TWI804914B - Uav payload module camera assembly and retraction mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

In one possible embodiment, a UAV payload module retraction mechanism is provided including a payload pivotally attached to a housing. A biasing member is mounted to bias the payload out of the housing and a winch is attached to the payload. An elongated flexible drawing member is coupled between the housing and the winch, the elongated drawing flexible member being capable of being drawn by the winch to retract the payload within the housing.

Description

UAV Payload Module Camera Assembly and Retraction Mechanism

The invention relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) payload module assembly and a retraction mechanism.

Reducing weight and volume is paramount when designing small unmanned vehicles. Small unmanned aerial vehicles, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are typically designed to take off from and land on land. It is currently being sought to operate such a vehicle while being exposed to, or being exposed to, water environments. For example, it may be preferable to land an UAV on water rather than on land, either to lessen the impact of land, or in a location where recovery is easier because of it. In general, amphibious vehicles, both manned and unmanned, are capable of taking off and landing in water.

Manually launched amphibious drones do not need to take off from water, but land on land or water. Some hand-launched drones are designed to land by simply gliding, or hitting the ground, which is more violent than landing on water.

Therefore, there is an urgent need for an amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle that can withstand the high impact of landing on the ground.

In a possible embodiment, a UAV payload module retraction mechanism is proposed, which includes a payload pivotally connected to a casing. A biasing element is provided to bias the load out of the housing, and a winch is connected to the load. An elongated flexible pulling element is coupled between the housing and the winch, the elongated flexible pulling element can be pulled by the winch to retract the load within the housing.

In various embodiments, the payload is pivotally connected to a front position within the housing, such as by a hinge. In various embodiments, the hinge is located forward of the load when the load is in a stowed position. In some embodiments, the hinge may comprise a pivot rod, with the biasing member comprising a spring disposed about the pivot rod. In various embodiments, the biasing element urges the payload into a deployed position.

In various embodiments, the payload includes a camera assembly including a camera and a disc tray pivotally connected to the housing via a hinge, the disc tray having the winch and the coil actuator. In some embodiments, the disc actuator is located between the hinge and the winch.

In various embodiments, the elongated flexible pulling element may be a cable, belt, or other pulling member.

In one possible embodiment, a UAV payload module retraction mechanism is proposed having a payload module having a housing with an opening in a bottom wall of the housing. A load is pivotally connected to a forward position within the housing. A biasing element is provided to bias the load out of the housing. A winch is mounted to the load, and a flexible cable is coupled between the housing and the winch for retracting the load into the housing and releasing the load from the housing.

In various embodiments, the payload may include a camera assembly configured to pivot out of the housing through the opening in the bottom wall. In some embodiments, the flexible cable is attached to a belt. The biasing element can urge the load to a deployed position, and the biasing element can include a spring. In various embodiments, the payload is pivotally connected to a front wall of the housing via a hinge. In some embodiments, the hinge may include a pivot rod and the biasing member includes a spring disposed about the pivot rod.

In various embodiments, the payload further includes a camera assembly having a disc tray mounted therein, the disc tray being pivotally connected to the housing via a hinge, the disc tray including the winch and a disc actuator, while the disc actuator is located between the hinge and the winch.

Amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle (unmanned aerial vehicle) or UAV 10 . The amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle 10 has a fuselage 100 with modular compartments 120, 130, and 140 to accommodate modular components or modules, such as a battery module 20, a payload module 30 , and avionics module 40. In various embodiments, wings 15 and/or 16 may be constructed of multiple pieces, which may be separate and/or "detachable" or separate from fuselage 100 during landing.

FIG. 2 shows a simplified top view of the fuselage 100 of the amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle 10 of FIG. 1 . The walls 110 of the fuselage 100 are composed of buoyant materials to allow the fuselage 100 to float when the fuselage is fully loaded with the battery 20, load 30 and avionics 40 and other non-aircraft parts and components shown in FIG. 1 . Floats without wings (not shown). For example, wall 110 may have a molded foam core sealed with a waterproof layer, although this is not required. Wall 110 may be a single continuous wall or multiple wall segments, or the like.

