Panoramic image acquisition device for unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The panoramic image acquisition device comprises a shooting assembly and a connecting frame, the shooting assembly comprises a shell and a panoramic camera, the top of the shell is provided with an opening, a camera head of the panoramic camera protrudes out of the opening, the bottom of the shell is fixed on a mounting seat, the connecting frame is a Y-shaped frame, one end of the connecting frame is provided with two support arms, and the other end of the connecting frame is provided with a camera head. The mounting base is rotationally connected between the two supporting arms, and the other end of the connecting frame is fixed to the unmanned aerial vehicle body. The panoramic image acquisition device for the unmanned aerial vehicle is simple in structure, small in influence on the size of the unmanned aerial vehicle, flexible to operate and capable of acquiring clear panoramic images.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photography, and more specifically to a panoramic image acquisition device for a UAV. Background Art

[0002] Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, are unmanned aircraft controlled by radio remote control and self-contained programmable controls. When capturing panoramic images, drones typically rotate themselves. However, this rotational motion can be difficult to maintain, leading to camera shake and negatively impacting the quality of the panoramic image. Furthermore, most drones incorporate image acquisition technology at the bottom of the drone, allowing the drone to fly high for bird's-eye view. However, this technology has limitations for capturing panoramic images of the drone's surroundings and upper sides.

[0003] Another approach is to install a rotating gimbal or rotating module on a drone, using the rotating gimbal to drive the camera to rotate for panoramic image capture. For example, application number 202420065312.X discloses an adjustable drone panoramic video capture device, which includes a drone body, a mounting plate with a mounting hole at the bottom of the drone body, a cylinder, a telescopic rod, and a bracket fixedly mounted to the bottom of the mounting plate in sequence, a No. 1 motor fixedly mounted to the right side of the bracket, a rotating block fixedly mounted to the surface of the No. 1 output shaft of the No. 1 motor, a No. 2 motor fixedly mounted inside the rotating block, a rotating column fixedly mounted to the bottom of the No. 2 output shaft of the No. 2 motor, a protective box fixedly mounted to the bottom of the rotating column, and a panoramic camera fixedly mounted on the inner wall of the protective box. The arrangement of the cylinder, No. 1 motor, and No. 2 motors enables the drone to capture panoramic video, reducing the impact of vibration caused by the drone's own directional adjustment on the captured image. The device also has a simple structure, facilitating assembly and disassembly, and facilitating subsequent maintenance. However, according to the working principle proposed in the above patent, the rotating module will increase the overall weight of the drone and shorten the drone's range, while also increasing the size of the drone. In this way, when collecting panoramic images in a complex environment, the drone can easily collide with the surrounding environment and cause damage to the drone. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of the utility model is to provide a panoramic image acquisition device for a drone, which has a simple overall structure, has little impact on the volume of the drone, is flexible to operate, and can acquire clear panoramic images.

[0005] In order to achieve the above purpose, the utility model adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A panoramic image acquisition device for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising a shooting assembly and a connecting frame. The shooting assembly comprises a shell and a panoramic camera. An opening is provided at the top of the shell. The panoramic camera is placed inside the shell, and the camera head of the panoramic camera protrudes from the opening. The bottom of the shell is fixed to a mounting seat. The connecting frame is a Y-shaped frame with two supporting arms at one end. The mounting seat is rotatably connected between the two supporting arms, and the other end of the connecting frame is fixed to the UAV body.

[0007] Preferably, a drive motor is provided in the mounting base, the output end of the drive motor passes through the outside of the mounting base, and the output end of the drive motor is fixedly connected to a first gear, and a second gear meshing with the first gear is fixedly connected to the support arm corresponding to the side of the first gear.

[0008] Preferably, an ear seat is provided on a side of the mounting seat close to the shell, a hinge shaft protruding outward is provided on the ear seat, and a hinge hole cooperating with the hinge shaft is provided on the inner side of the support arm.

[0009] Preferably, the second gear is coaxially arranged with the hinge hole, and a sleeve hole for the hinge shaft to pass through is provided on the second gear.

[0010] Preferably, the shell includes an upper shell and a lower shell, the upper shell is fixedly connected to the upper side of the lower shell; the bottom of the lower shell is fixedly connected to the upper side of the mounting base; the upper shell is in a frustum shape, the opening is provided at the top of the upper shell, and windows are provided at intervals on the side walls of the upper shell, and fill lights are provided at the windows.

[0011] Preferably, the fill light is a high-power LED lamp bead, and there are 5 LED lamp beads that are evenly arranged circumferentially on the side wall of the upper shell.

