TWI679151B - Uav payload module camera assembly and retraction mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

In a feasible embodiment, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) load module retracting mechanism is proposed, which includes a load pivotally connected to a housing. A biasing element is arranged to bias the load out of the housing, and a winch is connected to the load. An elongated flexible pull element is coupled between the casing and the winch. The elongated flexible pull element can be pulled by the winch to retract the load in the casing.

Description

Drone load module camera assembly and retraction mechanism

The present invention relates to a UAV load module assembly and a retraction mechanism.

When designing small unmanned vehicles, reducing weight and volume is paramount. Small unmanned aerial vehicles or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are usually designed to take off from land and land on land. It is currently being sought to operate such vehicles for exposure, or in environments exposed to water. For example, it may be better to land an unmanned aerial vehicle on water instead of on land, which can either reduce the impact of land or in a position where it is easier to recover. Generally speaking, both human-powered and unmanned amphibious aircraft can take off and land in water.

Manually launched amphibious drones do not need to take off from the water, but need to land on land or on water. Some manually launched drone systems are designed to land by gliding or hit the ground, which is more severe than landing on the water.

Therefore, there is an urgent need for an amphibious drone that can withstand the high impacts that land on the ground.

In a feasible embodiment, a UAV load module retraction mechanism is proposed, which includes a load pivoted to a casing. A biasing element is arranged to bias the load out of the housing, and a winch is connected to the load. An elongated flexible pull element is coupled between the casing and the winch. The elongated flexible pull element can be pulled by the winch to retract the load in the casing.

In various embodiments, the load is pivoted to a front position in the housing, for example by a hinge. In various embodiments, when the load is in a stowed position, the hinge system is positioned before the load. In some embodiments, the hinge may include a pivot lever, while the biasing element includes a spring, and the spring is disposed around the pivot lever. In various embodiments, the biasing element drives the load into a deployed position.

In various embodiments, the load includes a camera assembly including a camera and a disc tray, the disc tray is pivotally connected to the housing via a hinge, and the disc tray has the winch and a disc. Actuator. In some embodiments, the disk actuator is located between the hinge and the winch.

In various embodiments, the elongated flexible pull element may be a cable, belt, or other pull member.

In a feasible embodiment, a UAV load module retracting mechanism having a load module is proposed. The load module has a housing, and an opening is provided on a bottom wall of the housing. A load is pivotally connected to a front position in the casing. A biasing element is arranged to bias the load out of the casing. A winch is mounted to the load, and a flexible cable is coupled between the casing and the winch to retract the load into the casing and release the load from the casing.

In various embodiments, the load may include a camera assembly configured to pivot out of the housing through the opening in the bottom wall. In some embodiments, the flexible cable is tied to a belt. The biasing element can drive the load to a deployed position, and the biasing element can include a spring. In various embodiments, the load is pivotally connected to a front wall of the housing via a hinge. In some embodiments, the hinge may include a pivot lever, and the biasing element includes a spring, and the spring is disposed around the pivot lever.

In various embodiments, the load further includes a camera assembly having a disc-shaped tray installed therein, the disc-shaped tray is pivotally connected to the housing via a hinge, and the disc-shaped tray includes the winch and a disc. The actuator is located between the hinge and the winch.

Unmanned aerial vehicle

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV 10 with dual waterways. The dual-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle 10 has a fuselage 100 having modular compartments 120, 130, and 140 to accommodate modular components or modules, such as a battery module 20 and a load module 30 、 And avionics module 40. In various embodiments, the wings 15 and / or 16 may be constructed from multiple parts, which may be separate and / or "detachable" or separate from the fuselage 100 during landing.

FIG. 2 is a simplified top view of the fuselage 100 of the dual-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle 10 of FIG. 1. The wall 110 of the fuselage 100 is composed of a buoyant material, so that when the fuselage 100 is fully loaded with components such as the battery 20, load 30, avionics 40, and other non-mechanical parts and components shown in FIG. 1, It floats without a wing (not shown). For example, the wall 110 may have a molded foam core sealed with a waterproof layer, although this is not necessary. The wall 110 may be a single continuous wall or multiple wall segments, or the like.

In this embodiment, the fuselage is divided into three compartments, a front battery compartment 120, a central load compartment 130, and a rear avionics compartment 140. The front battery compartment 120 and the center load compartment 130 are separated by a partition wall 150. The central load compartment 130 and the rear avionics compartment 140 are separated by a partition wall 160. In the illustrated embodiment, the ears 104, 105, and 106 are a device used as a fixed component (not shown) within the compartments 120, 130, and 140. The lug 105 can be manually rotated by a rotatable handle 105h to install a battery (not shown), and then turned back to the position as shown to lock the battery in the front battery compartment 120. Other fixing mechanisms than the rotatable lugs 104, 105, and 106 can also be used.

