KR20180027464A - A Drone Having a Converting Structure for RunningUnder Water - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a drone of an underwater operation conversion structure, and more specifically, to a structure capable of underwater operation when underwater observation is required in an air flight process. The drone of an underwater operation conversion structure includes a main body (11); at least one propulsion unit (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d) coupled to the main body (11); and an altitude detection unit (18). The at least one propulsion unit (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d) is convertible from a floating structure to an underwater propulsion structure.

Description

A drone Having a Converting Structure for Running Water

The present invention relates to a drone of an underwater operation conversion structure, and more particularly to a drone of an underwater operation conversion structure capable of underwater operation so that underwater observation can be performed in the air flight process.

Drone, which is an unmanned aerial vehicle, has been used for a variety of purposes from military to commercial. Generally, drones can be divided into target drone, reconnaissance drone, and surveillance drone. Recently, drones have been developed for commercial use and have various structures or uses. The drones can be composed of a flying body forming a flight body, a remote control module for controlling the flying body, and a communication module for communication between the flying body and the remote control module. The airplane consists of a body of the airplane, a wing-shaped body, and a tail rotor for the helicopter, and power for the operation of the airplane can be supplied by the lithium-polymer battery. In addition, the aircraft can have various detection units. The air vehicle can be controlled by a remote controller or a control server, for example, by a wireless communication band of 2.4 GHz, and the remote controller can communicate with the air vehicle. Various techniques relating to the structure or use of the drones are known in the art.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2015-0140172 discloses a drone unit having buoyancy and vertical landing and landing capability to be floating on a watercourse, and capable of unmanned flying or moving to a target point; A side scan sonar mounted on the drone unit so as to probe the seabed; And a position control unit mounted on the dron unit so that the dron unit transmits and receives position information of the target point or the current position and is movable to the target point. The prior art also includes a droned body having buoyancy to float on the water and be movable; A vertical takeoff and landing propeller unit which is vertically flush with the drone main body and is arranged in pairs at a forward portion and a stern portion of the drone main body so as to be able to move with a driving force; And a position control unit mounted on the drone main body to control the propeller unit for vertical take-off and landing based on position information provided from the satellite, wherein the propeller unit for vertical take- And a sideward scanning sonar that can be mounted on the drones main body to search the seam of the target point area.

Patent Registration No. 10-1587893 discloses a golf club having a receiving space of a predetermined size therein and a hatch having an access hatch at the front thereof and a forwardly and rearwardly extending forwardly and horizontally perpendicularly protruding a predetermined length, A hull having a stern; A flying body having a built-in GPS, a transceiver, a control device, and a power source and fixed and installed on a top surface of a central portion of the hull; A plurality of arms protruding from both sides of the fore and aft ends, respectively; A drive motor installed at the other end of each arm; And a rotary vane shaft-connected to the respective drive motors.

The prior art does not disclose drones which are capable of running on the water but capable of airborne flight and simultaneously running underwater. In the process of exploring underwater in the air for exploration below sea level, it may be required that the drone descends below sea level for precision exploration. Therefore, although the prior art does not disclose such drone, it is necessary to make a drone capable of airborne and underwater operation.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art and has the following purpose.

Prior Art 1: Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2015-0140172 (published by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. on Dec. 15, 2015) Undersea scanning system and dron vehicle Prior Art 2: Patent Registration No. 10-1587893 (Samwoo Corporation, Jon Do Han, Announcement on January 22, 2016) Drone boat

An object of the present invention is to provide a drone of an underwater operation conversion structure capable of airborne and underwater operation by conversion of a propulsion unit.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the drone of the underwater travel conversion structure comprises a main body; At least one propulsion unit coupled to the main body; And an altitude detection unit, said at least one propulsion unit being convertible from a floating structure to an underwater propulsion structure.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one propulsion unit is rotatable about a central axis coupled to the main body.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus further includes a direction detection unit disposed in front of the main body.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the steering apparatus further includes a steering unit disposed in the main body.

