Unmanned aerial vehicle buffer recovery cylinder and buffer recovery system
By designing a trumpet-shaped drone buffer recovery cylinder and combining it with a temperature monitoring unit, the buffer mechanical performance can be precisely controlled, solving the problem of kinetic energy attenuation mismatch in existing technologies, reducing peak overload and rebound risks, and improving the safety and reliability of drone recovery.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- WUHAN UNIV OF TECH
- Filing Date
- 2026-03-18
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-15
AI Technical Summary
Existing drone buffer recovery devices have difficulty achieving precise axial control of buffer mechanical performance in terms of mechanical response characteristics and material structure, resulting in kinetic energy attenuation mismatch and risks of peak overload and rebound.
Design a drone buffer recovery cylinder with a trumpet-shaped structure. Along the axial direction, the honeycomb size decreases sequentially from the large opening to the small opening, the wall thickness increases sequentially, and the hardness of the filler increases sequentially. Combined with a temperature monitoring unit, a composite gradient system with multi-parameter synergy is realized to finely control the buffer mechanical properties.
It achieves precise axial control of the buffer mechanical properties, reduces the risk of peak overload and rebound, provides near-ideal constant deceleration, enhances the stability and safety of the structure, and enables self-sensing and predictive maintenance of the internal state through temperature monitoring.
Smart Images

Figure CN122035366A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of drone recovery technology, and in particular to a drone buffer recovery cylinder and buffer recovery system. Background Technology
[0002] Safe recovery of drones is a critical factor limiting their continuous operational capability, and existing buffering technologies are clearly insufficient in this regard.
[0003] First, in terms of mechanical response characteristics, existing recovery buffer structures mostly adopt homogeneous or single-gradient designs. Since the kinetic energy of a UAV decays exponentially during recovery, an ideal buffer device should provide a smoothly increasing buffer force within a limited axial travel range. However, traditional single-gradient designs struggle to achieve this nonlinear response, often resulting in excessively high peak overload in the initial stage or a "rigid wall" effect due to a sudden increase in stiffness at the end of compression, increasing the risk of damage to the UAV body and its payload.
[0004] Secondly, at the material and structural level, while energy-absorbing structures with metal or composite honeycomb cores possess the advantage of high specific energy absorption, their mechanical response typically exhibits a relatively long plateau stress zone followed by a sharp increase in densification. This inherent response characteristic limits the smoothness and controllability of the buffering process, making it difficult to meet the stringent requirements of precision recycling. Although filling honeycomb structures with polymer materials can improve their buffering properties, existing homogeneous filling methods still represent overall modification and cannot achieve precise control of mechanical properties along the axial direction.
[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a drone buffer recovery cylinder and a buffer recovery system. This drone buffer recovery cylinder can achieve precise axial control of the buffer mechanical properties to solve the problem of mismatch between buffer characteristics and kinetic energy attenuation in the existing technology. Summary of the Invention
[0006] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the above-mentioned technical deficiencies and propose a drone buffer recovery cylinder and buffer recovery system to solve the technical problem of mismatch between the buffer characteristics and kinetic energy attenuation of drone buffer recovery devices in the prior art.
[0007] To achieve the above technical objectives, the present invention provides a drone buffer recovery cylinder, comprising: The recovery cylinder body has a trumpet-shaped structure with a large opening and a small sealing end. The recovery cylinder body includes a support layer, an energy-absorbing layer, and a contact layer in sequence from the outside to the inside along its own radial direction. The energy-absorbing layer includes a skeleton and a filler. The skeleton has a honeycomb structure. Along the axial direction of the skeleton, from the large opening to the small opening, the size of each honeycomb decreases sequentially, the common wall thickness between adjacent honeycombs increases sequentially, and the skeleton wall thickness increases sequentially. The filler fills each honeycomb of the skeleton, and the hardness of each filler increases sequentially from the large opening to the small opening along the axial direction of the skeleton.
[0008] Furthermore, the skeleton has multiple sequentially connected and equally divided filling regions along its axial direction from the large end to the small end, and the hardness of each filler in each filling region is the same.
[0009] Furthermore, the filling area includes three regions: the filling material in the region closest to the large opening of the skeleton is the softest, the filling material in the middle region has a medium hardness, and the filling material in the region closest to the small opening of the skeleton is the hardest.
[0010] Furthermore, the filler in the filling area near the large opening of the skeleton is soft silicone with a Shore hardness of A10-A20.
[0011] Furthermore, the filler in the middle filling area is medium-hard silicone with a Shore hardness of A30-A50.
