CN108513555B

CN108513555B - Foldable rack, rack assembly and unmanned aerial vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN108513555B
Application number: CN201780005165.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 梁贵彬; 肖文龙; 张永生; 王佳迪; 陈星元
Original assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-02-24
Filing date: 2017-02-24
Publication date: 2021-11-05
Anticipated expiration: 2037-02-24
Also published as: CN108513555A; WO2018152792A1

Abstract

A foldable airframe (100), an airframe assembly (200), and an unmanned aerial vehicle (300) are disclosed. The foldable rack (100) is applied to the unmanned aerial vehicle (300) and comprises a center frame (2) and at least one folding mechanism (1), wherein the folding mechanism (1) is arranged on the side of the center frame (2), each folding mechanism (1) comprises at least three connecting pieces (11), two ends of each connecting piece (11) are hinged to the end parts of other connecting pieces (11) or the center frame (2), the connecting pieces (11) and the center frame (2) jointly form a polygon with a variable shape, the connecting pieces far away from the center frame (2) are used as bearing pieces (11a) for arranging power devices (3), and the distance between the bearing pieces (11a) and the center frame (2) is changed along with the change of the shape of the polygon. The foldable frame (100) can realize the folding of the frame, and has simple structure and convenient operation.

Description

Foldable rack, rack assembly and unmanned aerial vehicle

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicles, in particular to a foldable rack, a rack assembly and an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Background

With the continuous development and progress of science and technology, the unmanned aerial vehicle is more and more widely applied due to the advantages of convenience in use, high flying speed and the like.

At present, a rack of a commonly used multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a center frame, a plurality of machine arms connected with the center frame and a power device arranged on the machine arms. For convenient transportation, the frame of present many rotor unmanned vehicles can set up the horn that can carry out the bending, when storage and transportation, can fold the horn, perhaps buckles to the angle that draws close together with the centre frame to reduce unmanned vehicles' whole occupation volume.

However, the unmanned aerial vehicle frame is folded in a mode of bending the horn, and if the bending mode is simple, the unmanned aerial vehicle frame still occupies a large volume; and if a complex bending mode is adopted, the folding and unfolding operations are inconvenient, and the realization cost is high.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a foldable rack, a rack assembly and an unmanned aerial vehicle, which can realize the folding of the rack and have simple structure and convenient operation.

In a first aspect, the invention provides a foldable stand, which is applied to an unmanned aerial vehicle and comprises a center frame and at least one folding mechanism, wherein the folding mechanism is arranged on the side of the center frame, each folding mechanism comprises at least three connecting pieces, two ends of each connecting piece are hinged with the end parts of other connecting pieces or the center frame, the connecting pieces and the center frame jointly form a polygon with a variable shape, the connecting pieces far away from the center frame are used as bearing pieces for arranging a power device, and the distance between the bearing pieces and the center frame is changed along with the change of the shape of the polygon.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a frame assembly comprising a foldable frame as described above and a power unit, at least one power unit being provided on each carrier of the foldable frame.

In a third aspect, the invention provides an unmanned aerial vehicle, which comprises the above-mentioned frame assembly, wherein the center frame of the frame assembly is connected with the airframe or the foot rest.

The foldable rack comprises a center frame and at least one folding mechanism, wherein the folding mechanism is arranged on the side of the center frame, each folding mechanism comprises at least three connecting pieces, two ends of each connecting piece are hinged with the end parts of other connecting pieces or the center frame, the connecting pieces and the center frame jointly form a polygon with a variable shape, the connecting pieces far away from the center frame are used as bearing pieces for arranging a power device, and the distance between the bearing pieces and the center frame is changed along with the change of the shape of the polygon. Can let collapsible frame realize less volume size through folding like this, be convenient for store or transport, and simple structure, convenient operation.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a foldable frame according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a foldable frame when the folding mechanism is formed into a quadrilateral according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the folding chassis of FIG. 2 shown with the folding mechanism folded;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a foldable frame when the folding mechanism is formed into a pentagon shape according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the folding chassis of FIG. 4 shown with the folding mechanism folded;

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a folding mechanism when the folding mechanism is formed into a hexagon according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the folding chassis of FIG. 6 shown with the folding mechanism folded;

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of a parallelogram-shaped folding mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention when deployed;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a folding mechanism provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic structural view of another foldable housing provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic structural view of a rack assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic structural view of a power unit in the frame assembly according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Description of reference numerals:

1-a folding mechanism; 2-a central frame; 3-a power plant; 11-a connecting piece; 12-auxiliary connections; 31 — a first motor; 32-a second motor; 33 — a first propeller; 34 — a second propeller; 35-a connecting seat; 11 a-a carrier; 111-straight rod; 112-a hinged support; 100-a foldable frame; 200-a rack assembly; 300-unmanned aerial vehicle.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some, but not all, embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a foldable frame according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, the foldable frame 100 provided by the present embodiment is generally applied to an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle generally includes a frame, a foot stand, a working device to be mounted, and the like. The frame can be provided with a power device or a power assembly to drive the whole unmanned aerial vehicle and the operation equipment to fly and take off and land.

