KR20210022261A - Tethered Drone System Using tether Power Supply - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a tethered drone system using a wired power supply device comprises: a power supply unit supplying power to a tethered drone and a ground station; a tension control unit winding or unwinding a cable connecting the tethered drone and the ground station; a cable guide storing the cable to control the cable; a ground communication unit communicating with the tethered drone based on the cable; and a control unit controlling the ground communication unit and the power supply unit to supply power to the tethered drone through the cable, controlling the tension control unit to adjust length of the cable, and controlling the cable guide to adjust a radius of movement of the tethered drone. The cable guide comprises: a guide shaft which is realized as a multi-stage shaft to adjust height of the cable guide; and a guide header connected to be rotatable to the guide shaft to control the cable to enable the radius of the movement of the tethered drone to be adjusted.

Description

Tethered Drone System Using tether Power Supply}

The present invention relates to a tethered drone system using an oil field power supply device supporting a tethered drone. More specifically, it relates to a tethered drone system using an oil field power supply that supports a tethered drone by controlling a cable connecting a tethered drone and a ground station.

Recently, unmanned aerial vehicles, that is, drones, have been developed and commercialized. Drones are equipped with cameras and various sensors to enable unmanned flight, and are being used for various necessary tasks. For example, drones are used for a wide range of purposes, such as environmental monitoring, forest fire monitoring, broadcast broadcasting, sports broadcasting, pesticide spraying, road monitoring, security, military, leisure, and sports.

However, traditional drones have limitations in flight time because they perform missions by flying through internal batteries. In particular, in order to fly a drone equipped with heavy equipment such as a camera, a high-capacity battery must be installed on the drone, which again emerges as a problem of increasing the weight of the drone.

Accordingly, in modern times, technologies such as photovoltaic cells and fuel cells are combined to provide drones to be charged while in flight, or to improve the battery capacity of drones. However, separate charging elements such as solar energy have a disadvantage in that the amount of power generation varies depending on the weather environment, making it difficult to predict the flight time, and even if the performance of the battery is improved, the task can be performed only within the corresponding capacity.

In order to improve this problem, a tethered-drone that is supplied with power from the ground by separating the flying drone and the ground control equipment, and connecting a wire between the ground control equipment and the drone has been proposed.

In detail, the tethered drone is connected to a cable unwound from the ground control equipment separated from the drone and is supplied with power, and it can fly under the control of a drone pilot. At this time, in general, the cable connecting the tethered drone and the ground control equipment is maintained in a state of hanging on the ground.

However, in the conventional tethered drone control method in which the cable is kept hanging on the ground as above, it is necessary to control the tethered drone so that the ground structure (e.g., building, power pole, tree, etc.) There is a difficulty, and there is a problem in that horizontal movement is restricted when ground objects exist at a predetermined altitude.

In addition, there is a difficulty in taking off and landing a tethered drone by remotely controlling it at a predetermined distance or more, and there is a need to introduce a technology to solve these problems.

10-1933402 B

The present invention, as conceived to solve the above problems, provides a tethered drone system using an oil field power supply device supporting a tethered drone that prevents a tethered drone and a ground station from being entangled in contact with a ground structure. It has its purpose to provide.

In addition, the present invention is to provide a tethered drone system using an oil field power supply device that assists smooth horizontal movement of a tethered drone by controlling a cable connecting a tethered drone and a ground station.

In addition, the present invention is to provide a tethered drone system using an oilfield power supply device that conveniently controls takeoff and landing of a tethered drone by controlling a cable connecting a tethered drone and a ground station.

However, the technical problems to be achieved by the present invention and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the technical problems as described above, and other technical problems may exist.

A tethered drone system using an oilfield power supply according to an embodiment includes: a power supply for supplying power to a tethered drone and a ground station; A tension control unit for winding or unwinding a cable connecting the tethered drone and the ground station; A cable guide accommodating and controlling the cable; A ground communication unit communicating with the tethered drone based on the cable; And controlling the ground communication unit and the power supply unit to supply power to the tethered drone through the cable, controlling the tension control unit to adjust the length of the cable, and controlling the cable guide to control the moving radius of the tethered drone. Including, the cable guide is implemented as a multi-stage shaft to adjust the height of the cable guide, and the guide shaft is rotatably connected to the guide shaft so that the moving radius of the tethered drone is adjusted. And a guide header for controlling the cable.

A tethered drone system using an oilfield power supply device supporting a tethered drone according to an embodiment of the present invention prevents the cable connecting the tether drone and the ground station from being entangled in contact with the ground structure, so that the tethered drone performs a stable flight. It has the effect of preventing damage to the tethered drone due to cable tangling.

In addition, the tethered drone system using the oilfield power supply that supports tethered drones is capable of maximizing the utility of the tethered drone by controlling the cable connecting the tethered drone and the ground station to assist the smooth horizontal movement of the tethered drone. It works.

In addition, the tethered drone system using the oilfield power supply that supports tethered drones improves the usability of tethered drones by controlling the cable connecting the tethered drone and the ground station to conveniently perform takeoff and landing of tethered drones. There is an effect that can increase the convenience of the pilot.

In addition, the tethered drone system using an oil field power supply that supports tethered drones implements a tube-type cable guide that controls the cable connecting the tethered drone and the ground station, and measures the wind strength (intensity) of the tethered drone. By controlling the flight, it is possible to make the flight of the tethered drone safer in consideration of the weather environment that affects the flight of the tethered drone.

However, the effects obtainable in the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood from the following description.

1 is a conceptual diagram of a tethered drone system using an oil field power supply device supporting a tethered drone according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an internal block diagram of a tethered drone and a ground station according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an example of a cross-sectional view of a ground station according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is an example of a tubular cable according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view for explaining a tethered drone system using an oilfield power supply device supporting a tethered drone according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a view for explaining a method of controlling a moving radius of a tethered drone by a ground station according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a view for explaining a method of controlling a minimum amount of winding of a cable connected to a tethered drone by a ground station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Since the present invention can apply various transformations and have various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and will be described in detail in the detailed description. Effects and features of the present invention, and a method of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail together with the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and may be implemented in various forms. In the following embodiments, terms such as first and second are used for the purpose of distinguishing one constituent element from other constituent elements rather than a limiting meaning. In addition, expressions in the singular include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In addition, terms such as include or have means that the features or components described in the specification are present, and do not preclude the possibility of adding one or more other features or components in advance. In addition, in the drawings, the size of components may be exaggerated or reduced for convenience of description. For example, the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily shown for convenience of description, and thus the present invention is not necessarily limited to what is shown.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and when describing with reference to the drawings, the same or corresponding constituent elements are assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. .

