Flexible plug-in charging structure and flexible plug-in charging system
By designing a flexible plug-in charging structure, and utilizing elastic components and magnetic assemblies, the problem of inaccurate alignment during drone charging is solved, resulting in higher charging reliability and stability, and extending the device's lifespan.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- GUANGZHOU IMAPCLOUD INTELLIGENT TECH CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-06-05
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-12
Smart Images
Figure CN224355585U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of charging structure technology, and more specifically, to a flexible plug-in charging structure and a flexible plug-in charging system. Background Technology
[0002] A drone is an aircraft controlled by radio remote control equipment and its own program control device. Electric drones rely on electric motors for flight and other controls, while their power source is batteries, such as fuel cells or supercapacitors. Therefore, drones need to be charged to ensure their flight and other operations.
[0003] When a drone needs charging, it can return to the base station platform. A mobile device on the platform then moves the drone to the charging location, aligning the drone's charging port with the charging adapter on the base station platform before insertion. However, in real-world scenarios, the drone's landing position may deviate from its intended location, necessitating the use of a mobile device on the base station platform for relocation. Since mobile devices typically have manufacturing and assembly errors, this inherent error can lead to inaccurate alignment and insertion, ultimately reducing the reliability and stability of the charging process. Utility Model Content
[0004] The purpose of this utility model embodiment is to provide a flexible plug-in charging structure and a flexible plug-in charging system to improve the reliability and stability of drone charging.
[0005] In the first aspect, this utility model provides a flexible plug-in charging structure, including a male pin module, which is adapted to a female pin module on a drone;
[0006] The male needle module includes a male needle tip, a male needle tip base, and a male needle tip base cover;
[0007] The male needle tip is disposed at one end of the male needle tip base, and the other end of the male needle tip base extends into the male needle tip base cover;
[0008] The male needle base located inside the male needle base cover has a gap space between it and the male needle base cover. An elastic component connecting the male needle base and the male needle base cover is provided in the gap space, so that the male needle base can have relative displacement relative to the male needle base cover.
[0009] The female needle module includes a battery module and a female needle socket located at one end of the battery module, and the male needle can be inserted into the female needle socket.
[0010] In an optional embodiment, the male needle base has opposing first and second ends, as well as opposing third and fourth ends;
[0011] The male needle tip is disposed at the first end of the male needle tip base, and the male needle tip base cover is disposed at the second end of the male needle tip base and covers a portion of the third and fourth ends of the male needle tip base;
[0012] The third and fourth ends of the male needle base have gaps between them and the male needle base cover. The third and fourth ends of the male needle base are connected to the male needle base cover through the elastic component, so that the male needle base can have relative displacement with respect to the male needle base cover in the direction of the third and fourth ends.
[0013] In an optional embodiment, the male needle base has opposing first and second surfaces, the directions of which are perpendicular to the directions of the male needle and the male needle base cover;
[0014] A portion of the first and second surfaces of the male needle base are located inside the male needle base cover and are respectively connected to the male needle base cover via the elastic member, so that the male needle base can have relative displacement with respect to the male needle base cover in the direction of the first and second surfaces.
[0015] In an optional embodiment, the elastic component includes a spring;
[0016] One end of the spring is connected to the male needle base, and the other end is connected to the male needle base cover.
[0017] In an optional embodiment, the elastic component further includes a flexible component;
[0018] The flexible component includes a groove formed on the male needle base and a protrusion with one end fixed to the male needle base cover and the other end inserted into the groove.
[0019] There is a gap between the end of the protrusion located within the groove and the bottom of the groove, and the gap decreases when the spring is compressed.
[0020] In an optional embodiment, the male needle base has a guide component at one end where the male needle is located, and the guide component is located on both sides of the male needle.
[0021] In an optional embodiment, the male needle base is further provided with a first magnetic component at one end where the male needle is located;
[0022] The end of the female needle module with the female needle insertion hole is provided with a second magnetic component corresponding to the position of the first magnetic component.
[0023] In an optional embodiment, the second magnetic component is a metal block or a magnet with the opposite magnetism to the first magnetic component.
[0024] In an optional embodiment, the male needle head includes multiple charging male needles and multiple signal male needles, and the female needle socket includes multiple charging female needles and multiple signal female needles.
