Telescopic unmanned aerial vehicle medical rescue transportation system

Abstract

The invention discloses a telescopic unmanned aerial vehicle transportation system which is composed of a rescue unmanned aerial vehicle, an ambulance body and a cooperative control system, the rescue unmanned aerial vehicle is carried on the top of the ambulance body, the rescue unmanned aerial vehicle and the ambulance body can achieve in-cabin space communication through a correspondingly-arranged movable cabin door, and the whole rescue unmanned aerial vehicle is designed to be of a telescopic structure. When the ambulance is in a normal running state, the unmanned aerial vehicle cabin is in a contraction state, when the ambulance cannot run normally due to traffic jam, road interruption or other emergency situations, the unmanned aerial vehicle cabin can be rapidly stretched and unfolded, and medical staff can lift the ambulance into the unmanned aerial vehicle cabin safely and stably through the rope winding machine system. Meanwhile, a basic life support system is arranged in the unmanned aerial vehicle cabin, and vital signs of the patient can be maintained in the transfer process. According to the invention, the transfer problem of the traditional ambulance under traffic jam or special terrain conditions is solved, the first-aid response time is greatly shortened, and precious treatment time is won for critical patients.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of emergency rescue transportation technology, specifically relating to a scalable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) transportation system, which is particularly suitable for medical emergency rescue in complex environments caused by emergencies such as war, geological disasters, and traffic accidents. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional emergency rescue vehicles have significant limitations in specific scenarios. For example, in urban traffic accidents or congested areas, although ambulances are equipped with sirens and warning lights, their efficiency is still limited during peak hours or when roads are closed. In remote areas, disaster sites such as earthquakes and floods, or in situations like war, due to unforeseen circumstances such as remote location, complex terrain, and damaged roads, traditional ambulances often struggle to quickly reach the patient's location or rapidly transport them from the accident site to a designated treatment location, resulting in wasted precious rescue time.

[0003] In recent years, drones have made significant progress in navigation, control systems, battery life, and materials science. However, using drones solely for medical emergency rescue presents challenges such as high costs, insufficient power, and inadequate transport distance. The development of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) technology enables drones to take off and land in confined spaces, making them suitable for applications in emergency environments.

[0004] Therefore, how to apply the advantages of drones to medical emergency rescue in special scenarios, so as to improve the transfer efficiency of the rescue system and ensure the safety of rescue personnel, is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned problems in existing technologies, this invention provides a retractable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) transport system. The rescue UAV is mounted on top of an ambulance and connected via an electromagnetic lock. The UAV features a retractable structure; when the ambulance is in normal operation, the UAV cabin is retracted to reduce the overall height of the vehicle, ensuring smooth passage through height-restricted areas and tunnels. When traffic congestion, road closures, or other emergencies prevent the ambulance from moving, the UAV cabin can be quickly extended. Medical personnel can then safely and smoothly lift the patient into the UAV cabin using a rope reel system. The UAV cabin is equipped with a basic life support system to maintain the patient's vital signs during transport. This design effectively solves the transport difficulties of traditional ambulances in traffic congestion or special terrain conditions, significantly shortens emergency response time, buys valuable treatment time for critically ill patients, and significantly improves emergency response efficiency and success rate.

[0006] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0007] This invention provides a retractable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) medical rescue and transportation system, which consists of a rescue UAV, an ambulance body, and a collaborative control system. The rescue UAV is mounted on top of the ambulance body, and the two can communicate with each other through corresponding movable hatches. The collaborative control system is communicatively connected to both the UAV controller of the rescue UAV and the vehicle-mounted controller of the ambulance body. The rescue UAV includes a retractable module, a fixed flight module, and rotors. The retractable module is mounted on the fixed flight module via an electric telescopic mechanism, and can slide and extend up and down relative to the fixed flight module under the drive of the electric telescopic mechanism. A rope winding system is integrated at the top of the retractable module. The rotors are mounted on the outside of the fixed flight module.

[0008] Furthermore, the bottom of the fixed flight module of the drone is provided with an electric double-opening door for the drone, and the position of the electric double-opening door of the drone corresponds to the position of the electric sliding top door on the top of the ambulance body, so as to realize the connection between the rescue drone and the cabin of the ambulance body to form a transfer channel.

[0009] Furthermore, the fixed flight module of the UAV is equipped with a vital signs monitoring system and a communication system.

