KR102442281B1 - Unmanned aerial vehicle and battery supply method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a control unit for controlling the vehicle; a body including the control unit; at least one first motor; one or more arms connecting the body and the one or more motors; a rotor blade connected to the first motor to rotate; and a power supply unit disposed inside the body to supply power, wherein the power supply unit includes a second motor, a rotating shaft connected to the second motor, a plurality of battery slots connected to the rotating shaft, and the plurality of batteries It provides an unmanned aerial vehicle including a battery and a cover that surrounds the perimeter of the power supply unit respectively disposed in the slot and opens and closes the upper end or lower end according to the control of the control unit.

Description

Unmanned aerial vehicle and battery supply method for the same

An embodiment of the present invention relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle and a method for supplying an unmanned aerial vehicle battery.

In general, 　Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) refers to an aircraft without a pilot on board, and it can fly autonomously by remote control on the ground or in an automatic or semi-automatic format along a pre-programmed route, or An aircraft that performs its mission according to its own environmental judgment.

Recently, interest in technology that uses drones to perform specified missions is increasing, and using drones to detect various optical, infrared, and radar sensors depending on the field of application for surveillance, reconnaissance, induction of precision attack weapons, communication and It performs a mission such as information relay, and the example is as follows.

However, the conventional 　 unmanned aircraft is a system in which power is always supplied to the equipment when the equipment for performing the mission is attached to the 　 unmanned aircraft.

In addition, when replacing equipment, it was necessary to reconnect and recheck the communication between the unmanned vehicle and the ground control room after the equipment was replaced because it was necessary to remove the battery or cut off the power to the unmanned vehicle. There was a problem with this delay.

An object of the present invention is to provide an unmanned aerial vehicle and a battery supply method for an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of supplying a battery through autonomous judgment between unmanned aerial vehicles.

According to an embodiment, a control unit for controlling the vehicle; a body including the control unit; at least one first motor; one or more arms connecting the body and the one or more motors; a rotor blade connected to the first motor to rotate; and a power supply unit disposed inside the body to supply power, wherein the power supply unit includes a second motor, a rotating shaft connected to the second motor, a plurality of battery slots connected to the rotating shaft, and the plurality of batteries It provides an unmanned aerial vehicle including a battery and a cover that surrounds the perimeter of the power supply unit respectively disposed in the slot and opens and closes the upper end or lower end according to the control of the control unit.

The power supply unit may further include a sensing unit provided for each of the battery slots to detect the remaining amount of the battery.

The controller may change the battery connected to the power supply terminal by rotating the second motor according to the remaining amount of the battery.

When the total of the plurality of remaining batteries is less than or equal to the first set value, the control unit rotates the second motor so that the battery with the lowest remaining battery power faces the ground, and then opens the lower end of the cover to drop the battery. .

Further comprising a communication unit for performing wireless communication with another unmanned aerial vehicle, the control unit may transmit a battery supply request signal to the other unmanned aerial vehicle through the communication unit when the total of a plurality of remaining batteries is less than or equal to a first set value.

The communication unit may receive a battery supply permission signal from another unmanned aerial vehicle, and the control unit may rotate the second motor after approaching the lower side of the other unmanned aerial vehicle, and then open the upper end of the cover part.

Further comprising a communication unit for performing wireless communication with another unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the control unit responds to the battery supply request signal of the other unmanned aerial vehicle received through the communication unit when the total of the plurality of remaining batteries is equal to or greater than a second set value A supply permission signal may be transmitted.

After the control unit approaches the upper side of the other unmanned aerial vehicle and rotates the second motor, the lower end of the cover is opened to drop the battery.

Further comprising a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor for measuring the location information of the unmanned aerial vehicle and an altitude sensor for measuring the altitude information of the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the control unit includes location information transmitted and received through the GPS module and the altitude sensor; The relative position with other unmanned aerial vehicles can be determined using the altitude information.

