Follow-up anti-falling device for unmanned aerial vehicle test

Abstract

The utility model relates to an unmanned plane test follow-up anti-falling device, relates to the technical field of aircraft test research, and the device includes control system, plane follow-up module, vertical follow-up module, take-off and landing platform and the measurement recovery module embedded in take-off and landing platform, plane follow-up module and vertical follow-up module realize unmanned plane follow-up in XY horizontal plane and Z direction respectively, take-off and landing platform keeps horizontal state through synchronous wheel belt transmission mechanism, measurement recovery module contains unmanned plane azimuth measurement module, distance measurement-recovery integrated module, recovery female interface and matched recovery male interface, traction cable passes through recovery female interface and is connected with recovery male interface, and synchronous realization interval measurement, azimuth measurement and recovery drag. Adopting external structure design, without changing the unmanned plane own characteristic, when detecting flight abnormality, can quickly recover the unmanned plane to take-off and landing platform safely, at the same time, does not interfere with the unmanned plane autonomous flight throughout, guarantees the real effective of flight experiment data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of aircraft testing and research technology, specifically to a follow-up anti-fall device for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) testing. Background Technology

[0002] During the development and testing phase, miniature models of drones or large aircraft require repeated verification experiments on their structural design and control software. Uncertainty inevitably exists in this process, and in extreme cases, it may even lead to the accidental crash of the flight test object, causing varying degrees of economic losses and delays in the test cycle.

[0003] Existing drone crash prevention measures primarily involve adding protective structures to the drone itself. These structures reduce the impact upon landing, preventing damage. However, this approach has several unavoidable drawbacks: First, the protective structure increases the drone's load, leading to increased translational inertia and experimental energy consumption, altering the drone's dynamic load characteristics. Second, the protective structure changes the drone's weight distribution and rotational inertia, directly distorting experimental data on the drone's attitude control dynamics and failing to accurately reflect its control performance. Third, the protective structure alters the drone's aerodynamic shape and the aerodynamic forces experienced during actual flight, also distorting aerodynamic experimental data. All of these issues may result in drone test results failing to meet the accuracy requirements of flight experiments.

[0004] In view of this, the present invention proposes an externally mounted follow-up anti-fall device for UAV testing, which is used to immediately and safely recover the UAV when an abnormality occurs during flight. The external design does not change any characteristics of the UAV itself, and the connection between the device and the UAV is only through a tow cable, so it does not interfere with the UAV's autonomous flight. Thus, while providing full-process anti-fall protection for the UAV, it ensures the authenticity and accuracy of flight test data. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings of the prior art, this invention provides a follow-up anti-fall device for UAV testing. It adopts an external structure design, does not change the inherent characteristics of the UAV, and establishes a connection with the UAV only through a traction cable. During operation, it follows the UAV in real time. When an abnormality is detected in flight, it can quickly and safely recover the UAV to the take-off and landing platform to avoid crash loss. At the same time, it does not interfere with the autonomous flight of the UAV throughout the process, ensuring the authenticity and validity of the flight test data.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a follow-up anti-fall device for UAV testing, comprising a control system, a planar follow-up module, a vertical follow-up module, a measurement and recovery module, and a take-off and landing platform;

[0007] The planar follower module is the support base of the device, used to drive the device to follow the drone in the XY horizontal plane. The vertical follower module is fixedly installed on the planar follower module, used to drive the device to follow the drone's height in the Z direction.

[0008] The lifting platform is mounted on the execution end of the vertical follow-up module via a hinge. A synchronous pulley belt transmission mechanism is provided between the lifting platform and the base of the planar follow-up module. The synchronous pulley belt transmission mechanism ensures that the lifting platform remains horizontal during operation with the vertical follow-up module by using a preset gear ratio.

[0009] The measurement and recovery module is embedded in the take-off and landing platform. The measurement and recovery module includes a UAV orientation measurement module, a ranging-recovery integrated module, a recovery female interface, and a recovery male interface for fixed installation on the UAV.

