A drone charging device

Abstract

This invention provides a drone charging device, belonging to the field of drone charging technology. The charging device includes a charging panel and a plurality of panel charging contacts disposed on the charging panel; the plurality of panel charging contacts includes a first charging contact group located around the center of the charging panel, the first charging contact group having at least two charging contacts circumferentially distributed around the center of the charging panel, with adjacent contacts having opposite polarities and alternating positive and negative poles; two fuselage charging contacts can make contact with any two adjacent charging contacts in the first charging contact group; the battery on the fuselage has a rectifier circuit. This invention, by having at least two charging contacts with opposite polarities disposed around the center of the charging panel respectively make contact with two fuselage charging contacts, and by rectifying the current through the rectifier circuit inside the fuselage battery, charges the battery on the drone fuselage, enabling charging of the drone when it is parked in multiple directions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of drone charging technology, and in particular to a drone charging device. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development and advancement of technology, mine inspection work is gradually transforming towards automation and intelligence. This transformation is not only an inevitable trend in technological development but also an important measure to improve mine safety and inspection efficiency. While traditional manual inspection played a vital role in the past, it is easily affected by various subjective and objective factors. For example, the professional level, sense of responsibility, and fatigue level of technicians can all directly affect the effectiveness and quality of inspections. Under these circumstances, ensuring the efficiency and stability of inspection work becomes particularly difficult.

[0003] Therefore, utilizing high-tech methods to improve inspection conditions in mines is particularly necessary. In recent years, the rapid development of drone technology has brought new opportunities to this field. More and more companies and research institutions are beginning to explore the application of drones in mine safety inspections, equipment monitoring, and environmental assessments. Drones can not only perform tasks in complex and hazardous environments, but also transmit data in real time, improving the efficiency and accuracy of inspections. Furthermore, the use of drones can reduce the risks associated with manual operations and protect the safety of inspection personnel.

[0004] In conclusion, with the continuous maturation of drone technology, the intelligent and automated implementation of mine inspections is opening up new avenues for the safety and development of the mining industry. Drones can not only perform tasks in complex and hazardous environments but also transmit data in real time, improving the efficiency and accuracy of inspections. Furthermore, the use of drones can reduce the risks associated with manual operations and protect the safety of inspection personnel.

[0005] While significant progress has been made in the field of drone inspection, some obvious problems still exist, which limit the efficiency and application scope of drone inspections in mines:

[0006] 1. Charging difficulties. Due to the complex and changeable environment underground in mines, drones cannot land anywhere to obtain charging services, making charging quite inconvenient.

[0007] 2. Currently, most drone charging processes rely on manual operation, typically requiring the battery to be removed before charging. However, in underground mines, the limitations of the site significantly increase the difficulty of manual operation. Workers may face challenges such as confined spaces, low light levels, and other adverse conditions. Therefore, the inability to provide timely, safe, and efficient charging services for drones directly impacts the frequency of drone inspections and operational efficiency.

[0008] 3. Current drone charging systems typically require contact from a specific direction for proper charging, further increasing the difficulty of successful charging. In complex mine environments, requiring drones to enter the charging area in a specific orientation is challenging, which reduces overall drone efficiency and may prevent them from completing inspection tasks in a timely manner.

[0009] Therefore, how to ensure that the charging device can still charge the drone when it lands on the charging panel in different orientations is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The purpose of this invention is to provide a drone charging device for charging drones that land on a charging panel in different orientations.

[0011] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0012] A drone charging device is disclosed for charging a drone. The drone includes a body and multiple arms located around the body. A battery is mounted on the body. Two charging contacts electrically connected to the battery are located at the bottom of the body. The charging device includes a charging panel and a plurality of panel charging contacts mounted on the charging panel. The plurality of panel charging contacts include a first charging contact group located around the center of the charging panel. The first charging contact group has at least two charging contacts circumferentially distributed around the center of the charging panel, and adjacent contacts have opposite polarities, with positive and negative terminals alternating. The two drone charging contacts can make contact with any two adjacent charging contacts in the first charging contact group to conduct electricity. The battery on the drone has a rectifier circuit.

