Multi-mode mooring unmanned aerial vehicle system

Abstract

The utility model relates to a multi-mode mooring unmanned aerial vehicle system which comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle, a ground station, a mooring chassis, a battery module and a mooring cable, the unmanned aerial vehicle is provided with a visual pod and / or a detachable lighting module, the ground station is used for communicating with the unmanned aerial vehicle, the mooring chassis comprises a main body and a base, the main body is provided with a nest for parking the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the battery module is arranged in the nest. A capstan for winding and unwinding the mooring cable is arranged in the main body; a battery bin is arranged beside the main body, the battery module comprises an individual battery and a mooring battery and is arranged in the battery bin for charging, the individual battery and the mooring battery are the same in shape and power-on interface, and a high-voltage-to-low-voltage module is arranged in the mooring battery. The flight method comprises three working modes, namely a mooring illumination and investigation mode, a mooring investigation mode and an individual investigation mode, the limitation that a traditional mooring unmanned aerial vehicle can only carry out mooring flight is broken through, and the mooring chassis adopts a portable box type design, is light in weight and small in size and can walk quickly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicles, in particular to a multi-modal tethered unmanned aerial vehicle system. Background Art

[0002] At present, drones are mainly used in aerial photography, resource exploration, disaster relief, military, public security and other fields. In special occasions, they may require long flight time, so how to solve the problem of power source becomes a thorny problem, and tethered drones came into being. Tethered drones use ground power transmitted through tethered cables as a power source to obtain a continuous supply of power, and can achieve 24-hour fixed-point hovering, replacing traditional lithium batteries. The most important feature is the ability to hover for a long time, mount multiple mission payloads, and perform long-term aerial missions. At the same time, the existence of cables can ensure that big data and video information are transmitted between the tethered drone and the ground platform in real time and stably.

[0003] Tethered drones generally use an optoelectronic composite cable as a cable, which integrates functions such as power supply and optical fiber communication. Tethered drones need generators to provide them with power. At present, the operating range of tethered lighting drones has certain limitations. They can only fly up and down within the cable constraint range and within the visual field. In addition, tethered drones only have lighting functions, which are single and limited in function, resulting in serious waste of drone resources. Utility Model Content

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the utility model is to provide a multi-modal tethered UAV system to solve the problem that the existing tethered UAV has certain limitations in its operating range and can only fly up and down within the cable constraint range and within the visual field, and the single function causes serious waste of UAV resources.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the utility model is: to provide a multimodal tethered UAV system, including a UAV, a ground station, a tethered chassis, a single-soldier battery, a tethered battery and a tethered cable, the UAV is equipped with a visual pod and / or a detachable lighting module, the ground station is used to communicate with the UAV, the tethered chassis includes a main body and a base, the main body is provided with a nest for parking the UAV, and the main body is provided with a winch for retracting the tethered cable; a battery compartment is provided on the side of the main body, the single-soldier battery and the tethered battery are placed in the battery compartment for charging, the single-soldier battery and the tethered battery have the same shape and power-on interface, and the tethered battery has a built-in high-voltage to low-voltage module.

[0006] Furthermore, it includes tethered lighting and reconnaissance modes, the UAV is equipped with a visual pod and a detachable lighting module, the tethered battery is installed on the UAV and connected to a tethered cable, the tethered chassis is connected to the AC power supply to transmit high-voltage direct current to the UAV through the tethered cable, the tethered battery supplies power to the UAV through the high-voltage to low-voltage module, the visual pod is used for reconnaissance, and the lighting module is used for tethered lighting.

[0007] Furthermore, it includes a tethered reconnaissance mode, wherein the UAV is equipped with a visual pod, the tethered battery is installed on the UAV and connected to a tethered cable, the tethered chassis is connected to the mains to transmit high-voltage direct current to the UAV through the tethered cable, the tethered battery supplies power to the UAV through the high-voltage to low-voltage module, and the visual pod is used for reconnaissance.

[0008] Furthermore, the individual battery is placed in the battery compartment for charging, and provides UPS power for the tethered chassis, and seamlessly connects to supply power to the tethered chassis when the mains power of the tethered chassis is disconnected.

[0009] Furthermore, the number of individual battery groups is more than two.

[0010] Furthermore, it includes a single-soldier reconnaissance mode, the UAV is equipped with a visual pod, the single-soldier battery is installed on the UAV to power the UAV, the tethered chassis is connected to the mains, the tethered battery is placed in the battery compartment to charge, and a UPS power supply is provided for the tethered chassis, and when the mains power of the tethered chassis is disconnected, the tethered chassis is seamlessly powered.

