Launching and recovering device for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The invention discloses a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle launching and recycling device. The device comprises an annular sliding rail; the moving trolley is arranged on the annular sliding rail and runs in the circumferential direction of the sliding rail; the multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm is arranged on the moving vehicle; the magnetic attraction type grabbing clamp is arranged at the driving end of the multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm, and the magnetic attraction type grabbing clamp comprises a grabbing clamp assembly and a magnetic attraction assembly; the flexible magnetic attraction part is arranged on the unmanned aerial vehicle; the magnetic attraction type grabbing clamp clamps and magnetically attracts the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle is thrown out in the tangential direction when the sliding speed of the moving vehicle on the annular sliding rail meets the launching requirement of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the unmanned aerial vehicle is grabbed and recycled when flying back. According to the invention, integration and unmanned operation of launching and recycling work of the fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle can be realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and in particular to a launching and recovering device for a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Currently, there are many ways to launch and recover fixed-wing drones. The design of the launch method mainly includes taxiing takeoff, catapult, etc. However, for drones that require a long runway, taxiing takeoff may be limited in use due to terrain restrictions, and catapult launch requires a dedicated launch device, which increases the overall cost of the system. The launch process may cause a large mechanical impact on the drone, increasing the risk of failure. The recovery methods mainly include landing taxiing, parachuting, airbag and air cushion recovery, etc. The inaccurate position of parachuting and airbag recovery requires a larger recovery area. Summary of the invention

[0003] Purpose of the invention: In order to overcome the shortcomings of the background technology, the present invention discloses a fixed-wing UAV launching and recovery device.

[0004] Technical solution: The fixed-wing UAV launching and recovery device disclosed in the present invention comprises: Annular slide rail; A moving vehicle, the moving vehicle is arranged on the annular slide rail and moves along the circumference of the slide rail; A multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm, wherein the multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm is arranged on a mobile vehicle; A magnetic gripper, the magnetic gripper being arranged at the driving end of the multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm, and comprising a gripper assembly and a magnetic attraction assembly; A flexible magnetic attraction component, wherein the flexible magnetic attraction component is arranged on the drone; The magnetic grabber clamps and magnetically attracts the drone, and as the sliding speed of the mobile vehicle on the annular slide rail reaches the launch requirement of the drone, the drone is thrown out in a tangential direction, and the drone is grabbed and recovered when it flies back.

[0005] Furthermore, the annular slide rail includes a slide rail body, a gear ring is correspondingly arranged below the slide rail body, and the mobile vehicle includes a vehicle body placed on the slide rail body. A pulley that is engaged and limited with the edge of the slide rail body and a transmission drive gear that meshes with the gear ring are provided at the bottom of the vehicle body. The drive gear is controlled and driven by the vehicle motor to realize the circumferential movement of the mobile vehicle on the slide rail.

[0006] Furthermore, the mobile vehicle is provided with a lifting platform, and the multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm is placed on the lifting platform; The lifting platform comprises a lifting bottom plate placed on a moving vehicle and a lifting top plate fixed to the bottom of a multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm, and a cross telescopic mechanism is arranged between the lifting bottom plate and the lifting top plate.

[0007] Furthermore, the multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm is a four-axis degree-of-freedom robotic arm.

[0008] Furthermore, the magnetic gripper comprises a support shell fixed to the driving end of the multi-degree-of-freedom robot arm, the upper end of the support shell is open and fixedly closed by a support base, four connecting columns are evenly spaced circumferentially on the upper surface of the support base, and through holes are provided at radially inner positions of the connecting columns, a displacement block is provided in the support shell, the displacement block extends toward the four through holes to form a displacement column parallel to the connecting column, and the displacement block is connected to a lifting drive mechanism to drive the four displacement columns to move up and down in the through holes; Each connecting column corresponds to a claw wrist joint, and a flexible claw is provided on the claw wrist joint. The claw wrist joint is placed radially along the support base, and the radial bottom outer end of the connecting column and the claw wrist joint is connected through a first rotating shaft. A connecting plate is provided between the top of the displacement column and the radial bottom inner end of the claw wrist joint, and the two ends of the connecting plate are respectively connected to the displacement column and the claw wrist joint through a second rotating shaft and a third rotating shaft. The flexible claw is driven to perform an expansion / retraction action through the up / down movement of the displacement column.

