AU2017100027A4 - All-in-one payload of unmanned aerial vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an all-in-one payload of a unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising a speaker, a search light, a camera, a delivering device, a mounting board having an upper board surface connected to the unmanned aerial vehicle; wherein the camera is connected to a bracket of a stabilizing platform through the stabilizing platform; the speaker, the bracket, and the delivering device are arranged on a lower board surface of the mounting board; the speaker is located on one side of the bracket and the delivering device is located on the other side of the bracket, and the speaker and the delivering device are symmetrical about the bracket; and the delivering device comprises at least one delivering servo. The beneficial effect of the present disclosure is: by integrating the four common types of payloads including the speaker, the search light, the camera, and the delivering device into a whole payload, the tasks which can be implemented by the unmanned aerial vehicle can be greatly enriched, the operation of re installing and re-uninstalling each payload can be reduced, the requirements to the hand controller is reduced, and the reliability of the whole payload and the platform is improved. DRAWINGS OF DESCRIPTION p5 4 4 IV, As8 6

Description

2017100027 09 Jan 2017

ALL-IN-ONE PAYLOAD OF UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present disclosure relates to technologies of unmanned aerial vehicles, and more particularly, to an all-in-one payload of an unmanned aerial vehicle.

5 BACKGROUND

[0002] Unmanned aerial vehicle is one kind of flying devices in rapid development. Due to advantages such as flexible, fast response, unmanned flight, and low operating requirements, the unmanned aerial vehicle is commonly used in agriculture, exploration, photography, border patrol and other fields. 0 [0003] Payload is an important component of the unmanned aerial vehicle system. The unmanned aerial vehicles finish various tasks by installing a variety of different payloads.

[0004] The current payload of an unmanned aerial vehicle is designed to be a single load which integrates two kinds of loads at most; when different tasks are implemented, connections of different circuits and plugs are required for removing the current load and installing the new 15 load, which not only brings inconvenience to use the unmanned aerial vehicle and brings high requirements for the operator, but also increases failure points easily and affects the service life of the load caused by frequent installation and uninstallation. In addition, since unmanned aerial vehicles are mainly used in aerial photography, unmanned reconnaissance and other fields which require low load reliability and low load weight, it is difficult to apply unmanned aerial vehicles 20 to transport, express delivery and other areas of high requirements for structure reliability. 1 2017100027 09 Jan 2017

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0005] The main purpose of the present disclosure is to provide an all-in-on payload of an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of achieving multiple functions through one mounting, which greatly expands the application of the unmanned aerial vehicle, simplifies the operation, 5 and increases the reliability.

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure provides an all-in-one payload of a unmanned aerial vehicle, including a speaker, a search light, a camera, a delivering device, a mounting board having an upper board surface connected to the unmanned aerial vehicle; wherein the camera is connected to a bracket of a stabilizing platform through the stabilizing 0 platform; the speaker, the bracket, and the delivering device are arranged on a lower board surface of the mounting board; the speaker is located on one side of the bracket and the delivering device is located on the other side of the bracket, and the speaker and the delivering device are symmetrical about the bracket; and the delivering device includes at least one delivering servo. 5 [0007] Preferably, the all-in-one payload includes a blocker, wherein one end of the blocker is perpendicularly arranged on the lower board surface of the mounting board, and one end of the blocker away from the mounting board is curved facing away from the bracket.

[0008] Preferably, the end of the blocker contacting the mounting board is slidably arranged on the lower board surface of the mounting board. 20 [0009] Preferably, a bottom portion of the speaker is fixed to the mounting board, and a direction of an opening of the speaker and the mounting board forms an acute angle, and a sound amplifying cavity of the speaker contacts a lower portion of the bracket. 2 2017100027 09 Jan 2017 [0010] Preferably, the speaker further includes an audio module arranged in an inner space of the bracket.

