WO2019061782A1

WO2019061782A1 - Battery module and unmanned aerial vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2019061782A1
Application number: PCT/CN2017/112932
Authority: WO
Inventors: 同钊; 冯建刚
Original assignee: 深圳市大疆创新科技有限公司
Priority date: 2017-09-30
Filing date: 2017-11-24
Publication date: 2019-04-04
Also published as: CN110383524A; CN110383524B; CN207303190U

Abstract

Disclosed are a battery module and an unmanned aerial vehicle. The battery module comprises a battery body (200) detachably mounted in a battery compartment (100); the battery body (200) is provided with at least one locking assembly (210); each locking assembly comprises a locking pin (211) and an elastic member (212); the locking pin is slidably provided on the surface of the battery body (200), and the locking pin (211) has a connecting end and a locking end; the elastic member (212) is elastically connected between the battery body (200) and the connecting end; when the battery body (200) is assembled in the battery compartment (100), the elastic member (212) pushes the locking pin (211) so that the locking end is clamped into a locking groove (101). According to the battery module provided in the present invention, the design of matching the locking pin with the locking groove of the battery compartment ensures the reliability of connection when the battery module is mounted in the battery compartment. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the design of slidably connecting the locking pin to the battery body by means of the elastic member achieves a more convenient and labor-saving process.

Description

Battery module and drone

Technical field

The invention relates to a battery module and a drone.

Background technique

In the field of unmanned aerial vehicles and their remote controls, the currently used battery modules are designed to hook the aircraft body with two elastic hooks on the battery module. When the aircraft vibrates, the elastic hook is impacted and due to the component force that disengages the elastic hook, the elastic hook may be disengaged and the connection between the battery module and the aircraft is loosened, thereby causing the reliability of the existing battery module installation or the lock structure. low. In order to overcome the component force that disengages the hook, the elastic force of the elastic hook is generally set to be large, causing a large operating force to be unlocked when the user installs or removes the battery module. In addition, when the user installs the battery module, there may be a case where the elastic hook is not fastened in place, and there is no design for detecting this situation in the existing design, so there is a risk that the battery module and the aircraft connection are loose.

Summary of the invention

It is a primary object of the present invention to overcome at least one of the above-discussed deficiencies of the prior art and to provide a battery module that is labor-saving and securely connected during installation.

Another main object of the present invention is to overcome at least one of the above-mentioned deficiencies of the prior art, and to provide a drone that is labor-saving and has a strong battery connection when the battery is installed.

To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

According to an aspect of the invention, a battery module for powering a drone is provided. The drone includes a battery compartment, and the battery module is installed in the battery compartment, and the battery compartment is provided with a locking slot. Wherein, the battery module comprises a battery body detachably mounted in the battery compartment, and the battery body is provided with at least one locking component. Each of the latch assemblies includes a latch pin and an elastic member. The locking pin is slidably disposed on a surface of the battery body, and the locking pin has a connecting end and a locking end. The elastic member is elastically connected between the battery body and the connecting end. Wherein, when the battery body is installed in the battery compartment, the elastic member pushes the locking pin to engage the locking end into the locking groove.

According to one of the embodiments of the present invention, the battery module further includes a position detector. The position detector is disposed on the battery body and adjacent to the latch pin for detecting whether the distance that the latch pin slides in the direction of compressing the elastic member exceeds a preset threshold.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the number of position detectors is the same as the lock assembly, and is in one-to-one correspondence with the lock pin to respectively detect that the lock pin is compressing the elastic member Whether the distance of the direction sliding exceeds the preset threshold.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a drone is provided, wherein the drone includes a body, a battery compartment, and a battery module. The battery compartment is formed on the body, and the battery compartment is provided with a locking groove. The battery module is the battery module described in the above embodiment.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the top of the battery compartment is provided with an opening for the battery body to be loaded into the battery compartment from the top of the battery compartment, and the locking component is disposed on a side of the battery body.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the latch end is a wedge-shaped structure that is inclined downward; and/or the latch assembly is two, and the two latch assemblies are respectively disposed on the battery body. On both sides.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the battery compartment has a tail end adjacent to the connecting end and a front end adjacent to the latching end; wherein a top portion of the tail end of the battery compartment retains a top wall to form a card slot, After the tail end of the battery body is engaged with the card slot, the front end thereof is further rotated downward to mount the battery body to the battery compartment.