[0010] The UAV orientation measurement module includes an XY balance ring frame, an X-axis encoder, and a Y-axis encoder. The XY balance ring frame is mounted on the take-off and landing platform via bearings, enabling free rotation in both X and Y dimensions. The X-axis encoder and Y-axis encoder are respectively mounted on the X-axis and Y-axis rotating ends of the XY balance ring frame to collect the deflection angle data of the XY balance ring frame in real time.

[0011] The ranging-recovery integrated module is fixedly installed on the inner frame of the XY balance ring frame. The ranging-recovery integrated module includes a traction cable, a cable magazine, a ranging encoder, and a recovery motor. The traction cable is wound around a rotating shaft inside the cable magazine. The shaft of the ranging encoder is permanently connected to one end of the rotating shaft to measure the linear displacement of the end of the traction cable in real time. The output shaft of the recovery motor is connected to the other end of the rotating shaft through a clutch. A spiral spring is also installed inside the cable magazine. The spiral spring is used to recover the traction cable and keep the traction cable in a taut state when the distance between the UAV and the take-off and landing platform shortens.

[0012] The female retrieval interface is fixedly installed on the ranging-retrieval integrated module, and the traction cable passes through the center hole of the female retrieval interface and is fixedly connected to the male retrieval interface.

[0013] The control system is electrically connected to the power source of the planar servo module, the power source of the vertical servo module, the X-axis encoder, the Y-axis encoder, the ranging encoder, and the clutch of the recovery motor, and simultaneously establishes a real-time communication connection with the UAV's flight control system.

[0014] Furthermore, the planar follow-up module is an XY axis intersecting linear module, or an AGV chassis with omnidirectional drive wheels.

[0015] Furthermore, the vertical follow-up module is a multi-joint foldable robotic arm mechanism or a vertical linear module.

[0016] Furthermore, the XY balance ring frame consists of two nested frame frames. The inner frame frame and the outer frame frame are rotatably connected by two bearings corresponding to each other in the X direction, and the outer frame frame is rotatably connected to the preset center hole of the take-off and landing platform by two bearings corresponding to each other in the Y direction.

[0017] Furthermore, the female and male recycling interfaces are mutually compatible tapered guide structures, which achieve guiding and positioning through the tapered surface cooperation during the recycling process.

[0018] Furthermore, when the clutch is disengaged, the rotating shaft can rotate freely, and when the clutch is engaged, the recovery motor can drive the rotating shaft to rotate to achieve the winding of the traction cable.

[0019] Furthermore, the control system has a built-in human-machine interactive touch screen, which is set with two working modes: manual and automatic. In manual mode, the entire process of device operation is controlled through the human-machine interactive touch screen. In automatic mode, the device automatically follows the drone and automatically recovers it in case of an anomaly according to preset logic.

[0020] Furthermore, the control system is configured to: based on the collected extension length of the traction cable And the deflection angle of the mother interface around the X-axis Deflection angle around the Y-axis The real-time spatial coordinates of the UAV relative to the take-off and landing platform were calculated, and the position offset was:

[0021]

[0022]

[0023]

[0024] Using the calculated spatial coordinates as the target point, the plane follower module and the vertical follower module drive device are controlled to move synchronously.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0026] 1. This invention is placed outside the drone and does not change the structure, weight, or aerodynamic shape of the drone itself. It avoids the influence of traditional airborne protection structures on the drone's load, moment of inertia, and aerodynamic characteristics, ensuring the authenticity and accuracy of the drone's flight test data and meeting the requirements of high-precision testing.

[0027] 2. The present invention is connected to the drone only by a tow cable. During operation, the planar follow-up module and the vertical follow-up module follow the drone's movement in real time, ensuring that the take-off and landing platform is always directly below the drone and maintains a preset safe distance, without interfering with the drone's autonomous flight, and at the same time providing the drone with full-process fall protection.

