Roof track moving system adaptive to fire-fighting unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The invention discloses a roof track moving system adaptive to a fire-fighting unmanned aerial vehicle, and relates to the field of fire rescue equipment. The system comprises a closed annular track assembly laid along the peripheral side of a roof, and the track assembly is provided with a guide structure and a positioning transmission structure; the adaptive mechanism is fixed at the bottom of the unmanned aerial vehicle and comprises a guide part matched with the guide structure, a transmission part meshed with the positioning transmission structure and a driving motor; the auxiliary guarantee module comprises a power supply interface communicated with a building emergency power supply, a fire extinguishing medium interface communicated with a roof fire water tank or a fire pipe network, and a positioning base station; a positioning module on the unmanned aerial vehicle communicates with the positioning base station to obtain position information; and the central control unit is electrically connected with the driving motor and is in communication connection with the unmanned aerial vehicle and the positioning system, and controls the unmanned aerial vehicle to move along the track and stop or operate at a preset position according to the position information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of fire rescue equipment technology, specifically to a rooftop track-based mobile system adapted for fire-fighting drones. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid pace of urbanization and the surge in the number of high-rise buildings, high-rise building fires have become a major challenge in the field of fire rescue due to their rapid spread, difficulties in evacuation, and high difficulty in firefighting. In recent years, firefighting drones have been gradually applied to high-rise building fire rescue due to their flexibility and efficiency, mainly undertaking tasks such as fire reconnaissance, material delivery, and firefighting operations.

[0003] However, existing firefighting drones face several bottlenecks when operating on the rooftops of high-rise buildings: First, they have poor stability at high altitudes, as fire scenes are prone to strong winds and turbulent airflow, causing drones to hover unsteadily and making it difficult to accurately locate their work positions; second, they have limited endurance, as firefighting drones need to carry fire extinguishing media and equipment, resulting in a heavy load, and their pure electric flight time is usually difficult to exceed 15 minutes, requiring repeated take-offs and landings to replace batteries or replenish fire extinguishing agents, which seriously affects rescue efficiency; third, their operating range is limited, as drones rely entirely on powered flight when moving around the rooftop, resulting in high energy consumption and susceptibility to obstacles, making it impossible to achieve comprehensive coverage operations around the rooftop.

[0004] While existing technologies include track-based equipment for firefighting in high-rise buildings (such as rooftop climbing firefighting robot tracks), these tracks are primarily designed for heavy-duty climbing machinery, resulting in complex structures and high load requirements, making them unsuitable for lightweight firefighting drones. Furthermore, current technologies for firefighting drones largely focus on enhancing the drone's own power or coordinating with ground-based fire trucks, neglecting solutions that utilize rooftop tracks for stable movement. Therefore, a technological solution is urgently needed that can accommodate firefighting drones, enabling stable rooftop movement and ensuring continuous operation, thus overcoming the shortcomings of existing technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In response to the technical shortcomings of existing firefighting drones, such as unstable movement, limited endurance, and low operational efficiency when operating on the rooftops of high-rise buildings, this invention provides a rooftop track-based movement system adapted for firefighting drones, enabling stable and efficient movement of the drones along the perimeter of the rooftop and ensuring continuous firefighting operations.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0007] A rooftop track-based mobile system adapted for firefighting drones includes a track assembly, a drone adapter mechanism, an auxiliary support module, a positioning system, and a central control unit. The structure and connection relationships of each part are as follows:

[0008] (1) Track assembly, which is laid along the perimeter edge of the building roof to form a closed ring structure. The track assembly includes a guide rail body, a guide groove and a positioning tooth groove. The guide groove is opened along the length direction of the guide rail body, and the positioning tooth groove is distributed at intervals on the inner side wall of the guide groove. Preferably, the track assembly weighs ≤8kg / m and is suitable for 5-20kg fire-fighting drones. The minimum bending radius is ≥1.5m for curved roofs. Irregular roofs are formed by 30°-90° segment splicing to form a closed ring.

[0009] (2) The UAV adapter mechanism is fixed to the bottom of the fire-fighting UAV fuselage, including a guide slider, a drive gear and a drive motor that are adapted to the guide groove. The drive gear meshes with the positioning tooth groove, and the drive motor drives the gear to rotate so as to move the fire-fighting UAV along the track assembly. The bolt hole spacing of the adapter mechanism is 50mm×50mm, and the load-bearing strength is ≥30kg.

