Multipurpose air-drop type unmanned aerial vehicle honeycomb launching device

Abstract

The invention discloses a multipurpose air-drop type unmanned aerial vehicle honeycomb launching device, relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle launching equipment, and aims at solving the problems that an existing air-drop type unmanned aerial vehicle launching device is poor in load adaptability, insufficient in launching stability, low in structural reliability and weak in environmental adaptability. The device integrates a main cabin, a brake parachute cabin, a brake parachute, a throwing mechanism, an X-shaped folding wing and an unmanned aerial vehicle releasing mechanism. Descending speed buffering is achieved through the brake parachute, the X-shaped folding wings guarantee stable postures, the response time of the electromagnetic pin releasing mechanism is smaller than or equal to 0.1 s, and synchronous unlocking of multiple aircrafts is guaranteed. The adaptive unmanned aerial vehicle can carry various loads such as reconnaissance, strike and bait, can meet the rapid deployment and collaborative operation requirements of an unmanned aerial vehicle cluster in multiple scenes such as military strike, emergency rescue and area monitoring, has the characteristics of light weight, high reliability and reusability, is adaptive to various aerial launching platforms, and is wide in application range.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launch equipment technology, specifically to a multi-purpose airdrop UAV swarm launcher, suitable for aerial platform deployment scenarios, enabling rapid deployment and collaborative operation of UAV swarms, and widely used in military strikes, battlefield reconnaissance, emergency rescue, and regional monitoring. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of drone swarm technology, deploying drones from aerial platforms to perform collaborative tasks has become an important application model. However, existing airdrop-type drone launchers suffer from several technical shortcomings, making it difficult to meet the demands for efficient, stable, and multi-purpose operations: 1. Poor payload adaptability: Traditional airdrop devices are mostly single-function designs that can only carry fixed models and fixed numbers of drones. They cannot flexibly adjust the configuration and payload type of drones according to mission requirements, and it is difficult to achieve coordinated deployment of lead drones and slave drones, which limits the diversity of cluster operations.

[0003] 2. Insufficient Deployment Stability: Some airdrop devices lack effective deceleration and buffer mechanisms, making them susceptible to airflow after high-altitude deployment, leading to attitude instability or excessive descent speed. This results in unstable initial attitude during drone release, affecting subsequent flight accuracy. Furthermore, the release mechanisms often employ mechanical triggering, resulting in high unlocking response delays and potential issues with asynchronous releases from multiple drones.

[0004] 3. Unreasonable structural design: The folding wings of the existing device have low reliability in deployment. Some are driven by manual assistance or a single elastic mechanism, which poses risks of incomplete deployment and insecure locking. The integration of the jettison mechanism and the release mechanism is low, and the structure is redundant, resulting in an excessively heavy overall weight of the device and increasing the load on the aerial platform.

[0005] 4. Weak environmental adaptability: In complex environments such as high altitude, low temperature, and strong airflow, the electronic components of the device (such as triggering mechanism and communication module) are prone to failure, and the release altitude of the drone is difficult to control precisely. If the release is too low, the drone may hit the ground and be damaged before it can start up. If the release is too high, the swarm coordination effect may be affected by environmental interference. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a multi-purpose airdrop drone cellular launcher that solves the problems of poor load adaptability, insufficient launch stability, unreasonable structural design, and weak environmental adaptability of existing airdrop devices.

[0007] The technical solution of the present invention is a multi-purpose airdrop drone cellular launch device, characterized in that it includes a control system, a main cabin, a deceleration parachute cabin, a deceleration parachute, a jettison mechanism, folding wings, and a drone release mechanism. The cellular launch device is mounted on a suitable aerial platform through a standardized interface. The control system uses an STM32H7 series microcontroller as the main control unit, integrating an altitude sensor, attitude sensor, and wireless communication module. It can control the timing of the actions of the throwing mechanism, folding wing, and drone release mechanism. The drone release mechanism includes an electromagnetic pin and a drone hanging ring. The pin shaft of the electromagnetic pin passes through the drone hanging ring, which is the locked state. When an unlocking command is received, the pin shaft of the electromagnetic pin is pulled out of the drone hanging ring, completing the unlocking action. The drone hanging ring is installed on the drone's head, and the electromagnetic pin integrates a position sensor to provide feedback on the locking state, ensuring that multiple drones unlock synchronously. The control system collects the descent altitude of the main cabin in real time through an altitude sensor. When the preset deceleration parachute release altitude is reached, the system controls the release mechanism to release the deceleration parachute and buffer the descent speed of the UAV. When the UAV release altitude is reached, the electromagnetic pin is triggered to unlock, realizing the release of the UAV swarm. The attitude sensor monitors the attitude of the deceleration parachute compartment in real time and assists in stabilizing the attitude by adjusting the aerodynamic angle of the folding wings.

