Air-ground amphibious detection unmanned aerial vehicle with adsorption function

Abstract

The invention provides an air-ground amphibious detection unmanned aerial vehicle with an adsorption function, and relates to the technical field of aircrafts. A curved surface adsorption unit; each motion unit comprises a fixing support, a walking wheel, a rotor wing, a first driving unit and a second driving unit, the first driving unit is connected with the walking wheel, the rotor wing is installed in the walking wheel, and the second driving unit is connected with the rotor wing so as to drive the rotor wing to rotate; and a plurality of mode conversion units, each mode conversion unit is connected with one motion unit, each mode conversion unit comprises a third driving unit and a fourth driving unit, and the third driving units and the fourth driving units are used for driving the motion units to rotate around two rotating axes which are perpendicular to each other, so that the walking wheels can walk on the curved surface. The unmanned aerial vehicle has the beneficial effects that the problem of short endurance time of a traditional unmanned aerial vehicle in the air is solved, the endurance working time of the unmanned aerial vehicle is prolonged, the detection capability is improved, and the adaptability of the unmanned aerial vehicle in a narrow space is enhanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of aircraft, and in particular to an amphibious detection UAV with an adsorption function. Background Art

[0002] Quad-rotor drones are high-tech tools with high integration, high flexibility, wide range of use, and many application scenarios. However, limited by their high power output, the current drones generally have low endurance. Therefore, land-air amphibious combined drones came into being. By flexibly switching between walking and flying, they not only ensure their flexibility but also reduce average power consumption. However, the land mode of amphibious robots is limited to ground use, and the energy consumption and endurance of drones in the air still face huge challenges. In addition, existing drones cannot adapt to complex environments. For example, when drones detect large variable curvature pipes and internal damage to blades of wind turbines, due to the complex curved surfaces of the pipes and blades, drones cannot flexibly dock at various heights and surfaces, and cannot perform long-term detection and monitoring tasks in complex environments, especially in small spaces. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of this, in order to solve the problem of detecting damage inside large variable curvature pipes and blades of wind turbines, an embodiment of the present invention provides an amphibious inspection drone with an adsorption function.

[0004] An embodiment of the present invention provides an amphibious inspection drone with an adsorption function, comprising:

[0005] body;

[0006] A curved surface adsorption unit is arranged at the bottom of the fuselage, and comprises a negative pressure driving device, a fixed plate, a sealing cover, a movable plate and a soft skirt, wherein the fixed plate is fixed to the bottom surface of the fuselage, the negative pressure driving device is arranged through the fixed plate, the upper end of the sealing cover is connected to the fixed plate, and the lower end is connected to the movable plate, and the upper end of the soft skirt is connected to the movable plate and is arranged around the movable plate;

[0007] A plurality of motion units, each of which comprises a fixed bracket, a walking wheel, a rotor, a first driving unit and a second driving unit, wherein the walking wheel is rotatably mounted on the fixed bracket, the first driving unit is connected to the walking wheel to drive the walking wheel to rotate, the rotor is mounted in the walking wheel, and the second driving unit is connected to the rotor to drive the rotor to rotate;

[0008] and a plurality of mode conversion units, each of which is arranged at intervals around the fuselage, each of which is connected to one of the motion units, each of which includes a third drive unit and a fourth drive unit, the third drive unit is fixedly mounted on the fuselage and an output end of which is connected to the fourth drive unit, an output end of which is connected to one of the fixed brackets, the third drive unit and the fourth drive unit are used to drive the motion unit to rotate around two rotation axes that are perpendicular to each other, so that the walking wheels can walk on a curved surface.

[0009] Furthermore, the walking wheel includes a hub, the hub includes a hub outer ring, a hub inner ring, and a plurality of connecting plates connected between the hub outer ring and the hub inner ring, the second drive unit is installed in the hub inner ring, and the rotor is located on the front side of the hub inner ring and is connected to the second drive unit.

[0010] Furthermore, a front side edge of the hub outer ring is also provided with a protective cover extending forward, and the rotor is located inside the protective cover.

[0011] Furthermore, the protective cover is a hollow structure.

[0012] Furthermore, the rotor includes two spiral blades and a blade bracket, one end of the two spiral blades overlap and are fixed on the blade bracket, and the blade bracket is connected to the second driving unit.

[0013] Furthermore, the first driving unit is connected to the traveling wheel via a gear set, the gear set comprises a driving gear and a driven gear, the driving gear is rotatably mounted on the fixed bracket, the driven gear is sleeved and mounted on the inner ring of the wheel hub, the driving gear and the driven gear are meshed, and the first driving unit is connected to the driving gear.

[0014] Furthermore, the first driving unit and the second driving unit are both motors.

[0015] Furthermore, the sealing cover is a multi-layer folded cavity structure.

