Modular work unmanned aerial vehicle with multi-load adaptation

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle equipment, and discloses a multi-load adaptive modular operation unmanned aerial vehicle, which comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle flight platform, a main vacuum pump is arranged on the unmanned aerial vehicle flight platform, and a self-adaptive operation integral unit is detachably arranged on the abdomen of the unmanned aerial vehicle flight platform; the self-adaptive operation integral unit comprises, from top to bottom, a universal ball hinge locking mechanism, a sleeve type micro-motion connecting rod and a particle blocking flexible docking cabin; the inner cavity of the particle blocking flexible docking cabin is communicated with a main stem air extraction pipeline of the main vacuum pump; the sleeve type micro-motion connecting rod is internally provided with a mechanical misplacement slide valve; and the universal ball hinge locking mechanism is internally provided with a locking interlayer. The mechanical misplacement slide valve in the sleeve type micro-motion connecting rod is directly opened through axial tensile displacement generated at the moment of taking off, and the system ensures that the universal ball hinge always keeps a normal pressure free state in the ground blind connection stage, and only the bottom flexible cabin is in a particle blocking phase change.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipment technology, specifically to a modular operational UAV with multi-payload adaptability. Background Technology

[0002] With the deepening demand for low-altitude economy and special operations, modular drones are playing an increasingly crucial role in complex scenarios such as emergency rescue, field sampling, and material delivery. Traditional drone payload mounting systems have long relied on standardized rigid mechanical interfaces, such as dovetail grooves, mechanical clips, or quick-release plate assemblies. While this design paradigm demonstrates good connection rigidity in laboratories or highly standardized logistics processes, its inherent architectural limitations become apparent when facing real and uncertain field physical environments.

[0003] In real-world operational environments, target payloads often vary in shape, have rugged surfaces, and lack pre-defined docking interfaces. Requiring all irregularly shaped items to be transported to be manually fitted with standard adapters before loading not only significantly wastes valuable mission time but also fundamentally eliminates the possibility of the UAV system autonomously "blindly" docking with payloads of unknown shapes. Even more challenging are the challenges at the fluid dynamics and flight attitude control levels: even if the physical grasp of irregular payloads is barely achieved, the extremely complex and unknown mass distribution within the payload often directly disrupts the UAV's original aerodynamic symmetry. When the physical center of mass of the payload deviates from the UAV's lift geometry, a continuous and unpredictable eccentric torque is generated downwards.

[0004] To forcibly overcome the attitude tilt caused by this eccentric moment, existing technological evolution logic often falls into the quagmire of excessive electrification and algorithmic compensation. Most conventional solutions directly use flight control algorithms as the bottom line of compromise, relying on long-term, continuous increases in the speed difference of some side rotors to suppress the tilting trend. This crude software trim method greatly overdraws the redundancy of the rotor power system, not only causing some motors to be in an unbalanced, high-load heating state for a long time, but also causing the overall aircraft's disturbance resistance to sudden crosswinds or complex airflow to drop precipitously.

[0005] Meanwhile, some advanced solutions attempting to address center-of-gravity shift at the physical level haven't escaped the conventional thinking of simply piling on electronic components. These solutions typically involve superimposing heavy two-dimensional servo translation rails on the underside of the drone's fuselage, densely packed with stress and strain sensor arrays, attempting to actively find and drag the center of gravity through real-time motor drive. However, this path of continuous addition introduces astonishing mechanical dead weight and extremely high power consumption, and its highly complex electronic control feedback loop is prone to signal malfunctions or mechanical jamming under severe vibrations and high-frequency impacts during flight. Grasp adaptability and payload center-of-gravity balance are thus separated into two distinct and independent energy-consuming systems. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a modular operational UAV with multi-load adaptability, which solves the problems of traditional rigid mounting architecture's inability to perform blind connection without transfer for unknown irregular loads, and the excessive reliance of existing eccentric mounting compensation schemes on complex electronic control servo mechanisms and algorithms with high energy consumption and large dead weight for forced compensation, resulting in severe overdraft of flight platform power redundancy, low system physical robustness, and highly fragmented structure.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a modular operational unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with multi-load adaptability, comprising a UAV flight platform, a main vacuum pump mounted on the flight platform, and an adaptive operational unit detachably mounted on the underside of the flight platform. The adaptive operational unit, from top to bottom, comprises a universal ball joint locking mechanism, a sleeve-type micro-motion connecting rod, and a particle-blocking flexible docking chamber. The inner cavity of the particle-blocking flexible docking chamber is connected to the main exhaust pipe of the main vacuum pump. A mechanical misalignment valve is provided inside the sleeve-type micro-motion connecting rod. The universal ball joint locking mechanism has a locking interlayer inside, which is connected to the main exhaust pipe via the mechanical misalignment valve. Under normal conditions, the mechanical misalignment valve is physically closed, allowing the universal ball joint locking mechanism to remain freely movable. When the sleeve-type micro-motion connecting rod experiences axial tensile displacement due to the gravity of the bottom load, the mechanical misalignment valve is opened, causing the main vacuum pump to evacuate the locking interlayer and rigidly lock the universal ball joint locking mechanism.

