Photoelectric composite coaxial cable used by a light-weight tethered unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

This application relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) transmission cables, and more particularly to a lightweight optoelectronic composite coaxial cable for use in tethered UAVs. The cable includes a central optical fiber communication component, an aramid tensile layer, and an optical fiber sheath layer. The aramid tensile layer surrounds the central optical fiber communication component, and the optical fiber sheath layer covers the aramid tensile layer. A coaxial inner conductor is wound around the outer side of the optical fiber sheath layer. An insulating inner sheath is disposed outside the coaxial inner conductor, and an outer coaxial conductor is wound around the outer side of the insulating inner sheath. An insulating outer sheath is disposed outside the coaxial outer conductor. Compared to cables used in heavy tethered UAVs, this application significantly reduces its size and weight, improves the flight capability of consumer-grade civilian UAVs, increases flight stability, and increases data transmission bandwidth through the optical fiber communication module. The aramid fiber reinforcement layer enhances the cable's tensile strength, thereby aiding in flight stability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of cables, and in particular to an optoelectronic composite coaxial cable for use in lightweight tethered unmanned aerial vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, tethered multi-rotor (rotor-driven) drones, as an important branch of the drone field, are playing a vital role in various fields such as national defense and security, emergency rescue, urban management, energy inspection, scientific research, and environmental protection, leveraging their unique advantage of long-duration flight time. However, drones used in these industries are typically large or heavy, presenting a series of problems including high operational difficulty, high procurement costs, and difficult maintenance. Compared to dedicated, large multi-rotor drones, consumer-grade civilian drones, with their ample market availability, relatively low price, and ease of operation, can undoubtedly achieve simplified tethered drone applications such as low-altitude lighting and data relay communication by modifying their power supply methods. However, given the low load capacity of consumer-grade civilian drones, the tethered drone cable must be extremely lightweight while still meeting the requirements for power transmission and high-capacity data communication. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a lightweight optoelectronic composite coaxial cable for tethered drones. Utility Model Content

[0003] In order to meet the lightweight load requirements of civilian drones and to meet the power transmission and high-capacity data communication requirements during drone operation, this application provides a lightweight optoelectronic composite coaxial cable for use in tethered drones.

[0004] The photoelectric composite coaxial cable for use in a lightweight tethered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) provided in this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0005] A lightweight tethered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) optoelectronic composite coaxial cable includes a central optical fiber communication component, an aramid tensile layer, and an optical fiber sheath layer. The aramid tensile layer is wrapped around the central optical fiber communication component, and the optical fiber sheath layer is wrapped around the aramid tensile layer. A coaxial inner conductor is wound around the outer side of the optical fiber sheath layer. An insulating inner sheath is provided on the outer side of the coaxial inner conductor. An outer coaxial conductor is wound around the outer side of the insulating inner sheath, and an insulating outer sheath is provided on the outer side of the coaxial outer conductor.

[0006] Preferably, the optical fiber in the optical fiber communication component is a loosely bundled optical fiber or a tight-buffered optical fiber.

[0007] Preferably, the aramid tensile layer is woven or wound around the periphery of the optical fiber communication component, and the weaving or winding angle is 30 to 90°.

[0008] Preferably, the optical fiber sheath layer is a low-smoke halogen-free sheath layer, the specific gravity of the low-smoke halogen-free sheath layer is less than 1.2 g / cm3, and the material of the low-smoke halogen-free sheath layer is preferably foamed TPU.

[0009] Preferably, the coaxial inner conductor and the coaxial outer conductor are Al-Fe-Mg aluminum alloys with a specific gravity of 2.7 g / cm3.

[0010] Preferably, the inner insulating sheath is made of a low dielectric constant insulating material, preferably foamed polyethylene.

[0011] Preferably, the insulating outer sheath is a low-smoke halogen-free sheath, the specific gravity of the low-smoke halogen-free sheath is less than 1.2 g / cm3, and the material of the low-smoke halogen-free sheath is preferably foamed TPU.

[0012] In summary, this application includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects:

[0013] 1. This application tightly integrates the fiber optic communication unit, power transmission unit, and tensile components in a coaxial distribution within a single cable, meeting the lightweight load requirements of civilian drones and satisfying the power transmission and high-capacity data communication during drone operation;

[0014] 2. This application uses a novel lightweight aluminum alloy material with Al-Fe-Mg as the main component as the power transmission medium, which significantly reduces the weight of the cable;

[0015] 3. The aramid tensile reinforcement layer in the optical fiber unit of this application can improve the tensile strength of the cable, so that the tethered multi-axis UAV no longer needs to be equipped with a separate connecting rope;

[0016] 4. This application further reduces the weight of the cable by using foamed polyethylene insulation material and foamed TPU sheath material. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an optoelectronic composite coaxial cable used in a lightweight tethered drone according to an embodiment of this application.

[0018] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached diagram: 1. Central optical fiber communication component; 2. Aramid tensile layer; 3. Optical fiber sheath layer; 4. Coaxial inner conductor; 5. Insulating inner sheath; 6. Coaxial outer conductor; 7. Insulating outer sheath. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1 This application will be described in further detail.

