A flight test protection device for unmanned aerial vehicle research and development

Abstract

This utility model discloses a flight test protection device for UAV research and development. The UAV flight test protection device includes a tower, a guide rail with a ground clearance supported by the tower, a fall arrestor that reciprocates along the guide rail, a test UAV that is detachably connected to the fall arrestor by a pull rope, and a drive component for driving the fall arrestor to move and keep it within the flight area of ​​the test UAV. The fall arrestor can follow the UAV synchronously during flight through the drive component. When the UAV crashes due to incomplete algorithms or accidental crash, it can be pulled by the fall arrestor to prevent the UAV from falling directly to the ground, thus achieving the protection function.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, and more specifically, to a flight test protection device for UAV research and development. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of aviation technology, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become widely used in various fields such as aerial surveying and mapping, power line inspection, agricultural plant protection, logistics and transportation, emergency rescue, and military reconnaissance, thanks to their advantages such as being unmanned, adaptable to complex and dangerous environments, flexible operation, and relatively controllable costs. The core purpose of developing UAVs is to overcome the limitations of manned aircraft in terms of operational scenarios, endurance, operating costs, and risk avoidance through technological innovation. For example, in high-voltage power line inspection, UAVs can replace manual labor to detect line faults at close range, avoiding the risk of electric shock. In agriculture, UAVs can achieve precise pesticide spraying over large areas of farmland, improving operational efficiency and reducing labor costs. In emergency rescue scenarios, UAVs can quickly penetrate dangerous areas such as earthquake ruins and forest fires to complete tasks such as locating trapped personnel and monitoring the environment, providing crucial support for rescue decision-making. Therefore, the development of UAVs is an important direction for meeting the needs of various industries for efficient, safe, and precise operations, and is of great significance for promoting industrial upgrading and optimizing social services.

[0003] Flight testing, as a crucial step in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), is the core means of verifying the rationality of the UAV design, the reliability of its performance, and the completeness of its functions. Its necessity is mainly reflected in the following two aspects: Firstly, UAV development involves the integration of technologies from multiple fields, including aerodynamic layout design, structural engineering, flight control systems, power systems, and navigation and positioning systems. It is difficult to fully predict all potential problems during the design phase. For example, if the aerodynamic layout design fails to adequately adapt to the target flight scenario (such as complex low-altitude wind fields or high-speed maneuvering requirements), it may lead to risks such as attitude imbalance and stall during flight. Secondly, if the control algorithm of the flight control system has logical flaws or parameter matching deviations, the UAV may be unable to accurately respond to control commands, or even experience loss of control during autonomous flight. Thirdly, the design indicators of the power system, such as battery life and motor power output stability, also need to be verified through actual flight tests to ensure they meet expectations. On the other hand, core components of drones (such as miniature high-precision sensors, lightweight fuselage materials, high-energy-density batteries, rotor drive motors, etc.) may have material defects, process precision deviations, or quality control oversights during the manufacturing process. These problems are difficult to be fully exposed through ground testing alone. It is necessary to test the functional stability of the components under vibration, airflow impact, and continuous operating conditions through actual operation during test flights to avoid flight failures caused by component defects.

[0004] However, the current test flight phase of drones faces significant safety risks and potential losses: because the design of newly developed drones has not been fully validated, they are prone to crashes due to design flaws, component defects, or control algorithm problems. Such accidents not only destroy valuable test prototypes, rendering the initial R&D investment and time wasted, but also may cause secondary injuries to personnel and facilities on the ground due to drone crashes, especially in densely populated areas or special operating environments, where the risks are further amplified.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary for the inventors to design a new flight test protection device for UAV research and development to overcome the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The main purpose of this application is to provide a flight test protection device for UAV research and development, so as to solve the problem of safety risks and potential losses faced by UAVs in the market during research and development test flights.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides a flight test protection device for UAV research and development, including a tower, a guide rail supported by the tower with a ground clearance, a fall arrester that reciprocates along the direction of the guide rail, a test UAV that is detachably connected to the fall arrester by a pull rope, and a drive component for driving the fall arrester to move so that it remains within the flight area of ​​the test UAV.

[0008] Preferably, the tower is provided with two sets of guide rails, the guide rails include a guide wire mounted on the tower via a roller assembly, the guide wire being adapted to the fall arrester; and a ground anchor assembly for fixing the two ends of the guide wire.

[0009] Preferably, the tower is provided with a tension cable laid by a roller assembly, and the tension cable is provided with a load-bearing cable adjuster for straightening the conductor.