[0013] To meet the long-endurance requirements of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in mines, this invention provides a preferred charging scheme for independently distributed batteries on the arms. At least one arm is equipped with a battery, and the bottom of the arm has two positive and negative arm charging contacts electrically connected to the battery. The panel charging contacts also include a second charging contact group distributed around a first charging contact group and a third charging contact group distributed around the second charging contact group. The charging contacts of the second charging contact group are grounded, and the charging contacts of the third charging contact group are positive. The two positive and negative arm charging contacts of each arm can respectively contact and conduct electricity with the charging contacts of the third and second charging contact groups.

[0014] In a design where each of the four arms of a drone has an independent battery, this invention provides a preferred solution to enable charging when the drone is parked in any of the four cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west). The first, second, and third charging contact groups each include four charging contacts circumferentially distributed around the center of the charging panel, forming four line segments arranged in a cross shape around the center of the panel. Each line segment has three panel charging contacts. Each charging contact in the second charging contact group is grounded. Each charging contact in the third charging contact group is a positive terminal. The two positive and negative charging contacts of each arm can respectively connect and conduct electricity with one charging contact in the third charging contact group and one charging contact in the second charging contact group on any line segment.

[0015] To ensure good contact between the body charging contacts, the arm charging contacts and the panel charging contacts, the present invention provides a preferred solution in which the charging contacts of the first charging contact group, the second charging contact group and the third charging contact group are provided with multiple through holes, and the diameter of each through hole is smaller than that of the body charging contacts and / or the arm charging contacts.

[0016] To ensure a reliable connection and fixation between the charging panel and the helipad, the present invention provides a preferred solution in which multiple patch terminal fixing seats are distributed on the charging panel for connecting and fixing terminals, thereby fixing the charging panel to the helipad.

[0017] To further improve the reliable connection and fixation between the charging panel and the helipad, the present invention provides a better solution in which the patch terminal fixing bases are distributed on the edge of the charging panel and on the two diagonals of the charging panel.

[0018] In a design where each of the four arms of a drone has an independent battery, this invention provides a preferred solution to enable charging when the drone is parked in any direction with its nose facing out. The charging contacts of the first charging contact group are all circular arcs and located on the same circular ring; the second charging contact group is circular; the third charging contact group is circular; the circular rings containing the first, second, and third charging contact groups are concentric.

[0019] Compared with existing technologies, the above technical solution has the following advantages:

[0020] The drone charging device of the present invention uses at least two charging contacts of opposite polarity (positive and negative) arranged circumferentially around the center of the charging panel (the charging contacts can be set to have a certain length, such as an arc ring, or the number of charging contacts can be increased, such as four charging contacts with alternating positive and negative polarities) to make contact with two charging contacts on the drone body. After rectification by the rectifier circuit inside the drone body battery, the charging device charges the battery on the drone body. It can charge the drone when it is parked in multiple directions, that is, the charging device can still charge the drone when the drone lands on the charging panel in multiple different directions. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0022] Figure 1 A front structural diagram of a drone charging device provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the rear structure of a drone charging device provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the panel charging contacts of a drone charging device provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the contact between the panel charging contacts of a drone charging device and the spring contacts of the drone, according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a patch terminal of a drone charging device according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] The attached diagram is labeled as follows: charging panel 1, first charging contact group 21, second charging contact group 22, third charging contact group 23, surface mount terminal holder 3, copper pour area 31, soldering area 32, spring contact 4, through hole 5. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] Example 1

[0030] The mining drone mainly consists of a fuselage and four arms located around the fuselage. This embodiment presents a charging device under the first drone battery distribution scheme, where the battery is only located on the fuselage. This type of drone is relatively common in traditional drones. Specifically, it is as follows:

[0031] A battery is mounted on the drone body, and two charging contacts electrically connected to the battery are located at the bottom of the drone body. This embodiment provides a drone charging device for charging the aforementioned drone. The charging device includes a charging panel 1 (i.e., a charging PCB board) and a plurality of panel charging contacts disposed on the charging panel 1. The plurality of panel charging contacts mainly includes a first charging contact group 21 located around the center of the charging panel 1, the first charging contact group 21 having at least two charging contacts distributed circumferentially around the center of the charging panel. Here, the number of charging contacts is generally even. In one embodiment, if two charging contacts are selected, they can be configured to have a certain length, such as two arc rings with opposite polarities, the two arc rings located on the same ring. When the drone is stopped and charging on the charging panel 1, the drone can be stopped in multiple angle directions, and it can still ensure that the two drone charging contacts can respectively contact and conduct with the two arc rings with opposite polarities, and after rectification by the rectifier circuit inside the drone body battery, the battery on the drone body is charged. Therefore, charging of the drone can be achieved when it is stopped in multiple directions.

