CN219029751U - Docking device and unmanned aerial vehicle using same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle technologies, and more particularly, to a docking device and an unmanned aerial vehicle using the docking device. The docking device includes: the device comprises a main butt joint part, a secondary butt joint part and a deflection assembly, wherein the main butt joint part is in butt joint with the secondary butt joint part; the deflection assembly is configured to enable rotation of the primary docking portion relative to the secondary docking portion about a first set axis during docking of the primary docking portion with the secondary docking portion. The unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a body and the docking device; the main docking portion is mounted on the body, and the secondary docking portion is configured to be mounted on the robot; or, the secondary docking portion is mounted on the fuselage and the primary docking portion is configured to be mounted on the robot. The method reduces the butt joint difficulty between the main butt joint part and the secondary butt joint part, and is beneficial to reducing the butt joint time.

Description

Docking device and unmanned aerial vehicle using same

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle technologies, and more particularly, to a docking device and an unmanned aerial vehicle using the docking device.

Background

Unmanned aircraft, for short, "unmanned aircraft," is unmanned aircraft that is maneuvered using a radio remote control device and a self-contained programming device, or is operated autonomously, either entirely or intermittently, by an on-board computer. With the development of unmanned aerial vehicle technology, unmanned aerial vehicles are applied in most fields, for example, unmanned aerial vehicles can be applied to the fields of aerial photography, agriculture, plant protection, express delivery transportation, disaster relief, wild animal observation, mapping, power inspection, disaster relief and the like, and the application of the unmanned aerial vehicle is greatly expanded; when the unmanned aerial vehicle is applied to different fields, the unmanned aerial vehicle is often combined with a robot to replace operations with high risk, such as underground search and rescue, overhaul of aerial cables, or scenes where other people are difficult to enter; under the scene that unmanned aerial vehicle and robot combine together, sometimes need unmanned aerial vehicle to transport the corresponding position back with the robot, then release the robot to make the robot break away from unmanned aerial vehicle and the independent operation, after the robot operation is accomplished, need make robot and unmanned aerial vehicle dock again, so that unmanned aerial vehicle brings the robot back, because unmanned aerial vehicle and robot docking position are fixed, consequently, need adjust the relative position between unmanned aerial vehicle and the robot many times, just can realize the butt joint after docking position just right between unmanned aerial vehicle and the robot, this has not only increased the degree of difficulty of butt joint, still increased the time in the butt joint process.

It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background section is only for enhancing understanding of the background of the present disclosure and thus may include information that does not constitute prior art known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the disclosure aims to provide a docking device and an unmanned aerial vehicle using the docking device, and aims to solve the technical problem that docking can be realized only after docking positions between the unmanned aerial vehicle and a robot are right opposite.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical scheme adopted in the present disclosure is as follows: there is provided a docking device comprising:

a main butt joint part;

a secondary butt joint part, wherein the primary butt joint part is in butt joint with the secondary butt joint part; and

a deflection assembly configured to enable rotation of the primary docking portion relative to the secondary docking portion about a first set axis during docking of the primary docking portion with the secondary docking portion.

In one possible design, the deflection assembly includes a return spring configured to cause the primary dock to have a tendency to rotate in a reverse direction when the primary dock rotates in a forward direction relative to the secondary dock.

In one possible design, the yaw assembly includes a yaw angle assembly including a main shaft and a yaw base; the main rotating shaft is rotatably arranged on the yaw base, and the main abutting part is arranged on the main rotating shaft so that the main abutting part can rotate together with the main rotating shaft; the first setting axis is parallel to the axis of the main rotating shaft.

In one possible design, the yaw angle assembly further comprises a limiting swivel, the limiting swivel is fixedly connected with the main rotating shaft, a first limiting clamping groove is formed in the yaw base, the edge of the limiting swivel is provided with a radial protrusion protruding outwards along the radial direction of the edge, and at least part of the radial protrusion is limited in the first limiting clamping groove; the radial protrusion is matched with the first limiting clamping groove, so that the main rotating shaft rotates in a first set angle range.

In one possible design, two reset elastic members are connected between the limit swivel and the yaw base, wherein the force application direction of one reset elastic member to the limit swivel is opposite to the force application direction of the other reset elastic member to the limit swivel.

In one possible design, the deflection assembly is further configured such that during docking of the primary docking portion with the secondary docking portion, the primary docking portion is rotatable relative to the secondary docking portion about a second set axis, the first set axis being disposed at an angle to the second set axis.