[0010] Preferably, the drive assembly includes: a traction rope fixed in the direction of travel of the fall arrester, the traction rope being laid on the tower via a roller assembly; and a winch for pulling the traction rope.

[0011] Preferably, one end of the conductor, tension cable, and traction rope is connected to a counterweight tensioning assembly.

[0012] Preferably, the fall arrestor includes: a load-bearing body; a connecting plate disposed on the load-bearing body; and a guide wheel disposed on the connecting plate, the guide wheel being adapted to the traction rope.

[0013] Preferably, the tower includes a frame, which is provided in several groups, and the several groups of frames are distributed in a ring at intervals; a top beam fixed on each group of the frame; and a ring track fixed on the several top beams.

[0014] Preferably, the bottom of the annular track is open, and the annular track is adapted to the fall arrester.

[0015] Preferably, the fall arrestor includes: a body; movable wheels located on both sides of the body and adapted to the annular track; a dual-axis motor located inside the body for driving the movable wheels to rotate; friction wheels located on both sides of the body and with their tops contacting the inner wall of the annular track, the friction wheels being rotatably connected to the body via bearings; an adjusting rod located inside the body capable of controlling the friction wheels to move away from the inner wall of the annular track; an adjusting assembly located between the adjusting rod and the body; and a brake pad located outside the body and near the inner wall of the annular track via an electric telescopic rod.

[0016] Preferably, the adjusting assembly includes: a rotating sleeve; a first screw and a second screw located at both ends of the rotating sleeve and threadedly connected thereto, wherein the surface threads of the first screw and the second screw are arranged in opposite directions, and one end of each of the first screw and the second screw is rotatably connected to the adjusting rod and the machine body, respectively.

[0017] The present invention provides a flight test protection device for UAV research and development. Compared with the prior art, its advantages are as follows: the fall arrestor can follow the UAV synchronously during flight through the drive component. When the UAV crashes due to incomplete algorithm or other reasons, it can be pulled by the fall arrestor to prevent the UAV from falling directly to the ground, thus achieving the protection function. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this application, are used to provide a further understanding of the application and to make other features, objects, and advantages of the application more apparent. The illustrative embodiments and descriptions of this application are used to explain the application and do not constitute an undue limitation of the application. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a front view schematic diagram of the structure of the protection device for testing the straight flight of a drone; Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the fall arrestor in the protection device for straight-line flight testing of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the frame structure in the UAV ring flight test protection device; Figure 4 This is a top-view cross-sectional diagram of the circular track structure in the UAV circular flight test protection device; Figure 5 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the adjustment component in the protection device for the circular flight test of a UAV. Figure 6 yes Figure 3 A magnified schematic diagram of the structure at point A in the middle.

[0019] The components include: 1. Tower; 2. Conductor; 3. Bearing body; 31. Connecting plate; 32. Guide wheel; 4. Test drone; 5. Ground anchor group; 6. Tensioning cable; 7. Bearing cable adjuster; 8. Traction rope; 9. Winch; 10. Counterweight tensioning assembly; 11. Frame; 12. Top beam; 13. Circular track; 14. Body; 15. Moving wheel; 16. Dual-axis motor; 17. Friction wheel; 18. Adjusting rod; 19. Rotating sleeve; 191. First screw; 192. Second screw; 20. Brake pad. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0021] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be used interchangeably where appropriate for the embodiments of this application described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0022] In this application, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "middle," "vertical," "horizontal," "lateral," and "longitudinal" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms are primarily for the purpose of better describing this application and its embodiments, and are not intended to limit the indicated device, element, or component to having a specific orientation, or to be constructed and operated in a specific orientation.

[0023] Furthermore, in addition to indicating location or positional relationship, some of the aforementioned terms may also have other meanings. For example, the term "above" may also be used in some cases to indicate a certain dependency or connection relationship. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0024] In addition, the term "multiple" should mean two or more.

[0025] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. This application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0026] Example 1 like Figure 1-2 As shown, a flight test protection device for UAV research and development includes a tower 1, whose main body is welded from Q345B low-alloy high-strength steel. Its height is determined according to the preset ground clearance of the test UAV 4. The bottom of the tower 1 is fixedly connected to a pre-embedded concrete foundation via anchor bolts. The concrete foundation has a depth of not less than 1.5 meters and is internally reinforced with a steel mesh cage to ensure that the tower 1 has no risk of tipping over when subjected to cable tension and lateral wind loads. Simultaneously, ground anchor groups 5 are installed at the ground positions corresponding to the ends of the conductor 2 at both ends of the preset straight test trajectory. The ground anchor groups 5 consist of reinforced concrete anchor bodies buried 1.8-2.2 meters underground. Connecting lugs with bolt holes are welded to the top of the anchor bodies for fixing to the wire rope clamps at the ends of the conductor 2, thereby limiting the end position of the conductor 2 and preventing end displacement during stress.

