Unmanned aerial vehicle battery replacing device based on visual positioning

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, in particular to an unmanned aerial vehicle battery replacing device based on visual localization, which comprises a control cabinet, a positioning device and a mechanical arm base are fixed on the control cabinet, the mechanical arm base is connected with a mechanical arm, and a visual camera and a mechanical arm clamping jaw are mounted at the tail end of the mechanical arm. The unmanned aerial vehicle battery replacing device is used for achieving the position of an unmanned aerial vehicle and replacing an unmanned aerial vehicle battery, the unmanned aerial vehicle battery is installed in the unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle stops on a rotary motion mechanism, and the rotary motion mechanism is connected with a linear motion mechanism and drives the unmanned aerial vehicle to move to be matched with a mechanical arm to complete battery replacing work. According to the invention, artificial intelligence, automatic control and the unmanned aerial vehicle are combined, and the unmanned aerial vehicle battery replacing device with high mechanization, automation and intelligence is provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, and more specifically, to a UAV battery swapping device based on visual positioning. Background Technology

[0002] Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to simply as "drones," play a vital role in various fields such as agricultural plant protection, geographic surveying, and logistics distribution. With the booming development of the low-altitude economy, the application scenarios of UAVs are constantly expanding. Their significant advantages in improving work efficiency and expanding operational range have made them a focus of attention across industries.

[0003] However, the battery life of drones has always been a key factor restricting their further development. Due to the limited battery power of drones, the flight time is short, which greatly limits the operating range and duration of drones.

[0004] Currently, there are two main ways to swap batteries for drones: manual removal and installation of batteries and wireless charging. However, manual removal and installation of batteries is not only time-consuming and laborious, but also poses certain safety risks. While wireless charging can avoid manual operation, drones need to remain in the charging state for a relatively long time, which reduces the efficiency of drone use to some extent. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides a vision-based battery swapping device for drones, which solves the problems of time-consuming and labor-intensive manual battery replacement and the long time required for wireless charging.

[0006] This invention provides a vision-based positioning-based drone battery swapping device, including a control cabinet, a positioning device, a robotic arm base, a robotic arm, a vision camera, a drone battery, a drone, a rotary motion mechanism, and a linear motion mechanism.

[0007] The control cabinet houses a generator set, and next to the generator set is a battery replacement compartment containing a spare battery for the drone. The control system is installed next to the battery replacement compartment, and a control cabinet cover is installed on top of the control cabinet.

[0008] The positioning device is installed above the control cabinet cover.

[0009] The robotic arm base is installed on the upper right middle position of the control cabinet cover, and the robotic arm is connected to the robotic arm base.

[0010] The end of the robotic arm is connected to a vision camera and a gripper.

[0011] The drone battery is installed inside the drone.

[0012] During battery replacement, the drone is positioned above a rotating motion mechanism. The selected rotating motion mechanism includes a drone support frame, which is connected to a rotating bearing. The rotating bearing is fixed to the rotating mechanism support frame and is also connected to a driven gear. The driven gear meshes with a driving gear, which is connected to a worm gear reducer motor. The worm gear reducer motor is fixed to the rotating mechanism support frame.

[0013] The linear motion mechanism includes an upper linear guide rail, which is mounted on the control cabinet and connected to an upper connecting frame. The upper connecting frame is also connected to the rotating mechanism support frame. The lower linear guide rail and the lower connecting frame are installed symmetrically and parallel to the upper linear guide rail and the upper connecting frame.

[0014] Its working principle and process are as follows:

[0015] When a drone needs a battery replacement, it locates the nearest device using the positioning device and parks on the drone support frame of the rotary motion mechanism. The linear motion mechanism then moves the rotary motion mechanism and the drone closer to the vision camera. The vision camera transmits the drone's parking position to the control system, which in turn receives the drone's position and transmits this information to the rotary and linear motion mechanisms. The drone's position is adjusted so that the battery position is aligned with the robotic arm's gripper. The linear motion mechanism then moves the rotary motion mechanism and the drone closer to the vision camera again, transmitting the battery position to the control system. The control system transmits this battery position to the robotic arm, which removes the drone's battery and places it in the battery replacement compartment. A spare battery is then retrieved from the replacement compartment and installed on the drone. The robotic arm resets, and the control system controls the linear motion mechanism to move the drone out of the robotic arm's working range to continue the operation. The generator then charges the removed drone battery, completing the battery replacement process.

