TW201720505A - Battery replacement system for unmanned aerial vehicle capable of automatically changing and charging the battery without using man power - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention relates to an automatic battery charging system for unmanned aerial vehicle which is provided with a battery management system. The battery management system comprises four cycles of battery replacement, cooling, charging, and standby, which is achieved by a rotatable circular indexing turntable. The center of the platform is provided with a set of robotic arm for clamping battery box and replacing battery. In addition, the automatic landing platform designed for matching up with the automatic landing system has an inclined surface guiding mechanism to enable the multi-rotor aircraft to accurately land into a specified position. The rotorcraft is suspended at the bottom with a battery box having quick release design, enabling the robotic arm to forwardly grab the battery box to perform battery exchange.

Description

Automatic charging system for unmanned aerial vehicles

The invention belongs to the field of charging technology of a flying vehicle, in particular to an automatic charging system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, so that the unmanned flying vehicle can be automatically charged, so as to achieve the purpose of not manually replacing the battery.

According to the rapid development of aerospace technology, electromechanical integration and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, human development technology for aircraft has become increasingly mature, and the development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has become a trend. . The existing unmanned aerial vehicles may be in different forms such as a fixed-wing aircraft, a helicopter, a multi-rotor aircraft, etc., in which a multi-rotor aircraft is taken as an example, which is provided with four or six support rods in the outer equidistant group of one fuselage, and each of the The free end group of the support rod is provided with a rotor group, and each of the rotor groups is composed of a transmission member and a rotor. The power supply unit, the wireless transmission unit, the sensor capable of detecting angular velocity, the mixer and the mixer are disposed on the body. The flight control unit of the speed controller transmits a message transmitted by a remote controller of a wireless transmitter to drive the rotation of the rotor group to form a control loop, thereby enabling the unmanned aerial vehicle to move up and down in addition to vertical lifting Flying and moving forward and backward, it has the effects of good air-conditioning, safety, low noise and easy control, and it is more flexible and unrestricted in flight action. Such unmanned aerial vehicles can be used in a variety of civil and military operations, such as aerial photography, rescue Action, air pollution monitoring and traffic monitoring can not only save costs, but also avoid risks such as air damage, especially in narrow spaces.

However, the existing unmanned aerial vehicles are mostly motor devices, and their power comes from the battery of the power supply unit. Therefore, the battery power directly affects the flight operation time, that is, the battery power limit will result in insufficient flight time to the existing Technology must allow the aircraft to drop hands and replace the battery, so that the ideal state of the real unmanned aerial vehicle cannot be achieved.

In other words, since the existing unmanned aerial vehicle needs to be manually replaced, the design of the battery needs to be monitored on one side, so that it cannot be fully automated during use, reducing its practicability, and how to improve this problem. An important issue of the invention.

In view of this, the inventors have in-depth discussions on the aforementioned needs, and actively pursued solutions through years of experience in R&D and manufacturing of related industries. After continuous efforts in research and trials, they finally succeeded in developing an unmanned flight. The automatic charging system of the vehicle is used to solve the inconvenience and trouble caused by the replacement of the battery by the existing unmanned aerial vehicle.

Therefore, the present invention mainly provides an automatic charging system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, so that the unmanned flying vehicle can be automatically lowered, and the battery box of the power supply unit is unlocked, and the battery is automatically replaced to reduce manual and operational errors. .

In addition, the present invention is further directed to providing an automatic charging system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, which can further perform a battery management process, a battery tube The process includes four processes of cooling, charging, standby, and replacement. The purpose is to protect the battery for a longer service life and improve its practicality.