[0011] Preferably, the speaker, the search light, the camera, and the delivering device are electrically connected to a power supply of the unmanned aerial vehicle. 5 [0012] Preferably, a reflecting cavity is arranged in the sound amplifying cavity of the speaker, and the search light is arranged on the reflecting cavity.

[0013] Preferably, the search light includes a light head, a light cup, and a light cover; the light cup is arranged on the light head, the light cover is covered on the light cup, and the light head is arranged on the reflecting cavity and is provided with a heat sink. 0 [0014] Preferably, the mounting board is made of carbon fiber- rigid foam sandwich material, and the bracket and the blocker are made of magnesium alloy.

[0015] The beneficial effect of the present disclosure is: by integrating the four common types of payloads including the speaker, the search light, the camera, and the delivering device into a whole payload, the tasks which can be implemented by the unmanned aerial vehicle can be 5 greatly enriched, the operation of re-installing and re-uninstalling each payload can be reduced, the requirements to the hand controller is reduced, and the reliability of the whole payload and the platform is improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an all-in-one payload of an unmanned aerial vehicle 20 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and 3 2017100027 09 Jan 2017 [0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a speaker and a search light of the all-in-one payload in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] The realization of the object, features, and advantages of the present disclosure are given in further detail in combination with the embodiments with reference to the 5 accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present disclosure rather than to limit the present disclosure.

[0020] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples 0 of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are illustrative, and are provided for explaining the present invention only, thus they shall not be interpreted as limitations to the present invention. 15 [0021] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the singular forms “a”, “an”, “the”, and “said” used herein may also include the plural forms as well, unless expressly stated otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “may include”, “including”, “includes”, and/or “including”, when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or 20 more other features, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It will be understood that when an element is “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it may be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or intervening elements may also be present. 4 2017100027 09 Jan 2017

As used herein, the phrase “and/ or” includes all or any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0022] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of 5 ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs unless otherwise defined. It should also be understood that those terms, such as those defined in commonly-used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. 0 [0023] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the present disclosure provides an all-in-one payload of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to a first embodiment. The all-in-one payload includes a speaker 1, a search light 2, a camera 3, a delivering device 4, a mounting board 5, and a bracket 6 of a stabilizing platform. An upper board surface of the mounting board 5 is connected to the unmanned aerial vehicle, the camera 3 is connected to the bracket 6 through the stabilizing 5 platform, and the shooting range of the camera 3 can be adjusted through the stabilizing platform. The speaker 1, the bracket 6, and the delivering device 4 are arranged on a lower board surface of the mounting board 5. The speaker 1 is located on one side of the bracket 6, the delivering device 4 is located on the other side of the bracket 6, and the speaker 1 and the delivering device 4 are symmetrical about the bracket 6; therefore, the speaker 1, the bracket 6, and the delivering 20 device 4 are located on a straight line. In some embodiments, the speaker 1 is arranged on the side of the bracket 6 which corresponds to the heading direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle when in normal flight, and the delivering device 4 is arranged on the other side of the bracket 6 opposite to the heading direction, such that the speaker 1, the bracket 6, and the delivering device 5 2017100027 09 Jan 2017 4 are located on the same line as the flight trajectory when the unmanned aerial vehicle is flying. In the embodiment, the front side of the bracket 6 corresponds to the heading direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle in normal flight; by arranging the speaker on the front side of the bracket 6 and the delivering device 4 on the rear side of the bracket 6, not only the influence on 5 the to-be-delivered object caused by wind force during transportation can be reduced, but also the center of gravity of the unmanned aerial vehicle can maintain balance to reduce the influence on the platform of the unmanned aerial vehicle when the payload works. The delivering device 4 includes at least one delivering servo. In some embodiments, more than one delivering servo can be provided according to the requirements for finishing the task. 0 [0024] The position relationship of the arrangement between each payload provided in the embodiment reduces the arrangement space and thus ensures that the center of gravity of the whole payload to change a little before and after the delivery, thereby reducing the influence on the stability of the unmanned aerial vehicle caused by the change of the center of gravity of the whole payload. In the condition that the volume and weight of the to-be-delivered object are 5 determined, the influence on the platform of the unmanned aerial vehicle caused by the moment of the center of gravity before and after the delivery is relatively small, which prevents the generation of a relatively-large moment to the platform of the unmanned aerial vehicle caused by the situation that the center of gravity of the payload coincides with that of the platform of the unmanned aerial vehicle before the delivery, and the center of gravity of the payload moves 20 forward too much after the delivery.