[0010] Furthermore, the fixed flight module of the UAV is equipped with a telescopic landing gear at its bottom.

[0011] Furthermore, the rope winding system is installed on the top of the rescue drone cabin and includes a fixed rope winding machine and a movable rope winding machine with the same structure. The fixed rope winding machine includes a fixing device, a motor, a rope, a lock, a turntable, and a reducer. The rope winding machine is installed on the top of the rescue drone cabin via the fixing device, and the motor is installed on the fixing device. The motor drives the reducer to drive the turntable to rotate, and the rope is wound on the turntable and connected to the lock.

[0012] Furthermore, the ambulance body is equipped with an electromagnetic lock on top for securing the rescue drone mounted on it.

[0013] Furthermore, the interior of the ambulance is a medical cabin, equipped with medical emergency equipment, vital sign monitoring equipment, and safety communication equipment.

[0014] Furthermore, the collaborative control system simultaneously communicates with multiple rescue drones and multiple ambulances to obtain the location and status information of each rescue drone, as well as the location, equipment, and personnel information of each ambulance. Combined with the surrounding environmental information of the drone medical rescue transportation system, it determines the path and pick-up point information of the rescue drones and controls the rescue drones to carry out transfer and transportation.

[0015] Furthermore, it also includes a remote medical system, which is communicatively connected to the collaborative control system to obtain vital sign information of the transferred injured persons and perform remote diagnosis.

[0016] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] Highly efficient transport: Unrestricted by ground traffic, drones can rapidly transport patients in congested or complex terrain conditions. With a maximum flight speed of 120 km / h, combined with their intelligent path planning technology, drones can automatically avoid obstacles and select the optimal route while transporting patients at high speed. Drone transport can reduce the response time of emergency transport systems from 15-30 minutes with traditional ambulances to less than 2 minutes, lowering the delay rate during transport. This is particularly suitable for emergency treatment of conditions like myocardial infarction, where the golden rescue period is only 10-30 minutes.

[0018] Flexible Deployment: The rescue drone of this invention adopts an innovative layered telescopic architecture. Through an electric-assisted system, it achieves flexible switching between a retracted height of 0.82 meters and an extended height of 1.62 meters. The foldable rotor design reduces the overall area, ensuring the drone does not occupy extra space when not in use, facilitating daily ambulance operations. The rotor can be deployed or retracted within 5 seconds, requiring no additional tools. Combined with a servo motor-driven rope reel lifting system, it achieves rapid deployment in 20 seconds, significantly improving emergency response efficiency.

[0019] Safety Guarantee: Both the ambulance and the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) cabin are equipped with life support systems to ensure patient safety during transport. The cabin features a medical-grade sealed design, an oxygen supply system, and dual vital sign monitoring modules, enabling real-time monitoring of key indicators such as heart rate, blood oxygen, and blood pressure. It provides a superior medical treatment environment and transmits patient data to the ground medical team in real time. The UAV cabin incorporates a servo motor-controlled, precisely controlled rope reel lifting system to ensure patient stability during transport and prevent secondary injuries.

[0020] Intelligent Control: Through a collaborative control system and a telemedicine system, the system enables precise control of rescue drones and real-time transmission of patient data. The system integrates a 5G communication module, high-precision positioning, and AI autonomous decision-making algorithms, supporting one-click takeoff, automatic landing, and remote medical consultation functions, ensuring full controllability and traceability throughout the transport process.

[0021] Intelligent Collaboration: The rescue drone, ambulance, and collaborative control system form an intelligent linkage system. The collaborative control system can automatically identify the optimal transfer plan based on road environment information, ambulance location information, drone status information, etc. When the drone's power is insufficient or its range is limited, the system will intelligently plan the handover point of the empty ambulance ahead, realizing seamless handover between the drone and the ambulance and ensuring uninterrupted transfer.