[0010] (3) Auxiliary support module, including a power supply interface, a fire extinguishing medium interface and a positioning base station arranged at intervals along the track components. The power supply interface is connected to the building's emergency power supply, and the fire extinguishing medium interface is connected to the fire water tank or fire pipe network on the roof of the building. The positioning system includes a positioning module installed on the fire-fighting drone, and the positioning module communicates wirelessly with the positioning base station. Preferably, the power supply interface has an IP68 waterproof and explosion-proof rating, and the positioning base station adopts laser radar and visual positioning fusion technology, with a positioning accuracy of ±1cm.

[0011] (4) Central control unit, which is electrically and / or communicatively connected to fire-fighting drone, drive motor, power supply interface, fire extinguishing medium interface and positioning base station respectively, is used to receive fire signals and control fire-fighting drone to move along the track assembly to the target work position.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows:

[0013] (1) Significantly improved stability: By constraining the movement of the fire-fighting drone through a closed loop track, the impact of strong winds and turbulent airflow at high altitudes on the drone's hovering is avoided. Combined with precise positioning and locking functions, the stability of the drone at the working position is ensured. In some implementations, the positioning accuracy can reach ±1cm, which solves the technical problem of swaying of existing drones during high-altitude operations.

[0014] (2) Improved endurance and operational efficiency: With the help of the power supply interface and fire extinguishing medium interface of the auxiliary support module, the UAV can be tethered for power supply and quickly replenished with energy and refueling. There is no need for repeated take-off and landing. The endurance breaks through the existing pure electric limitation. In some implementations, it can support continuous operation for more than 4 hours. At the same time, the energy consumption of the UAV moving along the track can be less than 30% of that of hovering flight in some implementations, further improving the continuity of operation.

[0015] (3) Strong adaptability and convenient installation: The track component adopts a detachable and reinforced bracket, which can be adapted to the roof of high-rise buildings with different shapes and different load-bearing conditions; the guide rail body is made of lightweight and high-strength material, and in some implementations, the weight can be 1 / 5 of the existing wall-climbing robot track, and the installation and maintenance cost can be reduced by 70%, which is convenient for large-scale promotion and application.

[0016] (4) High safety: The outer side of the track is equipped with a protective railing, and the surface of the guide rail is coated with a high temperature resistant and anti-corrosion coating. In some implementations, it can withstand a high temperature of 800℃ and adapt to the harsh environment of the fire scene; the environmental monitoring unit provides real-time early warning of dangerous environments to avoid damage to the drone and ensure rescue safety. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the track components of the rooftop track moving system adapted to fire-fighting drones in this invention.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the drone adapter mechanism for the rooftop track moving system adapted to fire-fighting drones in this invention.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the central control unit of the rooftop track-moving system adapted to fire-fighting drones in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the specification and specific preferred embodiments, but this does not limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] Example 1 (Applicable to residential buildings with a height ≤ 50m)

[0022] This embodiment provides a rooftop track-based mobile system adapted for firefighting drones, with the following specific structure:

[0023] (1) Track assembly: The guide rail body is made of titanium-aluminum alloy and carbon fiber composite material. The cross section is I-shaped and the length is customized according to the perimeter of the roof. It is laid along the perimeter of the roof to form a closed ring. The track spacing is set to 60cm. The guide groove is opened in the inner groove of the I-shaped guide rail body and the width is 15cm. The positioning tooth groove is rectangular and the tooth pitch is 5cm. It is distributed at intervals on the inner wall of the guide groove. The reinforcement bracket is made of stainless steel and is set every 2 meters. It is detachably connected to the roof load-bearing beam by expansion bolts. The contact surface between the bracket and the roof is equipped with a rubber buffer pad with a thickness of 5mm. The height of the outer guardrail of the track is 30cm. The surface of the guide rail is coated with an 800℃ high temperature resistant anti-corrosion coating.

[0024] (2) UAV adapter mechanism: The guide slider adopts a groove structure that is compatible with the I-shaped guide rail, and a 2mm thick ceramic-aerogel composite wear-resistant coating (60% ceramic particles + 40% aerogel) is pasted on the inner side; the drive gear is made of No. 45 steel, with 12 teeth and a module of 2; the drive motor is a DC brushless motor with a power of 500W and an adjustable speed range of 0-300rpm; the electromagnetic lock tongue of the locking component has a stroke of 10mm, and the locking groove is opened on the side of the guide rail body at 1-meter intervals. The electromagnetic lock tongue is connected to the UAV control system via wireless signal, equipped with an electromagnetic shielding coating and a backup power supply circuit, and the locking response time is ≤50ms to achieve precise locking; the adapter mechanism is fixed to the UAV body by bolts with a bolt hole spacing of 50mm×50mm and a load-bearing strength of ≥30kg.