According to one of the embodiments of the present invention, an opening is formed in a position of the battery compartment corresponding to the locking pin, and the locking pin portion is exposed to the opening.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the bottom of the battery compartment is provided with a resilient component for applying an elastic force to the battery body mounted in the battery compartment; wherein the latching pin and the lock The elastic component can eject the battery module when the buckle groove is in a non-fastened state.

According to one of the embodiments of the present invention, the elastic component includes a seat body, a spring block, and an elastic member. The seat is fixed to the battery compartment. The elastic block is disposed on the seat body. The elastic member is coupled between the seat body and the elastic block. Wherein, when the battery body is installed in the battery compartment, the elastic block abuts against the battery body.

It can be seen from the above technical solutions that the advantages and positive effects of the battery module and the drone proposed by the present invention are as follows:

The battery module and the unmanned aerial vehicle proposed by the present invention can ensure the reliability of the connection when the battery module is installed in the battery compartment by using the design of the cooperation of the locking pin and the locking groove of the battery compartment. At the same time, the invention utilizes the design that the locking pin is slidably connected to the battery body via the elastic member, so that the installation process is more convenient and labor-saving.

DRAWINGS

The various objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the Detailed Description of Description The drawings are merely illustrative of the invention and are not necessarily to scale. In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the among them:

1 is an exploded perspective view of a battery module according to an exemplary embodiment;

Figure 2 is a schematic view showing the assembly of the battery module shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view (1) of the battery module shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view (b) of the battery module shown in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view (three) of the battery module shown in Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view (four) of the battery module shown in Figure 1;

Fig. 7 is a schematic view showing the assembly of another angle of the battery module shown in Fig. 1.

Among them, the reference numerals are as follows:

100. Battery compartment;

100'. body;

101. Locking groove;

102. card slot;

103. Opening;

110. Elastic components;

111. seat;

112. Bullets;

113. Elastic parts;

200. battery body;

210. a lock assembly;

211. lock pin;

212. Elastic parts;

300. Detection switch;

400. Connector.

Detailed ways

Exemplary embodiments embodying the features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail in the following description. It is to be understood that the invention is capable of various modifications in the various embodiments and invention.

In the following description of the various exemplary embodiments of the invention, reference to the drawings And steps. It is understood that other specifics of the components, the structures, the exemplary devices, the systems and the steps can be used, and structural and functional modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Moreover, although the terms "upper end", "lower end", "between", "side", etc., may be used in this specification to describe various exemplary features and elements of the present invention, these terms are used herein only Convenient, for example according to the directions of the examples described in the figures. Nothing in this specification should be construed as requiring a particular three dimensional orientation of the structure to fall within the scope of the invention.