[0008] Preferably, the universal ball joint locking mechanism includes a fixed ball cup installed on the belly of the UAV flight platform and an inner movable ball head nested inside the fixed ball cup. A gap is left between the spherical surface of the fixed ball cup and the inner movable ball head. The peripheral edge of the gap is closed by a flexible sealing skirt to form a locking interlayer. The bottom of the inner movable ball head is rigidly connected to a sleeve-type micro-motion connecting rod.

[0009] Preferably, the sleeve-type micro-motion linkage includes an upper sleeve, a lower connecting rod, and a tension spring connecting the upper sleeve and the lower connecting rod. The opening and closing of the mechanical misalignment slide valve is controlled by the relative axial sliding between the upper sleeve and the lower connecting rod. A micro-orifice throttle is connected in series in the air path between the mechanical misalignment slide valve and the locking interlayer to limit the rate of air extraction into the locking interlayer after the mechanical misalignment slide valve is opened, so that the eccentric load in the suspended state has a physical damping delay time to complete vertical alignment by relying on gravitational potential energy before the universal ball joint locking mechanism is completely locked.

[0010] Preferably, the inner movable ball head has an axially penetrating vent hole inside, through which the main exhaust pipe passes through the universal ball joint locking mechanism and extends downward to connect to the inner cavity of the particle-blocking flexible docking chamber.

[0011] Preferably, the particle-blocking flexible docking chamber includes a rigid mounting plate and a sealing bladder. The sealing bladder is sealed at the edge and fixedly connected to the bottom of the rigid mounting plate, and its interior is filled with phase change friction particles. The top of the rigid mounting plate is fixedly connected to a sleeve-type micro-motion connecting rod.

[0012] Preferably, the main exhaust pipe includes a pneumatic quick-connect female and a pneumatic quick-connect male, which are matched and fixed together. The pneumatic quick-connect female is fixedly connected to the geometric center of the fuselage of the UAV flight platform and is connected to the exhaust end of the main vacuum pump. The pneumatic quick-connect male is fixedly connected to the top of the universal ball joint locking mechanism and is connected to the adaptive operation unit. Through the docking of the pneumatic quick-connect female and the pneumatic quick-connect male, the main vacuum pump is connected to the adaptive operation unit, and the adaptive operation unit is fixedly connected to the UAV flight platform.

[0013] Preferably, the adaptive operation unit is an independent module that can be completely replaced, and is equipped with multiple serialized adaptive operation units with different sized particle blocking flexible docking chambers and ball joint specifications.

[0014] Preferably, a vacuum check valve that allows only one-way gas extraction is connected in series on the main exhaust pipe, and a negative pressure power-off switch is also connected in parallel on the main exhaust pipe. The electrical contacts of the negative pressure power-off switch are connected in series in the power supply circuit of the main vacuum pump. When the negative pressure value in the main exhaust pipe reaches the critical threshold that causes the universal ball joint locking mechanism to seize due to extreme friction, the negative pressure power-off switch will activate to automatically cut off the power supply to the main vacuum pump.

[0015] Preferably, a single-point cascaded pressure relief solenoid valve is connected to the main exhaust pipeline between the vacuum check valve and the adaptive operation unit. The single-point cascaded pressure relief solenoid valve is a normally closed valve, with one end connected to the main exhaust pipeline and the other end directly connected to the outside atmosphere.

[0016] Preferably, when the single-point cascaded pressure relief solenoid valve receives the command and opens to the atmosphere, the sleeve-type micro-motion linkage is still stretched by the gravity of the load and maintains the mechanical misalignment slide valve open. The external atmospheric pressure flows into the inner cavity and locking interlayer of the particle-blocked flexible docking compartment in a synchronous reverse direction through the main exhaust pipe and the opened mechanical misalignment slide valve, so as to use a single active exhaust action to simultaneously release the rigidification of the load and the locking of the universal ball joint locking mechanism.

[0017] This invention provides a modular operational unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with multi-payload adaptability. It offers the following advantages: 1. This invention uses the axial tensile displacement generated by the sleeve-type micro-motion linkage at takeoff to directly open the internal mechanical misalignment valve. The system ensures that the universal ball joint remains in a free state at atmospheric pressure during the blind connection phase on the ground, with only the bottom flexible compartment experiencing particle blockage phase change. This avoids the problem of the ball joint structure locking before the load material is securely clamped. At the same time, by connecting a purely mechanical microporous throttle between the misalignment valve and the locking interlayer, this solution creates a perfect fluid damping time window for the attitude alignment of irregularly shaped eccentric loads. After takeoff and suspension, although the mechanical misalignment valve is physically open, the throttling obstruction causes the negative pressure in the ball joint interlayer to rise slowly. This gives the flexible load system sufficient sway for single pendulum swing, forcing the load with unknown mass distribution to naturally come to rest under the control of gravity directly below the lift center of the UAV before being completely rigidly locked. This resolves the structural redundancy of conventional designs that rely on active servo motors for forced balancing.