[0022] This invention effectively solves the problem of emergency medical delays caused by urban traffic congestion. Its modular design significantly reduces the cost per transfer, making it more economical than traditional air rescue methods. Simultaneously, the system can be flexibly expanded for application in special scenarios that traditional ambulances struggle to cover, such as disaster relief and emergency medical care in remote areas, significantly improving the success rate of rescuing critically ill patients and achieving a dual breakthrough in technological innovation and social value. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a front view of the overall structure of the scalable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) medical rescue and transportation system in its deployed state, as described in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a top view of the overall structure of the scalable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) medical rescue and transportation system in its deployed state, as described in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 3 The main view of the overall structure of the scalable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) medical rescue and transportation system in its collapsed state according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 4 A top view of the retracted overall structure of the scalable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) medical rescue and transportation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the main cross-sectional structure of the rescue drone described in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the rear-view cross-sectional structure of the rescue drone described in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the main sectional view of the ambulance described in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the rear cross-sectional structure of the ambulance described in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the rope winding machine structure described in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] In the picture:

[0033] A - Retractable module for UAV; B - Fixed flight module for UAV; C - Ambulance body; D - Rotor;

[0034] A1 - Fixed rope winding machine; A2 - Mobile rope winding machine;

[0035] B1 - Ventilator; B2 - Electrocardiograph; B3 - Electric double-opening drone door; B4 - Telescopic landing gear; B5 - Walkie-talkie; B6 - First-aid kit;

[0036] C1 - Electric sliding ambulance hatch; C2 - Electromagnetic lock; C3 - Electrocardiograph II; C4 - Defibrillator; C5 - Suctioning device; C6 - Medicine cabinet; C7 - Single seat No. 1; C8 - Disinfection lamp; C9 - Socket; C10 - Dummy patient; C11 - Stretcher bed; C12 - Ambulance walkie-talkie; C13 - Storage locker; C14 - Single seat No. 2; C15 - Lighting; C16 - Fire extinguisher;

[0037] A101 - Fixing device; A102 - Motor; A103 - Rope; A104 - Lock; A105 - Turntable; A106 - Reducer. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The technical solution of the present invention is further described below with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings:

[0039] This embodiment describes a scalable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) medical rescue and transportation system, such as... Figures 1 to 4 As shown, it consists of a rescue drone, an ambulance body, and a collaborative control system. The rescue drone is mounted on the top of the ambulance body, and the two can be connected in the cabin space through a movable door. The collaborative control system is connected to the drone controller of the rescue drone and the vehicle controller of the ambulance body.

[0040] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the rescue drone consists of a retractable drone module A, a fixed drone flight module B, and a rotor D. The retractable drone module A is mounted on the fixed drone flight module B via an electric telescopic mechanism, allowing it to slide and extend vertically relative to the fixed drone flight module B under the drive of the electric telescopic mechanism, with stepless adjustment within a height range of 0.8-1.62 meters. A rope winding system is integrated at the top of the retractable drone module A. The rotor D is mounted on the outside of the fixed drone flight module B and has both extended and folded states. The bottom of the fixed drone flight module B has an electric double-opening hatch B3, the position of which corresponds to the position of the electric sliding hatch C1 on the top of the ambulance body, used to connect the rescue drone with the inner cabin of the ambulance body. The fixed drone flight module B contains a vital signs monitoring system and a communication system.

[0041] Furthermore, the bottom of the drone fixed flight module is provided with a telescopic landing gear B4. After the telescopic landing gear B4 is retracted into the drone fixed flight module B, the ambulance body and the rescue drone are fixed by an electromagnetic locking device provided on the top of the ambulance body.

[0042] Preferably, the vital signs monitoring system includes a ventilator B1, an electrocardiograph B2, and a first-aid kit B6. The communication system includes a walkie-talkie B5.

[0043] Furthermore, a fixed rope reel machine A1 and a movable rope reel machine A2 are respectively fixed to the top of the retractable module A of the drone. When the rescue drone and the main body of the ambulance are in a cabin-connected state, the injured person can be moved up and down through the rope reel machines.

[0044] Furthermore, the rope winding system is installed at the top of the rescue drone cabin, including a fixed rope winding machine A1 fixedly installed on the top of the cabin, and a movable rope winding machine A2 with the same structure slidably connected to the top of the cabin, whose position can be adjusted forward and backward to accommodate stretchers of different sizes. Figure 9 As shown, the fixed rope winding machine A1 includes a fixing device A101, a motor A102, a rope A103, a locking buckle A104, a turntable A105, and a reducer A106. The rope winding machine is installed on the top of the rescue drone's cabin via the fixing device A101. The motor A102 is mounted on the fixing device A101, and the motor A102 drives the reducer A106 to rotate the turntable A105. The rope A103 is wound around the turntable A105 and connected to the locking buckle A104, which is used to fasten the stretcher bed. During the lifting and lowering process, the system automatically maintains the appropriate tension of the cable to ensure a smooth and safe lifting and lowering process for the stretcher. The entire rope winding machine has a compact structure and is easy to operate. It not only meets the strict requirements for patient transport safety in medical rescue, but also adapts to the flexible use needs of stretchers of different specifications, significantly improving the reliability and adaptability of drone medical rescue.

