KR101912101B1 - Self-charging drone - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a self-chargeable drone and comprises: a flying drone main body; a pair of launching legs provided so as to have buoyancy and arranged in parallel with a lower portion of the drone main body; a pair of supporting legs pivotably connecting the pair of the launching legs to the drone; an elastic connecting member for applying elastic force to the supporting legs so that the pair of the launching legs are pivoted and moved away from each other; a power generating apparatus for generating electric power from rotation of the launching leg; and a battery for storing the power produced from the power generating apparatus. In the present invention, self-charging is carried out by using the pair of the launching legs and using the rotation of the launching leg by a wave or a swell while launching on the water surface.

Description

SELF-CHARGING DRONE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drones, and more particularly, to a self-charging drones that fly by using electric power of a battery and start to sleep and charge power by themselves.

Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles that can be controlled by radio waves. Cameras, sensors, communication systems, and so on, ranging from dozens of small drones to thousands of kilograms of super-large drones.

The drones were first developed for military use, but recently they have been expanded to include high-end shooting and delivery. They are reborn as cheaper card products and are now in the era of purchasing and operating them freely.

The biggest problem with drone operation is that the time required for the battery is very short due to the limited battery capacity.

The land-based drone can be easily landed and recalled, so that the problem due to limited battery capacity can be compensated by the same method as battery replacement. However, in the case of a dron operated by a watercraft, it is impossible to start an emergency on the water surface, and there is a problem that a dron which has started to sleep is difficult to recover.

In order to solve the problem due to the limited battery capacity, a system has been proposed in which a docking station for charging a battery is provided and the drones exhausting the battery are returned to the docking station for recharging.

However, such a system using the docking station limits the flight area of the dron to the docking station, which limits the extension of the flight area of the drones. Moreover, in order to utilize such a system, it is necessary to mount a high-level technology for returning the drone to itself, so that the price of the drone itself increases, and a cost for separately providing a docking station is additionally incurred.

Drones can be equipped with high density, high capacity batteries to increase flight time, but as the battery capacity increases, the weight of the battery increases, so flight time does not increase dramatically compared to the added cost.

Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1407722 entitled "Self-generating Quad Copter" (registered on June 9, 2014)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a self-charging drones which can compensate for a short flight time due to a limited battery capacity using self-charging.

In particular, it enables to increase the operating time by allowing the battery to be self-charged by using a wave or a wale while standing on the surface of the water, and even if the battery is exhausted, the dron can be safely recovered I want to be able to do it.

In addition, it is desirable to be able to carry out operations such as collecting information over a long period of time by repeating flight and self-charging, or moving to a target point along a preprogrammed path.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, A pair of launching legs provided so as to have buoyancy and arranged in parallel with the lower portion of the drone main body; A pair of supporting legs pivotably connecting the pair of embroidery legs to the drones; An elastic connecting member for applying an elastic force to the supporting legs such that the pair of the embroidery legs are pivoted and moved away from each other; A power generating device for generating electric power from the rotation of the embroidery leg; And a battery for storing electric power produced by the power generation device, wherein self-charging is performed by using the pair of launching legs to turn on the water- .

In the above, it is preferable that the battery is provided on each of the pair of launch legs.

The inside of the embroidery leg is divided into a lower battery accommodating space and an upper buoyancy forming space, and the battery is accommodated in the battery accommodating space.

The water supply leg may include a waterproof cover formed of a waterproof cloth and configured to seal the battery accommodating space and the buoyancy forming space, and the buoyancy forming space may be filled with gas desirable.

The buoyancy leg is formed of a waterproof cloth and includes a waterproof cover in the form of a balloon that seals the battery accommodating space and the buoyancy forming space. The buoyancy forming space is filled with a buoyant material in the form of foam desirable.

Preferably, the waterproof leg is further provided with a protection pad for protecting the waterproof cover.

Preferably, the protective pad is a rubber pad that surrounds the lower portion of the waterproof cover.

In this case, the drone body is provided with a bracket in the form of a hollow tube, and the support leg is formed with an insertion protrusion inserted into the bracket at an end thereof so as to be rotatably coupled to the bracket, It is preferable to generate electricity using the rotation of the insertion protrusion.

