Radar towerless calibration signal source fixing device for unmanned aerial vehicle mounting

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of radar towerless beacon calibration signal source fixing device for unmanned plane mounting, including connection fixed component, angle adjusting component and signal source bearing component.Connection fixed component is used for lossless replacement unmanned plane bottom connecting mechanism.Angle adjusting component includes support and rotating piece, support is equipped with fixed hole and arc hole.Rotating piece is connected with fixed hole by first fixed part, and is connected with rotating piece by second fixed part through arc hole.The structure makes that signal source bearing component can be angularly rotated adjustment in certain direction relative to connection fixed component.Signal source bearing component includes fixed flange and horn support.This device can make the pointing of standard horn signal source high-precision adjustment independent of the flight attitude of unmanned plane, and realize reliable locking, thereby greatly improve the flexibility, precision and efficiency of radar towerless beacon calibration.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of radar calibration technology, and more specifically, to a towerless radar calibration signal source fixing device for use on unmanned aerial vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been widely used in many fields due to their high maneuverability, flexible deployment, and relatively low cost, especially in remote sensing, surveying, and military reconnaissance. In these applications, UAVs often need to carry high-performance sensors, such as synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Before operation, radar sensors typically require high-precision calibration to ensure the accuracy of measurement results. Traditional radar calibration, such as radar cross-section measurement or antenna pattern measurement, is usually performed using fixed ground towers or calibration fields. However, this "tower-based" calibration method has significant limitations: Limited geographical location: The construction and maintenance costs of calibration towers are high, and they can only be used in specific geographical locations, lacking portability. Inflexible deployment: Fixed towers are difficult to adapt to the needs of drones to perform calibration in different airspaces, environments, or even temporary sites. Low calibration efficiency: Drones need to fly to fixed calibration sites for testing, which is time-consuming and inefficient.

[0003] To address these issues, the industry has begun exploring "towerless" calibration technology. This involves using the drone itself to carry the necessary signal source or reflector for calibration, and then working in conjunction with ground-based or airborne reference equipment to complete the calibration. One feasible "towerless" calibration solution is to mount a standard horn signal source on the drone, which then emits a signal with known power and direction to verify and calibrate the radar system carried by the drone. However, existing drone mounting equipment typically only provides a rigid connection, meaning the direction of the signal source or sensor is entirely dependent on and locked to the drone's fuselage attitude.

[0004] When a drone adjusts its attitude in the air (e.g., to maintain flight stability, avoid obstacles, or perform specific flight maneuvers), the direction of the standard horn signal source also changes, and the drone's attitude direction often does not correspond to the actual required direction of the standard horn signal source. This causes significant inconvenience and even errors in radar calibration. Specifically, the calibration process often requires the signal source or antenna to maintain precise pointing in a specific direction, but drones inevitably experience attitude jitter even when flying in a fixed position.

[0005] Unable to be controlled independently: Calibration personnel cannot independently and precisely adjust the direction of the signal source; they can only achieve this by controlling the attitude of the entire drone, which is complex and difficult to guarantee accuracy.

[0006] Therefore, there is an urgent need in the existing technology for a mounting device for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This device should not only reliably fix a standard horn signal source to the UAV, but more importantly, it must have angle adjustment capabilities to allow operators or the system to precisely adjust the pointing direction of the standard horn signal source independently of the UAV's own attitude according to calibration requirements. The device should be compact, easy to adjust, and maintain stable and reliable signal source pointing even during UAV flight, thereby effectively improving the flexibility, accuracy, and efficiency of towerless radar calibration. Utility Model Content

[0007] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the aforementioned technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0008] Therefore, this utility model provides a towerless radar calibration signal source fixing device for use on unmanned aerial vehicles.

[0009] This utility model provides a towerless radar calibration signal source fixing device for UAV mounting, comprising: A connection and fixing component is provided for connecting the fixing device to the drone; Signal source carrying component, used to carry standard loudspeaker signal sources; An angle adjustment component is disposed between the connecting and fixing component and the signal source carrying component. The angle adjustment component enables the signal source carrying component to rotate relative to the connecting and fixing component in a certain direction, thereby allowing the direction of the standard horn signal source to be adjusted independently of the attitude of the UAV.