[0018] 2. This invention, through a pneumatic quick-connect architecture and a series of black-box operating modules, achieves rapid compatibility with cross-size loads without electronic control. Because the mechanical load-bearing structure and the air circuit connection are integrated into a single plug-in action, and the timing of air extraction and trimming is entirely driven by the module's own physical volume, the UAV platform can adaptively switch between and match various operating units without adding complex size recognition sensors or modifying flight control parameters, greatly expanding the application scope of single-unit equipment in complex field missions.

[0019] 3. This invention achieves seamless synchronization between load shedding and recoil force dissipation by relying on a single-point cascaded pressure relief circuit and a mechanically misaligned slide valve. At the instant the pressure relief valve is triggered upon reaching the drop point, external atmospheric air flows through the still gravity-operated slide valve channel, simultaneously breaking the vacuum between the bottom bladder and the central ball joint. This allows the docking bay to release the load while the universal ball joint simultaneously regains its relaxed range of motion, perfectly eliminating the impact of the reaction force generated at the moment of load release and ensuring the absolute stability of the UAV's attitude. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the present invention; Figure 2 This is an assembly diagram of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the adaptive operation unit in this invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the universal ball joint locking mechanism in this invention; Figure 5 for Figure 4 Enlarged view of point A in the middle.

[0021] Among them, 10 is the UAV flight platform; 20 is the main vacuum pump; 201 is the main exhaust pipeline; 2011 is the pneumatic quick-connect female connector; 2012 is the pneumatic quick-connect male connector; 202 is the vacuum check valve; 203 is the single-point cascaded pressure relief solenoid valve; 30 is the universal ball joint locking mechanism; 301 is the locking interlayer; 302 is the fixed ball cup; 303 is the inner movable ball head; 40 is the sleeve-type micro-motion connecting rod; 401 is the mechanical misalignment slide valve; 402 is the upper sleeve; 403 is the lower connecting rod; 404 is the tension spring; 50 is the particle blockage flexible docking chamber; 501 is the rigid mounting plate; 502 is the sealing bladder; and 60 is the micro-orifice throttle. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0023] Please see the appendix Figure 1 - Appendix Figure 5 This invention provides a modular operational unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with multi-payload adaptability, including a UAV flight platform 10. A main vacuum pump 20 is mounted on the UAV flight platform 10. An adaptive operational unit is detachably mounted on the underside of the UAV flight platform 10. The adaptive operational unit, from top to bottom, includes a universal ball joint locking mechanism 30, a sleeve-type micro-motion connecting rod 40, and a particle-blocking flexible docking chamber 50. The inner cavity of the particle-blocking flexible docking chamber 50 is connected to the main exhaust pipe 201 of the main vacuum pump 20. The sleeve-type micro-motion connecting rod 40 has a mechanical... The mechanical misalignment valve 401 and the universal ball joint locking mechanism 30 have a locking interlayer 301 inside. The locking interlayer 301 is connected to the main exhaust pipe 201 via the mechanical misalignment valve 401. Under normal conditions, the mechanical misalignment valve 401 is physically closed, so that the universal ball joint locking mechanism 30 remains in a free-moving state. When the sleeve-type micro-motion connecting rod 40 is subjected to axial tensile displacement by the gravity of the bottom load, the mechanical misalignment valve 401 is opened and circulated, so that the main vacuum pump 20 evacuates the locking interlayer 301 and then rigidly locks the universal ball joint locking mechanism 30.

[0024] The main exhaust pipe 201 includes a pneumatic quick-connect female connector 2011 and a pneumatic quick-connect male connector 2012, which are matched and fixed together. The pneumatic quick-connect female connector 2011 is fixedly connected to the geometric center of the fuselage of the UAV flight platform 10 and is connected to the exhaust end of the main vacuum pump 20. The pneumatic quick-connect male connector 2012 is fixedly connected to the top of the universal ball joint locking mechanism 30 and is connected to the adaptive operation unit. Through the docking of the pneumatic quick-connect female connector 2011 and the pneumatic quick-connect male connector 2012, the main vacuum pump 20 is connected to the adaptive operation unit, and the adaptive operation unit is fixedly connected to the UAV flight platform 10.

[0025] The UAV abandons the traditional integrated carrier design in terms of system architecture and is clearly decoupled into two independent and functionally defined main modules: the UAV flight platform 10, which provides power and fluid control, and the adaptive operation unit that encapsulates a multi-physics field collaborative mechanism.

[0026] The UAV flight platform 10, as the active actuator of the entire system, has a main vacuum pump 20 fixedly installed inside its fuselage. This main vacuum pump 20, as the only power actuator of the entire system, provides a negative pressure source for subsequent irregular load wrapping and mechanism locking. At the absolute geometric center of the fuselage of the UAV flight platform 10, that is, directly below the point of equivalent lift resultant force, a pneumatic quick-connect female connector 2011 is vertically embedded downwards.

[0027] The pneumatic quick-connect female connector 2011 adopts an integrated design of mechanical load-bearing and fluid sealing. Its outer ring has a ring-shaped claw structure and is equipped with a high-strength mechanical lock to bear the entire physical weight of the hanging load, while its inner ring has a highly airtight fluid conduction hole at the axial position. The pumping end of the main vacuum pump 20 is directly connected to the fluid conduction hole of the inner ring through a pipe.