[0025] (3) Auxiliary protection module: The power supply interface adopts IP68 waterproof and explosion-proof aviation plug with a voltage of 220V. One set is set every 5 meters and connected to the emergency power cabinet on the roof. It has built-in overload protection and leakage detection module with a leakage threshold of ≤30mA. The fire extinguishing medium interface adopts quick connector to adapt to the specifications of fire hose. One set is set every 10 meters and connected to the 25m³ electrically controlled constant temperature water storage tank on the roof. The positioning base station adopts a laser radar and visual sensor fusion positioning module, which is installed at the corner of the track component. A total of 4 sets are set. The fusion algorithm adopts data weighted fusion logic (laser radar weight 0.6, visual weight 0.4) and the positioning accuracy is ±1cm. The environmental monitoring unit adopts integrated sensor, one set is set every 8 meters, which can monitor wind speed (0-25m / s), temperature (-20℃-800℃), smoke concentration and combustible gas (0-100%LEL). The data is transmitted to the central control unit through the 5G private network.

[0026] (4) Central control unit: adopts industrial-grade PLC controller, model S7-1200, with built-in fire-fighting drone path planning algorithm and obstacle avoidance module, supports linkage with building fire protection system via Modbus protocol, and data interface adopts RJ45 transmission; can receive target coordinate signal from fire sensor, automatically control drive motor to drive drone to move along track to the roof edge position corresponding to the target floor, and simultaneously control locking component to lock, start power supply and fire extinguishing medium supply to ensure operation; supports manual / automatic dual control mode, and the moving speed in automatic mode is adjustable from 0.5m / s to 1.5m / s.

[0027] When a fire occurs in a high-rise building, the rooftop fire monitoring system or the ground control center sends a fire signal to the central control unit. The central control unit plans a movement path based on the fire location and controls the firefighting drone to move from its rooftop parking position along the track assembly. During the movement, the positioning base station provides real-time location information, and the environmental monitoring unit monitors environmental data such as wind speed and temperature to ensure safe movement. After the drone reaches the target operation position, the electromagnetic latch pops out and embeds into the locking slot for precise locking. It connects to an emergency power supply through the power supply interface and replenishes fire extinguishing media through the fire extinguishing media interface before conducting fire reconnaissance or firefighting operations. After the operation is completed, the central control unit controls the locking assembly to unlock, driving the drone back to its parking position or moving to the next operation position. If the track is partially damaged, the control unit automatically switches to a backup path, and triggers the drone's backup battery switch when the power supply is interrupted.

[0028] Example 2 (Applicable to high-rise commercial and residential buildings with a height of 50m-100m)

[0029] This embodiment provides a rooftop track-based mobile system adapted for firefighting drones, with the following specific structure:

[0030] (1) Track assembly: The guide rail body is made of high-strength carbon fiber reinforced titanium alloy in one piece with an I-shaped cross section, which is suitable for the weight of drones and high-altitude wind load. The track weight is ≤8kg / m, which is suitable for 5-20kg fire-fighting drones. The length is customized according to the perimeter of the roof. It is laid in a closed loop 1.2m from the edge of the roof. The track spacing is 80cm (20cm wider than the conventional one) to improve the stability of movement under strong winds. The guide groove is located on the inside of the I-shaped guide rail and is 20cm wide to accommodate the slider to prevent jamming. The positioning tooth groove is trapezoidal (tooth pitch 4cm). Densely distributed for enhanced meshing reliability and smooth power transmission; the reinforced support is a stainless steel-aerospace aluminum alloy composite structure, with each group every 1.5m, fixed to the rooftop thick plate (≥120mm) by M16 chemical anchors; the contact surface is equipped with an 8mm silicone pad for vibration and leakage prevention, and the bottom can accommodate a 15° inward tilt; the outer guardrail of the track is 40cm high to prevent falls, and the guide rail surface is coated with a high-temperature resistant and corrosion-resistant coating of ≥1000℃; the track is segmented and spliced, equipped with sealed joints and 30°-90° corner guide rails, bypassing obstacles to achieve full rooftop coverage.