According to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is further provided a buoy unit coupled to the main body, the buoy unit having a tracking cable connected to the main body.

According to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus further includes a water depth detection unit for detecting the water depth.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a time setting unit for determining the time to be converted from the floating structure to the underwater propulsion structure, and a time determination unit for determining the time of contact with the sea surface.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is further provided a sea level landing unit for holding the main body at sea level.

The drones according to the present invention can be applied to a variety of observations or explorations including underwater exploration by allowing air flight and underwater operation. The drones according to the invention also allow the underwater operation to be made possible by a modification of the propulsion unit, thereby eliminating the need for an independent underwater propulsion system. In addition, the drones according to the present invention are capable of communicating with on-ground control centers in water by means of a buoy-structured communication unit, thereby enabling control of underwater operation of the drones.

Figure 1 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of a drones according to the present invention.
Figure 2 shows an embodiment of a drones according to the invention.
FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the underwater running structure of the drones of FIG. 2; FIG.
Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of the operating structure of the drones according to the present invention.
5 illustrates an embodiment in which a dron according to the present invention is applied.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the following description, components having the same reference numerals in different drawings have similar functions, so that they will not be described repeatedly unless necessary for an understanding of the invention, and the known components will be briefly described or omitted. However, It should not be understood as being excluded from the embodiment of Fig.

Figure 1 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of a drones according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the drone of the underwater travel conversion structure includes a main body 11; At least one propulsion unit (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d) coupled to the main body (11); And an altitude detection unit (18), said at least one propulsion unit (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d) being convertible from a floating structure to an underwater propulsion structure.

The drones according to the present invention can have various sensors, actuators, electric power sources or communication means of an unmanned aerial vehicle, and can fly in the same manner as a known unmanned aerial vehicle. Further, the drones according to the present invention can have various functions of the unmanned aerial vehicle. It is further characterized in that underwater operation is possible by converting the structure of the unmanned aerial vehicle or by adding additional units to the structure of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Therefore, the drone according to the present invention is not limited by the equipment or the function of the unmanned aerial vehicle. For the sake of brevity and clarity of the present invention, the structure or function of the unmanned aerial vehicle will not be described in detail, but the present invention should not be construed as being limited thereto.

The main body 11 may be in the form of a cylinder which is entirely wired or has a smaller diameter in the longitudinal direction, but is not limited thereto and can be formed into various shapes known in the art. At least one propulsion unit 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d can be disposed on the side surface of the main body 11 by the central axes 121, 122, 123, 124. The central axes 121, 122, 123 and 124 may be four on both sides of the main body 11 but are not limited thereto. The center axes 121, 122, 123 and 124 may be formed in a joint structure and may include a fixed shaft 124a coupled to the main body 11 and driving units 12a, 12b, 12c, And a joint joint 124c connected to the joint shaft 124b and the fixed shaft 124a so that the joint shaft 124b can be folded at a predetermined angle. A receiving cylinder 126 may be formed in the main body 11 so that the fixing shaft 124a can be moved into the receiving cylinder 126. [ In this structure, the propulsion units 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d can be converted from the levitation structure to the underwater propulsion structure by the joint joint 124c. For example, in the case of a public flight, the propulsion units 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d are directed upward, and in the case of underwater operation, the propulsion units 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d are driven by the joints 124c, To the rear. Although the conversion structure of one central axis 124 is shown in the illustrated embodiment, each of the central axes 121, 122, 123 and 124 has a conversion structure. Conversion from a levitated structure to an underwater propulsion structure can be accomplished in a variety of ways, and the invention is not limited to the embodiments shown.

A device such as a control unit 14, a power supply unit B such as a lithium polymer battery, or an actuator may be disposed inside the main body 11. [ Various devices or detection units related to the operation of the drones may be disposed inside the main body 11. [ A communication unit 17 for communication with a control center or other adjustment device can be arranged at an appropriate position of the main body 11 and a GPS (Global Positioning System) for position detection can be arranged at the main body 11 have.

