Anti-unmanned aerial vehicle bee colony catching net launching device

Abstract

The invention discloses a catching net launching device for resisting unmanned aerial vehicle swarms, and relates to the field of resisting small unmanned aerial vehicles, the catching net launching device for resisting unmanned aerial vehicle swarms is characterized by comprising a horizontal rotating mechanism, a pitching adjusting mechanism mounted at the upper end of the horizontal rotating mechanism, and a launching bin mounted on the pitching adjusting mechanism, the image recognition module is arranged at the upper end of the launching bin, the magazine supply bin is installed at the side end of the launching bin, the magazine is installed in the magazine supply bin, the launching tube is arranged in front of the launching bin, and the bullet retreating hole is formed in the rear of the launching bin. The system can automatically capture and aim at an aerial target through the image recognition module and the aiming adjustment mechanism, can continuously launch unmanned aerial vehicle net capturing bullets through coordination of the launching system and the bullet changing system, achieves all-directional and multi-dimensional detection and recognition of an unmanned aerial vehicle group through a multi-source perception fusion technology, and improves the detection precision. The detection reliability and the anti-interference capability of the system in a complex environment are greatly improved, and the system has good defense efficiency for unmanned aerial vehicle swarms.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of anti-drone, and particularly to a net-launching device for anti-drone swarms. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of drone technology, small drone technology has become mature. Its characteristics of clustering and low cost have posed severe challenges to traditional countermeasures. The application of drone swarms is becoming increasingly widespread in fields such as military reconnaissance, electronic jamming, and civilian logistics. However, such swarm drones also pose significant security threats, such as illegally intruding into no-fly zones, interfering with aviation safety, and carrying out terrorist attacks.

[0003] Existing anti-drone swarm technologies are mainly divided into two categories: hard kill (physical destruction) and soft kill (signal jamming). Conventional hard kill means use missiles to strike drone swarms, and the interception cost is high. Conventional soft kill uses electromagnetic interference devices. For example, Chinese Patent No. CN212850523U, titled "An Anti-Drone Jamming Device", although it can force drones to land by signal suppression, it has limited effect on swarms with autonomous navigation capabilities and may interfere with surrounding legitimate communication devices, resulting in limited application scenarios.

[0004] Compared with missile interception of drone swarms, physical net interception technology has the advantages of low cost and small collateral damage. The current anti-drone net ammunition system has significant personnel safety risks in actual combat applications, mainly manifested as a strong dependence on manual operations throughout the combat process: First, in the target capture stage, it is necessary to rely on operators to perform visual recognition and dynamic aiming through basic optical devices; second, the ammunition reloading process after each launch takes too long, which not only creates a firepower vacuum during the critical defense window period but also forces operators to be repeatedly exposed to high-risk combat environments; moreover, the existing net devices still have limitations in single-shot launches. For example, a net balance launch device for capturing drones with Patent No. CN113048843A improves stability by synchronously launching high-pressure gas and a balance body, but its complex structure leads to low loading efficiency, and manual reloading is required after a single launch, which cannot meet the rapid response requirements for swarm interception.

[0005] Therefore, this paper proposes a net-launching device for anti-drone swarms. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to design a low-cost net-launching device for anti-drone swarms that can automatically aim, launch, and reload ammunition.

[0007] To achieve the above technical effects, the present invention is realized through the following technical solutions: An anti-drone swarm net-launching device, characterized in that it includes a horizontal rotation mechanism, a pitch adjustment mechanism installed at the upper end of the horizontal rotation mechanism, a launch chamber installed on the pitch adjustment mechanism, an image recognition module provided at the upper end of the launch chamber, a ammunition supply chamber installed at the side end of the launch chamber, a launch tube provided in front of the launch chamber, and a cartridge ejection hole provided at the rear of the launch chamber;

[0008] The image recognition module includes a camera, a telephoto lens, and a sensor;

[0009] The interior of the launch chamber includes a main control unit, a launch system, and a cartridge-changing system. The launch chamber is connected to the ammunition supply chamber; and the ammunition supply chamber is connected to a magazine;

[0010] The launch direction of the launch tube is the same as the recognition direction of the image recognition module.

[0011] Furthermore, the camera is installed on the outer wall of the launch chamber, the telephoto lens is installed at the front end of the camera, and the sensor is located on the surface in the monitoring direction of the camera; the image processing module is located at the rear end of the camera inside the upper end of the launch chamber.