One of the pair of support legs is an arm support leg in which a hollow tube connection portion is formed and the other is a water support bridge in which a water connection portion is rotatably inserted into the arm connection portion, Preferably, the power generation apparatus is generated by using the rotation of the female connection portion and the male connection portion.

As described above, since the self-priming drones according to the present invention are provided with the launching legs that can start to the water surface, they can be safely operated even in water. Self-charging is carried out using the rotation of the launching leg caused by waves or wavets when the battery is exhausted or at standby, so continuous operation with limited battery capacity is possible.

In addition, it can be easily recovered through self-charging even in the case of an emergency start due to exhaustion of the battery, repeating flight and self-charging and collecting information over a long period of time or moving to a target point along a preprogrammed path .

1 is a front view of a self-priming drones according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a top view of the self-priming drones of Figure 1,
Figure 3 is a side view of the self-priming drones of Figure 1,
Figure 4 is a conceptual cross-sectional view of the self-priming drones of Figure 1,
Figure 5 is a detailed view of the embankment leg of Figure 4,
FIG. 6 is a view showing a self-charging type dron according to an embodiment of the present invention,
7 to 9 are conceptual diagrams showing a connection structure of a support leg and a power generation device according to another embodiment of the present invention,
10 to 12 are conceptual diagrams showing connection structures of a support leg and a power generation device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. In order to clearly illustrate the present invention in the drawings, portions not related to the description are omitted, and like reference numerals are given to similar portions throughout the specification. Whenever a component is referred to as "including" an element throughout the specification, it is to be understood that the element may include other elements, not the exclusion of any other element, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

A self-charging drones according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Figure 1 is a front view of a self-priming drones according to one embodiment of the invention, Figure 2 is a top view of the self-priming drones of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a side view of the self- FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the embarking leg of FIG. 4. FIG.

The self-charging type dron according to the present embodiment includes the dron body 100, the launching leg 200, the support leg 300, the elastic connecting member 400, the power generating apparatus 500, and the battery 600.

The drone main body 100 is a conventional drone capable of flying using the electric power of the battery 600. [ The shape of the drone main body 100 is not particularly limited as it may vary according to the embodiment. In this embodiment, the drone main body 100 is a quad-copter type, and includes a body 110 mounted with a control device for flying and posture control, a receiver for transmitting and receiving a radio signal, And four propeller motors 120 provided at four corners of the body part 110 to allow the propeller motors 120 to fly.

A pair of embankment legs 200 are provided on the lower portion of the drone main body 100 and are arranged to be parallel to the lower portion of the drone main body 100,

The embroidery leg 200 includes a waterproof cover 210 in the form of a balloon that is made of a waterproof cloth made of a PVC material. The interior of the water-proof leg 200, that is, the interior of the water-proof cover 210, is divided into a lower battery accommodation space 211 and an upper buoyancy formation space 212. Waterproof cloth made of PVC is used for fishing boats (air-rechargeable boats generally called rubber boats). It can be sealed in a state filled with gas inside and can be made in the form of balloon.

The battery 600 is accommodated in the battery accommodating space 211 of the waterproof cover 210. In this embodiment, the batteries 600 are provided in pairs and are respectively received in the pair of the launch legs 200. [

The battery 600 is provided below the waterproof cover 210 so as to lower the center of gravity of the launching leg 200 so that the launching leg 200 can be stably mounted on the water surface.

The buoyancy forming space 212 is filled with a buoyant material 220 in the form of foam in order to fill the buoyancy forming gas or to strengthen the shape of the waterproof cover 210 while forming buoyancy.

The gas to be filled in the buoyancy forming space 212 may be a lightweight and stable helium gas, and general air may be charged. In this embodiment, the buoyancy forming space 212 is filled with a buoyant material 220 in the form of a foam instead of a gas.

Although the buoyancy forming space 212 in the upper portion of the battery accommodating space 211 is shown filled with the buoyant material 220 in the form of foam, this is only one example. According to the embodiment, the buoyancy member 220 may be filled with a tight space to enclose the battery 600 inside the waterproof cover 210.