[0027] The conductor 2 is made of high-strength galvanized steel wire rope with a diameter of 12-16mm and a breaking tensile strength of not less than 50kN. It has anti-corrosion, tensile and wear-resistant properties and can adapt to long-term outdoor testing environment. The conductor 2 is erected between two sets of towers 1 by a roller assembly. The roller assembly includes a metal bracket fixed to the top crossbeam of the tower 1 and a pulley that is rotatably mounted on the bracket by a deep groove ball bearing. The diameter of the pulley groove is 2-3mm larger than the diameter of the conductor 2, and a wear-resistant rubber layer is provided on the inner side of the groove. This can not only provide stable support for the conductor 2, but also reduce the friction loss of the conductor 2 during movement and prevent the conductor 2 from breaking due to long-term friction. Meanwhile, on the support on the side of the middle section of tower 1, a tension cable 6 is laid using another set of rollers of the same model. The tension cable 6 is made of steel wire rope of the same material with a diameter of 10-12mm, and its length is adapted to the laying length of the conductor 2. A load-bearing cable adjuster 7 is installed in the middle of the tension cable 6. The load-bearing cable adjuster 7 adopts a bolt adjustment structure, consisting of two sleeves with internal threads and a double-ended screw. By rotating the double-ended screw with a wrench, the distance between the two sleeves can be changed, thereby adjusting the tension of the tension cable 6. The two ends of the tension cable 6 are fixedly connected to the middle position of the conductor 2 with U-shaped clamps. When the load-bearing cable adjuster 7 is adjusted, the tension cable 6 can drive the conductor 2 to be straightened, ensuring that the conductor 2 remains straight throughout the test and avoiding the fall arrester from jamming or deviating from the test trajectory due to the slack of the conductor 2.

[0028] The fall arrestor includes a load-bearing body 3, a connecting plate 31, and a guide wheel 32. The load-bearing body 3 is made of die-cast aluminum alloy, which ensures structural strength and achieves lightweight design, avoiding excessive load on the conductor 2. The connecting plate 31 is fixed on the load-bearing body 3, and the guide wheel 32 is rotatably mounted on the connecting plate 31 through a needle roller bearing. The groove of the guide wheel 32 is adapted to the outer diameter of the traction rope 8, and a retaining edge with a height of not less than 5mm is provided on the outside of the guide wheel 32 to prevent the traction rope 8 from coming off the groove when it drives the fall arrestor to move. The drive assembly consists of a traction rope 8 and a winch 9. The traction rope 8 is a high-strength steel wire rope with a diameter of 8-10mm. One end of the rope passes around the guide pulley on the top of the tower 1 near the winch 9 and is fixedly connected to the drum of the winch 9. The other end is fixed to the side of the fall arrester through a wire rope clamp. The winch 9 is a variable frequency winch with forward and reverse rotation functions to realize the reciprocating motion of the fall arrester along the conductor 2. In addition, a counterweight tensioning assembly 10 is connected to the conductor 2, the tension cable 6, and the end of the traction rope 8 away from the winch 9. The counterweight tensioning assembly 10 consists of several stackable cast iron counterweights, which are connected to the end of the cable through hooks. Gravity is used to apply a constant tension to the cable to ensure that the cable remains taut during the test and to prevent slack due to temperature changes or cable creep.

[0029] Before the drone test, the test drone 4 is detached and connected to the fall arrester's supporting body 3 via a pull rope. The pull rope is a high-strength nylon rope with a certain degree of elasticity, and its length is set to 5-10 meters according to the flight radius required for the drone test. This ensures that the drone has sufficient room to maneuver during normal straight-line round-trip flight, while avoiding excessively long pull ropes that could lead to untimely protection. During the test, the drone's flight position and speed data are acquired in real time through the drone ground station and transmitted to the PLC controller of the winch 9. The controller adjusts the speed and direction of the winch 9 according to the drone's position signal, so that the pull rope 8 drives the fall arrester to move synchronously along the guide wire 2, ensuring that the fall arrester always remains directly above the flight area of ​​the test drone 4. When the drone shows signs of loss of control or stall, the pull rope will quickly tighten, and the fall arrester will apply an upward traction force to the drone through the support of the guide wire 2, preventing the drone from falling further. At the same time, the position of the fall arrester can be further adjusted by controlling the winch 9 to stop or reverse its rotation, ensuring the protective effect.

