A vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicle parking apron

Abstract

The utility model relates to a kind of vehicle unmanned aerial vehicle airfield, including airfield, and gap exists between airfield and vehicle top;Lifting mechanism is located in gap, and is drivingly connected with vehicle top and airfield;Driving mechanism includes drive motor and screw rod, screw rod is set to the output end of drive motor, and is drivingly connected with lifting mechanism, screw rod is driven by drive motor and rotates forward or reversely, to drive lifting mechanism to drive airfield switch between retracted position and unfolded position;Controller is used to open or close drive motor;Sensor is electrically connected with controller, and is used to detect the position of lifting mechanism, and used to send first signal to controller when airfield moves to retracted position;Drive motor includes encoder electrically connected with controller, for detecting the number of turns of the output end of drive motor when airfield moves to unfolded position, and send second signal to controller when the number of turns is equal to preset number of turns.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipment, and specifically relates to a vehicle-mounted UAV landing pad. Background Technology

[0002] A vehicle-mounted drone helipad is a dedicated area set on the roof of a vehicle for parking and taking off / landing small drones. To avoid interfering with the vehicle's normal operation, the helipad is typically designed to be retractable. Traditional solutions usually use two sensors to detect whether the helipad is in the correct position. Therefore, when retracting, both sensors need to be avoided, which is not conducive to reducing the space occupied by the vehicle-mounted drone helipad in the retracted position. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of the above problems, this application provides a vehicle-mounted drone landing pad that can reduce the space occupied by the vehicle-mounted drone landing pad when it is in a retracted position.

[0004] This application provides a vehicle-mounted drone landing pad, installed on the roof of a vehicle. The vehicle-mounted drone landing pad includes a landing pad, a lifting mechanism, a drive mechanism, a controller, and sensors. There is a gap between the landing pad and the vehicle roof. The lifting mechanism is located within the gap and is drive-connected to the vehicle roof and the landing pad. The drive mechanism includes a drive motor and a lead screw. The lead screw is located at the output end of the drive motor and is drive-connected to the lifting mechanism. The lead screw rotates forward or backward under the drive of the drive motor to drive the lifting mechanism to switch the landing pad between a retracted position and an extended position. The vehicle-mounted drone landing pad also includes a controller and sensors. The controller is electrically connected to the drive motor and is used to turn the drive motor on or off. The sensors are electrically connected to the controller and are used to detect the position of the lifting mechanism and to send a first signal to the controller when the landing pad moves to the retracted position. The drive motor includes an encoder, which is electrically connected to the controller and is used to detect the number of rotations at the output end of the drive motor when the landing pad moves to the extended position, and to send a second signal to the controller when the number of rotations equals a preset number of rotations.

[0005] Specifically, when the lead screw rotates forward under the drive of the motor to move the helipad from the extended position to the retracted position, the sensor sends a first signal to the controller when the lifting mechanism descends to the trigger sensor. The controller receives the first signal and shuts off the drive motor, thus stopping the helipad's descent. At this point, the controller automatically calibrates the stroke to 0. When the lead screw rotates in the reverse direction under the drive of the motor to move the helipad from the retracted position to the extended position, the encoder detects the number of rotations at the output of the drive motor. Once the number of rotations reaches a preset value, the encoder sends a second signal to the controller, which receives the second signal and shuts off the drive motor.

[0006] In the above technical solution, by setting up a sensor and cooperating with the encoder built into the drive motor, on the one hand, the sensor can be triggered every time the landing pad is in the retracted position to make the stroke calibration zero, eliminating the cumulative error of the encoder calculating the stroke over a long period of time and improving the accuracy of the vehicle-mounted drone landing pad in long-term use; on the other hand, it can reduce the setting of one sensor, thereby reducing the number of other structural components of the vehicle-mounted drone landing pad that need to avoid when in the retracted position, which is conducive to reducing the space occupied by the vehicle-mounted drone landing pad when in the retracted position. At the same time, compared with setting up two sensors at the same time, it reduces the production cost of the vehicle-mounted drone landing pad.