The foldable rack 100 comprises a central frame 2 and at least one folding mechanism 1, wherein the folding mechanism 1 is arranged on the side of the central frame 2, each folding mechanism 1 comprises at least three connecting pieces 11, two ends of each connecting piece 11 are hinged with the end parts of other connecting pieces or the central frame 2, the connecting pieces 11 and the central frame 2 jointly form a polygon with variable shape, the connecting pieces far away from the central frame 2 are used as bearing pieces 11a for arranging a power device, and the distance between the bearing pieces 11a and the central frame 12 is changed along with the change of the polygon shape.

Specifically, the center frame 2 of the foldable frame 100 may be used as a main structure part of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and may be used for connecting a foot stand, mounting work equipment, and the like. Generally, for the sake of balancing and balancing, the center frame 2 of the foldable frame 100 is usually located at the geometric center of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the folding mechanism 1 of the foldable frame 100 mainly serves as a boom structure for connecting the center frame and the power plant, and is generally disposed in an axisymmetric or centrosymmetric manner with respect to the center frame 2. The steady 2 can be of different shapes and profiles to meet different requirements.

In order to realize the folding and unfolding of the foldable frame 100, at least one folding mechanism 1 is included in the foldable frame 100, the folding mechanism 1 is arranged on the side of the center frame 2, and each folding mechanism 1 comprises at least three connecting pieces 11. The two ends of each connecting piece 11 are connected with the end parts of other connecting pieces 11 or the central frame 2 in a hinged mode, namely, the two ends are connected with a plane revolute pair, the end parts of different connecting pieces are hinged on different parts of the central frame 2 in the connecting pieces 11 connected with the central frame 2, so that the connecting pieces 11 are connected with the central frame 2 end to jointly enclose a closed polygonal shape, and the central frame 2 and the single connecting piece 11 form an independent side of the polygon. Because the number of the connecting pieces 11 in the folding mechanism 1 is at least three, the polygon formed by the connecting pieces 11 and the center frame 2 in the folding mechanism 1 is at least a quadrangle. Furthermore, because the end of each connecting piece 11 is hinged with other parts, the connecting piece 11 and the adjacent parts can rotate relatively, and the sides of the enclosed polygon can rotate relatively, thereby changing into different shapes.

Because each connecting piece 11 in every folding mechanism 1 all links to each other with other parts, and folding mechanism 1 has enclosed into the confined polygon, so whole folding mechanism 11 is the link gear, and at this moment, the accessible drives one of them solitary connecting piece and rotates, can drive whole folding mechanism 11 and carry out whole folding deformation, and the manipulation and drive mode are comparatively simple. Specifically, the connecting piece can be driven to rotate by arranging a gear transmission piece at the hinge point, and the connecting piece can also be driven to rotate by other external parts.

In order to provide the power device on the folding mechanisms 1, each folding mechanism 1 is provided with at least one connecting piece 11 which is far away from the central frame 2 and is not connected with the central frame 2 at two ends, the connecting piece 11 can be used as a bearing piece 11a for arranging and bearing the power device, and the distance between the bearing piece 11a and the central frame 2 can be changed along with the change of the polygonal shape, so that the distance between the power device and the bearing piece 11a and the central frame 2 can be extended or shortened. When the distance between the bearing part 11a and the central frame 2 is maximum, the power device is far away from the central frame 2, so that elements such as a propeller in the power device cannot interfere with structural components such as the central frame 2, and normal and safe flight can be ensured; when the distance between the bearing part 11a and the central frame 2 is the minimum, the polygon of the foldable frame 100 is in a folded state, the outline size of the polygon is the minimum, the outline size of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be effectively reduced, and the storage and the transportation of the unmanned aerial vehicle are facilitated.

In general, in the foldable stand 100, the carrier 11a is a connecting member far from the center frame 2, so that when the unmanned aerial vehicle needs to fly, the carrier 11a provided with a power device is far from the center frame 2 as much as possible, and when the unmanned aerial vehicle is folded and stored, the distance between the carrier 11a and the center frame 2 is reduced as much as possible, the folding mechanism 1 needs to generate a large profile deformation, for example, the carrier 11a can be located on the side or the vertex farthest from the center frame 2 in the polygon formed by the folding mechanism 1, and at this time, the distance between the carrier 11a and the center frame 2 is the largest; when the polygon is folded, all the connecting pieces 11 are close to each other and are approximately on the same straight line. At this time, the distance between the carrier 11a and its power unit and the steady 2 is minimal.

Specifically, in order to ensure balance in general, the foldable frame 100 of the unmanned aerial vehicle includes an even number of folding mechanisms 1, and the folding mechanisms 1 are disposed two by two symmetrically on both sides of the center frame 2. The center of gravity of the foldable frame 100 may thus be located on the center frame 2, and preferably, the center of gravity of the foldable frame 100 may be located on the central axis of the center frame 2, which facilitates the balanced attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle in flight. In consideration of weight, the foldable frame 100 may generally include two or four folding mechanisms 1 symmetrically disposed on both sides of the center frame 2.