In one possible design, the yaw assembly includes a pitch angle assembly including a first base and a second base, the first base being hinged to the second base by a hinge shaft; the main docking portion is connected with the second base so that the main docking portion can rotate along with the second base around the axis of the hinge shaft; the second setting axis is parallel to the hinge axis, and the first setting axis is perpendicular to the second setting axis.

In one possible design, the first base includes a first plate-shaped portion and a first hinge portion, the first hinge portion is fixedly connected with the first plate-shaped portion, the first plate-shaped portion includes a first sub-plate portion and a second sub-plate portion, the first sub-plate portion is connected with the second sub-plate portion, and an angle is formed between a plate surface of the first sub-plate portion and a plate surface of the second sub-plate portion.

In one possible design, the second base includes a second plate-shaped portion and a first hinge portion, the first hinge portion is fixedly connected to the second plate-shaped portion, and the first hinge portion is hinged to the first hinge base portion through the hinge shaft.

In one possible design, a return spring is arranged between the first sub-plate portion and the second plate portion, and a shock pad is arranged between the second sub-plate portion and the second plate portion.

In one possible design, the main docking portion includes a guide portion and a first extension portion, both of which are tubular structures, the diameter of the guide portion gradually increases from one end to the other end, and the first extension portion communicates with one end of the guide portion.

In one possible design, the secondary docking portion includes a docking barrel and a docking head connected to the docking barrel for guiding the docking barrel to insert the docking barrel from the guiding portion into the first extension.

In one possible design, the docking device further includes a locking mechanism including a snap block and a locking drive configured to drive movement of the snap block to enable the snap block to lock between the primary docking portion and the secondary docking portion.

The disclosure also provides an unmanned aerial vehicle, which comprises a body and any docking device;

the primary docking portion is mounted on the fuselage and the secondary docking portion is configured to be mounted on a robot; or, the secondary docking portion is mounted on the fuselage and the primary docking portion is configured to be mounted on a robot.

The utility model provides a interfacing apparatus and use this interfacing apparatus's unmanned aerial vehicle's beneficial effect mainly lies in:

according to the utility model, when the main butt joint part is in butt joint with the secondary butt joint part, under the condition that the main butt joint part is not aligned with the secondary butt joint part, the main butt joint part can rotate around the first set axis relative to the secondary butt joint part by utilizing the deflection assembly, so that the fault tolerance performance of butt joint is improved, the deflection assembly is facilitated to realize automatic alignment, and the smooth butt joint between the main butt joint part and the secondary butt joint part is facilitated, so that the butt joint difficulty between the main butt joint part and the secondary butt joint part is reduced, and the butt joint time is reduced.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings that are required for the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and other drawings may be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort for a person of ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a docking device mated with a robot (the fuselage showing a partial structure) in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural view of a docking device in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another view of a docking device in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural view of a further view of a docking device in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a yaw assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural view of a pitch angle assembly in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural view of another view of a pitch angle assembly in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural view of a primary dock in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural view of a secondary docking portion in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the structure of a locking mechanism in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a locking mechanism without a second attachment plate and a portion of a first attachment plate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 12 is a schematic view of a further view of a locking mechanism in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The main reference numerals illustrate:

101. a main butt joint part; 102. a secondary butt joint part; 103. a return elastic member; 104. a main rotating shaft; 105. a yaw base; 106. a limiting swivel; 107. the first limit clamping groove; 108. radial protrusions; 109. a first base; 110. a second base; 111. a first plate-like portion; 112. a first hinge base; 113. a first sub-board section; 114. a second sub-board section; 115. a rotating shaft mounting part; 116. a second plate-like portion; 117. a first hinge ear; 118. a shock pad; 119. a guide section; 120. a first extension; 121. a second extension; 122. a first mounting bracket; 123. a butt joint barrel; 124. butt joint; 125. a limit protrusion; 126. a locking groove; 127. a clamping block; 128. a main body base; 129. a return spring; 130. a first link; 131. a guide slide block; 132. a second link; 133. a third link; 134. a driving motor; 135. the first limiting chute; 136. a guide chute; 137. a clamping through hole; 138. a base bottom plate; 139. a first additional plate; 140. a second additional plate; 141. a first bar-shaped hole; 142. a second bar-shaped hole; 143. reinforcing rib plates; 144. a hinge shaft; 145. a flange; 146. a first inductive switch; 147. a docking base; 201. a fuselage.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantageous effects to be solved by the present disclosure more clear, the present disclosure is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "mounted" or "disposed" on another element, it can be directly on the other element or be indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or be indirectly connected to the other element.