[0028] 3. The traction cable of the present invention simultaneously realizes three core functions: spacing measurement, orientation measurement, and retrieval and towing, thereby simplifying the device structure, reducing redundant parts, and improving the response speed and consistency of measurement and retrieval actions.

[0029] 4. The present invention uses an XY balance ring frame structure to allow the recovery female interface to rotate arbitrarily within two degrees of freedom, always pointing towards the UAV during the follow-up process, ensuring the real-time performance and accuracy of distance and orientation measurement. In abnormal conditions, the recovery action can be quickly triggered, and the recovery male and female interfaces can be used to correct the attitude of the UAV and stably recover the UAV to the take-off and landing platform, avoiding direct or indirect losses caused by UAV crashes.

[0030] 5. The planar follower module and the vertical follower module of the present invention can be flexibly selected according to the test scenario, adapting to different UAV test scenarios with different ranges and space constraints. At the same time, the control system can communicate with the UAV system in real time to ensure the reliability of UAV operation. It has both manual and automatic working modes, making it flexible to operate and adapting to different test operation requirements. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 This is an isometric schematic diagram of the overall structure of the device of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the installation structure of the measuring and recycling module in the device of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the interaction between the female and male recycling interfaces in the device of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the UAV orientation measurement module in the device of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the distance measurement-recovery integrated module in the device of the present invention.

[0036] In the diagram: 1. Control system; 2. Planar servo module; 3. Vertical servo module; 4. Measurement and recovery module; 5. Take-off and landing platform; 6. UAV orientation measurement module; 7. Ranging-recovery integrated module; 8. Recovery female interface; 9. Recovery male interface; 10. Traction cable; 11. XY balance ring frame; 12. X-axis encoder; 13. Y-axis encoder; 14. Cable magazine; 15. Ranging encoder; 16. Recovery motor. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the invention, not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] See Figures 1-5 As shown, the drone test servo fall arrestor has an overall structure that combines... Figure 1 As shown, it adopts an external structure design, including a control system 1, a planar follow-up module 2, a vertical follow-up module 3, a measurement and recovery module 4, and a lifting platform 5.

[0039] The planar follow-up module 2 is the supporting base of the overall device, used to drive the device to follow the drone in the XY horizontal plane, without participating in the drone's vertical position following in the Z direction. In this embodiment: for indoor small-scale drone testing scenarios, the planar follow-up module 2 adopts an XY axis intersecting linear module, which can achieve high-precision position following in the horizontal plane; for outdoor large-scale testing scenarios, the planar follow-up module 2 can be replaced with an AGV chassis to achieve long-distance following movement.

[0040] The vertical follow-up module 3 is fixedly installed on a base preset on the surface of the planar follow-up module 2, and is used to drive the device to follow the position and height of the UAV in the Z direction. In this embodiment, the vertical follow-up module 3 adopts a multi-joint foldable robotic arm mechanism, which can significantly reduce the height of the device in the folded state, and at the same time achieve a wide range of adjustment in the Z direction through multi-joint linkage. For test scenarios with sufficient height space, the vertical follow-up module 3 can be replaced with a vertical linear module to further simplify the control logic.

[0041] The end hinge of the take-off and landing platform 5 is installed at the execution end of the vertical follow-up module 3. At the same time, a synchronous pulley belt transmission mechanism is installed between the take-off and landing platform 5 and the base of the planar follow-up module 2. By setting the gear ratio, the take-off and landing platform 5 is guaranteed to maintain a horizontal state during the operation of the vertical follow-up module 3, providing a benchmark for the stable recovery of the UAV.