[0012] Furthermore, the main control unit is installed at the bottom of the launch chamber; the launch system, the cartridge-changing system, the image recognition module, the pitch adjustment mechanism, and the horizontal rotation mechanism are all electrically connected to the main control unit;

[0013] Furthermore, the launch system includes a spring striker provided at the bottom end of the launch chamber, a launcher gear provided at the bottom end of the spring striker, and a firing pin installed at the front end of the spring striker; the launcher gear is meshed with an intermediate gear.

[0014] Furthermore, the cartridge-changing system includes a cartridge-changing disk gear meshed with the intermediate gear, a cartridge-changing disk main shaft installed at the side end of the cartridge-changing disk gear, a cartridge-changing disk installed at the end of the cartridge-changing disk main shaft, a cartridge ejection groove provided on one side of the cartridge-changing disk, and a cartridge chain cutter installed at the lower end of the cartridge-changing disk; the other side of the cartridge-changing disk is connected to the ammunition supply chamber;

[0015] The cartridge-changing disk is provided with grooves for accommodating the net-launching cartridges to be launched, and there are latches in the grooves;

[0016] The cartridge chain cutter is composed of an electrode wire clamp, a cutting electrode wire, and a spring; the cartridge chain cutter is supported by a cartridge chain cutter support rod in front of the cartridge ejection groove;

[0017] The cartridge chain is made of a non-metallic material. The cartridge chain is connected to a net-launching cartridge support, and the cartridges to be launched are fixed on the support;

[0018] The to-be-launched net-catching projectile consists of a cartridge case and a core part installed inside the cartridge case; the core part, from the bottom up, is successively a primer layer, a high-pressure chamber, a low-pressure chamber, a projectile core, and a ballistic path.

[0019] Further, the projectile core consists of a support framework, a warhead, edge counterweights, a deployment main shaft, a deployment controller, a catching net, and a projectile core outer shell; when not launched, the support framework is in a Z-shaped fold and clings tightly to the deployment main shaft; there are a total of four support frameworks for one net-catching projectile, with edge counterweights at the ends of the frameworks, each framework being divided into three small sections, and there being elastic pins at the joints of each small section; the four corners of the catching net are connected to the support frameworks and the edge counterweights.

[0020] Both the high-pressure chamber and the low-pressure chamber are made of aluminum alloy.

[0021] The bottom of the projectile core is made of aluminum alloy.

[0022] The cartridge case is made of glass fiber-reinforced nylon.

[0023] The support framework of the warhead and the warhead are made of carbon fiber material.

[0024] The material of the edge counterweights is tungsten alloy.

[0025] The deployment controller contains a multi-sensor system, a spring, and a motor; the multi-sensor system includes one or more sensors among a barometric pressure and temperature sensor, a millimeter-wave radar sensor, a machine vision module, an acoustic detector, an infrared thermal imaging sensor, a microwave detector, a laser rangefinder, a vibration sensor, and an electromagnetic signal detector.

[0026] The catching net is a ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene mixed-woven net, and the fully deployed area is 10 - 20 square meters.

[0027] Further, both the elevation adjustment mechanism and the horizontal rotation mechanism contain servo motors inside, and both servo motors can achieve 360° rotation.

[0028] The horizontal rotation mechanism carries the elevation adjustment mechanism to adjust the firing direction.

[0029] The elevation adjustment mechanism is connected to the launch chamber to adjust the elevation angle.

[0030] Further, the launch system and the ammunition-changing system inside the launch chamber mesh the intermediate gear with the launcher gear and the turntable gear to coordinate the work of the internal launch system and the ammunition-changing system.

[0031] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0032] The present invention has a continuous emission and rapid reloading mechanism, enabling multi-target synchronous interception capabilities and the ability to defend against drone swarms. It can dynamically adjust the launch angle of the capture net in real time through AI algorithms, making the attack targets more accurate and efficient. It can automatically capture targets, launch, and reload, avoiding repeated exposure of operators to high-risk combat environments due to reloading and aiming. This device fills the technical gap in the field of low-cost anti-swarm physical interception and is applicable to the multi-scenario requirements of urban security, military key areas, large-scale events, etc. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0034] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the overall rear structure of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the launch chamber of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the reloading system of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the ammunition chain cutter of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 6 Cross-sectional view of the capture net ammunition to be launched of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 7 Diagram of the capture net with the projectile core deployed of the present invention.