[0025] Secondly, this utility model provides a flexible plug-in charging system, including a female pin module and the flexible plug-in charging structure described in any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the female pin module is adapted to the male pin module in the flexible plug-in charging structure.
[0026] This invention provides a flexible plug-in charging structure and system, including a male pin module adapted to a female pin module on a drone. The male pin module includes a male pin head, a male pin head base, and a male pin head base cover. The male pin head is located at one end of the male pin head base, and the other end of the male pin head base extends into the male pin head base cover. A gap exists between the male pin head base and the male pin head base cover, and an elastic component connecting the male pin head base and the male pin head base cover is provided within this gap, allowing the male pin head base to have relative displacement with respect to the male pin head base cover. The female pin module includes a battery module and a female pin socket located at one end of the battery module, into which the male pin head can be inserted. By providing an elastic component connecting the male pin head base and the male pin head base cover, this flexible design eliminates errors caused by other components in the base station, thereby ensuring the reliability and stability of charging. Attached Figure Description
[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the embodiments of this utility model will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this utility model and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the flexible plug-in charging system provided in this embodiment of the utility model;
[0029] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the flexible plug-in charging structure provided in an embodiment of this utility model;
[0030] Figure 3 One of the cross-sectional schematic diagrams of the male needle module provided in the embodiment of this utility model;
[0031] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the female needle module provided in an embodiment of the present utility model;
[0032] Figure 5 This is the second cross-sectional schematic diagram of the male needle module provided in this embodiment of the utility model.
[0033] Icons: 0 - Flexible plug-in charging system; 1 - Flexible plug-in charging structure; 2 - Male pin module; 21 - Male pin head; 211 - Charging male pin; 212 - Signal male pin; 22 - Male pin head base; 221 - First end; 222 - Second end; 223 - Third end; 224 - Fourth end; 225 - First surface; 226 - Second surface; 23 - Male pin head base cover; 24 - Elastic component; 241 - Spring; 242 - Flexible component; 2421 - Groove; 2422 - Protrusion; 25 - Guide component; 3 - Female pin module; 31 - Battery module; 32 - Female pin socket; 321 - Charging female pin; 322 - Signal female pin. Detailed Implementation
[0034] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. The components of the embodiments of this utility model described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.
[0035] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that the terms "inner" and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the product of this utility model is in use. They are only used for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not 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. In addition, the terms "first" and "second," etc., are only used to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.
[0036] In the description of this utility model, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "set" and "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of 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.
[0037] Please refer to the following: Figure 1 and Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible plug-in charging system 0 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The flexible plug-in charging system 0 includes a flexible plug-in charging structure 1 and a female pin module 3. The flexible plug-in charging structure 1 is built into the UAV base station and mainly includes a male pin module 2. The female pin module 3 is part of the UAV, and the male pin module 2 is adapted to the female pin module 3.
[0038] When the drone needs to be charged, align the female pin module 3 and the male pin module 2 and insert them to perform the charging operation.
[0039] In this embodiment, the flexible plug-in charging structure 1 includes a male needle module 2, which includes a male needle tip 21, a male needle tip base 22, and a male needle tip base cover 23. The male needle tip 21 is disposed at one end of the male needle tip base 22, and the other end of the male needle tip base 22 extends into the male needle tip base cover 23.
[0040] The male needle base 22, which extends into the male needle base cover 23, does not directly abut against the inner wall of the male needle base cover 23. There is a gap between the male needle base 22 and the male needle base cover 23.
[0041] Please refer to the following: Figure 3 An elastic member 24 is provided within this gap space to connect the male needle base 22 and the male needle base cover 23. Thus, due to the compressibility of the elastic member 24, the male needle base 22 can have relative displacement with respect to the male needle base cover 23.
[0042] In addition, in conjunction with reference Figure 4 The female needle module 3 includes a battery module 31 and a female needle socket 32 located at one end of the battery module 31. When the male needle module 2 and the female needle module 3 are in the same position, the male needle head 21 can be inserted into the female needle socket 32 to charge the battery module 31 in the female needle module 3.
[0043] When the male needle base cover 23 is fixed in position, and the female needle module 3 is moved to the position of the male needle module 2 using a mobile device in the UAV base station and a pre-insertion operation is performed, errors in the manufacturing and assembly of the mobile device may cause the male needle 21 and the female needle insertion hole 32 to not be completely aligned, which may lead to instability after insertion.
