Intelligent unmanned aerial vehicle three-dimensional automatic inspection device and method thereof

Abstract

The application relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle inspection, and discloses an intelligent unmanned aerial vehicle three-dimensional automatic inspection device and a method thereof, which comprises an inspection device used for performing inspection in an inspection area, the inspection device comprises a hanging seat and an unmanned aerial vehicle, the hanging seat is fixed to a wall body, and the unmanned aerial vehicle is adsorbed to the surface of the hanging seat; the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle shell and a scanner installed in the unmanned aerial vehicle shell, the scanner is connected to the inner side of the unmanned aerial vehicle shell through a steering engine, a camera protruding from the lower end horizontal plane of the unmanned aerial vehicle shell is arranged at the lower end of the scanner, the scanner is driven to swing and the direction of the camera is changed through the steering engine, then when the unmanned aerial vehicle completes an inspection task, the unmanned aerial vehicle can autonomously fly to the hanging seat fixed to the wall body, and the unmanned aerial vehicle shell is accurately arranged against the lower end of the hanging seat; the power receiving contact arranged on the unmanned aerial vehicle is in physical contact with the charging contact piece hung on the seat, and a stable electrical connection is formed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) inspection, specifically to an intelligent UAV three-dimensional automatic inspection device and method. Background Technology

[0002] A drone-based 3D inspection device is a system that uses drones to continuously scan and photograph to construct a 3D model of the working environment around the drone. Monitoring is then performed based on this model to achieve the inspection objective. While drone inspection is continuous, constructing a 3D model of the working environment requires maintaining stability in the same spatial coordinates for an extended period. Since drone batteries have a fixed capacity and cannot be extended, the drone's flight stability gradually decreases as the battery power diminishes. In large and complex environments, it is impossible to construct an effective 3D model within a limited time. Furthermore, after constructing a 3D model of a small area, the drone needs intermittent charging after a period of monitoring due to the inability to maintain effective flight. Therefore, monitoring gaps occur when a single drone is operating. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention provides an intelligent unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) three-dimensional automatic inspection device and method, which overcomes the shortcomings described in the background art.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is:

[0005] A smart drone three-dimensional automatic inspection device includes an inspection device for conducting inspections within an inspection area. The inspection device includes a suspension base and a drone. The suspension base is fixed to a wall, and the drone is attached to the surface of the suspension base.

[0006] The drone includes a drone shell and a scanner installed inside the drone shell. The scanner is connected to the inside of the drone shell via a servo motor. The lower end of the scanner is equipped with a camera that protrudes from the horizontal plane of the lower end of the drone shell, so that the servo motor can drive the scanner to swing and change the orientation of the camera.

[0007] The upper part of the drone shell is provided with a power receiving contact, and the scanner contains a storage battery. The power receiving contact is electrically connected to the storage battery. The lower end of the suspension seat is provided with a charging contact corresponding to the power receiving contact. When the drone shell is placed against the lower end of the suspension seat, the power receiving contact and the charging contact form an electrical connection and charge the storage battery.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, the drone shell is provided with support arms on both sides, and a propeller is rotatably mounted on the support arm. Each propeller is driven to swing by an electric push rod. The electric push rod is mounted on the surface of the drone shell, and the connection point between the electric push rod and the propeller is located close to the connection point between the propeller and the support arm.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the upper end of the drone shell is provided with mounting grooves on both sides, and a magnetic block is movably installed in each of the two mounting grooves. The mounting grooves are covered with a rubber coating. The suspension seat is provided with an annular slide rail on the side near the drone shell. Multiple adsorption columns are arranged in annular array in the annular slide rail. All adsorption columns are fixed to the surface of an internal toothed ring. The internal toothed ring is driven by a drive gear set in the suspension seat, so that the drive gear drives the internal toothed ring to rotate the adsorption columns around the axis of the suspension seat.