[0028] At the very top of the adaptive operating unit, a pneumatic quick-connect male connector 2012 is integrally formed to precisely match the aforementioned female connector. The outer wall of this quick-connect male connector has a standardized annular groove, and a through air guide hole is also opened at its central axis.

[0029] During assembly, the pneumatic quick-connect male connector 2012 on top of the adaptive operation unit is pushed from bottom to top into the pneumatic quick-connect female connector 2011 on the underside of the UAV flight platform 10. The mechanical locking buckle on the outer ring of the female connector is then screwed into the annular groove on the outer wall of the male connector and locked, completing the high-strength mechanical rigid mounting between the two main modules.

[0030] At the same instant the mechanical locking is completed, the air vent at the center of the quick-connect male connector and the fluid conduction hole in the inner ring of the female connector achieve coaxial mating and end-face sealing with extremely low tolerance. The main exhaust pipe 201 smoothly passes through the physical connection interface and extends directly downward from the inside of the UAV flight platform 10 into the interior of the adaptive operation unit.

[0031] Through the above structural arrangement, the system's structural fixing action and fluid circuit conduction action are highly integrated into a single linear plug-and-play operation. The adaptive operation unit does not require any power supply, air pump, or electronic control components. It only needs to receive a single negative pressure physical quantity transmitted from the UAV flight platform 10 through a coaxial pneumatic interface to drive its internal purely mechanical components to complete complex grasping and center of gravity balancing actions in sequence during subsequent operations. This deeply decoupled architecture forms the physical basis for the modular design and serial adaptation of this invention.

[0032] The universal ball joint locking mechanism 30 includes a fixed ball cup 302 installed on the belly of the UAV flight platform 10, and an inner movable ball head 303 nested inside the fixed ball cup 302. There is a gap between the spherical surface of the fixed ball cup 302 and the inner movable ball head 303. The peripheral edge of the gap is closed by a flexible sealing skirt to form a locking interlayer 301. The bottom of the inner movable ball head 303 is rigidly connected to the sleeve-type micro-motion linkage 40.

[0033] The sleeve-type micro-motion linkage 40 includes an upper sleeve 402, a lower linkage 403, and a tension spring 404 connecting the upper sleeve 402 and the lower linkage 403. The opening and closing of the mechanical misalignment slide valve 401 is controlled by the relative axial sliding between the upper sleeve 402 and the lower linkage 403. A micro-orifice throttle 60 is connected in series in the air path between the mechanical misalignment slide valve 401 and the locking interlayer 301. This is used to limit the rate of air extraction into the locking interlayer 301 after the mechanical misalignment slide valve 401 is opened, so that the eccentric load in the suspended state has a physical damping delay time to complete vertical alignment by relying on gravitational potential energy before the universal ball joint locking mechanism 30 is completely locked.

[0034] An axially penetrating vent is provided inside the inner movable ball head 303. The main exhaust pipe 201 passes through the vent, passes through the universal ball joint locking mechanism 30, and extends downward to connect to the inner cavity of the particle blockage flexible docking chamber 50.

[0035] The particle-blocking flexible docking chamber 50 includes a rigid mounting plate 501 and a sealing bladder 502. The sealing bladder 502 is sealed at the edge and fixedly connected to the bottom of the rigid mounting plate 501, and its interior is filled with phase change friction particles. The top of the rigid mounting plate 501 is fixedly connected to the sleeve-type micro-motion connecting rod 40.

[0036] The outer body of the universal ball joint locking mechanism 30 is a fixed ball cup 302, the top of which is rigidly connected to or integrally formed with the aforementioned coaxial pneumatic quick-connect male connector 2012. An inner movable ball head 303 is nested inside the fixed ball cup 302, and a preset gap is left between the inner spherical surface of the fixed ball cup 302 and the outer spherical surface of the inner movable ball head 303.

[0037] A flexible, highly elastic, annular sealing skirt is fixedly connected to the lower edge of the opening on the periphery of the gap. This flexible sealing skirt completely seals the spherical gap, forming an absolutely airtight locking interlayer 301 between the inner and outer spherical surfaces. Under normal pressure, the inner movable ball head 303 can perform multi-degree-of-freedom three-dimensional rotation with extremely low friction damping within the outer fixed ball cup 302.

[0038] At the very center of the bottom of the inner movable ball head 303, a sleeve-type micro-motion connecting rod 40 extends vertically downwards and is connected. This sleeve-type micro-motion connecting rod 40 specifically includes an upper sleeve 402 and a lower connecting rod 403 coaxially distributed. The upper end of the upper sleeve 402 is rigidly fixed to the inner movable ball head 303, and the upper half of the lower connecting rod 403 is inserted into the inner cavity of the upper sleeve 402. The two are slidably fitted together along the central axis.

[0039] A high-stiffness tension spring 404 is axially fixedly arranged in the overlapping area between the upper sleeve 402 and the lower connecting rod 403. Simultaneously, a mechanically misaligned slide valve 401 is precisely integrated into the internal cavity of this nested portion. The main exhaust pipe 201 extends downwards along the pneumatic quick-connect male connector 2012, passing directly into the upper sleeve 402 through an axial vent hole opened inside the inner movable ball head 303.