In this embodiment, the fuselage is divided into three compartments, a front battery compartment 120 , a central load compartment 130 , and a rear avionics compartment 140 . The front battery compartment 120 is separated from the central load compartment 130 by a partition wall 150 . The central load compartment 130 is separated from the rear avionics compartment 140 by a divider wall 160 . In the illustrated embodiment, the lugs 104 , 105 and 106 are used as a means of securing components (not shown) within the compartments 120 , 130 and 140 . The lug 105 can be manually rotated by the rotatable handle 105h to install a battery (not shown), and then rotated back to the position as shown to lock the battery in the front battery compartment 120 . Other securing mechanisms than rotatable lugs 104, 105 and 106 may also be used.

The battery compartment 120 has a mounting surface 122 that supports a battery (not shown). In this embodiment, a connector 124 , which may be a surface mount connector or the like, is generally flush with the mounting surface 122 . Channels 126f and 126r are recessed below mounting surface 122 . A drain, such as a drip hole 128b in the channel 126f , extends through the bottom wall 110b of the fuselage 100 . A drip hole 128s (shown in FIGS. 1-3 ) in channel 126r extends through side wall 110s of fuselage 100 .

If the fuselage is exposed to water, the mating surface 124m of the connector 124 is located above the channels 126f and 126r so that the mating surface will not be submerged in water when the battery 20 ( FIG. 1 ) is connected/disconnected. Wiring 123f and 123b may run in channels 126f and 126b, respectively, and be recessed and/or recessed through airframe 100 to provide power to motors (not shown), and avionics module 40 and/or a load Module 430.

The central load compartment 130 has a front mounting surface 132f and a rear mounting surface 132r that support a load, such as a camera module (not shown). The payload module 30 may include camera, detector, or other passive, active, non-lethal, or lethal payload devices. In this embodiment, a connector 134 is flush with the mounting surface 132r, which may be a surface mount connector or the like. The mounting surface 132r may form a housing 163 to house the connector 134 and associated wiring. The housing may form a lower portion of the partition wall 160 . Drip holes 228s (shown in FIGS. 1-3 ) may extend from within housing 163 through sidewall 110s to allow water to exit housing 163 . In this embodiment, the central compartment 130 has a large opening 131 in the bottom so that a camera can be applied, eg looking down, or lowered into the air flow through the large opening 131 . The large opening 131 also allows fluid to drain from the central compartment 130 .

In various embodiments, the engagement surface 134m of the connector 134 may be positioned above the opening 131 at the top of the housing 163 so that even if the fuselage is not fully exposed to the water, when the load 30 ( FIG. 1 ) is in the connected/disconnected condition , the joint surface will not be submerged in water.

The rear avionics compartment 140 has a mounting surface 142 located at a bottom of the avionics compartment 140 . The mounting surface 142 has a front channel 146f and a rear channel 146r. Channels 146f and 146r are recessed below mounting surface 142 . A drain, such as drip hole 228s in channel 146f (shown in FIGS. 1-3 ), extends through sidewall 110s of fuselage 100 . The drip hole 228b (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 ) in the channel 146r extends through the bottom wall 110b of the body 100 . A sloped recess 229 in the mounting surface 142 directs water out of the mounting surface 142 into the channel 146r.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 has an opening 141 in sidewall 110s of fuselage 110 to expose a heat sink 41 ( FIG. 1 ) and allow heat generated by avionics 40 ( FIG. 1 ) to escape.

FIG. 3 shows a simplified side view of the fuselage 100 of the amphibious UAV 10 of FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, the optional sliding pads 180 and 190 are fixed on the bottom wall 110 b of the fuselage 100 . The gliding pads 180 and 190 in this embodiment are tied down to a hard surface. Glide pad 180 may be located directly below front compartment 120 and may be assembled from a durable shock absorbing material of sufficient thickness and density to further protect components within compartment 120 such as battery 20 ( FIG. 1 ) from impact. Similarly, glide pad 190 may be located directly below rear compartment 140 and may be assembled of a durable, shock-absorbing material of sufficient thickness and density to further protect components within compartment 140, such as avionics 40 (FIG. 1). .

The drip hole 128s extends through the side wall 110s of the fuselage 100 . Drip hole 128s extends through sidewall 110s and into rear channel 126r of battery compartment 120 . The drip hole 228s extends through the side wall 110s and into the housing 163 of the central load compartment 130 .

The fluid drain may be a drip hole, a fluid drain port, or the like.

