and an airbag portion is provided on the pipe and inside the hard protective cover.

[0013] Preferably, both ends of the pipeline are fixedly connected with connecting pipe openings, one side of the connecting pipe opening is fixedly connected with a regulating component, the regulating component includes a regulating cylinder on one side of the connecting pipe opening, a movable plug is provided inside the regulating cylinder, the top of the movable plug is fixedly connected with a connecting rod, and the top of the connecting rod extends to the outside of the regulating cylinder.

[0014] Preferably, the bottom of the regulating cylinder is fixedly connected with a first connecting tube and a second connecting tube, one end of the first connecting tube is fixedly connected to the connecting sleeve, one end of the second connecting tube is fixedly connected to the hard protective sleeve, and the bottom of the movable plug is fixedly connected with a piston rod, and the bottom of the piston rod extends to the interior of the second connecting tube.

[0015] Preferably, the connecting pipe port is provided with a first connecting port and a second connecting port, and the bottoms of the inner walls of the first connecting port and the second connecting port are both provided with sealing rings.

[0016] Preferably, the hydrogen receiving port and the outlet of the pressure reducer are both equipped with connecting pipe heads, and the connecting pipe heads are provided with a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion, the first connecting portion is adapted to the outlet of the pressure reducer, and the second connecting portion is adapted to the second connecting port.

[0017] Preferably, one end of the connecting pipe opening is fixedly connected to a first flange, and the upper portion of the connecting pipe head is fixedly connected to a second flange.

[0018] An air intake pipe is fixedly connected to the portion of the pipeline close to the ground end, and a solenoid valve and a one-way valve are installed on the air intake pipe.

[0019] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0020] 1. The present invention utilizes the pressure drop of gas along the pipeline, so that the high-pressure hydrogen in the hydrogen bottle reaches its working pressure just when it reaches the fuel cell stack after passing through the pressure reducer at the ground end and the pressure drop along the pipeline. This solves the problem of large transmission loss and high cable weight caused by the traditional tethered drone with the hydrogen fuel cell energy storage system and the stack at the ground end using high-voltage DC or AC cables for power supply. At the same time, compared with the diesel generator or lithium battery used on the ground end, the hydrogen fuel cell of the present invention has the characteristics of high energy density, cleanliness and high efficiency.

[0021] 2. The present invention sets an exhaust pipe at the part of the pipeline close to the sky end, and connects the exhaust pipe to an external exhaust device. Before supplying hydrogen through the pipeline, the air in the pipeline can be extracted, so that the hydrogen can fill the pipeline before use and be supplied to the sky end in a timely and rapid manner. After the gas supply of the pipeline is stopped, the hydrogen inside the pipeline can be extracted to avoid safety hazards caused by hydrogen leakage.

[0022] 3. The present invention provides a sealing plug, so that when the UAV drives the sky end to rise to a high altitude, if the control valve fails to seal due to increased air pressure difference and material shrinkage at high altitude, thereby causing air leakage, the sealing plug can be squeezed by the air pressure inside the pipeline, and the negative pressure adsorption of the sealing plug in the connecting sleeve can be combined to make the sealing plug fit tightly onto the upper sealing ring to seal the exhaust pipe, so that even if the control valve seal fails, it will not cause the hydrogen inside the pipeline to leak through the exhaust pipe. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the sky terminal proposed by the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the ground terminal proposed by the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the pipeline proposed by the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 The present invention Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the top part of the middle pipeline;

[0028] Figure 5 The present invention Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the bottom part of the middle connecting pipe nozzle;

[0029] Figure 6 The present invention Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the bottom part of the middle pipeline;

[0030] Figure 7 The present invention Figure 4 Cross-sectional view of the pipe section.

[0031] The reference numerals in the figures are as follows:

[0032] 1. Fuel cell stack; 2. Hydrogen receiving port; 3. Avionics compartment; 4. Hydrogen cylinder; 5. Pressure reducer; 6. Pipeline; 601. Airbag part; 7. Exhaust pipe; 701. Separator ring; 702. Pressure spring; 703. Sealing plug; 704. Closing ring; 8. Hard protective cover; 9. Control cylinder; 901. Movable plug; 902. Connecting rod; 903. First connecting pipe; 904. Second connecting pipe; 905. Piston rod; 10. Connecting pipe mouth; 1001. First connecting port; 1002. Second connecting port; 11. Connecting pipe head; 1101. First connecting part; 1102. Second connecting part; 12. First flange; 13. Second flange; 14. Connecting sleeve; 15. Closing cover; 16. Control valve; 17. Inlet pipe; 18. Solenoid valve; 19. One-way valve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 A hydrogen-powered tethered drone includes an air end and a ground end. A pipeline 6 is provided between the air end and the ground end. The pipeline is used to transport fuel from the ground end to the air end. The pipeline 6 is a polyurethane hose or a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) hose for hydrogen transportation.