[0011] Furthermore, rollers are symmetrically arranged on the base of the tethered chassis, and the number of the rollers is more than one group.

[0012] The beneficial effects of the utility model are as follows: the present invention provides three working modes, namely, tethered lighting and reconnaissance mode, tethered reconnaissance mode and single-soldier reconnaissance mode. The tethered battery converts the high-voltage current provided by the tethered cable into a low-voltage current for the UAV to fly. In the tethered lighting and reconnaissance mode, the lighting module provides a lighting function, and the visual pod of the UAV provides a visual reconnaissance function, and can work 24 hours a day; in the tethered reconnaissance mode, the tethered battery converts the high-voltage current provided by the tethered cable into a low-voltage current for the UAV to fly, and the visual pod of the UAV provides a visual reconnaissance function, and this state can also work 24 hours a day; in the single-soldier reconnaissance mode, the single-soldier battery provides current for the UAV to fly, and the visual pod of the UAV provides a visual reconnaissance function; the tethered battery has the same shape and power interface as the single-soldier battery, and the three working modes can be switched at will; the tethered battery has a built-in high-voltage to low-voltage module, so that the UAV has no waste weight when flying in the single-soldier state, and the tethered module can be disassembled when it is not needed (daytime, etc.) or in the single-soldier state, thereby reducing the take-off weight of the UAV and improving the performance of the UAV. The present invention breaks the limitation that traditional tethered UAVs can only perform tethered flight, and fully utilizes the ability of UAVs to carry multiple loads, which can be switched arbitrarily according to the mission to be performed, which is convenient and fast. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a tethered chassis structure of a multi-modal tethered drone system of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of tethered lighting and reconnaissance modes of a multi-modal tethered UAV system of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a tethered reconnaissance mode of a multi-mode tethered UAV system of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a single-soldier reconnaissance mode of a multi-modal tethered UAV system of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a single-soldier battery for a multi-modal tethered UAV system of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a tethered battery structure of a multi-modal tethered drone system of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 7 A flowchart of a multi-modal tethered UAV system UAV executing tethered lighting and reconnaissance modes of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 8 A flowchart of a multi-modal tethered UAV system UAV executing a tethered reconnaissance mode according to the present invention;

[0022] Fig. 9 The present invention is a flowchart of a multi-modal tethered UAV system UAV executing a single-soldier reconnaissance mode.

[0023] Description of labels:

[0024] 10. UAV; 11. Lighting module; 12. Vision pod;

[0025] 20. Tethered chassis; 21. Machine nest; 22. Battery compartment;

[0026] 23. Roller; 30. Battery module; 31. Battery handle;

[0027] 32. Individual battery; 33. Tethered battery; 40. Tethered cable. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0029] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0030] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0031] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0032] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-modal tethered UAV system, including a UAV 10, a ground station, a tethered chassis 20, a battery module 30 and a tethered cable 40, the battery module 30 includes a single-soldier battery 32 and a tethered battery, the UAV is equipped with a visual pod 12 and / or a detachable lighting module 11, the ground station is used to communicate with the UAV, the tethered chassis 20 includes a main body and a base, the main body is provided with a machine nest 21 for parking the UAV, and the main body is provided with a winch for retracting and releasing the tethered cable 40; a battery compartment 22 is provided on the side of the main body, and the single-soldier battery 32 and the tethered battery 33 are placed in the battery compartment 22 for charging, the single-soldier battery 32 and the tethered battery 33 have the same shape and power-on interface, in order to facilitate and quickly replace the battery, battery handles 31 are provided on both sides of the single-soldier battery 32 and the tethered battery 33, and the tethered battery 33 has a built-in high-voltage to low-voltage module. The tethered chassis converts AC power into high-voltage DC power and transmits it to the drone. The use of high-voltage DC power transmission makes the current of the same power smaller, thereby reducing the wire diameter of the tethered cable core and the mass per unit length of the tethered cable; the high-voltage to low-voltage module previously built into the aircraft is integrated into the tethered battery. When switching to single-soldier mode flight, the high-voltage to low-voltage module is removed simultaneously to reduce the weight of the drone; the tethered battery and the single-soldier battery have the same shape and power interface and can be switched at will. When the drone is flying in single-soldier mode, the lighting group can be removed to reduce the take-off weight of the drone, increase the flight time of the drone, and reduce the hovering power of the drone. The visual pod can be a single-light pod, a dual-light pod, or a triple-light pod, which can carry a variety of loads and can be switched arbitrarily according to the mission to be performed, which is convenient and fast.

