Vehicle-mounted mobile ejection unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and provides a vehicle-mounted mobile ejection unmanned aerial vehicle which comprises a plurality of vehicle arms, the vehicle arms are all rotationally arranged on a vehicle body, the ends, away from the rotating axis, of the vehicle arms are provided with foldable rotor wings, and the vehicle arms are provided with clamping grooves; the two ends of the torsional spring act on the fuselage and the arms respectively, and the torsional spring is used for providing unfolding force for the arms; and the clamping piece is rotationally or movably arranged on the machine body and can be clamped with the clamping groove rotating towards the machine body. According to the technical scheme, the technical problem that in the prior art, the arms of the unmanned aerial vehicle are unfolded immediately after leaving the launch canister, and interference with other objects is possibly generated due to insufficient height is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, specifically to a vehicle-mounted mobile catapult UAV. Background Technology

[0002] In certain special circumstances, catapult-launched drones can meet the needs of rapid drone response, quick deployment in low-altitude areas, and seizing low-altitude air superiority.

[0003] In existing technologies, catapult-launched drones are used in conjunction with launch tubes. The launch tube launches the drone into the air via a catapult device. After the drone leaves the launch tube, its arms automatically deploy under the action of torsion springs. Simultaneously, the motors on the arms start, and under the action of centrifugal force, the rotor blades are thrown out, causing them to rotate and generate the lift required by the drone. However, in the case of vehicle mounting, if the drone deploys its arms immediately after leaving the launch tube, it may interfere with the front of the vehicle due to insufficient height, thus limiting the placement of the launch tube. On the other hand, during drone recovery, operators need to retract all the arms simultaneously and overcome the spring force of the torsion springs to keep the arms in the retracted state, which is not conducive to drone recovery. Utility Model Content

[0004] To overcome the above-mentioned defects, this utility model provides a vehicle-mounted mobile catapult drone, which solves the technical problem in the prior art where the drone's arms may interfere with other objects due to insufficient height when they immediately extend after leaving the launch tube.

[0005] According to one aspect, at least one embodiment of the present invention provides a vehicle-mounted mobile catapult drone, comprising:

[0006] body;

[0007] The machine arm has several arms, all of which are rotatably mounted on the machine body. The end of each machine arm away from the axis of rotation has a foldable rotor, and each machine arm has a slot.

[0008] A torsion spring, with its two ends acting on the fuselage and the arm respectively, is used to provide the force for the arm to extend;

[0009] A locking element is rotatably or movable on the machine body, and the locking element can engage with the locking slot that rotates toward the machine body.

[0010] For example, in a vehicle-mounted mobile catapult drone provided in at least one embodiment of the present invention, the card is rotatably mounted on the fuselage, the main shaft of the card is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the arm, and the side wall of the card has a plurality of protrusions, which are configured such that after the card is rotated, the protrusions enter or leave the card slot.

[0011] For example, in a vehicle-mounted mobile catapult drone provided in at least one embodiment of the present invention, a release groove is provided between any two adjacent protrusions. The release groove is configured such that after the locking member rotates, the release groove corresponds one-to-one with the locking groove, so that the arm unfolds under the action of the torsion spring.

[0012] For example, in a vehicle-mounted mobile catapult drone provided in at least one embodiment of the present invention, the arm has two protruding blocks with a slot formed between the two blocks. The blocks are configured such that after the protrusions rotate away from the slot, the blocks rotate through the release slot. Along the rotation direction of the blocks, the arc length of several release slots increases by a multiple.

[0013] For example, in a vehicle-mounted mobile catapult drone provided in at least one embodiment of the present invention, after the protrusion enters the slot, there is a gap between the protrusion and the inner wall of the slot along the rotation direction of the arm.

[0014] For example, in a vehicle-mounted mobile catapult drone provided in at least one embodiment of the present invention, the card also has a position sensor. The position sensor is used to sense the position of the position sensor sensing point on the card relative to the fuselage. The fuselage has a plurality of indicator lights, each of which corresponds to one of the arms. The indicator lights are configured such that only the indicator light closest to the position sensor sensing point remains on or off.

[0015] For example, in at least one embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle-mounted mobile catapult drone is provided, wherein the fuselage is cylindrical and adapted to the launch tube, and the side wall of the fuselage has several mounting slots, wherein a photoelectric sensor is installed inside the mounting slot, and the photoelectric sensor is used to sense whether the fuselage has detached from the launch tube.