The drones according to the present invention are capable of airborne and underwater operation at the same time, and the apparatus necessary for underwater operation can be made by conversion of the apparatus for aerial flight. If such a conversion is not permitted, the device for underwater operation needs to be independently placed in the drones.

The steering unit 15 may be disposed behind the main body 11 for underwater operation. The steering unit 15 may have a function of providing a driving force to the main body 11 while determining the direction of the ship in the course of underwater operation. The steering unit 15 may be made of, for example, three to five helical propellers and may have a directional key for controlling the direction of inflow and outflow of water. A direction detection unit 16 may be disposed in front of the main body 11 for underwater operation. The direction detection unit 16 may be, for example, an ultrasonic unit, and may have the function of detecting the direction of travel while detecting an obstacle ahead. An underwater camera 19 is disposed in front of the main body 11 so as to acquire images in the direction of travel of the drones 10.

The depth of the dron 10 must be detected from the sea surface of the dron 10 in order to be underwater during the air flight process. For this purpose, an altitude detection unit 18 may be disposed below the main body 11. The altitude detection unit 18 can detect the vertical distance between the sea surface and the dron 10 while at the same time detecting the moment when the lowest part of the dron 10 touches the sea surface. The altitude detection unit 18 may include, for example, a distance sensor, such as an ultrasonic sensor, a laser sensor, or an optical sensor, and may include a pressure sensor or a touch sensor that detects the moment of contact with the sea surface. The altitude detection unit 18 can be determined such as the time for transition from air flight to underwater operation, the travel path, or the time for conversion of the device.

Each unit installed inside or outside the main body 11 can be made in a waterproof structure and various devices or sensors for underwater operation can be disposed inside or outside the main body 11. [

Figure 2 shows an embodiment of a drones according to the invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the main body 11 may have a cylindrical shape with a smaller diameter toward the rear, and the central axes 121, 122, 123 and 124 may extend to the side of the main body 11, As shown in FIG. A propeller unit 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d having a linear propeller structure may be disposed at the end of each of the central axes 121, 122, 123, 124. And each of the propulsion units 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d may be connected to the propulsion cylinders 241, 242, 243, 244 coupled by a conversion shaft. The conversion shaft may be arranged to be rotatable through the central axes 121, 122, 123 and 124 and the propulsion units 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d may be rotatably coupled with respect to the conversion axis. Screws for introducing and discharging water or air into the propulsion cylinders 241, 242, 243, and 244 may be disposed but are not necessarily required.

The directional sealing cap 22 can be coupled to the front of the main body 11 and the direction detecting unit 16 can be disposed inside the directional sealing cap 22. [ And a direction indicating light can be disposed along the circumferential surface of the direction detecting unit 16, and an underwater camera can be disposed. An acceleration sensor may be disposed in the direction detection unit 16 so that the detection direction of the direction detection unit 16 changes according to the direction of the main body 11. [ The directional sealing cap 22 may be composed of a transparent front surface and a curved protective wall 221. And the steering unit 15 may be disposed on the rear side of the main body 11.

According to the present invention, the buoy unit 21 can be disposed above the main body 11, and the buoy unit 21 can be provided with a communication antenna 211 while being detachable from the main body 11 . The buoy unit 21 determines the underwater operating range of the drones, allows the location of the drones to be ascertained, and enables the drones to communicate with a remote control device, for example a control center.