[0010] The radar towerless calibration signal source fixing device for UAV mounting according to the above-described technical solution of this utility model may also have the following additional technical features: In the above technical solution, the angle adjustment component includes a support member and a rotating member that can be rotatably connected relative to the support plate; The support member is fixedly connected to the connecting and fixing assembly; The rotating component is fixedly connected to the signal source carrying assembly.

[0011] In the above technical solution, the support member includes a fixed surface and a connecting surface arranged at an angle; The fixing surface is fixedly connected to the connecting fixing component; The connecting surface and the rotating component are rotatably connected so that when the connecting surface and the rotating component are fixedly assembled at different rotation angles, the rotating component and the fixed surface form different included angles.

[0012] In the above technical solution, the two connecting surfaces are arranged perpendicular to the fixed surface and are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the fixed surface; The two connecting surfaces are rotatably connected to the rotating component; The limiting space formed by the two connecting surfaces and the fixed surface is used to restrict the rotation direction of the rotating component.

[0013] In the above technical solution, the angle adjustment component includes a first fixing member and a second fixing member; The connecting surface is provided with fixing holes and arc-shaped holes; The first fixing member is fixedly connected to the rotating member through a fixing hole, serving as the base point for the relative rotation of the connecting surface and the rotating member; The second fixing member is fixedly connected to the rotating member through an arc-shaped hole, which is used to adjust the relative rotation angle between the connecting surface and the rotating member.

[0014] In the above technical solution, the second fixing member has the degree of freedom to move within the arc-shaped hole. When the second fixing member locks the connecting surface and the rotating member at different positions within the arc-shaped hole, the signal source carrying component has different angles.

[0015] In the above technical solution, the connecting and fixing component includes a single-through hexagonal stud, which is used to replace the connecting mechanism on the bottom of the UAV and to support the support component.

[0016] In the above technical solution, the signal source carrying component includes a fixed flange and a horn support; The fixed flange is disposed at the fixed end of the standard horn signal source and is fixedly connected to the standard horn signal source; the fixed flange is fixedly connected to the rotating component. The horn support is located at the facing end of the standard horn signal source and is configured to allow the inclined surface of the main body of the standard horn signal source to reliably rest against the horn support in order to fix the standard horn.

[0017] In the above technical solution, the horn support is used to fix the standard horn signal source through a flexible connector.

[0018] In the above technical solution, a rubber pad is provided between the contact surface of the horn support and the inclined surface of the main body of the standard horn signal source.

[0019] In summary, due to the adoption of the above-mentioned technical features, the beneficial effects of this utility model are: This application enables the standard horn signal source to be independently rotated and adjusted relative to the UAV fuselage by setting an angle adjustment component between the connecting fixed component and the signal source carrying component. This design overcomes the deficiency of the prior art where the signal source direction passively depends on the UAV's flight attitude. It allows the radiation direction of the signal source to be flexibly and accurately set according to the specific needs of radar calibration while the UAV maintains a specific flight attitude (such as hovering or level flight) (adjustment is required before takeoff). This effectively meets the strict requirements for signal directivity in towerless radar calibration, significantly improving the efficiency and data accuracy of calibration work.

[0020] Specifically, through the cooperation of the support and rotating components, especially the combination of arc-shaped holes and fixed holes for fixing, this application can achieve stepless fine-tuning of the angle within a certain range. The first fixed component serves as the rotation base point, working in conjunction with the free movement and locking of the second fixed component within the arc-shaped hole. This not only simplifies operation but also provides dual fixing points after the target angle is determined, effectively preventing angle deviation caused by drone vibrations during flight and ensuring the stability of the signal source's direction during calibration. This application uses a single-pass hexagonal stud as the core component for connecting and fixing the assembly. This stud replaces the original connection mechanism on the drone's bottom surface, cleverly utilizing the drone's existing structural interface. This design eliminates the need for drilling or other destructive modifications to the drone fuselage, ensuring connection stability and enabling rapid mounting and dismounting of the device, greatly facilitating field operations and equipment maintenance. Considering the structural characteristics of the standard horn signal source, this application designs a dual-point or multi-point support structure of "fixed flange + horn support." A fixed flange locks the end of the signal source, while a horn support, along with flexible connectors, stabilizes the inclined surface of the main body at the front of the signal source. This coordinated support method effectively distributes the load and avoids the instability inherent in cantilever beam structures. Furthermore, the rubber gaskets not only increase friction to prevent slippage but also act as shock absorbers, effectively protecting the precision standard horn signal source from high-frequency vibrations from the drone.