Specifically, each folding mechanism 1 may be formed into a plurality of shapes. For example, in each folding mechanism 1, all the connecting members 11 and the central frame 2 together form a variable-shape polygon, which may include one of the following shapes: quadrilateral, pentagonal, or hexagonal. The following description will be given taking as an example that the foldable housing 100 comprises two folding mechanisms 1:

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a foldable frame when a folding mechanism provided by an embodiment of the invention is enclosed into a quadrilateral. Fig. 3 is a schematic view of the folding mechanism of fig. 2 when the folding mechanism is closed. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, each folding mechanism 1 comprises three connecting pieces 11, wherein the connecting piece 11 far away from the center frame 2 is a carrier 11a for arranging a power device. The three connecting pieces 11 and the central frame 2 together form a quadrangle, and the connecting pieces 11 or the central frame 2 form an independent side of the quadrangle. Since each side of the quadrangle can rotate relative to the adjacent side, the shape of the quadrangle can change along with the relative rotation of the connecting piece 11. For example, when the folding mechanism 1 is folded to the position shown in fig. 3, the sides of the quadrangle are close to each other and arranged approximately in a straight line. At this time, the carrier 11a is adjacent to the center frame 2, and the folding mechanism 1 can be ensured to have a small overall size.

Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a foldable frame when the folding mechanism is formed into a pentagon shape according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the folding mechanism of FIG. 4 when the folding mechanism is folded. As shown in fig. 4 and 5, each folding mechanism 1 includes four connecting members 11, and two connecting members away from the center frame 2 can be used as the supporting members 11a, and the power device can be disposed on the two supporting members 11a, or on the hinge point between the two supporting members 11 a. Similar to a quadrangle, in the pentagonal folding mechanism, the connecting piece 11 and the central frame 2 form an independent side, and when the connecting piece 11 rotates relative to the hinge point, the angle between the sides of the pentagon can be increased or decreased, so that different shapes are formed. When the angle between each side of the pentagon is about 180 degrees, each side of the pentagon is approximately arranged on the same straight line and is in a furled state.

Similarly, fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of the folding mechanism when the folding mechanism provided by the embodiment of the invention is surrounded into a hexagon. FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the folding mechanism of FIG. 6 when the folding mechanism is folded. As shown in fig. 6 and 7, each folding mechanism 1 may further include five connecting members 11, and the connecting members 11 and the central frame 2 together form a hexagon. Like the quadrangles and pentagons, the hexagons can also be shaped differently depending on the rotation between adjacent connectors 11, so as to assume an expanded or collapsed state.

It is understood that the polygon enclosed by the folding mechanism 1 is not limited to the quadrangle, the pentagon and the hexagon, but may be other polygonal shapes as long as the polygonal shape is variable and the distance between the carrier and the center frame is variable.

In addition, in each foldable frame 100, the folding mechanisms 1 located at the sides of the center frame may be the same polygon, for example, the folding mechanisms are quadrilateral on both sides; different polygons are possible, for example, a folding mechanism 1 on one side of the center frame is a quadrangular folding mechanism, and the other side is a pentagonal folding mechanism, etc. The specific composition and structure of the folding mechanism 1 can be freely selected according to the structure and use requirements of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

In the polygon surrounded by the folding mechanism 1, the folding mechanism 1 is generally mainly surrounded by a quadrangle in order to reduce the complexity of the mechanism and ensure the smoothness and reliability of deformation. For example, all the connecting members 11 and the central frame 2 of each folding mechanism 1 may be made to form a parallelogram with a changeable shape. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a folding mechanism enclosing a parallelogram according to an embodiment of the present invention when deployed. Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a folding mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention when folding. As shown in fig. 8 and 9, due to the structural instability of the parallelogram, the shape of the parallelogram can be changed to a rectangular or "squashed" state by driving a certain side of the parallelogram to rotate. In the parallelogram enclosed by the folding mechanism 1, the central frame 2 and the bearing part 11a form two opposite sides, and the distance between the central frame 2 and the bearing part 11a can be changed along with the change of the shape of the parallelogram so as to switch the foldable frame between the flying state and the storage and transportation state. The hinge connection between the links 11 in the folding mechanism 1 is bidirectional, that is, each link 11 can be rotated in the direction of rotation in fig. 8 to be folded and deformed, or rotated in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation in fig. 8 to be folded and deformed.

Further, since the folding mechanism 1 includes the connecting member 11 and the center frame 2, the connecting member 11 and the center frame 2 may have different shapes and sizes. In order to ensure that the connecting members 11 and the central frame 2 form a parallelogram with a variable shape, the positions of the hinge points can be limited, specifically, the distances between the hinge points at two ends of two opposite connecting members in the parallelogram can be equal, and in the same folding mechanism, the connecting lines between the hinge points at two ends of two connecting members 11 hinged with the central frame 2 are parallel to each other. Thus, as long as the position of the hinge point of the link 11 and the center frame 2 is determined, it is ensured that the link 11 and the center frame 2 together form a parallelogram, and the specific shape of the link 11 and the center frame 2 may not be limited as long as there is no interference in the deformation.

Optionally, because the angle formed by adjacent sides in the parallelogram has a large variation range, the parallelogram can have a large deformation range. In particular, the angle formed between the carrier 11a and the other connecting elements 11 hinged to the carrier 11a can generally be between 0 ° and 180 °. When the angle between the connecting member 11 and the central frame 2 is 0 ° or approximately 0 °, the supporting member 11a and the central frame 2 are approximately aligned with each other, so that the distance between the supporting member 11a and the central frame 2 is the shortest, and the profile of the foldable housing is the smallest, which facilitates transportation or storage. Further, when the folding mechanism is a parallelogram, when a connecting line between hinge points at two ends of the connecting member 11 is parallel to the length direction of the center frame 2, the supporting member 11a is attached to the center frame 2, so that the minimum distance between the supporting member 11a and the center frame 2 is zero.