The buoy unit 21 can be made of a material or structure that can float on water and can be connected to the drone or main body 11 by a tracking cable. A communication chip may be disposed in the buoy unit 21 as needed, and the communication antenna 211 may be connected to the communication chip. Further, the light emitting means is disposed in the buoy unit 21 to emit light to the outside, so that the underwater operating range of the drones can be confirmed. When the drone enters the water for underwater operation, the buoy unit 21 can be separated from the main body 11, and at the same time, the rotary drum winding the tracking cable can be operated. The buoy unit 21 and the dron are operated by the tracking cable, and the buoy unit 21 floats on the sea surface. Then, the tension of the tracking cable is measured by the tension measuring unit attached to the rotary drum, and the rotation of the rotary drum is adjusted so that the tracking cable can be wound on the rotary drum or can be released from the rotary drum. The tracking cable may serve as a transmission cable for transmitting data between the communication unit disposed in the drones and the communication unit disposed in the buoy unit 21. [ By confirming the position of the buoy unit 21, the operating range of the drones can be confirmed. During the underwater operation, the propulsion units 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d can be converted into a state suitable for underwater operation.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the underwater running structure of the drones of FIG. 2; FIG.

Referring to FIG. 3, each of the conversion shafts rotates about the central axes 121, 1222, 123, and 124 so that the propulsion units 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d function as an underwater propeller. At the same time, the propulsion cylinders 241, 242, 243, and 244 can assist the propulsion function in the underwater operation. In addition, the propelling cylinders 241, 242, 243, and 244 may have the function of a direction key in the drones' underwater operation. Referring to FIG. 3 (B), the steering unit 15 may include a pair of direction keys 151 and 152 and a directional screw 153. The directional screw 153 may have a function of introducing and discharging water, and the directional screw may have a function of adjusting the direction of the water to be discharged. The directions of the drones underwater can be adjusted by the direction keys 151 and 152. The propelling cylinders 241, 242, 243, 244 or the steering unit 15 may have various structures, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown.

According to the present invention, a sea level landing unit 251 can be disposed below the main body 11, and the sea level landing unit 251 can be made of a floating material extending along the extending direction of the main body 11 And may be arranged so as to be parallel to both sides of the main body 11. A curved landing fixing member 252 may be disposed from the side of the main body 11 and a sea level landing unit 251 may be coupled to the end of the landing fixing member 252. [ The sea surface landing unit 251 may be a hollow cylindrical member and may have a leveling force to maintain the entire drones above sea level. According to the design structure, the landing fixing member 252 can be configured to adjust the separation distance of the sea surface landing unit 251 from below the main body 11. The sea surface landing unit 251, which is arranged to face each other by the operation of the landing stationary member 252 in the course of underwater operation of the drone, is moved to be adjacent to each other, and is fixed tightly to the bottom surface of the main body 11 .

The sea surface landing unit 251 or the landing fixing member 252 can be made in various structures, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown.

* The drone must be converted for underwater operation in the airborne flight, so the operation of the program or hardware for structural conversion is required.

Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of the operating structure of the drones according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the operation of the drone can be controlled by the control center CC and the control center CC can communicate with the communication unit 17 installed in the buoy unit or drones described above. The control unit (CU) installed in the drones can transmit the state of the drones to the control center (CC) via the communication unit (17). When the underwater operation command is transmitted from the control center (CC), the conversion operation unit (41) can start the structural conversion of the drone. The conversion operation unit 41 may have a function of controlling the structure conversion of the drones, and the conversion database 421 may store data on a structure to be converted. Also, the time required for the conversion can be calculated and set by the time setting unit 422, and the conversion process can be determined by the time setting unit 422. [ When the conversion structure and the required time are determined by the conversion database 421 and the time setting unit 422 as described above, the height can be detected from the water surface of the dron by the altitude detection unit 18, and the altitude detection unit 181 ), The water depth can be measured at the current drone position. The depth detection unit 181 may be, for example, an ultrasonic unit, and may be measured by the detection time of the reflected wave according to the height of the sea surface. The depth detection (181) is for judging whether or not the depth of the drone can be operated. When the height of the sea surface and the depth of the sea surface are detected, a time point at which the start of entering the water by the time point determination unit 45 can be determined. The conversion device 42 can be operated by the conversion operation unit 41 and the conversion device 42 means the entire device installed in the drones for underwater operation such as the propulsion unit or the steering unit described above . The conversion detection unit 43 can detect whether or not the conversion device 43 has been converted and when the detection is completed in the conversion detection unit 44, a completion signal is generated by the completion confirmation unit 44, 45). The viewpoint determination unit 45 can compare the reception time of the completion confirmation signal with the preset time and transmit the comparison result to the control unit CU. And the drones can flow into the water.

