Gripper for drone battery replacement

Abstract

To provide a gripper for drone battery replacement.SOLUTION: A gripper for drone battery replacement includes: a straight-line rail in which a rail groove is disposed along a lengthwise direction; a pair of sliders installed in a form movable in both directions of the rail groove of the rail; a pair of gripping parts which simultaneously grips or releases a drone battery by moving in mutually opposite directions in a state of the pair of sliders being fastened with bolts respectively; a driver providing a driving force that moves the pair of sliders for a constant distance in the direction opposite to each other; and a control part that controls the drive part so that the pair of sliders moves in the opposite directions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2a

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gripper used for replacing batteries in drones, and more particularly to A pair of sliders are installed along the rail groove so that they can move in both directions. Move in opposite directions so that the gripping parts simultaneously grip or release both sides of the battery. This method accurately holds the battery and allows it to be inserted or removed from the bottom of the drone or the battery slot. This relates to a gripper that allows [Background technology]

[0002] In general, unmanned flying chain drones equipped with multiple rotors can fly not only stationary but also autonomously. Due to its advantage of being able to realize a flight configuration that allows for freedom of movement, it is currently used in a wide range of fields, including military, broadcasting, and academic fields. It is widely used in various fields such as research, firefighting, life support, and leisure, and will continue to be used in the future. It is expected to be used in many more fields.

[0003] However, the problem of long-term flight due to the limited battery capacity has not yet been fully resolved. Therefore, if a long-term mission is required, The drone is then retrieved, its battery replaced, and the process of sending it on a mission again is repeated. It must be done.

[0004] Replacing drone batteries during such long missions requires manual labor. However, manual methods inevitably have certain limitations, especially in the case of automatic monitoring. In the case of a continuous operation system such as a system, the problem of continuous maintenance becomes difficult. do.

[0005] However, such problems can be solved technologically by automatically replacing the drone's battery. As a result, Korean registered patents have been granted. Patent Publication No. 10-2040047 "Battery module replacement method and recording medium" and Korean Inventions such as "Multi-Drone Station" in National Patent Publication No. 10-2356575 has been proposed and published.

[0006] In other words, the Korean Patent No. 10-2040047, "Battery Module Replacement Method" The Law and Recording Medium states that the battery of an unmanned aerial vehicle is transported by a sliding method using a conveyor belt. - Conventional battery modules installed in the module housing cannot be removed. and a device that allows a charged battery module to be inserted instead. An invention has been proposed that does this.

[0007] In addition, the "Multi-Drone Station" in Korean Patent Registration No. 10-2356575 The system includes a conveyor belt and vertical movement components with multiple drones attached at the same time. A device that uses a pneumatic battery exchange unit to quickly exchange batteries An invention has been proposed that does this.

[0008] However, these prior inventions commonly use a slide system that uses a conveyor belt. The battery is configured to be replaced, but the specific method is not currently in common use. Unlike the conventional drone battery replacement method, it may be difficult to apply in a real usage environment. There was a problem with the accuracy of the battery installation. It is expected.

[0009] In other words, when replacing a drone battery, you need to accurately grasp the battery and operate the drone. It is preferable to use a gripper that can be attached to the bottom or battery slot. Therefore, it is a battery replacement tool that can be used for all processes, including battery installation, removal, and transportation. It can be said that the current situation calls for an invention related to a gripper for this purpose. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Registration No. 10-2040047 (October 29, 2019) [Patent Document 2] Korean Patent Registration No. 10-2356575 (January 24, 2022) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] The drone battery replacement gripper of the present invention is a device that is commonly presented by the above-mentioned prior inventions. Regarding the battery exchange method using a conveyor belt, which is currently in common use, Unlike the drone battery replacement method currently in use, this method may be difficult to apply in a real-life environment. There are also problems with the accuracy of battery installation. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present a solution to this problem. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a single-rail rail having a rail groove provided along its length. A pair of slides are installed in the rail groove of the rail so that they can move in both directions. The sliders are fastened to the pair of sliders one by one using bolts, and are opposite to each other. A pair of gripping parts that move in different directions to simultaneously grip or release the drone battery, and a driving force that moves the pair of sliders a predetermined distance in opposite directions; and controlling the driving unit so that the pair of sliders move in opposite directions. A drone battery replacement gripper comprising: to provide. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] The drone battery replacement gripper of this invention moves along the rail grooves of both rails. A pair of sliders, which are installed in a manner that allows them to move in opposite directions, move in opposite directions to grip the object. By allowing the battery holder to simultaneously grip or release both sides of the battery, It can accurately grasp the battery and insert or remove it from the bottom of the drone or the battery slot. This will have the effect of cutting the target. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a drone battery replacement gripper according to the present invention. [Figure 2a] 1A-1C illustrate an operational embodiment of a drone battery replacement gripper according to the present invention. [Figure 2b] 1A-1C illustrate an operational embodiment of a drone battery replacement gripper according to the present invention. [Figure 3] 10 is an exemplary view showing a state in which the drone battery replacement gripper according to the present invention grips the lower fastening structure of the drone battery; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a side view of a drone battery used in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The present invention relates to a gripper used for replacing a battery of a drone, A straight rail 100 having a rail groove along its length, and A pair of sliders 110 are installed in the rail groove so as to be movable in both directions, and the pair of sliders They are fastened to the rider 110 one by one using bolts and move in opposite directions. A pair of gripping parts 120 that simultaneously grip or release a drone battery B, The sliders 110 are driven by a driving force that moves the sliders 110 in opposite directions by a predetermined distance. The sliders 110 are arranged in opposite directions to each other. and a control unit that controls the drive unit 130.

