WO2015182924A1

WO2015182924A1 - Apparatus and method for aligning landing position of unmanned aerial vehicle and ground system including same apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2015182924A1
Application number: PCT/KR2015/005127
Authority: WO
Inventors: 강동우; 정환호; 이석태
Original assignee: 퍼스텍 주식회사
Priority date: 2014-05-26
Filing date: 2015-05-26
Publication date: 2015-12-03
Also published as: KR20150136224A; KR101586188B1

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for aligning a landing position of an unmanned aerial vehicle. The apparatus comprises: a land on which an unmanned aerial vehicle lands; a pair of left and right transfer bars installed along the left and right sides of the land; left and right linear slide grooves that are installed on the land to allow the left and right transfer bars to move, and extend toward the center of the land; a pair of front and rear transfer bars installed along the front and rear sides of the land; and front and rear linear slide grooves that are installed on the land to allow the front and rear transfer bars to move, respectively, and extend toward the center of the land, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a reference member subject to position alignment during landing, and extension lines of the left and right slide grooves and the front and rear slide grooves cross each other to form an alignment area where the reference member of the unmanned aerial vehicle is aligned and seated.

Description

Drone landing position alignment device, alignment method and ground system including the device

Applicant's patent application 2013-71561 on "Drone Landing Guidance Method and Apparatus" is incorporated herein by reference.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a drone landing position alignment device and method. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for accurately aligning a drone in the center of a land on which the drone lands, and to a ground system of a drone including the apparatus.

The contents described in this section merely provide background information on the embodiments of the present invention, but do not limit or limit the present invention.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are remote pilots or autonomous flight controls without pilots, and are difficult or impossible for humans to perform such tasks as reconnaissance, bombing, cargo transportation, forest fire surveillance, and radiological surveillance. Means a plane performing dangerous missions.

It is important that the drone safely lands at the desired point after the mission is completed. Since the pilot does not board and maneuver, it is necessary to precisely control the landing so as not to fall during the landing on the ground or landing pad.

Landing-related navigation systems of drones are implemented in various ways for each drone type. In general, GPS and inertial guidance systems are mainly used for drone navigation or landing guidance. Among them, GPS tends to be preferred because chipset price is low and size is small. For example, in the case of a drone such as a predator, which is a kind of drone, a manual steering landing is possible by using a precision approach radar and a video camera.

As a technique for a drone landing position alignment device, Korean Patent No. 125784 discloses a technique for positioning a helicopter landing in a docking station in a horizontal and vertical direction as an example of a drone. This patent includes a pair of longitudinal alignment bars 120 'and a pair of horizontal alignment bars 130' as shown in FIG. The vertical alignment bar 120 ′ includes a fixing block 121 ′ and a guide rod 123 ′ connected to the support through the fixing block 121 ′. Push the support linearly to adjust the helicopter's longitudinal position. The fixed block 121 'does not move. The support consists of a base 122b 'with a rubber band attached to the skid of the helicopter and a partition 122a'. The horizontal alignment bar 130 ′ includes a fixing block 131 ′ and a guide rod 133 ′ connected to the support 132 ′ through the fixing block 131 ′. 133 'linearly moves the support 132' to align the helicopter's transverse position.

However, this patent assumes that a pair of longitudinal alignment bars 120 'travel the same distance towards the center, taking into account only when the skid is in the center of the helicopter fuselage. Furthermore, this patent does not disclose a method of setting a position correction amount of a helicopter and a lifting structure of a docking station. In addition, it does not mention how to deal with the type of drone, skid arrangement, shape, size, and the like. In addition, there is a problem that can not guarantee that the support rod is exactly linear movement because the structure of the guide rod pushes the support.

In order to solve the above problems, an embodiment of the present invention, a ground system of a drone comprising a device and method for accurately aligning the drone to the center of the land, and a mounting apparatus mounted to the elevating adjustable device To provide.