[0035] Pressure Drop along the Length of a Pipe refers to the phenomenon that the pressure of the fluid gradually decreases due to friction and other resistance factors when the fluid flows along the pipeline or pipeline system. Pressure Drop along the Length of a Pipe is an important concept in fluid mechanics and is widely used in the design of liquid and gas transmission pipelines.

[0036] The sky end includes an aircraft, which is a tethered multi-rotor drone in the prior art. A fuel cell stack 1 is fixedly installed at the lower end of the aircraft. The fuel cell stack 1 contains a hydrogen fuel cell, which is a device that generates electricity by chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen. It belongs to clean energy technology. Its basic principle is to combine hydrogen and oxygen through electrochemical reaction to generate electric current. At the same time, the byproduct is only water vapor. Hydrogen fuel cells are widely used in transportation, portable devices, drones and other fields.

[0037] An avionics compartment 3 is fixedly installed on one side of the fuel cell stack 1 and at the lower end of the aircraft, and a hydrogen receiving port 2 is provided below the fuel cell stack 1;

[0038] The ground end includes a hydrogen cylinder 4 and a pressure reducer 5 connected to the hydrogen cylinder 4. The inlet of the pressure reducer 5 is connected to the hydrogen cylinder 4. The outlet of the pressure reducer 5 is connected to the hydrogen receiving port 2 through a pipeline 6. The high-pressure hydrogen in the hydrogen cylinder 4 is 35MPa or 70MPa.

[0039] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 7 An exhaust mechanism is fixedly connected to the portion of the pipeline 6 close to the sky end, and the exhaust mechanism includes an exhaust pipe 7 which is obliquely arranged and connected to the pipeline 6, a separation ring 701 is fixedly connected inside the exhaust pipe 7, and an opening is provided in the middle of the separation ring 701 for ventilation, a pressure spring 702 is fixedly connected to one side of the separation ring 701, and the pressure spring 702 exerts pressure on the sealing plug 703 in a direction away from the separation ring 701, and a sealing plug 703 with a platform design is fixedly connected to one end of the pressure spring 702, and a closing ring 704 used in conjunction with the sealing plug 703 is fixedly connected inside the exhaust pipe 7, and an opening is provided on the closing ring 704 which is adapted to the sealing plug 703, so that the sealing plug 703 can seal the exhaust pipe 7 from the closing ring 704 to avoid leakage of the seal of the control valve 16 due to the decrease in air pressure in the high-altitude environment due to rising to high altitude.

[0040] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 7 One end of the exhaust pipe 7 is fixedly connected with a connecting sleeve 14, the radius of the connecting sleeve 14 is larger than the radius of the exhaust pipe 7, and a closing cover 15 is threadedly connected to the connecting sleeve 14, which can close the exhaust pipe 7. A control valve 16 is installed on the exhaust pipe 7, and the control valve 16 is in a closed state, which has the effect of closing the exhaust pipe 7.

[0041] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 7A hard protective cover 8 is fixedly connected to the portion of the pipe 6 close to the sky end. The hard protective cover 8 can provide protection for the airbag part 601 to prevent the airbag part 601 from being damaged. The airbag part 601 is arranged on the pipe 6 and inside the hard protective cover 8. There is no gap between the hard protective cover 8 and the pipe 6, and no air leakage will occur. The airbag part 601 can be expanded inside the hard protective cover 8.

[0042] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 7 Both ends of the pipeline 6 are fixedly connected with a connecting pipe mouth 10, and one side of the connecting pipe mouth 10 is fixedly connected with a regulating component. The regulating component includes a regulating cylinder 9 on one side of the connecting pipe mouth 10, and the regulating cylinder 9 is fixed on one side of the connecting pipe mouth 10 through a rectangular block. A movable plug 901 is arranged inside the regulating cylinder 9. The outer edge of the movable plug 901 is tightly attached to the inner wall of the regulating cylinder 9, which can play a role in separating and sealing the inside of the regulating cylinder 9. The top of the movable plug 901 is fixedly connected with a connecting rod 902, and the top of the connecting rod 902 extends to the outside of the regulating cylinder 9. The top of the regulating cylinder 9 has an opening to facilitate the passage of the connecting rod 902.

[0043] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 7 The bottom of the regulating cylinder 9 is fixedly connected with a first connecting tube 903 and a second connecting tube 904, the inner diameter specifications of the first connecting tube 903 and the second connecting tube 904 are consistent, one end of the first connecting tube 903 is fixedly connected to the connecting sleeve 14, and one end of the second connecting tube 904 is fixedly connected to the hard protective sleeve 8. The bottom of the movable plug 901 is fixedly connected with a piston rod 905, and the bottom of the piston rod 905 extends to the inside of the second connecting tube 904, which can play a role in sealing the second connecting tube 904.

