An automated take-off and landing and protection receiving platform for drones used in building openings

Abstract

This invention discloses an automated take-off and landing (ADR) and protective receiving platform for drones used in building openings, relating to the field of drone logistics and delivery technology. The platform includes a mounting base, a support platform, a drive mechanism, a control unit, and protective components. The support platform surface is equipped with AprilTag or ArUco visual positioning markers, enabling precise drone take-off and landing. The protective components include a retractable protective net and a linkage transmission structure, capable of automatically deploying to form a fall-prevention shield. The support platform is equipped with stainless steel fall-prevention wire ropes, providing redundant safety protection. This invention can be installed using either an external mounting method or an integrated installation method with doors and windows, without damaging the building facade and ensuring strong compliance. The platform is deployable and retractable, highly automated, and features fall prevention, anti-pinch protection, and autonomous operation even when the net is disconnected. It is suitable for drone last-mile delivery scenarios in high-rise residential buildings, apartments, office buildings, and other similar structures, enabling safe, stable, and unmanned take-off, landing, receiving, and item protection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of drone logistics and low-altitude economic technology, specifically relating to an integrated drone platform that can be installed on building exterior walls, balconies or doors and windows, and has functions such as automatic take-off and landing, receiving goods, automatic fall protection and flexible storage. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid popularization of urban low-altitude logistics and drone delivery, the demand for last-mile delivery in high-rise residential buildings, apartments, and office buildings is increasing. Currently available drone take-off and landing and receiving devices have many shortcomings, failing to meet actual usage needs. Specific problems include: First, the lack of supporting automatic protection structures, making it easy for items placed on the platform to fall from heights, posing a serious safety hazard and threatening the safety of people and property on the ground; Second, the installation methods are singular and fixed, unable to simultaneously adapt to both external installation and door / window integration scenarios, exhibiting poor adaptability to different building structures and insufficient versatility; Third, the platform's storage and deployment structures are complex, with numerous components, making it difficult to achieve lightweight, low-cost, and stable transmission, resulting in high maintenance costs; Fourth, most devices protrude from building facades, easily being identified as illegal structures after installation, making property management approval and promotion difficult; Fifth, the degree of automation is low, failing to achieve fully unmanned operation of drone take-off and landing, item delivery, and automatic protection, relying on manual operation and resulting in a poor user experience; Sixth, some external platforms lack redundant safety protection, with long-term use posing a risk of component loosening and falling, resulting in insufficient safety. To address the shortcomings of the existing technologies, this invention provides a simple, adaptable, safe, and compliant automatic take-off and landing and protection receiving platform for drones. Summary of the Invention Technical issues

[0003] This invention aims to solve the technical problems of existing drone delivery platforms, such as insufficient protection, poor installation adaptability, complex structure, weak compliance, low degree of automation, and significant safety hazards at high altitudes. Technical solution

[0004] An automated take-off and landing (AUTO) and protection receiving platform for building openings includes a mounting base, a support platform, a drive mechanism, a control unit, and a protection component. The support platform is used for AUTO take-off, landing, docking, and carrying of objects. The platform surface is equipped with visually assisted positioning markers, selected from AprilTag and ArUco markers, for AUTO visual recognition, pose calculation, and precise take-off and landing. The drive mechanism is connected to the support platform and drives it to unfold and retract. The protection component, located on the support platform, includes a retractable protective net and a linkage transmission structure. The linkage transmission structure operates under control, causing the protective net to unfold and shield the support platform, thus preventing objects from falling. The control unit is electrically connected to the drive mechanism and the protection component, and coordinates the operation of the entire device.

[0005] The mounting base is an external, universal mounting base that is fixed to the exterior structure of buildings such as balconies, railings, and bay windows using either clamping or expansion bolts. Clamping installation requires no drilling or damage to walls or window frames, and is removable and reusable; expansion bolt fixing provides stronger load-bearing capacity and more stable installation. Both methods can be flexibly selected according to site conditions, offering wide applicability, strong compliance, and ease of property management approval.

[0006] The support platform is equipped with a fall-prevention steel wire rope. The steel wire rope is made of stainless steel and its two ends are fixed to the installation base and the stress-bearing parts of the support platform, respectively, forming an independent and redundant safety protection. Even if the drive mechanism fails, it can firmly hold the support platform and eliminate the risk of the platform falling from a height.

[0007] The mounting base is an integrated base for doors and windows, which is assembled with the window frame or door and window opening. After the device is stored, it does not protrude from the building facade and does not change the original appearance of the building. It is highly compliant and suitable for use in high-end apartments and high-end residential communities.

[0008] The load-bearing platform is a non-foldable, integrated platform with a stable structure, good load-bearing capacity, and low processing and manufacturing costs.