[0012] Furthermore, the filler in the filling area near the small opening of the skeleton is hard silicone with a Shore hardness of A60-A80.
[0013] Furthermore, the contact layer has a deformable structure.
[0014] Furthermore, the contact layer includes a substrate and a contact body. The outer wall of the substrate is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the skeleton, and the contact body is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the substrate. The contact body is used to contact the drone entering the recovery cylinder body.
[0015] Furthermore, the aforementioned drone buffer recovery cylinder also includes a temperature monitoring unit. The temperature monitoring unit includes multiple external interface temperature sensors, multiple internal interface temperature sensors, and multiple honeycomb temperature sensors. Each of the external interface temperature sensors is respectively disposed between the support layer and the energy-absorbing layer to measure the interface temperature between the support layer and the energy-absorbing layer. Each of the internal interface temperature sensors is respectively disposed between the energy-absorbing layer and the contact layer to measure the interface temperature between the energy-absorbing layer and the contact layer. Each of the honeycomb temperature sensors is respectively disposed within each of the preset honeycombs of the skeleton to measure the temperature of the skeleton and the filler.
[0016] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a drone buffer recovery system, including the above-mentioned drone buffer recovery cylinder, clamping unit and driving unit. The clamping unit is used to clamp or release the recovery cylinder body. The driving unit is connected to the clamping unit and is used to drive the clamping unit to move freely in space to adjust the orientation, height and elevation angle of the recovery cylinder body.
[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention include: when recovering the drone, the drone enters the recovery cylinder body from the large opening end. The size of each honeycomb along the skeleton axis decreases sequentially from the large opening end to the small opening end, providing the drone with a lower initial crushing strength and achieving "soft capture." The smaller honeycomb size at the small opening end provides higher crushing strength, preventing the drone from rebounding. The shared wall thickness between adjacent honeycombs along the skeleton axis increases sequentially from the large opening end to the small opening end. The shared wall thickness between adjacent honeycombs at the large opening end is thinner, facilitating initial yielding, while the shared wall thickness between adjacent honeycombs at the small opening end is thicker, enhancing subsequent support stability. The size of each honeycomb along the skeleton axis decreases sequentially from the large opening end to the small opening end. The increasing wall thickness of the skeleton at each end satisfies the need for progressively increasing energy absorption capacity during kinetic energy decay. The triple geometric gradient of the skeleton's honeycomb size, the shared wall thickness gradient between adjacent honeycombs, and the skeleton wall thickness are coupled with the axial hardness gradient of the filler to construct a multi-parameter synergistic composite gradient system. Compared to a single gradient design, this recovery cylinder can match the exponential decay law of kinetic energy after the UAV impact, achieving precise axial control of the buffer mechanical performance. This provides a near-ideal constant deceleration throughout the entire buffering stroke, greatly reducing peak overload, eliminating the risk of rebound and secondary impact, and solving the problem of mismatch between buffer characteristics and kinetic energy decay. Attached Figure Description
[0018] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a drone buffer recovery cylinder provided by the present invention; Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of a drone buffer recovery cylinder provided by the present invention; Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the energy-absorbing layer of a drone buffer recovery cylinder provided by the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a drone buffer and recovery system provided by the present invention; Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a drone buffer recovery system provided by the present invention, omitting the recovery tube body; Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Enlarged view of point A in the image; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the working principle of the energy-absorbing layer of a drone buffer recovery cylinder provided by the present invention; Figure 8 A flowchart of a three-stage temperature state assessment algorithm for a drone buffer recovery cylinder provided by the present invention; In the diagram: 100 - Recycling cylinder body, 110 - Support layer, 120 - Energy absorption layer, 121 - Frame, 130 - Contact layer, 131 - Base, 132 - Contact body, 200 - Clamping unit, 210 - Gripper, 220 - Clamping drive assembly, 221 - Seat, 222 - Gear, 223 - First rotation drive component, 300 - Drive unit, 310 - Swing arm, 320 - Second rotation drive component, 330 - Third rotation drive component, 340 - Fourth rotation drive component. Detailed Implementation
[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention.
[0020] This invention provides a drone buffer recovery cylinder, the structure of which is as follows: Figure 1 - Figure 3 As shown, the device includes a recovery cylinder body 100, which has a funnel-shaped structure with a large opening and a small closing. The recovery cylinder body 100 includes a support layer 110, an energy-absorbing layer 120, and a contact layer 130 in sequence from the outside to the inside along its own radial direction. The energy-absorbing layer 120 includes a skeleton 121 and fillers. The skeleton 121 has a honeycomb structure. Along the axial direction of the skeleton 121, from the large opening to the small opening, the size of each honeycomb decreases sequentially, the common wall thickness between adjacent honeycombs increases sequentially, and the wall thickness of the skeleton 121 increases sequentially. The fillers fill each honeycomb of the skeleton 121, and the hardness of each filler increases sequentially from the large opening to the small opening along the axial direction of the skeleton 121.