Specifically, in the folding mechanism 1, the hinge axes of the end hinge points of all the connecting members 11 are generally parallel to each other. Therefore, the deformation process of the whole folding mechanism 1 is in the same plane, the structural complexity of the folding mechanism 1 can be effectively simplified, and the reliability of the deformation of the folding mechanism 1 is improved. In addition, also can let to be certain angle between the articulated shaft of pin joint to satisfy different user demands, at this moment, folding mechanism 1's deformation process takes place in space range usually.

As an alternative embodiment, in order to simplify the structure, the link 11 is generally a connecting rod, and the axial direction of the connecting rod is perpendicular to the axial direction of the hinge shaft of the link 11. This makes it possible to form the deformable folding mechanism 1 by a simple lever.

Similarly, when the connecting member 11 is a rod structure, the supporting member 11a may include a straight rod 111 parallel to the length direction of the central frame 2. The direction of the straight rod 111 is generally parallel to the axis of the central frame 2, so that when the bearing part 11a and the central frame 2 are folded together, the straight rod 111 in the bearing part 11a is attached to the side of the central frame 2, the extending direction of the straight rod 111 is consistent with the axis direction of the central frame 2, the dimension of the bearing part 11a perpendicular to the extending direction of the bearing part is small, the occupied space is small, and the structure is compact.

Further, in order to facilitate the hinge connection with the other connecting members 11, the supporting member 11a may further include a hinge bracket 112, a first end of the hinge bracket 112 is connected to the straight rod 111, and a second end of the hinge bracket 112 is hinged to the other connecting members 11. At this time, the other connecting members 11 can be hinged to the carrier 11a by the hinge brackets 112. The arrangement position of the hinge support 112 is flexible, and the hinge support can be arranged at the end part of the straight rod 111 in the bearing part 11a, or at the position close to the middle part of the straight rod 111, so that the structure of the bearing part 11a and the arrangement position of the power device have great flexibility.

When the hinge bracket 112 is included in the carrier 11a, the distance between the two ends of the hinge bracket 112 can be set to be large, so that the connecting members 11 connected to the hinge bracket 112 are located in the space between the two ends of the hinge bracket 112 when the folding mechanism 1 is folded. Thus, when the parallelogram folding mechanism 1 is folded and folded, and the connecting lines of the hinge points at the two ends of all the connecting pieces 11 are parallel to the axial direction of the central frame 2, the straight rod 111 of the bearing piece 11a and the central frame 2 are not attached under the support and isolation of the hinge support 112, but have a certain gap therebetween, the width of the gap is equal to the distance between the two ends of the hinge support 112, and the connecting pieces 11 can be completely accommodated in the gap. Therefore, the connecting piece 11 can be completely folded with the central frame 2, thereby reducing the occupied space of the folding mechanism 1 after being folded.

When the two adjacent connecting pieces 11 are hinged, the specific hinging mode can be various. For example, as an alternative embodiment, in each folding mechanism 1, the carrier 11a and the other connecting members 11 are located on the same plane. This allows all the connecting members 11 to be located on the same plane, which reduces the space occupied by the entire folding mechanism 1 in the direction along the hinge axis, and reduces the overall dimensions of the folding frame in this direction. In this case, the hinge connection between the carrier 11a and the other connecting members is usually realized by using separate hinge brackets or other hinge parts.

As another alternative, the carrier 11a and the other connecting elements may be arranged one above the other at the hinge point in the axial direction of the hinge shaft in each folding mechanism 1. Specifically, mutually communicated hinge holes may be formed in corresponding positions of the end portions of the bearing member 11a and the other connecting members, and an independent hinge rotating shaft is inserted into the hinge holes to realize the hinge connection between the bearing member 11a and the other connecting members; it is also possible to provide a hinge hole in one of the bearing 11a or other connecting members, fix the hinge shaft at the position of the corresponding hinge hole in the other one, and insert the hinge shaft into the hinge hole to realize the hinge connection between the two.

Furthermore, optionally, in order to prevent the connecting member 11 from rotating to an improper angle when the folding mechanism 1 is deformed, the foldable housing 100 may further include a limiting device, which can be used to limit the deformation angle of the parallelogram when it is deformed. In general, when the parallelogram is deformed, the angle between two adjacent sides usually varies between 0 ° and 90 °, so that this can be limited by the limiting means. Specifically, the limiting device is usually disposed at the hinge point, and is generally a limiting portion or a limiting block disposed at the hinge point, and when the connecting member 11 rotates to a preset angle, the limiting portion or the limiting block at the hinge point may abut against the connecting member 11, so as to prevent the connecting member 11 from continuing to rotate. In addition, a limiting part and a limiting block may be provided on the center frame 2 or other parts, or a limiting device using other principles may be employed, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

In addition to the parallelogram folding mechanism described above, an auxiliary structure may be provided to improve the structural strength and deformation reliability of the folding mechanism 1. Fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of another foldable frame according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 10, each folding mechanism 1 further comprises at least one auxiliary connecting member 12, one end of the auxiliary connecting member 12 is connected to the central frame 2, the other end is connected to the supporting member 11a, and in order to ensure the normal deformation of the folding mechanism 1, the auxiliary connecting member 12 is parallel to the side of the parallelogram formed by the other connecting members 11 except the supporting member 12. Generally, in order to simplify the design and reduce the cost, the auxiliary link 12 is formed in the same shape and length as the links 11 other than the carrier 11 a. When the lengths of the central frame 2 and the bearing part 11a are longer, or the bearing capacity of a single connecting part 11 is weaker, or the load borne by the foldable frame is larger, the structural strength of the folding mechanism 1 can be improved by arranging the auxiliary connecting part 12, and the reliability of the folding mechanism is enhanced.

