Unmanned aerial vehicle parking apron

Abstract

The invention discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle parking apron which comprises a parking apron plate, a first telescopic rod, a second telescopic rod, a sensing assembly, a driving assembly and a controller. One end of the first telescopic rod is connected with the movable end on the side edge of the parking apron plate through a first connecting piece, and one end of the second telescopic rod is connected with the movable end on the other side edge of the parking apron plate through a second connecting piece; the sensing assembly at least comprises a millimeter wave radar and an optical sensor. According to the invention, the damage caused by the deviation of the landing position or the unstable attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be effectively reduced, and the landing safety and precision are improved; the parking apron is automatically adjusted according to the actual state of the unmanned aerial vehicle, dependence on experience of operators is reduced, operation is easier and more convenient, human errors are reduced, and operation efficiency and reliability are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) control, in particular to an UAV landing pad. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of small multi-rotor drone technology and its widespread application in scenarios such as substations, the landing safety of drones has become an important factor in ensuring the smooth progress of operations.

[0003] In actual operation, drones require a flat and stable landing area to ensure a safe landing. However, existing helipads have some problems during use. On the one hand, although the landing position of drones can be pre-set, deviations often occur during actual landing, resulting in a certain deviation between the landing position of the drone and the set position, causing damage to the drone structure. On the other hand, during the landing process, the drone body will also deviate from the standard posture due to internal mechanical operation or external environment, resulting in damage due to improper contact position with the helipad surface when landing on it. The existing helipad is a fixed plate structure. During the landing process of the drone, the landing effect is largely restricted by the drone operation experience of the controller. If the operation is improper, an accurate landing cannot be guaranteed.

[0004] It can be seen that how to design a helipad to ensure the landing effect of drones has become a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides a drone landing pad to achieve precise landing of the drone, thereby protecting the drone.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present invention provides a drone landing pad, including a landing pad board, a first telescopic rod, a second telescopic rod, a sensing component, a driving component and a controller.

[0007] One end of the first telescopic rod is connected to the movable end on the side of the apron board through a first connecting piece, and one end of the second telescopic rod is connected to the movable end on the other side of the apron board through a second connecting piece.

[0008] The sensing component includes at least a millimeter wave radar and an optical sensor.

[0009] The controller is configured to:

[0010] When a landing signal of a target UAV is detected, the first posture data of the target UAV collected by the millimeter wave radar and the second posture data collected by the optical sensor are integrated and analyzed to obtain third posture data of the target UAV.

[0011] The third posture data is input into a pre-built UAV landing simulation model to predict the landing posture data of the target UAV.

[0012] The landing posture data is compared with a preset landing standard, and a matching control signal is generated based on the comparison result.

[0013] The control signal is sent to the driving component, so that the driving component controls the movement of the first connecting member, the second connecting member, the moving end of the first telescopic rod or the moving end of the second telescopic rod respectively.

[0014] Furthermore, detachable rings are respectively provided on both sides of the apron board.

[0015] The other end of the first telescopic rod is fixed by the detachable collar provided on one side of the apron board.

[0016] The other end of the second telescopic rod is fixed by the detachable collar provided on the other side of the apron board.

[0017] Furthermore, the apron plate consists of a first apron plate and a second apron plate.

[0018] The first apron panel and the second apron panel are connected by a hinge.

[0019] Furthermore, a rotary plunger is provided on the first apron plate.

[0020] The other end of the rotary plunger is provided with an insertion shaft, and the second apron plate is provided with a fixing hole matching the insertion shaft.

[0021] Furthermore, the sensing component also includes a pressure sensor.

[0022] The pressure sensors are distributed on the surface of the apron plate.

[0023] The controller is further configured to:

[0024] When the landing of the target UAV is detected, the pressure data collected by the pressure sensor is analyzed to obtain the load distribution data of the helipad plate, and the actions of the first connecting member and the second connecting member are controlled according to the load distribution data.

[0025] Furthermore, a trigger mechanism is provided at the other end of the first telescopic rod and / or the other end of the second telescopic rod.

[0026] The trigger mechanism is used to control the movement of the moving end of the first telescopic rod and the moving end of the second telescopic rod.

[0027] Furthermore, the first telescopic rod and the second telescopic rod are multi-stage sleeve structures.

[0028] Furthermore, shock absorbing components are provided at the connections between the first telescopic rod, the second telescopic rod and the apron board.

[0029] Furthermore, a raised structure is provided at the edge of the apron board.

[0030] Furthermore, the surface of the apron board is provided with a luminous mark.

[0031] Compared with the prior art, the embodiments of the present invention have the following advantages:

[0032] The drone's attitude data is accurately acquired through sensing components, and the controller processes it to precisely adjust the attitude of the helipad, effectively reducing damage caused by landing position deviation or unstable drone attitude, and improving landing safety and accuracy.