[0010] The adsorption column is equipped with an electric push rod 2, and a magnetic block 2 is installed on the output shaft of the electric push rod 2. All magnetic blocks 2 correspond to each magnetic block 1. When the drone shell is placed against the surface of the suspension seat, the magnetic blocks 2 and magnetic blocks 1 are attracted to each other.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the circumferential surface of the adsorption column is provided with an inwardly recessed groove 1, and the inner toothed ring is provided with groove 2 at the corresponding positions of each groove 1, and the adsorption column abuts against the surface of the inner toothed ring through the groove 1.

[0012] A method for automatic 3D inspection of intelligent drones, based on the above method, determines the number of inspection areas to be inspected before inspection, and installs inspection devices in each inspection area in sequence, and performs inspection and constructs a 3D model through the camera installed on the drone.

[0013] The drone flies in a square wave pattern within the inspection area and continuously scans and photographs the spatial environment of the inspection area through its camera during the flight. The image information is then uploaded to modeling software to build a 3D model.

[0014] A preferred technical solution is that the scanner is equipped with a battery, and the battery is equipped with a BMS battery management system for monitoring the remaining power. By setting a power threshold, the drone can continue to scan and photograph the spatial environment in the inspection area before the remaining power reaches the threshold.

[0015] Before scanning and photographing the inspection area, each drone establishes a separate image information database for the corresponding inspection area. The BMS battery management systems in all drones form a signal connection. When the remaining power of the battery of one drone is lower than the power threshold, it flies to the underside of the suspension and abuts against the suspension. It forms an electrical connection with the power receiving contact through the charging contact to charge the battery in the drone. During the charging process, the camera continues to be turned on to scan and photograph.

[0016] In a preferred technical solution, when the drone flies to the bottom of the suspension seat and comes into contact with the suspension seat, each of the electric push rods 2 inside the suspension seat extends its output shaft outward, and the magnetic block 2 set on its output shaft attracts the corresponding magnetic block 1 set on the surface of the drone, and drives the drone to rotate through the drive gear, thereby changing the camera's viewing angle.

[0017] Compared with existing technologies, this technical solution has the following advantages:

[0018] In this invention, after a drone completes an inspection task, it can autonomously fly to a mounting bracket fixed to the wall and precisely position its shell against the lower end of the bracket. The power receiving contacts on the drone make physical contact with the charging contacts suspended on the bracket, forming a stable electrical connection. Furthermore, this invention can deploy multiple drones in coordination, with multiple mounting brackets equipped with charging contacts along the inspection route. After a drone completes modeling and monitoring in a certain area, if its battery is low, it can fly to the nearest available mounting bracket to charge. At the same time, another fully charged drone can take off from another mounting bracket to take over the work area of ​​the previous drone. Through this relay operation, seamless monitoring throughout the entire inspection area is ensured, avoiding monitoring gaps. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0020] Figure 1 This is an overall diagram of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the inspection device.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a drone.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the scanner.

[0024] Figure 5 for Figure 4 Enlarged schematic diagram of point a in the middle.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a top view of the suspension mount structure.

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the combination and decomposition of the internal toothed ring and the adsorption column.

[0027] Figure 8 This is a top-down view of the drone.

[0028] In the diagram: Inspection device 100, inspection area 200;

[0029] Mount 1, Drone 2;

[0030] 11. Base body, 12. Annular slide rail, 13. Internal gear ring, 14. Adsorption column, 15. Drive gear, 16. Charging contact plate;

[0031] Card slot 2 131;

[0032] Card slot 141, electric push rod 2142, magnetic block 2143;

[0033] The drone shell 21, support arm 211, propeller 212, electric push rod 213, power receiving contact 214, mounting slot 215, magnetic block 216, rubber coating 217;

[0034] Scanner 22, camera 221, servo motor 222, battery 223. Detailed Implementation

[0035] like Figures 1 to 8 As shown, the present invention proposes an intelligent unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) three-dimensional automatic inspection device, including an inspection device 100 for inspection within an inspection area 200. The inspection device 100 includes a suspension seat 1 and a UAV 2. The suspension seat 1 is fixed to the wall, and the UAV 2 is adsorbed onto the surface of the suspension seat 1.

