WO2017065411A1

WO2017065411A1 - Drone charging platform system

Info

Publication number: WO2017065411A1
Application number: PCT/KR2016/010024
Authority: WO
Inventors: 배종외
Original assignee: 배종외
Priority date: 2015-10-16
Filing date: 2016-09-07
Publication date: 2017-04-20
Also published as: KR101599423B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a drone charging platform system for charging a drone which flies the sky by using battery power and, more specifically, to a drone charging platform system configured to selectively provide charging services to registered drones.

Description

Drone Charging Platform System

The present invention relates to a drone charging platform system for charging a drone flying in the sky by using the power of a battery, and more specifically, a drone charging configured to provide a charging service selectively for a registered drone. It relates to a platform system.

In general, the drone is a type of flight unit that fly in the sky by rotating a plurality of propellers using the power of the battery, it is configured to enable a variety of patterns according to the user's remote control operation.

In this case, in order for the drone to fly, the plurality of propellers must be rotated very quickly, resulting in a large amount of battery consumption, and thus, the battery must be continuously replaced. In general, when the disposable battery is mounted on the drone, the drone may fly for about 10 minutes or so, so that the long-term flight of the drone has a disadvantage in that the consumption of the disposable battery becomes very large and consumes a lot of money. In order to solve such a problem of replacing the battery, a rechargeable battery can be used in the drone. When using the rechargeable battery, it is troublesome to periodically charge the battery.

On the other hand, the drones developed to date have a problem that the user must continuously replace or recharge the battery in order to be able to fly for a long time, the drone can fly only around the user and can not fly the drone far away.

Prior literatures relating to the present invention include Korean Patent No. 1496892.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems, the user can charge the battery of the drone even if the user does not directly connect the charger to the battery of the drone can fly the drone far away, the use is allowed in advance Only drones can use the drone charging platform to commercialize it, and the purpose of providing a drone charging platform system to allow the drone to move long distance regardless of the distance by charging the battery of the drone more stably.

The drone charging platform system of the present invention for realizing the above object is a drive unit for generating lift and flight force, a rechargeable battery for providing power to the drive unit, GPS to determine the location using satellites, A drone having a charge amount detecting unit detecting a charge amount of a rechargeable battery and a control unit controlling an operation of each unit; A plurality of drone charging platforms formed to have a shape in which the drone is seated and configured to have a charging pad configured to charge the rechargeable battery of the seated drone; And a server for controlling an operation of the drone charging platform, wherein the drone charging platform includes a housing having an inner space and an inner space of the housing when the end is rotated to be upwardly mounted on an upper surface of the housing. At least two opening and closing doors to be opened, a charging pad positioned at a lower side of the opening and closing door in the inner space of the housing, and a lifting unit for lifting and lowering the charging pad, wherein the drone includes: a body provided with the driving unit; Three or more seating legs extending downward from the bottom edge of the body, wherein the rechargeable battery is mounted between the seating legs of the bottom of the body, the two or more opening and closing doors to rotate to open the interior space of the housing When the drone is arranged to be inclined closer to each other closer to the top, the drone It is located between the three or more seating legs when seated on the housing.

In the present invention, the drone charging platform may be provided with an autopilot to automatically steer the drone so that the flight of the drone lands in the charging position when the drone enters within a predetermined distance.

In the present invention, the server has a user DB licensed to use the drone charging platform, and when the drone seated on the drone charging platform is a drone of a user stored in the DB, sends an operation signal to the drone charging platform. can do.

In the present invention, it may further include a payment card mounted on the drone, and a payment terminal installed at the point where the drone lands in the drone charging platform.

In the present invention, the drone transmits a charging signal to the server when the charge amount of the rechargeable battery is less than a reference value, and the server is located closest to the current position of the drone when the charging signal is received. Drone charging platform location information can be sent to the drone control controller.

Further, in the present invention, the drone control controller transmits the flight path of the drone input by the user to the server, the drone transmits a charging signal to the server when the charge amount of the rechargeable battery is less than the reference value, When the charging signal is received, the server transmits the drone charging platform position information of the drone charging platform located in the flight path of the drone to the drone controller, wherein the charge amount of the rechargeable battery is located on the flight path. If it is insufficient to fly to the nearest drone charging platform of the drone charging platform to the nearest drone charging platform location information ignoring the flight path can be transmitted to the drone control controller.