Various embodiments provide an airframe 100 that enables a UAV to land on water and undulating terrain. Rather than sealing the entire aircraft against water ingress, various embodiments achieve water landing capability by sealing individual electrical and electronic components, namely batteries, loads, avionics, and associated connectors and wiring.

This allows the rest of the vehicle to remain afloat, and when the UAV exits the water, any water in the vehicle is drained through a set of fluid discharge ports. In this way, the protection of the electrical and electronic components is not dependent on maintaining the integrity of the fuselage 100 or outer wall 110, which may occur after landing on hard and/or undulating terrain (typically a landing on the ground). ) during damage.

This also minimizes the volume inside the aircraft that needs to be waterproofed, thereby reducing the weight and complexity of the entire system.

Furthermore, the ability of the aircraft to land on hard surfaces or undulating terrain without damaging electrical and electronic components is achieved not only by placing these components in modular compartments 120, 130, and 140, but also by This is accomplished by allowing the walls 110 of the compartments 120, 130, and 140 to partially deform without causing the UAV to malfunction. The wall 110 forms an impact zone surrounding the electrical and electronic components within the compartments 120 , 130 , and 140 , and the divider prevents the components 20 , 30 , and 40 from colliding. Optionally, in some embodiments, wall 110 and mounts 122, 132f, 132r, and 142 are embedded components 20 from wall 110 and/or its opposing dividers 150 and 160 (FIG. 2). , 30, and 40 (Figure 1). Additional shock-absorbing material (not shown) may be added to compartments 120, 130, or 140 to further reduce any chance of damage to components 20, 30, or 40 due to impact.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , fuselage 110 may include an optional outer channel 110 c on side 110 s of fuselage 110 , on side wall 110 of avionics compartment 140 , extending rearwardly from a hole 218 to the tail of aircraft 10 . Wiring 203 extends through aperture 218 and along outer channel 110c to connect avionics assembly 40 to a driver assembly 202 for actuating control surfaces aft of aircraft 10 . Outer channel 110c allows easy access to wiring for inspection, repair and replacement.

retractable camera unit

(Figure 4–7)

FIG. 4 shows a simplified cutaway side view of one embodiment of a load module 30 . Referring to Figures 1, 3 and 4-7, a retraction mechanism 410 providing a payload 400 is used to lift the payload 400 from a parked position within the UAV 10 (as shown in Figure 6), and thus from the machine of the UAV 10. The bottom 110b of the body 100 moves to a position extending outside the load module 30 as shown in FIG. 4 . FIG. 5 shows a simplified cutaway side view of one embodiment of a load module 30 of FIG. 4 with the load 400 partially retracted into the housing 35, and FIG. 6 shows a load module 30 of FIG. 4 A simplified cutaway side view of one embodiment with the load system fully retracted into the housing 35 .

The payload 400 may be a gimbal, and as shown a tilting camera assembly 405 which, in the extended position, can be viewed below and around the UAV 10 . During retraction or extension of the camera assembly 405 , the camera assembly 405 moves about a single pivot point/axis or hinge 420 . The camera assembly 405 moves in a direction indicated by an arrow 422 d outside the housing 35 and moves in a direction indicated by an arrow 422 s that loads the payload 400 into the housing 35 . In other embodiments, hinge 420 may have multiple pivot points with multiple pivot axes (not shown).

Generally, a winch 430 is attached to the other end of the hinge 420 on the camera assembly 405 . The winch 430 is then directly or indirectly connected to, connected to, or connected to a wall 35w of the housing 35, such as with a lock 450, or other locking member to the front wall 35f, directly or indirectly through a cable 440, so that through The camera assembly 405 can be completely retracted into the casing 35 of the module 30 by operating the winch 430 . A winch 430 is located within the disc tray 415 .

A biasing element, such as a spring 460, in or around the hinge 420 is used to bias the load 400 downward toward its extended position (as shown in FIG. 4). A stop, seat or limiter (not shown) coupled to the camera assembly 405 and/or housing 35 may be used to limit movement of the camera assembly in its extended position. In some embodiments, the cable 440 may, by itself or in addition to other restraints, limit the movement of the camera assembly 405 in its extended position, and thus be in tension when the camera is fully extended. Furthermore, in some embodiments, spring 460 provides sufficient force to hold camera assembly 405 steady when camera assembly 405 is protruded into the airflow. In other embodiments, an actuatable locking mechanism (not shown) may be used to secure the camera assembly if desired while it is extended.