1 is a conceptual diagram of a tethered drone system using an oil field power supply device supporting a tethered drone according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a tethered drone system using an oil field power supply device supporting a tethered drone according to an embodiment of the present invention is implemented in the form of a movable box and disposed on the ground. ) And a tethered drone 200 connected to the ground station 100 through a cable.

-Ground station

First, in an embodiment of the present invention, the ground station 100 may control the tethered drone 200 according to an input of a pilot controlling the tethered drone 200 or a preset drone control process.

In detail, the ground station 100 may control the flight and/or photographing of the tethered drone 200 connected to the ground station 100 by a cable based on the pilot's input or a preset drone control process.

In addition, the ground station 100 may support unlimited flight by supplying power through a cable connected to the tethered drone 200. In addition, the ground station 100 may perform wired communication through a cable connected to the tether drone 200 to transmit and receive a control-related signal, or receive information sensed by the tether drone 200 and a photographed image.

The above-ground station 100 may have an external appearance in a box shape that is easy to move, and may include various components necessary for driving the ground station 100 inside and outside.

In addition, the above-ground station 100 may be implemented by including a cap capable of opening and closing such a box.

At this time, each component included in the ground station 100 may be implemented in a form that can be accommodated in a box and stored inside the ground station 100, and when the ground station 100 is used, the ground station 100 is based. The tethered drone 200 may be relocated and operated in a form suitable to provide a service.

2 is an internal block diagram of a tethered drone 200 and a ground station 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an example of a cross-sectional view of a ground station 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Meanwhile, referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the ground station 100 includes a power supply unit 110, a tension control unit 120, a cable guide 130, a monitoring unit 140, a ground communication unit 150, and a control unit 160. ) Can be included.

First, the power supply unit 110 may receive external power and/or internal power under the control of the controller 160 to supply power required for operation to each component.

In detail, in the embodiment, the power supply unit 110 may be implemented including a battery and a power supply unit.

Here, the battery of the power supply unit 110 can store and manage power, and operates, for example, including at least one of a power storage unit, a connection port, a power supply control unit 160 and a charge monitoring unit 140 can do.

In addition, the power unit of the power supply unit 110 may include an AC-DC converter and a power module.

Here, the AC-DC converter is configured to convert alternating current (AC) power into direct current (DC) power and supply it to the tethered drone 200 through a cable when the battery or power supplied from the outside is alternating current (AC) power. Can be. This is because it is more efficient to transmit power with direct current (DC) power, which is a higher voltage than alternating current (AC) power.

At this time, the power unit of the tethered drone 200 that has obtained the converted direct current (DC) power may further include a DC/DC converter to convert the received direct current (DC) into a voltage level that can be used by the payloads on the fuselage. .

In addition, the power module may include a power meter such as a voltmeter or an ammeter, and the control unit 160 of the ground station 100 including such a power module receives voltage, current, or power measured by the power meter every predetermined time. I can receive it.

Here, reference data for controlling the amount of power supplied may be preset on the control unit 160 of the ground station 100, and the control unit 160, in which the reference data is preset, after passing through the DC/DC converter The amount of power supplied from the power supply unit 110 through the cable may be adjusted based on the voltage measured at.

In an embodiment, the control unit 160, when the voltage is higher or lower than the range based on the preset reference data and/or the current and power supplied from the cable are out of the mechanical range, damage to the internal device, disconnection of the cable. It is possible to generate a power supply amount control signal to determine that it is a short circuit, a malfunction of the tethered drone 200 system, etc., and to cut off the power supply through the connected cable. A detailed description of this will be described later.

Next, the tension control unit 120 can adjust the length of the cable so that the tension applied to the cable connecting the tether drone 200 and the ground station 100 is kept constant, through which the tether drone 200 It can enable stable flight.

In addition, the tension control unit 120 may wind up or unwind a cable in order to support horizontal or/and vertical movement of the tethered drone 200.

At this time, the cable is connected to the power unit of the tether drone 200 at one end and the other end to the ground communication unit 150 of the ground station 100, and the power output from the ground station 100 to the tether drone 200 Can supply. In addition, the length of the cable may be shortened or extended while being wound or unwound around the tension control unit 120.

In detail, in the embodiment, the tension control unit 120 may include a cable winding unit 121, a cable arrangement reel 122, and a motor 123.

Here, first, the cable winding unit 121 may be implemented in a cylindrical rod shape, and may be wound up and received by a cable connecting the tether drone 200 and the ground station 100 to be wound or unwound and unwound. At this time, the cable accommodated in the cable winding unit 121 has one end connected to the wired communication unit of the power unit of the tether drone 200 and the other end connected to the wired communication unit of the ground communication unit 150 of the ground station 100 , Power output from the power supply unit of the ground station 100 may be supplied to the power unit of the tether drone 200.

In addition, the cable winding unit 121 may have one end connected to the motor 123 to perform a rotational motion according to a forward or reverse rotation operation of the motor 123. In addition, the cable winding unit 121 may operate to wind or unwind a cable accommodated in the cable winding unit 121 through a rotational motion by the motor 123. Through this, the cable winding unit 121 may control the length of the cable by adjusting the degree of accommodation of the cable.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, the cable arrangement reel 122 (reel) may assist the cable wound or unwound by the tension control unit 120 to be uniformly wound or unwound on the cable winding unit 121.

That is, the cable arrangement reel 122 assists the cable not to be overlapped or tangled on the cable winding unit 121, so that the winding and unwinding operation of the cable from the tension control unit 120 can be smoothly performed.

In addition, the motor 123 may perform forward or reverse rotation according to the control of the controller 160, and through this, the cable wound around the cable winding unit 121 is unwound or wound to adjust the cable length. can do.

In detail, the control unit 160 can control the tension control unit 120 to wind or unwind the cable so that the cable maintains a predetermined tension, and at this time, the tension of the cable can be measured using a value measured by the cable tension measurement sensor. have.

In addition, the control unit 160 may limit the minimum amount of winding to maintain the cable unwound from the ground station 100 through the tension control unit 120 over a predetermined length (eg, the height of the guide shaft) in the cable guide state. So it can be set.

For example, when the height of the guide shaft is about 10 meters (m), the control unit 160 sets the maximum winding amount limit so that the length of the cable unwound from the ground station 100 is 10 meters or more, A collision between the drone 200 and the cable guide 130 can be prevented.

Next, the cable guide 130 may guide at least a portion of the cable disposed between the tension control unit 120 and the tethered drone 200 to a predetermined height or more.