Embodiments of the present invention to achieve the above object, land landed by the drone; A pair of left and right transport bars installed along the left and right sides of the land; Linear left and right slide grooves installed on the land to move the left and right transport bars and extending toward the center of the land; A pair of forward and backward transfer bars installed along the front and rear sides of the land; And a linear front and rear slide grooves installed on the lands to move the front and rear conveyance bars, respectively, and extending toward the center of the lands. The drone includes a reference member that is a target for position alignment during landing. Each of the extension lines of the front and rear slide grooves intersect with each other to form a landing position alignment device of the drone to form an alignment area in which the reference member of the drone is aligned and seated.

In addition, the embodiment of the present invention, (1) a pair of left and right transport bars provided along the left and right sides of the land on which the drone lands, is installed in the land so that each of the left and right transport bars moves, and the center of the land is moved. Aligning the left and right positions of the drone by moving along the linear left and right slide grooves extending to face each other; (2) A linear forward and backward slide groove which is installed on the land so that each forward and backward transport bar moves along the front and rear sides of the land on which the drone lands, and extends toward the center of the land. And moving along the align the front and rear positions of the drone; wherein each of the extension lines of the left and right slide grooves and the front and rear slide grooves cross each other to form an alignment area in which the drone is aligned and seated, (1) and The pair of left and right transfer bars and the pair of forward and backward transfer bars moved by the process of (2) disclose a landing position alignment method of the drone arranged in alignment with the alignment area.

In addition, an embodiment of the present invention, the drone landing position alignment device described above; And a mounting apparatus equipped with a landing position alignment device.

According to the disclosure of the present embodiment, the drone can be accurately aligned with the land around the alignment area.

According to the present embodiment, even if there is a change in the type of the drone and the reference member attached to the drone, such as a skid, it is possible to respond accurately and efficiently.

According to the disclosure of the present embodiment, a drone landing position alignment device may be mounted and a mounting apparatus capable of raising and lowering the drone may easily automate loading, carrying and manipulating the drone.

The effects of the present invention described above are exemplary, and the effects of the present invention are not limited thereto.

1 is a view showing a landing position adjusting device of the drone according to the prior art.

2 is a schematic diagram of a ground system of a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a side view of a drone according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a plan view of a drone landing position alignment device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a view showing a position alignment method using the drone landing position alignment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention in the order of operation.

6 is a perspective view of a docking trailer having a drone landing position alignment device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a perspective view of a docking trailer showing a state in which the drone landing position alignment device is lifted according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail through exemplary drawings. In adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as much as possible even though they are shown in different drawings. In addition, in describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the related well-known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, in describing the component of this invention, terms, such as 1st, 2nd, A, B, (a), (b), can be used. These terms are only for distinguishing the components from other components, and the nature, order or order of the components are not limited by the terms. If a component is described as being "connected", "coupled" or "connected" to another component, that component may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but between components It will be understood that may be "connected", "coupled" or "connected".

2 is a ground system including a docking trailer 12 having a drone (F) landing position alignment device 100 and a control vehicle 11 for towing the docking trailer 12 according to an embodiment of the present invention. (10) is a figure which shows. The specially manufactured control vehicle 11 is equipped with a ground control station (GCS). In addition, the control vehicle 11 includes a drone landing guidance system, a vehicle control and monitoring equipment (VCME), a mission planning and control equipment (MPCE), a mission equipment control system ( PCME: Payload Control and Monitoring Equipment, External Pilot Control Unit, Network Equipment, etc. The information transmitted from the docking station is connected to the ground control equipment by TCP / IP and transmits the information to the vehicle through the ground data terminal (GDT).

3 shows a side view of a drone F according to an embodiment of the present invention. The skid s is not located at the center of the drone F body, but is located in front of the skid s so that the distance L ₂ from the midpoint of the skid s to the stern is longer than the distance L ₁ from the head. Therefore, when defining the lateral direction of the fuselage in the front-rear direction, the transporting distance (stroke) of the front-rear direction adjusting member should vary according to the nose direction after landing.