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] First, as shown in FIG. 1, the rail 100 is a straight body having a rail along its length. 2a and 2b, the rail groove is provided in one configuration of the present invention. is fixed horizontally (sideways) to the end of the robot arm or to the transfer device with the do.

[0018] At this time, the rail 100 is connected to a pair of sliders 110, which is another component of the present invention. The inner wall surfaces on both sides of the rail groove are A number of line grooves are provided and can be used to strengthen the binding force with the slider 110. be.

[0019] That is, the pair of sliders 110 can move in both directions along the rail groove of the rail 100. They can be installed in any possible way, and are of the same shape and size, but are arranged on the basis of an imaginary axis of symmetry. By being installed symmetrically to each other as a standard, the pair of gripping portions 120 can be symmetrically formed. or a pair of gripping portions in an already fastened state. 120 can be symmetrical to each other.

[0020] At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the pair of sliders 110 are aligned with the rails 100. The lower part is made up of a connecting part 111 that is fitted into the bolt groove, and a number of bolts are inserted and fastened. The protrusion 112 having a hole is protruded from the coupling part 111 to form the upper part, and has a "┻" shape. It is characterized by the fact that

[0021] That is, the pair of sliders 110 are connected to each other by the connecting portion 111 and the linear protrusion 112. can be simultaneously installed on the rail 100 in a forward direction, as shown in Figs. 2a and 2b. As shown, the sliders move the same distance in opposite directions, but the distance between them is wide or By narrowing the gripping portion 12, a pair of gripping portions 12 for holding the drone battery B can be formed. 0 to enable grasping or releasing operations.

[0022] In addition, when a number of linear grooves are provided along the length direction on both side inner wall surfaces of the rail groove, In this case, the coupling portion 111 is configured to have a number of protrusions corresponding to a number of line grooves. By this, the binding force of the slider 110 to the rail 100 is strengthened. It can be made possible.

[0023] The gripping portions 120 are fastened to the pair of sliders 110 one by one using bolts. Another component of the present invention is a symmetrical structure of the same shape and size. The drone battery B is installed in such a way that it can grasp or release the target battery. Make it possible.

[0024] At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the pair of gripping portions 120 are arranged in a manner to correspond to the protrusions 112. A corresponding groove 121 is formed on one side of the end portion, and the remaining part of the side has a number of irregularities 12 It is characterized by being rod-shaped and equipped with 2.

[0025] That is, the pair of gripping portions 120 are formed in such a manner that a part of the protrusion 112 is fitted into the corresponding groove 121. In this state, the slider 110 can be fastened with a bolt, and the distance between the gripping parts can be It can be broad or narrow and is intended for drone battery B as shown in Figures 2a and 2b. A grasping or releasing action can be performed.

[0026] The numerous projections and recesses 122 on the gripping portion 120 are used to hold the drone battery B The fastening portion 140 corresponds to the fastening portion 140 at the bottom of the By fitting the robot arms into the grooves 141, the robot arms are held in the position shown in FIG. The drone battery B can be smoothly attached and detached by the forward and backward movement of the system or transport device. To do so.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, the pair of gripping parts 120 grips the drone battery B. For this purpose, the device is configured with a pair of insertion protrusions 123 between a number of recesses 122. It is characterized by the following.

[0028] At this time, the pair of insertion protrusions 123 are inserted into the respective insertion grooves 111 provided in the fastening portion 140. 42, the robot arm or transfer arm can be placed in the position shown in FIG. To enable smooth attachment and detachment of drone battery B by moving the device forward and backward. do.

[0029] That is, the lower part of the drone battery B has a large number of projections and recesses 12 of the gripping part 120. A number of grooves 141 corresponding to the number 2 are provided on both sides, and a pair of grooves 141 are provided between the grooves 141. The fastening portion 140 is provided with a pair of insertion grooves 142 corresponding to the insertion protrusions 123. It is characterized by:

[0030] In addition, the driving unit 130 drives the pair of sliders 110 in opposite directions. Another configuration of the present invention for providing a driving force for a fixed distance is shown in FIGS. 2a, 2b and 2c. 3, the rail 100 is fixed to a robot arm or a transfer device. It can be done.

[0031] At this time, the driving unit 130 includes one or more motors and a number of gears that can rotate forward and backward. The gearboxes are configured to be interconnected and include one or more built-in gearboxes. It can be done.

[0032] That is, the driving unit 130 includes one motor and one gear box. The pair of sliders 110 can be individually supported by one slider. The gearbox is configured to include a motor and a pair of gearboxes. It is possible to have each person take on the 10 individually.