It is possible to protect the battery 600 by absorbing shock transmitted to the battery 600 when the buoyancy material 220 is completely filled in the waterproof cover 210. Further, Thereby reducing the impact transmitted to the vehicle.

The protruding leg 200 is further provided with a protection pad 230 for protecting the waterproof cover 210. In this embodiment, the protection pad 230 is a rubber pad that surrounds the lower portion of the waterproof cover 210. The protection pad 230 allows shock to be absorbed when the launching leg 200 starts to land on the ground or lands on the ground, and prevents the waterproof cover 210 from being damaged.

The supporting leg 300 connecting the embroidery leg 200 and the drone main body 100 will be described.

The support leg 300 can be configured such that the launching leg 200 is rotatably connected to the drone main body 100 so that the launching leg 200 can rotate around the drone main body 100, So that the drone main body 100 can be supported when landing on the ground or when starting to land on the water surface.

The support legs 300 may be embodied in various forms, but in this embodiment, they are provided in the form of a cross-section. And a pair of connecting rods 320 extending downward from the main body connecting rod 310. The main body connecting rod 310 extends in the horizontal direction.

A bracket 130 is provided on the body 110 of the drone main body 100 to rotatably couple the main body coupling rod 310 of the support leg 300 to the drone main body 100, A binding port 240 is provided on the embroidery leg 200 to couple the end to the embroidery leg 200. [

The bracket 130 is provided at a lower portion of the body 110 to extend in the longitudinal direction along the longitudinal direction of the body 110. At both ends of the bracket 130, a pair of coupling-rod insertion holes 131 are formed so that both ends of the body coupling rod 310 can be inserted, respectively. In addition, a linking member supporting plate 132 for supporting the elastic connecting member 400 is formed on the bracket 130 so as to extend downward along the longitudinal direction.

The binding opening 240 is provided in the form of a ring surrounding the embroidery leg 200. The binding ports 240 are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the launching leg 200 and are provided in a pair. The binding opening 240 surrounds the opening leg 200 and allows the opening leg 200 to be coupled to the connecting rod 320 while maintaining the shape thereof.

Both ends of the main body coupling rod 310 of the support leg 300 are rotatably inserted into the coupling rod insertion hole 131 of the bracket 130 and the coupling rod 320 of the support leg 300 is coupled to the coupling hole 240, As shown in FIG.

When the pair of embroidery legs 200 are coupled to the drones 100 using the support legs 300 as described above, the pair of embroidery legs 200 can be pivoted about the drones 100 .

An elastic connecting member 400 for applying an elastic force to the supporting leg 200 is provided so that the pair of the embroidery legs 200 are pivoted and moved away from each other. In this embodiment, the elastic connecting member 400 is a tension spring for applying tension.

One side of the elastic connecting member 400 is coupled to the connecting member support plate 132 of the bracket 130 and the other side is coupled to the connecting rod 330 of the supporting leg 300. In this embodiment, four elastic connecting members 400 are provided to connect the four connecting rods 330 and the connecting member supporting plates 132, respectively.

The pair of supporting legs 200 are spaced apart from each other by the connecting member supporting plate 132 and the elastic connecting member 400. The pair of supporting legs 200 are spaced apart from each other by an external force, A force is applied in a direction of pulling each other by the elastic connecting member 400 so that the embroidery leg 200 returns to its original position.

The type and coupling type of the elastic connecting member 400 for applying the elastic force according to the embodiment can be changed. For example, a plate spring may be used instead of the tension spring as the elastic connecting member 400, and the coupling shape may be a shape directly connecting the pair of support legs 300. [

The main assembly connecting rod 310 of the support leg 300 is rotated in a state where the position is fixed to the bracket 130 by the rotation of the launching leg 200. [ Therefore, electric power can be produced by providing the power generation device 500 capable of generating electricity by using the rotation of the main body connection rod 310 at the end of the main body connection rod 310.

A generator device 500 is provided on a body 110 of the drone main body 100 at a portion connected to an end of the main body connecting rod 310. The power generating device 500 that generates electric power from rotational motion can be implemented in various forms and is well known in the prior art, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The electric power wiring for storing the generated electric power in the battery 600 or for driving the drone main body 100 using the electric power stored in the battery 600 is not shown separately and a description related thereto will be omitted.