[0030] Example 2 like Figure 3-6As shown, the tower 1 includes a frame 11, a top beam 12, and a circular track 13. According to the diameter of the preset circular test track, several sets of frames 11 are distributed in a circular interval. The distance between adjacent frames 11 is determined to be 100-200 meters according to the span of the circular track 13. The frame 11 adopts the same Q345B steel structure as the linear test implementation method. The bottom is fixed to the concrete foundation by anchor bolts to ensure that the verticality deviation of the frame 11 does not exceed 1‰. A top beam 12 is welded to the top of each set of frames 11. The top beam 12 is made of I-beam steel, and its top surface is calibrated to the same horizontal plane using a level. The top beams 12 are reinforced with angle steel connectors to improve overall stability. A circular track 13 is bolted to the top surface of several sets of top beams 12. The circular track 13 is a stainless steel track with a "U" shaped cross section. The bottom of the track is open, and the width of the opening is 5-8mm larger than the thickness of the fall arrester body 14 to ensure that the fall arrester can move smoothly along the inside of the track. The inner diameter of the circular track 13 is set according to the circular flight radius required for UAV testing to ensure that the UAV maintains a safe distance of not less than 3 meters from the track during circular flight to avoid interference with the track during flight.

[0031] Next, the fall arrestor is assembled. The fall arrestor includes a body 14, moving wheels 15, a dual-axis motor 16, a friction wheel 17, an adjusting rod 18, an adjusting assembly, and brake pads 20. The body 14 is made of aluminum alloy and welded together. It has a reserved motor mounting cavity and wiring channel inside, and a hanging ring for connecting the pull rope on the outside. Moving wheels 15 are symmetrically installed on the upper and lower ends of both sides of the body 14. The moving wheels 15 are made of polyurethane and their rims are adapted to the inner sidewall of the circular track 13. They are connected to the wheel axle of the body 14 through deep groove ball bearings to ensure that the moving wheels 15 can roll flexibly along the inner wall of the track. The dual-axis motor 16 is a servo motor with a rated power of 500-800W. It is fixed in the motor mounting cavity inside the body 14. Its two output shafts are connected to the wheel axles of the moving wheels 15 on both sides through couplings. The speed can be adjusted (0-0.4m / s) by the servo controller to realize the reciprocating motion of the fall arrestor along the circular track 13. Friction wheels 17 are symmetrically installed on the top of both sides of the body 14. The friction wheels 17 are made of rubber and are rotatably connected to the bracket of the body 14 through needle roller bearings. The outer circumferential surface of the friction wheel 17 is in close contact with the top of the inner wall of the ring track 13. The friction assists the moving wheel 15 to maintain the direction of movement and prevents the fall arrestor from shifting due to centrifugal force during the ring movement. The adjusting rod 18 is set inside the body 14 and has a "U" shaped structure. Its two ends are rotatably connected to the bracket of the friction wheels 17 on both sides through pins. The middle part of the adjusting rod 18 is connected to the adjusting component.

[0032] The adjustment assembly includes a rotating sleeve 19, a first screw 191, and a second screw 192. The rotating sleeve 19 is fixed to a bracket on the inner wall of the body 14 by bearings, and its inner wall is provided with internal threads. One end of the first screw 191 and the second screw 192 are respectively threaded to both ends of the rotating sleeve 19, and the threads on their surfaces rotate in opposite directions. The other end of the first screw 191 is rotatably connected to the middle of the adjusting rod 18 through a spherical bearing, and the other end of the second screw 192 is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the body 14 in the same way. When it is necessary to adjust the contact force between the friction wheel 17 and the inner wall of the annular track 13, the rotating sleeve 19 rotates. Since the threads rotate in opposite directions, the rotation of the rotating sleeve 19 will drive the first screw 191 and the second screw 192 to move synchronously in opposite directions, thereby pushing the adjusting rod 18 to rotate around the pin shaft, changing the pressure of the friction wheel 17 on the inner wall of the annular track 13, and realizing the adjustment of friction (the greater the pressure, the greater the friction, and the stronger the stability of the fall arrestor). Brake pads 20 are symmetrically installed on both sides of the exterior of the body 14. The brake pads 20 are made of semi-metallic friction material and are fixedly connected to the outer wall of the body 14 via an electric telescopic rod. The rated thrust of the electric telescopic rod is not less than 500N, and its telescopic end is fixed to the back of the brake pads 20. When an emergency braking fall arrestor is required, a signal is sent to the electric telescopic rod through the controller. The electric telescopic rod extends and pushes the brake pads 20 into close contact with the inner wall of the circular track 13. The friction force is used to achieve rapid stopping of the fall arrestor, and the braking response time does not exceed 0.5 seconds.