[0036] The drone 2 includes a drone shell 21 and a scanner 22 installed inside the drone shell 21. The scanner 22 is connected to the inside of the drone shell 21 via a servo motor 222. The lower end of the scanner 22 is provided with a camera 221 that protrudes from the horizontal plane of the lower end of the drone shell 21, so that the servo motor 222 can drive the scanner 22 to swing and change the orientation of the camera 221.

[0037] The upper end of the drone shell 21 is provided with a power receiving contact 214, and the scanner 22 is provided with a storage battery 223. The power receiving contact 214 is electrically connected to the storage battery 223. The lower end of the suspension seat 1 is provided with a charging contact 16 corresponding to the power receiving contact 214. When the drone shell 21 is placed against the lower end of the suspension seat 1, the power receiving contact 214 and the charging contact 16 form an electrical connection and charge the storage battery 223.

[0038] As shown above, after completing a patrol task, the drone 2 can autonomously fly to the suspension seat 1 fixed on the wall and precisely position the drone shell 21 against the lower end of the suspension seat 1. At this time, the power receiving contact 214 pre-installed on the drone makes physical contact with the charging contact 16 suspended on the seat, forming a stable electrical connection.

[0039] More importantly, by setting up multiple drones 2 to work together, multiple suspension seats 1 with charging contacts 16 can be deployed along the inspection route. After a drone (A) completes modeling and monitoring in a certain area, if its power is insufficient, it can fly to the nearest available suspension seat to charge. At the same time, another fully charged drone (B) can take off from other suspension seats to take over the work area of ​​A. Through this "relay" operation, the standardized interface between the power receiving contact 214 and the charging contact 16 is used to realize multi-drone rotation charging, thereby ensuring seamless connection of monitoring within the entire inspection area 200 and completely eliminating monitoring vacuum periods.

[0040] Secondly, such as Figure 2 Figure 6 As shown, the upper end of the drone shell 21 is provided with mounting grooves 215 on both sides. A magnetic block 216 is movably installed in each of the two mounting grooves 215, and the mounting grooves 215 are covered with a rubber coating 217. The suspension seat 1 is provided with an annular slide rail 12 on the side near the drone shell 21. Multiple adsorption columns 14 are arranged in annular array in the annular slide rail 12. All adsorption columns 14 are fixed on the surface of an internal toothed ring 13. The internal toothed ring 13 is driven by a drive gear 15 set in the suspension seat 1, so that the drive gear 15 drives the internal toothed ring 13 to drive the adsorption columns 14 to rotate around the axis of the suspension seat 1.

[0041] The adsorption column 14 is equipped with an electric push rod 142, and a magnetic block 143 is installed on the output shaft of the electric push rod 142. All magnetic blocks 143 correspond to each magnetic block 216. When the drone shell 21 is placed against the surface of the suspension seat 1, the magnetic block 143 and the magnetic block 216 are attracted to each other.

[0042] Traditional drones completely cease operation during charging, creating a monitoring vacuum. However, in this invention, the drone 2's charging process is not an interruption of operation; instead, it becomes a unique and stable working window. When the drone 2 is firmly attached to the suspension base 1 by magnetic block 243 and magnetic block 216, it receives a stable power supply from the charging contacts 16, without consuming its own battery 223. At this time, even when the drone is stationary, the camera 221 (and potentially integrated other sensors) can continue to operate. More importantly, by driving the internal gear ring 13 to rotate via the drive gear 15, the entire drone 2 can rotate 360 ​​degrees continuously or in steps around the axis of the suspension base 1. This allows the camera 221 to perform a panoramic scan and monitoring of the surrounding environment without blind spots, using the suspension base as a fixed observation point. This not only compensates for potential blind spots during flight inspections but also allows for continuous collection of environmental data during charging, used for real-time updates of the 3D model or monitoring changes in specific targets, truly achieving "uninterrupted operation."