The battery compartment 120 has a mounting surface 122 that supports a battery (not shown). In this embodiment, a connector 124 may be a surface mount connector or the like, and is generally flush with the mounting surface 122. The channels 126f and 126r are recessed below the mounting surface 122. Drains, such as drip holes 128b in the channel 126f, extend through the bottom wall 110b of the fuselage 100. The drip holes 128s (as shown in Figs. 1-3) in the channel 126r extend through the side wall 110s of the fuselage 100.

If the fuselage is exposed to the water, the joint surface 124m of the connector 124 is located above the channels 126f and 126r, so that the joint surface will not be immersed in water when the battery 20 (Fig. 1) is connected / detached. The wirings 123f and 123b can travel in the channels 126f and 126b, respectively, and can be embedded and / or embedded through the fuselage 100 to provide power to the motor (not shown), the avionics module 40, and / or a load Module 430.

The center load compartment 130 has a front mounting surface 132f and a rear mounting surface 132r, which support a load, such as a camera module (not shown). The load module 30 may include a photographed, detected, or other passive, active, non-lethal, or lethal load device. In this embodiment, a connector 134 is flush with the mounting surface 132r, which may be a surface-mounted connector or the like. The mounting surface 132r may form a housing 163 to receive the connector 134 and associated wiring. The casing may form a lower portion of the partition wall 160. The drip hole 228s (shown in Figure 1-3) can extend from inside the casing 163 and pass through the side wall 110s, allowing water to be discharged out of the casing 163. In this embodiment, the central compartment 130 has a large opening 131 at the bottom, so that a camera can be applied, such as looking down, or lowering it into the airflow through the large opening 131. The large opening 131 also allows fluid to be drained from the central compartment 130.

In various embodiments, the joint surface 134m of the connector 134 may be positioned above the opening 131 above the top of the housing 163, so that even if the body does not fully expose the water surface, when the load 30 (Figure 1) is in a connected / detached condition Under this condition, the joint surface is not immersed in water.

The rear avionics compartment 140 has a mounting surface 142 located on a bottom of the avionics compartment 140. The mounting surface 142 has a front channel 146f and a rear channel 146r. The channels 146f and 146r are recessed below the mounting surface 142. Drains, such as drip holes 228s in the channel 146f (as shown in Figures 1-3), extend through the side wall 110s of the fuselage 100. The drip hole 228 b (as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) in the channel 146 r extends through the bottom wall 110 b of the fuselage 100. An inclined recess 229 in the mounting surface 142 discharges water out of the mounting surface 142 and enters the channel 146r.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 has an opening 141 located in the side wall 110s of the fuselage 110 to expose a heat sink 41 (FIG. 1) and allow the heat generated by the avionics 40 (FIG. 1) to be released.

FIG. 3 illustrates a simplified side view of the fuselage 100 of the dual-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle 10 of FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the selective sliding mats 180 and 190 are fixed to the bottom wall 110 b of the body 100. The skid pads 180 and 190 are tied to a landing on a hard surface in this embodiment. The sliding mat 180 can be located directly below the front compartment 120 and can be assembled with a durable shock-absorbing material with sufficient thickness and density to further protect the impact of components within the compartment 120 such as the battery 20 (FIG. 1). Similarly, the sliding mat 190 may be located directly below the rear compartment 140 and may be assembled with a durable shock-absorbing material with sufficient thickness and density to further protect components within the compartment 140, such as avionics 40 (Figure 1) .

The drip hole 128s extends through the side wall 110s of the fuselage 100. The drip hole 128s extends through the side wall 110s and enters the rear channel 126r of the battery compartment 120. The drip orifice 228s extends through the side wall 110s and enters the housing 163 of the central load compartment 130.

The fluid drainage port may be a drip hole, a fluid drainage port, or the like.

Various embodiments provide a fuselage 100 that enables a UAV to land on water and undulating terrain. Instead of sealing the entire aircraft to prevent water intrusion, various embodiments achieve the ability to land on the water surface by sealing individual electrical and electronic components, namely batteries, loads, avionics, and related connectors and wiring.

