An unmanned aerial vehicle based floodplain soil collection device

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of flood plain soil collection devices based on unmanned aerial vehicle, including the installation box of fixed setting in the bottom of unmanned aerial vehicle ontology, undercarriage, sampling motor and sampling cylinder, double-output-shaft motor and sampling motor are provided in installation box, double-output-shaft motor drives undercarriage to be folded or be unfolded, when unmanned aerial vehicle flies, undercarriage is folded state, reduce flight wind resistance, make unmanned aerial vehicle in flood plain soil collection operation, flight is more stable, sampling motor drives sampling cylinder to rise or drop, undercarriage is fixedly connected with ground contact portion, ground contact portion is fixedly connected with antiskid component, undercarriage and sampling cylinder form stable triangle support structure, when this device is drilled and sampled on flood plain ground, form stable support.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the technical field of soil sampling devices, specifically relating to a drone-based soil sampling device for floodplains. Background Technology

[0002] Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, are aircraft that do not require a person to sit inside and control them. They can be used in many places, such as taking pictures, delivering packages, and rescue. In order to enable the drone to take off and land smoothly, designers will install landing gear on some special-purpose drones. The landing gear is like the "feet" of the drone, allowing it to stand on the ground.

[0003] Floodplains are landforms along the lateral course of a river that are submerged during floods but emerge above water at moderate levels. Agricultural development and research on floodplains often require soil sampling, a process previously relied upon on staff walking to the floodplains. Given the crisscrossing channels and abundant silt in floodplains, manual sampling was an extremely arduous task. Based on moisture content, the soils of floodplains can be divided into three main categories: dry soil, alluvial soil, and wet soil. Dry soils, such as weathered and dried powdery fine soil and fine sand, usually have little or no adhesion to the walls of the sampling container. Alluvial soils are an important type of cultivated soil in China, including typical alluvial soil, gray alluvial soil, dehydrated alluvial soil, wet alluvial soil, saline alluvial soil, and alkalized alluvial soil, with a moisture content between 5% and 30%. They usually have strong adhesion to the walls of the sampling container. Wet soils, such as silt, marsh soil, and meadow soil, are similar to dry soils and usually have little or no adhesion to the walls of the sampling container.

[0004] With the development of technology, since the advent of drones, it has become much easier for people to use drones to collect soil samples from floodplains. When using drones to collect soil samples from floodplains, the "grabbing" method is usually used for both dry and wet soil samples. "Grabbing" means that the drone does not land but flies over the floodplain and collects the soil sample using a sampling tube. For tidal soil samples, the "drilling" method is usually used. "Drilling" means that the drone lands on the floodplain and rotates or presses down on the sampling tube to collect the soil sample.

[0005] However, existing small drones are small in size and light in weight, resulting in low wind resistance during flight. Their landing gear is designed to remain deployed during flight. Deployed landing gear hinders sampling using a "sweep" sampling tube, as it still touches the ground. Floodplains are low-lying and wide with low surface friction. Although the floodplain terrain itself does not inherently create a funnel effect, if there are special terrain features such as canyons, mountain passes, or tall buildings nearby, and the wind direction aligns with the floodplain's topography, the funnel effect may cause a localized increase in wind speed, affecting the flight of drones with deployed landing gear. It is common for drones with their landing gear deployed to be blown off course or overturned by the wind on the floodplain. The main reason for this is the wind, while the fact that the drone's landing gear is always deployed is a secondary reason. The wind is a natural factor that we cannot change. So, we can modify the drone's landing gear so that it can be retracted during flight, reducing wind resistance and adapting to the special application scenarios of floodplains.

[0006] Furthermore, the unevenness and slippery surface of the floodplain can cause landing gear displacement and ground sinking for drones that land using the "drilling" method, resulting in soil sampling location deviation or difficulty in taking off again.

[0007] To address this, a drone-based soil collection device for floodplains is proposed. Utility Model Content

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this utility model is achieved through the following technical solution: A drone-based soil sampling device for floodplains includes a mounting box, landing gear, sampling motor, and sampling cylinder fixedly mounted on the bottom of the drone body.

[0009] A dual-output shaft motor for driving the landing gear to retract or extend is fixedly installed on the lower bottom wall of the mounting box. A sampling motor for driving the sampling cylinder to rise or fall is fixedly installed on the upper bottom wall of the mounting box. A pair of through holes for retracting and extending the landing gear are opened on the bottom wall and an adjacent side wall of the mounting box. A sampling cylinder handle lifting through hole is opened on the bottom wall of the mounting box.

