Lifting device for automatic battery replacement of unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The lifting device comprises a battery bin, an unmanned aerial vehicle positioning mechanism is fixedly installed at the top of the battery bin, a positioning platform is fixedly installed at the top of the battery bin, and a servo motor is fixedly installed on the right side of the positioning platform. And a driving box is fixedly installed in the positioning platform, a turbine and a worm which are meshed with each other are rotationally connected into the driving box, and a first bidirectional threaded shaft and a second bidirectional threaded shaft are rotationally connected into the driving box. According to the lifting device for automatic battery replacement of the unmanned aerial vehicle, automatic battery replacement of the unmanned aerial vehicle is achieved through cooperation of the lifting mechanism and the battery clamping mechanism, a double-shaft motor drives a threaded lifting shaft to rotate and drives a driving motor and a limiting cylinder to ascend and descend, and the threaded driving shaft drives a connecting plate and the battery clamping mechanism to move; the vacuum pump controls the vacuum chuck to suck the battery in the battery compartment and mount the battery to the unmanned aerial vehicle body, manual operation is not needed, and the problem of battery replacement in a complex environment is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, specifically a lifting device for automatic battery swapping of UAVs. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of drone technology, its applications in numerous fields such as aerial surveying and mapping, logistics and transportation, agricultural plant protection, power line inspection, and emergency disaster relief are becoming increasingly widespread. However, the current flight endurance of drones is still limited by battery technology bottlenecks, resulting in generally short single-flight times, which makes it difficult to meet the needs of long-distance and long-duration operations.

[0003] When drones run out of power, traditional manual battery swapping methods reveal many drawbacks: in complex environments such as the wild, high-rise buildings, and water bodies, manually approaching drones to perform battery swapping is not only time-consuming and laborious, but also poses safety risks such as falling from heights and equipment damage; for drone swarms that need to perform frequent missions, manually swapping batteries one by one will lead to extended operation interruption time, seriously affecting the overall mission execution efficiency. Therefore, a lifting device for automatic battery swapping of drones is proposed to solve the above problems. Utility Model Content

[0004] (a) Technical problems to be solved

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this utility model provides a lifting device for automatic battery swapping of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This device offers advantages such as automating UAV battery replacement and improving UAV usability. It solves the problems inherent in traditional manual battery swapping methods when UAVs run out of power: in complex environments such as the wild, high-rise buildings, and water bodies, manually approaching the UAV for battery swapping is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive but also carries safety risks such as falls from heights and equipment damage; for UAV swarms that need to perform frequent missions, manually swapping batteries one by one leads to prolonged downtime and severely impacts overall mission efficiency.

[0006] (II) Technical Solution

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution: a lifting device for automatic battery swapping of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), comprising a battery compartment, a UAV positioning mechanism fixedly installed on the top of the battery compartment, a UAV body movably installed on the top of the UAV positioning mechanism, a lifting mechanism fixedly installed on the front of the battery compartment, and a battery clamping mechanism movably installed on the outside of the lifting mechanism.

[0008] The UAV positioning mechanism includes a positioning platform, a servo motor, a drive box, a turbine, a worm gear, a first bidirectional threaded shaft, a second bidirectional threaded shaft, a first drive rod, a second drive rod, a limiting groove, and a clamping positioning plate. The positioning platform is fixedly installed on the top of the battery compartment. The servo motor is fixedly installed on the right side of the positioning platform. The drive box is fixedly installed inside the positioning platform. The turbine and worm gear are rotatably connected inside the drive box. The first bidirectional threaded shaft and the second bidirectional threaded shaft are rotatably connected inside the drive box. Two first drive rods and two second drive rods are threadedly connected to the outside of the first bidirectional threaded shaft and the second bidirectional threaded shaft, respectively. Four limiting grooves are opened on the top of the positioning platform. A clamping positioning plate is slidably connected to the top of each limiting groove.