Payload 400 may be positioned within UAV 10 such that the direction of travel of UAV 10 causes camera assembly 405 to rotate about hinge 420 into the housing. In the event of retraction mechanism 410 failure, this configuration will allow camera assembly 405 to retract into UAV 10 when it touches the ground upon landing, thereby reducing the likelihood or severity of damage to payload 400 . To facilitate this, a hinge 420 or other pivot member is located forward and near the bottom of the housing 35 . Thus, the hinge 420 may be positioned on the front wall 35f of the housing 35 such that the central axis of the hinge pivot rod 795 ( FIG. 7 ) is perpendicular to the direction of motion of the UAV 10 .

The use of cables 440 further provides reliable operation and environmental adaptability, as well as reduced weight. The term cable as used herein includes a braided cable, ribbon cable, a belt, a belt, a rope, a chain, or other flexible member used to support tension or tension. In one embodiment, the cable 440 may be a reliable, lightweight, non-corroding strap of nylon (NYLON), Kevlar, or other material.

In this embodiment, the locking member 450 may serve as a stop or seat 450r for the camera assembly 405 . In this embodiment, when the camera assembly is fully retracted as shown in FIG. 6, the disc tray 415 is placed facing the seat 450r. In other embodiments, the locking member 450 and the seat 450r can be of different mechanisms.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic cut-away top view of one embodiment of the disc tray 415 of the camera assembly 405 . The disk tray 415 covers the disk motor assembly 745, which is used to move the camera assembly 405 to shoot. The winch motor 735 is also housed in the disc tray 415 and is coupled to the winch drum 785 via the worm gear 755 also housed in the disc tray 415 . The winch drum 785 is attached to the outside of the disc tray 415 and is located opposite the pivot rod 795 .

In this embodiment, the bottom 35b of the housing 35 is not sealed, so the load module 30 has an open bottom 35b to facilitate the transfer of the load 400 . Therefore, in this embodiment, the disc tray 415 and the inclined cylinder 425 are individually sealed. Tilt cylinder 425 generally houses pitch control motor assembly (not shown) and photographic, detection, or other passive, active, non-lethal, or lethal payloads 465 and 475 .

It should be noted that any reference to "an embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that any description of a specific feature, structure or characteristic related to the embodiment should be included in an embodiment if necessary. The words "in an embodiment" in different places in this specification do not all refer to the same embodiment.

The drawings and examples provided here are for the purpose of illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. This disclosure should be considered as illustrating the principles of the present invention, and the appended examples are not intended to limit the spirit and scope of the present invention and/or claims.

Those skilled in the art can modify the present invention to achieve a particular application of the invention.

The discussion contained in this patent is intended as a basic description. The reader should be aware that a specific discussion may not explicitly describe all possible embodiments, and that alternatives are implied. Furthermore, this discussion may not fully explain the general nature of the invention, nor may it expressly show how each function or element may be substituted or equivalently substituted. Again, these concepts are implicit in this disclosure. In device-oriented terms introduced in the present invention, each element implicitly performs a function of the device. It should also be understood that various changes may be made without departing from the essence of the invention. This variation is also implicit in this description. These changes still belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

In addition, each of the various elements of the present invention and claims can also be implemented in various ways. The present disclosure should be understood to include each such variation, whether of any variation of an apparatus embodiment, a method embodiment, or even merely a variation of any of these elements. In particular, it should be understood that in the disclosure related to elements of the present invention, even if only the function or result is the same, the terms of each element may be expressed by equivalent device terms. Even such equivalent, broader, and more general terms should be considered encompassing every element or act described. These terms may be substituted for the purpose of showing the implied scope conferred by the invention. Likewise, each disclosed physical element should be understood to encompass the disclosed act that the physical element facilitates. Such changes and alternative terms should be considered as expressly revealed by this detailed description.

Having described several embodiments related to the present invention, variations thereof should be suggested to those skilled in the art. The illustrated embodiments herein are not limiting, and various configurations and combinations of features are possible. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, and the scope of the attached patent application shall prevail.