[0041] In the drawings, the list of components represented by each reference numeral is as follows:

[0042] 1. Image recognition module; 2. Launch bin; 3. Ammunition supply bin; 4. Magazine; 5. Elevation adjustment mechanism; 6. Horizontal rotation mechanism; 7. Launch tube; 8. Cartridge ejection hole; 201. Main control unit; 202. Magazine changer spindle; 203. Magazine changer gear; 204. Magazine changer; 205. Intermediate gear; 206. Spring striker; 207. Launcher gear; 208. Striker; 209. Cartridge ejection groove; 210. Belt cutter; 211. Lock; 212. Belt cutter support rod; 301. Cartridge belt; 302. Unfired netting projectile; 303. Fired netting projectile casing; 304. Netting projectile support; 501. Electrode wire clamp; 502. Cutting electrode wire; 503. Spring; 601. Primer layer; 602. High-pressure chamber; 603. Low-pressure chamber; 604. Projectile core; 605. Ballistic trajectory; 606. Cartridge case; 701. Support skeleton; 702. Warhead; 703. Edge counterweight ring; 704. Deployment spindle; 705. Deployment controller; 706. Netting. Detailed implementation manner

[0043] 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 work shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0044] Embodiment 1

[0045] As Figure 1 Figure 2 The netting launch device for anti-drone swarms shown in [reference], includes a horizontal rotation mechanism 6, an elevation adjustment mechanism 5 installed at the upper end of the horizontal rotation mechanism 6, a launch bin 2 installed on the elevation adjustment mechanism 5, an image recognition module 1 provided at the upper end of the launch bin 2, an ammunition supply bin 3 installed on the side of the launch bin 2, a magazine 4 installed inside the ammunition supply bin 3, a launch tube 7 provided in front of the launch bin 2, and a cartridge ejection hole 8 provided behind the launch bin 2;

[0046] The image recognition module 1 is located on the outer wall of the launch bin 2. The image recognition module 1 uses the Raspberry Pi HQ Camera of Raspberry Pi Company; it is equipped with a Sony IMX477 sensor and a 6mm telephoto lens; it uses NVIDIA's TensorRT to optimize the YOLOv5s model inference; it can ensure that the drone occupies enough pixels at a long distance to be recognized.

[0047] The pitching adjustment mechanism 5 is above the horizontal adjustment mechanism 6. The pitching adjustment mechanism 5 is connected to the launch chamber through a motor and gears. Both the pitching and horizontal adjustment mechanisms are driven by a digital servo motor JX PDI-6221MG. This motor has strong anti-interference ability and can accurately control the rotation angle and position to precisely adjust the direction of the launch chamber to aim at the target. It is controlled by the main control unit 201 by receiving pulse modulation signals. The pitching angle range is set from 30° to 60°.

[0048] The ammunition feeding chamber 3 is connected to the launch chamber 2 and the magazine 4. The function of the ammunition feeding chamber 3 is to serve as a bridge connecting the launch chamber 2 and the magazine 4 to facilitate the smooth entry of the netting ammunition into the reloading system. Inside the ammunition feeding chamber 3, parallel guiding rail grooves are arranged along the sliding direction of the ammunition chain. Its inner wall is coated with a polytetrafluoroethylene layer with a low friction coefficient. An elastic limit block is provided at the end of the guide rail to assist in positioning the ammunition chain.

[0049] Such as Figure 3 Figure 4 The launch chamber 2 is of a box structure and internally contains 201, the main control unit; 202, the reloading disk spindle; 203, the reloading disk gear; 204, the reloading disk; 205, the intermediate gear; 206, the spring striker; 207, the launcher gear; 208, the striker; 209, the cartridge ejection slot; 210, the ammunition chain cutter; 211, the latch; 212, the ammunition chain cutter support rod; 301, the ammunition chain; 302, the netting ammunition to be launched; 303, the cartridge cases of the launched netting ammunition; 304, the netting ammunition support.

[0050] The main control unit 201 is located inside the launch chamber for convenient wiring. The main control unit 201 uses NVIDIA Jetson Nano. The main control unit 201 is connected to the image recognition module 1 through the camera interface on the main board and uses the YOLOv5s model for AI target detection; it outputs pulse width modulation signals through the input and output ports to control the servo motor; and coordinates the operation of the launch system and the reloading system.

[0051] When the main control unit 201 determines that the confidence level of the target in multiple consecutive frames is greater than 90%, it indicates that the target has entered the capture area. The main control unit 201 controls the spring striker 206 to release the striker 208 to trigger the netting launch; with the netting launch, the launcher gear 207 drives the intermediate gear 205 to rotate, and the reloading disk gear 203 also rotates accordingly to drive the reloading disk 204 to rotate. The reloading disk 204 rotates to pull the ammunition chain; there is a latch on the reloading disk gear 203. When the netting ammunition to be launched 302 is pulled to the front of the launch system, the reloading disk gear 203 is immediately locked, and the latch is opened again during the next reloading to ensure the normal rotation of the gear. At the same time, the ammunition chain cutter 210 starts to cut the ammunition chain to complete cartridge ejection.