[0008] Furthermore, the folding wing adopts an X-shaped radial folding layout to ensure the stability of the UAV's attitude. Four wing surfaces are evenly distributed along the main cabin surface, and each wing surface is equipped with two sets of torsion springs as the deployment power source. After the wing surface is deployed, it is locked to the wing surface support by the wing surface locking block.

[0009] Furthermore, the deceleration parachute compartment adopts a left and right shell mating press-fit structure. The deceleration compartment shell is provided with a guide boss that precisely matches the guide fixing groove on the main shell to ensure installation coaxiality. The mating surfaces of the left and right shells are provided with silicone sealing rings.

[0010] Furthermore, the ejection mechanism is provided in two sets, symmetrically arranged on both sides of the left and right shells of the deceleration chute compartment to ensure balanced force during ejection. It includes an electric servo motor, a locking / unlocking hook, and an ejection mechanism mounting base. The mounting base is installed on the surface of the deceleration chute compartment, and the electric servo motor is fixed to the lug of the mounting base. The bottom of the locking / unlocking hook has a gear hole, which mates with the gear shaft on the electric servo motor. A pin is then inserted through the pin holes of the locking / unlocking hook and the electric servo motor to completely secure them. The electric servo motor drives the locking / unlocking hook, and the ejection mechanism uses a compression spring as the ejection power source to quickly push the left and right shells of the deceleration compartment apart, releasing the deceleration chute.

[0011] Furthermore, the main cabin is equipped with 9 independent drone installation stations, with the lead drone centrally located and 8 sub-drones evenly distributed around it. Each station is equipped with a guide rail, allowing the drone to smoothly detach from the main cabin when released.

[0012] The present invention has the following beneficial effects 1. Highly versatile and adaptable: The main cabin can carry a total of 9 UAVs, including "1 leader and 8 subordinates", which can be adapted to various mission payloads such as reconnaissance, strike, and decoy. The leader and subordinate UAVs work together to meet the needs of different mission scenarios. It supports the carrying of a large number and type of UAVs, and the leader and subordinate UAVs can be flexibly configured. The standardized mounting interface is compatible with a variety of aerial platforms, and the application range is wide.

[0013] 2. High Deployment Stability: Equipped with a drag chute compartment and X-shaped folding wings, the drag chute effectively reduces descent speed and provides efficient deceleration and buffering. The folding wings maintain aerodynamic balance after deployment, ensuring stable device attitude after high-altitude deployment. The electromagnetic pin release mechanism responds rapidly (≤0.1s), ensuring synchronized unlocking and enabling simultaneous release of multiple drones, guaranteeing consistency in the initial flight attitude of the UAVs. Precisely control the release altitude of the drone.

[0014] 3. Optimized design of folding wing, jettison mechanism and release mechanism: The folding wing adopts a dual design of torsion spring + locking block to improve the reliability of deployment and lock firmly; the jettison mechanism is driven by electric servo motor + compression spring, and the action is precise and reliable; the deceleration parachute compartment adopts a guide positioning and sealing design to improve installation accuracy and environmental adaptability.

[0015] 4. Lightweight and reusable: The entire cabin weighs ≤18kg, and the lightweight design reduces the load on the aerial platform; the main structure of the deceleration parachute cabin is made of high-strength and wear-resistant materials, and can be recovered and reused after the UAV is released, reducing the cost of use; it enhances the working stability of the device in complex high-altitude environments and ensures that the actions of each mechanism are precise and controllable.