In the exemplary embodiment, the tilt duct type vertical takeoff and landing type drone is used as an example, but is not limited thereto. When the drone F lands, the reference member serving to balance the ground is not necessarily limited to the skid s.

4 is a plan view of the drone landing position alignment device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The landing position alignment device 100 is mounted to a docking station provided in the docking trailer 12, for example. The landing position alignment device 100 includes a flat rectangular land 110, and on the land 110, a pair of left and

right transport bars

101a and 101b and a pair of forward and

backward transport bars

103a and 103b are mounted. do.

The left and right

direction transfer bars

101a and 101b are installed along the left and right sides of the land 110. The land 110 is provided with left and

right slide grooves

102a and 102b to which the left and right

direction transfer bars

101a and 101b respectively move. The slide groove 102a extends linearly from the position biased in the center of the transfer bar 101a-the left in the figure-to the vicinity of the center of the land 110 in a long groove shape. The slide groove 102b extends linearly from the position biased in the center of the transfer bar 101b-the right side in the figure-to the vicinity of the center of the land 110 in a long groove shape. Each

slide groove

102a, 102b shown in the figure is composed of two rows of grooves, but may be composed of one or three or more grooves.

The front and rear

direction transfer bars

103a and 103b are installed along the front and rear sides of the land 110. The length of the front and rear

direction transfer bars

103a and 103b is a length capable of supporting the skid s, and may be shorter than the length of the left and right

direction transfer bars

101a and 101b. The land 110 is provided with front and

rear slide grooves

104a and 104b in which the front and

rear conveyance bars

103a and 103b respectively move. The slide groove 104a extends linearly from the position biased in the center of the transfer bar 103a-the upper side in the figure-to the vicinity of the center of the land 110 in a long groove shape. The slide groove 102b extends linearly from the position biased in the center of the transfer bar 103b-down in the figure-to the vicinity of the center of the land 110 in a long groove shape. Each

slide groove

104a, 104b shown in the figure is composed of two rows of grooves, but may be composed of one or three or more grooves.

The left and

right transfer bars

101a, 101b, 103a, and 103b are connected to an arm or a link of a robot operated by an actuator driven by the motors M1, M2, M3, and M4 mounted at the positions shown by the dotted lines. Linear movement along the respective slide grooves (102a, 102b, 104a, 104b). The motor may be constituted by a pair of motors that control the left and right and the front and rear. A drive unit such as a motor or an actuator may be disposed in the housing 11a (see FIG. 6) extending continuously under the land 11.

The left and right

direction transfer bars

101a and 101b are lifted by an arm or a link, and are positioned at an altitude higher than the forward and backward

direction transfer bars

103a and 103b so as to prevent mutual jamming during linear movement of the transfer bar. Alternatively, the front and

rear conveyance bars

103a and 103b may be supported by an arm or a link so as to be located at a higher altitude than the

horizontal conveyance bars

101a and 101b.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the central portion of the land 110 where the

slide grooves

102a, 102b, 104a, and 104b converges forms a rectangular alignment area A. The alignment area A coincides with the rectangular intersection area formed by the extension lines when the four

slide grooves

102a, 102b, 104a, and 104b virtually extend. The alignment area A constitutes an area for supporting the skid s of the drone F about the center of the land 110. In an embodiment of the present invention, the alignment area A corresponds to a quadrangle formed by a pair of skids s. (See FIG. 5 (c)).

According to one embodiment of the invention, when there is a change in the size or shape of the unmanned aerial vehicle or the arrangement position or size of the skid (s), the slide groove so that the alignment area (A) is formed corresponding to the square formed by the skid (s) When the size and position of the 102a, 102b, 104a, 104b are changed and the driving unit is a pulse or step motor, for example, the rotation of the motor corresponding to the size and position of the changed

slide grooves

102a, 102b, 104a, 104b. The number can be preset so that various models can be efficiently changed. In addition, since it is accompanied by the actual physical change, for example, only the movement distance change control of the transfer unit is simpler than the prior art coping with the change of the model, and the movement distance error width can be reduced.