Hereinafter, the use state of the self-charging type drones according to the present embodiment will be described.

6 is a diagram showing a state in which a self-charging type dron according to an embodiment of the present invention is put on the water surface and self-charging.

The self-charging drones of this embodiment are set on the surface of water by using the pair of embarking legs 200. A battery 600 for driving the drone main body 100 is provided on a pair of the embarking legs 200. Particularly, since the battery 600 is disposed at the lower part of the launching leg 200, its center of gravity is low and its stability is excellent.

In addition, the buoyant leg 200 is filled with a buoyant material 220 in the form of foam, so that the waterproof cover 210 can firmly maintain its shape while forming a high buoyancy. And shocks transmitted to the battery 600 and the drone main body 100 are buffered.

The embarking leg 200 floats freely along the surface waves or swells while floating on the surface of the water. The embroidery leg 200 is rotatably coupled to the drone main body 100 through the support leg 300. When the embroidery thread 200 is generated, the pair of embroidery legs 200 are rotated along the swell, And is again brought close to each other by the elastic force of the connecting member 400.

FIG. 6 shows that only the launching leg 200 is moved away from or close to the swinging leg with the drone main body 100 maintained at a constant height. However, this is a conceptual operation mode for showing that the distance between the embroidery legs 200 is changed. Actually, the drone main body 100 also swings up and down.

Rotation of the embroidery leg 200 rotates the main body coupling rod 310 of the support leg 300 in both directions and activates the power generator 500 provided at the end of the main body coupling rod 310. The power generation apparatus 500 generates electric power by using the rotational motion of the body coupling rod 310. The produced power is stored in the battery 600. [

The self-charging drones of this embodiment fly by using the electric power of the battery 600. When the battery 600 is exhausted, the self-charging drones start to sleep and self-charge is performed. As a matter of course, even if the battery 600 is not exhausted, self-charging is performed using a wave or a sweep as long as it starts to sleep.

Therefore, the conventional drones that have limited operating time, such as repeating flight and self-charging and collecting information over a long period of time, repeating flight and self-charging along the preprogrammed path, You can do things you can not do.

In addition, even when the battery is exhausted and an emergency operation is performed on the water surface, it can be recovered easily because the self-power generation and charging switches to a state ready for flying again.

On the other hand, the self-charging drones according to the present embodiment can be charged even during flight. Of course, efficiency is not as high as using a wave or a wale in a state of starting on the surface of the water, but the power is charged in the same manner as on the water surface by using the energy that the launching leg 200 shakes by the wind.

As described above, the self-charging type drones according to one embodiment of the present invention can be utilized variously without restriction due to limited battery capacity because self-charging is performed using the wave and the aerodynamic force.

The support leg 300 is rotatably coupled to the bracket 130 of the body 110 and the generator 500 is connected to the body connection rod 310 of the support leg 300, A connection structure for generating electricity from the rotation of the connecting rod 310 has been described.

However, the above connection structure is only an example, and the connection structure can be modified into various forms according to the embodiment. In the following, another embodiment of the connection structure of the support leg and the power generation device is further described.

A description will be given of the connection structure of the support leg 300a and the power generation device 500a, in which power is generated from the rotation of each support leg 300a using the two power generation devices 500a.

7 to 9 are conceptual diagrams showing connection structures of a support leg and a power generation device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

A bracket 130a arranged in the longitudinal direction of the body 110 is provided. Unlike the previous embodiment, the bracket 130a of the present embodiment has a hollow tube shape and is fixed to the lower portion of the body portion 110. [

A support leg 300a is provided. The support leg 300a is formed with an insertion protrusion 310a which is rotatably inserted at one end or the other end in the longitudinal direction of the bracket 130a. The power generator 500a that generates power by using the rotation of the insertion protrusion 310a with respect to the bracket 130a is provided integrally with the support leg 300a.

The power generation apparatus 500a generates power by using the rotation of the support leg 300a relative to the bracket 130a. More specifically, the bracket 130a serves as a stator, and the insertion protrusion 310a functions as a rotor to generate electric power.