Alternatively, the connecting member 11 may be detachably connected to the center frame 2. At this time, the connecting member 11 can be easily removed from the center frame 2 by providing a quick release structure such as a screw or a snap, so as to further reduce the occupied space of the foldable frame 100 or realize the modular installation of the connecting member.

In addition, the foldable frame 100 may be used as a main body of the unmanned aerial vehicle or may exist as a separate structural accessory. Correspondingly, the central frame 2 and the unmanned aerial vehicle body are of an integrated or split structure. When the central frame 2 and the unmanned aerial vehicle body are integrated, the central frame 2 is used as a main structure part of the unmanned aerial vehicle and is directly connected with the foot rest; and when centre frame 2 and unmanned vehicles's organism were split type structure, collapsible frame 100 only existed as the part that can independently dismantle of unmanned vehicles's organism structure, at this moment, can pull down centre frame 2 from unmanned vehicles's organism or install to not setting up on the organism of frame and horn to realize the modularization installation and the change of frame and horn.

Because the folding deformation is carried out through the change of the shape of the polygon, and under the condition that the shape of the folding mechanism 1 and the size proportion of each connecting piece 11 are reasonable, each connecting piece can be folded to the position close to or even attached to the central frame 2, the deformation proportion is large, the small folding size can be realized, and the transportation and the storage are convenient.

In this embodiment, the foldable frame comprises a center frame and at least one folding mechanism, the folding mechanism is arranged on the side of the center frame, each folding mechanism comprises at least three connecting pieces, two ends of each connecting piece are hinged with the end parts of other connecting pieces or the center frame, the connecting pieces and the center frame jointly enclose a polygon with a variable shape, the connecting piece far away from the center frame is used as a bearing piece for arranging the power device, and the distance between the bearing piece and the center frame is changed along with the change of the shape of the polygon. Can let collapsible frame realize less volume size through folding like this, be convenient for store or transport, and simple structure, convenient operation.

Fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a rack assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 11, the rack assembly 200 provided in this embodiment includes a foldable rack 100 and power devices 3, and at least one power device 3 is disposed on each carrier of the foldable rack 100. The structure, function and operation principle of the foldable frame 100 are the same as those of the foldable frame in the first embodiment, and are not described herein again.

Specifically, in the rack assembly, the power device 3 is disposed on the bearing part 11a of the foldable rack 100, and the power device 3 can provide power for the unmanned aerial vehicle for flying, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle can perform operations such as taking off and landing and flying. At least one power unit 3 is provided on each carrier 11a of the foldable chassis 100, and since the number of folding mechanisms 1 in the foldable chassis 100 is at least one, and usually an even number, the number of power units 3 is usually also an even number. The power units 3 are typically arranged symmetrically with respect to the central frame 2, so that the torques generated by the power units cancel each other out.

Alternatively, in order to provide sufficient power, two power devices 3 are generally disposed on each of the supporting members 11a of the foldable frame 100, and the two power devices are disposed at two opposite ends of the supporting members 11 a. Therefore, the distance between the power devices 3 in each folding mechanism 1 can be maximized, and the adjacent power devices can be kept at a sufficient interval, so that the stability and the safety during flying are improved.

Specifically, in order to provide power for the unmanned aerial vehicle, the power device 3 comprises a motor and a propeller, and a propeller hub of the propeller is connected with a rotating shaft of the motor. The motor is used for driving the propeller to rotate so as to generate flight power.

Furthermore, optionally, the power plant 3 typically also comprises an electronic governor for regulating the rotational speed of the motor. The electronic speed regulator can adjust the rotating speed of the motor according to a control signal sent by the controller, and further control the rotating speed of power elements such as a propeller and the like connected with the motor so as to control the operations of adjustment, start-stop and the like of the flying attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Usually, each power device 3 may be provided with only one set of propellers, or may be provided with two propellers to work together. When two propellers are provided in each power plant 3, as an alternative embodiment, different motors can be used to drive the corresponding propellers to work.