[0033] The helipad board is detachable and foldable, and the telescopic rod has a multi-stage sleeve structure and a trigger mechanism. Combined with shock-absorbing components and luminous markings, it can provide a stable, clear and adaptable landing platform for drones in different environments and conditions, enhancing the system's adaptability and flexibility.

[0034] Automatically adjust according to the actual status of the drone, reducing dependence on operator experience, making operation easier, reducing human errors, and improving operational efficiency and reliability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a drone landing pad in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the partial structure of a drone landing pad in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. The purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the disclosure of the present invention more thorough and comprehensive. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] In the description of this application, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature specified as "first," "second," "third," etc. may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0039] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected" and "connected" 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 a communication between the two components. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right", "up", "down" and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only, and do not indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0040] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meanings as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art. The terms used in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood by those skilled in the art in specific circumstances.

[0041] An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for Figure 1 , Figure 1 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a drone landing pad in one embodiment of the present invention, including a landing pad plate, a first telescopic rod, a second telescopic rod, a sensing component, a driving component and a controller.

[0042] Since traditional drone aprons are large in size, inconvenient to carry and transport, and cannot be flexibly adjusted in size and shape according to actual needs, their application in different scenarios is limited. In addition, drone aprons need to be easy to carry and store when not in use. Therefore, the apron board of this embodiment is a foldable apron board, specifically including a first apron board and a second apron board. The first apron board and the second apron board are connected by a hinge. When not in use, the first apron board and the second apron board can be folded and stored to save storage space.

[0043] like Figure 2 As shown, a rotary plunger is provided on the first apron board, one end of the rotary plunger is movably connected to the first apron board, the other end of the rotary plunger is provided with an insertion shaft, and the second apron board is provided with a fixing hole matching the insertion shaft. When the apron board is unfolded and used, the insertion shaft is inserted into the fixing hole, which can ensure a stable connection between the first apron board and the second apron board, preventing shaking or separation during use, which affects the safety of the drone's take-off and landing.

[0044] Most drones also have an auxiliary function for apron identification to improve the landing accuracy of the drone. In night-light or low-light environments, the drone needs to rely on other auxiliary means to identify the location and range of the apron. Therefore, the surface of the apron board in this embodiment is provided with a luminous mark, which can glow in the dark and provide clear visual guidance for the drone.

[0045] When the UAV approaches the apron, the operator or the autopilot system can quickly identify the location and range of the apron through the luminous signs, thereby improving the accuracy of take-off and landing operations and enhancing the safety and reliability of UAV operations at night.

[0046] Since drones may take off and land in different environments, such as slopes and uneven ground, the apron board needs to be able to flexibly adjust its angle and position to ensure the stable landing of the drone. In this embodiment, a telescopic rod is provided on the apron board. One end of the telescopic rod is connected to the apron board, and the other end can be set on the surrounding fixing devices through other fixing devices, such as walls, apron fixing brackets, etc., which can provide a stable support structure.

[0047] Among them, the telescopic rod includes a first telescopic rod and a second telescopic rod, one end of the first telescopic rod is connected to the movable end on the side of the apron board through a first connecting member, and one end of the second telescopic rod is connected to the movable end on the other side of the apron board through a second connecting member.

[0048] The first connecting member and the second connecting member are both connected to a driving assembly, and the driving assembly is used to drive the first connecting member and the second connecting member, thereby controlling the tilt angle, horizontal state, etc. of the apron plate.

[0049] The sensing components include at least millimeter-wave radar and optical sensors.

[0050] The controller is configured as:

[0051] When the landing signal of the target UAV is detected, the first posture data of the target UAV collected by the millimeter wave radar and the second posture data collected by the optical sensor are integrated and analyzed to obtain the third posture data of the target UAV.

[0052] Optical sensors can provide high-precision visual image data to help identify and track targets, and the data provided is clearer. However, in adverse weather, millimeter-wave radar can penetrate smoke, fog, rain and other environments to provide the speed, distance and angle information of the drone. The combination of the two can obtain third-party posture data, which can improve the accuracy and reliability of the data and ensure stable operation in various environmental conditions.

[0053] The drone landing process is complex and involves the influence of multiple factors. The actual landing environment is changeable, and it is difficult to fully and accurately predict the attitude based solely on real-time data. Pre-building a simulation model and using historical data to simulate the landing attitude can provide more comprehensive data and improve prediction accuracy. In this embodiment, a drone landing simulation model is pre-built through Simulink. By inputting a large amount of historical drone visual image data and radar wave data, the drone's landing attitude is simulated, thereby obtaining continuous landing attitude data of the drone during the landing process.