The power produced by the power generation apparatus 500a is stored in the battery 600a. The power generator 500a provided on the two support legs 300a is connected to the battery 600a provided on the launch bridge 200a. 8 conceptually shows the battery 600a separated from the launching leg 200a in order to specifically show the connection between the power generating device 500a and the battery 600a.

A description will be given of the connection structure of the support legs 300b and 300c and the power generation device 500c for generating electricity from the rotation of the support legs 300b and 300c by using the single power generation device 500c.

10 to 12 are conceptual diagrams showing a connection structure of a support leg and a power generation device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The support legs 300b and 300c of this embodiment are divided into two types. One is a support leg 300b having a hollow tube connection 310b and the other is a support leg 300c protruding from a water connection part 310c which is rotatably inserted into the arm connection part 310b. )to be.

The support legs 300b and 300c of the present embodiment can be coupled to the body portion 110 through a bracket (not shown) in the form of a rotary shaft passing through the female connector portion 310b and the male connector portion 310c in a concentric manner.

In this embodiment, the power generation device 500c is integrally provided on the water support leg 300c. The power generation device 500c generates power by using the relative movement of the arm support leg 300b and the water support leg 300c.

More specifically, the female connecting portion 310b of the female supporting leg 300b serves as a stator, the male connecting portion 310c of the male supporting leg 300c serves as a rotor, and the female connecting portion 310b And the rotation of the male coupling portion 310c.

Power produced by the power generation apparatus 500c is stored in the battery 600b. The power generation device 500c provided on the water support leg 300c is connected to the battery 600a provided on the launching leg 200b. 11 conceptually shows the battery 600b separated from the launching leg 200b in order to specifically show the connection between the power generating device 500c and the battery 600b.

It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims .

It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects but are not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single entity may be distributed and implemented, and components described as being distributed may also be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents are to be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention do.

100: Drone body
200: embarking leg 210: waterproof cover
211: battery accommodating space 212: buoyancy forming space
220: buoyant material 230: protection pad
300: support leg
400: elastic connecting member
500: generator
600: Battery

Claims (9)

Flyable drone body;
A pair of launching legs provided so as to have buoyancy and arranged in parallel with the lower portion of the drone main body;
A pair of supporting legs pivotably connecting the pair of embroidery legs to the drones;
An elastic connecting member for applying an elastic force to the supporting legs such that the pair of the embroidery legs are pivoted and moved away from each other;
A power generating device for generating electric power from the rotation of the embroidery leg; And
And a battery for storing power produced by the power generation device,
Characterized in that self-charging is carried out by using the pair of embarking legs and using the rotation of the embarking leg by a wave or a wale while embarking on the water surface.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the battery is provided on each of the pair of the bridging legs.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the inside of the embroidery leg is divided into a lower battery accommodating space and an upper buoyancy forming space, and the battery is accommodated in the battery accommodating space.
The method of claim 3,
Wherein the water intake leg is formed of a waterproof cloth and includes a waterproof cover in the form of a balloon that seals the battery accommodating space and the buoyancy forming space, and a gas is filled in the buoyancy forming space. Rechargeable drones.
The method of claim 3,
Wherein the buoyancy forming space is filled with a buoyant material in the form of a foam foam, and the buoyancy forming space is filled with a buoyant material in the form of a foam foam. Rechargeable drones.
The method according to claim 4 or 5,
Wherein the waterproof leg further comprises a protection pad for protecting the waterproof cover.
The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the protective pad is a rubber pad that surrounds the lower portion of the waterproof cover.
The method according to claim 4 or 5,
Wherein the bracket has an insertion protrusion formed at an end thereof to be inserted into the bracket so as to be rotatably coupled to the bracket, Characterized in that the self-priming drones are generated using rotation.
The method according to claim 4 or 5,
Wherein one of the pair of support legs is an arm support leg having a hollow tube connection portion and the other is a water support bridge having a water connection portion rotatably inserted into the arm connection portion, Wherein the electric power is generated by the rotation of the female connector and the male connector.

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