It is to be understood that the terms "length," "width," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," and the like indicate or are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, merely to facilitate description of the disclosure and simplify description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be configured and operated in a particular orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the disclosure.

Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like, are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more such feature. In the description of the present disclosure, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more, unless explicitly defined otherwise.

For the purpose of illustrating the technical solutions described in this disclosure, the following detailed description is given with reference to specific drawings and embodiments.

Referring to fig. 1-3, in one or more embodiments, the present disclosure provides a docking device that may be applied to an unmanned aerial vehicle, as well as to other devices or equipment, such as diving equipment, and the like. The docking device includes: a primary docking portion 101, a secondary docking portion 102, and a deflection assembly; the main butt joint part 101 is in butt joint with the secondary butt joint part 102; the deflection assembly is configured to enable rotation of the primary docking portion 101 relative to the secondary docking portion 102 about a first set axis during docking of the primary docking portion 101 with the secondary docking portion 102.

According to the docking device in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the primary docking portion 101 is docked with the secondary docking portion 102, under the condition that the primary docking portion 101 is not aligned with the secondary docking portion 102, the primary docking portion 101 can rotate around the first set axis relative to the secondary docking portion 102 by using the deflection assembly, so that the fault tolerance performance of docking is improved, automatic alignment is facilitated by using the deflection assembly, smooth docking between the primary docking portion 101 and the secondary docking portion 102 is facilitated, and docking difficulty between the primary docking portion 101 and the secondary docking portion 102 is reduced, and docking time is reduced.

In some embodiments, the primary docking portion 101 is mounted on a deflection assembly and the secondary docking portion 102 is used to connect with a robot or other device. It should be noted that, in some other possible embodiments, the secondary docking portion 102 is mounted on the deflection assembly, and the primary docking portion 101 is connected to the robot or other device, that is, the primary docking portion 101 and the secondary docking portion 102 may be determined when the mounting position of one of them is determined, and the mounting positions of the other two may be interchanged.

In some embodiments, the deflection assembly includes a reset spring 103, where the reset spring 103 is configured to cause the primary docking portion 101 to have a tendency to rotate in a reverse direction when the primary docking portion 101 rotates in a forward direction relative to the secondary docking portion 102, and where the reset spring 103 is utilized to facilitate automatic reset when rotation occurs. The rotation of the main docking portion 101 in the forward direction with respect to the sub-docking portion may mean that the main docking portion 101 rotates in the forward direction with respect to the sub-docking portion about the first setting axis, or may mean that the main docking portion 101 rotates in the forward direction with respect to the sub-docking portion about the second setting axis, and specifically, may be further determined according to a specific installation position of the reset elastic member 103. For the forward direction and the reverse direction, only two opposite directions can be determined according to actual conditions, and when the forward direction is determined, the reverse direction can be determined; for example, when clockwise rotation is in the forward direction, counterclockwise rotation is in the reverse direction.

As shown in connection with fig. 3-5, in some embodiments, the yaw assembly includes a yaw angle assembly including a main rotational shaft 104 and a yaw base 105; the main rotating shaft 104 is rotatably mounted on the yaw base 105, and the main docking portion 101 is mounted on the main rotating shaft 104, so that the main docking portion 101 can rotate together with the main rotating shaft 104; the first set axis is parallel to the axis of the main rotating shaft 104, so that the main rotating shaft 104 can rotate relative to the yaw base 105, fault tolerance of the main butt joint part 101 in the butt joint process is improved, rotation of the main butt joint part 101 in the yaw (yaw) direction is realized, and tolerance requirements of the robot in the yaw direction are met. In one embodiment, the first set axis is an axis of the main rotation shaft 104, and the main rotation shaft 104 rotates about its own axis relative to the yaw base 105; the main rotating shaft 104 is mounted on the yaw base 105 through a first bearing, specifically, the outer ring of the first bearing is fixed on the yaw base 105, and the main rotating shaft 104 is fixedly connected with the inner ring of the first bearing, so that the main rotating shaft 104 is conveniently mounted on the yaw base 105 in a rotating way; the first bearing may be an angular contact ball bearing or a deep groove ball bearing.