[0007] In some embodiments, the lifting mechanism includes a drive block, a first lifting rod, and a second lifting rod; the drive block is threadedly engaged with a lead screw and is movably disposed on the top of the vehicle along a first direction; the two ends of the first lifting rod are respectively hinged to the top of the vehicle and the parking apron; the middle part of the second lifting rod is hinged to the middle part of the first lifting rod, and the two ends of the second lifting rod are respectively hinged to the drive block and the parking apron.

[0008] In the above technical solution, by setting a lead screw to drive the drive block to move along the first direction, the distance between the end of the second lifting rod away from the landing pad and the end of the first lifting rod away from the landing pad in the first direction is adjusted, thereby adjusting the length of the first and second lifting rods in the direction of gravity, so that the landing pad can switch between the retracted position and the extended position. The structure is simple and easy to implement, which helps to reduce the weight of the vehicle roof drone landing pad.

[0009] In some embodiments, the sensor is mounted on the top of the vehicle and located on one side of the drive block in a first direction, and is used to detect the position of the drive block.

[0010] In the above technical solution, by installing sensors on the top of the vehicle to detect the position of the drive blocks, the system can detect whether the helipad is in the retracted position. The structure is simple and easy to implement.

[0011] In some embodiments, the sensor includes a mounting strip and a body. The mounting strip is mounted on the top of the vehicle and extends along a first direction, and the drive block is provided with a guide groove corresponding to the mounting strip; the body is mounted on the mounting strip.

[0012] In the above technical solution, by setting guide grooves on the drive block corresponding to the mounting strips, on the one hand, it is convenient to position the sensor through the guide grooves on the drive block when installing the sensor, which helps to simplify the installation process of the vehicle-mounted UAV landing pad; on the other hand, during the state switching process of the vehicle-mounted UAV landing pad, the drive block can be guided by the mounting strips to improve the stability during the state switching process of the vehicle-mounted UAV landing pad.

[0013] In some embodiments, the mounting strip is detachably mounted on the top of the vehicle, and its body is a pressure sensor.

[0014] In the above technical solution, the mounting strip is detachably installed on the top of the vehicle to facilitate adjustment of the position of the main body so that the main body abuts against the drive block when the apron is in the retracted position.

[0015] In some embodiments, the lifting mechanism includes guide rails and sliders; the guide rails are disposed on the top of the vehicle and extend along a first direction, and there are two guide rails spaced apart along a second direction, the first direction being perpendicular to the second direction; there are two sliders corresponding to the two guide rails, and the two ends of the drive block are respectively mounted on the two sliders.

[0016] In the above technical solution, by setting guide rails and sliders, the stability of the drive block when moving along the first direction is improved, thereby improving the stability during the switching process of the vehicle-mounted UAV landing pad state.

[0017] In some embodiments, there are two first lifting rods spaced apart along a second direction, and two second lifting rods corresponding to the two first lifting rods, with the first direction perpendicular to the second direction.

[0018] In the above technical solution, by setting two first lifting rods and two second lifting rods, the force on the landing pad is more even, which makes it easier to improve the stability of the vehicle-mounted UAV landing pad state switching process.

[0019] In some embodiments, the lifting mechanism further includes an abutment plate; one end of the abutment plate is mounted on the top of the vehicle, and the other end of the abutment plate is a free end; when the helipad is in the retracted position, the other end of the abutment plate abuts against the helipad.

[0020] In the above technical solution, by setting an abutment plate to limit the size of the gap between the helipad and the vehicle roof in the direction of gravity when the helipad is in the retracted position, the risk of the structural components of the vehicle-mounted drone helipad being crushed due to the gap being too small is reduced.

[0021] In some embodiments, there are two abutment plates spaced apart along a second direction. Along the second direction, the first lifting rod, the second lifting rod, and the drive block are all located between the two abutment plates. The first direction is perpendicular to the second direction. A guide surface is provided at the end of the abutment plate away from the vehicle top. Along the direction from the helipad to the vehicle top, the distance between the guide surfaces of the two abutment plates gradually increases in the second direction.

[0022] In the above technical solution, by setting a guide surface, when the helipad moves from the extended position to the retracted position, the helipad is guided to align in the second direction with the installation position of the vehicle-mounted UAV helipad on the top of the vehicle, thereby reducing the swaying of the helipad in the second direction when it is in the retracted position.