[0016] 5. Wide environmental adaptability: The compatible drones can work stably in a temperature range of -30℃ to +50℃ and a wind speed of 10m / s. The electronic components of the cluster cabin have the ability to resist low temperature and interference, and can accurately complete each stage of action in complex high-altitude environments. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a front view of an airdrop-type drone cellular launcher. Figure 2 This is a partial cross-sectional view of an airdrop-type drone cellular launcher. Figure 3 This is a diagram of the deceleration parachute compartment shell of an airdrop-type drone's honeycomb launcher. Figure 4This is a bottom view of an airdrop-type drone cellular launcher. The following are the reference numerals: 1. Deceleration parachute compartment; 2. Folding wing; 3. Main compartment; 4. Electric servo motor; 5. Locking / unlocking hook; 6. Throw-out mechanism mounting base; 7. Deceleration parachute; 8. Compression spring; 9. Wing surface support; 10. Locking block; 11. Guide fixing groove; 12. Electromagnetic pin; 13. UAV hanging ring; 14. Guide boss; 15. Guide slide rail. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings: like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment of the invention provides a multi-purpose airdrop drone cellular launcher, including... I. Overall Structural Design: As the core launch carrier, it adopts a modular honeycomb layout, consisting of a main cabin 3, a deceleration parachute compartment 1, a deceleration parachute 7, a jettison mechanism, folding wings 2, and a UAV release mechanism. The main cabin can carry 1 Zhixiang Lei leader UAV + 8 Zhixiang Lei sub-UAVs, forming a 9-UAV cluster configuration to meet collaborative operation requirements. The main cabin 3 has 9 independent UAV installation positions, with the leader UAV centrally located and the 8 sub-UAVs evenly distributed around it. Each position is equipped with a guide rail 15, allowing the UAV to smoothly detach from the main cabin 3 along the guide rail 15 during release. Figure 3 As shown. The total weight of the capsule is ≤8kg, the deployment altitude is ≥2000m, and the release altitude of the UAV is ≥500m.

[0019] II. Core Component Design (1) Folding Wing 2: The layout adopts an X-shaped radial folding layout to ensure the stability of the UAV attitude. Four wings are evenly distributed along the surface of the main cabin 3 to ensure aerodynamic balance after deployment. Each wing is equipped with two sets of torsion springs as the deployment power source. The initial torque of the torsion spring is 8 N·m, which can push the wing to quickly deploy to a preset angle (45° with the axis of the main cabin). After the wing is deployed, it is locked by locking block 10 and wing support 9. The locking force is ≥150N to prevent the wing from loosening during flight. The wing is made of carbon fiber composite material with a thickness of 3mm, which has both high strength and lightweight characteristics. The wing support 9 and locking block 10 are made of aviation aluminum alloy (6061-T6) and are anodized to improve corrosion resistance.

[0020] (2) Deceleration chamber 1: It adopts a left and right shell mating press-fit structure. The shell is made of ABS engineering plastic injection molding with a wall thickness of 5mm; the deceleration chamber shell is provided with guide bosses 14, such as Figure 4As shown, it precisely matches the guide fixing groove 11 on the main cabin shell with a fitting gap of ≤0.1mm to ensure coaxiality during installation; silicone sealing rings are set on the mating surfaces of the left and right shells, with a sealing level of IP65, to prevent high-altitude water vapor and dust from entering the cabin and damaging the deceleration parachute and electronic components.

[0021] (3) Throwing mechanism: Two sets of throwing mechanisms are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the deceleration chamber 1 to ensure balanced force during throwing; the throwing mechanism mounting base 6 is installed on the surface of the deceleration chamber 1 using screws, and the electric servo motor 4 is fixed to the lug of the throwing mechanism mounting base 6 by means of its own threaded locking part. The bottom of the locking / unlocking hook 5 is a gear hole. After it is installed in conjunction with the gear shaft on the electric servo motor 4, a pin is passed through the pin hole of the locking / unlocking hook 5 and the electric servo motor 4 to completely fix the two; the electric servo motor 4 is used to drive the locking / unlocking hook 5 to move. The rated voltage of the electric servo motor 4 is 12V, the output torque is ≥5N・m, and the response time is ≤0.2s; the throwing mechanism is equipped with a compression spring 8 as the throwing power source, which can quickly push the left and right shells of the deceleration chamber to separate and release the deceleration parachute 7.