[0009] The lifting mechanism includes a base plate, a dual-axis motor, a gear set, a limiting slide bar, a threaded lifting shaft, a drive motor, a limiting cylinder, and a threaded drive shaft. The base plate is fixedly installed on the front of the battery compartment. The dual-axis motor is fixedly installed inside the base plate. Gear sets are fixedly installed on the left and right output shafts of the dual-axis motor. Two limiting slide bars are fixedly installed on the top of the base plate. Each limiting slide bar is rotatably connected to a threaded lifting shaft. One of the threaded lifting shafts is externally threaded to a drive motor, and the other threaded lifting shaft is externally threaded to a limiting cylinder. The limiting cylinder is rotatably connected to a threaded drive shaft fixedly connected to the output end of the drive motor.

[0010] Furthermore, the battery clamping mechanism includes a connecting plate, a cylinder, a device box, a vacuum pump, a fixing plate, and vacuum suction cups. The bottom of the threaded drive shaft is threadedly connected to the connecting plate. The cylinder is fixedly installed on the back of the connecting plate. The device box is fixedly installed on the back of the cylinder. The vacuum pump is fixedly installed inside the device box. The fixing plate is fixedly installed on the back of the device box. Several vacuum suction cups are fixedly installed on the back of the fixing plate.

[0011] Furthermore, the battery compartment consists of a battery box and several battery storage compartments. The right side of the first bidirectional threaded shaft is fixedly connected to the worm gear, the top of the second bidirectional threaded shaft is fixedly connected to the turbine, and the output shaft of the servo motor is fixedly connected to the worm gear.

[0012] Furthermore, each of the four clamping and positioning plates has a first connecting rod fixedly installed at its bottom, which passes through the four limiting slide grooves respectively, and the bottom of the four first connecting rods is fixedly connected to two first driving rods and two second driving rods respectively.

[0013] Furthermore, the gear set includes a first gear and a second gear. The first gear is fixedly installed on the output shafts on both the left and right sides of the dual-axis motor, and the second gear is fixedly installed at one end of the bottom of the two threaded lifting shafts that extends into the base plate. The two first gears mesh with the two second gears respectively.

[0014] Furthermore, a first limiting groove is provided on the opposite side of each of the two limiting slide bars, and a second connecting rod is fixedly installed on the opposite side of the drive motor and the limiting cylinder, passing through the two first limiting grooves and respectively threadedly connected to the two threaded lifting shafts. A second limiting groove is provided at the bottom of the limiting cylinder, and a third connecting rod is fixedly installed on the top of the connecting plate, passing through the second limiting groove and threadedly connected to the threaded drive shaft.

[0015] Furthermore, a first vacuum tube connected to a vacuum suction cup is fixedly installed on the back of the vacuum pump, and a second vacuum tube extending to the outside of the equipment box is fixedly installed on the top of the vacuum pump.

[0016] (III) Beneficial Effects

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] 1. This lifting device for automatic battery swapping of drones achieves automatic battery replacement of drones through the cooperation of the lifting mechanism and the battery clamping mechanism. The dual-axis motor drives the gear set to rotate the threaded lifting shaft, which drives the drive motor and the limit cylinder to lift. The threaded drive shaft drives the connecting plate and the battery clamping mechanism to move. The vacuum pump controls the vacuum suction cup to pick up the battery in the battery compartment and install it on the drone body. No manual operation is required, which solves the problem of battery swapping in complex environments.

[0019] 2. The lifting device for automatic battery swapping of drones includes a drone positioning mechanism in which the output shaft of the servo motor drives the worm gear to rotate. The meshing worm gear and turbine cause the first and second bidirectional threaded shafts to rotate. The threaded first and second drive rods drive four clamping positioning plates to slide in the limiting groove through the first connecting rod, clamping the drone body from all sides. The limiting groove restricts the direction of movement, ensuring accurate positioning of the drone and facilitating precise battery replacement.

