Airport unmanned aerial vehicle transfer trolley

Abstract

The invention discloses an airport unmanned aerial vehicle transfer trolley which comprises a movable base, an adjusting table, a power supply control box, a positioning navigation assembly and a visual identification module. A first driving motor is fixedly mounted at the front end of the adjusting table, a transmission lead screw is fixedly mounted on a transmission shaft part at the front end of the first driving motor, a moving block is in threaded connection with the outer curved surface of the transmission lead screw, connecting rods are rotationally connected to the two sides of the moving block through pin shafts, and L-shaped push rods are rotationally connected to the outer sides of the connecting rods through pin shafts; the front end of the movable base is rotationally connected with a swing rod through a pin shaft, a second driving motor is fixedly installed on the outer side of the lower end of the movable base, a supporting roller is fixedly installed on a transmission shaft part on the outer side of the second driving motor, and a shear type elevator is fixedly installed at the upper end of the movable base. The picking and placing efficiency and accuracy are improved, manual intervention is reduced, and the automation level is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of low-altitude economy industry, and specifically to an airport drone transfer trolley. Background Art

[0002] Low-altitude economy refers to a comprehensive economic form mainly based on civil manned and unmanned aircraft, driven by multi-scenario low-altitude flight activities such as manned, cargo-carrying and other operations, and radiating to drive the integrated development of related fields.

[0003] As an important part of the low-altitude economy industry, the focus of the drone industry is shifting from drone production and manufacturing to professional services for drone applications under the dual drive of technological development and application requirements. For example, in order to ensure the smooth progress of drone operations, a supporting drone airport is necessary, as it can provide support and guarantee services such as charging, maintenance, and data exchange for drones. Without these support and guarantee services, drones will not be able to operate continuously and efficiently. In the past, the attention of academia and industry has often focused on the drones themselves, emphasizing research and breakthroughs in their performance. However, if we want to achieve true high-efficiency empowerment of the low-altitude economy, the "barrel effect" of its related support and guarantee technologies cannot be ignored.

[0004] Such as Figure 1 shown, the operations of existing drones such as launching, recovering, transferring, charging, maintaining, and data exchanging almost completely rely on manual labor or special aircraft support stations. As Figure 2 shown, the manual support method requires labor costs matching the operation scale. If there is a need for night operations, it also involves shift work of personnel, and the labor load of relevant personnel is large. The support method of special aircraft support stations cannot solve the support problems of multiple flights and multiple models of drones. If the method of multi-station deployment is adopted, some support systems that can be shared by multiple aircraft will be overly redundant, resulting in waste of resources. It can be seen that both of these two mainstream support methods currently have the problems of high costs and low efficiency. Therefore, by designing an airport drone transfer trolley, a solution can be provided for the unmanned operation of future drone airports, realizing the intelligence, low cost, and high efficiency of drone airports, promoting the popularization of drone airports, and bringing benefits to the development of the low-altitude economy. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide an airport UAV transfer trolley to solve the problems in the above-mentioned background technology that the operations such as the release, recovery, transfer, charging, maintenance, and data exchange of existing UAVs almost completely rely on manual labor or the form of a special aircraft support station. The manual support method requires labor costs matching the operation scale. If there is a need for night operations, it also involves shift work of personnel, and the labor load of relevant personnel is large. The support method of the special aircraft support station cannot solve the support problems of multiple flights and multiple models of UAVs. If the multi-station deployment method is adopted, some support systems that can be shared by multiple aircraft will be overly redundant, resulting in a waste of resources. It can be seen that both of these two mainstream support methods currently have the problems of high costs and low efficiency.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: including a mobile base, an adjustment table, a power control box, a positioning and navigation component, and a visual recognition module;