[0021] During the recovery of the drone, the drone enters the recovery cylinder body 100 from the larger end. The size of each honeycomb along the axial direction of the skeleton 121 decreases sequentially from the larger end to the smaller end, providing a lower initial crushing strength for "soft capture." The smaller honeycomb size at the smaller end provides higher crushing strength, preventing the drone from rebounding. The shared wall thickness between adjacent honeycombs along the axial direction of the skeleton 121 increases sequentially from the larger end to the smaller end. The shared wall thickness between adjacent honeycombs at the larger end is thinner, facilitating initial yielding, while the shared wall thickness between adjacent honeycombs at the smaller end is thicker, enhancing subsequent support stability. The size of each honeycomb along the axial direction of the skeleton 121 decreases sequentially from the larger end to the smaller end. The increasing thickness of the core allows for a gradual increase in energy absorption capacity during kinetic energy decay. The triple geometric gradient of the skeleton 121's honeycomb size gradient, the shared wall thickness gradient between adjacent honeycombs, and the wall thickness of the skeleton 121 are coupled with the axial hardness gradient of the filler to construct a multi-parameter synergistic composite gradient system. Compared to a single gradient design, the recovery cylinder body 100 can match the exponential decay law of kinetic energy after the UAV impact, achieving precise axial control of the buffer mechanical performance. This provides a near-ideal constant deceleration throughout the entire buffering stroke, greatly reducing peak overload, eliminating the risk of rebound and secondary impact, and solving the problem of mismatch between buffer characteristics and kinetic energy decay.
[0022] In a preferred embodiment, the support layer 110 is made of carbon fiber composite material, providing rigidity and shape stability to the entire recycling cylinder body 100.
[0023] In a preferred embodiment, the skeleton 121 is made of high-performance composite materials such as aluminum alloy.
[0024] In a preferred embodiment, the skeleton 121 has multiple sequentially connected and equally divided filling regions along the axial direction from the large end to the small end. The hardness of each filler in each filling region is the same, forming an axial hardness gradient.
[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the filling area includes three regions: the filling material in the region near the large opening of the skeleton 121 is the softest, the filling material in the middle region has a medium hardness, and the filling material in the region near the small opening of the skeleton 121 is the hardest, forming an axial hardness gradient.
[0026] As a preferred embodiment, the filler in the filling area near the large opening of the skeleton 121 is soft silicone with a Shore hardness of A10-A20. Its main function is to provide extremely soft initial wrapping and cushioning to minimize the initial impact force.
[0027] In a preferred embodiment, the filler in the middle filling area is medium-hard silicone with a Shore hardness of A30-A50. Its function is to achieve a smooth and continuous transition of buffer strength and avoid abrupt changes in mechanical response.
[0028] As a preferred embodiment, the filler in the filling area near the small opening end of the frame 121 is hard silicone with a Shore hardness of A60-A80. Its function is to provide high rigidity support for the final stop of the UAV, ensure its stable stationary position, and prevent rebound caused by residual kinetic energy.
[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the contact layer 130 has a deformable structure to achieve soft contact with the drone and prevent damage to the drone surface.
[0030] As a preferred embodiment, please refer to Figure 2 The contact layer 130 includes a substrate 131 and a contact body 132. The outer side wall of the substrate 131 is fixedly connected to the inner side wall of the frame 121. The contact body 132 is fixedly connected to the inner side wall of the substrate 131. The contact body 132 is used to contact the drone entering the recovery cylinder body 100 to achieve soft contact with the drone and prevent damage to the drone surface.
[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the substrate 131 is a silicone fabric.
[0032] In a preferred embodiment, the contact body 132 is an airbag, which enables soft contact with the drone and prevents damage to the drone's surface.