This allows other parts of the aircraft to remain floating, and when the UAV withdraws from the water, the water in any aircraft is drained through a set of fluid discharge ports. In this way, the protection of electrical and electronic components does not depend on maintaining the integrity of the fuselage 100 or the outer wall 110, because the fuselage 100 or the outer wall 110 may land on hard and / or undulating terrain (generally landing on the ground) ) Was damaged.

This also minimizes the volume that needs to be waterproofed in the aircraft, thereby reducing the weight and complexity of the entire system.

Furthermore, the aircraft's ability to land on hard surfaces or undulating terrain without damaging electrical and electronic components is achieved not only by placing these components in modular compartments 120, 130, and 140, but also by This is achieved by allowing the walls 110 of the compartments 120, 130, and 140 to be partially deformed without causing UAV failure. The wall 110 forms an impact area surrounding the electrical and electronic components in the compartments 120, 130, and 140, and the partition plate can prevent the components 20, 30, and 40 from colliding. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the wall 110 and the mounting bases 122, 132f, 132r, and 142 are components 20 embedded from the wall 110 and / or opposite partition plates 150 and 160 (FIG. 2). , 30, and 40 (Figure 1). Additional shock absorbing material (not shown) can be added to the compartments 120, 130, or 140 to further reduce any chance of damage to the components 20, 30, or 40 due to impact.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fuselage 110 may include a selective outer channel 110c on the side 110s of the fuselage 110, and on the side wall 110 of the avionics compartment 140, extending backward from a hole 218 to the tail of the aircraft 10 . The wiring 203 extends through the hole 218 and along the outer channel 110c to connect the avionics assembly 40 to a driver assembly 202 for actuating control surfaces at the tail of the aircraft 10. The outer channel 110c makes it easy to access the wiring for inspection, repair, and replacement.

Retractable camera module

(Figure 4–7)

FIG. 4 illustrates a simplified cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of a load module 30. Referring to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4-7, a retraction mechanism 410 providing a load 400 is used to move the load 400 from a stop position within the UAV 10 (as shown in FIG. 6), and therefore from the UAV 10 machine. The bottom 110b of the body 100 is moved to a position extending beyond the load module 30 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 illustrates a simplified cut-away side view of an embodiment of a load module 30 of FIG. 4. The load 400 is partially received in the housing 35, and FIG. 6 illustrates a load module 30 of FIG. A simplified cut-away side view of one embodiment, the load is all housed in the housing 35.

The load 400 may be a universal card, and a tilt camera assembly 405 as shown, which can be viewed under and around the UAV 10 in the extended position. During the retraction or extension of the camera assembly 405, the camera assembly 405 moves about a single pivot point / axis or hinge 420. The camera module 405 moves in the direction of movement indicated by the arrow 422d outside the casing 35, and moves in the direction of arrow 422s in which the load 400 is inserted into the casing 35. In other embodiments, the hinge 420 may have a plurality of pivot points of a plurality of pivot axes (not shown).

Generally, the other end of the hinge 420 on the camera assembly 405 is a winch 430. The winch 430 is then directly or indirectly connected to, connected to, or connected to one of the walls 35w of the housing 35 through a cable 440, such as a fastener 450, or other locking member to the front wall 35f, so as to allow penetration. By operating the winch 430, all the camera modules 405 can be retracted into the housing 35 of the module 30. The winch 430 is located in the tray-shaped tray 415.

A biasing element, such as a spring 460, lying on or around the hinge 420 is used to bias the load 400 below its extended position (as shown in FIG. 4). A stopper, mount, or limiter (not shown) connected to the camera assembly 405 and / or the housing 35 may be used to restrict movement of the camera assembly in its extended position. In some embodiments, the cable 440 may, by itself or in addition to other restrictors, limit the movement of the camera assembly 405 at its extended position, and thus be in tension when the camera is fully extended. Furthermore, in some embodiments, when the camera assembly 405 is extended into the airflow, the spring 460 provides sufficient force to keep the camera assembly 405 stable. In other embodiments, an actuable locking mechanism (not shown) may be used to secure the camera assembly when it is extended.

The load 400 may be disposed in the UAV 10, so that the direction in which the UAV 10 travels will cause the camera assembly 405 to rotate about the hinge 420 and enter the housing. In the event of a failure of the retraction mechanism 410, this configuration will allow the camera assembly 405 to retract into the UAV 10 when it contacts the ground while landing, thereby reducing the likelihood or severity of damage to the load 400. To facilitate this, a hinge 420 or other pivot member is located forward and near the bottom of the housing 35. Therefore, the hinge 420 may be placed on the front wall 35f of the housing 35, so that the central axis of the hinge pivot lever 795 (FIG. 7) is perpendicular to the direction in which the UAV 10 moves.