Referring to fig. 5, in some embodiments, the yaw angle assembly further includes a limiting swivel 106, the limiting swivel 106 is fixedly connected with the main rotating shaft 104, a first limiting slot 107 is formed on the yaw base 105, a radial protrusion 108 protruding radially outwards along the edge of the limiting swivel 106 is provided, and at least part of the structure of the radial protrusion 108 is limited in the first limiting slot 107; the radial protrusion 108 cooperates with the first limiting slot 107 to rotate the main shaft 104 within a first set angular range, which facilitates rotation of the main abutment 101 about a first set axis within a range. In one embodiment, the main structure of the yaw base 105 is plate-shaped, two first limiting clamping grooves 107 are formed in the plate surface of the main structure of the yaw base 105, the two first limiting clamping grooves 107 are arranged in a central symmetry mode with the center of the main rotating shaft 104, two radial protrusions 108 are arranged on the limiting rotating ring 106 in a central symmetry mode, the two radial protrusions 108 are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the two first limiting clamping grooves 107, the occupied area of the radial protrusions 108 is smaller than that of the first limiting clamping grooves 107, and therefore when the radial protrusions 108 rotate along with the limiting rotating ring 106, a certain rotating space can be formed in the first limiting clamping grooves 107 by the radial protrusions 108, limiting of the rotating angle range of the limiting rotating ring 106 is achieved, and limiting of the rotating angle range of main rotation is achieved.

Specifically, the range of the rotation angle of the main docking portion 101 may be adjusted as needed; or an angle adjusting mechanism is arranged to adjust the rotation angle range, for example, a set screw is arranged on the yaw base 105, the angle range is adjusted by screwing the set screw, the axis of the set screw is parallel to the radial direction of the limiting swivel 106, and the end part of the set screw can be abutted against the radial protrusion 108, so that the angle range is adjusted.

Referring to fig. 5, in some embodiments, two reset elastic members 103 are connected between the limit swivel 106 and the yaw base 105, so that the automatic reset of the limit swivel 106 can be realized by using the property that the force application directions of the two reset elastic members 103 are opposite. The force application direction of one reset elastic piece 103 to the limiting swivel 106 is opposite to the force application direction of the other reset elastic piece 103 to the limiting swivel 106, so that when the limiting swivel 106 is forced by external force, after the limiting swivel 106 rotates, the limiting swivel 106 is restored to the initial state through the two reset elastic pieces 103 under the action of the external force when the external force is removed. In one embodiment, one of the return springs 103 is connected to one of its radial projections 108, and the other return spring 103 is connected to the other radial projection 108; one end of the reset elastic piece 103 is connected with the radial protrusion 108, the other end of the reset elastic piece 103 is connected with the mounting base, and the reset elastic piece 103 is a tension spring; when the main rotating shaft 104 rotates, one tension spring is lengthened, the tension is increased, the other tension spring is shortened, the tension is reduced, and after the external force is removed, the main rotating shaft 104 finally returns due to the fact that the tension at the two ends of the limiting rotating ring 106 is different in size, the tension of the two tension springs is equal, and the directions of the tension springs on the radial protrusions 108 are the same; the rotation angle range of the main rotation shaft 104 is ±7.5°.

In some embodiments, the deflection assembly is further configured such that during docking of the primary docking portion 101 with the secondary docking portion 102, the primary docking portion 101 is rotatable relative to the secondary docking portion 102 about a second set axis, the first set axis being disposed at an angle to the second set axis; enabling the primary docking portion 101 to rotate about the second set axis facilitates improving fault tolerance of the primary docking portion 101 in another direction.

Referring to fig. 6 and 7, in some embodiments, the yaw assembly includes a pitch angle assembly including a first base 109 and a second base 110, the first base 109 being hinged to the second base 110 by a hinge shaft 144; the main docking portion 101 is connected with the second base 110 such that the main docking portion 101 can rotate about the axis of the hinge shaft 144 along with the second base 110; the second setting axis is parallel to the hinge axis 144, and the first setting axis is perpendicular to the second setting axis, so that rotation in the pitch direction of the main docking portion 101 can be achieved, thereby meeting the tolerance requirement of the robot in the pitch direction. In one embodiment, the main shaft 104 is fixedly connected to the first base 109, such that the pitch angle assembly is integrally rotatable about the main shaft 104.