Specifically, fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a power device in a rack assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Each power device 3 can comprise a first motor 31, a second motor 32, a first propeller 33 and a second propeller 34, wherein the hub of the first propeller 33 is connected with the driving shaft of the first motor 31, and the hub of the second propeller 34 is connected with the driving shaft of the second motor 32; meanwhile, the first motor 31 and the second motor 32 are stacked on the same axis up and down, the rotating directions of the first motor 31 and the second motor 32 are different, and the first propeller 33 and the second propeller 34 are arranged away from each other. In this way, because the first motor 31 and the second motor 32 are steered differently, the airflows generated by the first propeller 33 and the second propeller 34 which are arranged away from each other are all oriented to the same direction, so that the power provided by a single power device can be effectively enhanced, and meanwhile, the torques between the first motor 31 and the second motor 32 can be mutually offset, so that the power device 3 is prevented from generating torques which influence the flight attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

In order to accommodate the first motor 31 and the second motor 32, each power device may further include a connecting support 35, the connecting support 35 is fixed on the carrier 11a, and opposite ends of the connecting support 35 are respectively connected to the first motor 31 and the second motor 32. The connecting support 35 and the carrier 11a may be of an integral structure or a detachable structure.

In addition, as another alternative, when two sets of propellers are arranged in the power device, one motor can be used for driving different propellers to work. At the moment, each power device comprises a third motor, a third propeller and a fourth propeller, and a hub of the third propeller and a hub of the fourth propeller are connected with a driving shaft of the third motor. At the moment, the third propeller and the fourth propeller are steered the same, and stronger power can be provided for the unmanned aerial vehicle.

In this embodiment, the frame assembly includes a foldable frame and a power device, and at least one power device is disposed on each bearing member of the foldable frame; the foldable rack comprises a center frame and at least one folding mechanism, the folding mechanism is arranged on the side of the center frame, each folding mechanism comprises at least three connecting pieces, two ends of each connecting piece are hinged with the end parts of other connecting pieces or the center frame, the connecting pieces and the center frame jointly enclose a polygon with a variable shape, the connecting pieces far away from the center frame are used as bearing pieces for arranging a power device, and the distance between the bearing pieces and the center frame is changed along with the change of the shape of the polygon. Therefore, the foldable rack can be switched between the stretching state and the folding state, so that the foldable rack can be folded to achieve a smaller size, and is convenient to store or transport, simple in structure and convenient to operate.

Fig. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to a third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 13, the unmanned aerial vehicle 300 provided in this embodiment includes a frame assembly 200, and the center frame 2 of the frame assembly 200 is connected to a body or a foot stand. The structure, function and operation principle of the rack assembly 200 are similar to those of the second embodiment, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted here.

In the unmanned aerial vehicle 300 of the embodiment, the center frame 2 of the frame assembly 200 may be an integral structure or a split structure, so the center frame 2 may be connected to the airframe as an independent component, or may be directly connected to the foot stool as a main structural component of the unmanned aerial vehicle 300. The foldable frame in the frame assembly 200 can be folded and deformed, so that the distance between the carrier 11a and the center frame 2 in the foldable frame can be extended or shortened. So as to ensure normal and safe flight or be in a furled state, so as to effectively reduce the overall dimension of the unmanned aerial vehicle 300 and facilitate the storage and transportation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 300.

In the embodiment, the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a frame assembly, wherein a center frame of the frame assembly is connected with a vehicle body or a foot rest, the frame assembly comprises a foldable frame, and each bearing piece of the foldable frame is provided with at least one power device; the foldable rack comprises a center frame and at least one folding mechanism, the folding mechanism is arranged on the side of the center frame, each folding mechanism comprises at least three connecting pieces, two ends of each connecting piece are hinged with the end parts of other connecting pieces or the center frame, the connecting pieces and the center frame jointly enclose a polygon with a variable shape, the connecting pieces far away from the center frame are used as bearing pieces for arranging a power device, and the distance between the bearing pieces and the center frame is changed along with the change of the shape of the polygon. Therefore, the foldable rack can be switched between the stretching state and the folding state, so that the foldable rack can be folded to achieve a smaller size, and is convenient to store or transport, simple in structure and convenient to operate.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, and not to limit the same; while the invention has been described in detail and with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some or all of the technical features may be equivalently replaced; and the modifications or the substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions depart from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A foldable frame applied to an unmanned aerial vehicle is characterized by comprising a center frame and at least one folding mechanism, the folding mechanisms are arranged on the side of the center frame, each folding mechanism comprises at least three connecting pieces, two ends of each connecting piece are hinged with the end parts of other connecting pieces or the center frame, the connecting piece and the center frame jointly form a polygon with a variable shape, the connecting piece far away from the center frame is used as a bearing piece for arranging a power device, the distance between the carrier and the steady rest varies as the shape of the polygon varies, wherein each connecting piece of the folding mechanism can be rotated and folded along a rotating direction to be folded until the bearing piece is attached to the center frame, and each connecting piece can be folded in a rotating direction opposite to the rotating direction so as to be folded until the bearing piece is attached to the center frame.

2. The foldable stand of claim 1, comprising an even number of folding mechanisms disposed two-by-two symmetrically on either side of the center frame.

3. The foldable housing of claim 1 or 2, wherein in each of the folding mechanisms, all of the connectors and the central frame together enclose a variable-shape polygon comprising one of: quadrilateral, pentagonal, or hexagonal.

4. A foldable stand according to claim 1 or 2, wherein all of said connectors and said central frame of each of said folding mechanisms together define a changeable shape parallelogram.

5. The foldable frame as claimed in claim 4, wherein the distance between the hinge points of the two ends of the two opposite connecting members in the parallelogram is equal, and the connecting lines between the hinge points of the two ends of the two connecting members hinged to the center frame in the same folding mechanism are parallel to each other.