[0010] The landing gear consists of a pair. One end of the landing gear is a collar, and the other end is fixedly connected to a ground contact part. The collars of the two landing gears are respectively fixedly sleeved on the two output shafts of the dual output shaft motor. When the UAV is flying, the landing gear is in a retracted state and stored in the through slot.

[0011] The sampling motor has a vertically arranged output shaft that is fixedly connected to a lead screw, which is vertically downward. The sampling cylinder includes a lower cylinder body and a cylinder handle that is fixedly connected to the cylinder body. The cylinder handle has an axial threaded hole and is inserted into the sampling cylinder handle lifting through hole. The cylinder handle is threadedly connected to the lead screw through the threaded hole. The sampling cylinder is slidably connected to the bottom wall of the mounting box through the cylinder handle and the sampling cylinder handle lifting through hole.

[0012] Furthermore, the sampling tube is a first sampling tube, the tube body and the handle of the first sampling tube are coaxially arranged, the opening of the tube body faces downward, and the opening end is a knife edge.

[0013] The blade is designed to allow the sampling tube to easily penetrate the soil and cut off the roots and stems of plants in the soil.

[0014] Furthermore, the bottom surface of the contact portion is fixedly provided with conical teeth, which are cone-shaped with the cone tip pointing downwards, and there are three of them distributed in a triangle on the bottom surface of the contact portion.

[0015] The triangular design allows the conical teeth to exert force on the ground from multiple directions, preventing the drone's touchdown part from sliding. Moreover, the cone is easy to insert into the floodplain and easy to pull out of the floodplain, with very little soil adhering to the cone after it is pulled out.

[0016] Furthermore, during sampling, the landing gear is in the deployed state, and the pair of landing gears and the first sampling tube form three landing points on the floodplain that are not in a straight line, distributed in a triangle on the floodplain ground.

[0017] The triangular distribution provides a stable support structure for the drone.

[0018] Furthermore, the dual output shaft motor is controlled to drive the landing gear to rotate from 0° to 90°.

[0019] Furthermore, the wall of the through slot hole opened on the side wall is glued with a damping patch, and the damping patch has a sloping structure near the bottom wall of the mounting box to form an inlet.

[0020] The damping patch, in conjunction with the dual output shaft motor, ensures that the landing gear is in the through slot, making the drone landing gear more stable during flight.

[0021] Furthermore, the sampling tube is a second sampling tube, and the central axis of the tube body is set at an angle to the central axis of the tube handle, with the tube body opening tilted upward.

[0022] Furthermore, the landing gear was in a retracted state during sampling.

[0023] For scavenging sampling, the retracted landing gear prevents it from obstructing the sampling of the second sampling tube.

[0024] Furthermore, anti-slip teeth are fixedly provided on the bottom surface of the ground contact part. The anti-slip teeth are hook-shaped, and there are three of them distributed in a triangle on the bottom surface of the ground contact part. The three anti-slip teeth have the same curvature.

[0025] This utility model has the following beneficial effects: 1. Because the landing gear is retracted during drone flight, wind resistance is reduced, making the drone more stable when collecting soil in floodplains.

[0026] 2. Depending on the type of soil sample collected, it can be obtained by either scraping or drilling.

[0027] 3. During sampling, there is no need for the drone to land; the sampling can be completed simply by the drone flying over it, greatly saving sampling time.

[0028] 4. During drilling, the landing gear and sampling tube form a stable triangular support structure, enabling the sampling operation to be completed in the slippery environment of the floodplain. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the UAV in the retracted landing gear state in Example 1; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the sampling method in Example 1; Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the mounting box assembly with the landing gear retracted. The mounting box is shown in a transparent image. Figure 4 An assembly perspective view of the mounting box with the landing gear deployed and the sampling tube extended. Figure 5 Isometric drawing of the mounting box; Figure 6 An isometric view of the mounting box from another angle; Figure 7 This is a perspective view of the mounting box assembly during the flight of the UAV in Example 2; Figure 8 This is a perspective view of the installation box assembly during sampling in Example 2.

[0030] In the diagram: 0. Floodplain; 1. UAV body; 2. Mounting box; 201. Damping patch; 202. Through slot; 203. Sampling cylinder handle lifting through hole; 3. Landing gear; 301. Dual output shaft motor; 4. Sampling motor; 401. Lead screw; 5. Ground contact part; 501. Anti-slip teeth; 502. Conical teeth; 6. First sampling cylinder; 7. Second sampling cylinder. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model.

[0032] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of this utility model is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed utility model, but merely to illustrate some embodiments of the utility model. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this utility model without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0033] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features and technical solutions in the present invention can be combined with each other.