When the main docking portion 101 is mounted on the yaw assembly, the main docking portion 101, the yaw assembly, and the pitch assembly are not limited to the main docking portion 101 being mounted on the yaw assembly via the pitch assembly, but the main docking portion 101 may be mounted on the pitch assembly via the yaw assembly. The same applies when the secondary interface 102 is mounted to the deflection assembly, and will not be described in detail herein. In some other possible embodiments, the deflection assembly may be further configured such that during docking of the primary docking portion 101 with the secondary docking portion, the primary docking portion 101 is rotatable relative to the secondary docking portion 102 about a third set axis, the first set axis, the second set axis, and the third set axis being perpendicular to each other, which facilitates yaw, pitch, and roll of the primary docking portion 101, thereby further improving fault tolerance during docking, for example: the main docking portion 101 may be hinged to the second base 110, and another reset elastic member 103 is provided, and an axis of the hinge shaft 144 between the main docking portion 101 and the second base 110 is a third set axis, thereby providing fault tolerance.

Referring to fig. 6 and 7, in some embodiments, the first base 109 includes a first plate portion 111 and a first hinge portion 112, the first hinge portion 112 is fixedly connected to the first plate portion 111, the first plate portion 111 includes a first sub-plate portion 113 and a second sub-plate portion 114, the first sub-plate portion 113 is connected to the second sub-plate portion 114, and an angle is formed between a plate surface of the first sub-plate portion 113 and a plate surface of the second sub-plate portion 114. This facilitates the rotation of the second base 110 relative to the first base 109, and may define the range of rotation angles of the second base 110 relative to the first base 109. In one embodiment, the first base 109 further includes a shaft mounting portion 115, where the shaft mounting portion 115 is integrally formed with the first plate portion 111, and a reinforcing rib 143 is further disposed between the shaft mounting portion 115 and the first plate portion 111, so as to facilitate improving the connection strength between the shaft mounting portion and the first plate portion 111; the angle between the plate surface of the first sub-plate portion 113 and the plate surface of the second sub-plate portion 114 is 170 °, so that the rotation angle of the second base 110 with respect to the first base 109 ranges from 0 ° to 10 °; of course, the angle between the plate surface of the first sub-plate portion 113 and the plate surface of the second sub-plate portion 114 may be 120 ° to 160 °, so that the range of the rotation angle of the second base 110 with respect to the first base 109 may be increased.

Referring to fig. 6 and 7, in some embodiments, the second base 110 includes a second plate-shaped portion 116 and a first hinge portion 117, the first hinge portion 117 is fixedly connected to the second plate-shaped portion 116, and the first hinge portion 117 is hinged to the first hinge portion 112 through a hinge shaft 144, so that the second base 110 can rotate relative to the first base 109. In one embodiment, the second set axis is the axis of the hinge shaft 144, and the first hinge lug 117 and the second plate 116 are integrally formed.

Referring to fig. 6 and 7, in some embodiments, the reset elastic member 103 is disposed between the first sub-board portion 113 and the second plate portion 116, and the shock pad 118 is disposed between the second sub-board portion 114 and the second plate portion 116, and the shock pad 118 may be made of rubber or polyurethane, so as to facilitate shock absorption. In one embodiment, the shock pad 118 is on the plate surface of the second sub-plate portion 114; the reset elastic member 103 is a compression spring, two ends of the compression spring are respectively abutted against the surface of the first sub-board portion 113 and the surface of the second plate portion 116, specifically, a plug bolt can be adopted to pass through the first sub-board portion 113 and the second plate-shaped structure, so that the compression spring is arranged between the first sub-board portion 113 and the second plate-shaped structure. The damper 118 may be fixed to the plate surface of the second plate-like structure.

Referring to fig. 8, in some embodiments, the primary docking portion 101 includes a guide portion 119 and a first extension portion 120, where the guide portion 119 and the first extension portion 120 are each in a tubular structure, and the diameter of the guide portion 119 gradually increases from one end to the other end, and the first extension portion 120 communicates with one end of the guide portion 119, so that the guide portion 119 may facilitate guiding the secondary docking portion 102, thereby facilitating docking. In an embodiment, the main docking portion 101 further includes a second extension portion 121, where the second extension portion 121 is of a tubular structure, one end of the first extension portion 120 is integrally formed with one end of the guiding portion 119, and the other end of the first extension portion 120 is detachably and fixedly connected with one end of the second extension portion 121. The main docking portion 101 further includes a first mounting bracket 122, the first mounting bracket 122 is fixedly connected with the second base 110, and the first extension portion 120 and the second extension portion 121 are respectively fixedly connected with the first mounting bracket 122 through screws; specifically, the first mounting bracket 122 is fixedly connected to the second plate-shaped portion 116 of the second base 110 by a screw, thereby achieving connection between the main docking portion 101 and the second base 110. The first extension 120 communicates with the second extension 121, and the first extension 120 communicates with the guide 119.