[0022] (4) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) release mechanism: including electromagnetic pin 12 and UAV hanging ring 13. The UAV hanging ring 13 is installed on the head of the UAV, is made of 304 stainless steel, and has a diameter of 8mm. The pin shaft of the electromagnetic pin passes through the UAV hanging ring 13, which is the locked state. When an unlocking command is received, the pin shaft of the electromagnetic pin is pulled out from the UAV hanging ring, completing the unlocking action. The electromagnetic pin 12 has a rated voltage of 24V, an unlocking response time of ≤0.1s, and integrates a position sensor to provide feedback on the locked state, which can realize the synchronous unlocking and release of clustered UAVs.

[0023] (5) Control system: The descent altitude of the main cabin 3 is collected in real time by the altitude sensor. When the preset release altitude of the deceleration parachute 7 (1500m above the ground) is reached, the throwing mechanism is controlled to move. When the release altitude of the UAV is reached (≥500m above the ground), the 9 electromagnetic pins 12 are triggered to unlock simultaneously to realize the release of the UAV cluster. The attitude sensor monitors the attitude of the deceleration parachute cabin 1 in real time and adjusts the aerodynamic angle of the folding wing to help stabilize the attitude.

[0024] The control system uses an STM32H7 series microcontroller as the main control unit, integrating a height sensor with a measurement accuracy of ±1m, an attitude sensor with an accuracy of ±0.01° / s, and a wireless communication module compatible with the 1.4GHz / 2.4GHz / 5.8GHz frequency bands. It can control the timing of the actions of the throwing mechanism, the folding wing 2, and the UAV release mechanism.

[0025] Example: Military strike mission configuration 1. Equipment Assembly: Select one UAV lead aircraft (equipped with a reconnaissance pod + laser guidance module) and eight UAV slave aircraft (all equipped with armor-piercing / explosive-killing multi-functional warheads), and fix them to the corresponding positions of the drag chute compartment 1 using electromagnetic pins 12; check the locking status of the folding wings, the sealing performance of the drag chute compartment, and the communication connection status of the control system to ensure that all components are working properly; mount the drag chute compartment 1 to the standardized rack under the wing of the bomber; 2. Parameter preset: The deployment altitude is set to 3000m, the deceleration parachute release altitude is set to 1500m, the UAV release altitude is set to 800m, the communication frequency band is set to 5.8GHz (strong anti-interference capability), and the sub-aircraft coordinated attack mode is set to "leader guidance + distributed attack". 3. Mission Execution: The aircraft flies to an altitude of 3000m above the target area and releases drag chute 1. When drag chute 1 falls freely to 1500m, the jettison mechanism activates, and the drag chute... 7. The parachute compartment 1 is inflated, and the descent speed of the deceleration parachute compartment 1 is reduced to 4m / s. The folding wings 2 are simultaneously deployed and locked. When the descent continues to 800m, the electromagnetic pin 12 is simultaneously unlocked, and 9 drones detach from the deceleration parachute compartment 1. After the lead drone starts, it quickly completes the networking of the sub-drones. It locks onto the target through the reconnaissance pod and sends guidance signals. 8 sub-drones carry out distributed strikes according to the preset path. After the mission is completed, the drones return autonomously or self-destruct according to the instructions.

[0026] 4. Device recovery: The deceleration parachute compartment 1 lands smoothly to a safe area under the action of the deceleration parachute 7. The deceleration parachute compartment 1 is located through the positioning module. The main compartment 3, folding wing 2 and other structures are checked and found to be undamaged. After replacing the electromagnetic pin 12 and the deceleration parachute 7, the UAV can be reloaded and reused.