[0033] At this time, one or more motors and one or more gearboxes constituting the driving unit 130 are The pair of sliders 110 can be moved a certain distance in opposite directions. Therefore, the rotation directions of the motors must be the same or opposite to each other. They can be configured as a pair, and the internal configuration of the gearboxes is the same as each other. Or they can be configured to be opposites of each other.

[0034] Therefore, the driving unit 130 is driven by the rotation of the motor and the resulting rotation of a number of gears. The pair of sliders 110 are moved a certain distance in opposite directions on the rail 100. As a result, the distance between the pair of gripping portions 120 can be wide or The narrowing of the gap allows the drone battery B to be grasped or released. can be done.

[0035] The control unit also controls the drone battery B to perform a gripping operation or a release operation. Another aspect of the present invention is to control the driver 130 for a row.

[0036] That is, the control unit is a landing pad of a drone station where the present invention is installed and used. When the landing and alignment of the target drone is completed, the driving unit 1 30, the pair of gripping parts 120 is attached to the drone bag attached to the bottom of the drone. The action of grasping Terry B can be performed.

[0037] In addition, the control unit is directly installed with the drone battery replacement gripper according to the present invention. The movement of drone battery B due to the change in the posture of the robot arm or the movement of the transport device When the feeding is completed, the driving unit 130 is controlled in a predetermined manner to move the pair of gripping units 120. The drone will now place Battery B in the battery storage slot. It is possible.

[0038] More specifically, the control unit is installed in the center of the landing pad of the drone station. The detection signal generated when the drone sensor detects the drone and the drone station All of the alignment completion signals generated when the alignment device installed on the landing pad completes its operation are configured to control a robot arm or a transport device in a predetermined sequence when received. can be.

[0039] Therefore, the drone battery replacement gripper according to the present invention is attached to the bottom of the drone. It can approach the attached drone battery B and drive the drone in accordance with the timing. The control unit controls the moving unit 130, so that the pair of gripping units 120 The fastening portion 140 at the bottom of the drone battery B can be gripped.

[0040] Thereafter, the control unit controls the robot arm or the transfer device in a predetermined order to The drone battery B held by the holding part 120 is placed in the battery storage slot. The driving unit 130 can be set to approach the target in accordance with the timing. The pair of gripping parts 120 controls the battery storage slot to store the drone battery. The action of keeping Lee B down can be performed.

[0041] At this time, the control unit selects a battery storage slot that is identified as an empty slot among a number of battery storage slots. Based on the position information, the robot arm, the transport device, and the drive unit 130 can be controlled. can.

[0042] The control unit then controls the robot arm or transfer device to Place the battery in close proximity to the drone battery B that is installed in the battery storage slot. In accordance with the timing, the drive unit 130 is controlled to move the pair of grippers. The holding portion 120 can be configured to hold the drone battery B.

[0043] Then, the robot arm or the transfer device is controlled again to grasp the object with the pair of grippers 120. The drone battery B is attached close to the bottom of the drone. In accordance with the timing, the driving unit 130 can be controlled to drive the pair of The gripping portion 120 can be configured to perform an operation to release the drone battery B. .

[0044] The above-described embodiments are within the scope of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. The following examples are provided to fully convey the technical idea of ​​the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and may be embodied in other forms. do.

[0045] In order to clearly explain the present invention, parts not relevant to the explanation are omitted from the drawings. In the drawings, the width, length, thickness, etc. of the components may be exaggerated or reduced for convenience. There are.

[0046] Moreover, like reference numbers refer to like elements throughout the specification. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 100 rails 110 Slider 111 Joint 112 Protrusion 120 Gripping part 121 Corresponding groove 122 Unevenness 123 Insertion protrusion 130 Drive unit 140 Fastening part 141 Uneven groove 142 Insertion groove B. Drone battery

Claims

1. a straight rail having a rail groove provided along its length; a pair of sliders installed in the rail groove of the rail so as to be movable in both directions; The pair of sliders are fastened to each other with bolts, and are in opposite positions. A pair of gripping parts that move in the opposite direction to simultaneously grip or release the drone battery; A driving force is provided to move the pair of sliders in opposite directions by a predetermined distance. A drive unit; The driving unit is controlled so that the pair of sliders move in opposite directions. A gripper for replacing a drone battery, comprising:

2. The slider is a coupling portion fitted into the rail groove of the rail constitutes a lower portion; A protrusion with a number of bolt holes into which bolts are inserted and fastened is provided at the joint. The drone battery exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a "┻" shape. Replacement gripper.

3. The gripping portion is A corresponding groove corresponding to the protrusion of the slider is provided on one side of the end portion, The remaining portion is provided with a number of recesses and protrusions, and at the same time, a pair of insertion protrusions is provided between the recesses and protrusions. The drone battery replacement gripper according to claim 1, characterized in that it is configured in a shape -.

4. At the bottom of the drone battery, A number of concave-convex grooves corresponding to the number of concave-convex grooves of the gripping portion are provided on both sides thereof, A fastening portion is provided between the grooves, and a pair of insertion grooves corresponding to the pair of insertion protrusions are provided therebetween. The drone battery replacement gripper according to claim 3 .

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