Referring to fig. 9, in some embodiments, the secondary docking portion 102 includes a docking barrel 123 and a docking head 124 connected to the docking barrel 123, the docking head 124 being configured to guide the docking barrel 123 such that the docking barrel 123 is inserted into the first extension 120 from the guide portion 119, and the docking barrel 123 is guided by the docking head 124. In one embodiment, the outer circumferential surface of the docking cylinder 123 has an annular limit protrusion 125, and the limit protrusion 125 protrudes outward in the radial direction of the docking cylinder 123; the outer peripheral surface of the docking cylinder 123 is also provided with a locking groove 126, the locking groove 126 is annular, the docking head 124 is fixedly connected with one end of the docking cylinder 123, the other end of the docking cylinder 123 is fixedly provided with a flange 145, the flange 145 is detachably and fixedly connected with a docking base 147, and the docking base 147 is detachably and fixedly connected with a robot, so that the connection between the secondary docking part 102 and the robot is realized. The locking groove 126 is adjacent to the abutment 124, and the limit projection 125 is remote from the abutment 124. In order to ensure the smoothness of the whole butt joint and reduce the friction resistance, the butt joint 124 is made of teflon (PTFE); the butt-joint barrel 123 and the flange 145 are connected in a smooth transition manner, so that the connection strength can be increased, stress concentration is avoided, and meanwhile, the end part of the butt-joint barrel 123 connected with the flange 145 is in a round table shape, so that the connection stability is ensured, and the butt-joint barrel 123 and the flange 145 are in an integrated structure; in addition, the docking cylinder 123 extends into the first extension 120 and the second extension 121 to ensure the stability of the secondary docking portion 102 after being plugged with the primary docking portion 101.

In some embodiments, the docking device further includes a locking mechanism, where the locking mechanism includes a clamping block 127 and a locking driving device, where the locking driving device is configured to drive the clamping block 127 to move, so that the clamping block 127 can lock between the primary docking portion 101 and the secondary docking portion 102, thereby facilitating reliable connection between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the robot, and avoiding accidental falling during the process of transporting the robot by the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Referring to fig. 10 to 12, in some embodiments, the locking driving device includes: the main body base 128, the engagement block 127, the return spring 129, the first link 130, the guide slider 131, the second link 132, the third link 133, and the driving motor 134; the main body base 128 is provided with a first limiting chute 135, the clamping block 127 is arranged in the first limiting chute 135 in a sliding manner, and two opposite ends of the return spring 129 are respectively abutted with the clamping block 127 and the bottom of the first limiting chute 135; the main docking portion 101 is fixedly connected to the main body base 128. The output shaft of the driving motor 134 is fixedly connected with one end of a third connecting rod 133, the other end of the third connecting rod 133 is hinged with one end of a second connecting rod 132, the other end of the second connecting rod 132 is hinged with a guide sliding block 131, one end of a first connecting rod 130 is hinged with the guide sliding block 131, the other end of the first connecting rod 130 is hinged with a clamping block 127, and the locking of the secondary butt joint part 102 can be better realized by adopting a connecting rod and a reset spring 129. In one embodiment, the casing of the driving motor 134 is fixedly connected with the main body base 128 through a screw, the main body base 128 is further provided with a guide chute 136, and the guide slide block 131 is arranged in the guide chute 136; the number of locking slide blocks is two, and when two clamping blocks 127 are combined, a clamping through hole 137 can be formed, so that the secondary butt joint part 102 can be conveniently inserted into the clamping through hole 137, and the locking of the secondary butt joint part 102 is realized, namely: the part of the structure of the clamping block 127 just can extend into the locking groove 126 of the docking cylinder 123, so that the clamping between the clamping block 127 and the locking groove 126 is realized. The outlet at the other end of the second extension part 121 corresponds to the engaging through hole 137, so that the second extension part 121 is conveniently engaged with the engaging through hole 137 after the secondary abutting part 102 abuts. The number of the first connecting rods 130 is two, and the two first connecting rods are symmetrically arranged, so that when the output shaft of the driving motor 134 drives the third connecting rod 133 to rotate, the third connecting rod 133 drives the second connecting rod 132 to move so that the guide sliding block 131 moves along the guide sliding groove 136, the two first connecting rods 130 drive the two clamping blocks 127 to move in opposite directions respectively to realize closing, the secondary butt joint part 102 is locked, and the reset spring 129 can also ensure that the two clamping blocks 127 have opposite movement trends, so that the closing state is ensured. The drive motor 134 may be a servo motor with a band brake. The engaging block 127 is made of teflon (PTFE), so that the engaging block 127 can move smoothly in the first limiting chute 135. In a state where the sub-abutting portion 102 is not abutted against the main abutting portion 101, the two engagement blocks 127 are in an open state, and the return spring 129 is in a compressed state. In one embodiment, the main body base 128 includes a base bottom plate 138, a first additional plate 139, and a second additional plate 140, with a first limit chute 135 formed between the plurality of first additional plates 139 and the base bottom plate 138; the second additional plate 140 is U-shaped, and a guide chute 136 is formed between the second additional plate 140 and the base bottom plate 138; a guide post is fixed on one side surface of the guide slide block 131, the main body base 128 is provided with a first bar-shaped hole 141, the guide post is inserted into the first bar-shaped hole 141, so that the guide slide block 131 moves along the length direction of the first bar-shaped hole 141, and the first bar-shaped hole 141 is formed on the base bottom plate 138 and is a blind hole or a through hole; the hinge shaft between the first link 130 and the engaging block 127 is limited in a second bar-shaped hole 142 formed in the first additional plate 139, the second bar-shaped hole 142 is a through hole, and the hinge shaft between the first link 130 and the engaging block 127 moves along the length direction of the second bar-shaped hole 142.