[0021] Additional aspects and advantages of this invention will become apparent in the description that follows, or may be learned by practice of this invention. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of this utility model will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a towerless radar calibration signal source fixing device for use on a drone, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] in, Figure 1 The correspondence between the reference numerals and component names in the attached drawings is as follows: 1. Support component; 2. Rotating component; 3. Standard horn signal source; 4. First fixing component; 5. Second fixing component; 6. Single-pass hexagonal stud; 7. Combination screw; 8. Fixing flange; 9. Horn support; 10. Rubber gasket; 11. Fixed surface; 12. Connecting surface; 121. Fixing hole; 122. Arc-shaped hole. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To better understand the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this utility model, the present utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in these embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0025] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0026] The following reference Figure 1 This invention describes a towerless radar calibration signal source fixing device for use on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0027] Some embodiments of this application provide a towerless radar calibration signal source fixing device for use on unmanned aerial vehicles.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, the first embodiment of this utility model proposes a towerless radar calibration signal source fixing device for UAV mounting. Its overall structure mainly consists of three parts: a connecting and fixing component, an angle adjustment component, and a signal source carrying component. This device is designed to mount a standard horn signal source 3 and achieve independent angle adjustment of the signal source relative to the UAV fuselage.

[0029] The connection and fixing assembly serves as the mounting base for the entire device, enabling the physical connection between the device and the drone. In some embodiments, the connection and fixing assembly primarily comprises a single-pass hexagonal stud 6. This single-pass hexagonal stud 6 is configured to replace the original connection mechanism on the bottom surface of the drone (e.g., the original screws at the drone landing gear or payload interface (such as the camera device interface on a certain model of drone)). By screwing the single-pass hexagonal stud 6 into the threaded interface on the bottom of the drone, the original structural strength of the drone is preserved, while extending downwards to form a new mounting node for receiving the angle adjustment assembly below.

[0030] Specifically, in Figure 1In the illustrated embodiment, the connecting and fixing assembly includes four single-pass hexagonal studs 6. The dimensions of the four single-pass hexagonal studs 6 are adapted to replace the existing threaded connection mechanism pre-installed on the bottom of the drone for connecting the load or landing gear. One end of each single-pass hexagonal stud 6 is fixed to the drone fuselage, while the other end forms a horizontal mounting plane to support the support member 1 of the angle adjustment assembly, thus forming a base for a stable connection with the drone. Specifically, it can be fixedly connected to the support member 1 using combination screws 7. Figure 1 In the embodiment shown, the combination screw 7 points around the bottom of the single through hexagonal stud 6. It can be understood that the combination screw 7 can fix the single through hexagonal stud 6 from the side or from the bottom upwards.

[0031] The angle adjustment component is located below the connecting and fixing component, serving as a connecting link. It includes a support component 1 and a rotating component 2.

[0032] In some embodiments, the support member 1 includes a fixing surface 11 and a connecting surface 12.

[0033] The fixed surface 11 is located at the top of the support member 1 and is securely installed at the bottom end of the single-pass hexagonal stud 6 by threaded connection or other fastening methods, thereby maintaining relative stillness with the UAV. In a specific embodiment, the support member 1 is an overall bracket structure with accommodating space (e.g., a U-shaped bracket). Specifically, there are preferably two connecting surfaces 12, which are arranged perpendicular to the fixed surface 11 and symmetrically distributed on both sides of the fixed surface 11, thereby forming a limiting space between the two connecting surfaces 12 and the top fixed surface 11. This limiting space not only accommodates the rotating part 2 but also restricts the range of motion of the rotating part 2, preventing excessive rotation from causing cable entanglement or mechanical collision. It is understood that the perpendicular arrangement of the connecting surface 12 and the fixed surface 11 is only a preferred choice when the connecting surface 12 and the fixed surface 11 are arranged at an angle. Other angles where the connecting surface 12 and the fixed surface 11 are not in the same plane can also achieve the above purpose. In practical applications, the angle range between the connecting surface 12 and the fixed surface 11 is usually 75~120°.