In detail, the cable guide 130 may receive at least a portion of the cable and fix it to a predetermined height or higher, and guide the cable to be unwound in various directions at a specific point of a predetermined height or higher.

In detail, in the embodiment, the cable guide 130 may include a guide shaft 131, a guide header 132, a roller, and a tension sensor.

Here, first, the guide shaft 131 may guide the cable from the ground to a predetermined height. The guide shaft 131 may be implemented as a rod-shaped multi-stage shaft that transmits power through a rotational motion or a linear reciprocating motion, and may be disposed to have a direction perpendicular to the lower surface of the ground station 100 in the longitudinal direction. have.

Such a guide shaft 131 is formed in a tube shape in which one end of the ground station 100 side can accommodate a cable connected to the tension control unit 120 therein, and a predetermined You can guide the cable up to the height.

In addition, the guide shaft 131 is implemented as a multi-stage shaft so that the second shaft disposed inside the first shaft moves linearly in the longitudinal direction to increase or decrease the length, thereby adjusting the overall height of the cable guide 130 and Fixing can be performed.

The guide shaft 131 adjusts and fixes the height of the cable guide 130 so that the cable accommodated in the cable guide 130 is unwound at a predetermined height or higher, so that contact between the ground structure disposed below a predetermined height and the cable Can be prevented.

In addition, a roller capable of minimizing friction with a cable accommodated in the guide shaft 131 may be disposed inside the guide shaft 131. These rollers rotate according to the movement of the cable inside the guide shaft 131 to minimize frictional force applied to the cable.

Next, the guide header 132 may guide the cable to discharge the cable unwound from the other end of the cable guide 131 to the outside. In addition, the cable guide may be rotated in a horizontal or/and vertical direction to control the direction in which the cable is discharged.

The guide header 132 may be coupled to the other end of the guide shaft 131 through a hinge to rotate horizontally or/and vertically.

In detail, the guide header 132 is implemented in the form of a rod and one end may be connected to the guide shaft 131 through a hinge, and through this, it is disposed on an extension line of the guide shaft 131 to connect the cable from the guide shaft 131. I can support it.

In addition, the guide header 132 may be connected to the guide shaft 131 based on the hinge to perform rotational motion in various directions according to the control of the controller 160 with the guide shaft 131 as a reference axis. That is, the guide header 132 can adjust the vertical/horizontal central angle by the guide shaft 131 and the guide header 132 by performing a rotation operation by the control unit 160, and through this, the tether connected to one end of the received cable It is possible to control the movement radius of the drone 200 and/or support horizontal movement.

Here, the center angle according to the embodiment may be obtained on the connection area between the guide shaft 131 and the guide header 132, and the center angle changes through a rotational motion of the guide header 132 based on the guide shaft 131 This can be done.

For example, the central angle may be 0 degrees with respect to the vertical direction, that is, the longitudinal direction of the guide shaft 131, when the guide header 132 extends in a straight line with respect to the guide shaft 131, and the guide shaft 131 When the guide header 132 is vertically bent based on ), it may be 90 degrees with respect to the vertical direction.

In this case, in the embodiment, the guide header 132 may rotate in a vertical direction, that is, in the longitudinal direction of the guide shaft 131, to adjust the central angle up to 90 degrees (°). This is because, when a central angle of 90 degrees or more occurs in the vertical direction, the tether drone 200 is forcibly directed toward the ground surface by the guide header 132, so that the tether drone 200 is vertically up to 90 degrees for stable flight. Direction center angle adjustment can be performed. However, this is only an example and is not limited thereto.

In addition, the guide header 132 may rotate in a horizontal direction, that is, in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the guide shaft 131, to adjust the central angle up to 360 degrees (°).

That is, the guide header 132 may perform a rotational movement about the guide shaft 131 as an axis, and thereby control a cable accommodated in the cable guide 130.

Here, the cable guide 130 including the guide shaft 131 and the guide header 132 allows the cable to be unwound above a predetermined height fixed through the guide shaft 131 and the guide header 132, It is possible to prevent entanglement between the tethered drone 200 and the ground structure, and thereby prevent damage to the tethered drone 200. In addition, the cable guide 130 guides the cable in various directions above a predetermined height fixed through the guide shaft 131 and the guide header 132 and unwinds the tethered drone 200 to smoothly move horizontally and vertically. You can support to do it.

In addition, in the embodiment, the guide header 132 may serve as a buffer platform during the emergency landing of the tether drone 200.

In detail, the guide header 132 may further include a funnel-shaped pedestal disposed on the guide shaft 131. Such a pedestal is coupled to the cable guide shaft 131 through an elastic member to form a predetermined angle, and may be formed to be larger than the size of the tethered drone 200 by a predetermined size. The pedestal helps the tethered drone 200 to land by pulling the cable urgently, and the tethered drone 200 moved toward the cable guide 130 to be buffered and landed through an elastic member. Damage caused by landing can be minimized.

Next, the roller, as a rotating cylindrical object, may play a role of reducing the resistance of motion by converting sliding friction into rotational friction.

These rollers are disposed inside or outside the cable guide 130 in the embodiment of the present invention to reduce the frictional force between the cable accommodated in the cable guide 130 and the guide shaft 131 and/or the guide header 132 And, through this, more seamless cable control can be performed. In detail, the first roller is disposed in the guide shaft 131 and rotates according to the movement of the cable accommodated in the shaft 131, thereby minimizing friction. In addition, the second roller is disposed on the guide header 132 and rotates according to the movement of the cable guided on the guide header 132, thereby minimizing friction.

In addition, in an embodiment, the tension sensor may sense the tension of a cable connecting the ground station 100 and the tether drone 200.

This tension sensor is disposed on the outermost edge of the cable guide 130 (for example, the end of the ground station 100 side of the guide shaft 131 and/or the end of the tethered drone 200 side of the guide header 132). It may be desirable. This is because, in general, a change in tension due to the tether drone 200 and the external environment can be sensed at the outermost portion of the cable guide 130.

That is, the tension sensor may detect the tension of the cable unwound to the outside of the ground station 100 and assist the controller 160 to perform cable control based on a change in cable tension caused by an external environment.

Therefore, the control unit 160, based on the tension obtained through the tension sensor, whether the tethered drone 200 contacts a specific obstacle and caused entanglement, and the length of the cable is appropriate to support the flight of the tethered drone 200. Can judge whether or not. A detailed description of this will be described later.

On the other hand, Figure 4 is an example of a tubular cable according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, in another embodiment, the cable guide 130 may be implemented in a tubular shape forming a triple structure tube.