[0016] Furthermore, the fixed bracket includes two supporting plates arranged opposite to each other, the fourth driving unit is a dual-axis steering gear, the fourth driving unit is respectively connected to one end of the two supporting plates, and the other ends of the two supporting plates are connected to the walking wheels.

[0017] Furthermore, the fuselage is rectangular, the number of the motion units is four, and the four motion units are respectively arranged at the four corners of the fuselage.

[0018] The beneficial effects brought about by the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention are:

[0019] 1. The present invention provides an amphibious inspection UAV with an adsorption function. Each motion unit drives the rotor to rotate through the second driving unit to make the UAV fly to the target position. The mode conversion unit drives the running wheels of each motion unit to contact the surface of the object to be detected. At the same time, the curved surface adsorption unit uses the negative pressure driving device to draw negative pressure in the sealing cover to make the soft skirt adapt to and contact and fit the surface of the object to be detected, so as to achieve stable adsorption on the complex curved surface. While the curved surface adsorption unit is in contact with the surface of the object to be detected, each motion unit can also drive the running wheels of each motion unit to walk on the surface of the object to be detected through the first driving unit, so that the UAV can adjust its posture. Compared with adjusting the posture during flight, the problem of short endurance time of traditional UAVs in the air is solved, the endurance working time of the UAV is extended, the detection capability is improved, and the adaptability of the UAV in a small space is enhanced.

[0020] 2. The land and air amphibious inspection UAV with adsorption function of the present invention breaks through the limitations of the existing technology and realizes the efficient operation of the UAV on complex surfaces and in narrow spaces, especially for the stable adsorption, multi-modal motion and high-precision detection of structures such as wind turbine blades. It has extremely high adaptability, accuracy and work efficiency, can meet the needs of multiple scenarios and multiple tasks, and shows broad application prospects and significant economic benefits. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of an amphibious inspection drone with adsorption function according to the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 It is the first schematic diagram of the surface adsorption unit;

[0023] Figure 3 is the second schematic diagram of the surface adsorption unit;

[0024] Figure 4 It is the first schematic diagram of the motion unit;

[0025] Figure 5 is a second schematic diagram of a motor unit;

[0026] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the mode conversion unit.

[0027] In the figure: 1. fuselage; 2. curved surface adsorption unit; 201. negative pressure drive device; 202. fixed plate; 203. sealing cover; 204. movable plate; 205. soft skirt; 206. support column; 3. motion unit; 301. outer ring of hub; 302. inner ring of hub; 303. connecting plate; 304. spiral blade; 305. blade bracket; 306. support plate; 307. first drive unit; 308. second drive unit; 309. protective cover; 310. hollow hole; 311. driving gear; 312. driven gear; 4. modal conversion unit; 401. third drive unit; 402. fourth drive unit; 403. servo bracket. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the following will further describe the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is intended to provide a basic understanding of the present invention, but is not intended to confirm the key or decisive elements of the present invention or to limit the scope of protection.

[0029] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limiting. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0030] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered as part of the specification.

[0031] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, so once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in the subsequent drawings. At the same time, it should be understood that for ease of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship.

[0032] It should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 1 An embodiment of the present invention provides an amphibious inspection UAV with an adsorption function, including a fuselage 1, a curved surface adsorption unit 2, a plurality of motion units 3, and a plurality of modal conversion units 4.

[0034] The fuselage 1 is a carrying platform for carrying detection equipment, such as visual equipment and computing equipment, so that the drone can achieve autonomous cruising, accurate identification and detection.

[0035] The shape of the fuselage 1 can be flexibly selected according to the actual application scenario. For example, in this embodiment, the fuselage 1 is rectangular, specifically a rectangular frame structure, and the detection equipment can be installed inside and on the upper part of the fuselage 1.

[0036] Please refer to Figure 2 and 3 The curved surface adsorption unit 2 is arranged at the bottom of the fuselage 1, and the curved surface adsorption unit 2 includes a negative pressure driving device 201, a fixed plate 202, a sealing cover 203, a movable plate 204 and a soft skirt 205. The fixed plate 202 is fixed to the bottom surface of the fuselage 1, and a plurality of support columns 206 are arranged on the fixed plate 202, and the upper end of each support column 206 is fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the fuselage 1. The negative pressure driving device 201 is arranged through the fixed plate 202, the upper end of the sealing cover 203 is connected to the fixed plate 202, and the lower end is connected to the movable plate 204, and the upper end of the soft skirt 205 is connected to the movable plate 204 and is arranged around the movable plate 204.

[0037] The negative pressure driving device 201 is generally a fan, and the soft skirt 205 is generally a rubber skirt.