Based on this, the present invention mainly achieves the foregoing objects and functions by the following technical means. The system includes: a management platform having a control component with battery replacement, cooling, charging, standby, etc. In different management modes, a distance from the top of the control member near the top is provided with a guide rod that can be manipulated to the front, and the front end of the guide rod has a gripping member for grasping the battery, and the bottom of the control member is pivoted with a point. The dial is provided with a plurality of battery slots on the top surface of the indexing dial for selectively placing a battery, and an indexing dial driving member is arranged on the bottom surface of the indexing dial, and the indexing dial driving member can be rotated by the indexing dial And an automatic docking mechanism, which has a socket disposed in front of the management platform, and a replacement slot corresponding to the management platform is formed on the socket, and the replacement slot is used for the guide rod clamping part of the management platform. Relatively extending, the bearing is provided with a guiding cone for guiding the unmanned flying vehicle to accurately align the position; a battery quick release carrier for detachably mounting on an unmanned flying vehicle And selectively disposed in the socket changing slot of the automatic docking mechanism, the battery quick release carrier has a battery box for carrying the battery, wherein the battery is connected to the battery box in a detachable structure, and is formed with the unmanned flying vehicle. Electrical connections.

Therefore, through the foregoing technical means, since the automatic charging system of the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention has a battery management system, the battery management system includes four cycles of battery replacement, cooling, charging, and standby, with one rotation. The circular indexing turntable is reached. There is a set of mechanical arms in the center of the platform for clamping the battery box and replacing the battery. In addition, in order to cooperate with the automatic landing The system-designed automatic landing platform, with its bevel guiding mechanism, allows a much more rotorcraft to accurately land in a designated position. Under the rotorcraft, a battery box with a quick-release design is mounted, which allows the robotic arm to grab the battery box forward and exchange the battery, which greatly enhances its practicality, further greatly increases its added value and improves its economic efficiency.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings, and in the claims

10‧‧‧Management platform

11‧‧‧Controls

12‧‧‧Resistance

13‧‧‧Ball screw

14‧‧‧Guide bars

15‧‧‧Clamping parts

16‧‧‧Dividing turntable

17‧‧‧Battery storage slot

18‧‧‧Dividing turntable drive

20‧‧‧Automatic docking mechanism

21‧‧ ‧ socket

22‧‧‧Replacement slot

25‧‧‧Guide cone

30‧‧‧Battery quick release carrier

31‧‧‧ frame

32‧‧‧Installation Department

33‧‧‧ tablet

34‧‧‧ battery case

35‧‧‧ quick release group

36‧‧‧ squat

37‧‧‧Schedule

371‧‧‧Hook

372‧‧‧Connecting Department

373‧‧‧Links

38‧‧‧Pushing pieces

Figure 1 is a schematic view showing the appearance of a schematic structure of an automatic charging system for an unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention.

2 is a schematic top plan view of a battery quick release carrier in an automatic charging system of the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view showing the battery quick release carrier in the automatic charging system of the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the battery quick release carrier in the automatic charging system of the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention.

4A is a side elevational cross-sectional view of the battery quick release carrier in the automatic charging system of the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing the appearance of the automatic charging system of the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention in actual use.

The present invention is an automatic charging system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, and the specific embodiments of the present invention and its components, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, all relate to front and rear, left and right, top and bottom, upper and lower, and horizontal and The vertical reference is for convenience of description only and is not intended to limit the invention, nor to limit its components to any position or spatial orientation. The drawings and the dimensions specified in the specification may be varied in accordance with the design and needs of the specific embodiments of the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention.