[0042] The measurement and recovery module 4 is embedded in the landing platform 5, combined with Figures 2-3 As shown, it includes a UAV orientation measurement module 6, a ranging-recovery integrated module 7, a recovery female interface 8, and a matching recovery male interface 9, wherein:

[0043] The UAV orientation measurement module 6 consists of an XY balance ring frame 11, an X-axis encoder 12, and a Y-axis encoder 13. Figure 4As shown, the XY balance ring frame 11 consists of two nested frames. The inner frame and the outer frame are rotatably connected by two bearings corresponding to the X-axis, and the outer frame is rotatably connected to the preset center hole of the lifting platform 5 by two bearings corresponding to the Y-axis, so that the XY balance ring frame 11 can achieve free rotation in both X and Y dimensions. The X-axis encoder 12 and the Y-axis encoder 13 are respectively installed on the X-axis and Y-axis rotating ends of the XY balance ring frame 11, and are used to collect the deflection angle data of the XY balance ring frame 11 in real time.

[0044] The ranging-retrieval integrated module 7 includes a traction cable 10, a cable magazine 14, a ranging encoder 15, and a retrieval motor 16, combined with... Figure 5 As shown, the cable magazine 14, serving as the basic housing of the module, is fixedly mounted at the bottom center of the inner frame of the XY balance ring frame 11 with bolts, and can rotate synchronously with it. The traction cable 10 is wound around a rotating shaft inside the cable magazine 14. The shaft of the distance encoder 15 is permanently connected to one end of the rotating shaft, ensuring that the rotation of the rotating shaft is synchronized with the data collected by the distance encoder 15. When the UAV moves, it drags the traction cable 10. The distance encoder 15 measures the linear displacement of the end of the traction cable in real time through the rotation of the rotating shaft, realizing the distance measurement between the UAV and the take-off and landing platform 5. The recovery motor 16 is fixedly mounted on the outer wall of the cable magazine 14. The output shaft of the recovery motor 16 is connected to the other end of the rotating shaft through a clutch. When the clutch is disengaged, the rotating shaft can rotate freely. When the clutch is engaged, the recovery motor 16 can drive the rotating shaft to rotate, realizing the winding of the traction cable 10.

[0045] In addition, a spiral spring is installed inside the cable compartment 14. The inner end of the spiral spring is fixed to the coiling shaft, and the outer end of the spiral spring is fixed to the inner wall of the cable compartment 14. This is used to automatically drive the coiling shaft to rotate in the opposite direction when the distance between the UAV and the take-off and landing platform 5 is shortened, thereby retrieving the traction cable 10 and keeping the traction cable 10 in a taut state at all times. This avoids distortion of the ranging data caused by cable slack and enables accurate measurement of the distance between the UAV and the platform under any condition.

[0046] The female retrieval interface 8 adopts a vertical cylindrical structure and is fixedly installed at the top center of the cable compartment 14. The male retrieval interface 9 adopts a vertical rod structure and is fixedly installed at the bottom center of the UAV's fuselage with bolts, without changing the UAV's aerodynamic shape and center of gravity distribution. The connecting end of the traction cable 10 extends out of the cable compartment 14, passes through the pre-set central hole of the female retrieval interface 8, and is connected and fixed to the bottom end of the male retrieval interface 9. At the same time, the female retrieval interface 8 and the male retrieval interface 9 adopt a conical guide structure. During the retrieval process, the two can achieve guidance and positioning through the cooperation of the conical surfaces, correcting the attitude and position of the UAV and ensuring that the UAV is accurately retrieved to the take-off and landing platform 5. When the traction cable 10 is pulled by the UAV, in addition to linear tension, it will also generate a torque on the XY balance ring frame 11, causing it to deflect. This ensures that the female retrieval interface 8 always follows the direction of the traction cable 10 and points towards the male retrieval interface 9 below the UAV. At this time, the spatial deflection angle of the female retrieval interface 8 is measured in real time by the X-axis encoder 12 and the Y-axis encoder 13.