[0045] Furthermore, such as Figure 7 , Figure 8 As shown, the top of the ambulance body is equipped with an electric sliding top hatch C1. The position of the electric sliding top hatch C1 corresponds to the position of the electric double-opening hatch B3 of the drone at the bottom of the rescue drone. When the electric sliding top hatch C1 and the electric double-opening hatch B3 of the drone are fully opened, the rescue drone and the ambulance body can be connected in the cabin space to form a transfer channel, which meets the space requirements for the stretcher bed and the patient to move up and down.

[0046] Preferably, the electrically operated sliding top hatch C1 can be selected as a sliding hatch that slides backward or slides to the side.

[0047] Furthermore, the ambulance body is equipped with an electromagnetic lock C2 on its top for securing the rescue drone mounted on top.

[0048] Furthermore, the interior of the ambulance is a medical cabin, equipped with medical emergency equipment, vital sign monitoring equipment, and safety communication equipment.

[0049] Preferably, the medical emergency equipment includes a defibrillator C4, a suction device C5, a medicine cabinet C6, a single seat C7, a disinfection lamp C8, a stretcher bed C11, a storage cabinet C13, a second single seat C14, and a lighting lamp C15. The medicine cabinet C6 features a temperature and humidity control design and is equipped with an intelligent management system. The front multi-functional storage cabinet C13 adopts a modular design, classifying and storing various medical supplies and emergency equipment for convenient and quick access. Foldable medical seats are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the cabin. The ultraviolet disinfection lamps on the side walls and the embedded lighting lamps on the top form a three-dimensional disinfection and lighting network. The sliding stretcher bed is equipped with a shock-absorbing system to ensure smooth and safe patient transport. The vital signs monitoring equipment includes a second electrocardiograph C3. The safety communication equipment includes a socket C9, a fire extinguisher C16, and an ambulance walkie-talkie C12. The cabin wall has multiple sets of power sockets to ensure continuous power supply for the medical equipment, and a vehicle-mounted walkie-talkie is also installed for convenient communication. The cabin is also equipped with a fire extinguishing device for rapid response in emergencies, ensuring the safety of the vehicle and personnel. All functional modules are integrated and managed through the system control system, enabling the coordinated operation of medical equipment, environmental control, safety monitoring and other systems to ensure the efficiency and reliability of the rescue process.

[0050] Furthermore, the collaborative control system simultaneously communicates with multiple rescue drones and multiple ambulances to obtain the location and status information of each rescue drone, as well as the location, equipment, and personnel information of each ambulance. Combined with the surrounding environmental information of the drone medical rescue transportation system, it determines the path and pick-up point information of the rescue drones and controls the rescue drones to carry out transfer and transportation.

[0051] Furthermore, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) medical rescue and transportation system is also equipped with a remote medical system. The remote medical system is connected to the collaborative control system to obtain the vital signs information of the transferred injured persons and perform remote diagnosis, and recommend emergency treatment plans for medical rescue personnel.

[0052] The working principle of this embodiment is as follows:

[0053] The entire system has two working modes: expandable and retractable. Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown.

[0054] With ambulance C in normal driving mode, the system remains in a retracted state. The upper retractable module A of the rescue drone retracts into the lower fixed flight module B, and the side rotors D are folded close to the fuselage. The system is retracted to its minimum height, with a flat overall shape. At this time, both the doors of the rescue drone and the main body of the ambulance remain closed to ensure aerodynamic performance and road passability during vehicle operation. Medical personnel then provide initial treatment to the patient inside the ambulance.