[0009] The carrying platform is a foldable platform that fits close to the building opening when folded, greatly reducing external space occupation and making it more concealed and aesthetically pleasing; the visual auxiliary positioning marker unfolds or folds synchronously with the platform, always maintaining a stable positioning posture and ensuring continuous and accurate identification by the drone.

[0010] The linkage transmission structure includes rotating linkages symmetrically arranged on both sides of the bearing platform, which are synchronously driven to rotate by the central drive component, ensuring smooth operation and thus stably driving the protective net to complete the retraction and extension actions.

[0011] The protective netting is normally rolled up inside the front end of the carrying platform, without occupying extra space or affecting the normal take-off and landing of drones. When unfolded, it forms a flexible anti-fall shielding structure with strong toughness and a large protective area, eliminating the risk of objects falling.

[0012] The drive mechanism is selected from one or more combinations of motors and electric actuators, and can be flexibly selected according to mass production costs and usage scenarios, and is not limited to a single drive form.

[0013] The control unit is equipped with a wireless communication module, which can connect to the UAV dispatch system and user terminal to realize remote control and status reporting. It also has the ability to operate autonomously when the network is disconnected, and can still complete the core opening and closing and protection actions when there is no network, with high stability.

[0014] The platform also includes an integrated sensor assembly, which includes a position detection sensor, an anti-pinch detection sensor, a docking detection sensor, and an edge AI vision recognition unit. The edge AI vision recognition unit is used to detect offline whether the drone is docked properly and whether the items have been picked up or placed. The recognition process is executed locally without uploading data, which is fast and highly private. Beneficial effects

[0015] It offers full coverage of two installation methods, encompassing both external mounting and integrated door and window installation solutions, adapting to all building scenarios and market demands.

[0016] Equipped with a protective net, it can effectively reduce the risk of items shifting or falling, and greatly improve the safety of high-altitude use.

[0017] Using AprilTag / ArUco dedicated visual markers, the positioning is more accurate, the anti-interference effect is stronger, and the anti-distortion effect is better, making it suitable for complex and harsh environments near windows and more stable when docked.

[0018] The addition of independent anti-fall steel wire ropes creates a double safety protection, preventing items from falling and eliminating the risk of the platform itself falling, thus greatly improving safety and completely eliminating the risks of high-altitude use.

[0019] With a strong emphasis on compliance, the integrated door and window solution does not damage the building facade, does not involve illegal installation issues, is easy to obtain approval from property management and urban management departments, and is convenient for large-scale promotion and implementation.

[0020] With a streamlined and reasonable structure, fewer parts, low processing and assembly difficulty, and controllable mass production costs, it balances practicality and economy, making it suitable for individual household installations and centralized deployment in residential communities.

[0021] With a high degree of automation, no manual operation is required. It enables precise take-off and landing of drones, automatic protection after take-off, and automatic storage when not in use, achieving fully unmanned operation and improving the user experience.

[0022] It is compatible with various types of lightweight civilian drones, has strong versatility, is not limited to specific models and specifications, and has a wide range of applications. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the external + non-foldable platform. Figure 2. Schematic diagram of the external + foldable platform structure. Figure 3. Schematic diagram of integrated door and window structure + non-foldable platform. Figure 4. Schematic diagram of integrated door and window structure + foldable platform. Figure 5. Partial schematic diagram of the protective netting in its deployed state. In the diagram: 1— Drive motor / electric actuator; 2— Anti-fall wire rope; 3— Transmission structure; 4— Connecting rod; 5— Protective rod, protective net; 6— AprilTag / ArUco identification code; 7— Sensor assembly; 8— Control unit; 9— Power supply module / backup power supply. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The platform features a lightweight structure, meeting the requirements for drone takeoff and landing and cargo carrying, and is compatible with installation in building openings. The power supply module uses 12V / 24V DC power and can be powered by an indoor power adapter or independently by a backup power source, ensuring platform storage and safe reset even in the event of a power outage. The platform is equipped with integrated sensor components, including position detection, anti-pinch detection, docking detection, and an end-side AI vision recognition unit. This allows for real-time assessment of platform position, obstacles, drone status, and cargo handling status, achieving fully automated and safe operation.

[0025] The mounting base adopts an external structure, which can be clamped to the outside of balcony railings and bay windows without damaging the building structure; or it can be reinforced with expansion bolts to improve the overall load-bearing stability. The load-bearing platform adopts an integrated flat plate structure, and the platform surface is printed with AprilTag / ArUco visual aid positioning marks; the drive mechanism uses a motor / electric push rod to drive the load-bearing platform to complete the outward expansion and inward retraction movements; stainless steel anti-fall wire ropes are installed on both sides of the platform, and the two ends are locked to the stress points of the mounting base and the platform respectively to form redundant protection.