[0025] Referring to FIG. 1, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the delivering device 4 includes two delivering servos. One delivering servo is connected to the lower board surface of the mounting board 5 and contacts the bracket 6, and the other delivering servo is 6 2017100027 09 Jan 2017 connected to the lower board surface of the mounting board 5 and contacts a blocker 7. The delivering device 4 enables the unmanned aerial vehicle to transport some urgent essential items. The delivering servos are connected to the mounting board 5 to stabilize the delivering servo when the delivering servo is flying with the unmanned aerial vehicle. The two delivering servos 5 respectively contact the bracket 6 and the blocker 7 to eliminate the shake generated in the transportation of the delivering servo caused by the movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle at high speed, which greatly reduces the possibility that the to-be-delivered object drops off during transportation. Since the two delivering servos work together to delivery one object, the possibility that the to-be-delivered object drops off during the transportation is substantially 0 eliminated; in case of emergency that one of the deliver servos breaks down, the other deliver servo can keep working normally to increase the effect of the payload. It is understood that the number of the delivering servo can be increased if the load capacity of the unmanned aerial vehicle permits.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, the payload further includes the blocker 7. One end of the 5 blocker 7 is perpendicularly arranged on the lower board surface of the mounting board, and one end of the blocker 7 away from the mounting board 5 is curved facing away from the bracket 6. In the embodiment, the blocker 7 is formed to be a U-shaped piece, which is capable of saving material and reducing weight as well as avoiding the shake of the to-be-delivered object during transportation. A bottom portion of the U-shaped piece of the blocker 7 contacts the mounting 20 board 5 and the end of the blocker 7 away from the mounting board 5 is curved to facilitate the loading of the to-be-delivered object. In the embodiment, the end of the blocker 7 contacting the mounting board 5 is slidably arranged on the lower board surface of the mounting board 5, thus, the blocker 7 can be adjusted according to the size of the to-be-delivered object, which stabilizes 7 2017100027 09 Jan 2017 the to-be-delivered object during transportation and avoids the shake of the to-be-delivered object. In the condition that the volume and weight of the to-be-delivered object are determined, the center of gravity of the payload can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the blocker 7, thereby ensuring that the center of gravity of the whole of the platform of the unmanned aerial 5 vehicle and the payload changes little before and after the delivery to reduce the influence on the stability of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Furthermore, a large moment to the platform of the unmanned aerial vehicle which is generated due to the situation that the center of gravity of the payload coincides with that of the platform of the unmanned aerial vehicle before the delivery, and the center of gravity of the payload moves forward too much after the delivery can be 0 avoided. It can be understood that, in other embodiments, the number of the blocker 7 can be more than one; after the position relationship of the more than one blocker 7 is determined to ensure that the center of gravity and that of the platform of the unmanned aerial vehicle are well coordinated, the blocker 7 can cooperate with the delivering servo and the bracket 6 to transport the to-be-delivered object. 5 [0027] In other embodiments, the mounting point of the payload is designed to be at the geometric center of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The to-be-delivered object weights 1.5 kilograms; after the to-be-delivered object is mounted on the payload, the center of gravity of the whole payload is behind the mounting point of the payload; and after the to-be-delivered object is delivered, the center of gravity of the whole payload is before the mounting point of the 20 payload, thus, the center of gravity of the unmanned aerial vehicle is not affected before and after the delivery. When the to-be-delivered object weights almost 1.5 kilograms, the unmanned aerial vehicle can keep balance through its own power. It can be understood that the when the to-be-delivered object does not weight 1.5 kilograms, the unmanned aerial vehicle can keep 8 2017100027 09 Jan 2017 balance after the to-be-delivered object is mounted by adjusting the distance between the blocker and the bracket.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 1, in the embodiment, the bracket 6 is formed to be a case shaped as a quadrangular frustum pyramid, and the case is hollow to form an inner space which 5 is capable of receiving some urgent items or spared batteries in case of emergency. The case includes an inclined frame. An upper frame and a lower frame which are adjacent to the inclined frame in the vertical direction have different sizes. The upper frame having a smaller size contacts the lower board surface of the mounting board 5. The stabilizing platform is fixed to the lower frame having a larger size through a fixing member. Two side frames adjacent to the 0 inclined frame in the horizontal direction are trapezoid shaped, and a reinforcing rib is arranged in the middle portion of each trapezoid side frame for improving the stability of the bracket 6. Since the speaker 1 is relatively heavier, the speaker 1 is fixed to the lower board surface of the mounting board 5 to reduce the risk that the speaker 1 drops off when the unmanned aerial vehicle is flying. An acute angle is formed between the direction of the opening of the speaker 1 5 and the mounting board 5, and a sound amplifying cavity of the speaker 1 contacts the lower portion of the bracket 6. In the embodiment, the contacting position between the bracket 6 and the sound amplifying cavity 9 is at the lower portion of the inclined frame of the bracket 6.