According to an embodiment, the step of the first unmanned aerial vehicle detecting a plurality of remaining battery power; transmitting a battery supply request signal to another unmanned aerial vehicle when the total of the remaining battery power of the first unmanned vehicle is less than or equal to a first set value; receiving the battery supply request signal by the second unmanned aerial vehicle; detecting, by the second unmanned aerial vehicle, a plurality of remaining batteries; when the second unmanned aerial vehicle has a total amount of a plurality of remaining batteries equal to or greater than a second set value, returning a battery supply permission signal in response to the battery supply request signal; opening the upper end of the cover part of the power supply unit after the first unmanned aerial vehicle approaches the lower side of the second unmanned aerial vehicle; and dropping the battery into the first unmanned aerial vehicle by opening the lower end of the cover portion of the power supply unit by the second unmanned aerial vehicle.

The first unmanned aerial vehicle and the second unmanned aerial vehicle may include a controller for controlling the vehicle; a body including the control unit; at least one first motor; one or more arms connecting the body and the one or more motors; a rotor blade connected to the first motor to rotate; and a power supply unit disposed inside the body to supply power, wherein the power supply unit includes a second motor, a rotating shaft connected to the second motor, a plurality of battery slots connected to the rotating shaft, and the plurality of batteries It provides a battery supply method for an unmanned aerial vehicle including a battery disposed in each slot and a cover part that surrounds the periphery of the power supply and opens and closes the top or bottom according to the control of the controller.

The power supply unit may further include a sensing unit provided for each of the battery slots to detect the remaining amount of the battery.

The controller may change the battery connected to the power supply terminal by rotating the second motor according to the remaining amount of the battery.

The first unmanned aerial vehicle and the second unmanned aerial vehicle further include a global positioning system (GPS) sensor for measuring location information of the unmanned aerial vehicle and an altitude sensor for measuring altitude information of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the first unmanned aerial vehicle The flying vehicle and the second unmanned aerial vehicle may determine a relative position with another unmanned aerial vehicle by using location information and altitude information transmitted and received through the GPS module and the altitude sensor.

According to the embodiment, there is provided a computer-readable recording medium in which a program for executing the above-described method in a computer is recorded.

According to the present invention, the unmanned aerial vehicle and the unmanned aerial vehicle battery supply method may perform battery supply through autonomous communication and determination between the unmanned aerial vehicle.

In addition, it is possible to supply a battery between the unmanned aerial vehicle without stopping the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

In addition, through this, it is possible to perform a task that requires a long flight, such as inspection of a power transmission line.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment.
2 is a configuration block diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment.
3 to 5 are conceptual diagrams for explaining a power supply unit according to an embodiment.
6 is a flowchart of a method for supplying an unmanned aerial vehicle battery according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

However, the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited to some embodiments described, but may be implemented in various different forms, and within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention, one or more of the components may be selected between the embodiments. It can be combined and substituted for use.

In addition, terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the embodiments of the present invention may be generally understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains, unless specifically defined and described explicitly. It may be interpreted as a meaning, and generally used terms such as terms defined in advance may be interpreted in consideration of the contextual meaning of the related art.

In addition, the terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

In this specification, the singular form may also include the plural form unless otherwise specified in the phrase, and when it is described as "at least one (or one or more) of A and (and) B, C", it is combined with A, B, C It may include one or more of all possible combinations.

In addition, in describing the components of the embodiment of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used.

These terms are only for distinguishing the component from other components, and are not limited to the essence, order, or order of the component by the term.

And, when it is described that a component is 'connected', 'coupled' or 'connected' to another component, the component is not only directly connected, coupled or connected to the other component, but also with the component It may also include the case of 'connected', 'coupled' or 'connected' due to another element between the other elements.

In addition, when it is described as being formed or disposed on "above (above) or under (below)" of each component, the top (above) or bottom (below) is one as well as when two components are in direct contact with each other. Also includes a case in which another component as described above is formed or disposed between two components. In addition, when expressed as "upper (upper) or lower (lower)", the meaning of not only an upper direction but also a lower direction based on one component may be included.