[0054] The landing process of a drone is complex and highly variable, influenced by environmental factors such as the landing environment, as well as its own dynamic characteristics. During actual landings, the data collected by sensors in real time may contain noise and missing data, making it difficult to accurately predict the drone's attitude based solely on this data. By building a simulation model in advance, we can leverage extensive historical data to fully simulate the landing process, thereby obtaining richer and more accurate attitude data, providing a reliable basis for subsequent predictions.

[0055] The trained drone landing simulation model is built into the controller of the apron. The controller receives the visual image data and radar wave data collected in real time by the optical sensor and millimeter-wave radar and inputs them into the drone landing simulation model to predict the landing posture data of the target drone.

[0056] The third posture data is input into a pre-built UAV landing simulation model to predict the landing posture data of the target UAV. The UAV landing simulation model provides a reference model based on historical data for UAV posture prediction, which can simulate the landing posture of the UAV under different conditions and help the controller better obtain more accurate posture data according to the movement laws of the UAV.

[0057] A preset landing standard is established based on the design parameters and safety requirements of the drone. This landing standard represents the ideal landing state. The landing attitude data is compared with the preset landing standard, and a corresponding control signal is generated based on the size and direction of the deviation obtained from the comparison to control the drive component to adjust the apron plate.

[0058] The control component controls the first connecting member and the second connecting member to move, thereby realizing the change of the inclination angle and the horizontal state of the apron board. Preferably, in order to better control the apron board, the first connecting member and the second connecting member selected in this embodiment are universal couplings. Through the universal coupling structure, the apron board can be more flexibly and accurately adjusted.

[0059] Specifically, the first telescopic rod and the second telescopic rod of this embodiment are both multi-stage sleeve structures, which can control the length of the telescopic rod. The first telescopic rod and the second telescopic rod are also connected to a drive assembly. Specifically, a centralized drive method can be adopted, and a main drive assembly is set at the root of the telescopic rod. The power is distributed to the telescopic rods at each level through a transmission mechanism (such as gear drive, belt drive or chain drive). For example, a motor drives the main shaft, and the main shaft drives the nuts or sliders of the telescopic rods at each level through a gear set, thereby achieving step-by-step extension and retraction. When the controller determines that there is a deviation in the coordinates of the drone's landing position based on the received data, the driving assembly can be used to control the movement of the moving end of the first telescopic rod and the moving end of the second telescopic rod, thereby achieving the extension and retraction of the telescopic rods to adapt to the drone's landing position.

[0060] Although the controller can automatically adjust the telescopic rod based on sensor data, in some cases, such as in an emergency or when manual fine-tuning is required, an additional telescopic rod control end is required. In this embodiment, in addition to the controller determining and controlling the movement of the telescopic rod based on the received data, a trigger mechanism, specifically a button device, is also provided on the telescopic rod. The operator can also use the trigger mechanism to control the movement ends of the first telescopic rod and the second telescopic rod to control the length of the telescopic rod.

[0061] In addition, detachable rings are respectively provided on both sides of this embodiment. The other end of the first telescopic rod is fixed by a detachable ring provided on one side of the apron board, and the other end of the second telescopic rod is fixed by a detachable ring provided on the other side of the apron board.

[0062] In some cases, only the position of the apron needs to be adjusted without adjusting the inclination angle and horizontal state of the apron. In this case, the other ends of the first telescopic rod and the second telescopic rod can be fixed by a detachable ring, and the ring can be fixed at the end away from the connection between the telescopic rod and the apron board to increase the stability of the apron board.

[0063] When a drone lands, its weight distribution and pressure changes have a direct impact on the stability and safety of the helipad. Preferably, the sensing assembly of the embodiment of the present invention further includes pressure sensors, which are distributed on the surface of the helipad board.

[0064] When a target drone lands, the pressure sensor senses pressure changes on the apron surface in real time. The controller analyzes the pressure data collected by the pressure sensor to determine the apron's load distribution. Based on this load distribution data, the controller controls the movement of the first and second connectors, adjusting the apron's tilt angle and horizontal position to ensure the stability and safety of the apron during drone landing. By monitoring the apron's load distribution in real time through the pressure sensor, the position and angle of the apron can be adjusted more precisely.

[0065] When a drone lands, it will generate an impact force on the apron board, especially on uneven ground or in strong winds. In this embodiment, shock-absorbing components are provided at the connection positions of the first telescopic rod and the second telescopic rod with the apron board to ensure that the apron board remains stable when the drone lands, avoid shaking of the apron board due to vibration, and avoid damage to the first connecting member and the second connecting member caused by the landing of the drone.