[0034] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures. Example 1

[0035] Please see Figure 1-6 The unmanned aerial vehicle-based soil collection device in this embodiment is applied to the collection of tidal soil samples by drilling in the floodplain.

[0036] Please see Figure 1 The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based floodplain soil collection device has a mounting box 2 fixedly installed at the bottom of the UAV body 1. During flight, the landing gear 3 is retracted and housed in the through slot 202 of the mounting box 2, and the first sampling tube 6 is suspended below the mounting box 2 in a retracted state.

[0037] Please see Figure 2 During sampling, a pair of landing gear 3s are deployed and supported on the riverbank ground, and the first sampling tube 6 is drilled into the riverbank ground.

[0038] The mounting box 2 houses a dual-output shaft motor 301 for retracting or extending the landing gear 3, and a sampling motor 4 for driving the first sampling cylinder 6 to rise or fall. The dual-output shaft motor 301 is fixedly mounted on the lower bottom wall of the mounting box 2, and the sampling motor 4 is fixedly mounted on the upper bottom wall of the mounting box 2. The landing gear 3 is a pair; one end of each landing gear 3 is a collar, and the other end is fixedly connected to a ground contact part 5. The collar of the landing gear 3 is fixedly fitted onto the output shaft of the dual-output shaft motor 301. The dual-output shaft motor 301 has two output shafts. Each output shaft is horizontally positioned, and each of the two dual output shafts of the dual output shaft motor 301 is fixedly fitted with a landing gear 3. The dual output shaft motor 301 is electrically connected to the UAV's control module and, under the control of the UAV's control module, drives the landing gear 3 to rotate from 0° to 90°, thus retracting or deploying the landing gear 3. When the angle between the central axis of the landing gear 3 and the bottom wall of the mounting box 2 is 0°, the landing gear 3 is in the retracted state; when the angle between the central axis of the landing gear 3 and the bottom wall of the mounting box 2 is 90°, the landing gear 3 is in the deployed state. Because the dual output shaft motor 301 drives the rotation of a pair of landing gears 3, the pair of landing gears 3 rotate synchronously, and the dual output shaft motor has a large torque, which is sufficient to ensure the stability of the landing gear 3 in the retracted, rotating, or deployed states.

[0039] Please see Figure 5 and 6 The mounting box 2 is a square box. To reduce wind resistance, its shape is rounded. A pair of through slots 202 for retracting and extending the landing gear 3 are opened on the bottom wall and an adjacent side wall of the mounting box 2. The walls of the through slots 202 on the side wall are glued with damping patches 201. Their function is to increase the stability of the landing gear 3 during the flight of the UAV and increase the clamping force on the landing gear 3. Although the dual output shaft motor 301 has a large torque, the retracted landing gear 3 will not unfold and droop. However, turbulence and vibration will occur during the flight, especially in the case of strong winds in the floodplain. The damping patch 201 has a high surface friction coefficient and has a large frictional force on the surface of the landing gear 3. In addition, the clamping position is close to the bottom contact part 5 of the landing gear 3, and the lever arm is long, which generates a large frictional torque. Combined with the torque of the dual output shaft motor 301, the landing gear 3 is more stable in the through slots 202. The damping patch 201 has a sloping structure near the bottom wall of the mounting box 2, forming an inlet to facilitate the entry and exit of the landing gear 3 into the through slot 202; the damping patch 201 is an asphalt damping patch or a butyl damping patch, with adhesive backing.

[0040] Please see Figure 5 On the bottom wall of the mounting box 2, a sampling tube handle lifting through hole 203 is also provided, and a limit groove is provided on the edge of the sampling tube handle lifting through hole 203.

[0041] The sampling motor 4 is vertically fixed on the upper bottom wall inside the mounting box 2. The sampling motor 4 is electrically connected to the control module of the UAV and is controlled by the control module of the UAV to drive the first sampling cylinder 6 to rise or fall. The vertically set output shaft of the sampling motor 4 is fixedly connected to the lead screw 401. The lead screw 401 is vertically downward and corresponds to the position of the lifting through hole 203 of the sampling cylinder handle. The lead screw 401 includes upper and lower smooth rod sections and a middle threaded section.