[0033] In a preferred embodiment, the UAV buffer recovery cylinder further includes a temperature monitoring unit. This unit comprises multiple external interface temperature sensors, multiple internal interface temperature sensors, and multiple honeycomb temperature sensors. Each external interface temperature sensor is disposed between the support layer 110 and the energy-absorbing layer 120 to measure the interface temperature between them. Each internal interface temperature sensor is disposed between the energy-absorbing layer 120 and the contact layer 130 to measure the interface temperature between them. Each honeycomb temperature sensor is disposed within a pre-set honeycomb of the skeleton 121 to measure the temperature of the skeleton 121 and the filler. Existing technologies generally neglect the management and perception of thermal effects during impact. Under high-speed impact loads, the plastic deformation of the honeycomb structure and the viscoelastic friction of the filler material instantaneously generate significant heat. The generation and spatial distribution of this heat energy are actually important physical characteristics of the uniformity and efficiency of energy dissipation. Meanwhile... Temperature rise is also the root cause of accelerated aging of buffer materials and thermal stress in the structure. However, there is currently a lack of technical means to monitor this critical process in situ and in a distributed manner, which makes the internal health status of the buffer structure during service a "black box" and unable to provide data support for predictive maintenance based on actual damage status. By integrating the external interface temperature sensor between the support layer 110 and the energy-absorbing layer 120, integrating the internal interface temperature sensor between the energy-absorbing layer 120 and the contact layer 130, and integrating the honeycomb temperature sensor into each preset honeycomb of the skeleton 121, the recovery cylinder body 100 can not only perform the main function of energy absorption, but also have the ability to sense the internal thermo-mechanical state. The impact kinetic energy is dissipated into heat energy through two mechanisms: honeycomb plastic deformation and internal friction of the filler. By monitoring the spatiotemporal distribution of temperature rise, it is possible to intuitively and quantitatively assess whether the energy absorption is uniform and whether the efficiency meets the standard, thus achieving a deep integration of mechanical performance and thermal management functions at the design and usage levels.
[0034] As a preferred embodiment, traditional non-destructive testing techniques are difficult to assess the internal condition of buffer structures in real time and online. The temperature monitoring unit of the UAV buffer recovery cylinder opens up a new perception dimension directly related to damage mechanisms for structural health diagnosis. Local abnormal high temperature "hot spots" can be directly linked to material defects, interface debonding, or fatigue crack initiation. Changes in the overall temperature rise pattern can provide early warning of material aging and performance degradation. This in-situ perception capability based on endogenous thermal signals makes it possible to detect early and potential damage, providing key information that traditional strain monitoring cannot replace for predictive maintenance, and greatly improving the initiative and foresight of equipment safety assurance.
[0035] As a preferred embodiment, quantitative assessment of a single recovery process is the basis for optimizing operations and tracing the causes of accidents. This UAV buffer recovery cylinder uses temperature signals as a direct measure of energy dissipation, providing a high-confidence physical indicator for assessing the intensity of recovery. Peak temperature is related to the total impact energy, temperature rise uniformity is related to impact attitude and centering, and interface temperature anomalies are related to the integrity of structural connections. By integrating these thermal assessment indicators with existing dynamic indicators (such as overload and strain), a more comprehensive and robust integrated assessment system for the recovery process can be constructed, enabling each recovery to be accurately recorded, analyzed, and traced back.
[0036] As a preferred embodiment, heat accumulation is a key factor accelerating the aging of polymer materials and the fatigue of metal structures. The temperature monitoring unit of this UAV buffer recovery cylinder can identify and locate localized overheating areas caused by design or process defects in real time. These areas are the weak points that shorten the lifespan. By adjusting the operating strategy (such as avoiding continuous high-intensity recovery) or timely targeted maintenance, the local damage can be prevented from expanding into overall failure. At the same time, the gradient design itself reduces large local deformations by optimizing stress distribution, extending the lifespan from the design source. The combination of monitoring and design constitutes a "double insurance" to ensure the long lifespan and highly reliable operation of the structure.
[0037] As a preferred embodiment, the temperature monitoring unit of this UAV buffer recovery cylinder can continuously generate structured temperature field data, which is an indispensable "fuel" for building a high-fidelity digital twin of this type of recovery cylinder. The multi-condition temperature response database accumulated over a long period of operation can be used to train machine learning models to accurately predict the temperature rise response and evolution of the structure under different impact scenarios. Based on this, true predictive maintenance can be achieved: scientifically predicting the time point of performance degradation of silicone materials and assessing the remaining fatigue life of the honeycomb structure, thereby formulating data-driven and precise component replacement or overhaul plans, maximizing equipment availability, and fundamentally reducing the total life cycle maintenance cost, transforming "on-demand maintenance" into "on-demand maintenance".
[0038] In a preferred embodiment, each external interface temperature sensor is arranged along the circumference and axial direction of the recovery cylinder body 100. Each grating point can simultaneously demodulate the strain and temperature information at that location, thereby realizing the synchronous measurement of the temperature field and strain field continuously distributed along the interface between the support layer 110 and the energy absorption layer 120.