[0023] In some embodiments, the drive motor is a brushless motor.

[0024] In the above technical solution, by setting the drive motor as a brushless motor, the inherent defects (such as friction, sparking, and wear) of brushes and commutators are eliminated compared to using a brushed motor. This improves the drive motor's efficiency, lifespan, reliability, and control precision. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this 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 this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the vehicle-mounted UAV landing pad in the deployed position, provided in an embodiment of this utility model;

[0027] Figure 2 This utility model provides a schematic diagram of the structure of a vehicle-mounted drone landing pad when it is in a retracted position.

[0028] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A magnified view of a section at point A in the middle;

[0029] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A magnified view of a section at point B. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application 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 application.

[0032] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0033] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" 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 mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0034] Reference Figures 1-4 This application provides a vehicle-mounted drone landing pad, installed on the roof of a vehicle. The vehicle-mounted drone landing pad includes a landing pad 10, a lifting mechanism 20, a drive mechanism 30, a controller, and sensors 40. A gap exists between the landing pad 10 and the vehicle roof. The lifting mechanism 20 is located within the gap and is drive-connected to both the vehicle roof and the landing pad 10. The drive mechanism 30 includes a drive motor 31 and a lead screw 32. The lead screw 32 is located at the output end of the drive motor 31 and is drive-connected to the lifting mechanism 20. The lead screw 32 rotates forward or backward under the drive of the drive motor 31, thereby driving the lifting mechanism 20 to move the landing pad 10 in a retracted position. Switching between deployment positions; wherein, the vehicle-mounted drone landing pad also includes a controller and a sensor 40, the controller being electrically connected to the drive motor 31 and used to turn the drive motor 31 on or off; the sensor 40 being electrically connected to the controller and used to detect the position of the lifting mechanism 20, and used to send a first signal to the controller when the landing pad 10 moves to the retracted position and reaches the retracted position; the drive motor 31 includes an encoder 311, the encoder 311 being electrically connected to the controller, and used to detect the number of rotations at the output end of the drive motor 31 when the landing pad 10 moves to the deployment position, and send a second signal to the controller when the number of rotations is equal to a preset number of rotations.

[0035] Specifically, when the lead screw 32 rotates forward under the drive of the driven motor 31 to move the helipad 10 from the extended position to the retracted position, after the lifting mechanism 20 descends to the trigger sensor 40, the sensor 40 sends a first signal to the controller. The controller receives the first signal and shuts off the drive motor 31. This causes the helipad 10 to stop descending, and at this time, the controller automatically calibrates the stroke to 0. When the lead screw 32 rotates in the reverse direction under the drive of the driven motor 31 to move the helipad 10 from the retracted position to the extended position, the encoder 311 detects the number of rotations at the output end of the drive motor 31, and sends a second signal to the controller after the number of rotations reaches a preset value. The controller receives the second signal and shuts off the drive motor 31.

[0036] In this technical solution, by setting a sensor 40 and cooperating with the encoder 311 integrated with the drive motor 31, on the one hand, the sensor 40 can be triggered each time the landing pad 10 is in the retracted position to make the stroke calibration zero, thus eliminating the cumulative error of the encoder 311 in calculating the stroke over a long period of time and improving the accuracy of the vehicle-mounted drone landing pad in long-term use; on the other hand, the setting of one sensor 40 can be reduced, thereby reducing the number of other structural components of the vehicle-mounted drone landing pad that need to avoid when in the retracted position, which is conducive to reducing the space occupied by the vehicle-mounted drone landing pad when in the retracted position. At the same time, compared with the case of setting two sensors 40 at the same time, the production cost of the vehicle-mounted drone landing pad is reduced.

[0037] According to some embodiments of this application, the lifting mechanism 20 includes a drive block 21, a first lifting rod 22, and a second lifting rod 23; the drive block 21 is threadedly engaged with a lead screw 32 and is movably disposed on the top of the vehicle along a first direction X; the two ends of the first lifting rod 22 are respectively hinged to the top of the vehicle and the helipad 10; the middle part of the second lifting rod 23 is hinged to the middle part of the first lifting rod 22, and the two ends of the second lifting rod 23 are respectively hinged to the drive block 21 and the helipad 10.