[0044] like Figure 4 The connecting pipe port 10 is provided with a first connecting port 1001 and a second connecting port 1002 , and the bottoms of the inner walls of the first connecting port 1001 and the second connecting port 1002 are both provided with sealing rings, and the radius of the first connecting port 1001 is greater than the radius of the second connecting port 1002 .

[0045] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6A connecting pipe head 11 is installed on the hydrogen receiving port 2 and the outlet of the pressure reducer 5. The connecting pipe head 11 is made of metal material. A first connecting part 1101 and a second connecting part 1102 are provided on the connecting pipe head 11. The first connecting part 1101 is adapted to the outlet of the pressure reducer 5, and the second connecting part 1102 is adapted to the second connecting port 1002. When the connecting pipe head 11 and the connecting pipe port 10 are connected together, the first connecting part 1101 can be tightly attached to the first connecting port 1001 and sealed by a sealing gasket, and the second connecting part 1102 can be tightly attached to the second connecting port 1002 and sealed by a sealing gasket, thereby realizing double sealing between the connecting pipe port 10 and the connecting pipe head 11.

[0046] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 One end of the connecting pipe mouth 10 is fixedly connected to a first flange 12, and the upper part of the connecting pipe head 11 is fixedly connected to a second flange 13. The first flange 12 and the second flange 13 can be fixed together as a seal by using external bolts and nuts, so that the connecting pipe head 11 and the connecting pipe mouth 10 are connected together. At this time, the pipeline 6 can connect the sky end and the ground end.

[0047] like Figure 3 and Figure 6 An air intake pipe 17 is fixedly connected to the part of the pipeline 6 close to the ground end, and an electromagnetic valve 18 and a one-way valve 19 are installed on the air intake pipe 17. The one-way valve 19 can ensure that the external gas can only flow to the pipeline 6 in one direction through the air intake pipe 17, and the gas in the pipeline 6 cannot flow out through the air intake pipe 17. The ground end is equipped with an external power supply, and the electromagnetic valve 18 can be connected to the power supply of the ground end.

[0048] The working principle of a hydrogen-powered tethered drone provided by the present invention is as follows:

[0049] When the two ends of the pipeline 6 and the connecting pipe head 11 are connected together, the pipeline 6 and the hydrogen receiving port 2 at the sky end and the outlet of the pressure reducer 5 are connected, which can realize the function of supplying the hydrogen inside the hydrogen bottle 4 on the ground to the fuel cell stack 1, and the pressure drop along the pipeline 6 is achieved, so that the high-pressure hydrogen (35MPa or 70MPa) from the hydrogen bottle 4 reaches its working pressure when it reaches the fuel cell stack 1 after passing through the pressure reducer 5 at the ground end and the pressure drop along the pipeline 6.

[0050] Before the pipeline 6 is supplied with gas, the closing cover 15 and the control valve 16 are first opened, and the connecting sleeve 14 is connected to the external exhaust device. There is a push rod in the pipe mouth of the external exhaust device, which can push the sealing plug 703 to separate the sealing plug 703 and the closing ring 704, and then release the hydrogen. The exhaust device simultaneously extracts the air inside the pipeline 6 through the exhaust pipe 7. After the air is extracted, the exhaust device and the connecting sleeve 14 are separated, and the closing cover 15 and the control valve 16 are closed;

[0051] Similarly, after the use of the sky end, you can use a vacuum device to connect the connecting sleeve 14, open the solenoid valve 18, close the switch of the hydrogen bottle 4 itself, stop the hydrogen input, and while the vacuum device extracts the hydrogen inside the pipeline 6 through the exhaust pipe 7, external air can enter the pipeline 6 through the intake pipe 17 to balance the internal air pressure of the pipeline 6.

[0052] When the drone drives the sky end to rise to a high altitude for operation, hydrogen is transported to the sky end through the pipe 6. Due to the existence of hydrogen pressure inside the pipe 6 and the fact that the air pressure at high altitude is lower than the air pressure, the air pressure inside the airbag part 601 will be greater than the external air pressure. The airbag part 601 will expand and squeeze the air inside the hard protective cover 8, so that the air inside the hard protective cover 8 enters the second connecting pipe 904 and pushes the piston rod 905 and the movable plug 901 upward. The movable plug 901 moves upward and absorbs part of the air in the connecting sleeve 14 into the movable plug 901 through the first connecting pipe 903. At this time, the air pressure inside the connecting sleeve 14 is reduced, which can form a negative pressure adsorption on the sealing plug 703.