[0007] A first driving motor is fixedly installed at the front end of the adjustment table. A transmission lead screw is fixedly installed on the front end transmission shaft part of the first driving motor. A moving block is threadedly connected to the outer surface of the transmission lead screw. Both sides of the moving block are rotatably connected to a connecting rod through a pin shaft. The outer side of the connecting rod is rotatably connected to an L-shaped push rod through a pin shaft. The front end of the mobile base is rotatably connected to a swing rod through a pin shaft. A second driving motor is fixedly installed on the outer side of the lower end of the mobile base. A support roller is fixedly installed on the outer side transmission shaft part of the second driving motor. A scissor lift is fixedly installed on the upper end of the mobile base. A support table for limiting and lifting the UAV is fixedly installed on the upper end of the scissor lift. A third driving motor for driving the scissor lift is fixedly installed at the front end of the mobile base;

[0008] The navigation component includes a Beidou positioning module and a visual navigation module. The visual navigation module includes a binocular camera and a lidar. The visual recognition module includes a camera, an image processor, and an ArUco code adhered to the outer end of the UAV.

[0009] Preferably, the power control box is fixedly installed at the bottom of the adjustment table.

[0010] Preferably, the transmission lead screw is rotatably supported by a bearing seat and connected to the middle part of the adjustment table. The number of the connecting rods is two, and they are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the moving block.

[0011] Preferably, the front end of the L-shaped push rod is rotatably connected to the outer side of the adjustment table through a pin shaft, and the rear end of the L-shaped push rod is rotatably connected to the front side of the mobile base through a pin shaft.

[0012] Preferably, the front end of the swing rod is rotatably connected to the outer side of the adjustment table through a pin shaft, and the second driving motors are symmetrically distributed on the outer side of the lower end of the mobile base.

[0013] Preferably, the inner side of the support roller is rotatably connected to the lower end of the moving base through a bearing seat, and the support roller is composed of Mecanum wheels.

[0014] Preferably, a force sensor is fixedly installed at the upper end of the turntable, an anti-slip soft pad is bonded to the upper end of the turntable, and the rear end transmission shaft part of the third driving motor is in transmission connection with the front end transmission shaft part of the scissor lift.

[0015] Preferably, a driving system, a battery power supply system and a communication module are carried inside the power control box.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0017] The present invention saves labor costs: the unmanned vehicle replaces humans to operate the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), saving the cost of long-term employment of personnel for transporting UAVs in the long run. The design of the modular vehicle platform enables the unmanned vehicle to adapt to various types of UAVs, especially large UAVs, expanding its application range and reducing the equipment purchase cost. High efficiency: Through the autonomous path planning system, the present technical solution improves the transfer flexibility and adaptability of the unmanned vehicle in the complex environment of the airport, can effectively avoid obstacles, and enhances the transfer efficiency and reliability. The unmanned vehicle autonomously identifies the UAV and retrieves it according to a fixed route. When it arrives at the designated location, it picks up the next UAV. The average time required to retrieve one UAV is less than the time taken by humans to retrieve the UAV;

[0018] The present invention also breaks through time limitations: the unmanned vehicle can work continuously for 24 hours without interruption. Compared with human working hours, the operation of the UAV can be more flexible. Safe and convenient operation: The unmanned vehicle autonomously picks up the UAV and can operate normally in extreme weather such as strong winds and ice storms at the port. The non-contact precise positioning technology of the UAV picking system, the automatic drive system through visual calculation and feedback, and the unmanned vehicle autonomously adjusts the width controller, improving the efficiency and accuracy of picking and placing, reducing manual intervention, and enhancing the automation level. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the manual support method for the UAV;

[0020] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the support method by the UAV support station;

[0021] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the airport UAV transfer vehicle of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0022] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the airport UAV transfer vehicle of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the overall structure of the airport UAV transfer trolley of the present invention.