The change unit described above can be in hardware or software form, and can be made in various forms. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown.

5 illustrates an embodiment in which a dron according to the present invention is applied.

Referring to FIG. 5, the drones 10 may be applied for observing the pollution condition of an ocean, a lake or a river, or for observing an ecological condition. The drones 10 can first observe the water surface or underwater conditions while flying in the air A above the water surface. The propulsion units 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d can maintain a structure suitable for air flight. When the underwater condition needs to be precisely surveyed in the observation process, the drone 10 can be operated underwater. For the underwater operation, the drones 10 can be introduced into the water W by structural conversion according to the method described above. The buoy unit 21 is separated from the dron 10 and placed on the water surface WL and the dron 10 and the buoy unit 21 can be connected by the tracking cable 51. [ Data communication can be established between the control center (CC) and the drone (10) through the communication antenna (211) provided in the buoy unit (21). And the information of the water W can be transmitted to the control center CC through the direction detecting unit 16 and the underwater camera. The control center (CC) can control the underwater operation of the drones (10) based on the transmitted information. When the operation of the drone 10 is completed, the drone 10 is again raised above the water surface WL, and the sea surface landing unit described above is moved from the state of being held on the water surface WL to the floating structure And the drones 10 can then fly over.

The drones 10 according to the present invention can be applied for various purposes, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown.

The drones according to the present invention can be applied to a variety of observations or explorations including underwater exploration by allowing air flight and underwater operation. The drones according to the invention also allow the underwater operation to be made possible by a modification of the propulsion unit, thereby eliminating the need for an independent underwater propulsion system. In addition, the drones according to the present invention are capable of communicating with on-ground control centers in water by means of a buoy-structured communication unit, thereby enabling control of underwater operation of the drones.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, 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 invention . The invention is not limited by these variations and modifications, but is limited only by the claims appended hereto.

10: Drone 11: Main body
12a, 12b, 12c, 12d: propulsion unit 14: control unit
15: Steering unit 16: Direction detecting unit
17: communication unit 18: altitude detection unit
19: underwater camera 21: buoy unit
22: direction sealing cap 41: conversion operation unit
42: conversion device 43: conversion detection unit
44: Completion confirmation unit 45:
51: tracking cable 121, 122, 123, 124: center axis
124a: fixed shaft 124b: joint shaft
124c: joint joint 126: receiving cylinder
151, 152: direction key 153: directional screw
181: Depth detecting unit 211: Communication antenna
221: protective wall 241, 242, 243, 244: propelling cylinder
251: sea level landing unit 252: landing fixing member
421: Transformation database 422: Time setting unit
A: Aerial B: Power supply unit
CC: Control center CU: Control unit
W: underwater WL: sleep

Claims (7)

A main body 11;
At least one propulsion unit (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d) coupled to the main body (11);
An altitude detection unit 18; And
And a buoy unit (21) having a communication antenna (211) installed to be detachable from the main body (11). The drone of claim 1, further comprising a direction detection unit (16) disposed in front of the main body (11). The drone of claim 1, further comprising a steering unit (15) disposed in the main body (11). The drone of claim 1, wherein the buoy unit (21) has a tracking cable connected to the body (11). The drone of claim 1, further comprising a water depth detection unit (181) for detection of water depth. The dredger of claim 1, further comprising: a time setting unit (422) for determining a time to be converted from the floating structure to an underwater propulsion structure; and a time determination unit (45) . The drone of claim 1, further comprising a sea level landing unit (251) for holding the main body (11) at sea level.

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