[0038] In this technical solution, the drive block 21 is driven by the lead screw 32 to move along the first direction X, thereby adjusting the distance between the end of the second lifting rod 23 away from the landing pad 10 and the end of the first lifting rod 22 away from the landing pad 10 in the first direction X. This adjusts the length of the first lifting rod 22 and the second lifting rod 23 in the direction of gravity Z, allowing the landing pad 10 to switch between the retracted and extended positions. The structure is simple and easy to implement, which helps to reduce the weight of the vehicle-mounted unmanned landing pad.

[0039] According to some embodiments of this application, sensor 40 is mounted on the top of the vehicle and located on one side of drive block 21 in the first direction X, and is used to detect the position of drive block 21.

[0040] In this technical solution, the sensor 40 is mounted on the top of the vehicle to detect the position of the drive block 21, thereby detecting whether the helipad 10 is in the retracted position. The structure is simple and easy to implement.

[0041] According to some embodiments of this application, the sensor 40 includes a mounting strip 41 and a body 42. The mounting strip 41 is mounted on the top of the vehicle and extends along a first direction X, and the drive block 21 is provided with a guide groove 211 corresponding to the mounting strip 41; the body 42 is mounted on the mounting strip 41.

[0042] In this technical solution, by setting a guide groove 211 on the drive block 21 corresponding to the mounting strip 41, on the one hand, it is convenient to position the sensor 40 through the guide groove 211 on the drive block 21 when installing the sensor 40, which helps to simplify the installation process of the vehicle-mounted UAV landing pad; on the other hand, during the state switching process of the vehicle-mounted UAV landing pad, the drive block 21 can be guided by the mounting strip 41, which improves the stability during the state switching process of the vehicle-mounted UAV landing pad.

[0043] According to some embodiments of this application, the mounting strip 41 is detachably mounted on the top of the vehicle, and the body 42 is a pressure sensor 40.

[0044] In this technical solution, the mounting strip 41 is detachably mounted on the top of the vehicle to facilitate adjustment of the position of the main body 42 so that the main body 42 abuts against the drive block 21 when the parking apron 10 is in the retracted position.

[0045] According to some embodiments of this application, the lifting mechanism 20 includes a guide rail 24 and a slider 25; the guide rail 24 is disposed on the top of the vehicle and extends along a first direction X, and there are two guide rails spaced apart along a second direction Y, the first direction X being perpendicular to the second direction Y; there are two sliders 25 corresponding to the two guide rails 24, and the two ends of the drive block 21 are respectively mounted on the two sliders 25.

[0046] In this technical solution, the guide rail 24 and slider 25 are set to improve the stability of the drive block 21 when it moves along the first direction X, thereby improving the stability during the switching process of the vehicle-mounted UAV landing pad state.

[0047] According to some embodiments of this application, there are two first lifting rods 22 spaced apart along the second direction Y, and two second lifting rods 23 corresponding to the two first lifting rods 22, wherein the first direction X is perpendicular to the second direction Y.

[0048] In this technical solution, by setting two first lifting rods 22 and two second lifting rods 23, the force on the landing pad 10 is more even, thereby facilitating the improvement of stability during the switching process of the vehicle-mounted UAV landing pad state.

[0049] According to some embodiments of this application, the lifting mechanism 20 further includes an abutment plate 50; one end of the abutment plate 50 is mounted on the top of the vehicle, and the other end of the abutment plate 50 is a free end; when the helipad 10 is in the retracted position, the other end of the abutment plate 50 abuts against the helipad 10.

[0050] In this technical solution, by setting an abutment plate 50, the size of the gap between the helipad 10 and the vehicle top in the gravity direction Z is limited when the helipad 10 is in the retracted position, thereby reducing the risk that the structural components of the vehicle-mounted drone helipad located within the gap will be crushed due to the gap being too small.

[0051] According to some embodiments of this application, there are two abutment plates 50 spaced apart along the second direction Y. Along the second direction Y, the first lifting rod 22, the second lifting rod 23 and the drive block 21 are all located between the two abutment plates 50. The first direction X is perpendicular to the second direction Y. A guide surface 51 is provided at the end of the abutment plate 50 away from the top of the vehicle. Along the direction of the parking apron 10 pointing to the top of the vehicle, the distance between the guide surfaces 51 of the two abutment plates 50 gradually increases in the second direction Y.