[0038] The fan can draw negative pressure into the sealing cover 203 to make the soft skirt 205 contact and adsorb to the surface of the object to be measured. When the surface of the object to be measured is a curved surface or other undulating surface, the soft skirt 205 can adaptively deform according to the shape of the surface of the object to be measured, so as to stably contact and adsorb to the surface of the object to be measured.

[0039] In some embodiments, the sealing cover 203 is a multi-layer folded cavity structure, so that when the fan draws negative pressure into the sealing cover 203, the sealing cover 203 can be folded to reduce the length of the sealing cover 203, so as to contact and adsorb the surface of the object to be measured more stably.

[0040] Please refer to Figure 4 and 5 The motion unit 3 is generally arranged in plurality, and each of the mode conversion units 4 is arranged at intervals around the fuselage 1 , and each of the mode conversion units 4 is connected to one of the motion units 3 .

[0041] Each of the motion units 3 includes a fixed bracket, a walking wheel, a rotor, a first drive unit 307 and a second drive unit 308, wherein the walking wheel is rotatably mounted on the fixed bracket, the first drive unit 307 is connected to the walking wheel to drive the walking wheel to rotate, the rotor is installed in the walking wheel, and the second drive unit 308 is connected to the rotor to drive the rotor to rotate.

[0042] Specifically, the walking wheel includes a wheel hub, and the wheel hub includes a wheel hub outer ring 301, a wheel hub inner ring 302, and a plurality of connecting plates 303 connected between the wheel hub outer ring 301 and the wheel hub inner ring 302. The wheel hub outer ring 301 and the wheel hub inner ring 302 are coaxially arranged, and the number of the connecting plates 303 is generally set to three or more, such as the number of the connecting plates 303 in this embodiment. Each of the connecting plates 303 is generally evenly spaced around the wheel hub inner ring 302. The second driving unit 308 is installed in the wheel hub inner ring 302, and the rotor is located at the front side of the wheel hub inner ring 302 and connected to the second driving unit 308. The first driving unit 307 and the second driving unit 308 can both select motors, and the rotation of the wheel hub and the rotor is controlled by controlling the rotation of the motor.

[0043] In some embodiments, the first driving unit 307 is connected to the walking wheel through a gear set, and the gear set includes a driving gear 311 and a driven gear 312, the driving gear 311 is rotatably mounted on the fixed bracket, and the driven gear 312 is sleeved and mounted on the inner ring of the wheel hub 302, the driving gear 311 and the driven gear 312 are meshed, and the first driving unit 307 is connected to the driving gear 311.

[0044] The rotor can be flexibly selected from various drone rotors according to actual applications. In some embodiments, the rotor includes two spiral blades 304 and a blade bracket 305, one end of the two spiral blades 304 overlaps and is fixed on the blade bracket 305, and the blade bracket 305 is connected to the second drive unit 308.

[0045] In some embodiments, the front edge of the hub outer ring 301 is further provided with a protective cover 309 extending forward, and the rotor is located in the protective cover 309. The protective cover 309 is arranged around the circumference of the hub outer ring 301, and the rotation diameter of the rotor is smaller than the inner diameter of the protective cover 309. In order to make the airflow discharge more smoothly when the rotor rotates, the protective cover 309 is a hollow structure, such as a circle of hollow holes 310 is arranged on the side wall of the protective cover 309 to accelerate the air flow.

[0046] Please refer to Figure 6, each of the mode conversion units 4 is arranged at intervals around the fuselage 1, each of the mode conversion units 4 is connected to one of the motion units 3, each of the mode conversion units 4 includes a third drive unit 401 and a fourth drive unit 402, the third drive unit 401 is fixedly installed on the fuselage 1 and the output end is connected to the fourth drive unit 402, the output end of the fourth drive unit 402 is connected to one of the fixed brackets, the third drive unit 401 and the fourth drive unit 402 are used to drive the motion unit 3 to rotate around two rotation axes that are perpendicular to each other, so that the walking wheels can walk on a curved surface.

[0047] Specifically, the third drive unit 401 is a single-axis steering gear, and the fourth drive unit 402 is a double-axis steering gear. The single-axis steering gear is fixedly mounted on the steering gear bracket 403, and the output shaft of the single-axis steering gear is arranged along the front-back direction, extends out of the steering gear bracket 403 and is connected to the double-axis steering gear. The fixed bracket includes two support plates 306 arranged opposite to each other. The two output shafts of the double-axis steering gear extend to the left and right respectively, and are respectively connected to one end of the two support plates 306. The two output shafts of the double-axis steering gear synchronously drive the two support plates 306 to rotate. The other ends of the two support plates 306 are connected to the rear ends of the wheel hub inner ring 302, thereby connecting the running wheels.