The preferred embodiment of the automatic charging system for the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention is as shown in FIG. 1 , the vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial vehicle of the unmanned aerial vehicle helicopter or the multi-rotor aircraft using the system, and the system The utility model comprises a management platform 10, an automatic docking mechanism 20 and a battery quick release carrier 30, wherein the battery quick release carrier 30 is disposed on the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the automatic docking mechanism 20 is disposed in front of the management platform 10. For the aforementioned unmanned aerial vehicle to automatically land, and the management platform 10 can automatically grab and replace the battery in the battery quick release carrier 30 of the unmanned aerial vehicle (not shown); as for the detailed composition of each unit of the present invention, Please refer to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , wherein the management platform 10 has a control component 11 with different management modes such as battery replacement, cooling, charging, standby, and the like. An abutting rod 12 corresponding to the automatic docking mechanism 20 is disposed on the control member 11, and a ball screw 13 is further disposed on the control member 11, and the ball screw 13 is rotated by the motor in the control member 11 and then passed through the ball behind the guiding rod 14. screw The guide rod 14 can be moved to the front, and the front end of the guide rod 14 has a gripping member 15 for grasping the battery. Further, the indexing turntable 16 is pivoted at the bottom of the control member 11, and the top surface of the indexing turntable 16 is provided. There are multiple battery placement slots 17 for opposite The battery on each of the battery placement slots 17 is managed by cooling, charging and standby, and the indexing turntable 16 is provided with an indexing dial driving member 18, and the indexing dial driving member 18 can be rotated by the indexing dial 16 And the battery receiving slots 17 are positioned one by one with respect to the automatic docking mechanism 20; the automatic docking mechanism 20 has a socket 21, and the socket 21 is formed with a matching slot 22 corresponding to the management platform 10, The changing slot 22 is adapted to extend relative to the guiding member 14 of the guiding platform 14 of the management platform 10, and the guiding seat 21 is provided with a guiding cone 25 for the obstacle avoidance system, GPS/DGPS guidance, and image guiding Or the unmanned aerial vehicle guided by the mechanism assisted positioning to accurately align the position; and as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the battery quick release carrier 30 is detachably mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle. The battery quick release carrier 30 has two opposite frames 31, and the top surfaces of the two frames 31 have a mounting portion 32 for selective locking on the bottom of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and between the two frames 31. A flat plate 33 is provided, and a bottom surface of the flat plate 33 has a battery case 34 for carrying a battery, wherein the battery is The detachable structure is connected to the battery case 34, and is electrically connected to the unmanned aerial vehicle through the battery case 34, and the top plate 33 has a quick release group 35, and the quick release group 35 is attached to the flat plate 33 by using the opposite pivot seat. 36 is pivotally provided with a hook 37 having a hook portion 371 for selectively hooking the battery, a connecting portion 372 for maintaining stability, and a link portion 373 for pushing, and the quick release group 35 has a The pushing member 38 of the connecting rod 37 is connected to the pushing member 38, and the pushing member 38 can be synchronously pushed by the clamping member 15 of the guiding rod 14, so that the clamping member 15 can be pushed into the battery case 34 to simultaneously push the top. The pusher 38 is used to separate the hook portion 371 of the hook member 37 from the battery, so that the guide rod 14 grips the member 15 The battery can be taken out smoothly; further, the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention has a multi-rotor aircraft as a main embodiment, and the multi-rotor aircraft includes a fuselage, which is made of glass fiber or carbon fiber, and has light weight and high quality. The strength material is integrally formed, and the outer equidistant group of the fuselage is provided with four or six struts, and the free end of each struts can be installed with a rotor group, and at least one flight control unit is provided on the fuselage a remote control receiving unit, wherein the flight control unit has the capability of receiving signals for logical operation and electronic control, and the flight control unit outputs the power of the battery in the battery quick release carrier 30 to the rotor group, and the remote control receiving unit is electrically Connected to the control unit for receiving wirelessly transmitted flight control signals to facilitate control of flight in different directions, so that the flight of the multi-rotor aircraft can be moved vertically and vertically before and after the flight; the multi-rotor aircraft can utilize GPS. The /DGPS guide, image guide, or mechanism assisted positioning guide, etc., accurately land in the automatic docking mechanism 20.

Therefore, the battery quick release carrier 30 is locked to the bottom of the unmanned aerial vehicle by the frame 31 mounting portion 32, so that it can automatically land in the automatic docking mechanism 20, and is performed by the management platform 10. Automatic battery replacement, cooling, charging, standby, and other management modes, and the group constitutes an automatic charging system for unmanned aerial vehicles.

