RU2782479C1 - Aeromobile air surveillance system - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: aviation.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to the field of aviation, and relates to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and can be used for aerial surveillance. The airborne air surveillance system includes a multicopter and a tethered balloon. The balloon is located in the central part of the multicopter, which, during delivery to the observation site, is fixed by stoppers in the folded state. The upper part of the balloon is a rigid hemisphere with a coated solar battery and an etching valve. The middle part of the balloon is made of an elastic gas-tight material, inside of which there is a cylinder with a valve filled with compressed lifting gas. The lower part of the balloon is a platform with a video camera for a circular view of the lower sphere in the visible and infrared spectrum. On the multicopter there are units of the global navigation system GPS/GLONASS, communication and control systems, batteries evenly distributed according to weight characteristics. An electric winch is located at the bottom of the multicopter for the installation and return of the balloon. The cable used to raise and lower the balloon is a radio antenna, control cable and power supply.

EFFECT: unmanned aerial vehicles improvement.

1 cl, 4 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the field of aviation, in particular to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and can be used for aerial surveillance from a fixed or moving ground or air platform, which is used as a multicopter.

At present, operational inspection of large land and water surfaces is mainly carried out with the help of aviation complexes based on aircraft, helicopters or spacecraft. Recently, directions for the use of UAVs have been actively developing. These technologies have a number of advantages, they do not require specially prepared sites and launch complexes, UAVs are relatively inexpensive in contrast to large air complexes, and their use is not associated with a risk for maintenance personnel. Many countries are successfully developing and implementing aircraft-type UAVs, which have received the greatest development and, as a result, distribution, and helicopter-type vehicles are also actively used for various types of activities. A feature of these complexes is the possibility of vertical takeoff and landing, which determines their main advantages (compared to aircraft-type UAVs).

The active development of electronics makes it possible to create both large and rather miniature aircraft systems with a wide range of capabilities, ranging from simple photography and video surveillance in the visible spectrum to the installation of thermal imaging and laser readers. If we consider the possibility of using UAVs for the needs of both the national economy and military activities to obtain the necessary data, then their use opens up great prospects for the development of these technologies.

Known hybrid airship (WO 2008025139 A1, 06.03.2008), consisting of a spherical shell of a fixed volume, filled with light gas, installed on the aeronautical compartment, from which cross-shaped arms with air-propeller aircraft engines at their ends extend to the sides.

The disadvantage of this device is the shell, which is made soft, its incomplete gas filling leads to the loss of its spherical shape, the shell fabric will hang in arbitrary folds without tension, which worsens the streamlining and increases the windage of the apparatus.

Known unmanned aircraft complex of the company "Israel Aerospace Industries LTD" (application WO 2007/141795 A1, B64C 27/20, 13.12.2007), including a ground station and an unmanned tethered aerial vehicle in the form of a platform carrying a payload and a propeller in the form of four fans with electric drive. The tether connecting the ground station to the unmanned aerial vehicle platform consists of a power cable and a multifunctional cable that provides electrical and control communications. Fan propellers provide vertical lift and allow you to maintain a given height of the platform in hover and flight mode. Fan propellers can be made with a variable blade angle or be equipped with adjustable deflection shields to change the spatial position of the UAV.

The disadvantage of this device is the use of a free tether of an unmanned aerial vehicle, which requires a complex system for tracking the spatial position of the platform and controlling it. The complexity of the system for controlling and stabilizing the position of an unmanned aerial vehicle leads to an increase in the weight of the UAV and a decrease in its reliability and causes a high cost of the system elements.

The closest in technical essence to the claimed invention is a set of equipment for aerial surveillance (RU 2535381, 2014), including the placement of a thermal imaging camera on a tethered balloon with the possibility of circular rotation of the camera around a vertical axis and changing the angle of inclination of the camera to the vertical axis due to the placement it on a horizontal shaft.

The disadvantage of this device is the observation in only one band of the frequency spectrum, insufficient range of observation, low mobility of the proposed device, limited use on terrain with difficult terrain and limited access roads.

The objective of the invention is to create a mobile surveillance system that combines the positive features of both a multicopter and an aerostat - a system that will be able to covertly deploy in the most difficult places and monitor an extended area for a long time.