[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, it includes tethered lighting and reconnaissance mode. The UAV 10 is equipped with a visual pod 12 and a detachable lighting module 11. The tethered battery 33 is installed on the UAV 10 and connected to the tethered cable 40. The tethered chassis 20 is connected to the mains to transmit high-voltage direct current to the UAV 10 through the tethered cable 40. The tethered battery 33 supplies power to the UAV 10 through the high-voltage to low-voltage module. The visual pod 12 is used for reconnaissance, and the lighting module 11 is used for tethered lighting. In this mode, continuous lighting and reconnaissance monitoring can be performed 24 hours a day; a 50-100-meter high-strength tensile tethered cable can be used, and the effective lighting range can reach 6500m2 , suitable for emergency rescue, disaster relief, security operations, etc. in various complex outdoor environments at night.

[0034] like Figure 3 As shown, it includes a tethered reconnaissance mode, a visual pod 12 is installed on the drone 10, a tethered battery 33 is installed on the drone 10 and connected to a tethered cable 40, a tethered chassis 20 is connected to the mains to transmit high-voltage direct current to the drone 10 through the tethered cable 40, and the tethered battery 30 supplies power to the drone 10 through a high-voltage to low-voltage module, and the visual pod 12 is used for reconnaissance. This state can also work 24 hours a day; when the drone performs the tethered reconnaissance mode, the lighting group can be disassembled when it is not needed (such as during the day) or in a single-soldier state, reducing the drone's takeoff weight and improving the drone's performance.

[0035] like Figure 2 - Figure 3 As shown, the individual battery 32 is placed in the battery compartment 22 for charging, and provides UPS power for the tethered chassis 20. When the tethered chassis 20 is disconnected from the mains, it seamlessly supplies power to the tethered chassis 20. The volume of the tethered chassis is reduced, making it more lightweight and portable, and can be quickly deployed.

[0036] like Figure 2 - Figure 3 As shown, the number of batteries for a single soldier is more than two groups, so as to meet the continuous operation of the single soldier reconnaissance mode.

[0037] like Figure 4 As shown, it includes a single-soldier reconnaissance mode, a visual pod 12 is installed on the drone 10, a single-soldier battery 32 is installed on the drone 10 to power the drone, the tethered chassis 20 is connected to the mains, the tethered battery 33 is placed in the battery compartment 22 for charging, and a UPS power supply is provided for the tethered chassis 20, and when the mains power of the tethered chassis is disconnected, the tethered chassis is seamlessly powered.

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown, rollers 23 are symmetrically arranged on the base of the tethered chassis 20, and the number of rollers 23 is more than one group. Preferably, there is a group, and legs are preferably arranged on the opposite side of the rollers, and the chassis is balanced by the two legs and the two rollers. Furthermore, a handle (not shown) can also be arranged on the main body of the tethered chassis, and the tethered chassis can be moved by pulling the handle, which is convenient for transportation and rapid deployment.

[0039] like Figure 7 As shown, the UAV performs tethered lighting and reconnaissance mode, including the following steps:

[0040] S1. Install a detachable lighting module on the drone;

[0041] S2. Install the tethered battery into the battery slot of the drone and connect the tethered cable;

[0042] S3, connecting the tethered chassis to the mains and transmitting high-voltage direct current to the drone through the tethered cable;

[0043] S4: The ground station takes off with one button, the winch releases the line, the drone reaches the preset height, the visual pod starts reconnaissance operations, and the lighting module starts lighting work;

[0044] S5. After the UAV completes its mission, the ground station lands with one button, the winch reels in, and the UAV lands in the tethered chassis's nest.

[0045] like Figure 8 As shown, the UAV performs tethered reconnaissance mode, including the following steps:

[0046] S10, install the tethered battery into the battery slot of the drone and connect the tethered cable;

[0047] S20, connecting the tethered chassis to the mains, and transmitting high-voltage direct current to the drone through the tethered cable;

[0048] S30, the ground station takes off with one button, the winch releases the line, the UAV reaches the preset height, and the visual pod starts reconnaissance operations;

[0049] S40. After the UAV completes its mission, the ground station lands with one button, the winch reels in, and the UAV lands in the tethered chassis's nest.