[0066] Preferably, in this embodiment, a raised structure is provided at the edge of the helipad board, which is equivalent to a guardrail for the entire drone helipad board. The raised structure is provided around the four sides of the helipad board, forming a physical barrier at the edge of the helipad board to prevent the drone from sliding off the helipad in an accident, thereby ensuring the safety of the drone during landing and parking. However, in order to avoid interference between the raised structure and the drone's blades, thereby causing damage to the blades, the height of the raised structure should be strictly limited. Specifically, the height of the raised structure should be designed according to the lowest point position of the drone's blades to ensure that during the normal landing, parking and take-off of the drone, a sufficient safety distance is maintained between the blades and the raised structure, thereby ensuring the safety of the drone while avoiding damage to the blades due to the raised structure being too high.

[0067] The height of the raised structure should be precisely calculated based on the lowest point of the drone's propeller blades. For example, for a typical quadcopter, the vertical distance between the lowest point of the propeller blade and the landing pad surface is typically H centimeters. Therefore, the height of the raised structure should not exceed [H - 5] centimeters (adjustable depending on the specific drone model) to ensure that the propeller blades do not interfere with the raised structure during normal rotation.

[0068] The drone landing pad of the present invention accurately obtains the drone attitude data through the sensing component, and accurately adjusts the attitude of the landing pad board after processing by the controller, effectively reducing damage caused by landing position deviation or unstable drone attitude, and improving landing safety and accuracy; the landing pad board is detachable and foldable, and the telescopic rod is a multi-stage sleeve structure with a trigger mechanism. Combined with the shock-absorbing component and luminous mark, it can provide a stable, clear and adaptable landing platform for the drone in different environments and conditions, enhancing the adaptability and flexibility of the system; it automatically adjusts according to the actual state of the drone, reducing dependence on the operator's experience, making operation easier, reducing human errors, and improving work efficiency and reliability.

[0069] The above-described embodiments merely illustrate several implementations of the present invention, and while their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art would be able to make numerous variations and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A drone parking apron, characterized in that: It includes a helipad plate, a first telescopic rod, a second telescopic rod, a sensing component, a driving component and a controller; One end of the first telescopic rod is connected to a movable end on a side of the apron board via a first connecting member, and one end of the second telescopic rod is connected to a movable end on the other side of the apron board via a second connecting member; The sensing component includes at least a millimeter wave radar and an optical sensor; The controller is configured to: When a landing signal of a target UAV is detected, integrating and analyzing the first posture data of the target UAV collected by the millimeter-wave radar and the second posture data collected by the optical sensor to obtain third posture data of the target UAV; Inputting the third posture data into a pre-built UAV landing simulation model to predict the landing posture data of the target UAV; Comparing the landing posture data with a preset landing standard, and generating a matching control signal based on the comparison result; The control signal is sent to the driving component, so that the driving component controls the movement of the first connecting member, the second connecting member, the moving end of the first telescopic rod or the moving end of the second telescopic rod respectively.

2. The drone landing pad according to claim 1, characterized in that: Removable collars are provided on both sides of the apron board; The other end of the first telescopic rod is fixed by the detachable collar provided on one side of the apron board; The other end of the second telescopic rod is fixed by the detachable collar provided on the other side of the apron board.

3. The drone landing pad according to claim 1, wherein: The apron plate consists of a first apron plate and a second apron plate; The first apron panel and the second apron panel are connected by a hinge.

4. The drone landing pad according to claim 3, characterized in that: A rotary plunger is provided on the first apron plate; The other end of the rotary plunger is provided with an insertion shaft, and the second apron plate is provided with a fixing hole matching the insertion shaft.

5. The drone landing pad according to claim 1, wherein: The sensing component also includes a pressure sensor; The pressure sensors are distributed on the surface of the apron plate; The controller is further configured to: When the landing of the target UAV is detected, the pressure data collected by the pressure sensor is analyzed to obtain the load distribution data of the helipad plate, and the actions of the first connecting member and the second connecting member are controlled according to the load distribution data.

6. The drone landing pad according to claim 1, wherein: The other end of the first telescopic rod and / or the other end of the second telescopic rod is provided with a trigger mechanism; The trigger mechanism is used to control the movement of the moving end of the first telescopic rod and the moving end of the second telescopic rod.

7. The drone landing pad according to claim 1, wherein: The first telescopic rod and the second telescopic rod are multi-stage sleeve structures.

8. The drone landing pad according to claim 1, wherein: The connection places of the first telescopic rod, the second telescopic rod and the apron plate are both provided with shock absorbing components.

9. The drone landing pad according to claim 1, wherein: A raised structure is provided at the edge of the apron plate.

10. The drone landing pad according to claim 1, wherein: The surface of the apron board is provided with a luminous mark.

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