Unmanned aerial vehicle for pruning branches at high altitude

Abstract

The utility model discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle for pruning branches at high altitude, which relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle technology and garden machinery and comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle main body, a flight control system, a visual camera, a mechanical arm, a clamping jaw device and a pruning device, the flight control system, the visual camera and the mechanical arm are all arranged on the unmanned aerial vehicle body, and the visual camera is used for recognizing the position, the diameter, surrounding obstacles and residual branches of a target branch; the clamping jaw device and the trimming device are arranged on the mechanical arm, the clamping jaw device is used for clamping branches, a pressure sensor used for detecting clamping force is arranged in the clamping jaw device, the pressure sensor and the visual camera are both connected with the flight control system, and the clamping force can be fed back in real time; the pruning device is used for cutting branches, and a laser ranging module used for detecting the cutting depth in real time is arranged in the pruning device. The problems that traditional high-altitude pruning is low in efficiency and high in risk and existing equipment is insufficient in adaptability can be solved, and operation safety is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, and specifically relates to a high-altitude branch pruning UAV. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing green coverage in cities, high-altitude tree pruning has become a crucial part of garden maintenance. Traditional methods rely on manual climbing or lifting equipment, posing safety hazards such as falls from heights and scratches from branches and leaves, and are also inefficient. While existing drone pruning technology has partially mitigated the risks of high-altitude operations, significant drawbacks remain. For example, patent CN115956452 B uses a dual-cutting blade closed-loop shearing mode, relying on the drone's self-rotation drive, and is only suitable for branches of specific diameters; patent CN205623357U uses hydraulically driven cutting blades, but lacks a branch fixing device, making it prone to positioning deviations due to branch swaying during cutting, affecting accuracy. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a drone system that combines gripping and fixing, efficient cutting, and automatic branch breakage handling capabilities to improve the safety, adaptability, and automation level of high-altitude pruning. Utility Model Content

[0003] In order to at least solve one of the problems existing in the prior art, this utility model provides a drone for high-altitude branch pruning. It can prune branches of different diameters by monitoring the cutting depth, and the branches are clamped by a gripper device during pruning, avoiding the positioning offset problem caused by the shaking of the branches during cutting, and the cutting accuracy is high.

[0004] To achieve the present invention, the present invention provides a drone for high-altitude branch pruning, comprising a drone body, a flight control system, a vision camera, a robotic arm, a gripper device, and a pruning device;

[0005] The flight control system, visual camera, and robotic arm are all mounted on the main body of the drone. The visual camera is used to identify the location, diameter, surrounding obstacles, and remaining branches of the target tree branch.

[0006] The gripper device and the pruning device are mounted on the robotic arm. The gripper device is used to grip tree branches and is equipped with a pressure sensor for detecting the gripping force. Both the pressure sensor and the vision camera are connected to the flight control system and can provide real-time feedback on the gripping force. The pruning device is used to cut tree branches and is equipped with a laser ranging module for real-time detection of the cutting depth.

[0007] As a further improvement to this utility model, the main body of the drone is also equipped with a propeller.

[0008] A further improvement to this invention is that the gripper device and the trimming device are located at the ends of different robotic arms.

[0009] A further improvement to this utility model is that the robotic arm includes a pitch joint, a yaw joint, a telescopic joint, and a rotation joint, and each joint is equipped with an angle encoder, which is connected to the flight control system to provide real-time feedback of attitude data to the flight control system, thereby enabling dynamic attitude compensation.

[0010] A further improvement to this invention is that the robotic arm is made of carbon fiber composite material, and the lightweight design reduces the load on the drone.

[0011] A further improvement to this invention is that the robotic arm is mounted on the bottom of the drone.

[0012] A further improvement to this invention is that the gripper device includes a gripping plate for gripping tree branches, and the pressure sensor is embedded inside the gripping surface of the gripping plate.

[0013] A further improvement to this utility model is that the pressure sensor is embedded inside the clamping plate, and the clamping force is detected in the range of 0-500N. When the clamping force exceeds the threshold, a buzzer alarm is triggered to prevent damage to the tree branches or overload of the equipment.

[0014] A further improvement to this utility model is that the clamping piece is arc-shaped.

[0015] A further improvement to this utility model is that the clamping pieces are symmetrically distributed.

[0016] In a further improvement to this utility model, the gripper device further includes an electric push rod for driving the gripping plate, the electric push rod being hinged to one end of the gripping plate, and the electric push rod being connected to the flight control system.

[0017] A further improvement to this utility model is that the inner surface of the clamping piece is provided with an anti-slip texture.

[0018] A further improvement to this invention is that the trimming device also includes a toothed disc that is rotatably mounted on the robotic arm.