[0032] In another implementation, please refer to Figure 1 Alternatively, the number of charging contacts can be increased, for example, by having four charging contacts with alternating positive and negative polarities, with adjacent contacts having opposite polarities. The two body charging contacts can make contact with any two adjacent charging contacts in the first charging contact group 21 to conduct electricity. After rectification by the rectifier circuit inside the body battery, the battery on the drone body is charged. This allows charging of the drone when it is parked in multiple directions; that is, the charging device can still charge the drone when it lands on the charging panel in multiple different orientations. In this implementation, the contacts are in the form of points, which can require the drone to stop in the four cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west), providing charging from multiple directions and facilitating positioning.

[0033] Example 2

[0034] This embodiment presents a charging device under a second type of drone battery distribution scheme. Specifically, a battery is installed on the fuselage, with one independent battery on each of the four arms. Each arm has two positive and negative charging contacts at its bottom, electrically connected to the battery. This type of drone is currently widely used as a mine inspection drone because traditional drones with only one battery on the fuselage cannot meet the long endurance requirements for mine inspections. Specifically, as follows:

[0035] The main control board of the ground support bay is responsible for managing and controlling the on / off status of the five charging services, and conducting the required charging voltage to the charging PCB board through an aviation plug. Considering the special explosion-proof environment in the mine, the design of the drone's battery capacity and other aspects is subject to certain limitations. In this embodiment, the drone body adopts a distributed power supply system in its power supply design. This power supply system is divided into five independent subsystems, and the drone's battery installation positions are reasonably distributed in the four arms and the lower / interior part of the drone's center (body).

[0036] The panel charging contacts also include a second charging contact group 22 distributed around the first charging contact group 21 and a third charging contact group 23 distributed around the second charging contact group 22; the charging contacts of the second charging contact group 22 are grounded, and the charging contacts of the third charging contact group 23 are positive; the two positive and negative charging contacts of each arm can respectively contact and conduct with the charging contacts of the third charging contact group 23 and the second charging contact group 22. Similar to the selection of the contact type of the first charging contact group 21 in Embodiment 1, multi-directional charging can be achieved by setting the contact length or increasing the number of charging contacts. This embodiment uses circular contacts as an example; please refer to... Figure 1 The first charging contact group 21, the second charging contact group 22, and the third charging contact group 23 each include four charging contacts circumferentially distributed around the center of the charging panel, forming four line segments arranged in a cross shape around the center of the panel; each line segment has three panel charging contacts. Each charging contact in the second charging contact group 22 is grounded; each charging contact in the third charging contact group 23 is positive; the two positive and negative charging contacts of each arm can respectively make contact with one charging contact in the third charging contact group 23 and one charging contact in the second charging contact group 22 on any line segment to conduct electricity. More specifically, the charging PCB board is designed as a square, and its front design is as follows. Figure 1As shown. Preferably, the charging contacts on each line segment are equidistantly distributed, with three charging contacts evenly spaced along the line connecting each endpoint and the center of the charging PCB board. The two outermost contacts form a group, each responsible for charging one arm's battery. The outermost contact outputs a +12V voltage signal, while the middle contact is grounded (GND). The remaining four innermost contacts are responsible for charging the drone's central battery. Adjacent contacts have opposite polarities, with positive and negative electrodes alternating; the positive electrode outputs +12V, and the negative electrode is grounded. The innermost contacts on the charging PCB board, i.e., the first group 21 of charging contacts, are responsible for charging the drone's central battery (body battery). The drone's central battery is equipped with two spring contacts. When the drone's nose direction changes, the two spring contacts may choose to receive either a +12V voltage signal or a grounded (GND) signal. To address this, the drone's central battery has an internal rectifier circuit to ensure normal charging even in different orientations. Therefore, the charging of the drone's central battery is not affected by the drone's nose direction. The four sets of contacts on the charging PCB board responsible for charging the arm's batteries are symmetrically positioned. When the drone's nose is facing any of the four directions (north, south, east, west), each battery's charging contacts can reliably engage with the corresponding set of charging contacts, ensuring correct positive and negative connections. Therefore, the charging of the arm's batteries is unaffected by the drone's nose direction.