When the present invention is used in an application, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, in operation, a battery quick release carrier 30 is locked at the bottom of the unmanned aerial vehicle, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle uses a battery quick release carrier. The battery in the battery compartment 34 is used as a power source. When the unmanned aerial vehicle needs to be charged, the unmanned aerial vehicle uses its own GPS/DGPS to guide back to the automatic docking of the system. Above the mechanism 20, and further utilizing the image guiding system of the unmanned aerial vehicle to land toward the automatic docking mechanism 20, since the bearing 21 of the automatic docking mechanism 20 is provided with a guiding cone 25, so that the unmanned flight is carried When landing, the image guiding system and the guide cone 25 can be used to accurately land on the socket 21, and the battery quick release carrier 30 mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle is accurately placed in the socket. 21, the loading slot 22; then, the management platform 10 is controlled by the control member 11 to control the indexing dial 16 to transfer the empty battery receiving slot 17 to the corresponding automatic docking mechanism 20 changing slot 22, and the management platform 10 further The guiding rod 14 is moved forward, so that the clamping member 15 extends to the automatic docking mechanism 20, and simultaneously pushes the quick release group 35 pushing member 38 of the battery quick release carrier 30, so that the hook 37 of the battery quick release carrier 30 is hooked. The portion 371 can release the battery in the battery pack 34 of the battery quick release carrier 30, and grip the member 15 and simultaneously grasp the battery in the battery case 34, the control member 11 and operate the guide rod 14 to retreat, and place the battery on the indexing turntable 16 corresponding to the empty battery placement slot 17 for subsequent charging operation; after that, the tube The control member 11 of the platform 10 is rotated by the indexing dial driving member 18 to rotate the battery setting slot 17 having the charged standby battery to the corresponding automatic docking mechanism 20, and then controlled by the control member 11 as described above. The gripping member 15 of the actuating guide 14 is again clamped to the standby battery, and is placed forward into the battery case 34 of the battery quick release carrier 30 in the automatic docking mechanism 20, and the gripping member 15 of the guide rod 14 is Upon exiting, the hook 37 of the quick release group 35 in the battery quick release carrier 30 can again slam the battery into the battery case 34 for electrical connection with the unmanned aerial vehicle to complete the battery replacement action.

According to the foregoing description, the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention The automatic charging system can lock the battery quick release carrier 30 with the frame 31 mounting portion 32 to the bottom of the unmanned aerial vehicle, so that it can automatically land in the automatic docking mechanism 20 and automatically use the management platform 10 Different management modes such as battery replacement, cooling, charging, standby, etc., so that the unmanned flying vehicle can automatically fall behind, and the battery box 34 of the power supply unit is unlocked, and the battery is automatically replaced to reduce manual and operational errors. In the battery management process, the battery management process includes four processes of cooling, charging, standby, and replacement. The purpose is to protect the battery for a longer service life and enhance its practicability.

In this way, it can be understood that the present invention is an excellent creation, in addition to effectively solving the problems faced by the practitioners, and greatly improving the efficiency, and the same or similar product creation or public use is not seen in the same technical field. At the same time, it has the effect of improving the efficiency. Therefore, the present invention has met the requirements for "novelty" and "progressiveness" of the invention patent, and is filed for patent application according to law.

10‧‧‧Management platform

11‧‧‧Controls

12‧‧‧Resistance

13‧‧‧Ball screw

14‧‧‧Guide bars

15‧‧‧Clamping parts

16‧‧‧Dividing turntable

17‧‧‧Battery storage slot

18‧‧‧Dividing turntable drive

20‧‧‧Automatic docking mechanism

21‧‧ ‧ socket

22‧‧‧Replacement slot

25‧‧‧Guide cone

30‧‧‧Battery quick release carrier

31‧‧‧ frame

32‧‧‧Installation Department

33‧‧‧ tablet

34‧‧‧ battery case

35‧‧‧ quick release group

Claims (10)