[0040] The valve body passages of the mechanically misaligned slide valve 401 are respectively linked to the lower connecting rod 403 and the upper sleeve 402. When normally stationary, under the preload of the tension spring 404, the lower connecting rod 403 retracts upward, causing the internal air holes of the mechanically misaligned slide valve 401 to be misaligned, thus placing it in an absolutely physically sealed state.

[0041] The outlet end of the mechanical misalignment slide valve 401 is connected upwards and in reverse to the locking interlayer 301 of the universal ball joint locking mechanism 30 via a branch air passage pre-embedded inside the component. A purely mechanical microporous throttle 60 is tightly connected in series on this branch air passage. This throttle has a fixed, small fluid cross-sectional area, used to constantly physically impede the airflow rushing towards the locking interlayer 301 after the mechanical misalignment slide valve 401 is physically opened by axial tension.

[0042] The bottom end of the lower connecting rod 403 radiates outward and is rigidly connected to a circular rigid mounting plate 501. Around the bottom surface of the rigid mounting plate 501, a bell-shaped, highly ductile sealing bladder 502 is sealed, and the two together constitute the bottom particulate blocking flexible docking chamber 50.

[0043] The sealed cavity inside the sealed capsule 502 is densely filled with a large number of tiny phase change friction particles with a high coefficient of friction on their surface. After passing through the main inner cavity of the connecting rod where the mechanically misaligned slide valve 401 is located, the main exhaust pipe 201 continues downward through the central hole of the rigid mounting plate 501, and its end is directly open to the particle-filled inner cavity of the sealed capsule 502, so as to realize the direct suction effect of negative pressure airflow on the phase change material.

[0044] A vacuum check valve 202, which allows only one-way gas extraction, is connected in series on the main exhaust pipe 201. A negative pressure power-off switch is also connected in parallel on the main exhaust pipe 201. The electrical contacts of the negative pressure power-off switch are connected in series in the power supply circuit of the main vacuum pump 20. When the negative pressure value in the main exhaust pipe 201 reaches the critical threshold that causes the universal ball joint locking mechanism 30 to lock due to extreme friction, the negative pressure power-off switch will activate to automatically cut off the power supply to the main vacuum pump 20.

[0045] On the main exhaust pipeline 201 between the vacuum check valve 202 and the adaptive operation unit, a single-point cascaded pressure relief solenoid valve 203 is connected. The single-point cascaded pressure relief solenoid valve 203 is a normally closed valve, with one end connected to the main exhaust pipeline 201 and the other end directly connected to the outside atmosphere.

[0046] When the single-point cascaded pressure relief solenoid valve 203 receives the command and opens to the atmosphere, the sleeve-type micro-motion linkage 40 is still stretched by the gravity of the load and keeps the mechanical misalignment slide valve 401 open. The external atmospheric pressure flows into the inner cavity of the particle-blocked flexible docking chamber 50 and the locking interlayer 301 in a synchronous reverse direction through the main exhaust pipe 201 and the opened mechanical misalignment slide valve 401. This allows the single active exhaust action to simultaneously release the rigidification of the load and the locking of the universal ball joint locking mechanism 30.

[0047] In this embodiment, the zero-power pressure-maintaining pneumatic-electric control closed-loop circuit arranged inside the UAV flight platform 10 is described in detail. This control closed-loop circuit relies on the fluid pipeline inside the fuselage and is coupled with electrical feedback logic to achieve absolute airtightness and zero-power attitude solidification under high-altitude operation conditions. The main vacuum pump 20 leads out to the main suction pipe 201, which extends inside the fuselage and finally merges into the inner fluid conduction hole of the aforementioned pneumatic quick-connect female connector 2011.

[0048] A mechanical vacuum check valve 202 is connected in series on the main exhaust pipeline 201. The conduction direction of this vacuum check valve 202 only allows fluid to be drawn unidirectionally from the pneumatic quick-connect socket 2011 towards the main vacuum pump 20. When the main vacuum pump 20 stops working or a reverse pressure difference is generated on both sides of the pipeline, the internal valve core of the check valve is automatically locked by the pressure difference, completely isolating the backflow of external atmospheric pressure air into the inner cavity of the mounting system by physical means.

[0049] A mechanical negative pressure disconnect switch is connected as a bypass to the main exhaust pipe 201. The pressure-sensing chamber of this mechanical negative pressure disconnect switch is kept in real-time connected to the fluid pressure inside the main exhaust pipe 201. The actuation displacement threshold of its internal mechanical spring is precisely calibrated to the critical negative pressure extreme value required when the inner and outer spherical surfaces of the universal ball joint locking mechanism 30 generate ultimate static friction and lock.

[0050] The electrical contacts of the mechanical negative pressure disconnect switch are directly connected to the main power supply circuit of the main vacuum pump 20 in a series topology. When the absolute negative pressure in the main pumping line 201 gradually rises and reaches the aforementioned set critical threshold, the pressure-sensitive diaphragm in the mechanical negative pressure disconnect switch overcomes the spring preload and undergoes a physical jump, directly disconnecting the electrical contacts and cutting off the power input of the main vacuum pump 20 from the underlying hard circuit.