[0019] A further improvement to this invention is that the trimming device further includes a drive motor, the output end of which is connected to the sawtooth disk, and the input end of which is connected to the flight control system. The drive motor drives the sawtooth disk to rotate at high speed.

[0020] In a further improvement to this invention, the trimming device further includes a protective cover, which is placed over the saw blade.

[0021] A further improvement to this utility model is that the laser ranging module is mounted on the protective cover.

[0022] In a further improvement to this invention, the laser ranging module is positioned at the center of the protective cover.

[0023] The protective cover unfolds to expose the saw tooth disk during cutting, and covers the entire saw tooth disk when not in operation.

[0024] When the drone described in this utility model cuts tree branches:

[0025] Fine branch mode: When the branch diameter is <5cm, the saw disc cuts to a depth of 90% of the branch diameter in a single cut at a speed of 6000rpm. The gripper device immediately releases after the cut is completed, and the broken branch is thrown off by the inertia of the drone's ascent.

[0026] Coarse branch mode: When the branch diameter is >10cm, the saw disc cuts in segments at 4000rpm with a stepped feed (pausing for 0.5 seconds to cool down after every 3cm cut), while the gripper device loosens slightly by 2-3mm to release stress.

[0027] Compared with the prior art, the present invention can achieve at least the following beneficial effects:

[0028] (1) This utility model uses drones to cut tree branches at high altitudes, which reduces safety hazards and is highly efficient.

[0029] (2) When pruning branches, this utility model can use a clamping device to clamp and fix the branches, avoiding the positioning deviation caused by the shaking of the branches, and the pruning accuracy is high.

[0030] (3) This utility model can identify whether there are residual branches through a visual camera. When there are residual branches, they can be cut by a pruning device to avoid the problem of branch retention.

[0031] (4) This utility model can detect the cutting depth of the pruning device through the laser ranging module, thereby enabling the pruning of branches of different diameters.

[0032] (5) The present invention can provide anti-slip texture on the clamping surface of the clamping plate to improve the clamping stability of the tree branch. Attached Figure Description

[0033] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort, wherein:

[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a drone for high-altitude branch trimming provided in an embodiment of this utility model;

[0035] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the gripper device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the pruning device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the protective cover in operation when not in use, according to an embodiment of this utility model.

[0038] Reference numerals: 100-UAV body; 110-Flight control system; 120-Propeller; 130-Visual camera; 200-Robotic arm; 201-Pitch joint; 202-Yaw joint; 203-Telescopic joint; 204-Rotary joint; 205-Angle encoder; 210-Gripper device; 211-Grip plate; 212-Electric push rod; 213-Pressure sensor; 214-Anti-slip texture; 220-Trimping device; 221-Drive motor; 222-Sawtooth disk; 223-Laser ranging module; 224-Protective cover. Detailed Implementation

[0039] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] The present invention and its embodiments are described below. This description is not restrictive, and the actual embodiments are not limited thereto. In short, if those skilled in the art are inspired by this description and design similar structures and embodiments without departing from the inventive spirit of the present invention, such designs should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0041] In the description of this utility model, the orientation or positional relationship indicated by terms such as "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", and "outer" are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship that the utility model product is usually placed in during use. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, 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.

[0042] It should also be noted that 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 process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, 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 that element.

[0043] Please see Figure 1 The present invention discloses a drone for high-altitude branch trimming, comprising a drone body 100 and a robotic arm 200.

[0044] A flight control system 110 is installed on the top of the main body 100 of the drone. (The flight control system 110 is an existing system for drones and will not be described in detail here.)

[0045] The drone body 100 has propellers 120 distributed around its perimeter, and a visual camera 130 is provided on the front side of the drone body 100 for identifying the position, diameter, surrounding obstacles and residual branches of the target tree branch.

[0046] The robotic arm 200 is installed at the bottom of the drone body 100, and the end of the robotic arm 200 is integrated with a gripper device 210 and a trimming device 220.

[0047] In one embodiment of this utility model, please refer to Figure 2 The gripper device 210 includes symmetrically distributed arc-shaped gripping plates 211, an electric push rod 212 that drives the gripping plates 211 to close, and a pressure sensor 213 embedded in the gripping surface of the gripping plates 211. The pressure sensor 213 is used to provide real-time feedback of the gripping force to the flight control system 110. One end of the gripping plate 211 is connected to the electric push rod 212 via a hinge.

[0048] In one embodiment of the present invention, the robotic arm 200 is a four-degree-of-freedom structure, including a pitch joint 201, a yaw joint 202, a telescopic joint 203 and a rotation joint 204. An angle encoder 205 is integrated at each joint, and the angle encoder 205 is used to feed back the attitude data to the flight control system 110 in real time.