An automatic charging system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the system comprising: a management platform having a control member, wherein the control member is provided with a ball screw for sliding the ball screw with a guide rod, and the control device has a battery replacement Different management modes such as cooling, charging, standby, etc., the control unit of the management platform is provided with a corresponding one of the automatic docking mechanism, and the battery is removed from the grabbing member, and the control member is slidable. The guide rod is controlled to be displaced to the front, and the front end of the guide rod has a gripping member for grasping the battery, and the bottom of the control member is pivoted with an indexing turntable, and the top surface of the indexing turntable is provided with a plurality of battery receiving slots. , for selectively placing a battery, and an indexing turntable driving member is arranged on the bottom surface of the indexing turntable, the indexing turntable driving member can be rotated and positioned by the indexing turntable; and an automatic docking mechanism having a front of the management platform The socket is formed with a matching slot corresponding to the management platform, the replacement slot is for the guide rod clamping member of the management platform to selectively extend inwardly, and the bearing sleeve is provided with a guiding cone for guiding Nothing The flying carrier is accurately positioned in position; a battery quick release carrier is provided for detachably mounting in an unmanned aerial vehicle and selectively placed in the socket of the automatic docking mechanism, the battery quick release The carrier has a battery case for carrying a battery, wherein the battery is connected to the battery case in a detachable structure and is electrically connected to the unmanned aerial vehicle. The automatic charging system for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the battery quick release carrier has two opposite frames, and the top surfaces of the two frames have a mounting portion for selective Lock is set to this The person flies at the bottom of the vehicle, and a flat plate is disposed between the two frames, and the battery case is disposed on the bottom surface of the plate. The automatic charging system for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the flat top mask of the battery quick release carrier has a quick release group, and the quick release group is fastened on the flat plate by using a relative pivot The hook has a hook portion for selectively hooking the battery, a joint portion for maintaining stability, and a link portion for pushing, and the quick release group has a push for connecting the hook portion of the hook member And the pushing member can be synchronously pushed by the clamping member of the foregoing guiding rod. An automatic charging system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the system is composed of a management platform; the management platform has a control component with different management modes such as battery replacement, cooling, charging, standby, and control parts The upper slide has a guide rod that can be controlled to be displaced to the front, and the front end of the guide rod has a gripping member for grasping the battery, and the bottom of the control member is pivotally provided with an indexing turntable, and the top surface of the indexing turntable is provided with plural The battery is placed in a slot for selectively placing a battery, and an indexing turntable driving member is arranged on the bottom surface of the indexing turntable. The indexing turntable driving member can rotate and position the indexing turntable. An automatic charging system for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the control member is provided with an urging rod corresponding to the automatic docking mechanism for removing the battery on the gripping member. An automatic charging system for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the control member is provided with a ball screw for sliding the ball screw. An automatic charging system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the system is composed of an automatic docking mechanism; the automatic docking mechanism has a socket, and a replacement slot corresponding to the management platform is formed on the socket, and A guiding cone is arranged on the seat for guiding the unmanned aerial vehicle to accurately align. An automatic charging system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the system is composed of a battery quick release carrier; the battery quick release carrier is detachably mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle, and the battery quick release carrier has a A battery case for carrying a battery, wherein the battery is connected to the battery case in a detachable structure and electrically connected to the unmanned aerial vehicle. The automatic charging system for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the battery quick release carrier has two opposite frames, and the top surfaces of the two frames have a mounting portion for selective The lock is disposed at the bottom of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and a flat plate is disposed between the two frames, and the battery case is disposed on the bottom surface of the flat plate. The automatic charging system for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the flat top mask of the battery quick release carrier has a quick release group, and the quick release group is fastened on the flat plate by using a relative pivot The hook has a hook portion for selectively hooking the battery, a joint portion for maintaining stability, and a link portion for pushing, and the quick release group has a push for connecting the hook portion of the hook member And the pushing member can be synchronously pushed by the clamping member of the foregoing guiding rod.