[0037] Please refer to Figure 2 The reverse side of the charging PCB is designed to be square with a side length of 350mm. Each contact ring (first charging contact group 21, second charging contact group 22, and third charging contact group 23) consists of four charging contacts, which are evenly distributed at the four vertices of the square. The side lengths of the square containing the inner, middle, and outer contact rings are 102mm, 166mm, and 230mm, respectively. The diameter of each charging contact is 22mm to ensure a reasonable spacing between contacts to avoid short circuits and interference. The trace width is designed to be 2.5mm to ensure that the current can be safely and effectively conducted during charging. The copper area on the reverse side of the charging contacts is circular with a diameter of 20mm, providing sufficient conductive area for current transmission.

[0038] Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 In a preferred embodiment, both the body charging contacts and the arm charging contacts are spring contacts 4. In order to ensure good contact between the drone's spring contacts and the charging contact surface on the PCB board, the charging contacts on the PCB board in this embodiment adopt a multi-via method to conduct current between the top and bottom of the PCB board. The inner diameter of the via is 0.8mm, which is smaller than the end diameter of the drone's spring contact 4.

[0039] Please refer to Figure 5In a preferred embodiment, the charging panel 1 has multiple surface-mount terminal blocks 3 distributed on it for connecting and fixing terminals, thereby securing the charging panel 1 to the helipad. In the figure, the large rectangular area represents the device package of the surface-mount terminal block, whose main function is to firmly fix the charging PCB board to the helipad; the small rectangular area is the soldering area for soldering the fixing terminals. The surface-mount terminal blocks 3 are distributed along the edge of the charging panel 1 and along its two diagonals. The spacing between two adjacent fixed terminals located on the edge of the charging PCB is 55mm, and the center of the fixed terminals is 10mm from the edge of the charging PCB. The spacing between the fixed terminals located on the diagonal of the square is 45.26mm. This design makes the fixing more stable. The surface mount terminal holder 3 includes copper pour areas 31 on the front and back of the charging panel 1, a soldering area 32 on the back of the charging panel 1, and vias 5 set on the outer ring of the copper pour area. Each surface mount terminal holder has rectangular copper pour areas on the front and back and vias around the perimeter in the soldering area. This design can enhance the tensile strength of the surface mount terminal, thereby ensuring a reliable connection between the charging PCB and the helipad.

[0040] Example 3

[0041] This embodiment uses the same drone charging solution as Embodiment 2, but presents a different charging device solution. Embodiment 2 uses charging contacts to enable charging regardless of whether the drone's nose is facing any of the four cardinal directions. This embodiment, however, presents a ring-shaped charging contact solution. Details are as follows:

[0042] The charging contacts of the first charging contact group 21 are all circular arcs located on the same ring. In other words, as mentioned in Embodiment 1, by using two charging contacts, they can be configured to have a certain length, such as two circular arcs with opposite polarities, located on the same ring, as long as the two circular arc contacts of the first charging contact group 21 are not connected. This allows for application to more aircraft parking charging angles. Similarly, the second charging contact group 22 can also be configured with this circular arc shape. Of course, since each contact of the second charging contact group 22 requires grounding, it can be directly configured as a ring shape to connect the various contacts. Similarly, the third charging contact group 23 can also be configured with a circular arc shape. Of course, since each contact of the third charging contact group 23 requires +12V connection, it can be directly configured as a ring shape to connect the various contacts. The rings of the first charging contact group 21, the second charging contact group 22, and the third charging contact group 23 are concentric. This allows for charging of aircraft from more directions and angles while they are parked.