[0043] Secondly, it improves the efficiency and quality of 3D modeling: Building an accurate 3D model requires data collection from multiple angles. When a drone is autonomously scanning, its battery life is limited, and it may not be able to stay at the same key location for a long time to conduct detailed multi-angle inspections. However, in this design, when the drone is docked on the suspension mount 1 for charging, the system can instruct it to perform slow, high-precision in-situ rotational scanning.

[0044] Furthermore, the circumferential surface of the adsorption column 14 is provided with an inwardly recessed groove 141, and the inner toothed ring 13 is provided with a groove 131 corresponding to each groove 141. The adsorption column 14 abuts against the surface of the inner toothed ring 13 through the groove 141.

[0045] Furthermore, both sides of the drone shell 21 are provided with support arms 211, and propellers 212 are rotatably mounted on the support arms 211. Each propeller 212 is driven to swing by an electric push rod 213. The electric push rod 213 is mounted on the surface of the drone shell 21, and the connection point between the electric push rod 213 and the propeller 212 is located close to the connection point between the propeller 212 and the support arm 211.

[0046] Based on the above, the present invention also proposes a three-dimensional automatic inspection method for intelligent drones. Based on the above-mentioned three-dimensional automatic inspection method for intelligent drones, the number of inspection areas 200 to be inspected is determined before inspection, and the inspection device 100 is installed in each inspection area 200 in sequence. The inspection is carried out by the camera 221 installed on the drone 2 and a three-dimensional model is constructed.

[0047] Among them, the drone 2 flies in a square wave-shaped trajectory within the inspection area 200, and continuously scans and captures the spatial environment of the inspection area 200 through the camera 221 during the flight, and uploads the image information to the modeling software to build a three-dimensional model based on the scanned image information.

[0048] A preferred technical solution is that the scanner 22 is equipped with a battery 223, and the battery 223 is equipped with a BMS battery management system for monitoring the remaining power. By setting a power threshold, the remaining power of the drone 2 is used to continuously scan and photograph the spatial environment within the inspection area 200 before the power threshold is reached.

[0049] Before scanning and photographing the inspection area 200, each drone 2 establishes a separate image information database for the corresponding inspection area 200. All drones 2's BMS battery management systems form a signal connection. When the remaining power of one drone 2's battery 223 falls below the power threshold, it flies to the underside of the suspension seat 1 and comes into contact with it. The charging contact 16 connects to the power receiving contact 214 to charge the battery 223 in the drone 2. During the charging process, the drone 2 continuously operates its camera 221 for scanning and photographing. Furthermore, when a drone 2 flies to the underside of the suspension seat 1 and comes into contact with it, each electric push rod 142 within the suspension seat 1 extends its output shaft outward. The magnetic block 143 on its output shaft attracts the corresponding magnetic block 216 on the surface of the drone 2, and the driving gear 15 drives the drone 2 to rotate, changing the viewing angle of the camera 221.

[0050] Furthermore, before each drone 2 begins scanning a specific inspection area 200, it automatically creates an independent video file library corresponding to the area it is responsible for. This file library is stored on a local storage device or a cloud server and named with different inspection area 200 numbers to ensure the exclusivity and traceability of the data. The file library not only contains the original image and video data, but also records metadata such as shooting timestamps, spatial coordinates, attitude information, and battery status, providing complete information support for subsequent 3D modeling. Since the built-in battery 223 of the drone 2 is equipped with a BMS battery management system, it monitors the remaining power in real time. When the power of a drone (let's call it drone A) drops to a preset threshold (e.g., 30%), drone A flies back to its mounting base 1 along the optimal path and contacts the charging contact 16 through the receiving contact 214 to achieve automatic charging. During this process, the BMS system broadcasts the low battery alarm signal to other drones 2 via the wireless network. When a neighboring drone receives the low battery alarm from drone A, it immediately dispatches another drone (designated as drone B) that has been fully charged and is in standby mode to go to the inspection area 200 to take over the task. Before taking off, drone B first accesses the existing video file library that matches the target inspection area 200 through the wireless communication link. When modeling with 3D modeling software, it is only necessary to retrieve the corresponding video file library to achieve modeling independence between different inspection areas 200.