[0044] In this embodiment, based on the elastic component 24 between the male needle base 22 and the male needle base cover 23, the male needle base 22 can have relative displacement with respect to the male needle base cover 23. This eliminates the problem of unstable insertion caused by errors, ensuring that when the male needle 21 is inserted into the female needle socket 32, phenomena such as contact and squeezing between the male needle 21 and the female needle socket 32 are avoided. This improves the lifespan of the male needle module 2 in the UAV base station and reduces the number of maintenance operations. It also improves the lifespan of the UAV battery module 31 and ensures the charging efficiency of the battery module 31.
[0045] Please refer to it again. Figure 3 In this embodiment, the male needle base 22 has a first end 221 and a second end 222, as well as a third end 223 and a fourth end 224. The male needle 21 is disposed at the first end 221 of the male needle base 22, and the male needle base cover 23 is disposed at the second end 222 of the male needle base 22 and covers a portion of the third end 223 and the fourth end 224 of the male needle base 22.
[0046] The third end 223 and the fourth end 224 of the male needle base 22 have gap spaces between them and the male needle base cover 23. The third end 223 and the fourth end 224 of the male needle base 22 are connected to the male needle base cover 23 through elastic members 24, so that the male needle base 22 can have relative displacement with the male needle base cover 23 in the direction of the third end 223 and the fourth end 224.
[0047] In addition, please refer to Figure 5 In this embodiment, the male needle base 22 has a first surface 225 and a second surface 226 facing each other. The directions of the first surface 225 and the second surface 226 are perpendicular to the directions of the male needle 21 and the male needle base 22. That is, if the first surface 225 of the male needle base 22 is taken as the upper surface and the second surface 226 is taken as the lower surface, then the directions of the third end 223 and the fourth end 224 of the male needle base 22 are the left and right directions, respectively, and the directions of the first surface 225 and the second surface 226 are the upper and lower directions, respectively.
[0048] Because the end of the male needle base 22 furthest from the male needle 21 extends into the male needle base cover 23, portions of the first surface 225 and the second surface 226 of the male needle base 22 are located within the male needle base cover 23 and are respectively connected to the male needle base cover 23 via elastic members 24. This allows the male needle base 22 to have relative displacement with respect to the male needle base cover 23 in the direction of the first surface 225 and the second surface 226.
[0049] That is, the first surface 225 of the male needle base 22 can be connected to the male needle base cover 23 via the elastic member 24, and the second surface 226 of the male needle base 22 can be connected to the male needle base cover 23 via the elastic member 24. The number of elastic members 24 connected to the first surface 225 of the male needle base 22 can be one, two, or more. When there are two elastic members 24, the two elastic members 24 can be close to the third end 223 and the fourth end 224 of the male needle base 22 respectively, thereby achieving balanced movement of the male needle base 22 at both ends.
[0050] Similarly, the number of elastic members 24 connected to the second surface 226 of the male needle base 22 can be one, two, or more.
[0051] In this embodiment, the first surface 225, the second surface 226, the third end 223, and the fourth end 224 of the male needle base 22 are connected to the male needle base cover 23 through elastic members 24, thereby allowing the male needle base 22 to move in the up-down, left-right, and other directions. This alleviates the contact force between the male needle 21 and the female needle insertion hole 32 in the up-down, left-right, and other directions, and avoids problems such as instability and unreliability of their insertion.
[0052] In this embodiment, the elastic component 24 may include a spring 241, one end of which is connected to the male needle base 22 and the other end to the male needle base cover 23. Thus, based on the elasticity of the spring 241, the male needle base 22 can move relative to the male needle base cover 23 in the direction of the third end 223 and the fourth end 224, and can also move in the direction of the first surface 225 and the second surface 226.
[0053] In this embodiment, the parameters, size, and quantity of the spring 241 can be set according to different product requirements.
[0054] To ensure the stability of the connection between the male needle base 22 and the male needle base cover 23, the elastic component 24 also includes a flexible component 242, which includes a groove 2421 formed on the male needle base 22 and a protrusion 2422 with one end fixed to the male needle base cover 23 and the other end inserted into the groove 2421.