In general, the flight of a drone is affected by the weather environment of the area in which the drone is flying. In particular, the wind strength (intensity) in the drone's flight environment can be a risk factor that threatens the stable flight of the drone. Therefore, the cable guide 130 according to another embodiment of the present invention measures the wind strength in the environment in which the tether drone 200 is flying, and controls the flight of the tether drone 200 according to the measured wind strength. It is intended to provide a cable guide 130 that can be controlled.

In detail, referring to (1) of FIG. 4 further, the cable guide 130 according to another embodiment includes an elastic member 10, an inner plastic tube 20, an insulating shrink tube 30, and an outer plastic tube 40. ) And a support member 50.

First, the elastic member 10 may be an object having elasticity, which is a property to return to its original shape when the force is removed after deformation occurs due to an external force. In the embodiment of the present invention, the cable guide 130 It is disposed in the inner plastic pipe 20 to connect the guide shaft 131 and the guide header 132.

Here, when the elastic member 10 is partially separated from the guide shaft 131 while the guide header 132 is bent to one side by an external force (for example, wind resistance), the guide shaft 131 and the guide header The 132 may be supported by the elastic member 10 so as not to be completely separated.

Next, the inner plastic pipe 20 may accommodate a cable flowing into the cable guide 130, and may be implemented with a material capable of minimizing friction with the cable while having conductivity.

Next, the insulating shrink tube 30 may be disposed between the inner plastic tube 20 and the outer plastic tube 40, and is implemented with a material having no conductivity and having elasticity to improve the safety of the cable guide 130 I can make it.

Next, the outer plastic pipe 40 may be implemented with a non-conductive material to form the outer shape of the cable guide 130 and protect the internal components.

Next, the support member 50 may be implemented with a material suitable for performing a buffer function (eg, styrofoam, etc.), and in this embodiment, the cable guide 130 includes at least four or more support members 50 ) Can be included.

At this time, at least two of the plurality of support members 50 may be disposed on the guide shaft 131 and at least two may be disposed on the guide header 132, and may be implemented in a form that interlocks with each other. For example, the plurality of support members 50 are arranged in a form in which the first support member 50 of the guide shaft 131 and the first support member 50 of the guide header 132 interlock with each other, and the guide The second support member 50 of the shaft 131 and the second support member 50 of the guide header 132 may be arranged in a form in which they interlock with each other.

And when the support member 50 is partially separated from the guide shaft 131 while the guide header 132 is bent to one side by an external force (for example, wind resistance), the guide shaft 131 and the guide header ( The guide header 132 may be supported so that the guide header 132 is not bent beyond a predetermined angle by the support member 50 arranged to match each other with the 132.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 160 of the ground station 100 including the cable guide 130 is not by the control of the control unit 160 as shown in (2) of FIG. , In an embodiment, when the guide header 132 of the cable guide 130 is bent to one side by wind, it may be detected.

In detail, first, the control unit 160 may continuously supply current to the inner plastic pipe 20 of the tubular cable guide 130.

That is, the control unit 160 may supply a continuous current through the inner plastic tube 20 having conductivity, and at this time, the current is first supplied to the inner plastic tube 20 of the guide shaft 131 and then the guide shaft ( It is transmitted to the inner plastic pipe 20 of the guide header 132 connected to 131, so that current may be supplied to the entire cable guide 130.

Here, when the supply of the current that has been continuously transmitted to the inner plastic pipe 20 of the guide header 132 is interrupted, the control unit 160 may be configured by an external force, that is, the guide header 132 by wind in this embodiment. It can be detected that the situation is broken.

In detail, the control unit 160, when the supply of the current continuously transmitted to the inner plastic pipe 20 of the guide header 132 is cut off, the guide shaft 131 and the inner plastic pipe 20 of the guide header 132 ) It can be judged that some are separated. In addition, the control unit 160 indicates that the guide header 132 is bent by the wind through a part of the inner plastic pipe 20 that can be separated only at the connection portion between the guide shaft 131 and the guide header 132. I can confirm.

At this time, when the guide header 132 is bent to such an extent that current cannot be supplied to the inner plastic pipe 20 of the guide header 132 due to wind, the control unit 160 determines the intensity of the wind by the tether drone 200 It can be judged as the wind strength that threatens the stable flight of the vehicle.

Subsequently, the controller 160 detects that the guide header 132 is bent due to the wind strength that threatens the stable flight of the tether drone 200, a flight control signal for stopping the flight of the tether drone 200 It is possible to control the flight of the tethered drone 200 by generating. Alternatively, when the guide header 132 is detected to be bent, the controller 160 generates and transmits a weather danger signal indicating that the weather environment is unsuitable for the flight of the tether drone 200, so that the tether drone 200 is preset. It can also be guided to auto-land by following the process.

In this way, the control unit 160 of the ground station 100 including the tubular cable guide 130 measures the wind strength (intensity) through the tubular cable guide 130 to fly the tethered drone 200 By controlling the tethered drone 200, in consideration of the weather environment that affects the flight of the tethered drone 200, it is possible to make the flight of the tethered drone 200 safer.

Returning again, next, the monitoring unit 140 may include a display unit and a controller.

Here, the display unit may output various information related to the ground station 100 supporting the tethered drone 200 and the service of the tethered drone 200 including the tethered drone 200 as a graphic image.

In an embodiment, the display unit may output and provide an image screen captured by the tether drone 200 and a control image screen of the cable guide 130.

Such display units include liquid crystal displays (LCDs), thin film transistor-liquid crystal displays (TFT LCDs), organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), and flexible displays. , It may include at least one of a 3D display and an e-ink display.

In addition, the controller may detect a user's input related to a service of the ground station 100 supporting the tethered drone 200 and the tethered drone 200 service including the same.

In an embodiment, the controller may detect an input for controlling the flight direction and/or speed of the tethered drone 200, an input for controlling the shooting of the tethered drone 200, and the like.

In addition, the display unit and the controller may be combined to be implemented as a touch screen.

In addition, the display unit and the controller may be included in the ground station 100 or may be implemented as separate devices according to embodiments.

Next, the ground communication unit 150 may transmit and receive various data and/or information for providing a service of the ground station 100 supporting the tethered drone 200 and the tethered drone 200 including the same.

In detail, the terrestrial communication unit 150 may include a wired communication unit 151 and a wireless communication unit 152. In this case, the wired communication unit 151 may be implemented based on a cable connecting the tether drone 200 and the ground station 100, and may transmit and receive data, information, and/or power based on the cable. .

In an embodiment, the wired communication unit 151 communicates with the wired communication unit of the tether drone 200 interface unit to transmit power output from the power supply unit 110 of the ground station 100 to the power unit of the tether drone 200 can do.