[0020] 3. In the lifting device for automatic battery swapping of drones, the threaded drive shaft drives the connecting plate to move to the front of the battery in the battery clamping mechanism. The cylinder pushes the device box close to the battery. The vacuum pump generates negative pressure through the first vacuum tube to adsorb the battery. The fixing plate fixes the position of the suction cup. The cylinder controls the distance during picking up and putting down. The negative pressure adsorption is stable, avoiding the battery from falling or being damaged. It realizes stable battery picking and putting down, and improves the reliability and efficiency of battery swapping. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of this utility model;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the UAV positioning mechanism of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the UAV positioning mechanism of this utility model;

[0024] Figure 4 This utility model Figure 2 Enlarged diagram of point A in the diagram;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the lifting mechanism of this utility model;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the battery clamping mechanism of this utility model.

[0027] In the diagram: 1. Battery compartment; 101. Battery box; 102. Battery storage compartment; 2. UAV positioning mechanism; 201. Positioning platform; 202. Servo motor; 203. Drive box; 204. Turbine; 205. Worm gear; 206. First bidirectional threaded shaft; 207. Second bidirectional threaded shaft; 208. First drive rod; 209. Second drive rod; 210. Limiting slide; 211. Clamping positioning plate; 3. UAV body; 4. Lifting mechanism; 401. Base plate; 402. Dual-axis motor; 403. Gear set; 404. Limiting slide; 405. Threaded lifting shaft; 406. Drive motor; 407. Limiting cylinder; 408. Threaded drive shaft; 5. Battery clamping mechanism; 501. Connecting plate; 502. Cylinder; 503. Equipment box; 504. Vacuum pump; 505. Fixing plate; 506. Vacuum suction cup. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0029] Please see Figure 1-6 In this embodiment, a lifting device for automatic battery swapping of a drone includes a battery compartment 1, a drone positioning mechanism 2 is fixedly installed on the top of the battery compartment 1, a drone body 3 is movably installed on the top of the drone positioning mechanism 2, a lifting mechanism 4 is fixedly installed on the front of the battery compartment 1, and a battery clamping mechanism 5 is movably installed on the outside of the lifting mechanism 4.

[0030] The UAV positioning mechanism 2 includes a positioning platform 201, a servo motor 202, a drive box 203, a turbine 204, a worm gear 205, a first bidirectional threaded shaft 206, a second bidirectional threaded shaft 207, a first drive rod 208, a second drive rod 209, a limiting slide groove 210, and a clamping positioning plate 211. The positioning platform 201 is fixedly installed on the top of the battery compartment 1. The servo motor 202 is fixedly installed on the right side of the positioning platform 201. The drive box 203 is fixedly installed inside the positioning platform 201. The internal rotatable connection is a worm gear 204 and a worm 205 that mesh with each other. The internal rotatable connection of the drive box 203 is a first bidirectional threaded shaft 206 and a second bidirectional threaded shaft 207. The external connections of the first bidirectional threaded shaft 206 and the second bidirectional threaded shaft 207 are respectively threaded with two first drive rods 208 and two second drive rods 209. The top of the positioning platform 201 is provided with four limiting slide grooves 210. The top of each limiting slide groove 210 is slidably connected with a clamping positioning plate 211.

[0031] The lifting mechanism 4 includes a base plate 401, a dual-axis motor 402, a gear set 403, a limiting slide bar 404, a threaded lifting shaft 405, a drive motor 406, a limiting cylinder 407, and a threaded drive shaft 408. The base plate 401 is fixedly installed on the front of the battery compartment 1. The dual-axis motor 402 is fixedly installed inside the base plate 401. Gear sets 403 are fixedly installed on the left and right output shafts of the dual-axis motor 402. Two limiting slide bars 404 are fixedly installed on the top of the base plate 401. The threaded lifting shaft 405 is rotatably connected inside each limiting slide bar 404. The drive motor 406 is threadedly connected to the outside of one threaded lifting shaft 405, and the limiting cylinder 407 is threadedly connected to the outside of the other threaded lifting shaft 405. The threaded drive shaft 408, which is fixedly connected to the output end of the drive motor 406, is rotatably connected inside the limiting cylinder 407.