[0049] In one embodiment of the present invention, the inner surface of the clamping piece 211 of the gripper device 210 is provided with an anti-slip texture 214.

[0050] In one embodiment of this utility model, please refer to Figure 3The trimming device 220 includes a drive motor 221, a saw tooth disk 222, and a laser ranging module 223. The saw tooth disk 222 is connected to the output end of the drive motor 221 so that the saw tooth disk 222 can rotate. The saw tooth disk 222 is covered with a protective cover 224, and the laser ranging module 223 is located at the center of the protective cover 224.

[0051] In one embodiment of this invention, the laser ranging module 223 can be a MyAntenna L-series. Of course, other brands and models of laser ranging modules can also be used.

[0052] In one embodiment of this utility model, the drive motor 221 is a servo motor.

[0053] In one embodiment of this utility model, the saw blade 222 is circular, and the protective cover 224 includes two protective cover units with semi-circular interfaces. The two protective cover units are hinged together. One protective cover unit covers one of the semi-circles of the saw blade 222, and the other protective cover unit unfolds during cutting, exposing the other semi-circle of the saw blade 222. When not in operation, the other protective cover unit wraps around the other semi-circle of the saw blade 222. That is, the saw blade 222 is completely covered by the protective cover 224, which avoids accidental injury to personnel and improves safety.

[0054] In one embodiment of this utility model, the cutting mode of the trimming device 220 includes:

[0055] Fine branch mode: When the branch diameter is less than the first preset value (e.g., 5cm), the saw blade 222 cuts to a depth of 90% of the branch diameter in a single cut at the first preset speed (e.g., 6000rpm).

[0056] Coarse branch mode: When the diameter of the branch is greater than the second preset value (e.g., 10cm), the saw blade 222 cuts in segments at the second preset speed (e.g., 4000rpm). It pauses for 0.5 seconds to dissipate heat after each 3cm cut, while the gripper device 210 loosens by 2-3mm to release stress.

[0057] The specific implementation steps are as follows:

[0058] 1. System Initialization and Environment Awareness

[0059] Step 1.1: Turn on the power of the drone. The flight control system 110 performs a self-check of the status of each module (including the joint degrees of freedom of the robotic arm 200, the opening and closing degree of the gripper device 210, the rotation speed of the trimming device 220, etc.). After confirming that there are no faults, it enters the standby mode.

[0060] Step 1.2: Manually unfold the protective cover 224 of the outer cover of the sawtooth disk 222, and the main body of the drone 110 takes off.

[0061] Step 1.3: Scan the work area using the vision camera 130 to identify the location, diameter, and surrounding obstacles of the target tree branch; transmit the data to the flight control system 110 in real time.

[0062] Step 1.4: The flight control system 110 plans a safe flight path based on environmental data, controls the UAV to hover at a preset distance, such as 1-2m, to the side of the target tree branch, and adjusts the pitch and yaw angles of the robotic arm 200 so that the gripper device 210 is aligned with the position to be cut at the root of the tree branch.

[0063] 2. Gripper device 210 for gripping and fixing

[0064] Step 2.1: The telescopic joint 203 of the robotic arm 200 pushes the gripper device 210 to the surface of the tree branch. The gripping plate 211 detects the contact force through the built-in pressure sensor 213. When the contact force reaches a preset value, such as contact force > 5N, the gripping device 210 closes and adaptively adjusts the gripping force to the preset range.

[0065] Step 2.2: After the gripper device 210 closes, the pressure sensor 213 continuously monitors the fluctuation of the gripping force. If the detected swaying amplitude of the tree branch is greater than the preset swaying amplitude value, such as >3cm, the flight control system 110 triggers propeller thrust compensation to counteract the external force disturbance and maintain the stability of the fuselage.

[0066] 3. Trimming device 220 cutting and depth control

[0067] Step 3.1: During the cutting process, the drive motor 221 drives the saw tooth disk 222 to rotate at full speed, and the rotary joint 204 of the robotic arm 200 drives the pruning device 220 to cut along the branch axis.

[0068] Step 3.2: The laser ranging module 223 detects the cutting depth in real time, and the data is synchronized to the flight control system 110.

[0069] Thin branch pattern (diameter < 5cm): cut into the branch to 90% of its diameter in a single cut, and let the remaining part break by its own weight;

[0070] Coarse branch mode (diameter > 10cm): A multi-segment cutting strategy is adopted. After cutting 3cm, a 0.5-second pause is taken to dissipate heat. At the same time, the gripper device 210 is slightly loosened (the opening and closing degree is increased by 2-3mm) to release internal stress, and the cycle continues until the branch is completely cut.