The required technical result is achieved by the fact that the airborne surveillance system includes a multicopter and a tethered balloon. The balloon is located in the central part of the multicopter; during delivery to the observation site, it is fixed by stoppers in the folded state. The upper part of the balloon is a rigid hemisphere with a coated solar battery and an etching valve. The middle part of the balloon is made of an elastic gas-tight material, inside of which there is a cylinder with a valve filled with compressed lifting gas. The lower part of the balloon is a platform with a video camera for a circular view of the lower sphere in the visible and infrared spectrum. On the multicopter there are evenly distributed by weight characteristics blocks of the global navigation system GPS/GLONASS, communication and control systems, batteries. An electric winch is located at the bottom of the multicopter for the installation and return of the balloon. The cable used to raise and lower the balloon is a radio antenna, a control and power cable, through which the electricity generated by the solar battery or from the battery is supplied to consumers, and the resulting image is transmitted through the control system to the control point.

The essence of the invention is illustrated by drawings, where in Fig. 1 shows an airborne air surveillance system in readiness for flight to the observation site, it includes:

1 - etching valve;

2 - rigid hemisphere;

3 - solar battery;

4 - battery;

5 - communication and control system;

6 - blocks of the global navigation system GPS/GLONASS;

7 - chassis;

8 - electric winch;

9 - video camera.

On FIG. 2 shows a tethered balloon of an airborne air surveillance system, where:

10 - cylinder with compressed lifting gas;

11 - valve;

12 - balloon body;

13 - platform;

14 - cable.

On FIG. 3 shows an airborne air surveillance system in operation, where:

15 - multicopter;

16 - locking devices.

On FIG. 4 shows a diagram of a multicopter without a tethered balloon, where:

17 - multicopter engines;

18 - place for fastening the balloon.

The invention works as follows: an airborne surveillance system is transported by means of vehicles to the area of application. Further preparations for the flight are carried out. The engines (17) are started and the multicopter (15) under the control of the operator takes off and moves in a given direction. The operator, using the video camera of the airborne surveillance system, selects a place and lands the multicopter (15). If necessary, it is possible to carry out the flight of a multicopter (15) to a given point in the terrain in automatic mode according to the coordinates of the global navigation system GPS/GLONASS (6). After the landing of the multicopter, according to the program or command of the operator, the communication and control system (5) generates a command to open the valve (11) on the cylinder with compressed lifting gas (10) located in the balloon body (12). The balloon body (12) is filled with lifting gas, the locking devices (16) are opened and the balloon lifts. The lifting height is regulated by unwinding the cable (14) from the electric winch (8) and is set by the communication and control system (5) depending on the commands received from the control point.

The all-round video camera (9) located on the platform (13) provides an overview of the area. Depending on the time of day and the need, observation is carried out both in the visible and infrared spectrum. Discrete monitoring is possible to save energy.

Electricity for the flight of a multicopter, means of observation, communication and control is provided through the use of a rechargeable battery (4) and a solar battery (3). The solar battery (3) makes it possible to replenish the energy reserves in the storage battery (4). The ability to replenish energy allows the airborne air surveillance system to monitor the area for a long time. The received image in real time, according to a certain program or request, is transmitted by the communication and control system (5) to the control point.

If it is necessary to increase the surveillance zone or quickly change the target of surveillance, it is possible to move the airborne surveillance system in expanded form both in height and at the location of the object.

Upon completion of the observation tasks, the airborne surveillance system is brought into readiness for flight to the place of deployment or meeting. To do this, at the command from the control point, the communication and control system (5) issues a command to the electric winch (8) and to the release valve (1). The balloon gets rid of the lifting gas, reduces the volume and is drawn into the multicopter (15). The rigid hemisphere (2) is fixed in the locking devices (16). The platform (13) with the video camera (9) is put into the standard place for fastening (18) in the multicopter (15). Upon readiness and a command from the control center, the engines (17) of the multicopter (15) are started and takeoff is carried out. The flight is carried out according to the coordinates of the global navigation system GPS / GLONASS (6) or under the control of the operator.

The use of an airborne air surveillance system allows you to quickly organize surveillance of areas of interest, covertly deploy a surveillance system in difficult places and conduct surveillance for a long time, providing surveillance of an extended area of the terrain both independently and taking into account the technical means previously placed on the ground.

Claims (1)

Aeromobile air surveillance system consisting of a multicopter and a tethered balloon, characterized in that in the central part of the multicopter there is a balloon fixed by stoppers in the folded state, the upper part of the balloon is a rigid hemisphere with an applied solar battery and an etching valve, under the hemisphere inside an elastic gas-tight material there is a cylinder with a valve filled with compressed lifting gas, in the lower part of the balloon there is a platform with a video camera for all-round visibility in the lower sphere in the visible and infrared spectrum, on the multicopter there are blocks of the global navigation system GPS / GLONASS, communication and control systems, a battery, in the lower part of the multicopter there is an electric winch with a cable, which is a communication antenna, a control cable and power supply.

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