By using the drone charging platform system according to the present invention, the user can charge the drone's battery even if the user does not directly connect the charger to the battery of the drone, allowing the drone to fly far, and only the user who is allowed to use in advance I can use this charge function

Commercialization is possible, and the battery of the drone can be charged more stably, which has the advantage of higher charging reliability.

1 is a schematic diagram of a drone charging platform system according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the drone charging platform system according to the present invention marked the flight path adjacent area.

3 is a block diagram of a drone included in the present invention.

4 is a side view of the drone included in the present invention.

5 to 7 are cross-sectional views sequentially showing the operating state of the drone charging platform included in the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a drone platform system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic diagram of a drone charging platform system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a drone charging platform system according to the present invention showing a flight path adjacent region, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a drone included in the present invention.

Drone 100 charging system according to the present invention is to enable the user to charge the battery of the drone 100 even if the user does not directly connect the charging device to the drone 100, the drone 100 and a plurality of The drone charging platform 200 and a server controlling the operation of the drone charging platform 200 are provided as basic components.

The drone 100 includes a driving unit 110 for generating lift and flight power, a rechargeable battery 120 for providing power to the driving unit 110, a GPS 140 for determining a location using satellites, and And, it is configured to include a charge amount detection unit 130 for detecting the charge amount of the rechargeable battery 120, and a controller 150 for controlling the operation of each unit. The driving unit 110 is a device for allowing the drone 100 to rise vertically and move in the front, rear, and left and right directions, and is typically composed of a plurality of propellers and a motor for rotating the same. The same applies to the conventional drone 100, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

At this time, the conventional drone is generally composed of a structure in which the internal battery is charged when the charging terminal is connected by wire, that is, the drone 100 included in the present invention can be charged without a separate wired, that is, The first feature is that the wireless charging battery 120 is provided. In addition, the drone charging platform 200 includes a charging pad 230 that can charge the rechargeable battery 120 wired or wirelessly, and the drone 100 only lands accurately on the drone charging platform 200. In this case, it is possible to obtain a charging effect without a separate wire connection. In this case, since the rechargeable battery 120 and the charging pad 230 are currently commercialized in a smartphone charging method, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As mentioned above, when the drone 100 is configured to be charged, the user moves the drone 100 to the drone charging platform 200 closest to the drone 100 in flight when the drone 100 in flight is discharged. Since the drone 100 can be moved to be charged, there is no need to return the drone 100 in flight to the point where it is located, that is, the drone 100 is not only flying around the user, but the battery capacity. There is an advantage that can be flying to a far point beyond the flight distance. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when the drone 100 is discharged while flying the drone 100 from the starting point 10 to the arrival point 20, the drone 100 is charged closest to the drone 100. After charging the rechargeable battery 120 in the platform 200 (the second drone charging platform 200b in FIG. 1), the flight may be resumed, even if the capacity of the rechargeable battery 120 is not large. The advantage is that you can move it far.

The plurality of drone charging platform 200 is preferably evenly distributed so that the drone 100 can quickly arrive at any point. In the present embodiment, three drone charging platforms 200, that is, the first drone charging platform 200a, the second drone charging platform 200b, and the third drone charging platform 200c between the starting point 10 and the arrival point 20. ) Is installed only, the number and arrangement pattern of the drone charging platform 200 may be changed in various ways.

On the other hand, since a large amount of costs are required to operate a plurality of drone charging platform 200, so that the charge service as described above can be paid, that is, only a user who has paid a certain cost can use the drone charging platform 200. Can be configured.

For example, the server has a user DB licensed to use the drone charging platform 200, and the drone 100 seated on the drone charging platform 200 is a user's drone 100 stored in the DB. Only if it can be configured to charge the drone 100 by sending an operating signal to the drone charging platform 200. As described above, the device for determining whether the drone 100 is the drone 100 of the user stored in the user DB is already widely commercialized in the wireless communication field, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, even if a user does not have permission to use in advance, the drone 100 is equipped with a payment card such as a bus card so as to pay a predetermined fee and receive a charging service, and among the drone charging platform 200 At the point where the drone 100 lands, a cost payment terminal may be provided to deduct a certain amount from the payment card. As described above, when the drone 100 and the drone charging platform 200 are provided with a payment card and a payment terminal, respectively, the user who does not apply for the use of the drone charging platform 200 in advance in the emergency situation drone charging platform 200 ), There is an advantage that can solve problems such as drone 100 lost.