In addition, the wireless communication unit 152, technical standards or communication methods for mobile communication (for example, GSM (Global System for Mobile communication), CDMA (Code Division Multi Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access)), HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (Long Term Evolution-Advanced), etc.) It is possible to transmit and receive a radio signal with at least one of the.

In an embodiment, the wireless communication unit 152 is a flight control signal for controlling the flight of the tethered drone 200 by communicating with the wireless communication unit of the tethered drone 200 interface unit, and a shooting control for controlling the shooting of the tethered drone 200 It can transmit signals and the like.

Finally, the controller 160 may control the overall operation of each of the above-described components in order to provide the ground station 100 supporting the tethered drone 200 and the tethered drone 200 service including the same.

In an embodiment, the controller 160 controls the motor 123 of the cable winding unit 121 according to the current cable tension and/or the flight altitude of the tether drone 200 to control the ground station 100 and the tether drone 200 The tension of the cable connecting) can be adjusted. In addition, the control unit 160 may adjust the amount of power supplied to the tether drone 200 from the ground station 100. In addition, the control unit 160 performs a rotational motion based on the guide shaft 131 and the guide shaft 131 of the cable guide 130 based on the ground structure and flight altitude sensed through the tethered drone 200. The moving radius of the tethered drone 200 may be controlled by controlling the central angle by the guide header 132 to be performed. In addition, the controller 160 may control the length of the guide shaft 131, that is, the minimum amount of winding of the cable according to the height. A detailed description of this will be described later.

In addition, the controller 160 includes application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers. ), micro-controllers, microprocessors, and electrical units for performing other functions.

-Tethered drone

On the other hand, in the embodiment of the present invention, the tethered drone 200 is connected to the cable unwound from the ground station 100 to receive power, and the input of a drone pilot obtained from the ground station 100 or a preset drone control process It is controlled by and can perform flight and/or shooting.

In detail, referring to FIG. 2 further, the tethered drone 200 includes an interface unit 210, a power unit 220, a driving unit 230, a sensor unit 240, a camera 250, and a processor 260. Can include.

First, the interface unit 210 connects the processor 260 of the tether drone 200 to the ground station 100 supporting the tether drone 200 and peripheral devices for implementing the tether drone 200 service including the same. I can.

In detail, in the embodiment, the interface unit 210 may include a wired communication unit 211 and a wireless communication unit 212.

Here, the wired communication unit 211 may be implemented based on a cable connecting the tethered drone 200 and the ground station 100, and may transmit and receive data, information and/or power based on the cable. have.

In an embodiment, the wired communication unit 211 communicates with the wired communication unit 151 of the ground station 100 and the ground communication unit 150 to transmit power output from the power supply unit 110 of the ground station 100 to the power unit ( 220).

In addition, the wireless communication unit 212 includes technical standards or communication methods for mobile communication (eg, Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), Code Division Multi Access (CDMA)), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA). , High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A, etc.) It is possible to transmit and receive wireless signals with at least one of the servers. In addition, the wireless communication unit 212 may include a short-range wireless communication module such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

In an embodiment, the wireless communication unit 212 is a flight control signal for controlling the flight of the tethered drone 200 by communicating with the wireless communication unit 152 of the ground station 100 and the ground communication unit 150, the tethered drone 200 It is possible to receive a photographing control signal for controlling the photographing of the camera.

In addition, this interface unit 210, an external charger port (port), wired / wireless data port (port), a memory card (memory card) port, a port for connecting a device equipped with an identification module (port), audio I It may further include at least one of an input/output (/O) port, an input/output (video I/O) port, and an earphone port.

Next, the power unit 220 may receive external power and/or internal power under the control of the processor 260 to supply power necessary for operation to each component.

For example, the power unit 220 may include at least one or more of a power storage unit, a connection port, a power supply control unit 160 and a charge monitoring unit 140.

In addition, the power unit 220 may further include a DC/DC converter capable of converting the power received from the ground station 100 into a voltage level that can be used by payloads on the body.

Next, the driving unit 230 may be implemented as a driving motor 123 that drives a propeller that secures the propulsion force of the tethered drone 200. In this case, the driving unit 230 may include a plurality of driving motors 123 for driving a plurality of propellers, and may be operated by the control of the processor 260.

Here, the driving unit 230 generally uses a direct current (DC) power of 25V to 33V, and may correspond to an energy sink that consumes the most power of the tether drone 200.

Next, the sensor unit 240 may acquire various data and/or information related to the ground station 100 supporting the tethered drone 200 and the tethered drone 200 service including the same through the sensor. .

In detail, in an embodiment, the sensor unit 240 may include at least one or more of a distance sensor (eg, a proximity sensor, an infrared sensor, a laser sensor, etc.), a position sensor, a gyro sensor, and/or an acceleration sensor that senses the surrounding environment. I can.

In addition, the sensor unit 240, based on at least one sensor, various data on the surrounding environment of the tether drone 200 (e.g., distance data between the tether drone 200 and the ground structure, the location of the tether drone 200) Data, speed data of the tethered drone 200, etc.) can be sensed.

Next, the camera 250 may acquire a photographed image related to the ground station 100 supporting the tethered drone 200 and the tethered drone 200 service including the same.

In detail, the camera 250 may be disposed on one side of the tethered drone 200 to photograph the surrounding environment based on the disposed direction side. In addition, the camera 250 according to an embodiment of the present invention may acquire an image photographing a target point by interlocking with the flight of the tethered drone 200.

In addition, the camera 250 may include an image sensor and an image processing module.

In detail, the camera 250 may acquire a captured image including a still image and/or a moving image through an image sensor (eg, CMOS or CCD), and process the acquired captured image based on an image processing module. can do.

For example, the camera 250 may extract necessary information by processing a still image or a moving image acquired through an image sensor using an image processing module, and transmit the extracted information to the processor 260.

In this case, the processor 260 of the tether drone 200 may provide the captured image acquired through the camera 250 to the ground station 100 through the interface unit 210.

Finally, the processor 260 may control and drive the overall operation of each unit described above.

In detail, in the embodiment, the processor 260 enables interworking between the tether drone 200 and the ground station 100 by controlling and driving the overall operation of each unit, and through this, a smooth tether drone 200 service is provided. Can be provided.

These processors 260 include application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, It may be implemented using at least one of micro-controllers, microprocessors, and electrical units for performing other functions.