[0053] If the control valve 16 fails to seal due to increased pressure difference and material shrinkage at high altitude, resulting in air leakage, and at the same time, since the internal air pressure of the pipeline 6 is greater than the external air pressure, the air pressure generated by the hydrogen will push the sealing plug 703, and the air pressure and the spring will push the sealing plug 703, so that the sealing plug 703 can fit tightly against the sealing ring 704 to seal the exhaust pipe 7.

[0054] The above shows and describes the basic principles, main features and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and the above embodiments and descriptions are only for explaining the principles of the present invention. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, the present invention may have various changes and improvements, and these changes and improvements all fall within the scope of the present invention to be protected.

Claims

1. A hydrogen-powered tethered drone, comprising an air terminal and a ground terminal, characterized in that: A pipeline (6) is provided between the sky end and the ground end, and the pipeline is used to transport fuel from the ground end to the sky end; The sky end comprises an aircraft, a fuel cell stack (1) is fixedly mounted at the lower end of the aircraft, an avionics compartment (3) is fixedly mounted on one side of the fuel cell stack (1) and located at the lower end of the aircraft, and a hydrogen receiving port (2) is arranged below the fuel cell stack (1); The ground end comprises a hydrogen cylinder (4) and a pressure reducer (5) connected to the hydrogen cylinder (4); an inlet of the pressure reducer (5) is connected to the hydrogen cylinder (4); and an outlet of the pressure reducer (5) is connected to the hydrogen receiving port (2) via a pipeline (6).

2. A hydrogen-powered tethered drone according to claim 1, characterized in that: An exhaust mechanism is fixedly connected to the portion of the pipeline (6) close to the sky end, and the exhaust mechanism comprises an exhaust pipe (7) arranged obliquely and connected to the pipeline (6); a separation ring (701) is fixedly connected inside the exhaust pipe (7); a pressure spring (702) is fixedly connected to one side of the separation ring (701); a sealing plug (703) of a platform design is fixedly connected to one end of the pressure spring (702); and a sealing ring (704) used in conjunction with the sealing plug (703) is fixedly connected inside the exhaust pipe (7).

3. A hydrogen-powered tethered drone according to claim 2, characterized in that: One end of the exhaust pipe (7) is fixedly connected to a communication sleeve (14), a closing cover (15) is threadedly connected to the communication sleeve (14), and a control valve (16) is installed on the exhaust pipe (7).

4. A hydrogen-powered tethered drone according to claim 3, characterized in that: The portion of the pipeline (6) close to the sky end is fixedly connected to a hard protective cover (8), and an air bag portion (601) is provided on the pipeline (6) and inside the hard protective cover (8).

5. A hydrogen-powered tethered drone according to claim 4, characterized in that: Both ends of the pipeline (6) are fixedly connected to a connecting pipe opening (10), one side of the connecting pipe opening (10) is fixedly connected to a regulating assembly, the regulating assembly comprises a regulating cylinder (9) on one side of the connecting pipe opening (10), a movable plug (901) is arranged inside the regulating cylinder (9), a connecting rod (902) is fixedly connected to the top of the movable plug (901), and the top of the connecting rod (902) extends to the outside of the regulating cylinder (9).

6. A hydrogen-powered tethered drone according to claim 5, characterized in that: The bottom of the regulating cylinder (9) is fixedly connected to a first connecting tube (903) and a second connecting tube (904); one end of the first connecting tube (903) is fixedly connected to the connecting sleeve (14); one end of the second connecting tube (904) is fixedly connected to the hard protective sleeve (8); the bottom of the movable plug (901) is fixedly connected to a piston rod (905); the bottom of the piston rod (905) extends to the interior of the second connecting tube (904).

7. A hydrogen-powered tethered drone according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting pipe opening (10) is provided with a first connecting opening (1001) and a second connecting opening (1002), and the bottoms of the inner walls of the first connecting opening (1001) and the second connecting opening (1002) are both provided with sealing rings.

8. A hydrogen-powered tethered drone according to claim 7, characterized in that: The hydrogen receiving port (2) and the outlet of the pressure reducer (5) are both provided with a connecting pipe head (11), and the connecting pipe head (11) is provided with a first connecting portion (1101) and a second connecting portion (1102), the first connecting portion (1101) is adapted to the outlet of the pressure reducer (5), and the second connecting portion (1102) is adapted to the second connecting port (1002).

9. A hydrogen-powered tethered drone according to claim 8, characterized in that: One end of the connecting pipe opening (10) is fixedly connected to a first flange (12), and the upper portion of the connecting pipe head (11) is fixedly connected to a second flange (13).

10. A hydrogen-powered tethered drone according to claim 1, characterized in that: An air intake pipe (17) is fixedly connected to the portion of the pipeline (6) close to the ground end, and a solenoid valve (18) and a one-way valve (19) are installed on the air intake pipe (17).

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