[0032] The battery clamping mechanism 5 includes a connecting plate 501, a cylinder 502, an equipment box 503, a vacuum pump 504, a fixing plate 505, and vacuum suction cups 506. The bottom of the threaded drive shaft 408 is threadedly connected to the connecting plate 501. The cylinder 502 is fixedly installed on the back of the connecting plate 501. The equipment box 503 is fixedly installed on the back of the cylinder 502. The vacuum pump 504 is fixedly installed inside the equipment box 503. The fixing plate 505 is fixedly installed on the back of the equipment box 503. Several vacuum suction cups 506 are fixedly installed on the back of the fixing plate 505.

[0033] The battery compartment 1 consists of a battery box 101 and a number of battery storage compartments 102.

[0034] Specifically, in the implementation of the lifting device for automatic battery swapping of UAVs, the UAV body 3 first lands above the positioning platform 201, the servo motor 202 starts, and its output shaft drives the worm gear 205 to rotate. The worm gear 205 meshes with the turbine 204, thereby driving the first bidirectional threaded shaft 206 and the second bidirectional threaded shaft 207 to rotate. Since the first bidirectional threaded shaft 206 and the second bidirectional threaded shaft 207 are respectively threaded to two first drive rods 208 and two second drive rods 209, the threaded transmission causes the first drive rods 208 and the second drive rods 209 to move axially. Through the first connecting rod fixed at the top, the four clamping positioning plates 211 slide in the limiting slide groove 210, clamping the UAV body 3 from all sides to the center. The limiting slide groove 210 restricts the movement direction of the clamping positioning plates 211 to ensure accurate positioning of the UAV.

[0035] Specifically, after positioning is completed, the dual-axis motor 402 starts, and the first gear at the output shaft on its left and right sides meshes with the second gear at the bottom of the threaded lifting shaft 405, driving the two threaded lifting shafts 405 to rotate synchronously. When the threaded lifting shaft 405 rotates, the second connecting rod, which is threadedly connected to the drive motor 406 and the limiting cylinder 407, moves up and down along the first limiting groove in the limiting slide bar 404, causing the drive motor 406 and the limiting cylinder 407 to move up and down. When it moves to the height corresponding to the target battery storage compartment 102, the drive motor 406 starts, and its output end drives the threaded drive shaft 408 to rotate in the limiting cylinder 407. The threaded drive shaft 408 is threadedly connected to the third connecting rod at the top of the connecting plate 501, driving the connecting plate 501 to move horizontally along the second limiting groove at the bottom of the limiting cylinder 407 to the front of the battery.

[0036] Specifically, cylinder 502 then activates, pushing device box 503 to bring vacuum suction cup 506 closer to the battery via fixing plate 505. Vacuum pump 504 generates negative pressure in vacuum suction cup 506 through the first vacuum tube, adsorbing the old battery in drone body 3. Subsequently, lifting mechanism 4 reverses its movement, moving the old battery to the front of battery storage compartment 102. Vacuum pump 504 stops working and releases negative pressure through the second vacuum tube, causing the old battery to fall into empty battery storage compartment 102. Then, lifting mechanism 4 activates again, moving battery clamping mechanism 5 to the front of battery storage compartment 102 with a fully charged battery, repeating the above process. The adsorption process involves picking up a fully charged battery and transferring it to the battery mounting position on the drone body 3. The cylinder 502 pushes the vacuum suction cup 506 to accurately install the fully charged battery. After the battery swap is completed, the servo motor 202 rotates in the reverse direction, and the clamping and positioning plate 211 releases the drone body 3, allowing the drone to take off and perform its mission. Throughout the process, the gear set 403 ensures that the threaded lifting shaft 405 rotates synchronously, the limiting slide bar 404 and the limiting cylinder 407 ensure the movement accuracy, and the vacuum pump 504 works in conjunction with the cylinder 502 to achieve stable battery loading and unloading. No manual operation is required, which effectively solves the battery swapping problem in complex environments and improves the efficiency of drone swarm operations.