[0031] (2) UAV adapter mechanism: The guide slider has a double groove structure, which can accurately fit the I-shaped guide rail and increase the contact fit; the inner side is covered with a 3mm composite wear-resistant coating (60% ceramic particles + 40% aerogel), and the surface is made with a diamond anti-slip texture to ensure stable movement under strong winds at high altitudes; the drive gear is carburized (hardness increased by 30%), with 16 teeth and a module of 2.5 to enhance torque transmission; the drive motor is an 800W DC brushless type with an adjustable speed of 0-400rpm, and the outer shell is covered with a high temperature resistant coating (resistant to 500℃+); the locking component is a dual electromagnetic The locking tongue (15mm travel) is equipped with an electromagnetic shielding coating and a backup power supply circuit, with a locking response time of ≤50ms and a locking groove spacing of 0.8m, precisely matching the working positions on each floor. The dual-link connection control system avoids electromagnetic interference and ensures stable operation. The adapter mechanism adopts a quick-release + fine-adjustment structure, which can be quickly disassembled and maintained. The adapter track tilt can be adjusted by ±5° angle. It is fixed to the drone body with bolts with a bolt hole spacing of 50mm×50mm and a load-bearing strength of ≥30kg. It is compatible with multiple types of fire-fighting drones to meet the diverse operational needs at fire scenes.

[0032] (3) Auxiliary protection module: The power supply interface is an IP68 waterproof and explosion-proof aviation plug, supporting 220V / 380V dual voltage, with one set every 4 meters, suitable for high-power emergency power supply on the roof, with built-in overload protection and leakage detection module, and leakage threshold ≤30mA; the interface connects to an emergency power cabinet of 100kWh or more, supporting tethered continuous power supply, breaking through the endurance limit, and meeting the needs of long-term fire disposal; the fire extinguishing medium is a dual-way quick connector (water / foam), with one set every 8 meters, suitable for multi-point fire scenarios in commercial areas; the interface connects to a 50m³ dual-chamber water storage tank and fire protection pipeline, and is equipped with pressure sensing. The device can monitor and automatically switch and replenish extinguishing media in real time; the positioning base station adopts triple fusion positioning technology (LiDAR + vision + inertial navigation), with a total of 6 groups. The fusion algorithm adopts data weighted fusion logic, with a positioning accuracy of ±1cm. It has a built-in anti-smoke interference algorithm, which can accurately locate in dense smoke environment and avoid positioning failure; the environmental monitoring sensors are set every 6 meters to monitor parameters such as wind speed, temperature, smoke and combustible gas (0-100% LEL). The range is adapted to high-rise strong wind and high temperature environment. The monitoring data is transmitted to the control unit through dual links to ensure real-time information feedback.

[0033] (4) Central Control Unit: Adopts industrial-grade PLC controller (model S7-1500), with a 50% increase in computing speed compared to the conventional S7-1200, enabling rapid processing of multi-source data and issuance of instructions; its built-in multi-objective path planning algorithm supports simultaneous response to fires at more than 3 work points, adapting to the multi-point fire handling needs of commercial and residential buildings; a new linkage interface with the building fire protection system is added, which is linked through the BACnet protocol, and the data interface uses 5G private network transmission, which can directly receive floor fire location signals, realize one-click matching of "floor-roof work position", and greatly reduce the time required for fire control. Short preparation time; integrated obstacle avoidance module, which identifies rooftop obstacles through data feedback from positioning base stations and automatically plans the optimal movement path to avoid collisions; supports both manual and automatic control modes: in automatic mode, the drone moves at a constant speed along the track (adjustable from 0.5m / s to 1.5m / s), suitable for routine fire situations; in manual mode, it can be remotely controlled from the ground center, flexibly adapting to the precise operation requirements of complex fire situations; equipped with emergency response functions, automatically switching to a backup path when the track is partially damaged, and triggering the drone's backup battery switch when power is interrupted (flight duration ≥ 30 minutes).

[0034] When a fire occurs in a high-rise commercial and residential building, the building's fire protection system quickly synchronizes fire information to the central control unit. The control unit, relying on built-in algorithms, integrates real-time drone location and environmental monitoring data to determine the hazard level and plan the optimal obstacle avoidance and hazard evacuation path. It then controls the drone to start moving along a track from its rooftop parking position. During drone movement, the positioning base station (accuracy ±1cm) provides real-time feedback on deviations, and the control unit automatically corrects the trajectory. If environmental monitoring exceeds standards (wind speed > 25m / s, temperature > 800℃, combustible gas exceeding standards), it triggers an early warning, adjusts the path, or issues an alarm to ensure safe movement. After the drone reaches its work position, the control unit issues a locking command, simultaneously connects to power supply for refueling, and switches the fire extinguishing medium (water / foam). After refueling, the drone conducts reconnaissance, fire extinguishing, or material delivery operations. After completing the operation, the drone sends a signal and unlocks, returning to its parking position or proceeding to the next work point. When multiple drones work together, the control unit uses time-sharing scheduling to avoid collisions, enabling simultaneous multi-point response and improving fire extinguishing efficiency.