[0042] In this embodiment, soil samples are collected by drilling using a first sampling tube 6. The first sampling tube 6 includes a lower tube body and a handle fixedly connected to the tube body. The tube body and handle are coaxially arranged, with the tube body opening downwards and the opening end being a cutting edge, which easily penetrates the soil and cuts plant roots and stems. An axial threaded hole is provided in the handle, which is adapted to the lead screw 401. The handle is threaded to the lead screw 401 through the threaded hole. The lead screw 401 has upper and lower smooth sections to prevent the handle from detaching from the lead screw 401. The first sampling tube 6 is slidably connected to the bottom wall of the mounting box 2 through the handle and the sampling tube handle lifting through-hole 203. An axial limiting strip is provided on the outer wall of the handle, which is adapted to the limiting groove of the sampling tube handle lifting through-hole 203. The limiting strip is inserted into the limiting groove. The limiting strip and the limiting groove are provided to prevent the first sampling tube 6 from rotating with the lead screw 401. During sampling, the drone lands on the floodplain, and the sampling motor 4 rotates in the forward direction, squeezing the first sampling cylinder 6 against the floodplain ground through the handle and lead screw 401. The soil sample enters the first sampling cylinder 6. The moist and soft tidal soil sample has an adhesive force with the inner wall of the first sampling cylinder 6. After the first sampling cylinder 6 is lifted, the tidal soil sample will not slip out of the first sampling cylinder 6. Then, the sampling motor 4 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the lead screw 401 pulls out the first sampling cylinder 6 containing the soil sample. The first sampling cylinder 6 is in a retracted state, and the soil sample is carried away from the floodplain by the first sampling cylinder 6 and delivered to the predetermined location by the drone. During the flight, the drone retracts the landing gear 3 into the through slot 202.

[0043] Please see Figure 2 During sampling, a pair of landing gears 3 and the first sampling tube 6 form three landing points on the floodplain that are not on a straight line, and are distributed in a triangle on the floodplain. The triangular distribution provides a stable support structure for the UAV.

[0044] Please see Figure 1-4 In this embodiment, the lower ends of each pair of landing gear 3 are fixedly connected with ground contact parts 5. The ground contact area of ​​the ground contact parts 5 is larger than the end face area of ​​the landing gear 3, which reduces the pressure of the UAV on the floodplain and prevents the landing gear 3 from getting stuck on the floodplain.

[0045] In the low-lying areas of the floodplain, there is often water accumulation, making the ground slippery. After the contact part 5 touches the ground, it is easy to slide. To prevent sliding, in this embodiment, conical teeth 502 are fixedly installed on the bottom surface of the contact part 5. The conical teeth 502 are cone-shaped with the cone tip pointing downwards and away from the bottom surface of the contact part 5. There are three of them, which are distributed in a triangle on the bottom surface of the contact part 5. The triangular distribution design allows the conical teeth 502 to generate force with the ground from multiple directions, preventing the contact part 5 of the drone from sliding. Moreover, the cone is easy to insert into the floodplain ground and easy to pull out of the floodplain ground. After being pulled out, the amount of soil adhering to the cone is also very small. This ensures that the drone can be stably parked in the designated position, improving the safety and reliability of the drone's sampling operation in the floodplain. Example 2

[0046] The drone-based soil sampling device in this embodiment is applied to soil sample collection operations using the floodplain skimming method.

[0047] Due to the different operating methods, this embodiment differs from Embodiment 1 in the following ways: 1. During the operation of collecting soil samples by the UAV, the landing gear 3 is in a retracted state. The landing gear 3 is only deployed when the collected soil samples are delivered to the predetermined location for landing; 2. The collected soil samples are dry soil and wet soil; 3. The sampling tool used is the second sampling tube 7.

[0048] Apart from the differences mentioned above, everything else is the same as in Example 1.

[0049] Please see Figure 7 and 8 The difference between the second sampling tube 7 and the first sampling tube 6 is that the lower part of the tube body is different. The central axis of the tube body is set at an angle to the central axis of the tube handle. The opening of the tube body is tilted upward and faces the front of the direction of the drone's flight. The tube body with the opening tilted upward is suitable for collecting dry soil and wet soil, such as: weathered and dried powdery fine soil, fine sand and slurry silt.

[0050] The following explanation uses silt as an example: When collecting silt soil samples, the drone flies over the silt-containing floodplain, close to the silt. The sampling motor 4 rotates in the forward direction, causing the second sampling cylinder 7 to extend downwards from the drone body 1 through the handle and lead screw 401 to scoop up the silt. Then, the sampling motor 4 rotates in the reverse direction, causing the second sampling cylinder 7 to retract towards the drone body 1 through the handle and lead screw 401. The drone, carrying the silt soil samples, flies to the predetermined location, deploys the landing gear 3, and lands, where staff retrieve the soil samples.

[0051] To prevent the deployed landing gear 3 from obstructing the sampling of the second sampling tube 7, the landing gear 3 is in the retracted state during the UAV soil sample collection operation.