Hereinafter, the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or corresponding components are given the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and the overlapping description thereof will be omitted.

1 is a diagram schematically showing an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the embodiment.

1 and 2, the unmanned aircraft 1 according to the embodiment includes a control unit 10, a body 20, a first motor 30, one or more arms 40, one or more rotor blades 50, It may include a communication unit 60 , a GPS sensor 70 , an altitude sensor 80 , and a power supply unit 100 .

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (1) may refer to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in which a person does not board. That is, 　 unmanned 　 vehicle (1) is an aircraft that does not have a pilot on board, and it can mean an aircraft that follows a pre-entered program, or according to remote control of a management device, or 　 the aircraft recognizes and judges the surrounding environment and flies by itself. can

The propeller or rotor of the unmanned vehicle 1 can generate thrust in the vertical direction to lift the vehicle, and generate thrust in the horizontal direction to provide forward movement.

The unmanned 　 vehicle 1 can be used for military or reconnaissance purposes and collect information by reconnaissance of the enemy or by searching the terrain. In addition, the 　 unmanned 　 vehicle 1 can perform ground operations in the terrain where penetration is difficult in parallel with the mobile robot. The unmanned 　 vehicle 1 can be used for industrial purposes to survey land or spray pesticides. In addition, the 　 unmanned 　 vehicle 1 can be quickly put into an emergency situation based on the location tracking function to rescue the victims and the fallen in an emergency situation. In addition, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 may perform a task difficult for an operator to perform, such as a power transmission line inspection.

The unmanned 　 vehicle 1 may be connected to the 　 unmanned 　 vehicle 　 management device (not shown) through a wireless network.

In FIG. 1, the enclosure of the unmanned aircraft 1 includes a body, at least one first motor, one or more arms connecting the body and one or more first motors, and a rotor that rotates by being connected to the first motor. may include

The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to the embodiment is illustrated as a quadcopter including four each of the first motor 30 , the arm 40 and the rotor blade 50 , but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the unmanned vehicle 1 may be any one of a rotor-type vehicle such as a dual copter, a tri copter, a hexacopter, and an octo copter. In addition, the unmanned vehicle 1 may be a fixed-wing type vehicle in which the wings do not rotate like a normal airplane.

The body 20 may include components of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 including the control unit 10 . For example, the body 20 may include a control unit 10 , a communication unit 60 , and a power supply unit 100 for driving the unmanned aircraft 1 .

In addition, the body 20 further includes a sensor element capable of observing the surrounding environment or measuring a physical quantity, such as an image sensor (not shown), a GPS sensor 70, an altitude sensor 80, and a gyro sensor (not shown). can do.

The body 20 may be made of a lightweight material of high hardness. For example, the body 20 may be made of any one of a carbon (Carbon) material, an ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) material, and a PC (Polycarbonate) material, but the present invention is not limited thereto. As will be described later, a portion of the upper region and a portion of the lower region of the body 20 may constitute the cover portion of the power supply unit 100, and a state in which a portion of the upper or lower region is opened to the outside according to the opening/closing operation of the cover portion. can keep

The first motor 30 may generate thrust of the unmanned aircraft 1 . The first motor 30 may be, for example, any one of a brush motor, a step motor, and a brushless motor. In addition, the first motor 30 may be directly connected to the rotor blade 50 to drive the rotor blade 50 or may be connected to the rotor blade 50 and through one or more gears to drive the rotor blade 50 . The type of the first motor 30 and the connection method between the first motor 30 and the rotor blade 50 may vary depending on the use and type of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 .

Referring to FIG. 1 , the unmanned aircraft 1 is a quadcopter and may include four first motors 30 .

The arm 40 according to an embodiment of the present invention may connect the body 20 and the first motor 30 .

The arm 40 may protrude from one side of the body 20 to support the first motor 30 . In this case, the arm 40 may be disposed radially from the body 20 . For example, the arms 40 may be disposed in directions of 0 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees with respect to the center of gravity of the body 20 as a reference point.