[0051] At this point, with the combined action of the mechanical negative pressure power-off switch cutting off the power source and the vacuum one-way valve 202 locking, the entire evacuation pipeline and the adaptive operation unit connected below are transformed into an absolutely sealed closed-loop negative pressure container. This architecture allows the UAV to maintain the vacuum level of the payload system without consuming any electrical energy during subsequent long-endurance flights.

[0052] On the main exhaust pipeline 201 section between the vacuum check valve 202 and the pneumatic quick-connect socket 2011, there is also a single-point cascaded pressure relief solenoid valve 203, which is the only actively electrically controlled exhaust element in the entire system. This single-point cascaded pressure relief solenoid valve 203 is a normally closed fluid valve, with one end directly and vertically connected to the main exhaust pipeline 201, and the other end open to the external atmospheric environment at normal pressure.

[0053] During normal flight and pressure-holding operations, the single-point cascaded pressure relief solenoid valve 203 remains de-energized and closed to maintain the overall airtightness of the pipeline system. When it receives a transient exhaust electrical pulse command from the UAV flight control system, the valve core instantly lifts to open the pipeline, causing atmospheric pressure from the external environment to rush into the main exhaust pipeline 201 at high speed, thus providing an instantaneous pressure disruption source for subsequent cascaded unloading and detachment actions.

[0054] The adaptive operation unit is an independent module that can be completely replaced, and it is equipped with multiple series of adaptive operation units with different sizes of particle blocking flexible docking compartments 50 and ball joint specifications.

[0055] In response to the extreme range of irregular load volume and mass at the work site, this system no longer relies on a unified execution end and complex size recognition algorithm. Instead, it endogenously guides the temporal workflow of the entire unit based on the difference in physical volume, thus constructing a black-box compatible system with no electrical control intervention throughout the entire series.

[0056] The adaptive operation unit is designed as a modular series with multiple different sizes. For micro-sized, medium-sized conventional, and large-volume irregular loads, the system is configured with adaptive operation units of different physical dimensions, including large, medium, and small. Regardless of the physical dimension of the unit, the pneumatic quick-connect male connector 2012 at its top maintains strict consistency with the pneumatic quick-connect female connector 2011 on the underside of the UAV flight platform 10 in terms of mechanical shape and airflow standards, achieving seamless plug-and-play connection of the entire series of units to the same flight platform.

[0057] The internal differences between the various size units mainly lie in the volume of the sealing bladder 502 and the pressure-bearing area of ​​the universal ball joint locking mechanism 30. For operations involving the transport of large, heavy rescue supplies, the system selects a large-volume sealing bladder 502 to achieve sufficient coverage area and matches it with a large-diameter universal ball joint to provide sufficient static friction. In this case, the number of particles and the volume of the air chamber inside the large-volume sealing bladder 502 are much larger than those in the smaller units.

[0058] During the evacuation phase, for the large-volume unit, the fluid consumption time required to generate the negative pressure value inside the main evacuation pipe 201 sufficient to open the mechanical misalignment valve 401 and for the ball joint to reach its stiffening limit and lock is physically lengthened due to the expansion of the cavity cross-section. This natural delay effect precisely corresponds to the extended single pendulum balancing period that must be extended due to the increased moment of inertia when a large mass load is suspended and oscillating for positioning, giving the heavy object a more sufficient natural alignment time window.

[0059] For lightweight, precision instruments or irregularly shaped components, the system switches to a small-volume integrated unit. Its fine and compact sealed capsule 502 can achieve high-resolution encapsulation and curing of small-volume asymmetric bodies. In this configuration, the limited air chambers within the capsule allow the main vacuum pump 20 to quickly evacuate the air in a very short time, and the negative pressure in the main evacuation pipeline 201 quickly reaches the activation threshold of the mechanical negative pressure power-off switch, thereby accelerating the closed-loop locking of the integrated unit.

[0060] This design mechanism, which relies on the objective difference in the physical volume of the sealed capsule 502 to determine the evacuation time, throttling period, and power-off lock-up sequence from the bottom up, allows the UAV flight platform 10 to adaptively coordinate the dynamic loading and unloading responses of each series of integrated units simply by providing a continuous and stable negative pressure output. The system thus completely eliminates the constraints of complex electronic logic calibration and redundant cross-size sensor arrays, greatly improving the practical application efficiency of multi-payload modular general-purpose operations.

[0061] This embodiment elaborates on the complete multiphysics collaborative operation process for multi-load adaptation. This process achieves a closed loop of adaptive grasping, center of gravity balancing, attitude fixation, and zero-power unloading through a rigorous interweaving of mechanical and fluid motions along the timeline.