[0016] In summary, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0017] This invention combines artificial intelligence, automated control, and drones to provide a highly mechanized, automated, and intelligent drone battery swapping device, effectively solving the problems of time-consuming and laborious manual battery replacement and low efficiency caused by long drone dwell time due to wireless charging. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present invention and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a front view of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a top view of the structure of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the rotary motion mechanism of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the linear motion mechanism of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the control cabinet structure of the present invention.

[0024] Explanation of markings in the diagram: 1. Control cabinet; 11. Generator set; 12. Battery replacement compartment; 13. UAV spare battery; 14. Control system; 15. Control cabinet cover; 2. Positioning device; 3. Robotic arm base; 4. Robotic arm; 41. Robotic arm gripper; 5. Vision camera; 6. UAV battery; 7. UAV; 8. Rotary motion mechanism; 81. UAV support frame; 82. Rotary bearing; 83. Rotary mechanism support frame; 84. Driven gear; 85. Driven gear; 86. Worm gear reducer motor; 9. Linear motion mechanism; 91. Upper linear guide; 92. Lower linear guide; 93. Upper connecting frame; 94. Lower connecting frame; Detailed Implementation

[0025] In the following description, only certain exemplary embodiments are briefly described. As those skilled in the art will recognize, the described embodiments can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the embodiments of the invention. Therefore, the drawings and description are considered to be exemplary in nature and not restrictive.

[0026] In this embodiment of the invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a communication connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this embodiment of the invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0027] The following disclosure provides many different implementations or examples for carrying out different structures of the embodiments of the present invention. To simplify the disclosure of the embodiments of the present invention, specific examples of components and arrangements are described below. Of course, these are merely examples and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, reference numerals and / or reference letters may be repeated in different examples of the embodiments of the present invention; such repetition is for simplification and clarity and does not in itself indicate a relationship between the various implementations and / or arrangements discussed.

[0028] The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and the specific implementation can be determined according to the technical solution of the present invention and the actual situation.

[0029] The present invention will be further described below with reference to embodiments and accompanying drawings:

[0030] like Figures 1-5 As shown, a vision-based positioning-based drone battery swapping device includes a control cabinet 1, a positioning device 2, a robotic arm base 3, a robotic arm 4, a vision camera 5, a drone battery 6, a drone 7, a rotary motion mechanism 8, and a linear motion mechanism 9.

[0031] The generator set 11 is installed inside the control cabinet 1. A battery replacement compartment 12 is installed next to the generator set 11. A spare battery 13 for the drone is installed inside the battery replacement compartment 12. A control system 14 is installed next to the battery replacement compartment 12. A control cabinet cover 15 is installed on top of the control cabinet 1.

[0032] The positioning device 2 is installed on the lower right side of the control cabinet cover 15.

[0033] The robotic arm base 3 is installed on the upper right middle position of the control cabinet cover plate 15, and the robotic arm 4 is connected to the robotic arm base 3.

[0034] The end of the robotic arm 4 is connected to a vision camera 5 and a robotic arm gripper 41.

[0035] The drone battery 6 is installed inside the drone 7.

[0036] During battery replacement, the UAV 7 is positioned above the rotating motion mechanism 8. The selected rotating motion mechanism 8 includes an unmanned support frame 81, which is connected to a rotating bearing 82. The rotating bearing 82 is fixed on the rotating mechanism support frame 83. The rotating bearing 82 is also connected to a driven gear 84, which meshes with a driving gear 85. The driving gear 85 is connected to a worm gear reducer motor 86, which is fixed on the rotating mechanism support frame 83.

[0037] The linear motion mechanism 9 includes an upper linear guide rail 91, which is installed on the upper left of the control cabinet cover plate 14 and connected to the upper connecting frame 93. At the same time, the upper connecting frame 93 is connected to the rotating mechanism support frame 83. The lower linear guide rail 92 and the lower connecting frame 94 are installed symmetrically and parallel to the upper linear guide rail 91 and the upper connecting frame 93.

[0038] The specific implementation method of the drone battery swapping device is as follows:

[0039] Step 1: When the drone 7 detects that the battery is low and needs to be replaced, it locates the nearest device according to the positioning device 2 and stops on the drone support frame 81 of the rotating motion mechanism 8.