[0047] The control system 1 is installed in the electrical compartment of the planar follow-up module 2. The control system 1 is electrically connected to the power source of the planar follow-up module 2, the power source of the vertical follow-up module 3, the X-axis encoder 12, the Y-axis encoder 13, the ranging encoder 15, and the clutch of the recovery motor 16. Simultaneously, the control system 1 establishes real-time communication with the UAV's flight control system via a wireless communication module to synchronously acquire the UAV's flight status data. The control system 1 has a built-in human-machine interface touchscreen with both manual and automatic operating modes. In manual mode, the operator can control all actions of the device via the touchscreen, including follow-up movement and triggering recovery actions. In automatic mode, the device can automatically follow the UAV and automatically recover it in case of abnormalities according to preset logic.

[0048] The working process of the device of the present invention is as follows:

[0049] 1. Preparations before testing:

[0050] The retrieval male interface 9 is fixedly installed at the center of the bottom of the drone under test, and the end of the traction cable 10 is fixedly connected to the retrieval male interface 9; the drone is placed stably on the take-off and landing platform 5, and the length of the traction cable 10 is adjusted to the initial tension state to complete the connection between the device and the drone; parameters such as the safe distance for drone following and the retrieval trigger threshold are set in the control system 1 to complete the preparation work before the test.

[0051] 2. Automatic follow-up:

[0052] Start the drone and device, and the control system 1 switches to automatic mode. After the drone takes off, when the ranging encoder 15 detects that the distance between the drone and the take-off and landing platform 5 reaches the preset start threshold, the device starts the follow-up mode.

[0053] During the flight of the drone, when its position changes, it will drag the traction cable 10, causing the XY balance ring frame 11 to deflect accordingly. The X-axis encoder 12 and the Y-axis encoder 13 collect the spatial deflection angles of the recovery female interface 8 around the X-axis and Y-axis in real time. and The ranging encoder 15 collects the extension length of the traction cable 10 in real time. Control system 1 based on the collected data , and The data was used to calculate the real-time spatial coordinates of the UAV relative to the take-off and landing platform 5. The positional offset of the UAV relative to the take-off and landing platform 5 is:

[0054]

[0055]

[0056]

[0057] Using this coordinate as the target point, the drive devices of the plane follow-up module 2 and the vertical follow-up module 3 are controlled to move synchronously, so that the take-off and landing platform 5 is always kept directly below the UAV and maintains a preset safe distance from the UAV, without interfering with the autonomous flight of the UAV throughout the process.

[0058] During the follow-up process, the spiral spring in the cable compartment 14 always keeps the traction cable 10 taut, and the XY balance ring frame 11 drives the recovery female interface 8 to always point towards the UAV, ensuring the accuracy of distance and orientation measurement; at the same time, the control system 1 reads the flight data of the UAV flight control system in real time and performs dual verification with the hardware measurement data to improve the reliability of the follow-up control.

[0059] 3. Abnormal recovery:

[0060] When the control system 1 detects an abnormal flight of the UAV through the UAV flight control data, or detects an abnormal falling trend of the UAV through hardware measurement data, it immediately triggers a recovery command.

[0061] The control system 1 controls the clutch to engage, establishing a transmission connection between the recovery motor 16 and the winding shaft of the traction cable 10. Simultaneously, it controls the recovery motor 16 to rotate at high speed, quickly winding the traction cable 10 into the cable magazine 14. The traction cable 10 then drags the drone towards the landing platform 5. During the dragging process, the male recovery interface 9 at the bottom of the drone gradually embeds into the female recovery interface 8. Through the conical guide structure of both, the drone's position and attitude are automatically corrected, ultimately allowing the drone to land precisely and stably on the landing platform 5, completing the safe recovery and preventing the drone from crashing.

[0062] After recovery, the control system 1 controls the clutch to disengage, and the device returns to standby mode. After the drone takes off again, it can re-enter the follow-up mode.