[0009] Furthermore, the lifting drive mechanism includes a threaded shaft arranged at the inner center of the supporting shell, a threaded slider is provided on the threaded shaft, the displacement block is fixed on the threaded slider, one end of the threaded slider is connected to a clamping motor, the clamping motor drives the threaded shaft to rotate, and the threaded slider moves on the threaded shaft, thereby driving the displacement column to move up and down.

[0010] Furthermore, the flexible claw includes a flexible claw outer frame and an electromagnet arranged on the inner side of the flexible claw outer frame, the flexible claw outer frame includes an outer structure layer and an inner structure layer, the outer structure layer is a flexible silicone layer, the inner structure layer is an electrodeformable layer, and the electromagnet and the electrodeformable layer are both connected to a power supply component.

[0011] Furthermore, the electrodeformable layer is an electrobending structure made of an electroactive polymer or a shape memory alloy, which adapts to the shape of the drone after bending.

[0012] Furthermore, the flexible magnetic component is a flexible magnetic adhesive cloth attached to the drone, and the flexible magnetic adhesive cloth includes a middle-layer supporting mesh cloth, and iron woven cloth and adhesive layers arranged on both sides.

[0013] Beneficial effects: Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows: the centrifugal force generated by the continuous movement along the annular slide rail is used to throw the drone out to provide driving energy for the acceleration of the drone; the electromagnet and flexible mechanical claw are used to fix the drone, which can reduce the mechanical impact on the drone caused by the launching process; a flexible magnetic adhesive cloth is installed on the drone body, which can be used for fixed-wing drones of various sizes and shapes; due to its soft texture, its shape can be changed arbitrarily and tightly adhered to the fixed-wing drone body, and even to the wing; a device combining a slide rail, a lifting platform and a mechanical arm can provide a buffer for the fixed-wing drone when it lands to ensure the accuracy and stability of the recovery; the large range of motion of the mechanical arm improves the recovery rate of the drone. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is the overall structure diagram of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the transmission structure of the annular slide rail and the moving vehicle of the present invention; Figure 3 It is the path planning diagram of the robot arm of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the range of motion of the robot arm of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the magnetic gripper of the present invention when it is opened; Figure 6 This is a diagram of the magnetic gripping structure of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible magnetic adhesive cloth of the present invention; Figure 8 It is a diagram of the launch and recovery process of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] like Figure 1 The fixed-wing UAV launch and recovery device shown includes: Annular slide rail 1; The moving vehicle 2 is arranged on the annular slide rail 1 and moves along the circumference of the slide rail.

[0016] like Figure 2 As shown, the annular slide rail 1 includes a slide rail body 1-1, and a gear ring 1-2 is correspondingly arranged below the slide rail body 1-1. The moving vehicle 2 includes a vehicle body 2-1 placed on the slide rail body 1-1, and a pulley 2-2 that is clamped and limited with the edge of the slide rail body 1-1 is provided at the bottom of the vehicle body 2-1, and a transmission driving gear 2-3 that meshes with the gear ring 1-2. The driving gear 2-3 is controlled and driven by a vehicle motor 2-4 to realize the circumferential movement of the moving vehicle 2 on the slide rail 1.

[0017] The slide rail body 1-1 plays the role of supporting and fixing the entire device, allowing the device to operate normally in windy conditions or on a swaying ship, and the size of the track can be changed according to the environment.