The arm 40 may include a connection part (not shown) that electrically connects the control unit 10 and the first motor 30 to the inside and/or outside of the arm. The connection unit (not shown) may transmit power for driving the first motor 30 from the power supply unit to the first motor 30 .

The arm 40 may be made of a lightweight material with high hardness. For example, the arm 40, like the body 20, may be made of any one of a carbon material, an ABS material, and a PC (polycarbonate) material, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 1 , an unmanned vehicle 1 is a quadcopter and may include four arms 40 .

The rotary wing (Rotary Wing) 50 according to the embodiment is connected to each of one or more first motors 30 to rotate and generate thrust.

The material, length, and pitch angle of the rotor blade 50 may vary depending on the use and type of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 .

The unmanned aircraft 1 of FIG. 1 is a quadcopter, and may include four rotor blades 50 connected to four first motors 30 .

The communication unit 60 may perform wireless communication with other unmanned aerial vehicles, and may transmit a battery supply request signal to other unmanned aerial vehicles.

In addition, the communication unit 60 may receive a battery supply permission signal from another unmanned aerial vehicle.

The communication unit 60 may operate under the control of the control unit 10 to perform data communication with other unmanned aerial vehicles.

In addition, the communication unit 60 may exchange location information and altitude information by periodically performing data communication with other unmanned aerial vehicles.

For example, the communication unit 60 is a wireless LAN (Wireless LAN: WLAN), Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless Broadband: Wibro), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access: Wimax), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink) Packet Access), IEEE 802.16, Long Term Evolution (LTE), and data communication may be performed using a long-distance communication technology such as Wireless Mobile Broadband Service (WMBS).

Alternatively, the communication unit 60 may include Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), Zigbee, and Near Field Communication (NFC). In addition, as the wired communication technology, data communication may be performed using a short-distance communication technology such as USB communication, Ethernet, serial communication, or an optical/coaxial cable.

The GPS sensor 70 may measure location information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 . The GPS sensor 70 is a sensor that receives a GPS signal, receives satellite signals from a plurality of satellites, and can measure location information by demodulating satellite data from the received satellite signals.

The altitude sensor 80 may measure altitude information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 . The altitude sensor 80 can use a pressure sensor to measure the altitude. For example, when the pressure deforms the diaphragm, using the semiconductor piezo resistance effect in which the resistance value changes when the altitude sensor 80 receives pressure. The value of the gas diffusion type piezo resistance attached to the pressure reducing element changes, and altitude information can be measured through this principle.

3 to 5 are conceptual diagrams for explaining a power supply unit according to an embodiment.

1 to 5 , the power supply unit 100 may be disposed inside the body 20 to supply power. The power supply unit 100 may supply power for the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 to operate.

The power supply unit 100 may include a second motor 110 , a rotation shaft 120 , a plurality of battery slots 130 , a plurality of batteries 140 , a cover unit 150 , and a sensing unit 160 . .

The second motor 110 is driven by receiving power from the battery 140 , and may perform rotational motion under the control of the controller 10 . For example, the second motor 110 may perform rotational motion at intervals of 90 degrees under the control of the controller 10 .

One end of the rotating shaft 120 is connected to the second motor 110 , and may perform a rotational motion in conjunction with the second motor 110 . A bracket 152 may be disposed between the other end of the rotation shaft 120 and the rotation shaft 120 and the second motor 110 .

The plurality of battery slots 130 may be connected to the rotation shaft 120 . The battery slot 130 may include a link part 1310 mounted to the rotation shaft 120 and a slot part 1320 in which a battery is mounted.

The link unit 1310 is coupled to the middle portion of the rotation shaft 120 , and may perform a rotation motion in association with the rotation shaft 120 . The link unit 1310 may include four beams 1311 arranged in a cross-shaped structure. The four beams 1311 may be respectively disposed in the upper, lower, left, and right around the empty central region to form a cross.