[0055] When encountering traffic congestion, road closures, or critical conditions, the system activates rescue mode and begins its opening phase. The electrically operated sliding top door C1 on the top of the ambulance opens in parallel, followed by the electrically operated double-opening door B3 on the bottom of the drone, symmetrically opening downwards. Once open, a continuous transfer channel is formed between the ambulance cabin and the drone's medical cabin. The electric drive system then extends the upper retractable module A from 0.82 meters to a working height of 1.62 meters within 10 seconds. The rope reel system then releases the high-strength cable A103. After medical personnel secure the patient to the stretcher C14, the servo motor A102 drives the turntable A105 to tighten the cable A103, smoothly lifting the patient. Once the injured person is in a specific position within the drone's medical cabin, the turntable A105 stops rotating and immediately secures the stretcher C14, completing the rapid transfer of the injured person into the drone's cabin. Simultaneously, the folding rotors unfold, preparing for flight. This integrated design achieves seamless connection between the ground ambulance and the air rescue system, enabling rapid patient transfer in emergencies.

[0056] The rescue drone flies along the route issued by the system control system and uses its own multi-sensor fusion system to avoid obstacles and navigate. At the same time, it transmits the patient's vital signs data to the collaborative control system in real time for remote medical diagnosis.

[0057] When the rescue drone's battery is low, the collaborative control system searches for the nearest empty ambulance and guides the drone to land on the ambulance to complete the transfer. The rescue drone is equipped with an intelligent retractable landing gear system B4. During landing, the landing gear first extends to contact the top of the ambulance. Once the drone is stably docked, the electromagnetic locking device C2 on the roof automatically activates, firmly securing the drone. After locking, the landing gear automatically retracts, ensuring the drone's bottom is completely flush with the roof, guaranteeing stability and safety during transport.

[0058] After completing the mission, the drone can autonomously return to the ambulance, and the cabin retracts and resets. The entire process, from triggering to takeoff, takes no more than 30 seconds.

Claims

1. A scalable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) medical rescue and transportation system, characterized in that, It consists of a rescue drone, an ambulance body, and a collaborative control system. The rescue drone is mounted on top of the ambulance body, and the two can communicate with each other through corresponding movable doors. The collaborative control system communicates with both the drone controller of the rescue drone and the vehicle controller of the ambulance body. The rescue drone includes a retractable module, a fixed flight module, and rotors. The retractable module is mounted on the fixed flight module via an electric telescopic mechanism, and can slide and extend up and down relative to the fixed flight module under the drive of the electric telescopic mechanism. A rope winding system is integrated at the top of the retractable module. The rotors are mounted on the outside of the fixed flight module.

2. The scalable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) medical rescue and transportation system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the fixed flight module of the UAV is equipped with an electric double-opening door for the UAV, and the position of the electric double-opening door for the UAV corresponds to the position of the electric sliding top door on the top of the ambulance body, so as to realize the connection between the rescue UAV and the cabin of the ambulance body to form a transfer channel.

3. The scalable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) medical rescue and transportation system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The fixed flight module of the UAV is equipped with a vital signs monitoring system and a communication system.

4. A scalable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) medical rescue and transportation system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The fixed flight module of the UAV is equipped with a retractable landing gear at the bottom.

5. A scalable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) medical rescue and transportation system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The rope winding system is installed on the top of the rescue drone cabin and includes a fixed rope winding machine and a movable rope winding machine with the same structure. The fixed rope winding machine includes a fixing device, a motor, a rope, a lock, a turntable, and a reducer. The rope winding machine is installed on the top of the rescue drone cabin via the fixing device, and the motor is installed on the fixing device. The motor drives the reducer to drive the turntable to rotate, and the rope is wound on the turntable and connected to the lock.

6. A scalable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) medical rescue and transportation system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The ambulance is equipped with an electromagnetic lock on its top to secure the rescue drone mounted on it.

7. A scalable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) medical rescue and transportation system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The ambulance's main interior is a medical cabin, equipped with medical emergency equipment, vital sign monitoring equipment, and safety communication equipment.

8. A scalable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) medical rescue and transportation system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The collaborative control system simultaneously communicates with multiple rescue drones and multiple ambulances to obtain the location and status information of each rescue drone, as well as the location, equipment, and personnel information of each ambulance. Combined with the surrounding environmental information of the drone medical rescue transportation system, it determines the path and pick-up point information of the rescue drones and controls the rescue drones to carry out transfer and transportation.

9. A scalable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) medical rescue and transportation system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a remote medical system, which is connected to the collaborative control system to obtain vital sign information of the transferred patients and perform remote diagnosis.

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