In FIG. 4 again, cameras c ₁ ,..., C ₅ for photographing the drone F on the land 110 of the drone landing position alignment device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention are provided. It is installed. The cameras c ₁ , c ₂ , and c ₃ arranged in a triangle are for photographing a long distance and can detect the position of the drone F in real time based on information transmitted by the three cameras. The cameras c4 and c5 disposed in the center of the alignment area A are mounted to calculate the correct position and guide the docking when the drone F vertically descends, for example, as a helicopter. For example, the camera c5 may be used for short distances of 3 m or less, and the camera c4 may be used for long distances of more than 3 m to 7 m or less.

The landing guide and control method of the drone F according to an embodiment of the present invention may follow the method of Patent Application 2013-71561. The patent application obtains first position information related to the position of the drone, calculates the current coordinates of the drone, transmits the current coordinates to the ground system, and lands including the relative position and attitude information of the drone from the ground system. Receiving the information, and using the landing destination coordinates and the current coordinates to move the drone in the landing destination coordinate direction, and then hovering the drone with reference to the landing information to control the proximity to the landing point.

In addition, it is disclosed that the image sensor captures a drone flying over the ground system under the control of the imaging controller, and the image sensor is installed at the point where the drone is seated in the landing zone 260 or adjacent to the landing zone. .

Accordingly, one embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the camera (c ₁ , ..., c ₅ ) arranged in a triangle to the camera (c ₁ , c ₂ , c ₃ ) and the alignment area (A) It consists of cameras c4 and c5 arrange | positioned at the center inside. The camera may include any image acquisition device having a lens or sensor as long as it can coordinate the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle. When the near camera is vertically hovered down among the cameras c4 and c5 arranged in the alignment area A, the imaging controller determines the position of the drone based on the x and y coordinates of the alignment area. Adding steps to track and guide the landing can more accurately guide the drone's landing.

5 is a view showing the operation of the landing position alignment device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the state where the drone F lands in the posture shown in FIG. 5 (a), for example, the left and right transfer bars 101a and 101b are driven in the direction of the arrow along the

slide grooves

102a and 102b by the driving of the control unit. Move linearly by distance. The left and right

direction transfer bars

101a and 101b are in contact with the skid s of the drone F and push the fuselage to achieve a left and right alignment as shown in FIG. 5 (b). In general, since parts other than the skid s are not mounted on the lower surface of the drone F, the left and

right transport bars

101a and 101b do not interfere with other parts of the drone F, and thus, the skid ( It should be noted that s) acts as an equilibrium movement and center of gravity.

Next, in the state of FIG. 5 (b), the front and rear

direction transfer bars

103a and 103b linearly move in the direction of the arrow along the

slide grooves

104a and 104b. Since the forward and

backward transfer bars

103a and 103b are higher (or lower) than the left and right

direction transfer bars

101a and 101b, one side of the left and right skids s moves and slides on the left and right direction transfer bar without interference. Push the end to adjust the forward and backward position of the drone (F). When the drone F is deflected above the land 110 as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the transfer bar 103a substantially pushes the skid s, thus the drone F, and the transfer bar. 103b serves to wait for the drone F carried by the transfer bar 103a. On the contrary, when the drone F is deflected below the land 110, the transfer bar 103b pushes the drone F and the transfer bar 103a serves to wait for the drone F. Will be.

5C shows the drone F having completed the position adjustment. As described above, since the skid s is normally disposed in front of the drone F, the total moving distance l ₁ of the transfer bar 103a is smaller than the total moving distance l ₂ of the transfer bar 103b. . In addition, the four transfer bar is aligned along each of the four sides of the alignment area (A) while forming the above-described alignment area (A) around the skid (s).