[0027] In practical applications, the number of UAVs, payload type, and preset parameters can be adjusted according to mission requirements. For example, in area monitoring missions, nine UAVs, each equipped with a reconnaissance pod, can be configured to achieve large-scale three-dimensional monitoring. In electronic warfare missions, a lead UAV equipped with a radar jamming module and subordinate UAVs equipped with infrared decoys can be configured to form an electronic jamming cluster. Furthermore, the device performance can be further improved by optimizing the aerodynamic design of the folding wings and enhancing the electromagnetic pin unlocking accuracy; all these adjustments fall within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0028] The above embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-purpose airdrop-type UAV cellular launcher, characterized in that, Includes a control system, main cabin (3), deceleration parachute cabin (1), deceleration parachute (7), jettison mechanism, folding wing (2) and UAV release mechanism. The cellular launcher is mounted on a suitable air platform through a standardized interface. The control system uses an STM32H7 series microcontroller as the main control unit, integrating an altitude sensor, attitude sensor and wireless communication module to control the timing of the actions of the throwing mechanism, folding wing (2) and drone release mechanism; the drone release mechanism includes an electromagnetic pin (12) and a drone hanging ring (13). The pin shaft of the electromagnetic pin (12) passes through the drone hanging ring (13), which is the locked state. When an unlocking command is received, the pin shaft of the electromagnetic pin (12) is pulled out from the drone hanging ring (13) to complete the unlocking action. The drone hanging ring (13) is installed on the head of the drone. The electromagnetic pin (12) integrates a position sensor to provide feedback on the locked state and ensure that multiple drones are unlocked simultaneously. The control system collects the descent altitude of the main cabin (3) in real time through the altitude sensor. When the preset release altitude of the deceleration parachute (7) is reached, the control mechanism releases the deceleration parachute (7) to buffer the descent speed of the UAV. When the release altitude of the UAV is reached, the electromagnetic pin (12) is triggered to unlock simultaneously to realize the release of the UAV cluster. The attitude sensor monitors the attitude of the deceleration parachute cabin (1) in real time and adjusts the aerodynamic angle of the folding wing (2) to help stabilize the attitude of the UAV.

2. The multi-purpose airdrop drone cellular launcher according to claim 1, characterized in that, The folding wing (2) adopts an X-shaped radial folding layout to ensure the stability of the UAV attitude. Four wing surfaces are evenly distributed along the surface of the main cabin (3). Each wing surface is equipped with two sets of torsion springs as the power source for deployment. After the wing surface is deployed, it is locked to the wing surface support (9) by the wing surface locking block (10).

3. The multi-purpose airdrop drone cellular launcher according to claim 2, characterized in that, The deceleration parachute compartment (1) adopts a left and right shell mating press-fit structure. The deceleration compartment shell is provided with a guide boss (14) that precisely matches the guide fixing groove (11) on the main shell to ensure installation coaxiality. The mating surfaces of the left and right shells are provided with silicone sealing rings.

4. The multi-purpose airdrop drone cellular launcher according to claim 3, characterized in that, The ejection mechanism is provided in two sets, which are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the deceleration chute compartment (1) to ensure balanced force during ejection. It includes an electric servo motor (4), a locking / unlocking hook (5) and an ejection mechanism mounting base (6). The ejection mechanism mounting base (6) is installed on the surface of the deceleration chute compartment (1). The electric servo motor (4) is fixed on the lug of the ejection mechanism mounting base (6). The bottom of the locking / unlocking hook (5) is a gear hole. After it is installed in conjunction with the gear shaft on the electric servo motor (4), a pin is passed through the pin hole of the locking / unlocking hook (5) and the electric servo motor (4) to completely fix the two. The electric servo motor (4) drives the locking / unlocking hook (5) to move. The ejection mechanism is equipped with a compression spring (8) as the ejection power source to quickly push the left and right shells of the deceleration compartment to separate and release the deceleration chute (7).

5. The multi-purpose airdrop drone cellular launcher according to claim 4, characterized in that, The main cabin (3) has 9 independent UAV installation stations. The lead UAV is centrally located and 8 sub-UAVs are evenly distributed around the lead UAV. Each station is equipped with a guide rail (15) so that the UAV can smoothly detach from the main cabin (3) along the guide rail (15) when it is released.

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