[0052] The spring striker 206 contains an electromagnet, a latch, and a stepper motor. An external signal triggers the retraction of the electromagnet latch, and the compressed spring unfolds to release the striker. When the electromagnet is powered off, the stepper motor starts; the striker and the spring are pulled back; the latch resets to lock the spring.

[0053] There is a latch 211 in the groove of the ammunition carousel 204 that holds the net ammunition. The clearance of the latch 211 is the same as the width of the net ammunition support. When the net ammunition to be fired rotates to the firing position, the latch 211 can lock the net ammunition support 306, and the net ammunition in the waiting-to-fire slot is fixed.

[0054] Such as Figure 5 The ammunition belt cutter 210 includes 501, an electrode wire clamp; 502, a cutting electrode wire; 503, a spring. Figure 6 The cross-section of the net ammunition to be fired includes 601, a primer layer; 602, a high-pressure chamber; 603, a low-pressure chamber; 604, a projectile core; 605, a ballistic trajectory; 606, a cartridge case. Figure 7 The diagram of the projectile core deploying the net includes 701, a support skeleton; 702, a warhead; 703, an edge counterweight ring; 704, a deployment main shaft; 705, a deployment controller; 706, a net.

[0055] The ammunition belt 301 is made of a non-metallic material with a low melting point so that the ammunition belt cutter 210 can complete the work of cutting the ammunition belt.

[0056] In the ammunition belt cutter 210, the electrode wire clamp 501 fixes the cutting electrode wire 502. When it is powered on, the spring 503 contracts; the electrode wire itself generates high temperature; after the distance between the upper and lower electrode wires becomes narrower, the ammunition belt 301 is cut through high temperature. The fired net ammunition 303 passes through the cartridge ejection slot 209 to the cartridge ejection hole 8 to complete cartridge ejection.

[0057] The net ammunition 302 to be fired is a special net ammunition adapted to this device. Its cartridge case 606 is made of glass fiber-reinforced nylon, the bottom of the projectile core 604 is made of aluminum alloy; the head is made of carbon fiber, and there is a net inside. At the very bottom of the net ammunition is the primer layer 601, and above it is the high-pressure chamber 602. Further above is the low-pressure chamber 603. Both the high- and low-pressure chambers are made of aluminum alloy. The high-pressure chamber 602 is filled with high-energy propellant, and the primer is triggered by the striker 208 to ignite the gunpowder; high-pressure gas is generated. The low-pressure chamber 603 is located above the high-pressure chamber 602 and has a larger volume; it is connected to the high-pressure chamber 602 through a nozzle. After the high-pressure gas breaks through the diaphragm and enters the low-pressure chamber 603, the pressure drops suddenly, and the gas expands here and pushes the projectile core 604 containing the net out.

[0058] When the projectile core 604 is not launched, the support framework 701 inside the projectile core 604 is folded in a Z shape and placed closely against the deployment main shaft 704 inside the warhead 702. A total of 4 support frameworks 701 are provided for one net projectile. Each framework is divided into three sections, and elastic pins are provided at the joints of each section to fix the deployed state. The warhead 702 is made of carbon fiber, making the warhead light in weight and high in strength.

[0059] The function of the edge counterweight 703 is to increase the deployment inertia, and its material is tungsten alloy.

[0060] The deployment controller 705 includes a multi-source perception system, a spring, and a motor; the multi-source perception system includes one or more sensors among a barometric temperature sensor, a millimeter-wave radar sensor, a machine vision module, an acoustic detector, an infrared thermal imaging sensor, a microwave detector, a laser rangefinder, a vibration sensor, and an electromagnetic signal detector; through multi-source perception fusion technology, all-round and multi-dimensional detection and identification of the target are realized, greatly improving the detection reliability and anti-interference ability of the system in a complex environment;

[0061] When the projectile core approaches the target after being fired, when the multi-source perception system in the deployment controller 705 measures a distance of 1.5 m from the target, the motor inside it controls the projectile core shell to fall off, and it is bounced off by the compressed spring. The deployment main shaft 704 extends and drives the support framework 701 to deploy the net. The elastic pins at the joints of the framework fix the deployed state.

[0062] The net 706 is a mixed-woven net of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. The four corners of the net 706 are connected to the support framework 701 and the edge counterweight 703 respectively. The fully deployed area is 10 - 20 square meters. The mixed-woven net of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene has the characteristics of wear resistance, corrosion resistance, light weight, and environmental protection.