[0024] In the figure: 1, moving base; 2, adjusting table; 3, first driving motor; 4, transmission lead screw; 5, moving block; 6, connecting rod; 7, L-shaped push rod; 8, swing rod; 9, second driving motor; 10, supporting roller; 11, scissor lift; 12, support table; 13, third driving motor; 14, power control box. Specific embodiments

[0025] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0026] Please refer to Figures 3-5 , the present invention provides a technical solution: including a moving base 1, an adjusting table 2, a power control box 14, a positioning and navigation component, and a vision recognition module, and the power control box 14 is fixedly installed at the bottom of the adjusting table 2;

[0027] At the front end of the adjustment table 2, a first driving motor 3 is fixedly installed. At the front end of the transmission shaft of the first driving motor 3, a transmission lead screw 4 is fixedly installed. And the transmission lead screw 4 is supported and rotatably connected to the middle part of the adjustment table 2 through a bearing seat. A moving block 5 is threadedly connected to the outer surface of the transmission lead screw 4. On both sides of the moving block 5, connecting rods 6 are rotatably connected through pins. And the number of the connecting rods 6 is two, which are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the moving block 5. The outer sides of the connecting rods 6 are rotatably connected to an L-shaped push rod 7 through pins. And the front end of the L-shaped push rod 7 is rotatably connected to the outside of the adjustment table 2 through a pin. The rear end of the L-shaped push rod 7 is rotatably connected to the front side of the moving base 1 through a pin. At the front end of the moving base 1, a swing rod 8 is rotatably connected through a pin. And the front end of the swing rod 8 is rotatably connected to the outside of the adjustment table 2 through a pin. On the outer side of the lower end of the moving base 1, a second driving motor 9 is fixedly installed. And the second driving motors 9 are symmetrically distributed on the outer side of the lower end of the moving base 1. On the outer side of the transmission shaft of the second driving motor 9, a support roller 10 is fixedly installed. And the inner side of the support roller 10 is supported and rotatably connected to the lower end of the moving base 1 through a bearing seat. The support roller 10 is composed of Mecanum wheels. Around the main wheel part of the Mecanum wheel, a plurality of small rollers are installed at an angle of 45 degrees. The small rollers can rotate freely. The axis of the Mecanum wheel forms a certain angle with the axis of the main wheel part of the Mecanum wheel. Each Mecanum wheel is independently driven in cooperation with the second driving motor 9. By controlling the rotation speed and direction of different Mecanum wheels, a movement in any direction can be synthesized. The inclination angle of the rollers causes a lateral force to be generated when the Mecanum wheel rolls. Thus, the axial translation or mirror rotation of the moving base 1 is realized;

[0028] On the upper end of the moving base 1, a scissor lift 11 is fixedly installed. On the upper end of the scissor lift 11, a support table 12 for limiting and lifting the unmanned aerial vehicle is fixedly installed. And a force sensor is fixedly installed on the upper end of the support table 12. An anti-slip soft pad is bonded to the upper end of the support table 12. At the front end of the moving base 1, a third driving motor 13 for driving the scissor lift 11 is fixedly installed. The rear end of the transmission shaft of the third driving motor 13 is in transmission connection with the front end of the transmission shaft of the scissor lift 11. And the scissor lift 11 is composed of X-shaped cross arms made of high-strength materials. Through the geometric structure design of the X-shaped cross arms, it is ensured that the support table 12 remains horizontally stable during the lifting process. By driving the scissor lift 11 to lift and lower through the third driving motor 13, the upward limiting lift or lowering of the unmanned aerial vehicle by the support table 12 is realized. At the same time, when the first driving motor 3 is controlled to start, the first driving motor 3 will drive the transmission lead screw 4 to rotate. When the transmission lead screw 4 rotates, the acting force generated by the threaded connection will drive the moving block 5 to move back and forth. When the moving block 5 moves back and forth, it will drive the L-shaped push rod 7 to swing through the connecting rod 6. When the L-shaped push rod 7 swings, it will cooperate with the swing rod 8 to drive the moving base 1 to close or open synchronously. When the moving base 1 closes or opens synchronously, the width between the support tables 12 will be adjusted, so that the support tables 12 can adapt to unmanned aerial vehicles of different widths;