[0037] In summary, this lifting device for automatic battery swapping of drones achieves automated battery replacement through the cooperation of the lifting mechanism 4 and the battery clamping mechanism 5. The dual-axis motor 402 drives the gear set 403 to rotate the threaded lifting shaft 405, which in turn drives the drive motor 406 and the limiting cylinder 407 to lift. The threaded drive shaft 408 drives the connecting plate 501 and the battery clamping mechanism 5 to move. The vacuum pump 504 controls the vacuum suction cup 506 to pick up the battery in the battery compartment 1 and install it onto the drone body 3. No manual operation is required, which solves the problem of battery swapping in complex environments.

[0038] Furthermore, in the lifting device for automatic battery swapping of drones, in the drone positioning mechanism 2, the output shaft of the servo motor 202 drives the worm gear 205 to rotate. The meshing worm gear 205 and turbine 204 cause the first bidirectional threaded shaft 206 and the second bidirectional threaded shaft 207 to rotate. The threaded first drive rod 208 and the second drive rod 209 drive the four clamping positioning plates 211 to slide in the limiting slide groove 210 through the first connecting rod, clamping the drone body 3 from all sides. The limiting slide groove 210 restricts the direction of movement, ensuring accurate positioning of the drone and facilitating precise battery replacement.

[0039] Furthermore, in the lifting device for automatic battery swapping of drones, the battery clamping mechanism 5 uses a threaded drive shaft 408 to move the connecting plate 501 to the front of the battery, a cylinder 502 to push the device box 503 closer to the battery, and a vacuum pump 504 to generate negative pressure through the first vacuum tube to adsorb the battery using the vacuum suction cup 506. A fixing plate 505 fixes the position of the suction cup. During pick-up and drop, the cylinder 502 controls the distance, ensuring stable negative pressure adsorption and preventing the battery from falling or being damaged. This achieves stable battery pick-up and drop, improving the reliability and efficiency of battery swapping. It also solves the problem that traditional manual battery swapping methods have many drawbacks when drones run out of power: in complex environments such as the wild, high-rise buildings, and water bodies, manually approaching the drone to perform battery swapping is not only time-consuming and laborious, but may also face safety risks such as falling from heights and equipment damage; for drone swarms that need to perform frequent tasks, manually swapping batteries one by one will lead to extended operation interruption time, seriously affecting the overall task execution efficiency.