Battery module implementation

Referring to Figure 1, an exploded schematic view of a battery module embodying the principles of the present invention is representatively shown in Figure 1. In the exemplary embodiment, the battery module proposed by the present invention is exemplified by a battery module mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle, and further, a battery module mounted on the body of the unmanned aircraft is taken as an example. It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, additions, substitutions, deletions or other changes are made to the specific embodiments described below for the assembly of the battery module in other types of devices. Within the scope of the principles of the battery module proposed by the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the battery module proposed by the present invention mainly includes a battery body 200 that is detachably mounted in the battery compartment 100. Referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 7, FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the assembly of the battery module, specifically showing the state when the battery body 200 is installed in the battery compartment 100; FIG. 3 to FIG. 6 are representatively shown. Section of the battery module at different angles or positions View (a) - (d). Fig. 7 representatively shows an assembly schematic view of another angle of the battery module shown in Fig. 1. The structure, connection mode and functional relationship of the main components of the battery module proposed by the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the above drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the battery compartment 100 is installed in the body 100' of the drone. In the following description with reference to the other drawings, only the battery compartment 100 and the battery body 200 are provided. For the description, the structural relationship between the battery compartment 100 and the airframe 100' will not be described. For details, refer to the implementation of the existing drone and its battery compartment, but it is not limited thereto. The battery compartment 100 is generally in the shape of a box having a lumen and has a top opening for the battery body 200 to be loaded into the battery compartment 100 from the top and housed in the interior of the battery compartment 100. The shape of the inner cavity of the battery compartment 100 substantially matches the outer shape of the battery body 200 to prevent the battery body 200 from being shaken after being inserted into the battery compartment 100.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 , in the embodiment, the two sides of the battery body 200 are respectively provided with a locking component 210 . Each of the locking components 210 mainly includes a locking pin 211 and an elastic member. Specifically, the locking pin 211 is slidably disposed on the surface of the battery body 200, and the locking pin 211 has a connecting end and a locking end. The elastic member is elastically connected between the battery body 200 and the connecting end, and the elastic member may preferably be a spring 212.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the inner wall of the battery compartment 100 is provided with a locking slot 101 corresponding to the position of the locking end. When the battery body 200 is installed in the battery compartment 100 of the drone, the elastic member pushes the locking pin 211 to make the locking buckle. The end is snapped into the lock slot 101. Specifically, the locking groove 101 can be formed by excavating a portion of the inner wall of the battery compartment 100 corresponding to the locking end toward the outside of the battery compartment 100, and the locking groove 101 is on the surface of the battery compartment 100 where it is located (this The shape of the projection on the side in the embodiment may preferably match the shape of the latch end. In addition, the width of the locking groove 101 is greater than or equal to the width of the locking pin 211. In the present embodiment, the width of the locking groove 101 is slightly larger than the width of the locking pin 211.

It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, since the battery compartment 100 is open at the top for the battery body 200 to be loaded into the battery compartment 100 from the top of the battery compartment 100, the lock component 210 is disposed on the battery for the convenience of the operator. The side of the body 200. In other embodiments, when the relative mounting position of the battery body 200 and the battery compartment 100 is changed, the setting position of the locking component 210 can also be flexibly adjusted to meet the operation requirements of the operator.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the battery module further includes a position detector. The position detector is disposed in the battery body 200 and adjacent to the locking pin 211 for detecting whether the locking pin 211 is Slide toward the elastic member.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5 , in the present embodiment, the position detector may preferably be a detection switch 300 , and the detection switch 300 is disposed near the connection end of the locking pin 211 . When the latch pin 211 is in the locked position, the detecting switch 300 is in a free state (as shown in FIG. 5), at which time the circuit of the detecting switch 300 is in an on state. When the locking pin 211 slides backward (toward the trailing end direction) to a certain position, the detecting switch 300 is triggered to disconnect the circuit of the detecting switch 300, and the relevant control mechanism of the battery module responds according to the disconnected state to remind the operator The lock pin 211 of the battery body 200 is not fastened.

Further, in the present embodiment, the number of position detectors is the same as that of the latch assembly 210, and is in one-to-one correspondence with the latch pins 211 to detect whether each of the latch pins 211 slides in the direction of the elastic member to which they are connected.

It should be noted herein that the battery modules shown in the drawings and described in this specification are merely one example of many types of battery modules that can employ the principles of the present invention. It should be clearly understood that the principles of the present invention are in no way limited to any detail of the battery module shown in the drawings or described in the specification or any component of the battery module.

UAV implementation

In the exemplary embodiment, the drone proposed by the present invention is described by taking a structure in which a battery module is mounted in a body. It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, additions, substitutions, deletions or modifications may be made to the specific embodiments described below in order to apply the design of the embodiment to a drone in other battery module assembly locations. Other variations, these variations are still within the scope of the principles of the drone proposed by the present invention.