[0029] The navigation component includes a Beidou positioning module and a visual navigation module. The visual navigation module includes a binocular camera and a lidar, enabling multi-source data fusion through the binocular camera, lidar, and Beidou positioning module to improve navigation accuracy and environmental adaptability. During operation, the Beidou positioning module is mainly used for navigation path planning, and the visual navigation module is used as an auxiliary for real-time obstacle avoidance and path adjustment. The surrounding environment is collected through the binocular camera, and the lidar is combined to construct a three-dimensional environmental map and update the path in real time. The dynamic path planning algorithm can also be used to dynamically adjust the path based on real-time environmental data to avoid temporary obstacles. Then, the inertial navigation system is combined to provide continuous position and attitude information to make up for the limitations of visual navigation in open areas. Finally, when approaching the drone, the binocular camera can automatically identify the fuselage, then move in front of the drone's nose and align, and then lift and pick it up with a limit. In addition, in harsh environments such as strong light, rain, and fog, the lidar can be used to correct visual data to ensure navigation reliability and accuracy. The visual recognition module includes a camera, an image processor, and ArUco codes adhered to the outer end of the drone, enabling the visual recognition module to identify the appearance features, model, position, and attitude information of the drone, providing visual guidance for the approach and docking of the unmanned vehicle.

[0030] The power control box 14 is internally equipped with a drive system, a battery power supply system, and a communication module. The drive system, based on the selected single-chip microcomputer and cloud computing system, runs autonomous navigation algorithms and visual recognition algorithms to achieve coordinated control of the entire system. The communication module consists of four systems: a terminal signal receiver, a cloud signal receiver, a cloud auxiliary computing and processing system, and an emergency remote control system. It can not only ensure that the decision-making is not difficult due to the limited computing power of the terminal single-chip microcomputer during the operation of the vehicle, but also ensure that in special cases, when the automated system of the vehicle fails, it can be remotely controlled to ensure the continuous operation of the drone before the fault is repaired.

[0031] Embodiment:

[0032] (1) Navigate and identify the positions of both

[0033] The drone sends its position information outward through its own positioning beacon. The navigation system of the unmanned vehicle receives this information and, combined with its own positioning data, accurately calculates the position and attitude of the drone relative to the unmanned vehicle.

[0034] (2) Plan the approaching path of the vehicle

[0035] The path planning algorithm of the unmanned vehicle plans a safe and efficient approaching path based on the current position of itself, the position of the drone, and the environmental map information. Path planning needs to consider factors such as avoiding obstacles and ground flatness.

[0036] (3) Autonomous navigation

[0037] The unmanned vehicle conducts autonomous navigation along the pre-planned path. Its drive system precisely controls the rotation speed and steering of the wheels according to the instructions of the control system to achieve smooth driving.

[0038] (4) Adjust the width of the turntable 12 to a width suitable for the currently picked-up UAV model

[0039] 1. When the unmanned vehicle approaches the UAV by a certain distance, the visual recognition module starts to work. By recognizing the appearance features of the UAV, the model of the UAV is judged.

[0040] 2. The control system queries the size parameters of the UAV of this model pre-stored according to the recognized UAV model, and controls the adjustment of the width between the turntables 12 to make it suitable for picking up the current UAV.

[0041] (5) Identify and align with the UAV

[0042] 1. The visual recognition module further precisely identifies and locates the UAV to determine the precise position and attitude of the UAV in the coordinate system of the unmanned vehicle.

[0043] 2. The unmanned vehicle fine-tunes its own position and attitude to align the turntable 12 with the UAV. During the alignment process, the visual feedback control algorithm is used to continuously adjust the movement of the unmanned vehicle to ensure the accurate docking of the turntable 12 with the UAV.