[0055] There is a gap between the end of the protrusion 2422 located in the groove 2421 and the bottom of the groove 2421, which decreases when the spring 241 is compressed.
[0056] That is, when the spring 241 is not compressed, the gap between the end of the protrusion 2422 and the bottom of the groove 2421 is the largest. During the compression of the spring 241, the end of the protrusion 2422 gradually moves towards the bottom of the groove 2421, thereby gradually reducing the gap between the end of the protrusion 2422 and the bottom of the groove 2421.
[0057] In this embodiment, the moving distance of the male needle base 22 in the up-down, left-right, and other directions can be set according to the needs of different products.
[0058] In this embodiment, by combining the spring 241 and the flexible component 242, the stability of the connection between the male needle base 22 and the male needle base cover 23 can be ensured while supporting the relative displacement of the male needle base 22 with respect to the male needle base cover 23.
[0059] During the process of moving the female needle module 3 to the corresponding position of the male needle module 2 and aligning the female needle insertion hole 32 with the male needle head 21 for insertion, please refer to the following instructions again to ensure the stability of this insertion operation. Figure 2 In this embodiment, a guide member 25 is provided at one end of the male needle base 22 where the male needle 21 is located. The guide member 25 is located on both sides of the male needle 21. The guide member 25 protrudes from the male needle base 22 and is located on both sides.
[0060] In this embodiment, the guide component 25 can be configured according to the size, shape, etc. of the battery module 31 on the female needle module 3. In this way, after aligning the female needle module 3 with the male needle module 2, during the process of moving the female needle module 3 towards the male needle module 2 for insertion, the guide components 25 on both sides can ensure the stability of the direction of the insertion action, thereby ensuring the final positional correspondence between the female needle insertion hole 32 and the male needle head 21.
[0061] In one possible implementation, the guide component 25 on the male needle base 22 is detachably connected to the male needle base 22. In practical applications, the appropriate guide component 25 can be selected according to the specific shape, size, etc. of the battery module 31 on the female needle module 3.
[0062] To further ensure that the male needle tip 21 is accurately aligned with and inserted into the female needle insertion hole 32, in this embodiment, a first magnetic attraction component (not shown in the figure) is provided at one end of the male needle tip base 22 where the male needle tip 21 is located, and a second magnetic attraction component (not shown in the figure) corresponding to the position of the first magnetic attraction component is provided at one end of the female needle module 3 where the female needle insertion hole 32 is located. The first and second magnetic attraction components can attract each other. For example, the second magnetic attraction component can be a magnet with the opposite magnetism to the first magnetic attraction component, or it can be a metal block, such as silicon steel or other metals.
[0063] The number of first magnetic components can be one, two, or more, and similarly, the number of second magnetic components can be one, two, or more. However, it is essential to ensure a one-to-one correspondence between each first magnetic component and each second magnetic component. Furthermore, the size of the first and second magnetic components can be adjusted according to actual needs.
[0064] Thus, during the process of moving the female pin module 3 closer to the male pin module 2, the first and second magnetic components at their corresponding positions are precisely aligned due to magnetic attraction, thereby ensuring precise alignment between the female pin socket 32 and the male pin 21. This improves the stability of the charging process, reduces the impact of the external environment on charging, and enhances the stability of the fit between the male pin 21 and the female pin socket 32, thereby improving battery charging reliability and battery life. It avoids problems such as poor contact, overheating, and even combustion under high current conditions caused by unstable fit between the male pin 21 and the female pin socket 32 during charging.
[0065] Please refer to the following: Figure 2 and Figure 4 In this embodiment, the male needle 21 includes multiple charging male needles 211 and multiple signal male needles 212, and the female needle socket 32 includes multiple charging female needles 321 and multiple signal female needles 322. For example, the number of charging male needles 211 can be two, the number of signal male needles 212 can be six, the number of charging female needles 321 can be two, and the number of signal female needles 322 can be six.
[0066] The male charging pin 211 corresponds one-to-one with the female charging pin 321, and the male signal pin 212 corresponds one-to-one with the female signal pin 322.
[0067] The specific number of charging male pins 211 and signal male pins 212 can be adjusted according to actual product requirements. The specific number of charging female pins 321 and signal female pins 322 can also be adjusted according to the current, voltage, temperature control and other requirements of drone charging.