[0052] In this technical solution, by setting a guide surface 51, when the helipad 10 moves from the extended position to the retracted position, the helipad 10 is guided to align in the second direction Y with the installation position of the vehicle-mounted UAV helipad on the top of the vehicle, thereby reducing the swaying of the helipad 10 in the second direction Y when it is in the retracted position.

[0053] According to some embodiments of this application, the drive motor 31 is a brushless motor.

[0054] In this technical solution, by setting the drive motor 31 as a brushless motor, the inherent defects (such as friction, sparking, and wear) caused by brushes and commutators are eliminated compared to the case where the drive motor 31 is a brushed motor. This is beneficial to improving the working efficiency, service life, reliability, and control accuracy of the drive motor 31.

[0055] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other.

[0056] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application and are not intended to limit this application. For those skilled in the art, this application can have various modifications and variations. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) landing pad, installed on the roof of a vehicle, characterized in that, include: There is a gap between the helipad and the top of the vehicle; A lifting mechanism is located within the gap and is connected to the vehicle top and the helipad via a transmission connection. The drive mechanism includes a drive motor and a lead screw. The lead screw is located at the output end of the drive motor and is connected to the lifting mechanism. The lead screw rotates forward or backward under the drive of the drive motor to drive the lifting mechanism to switch the landing pad between the retracted position and the extended position.

2. The vehicle-mounted UAV landing pad according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting mechanism includes: A drive block, threadedly engaged with the lead screw, is movably mounted on the top of the vehicle along a first direction. The first lifting boom is hinged at both ends to the top of the vehicle and the helipad, respectively; The second lifting rod is hinged to the middle of the first lifting rod, and its two ends are respectively hinged to the drive block and the parking apron.

3. The vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) landing pad according to claim 2, characterized in that, The sensor is mounted on the top of the vehicle and located on one side of the drive block in the first direction, and is used to detect the position of the drive block.

4. The vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) landing pad according to claim 3, characterized in that, The sensor includes: An installation strip is installed on the top of the vehicle and extends along the first direction; the drive block is provided with a guide groove corresponding to the installation strip. The main body is installed on the mounting strip.

5. The vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) landing pad according to claim 4, characterized in that, The mounting strip is detachably mounted on the top of the vehicle, and the main body is a pressure sensor.

6. The vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) landing pad according to claim 2, characterized in that, The lifting mechanism also includes: The guide rail is disposed on the top of the vehicle and extends along the first direction, and consists of two rails spaced apart along the second direction, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction; The sliders are two sliders corresponding to the two guide rails, and the two ends of the drive block are respectively mounted on the two sliders.

7. The vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) landing pad according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first lifting rod consists of two rods spaced apart along the second direction, and the second lifting rod consists of two rods corresponding to the two first lifting rods, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

8. The vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) landing pad according to claim 2, characterized in that, The lifting mechanism also includes: An abutment plate, one end of which is installed on the top of the vehicle, and the other end of which is a free end; When the helipad is in the retracted position, the other end of the abutment plate abuts against the helipad.

9. The vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) landing pad according to claim 8, characterized in that, The abutment plates are two spaced apart along the second direction. Along the second direction, the first lifting rod, the second lifting rod, and the driving block are all located between the two abutment plates. The first direction is perpendicular to the second direction. The end of the abutment plate away from the top of the vehicle is provided with a guide surface, and the distance between the guide surfaces of the two abutment plates gradually increases in the second direction along the helipad toward the top of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) landing pad according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vehicle-mounted UAV landing pad also includes a controller and sensors. The controller is electrically connected to the drive motor and is used to turn the drive motor on or off. The sensors are electrically connected to the controller and are used to detect the position of the lifting mechanism and to send a first signal to the controller when the landing pad moves to the retracted position. The drive motor includes an encoder, which is electrically connected to the controller and is used to detect the number of rotations at the output end of the drive motor when the landing pad moves to the deployed position, and to send a second signal to the controller when the number of rotations equals a preset number of rotations.

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