Tilt linkage rigid-flexible composite habitat unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

This invention discloses a tilt-linkage rigid-flexible composite roosting unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); relating to the field of UAV technology, it includes a flight platform, a horizontal arm, a vertical arm, and a rotor mounted on the vertical arm, as well as a base and two opposing clamping arms. The base is located below the flight platform, and the two clamping arms are rotatably connected to the base. The rotation axis of the clamping arms is set in the horizontal direction, and the two clamping arms rotate to move closer to or further away from each other. The flight platform is also equipped with two sets of drive components for driving the clamping arms to rotate. This application, through the arrangement of the clamping arms and drive components, enables the UAV to find nearby roosting objects and temporarily stop the UAV by clamping the roosting objects with the clamping arms, saving power and allowing energy to be used for monitoring equipment. At the same time, due to the rotatability of the horizontal arm, the overall center of gravity of the UAV is lowered, which is beneficial to the stability of the clamping.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, and in particular to a tilt-linkage rigid-flexible composite roosting UAV. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, drone technology has been widely applied in both civilian and military fields, achieving unprecedented development. Drones can inspect high-voltage power lines, wind turbines, oil pipelines, etc., equipped with high-definition cameras and infrared thermal imagers, reducing the risks of manual high-altitude operations and improving inspection efficiency; in the military field, they are mainly used for individual soldier operations and battlefield reconnaissance.

[0003] Multirotor drones are generally battery-powered, and due to limitations in battery density, their flight time is typically only 20 to 40 minutes per charge, making it difficult to meet the requirements of continuous operation for several hours or even days. When performing tasks that require long-term hovering, such as fixed-point reconnaissance and environmental monitoring, drones must continuously consume energy to counteract gravity, resulting in a shortened effective mission duration. Frequent takeoffs and landings for battery swapping also severely hinder operational efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to reduce the energy consumption of drones when they are not in operation and improve operational efficiency, this application provides a tilt-linkage rigid-flexible composite roosting drone.

[0005] This application provides a tilt-linkage rigid-flexible composite terrestrial unmanned aerial vehicle, which adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A tilt-linkage rigid-flexible composite roosting unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes a flight platform, a horizontal arm, a vertical arm, and a rotor mounted on the vertical arm. It also includes a base and two opposing clamping arms. The base is located below the flight platform, and the two clamping arms are rotatably connected to the base. The rotation axis of the clamping arms is set in the horizontal direction, and the two clamping arms rotate to move closer to or further away from each other. The flight platform is also provided with two sets of drive components for driving the clamping arms to rotate.

[0007] Optionally, the drive assembly includes a rigid connector, one end of which is hinged to the lateral arm and the other end of which is hinged to the clamping arm; the lateral arm is rotatably connected to the flight platform, the rotation axis of the lateral arm is set in the horizontal direction, and the flight platform is also provided with a power assembly for driving the lateral arm to rotate.

[0008] Optionally, the power assembly includes a lead screw, a slider, a rocker arm, and a motor. The lead screw is rotatably connected inside the flight platform, and its rotation axis is set in the vertical direction. The slider is connected to the lead screw through a lead screw nut. One end of the rocker arm is rotatably connected to the slider, and the other end passes through the side plate of the flight platform and is connected to the transverse arm. The motor is used to drive the lead screw to rotate.

[0009] Optionally, the side plate of the flight platform has a through hole for the rocker arm to pass through, with the inner diameter of the hole being larger than the outer diameter; the transverse arm is sleeved on the rocker arm, and the end of the rocker arm is also provided with an anti-detachment block.

[0010] Optionally, one end of the rigid connector passes through a limiting hole on the transverse arm and is connected to a compensating spring, which is connected to the upper part of the transverse arm.

[0011] Optionally, the clamping arm is a rigid-flexible composite structure, with a flexible covering layer on the inner side and a rigid base on the outer side.

[0012] Optionally, the flexible covering layer on the inner side of the clamping arm adopts a multi-segment variable curvature design. The initial segment closest to the base has a smaller radius of curvature, and the radius of curvature of each subsequent arc segment increases sequentially to form a gradually changing contact surface.

[0013] Optionally, the base is provided with symmetrical inclined grooves.