[0044] (6) Move the scissor lift to below the UAV wing

[0045] 1. When the turntable 12 is aligned with the UAV, the control system controls the scissor lift 11 to rise vertically to move it to a suitable position below the UAV wing.

[0046] 2. The rising process of the scissor lift 11 is precisely monitored by the position sensor to ensure that it rises to the predetermined height and maintains a suitable distance from the UAV wing.

[0047] (7) The scissor lift 11 lifts and holds the UAV

[0048] 1. The scissor lift 11 continues to rise until the turntable 12 touches the UAV wing, and gradually applies an upward lifting force to smoothly lift the UAV.

[0049] 2. During the lifting process, the magnitude of the lifting force is real-time monitored by the force sensor to ensure that the UAV remains stable during the lifting process and avoid damage caused by uneven force.

[0050] It should be noted that in this text, relational terms such as first and second are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprising", "including" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article or device comprising a series of elements not only includes those elements but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article or device.

[0051] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. Airport UAV transfer vehicle, characterized by: It comprises a mobile base (1), an adjustment platform (2), a power control box (14), a positioning navigation component and a visual recognition module; A first driving motor (3) is fixedly mounted on the front end of the adjusting platform (2); a transmission screw (4) is fixedly mounted on the transmission shaft portion of the front end of the first driving motor (3); a moving block (5) is threadedly connected to the outer curved surface of the transmission screw (4); connecting rods (6) are rotatably connected to the two sides of the moving block (5) via pins; an L-shaped push rod (7) is rotatably connected to the outer side of the connecting rod (6) via a pin; a swing rod (8) is rotatably connected to the front end of the moving base (1) via a pin; a second driving motor (9) is fixedly mounted on the outer side of the lower end of the moving base (1); a supporting roller (10) is fixedly mounted on the transmission shaft portion of the outer side of the second driving motor (9); a scissor lift (11) is fixedly mounted on the upper end of the moving base (1); a support platform (12) for limiting and lifting the drone is fixedly mounted on the upper end of the scissor lift (11); and a third driving motor (13) for driving the scissor lift (11) is fixedly mounted on the front end of the moving base (1); The navigation component includes a Beidou positioning module and a visual navigation module. The visual navigation module includes a binocular camera and a laser radar. The visual recognition module includes a camera, an image processor and an ArUco code bonded to the outer end of the drone.

2. The airport drone transfer vehicle according to claim 1 is characterized by: The power control box (14) is fixedly mounted on the bottom of the adjustment platform (2).

3. The airport drone transfer vehicle according to claim 2 is characterized by: The transmission screw (4) is rotatably connected to the middle of the adjustment platform (2) through the support of the bearing seat, and there are two connecting rods (6), which are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the moving block (5).

4. The airport drone transfer vehicle according to claim 3 is characterized by: The front end of the L-shaped push rod (7) is rotatably connected to the outside of the adjustment platform (2) via a pin shaft, and the rear end of the L-shaped push rod (7) is rotatably connected to the front side of the movable base (1) via a pin shaft.

5. The airport drone transfer vehicle according to claim 4 is characterized by: The front end of the swing rod (8) is rotatably connected to the outside of the adjustment platform (2) via a pin shaft, and the second drive motors (9) are symmetrically distributed on the outside of the lower end of the movable base (1).

6. The airport drone transfer vehicle according to claim 5 is characterized by: The inner side of the support roller (10) is rotatably connected to the lower end of the movable base (1) through the support of a bearing seat, and the support roller (10) is composed of a Mecanum wheel.

7. The airport drone transfer vehicle according to claim 6 is characterized by: A force sensor is fixedly mounted on the upper end of the support platform (12), an anti-skid pad is bonded to the upper end of the support platform (12), and a rear end transmission shaft portion of the third drive motor (13) is transmission-connected to a front end transmission shaft portion of the scissor lift (11).

8. The airport drone transfer vehicle according to claim 7 is characterized by: The power control box (14) is internally equipped with a drive system, a battery power supply system and a communication module.

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