On the other hand, the user can not visually check the spot to be seated in the drone 100 of the drone charging platform 200, even if the user skilled in operating the drone 100, landing the drone 100 in the charging position accurately There is a problem that is difficult. In order to solve the problem, the present invention provides the drone 100 when the drone 100 enters the vicinity of the drone charging platform 200 (more specifically, within a preset distance from the drone charging platform 200). ) Can be additionally provided with an autopilot to automatically maneuver and land precisely in the charging position.

When the autopilot is provided in the drone charging platform 200 as described above, the drone 100 may be accurately landed at the charging position of the drone charging platform 200 regardless of a user's drone 100 steering ability. Accordingly, there is an advantage that the drone 100 can be charged stably.

As such, the automatic steering device for automatically controlling the flying object to a certain point is commercially available in the aviation industry and the like, and thus detailed description of the internal configuration and operating principle of the automatic steering device will be omitted.

In general, the amount of battery charge provided in the drone 100 is not displayed on the drone 100 controller for controlling the drone 100, and the user who controlled the drone 100 did not recognize the discharge of the drone 100. When the drone 100 is moved far in the state, the drone 100 may not reach the drone charging platform 200 and may fall as it is lost.

In order to solve this problem, the drone 100 charging system according to the present invention transmits a charging signal to the server when the charge amount of the rechargeable battery 120 is less than the reference value, and the server When the charging signal is received from the drone 100 may be configured to transmit the location information of the drone charging platform 200 located closest to the current position of the drone 100 to the drone control controller. Therefore, the user can move the drone 100 toward the drone charging platform 200 displayed on the controller, thereby preventing the risk of loss and damage due to the drone 100 discharge.

In this case, when the drone 100 charges in the drone charging platform 200 at a point far away from the flight path 30, there is a problem in that a lot of power is required until the drone 100 enters the flight path 30 again after charging. Accordingly, the drone 100 charging system according to the present invention transmits the flight path 30 of the drone 100 input by the user to the server to control the drone, so that the charging signal is transmitted to the server. When received, it may be configured to transmit the location information of the drone charging platform 200 nearest to the drone charging platform 200 located in the flight path 30 of the drone 100 to the drone control controller.

For example, when the battery charge of the drone 100 flying along the flight path 30 falls below the reference value, the area around the flight path 30, that is, the flight path adjacent area 40 shown in FIG. 2 is located. Position information of the third drone charging platform 200c may be configured to be transmitted to the drone control controller.

At this time, when the charge amount of the rechargeable battery 120 is insufficient for the flight to the nearest drone charging platform 200 of the drone charging platform 200 located on the flight path 30 ((in this embodiment, If the flight to the 3 drone charging platform (200c) is insufficient, the server receives the location information of the nearest drone charging platform 200 (second drone charging platform 200b in this embodiment) ignoring the flight path 30 It would have to be configured to send to the controller.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the drone 100 included in the present invention, and FIGS. 5 to 7 are cross-sectional views sequentially showing operating states of the drone charging platform 200 included in the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the drone 100 included in the present invention includes a body 102 including a driving unit 110 and three or more seating legs 104 extending downward from the bottom edge of the body 102. And a rechargeable battery 120 is mounted between the seating legs 104 of the bottom of the body 102.

In addition, the drone charging platform 200 is provided with a charging pad 230 for supplying a charging current to the charging battery 120 of the drone 100, the charge pad 230 is easily damaged when exposed to the outside Since it may be damaged or, the charging pad 230 is preferably configured to be drawn out only when the drone 100 is seated.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the drone charging platform 200 is mounted on a housing 210 having an inner space and an upper surface of the housing 210, and the end of the drone charging platform 200 is rotated to face upward. Two or more opening and closing doors 220 to open the inner space of the 210, a charging pad 230 located below the opening and closing door 220 of the inner space of the housing 210, and the charging pad 230 It has a lifting unit 240 for elevating. Therefore, when the filling operation is to be made, as shown in FIG. 6, the opening and closing door 220 is rotated to open the interior space of the housing 210, the charging pad 230 which is located below the opening and closing door 220 is the lifting unit Ascending by the 240 and drawn out of the housing 210 to supply a charging current to the charging battery 120 of the drone 100.

On the other hand, if the rechargeable battery 120 is not accurately stacked on the charging pad 230 and only one side of the charging pad 230 is over, the normal charging is not performed.

The drone 100 charging system according to the present invention to solve this problem, that is, even if the landing position and the open door position of the drone 100 slightly shifted so that the drone 100 can land in the correct position, When the two or more opening and closing doors 220 are rotated to open the internal space of the housing 210, the two doors are arranged to be inclined so that the distance between them is closer to the upper end as shown in FIG. 6, and the drone 100 is disposed in the housing 210. When it is seated on), the opening and closing doors 220 are set to be positioned between three or more seating legs 104, as shown in FIG.