[0052] The designated location is the work site of the staff, which is usually the edge of the floodplain. Compared with the environment deep in the floodplain, it should be flat. Anti-slip devices may not be installed on the bottom surface of the contact part 5. If the designated location is uneven or slippery, anti-slip teeth 501 can be installed on the bottom surface of the contact part 5.

[0053] The anti-slip teeth 501 are hook-shaped, and there are three of them distributed in a triangle on the bottom surface of the ground contact part 5. The three anti-slip teeth 501 have the same curvature. After the landing gear 3 is deployed and landed, the anti-slip teeth 501 will embed into the wet and soft soil of the floodplain. The triangular distribution design allows the anti-slip teeth 501 to generate force with the ground from multiple directions, preventing the ground contact part 5 of the drone from sliding and ensuring that the drone body 1 can be parked stably.

[0054] This embodiment is identical to Embodiment 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0055] All technical features in both embodiments can be freely combined according to actual needs.

[0056] Based on the above-described preferred embodiments of the present invention, and through the foregoing description, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the inventive concept. The technical scope of this invention is not limited to the contents of the specification, but must be determined according to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A drone-based soil collection device for floodplains, characterized in that, Includes a mounting box (2) fixedly installed at the bottom of the UAV body (1), landing gear (3), sampling motor (4) and sampling tube; A dual-output shaft motor (301) for driving the landing gear (3) to retract or extend is fixedly installed on the lower bottom wall of the mounting box (2). A sampling motor (4) for driving the sampling cylinder to rise or fall is fixedly installed on the upper bottom wall of the mounting box (2). A pair of through holes (202) for retracting and extending the landing gear (3) are opened on the bottom wall of the mounting box (2) and a side wall adjacent to the bottom wall. A sampling cylinder handle lifting through hole (203) is opened on the bottom wall of the mounting box (2). The landing gear (3) is a pair. One end of the landing gear (3) is a collar, and the other end is fixedly connected to the ground contact part (5). The collars of the two landing gears (3) are respectively fixedly sleeved on the two output shafts of the dual output shaft motor (301). When the UAV is flying, the landing gear (3) is in a retracted state and stored in the through slot (202). The vertically arranged output shaft of the sampling motor (4) is fixedly connected to a lead screw (401). The lead screw (401) is vertically downward. The sampling cylinder includes a lower cylinder body and a cylinder handle fixedly connected to the cylinder body. The cylinder handle has an axial threaded hole. The cylinder handle is inserted into the sampling cylinder handle lifting through hole (203). The cylinder handle is threadedly connected to the lead screw (401) through the threaded hole. The sampling cylinder is slidably connected to the bottom wall of the mounting box (2) through the cylinder handle and the sampling cylinder handle lifting through hole (203).

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle-based floodplain soil collection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sampling tube is a first sampling tube (6). The tube body and the handle of the first sampling tube (6) are coaxially arranged. The opening of the tube body faces downward and the opening end is a knife edge.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle-based floodplain soil collection device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The bottom surface of the ground contact part (5) is fixedly provided with conical teeth (502). The conical teeth (502) are cone-shaped with the cone tip pointing downwards. There are three of them, which are distributed in a triangle on the bottom surface of the ground contact part (5).

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle-based floodplain soil collection device according to claim 3, characterized in that, During sampling, the landing gear (3) is in the deployed state, and the pair of landing gear (3) and the first sampling tube (6) form three landing points on the floodplain that are not on a straight line, distributed in a triangle on the floodplain.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle-based floodplain soil collection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dual-output shaft motor (301) is controlled to drive the landing gear (3) to rotate from 0° to 90°.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle-based floodplain soil collection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wall of the through slot (202) opened on the side wall is glued with a damping patch (201). The damping patch (201) has a sloping structure near the bottom wall of the mounting box (2) to form an inlet.

7. The unmanned aerial vehicle-based floodplain soil collection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sampling tube is a second sampling tube (7). The central axis of the tube body of the second sampling tube (7) is set at an angle to the central axis of the tube handle, and the opening of the tube body is tilted upward.

8. The unmanned aerial vehicle-based floodplain soil collection device according to claim 7, characterized in that, During sampling, the landing gear (3) is in the retracted state.

9. The unmanned aerial vehicle-based floodplain soil collection device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The bottom surface of the ground contact part (5) is fixedly provided with anti-slip teeth (501). The anti-slip teeth (501) are hook-shaped, and there are three of them distributed in a triangle on the bottom surface of the ground contact part (5). The three anti-slip teeth (501) have the same curvature.

Images