[0014] In summary, this application includes the following beneficial technical effects:

[0015] This application enables the drone to find nearby habitats by setting up a clamping arm and drive assembly. The drone can then temporarily stop by clamping the habitat with the clamping arm, saving power and allowing energy to be used for monitoring equipment. At the same time, the rotatability of the lateral arm lowers the overall center of gravity of the drone, which is beneficial to the stability of the clamping. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is an overall structural diagram of a tilt-linkage rigid-flexible composite roosting unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) according to this application;

[0017] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Overall structure diagram of the driving component;

[0018] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Overall structural diagram of the middle clamping arm;

[0019] Figure 4 This is an overall structural diagram of a tilt-linkage rigid-flexible composite terrestrial unmanned aerial vehicle power component according to this application;

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the working state of a tilt-linkage rigid-flexible composite roosting unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) according to this application.

[0021] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0022] 1. Flight platform; 2. Lateral arm; 3. Longitudinal arm; 4. Drive assembly; 5. Clamping arm; 6. Base; 7. Compensating spring; 8. Rigid connector; 9. Hinge point; 10. Rigid base; 11. Flexible cover layer; 12. Lead screw; 13. Slider; 14. Rocker arm; 15. Motor; 16. Block. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1-5 This application will be described in further detail.

[0024] This application discloses a tilt-linkage rigid-flexible composite roosting unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The UAV includes a flight platform 1, a horizontal arm 2, a vertical arm 3, and a rotor mounted on the vertical arm 3. The flight platform 1 is a hollow shell, which houses conventional flight control components and power supply components, as well as the power components described in this application. Other photography components can be mounted on the front of the flight platform 1. Since such components are standard configurations for UAVs, they will not be further described in the text and accompanying drawings of this application.

[0025] The horizontal arm 2 is connected to the flight platform 1, and the middle section of the vertical arm 3 is connected to the horizontal arm 2. The rotor is installed at both ends of the vertical arm 3. The roosting UAV also includes a base 6 and two opposing clamping arms 5. The base 6 is located below the flight platform 1, and the two clamping arms 5 are rotatably connected to the base 6. The rotation axis of the clamping arms 5 is set in the horizontal direction, and the two clamping arms 5 rotate to move closer to or further away from each other. The flight platform 1 is also provided with two sets of drive components 4 for driving the clamping arms 5 to rotate.

[0026] When the drone does not need to operate or there is a suitable resting place near the monitored target, the drive component 4 drives the two clamping arms 5 to move closer together to clamp the resting target, so that the drone does not have to consume excess power to fight gravity, thus extending the drone monitoring operation market. In urban environments, there are more pole-shaped targets, such as the horizontal section of the top of a roadside street lamp. In rural areas, thick tree branches or other pole-shaped objects with a certain load-bearing capacity can be considered.

[0027] In this embodiment, the drive assembly 4 includes a rigid connector 8, one end of which is hinged to the transverse arm 2 and the other end is hinged to the clamping arm 5; the transverse arm 2 is rotatably connected to the flight platform 1, and the rotation axis of the transverse arm 2 is set in the horizontal direction; the flight platform 1 is also provided with a power assembly for driving the transverse arm 2 to rotate.

[0028] When the clamping arms 5 need to move closer or further apart, the power assembly drives the two horizontal arms 2 to swing up and down, thereby driving the two horizontal arms 2 to rotate through the rigid connector 8; at the same time, the downward swing of the two horizontal arms 2 causes the center of gravity of the UAV to shift downward, which is beneficial to the overall clamping stability; in order to cooperate with the downward shift of the center of gravity, the motor used to drive the rotor in the UAV is placed in the longitudinal arm 3 to transfer weight.

[0029] In this embodiment, the power assembly includes a lead screw 12, a slider 13, two rocker arms 14, and a motor 15. The lead screw 12 is rotatably connected inside the flight platform 1, with its rotation axis arranged vertically. The slider 13 is connected to the lead screw 12 via a nut. One end of the rocker arm 14 is rotatably connected to the slider 13, and the other end passes through the side plate of the flight platform 1 and is connected to the transverse arm 2. The two rocker arms 14 are respectively connected to the two transverse arms 2. The motor 15 is used to drive the lead screw 12 to rotate. Through holes are provided on both side plates of the flight platform 1 for the rocker arms 14 to pass through, with the inner diameter of the hole being larger than the outer diameter. The transverse arms 2 are sleeved on the rocker arms 14, and the ends of the rocker arms 14 are also provided with anti-detachment blocks 16.