[0034] In some embodiments, each connecting surface 12 has two key functional holes: one is a circular fixing hole 121, which serves as the mounting point for the rotating shaft; the other is an arc-shaped hole 122, which extends in an arc shape with the fixing hole 121 as the center, and is used for guiding and locking the angle adjustment.

[0035] In some embodiments, the rotating member 2 is located between the two connecting surfaces 12, and its two side walls are in contact with the connecting surfaces 12 of the support member 1. The rotating member 2 is fixedly connected to the signal source carrying assembly, driving the signal source to move together.

[0036] In some embodiments, the angle adjustment assembly further includes a first fixing member 4 (such as a pin, a stop screw, or a bolt assembly) and a second fixing member 5 (such as a bolt assembly with a hand-tightening nut).

[0037] The first fixing member 4 passes through the fixing hole 121 on the connecting surface 12 of the support member 1 and the corresponding hole on the rotating member 2, establishing the rotation axis (base point) of the rotating member 2 relative to the support member 1.

[0038] The second fixing member 5 passes through the arc-shaped hole 122 on the connecting surface 12 of the support member 1 and the corresponding hole on the rotating member 2. At this time, the second fixing member 5 has the freedom to slide along an arc within the arc-shaped hole 122. That is, when the second fixing member 5 is in the loosened state, it can move freely along an arc within the arc-shaped hole 122, thus allowing the rotating member 2 to perform continuous, stepless angle adjustment within a preset angle range. After the operator manually rotates the rotating member 2 to the target angle, locking the second fixing member 5 uses friction to clamp the connecting surface 12 and the rotating member 2, thereby locking the signal source at a specific angle. To facilitate adjustment of the rotation angle, an angle mark can be set at the arc-shaped hole 122 for fine adjustment.

[0039] The signal source carrier assembly is used directly to mount the standard horn signal source 3, ensuring its stability during adjustment and flight. In some embodiments, this assembly mainly includes a fixed flange 8 and a horn support 9.

[0040] The fixed flange 8 is located at the fixed end (i.e., the signal input end / waveguide interface end) of the standard horn signal source 3. The fixed flange 8 is fastened to the standard horn signal source 3 by screws (or it can be a one-piece design or other fixed connection methods, such as snap-fit ​​connection). At the same time, the fixed flange 8 is fixedly connected to the rotating part 2 of the aforementioned angle adjustment assembly. In this way, the fixed flange 8 becomes the direct force-bearing component of the signal source as it rotates with the rotating part 2.

[0041] In addition, to address the vibration issue that might arise from the excessively long cantilever of the standard horn signal source 3, a horn support 9 is provided at the oriented end of the signal source (i.e., the horn opening expansion section). This horn support 9 is designed with a sloping structure that matches the outer contour of the standard horn signal source 3, allowing the main sloping surface of the standard horn signal source 3 to reliably rest against the horn support 9.

[0042] In one specific embodiment, in order to prevent wear caused by rigid contact and enhance shock resistance, a rubber gasket 10 is provided between the contact surfaces of the horn support 9 and the inclined surface of the signal source body.

[0043] In addition, the speaker support 9 surrounds the outside of the standard speaker signal source 3 with flexible connectors (such as high-strength cable ties, flexible metal clamps, etc.), and the rubber pad 10 presses the signal source tightly against the speaker support 9.

[0044] The installation, angle adjustment, and locking procedures of this mounting device are simple and reliable, ensuring the efficiency and accuracy of field calibration operations. First, during installation, operators use single-through hexagonal studs 6 to non-destructively install the device's connecting and fixing components to the pre-reserved interface on the bottom of the UAV. Then, the standard horn signal source 3 is assembled onto the signal source carrier component via the fixing flange 8 and horn support 9. After structural installation, the angle adjustment stage begins: operators first loosen the second fixing piece 5 on the angle adjustment component, allowing the rotating part 2 to gain rotational freedom. Then, according to the radar calibration requirements for beam directivity, the direction of the standard horn signal source 3 is precisely adjusted to the target angle manually or with the aid of tools such as a protractor. Once the signal source direction is determined, the locking stage begins. By tightening the second fixing piece 5, the rotating part 2 is securely locked to the connecting surface 12 of the support 1 using clamping torque, ensuring that the signal source maintains the preset precise direction throughout the UAV's flight. This adjustment-then-locking working mode greatly simplifies the towerless radar calibration process, improving calibration efficiency and data accuracy.