6. The foldable frame as claimed in claim 4, wherein the bearing member is attached to the center frame when a connection line between hinge points at both ends of the connecting member is parallel to a length direction of the center frame.

7. Foldable stand according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the hinging axes of the end hinging points of all the connectors are parallel to each other.

8. The foldable stand according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connecting member is a connecting rod having an axial direction perpendicular to an axial direction of a hinge shaft of the connecting member and the carrier.

9. The foldable stand of claim 8, wherein the connector is removably connected to the center frame.

10. The foldable stand of claim 4, wherein the carrier comprises a straight bar parallel to a length of the steady rest.

11. The foldable stand of claim 10, wherein the carrier further comprises a hinge bracket, a first end of the hinge bracket being connected to the straight bar and a second end of the hinge bracket being hinged to the other connector.

12. The foldable stand of claim 11, wherein the connectors attached to the hinged bracket are positioned between the ends of the hinged bracket when the folding mechanism is folded.

13. A foldable stand according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the carrier and the other connectors of each folding mechanism are in the same plane.

14. The foldable stand of claim 11 or 12, wherein in each of the folding mechanisms, the carrier and the other connecting member are disposed one above the other at a hinge point in an axial direction of the hinge shaft.

15. The foldable stand of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a limiting device for limiting a deformation angle of the parallelogram when deformed.

16. A foldable stand according to claim 4, wherein the angle formed between the carrier and the connecting member hinged to the carrier is between 0 ° and 180 °.

17. The foldable stand of claim 4, further comprising at least one auxiliary connector in each of the folding mechanisms, wherein one end of the auxiliary connector is connected to the central frame, the other end of the auxiliary connector is connected to the supporting member, and the auxiliary connector is parallel to the side of the parallelogram formed by the connectors other than the supporting member.

18. The foldable airframe as recited in claim 1 or 2, wherein the center frame and the airframe of the UAV are of one-piece or split construction.

19. A frame component is characterized by comprising a foldable frame and power devices, wherein each bearing part of the foldable frame is provided with at least one power device;

wherein the foldable frame comprises a center frame and at least one folding mechanism, the folding mechanism is arranged on the side of the center frame, each folding mechanism comprises at least three connecting pieces, two ends of each connecting piece are hinged with the end parts of other connecting pieces or the center frame, the connecting piece and the center frame jointly form a polygon with a variable shape, the connecting piece far away from the center frame is used as a bearing piece for arranging a power device, the distance between the carrier and the steady rest varies as the shape of the polygon varies, wherein each connecting piece of the folding mechanism can be rotated and folded along a rotating direction to be folded until the bearing piece is attached to the center frame, and each connecting piece can be folded in a rotating direction opposite to the rotating direction so as to be folded until the bearing piece is attached to the center frame.

20. The rack assembly of claim 19, wherein the foldable rack includes an even number of folding mechanisms disposed two-by-two symmetrically on either side of the center rack.

21. The rack assembly of claim 19 or 20, wherein in each of the folding mechanisms, all of the links and the central frame together define a variable-shape polygon comprising one of: quadrilateral, pentagonal, or hexagonal.

22. The rack assembly of claim 19 or 20, wherein all of the connectors and the central frame in each of the folding mechanisms together define a changeable shape parallelogram.

23. The frame assembly of claim 22, wherein the distance between the hinge points of the two ends of the two opposite connecting members in the parallelogram is equal, and the connecting lines between the hinge points of the two ends of the two connecting members hinged to the center frame in the same folding mechanism are parallel to each other.

24. The rack assembly of claim 22, wherein the bearing member is attached to the center frame when a connection line between hinge points at both ends of the connecting member is parallel to a length direction of the center frame.

25. The rack assembly of claim 19 or 20, wherein the hinge axes of the hinge points at the ends of all of said links are parallel to each other.

26. The rack assembly according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the connecting member is a connecting rod having an axial direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the hinge shaft of the connecting member and the carrier.

27. The rack assembly of claim 26, wherein the connector is removably connected to the center frame.

28. The rack assembly of claim 22, wherein the carrier comprises a straight bar parallel to a length of the steady rest.

29. The rack assembly of claim 28, wherein the carrier further comprises a hinge bracket, a first end of the hinge bracket being connected to the straight bar and a second end of the hinge bracket being hinged to the other connector.

30. The frame assembly of claim 29, wherein the connectors attached to the hinge bracket are positioned between the ends of the hinge bracket when the folding mechanism is collapsed.

31. The rack assembly of claim 29 or 30, wherein in each of the folding mechanisms, the carrier and the other connectors are located on the same plane.

32. The rack assembly according to claim 29 or 30, wherein in each of the folding mechanisms, the carriers and the other links are disposed one above the other at hinge points in an axial direction of the hinge shaft.

33. The rack assembly according to claim 19 or 20, further comprising a limiting device for limiting a deformation angle of the parallelogram when deformed.

34. The rack assembly of claim 22, wherein the angle formed between the carrier and the connector hinged to the carrier is between 0 ° and 180 °.

35. The rack assembly of claim 22, wherein each of the folding mechanisms further comprises at least one auxiliary link, one end of the auxiliary link is connected to the central frame, the other end of the auxiliary link is connected to the supporting member, and the auxiliary link is parallel to the side of the parallelogram formed by the links other than the supporting member.