[0063] It should be noted that in this application, 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 term "comprising", "including" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "including a..." does not exclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element.

[0064] The above are only specific embodiments of the present application, enabling those skilled in the art to understand or implement the present application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application will not be limited to these embodiments shown herein, but rather will be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features claimed herein.

Claims

1. A net-catching and launching device for countering drone swarms, characterized in that: It includes a horizontal rotation mechanism, an elevation adjustment mechanism installed on the upper end of the horizontal rotation mechanism, a launch chamber installed on the elevation adjustment mechanism, an image recognition module arranged on the upper end of the launch chamber, a bullet feeding chamber installed on the side end of the launch chamber, a magazine installed inside the bullet feeding chamber, a launch tube arranged in front of the launch chamber, and a bullet ejection hole arranged at the rear of the launch chamber; The image recognition module includes a camera, a telephoto lens, and a sensor; The launch chamber includes a main control unit, a launch system, and a bullet changing system. The launch chamber is connected to the bullet feeding chamber; and the bullet feeding chamber is connected to the magazine; The emitting direction of the emitting tube is consistent with the recognition direction of the image recognition module.

2. The anti-UAV swarm net launching device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The camera is installed on the outer wall of the launch chamber, the telephoto lens is installed on the front end of the camera, and the sensor is located on the surface of the camera monitoring direction; the image processing module is located at the rear end of the camera inside the upper end of the launch chamber.

3. The anti-UAV swarm net launching device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A main control unit is installed at the bottom of the launch chamber; the launch system, bullet replacement system, image recognition module, pitch adjustment mechanism and horizontal rotation mechanism are all electrically connected to the main control unit.

4. The anti-UAV swarm net launching device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The launching system comprises a spring striker arranged at the bottom end of the launching chamber, a launcher gear arranged at the bottom end of the spring striker, and a striker installed at the front end of the spring striker; the launcher gear is meshed and connected with an intermediate gear.

5. The anti-UAV swarm net launching device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ammunition changing system comprises a reloading disc gear meshingly connected to an intermediate gear, a reloading disc main shaft installed at a side end of the reloading disc gear, a reloading disc installed at the end of the reloading disc main shaft, a bullet ejection slot arranged at one side of the reloading disc, and a bullet belt cutter installed at the lower end of the reloading disc; the other side of the reloading disc is connected to the ammunition feeding chamber; the bullet ejection hole is connected to the bullet ejection slot; The bullet changing tray is provided with a groove for accommodating the net-catching bullet to be fired, and a lock is provided in the groove; The chain cutter is composed of an electrode wire clamp, a cutting electrode wire and a spring; the chain cutter is supported in front of the bullet withdrawal groove by a chain cutter support rod; The bullet chain is made of non-metallic material, and is connected to a net-catching bullet bracket, on which a net-catching bullet to be launched is fixed; The net-catching bullet to be launched is composed of a shell and a core part installed inside the shell; the core part is composed of a primer layer, a high-pressure chamber, a low-pressure chamber, a bullet core and a trajectory from the bottom to the top.

6. The anti-UAV swarm net launching device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The core of the projectile includes a support frame, a warhead, an edge counterweight, an unfolding main shaft, an unfolding controller, a capture net and a shell of the core of the projectile; when not launched, the support frame is folded in a Z shape and close to the unfolding main shaft; a capture net projectile has four support frames, the end of the frame is an edge counterweight, each frame is divided into three sections, and each section has an elastic pin at the joint connection; the four corners of the capture net are connected to the support frame and the edge counterweight; The high and low pressure chambers are both made of aluminum alloy; The bottom of the bullet core is made of aluminum alloy; The shell is made of glass fiber reinforced nylon; The warhead support frame and the warhead are made of carbon fiber material; The material of the edge weight block is tungsten alloy; The deployment controller contains a multi-sensing system, a spring and a motor; the multi-sensing system includes one or more sensors selected from the group consisting of an air pressure and temperature sensor, a millimeter wave radar sensor, a machine vision module, an acoustic detector, an infrared thermal imaging sensor, a microwave detector, a laser rangefinder, a vibration sensor and an electromagnetic signal detector; The fishing net is an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene mixed net with a fully unfolded area of ​​10 to 20 square meters.

7. The anti-UAV swarm net launching device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pitch adjustment mechanism and the horizontal rotation mechanism both contain servo motors, and the servo motors can achieve 360° rotation.

8. The anti-UAV swarm net launching device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The launching system and the bullet changing system inside the launching chamber are coordinated to work with the launcher gear and the turntable gear through the intermediate gear.

Images