RU188145U1 - Flying robot with automatic switching to landing mode at the starting point - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model, “A flying robot with automatic switching to landing mode”, uses high accuracy of returning to the starting point of the launch and an additional program for landing the robot on two-color LED illuminated metal strips oriented in a known manner - charging electrodes, so that, as the batteries charge, they resume their old flight or a new software algorithm for performing a flight mission.

Description

The utility model "A flying robot with automatic switching to landing mode at the starting point" relates to the field of sensing technology of the earth and water surface.

In the recently introduced family of new UAVs, multicopters, the simplicity of design and assembly is fully compensated by the work of an active powerful microprocessor, together with a set of sensors: 3D accelerometers and 3D gyroscopes that can constantly determine angles and their changes (i.e., the orientation of the multicopter platform carrying these sensors in space). This implements multichannel feedback, which compensates for any deviations of the platform from the originally set and fixed in space position. In addition to these sensors, modern 3D copters also use 3D electronic magnets, barometers, acoustic sensors, laser rangefinders and video cameras that detect obstacles in the way of the copter (flying robot). As a result, the main advantage of a multicopter platform is its automatic movement (or hovering) at a point determined in geophysical coordinates (latitude, longitude and altitude), defined by communication with satellite networks (GPS-GLONASS). The copter platform in automatic and pre-programmed mode takes off, moves in a given geophysical direction with a programmable speed and makes a landing at a given point. For sensing the land and water surface, it is very important that the copter returns to its starting point (i.e., the point that coincides with the take-off point). Unlike most aircraft, the acting forces and rotational moments of the copters are created by force groups - a brushless motor - a propeller, and a simple (airplane) propeller without complex devices for changing the angle of the blades, as is done in helicopters, and the whole set of unique properties described above is based on precise control of each power unit by a computer program using feedback on angular coordinates and satellite navigation in geophysical space. Each multicopter implements a set of standard power units in the form of an offset (beam) with a current regulator, motor and propeller. Hence the name: four rays - a quadrocopter, six - a hexacopter, etc. Deep coverage of the orientation of the copter platform in space by a feedback system provides the unique capabilities of this flying robot. Its main advantages are as follows:

1. the ability to "freeze" at a given point in space for a given geophysical coordinates for an indefinite period (the duration of the electric batteries)

2. the ability to move at a programmed speed and course between the hovering points,

3. The ability to automatically land (including the starting point of the flight path).

4. All three of the above abilities are performed completely automatically, in the presence of wind, fog, precipitation day and night.

Thus, it becomes possible to fully autonomous flights on difficult routes with several points of hovering and landing according to a given program. Of course, at any time a transition to manual control is possible, for most copters it is simply the inclusion of a manual control panel and the reception of the corresponding signal. The weakest parameter remains battery power, so the flight duration of most copters does not exceed, as a rule, 30 minutes, in rare “record” cases of one hour. Thus, in the full cycle of the copter battery, including the flight itself and charging (which is usually three to four times longer than the flight duration + cooling time of the batteries after the next flight), the time spent on the ground is 3-5 times longer than in air. When trying to professionally use the copter (for example, tracking emergencies or the occurrence of forest fires), the useful time is reduced even more, since additional equipment is installed on the copter. In connection with the foregoing, it is proposed to use one of the remarkable properties of the copter sits at the starting point of the flight, let's call it Base. In the center of the Base, it is necessary to place a two-color LED luminous strip located from north to south (like the arrow of a magnet), and flat conductive electrodes should be placed on the sides of the luminous strip. Charging terminals must be output to the copter's chassis (the charge current is significantly less than the flight current, therefore, charging wires can be chosen with a smaller diameter so that the wiring from the batteries to the chassis will not affect the weight of the copter). Since the copters have a compass and are equipped with at least one video camera, the luminous strip when moving from top to bottom from a distance of several meters will be clearly visible to the "microprocessor". Therefore, with the accuracy of returning to the starting point of the order of one meter during landing (if the appropriate program is laid down), the processor will easily ensure its position exactly between the strips - the charging electrodes of the copter's chassis. With a copter weight of more than two kilograms, the pressing of each electrode to the flat surface of the charger should be sufficient to ensure good contact, otherwise, you can use the simplest clamps such as rollers (moving from the periphery to the luminous strip) fixing the copter after landing and performing an additional clamp. After landing and cooling the batteries, the copter immediately starts charging from metal landing strips, and after charging it can take off again, carrying out a continuous duty cycle. Depending on the requirements of the application, for the actual continuity of fire tracking, two or more multicopter can be used, each with its own landing - launch pad, for example, so that one or more copters are constantly in the air. As a prototype of this useful application, you can take one of the most advanced quadrocopters of the well-known company (Dji ckymec) Phantom 3 - 2015 edition [1] (here, when choosing an analog, we do not specifically provide information on defense copters, however, the product complies with the requirements of the Federal Communications Commission of the FCC in Part 15: "Operation of the product is possible if two conditions are met:

1) the product does not interfere

2) the product must accept any interference, including being able to process such interference that may cause an undesired mode of operation "

Phantom 3, in addition to GPS-GLONASS, has an additional visual positioning system, consisting of two ultrasonic parking sensors and an additional black and white video camera, which allows the copter platform to move with high accuracy even in the absence of a GPS signal, for example, indoors. Note that with a battery weight of 1280 g, the maximum flight time is 20 minutes, which is not so small for amateur aerial photography, but almost unacceptable for industrial applications like the one mentioned above. The ceiling of the copter is 6000 m, i.e. quite sufficient for the implementation of numerous practical applications. Close data are also obtained from domestic developments carried out in this direction, in particular, the RusAeroLab quadrocopter took off above 5 km upwards [2, 3]. Moreover, the copter itself automatically rose above 5 km and descended in P-GPS mode, landing 70 cm from the starting point of take-off [2, 3].

As an analogue of a utility model, in fact, any robot that finds battery charging terminals in a situation where the battery charge is close to zero can actually come up. While such flying robots are not known to the authors, but the simplest example of "ground" robots is, for example, the i-Robot household robot vacuum cleaner, which automatically finds charging terminals as the batteries discharge, attaches to them, and charges in the programmed earlier time begins to clean the room. In the general case, everything is similar, only for a flying robot, leaving the place of charging for kilometers, everything is much more complicated and this problem has to be solved with the help of satellite navigation systems, a compass and accurate systems for supporting the orientation of the copter platform in space through a set of sensors and feedbacks.

Literature

1. Company LLC "UVS AVIA" http://uvsavia.ru/

2. AeroLaboratory LLC (RusAeroLab LLC), Innovative unmanned multi-rotor helicopters and aerial photo and video shooting, http://www.rusaerolab.ru/about.html

3. ZALA AERO GROUP group of companies - a full cycle from development to production, http://zala.aero/

Claims (1)

A flying robot with automatic switching to landing mode at the starting point containing a compass, a video camera, a microprocessor, a chassis, a battery, characterized in that the battery charging terminals are output to the chassis of a flying robot, while the flying robot is configured to record the position of a two-color LED luminous strip with a video camera to provide the necessary orientation of the landing gear.