[0039] In a preferred embodiment, the external interface temperature sensor is a grating fiber optic sensor. The fiber optic cable of the grating fiber optic sensor is attached and fixed to the support layer 110 or the energy-absorbing layer 120 using a flexible adhesive, and fiber optic splice boxes and fiber optic cable outlets are provided at both ends.
[0040] In a preferred embodiment, each internal interface temperature sensor is arranged along the circumference and axial direction of the recovery cylinder body 100. Each grating point can simultaneously demodulate the strain and temperature information at that location, thereby realizing the synchronous measurement of the temperature field and strain field continuously distributed along the interface between the energy-absorbing layer 120 and the contact layer 130.
[0041] In a preferred embodiment, the internal interface temperature sensor is a grating fiber optic sensor.
[0042] In a preferred embodiment, each cell temperature sensor is respectively set in a ring of cells close to each other in adjacent filling areas to directly monitor the core temperature changes of each filler and the surrounding skeleton 121 during the impact process.
[0043] In a preferred embodiment, the cellular temperature sensor is a miniature point-type digital temperature sensor. The lead wires of the miniature point-type digital temperature sensor are routed along the miniature wire grooves pre-set on the inner sidewall of the cellular and converge to the waterproof wiring cavity at the bottom of the recycling cylinder body 100.
[0044] As a preferred embodiment, all grating fiber optic sensors and miniature point-type digital temperature sensors are pre-embedded and fixed before the filler filling process to ensure that they are firmly bonded to the substrate 131 material and do not affect the structural integrity.
[0045] In a preferred embodiment, the UAV buffer recovery cylinder further includes a control unit, which is electrically connected to each external interface temperature sensor, each internal interface temperature sensor, and each cellular temperature sensor to acquire and process the temperature data monitored by each external interface temperature sensor, each internal interface temperature sensor, and each cellular temperature sensor.
[0046] In a preferred embodiment, the control unit is equipped with a dedicated data acquisition unit and processor. Within a typical event window of sequentially recovered events, the system synchronously acquires signals from all temperature sensors. Key characteristic parameters include the peak temperature Tamx at each measuring point, the time tpeak from the start of the impact to the peak temperature, the maximum temperature rise rate dT / dtmax during the temperature rise phase, and the maximum temperature difference Δtmax between different measuring points within the same functional layer. Based on the extracted characteristic parameters, the processor of the control unit executes a hierarchical state assessment algorithm. Step 1, Intra-layer uniformity assessment: Calculate the statistical standard deviation of Tmax and tpeak of all cell temperature sensors in the same filling area. If the standard deviation exceeds the preset threshold σ1, it is determined that the spatial distribution of energy dissipation in the filling area is not uniform, which may be caused by local material defects, uneven filling or eccentric impact of UAV. Step 2, Interface thermal conduction assessment: Analyze the temperature distribution maps measured by each external interface temperature sensor and each internal interface temperature sensor. If a local area has a temperature significantly higher than the surrounding area, i.e., a "hot spot" exceeding the threshold ΔTinterface, it is determined that there may be structural defects such as interface debonding, delamination, or abnormally increased contact thermal resistance at that location, and its spatial coordinates are recorded. Step 3, thermal performance trend warning: Establish a correlation model between the estimated impact energy of this recycling event and the system average Tmax, and compare the correlation result with the historical data baseline. If the average Tmax of this event is significantly higher than the historical baseline under the same energy level, a warning of "decreased heat dissipation efficiency" will be issued, indicating that the filler material may age and harden or the skeleton 121 honeycomb structure may suffer fatigue damage.
[0047] As a preferred embodiment, after each drone recovery, the control unit automatically generates a structured "Buffer Structure Temperature Health Report". The report includes a color cloud map of the temperature field, the uniformity assessment results of each filling area, a list of interface health status, thermal performance warning levels, and maintenance recommendations based on the data. This report can be uploaded to the central controller or ground station of the drone recovery system via a wired or wireless data interface for comprehensive decision-making.
[0048] As a preferred embodiment, this drone buffer recovery bin, as a self-sensing intelligent terminal, provides valuable local status information to the upper-level recovery system through its temperature health report. The control unit can integrate this information to make more intelligent decisions. For example, after detecting an abnormal temperature during a recovery, it can automatically adjust subsequent recovery strategies or prompt for inspection. Based on long-term temperature data trends, it can dynamically plan the rotation of different recovery bins. This improves the adaptability, scientific decision-making, and intelligent operation and maintenance level of the entire recovery system, and is a key step towards a fully autonomous and intelligent drone recovery system.