[0012] Preferably, the shooting assembly further includes an inertial measurement unit, which is disposed in the housing and is used to monitor the status of the shooting assembly.

[0013] Preferably, the connecting frame is a hollow tubular structure, a through hole is provided in the middle of the hinge shaft, and the wiring harness of the shooting component and the driving motor is passed through the through hole into the connecting frame and electrically connected to the drone body.

[0014] Preferably, a notch is provided on the edge of the hinge hole, and a blocking cover is detachably connected to the notch; and the connecting frame is fixed to the side of the drone body.

[0015] Preferably, propellers are provided around the main body of the drone, and the connecting frame is laterally arranged between two propellers.

[0016] In the above technical solution, the drone body is equipped with a panoramic camera, which is connected to the connecting frame of the drone body by rotation. Panoramic acquisition can be performed by rotating the panoramic camera, and the overall structure is simple. The drone body does not need to be rotated during the acquisition process, which enhances the stability of the panoramic camera and allows for the acquisition of clear images. In addition, the provision of the connecting frame can avoid the problem of interference between the panoramic camera and the drone body when the panoramic camera rotates. At the same time, the connecting frame is provided on the side of the drone body, preferably between the propellers of the drone body, so that the panoramic camera can obtain a wide field of view without increasing the overall spatial volume of the drone, thereby facilitating the drone to fly flexibly in different terrains and environments for image acquisition. Furthermore, the shooting component is provided on the side of the drone and can rotate, so that the drone can complete the acquisition of images of its top, surroundings and bottom at one time, broadening the applicability of the drone for image acquisition.

[0017] The mounting base is rotatably connected to the two arms of the Y-shaped connecting frame, which enhances the stability of the mounting base. At the same time, the second gear is coaxially arranged at the hinge hole, and the first gear meshes and rotates on the second gear, making the overall structure simpler and the rotation process smooth, reducing the shaking of the panoramic camera and ensuring the clarity of the acquired image. The inertial measurement unit (IMU) is set in the shell, which can directly monitor the posture of the shooting component and drive the motor to adjust the posture of the panoramic camera to obtain the best shooting angle based on the detected posture of the shooting component. Compared with the method of adjusting the rotation angle of the panoramic camera by the flight posture of the drone body, the signal calculation and conversion process is simplified, making the panoramic camera's response speed faster and the rotation angle more accurate. At the same time, it can also reduce the deviation caused by the shaking generated by the flight of the drone body.

[0018] The upper shell is set in a frustum shape, the panoramic camera is set on the top of the upper shell, and the fill light is set on the inclined side wall of the upper shell and surrounds the panoramic camera to provide comprehensive fill light for the panoramic camera's framing. This ensures that there is no fill light blind spot between the fill light and the panoramic camera, so that a clear image can be obtained. At the same time, it can also avoid the problem of blurred or abnormal image obtained due to excessive brightness of the fill light irradiating the panoramic camera. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the utility model;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the utility model in a decomposed state;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a top view of the present invention (the camera assembly is rotated to be horizontal with the connecting frame);

[0022] Figure 4This is the main view of the present invention (the shooting assembly is rotated to a vertical position with the connecting frame);

[0023] Figure 5 This is a side view of the present invention (the shooting assembly is rotated to a vertical position with the connecting frame);

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the utility model in the installed state on a drone.

[0025] In the figure, 1 is a shooting component; 11 is a panoramic camera; 12 is a panoramic camera head; 2 is a shell; 21 is an opening; 22 is an upper shell; 23 is a lower shell; 24 is a window; 3 is a mounting base; 31 is an ear base; 32 is a hinge shaft; 33 is a through hole; 4 is a connecting frame; 41 is an arm; 42 is a hinge hole; 43 is a notch; 44 is a cover; 45 is a leg; 5 is a driving motor; 51 is a first gear; 6 is a second gear; 61 is a sleeve hole; 7 is a fill light; 8 is an inertial measurement unit; 81 is a mounting plate; 9 is a drone body; 91 is a propeller; 92 is a protective cover. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] As attached Figures 1 to 6 As shown, a panoramic image acquisition device for a drone includes a shooting assembly 1 and a connecting frame 4. The shooting assembly 1 includes a housing 2 and a panoramic camera 11. An opening 21 is provided at the top of the housing. The panoramic camera 11 is placed and fixed within the housing 2, and the camera head 12 of the panoramic camera 11 is exposed and protrudes from the opening 21. The bottom of the housing 2 is fixed to a mounting base 3. The connecting frame 4 is a Y-shaped frame with two arms 41 at one end. The end of the connecting frame 4 away from the arms 41 is fixedly connected to the drone body 9. The mounting base 3 is rotatably connected between the two arms 41. In this way, the rotation of the mounting base 3 drives the shooting assembly 1 to rotate, thereby completing panoramic photography. The overall structure is simple and the rotation is flexible. During the rotation of the shooting assembly 1, the panoramic camera 11 can capture the entire scene within the shooting angle of view to generate a panoramic image. Furthermore, the connecting frame 4 is fixed to the side of the drone body 9.