[0026] After the drone completes takeoff and landing, drops items, and flies away, the control unit outputs a signal, and the drive mechanism drives the linkage transmission structure to smoothly pull out the rolled-up protective net, completely covering the load-bearing platform area to form a fall protection. The drive opens the protective net, and after the user takes the items, the drive mechanism reverses, the linkage resets, and the protective net automatically rolls back into place. The sensor components detect the position and obstacles in real time, and immediately stop the drone for protection if any abnormality is detected.

[0027] The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that the supporting platform adopts a segmented foldable structure, which folds inward and is stored tightly against the exterior of the building when not in use, reducing the space occupied. The visual aid positioning markers used are AprilTag / ArUco visual aid positioning markers, which fold and unfold synchronously with the platform to maintain stable recognition posture. This embodiment is also equipped with fall-prevention steel cables and automatic safety nets; the remaining structure and working principle are the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0028] The mounting base is integrated with the window frame and door / window openings, and the entire device does not protrude from the building facade, meeting building appearance management requirements. The support platform is an integrated flat plate with AprilTag / ArUco visual aid positioning marks on its surface. When unfolded, it forms a flat lifting and lowering surface and has complete automatic protection functions, requiring no additional drilling or installation. This embodiment is also equipped with a fall arresting wire rope and an automatic safety net, and its working principle is the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0029] This embodiment combines the advantages of integrated door and window installation with foldable storage. The installation is concealed and aesthetically pleasing, and it can be completely folded away when not in use, without occupying indoor or outdoor space. The visual positioning markers are linked to the folding mechanism, ensuring stable and reliable positioning, strong resistance to wind interference, and comprehensive protection, lifting, lowering, and storage functions. This embodiment is also equipped with anti-fall steel wire ropes and automatic safety nets, and its working principle is the same as the embodiments described above.

[0030] When the system receives the take-off and landing command, the control unit drives the drive mechanism to extend, and the support platform unfolds outward. Once in position, the sensors detect and provide feedback, the drive mechanism stops running, and the platform enters a ready state; The drone lands precisely based on visual markers, completes the handover of goods, and then flies away. The control unit drives the protective net to unfold, covering the support platform and protecting the items from falling. The control unit drives the protective net to unfold, and the net automatically retracts after the user has retrieved the goods. The system issues a storage command, the drive mechanism moves the platform to retract, and the machine stops after the sensor detects that it is in place. The system operates with real-time sensor monitoring throughout the entire process, and immediately stops and implements safety protection measures upon encountering obstacles.

Claims

1. A receiving platform for automatic take-off and landing and protection of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for building openings, characterized in that, The system includes a mounting base, a support platform, a drive mechanism, a control unit, and protective components. The support platform is used for UAV take-off, landing, docking, and cargo carrying. The surface of the support platform is equipped with visually assisted positioning markers, which are selected from AprilTag and ArUco markers. The drive mechanism is connected to the support platform and is used to drive the support platform to complete the unfolding and retraction actions. The protective components are located on the support platform and include a retractable protective net and a linkage transmission structure. The linkage transmission structure operates under control, causing the protective net to unfold and cover the support platform. The control unit is electrically connected to the drive mechanism and the protective components.

2. The platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting base is an external universal mounting base, which is fixed by clamping or expansion screws and is suitable for installation on the outer building structure of balconies, railings, and bay windows.

3. The platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting base is an integrated base for doors and windows, which is assembled with the window frame or door and window opening as a whole, and the device does not protrude from the building facade after being stored.

4. The platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support platform is equipped with a fall-prevention steel wire rope. The steel wire rope is made of stainless steel and its two ends are fixed to the installation base and the stress-bearing parts of the support platform, respectively, forming redundant safety protection.

5. The platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The supporting platform is either a non-foldable integrated platform or a segmented foldable platform.

6. The platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The linkage transmission structure includes rotating linkages symmetrically arranged on both sides of the bearing platform, which are synchronously driven to rotate by the central drive component to achieve smooth deployment and retraction of the protective net.

7. The platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The protective netting is normally rolled up inside the front end of the support platform, and when unfolded, it forms a flexible fall-prevention shielding structure.

8. The platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive mechanism is selected from one or more combinations of motors and electric actuators.

9. The platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit is equipped with a wireless communication module, enabling it to operate autonomously even when the network is disconnected.

10. The platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an integrated sensor assembly, which includes a position detection sensor, an anti-pinch detection sensor, and an end-side AI vision recognition unit for platform position detection, anti-pinch protection, drone docking detection, and item placement / removal status detection.

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