[0071] 4. Broken branches and their recycling

[0072] Step 4.1: After the cutting is completed, the flight control system 110 sends a command, and the electric push rod 212 of the gripper device 210 drives the clamping plate 211 to release to the fully open state; at the same time, the UAV body 100 finely adjusts the flight altitude (increases by 0.5-1m) and uses gravity or inertia to throw off the broken branch.

[0073] Step 4.2: If the broken branch is stuck (the residual rate is detected by the visual camera 130 > 5%), the drone starts the emergency mode: the robotic arm 200 drives the gripper device 210 to re-grip the residual part, and the saw tooth disk 222 cuts it a second time until it is completely separated.

[0074] 5. Safety Protection and Abnormal Handling

[0075] Step 5.1: If a sudden obstacle (such as a bird flying into the work area) is detected during the operation, the flight control system 110 immediately stops cutting and controls the main body of the drone 100 to retreat to a safe distance.

[0076] Step 5.2: When the pressure sensor 213 in the gripper device 210 exceeds the limit or the current of the drive motor 221 is overloaded, it is forced to enter a hovering state and wait for manual intervention.

[0077] 6. Return and Maintenance

[0078] Step 6.1: After a single mission is completed, the main body of the drone 100 automatically returns to the base station, the robotic arm 200 resets to the storage posture, and the protective cover 224 covers the serrated disk 222.

[0079] Step 6.2: After cutting is completed and the machine returns to the ground, wood chips can be removed from the gaps of the gripper device 210 and the trimming device 220 using an air gun, and rust-preventive lubricant can be sprayed onto the saw tooth disc 222 to extend the equipment's lifespan.

[0080] Features of the algorithm classes involved in this embodiment that are not described in detail, such as planning a safe flight path, identifying the position, diameter and surrounding obstacles of the target tree branch, are all existing technologies. This utility model does not involve any improvement to the method.

[0081] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0082] The preferred embodiments of this utility model disclosed above are merely illustrative of the present utility model. These preferred embodiments do not exhaustively describe all details, nor do they limit the utility model to the specific implementations described. Clearly, many modifications and variations can be made based on the content of this specification. This specification selects and specifically describes these embodiments to better explain the principles and practical applications of this utility model, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to better understand and utilize it. This utility model is limited only by the claims and their full scope and equivalents.

Claims

1. A drone for high altitude pruning of branches, characterized in that, It includes a drone body (100), a flight control system (110), a vision camera (130), a robotic arm (200), a gripper device (210), and a trimming device (220); The flight control system (110), the visual camera (130) and the robotic arm (200) are all mounted on the main body of the UAV (100). The visual camera (130) is used to identify the position, diameter, surrounding obstacles and residual branches of the target tree branch; A gripper device (210) and a trimming device (220) are mounted on the robotic arm (200). The gripper device (210) is used to grip tree branches, and a pressure sensor (213) for detecting the gripping force is installed inside the gripper device (210). The pressure sensor (213) and the vision camera (130) are both connected to the flight control system (110). The trimming device (220) is used to cut tree branches, and a laser ranging module (223) for detecting the cutting depth is installed in the trimming device (220).

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle for pruning branches at high altitude according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drone body (100) is also equipped with a propeller (120).

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle for pruning branches at high altitude according to claim 1, characterized in that, The robotic arm (200) includes a pitch joint (201), a yaw joint (202), a telescopic joint (203), and a rotation joint (204). Each joint is equipped with an angle encoder (205), and the angle encoder (205) is connected to the flight control system (110) to provide real-time feedback of attitude data to the flight control system (110).

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle for pruning branches at high altitude according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gripper device (210) includes a gripping piece (211) for gripping branches, and the pressure sensor (213) is disposed inside the gripping surface of the gripping piece (211).

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle for pruning branches at high altitude according to claim 4, characterized in that, The gripper device (210) further includes an electric push rod (212) for driving the gripping piece (211), the electric push rod (212) being hinged to the gripping piece (211) and connected to the flight control system (110).

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle for pruning branches at high altitude according to claim 4, characterized in that, The inner surface of the clamping piece (211) is provided with anti-slip texture (214).

7. The unmanned aerial vehicle for pruning branches at high altitude according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The trimming device (220) also includes a toothed disc (222) that is rotatably mounted on the robotic arm (200).

8. The unmanned aerial vehicle for pruning branches at high altitude according to claim 7, characterized in that, The trimming device (220) also includes a drive motor (221), the output end of which is connected to the saw blade disk (222), and the input end of which is connected to the flight control system (110).

9. The unmanned aerial vehicle for pruning branches at high altitude according to claim 7, characterized in that, The trimming device (220) also includes a protective cover (224) which covers the toothed disc (222).

10. The unmanned aerial vehicle for pruning branches at high altitude according to claim 9, characterized in that, The laser ranging module (223) is mounted on the protective cover (224).

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