36. The airframe assembly as defined in claim 19 or 20, wherein the central frame and the airframe of the unmanned aerial vehicle are of a one-piece or split construction.

37. The rack assembly of claim 19, wherein two of the power units are disposed on each of the carriers, the two power units being disposed at opposite ends of the carriers.

38. The frame assembly according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the power unit comprises a motor and a propeller, a hub of the propeller being connected to a shaft of the motor.

39. The frame assembly according to claim 38, wherein each of the power units includes a first motor, a second motor, a first propeller and a second propeller, a hub of the first propeller is connected to a drive shaft of the first motor, and a hub of the second propeller is connected to a drive shaft of the second motor;

the first motor and the second motor are stacked on the same axis from top to bottom, the rotating directions of the first motor and the second motor are different, and the first propeller and the second propeller deviate from each other.

40. The frame assembly of claim 39, further comprising a connecting bracket in each of the power units, wherein the connecting bracket is fixed to the carrier, and opposite ends of the connecting bracket are connected to the first motor and the second motor, respectively.

41. The frame assembly according to claim 38, wherein each of the power units includes a third motor, a third propeller and a fourth propeller, and a hub of the third propeller and a hub of the fourth propeller are connected to a drive shaft of the third motor.

42. The frame assembly according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the power plant further comprises an electronic governor for regulating the rotational speed of the motor.

43. An unmanned aerial vehicle is characterized by comprising a rack assembly, wherein a center frame of the rack assembly is connected with a machine body or a foot rest;

the rack assembly comprises a foldable rack and power devices, and each bearing piece of the foldable rack is provided with at least one power device;

44. The UAV according to claim 43 wherein the foldable frame comprises an even number of folding mechanisms, the folding mechanisms being arranged two by two symmetrically on either side of the central frame.

45. The UAV according to claim 43 or 44 wherein the folding mechanisms are such that all of the links and the steady together form a variable shape polygon comprising one of: quadrilateral, pentagonal, or hexagonal.

46. The UAV according to claim 43 or 44 wherein all of the connectors and the steady in each folding mechanism together define a deformable parallelogram.

47. The UAV according to claim 46 wherein the two opposing links in the parallelogram have equal distances between their hinge points, and wherein the two links hinged to the center frame in the same folding mechanism have parallel lines between their hinge points.

48. The UAV according to claim 46 wherein the bearing member is attached to the center frame when a connection line between hinge points at both ends of the connecting member is parallel to a longitudinal direction of the center frame.

49. The UAV according to claim 43 or 44 wherein the hinge axes of the hinge points at the ends of all the links are parallel to each other.

50. The UAV according to claim 43 or 44 wherein the link is a connecting rod having an axis oriented perpendicular to the axis of the hinge axes of the link and the carrier.

51. The UAV according to claim 50 wherein the connection member is removably attached to the frame.

52. The UAV according to claim 46 wherein the carrier comprises a straight bar running parallel to the length of the steady.

53. The UAV of claim 52 wherein the carrier further comprises a hinged bracket, a first end of the hinged bracket being connected to the straight rod and a second end of the hinged bracket being hinged to the other connector.

54. The UAV of claim 53 wherein the folding mechanism when collapsed has a connector to the knuckle mount between the two ends of the knuckle mount.

55. An UAV according to claim 53 or 54 wherein the carrier and the other links are in the same plane in each folding mechanism.

56. The UAV according to claim 53 or 54 wherein in each folding mechanism the carriers and the other links are arranged one above the other at hinge points in the axial direction of the hinge axis.

57. The UAV according to claim 43 or 44 further comprising a limiting device for limiting the deformation angle of the parallelogram when deformed.

58. The UAV according to claim 46 wherein the angle formed between the carrier and the connector hinged to the carrier is between 0 ° and 180 °.

59. The UAV according to claim 46 wherein each folding mechanism further comprises at least one auxiliary link, wherein one end of the auxiliary link is connected to the central frame and the other end of the auxiliary link is connected to the carrier, and the auxiliary link is parallel to the side of the parallelogram formed by the links other than the carrier.

60. The UAV according to claim 43 or 44 wherein the central frame and the UAV body are of one-piece or split construction.

61. The UAV according to claim 43 wherein two of the power units are provided on each of the carriers, one at each of the opposite ends of the carrier.

62. The UAV according to claim 43 or 44 wherein the power plant comprises a motor and a propeller, the hub of the propeller being connected to the shaft of the motor.

63. The UAV of claim 62 wherein each of the power plants includes a first motor, a second motor, a first propeller, and a second propeller, a hub of the first propeller being coupled to a drive shaft of the first motor, a hub of the second propeller being coupled to a drive shaft of the second motor;

64. The UAV of claim 63 wherein each of the power units further comprises a connecting bracket fixed to the carrier, wherein the connecting bracket is connected at opposite ends to the first and second motors.

65. The UAV of claim 62 wherein each of the power units includes a third motor, a third propeller and a fourth propeller, and wherein a hub of the third propeller and a hub of the fourth propeller are coupled to a drive shaft of the third motor.

66. The UAV according to claim 43 or 44 wherein the power plant further comprises an electronic governor for regulating the speed of the motor.