[0030] When the horizontal arm 2 needs to swing up and down, the motor 15 drives the lead screw 12 to rotate, and the lead screw 12 drives the slider 13 to slide in the vertical direction, thereby driving the two rocker arms 14 to swing up and down, so as to drive the horizontal arm 2 connected to the rocker arms 14 to swing up and down.

[0031] Considering that the diameter of the habitat cannot be accurately determined, it is necessary to ensure that after the clamping arm 5 fully clamps the habitat, the horizontal arm 2 still has some space to continue swinging downwards; in this embodiment of the application, one end of the rigid connector 8 passes through the limiting hole on the horizontal arm 2 and is connected to a compensating spring 7, which is connected to the upper part of the horizontal arm 2.

[0032] To compensate for the irregularity of the surface of the habitat target and to increase the clamping stability, the clamping arm 5 is a rigid-flexible composite structure. The side closer to the habitat target is a flexible covering layer 11, which can compensate for the irregularity of the surface of the habitat target through elastic deformation; the side farther from the habitat target is a rigid base 10, which is used to provide support strength and maintain structural stability.

[0033] Similarly, the base 6 also has symmetrical inclined grooves, which are deep in the middle and shallow on both sides.

[0034] Meanwhile, the flexible covering layer 11 on the inner side of the clamping arm 5 adopts a multi-segment variable curvature design. The initial segment closest to the base 6 adopts a smaller curvature radius, and the curvature radius of each subsequent arc increases sequentially to form a gradually changing contact surface.

[0035] The above are all preferred embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, all equivalent changes made in accordance with the structure, shape and principle of this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A tilt-linkage rigid-flexible composite roosting unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising a flight platform, a horizontal arm, a vertical arm, and a rotor mounted on the vertical arm, characterized in that: It also includes a base and two opposing clamping arms. The base is located below the flight platform, and the two clamping arms are rotatably connected to the base. The rotation axis of the clamping arms is set in the horizontal direction, and the two clamping arms rotate to move closer to or further away from each other. The flight platform is also equipped with two sets of drive components for driving the clamping arms to rotate. The drive assembly includes a rigid connector, one end of which is hinged to the lateral arm and the other end of which is hinged to the clamping arm. The lateral arm is rotatably connected to the flight platform, and the rotation axis of the lateral arm is set in the horizontal direction. The flight platform is also equipped with a power assembly for driving the lateral arm to rotate.

2. The tilt-linkage rigid-flexible composite roosting unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power assembly includes a lead screw, a slider, a rocker arm, and a motor. The lead screw is rotatably connected inside the flight platform, and its rotation axis is set in the vertical direction. The slider is connected to the lead screw through a lead screw nut. One end of the rocker arm is rotatably connected to the slider, and the other end passes through the side plate of the flight platform and is connected to the transverse arm. The motor is used to drive the lead screw to rotate.

3. The tilt-linkage rigid-flexible composite roosting unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that: The side plate of the flight platform has a through hole for the rocker arm to pass through, and the inner diameter of the hole is larger than the outer diameter; the transverse arm is sleeved on the rocker arm, and the end of the rocker arm is also provided with an anti-detachment block.

4. The tilt-linkage rigid-flexible composite roosting unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that: One end of the rigid connector passes through a limiting hole on the transverse arm and is connected to a compensating spring, which is connected to the upper part of the transverse arm.

5. The tilt-linkage rigid-flexible composite roosting unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping arm is a rigid-flexible composite structure, with a flexible covering layer on the inner side and a rigid base on the outer side.

6. The tilt-linkage rigid-flexible composite roosting UAV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible covering layer on the inner side of the clamping arm adopts a multi-segment variable curvature design. The initial segment closest to the base has a smaller radius of curvature, and the radius of curvature of each subsequent arc segment increases sequentially, forming a gradually changing contact surface.

7. A tilt-linkage rigid-flexible composite roosting unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 6, characterized in that: The base has symmetrical inclined grooves.

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