[0050] As shown in Figure 9, the UAV performs a single-soldier reconnaissance mode, including the following steps:

[0051] S100, install the single-soldier battery into the battery slot of the drone;

[0052] S200, the ground station takes off with one button, the drone flies according to the preset route, and the visual pod starts reconnaissance operations;

[0053] The pictures and videos taken by S300 and the visual pod are transmitted back to the ground station in real time through the image transmission module;

[0054] S400, the drone completes the mission, the ground station lands with one button, and the drone lands in the nest of the tethered chassis.

[0055] In summary, the utility model provides a multi-mode tethered UAV system, including three working modes: tethered lighting and reconnaissance mode, tethered reconnaissance mode and single-soldier reconnaissance mode, breaking the limitation that traditional tethered UAVs can only perform tethered flight. When switching to single-soldier reconnaissance mode flight, the high-voltage to low-voltage module is removed synchronously to reduce the weight of the UAV. The tethered battery and the single-soldier battery have the same structure and power interface, and the three working modes can be switched at will; the lighting module can be disassembled when not needed (daytime, etc.) or in single-soldier reconnaissance state, reducing the take-off weight of the UAV and improving the performance of the UAV. Regardless of whether the UAV is tethered in lighting and reconnaissance mode, tethered reconnaissance mode flight or single-soldier reconnaissance mode flight, the remaining single-soldier battery or remaining battery is placed in the battery compartment of the tethered chassis for charging, and at the same time serves as a UPS power supply for the tethered chassis. After the tethered chassis is disconnected from the mains, it is seamlessly connected to power the tethered chassis. The tethered chassis does not need to add an additional UPS backup power supply, which reduces the weight of the tethered chassis. The present invention integrates three working modes: tethered lighting and reconnaissance mode, tethered reconnaissance mode and individual reconnaissance mode. The tethered chassis adopts a portable box-type design, which is lightweight, small in size and can be deployed quickly. It is suitable for emergency rescue, disaster relief and security operations in various complex outdoor environments at night. It is widely used in emergency, water conservancy, forest defense, municipal administration, electricity and other fields.

[0056] The above description is only an embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent transformations made using the contents of the specification and drawings of the present invention, or directly or indirectly applied in the relevant technical field, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-modal tethered drone system, characterized in that: It includes a drone, a ground station, a tethered chassis, a battery module and a tethered cable. The drone is equipped with a visual pod and / or a detachable lighting module. The ground station is used to communicate with the drone. The tethered chassis includes a main body and a base. The main body is provided with a nest for parking the drone. The main body is provided with a winch for retracting the tethered cable. A battery compartment is provided on the side of the main body. The battery module includes a single-soldier battery and a tethered battery and is placed in the battery compartment for charging. The single-soldier battery and the tethered battery have the same shape and power-on interface. The tethered battery has a built-in high-voltage to low-voltage module.

2. A multi-modal tethered drone system according to claim 1, characterized in that: It includes tethered lighting and reconnaissance modes. The UAV is equipped with a visual pod and a detachable lighting module. The tethered battery is installed on the UAV and connected to a tethered cable. The tethered chassis is connected to the mains to transmit high-voltage direct current to the UAV through the tethered cable. The tethered battery supplies power to the UAV through the high-voltage to low-voltage module. The visual pod is used for reconnaissance, and the lighting module is used for tethered lighting.

3. A multi-modal tethered drone system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The invention comprises a tethered reconnaissance mode, wherein the UAV is equipped with a visual pod, the tethered battery is installed on the UAV and connected to a tethered cable, the tethered chassis is connected to the mains to transmit high-voltage direct current to the UAV through the tethered cable, the tethered battery supplies power to the UAV through the high-voltage to low-voltage module, and the visual pod is used for reconnaissance.

4. A multi-modal tethered drone system according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The individual battery is placed in the battery compartment for charging, and provides UPS power for the tethered chassis. When the mains power of the tethered chassis is disconnected, the tethered chassis is supplied with power seamlessly.

5. A multi-modal tethered drone system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The number of individual battery groups is more than two.

6. A multi-modal tethered drone system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The invention comprises a single-soldier reconnaissance mode, wherein the UAV is equipped with a visual pod, the single-soldier battery is installed on the UAV to power the UAV, the tethered chassis is connected to the mains, the tethered battery is placed in the battery compartment to charge, and a UPS power supply is provided for the tethered chassis, and when the mains power of the tethered chassis is disconnected, the tethered chassis is powered seamlessly.

7. A multi-modal tethered drone system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base of the tethered chassis is symmetrically provided with rollers, and the number of the rollers is more than one group.

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