[0051] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. All equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the scope of the patent and the contents of the specification should still fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A smart unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) three-dimensional automatic inspection device, characterized in that, The inspection device includes an inspection unit for conducting inspections within an inspection area. The inspection unit includes a mounting base and a drone. The mounting base is fixed to a wall, and the drone is attached to the surface of the mounting base. The drone includes a drone shell and a scanner installed inside the drone shell. The scanner is connected to the inside of the drone shell via a servo motor. The lower end of the scanner is equipped with a camera that protrudes from the horizontal plane of the lower end of the drone shell, so that the servo motor can drive the scanner to swing and change the orientation of the camera. The upper part of the drone shell is provided with a power receiving contact, and the scanner contains a storage battery. The power receiving contact is electrically connected to the storage battery. The lower end of the suspension seat is provided with a charging contact corresponding to the power receiving contact. When the drone shell is placed against the lower end of the suspension seat, the power receiving contact and the charging contact form an electrical connection and charge the storage battery. Both sides of the drone shell are equipped with support arms, and power propellers are rotatably mounted on the support arms. Each power propeller is driven to swing by an electric push rod. The electric push rod is mounted on the surface of the drone shell, and the connection point between the electric push rod and the power propeller is located close to the connection point between the power propeller and the support arm. The upper part of the drone shell is provided with mounting slots on both sides. A magnetic block is movably installed in each of the two mounting slots, and the outside of the mounting slots is covered with a rubber coating. The suspension seat is provided with an annular slide rail on the side near the drone shell. Multiple adsorption columns are arranged in an annular array in the annular slide rail. All adsorption columns are fixed on the surface of an internal toothed ring. The internal toothed ring is driven by a drive gear set in the suspension seat, so that the adsorption columns are rotated around the axis of the suspension seat by the drive gear driving the internal toothed ring. The adsorption column is equipped with an electric push rod 2, and a magnetic block 2 is installed on the output shaft of the electric push rod 2. All magnetic blocks 2 correspond to each magnetic block 1. When the drone shell is placed against the surface of the suspension seat, the magnetic blocks 2 and magnetic blocks 1 are attracted to each other. The scanner is equipped with a battery, and the battery has a BMS battery management system for monitoring the remaining power. By setting a power threshold, the drone can continue to scan and photograph the spatial environment in the inspection area before the remaining power reaches the threshold. Before scanning and photographing the inspection area, each drone establishes a separate image information database for the corresponding inspection area. The BMS battery management systems in all drones form a signal connection. When the remaining power of the battery of one drone is lower than the power threshold, it flies to the underside of the suspension and abuts against the suspension. It forms an electrical connection with the power receiving contact through the charging contact to charge the battery in the drone. During the charging process, the camera continues to be turned on to scan and photograph.

2. The intelligent unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) three-dimensional automatic inspection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adsorption column has an inwardly recessed groove 1 on its circumference. The inner toothed ring has a groove 2 at the corresponding position of each groove 1. The adsorption column abuts against the surface of the inner toothed ring through the groove 1.

3. A method for three-dimensional automatic inspection of intelligent unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), based on the intelligent UAV three-dimensional automatic inspection device described in claim 2, characterized in that, Before the inspection, determine the number of inspection areas that need to be inspected, and install the inspection device in each inspection area in sequence. The inspection is carried out by the camera installed on the drone and a 3D model is built. The drone flies in a square wave pattern within the inspection area and continuously scans and photographs the spatial environment of the inspection area through its camera during the flight. The image information is then uploaded to modeling software to build a 3D model.

4. The intelligent unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) three-dimensional automatic inspection method according to claim 3, characterized in that, When the drone flies to the bottom of the suspension mount and comes into contact with it, each of the electric push rods 2 inside the suspension mount extends its output shaft outward. The magnetic block 2 set on its output shaft attracts the corresponding magnetic block 1 set on the surface of the drone, and drives the drone to rotate through the drive gear, changing the camera's viewing angle.

Images