Referring to fig. 10 to 12, in some embodiments, the engaging block 127 is located on one side of the main body base 128, the second extension portion 121 is located on the other opposite side of the main body base 128, and a first inductive switch 146 is further located on one side of the main body base 128, and when the first inductive switch 146 contacts the secondary docking portion 102, the driving motor 134 acts to engage the engaging block 127 with the secondary docking portion 102. In one embodiment, the first inductive switch 146 is a proximity switch or a micro switch. When the limiting protrusion 125 is abutted against the inner wall of the guide portion 119, the clamping blocks 127 just correspond to the locking grooves 126, so that after the two clamping blocks 127 are moved and closed in opposite directions, part of the structure of the clamping blocks 127 just can stretch into the locking grooves 126, and clamping between the clamping blocks 127 and the locking grooves 126 is achieved, and the situation that the robot is abutted in place in the abutting process is avoided, but continues to move forwards, and damage to other parts is caused is avoided.

Referring to fig. 1, in one or more embodiments, the present disclosure also provides a drone comprising a fuselage 201 and a docking device in any embodiment; the primary docking portion 101 is mounted on the fuselage 201 and the secondary docking portion 102 is configured to be mounted on a robot. In some embodiments, the main docking portion 101 is mounted to the fuselage 201 by a deflection assembly, namely: the first base 109 of the deflection assembly is connected with the machine body 201, and the docking device is mounted on the machine body 201, so that the docking fault tolerance is improved, the deflection assembly is beneficial to realizing automatic alignment, and smooth docking between the main docking portion 101 and the secondary docking portion 102 is facilitated, so that the docking difficulty between the main docking portion 101 and the secondary docking portion 102 is reduced, and the docking time is reduced.

It should be noted that, in some other possible embodiments, the first base 109 may be mounted on the body 201 by a lifting device, where the lifting device includes a horizontal moving mechanism for moving the deflection assembly along a first direction and a vertical moving mechanism for moving the deflection assembly along a second direction, where the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, so that not only the robot may be lifted, but also movement in the first direction may be achieved, where the first direction may be a horizontal direction and the second direction may be a vertical direction. The horizontal moving mechanism may be a linear guide or other mechanism capable of achieving linear motion, and the vertical moving mechanism may be a linear guide or other mechanism capable of achieving linear motion, and illustratively, the horizontal moving mechanism is mounted on the main body 201, the vertical moving mechanism is mounted on the horizontal moving mechanism, the deflecting mechanism is mounted on the vertical moving mechanism, and the main docking portion 101 is mounted on the deflecting assembly, so that the main docking portion 101 can move in the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, and the fault tolerance requirements in the yaw direction and the pitch direction are achieved. In still other embodiments, the secondary docking portion 102 is mounted on the fuselage 201 and the primary docking portion 101 is configured to be mounted on a robot.