-How ground stations control cables to support tethered drones

Hereinafter, a method for supporting the tethered drone 200 by controlling a cable by the ground station 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5 is a diagram illustrating a ground station 100 supporting a tethered drone 200 and a tethered drone 200 system including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5, a ground station 100 that may include a power supply unit 110, a tension control unit 120, a cable guide 130, a monitoring unit 140, a ground communication unit 150, and a control unit 160 The controller 160 of the tethered drone 200 may implement a stable flight of the tethered drone 200 by adjusting the tension of a cable connecting the ground station 100 and the tethered drone 200.

In detail, the control unit 160 controls the motor 123 of the tension control unit 120 according to 1) the current cable tension obtained from the tension sensor and/or 2) the flight altitude of the tether drone 200 to adjust the tension of the cable. Can be adjusted.

In more detail, in order to adjust the cable tension according to the current cable tension obtained from the tension sensor disposed on the cable guide 130, the control unit 160 may first obtain the tension generated in the current cable based on the tension sensor. have.

In addition, the control unit 160 may control the length of the cable so that the tension applied to the cable is controlled according to a preset reference (eg, a predetermined tension value set to be continuously maintained) based on the current cable tension obtained from the tension sensor. Can be adjusted.

In an embodiment, the controller 160 may adjust the cable length in inverse proportion to the increase or decrease of the tension adjusted to control the tension applied to the cable according to a preset reference.

For example, as the tension value increases, the control unit 160 may preset a tension value of 10 to be continuously maintained as the tension increases. And when the current cable tension obtained from the tension sensor is 20, the control unit 160 unwinds the cable by a predetermined length from the tension control unit 120 in order to reduce the current cable tension to a preset tension value of 10. Can be extended.

That is, the control unit 160 can adjust the length of the cable based on the current cable tension obtained from the tension sensor and a preset reference, and through this, it is applied to the cable connecting the ground station 100 and the tether drone 200 You can adjust the tension.

At this time, the control unit 160, based on the obtained tension, whether the tethered drone 200 connected to one end of the cable touches a specific obstacle such as a ground structure (e.g., a building, a power pole, a tree, etc.) and entanglement occurs. Can be judged.

For example, when the obtained tension has a strength greater than a predetermined reference, the control unit 160 regards the cable as being entangled in contact with the above-ground structure to cause excessive tension, thereby tangling the cable based on the cable tension. It can be determined whether or not it has occurred.

And when it is determined that the cable entanglement has occurred, the control unit 160 generates a flight control signal for stopping the flight of the tether drone 200 and/or a entanglement risk signal indicating a situation in which the cable and the ground structure are entangled, 200), it is possible to control the tethered drone 200 to land.

In addition, the control unit 160 may determine whether the length of the cable unwound from the tension control unit 120 is appropriate to support the flight of the tethered drone 200 based on the obtained tension.

For example, when the obtained tension has a strength of more than a predetermined reference, the control unit 160 considers that the length of the cable connecting the ground station 100 and the tether drone 200 is insufficient, and the tension control unit 120 It can be determined that the length of the cable unwound from) is unsuitable for the flight of the tethered drone 200.

In addition, when it is determined that the cable length is insufficient through the obtained tension, the control unit 160 may control the tension control unit 120 to further unwind the cable by a predetermined length or more.

On the other hand, the control unit 160, in order to adjust the cable tension based on the flight altitude of the tethered drone 200, first obtain the flight altitude of the tethered drone 200 connected through a cable with the ground station 100. I can.

In detail, the controller 160 receives and obtains the flight altitude of the tethered drone 200 from the tethered drone 200 through the ground communication unit 150, or measured based on the length of the cable unwound from the tension control unit 120 It can be obtained by doing.

In this case, the controller 160 may update the acquired flight altitude of the tethered drone 200 in real time based on a drone flight control signal input by the controller of the monitoring unit 140.

In addition, the control unit 160 controls the length of the cable to be longer by a predetermined length than the obtained flight altitude, so that the cable tension between the ground station 100 and the tether drone 200 is minimized. It is possible to control the motor 123 of.

At this time, the control unit 160 may preset the predetermined length, for example, the predetermined length is 3 meters to 6 meters when the flight altitude is about 30 meters, and 5 meters to 10 meters when the flight altitude is about 50 meters. If the flight altitude is about 100 meters, it may be preset such as 10 meters to 20 meters.

For example, when the flight altitude of the tether drone 200 is about 30 meters, the control unit 160 may have a motor of the tension control unit 120 so that the length of the cable is longer by 3 to 6 meters than the flight altitude ( 123), and through this, the cable tension can be adjusted so that the cable tension between the ground station 100 and the tether drone 200 is minimized.

On the other hand, in the embodiment, the flight altitude is preferably within a distance allowed by LoRa communication, and can be freely adjusted within 1 to 3Km.

In detail, the allowable distance of LoRa communication is 1~3Km in the city center, and it may be up to 15Km in an area where visibility is secured. Therefore, it is possible to increase the flight altitude of the tethered drone 200 to the limit that allows the weight of the cable.

Here, the embodiment of the present invention is preferable when the flight of the tethered drone 200 is within 1 to 3Km and the tethered drone 200 is capable of taking the weight of the cable into consideration, but is not limited thereto, and is not limited thereto. ) And/or Long-Term Evolution (LTE) communication allows communication until the distance and altitude between the ground station 100 and the tether drone 200 are 2~3Km, allowing the weight of the cable. It will be obvious that the flight altitude of the tethered drone 200 can be increased as much as possible.

In this way, the controller 160 controls the motor 123 of the tension control unit 120 according to the current cable tension obtained from the tension sensor and/or the flight altitude of the tether drone 200 to adjust the tension of the cable, It is possible to improve the stability of the tethered drone 200 flight.

Meanwhile, the controller 160 may adjust the amount of power supplied to the tether drone 200 from the ground station 100.

In detail, the control unit 160 may obtain voltage, current, or power measured from the wattmeter every predetermined time through the power module of the power supply unit 110.

Here, reference data for controlling the amount of power supplied may be preset on the control unit 160 of the ground station 100, and the control unit 160, in which the reference data is preset, is DC/ Voltage, current, or power measured after passing through the DC converter can be obtained based on the power module.

Thereafter, the control unit 160 may adjust the amount of power supplied from the power supply unit 110 to the tether drone 200 through a cable based on the obtained voltage, current, or power.

In an embodiment, the control unit 160, when the voltage is higher or lower than the range based on the preset reference data and/or the current and power supplied from the cable are out of the mechanical range, damage to the internal device, disconnection of the cable. It is possible to generate a power supply amount control signal to determine that it is a short circuit, a malfunction of the tethered drone 200 system, etc., and to cut off the power supply through the connected cable.

In this case, the power supply may be cut off in various forms, such as providing a means for physically removing the cable or stopping power supply to the cable through electrical control such as a switch off.