The slot unit 1320 may include four accommodating units 1321 in the form of an open arch. The arc-shaped accommodating part 1321 is disposed so that the inner space for accommodating the battery 140 faces outward, and the arc-shaped part may be coupled to the link part 1310 . The accommodating part 1321 may be disposed in a space in which four beams 1311 constituting the link part 1310 intersect each other. Through this, the slot unit 1320 may perform a rotational movement in conjunction with the link unit 1310 . Brackets 1322 for preventing detachment of the battery 140 may be respectively mounted at both ends of the accommodating part 1321 .

The batteries 140 may be respectively disposed in the plurality of battery slots 130 . The batteries 140 may be respectively disposed in the inner space of the arc-shaped accommodating part 1321 . The battery 140 may be configured as a lithium polymer battery. Lithium polymer batteries reduce the risk of explosion by making the electrolyte into a gel type and can be made thin and various shapes, making them suitable for portable devices such as unmanned aerial vehicles (1). The size of the battery 140 is smaller than the inner space of the accommodating part 1321 , and therefore, when gravity or an external force of a similar magnitude is applied, it may escape to the outside through the open top of the accommodating part 1321 . However, since brackets 1322 are mounted on both ends of the receiving unit 1321 , left and right deviation or movement due to the driving force or inertia of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 can be suppressed.

The cover part 150 surrounds the periphery of the power supply part 100 , and the upper part or the lower part may be opened and closed according to the control of the controller 10 . The cover part 150 may have a cylindrical shape. A rotating shaft 120 , a battery slot 130 , a battery 140 , and a sensing unit 160 constituting the power supply unit 100 may be disposed inside the cover unit 150 . The second motor 110 may be disposed outside the cover part 150 , and may provide rotational force to the battery slot 130 through the rotation shaft 120 .

Brackets 152 are mounted at both ends of the cover unit 150 to prevent separation of the battery slot 130 and the battery 140 in the front-rear direction.

An actuator (not shown) that moves in the front-rear direction along the inside of the cover part 150 may be disposed inside the cover part 150 . The top or bottom of the cover 150 may be opened and closed in a sliding manner by driving of an actuator. That is, grooves are provided at the top and bottom of the cover part 150 , and the slider part 151 may be provided to be slidable in and out of the cover part 150 through the grooves. The width and width of the slider unit 151 may be formed to be larger than the width and width of the battery 140 . Through this, the individual batteries 140 may be discharged to the outside of the cover unit 150 through the open surface formed when the slider unit 151 moves to the inside of the cover unit 150 . In a state in which the upper and lower ends are not opened, the inner peripheral surface of the cover part 150 is in contact with both end points of the receiving part 1321 or is spaced apart by several mm to tens of mm so that the battery 140 moves to the outside of the cover part 150 . escape can be prevented.

The slider unit 151 may constitute a part of an upper region and a part of a lower region of the body 20 . That is, a portion of the upper or lower region of the unmanned aerial vehicle body 20 may be maintained in an open state according to the opening/closing operation of the slider unit 151 .

A power supply line or a power supply terminal (not shown) is provided inside the power supply unit 100 to supply power from the battery 140 to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 . The power supply line or power supply terminal may be provided to be electrically connected to at least one accommodating part 1321 of the left accommodating part and the right accommodating part except for the upper accommodating part or the lower accommodating part.

The sensing unit 160 may be provided for each battery slot 130 to detect the remaining amount of the battery 140 . The sensing unit 160 may be configured as a current transformer, and may be provided in each of the battery slots 130 to independently detect the remaining amount of the battery 140 .

The controller 10 may change the battery 140 connected to the power supply terminal by rotating the second motor 110 according to the remaining amount of the battery 140 .

That is, the controller 10 may change the battery 140 connected to the power supply line or the power supply terminal by rotating the battery slot 130 through the second motor 110 . For example, when the battery 140 is supplied from another unmanned aerial vehicle, the controller 10 may control the second motor 110 to connect the supplied battery 140 to a power supply line or a power supply terminal. .