[0018] The mobile vehicle 2 can move freely on the annular slide rail 1. When launching the fixed-wing UAV, the vehicle rotates along the slide rail. When the speed reaches the required launch speed, the force generated by inertia is used to throw the UAV from the take-off point along the tangential direction, thereby achieving the purpose of launching the fixed-wing UAV.

[0019] The multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm 3 is arranged on the mobile vehicle 2; the multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm 3 is a four-axis degree-of-freedom robotic arm.

[0020] The mobile vehicle 2 is provided with a lifting platform 6 , and the multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm 3 is placed on the lifting platform 6 .

[0021] The lifting platform 6 includes a lifting bottom plate 6-1 placed on the moving vehicle 2 and a lifting top plate 6-2 fixed to the bottom of the multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm 3, and a cross telescopic mechanism 6-3 is arranged between the lifting bottom plate 6-1 and the lifting top plate 6-2.

[0022] The range of motion of the robotic arm is limited. The combination with the annular slide rail 1 and the lifting platform 6 can expand the range of motion of the robotic arm in the horizontal and vertical directions, which is beneficial to improve the recovery rate and recovery accuracy of the fixed-wing UAV. When the operation of the device reaches the specified value, the robotic arm simulates the human arm swinging action from the starting point to the end point along the planned path, and cooperates with the centrifugal force generated by the movement of the device along the slide rail to throw the fixed-wing UAV, thereby realizing the launch of the fixed-wing UAV. Figure 3 and 4 shown.

[0023] The magnetic gripper 4 is arranged at the driving end of the multi-degree-of-freedom robot arm 3, and the magnetic gripper 4 includes a gripper assembly and a magnetic attraction assembly.

[0024] like Figure 5 and 6 As shown, the magnetic gripper 4 includes a support shell 4-1 fixed to the driving end of the multi-degree-of-freedom robot arm 3, the upper end of the support shell 4-1 is open and fixedly closed by a support base 4-2, four connecting columns 4-3 are evenly spaced circumferentially on the upper surface of the support base 4-2, and a through hole is opened at the radially inner position of the connecting column 4-3, and a displacement block 4-4 is provided in the support shell 4-1, and the displacement block 4-4 extends toward the four through holes to form a displacement column 4-5 parallel to the connecting column 4-3, and the displacement block 4-4 is connected to a lifting drive mechanism to drive the four displacement columns 4-5 to move up and down in the through holes.

[0025] Each connecting column 4-3 corresponds to a claw wrist joint 4-6, and a flexible claw is provided on the claw wrist joint 4-6. The claw wrist joint 4-6 is placed along the radial direction of the support base 4-2. The radial bottom outer end of the connecting column 4-3 and the claw wrist joint 4-6 is connected through a first rotating shaft 4-7. A connecting plate 4-8 is provided between the top of the displacement column 4-5 and the radial bottom inner end of the claw wrist joint 4-6. The two ends of the connecting plate 4-8 are respectively connected to the displacement column 4-5 and the claw wrist joint 4-6 through a second rotating shaft 4-9 and a third rotating shaft 4-10. The flexible claw is driven to perform an extension / retraction action through the up / down movement of the displacement column 4-5.

[0026] The lifting drive mechanism includes a threaded shaft 4-11 arranged at the inner center of the supporting shell 4-1, a threaded slider is arranged on the threaded shaft 4-11, the displacement block 4-4 is fixed on the threaded slider, and a clamping motor 4-12 is connected to one end of the threaded slider. The clamping motor 4-12 drives the threaded shaft 4-11 to rotate, and the threaded slider moves on the threaded shaft 4-11, thereby driving the displacement column 4-5 to move up and down.

[0027] The flexible claw includes a flexible claw outer frame 4-13 and an electromagnet 4-14 arranged on the inner side of the flexible claw outer frame 4-13. The flexible claw outer frame 4-13 includes an outer structural layer and an inner structural layer. The outer structural layer is a flexible silicone layer, and the inner structural layer is an electrodeformable layer. The electromagnet 4-14 and the electrodeformable layer are both connected to a power supply component.