At this time, when a signal is generated so that the cable is disconnected by the control unit 160 according to an embodiment of the present invention and the power supply to the tether drone 200 is stopped, the tether drone 200 is a power storage unit disposed in the fuselage. The propeller of the driving unit 230 may be operated based on the etc. and landed on the ground according to a preset emergency landing process.

Here, the processor 260 of the tether drone 200 may control power supplied from the power storage unit to each component of the tether drone 200 in consideration of the capacity of the power storage unit.

At this time, the processor 260 transmits the image measured by the camera 250, the information measured by the sensor unit 240, and/or the real-time location information of the tether drone 200 through the interface unit 210 It can be configured to deliver preferentially to 100, and when the power storage unit is used, the operation of the camera 250 is stopped and only the real-time location of the tethered drone 200 generated by the sensor unit 240 is a ground station. It can be configured to deliver 100. And the processor 260, even after the landing of the tethered drone 200, transmits data on the current landing point to the ground station 100 through the sensor unit 240 and the communication module until a separate control signal is input. I can.

In this way, the control unit 160 of the ground station 100 is based on the voltage, power, or power obtained from the tether drone 200, the amount of power supplied from the power supply unit 110 to the tether drone 200 through a cable. By adjusting, it is possible to minimize unnecessary power loss and improve the safety of the tethered drone 200 flight.

On the other hand, the control unit 160 of the ground station 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, based on the ground structure detected by the tether drone 200 and the flight altitude of the tether drone 200, the corresponding tether drone 200 You can control the radius of movement.

6 is a view for explaining a method of controlling the moving radius of the tethered drone 200 by the ground station 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In detail, referring to FIG. 6, the control unit 160 is the guide shaft of the cable guide 130 based on the position of the ground structure detected through the tethered drone 200 and the flight altitude d of the tethered drone 200. The central angle θ by the 131 and the guide header 132 can be controlled, through which the moving radius of the tethered drone 200 can be controlled.

In more detail, first, the controller 160 may obtain the position of the ground structure detected by the tethered drone 200 and the flight altitude d of the corresponding tethered drone 200.

At this time, the processor 260 of the tethered drone 200 may acquire the position of the ground structure and the flight altitude (d) through the sensor unit 240 and/or the camera 250, and use the acquired data as an interface unit. It can be provided to the ground station 100 through (210).

Here, the control unit 160 of the ground station 100 may receive the position of the ground structure and the flight altitude (d) from the tether drone 200 through the ground communication unit 150, and according to the embodiment, the control unit 160 ) May be obtained by measuring the flight altitude (d) of the tethered drone 200 based on the length of the cable unwound from the tension control unit 120.

In addition, the control unit 160 of the ground station 100, which has obtained the location of the ground structure and the flight altitude (d) of the tether drone 200, is based on the location of the acquired ground structure and the flight altitude (d). It is possible to determine the allowable moving radius (r) for (200).

Here, the allowable moving radius (r) is a range in which the tether drone 200 can fly without contacting each other with a cable connecting the ground structure and the ground station 100 and the tether drone 200 at a specific altitude. By using the cable guide 130 of the ground station 100 as a reference axis, it may indicate how far the tether drone 200 can safely fly without being entangled with the ground structure.

That is, the control unit 160 determines an area that can prevent a situation where the corresponding ground structure and the cable are in contact with each other to prevent tangling based on the obtained location of the ground structure and the flight altitude (d). Allowable moving radius (r) can be derived.

In addition, the controller 160 may control the center angle θ by the guide shaft 131 and the guide header 132 of the cable guide 130 based on the determined allowable moving radius r.

In detail, first, the control unit 160 determines an allowable central angle (θ) for the cable guide 130 to allow the tether drone 200 to fly within a safe moving radius that can prevent a situation where cables and ground structures come into contact and become entangled. , It can be calculated based on the obtained allowable moving radius (r).

And the controller 160 controls the guide header 132 of the cable guide 130 so that the center angle θ of the cable guide 130 achieves the calculated allowable central angle θ, and the moving radius of the tether drone 200 Can be limited to within the allowable moving radius (r).

That is, the controller 160 controls the central angle θ of the cable guide 130 so that the tethered drone 200 moves within the allowable moving radius r, so that the tether connected to the cable extending from the cable guide 130 The movable area of the drone 200 may be limited to a safe area in which contact with ground structures is prevented.

In this case, the controller 160 may control the central angle θ through the rotation of the guide header 132 of the cable guide 130.

In detail, the control unit 160 can adjust the central angle (θ) up to 90 degrees (˚) in the vertical direction, that is, the length direction of the guide shaft 131, and in the horizontal direction, that is, the length direction of the guide shaft 131 Through the guide header 132 that can adjust the center angle (θ) up to 360 degrees (˚) in the vertical direction, the tethered drone 200 within the allowable moving radius (r) in which the center angle (θ) of the cable guide 130 is determined. ) It is possible to rotate the guide header 132 to achieve an allowable central angle (θ) to be able to fly.

For example, when the flight altitude (d) is 100 meters and the allowable moving radius (r) is 50 m, the tethered drone 200 is in the range of 50 m, which is the allowable moving radius (r) at an altitude of 100 meters. It is possible to calculate the allowable central angle θ (eg, 45 degrees) to make it fly in. In addition, the control unit 160 may perform the central angle θ control by rotating the guide header 132 so that the central angle θ of the cable guide 130 achieves the calculated allowable central angle θ (eg, 45 degrees). have.

That is, the control unit 160, based on the position of the ground structure detected by the tether drone 200 and the flight altitude (d) of the tether drone 200, the allowable moving radius (r) in which the cable does not contact the corresponding ground structure. Can be derived, and the center angle (θ) of the cable guide 130 can be controlled to fly within the derived allowable moving radius (r), through which the tethered drone 200 can fly without being entangled with the ground structure. It is possible to control the moving radius of the tethered drone 200 so that it is.

In addition, the controller 160 controls the moving radius of the tether drone 200 so that the tether drone 200 can fly without being entangled with the ground structure, so that the tether drone 200 can perform a stable flight. It can assist smooth horizontal movement.

Meanwhile, the control unit 160 of the ground station 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention connects the ground station 100 and the tethered drone 200 based on the height of the guide shaft 131 of the cable guide 130. The maximum winding limit of the cable can be controlled.

7 is a view for explaining a method of controlling the maximum winding limit of the cable connected to the tethered drone 200 by the ground station 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In detail, referring to FIG. 7, the control unit 160 includes a tension control unit 120 based on the height (h, that is, length) of the guide shaft 131 that is implemented as a multi-stage shaft and capable of performing a linear reciprocating motion in the longitudinal direction. It is possible to control the maximum winding limit of the cable accommodated in the device.