Since the speaker 1 has a relatively-larger inertia for being heavier than other payloads, the speaker is easy to affect the unmanned aerial vehicle and is easy to drop off when the unmanned 20 aerial vehicle is flying; after the speaker 1 contacts the bracket 6, the bracket 6 is capable of bearing a part of weight of the speaker 1, thereby reducing the shake of the speaker 1 caused by its own weight and other forces applied thereto. Furthermore, the sound amplifying cavity of the speaker 1 is connected to the mounting board 5 through a connecting member, which not only 9 2017100027 09 Jan 2017 reduces the pressure applied to the connecting point of the bottom portion of the speaker 1 and the mounting board 5, but also avoids the shake of the speaker by its own weight. In the embodiment, the speaker 1 is arranged to contact the inclined frame of the bracket 6 to reduce the arrangement space. In the embodiment, the speaker 1 further includes an audio module 8 5 arranged in the inner space of the bracket 6, which not only reduces the weight of the payload but also reduces the arrangement space. The speaker 1, the search light 2, the camera 3, and the delivering device 4 are electrically connected to a power supply of the unmanned aerial vehicle, therefore, no power supply needs to be carried by the payload and the weight of the payload is reduced. It can be understood that in other embodiments, the shape of the bracket 6 can be 0 configured according to the bearing capacity of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the size and weight of each payload, to reduce the influence on the center of gravity of the platform of the unmanned aerial vehicle caused by the center of gravity of the payload, or to reduce the space arrangement, or to reduce the weight, etc.

[0029] Referring to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, after the payload is mounted, the 5 position of the camera 3 is under the lowest point of the speaker 1, which prevents the field of view of the camera 3 from being blocked.

[0030] Referring to FIG. 2, in the embodiment, a reflecting cavity 10 is arranged in the sound amplifying cavity 9 of the speaker 1. The search light 2 is arranged on the reflecting cavity 10. The search light 2 includes a light head 11, a light cup 13, and a light cover 14. The 20 light cup 13 is arranged on the light head 11 for increasing the distance the lighting distance of the light head 11 and expanding the lighting area of the light head 11. The light cover 14 is covered on the light cup 13 for dust proof. The light head 11 is arranged on the reflecting cavity 10 2017100027 09 Jan 2017 10 to greatly reduce the arrangement space and the weight of the payload. A heat sink 12 is arranged on the light head 11, ensuring that the light core is not burned out by high temperature.