In addition, the controller 10 may rotate the battery slot 130 through the second motor 110 to move the battery 140 to be replaced in a downward direction. At this time, the control unit 10 rotates the second motor 110 so that the replacement target battery 140 faces downward, and then drives the actuator of the cover unit 150 to open the lower end of the cover unit 150 . , it is possible to drop the battery 140 downward of the unmanned aerial vehicle (1). In an embodiment, the replacement target battery 140 may mean a battery whose remaining battery capacity is measured with the smallest amount through the sensing unit 160 .

Alternatively, the controller 10 may rotate the battery slot 130 through the second motor 110 to move the supply target battery 140 downward. At this time, the control unit 10 rotates the second motor 110 so that the supply target battery 140 faces downward, and then drives the actuator of the cover unit 150 to open the lower end of the cover unit 150 . , the battery 150 may be dropped onto the open upper part of the other unmanned aerial vehicle. At this time, the control unit 10 may determine the relative position with other unmanned aerial vehicles using the position information and altitude information transmitted and received through the GPS sensor 70 and the altitude sensor 80 .

Also, the controller 10 may move the empty battery slot 130 upward by rotating the battery slot 130 through the second motor 110 . At this time, the control unit 10 rotates the second motor 110 so that the empty slot faces upward, and then drives the actuator of the cover unit 150 to open the upper end of the cover unit 150, so that other unmanned The battery 140 may be supplied from the vehicle.

For example, when the sum of the plurality of remaining batteries is less than or equal to the first set value, the control unit 10 rotates the second motor 110 so that the battery 140 with the lowest remaining battery power faces the ground, and then the cover part The lower end of the 150 may be opened to drop the battery 140 . That is, when the total of the remaining battery power is less than or equal to the first preset value, the controller 10 creates an empty battery slot for receiving the battery 140 from another unmanned aerial vehicle, the battery 140 with the lowest remaining battery power. can be emitted.

The controller 10 may transmit a battery supply request signal to the other unmanned aerial vehicle through the communication unit 60 when the total of the plurality of remaining batteries is equal to or less than the first set value. After creating an empty battery slot, the controller 10 may transmit a battery supply request signal to another unmanned aerial vehicle to perform a preliminary operation for receiving the battery 140 . The battery supply request signal may include location information of the GPS sensor 70 and altitude information of the altitude sensor 80 . In addition, the battery supply request signal may include unmanned aerial vehicle identification information.

In this case, the controller 10 may sequentially transmit a battery supply request signal to the other unmanned aerial vehicle according to the proximity distance by using the position information and the altitude information periodically exchanged with the other unmanned aerial vehicle. After transmitting the battery supply request signal to the closest other unmanned aerial vehicle, if the control unit 10 does not receive the battery supply permission signal within a predetermined time, it transmits the battery supply request signal to the second closest unmanned aerial vehicle. According to the proximity distance, it is possible to sequentially transmit a battery supply request signal to other unmanned aerial vehicles.

The control unit 10 may rotate the second motor 110 after approaching the lower side of the other unmanned aerial vehicle, and then open the upper end of the cover unit 150 . When receiving the battery supply permission signal from the other unmanned aerial vehicle, the controller 10 may control the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 to approach the other unmanned aerial vehicle that has transmitted the battery supply permission signal. The battery supply permission signal includes location information and altitude information of other unmanned aerial vehicles, and the controller 10 may control the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 to approach other unmanned aerial vehicles by using them. The control unit 10 rotates the second motor 110 so that the empty slot faces upward when approaching the lower side of the other unmanned aerial vehicle, and then drives the actuator of the cover unit 150 to close the top of the cover unit 150 . By opening, the battery 140 may be supplied from another unmanned aerial vehicle.