[0016] For example, in at least one embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle-mounted mobile catapult drone is provided with a locator on the top of the fuselage, and the locator is used to transmit the position information of the fuselage to a control terminal.

[0017] For example, in at least one embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle-mounted mobile catapult drone is provided, wherein the fuselage also has a video pod for holding a visual acquisition device.

[0018] For example, in at least one embodiment of this utility model, a vehicle-mounted mobile catapult drone further includes:

[0019] A rotation drive device is disposed inside the machine body, and the rotation drive device is used to drive the card to rotate.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the embodiments of this utility model are as follows:

[0021] In this invention, the deployment time of the drone arm can be controlled by the locking mechanism and slots. The arm deploys only after the drone reaches a safe altitude, avoiding the problem of interference with surrounding objects when the drone arm is initially at a low altitude after leaving the launch tube. Especially in scenarios with limited vehicle space, this expands the options for the launch tube's placement, improving launch safety and flexibility.

[0022] After the drone is recovered, the retracted arms are controlled by latches and slots, allowing operators to easily place the drone back into the launch tube for reloading simply by carrying it. This avoids the complexity of manually holding the arms while moving the drone and the danger of the arms suddenly extending. Furthermore, recovering the drone reduces the space it occupies, facilitating its transport. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments of this utility model will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some exemplary embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the content of the exemplary embodiments of this utility model and these drawings without any creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention in its folded state;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the unfolded structure of this utility model;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the structure of the present invention in its folded state;

[0027] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Enlarged structural diagram at point A in the middle;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the card structure;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the boom structure;

[0030] Figure 7 for Figure 6 Enlarged structural diagram at point B;

[0031] In the diagram: 100, fuselage; 200, arm; 210, rotor; 220, slot; 300, torsion spring; 400, clip; 410, protrusion; 420, release slot; 500, position sensor; 600, indicator light; 110, mounting slot; 700, locator; 800, video pod; 900, rotation drive. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present invention and not intended to limit its scope.

[0033] To keep the drawings concise, only the parts relevant to the utility model are shown schematically in each drawing; these do not represent the actual structure of the product. Furthermore, for ease of understanding, in some drawings, only one of the components with the same structure or function is schematically shown, or only one is labeled. In this document, "a" not only means "only one," but can also mean "more than one," and "several" includes "two" and "more than two."

[0034] In this document, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0035] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature includes the first feature directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature includes the first feature directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0036] In the description of this embodiment, terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of description and simplification of operation, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0037] Furthermore, in the description of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0038] like Figures 1-7 As shown, this invention illustrates a vehicle-mounted mobile catapult-launched unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) according to one embodiment of the present invention. It mainly comprises a fuselage 100, arms 200, torsion springs 300, and locking devices 400. The fuselage 100 serves as the main body of the UAV, providing the mounting base for other components. Several arms 200 are rotatably connected to the fuselage 100. Each arm 200 has a foldable rotor 210 at its distal end and a locking slot 220. The torsion springs 300 are connected at both ends to the fuselage 100 and the arms 200, respectively, providing power for the arms 200 to deploy. The locking devices 400 are mounted on the fuselage 100 in a rotating or movable manner, controlling the deployment of the arms 200 through their interaction with the locking slots 220.

[0039] The fuselage 100 is made of high-strength, lightweight carbon fiber composite material. This material has an excellent strength-to-weight ratio, ensuring that the fuselage 100 can withstand various external forces during flight while effectively reducing the overall weight of the UAV and improving flight performance. The fuselage 100 has multiple internal compartments for housing key components such as batteries, flight control systems, and communication equipment. Taking four arms 200 as an example, they are rotatably positioned in four directions on the fuselage 100. One end of each arm 200 is connected to the fuselage 100 via a rotating shaft. After rotation, the arms 200 can be extended or retracted under the fuselage 100. When the arms 200 are extended, the entire device can achieve flight maneuvers via the rotor 210. When the arms 200 are retracted, the entire device can be placed inside the launch tube for easy pre-flight setup. The arm 200, located away from the axis of rotation, has a foldable rotor 210 and a motor that drives the rotor 210. The rotor 210 is rotatably mounted on the arm 200 via a rotating frame, and the motor drives the rotating frame to rotate the rotor 210. The rotor 210 is rotatably mounted with respect to the rotating frame, and the rotor 210 folds and unfolds by rotating. The folding mechanism of the rotor 210 can be achieved by adding damping and baffles between the rotor 210 and the rotating frame, allowing the rotor 210 to be manually retracted and unfolded by the centrifugal force of the rotating frame.