[0043] In summary, in practical mine drone inspection applications, the drone charging device provided in the above embodiments can adaptively charge drones from multiple directions, providing charging services for drones docked in the ground support bay. It ensures successful charging regardless of whether the drone's nose is facing any of the four cardinal directions (north, south, east, or west), thus providing a more efficient and convenient charging service. It also ensures that the drone can quickly and safely complete charging after landing, thereby improving the overall efficiency and reliability of the inspection.

[0044] The above provides a detailed description of a drone charging device provided in this application. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The descriptions of the embodiments above are merely for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications to this application without departing from its principles, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A drone charging device for charging a drone; the drone comprising a body and a plurality of arms located around the body; characterized in that: The body is provided with a battery; the bottom of the body is provided with two body charging contacts electrically connected with the battery on the body; the charging device comprises a charging panel (1) and a plurality of panel charging pads provided on the charging panel (1); the plurality of panel charging pads comprise a first charging pad group (21) located around the center of the charging panel (1), the first charging pad group (21) has at least two charging pads circumferentially distributed around the center of the charging panel, and adjacent two charging pads have opposite polarities and positive and negative poles are alternately distributed; the two body charging contacts can be in contact and conduction with any adjacent two charging pads in the first charging pad group (21); the battery on the body has a rectifier circuit; at least one of the arms is provided with a battery, and the bottom of the arm is provided with two positive and negative arm charging contacts electrically connected with the battery thereon; the plurality of panel charging pads further comprise a second charging pad group (22) distributed around the periphery of the first charging pad group (21) and a third charging pad group (23) distributed around the periphery of the second charging pad group (22); the charging pads of the second charging pad group (22) are grounded, and the charging pads of the third charging pad group (23) are positive; the two positive and negative arm charging contacts of each arm can be in contact and conduction with the charging pads of the third charging pad group (23) and the charging pads of the second charging pad group (22), respectively.

2. The drone charging device of claim 1, wherein: The first charging pad group (21), the second charging pad group (22) and the third charging pad group (23) each comprise four charging pads circumferentially distributed around the center of the charging panel, forming four line segments distributed in a cross shape with the center of the panel as the cross; three panel charging pads are distributed on each line segment; each charging pad in the second charging pad group (22) is grounded; each charging pad in the third charging pad group (23) is positive; the two positive and negative arm charging contacts of each arm can be in contact and conduction with one charging pad in the third charging pad group (23) and one charging pad in the second charging pad group (22) on any line segment, respectively.

3. The drone charging device of claim 2, wherein: The charging pads on each line segment are equidistantly distributed, and the charging pads of the first charging pad group (21), the second charging pad group (22) and the third charging pad group (23) are all circular pads.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle charging device of claim 1 or 2 or 3, wherein: The body charging contacts and / or the arm charging contacts are spring contacts (4).

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle charging device of claim 1 or 2 or 3, wherein: The charging pads of the first charging pad group (21), the second charging pad group (22) and the third charging pad group (23) are provided with a plurality of vias (5), and the diameter of each via is smaller than the body charging contacts and / or the arm charging contacts.

6. The drone charging device of claim 1, wherein: A plurality of patch terminal fixing seats (3) are distributed on the charging panel (1) for connecting fixed terminals, and the charging panel (1) is fixed with the apron through the fixed terminals.

7. The drone charging device of claim 6, wherein: The patch terminal fixing seats (3) are distributed on the edges of the charging panel (1) and on two diagonal lines of the charging panel (1).

8. The drone charging device of claim 6, wherein: The patch terminal fixing seat (3) comprises copper plating areas (31) on the front and back of the charging panel (1), welding areas (32) on the back of the charging panel (1), and via holes (5) arranged at the outer circle of the copper plating areas.

9. The drone charging device of claim 1, wherein: The charging contact pieces of the first charging contact piece group (21) are all circular arc rings and are located on the same circle; the second charging contact piece group (22) is a circular ring, and the third charging contact piece group (23) is a circular ring; the circle on which the first charging contact piece group (21) is located, the circle on which the second charging contact piece group (22) is located, and the circle on which the third charging contact piece group (23) is located are concentric.

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