[0028] The electrodeformable layer is an electro-bending structure made of electroactive polymer or shape memory alloy, which can adapt to the shape of the drone after bending. Due to the characteristics of the flexible claw, two fingers can be parallel to the bottom of the fuselage, and the other two fingers can be bent to hold the fuselage.

[0029] When powered on, the electro-bending structure bends, allowing the gripper to adapt to the shape of the object and improve gripping stability. The electromagnet generates a magnetic field, enhancing the gripping force to adsorb the drone, thereby achieving the purpose of tightly grasping the fixed-wing drone. When powered off, the electro-bending effect disappears, the electro-bending layer returns to its original state, and returns to its initial state. After the electromagnet is powered off, it loses its magnetism and the gripper releases the object.

[0030] A flexible magnetic attraction member 5, wherein the flexible magnetic attraction member 5 is arranged on the drone; like Figure 7 As shown, the flexible magnetic member 5 is a flexible magnetic adhesive cloth attached to the drone, and the flexible magnetic adhesive cloth includes a middle-layer supporting mesh cloth 5-1, and iron woven cloth 5-2 and an adhesive layer 5-3 arranged on both sides.

[0031] The middle layer support mesh cloth 5-1 plays an important supporting role. It is made of a material with certain strength and flexibility. Due to its soft texture, its shape can be arbitrarily changed to adhere tightly to the fixed-wing UAV fuselage, and even to the wing. It cooperates with the electromagnet adsorption to ensure the fixed-wing UAV is firmly grasped. For fixed-wing UAVs with special structures, the wing can also be grasped for launching and recovery operations.

[0032] like Figure 8 As shown, when launching a fixed-wing UAV, when the entire device is powered on, the device grasps the fixed-wing UAV, the vehicle motor 2-4 is started, and the mobile vehicle 2 starts to accelerate along the direction of the line drawn on the annular slide rail 1. When the speed reaches the specified value, the mechanical arm is powered on and the fixed-wing UAV is thrown out from the take-off point along the tangential direction along the planned route combined with the centrifugal force generated when the car moves in a circle. At the moment of throwing, the electromagnet on the magnetic gripper 4 is powered off and the gripper opens, ensuring that the fixed-wing UAV is successfully launched; when recovering the fixed-wing UAV, when the UAV flies to the range of the device, the magnetic gripper 4 is in an open state, the electromagnet is powered on, and the magnetic gripper grasps the flexible magnetic adhesive cloth, that is, the UAV is grasped, and the device decelerates along the direction of the line drawn on the annular slide rail 1 until the speed is 0, which plays a buffering role, and can achieve safe recovery of the fixed-wing UAV. The mechanical arm can be extended to the outside or inside of the annular track for recovery operations, thereby expanding the recovery range of the device.

Claims

1. A fixed-wing UAV launching and recovery device, characterized in that: include: Annular slide rail (1); A moving vehicle (2), the moving vehicle (2) being arranged on the annular slide rail (1) and running along the circumference of the slide rail; A multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm (3), wherein the multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm (3) is arranged on the mobile vehicle (2); A magnetic gripper (4), the magnetic gripper (4) being arranged at a driving end of a multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm (3), the magnetic gripper (4) comprising a gripper assembly and a magnetic attraction assembly; A flexible magnetic attraction component (5), wherein the flexible magnetic attraction component (5) is arranged on the drone; The magnetic grabbing clamp (4) clamps and magnetically attracts the drone, and as the sliding speed of the mobile vehicle (2) on the annular slide rail (1) reaches the launch requirement of the drone, the drone is thrown out in a tangential direction, and the drone is grabbed and recovered when it flies back.