[0040] When the arm 200 retracts, the torsion spring 300 is compressed. After the entire device is placed inside the launch tube, the arm 200 will not unfold under the force of the torsion spring 300 due to the restriction of the inner wall of the launch tube and the clamp 400. After the launch tube ejects the device, the arm 200 can quickly unfold using the elastic force of the torsion spring 300. The motor on the arm 200 drives the rotor 210 to rotate and open, providing lift to the fuselage 100.

[0041] The clamp 400 can be divided into two types according to its movement: rotary and sliding. A rotary clamp 400 is typically a rod-shaped or block-shaped object driven by one or more motors, providing rotation for the clamp 400. Part of the clamp 400 can enter the slot 220, preventing the arm 200 from unfolding under the action of the torsion spring 300. A sliding clamp 400 is a rectangular slider that mates with the slot 220. The slider is mounted on the machine body 100 via a guide rail, on which a drive device, such as a linear motor or cylinder, is installed to control the slider's movement.

[0042] The working principle is as follows: a drone waiting to be launched is placed in the launch tube on the vehicle platform. After the launch tube receives the launch command, the ejection unit ejects the drone from the launch tube. When the drone leaves the launch tube and reaches a certain height, the locking device 400 releases the arm 200 by rotating or moving, so that the arm 200 can unfold under the elastic force of the torsion spring 300. Then, the motor on the arm 200 drives the rotor 210 to rotate, providing lift for the drone.

[0043] The deployment time of the robotic arm 200 can be controlled by the locking device 400 and the locking slot 220. This allows the arm 200 to deploy only after the drone has detached from the launch tube and reached a safe altitude, by releasing the locking device and locking slot. This avoids the problem of the drone arm 200 easily interfering with surrounding objects due to its low altitude during the initial stage after leaving the launch tube. Especially in scenarios with limited vehicle space, this expands the options for launching tube placement, improving launch safety and flexibility.

[0044] After the drone is recovered, the retracted arm 200, controlled by the latch 400 and the slot 220, allows the operator to easily place the drone back into the launch tube for reloading simply by carrying it. This avoids the complexity of manually holding the arm 200 while simultaneously moving the drone, and also eliminates the danger posed by the sudden extension of the arm 200. Furthermore, the recovered drone reduces the space it occupies, facilitating its transport.

[0045] In some examples, the main body of the card 400 is disc-shaped, and the card 400 is rotatably mounted on the body 100 via a central spindle, with the spindle of the card 400 located on the central axis of the body 100. The number of protrusions on the side wall of the card 400 is equal to or greater than the number of arms 200, and the protrusions are evenly and spacedly distributed on the circumference of the side wall of the card 400.

[0046] Working Principle: During the launch preparation phase of the UAV, at least one protrusion of the locking piece 400 exists in the slot 220 of each arm 200. At this time, the torsion spring 300 stores elastic potential energy and attempts to extend the arm 200. However, due to the restraining effect of the protrusion on the slot 220, the arm 200 remains firmly in the retracted state. After the UAV is launched from the launch tube, the flight control system makes a judgment based on the real-time altitude information fed back by the altitude sensor. Once the UAV reaches the preset safe altitude, the flight control system immediately sends a command to the drive mechanism to extend the arm 200. After receiving the command, the drive mechanism activates the motor to start the locking piece 400, causing the protrusions in the slots 220 of all arms 200 to simultaneously disengage from their respective slots 220. Under the elastic force of the torsion spring 300, the arm 200 rapidly extends, simultaneously driving the rotor 210 to the predetermined working position, providing lift for the UAV.

[0047] During the drone's flight, the locking device 400 remains stationary, with the protrusion completely separated from the slot 220. At this time, the arm 200 is stably maintained in its extended position by the force of the torsion spring 300, while the rotor 210 continues to rotate, providing the power required for flight. When the drone completes its mission and is ready for recovery, the flight control system first controls the rotor 210 motor to decelerate until it stops rotating, allowing the drone to land at the designated location. Then, the operator rotates the arm 200 to compress the torsion spring 300, causing the arm 200 to retract. At this point, the drive motor of the locking device 400 is activated, causing the locking device 400 to rotate, the protrusion entering the slot 220, and the arm 200 is confined to the retracted position, compressing the torsion spring 300 again.