[0027] In a preferred case, an ear seat 31 is provided on the side of the mounting base 3 close to the shell 2, and a hinge shaft 32 protruding outward is provided on the ear seat 31, and a hinge hole 42 cooperating with the hinge shaft 32 is provided on the inner side of the support arm 41; and a driving motor 5 is provided inside the mounting base 3, the output end of the driving motor 5 passes through the outer side of the mounting base 3, and a first gear 51 is fixedly connected to the output end of the driving motor 5, and a second gear 6 meshing with the first gear 51 is fixedly connected to the support arm 41 on the side corresponding to the first gear 51, the second gear 6 is coaxially arranged with the hinge hole 42, and a sleeve hole 61 for the hinge shaft 32 to pass through is provided on the second gear 6, and the hinge shaft 32 passes through the sleeve hole 61 and is hinged in the hinge hole 42, so that the mounting base 3 is rotatably connected to the support arm 41; when the driving motor 6 works and drives the first gear 51 to rotate, the first gear 51 meshes and rotates around the second gear 6 fixed on the support arm 41, thereby driving the mounting base 3 to rotate with the hinge shaft 32 as the axis. In addition, the meshing rotation of the first and second gears can provide a certain positioning effect for the mounting base 3, preventing the camera assembly and mounting base from rotating due to inertia. Furthermore, depending on the rotation angle limit of the camera assembly 1, the second gear 6 can be configured with any of a 1 / 2 circle, a 2 / 3 circle, or a 3 / 4 circle of teeth. This can achieve lightweight components and further reduce the overall weight of the drone. In this embodiment, a notch 43 is provided on the edge of the hinge hole 42 away from the connecting frame 4. A cover 44 is detachably connected to the notch 43. After the cover 44 is removed, the hinge shaft 32 can be easily and quickly inserted into the hinge hole 42, and the cover 44 can then be fixed to the notch 43.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the housing 2 includes an upper housing 22 and a lower housing 23. The upper housing 22 is fixedly connected to the upper side of the lower housing 23 to form a housing for the panoramic camera 11. The bottom of the lower housing 23 mates with the bottom shape of the panoramic camera 11 to provide a certain positioning effect for the panoramic camera 11. The bottom of the lower housing 23 is also fixedly connected to the upper side of the mounting base 3, encapsulating the drive motor 5 within the mounting base 3.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the camera assembly 1 further includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 8. The IMU 8 and the panoramic camera 11 are disposed together within the housing 2. The IMU 8 rotates along with the housing 2, allowing the IMU 8 to directly monitor the attitude of the panoramic camera 11 relative to the vertical line, thereby adjusting the rotation angle according to the attitude of the panoramic camera 11 for shooting. Compared to adjusting the rotation angle of the panoramic camera 11 by measuring the flight attitude of the drone, this simplifies the signal calculation and conversion process, making the panoramic camera's response faster and the rotation angle more accurate. It also avoids deviations caused by vibrations generated by the drone's flight. Furthermore, a mounting plate 81 is provided on the side of the lower housing 23 near the camera 12, and the IMU 8 is fixed to the mounting plate 81, placing the IMU 8 closer to the camera 12, thereby enabling more accurate monitoring of the camera's 12 spatial information.

[0030] An opening 21 is provided at the top of the upper housing 22, and windows 24 are provided at intervals on the sidewalls of the upper housing 22. Fill lights 7 are preferably high-power LEDs, with five LEDs provided and evenly spaced circumferentially along the sidewalls of the upper housing 22. The use of high-power LEDs, along with the fill lights surrounding the camera 12, provides sufficient light at the moment of capture, making the image captured by the panoramic camera 11 clearer. Furthermore, the upper housing 22 is frustum-shaped, and the fill lights 7 are positioned on the inclined sidewalls of the upper housing 22. This eliminates blind spots between the fill lights 7 and the panoramic camera 11, allowing the fill lights 7 to provide sufficient brightness for the panoramic camera 11 to capture sufficiently clear images. This also prevents blurring or image distortion caused by excessive brightness from the fill lights 7.