[0033] Before the drone test, the test drone 4 is detached and connected to the hanger 14 of the fall arrester via a pull rope. The length of the pull rope is set to 8-12 meters according to the circular flight radius to ensure that the drone is not restrained by the pull rope during circular flight. During the test, the circular flight speed and position data of the test drone 4 are obtained through the drone ground station and transmitted to the servo controller of the dual-axis motor 16. The controller adjusts the motor speed so that the moving wheel 15 drives the fall arrester to move synchronously along the circular track 13, ensuring that the fall arrester always stays within the flight area of ​​the test drone 4. When the drone is at risk of crashing, the pull rope tightens, and the fall arrester applies an upward traction force to the drone through the support of the circular track 13. At the same time, the brake pads 20 can be activated as needed to adjust the position of the fall arrester to ensure the protective effect. In addition, the closed structure of the circular track 13 eliminates the need to build an excessively long straight runway, which greatly saves the construction cost of the test site and allows the drone to conduct continuous circular flight tests for several hours, improving the testing efficiency of indicators such as endurance performance.

[0034] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. 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 flight test protection device for UAV research and development, characterized in that: It includes a tower (1), a guide rail supported by the tower (1) at a height above the ground; a fall arrester that reciprocates along the direction of the guide rail; a test drone (4) that is detachably connected to the fall arrester by a rope; and a drive assembly for driving the fall arrester to move so that it remains within the flight area of ​​the test drone (4).

2. The flight test protection device for UAV R&D according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tower (1) is provided with two sets of guide rails, including a guide rail (2) provided on the tower (1) via a roller assembly, the guide rail (2) being adapted to the fall arrester; and a ground anchor assembly (5) for fixing the two ends of the guide rail (2).

3. The flight test protection device for UAV R&D according to claim 2, characterized in that: The tower (1) is provided with a tension cable (6) laid by a roller assembly, and the tension cable (6) is provided with a load cable adjuster (7) for straightening the conductor (2).

4. The flight test protection device for UAV R&D according to claim 3, characterized in that: The drive assembly includes: a traction rope (8) fixed in the direction of the fall arrester’s operation, the traction rope (8) being laid on the tower (1) via a roller assembly; and a winch (9) for pulling the traction rope (8).

5. The flight test protection device for UAV R&D according to claim 4, characterized in that: One end of each of the conductor (2), tension cable (6), and traction rope (8) is connected to a counterweight tensioning assembly (10).

6. The flight test protection device for UAV R&D according to claim 5, characterized in that: The fall arrestor includes: a supporting body (3); a connecting plate (31) disposed on the supporting body (3); and a guide wheel (32) disposed on the connecting plate (31), the guide wheel (32) being adapted to the traction rope (8).

7. The flight test protection device for UAV R&D according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tower (1) includes a frame (11) having several sets of frames (11) arranged in a ring-shaped interval; a top beam (12) fixed on each set of frames (11); and a ring track (13) fixed on the top beams (12).

8. The flight test protection device for UAV R&D according to claim 7, characterized in that: The bottom of the annular track (13) is open, and the annular track (13) is adapted to the fall arrester.

9. The flight test protection device for UAV research and development according to claim 8, characterized in that: The fall arrestor includes: a body (14); movable wheels (15) located on both sides of the body (14) and adapted to the annular track (13); a dual-axis motor (16) located inside the body (14) for driving the movable wheels (15) to rotate; friction wheels (17) located on both sides of the body (14) and with their tops in contact with the inner wall of the annular track (13), the friction wheels (17) being rotatably connected to the body (14) via bearings; an adjusting rod (18) located inside the body (14) for controlling the friction wheels (17) to move away from the inner wall of the annular track; an adjusting assembly located inside the adjusting rod (18) and the body (14); and a brake pad (20) located outside the body (14) and close to the inner wall of the annular track (13) via an electric telescopic rod.

10. The flight test protection device for UAV development according to claim 9, characterized in that: The adjustment assembly includes: a rotating sleeve (19); a first screw (191) and a second screw (192) located at both ends of the rotating sleeve (19) and threadedly connected thereto, wherein the surface threads of the first screw (191) and the second screw (192) are arranged oppositely, and one end of the first screw (191) and the second screw (192) are respectively rotatably connected to the adjustment rod (18) and the machine body (14).

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