[0031] In the embodiment, the mounting board 5 made of carbon fiber- rigid foam sandwich material and the bracket 6 and the blocker 7 are made of magnetism alloy, which 5 greatly reduces the weight of the payload.

[0032] The four common types of payloads including the speaker 1, the search light 2, the camera 3, and the delivering device 4 are integrated into a whole payload which has a relatively-small space and weight through optimum design. After being mounted onto the platform of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the payload greatly enriches the types of tasks which 0 can be implemented by the unmanned aerial vehicle, reduces the operation of re-installing and re-uninstalling each payload, reduces the using requirements to the hand controller, and increases the reliability of the whole payload and the platform of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0033] In the technical solution provided in the present disclosure, after the positions of the mounting board 5 and the bracket 6 are determined, other payloads except for the speaker 1, 5 the search light 2, and the camera 3, such as radars and sensors, can be mounted on the delivering device if there are no object to be delivered, thereby increasing the tasks which can be implemented by the unmanned aerial vehicle. Furthermore, after the positions of the mounting board 5 and the bracket 6 are determined, the speaker 1, the search light 2, and the camera 3 can be respectively replaced by other payloads, for example, the camera 3 can be replaced by a 20 detector. In addition, the positions of the speaker 1, the bracket 6, and the delivering device 4 can be interchanged, for example, the positions of the bracket 6 and that of the speaker 1 can be interchanged such that the bracket 6 and the delivering device 4 are symmetrical about the speaker 1; at this time, the search light 2 also can be arranged in the inner space of the bracket 6. 11 2017100027 09 Jan 2017

The search light 2 also can be arranged on one side of the stabilizing platform away from the lens of the camera 3, thus, the search light 2 can rotate by 360 degrees at work through the stabilizing platform when the stabilizing platform is rotatable.

[0034] The description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to illustrate the present 5 invention to those skilled in the art. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. 12

Claims (9)

1. WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

   1. An all-in-one payload of a unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising a speaker, a search light, a camera, a delivering device, a mounting board having an upper board surface connected to the unmanned aerial vehicle; wherein the camera is connected to a bracket of a stabilizing platform through the stabilizing platform; the speaker, the bracket, and the delivering device are arranged on a lower board surface of the mounting board; the speaker is located on one side of the bracket and the delivering device is located on the other side of the bracket, and the speaker and the delivering device are symmetrical about the bracket; and the delivering device comprises at least one delivering servo.
2. 2. The all-in-one payload as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a blocker, wherein one end of the blocker is perpendicularly arranged on the lower board surface of the mounting board, and one end of the blocker away from the mounting board is curved facing away from the bracket.
3. 3. The all-in-one payload as claimed in claim 2, wherein the end of the blocker contacting the mounting board is slidably arranged on the lower board surface of the mounting board.
4. 4. The all-in-one payload as claimed in claim 1, wherein a bottom portion of the speaker is fixed to the mounting board, and a direction of an opening of the speaker and the mounting board forms an acute angle, and a sound amplifying cavity of the speaker contacts a lower portion of the bracket.
5. 5. The all-in-one payload as claimed in claim 4, wherein the speaker further comprises an audio module arranged in an inner space of the bracket.
6. 6. The all-in-one payload as claimed in claim 1, wherein the speaker, the search light, the camera, and the delivering device are electrically connected to a power supply of the unmanned aerial vehicle.
7. 8. The all-in-one payload as claimed in claim 1, wherein a reflecting cavity is arranged in the sound amplifying cavity of the speaker, and the search light is arranged on the reflecting cavity.
8. 9. The all-in-one payload as claimed in claim 8, wherein the search light comprises a light head, a light cup, and a light cover; the light cup is arranged on the light head, the light cover is covered on the light cup, and the light head is arranged on the reflecting cavity and is provided with a heat sink.
9. 10. The all-in-one payload as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mounting board is made of carbon fiber- rigid foam sandwich material, and the bracket and the blocker are made of magnesium alloy.