[0048] It should be noted that the number of the motion units 3 can be flexibly set to multiple according to the walking needs of the fuselage 1. For example, in this embodiment, the number of the motion units 3 is four, and the four motion units 3 are respectively arranged at the four corners of the fuselage 1.

[0049] An embodiment of the present invention provides an amphibious inspection UAV with an adsorption function, which can detect damage to variable curvature pipes and the inside of blades of wind turbines. For example, when detecting damage to the inside of the blades, each motion unit 3 drives the rotor to rotate through the second drive unit 308 to make the UAV fly to the target position of the blade, and each mode conversion unit 4 drives the running wheels of each motion unit 3 to contact the surface of the blade. At the same time, the curved surface adsorption unit 2 uses the negative pressure drive device 201 to draw negative pressure into the sealing cover 203 so that the soft skirt 205 adapts to and contacts the curved surface of the blade, and can achieve stable adsorption on complex curved surfaces; and when the attitude of the UAV needs to be adjusted, while the curved surface adsorption unit 2 is kept in contact with the blade surface, each motion unit 3 drives the running wheels of each motion unit 3 through the first drive unit 307 to walk on the surface of the object to be detected, so that the UAV can adjust its attitude.

[0050] In this article, the directional words such as front, back, top, and bottom involved are defined by the positions of the parts in the drawings and the positions of the parts relative to each other, just for the sake of clarity and convenience in expressing the technical solution. It should be understood that they are relative concepts and can change accordingly according to different ways of use and placement, and the use of the directional words should not limit the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0051] In the absence of conflict, the above embodiments and features in the embodiments may be combined with each other. The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An amphibious inspection drone with adsorption function, characterized in that: include: body; A curved surface adsorption unit is arranged at the bottom of the fuselage, and comprises a negative pressure driving device, a fixed plate, a sealing cover, a movable plate and a soft skirt, wherein the fixed plate is fixed to the bottom surface of the fuselage, the negative pressure driving device is arranged through the fixed plate, the upper end of the sealing cover is connected to the fixed plate, and the lower end is connected to the movable plate, and the upper end of the soft skirt is connected to the movable plate and is arranged around the movable plate; A plurality of motion units, each of which comprises a fixed bracket, a walking wheel, a rotor, a first driving unit and a second driving unit, wherein the walking wheel is rotatably mounted on the fixed bracket, the first driving unit is connected to the walking wheel to drive the walking wheel to rotate, the rotor is mounted in the walking wheel, and the second driving unit is connected to the rotor to drive the rotor to rotate; and a plurality of mode conversion units, each of which is arranged at intervals around the fuselage, each of which is connected to one of the motion units, each of which includes a third drive unit and a fourth drive unit, the third drive unit is fixedly mounted on the fuselage and an output end of which is connected to the fourth drive unit, an output end of which is connected to one of the fixed brackets, the third drive unit and the fourth drive unit are used to drive the motion unit to rotate around two rotation axes that are perpendicular to each other, so that the walking wheels can walk on a curved surface.

2. The amphibious inspection drone with adsorption function as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The walking wheel includes a hub, and the hub includes a hub outer ring, a hub inner ring, and a plurality of connecting plates connected between the hub outer ring and the hub inner ring. The second drive unit is installed in the hub inner ring, and the rotor is located on the front side of the hub inner ring and is connected to the second drive unit.

3. The amphibious inspection drone with adsorption function as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The front side edge of the hub outer ring is also provided with a protective cover extending forward, and the rotor is located inside the protective cover.

4. The amphibious inspection drone with adsorption function as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The protective cover is a hollow structure.

5. The amphibious inspection drone with adsorption function as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The rotor includes two spiral blades and a blade bracket. One ends of the two spiral blades overlap and are fixed on the blade bracket. The blade bracket is connected to the second driving unit.

6. The amphibious inspection drone with adsorption function as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The first driving unit is connected to the traveling wheel via a gear set, the gear set comprises a driving gear and a driven gear, the driving gear is rotatably mounted on the fixed bracket, the driven gear is sleeved and mounted on the inner ring of the wheel hub, the driving gear and the driven gear are meshed, and the first driving unit is connected to the driving gear.

7. The amphibious inspection drone with adsorption function as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The first driving unit and the second driving unit are both motors.

8. The amphibious inspection drone with adsorption function as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing cover is a multi-layer folded cavity structure.

9. The amphibious inspection drone with adsorption function as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The fixed bracket includes two supporting plates arranged opposite to each other, the fourth driving unit is a dual-axis steering gear, the fourth driving unit is respectively connected to one end of the two supporting plates, and the other ends of the two supporting plates are connected to the walking wheels.

10. The amphibious inspection drone with adsorption function as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The fuselage is rectangular, the number of the motion units is four, and the four motion units are respectively arranged at the four corners of the fuselage.

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