When the opening and closing door 220 is not vertically erected at an oblique angle, when the drone 100 does not land correctly on the opening and closing door 220 and lands at a point slightly deviated to one side, the drone 100 As the seating leg 104 descends on the inclined outer surface of the opening / closing door 220, the drone 100 always lands at the correct point as shown in FIG. The effect that the 120 can be accurately stacked on the charging pad 230 can be expected.

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated in detail using the preferable Example, the scope of the present invention is not limited to a specific Example and should be interpreted by the attached Claim. In addition, those skilled in the art should understand that many modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

* Description of the sign *

10: starting point 20: arrival point

30: flight path 40: flight path adjacent area

100: drone 102: body

104: seating leg 110: drive unit

120: rechargeable battery 130: charge detection unit

140: GPS 150: control unit

200: drone charging platform 210: housing

220: opening and closing door 230: charging pad

240: lifting unit

Claims

A driving unit 110 for generating lift and flight power, a rechargeable battery 120 for providing power to the driving unit 110, a GPS 140 for determining a location using satellites, and the rechargeable battery 120. A drone (100) having a charge amount sensing unit (130) for sensing the amount of charge and a controller (150) for controlling the operation of each unit;

The drone 100 is formed in a shape that can be seated, but is configured to have a charging pad 230 that can charge the charging battery 120 of the seated drone 100, a plurality of drone charging platform that is installed to be spaced apart ( 200);

Includes; Server for controlling the operation of the drone charging platform 200,

The drone charging platform 200, the housing 210 having an internal space, and is mounted on the upper surface of the housing 210 to open the internal space of the housing 210 when the end is rotated to face upwards The opening / closing door 220, the charging pad 230 positioned below the opening / closing door 220 in the inner space of the housing 210, and the lifting unit 240 for elevating the charging pad 220. Equipped,

The drone 100 includes a body 102 provided with the driving unit 110 and three or more seating legs 104 extending downward from the bottom edge of the body 102.

The rechargeable battery 120 is mounted between the seating leg 104 of the bottom of the body 102,

The two or more opening / closing doors 220 are arranged to be inclined such that the distance between them is closer to the upper end when the two or more opening doors 220 are rotated to open the internal space of the housing 210, so that the drone 100 is placed on the housing 210. Drone (100) charging system, characterized in that positioned between the three or more seating legs (104) when seated.
The method according to claim 1,

The drone charging platform 200 is provided with an autopilot for automatically controlling the drone 100 so that the flight of the drone 100 lands in the charging position when the drone 100 enters within a preset distance. Drone 100 charging system, characterized in that.
The method according to claim 1,

The server has a user DB licensed to use the drone charging platform 200, and when the drone 100 seated on the drone charging platform 200 is a drone 100 of a user stored in the DB. Drone 100 charging system, characterized in that for transmitting the operating signal to the charging platform (200).
The method according to claim 1,

The drone 100 charging system, characterized in that it further comprises a payment card mounted on the drone 100, and a payment terminal installed at the point where the drone 100 is landing of the drone charging platform 200. .
The method according to claim 1,

The drone 100, when the charge amount of the rechargeable battery 120 is insufficient for the charge amount required for the flight to the drone charging platform 200 closest of the drone charging platform 200 located on the flight path 30 Sends a charging signal to the server,

The server, when the charging signal is received, the drone 100, characterized in that for transmitting the drone charging platform 200 position information closest to the current position of the drone 100 to the drone 100 control controller Charging system.
The method according to claim 5,

The drone control controller transmits the flight path 30 of the drone 100 input by the user to the server,

The drone 100, when the charge amount of the rechargeable battery 120 is insufficient for the charge amount required for the flight to the drone charging platform 200 closest of the drone charging platform 200 located on the flight path 30 Sends a charging signal to the server,

When the charging signal is received, the server transmits the location information of the drone charging platform 200 closest to the drone charging platform 200 located on the flight path 30 of the drone 100 to the drone controller. When the charge amount of the rechargeable battery 120 is insufficient to fly to the closest drone charging platform 200 among the drone charging platforms 200 positioned on the flight path 30, the disregarding the flight path 30 is ignored. Adjacent drone charging platform 200, the drone 100 charging system, characterized in that for transmitting the drone 100, the controller for controlling.