[0035] The track assembly of this invention can be bent to fit the roof shape. For curved roof edges, the guide rail body can be processed using an arc bending process; for irregular roofs, a closed ring layout can be achieved by splicing segmented guide rails. The drone adapter mechanism can be connected to the existing fire-fighting drone fuselage via bolts or a quick-release structure, eliminating the need for large-scale modification of the drone and reducing application costs.

[0036] The materials and specifications used in this embodiment can be adjusted according to actual needs. For example, the guide rail body can be made of stainless steel to adapt to the humid coastal environment, the power of the drive motor can be adjusted according to the weight of the drone, and the number of positioning base stations can be increased or decreased according to the perimeter of the roof. None of these will affect the core technical effect of the present invention.

[0037] While the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention. Any person skilled in the art can make many possible variations and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention, or modify them into equivalent embodiments, without departing from the spirit and technical essence of the invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent substitutions, equivalent changes, and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention, without departing from the content of the present invention, shall still fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A rooftop track-based mobile system adapted for firefighting drones, characterized in that, include: A track assembly is laid along the perimeter edge of the building roof to form a closed loop structure. The track assembly includes a guide structure for guiding movement and a positioning structure for positioning and transmission. A drone adapter mechanism is fixed to the bottom of the fire-fighting drone fuselage. The drone adapter mechanism includes a guide component that cooperates with the guide structure, a transmission component that meshes with the positioning structure, and a drive motor for driving the transmission component to move, so that the fire-fighting drone moves along the track assembly. An auxiliary support module is provided at intervals along the track components. The auxiliary support module includes a power supply interface, a fire extinguishing medium interface, and a positioning base station. The power supply interface is connected to the building's emergency power supply, and the fire extinguishing medium interface is connected to the building's rooftop fire water tank or fire extinguishing pipeline network. The positioning system includes a positioning module installed on a firefighting drone, the positioning module communicating with the positioning base station to obtain the position information of the firefighting drone on the track assembly; The central control unit is communicatively connected to the drive motor, positioning system, and firefighting drone. It is used to control the drive motor to work based on the location information, thereby controlling the firefighting drone to move along the track assembly and to stop or operate at a predetermined location.

2. The rooftop track moving system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guiding structure is a guide groove opened along the length direction of the guide rail body, and the positioning structure is a positioning tooth groove provided on the inner side wall of the guide groove. The guiding component is a guide slider adapted to the guide groove, the transmission component is a drive gear meshing with the positioning tooth groove, and the drive motor drives the drive gear to rotate so as to move the firefighting drone along the track assembly.

3. The rooftop track-based moving system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The track assembly also includes a reinforcing bracket, one end of which is fixedly connected to the guide rail body and the other end is detachably connected to the roof load-bearing structure. A buffer pad is provided at the connection between the reinforcing bracket and the roof, and it is adapted to the inclined installation of the roof.

4. The rooftop track moving system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide rail body has an I-shaped cross-section structure; the guide slider has a groove structure or a double groove structure adapted to the I-shaped cross-section, and the inner side of the guide slider is provided with a wear-resistant coating, which is a ceramic-aerogel composite material.

5. The rooftop track-based moving system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drone adapter mechanism also includes a locking component, which includes an electromagnetic locking tongue and a locking groove. The locking groove is spaced apart along the guide rail body. The electromagnetic locking tongue is electrically or communicatively connected to the fire-fighting drone control system to achieve fixed-point locking of the fire-fighting drone on the track component.

6. The rooftop track-based moving system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The auxiliary support module also includes an environmental monitoring unit, which includes a wind speed sensor, a temperature sensor, a smoke sensor, and a combustible gas sensor. The environmental monitoring unit establishes communication connections with the firefighting drone and the ground control center.

7. The rooftop track moving system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The track assembly is equipped with a protective railing on its outer side, and the surface of the guide rail body is coated with a high-temperature resistant and corrosion-resistant coating.

8. The rooftop track-based moving system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning base station uses a fusion positioning system combining lidar and visual sensors. The fusion positioning system employs a data weighting fusion logic, with lidar distance data having a weight of 0.6 and visual sensor image features having a weight of 0.

4.

9. The rooftop track moving system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The central control unit supports linkage with the building fire protection system via Modbus and / or BACnet protocols. The data interface adopts RJ45 and / or 5G private network transmission. The central control unit has a built-in path planning algorithm and obstacle avoidance module, and supports manual / automatic dual control modes.

10. The rooftop track-based moving system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power supply interface is a waterproof and explosion-proof plug-in structure, and has a built-in overload protection and leakage detection module; the fire extinguishing medium interface is a quick connector structure, used to connect to fire hoses and connect to rooftop fire water tanks and / or fire pipelines.

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