[0049] As a preferred embodiment, this UAV buffer recovery cylinder transcends the traditional linear "design-manufacturing-use" model, showcasing a new paradigm of "designable performance, perceptible status, and predictable lifespan." It deeply integrates advanced gradient composite material design theory, precision manufacturing technology, and intelligent sensing and monitoring technology, providing not only a high-performance product but also a complete technical methodology. This has significant inspirational value and broad application potential for the entire high-energy impact protection field, such as aerospace landing devices, vehicle collision safety structures, and precision equipment packaging, driving a profound shift in the field's technology from experience to science and from passive to proactive approaches.
[0050] Please refer to Figure 4 - Figure 6The present invention also provides a drone buffer recovery system, including the aforementioned drone buffer recovery cylinder, clamping unit 200, and drive unit 300. The clamping unit 200 is used to clamp or release the recovery cylinder body 100. The drive unit 300 is connected to the clamping unit 200 and is used to drive the clamping unit 200 to move freely in space to adjust the orientation, height, and elevation angle of the recovery cylinder body 100. When recovering the drone, by manipulating the clamping unit 200, the clamping unit 200 can clamp the recovery cylinder body 100. By manipulating the drive unit 300, the drive unit 300 drives the clamping unit 200 to move freely in space, and can adjust the orientation, height, and elevation angle of the recovery cylinder body 100, so that the drone can enter the recovery cylinder body 100 along the large opening end of the recovery cylinder body 100.
[0051] As a preferred embodiment, please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 The clamping unit 200 includes two grippers 210 and a clamping drive assembly 220. The two grippers 210 are arranged opposite to each other. The clamping drive assembly 220 is connected to one end of each of the two grippers 210 and is used to drive the other ends of the two grippers 210 to move closer to each other or further away from each other, so that the two grippers 210 clamp or release the recycling cylinder body 100. The drive unit 300 is connected to the clamping drive assembly 220. By operating the clamping drive assembly 220, the clamping drive assembly 220 can drive the other ends of the two grippers 210 to move closer to each other or further away from each other, so that the two grippers 210 clamp or release the recycling cylinder body 100.
[0052] As a preferred embodiment, please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 The clamping drive assembly 220 includes a base 221, two gears 222, and a first rotation drive 223. The rotation shafts of the two gears 222 are rotatably connected to the base 221, and the two gears 222 mesh with each other. The two gears 222 are fixedly connected to one end of each of the two grippers 210. The fixed end of the first rotation drive 223 is fixedly connected to the base 221, and the output end of the first rotation drive 223 is coaxially fixedly connected to the rotation shaft of one of the gears 222 to drive the rotation shaft of the corresponding gear 222 to rotate. The drive unit 300 is connected to the base 221. When the first rotation drive 223 is started, the output end of the first rotation drive 223 rotates, driving the corresponding gear 222 to rotate. The other gear 222 will rotate synchronously in the opposite direction, thereby enabling the other ends of the two grippers 210 to move closer to each other or further away from each other, thus clamping or releasing the recycling cylinder body 100.
[0053] As a preferred embodiment, the clamping drive assembly 220 may also employ a cylinder and connecting rod structure.
[0054] As a preferred embodiment, please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 The drive unit 300 includes at least two swing arms 310, at least two second rotation drive members 320, a third rotation drive member 330, and a fourth rotation drive member 340. The swing arms 310 are arranged sequentially. The output end of each second rotation drive member 320 is connected to the head end of each swing arm 310, driving each swing arm 310 to rotate around its own axis of rotation in a vertical plane to adjust the tilt angle of each swing arm 310. The fixed end of the third rotation drive member 330 is fixedly connected to the end of the last swing arm 310, and its output end is connected to the clamping unit 200, driving the clamping unit 200 to rotate to adjust the elevation angle of the recovery cylinder body 100. The output end of the fourth rotation drive member 340 is connected to the fixed end of the first second rotation drive member 320, driving... The second rotation drive 320 rotates in the horizontal plane to adjust the orientation of the recovery cylinder body 100. When the second rotation drive 320 is activated, its output end rotates, which drives the corresponding swing arm 310 to rotate around its own axis of rotation in the vertical plane. This allows adjustment of the tilt angle of each swing arm 310, thereby adjusting the height of the recovery cylinder body 100. When the third rotation drive 330 is activated, its output end rotates, driving the clamping unit 200 to rotate, which allows adjustment of the elevation angle of the recovery cylinder body 100. When the fourth rotation drive 340 is activated, its output end rotates, driving the second rotation drive 320 to rotate in the horizontal plane, which allows adjustment of the orientation of the recovery cylinder body 100, enabling the UAV to smoothly enter the recovery cylinder body 100.