[0020] This application discloses an optoelectronic composite coaxial cable for use in a lightweight tethered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). (Refer to...) Figure 1The optoelectronic composite coaxial cable used in the lightweight tethered UAV of this application has a central optical fiber communication component 1 as its innermost layer. The optical fibers in this component can be either loose-tube or tight-buffered, depending on the specific requirements. Loose-tube fibers, with the fiber placed inside a loose tube, effectively buffer external stress and are suitable for scenarios involving frequent dynamic cable stretching. Tight-buffered fibers, on the other hand, directly wrap the fiber in a tight-buffered layer, resulting in a compact structure that allows for a smaller cable outer diameter and facilitates weight reduction. Depending on the UAV system requirements, the optical fiber communication component can be single-mode or multi-mode fiber, with the number of fibers ranging from 1 to 24, or even more.

[0021] The central optical fiber communication component 1 is externally wrapped with an aramid tensile layer 2. This aramid tensile layer 2 is installed around the optical fiber communication component using a braided or wound method, with the braiding or winding angle controlled between 30-90°. This angle setting ensures that the aramid tensile layer 2 provides sufficient mechanical tensile strength while maintaining the cable's flexibility. Aramid material itself has high strength and low density characteristics, with a tensile strength exceeding 3000 MPa and a specific gravity of only 1.44 g / cm³. 3 This makes the cable less prone to breakage when subjected to tensile force, while not significantly increasing the cable's weight.

[0022] An optical fiber sheath layer 3 is disposed outside the aramid tensile layer 2. This optical fiber sheath layer 3 is a low-smoke halogen-free sheath layer with a specific gravity of less than 1.2 g / cm³. 3 The preferred material is foamed TPU. Foamed TPU not only has flame-retardant, low-smoke, and non-toxic properties, meeting drone safety standards, but its foamed structure also provides excellent cushioning protection for fiber optic communication components while further reducing cable weight.

[0023] The optical fiber sheath layer 3 is surrounded by a coaxial inner conductor 4, which is an Al-Fe-Mg aluminum alloy with a specific gravity of 2.7 g / cm³. 3 Compared to traditional copper conductors, this method significantly reduces weight while offering excellent conductivity and corrosion resistance. An insulating inner sheath 5 is located outside the coaxial inner conductor 4. The insulating inner sheath 5 is made of a low-dielectric-constant insulating material, preferably foamed polyethylene. The low dielectric constant of foamed polyethylene, close to 1, effectively reduces signal transmission loss and ensures stable high-frequency signal transmission. A coaxial outer conductor 6, made of Al-Fe-Mg aluminum alloy, is wound around the outside of the insulating inner sheath 5. This outer conductor serves as the outer conductor (shielding layer) of the coaxial cable, providing a signal loop or grounding function.

[0024] An insulating outer sheath 7 is provided on the outside of the coaxial outer conductor 6. This insulating outer sheath 7 is also a low-smoke halogen-free sheath with a specific gravity of less than 1.2 g / cm³. 3The preferred material is foamed TPU, which protects the entire cable from external mechanical damage and environmental corrosion. It also has the same characteristics as the internal optical fiber sheath layer 3, ensuring the overall lightweight and safety of the cable.

[0025] Working principle: In practical applications, the optoelectronic composite coaxial cable of this application is used for tethered drones. It realizes high-speed optical signal transmission such as data and images between the drone and the ground station through the central optical fiber communication component 1, and realizes power transmission and high-frequency signal transmission through the inner coaxial conductor 4 and the outer coaxial conductor, thus meeting the power supply and communication needs of the drone during long-term aerial operations.

[0026] The above are all preferred embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, all equivalent changes made in accordance with the structure, shape and principle of this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A photoelectric composite coaxial cable used for a lightweight tethered unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that: The optical fiber communication component includes a central optical fiber communication component (1), an aramid tensile layer (2), and an optical fiber sheath layer (3). The aramid tensile layer (2) is wrapped around the outside of the central optical fiber communication component (1), and the optical fiber sheath layer (3) is wrapped around the outside of the aramid tensile layer (2). A coaxial inner conductor (4) is wound around the outside of the coaxial inner conductor (4), and an insulating inner sheath (5) is provided on the outside of the coaxial inner conductor (4). A coaxial outer conductor (6) is wound around the outside of the insulating inner sheath (5), and an insulating outer sheath (7) is provided on the outside of the coaxial outer conductor (6).

2. The optoelectronic composite coaxial cable for use in a lightweight tethered unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical fiber in the optical fiber communication component (1) is a loose-tube optical fiber or a tight-tube optical fiber.

3. The photoelectric composite coaxial cable used for a light-weight mooring unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The aramid tensile layer (2) is woven or wound around the periphery of the optical fiber communication component (1), and the weaving or winding angle is 30~90°.

4. The photoelectric composite coaxial cable used for a light-weight mooring unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical fiber sheath layer (3) is a low-smoke halogen-free sheath layer with a specific gravity of less than 1.2 g / cm³ and a material of foamed TPU.

5. The photoelectric composite coaxial cable used for a light-weight mooring unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The insulating inner sheath (5) is made of a low dielectric constant insulating material, which is foamed polyethylene.

6. The photoelectric composite coaxial cable used for a light-weight mooring unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The insulating outer sheath (7) is a low-smoke halogen-free sheath, and the material of the low-smoke halogen-free sheath is foamed TPU.

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