[0062] During the ground blind docking phase, the UAV flight platform 10 lands and drives the particle-blocking flexible docking chamber pressure 50 at its bottom towards the irregular load to be transported. At this time, the sleeve-type micro-motion linkage 40 does not bear the suspended gravity of the load, the internal tension spring 404 maintains its original length, and the mechanical misalignment slide valve 401 is in a physically closed state. After the main vacuum pump 20 is started, the generated negative pressure airflow passes through the main exhaust pipe 201 and directly reaches the inner cavity of the sealed capsule 502 without obstruction. The phase change friction particles inside the capsule are rapidly squeezed and wedged under atmospheric pressure, triggering the particle blocking effect, which makes the capsule, which was originally soft and conformed to the outer contour of the load, instantly rigidify, completing the high-strength physical wrapping of the irregular load. During this process, due to the physical isolation of the mechanical misalignment slide valve 401, the locking interlayer 301 of the universal ball joint locking mechanism 30 is always maintained at normal pressure, and the ball joint maintains absolute freedom of movement.

[0063] The system then enters the takeoff, hovering, and delayed positioning phase. The UAV flight platform 10 increases its altitude, causing the payload to detach from the ground. At this moment, the actual physical weight of the payload instantly acts on the sleeve-type micro-motion linkage 40. The lower linkage 403 overcomes the preload of the tension spring 404, generating axial displacement downwards, directly aligning and opening the internal air vents of the mechanical misalignment valve 401. The negative pressure in the main exhaust pipe 201 begins to permeate into the locking interlayer 301 through the opened valve.

[0064] Due to the fluid resistance of the purely mechanical microporous throttle 60, the rate of negative pressure rise inside the locking interlayer 301 is strictly limited. Within this physical delay window gained by the throttle, the flexible system formed by the eccentric load exhibits pendulum motion in the gravitational field. The eccentric load spontaneously oscillates due to the degrees of freedom of the universal ball joint locking mechanism 30, and based on the principle of minimum system potential energy, it eventually comes to rest vertically directly below the lift center of the UAV flight platform 10, achieving purely physical elimination of eccentric torque and adaptive attitude alignment.

[0065] As the pumping action continues, the system enters the attitude solidification and closed-loop power-off phase. When the vacuum level inside the locking interlayer 301 breaks through the fluid resistance and continues to accumulate, eventually reaching the critical point of ultimate locking, the external atmospheric pressure causes the outer fixed ball cup 302 to contract strongly inward, completely locking the inner movable ball head 303 through friction. At this point, the load attitude that has completed gravity alignment is transformed into an absolutely rigid body structure.

[0066] Almost simultaneously, the extreme negative pressure inside the main vacuum pipe 201 triggered the mechanical negative pressure power-off switch inside the fuselage. This switch instantly cut off the power supply circuit to the main vacuum pump 20, and the vacuum check valve 202 automatically closed under the pressure difference across the pipe. The entire load-bearing operation system was thus transformed into an absolutely sealed vacuum black box, allowing the UAV to maintain strong load solidification and perfect center of gravity balance without consuming any additional electrical energy during subsequent long-endurance level flight cruise.

[0067] Finally, there is the cascaded exhaust and synchronous detachment stage. When the UAV flight platform 10 arrives at the predetermined target delivery point, the flight control system sends a transient exhaust pulse command to the single-point cascaded pressure relief solenoid valve 203, causing the normally closed valve to open instantaneously. External atmospheric pressure rapidly flows into the main exhaust pipe 201 in the reverse direction. Because the suspended load still exerts a downward gravitational pull on the sleeve-type micro-motion linkage 40 at this time, the mechanical misalignment slide valve 401 remains unobstructed.

[0068] The incoming atmosphere simultaneously penetrates the bottom sealing capsule 502 and the middle locking interlayer 301. After the pressure inside the sealing capsule 502 is released, it instantly returns to a soft, relaxed state, directly releasing the enclosed load. Simultaneously, the universal ball joint locking mechanism 30 loses its vacuum and regains its joint freedom of movement. At the instant the load falls smoothly and vertically, the free movement of the ball joint perfectly absorbs and dissipates the recoil and shock force caused by the weight's detachment. After the load leaves the ground, the lower connecting rod 403 loses its gravitational pull and rebounds upwards under the action of the tension spring 404. The mechanical misalignment valve 401 re-closes physically, and the system fully returns to its initial ready-to-operate configuration, completing a full operational loop.

[0069] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A modular operational unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with multi-payload adaptability, comprising a UAV flight platform (10), characterized in that, The UAV flight platform (10) is equipped with a main vacuum pump (20). The UAV flight platform (10) has an adaptive operation unit detachably installed on its fuselage belly. The adaptive operation unit includes, from top to bottom, a universal ball joint locking mechanism (30), a sleeve-type micro-motion connecting rod (40), and a particle blockage flexible docking chamber (50). The inner cavity of the particle blockage flexible docking chamber (50) is connected to the main exhaust pipe (201) of the main vacuum pump (20). The sleeve-type micro-motion connecting rod (40) is equipped with a mechanical misalignment slide valve (401). The universal ball joint locking mechanism (30) is also equipped with a main vacuum pump (201). The locking mechanism (30) has a locking interlayer (301) inside. The locking interlayer (301) is connected to the main exhaust pipe (201) via a mechanical misalignment valve (401). Under normal conditions, the mechanical misalignment valve (401) is physically closed, so that the universal ball joint locking mechanism (30) remains in a free-moving state. When the sleeve-type micro-motion connecting rod (40) is subjected to the gravity of the bottom load and produces axial tensile displacement, the mechanical misalignment valve (401) is opened and connected so that the main vacuum pump (20) evacuates the locking interlayer (301) and then rigidly locks the universal ball joint locking mechanism (30).