In addition, when the total of the plurality of remaining batteries is equal to or greater than the second set value, the controller 10 may transmit a battery supply permission signal in response to the battery supply request signal of the other unmanned aerial vehicle received through the communication unit 60 . That is, the controller 10 may transmit a battery supply signal for supplying the battery 140 from another unmanned aerial vehicle when the sum of the remaining battery amounts is equal to or greater than the second preset value. The controller 10 may return a battery supply impossible signal upon receiving the battery supply request signal when the total of the remaining battery amounts is less than the second preset value. The battery supply permission signal may include location information of the GPS sensor 70 and altitude information of the altitude sensor 80 . In addition, the battery supply permission signal may include unmanned aerial vehicle identification information. After approaching the upper side of the other unmanned aerial vehicle that has transmitted the battery supply request signal, the control unit 10 rotates the second motor 110 , and then opens the lower end of the cover unit 150 to drop the battery 140 . .

6 is a flowchart of a method for supplying an unmanned aerial vehicle battery according to an embodiment.

First, the first unmanned aerial vehicle may detect a plurality of remaining batteries (S601).

The first unmanned aerial vehicle may transmit a battery supply request signal to the other unmanned aerial vehicle when the sum of the remaining battery amounts is less than or equal to the first set value (S602).

Next, the second unmanned aerial vehicle receiving the battery supply request signal may detect a plurality of remaining batteries ( S603 ).

The second unmanned aerial vehicle may return a battery supply permission signal in response to the battery supply request signal when the total of the plurality of remaining batteries is equal to or greater than the second set value (S604).

Next, the first unmanned aerial vehicle rotates the second motor so that the replacement target battery faces downward, and then drives the actuator of the cover to open the lower end of the cover, thereby dropping the battery to the bottom of the first unmanned aerial vehicle. can be (S605).

Next, the first unmanned aerial vehicle receiving the battery supply permission signal may open the top of the cover part of the power supply unit after approaching the lower side of the second unmanned aerial vehicle (S606).

Next, the second unmanned aerial vehicle may drop the battery into the first unmanned aerial vehicle by opening the lower end of the cover part of the power supply unit (S607).

The method according to the embodiment may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable recording medium. In this case, the medium may be to continuously store the program executable by the computer, or to temporarily store the program for execution or download. In addition, the medium may be various recording means or storage means in the form of a single or several hardware combined, it is not limited to a medium directly connected to any computer system, and may exist distributed on a network. Examples of the medium include a hard disk, a magnetic medium such as a floppy disk and a magnetic tape, an optical recording medium such as CD-ROM and DVD, a magneto-optical medium such as a floppy disk, and those configured to store program instructions, including ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. In addition, examples of other media include an app store that distributes applications, a site that supplies or distributes various other software, and a recording medium or storage medium managed by a server.

The term '~ unit' used in this embodiment means software or hardware components such as field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or ASIC, and '~ unit' performs certain roles. However, '-part' is not limited to software or hardware. '~unit' may be configured to reside on an addressable storage medium or may be configured to refresh one or more processors. Thus, as an example, '~' denotes components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, and processes, functions, properties, and procedures. , subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functions provided in the components and '~ units' may be combined into a smaller number of components and '~ units' or further separated into additional components and '~ units'. In addition, components and '~ units' may be implemented to play one or more CPUs in a device or secure multimedia card.

Although the above has been described with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art can variously modify and change the present invention within the scope without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. You will understand that it can be done.

1: unmanned aerial vehicle
10: control
20: body
30: first motor
40: cancer
50: rotorcraft
60: communication department
70: GPS sensor
80: altitude sensor
90: power supply

Claims (15)