[0048] The clamp 400 uses a rotating disc and a protrusion, requiring only one drive unit to clamp and release all the arms 200, simplifying the overall structure and reducing the weight of the drone.

[0049] In some examples, several release grooves 420 are provided between several protrusions. The release grooves 420 are partially annular and, along the rotation direction of the locking member 400, are deeper than the locking slots 220. After the release grooves 420 are aligned with the locking slots 220, the robotic arm 200 can rotate freely. The release grooves 420 are evenly distributed on the sidewalls of the locking member 400, alternating with the protrusions. Since the number of protrusions is usually determined by the number of robotic arms 200, for example, if 4 protrusions correspond to 4 robotic arms 200, then the number of release grooves 420 is also 4.

[0050] Before the drone launches, the protrusion of the locking piece 400 is located in the locking slot 220 of the arm 200. The arm 200 tends to unfold under the elastic force of the torsion spring 300, but is blocked by the protrusion and remains in a retracted state. At this time, the release slot 420 and the locking slot 220 are misaligned and do not participate in restricting the arm 200.

[0051] When the UAV launches and reaches the predetermined safe altitude, the flight control system issues a command, and the drive mechanism rotates the locking piece 400. As the locking piece 400 rotates, the protrusion gradually moves away from the locking slot 220, and simultaneously, the release slot 420 begins to align with the locking slot 220. When the release slot 420 and the locking slot 220 are fully aligned, the arm 200 is freed from the constraint of the protrusion, and under the action of the elastic potential energy stored in the torsion spring 300, the arm 200 rapidly deploys. During the deployment process, the locking slot 220 slides along the inner wall of the release slot 420, which provides guidance for the deployment of the arm 200, enabling the arm 200 to deploy more smoothly and stably, and avoiding any jamming or misalignment that may occur during the deployment process.

[0052] In some examples, the arc lengths of several release slots 420 increase exponentially along the rotation direction of the locking element 400. Taking the arc length corresponding to the width of one slot 220 as one unit, along the rotation direction of the locking element 400, the length of the first release slot 420 is one unit, the second release slot 420 is two units, the third release slot 420 is three units, the fourth release slot 420 is four units. Correspondingly, in the rotation direction of the locking element 400, the length of the protrusion between the one-unit-length release slot 420 and the two-unit-length release slot 420 is four units, the length of the protrusion between the two-unit-length release slot 420 and the three-unit-length release slot 420 is three units, and so on.

[0053] The robotic arm 200 has two locking blocks, forming a slot 220 between them. Combined with release slots 420 of different arc lengths, when recovering the drone, the operator can retract one robotic arm 200, then rotate the locking block 400 to allow four protrusions of unit length to enter the slot 220. Then, the operator can retract the other robotic arm 200 in the opposite direction of the rotation of the locking block 400, and rotate the locking block 400 again to allow three protrusions of unit length to enter the slot 220 of the second robotic arm 200, and so on. The operator can retract the robotic arms one by one in sequence, reducing the difficulty of retracting the robotic arms.

[0054] In some examples, after the protrusion enters the slot 220, there is a gap between the protrusion and the inner wall of the slot 220 along the rotation direction of the arm 200. This gap allows the maximum distance between the arm 200 and the central axis of the fuselage 100 after the protrusion engages with the slot 220 to be greater than the radius of the fuselage 100. When placing the drone into the launch tube, the operator only needs to manually apply a force close to the axis of the fuselage 100 to completely retract the arm 200 below the fuselage 100. Then, the entire drone is placed into the launch tube. Under the force of the torsion spring 300, the arm 200 can fit against the inner wall of the launch tube, allowing the launch tube to apply a uniform binding force to the fuselage 100 circumferentially through the arm 200, thus ensuring the stability of the drone during ejection.

[0055] In some examples, the card 400 also has a position sensor 500, which is used to sense the position of a certain point on the card 400. The body 100 has several indicator lights 600, which correspond one-to-one with the arm 200. The indicator lights 600 are configured such that only the indicator light 600 closest to the sensing point of the position sensor 500 remains on or off.

[0056] Since the release slots 420 of different arc lengths have different positions, the retraction sequence of the robotic arms 200 has certain requirements. Therefore, the position sensor 500 can be used to enable the operator to know the position of a unit length of release slot 420, so as to select the robotic arm 200 that needs to be retracted first, and the rest are retracted in the opposite direction of the rotation of the clamp 400.