4 and 5 illustrate an example in which the left and

right transport bars

101a and 101b have a longer length than the forward and

backward transport bars

103a and 103b, since the overall length of the drone F is larger than the overall width. For this reason, it is advantageous to balance the support of the part corresponding to the side with a long conveying part. However, it can be understood that the size and position of each conveying part can be freely changed to correspond to a drone such as a symmetrical type and a disc type, which are not dependent on the existing appearance according to the use of various drones.

Similarly, the forward and

backward transport bars

103a and 103b may be changed to push and move the drone before the left and

right transport bars

101a and 101b.

Next, FIG. 6 shows a docking trailer 12 as a mounting apparatus including a drone landing position alignment device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The docking trailer 12 includes a base 600 having a flat housing formed outside, a first box 604 having a half box shape provided at the left side of the upper surface of the base 600, and a base 600. It includes a second box 606 of the half-box provided on the right side of the upper surface.

The base 600 is provided with a control unit such as a controller, a drive unit such as a motor, an actuator, and the like, and a control panel 607 for manual operation or remote control by an operator is provided on the side.

When the docking trailer is closed, the first cover 604 and the second cover 606 abut each other to form a space, as shown. The size of the space should be large enough to accommodate the landing position alignment device 100 including the drone F. The panel 620 provided on the base 600 inside the space is equipped with a drive unit such as an actuator 608 as shown in FIG. In addition, the four corners of the land 110 of the landing position alignment device 100 are supported by the support rod 610 which is lifted up and down by the actuator 608.

In this state, when the operator operates the control panel 607 to operate the drone F, the first cover 604 and the second cover 606 are mutually spaced apart along the groove formed at the side end of the base 600. The docking station including the landing position aligning device 100 is exposed to the outside by linearly moving in the direction. And automatically or continuously or when the operator subsequently manipulates the panel, the landing position alignment device 100 lifted to the support rod 610 by the operation of the actuator 608 is shown in Figure 7 Ascend to one position. The landing position alignment device 100 preferably rises by a height that forms a plane with the top surfaces of the first cover 604 and the second cover 606.

The actuator 608 may utilize a linear actuator as well as a ball screw type, and by using a ferromagnetic material such as nedium on the fixed shaft, a large torque can be generated to smoothly move the heavy drone (F). The motor (not shown) is provided separately from the actuator 608 and connected via a coupling, but an actuator built-in type in which the shaft of the motor and the ball screw of the actuator are integrated may be used. In one embodiment, the driving unit such as the actuator 608 is illustrated from the outside for the purpose of description, but the driving unit such as the actuator 608 may be appropriately disposed as necessary, such as being installed inside the base 600 instead of the panel 620. have.

One embodiment of the present invention is described as being connected to the arm or link of the robot operating as an actuator driven by the motor (M1, M2, M3, M4) to the left and right transfer bars (101a, 101b, 103a, 103b) The grooves corresponding to the four

slide grooves

102a, 102b, 104a, and 104b are installed in the panel 620 so that the four support rods serve as arms or links. After lifting the rod, it can be changed to move the support rod along this groove.

When the predetermined operation is completed by taking off the drone in the state of FIG. 7, the drone is landed and the positions are aligned in the manner described above. Then, in the reverse process, the operator operates the control panel 607 or the remote control to lower the support rod 610 to return the docking station and close the first cover 604 and the second cover 606. .

The drone landing position alignment device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be installed on any mounting means such as the control vehicle 11, not the docking trailer 12, and manufactured and transported in a separate module unit. And can be used.