[0031] As attached Figure 6 As shown, in a preferred case, propellers 91 are provided around the drone body 9, and the connecting frame 4 is arranged between the two propellers 91. This will not increase the size of the drone and facilitate the flexible flight of the drone. Furthermore, a protective cover 92 is provided on the outside of the propeller 91, and a support leg 45 is provided on the connecting frame 4. The support leg 45 is fixed on the protective cover 92 to enhance the stable support structure of the connecting frame for the shooting component and prevent the shooting component from shaking. In addition, the connecting frame 4 is a hollow tubular structure. While reducing the overall weight of the drone, it can also provide a layout space for the connecting wire harness between the shooting component 1 and the drone body 9. A through hole 33 is provided in the middle of the hinge shaft 32 on the mounting seat 3. The wiring harness of the shooting component 1 and the drive motor 5 is passed through the through hole 33 to the connecting frame 4 and electrically connected to the drone body 9. This can avoid the problem of interference and entanglement between the wiring harness and the surrounding environment during the flight of the drone.

[0032] In the above technical solution, after the drone body 9 flies to the shooting position, the inertial measurement unit (IMU) 8 directly monitors the posture of the shooting component 1, and after feeding back the posture information to the control unit, the control unit sends a signal to rotate the drive motor 5 to adjust the posture of the shooting component 1. The mounting bracket 3 drives the shooting component 1 to rotate to the shooting angle and then stops rotating. The panoramic camera 11 frames and shoots, and at the same time, the fill light 7 is instantly turned on for fill light to ensure that the panoramic camera 11 can capture clear images.

[0033] This embodiment is only an illustration of the concept and implementation of the utility model, and does not limit it. Under the concept of the utility model, technical solutions that have not been substantially changed are still within the scope of protection.

Claims

1. A panoramic image acquisition device for a drone, comprising a shooting assembly and a connecting frame, characterized in that: The shooting assembly includes a shell and a panoramic camera. An opening is provided at the top of the shell. The panoramic camera is placed in the shell and the camera head of the panoramic camera protrudes from the opening. The bottom of the shell is fixed on the mounting base. The connecting frame is a Y-shaped frame with two arms at one end. The mounting base is rotatably connected between the two arms, and the other end of the connecting frame is fixedly connected to the drone body.

2. The panoramic image acquisition device for a drone according to claim 1, wherein: A drive motor is provided in the mounting base, and the output end of the drive motor extends to the outside of the mounting base. The output end of the drive motor is fixedly connected to a first gear, and a second gear meshing with the first gear is fixedly connected to the support arm corresponding to the side of the first gear.

3. The panoramic image acquisition device for a drone according to claim 2, wherein: An ear seat is provided on one side of the mounting seat close to the shell, a hinge shaft protruding outward is provided on the ear seat, and a hinge hole matched with the hinge shaft is provided on the inner side of the support arm.

4. The panoramic image acquisition device for a drone according to claim 3, wherein: The second gear is coaxially arranged with the hinge hole, and a sleeve hole for the hinge shaft to pass through is provided on the second gear.

5. The panoramic image acquisition device for a drone according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The shell includes an upper shell and a lower shell, the upper shell is fixedly connected to the upper side of the lower shell; the bottom of the lower shell is fixedly connected to the upper side of the mounting base; the upper shell is a frustum, the opening is provided at the top of the upper shell, and windows are provided at intervals on the side walls of the upper shell, and fill lights are provided at the windows.

6. The panoramic image acquisition device for a drone according to claim 5, wherein: The fill light is a high-power LED lamp bead, and there are 5 LED lamp beads that are evenly arranged on the side wall of the upper shell in a circumferential direction.

7. The panoramic image acquisition device for a drone according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: The shooting component also includes an inertial measurement unit, which is arranged in the shell and is used to monitor the status of the shooting component.

8. The panoramic image acquisition device for a drone according to claim 7, wherein: The connecting frame is a hollow tubular structure, and a through hole is provided in the middle of the hinge shaft. The wiring harness of the shooting component and the driving motor is passed through the through hole into the connecting frame and is electrically connected to the drone body.

9. The panoramic image acquisition device for a drone according to claim 8, wherein: A notch is provided on the edge of the hinge hole, and a blocking cover is detachably connected to the notch; and the connecting frame is fixed to the side of the drone body.

10. The panoramic image acquisition device for a drone according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: Propellers are arranged around the main body of the UAV, and the connecting frame is arranged between the two propellers; a protective cover is also provided on the outer side of the propeller, and a supporting leg is provided on the connecting frame, and the supporting leg is fixed on the protective cover.

Images