2. The fixed-wing UAV launching and recovery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The annular slide rail (1) comprises a slide rail body (1-1), a gear ring (1-2) being arranged below the slide rail body (1-1), the mobile vehicle (2) comprising a vehicle body (2-1) placed on the slide rail body (1-1), a pulley (2-2) being engaged with the edge of the slide rail body (1-1) and a transmission drive gear (2-3) being meshed with the gear ring (1-2) being arranged at the bottom of the vehicle body (2-1), the drive gear (2-3) being driven by a vehicle motor (2-4) to realize circumferential movement of the mobile vehicle (2) on the slide rail (1).

3. The fixed-wing UAV launching and recovery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mobile vehicle (2) is provided with a lifting platform (6), and the multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm (3) is placed on the lifting platform (6); The lifting platform (6) comprises a lifting bottom plate (6-1) placed on a moving vehicle (2) and a lifting top plate (6-2) fixed to the bottom of a multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm (3), and a cross telescopic mechanism (6-3) is provided between the lifting bottom plate (6-1) and the lifting top plate (6-2).

4. The fixed-wing UAV launching and recovery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm (3) is a four-axis degree-of-freedom robotic arm.

5. The fixed-wing UAV launching and recovery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The magnetic gripper (4) comprises a support shell (4-1) fixed to the driving end of the multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm (3); the upper end of the support shell (4-1) is open and fixedly closed by a support base (4-2); four connecting columns (4-3) are evenly spaced in the circumferential direction on the upper surface of the support base (4-2); and through holes are provided at radially inner positions of the connecting columns (4-3); a displacement block (4-4) is provided in the support shell (4-1); the displacement block (4-4) extends toward the four through holes to form a displacement column (4-5) parallel to the connecting column (4-3); and the displacement block (4-4) is connected to a lifting drive mechanism to drive the four displacement columns (4-5) to move up and down in the through holes; Each connection column (4-3) corresponds to a claw wrist joint (4-6), and a flexible claw is provided on the claw wrist joint (4-6). The claw wrist joint (4-6) is placed along the radial direction of the support base (4-2), and the connection column (4-3) is connected to the outer end of the radial bottom of the claw wrist joint (4-6) through a first rotating shaft (4-7). A connection plate (4-8) is provided between the top of the displacement column (4-5) and the inner end of the radial bottom of the claw wrist joint (4-6), and the two ends of the connection plate (4-8) are respectively connected to the displacement column (4-5) and the claw wrist joint (4-6) through a second rotating shaft (4-9) and a third rotating shaft (4-10), and the displacement column (4-5) moves up / down to drive the flexible claw to perform an extension / retraction action.

6. The fixed-wing UAV launching and recovery device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The lifting drive mechanism comprises a threaded shaft (4-11) arranged at the inner center of the support shell (4-1), a threaded slider is arranged on the threaded shaft (4-11), the displacement block (4-4) is fixed on the threaded slider, one end of the threaded slider is connected to a gripping motor (4-12), the gripping motor (4-12) drives the threaded shaft (4-11) to rotate, and the threaded slider moves on the threaded shaft (4-11), thereby driving the displacement column (4-5) to move up and down.

7. The fixed-wing UAV launching and recovery device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The flexible claw comprises a flexible claw outer frame (4-13) and an electromagnet (4-14) arranged on the inner side of the flexible claw outer frame (4-13); the flexible claw outer frame (4-13) comprises an outer structural layer and an inner structural layer; the outer structural layer is a flexible silicone layer; the inner structural layer is an electrodeformable layer; and the electromagnet (4-14) and the electrodeformable layer are both connected to a power supply component.

8. The fixed-wing UAV launching and recovery device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The electrodeformable layer is an electro-bending structure made of an electroactive polymer or a shape memory alloy, which adapts to the shape of the drone after bending.

9. The fixed-wing UAV launching and recovery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible magnetic attraction member (5) is a flexible magnetic attraction adhesive cloth attached to the drone, and the flexible magnetic attraction adhesive cloth comprises a middle-layer supporting mesh cloth (5-1), and iron woven cloth (5-2) and an adhesive layer (5-3) arranged on both sides.

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