[0055] To better understand this invention, the following is combined with... Figure 1 - Figure 8 The working principle of the technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below: When recovering the drone, the first rotation drive 223 is activated, and its output end rotates, driving the corresponding gear 222 to rotate. The other gear 222 rotates synchronously in the opposite direction, allowing the other ends of the two grippers 210 to move closer together or further apart, thus clamping the recovery cylinder body 100. Next, the second rotation drive 320 is activated, and its output end rotates, driving the corresponding swing arm 310 to rotate around its own axis of rotation in the vertical plane. This allows adjustment of the tilt angle of each swing arm 310, thereby adjusting the height of the recovery cylinder body 100. Finally, the third rotation drive 330 is activated, and its output end rotates, driving the clamping unit 200 to rotate. The elevation angle of the recovery cylinder body 100 can be adjusted. The fourth rotation drive 340 is activated, and its output end rotates, driving the second rotation drive 320 to rotate in the horizontal plane. This adjusts the orientation of the recovery cylinder body 100, allowing the drone to smoothly enter. When the drone enters the recovery cylinder body 100 from the larger opening, the size of each honeycomb along the axial direction of the skeleton 121 decreases sequentially from the larger opening to the smaller opening, providing a lower initial crushing strength for the drone, achieving "soft capture." The smaller honeycomb size at the smaller opening provides higher crushing strength, preventing the drone from rebounding. The shared wall thickness between adjacent honeycombs along the axial direction of the skeleton 121 from the larger opening to the smaller opening... The wall thickness increases sequentially from the large-aperture end to the small-aperture end, with a thinner shared wall thickness that facilitates initial yielding. The thicker shared wall thickness enhances later-stage support stability. The wall thickness of the skeleton 121 increases sequentially from the large-aperture end to the small-aperture end along the axial direction, meeting the need for gradually increasing energy absorption capacity during kinetic energy decay. The triple geometric gradient of the skeleton 121—the cell size gradient, the shared wall thickness gradient between adjacent cells, and the skeleton 121 wall thickness—is coupled with the axial hardness gradient of the filler to construct a multi-parameter synergistic composite gradient system. Compared to a single gradient design, this recovery cylinder body 100 can match the exponential decay law of kinetic energy after a UAV impact, achieving precise axial control of the buffer's mechanical properties, thereby... The system provides near-ideal constant deceleration throughout the entire buffer stroke, significantly reducing peak overload, eliminating the risk of rebound and secondary impact, and solving the problem of mismatch between buffer characteristics and kinetic energy decay. Various external interface temperature sensors can measure the interface temperature between the support layer 110 and the energy-absorbing layer 120; various internal interface temperature sensors can measure the interface temperature between the energy-absorbing layer 120 and the contact layer 130; and various cell temperature sensors can measure the temperature of the skeleton 121 and the filler. The external interface temperature sensors are integrated between the support layer 110 and the energy-absorbing layer 120, the internal interface temperature sensors are integrated between the energy-absorbing layer 120 and the contact layer 130, and the cell temperature sensors are integrated within each preset cell of the skeleton 121.This design allows the recovery cylinder body 100 to not only perform its primary function of energy absorption but also possess self-sensing capabilities for its internal thermo-mechanical state. Impact kinetic energy is dissipated as heat through two mechanisms: honeycomb plastic deformation and internal friction within the filling material. By monitoring the spatiotemporal distribution of temperature rise, the uniformity of energy absorption and the adequacy of efficiency can be directly and quantitatively assessed, achieving a deep integration of mechanical performance and thermal management functions at both the design and usage levels.