The terms "comprise", "comprise" or "have" described in the above embodiments of the present invention mean that the corresponding component may be included unless otherwise stated, and thus, other configurations It should be construed that it is possible to include other components rather than to exclude the elements. All terms, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art unless otherwise defined. Terms used generally, such as terms defined in a dictionary, should be interpreted to coincide with the contextual meaning of the related art, and shall not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal sense unless explicitly defined in the present invention.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may make various modifications and changes without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention but to describe the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

As described above, the present invention can accurately align the drone to the land centered on the alignment area, and can cope accurately and efficiently even if there is a change in the type of the drone or a reference member attached to the drone such as a skid. In addition, it is an industrially useful invention that can automate the loading, transport and control of the drone by implementing a mounting device that can be mounted and lifted up and down the drone landing position alignment device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application claims priority in accordance with US Patent Law Article 119 (a) (35 USC 119 (a)) to Patent Application No. 10-2014-0063312 filed with Korea on May 26, 2014. The contents are incorporated by reference in this patent application. In addition, if this patent application claims priority for the same reason for countries other than the United States, all its contents are incorporated into this patent application by reference.

Claims

In the landing position alignment device of the drone,

Land where drones land;

A pair of left and right transport bars installed along the left and right sides of the land;

Linear left and right slide grooves installed on the lands to move the left and right transfer bars and extending toward the center of the lands;

A pair of forward and backward transfer bars installed along the front and rear sides of the land;

And a linear front and rear slide groove installed in the land to move the front and rear direction transfer bars and extending toward the center of the land.

The drone is provided with a reference member that is the target of position alignment when landing,

And each extension line of the left and right slide grooves and the front and rear slide grooves cross each other to form an alignment area in which the reference member of the drone is aligned and seated.
The landing position alignment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reference member of the drone is a skid.
The landing position alignment device of claim 2, wherein the alignment area has a quadrangular shape for supporting the skid in left, right, and front and rear directions.
The longitudinal slide bar according to claim 1, wherein the front and rear slide grooves extend from the position centered in the longitudinal center of each of the front and rear conveying bars toward the center of the land, and the left and right slide grooves are the lengths of the respective horizontal conveying bars. Landing position alignment device for a drone extending from the centered in the direction toward the center of the land.
The landing position alignment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the land further comprises a plurality of image acquisition devices for photographing an unmanned aerial vehicle.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the plurality of image acquisition devices comprises at least three image acquisition devices arranged in a triangle and at least one image acquisition device arranged in the alignment area, wherein the image acquisition device is a camera or a sensor. Landing position alignment device of drone.
In the landing position alignment method of the drone,

(1) a pair of left and right transport bars provided along the left and right sides of the land on which the drone lands, linearly installed on the land so that the left and right transport bars move, and extending toward the center of the land; Moving along the left and right slide grooves to align the left and right positions of the drone;

(2) a pair of forward and backward transfer bars installed along the front and rear sides of the land on which the drone lands, linearly installed on the land such that the forward and backward transfer bars move to the center of the land; And moving along the front and rear slide grooves to align the front and rear positions of the drone; and

Each pair of extension lines of the left and right slide grooves and the front and rear slide grooves cross each other to form an alignment area in which the drone is aligned and seated, whereby the pair of left and right directions moved by the processes of (1) and (2) And a transfer bar and the pair of forward and backward transfer bars are arranged in alignment with the alignment area.
The landing position alignment of the drone according to claim 7, wherein the pair of left and right transfer bars and the pair of forward and backward transfer bars move the skid, which is a reference member of the drone, from left to right and back to form the alignment area. Way.
Claim 1 drone landing position alignment device;

And a landing apparatus equipped with the landing position alignment device.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the mounting apparatus includes a cover defining a space for receiving the landing position alignment device, the support rod connected to the land to lift the landing position alignment device, and the support rod for lifting the support rod. Ground system of the drone further comprising a driver.
11. The ground system of claim 10 wherein the mounting apparatus further comprises a control panel accessible by an operator to operate the cover and the support rod.
12. The ground system of claim 11 wherein the payload is a controlled vehicle or a docking trailer for towing the controlled vehicle.