a control unit for controlling the aircraft;
a body including the control unit;
at least one first motor;
one or more arms connecting the body and the one or more motors;
a rotor blade connected to the first motor to rotate; and
and a power supply unit disposed inside the body to supply power,
The power supply unit wraps around a second motor, a rotating shaft connected to the second motor, a plurality of battery slots connected to the rotating shaft, batteries disposed in the plurality of battery slots, respectively, and the power supply unit of the control unit. Includes a cover part that opens or closes at the top or bottom according to control,
The power supply unit further comprises a sensing unit provided for each battery slot to detect the remaining amount of the battery,
The control unit rotates the second motor according to the remaining amount of the battery to change the battery connected to the power supply terminal.
delete delete According to claim 1,
The control unit rotates the second motor so that the battery with the lowest remaining battery power faces the ground when the sum of the plurality of remaining batteries is less than or equal to the first set value, and then opens the lower end of the cover to drop the battery. .
5. The method of claim 4,
It further includes a communication unit for performing wireless communication with other unmanned aerial vehicles,
The control unit transmits a battery supply request signal to another unmanned aerial vehicle through the communication unit when the sum of the plurality of remaining batteries is less than or equal to a first set value.
6. The method of claim 5,
The communication unit receives a battery supply permission signal from another unmanned aerial vehicle,
The control unit approaches the lower side of the other unmanned aerial vehicle and rotates the second motor, and then opens the upper end of the cover unit.
According to claim 1,
It further includes a communication unit for performing wireless communication with other unmanned aerial vehicles,
The control unit transmits a battery supply permission signal in response to a battery supply request signal of another unmanned aerial vehicle received through the communication unit when the total of the plurality of remaining batteries is equal to or greater than a second set value.
8. The method of claim 7,
The control unit approaches the top of the other unmanned aerial vehicle and rotates the second motor, and then opens the lower end of the cover to drop the battery.
9. The method of claim 6 or 8,
Further comprising a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor for measuring the location information of the unmanned aerial vehicle and an altitude sensor for measuring the altitude information of the unmanned aerial vehicle,
The control unit is an unmanned aerial vehicle for determining a relative position with another unmanned aerial vehicle by using the position information and altitude information transmitted and received through the GPS sensor and the altitude sensor.
detecting, by a first unmanned aerial vehicle, a plurality of remaining batteries;
transmitting a battery supply request signal to another unmanned aerial vehicle when the total of the remaining battery power of the first unmanned vehicle is less than or equal to a first set value;
receiving the battery supply request signal by a second unmanned aerial vehicle;
detecting, by the second unmanned aerial vehicle, a plurality of remaining batteries;
when the second unmanned aerial vehicle has a total amount of a plurality of remaining batteries equal to or greater than a second set value, returning a battery supply permission signal in response to the battery supply request signal;
opening the upper end of the cover part of the power supply unit after the first unmanned aerial vehicle approaches the lower side of the second unmanned aerial vehicle; and
and dropping the battery into the first unmanned aerial vehicle by opening the lower end of the cover part of the power supply unit by the second unmanned aerial vehicle.
11. The method of claim 10,
The first unmanned aerial vehicle and the second unmanned aerial vehicle are
a control unit for controlling the aircraft;
a body including the control unit;
at least one first motor;
one or more arms connecting the body and the one or more motors;
a rotor blade connected to the first motor to rotate; and
and a power supply unit disposed inside the body to supply power,
The power supply unit wraps around a second motor, a rotating shaft connected to the second motor, a plurality of battery slots connected to the rotating shaft, batteries disposed in the plurality of battery slots, respectively, and the power supply unit of the control unit. An unmanned aerial vehicle battery supply method including a cover part that opens or closes the top or bottom according to control.
11. The method of claim 10,
The power supply unit is provided for each battery slot, the unmanned aerial vehicle battery supply method further comprising a sensing unit for detecting the remaining amount of the battery.
12. The method of claim 11,
The control unit rotates the second motor according to the remaining amount of the battery, and the unmanned aerial vehicle battery supply method to change the battery connected to the power supply terminal.
11. The method of claim 10,
The first unmanned aerial vehicle and the second unmanned aerial vehicle are
Further comprising a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor for measuring the location information of the unmanned aerial vehicle and an altitude sensor for measuring the altitude information of the unmanned aerial vehicle,
The first unmanned aerial vehicle and the second unmanned aerial vehicle battery supply method for determining a relative position with another unmanned aerial vehicle using location information and altitude information transmitted and received through the GPS sensor and the altitude sensor.
A computer-readable recording medium in which a program for causing a computer to execute the method of any one of claims 10 to 14 is recorded.

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