[0040] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0041] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A lifting device for automatic battery swapping of unmanned aerial vehicles, comprising a battery compartment (1), characterized in that: The top of the battery compartment (1) is fixedly installed with a drone positioning mechanism (2), the top of the drone positioning mechanism (2) is movably installed with a drone body (3), the front of the battery compartment (1) is fixedly installed with a lifting mechanism (4), and the outside of the lifting mechanism (4) is movably installed with a battery clamping mechanism (5). The UAV positioning mechanism (2) includes a positioning platform (201), a servo motor (202), a drive box (203), a turbine (204), a worm gear (205), a first bidirectional threaded shaft (206), a second bidirectional threaded shaft (207), a first drive rod (208), a second drive rod (209), a limiting slide groove (210), and a clamping positioning plate (211). The positioning platform (201) is fixedly installed on the top of the battery compartment (1). The servo motor (202) is fixedly installed on the right side of the positioning platform (201). The drive box (203) is fixedly installed inside the positioning platform (201). The internal of the box (203) is rotatably connected to a meshing turbine (204) and a worm gear (205). The internal of the drive box (203) is rotatably connected to a first bidirectional threaded shaft (206) and a second bidirectional threaded shaft (207). The external of the first bidirectional threaded shaft (206) and the second bidirectional threaded shaft (207) are respectively threaded with two first drive rods (208) and two second drive rods (209). The top of the positioning platform (201) is provided with four limiting slide grooves (210). Each limiting slide groove (210) is slidably connected to a clamping positioning plate (211). The lifting mechanism (4) includes a base plate (401), a dual-axis motor (402), a gear set (403), a limiting slide bar (404), a threaded lifting shaft (405), a drive motor (406), a limiting cylinder (407), and a threaded drive shaft (408). The base plate (401) is fixedly installed on the front of the battery compartment (1). The dual-axis motor (402) is fixedly installed inside the base plate (401). Gear sets (403) are fixedly installed on the left and right output shafts of the dual-axis motor (402). Two limiting slide bars (404) are fixedly installed on the top of the base plate (401). Each limiting slide bar (404) is rotatably connected to a threaded lifting shaft (405). One of the threaded lifting shafts (405) is externally threaded to a drive motor (406), and the other threaded lifting shaft (405) is externally threaded to a limiting cylinder (407). The limiting cylinder (407) is internally rotatably connected to a threaded drive shaft (408) fixedly connected to the output end of the drive motor (406).

2. The lifting device for automatic battery swapping of unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery clamping mechanism (5) includes a connecting plate (501), a cylinder (502), an equipment box (503), a vacuum pump (504), a fixing plate (505), and vacuum suction cups (506). The bottom of the threaded drive shaft (408) is threadedly connected to the connecting plate (501). The cylinder (502) is fixedly installed on the back of the connecting plate (501). The equipment box (503) is fixedly installed on the back of the cylinder (502). The vacuum pump (504) is fixedly installed inside the equipment box (503). The fixing plate (505) is fixedly installed on the back of the equipment box (503). Several vacuum suction cups (506) are fixedly installed on the back of the fixing plate (505).

3. The lifting device for automatic battery swapping of unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery compartment (1) consists of a battery box (101) and a number of battery storage compartments (102). The right side of the first bidirectional threaded shaft (206) is fixedly connected to the worm (205), the top of the second bidirectional threaded shaft (207) is fixedly connected to the turbine (204), and the output shaft of the servo motor (202) is fixedly connected to the worm (205).

4. A lifting device for automatic battery swapping of unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of each of the four clamping positioning plates (211) is fixedly installed with a first connecting rod that passes through the four limiting slide grooves (210), and the bottom of the four first connecting rods is fixedly connected to two first driving rods (208) and two second driving rods (209) respectively.

5. A lifting device for automatic battery swapping of unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gear set (403) includes a first gear and a second gear. The first gear is fixedly installed on the output shafts on both the left and right sides of the dual-shaft motor (402). The second gear is fixedly installed on one end of the bottom of the two threaded lifting shafts (405) extending into the bottom plate (401). The two first gears mesh with the two second gears respectively.

6. A lifting device for automatic battery swapping of unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each of the two limiting slide bars (404) has a first limiting groove on one side. The drive motor (406) and the limiting cylinder (407) are fixedly installed with a second connecting rod that passes through the two first limiting grooves and is threaded to the two threaded lifting shafts (405) respectively. The bottom of the limiting cylinder (407) has a second limiting groove. The top of the connecting plate (501) has a third connecting rod that passes through the second limiting groove and is threaded to the threaded drive shaft (408).

7. A lifting device for automatic battery swapping of unmanned aerial vehicles according to claim 2, characterized in that: The vacuum pump (504) has a first vacuum tube fixedly installed on its back, which is connected to the vacuum suction cup (506), and the vacuum pump (504) has a second vacuum tube fixedly installed on its top, which extends to the outside of the equipment box (503).

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