[0068] In addition, the shapes of the charging male pin 211, signal male pin 212, etc. can be adjusted according to the design of the female pin module 3 on different drones, so as to ensure accurate adaptation with the female pin module 3 on different drones.
[0069] The flexible plug-in charging system 0 provided in this embodiment has a flexible plug-in charging structure 1 under any of the above embodiments. Therefore, the relevant details of the flexible plug-in charging system 0 can be found in the relevant description of the flexible plug-in charging structure 1 above. Moreover, it has the same beneficial effects as the flexible plug-in charging structure 1 above. This embodiment will not elaborate further here.
[0070] In summary, the flexible plug-in charging structure 1 and flexible plug-in charging system 0 provided by this utility model embodiment form a flexible design by connecting the male needle base 22 and the male needle base cover 23 with an elastic component 24. Based on this flexible design, the male needle base 22 can have relative displacement with respect to the male needle base cover 23, thereby eliminating the errors existing in other components in the UAV base station, ensuring the stability between the male needle 21 and the female needle socket 32, and ensuring the reliability and stability of charging.
[0071] It should be noted that, where there is no conflict, the features in the embodiments of this utility model can be combined with each other.
[0072] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this utility model and is not intended to limit the utility model. Various modifications and variations can be made to this utility model by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model.
Claims
1. A flexible plug-in charging structure, characterized in that, It includes a male needle module, which is compatible with the female needle module on the UAV; The male needle module includes a male needle tip, a male needle tip base, and a male needle tip base cover; The male needle tip is disposed at one end of the male needle tip base, and the other end of the male needle tip base extends into the male needle tip base cover; The male needle base located inside the male needle base cover has a gap space between it and the male needle base cover. An elastic component connecting the male needle base and the male needle base cover is provided in the gap space, so that the male needle base can have relative displacement relative to the male needle base cover. The female needle module includes a battery module and a female needle socket located at one end of the battery module, and the male needle can be inserted into the female needle socket.
2. The flexible plug-in charging structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The male needle base has a first end and a second end opposite to each other, as well as a third end and a fourth end opposite to each other; The male needle tip is disposed at the first end of the male needle tip base, and the male needle tip base cover is disposed at the second end of the male needle tip base and covers a portion of the third and fourth ends of the male needle tip base; The third and fourth ends of the male needle base have gaps between them and the male needle base cover. The third and fourth ends of the male needle base are connected to the male needle base cover through the elastic component, so that the male needle base can have relative displacement with respect to the male needle base cover in the direction of the third and fourth ends.
3. The flexible plug-in charging structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The male needle base has a first surface and a second surface facing each other, and the direction of the first surface and the second surface is perpendicular to the direction of the male needle and the male needle base cover. A portion of the first and second surfaces of the male needle base are located inside the male needle base cover and are respectively connected to the male needle base cover via the elastic member, so that the male needle base can have relative displacement with respect to the male needle base cover in the direction of the first and second surfaces.
4. The flexible plug-in charging structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic component includes a spring; One end of the spring is connected to the male needle base, and the other end is connected to the male needle base cover.
5. The flexible plug-in charging structure according to claim 4, characterized in that, The elastic component also includes a flexible component; The flexible component includes a groove formed on the male needle base and a protrusion with one end fixed to the male needle base cover and the other end inserted into the groove. There is a gap between the end of the protrusion located within the groove and the bottom of the groove, and the gap decreases when the spring is compressed.
6. The flexible plug-in charging structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The male needle base has a guide component at one end where the male needle is located, and the guide component is located on both sides of the male needle.
7. The flexible plug-in charging structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The male needle base is provided with a first magnetic component at one end where the male needle is located; The end of the female needle module with the female needle insertion hole is provided with a second magnetic component corresponding to the position of the first magnetic component.
8. The flexible plug-in charging structure according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second magnetic component is a metal block or a magnet with the opposite magnetism to the first magnetic component.
9. The flexible plug-in charging structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The male needle head includes multiple charging male needles and multiple signal male needles, and the female needle socket includes multiple charging female needles and multiple signal female needles.
10. A flexible plug-in charging system, characterized in that, The device includes a female pin module and a flexible plug-in charging structure as described in any one of claims 1-9, wherein the female pin module is adapted to the male pin module in the flexible plug-in charging structure.