[0056] The UAV buffer recovery cylinder and buffer recovery system provided by this invention have the following beneficial effects: (1) The honeycomb size gradient of skeleton 121, the common wall thickness gradient between adjacent honeycombs, and the triple geometric gradient of skeleton 121 wall thickness are coupled with the axial hardness gradient of the filler to construct a composite gradient system with multi-parameter synergistic effect. Compared with the single gradient design, the body 100 of this recovery cylinder can match the exponential decay law of the kinetic energy after the UAV crashes in, realize the axial fine control of the buffer mechanical performance, thereby providing a near-ideal constant deceleration throughout the entire buffer stroke, greatly reducing the peak overload, eliminating the risk of rebound and secondary impact, and solving the problem of mismatch between buffer characteristics and kinetic energy decay. (2) By integrating the external interface temperature sensor between the support layer 110 and the energy absorption layer 120, integrating the internal interface temperature sensor between the energy absorption layer 120 and the contact layer 130, and integrating the honeycomb temperature sensor into each preset honeycomb of the skeleton 121, the recovery cylinder body 100 can perform the main function of energy absorption while also having the ability to sense the internal thermo-mechanical state. The impact kinetic energy is dissipated into heat energy through two mechanisms: honeycomb plastic deformation and internal friction of the filling. By monitoring the spatiotemporal distribution of temperature rise, the uniformity of energy absorption and the efficiency can be evaluated intuitively and quantitatively, thus achieving a deep integration of mechanical performance and thermal management function at the design and usage levels. (3) By manipulating the clamping unit 200, the clamping unit 200 can clamp the recovery cylinder body 100. By manipulating the drive unit 300, the drive unit 300 can drive the clamping unit 200 to move freely in space. The orientation, height and elevation angle of the recovery cylinder body 100 can be adjusted so that the UAV can enter the recovery cylinder body 100 along the large opening end of the recovery cylinder body 100.
[0057] The specific embodiments of the present invention described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of the present invention. Any other corresponding changes and modifications made in accordance with the technical concept of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.
Claims
1. A drone buffer recovery cylinder, characterized in that, include: The recovery cylinder body has a trumpet-shaped structure with a large opening and a small sealing end. The recovery cylinder body includes a support layer, an energy-absorbing layer, and a contact layer in sequence from the outside to the inside along its own radial direction. The energy-absorbing layer includes a skeleton and a filler. The skeleton has a honeycomb structure. Along the axial direction of the skeleton, from the large opening to the small opening, the size of each honeycomb decreases sequentially, the common wall thickness between adjacent honeycombs increases sequentially, and the skeleton wall thickness increases sequentially. The filler fills each honeycomb of the skeleton, and the hardness of each filler increases sequentially from the large opening to the small opening along the axial direction of the skeleton.
2. The UAV buffer recovery cylinder according to claim 1, characterized in that, The skeleton has multiple sequentially connected and equally divided filling regions along its axial direction from the large end to the small end, and the hardness of each filler in each filling region is the same.
3. The UAV buffer recovery cylinder according to claim 2, characterized in that, The filling area includes three regions: the filling material in the region closest to the large opening of the skeleton is the softest, the filling material in the middle region has a medium hardness, and the filling material in the region closest to the small opening of the skeleton is the hardest.
4. The UAV buffer recovery cylinder according to claim 3, characterized in that, The filler in the filling area near the large opening of the skeleton is soft silicone with a Shore hardness of A10-A20.
5. The UAV buffer recovery cylinder according to claim 3, characterized in that, The filler in the middle filling area is medium-hard silicone with a Shore hardness of A30-A50.
6. The UAV buffer recovery cylinder according to claim 3, characterized in that, The filler in the filling area near the small opening of the skeleton is hard silicone with a Shore hardness of A60-A80.
7. The UAV buffer recovery cylinder according to claim 1, characterized in that, The contact layer has a deformable structure.
8. The UAV buffer recovery cylinder according to claim 1, characterized in that, The contact layer includes a substrate and a contact body. The outer side wall of the substrate is fixedly connected to the inner side wall of the skeleton, and the contact body is fixedly connected to the inner side wall of the substrate. The contact body is used to contact the drone entering the recovery cylinder body.
9. The UAV buffer recovery cylinder according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a temperature monitoring unit, which comprises multiple external interface temperature sensors, multiple internal interface temperature sensors, and multiple cellular temperature sensors. Each of the external interface temperature sensors is disposed between the support layer and the energy-absorbing layer to measure the interface temperature between the support layer and the energy-absorbing layer. Each of the internal interface temperature sensors is disposed between the energy-absorbing layer and the contact layer to measure the interface temperature between the energy-absorbing layer and the contact layer. Each of the cellular temperature sensors is disposed within each of the preset cellular cells of the skeleton to measure the temperature of the skeleton and the filler.
10. A drone buffer and recovery system, characterized in that, The device includes a drone buffer recovery cylinder, a clamping unit, and a driving unit as described in claims 1-9. The clamping unit is used to clamp or release the recovery cylinder body, and the driving unit is connected to the clamping unit and is used to drive the clamping unit to move freely in space to adjust the orientation, height, and elevation angle of the recovery cylinder body.