[0063] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered illustrative and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within the present invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0064] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A follow-up fall arrestor for UAV testing, characterized in that: It includes a control system, a planar servo module, a vertical servo module, a measurement and recovery module, and a lifting platform; The planar follower module is the support base of the device, used to drive the device to follow the drone in the XY horizontal plane. The vertical follower module is fixedly installed on the planar follower module, used to drive the device to follow the drone's height in the Z direction. The lifting platform is mounted on the execution end of the vertical follow-up module via a hinge. A synchronous pulley belt transmission mechanism is provided between the lifting platform and the base of the planar follow-up module. The synchronous pulley belt transmission mechanism ensures that the lifting platform remains horizontal during operation with the vertical follow-up module by using a preset gear ratio. The measurement and recovery module is embedded in the take-off and landing platform. The measurement and recovery module includes a UAV orientation measurement module, a ranging-recovery integrated module, a recovery female interface, and a recovery male interface for fixed installation on the UAV. The UAV orientation measurement module includes an XY balance ring frame, an X-axis encoder, and a Y-axis encoder. The XY balance ring frame is mounted on the take-off and landing platform via bearings, enabling free rotation in both X and Y dimensions. The X-axis encoder and Y-axis encoder are respectively mounted on the X-axis and Y-axis rotating ends of the XY balance ring frame to collect the deflection angle data of the XY balance ring frame in real time. The ranging-recovery integrated module is fixedly installed on the inner frame of the XY balance ring frame. The ranging-recovery integrated module includes a traction cable, a cable magazine, a ranging encoder, and a recovery motor. The traction cable is wound around a rotating shaft inside the cable magazine. The shaft of the ranging encoder is permanently connected to one end of the rotating shaft to measure the linear displacement of the end of the traction cable in real time. The output shaft of the recovery motor is connected to the other end of the rotating shaft through a clutch. A spiral spring is also installed inside the cable magazine. The spiral spring is used to recover the traction cable and keep the traction cable in a taut state when the distance between the UAV and the take-off and landing platform shortens. The female retrieval interface is fixedly installed on the ranging-retrieval integrated module, and the traction cable passes through the center hole of the female retrieval interface and is fixedly connected to the male retrieval interface. The control system is electrically connected to the power source of the planar servo module, the power source of the vertical servo module, the X-axis encoder, the Y-axis encoder, the ranging encoder, and the clutch of the recovery motor, and simultaneously establishes a real-time communication connection with the UAV's flight control system.

2. The servo-guided fall arrestor for UAV testing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The planar follow-up module is an XY axis intersecting linear module, or an AGV chassis with universal drive wheels.

3. The servo-guided fall arrestor for UAV testing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vertical follow-up module is a multi-joint foldable robotic arm mechanism or a vertical linear module.

4. The servo-guided fall arrestor for UAV testing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The XY balance ring frame consists of two nested frames, with the inner and outer frames rotatably connected by two bearings corresponding to each other in the X direction, and the outer frame rotatably connected to the preset center hole of the take-off and landing platform by two bearings corresponding to each other in the Y direction.

5. The servo-guided fall arrestor for UAV testing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The female and male recycling interfaces are mutually compatible tapered guide structures, which achieve guidance and positioning through the cooperation of the tapered surfaces during the recycling process.

6. The servo-guided fall arrestor for UAV testing according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the clutch is disengaged, the rotating shaft can rotate freely; when the clutch is engaged, the recovery motor can drive the rotating shaft to rotate to achieve the winding of the traction cable.

7. The servo-guided fall arrestor for UAV testing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control system has a built-in human-machine interface touch screen and is set to two working modes: manual and automatic. In manual mode, the entire process of device operation is controlled through the human-machine interface touch screen. In automatic mode, the device automatically follows the drone and automatically recovers it in case of an anomaly according to preset logic.

8. The servo-guided fall arrestor for UAV testing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control system is configured to: based on the collected extension length of the traction cable And the deflection angle of the mother interface around the X-axis Deflection angle around the Y-axis The real-time spatial coordinates of the UAV relative to the take-off and landing platform were calculated, and the position offset was: Using the calculated spatial coordinates as the target point, the plane follower module and the vertical follower module drive device are controlled to move synchronously.

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