To sum up, the docking device and the unmanned aerial vehicle in the embodiments of the present disclosure have at least the following advantages:

the unmanned aerial vehicle and the docking device are matched to realize the release and recovery of the robot, so that the mode that workers hang on a cable to release and recover the robot can be changed in the field of cable overhaul, the working danger is greatly reduced, the life safety of the workers is protected, the number of operators is greatly reduced, the labor cost is reduced, and meanwhile, the operation efficiency is improved; the adopted rod cone butt joint mode (namely the mode that the butt joint cylinder 123 is matched with the guide part 119) improves the butt joint success rate.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure is provided for the purpose of illustration only and is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular embodiments disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and principles of the disclosure.

Claims (14)

1. A docking device, comprising:

a main butt joint part;

a secondary butt joint part, wherein the primary butt joint part is in butt joint with the secondary butt joint part; and

a deflection assembly configured to enable rotation of the primary docking portion relative to the secondary docking portion about a first set axis during docking of the primary docking portion with the secondary docking portion.

2. The docking apparatus of claim 1, wherein the deflection assembly includes a return spring configured to cause the primary docking portion to have a tendency to rotate in an opposite direction when the primary docking portion rotates in a forward direction relative to the secondary docking portion.

3. The docking device of claim 1, wherein the deflection assembly comprises a yaw angle assembly comprising a main rotational axis and a yaw base; the main rotating shaft is rotatably arranged on the yaw base, and the main abutting part is arranged on the main rotating shaft so that the main abutting part can rotate together with the main rotating shaft; the first setting axis is parallel to the axis of the main rotating shaft.

4. A docking apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said yaw angle assembly further comprises a limit swivel fixedly connected to said main shaft, said yaw base having a first limit slot formed therein, said limit swivel having a radially protruding edge protruding radially outwardly of said limit swivel, at least a portion of said radially protruding edge being retained in said first limit slot; the radial protrusion is matched with the first limiting clamping groove, so that the main rotating shaft rotates in a first set angle range.

5. The docking apparatus of claim 4, wherein two return elastic members are connected between the limit swivel and the yaw base, wherein a direction of force applied to the limit swivel by one return elastic member is opposite to a direction of force applied to the limit swivel by the other return elastic member.

6. The docking device of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the deflection assembly is further configured such that the primary docking portion is rotatable relative to the secondary docking portion about a second set axis disposed at an angle therebetween during docking of the primary docking portion with the secondary docking portion.

7. The docking apparatus of claim 6, wherein the yaw assembly comprises a pitch assembly comprising a first base and a second base, the first base being hinged to the second base by a hinge shaft; the main docking portion is connected with the second base so that the main docking portion can rotate along with the second base around the axis of the hinge shaft; the second setting axis is parallel to the hinge axis, and the first setting axis is perpendicular to the second setting axis.

8. The docking apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first base includes a first plate-shaped portion and a first hinge portion, the first hinge portion is fixedly connected to the first plate-shaped portion, the first plate-shaped portion includes a first sub-plate portion and a second sub-plate portion, the first sub-plate portion is connected to the second sub-plate portion, and a plate surface of the first sub-plate portion and a plate surface of the second sub-plate portion are disposed at an angle.

9. The docking apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second base includes a second plate-shaped portion and a first hinge portion fixedly connected to the second plate-shaped portion, the first hinge portion being hinged to the first hinge portion via the hinge shaft.

10. The docking apparatus of claim 9, wherein a return spring is disposed between the first sub-plate portion and the second plate portion, and a shock pad is disposed between the second sub-plate portion and the second plate portion.

11. A docking apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the main docking portion includes a guide portion and a first extension portion, both of which are tubular in configuration, the guide portion progressively increasing in diameter from one end to the other end, the first extension portion communicating with one end of the guide portion.

12. The docking apparatus of claim 11, wherein the secondary docking portion includes a docking barrel and a docking head coupled to the docking barrel, the docking head to guide the docking barrel to insert the docking barrel from the guide into the first extension.

13. The dock of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a locking mechanism comprising a snap block and a locking drive configured to drive movement of the snap block to enable the snap block to lock between the primary dock and the secondary dock.

14. An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a fuselage and a docking device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13;

the primary docking portion is mounted on the fuselage and the secondary docking portion is configured to be mounted on a robot; or, the secondary docking portion is mounted on the fuselage and the primary docking portion is configured to be mounted on a robot.

Images