The use of the cable 440 further provides reliable operation and adaptability to the environment, and weight reduction. The term cable as used herein includes braided cable, ribbon cable, a belt, a strap, a rope, a chain, or other flexible members for supporting tension or tension. In one embodiment, the cable 440 can be a reliable, lightweight, non-corrosive tape made of nylon, Kevlar, or other materials.

In this embodiment, the locking member 450 can be used as a stopper or seat 450r for the camera assembly 405. In this embodiment, when the camera module is fully retracted as shown in FIG. 6, the disc-shaped tray 415 is placed facing the seat 450r. In other embodiments, the fastener 450 and the seat 450r may be different mechanisms.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional top view of one embodiment of the disc tray 415 of the camera assembly 405. The disc-shaped tray 415 covers the disc-shaped motor assembly 745, which is used to move the camera assembly 405 for shooting. The winch motor 735 is also wrapped in the disc tray 415 and is coupled to the winch drum 785 via a worm wheel 755 also wrapped in the disc tray 415. The winch drum 785 is attached to the outside of the disc-shaped tray 415 and is opposite to the pivot lever 795.

In this embodiment, the bottom 35 b of the casing 35 is not sealed, so the load module 30 has an open bottom 35 b to facilitate the movement of the load 400. Therefore, in this embodiment, the disc-shaped tray 415 and the inclined cylinder 425 are individually sealed. The tilting cylinder 425 generally covers a pitch control motor assembly (not shown) and a photographed, detected, or other passive, active, non-lethal, or lethal load device 465 and 475.

It is worth noting that any reference to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means any description of a particular feature, structure, or characteristic related to that embodiment, and should be included in an embodiment if necessary. The words "in one embodiment" in different places in this specification do not all refer to the same embodiment.

The drawings and examples provided herein are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the attached patent application. This disclosure should be regarded as an exemplary principle of the present invention, and the appended embodiments are not intended to limit the spirit and scope of the present invention and / or the scope of patent application.

Those skilled in the art can modify the present invention to achieve a specific application of the present invention.

The discussion contained in this patent is intended as a basic description. The reader should be aware that specific discussions may not clearly describe all possible embodiments and that alternatives are implicit. Furthermore, this discussion may not fully explain the general nature of the invention, or it may not explicitly state how each function or element may be substituted or equivalently replaced. Furthermore, these concepts are implicit in this disclosure. Device-oriented terminology is introduced in the present invention, and each element implicitly performs a function of the device. It should also be understood that various changes can be made without departing from the essence of the invention. This change is also implicit in this description. These variations still fall within the scope of the claimed invention.

In addition, each different element in the scope of the present invention and patent application can also be implemented in various ways. This disclosure should be understood to include each such modification, whether it be a modification of any device embodiment, a method embodiment, or even just a variation of any of these elements. In particular, it should be understood that, even if the disclosure related to the elements of the present invention has only the same function or result, the terms of each element may be expressed by equivalent equipment terms. This equivalent, broader, and more general term should even be considered to cover every element or action. These terms may be substituted for the purpose of revealing the implied scope given by the present invention. Likewise, each disclosed physical element should be understood to encompass the disclosed actions that the physical element facilitates. These changes and alternative terms should be considered as clearly revealed by this detailed description.

After describing several embodiments related to the present invention, there should be suggestions for those skilled in the art to change them. The exemplified embodiments herein are not intended to be limiting, and various configurations and combinations of features are possible. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but should be subject to the scope of the attached patent application.

10‧‧‧unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)