[0045] It should be noted that the configuration of the target angle in each angle adjustment operation needs to be determined based on the previous flight. That is to say, in actual adjustment, after the first flight or the last flight of the drone, the required rotation angle on the drone is initially determined. Then, the second fixing part 5 is loosened, the rotating part 2 with the signal source is rotated and adjusted to the appropriate angle, and then the second fixing parts 5 on both sides are tightened until the standard horn signal source 3 is at the correct orientation angle.

[0046] In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the terms used do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments or examples. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0047] Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of this utility model shall be included within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A towerless radar calibration signal source fixing device for use on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), characterized in that, include: A connection and fixing component is provided for connecting the fixing device to the drone; Signal source carrying component, used to carry standard loudspeaker signal sources; An angle adjustment component is disposed between the connecting and fixing component and the signal source carrying component. The angle adjustment component enables the signal source carrying component to rotate relative to the connecting and fixing component in a certain direction, thereby allowing the direction of the standard horn signal source to be adjusted independently of the attitude of the UAV.

2. The radar towerless calibration signal source fixing device for UAV mounting according to claim 1, characterized in that, The angle adjustment assembly includes a support member and a rotating member that is rotatably connected relative to the support member; The support member is fixedly connected to the connecting and fixing assembly; The rotating component is fixedly connected to the signal source carrying assembly.

3. The radar towerless calibration signal source fixing device for UAV mounting according to claim 2, characterized in that, The support member includes a fixed surface and a connecting surface arranged at an angle; The fixing surface is fixedly connected to the connecting fixing component; The connecting surface and the rotating component are rotatably connected so that when the connecting surface and the rotating component are fixedly assembled at different rotation angles, the rotating component and the fixed surface form different included angles.

4. The radar towerless calibration signal source fixing device for UAV mounting according to claim 3, characterized in that, The two connecting surfaces are arranged perpendicular to the fixed surface and symmetrically distributed on both sides of the fixed surface; The two connecting surfaces are rotatably connected to the rotating component; The limiting space formed by the two connecting surfaces and the fixed surface is used to restrict the rotation direction of the rotating component.

5. The radar towerless calibration signal source fixing device for UAV mounting according to claim 4, characterized in that, The angle adjustment assembly includes a first fixing member and a second fixing member; The connecting surface is provided with fixing holes and arc-shaped holes; The first fixing member is fixedly connected to the rotating member through a fixing hole, serving as the base point for the relative rotation of the connecting surface and the rotating member; The second fixing member is fixedly connected to the rotating member through an arc-shaped hole, which is used to adjust the relative rotation angle between the connecting surface and the rotating member.

6. The radar towerless calibration signal source fixing device for UAV mounting according to claim 5, characterized in that, The second fixing member has the degree of freedom to move within the arc-shaped hole. When the second fixing member locks the connecting surface and the rotating member at different positions within the arc-shaped hole, the signal source carrying assembly has different angles.

7. The radar towerless calibration signal source fixing device for UAV mounting according to claim 2, characterized in that, The connection and fixing assembly includes a single-through hexagonal stud, which is used to replace the connection mechanism on the bottom of the UAV and to support the support component.

8. The radar towerless calibration signal source fixing device for UAV mounting according to claim 2, characterized in that, The signal source carrying assembly includes a fixed flange and a horn support; The fixed flange is disposed at the fixed end of the standard horn signal source and is fixedly connected to the standard horn signal source; the fixed flange is fixedly connected to the rotating component. The horn support is located at the facing end of the standard horn signal source and is configured to allow the inclined surface of the main body of the standard horn signal source to reliably rest against the horn support in order to fix the standard horn signal source.

9. The radar towerless calibration signal source fixing device for UAV mounting according to claim 8, characterized in that, The speaker support is secured to the standard speaker signal source via a flexible connector.

10. The radar towerless calibration signal source fixing device for UAV mounting according to claim 8, characterized in that, A rubber pad is provided between the contact surface of the horn support and the inclined surface of the main body of the standard horn signal source.

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