[0040] Step 2: The linear motion mechanism 9 drives the rotary motion mechanism 8 and the drone 7 to approach the vision camera 5. The vision camera 5 transmits the parking position of the drone 7 to the control system 14. The control system 14 obtains the position information of the drone 7 and transmits the position information to the rotary motion mechanism 8 and the linear motion mechanism 9. The position of the drone 7 is adjusted so that the position of the drone battery 6 is in the same direction as the position of the robotic arm gripper 41.

[0041] Step 3: The linear motion mechanism 9 drives the rotary motion mechanism 8 and the drone 7 to approach the vision camera 5 again. The vision camera 5 transmits the position of the drone battery 6 to the control system 14. The control system 14 obtains the position of the drone battery 6 and transmits it to the robotic arm 4.

[0042] Step 4: The robotic arm 4 moves to remove the drone battery 6 from the end gripper 41 and place it into the battery replacement compartment 12. Then, it takes out the drone spare battery 13 from the battery replacement compartment 12 and installs it on the drone 7. The robotic arm 4 then resets.

[0043] Step 5: Control system 14 controls linear motion mechanism 9 to make drone 7 leave the working range of robotic arm 4, and drone 7 starts to continue to complete the operation.

[0044] Step 6: Generator set 11 starts working to charge the replaced drone battery 6, and the battery swapping of drone 7 is completed.

[0045] To ensure efficient and reliable operation of the device, the control system should have the following functions: 1. Manual control on-site: all motion control sites should be equipped with corresponding control switches for manual control with the highest priority; 2. Automatic control: all motion control should be controlled uniformly by the control system; 3. Fault alarm: when a system fault occurs, an alarm message should be promptly sent to the remote client to alert the user. The hardware system should be rust-proof and waterproof.

[0046] It is understood that this invention has been described through some embodiments, and those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes or equivalent substitutions can be made to these features and embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. Furthermore, under the teachings of this invention, these features and embodiments can be modified to adapt to specific situations and materials without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. Therefore, this invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, and all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims of this application are within the protection scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A visual positioning-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) battery swapping device, characterized in that, The system includes a control cabinet (1), a positioning device (2) and a robotic arm base (3) mounted on top of the control cabinet (1), a robotic arm (4) mounted on top of the robotic arm base (3), a vision camera (5) mounted at the end of the robotic arm (4), the vision camera (5) being used to identify the positions of the drone battery (6) and the drone (7), the drone battery (6) being installed inside the drone (7), the drone (7) being parked above a rotary motion mechanism (8), the rotary motion mechanism (8) being connected to a linear motion mechanism (9), and the linear motion mechanism (9) being fixed on the control cabinet (1).

2. The UAV battery swapping device based on visual positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control cabinet (1) includes a generator set (11), a battery replacement compartment (12) is installed next to the generator set (11), a spare battery (13) for the drone is stored inside the battery replacement compartment (12), a control system (14) is installed next to the battery replacement compartment (12), and a control cabinet cover (15) is installed on top of the control cabinet (1).

3. The UAV battery swapping device based on visual positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning device (2) is installed on the lower right side of the control cabinet cover (15).

4. The UAV battery swapping device based on visual positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that, The robotic arm base (3) is installed in the middle right side of the control cabinet cover (15), and the robotic arm (4) is connected to the robotic arm base (3).

5. The UAV battery swapping device based on visual positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vision camera (5) is connected to the end of the robotic arm (4), and the end of the robotic arm (4) is connected to the robotic arm gripper (41).

6. The UAV battery swapping device based on visual positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotary motion mechanism (8) includes an unmanned support frame (81), which is connected to a rotary bearing (82). The rotary bearing (82) is fixed on the rotary mechanism support frame (83). The rotary bearing (82) is also connected to a driven gear (84), which meshes with a driving gear (85). The driving gear (85) is connected to a worm gear reducer motor (86), which is fixed on the rotary mechanism support frame (83).

7. The UAV battery swapping device based on visual positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that, The linear motion mechanism (9) includes an upper linear guide rail (91), which is mounted on the control cabinet (1) and connected to the upper connecting frame (93). At the same time, the upper connecting frame (93) is connected to the rotating mechanism support frame (83). The lower linear guide rail (92) and the lower connecting frame (94) are symmetrically and parallelly installed with the upper linear guide rail (91) and the upper connecting frame (93).

Images