10: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) 15: wing 16: wing 20: Battery module 30: Load module 35: Shell 35b: bottom 35f: front wall 35w: wall 40:Avionics module 100: fuselage 104: Lugs 105: Lugs 106: Lugs 105h: handle 110: wall 110b: bottom wall 110c: Outer channel 110s: side wall 120: battery compartment 122: Mounting seat 123b: Wiring 123f: Wiring 124: Connector 124m: joint surface 126b: channel 126f: channel 126r: channel 128b: drip hole 128s: drip hole 130: Load compartment 131: large opening 132f: Front mounting surface 132r: rear mounting surface 134: connector 134m: joint surface 140: Avionics Compartment 141: opening 142: Mounting seat 146f: front channel 146r: rear channel 150: Partition board 160: Partition board 163: shell 180: sliding mat 190: sliding mat 202: Driver assembly 203: Wiring 218: hole 228b: drip hole 228s: drip hole 229: Concave 400: load 405: Camera component 410: retraction mechanism 415: disc tray 420: hinge 422d: Arrow 422s: Arrow 425: Inclined cylinder 430: Winch 440: cable 450:Fixer 450r: seat 460: spring 465: load device 475: load device 735: winch motor 745: Disc Motor Assembly 755: worm gear 785: winch drum 795: Pivot Rod

The features and advantages of the present invention can be more easily understood by the detailed description, the appended patent claims, and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle.

FIG. 2 shows a simplified top view of the fuselage of the amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 shows a simplified side view of the fuselage of the amphibious unmanned aerial vehicle of FIG. 1 .

Figure 4 shows a simplified cutaway side view of one embodiment of a load module.

5 is a simplified cutaway side view of one embodiment of a load module of FIG. 4 with the load partially retracted into the housing.

6 is a simplified cutaway side view of one embodiment of a load module of FIG. 4 with the load fully retracted within the housing.

Figure 7 illustrates a simplified cutaway top view of one embodiment of a disc tray for a camera assembly.

Domestic deposit information (please note in order of depositor, date, and number) none Overseas storage information (please note in order of storage country, institution, date, and number) none

30: Load module

35: Shell

35b: bottom

35f: front wall

35w: wall

110b: bottom wall

400: load

405: Camera component

415: disc tray

420: hinge

422d: Arrow

422s: Arrow

425: Inclined cylinder

430: Winch

440: cable

450:Fixer

450r: seat

460: spring

465: load device

475: load device

Claims (18)

A method in a UAV comprising the steps of: a) securing a payload to the UAV so that the payload can be loaded into the UAV and deployed out of the UAV; b) deflecting the payload out of the UAV c) retracting the load using a flexible member capable of supporting tension; and d) wherein the step of retracting using the flexible member includes deflecting the load when the load is deflected out of the UAV A payload is retracted into the UAV from the deployed position. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of retracting using the flexible member includes using at least one of: a) a cable; or b) a belt. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of using the flexible member to retract includes using a corrosion-resistant material. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of using the flexible member to retract comprises a kevlar belt. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of biasing includes providing sufficient force to hold the payload steady as the payload is deployed out of the UAV into an air stream. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of: locking the load in the deployed position to fix the load in the deployed position. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of securing the load includes securing with a hinge. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of retracting the load includes using a winch. A method in a UAV comprising the steps of: a) applying a biasing force to a load to deflect the load out of the UAV; b) using a retraction mechanism including a flexible member to deflect the load a load is retained within the UAV; c) extending the load from the UAV using the retraction mechanism; and d) retracting the load using the retraction mechanism including the flexible member so that when the load is deflected out of the When outside the UAV, the payload is retracted into the UAV from the deployed position. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of extending the payload includes extending the payload from the fuselage. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of: a) launching the UAV; b) landing the UAV without using landing gear; and c) wherein the step of extending the payload includes after launching the UAV and before landing the UAV Extend the load. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of: a) launching the UAV and extending the payload from the UAV; and b) landing the UAV without using landing gear. The method of claim 12, wherein landing the UAV The steps include landing the UAV on water. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of landing the UAV includes landing the UAV on land. The method of claim 12, wherein launching the UAV includes manually launching the UAV. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of landing includes using a skid pad. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising the steps of: a) launching the UAV manually; and b) landing the UAV on water. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising the steps of: a) launching the UAV manually; and b) landing the UAV on land.

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