Here, the maximum winding limit may be preset by the control unit 160 and may mean the length of the cable unwound from the winding unit to a minimum required for smooth flight of the tethered drone 200.

That is, when determining the minimum cable length (maximum winding limit) required for smooth flight of the tethered drone 200, the control unit 160 is the height (h) of the guide shaft 131 whose height is adjusted according to the situation. The maximum winding limit can be determined by taking into account.

In an embodiment, the controller 160 may perform a control of increasing or decreasing the maximum winding limit in proportion to the height h of the guide shaft 131.

For example, when the height h of the guide shaft 131 is increased by 10 meters, the control unit 160 may control a predetermined maximum winding limit of the cable to increase by 10 meters. In another example, when the height h of the guide shaft 131 is lowered by 10 meters, the control unit 160 may control a preset maximum winding limit of the cable to be reduced by 10 meters.

In addition, in another embodiment, the control unit 160 may control the maximum winding limit of the cable accommodated in the tension control unit 120 based on the overall height of the cable guide 130.

In detail, the control unit 160 is a cable guide 130 incorporating the length of the guide header 132 preset through the control unit 160 and the height h of the guide shaft 131 that varies according to the situation. Based on the total height of the cable, it is also possible to perform a control to increase or decrease the maximum winding limit of the cable.

For example, when the length of the preset guide header 132 is 5 meters, and the height h of the guide shaft 131 is increased by 5 meters from 10 meters to 15 meters, the control unit 160 is the maximum winding of the cable. The limit can be controlled above 20 meters. In another example, when the length of the guide header 132 is 5 meters and the height h of the guide shaft 131 is reduced by 5 meters from 10 meters to 5 meters, the control unit 160 sets the maximum winding limit of the cable. It can be controlled over 10 meters.

In this way, the control unit 160 controls the maximum winding limit of the cable connecting the ground station 100 and the tether drone 200 according to the height of the cable guide 130, thereby properly maintaining the cable tension. In addition, it is possible to minimize the effect of the height fluctuation of the cable guide 130 on the moving radius of the tethered drone 200, and as a result, the flight of the tethered drone 200 may be performed smoothly.

Above, the ground station 100 supporting the tethered drone 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention and the tethered drone 200 system including the same, a cable connecting the tethered drone 200 and the ground station 100 By preventing the phenomenon of being entangled in contact with the ground structure, the tether drone 200 can perform a stable flight, and there is an effect of preventing damage to the tether drone 200 due to cable tangling.

In addition, the ground station 100 supporting the tether drone 200 and the tether drone 200 system including the same control the cable connecting the tether drone 200 and the ground station 100 to control the tether drone 200 By assisting the smooth horizontal movement of the tethered drone 200 has the effect of maximizing the utility.

In addition, the ground station 100 supporting the tether drone 200 and the tether drone 200 system including the same control the cable connecting the tether drone 200 and the ground station 100 to control the tether drone 200 By conveniently performing the take-off and landing of the tethered drone 200, there is an effect of improving the usability of the tethered drone 200 and increasing the convenience of the pilot.

In addition, the ground station 100 supporting the tether drone 200 and the tether drone 200 system including the same, a cable guide 130 for controlling a cable connecting the tether drone 200 and the ground station 100 Is implemented in a tube type, by measuring the wind strength (intensity) to control the flight of the tether drone 200, taking into account the weather environment that affects the flight of the tether drone 200, the safety of the tether drone 200 You can make the flight perform.

In addition, the embodiments according to the present invention described above may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer components and recorded in a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded in the computer-readable recording medium may be specially designed and constructed for the present invention or may be known and usable to those skilled in the computer software field. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magnetic-optical media such as floptical disks. medium), and a hardware device specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine language codes such as those produced by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware device can be changed to one or more software modules to perform the processing according to the present invention, and vice versa.

Specific implementations described in the present invention are examples, and do not limit the scope of the present invention in any way. For brevity of the specification, descriptions of conventional electronic configurations, control systems, software, and other functional aspects of the systems may be omitted. In addition, the connection or connection members of the lines between the components shown in the drawings exemplarily represent functional connections and/or physical or circuit connections, and in an actual device, various functional connections that can be replaced or additionally It may be referred to as a connection, or circuit connections. In addition, if there is no specific mention such as “essential” or “importantly”, it may not be an essential component for the application of the present invention.

In addition, although the detailed description of the present invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the spirit of the present invention described in the claims to be described later if one of ordinary skill in the relevant technical field or those of ordinary skill in the relevant technical field And it will be understood that various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention within a range not departing from the technical field. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be limited to the contents described in the detailed description of the specification, but should be determined by the claims.

Claims (3)

A power supply for supplying power to a tethered drone and a ground station;
A tension control unit for winding or unwinding a cable connecting the tethered drone and the ground station;
A cable guide accommodating and controlling the cable;
A ground communication unit communicating with the tethered drone based on the cable; And
The ground communication unit and the power supply unit are controlled to supply power to the tether drone through the cable, the tension control unit is controlled to adjust the length of the cable, and the cable guide is controlled to adjust the moving radius of the tether drone. Includes;
The cable guide,
A guide shaft implemented as a multi-stage shaft to adjust the height of the cable guide, and a guide header rotatably connected to the guide shaft to control the cable so that the moving radius of the tethered drone is adjusted.
Tethered drone system using oilfield power supply. The method of claim 1,
The cable guide,
Further comprising a roller for minimizing a friction force between the cable accommodated in the cable guide inside or outside, the guide shaft or the guide header, and a tension sensor for sensing the tension of the cable,
The control unit,
Controlling the tension control unit based on the current tension of the cable obtained from the tension sensor to adjust the tension of the cable
Tethered drone system using oilfield power supply. The method of claim 1,
The cable guide,
It is implemented as a tubular cable guide forming a triple structure tube,
The tubular cable guide,
Insulation contraction to block current by being disposed between the inner plastic tube to accommodate the cable and having conductivity, an outer plastic tube that is not conductive and forms the outer shape of the tubular cable guide, and between the inner plastic tube and the outer plastic tube A tube, an elastic member connecting and supporting the guide shaft and the guide header, and a support member that performs a buffering action when the guide header is bent,
The control unit,
Measuring the wind strength in the environment in which the tethered drone flies based on the tube-type cable guide, and controlling the flight of the tethered drone according to the measured wind strength
Tethered drone system using oilfield power supply.

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