2. The modular operational UAV with multi-payload adaptability according to claim 1, characterized in that, The universal ball joint locking mechanism (30) includes a fixed ball cup (302) installed on the belly of the UAV flight platform (10) and an inner movable ball head (303) nested inside the fixed ball cup (302). There is a gap between the spherical surface of the fixed ball cup (302) and the inner movable ball head (303). The peripheral edge of the gap is closed by a flexible sealing skirt to form a locking interlayer (301). The bottom of the inner movable ball head (303) is rigidly connected to the sleeve-type micro-motion connecting rod (40).

3. A modular operational UAV with multi-payload adaptability according to claim 2, characterized in that, The sleeve-type micro-motion linkage (40) includes an upper sleeve (402), a lower linkage (403), and a tension spring (404) connecting the upper sleeve (402) and the lower linkage (403). The opening and closing of the mechanical misalignment slide valve (401) is controlled by the relative axial sliding between the upper sleeve (402) and the lower linkage (403). A micro-orifice throttle (60) is connected in series in the air path between the mechanical misalignment slide valve (401) and the locking interlayer (301) to limit the rate of air extraction into the locking interlayer (301) after the mechanical misalignment slide valve (401) is opened, so that the eccentric load in the suspended state has a physical damping delay time to complete vertical alignment by relying on gravitational potential energy before the universal ball joint locking mechanism (30) is completely locked.

4. A modular operational UAV with multi-payload adaptability according to claim 2, characterized in that, The inner movable ball head (303) has an axially penetrating vent hole inside. The main exhaust pipe (201) passes through the vent hole, passes through the universal ball joint locking mechanism (30), and extends downward to connect to the inner cavity of the particle blockage flexible docking chamber (50).

5. A modular operational UAV with multi-payload adaptability according to claim 1, characterized in that, The particle-blocking flexible docking chamber (50) includes a rigid mounting plate (501) and a sealing bladder (502). The sealing bladder (502) is sealed at the edge and fixedly connected to the bottom of the rigid mounting plate (501), and its interior is filled with phase change friction particles. The top of the rigid mounting plate (501) is fixedly connected to the sleeve-type micro-motion connecting rod (40).

6. A modular operational UAV with multi-payload adaptability according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main exhaust pipe (201) includes a pneumatic quick-connect female connector (2011) and a pneumatic quick-connect male connector (2012), which are matched and fixed together. The pneumatic quick-connect female connector (2011) is fixedly connected to the geometric center of the fuselage of the UAV flight platform (10) and is connected to the exhaust end of the main vacuum pump (20). The pneumatic quick-connect male connector (2012) is fixedly connected to the top of the universal ball joint locking mechanism (30) and is connected to the adaptive operation unit. Through the docking of the pneumatic quick-connect female connector (2011) and the pneumatic quick-connect male connector (2012), the main vacuum pump (20) is connected to the adaptive operation unit, and the adaptive operation unit is fixedly connected to the UAV flight platform (10).

7. A modular operational UAV with multi-payload adaptability according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adaptive operation unit is an independent module that can be completely replaced, and is equipped with multiple series of adaptive operation units with different sized particle blocking flexible docking chambers (50) and ball joint specifications.

8. A modular operational UAV with multi-payload adaptability according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main exhaust pipe (201) is connected in series with a vacuum check valve (202) that allows gas to be extracted in only one direction. The main exhaust pipe (201) is also connected in parallel with a negative pressure power cut-off switch. The electrical contacts of the negative pressure power cut-off switch are connected in series in the power supply circuit of the main vacuum pump (20). When the negative pressure value in the main exhaust pipe (201) reaches the critical threshold that causes the universal ball joint locking mechanism (30) to lock due to extreme friction, the negative pressure power cut-off switch will activate to automatically cut off the power supply of the main vacuum pump (20).

9. A modular operational UAV with multi-payload adaptability according to claim 8, characterized in that, On the main exhaust pipeline (201) between the vacuum check valve (202) and the adaptive operation unit, a single-point cascaded pressure relief solenoid valve (203) is connected in the side. The single-point cascaded pressure relief solenoid valve (203) is a normally closed valve, with one end connected to the main exhaust pipeline (201) and the other end directly connected to the outside atmosphere.

10. A modular operational UAV with multi-payload adaptability according to claim 9, characterized in that, When the single-point cascaded pressure relief solenoid valve (203) receives the command and opens to the atmosphere, the sleeve-type micro-motion linkage (40) is still stretched by the gravity of the load and keeps the mechanical misalignment slide valve (401) open. The external atmospheric pressure flows into the inner cavity and locking interlayer (301) of the particle blockage flexible docking chamber (50) in the reverse direction through the main exhaust pipe (201) and the opened mechanical misalignment slide valve (401) in sequence. This allows the single active exhaust action to simultaneously release the rigidification of the load and the locking of the universal ball joint locking mechanism (30).

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