15‧‧‧wing

16‧‧‧wing

20‧‧‧ Battery Module

30‧‧‧Load Module

35‧‧‧shell

35b‧‧‧ bottom

35f‧‧‧ front wall

35w‧‧‧wall

40‧‧‧Avionics Module

100‧‧‧Airframe

104‧‧‧ lugs

105‧‧‧ lugs

106‧‧‧ lugs

105h‧‧‧handle

110‧‧‧wall

110b‧‧‧ bottom wall

110c‧‧‧Outer channel

110s‧‧‧ sidewall

120‧‧‧ battery compartment

122‧‧‧Mount

123b‧‧‧Wiring

123f‧‧‧Wiring

124‧‧‧Connector

124m‧‧‧joining surface

126b‧‧‧channel

126f‧‧‧channel

126r‧‧‧channel

128b‧‧‧ drip orifice

128s‧‧‧ drip orifice

130‧‧‧ load compartment

131‧‧‧ large opening

132f‧‧‧Front mounting surface

132r‧‧‧ rear mounting surface

134‧‧‧Connector

134m‧‧‧joining surface

140‧‧‧ Avionics Compartment

141‧‧‧ opening

142‧‧‧Mount

146f‧‧‧ front channel

146r‧‧‧ rear channel

150‧‧‧ divider

160‧‧‧ divider

163‧‧‧Shell

180‧‧‧Sliding pad

190‧‧‧Slide Mat

202‧‧‧Drive assembly

203‧‧‧Wiring

218‧‧‧hole

228b‧‧‧Drip orifice

228s‧‧‧Drip orifice

229‧‧‧concave

400‧‧‧ load

405‧‧‧ Camera Kit

410‧‧‧Retraction mechanism

415‧‧‧ tray

420‧‧‧ hinge

422d‧‧‧arrow

422s‧‧‧arrow

425‧‧‧inclined cylinder

430‧‧‧Winches

440‧‧‧Cable

450‧‧‧Fixed parts

450r‧‧‧ seat

460‧‧‧Spring

465‧‧‧Load device

475‧‧‧ load device

735‧‧‧Capstan motor

745‧‧‧Disc Motor Assembly

755‧‧‧worm gear

785‧‧‧ winch drum

795‧‧‧ Pivot lever

The features and advantages of the present invention can be more easily understood through detailed description, the scope of the attached patent application, and accompanying drawings, among which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a waterway dual-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle.

FIG. 2 shows a simplified top view of the fuselage of the dual-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a simplified side view of the fuselage of the dual-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates a simplified cutaway side view of an embodiment of a load module.

FIG. 5 illustrates a simplified cut-away side view of an embodiment of a load module of FIG. 4, and the load is partially received in the housing.

FIG. 6 illustrates a simplified cut-away side view of an embodiment of a load module of FIG. 4, and the load is all received in the housing.

FIG. 7 illustrates a simplified cut-away top view of one embodiment of a disc tray of a camera assembly.

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Information on foreign deposits (please note in order of deposit country, institution, date, and number) None

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Claims (20)

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes: a) a load module including a deployable load; b) a retraction mechanism capable of retracting the load from one within a UAV The position is moved to an expanded position extending beyond the UAV, and the retraction mechanism is configured to: if the load does not retract before the UAV comes into contact with a landing surface, make the load retract when it comes into contact with the landing surface To the UAV in order to reduce at least one of a possibility or a severity of damaging a deployed load upon landing. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the UAV is a UAV without a landing gear. The UAV of claim 2, wherein the UAV includes a glide pad for landing on a hard surface. For example, the UAV of claim 3, wherein the UAV is an amphibious UAV. The UAV of claim 4, wherein the UAV is a manually transmitted UAV. For example, the UAV of claim 2, wherein the UAV is an amphibious UAV. The UAV of claim 2, wherein the UAV is a manually transmitted UAV. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the load module includes a biasing member for biasing the expandable load out of the UAV. The UAV of claim 8, wherein the retraction mechanism includes a flexible pull member coupled to the deployable load. The UAV of claim 9, wherein the flexible pull member cannot apply a thrust to the deployable load. A method in a UAV includes the following steps: a) applying a biasing force to a load to bias the load out of the UAV; b) using a flexible retraction mechanism to maintain the load Within the UAV; and c) using the flexible retraction mechanism to extend the load from the UAV in order to allow the biasing force to deflect the load from the UAV if the load is not present before the UAV contacts a landing surface Retraction, the flexible retraction mechanism can allow the load to retract into the UAV when it comes into contact with the landing surface. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of extending the load includes the steps of extending the load from a fuselage. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of: a) launching the UAV; b) landing the UAV without using a landing gear; and c) wherein the step of extending the load includes the following steps: after launching the UAV And extending the load before landing the UAV. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of: a) launching the UAV and extending the load from the UAV; and b) landing the UAV without using a landing gear. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of landing the UAV includes the following steps: landing the UAV on water. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of landing the UAV includes the steps of landing the UAV on land. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of transmitting the UAV includes the following steps: transmitting the UAV manually. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of landing includes the step of using a taxiing pad. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of: a) manually launching the UAV; and b) landing the UAV on the water. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of: a) manually transmitting the UAV; and b) landing the UAV on land.