[0057] In some examples, the fuselage 100 is cylindrical to better fit the shape of the launch tube. The side wall of the fuselage 100 has several mounting slots 110, each housing a photoelectric sensor. This installation within the slots prevents interference between the photoelectric sensor and the inner wall of the launch tube. The photoelectric sensor detects whether the fuselage 100 has detached from the launch tube. The time it takes for the fuselage 100 to detach helps determine its height, allowing for the programming of the rotation control program for the card 400 based on this time, thus reducing costs compared to using a height sensor.

[0058] In some examples, a GPS locator 700 is installed on the top of the fuselage 100. The locator 700 is used to transmit the location information of the fuselage 100 to the control terminal, so that the controller can know the location of the drone in real time.

[0059] In some examples, the fuselage 100 also has a video pod 800, which facilitates the installation of visual acquisition devices.

[0060] In some examples, a rotation drive 900 is also included, which is disposed in an isolation compartment of the fuselage 100. The rotation drive 900 is used to drive the card 400 to rotate. The rotation drive 900 is in the form of a stepper motor, and the step angle is adjusted according to the angle corresponding to one unit of arc length.

[0061] It should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of this utility model and are not intended to limit it. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solution of this utility model without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solution of this utility model, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted mobile catapult-launched unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that, include: fuselage (100); The arm (200) has several, and all of the arms (200) are rotatably mounted on the fuselage (100). The end of the arm (200) away from the axis of rotation has a foldable rotor (210), and the arm (200) has a slot (220). A torsion spring (300) is provided at both ends to the fuselage (100) and the arm (200), respectively, and the torsion spring (300) is used to provide the force for the arm (200) to extend. A locking element (400) is rotatably or movable on the body (100), and the locking element (400) can engage with the locking slot (220) that rotates toward the body (100).

2. The vehicle-mounted mobile catapult-launched drone according to claim 1, characterized in that, The card (400) is rotatably mounted on the body (100). The main shaft of the card (400) is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the arm (200). The side wall of the card (400) has a plurality of protrusions (410). The protrusions (410) are configured such that after the card (400) rotates, the protrusions (410) enter or leave the card slot (220).

3. The vehicle-mounted mobile catapult-launched drone according to claim 2, characterized in that, A release groove (420) is provided between any two adjacent protrusions (410). The release groove (420) is configured such that after the locking piece (400) rotates, the release groove (420) corresponds one-to-one with the locking slot (220), so that the arm (200) unfolds under the action of the torsion spring (300).

4. The vehicle-mounted mobile catapult drone according to claim 3, characterized in that, The arm (200) has two protruding blocks, and the slot (220) is formed between the two blocks. The blocks are configured such that after the protrusion (410) rotates away from the slot (220), the blocks rotate through the release slot (420). Along the rotation direction of the locking member (400), the arc length of a plurality of the release slots (420) increases by a multiple.

5. A vehicle-mounted mobile catapult-launched unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that, After the protrusion (410) enters the slot (220), there is a gap between the protrusion (410) and the inner wall of the slot (220) along the rotation direction of the arm (200).

6. A vehicle-mounted mobile catapult-launched unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that, The card (400) also has a position sensor (500) for sensing the position of the sensing point of the position sensor (500) on the card (400) relative to the body (100). The body (100) has a plurality of indicator lights (600), each of which corresponds to one of the arms (200). The indicator lights (600) are configured such that only the indicator light (600) closest to the sensing point of the position sensor (500) remains on or off.

7. A vehicle-mounted mobile catapult-launched unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fuselage (100) is cylindrical in shape and adapted to the launch tube. The side wall of the fuselage (100) has several mounting slots (110). Photoelectric sensors are installed inside the mounting slots (110) and are used to sense whether the fuselage (100) is detached from the launch tube.

8. A vehicle-mounted mobile catapult-launched unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, A locator (700) is provided on the top of the fuselage (100), and the locator (700) is used to transmit the position information of the fuselage (100) to the control terminal.

9. A vehicle-mounted mobile catapult-launched unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fuselage (100) also has a video pod (800) for holding a visual acquisition device.

10. A vehicle-mounted mobile catapult-launched unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that, Also includes: A rotation drive device (900) is disposed inside the body (100) and is used to drive the card (400) to rotate.

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