In the present embodiment, the unmanned aerial vehicle proposed by the present invention mainly includes a body, a battery compartment, and the battery module according to the above embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the battery compartment is formed on the airframe. For the specific structural design, refer to the description in the battery module embodiment, and details are not described herein. Similarly, the structure of the battery module and the latch assembly thereof can also refer to the design of the battery module and the latch assembly thereof in the battery module embodiment described above. In addition, the design of the position detector and the like in the battery module embodiment can also be applied to the structural design of the unmanned aerial vehicle proposed by the present invention, and is not limited to the embodiment.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the positions of the battery compartment 100 corresponding to the two latching pins 211 (ie, the two side wall of the battery compartment 100) are respectively provided with openings 103, two The lock pins 211 are partially exposed to the two openings 103, respectively, for the operator to operate.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the present embodiment, the latching end of the latch pin 211 is substantially a wedge-shaped structure that is inclined downward. With the above design, the locking end of the locking pin 211 can be more smoothly caught in the locking groove 101, and the operating force required by the operator in the process of loading the battery compartment 100 in the battery body 200 can be reduced. Correspondingly, based on the design of the wedge structure of the locking end of the locking pin 211, the shape of the end portion of the locking groove 101 projected on the side of the battery compartment 100 can also be a wedge-shaped structure that is inclined downward.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, the battery compartment 100 is defined to have a tail end and a front end, and the connection end of the latch pin 211 is adjacent to the tail end of the battery compartment 100, and the latching end of the latch pin 211 is adjacent. The front end of the battery compartment 100, similarly, the battery body 200 also has a tail end and a front end, and the connecting end of the locking pin 211 is adjacent to the tail end of the battery body 200, and the locking end of the locking pin 211 is adjacent to the front end of the battery body 100. The top end of the battery compartment 100 retains a top wall to form a card slot 102. After the tail end of the battery body 200 is inserted into the card slot 102, the front end thereof is further rotated downward to mount the battery body 200 in the battery compartment 100.

In the present embodiment, the battery compartment 100 is further provided with an elastic component 110 for applying an elastic force to the battery body 200 installed in the battery compartment 100, so that the latching pin 211 is not fastened (non-fastened state). The battery body 200 is ejected by the battery compartment 100. Further, based on the structural design of the rear end of the battery compartment 100 forming the card slot 102 in the present embodiment, the elastic component 110 may preferably be disposed at the front end of the battery compartment 100, that is, the elastic component 110 applies the elastic force to the battery. The front end of the body 200.

As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 , in the embodiment, the elastic component 110 mainly includes a seat body 111 , a spring block 112 , and an elastic member. Specifically, the base 111 is fixed to the battery compartment 100, the elastic block 112 is disposed above the base 111, the elastic member is connected between the base 111 and the elastic block 112, and the elastic member may preferably be a spring 113. Based on the above design, when the battery body 200 is loaded into the battery compartment 100, the elastic block 112 abuts against the front end of the battery body 200, and the elastic force generated by the elastic member is transmitted to the battery body 200 through the elastic block 112. At this time, if the lock pin 211 is not fastened (non-fastened state) and the operator does not apply the operating force for pressing the battery body 200 into the battery compartment 100, the elastic component 110 will be the battery body under the action of the above elastic force. The front end of the 200 is ejected, thereby achieving the effect of helping the operator to quickly and easily remove the battery body 200. Further, if the lock pin 211 is fastened (fastened state), the elastic force is applied to the battery body 200, but the battery body 200 cannot be ejected.

Structure and connection method of each main component of the battery module proposed by the present invention For example, in the embodiment, the battery module 100 can be installed on the body of the drone, and the battery body 200 of the battery module is used. The installation and disassembly process is roughly as follows:

When it is required to be inserted into the battery body 200, the tail end of the battery body 200 is first loaded into the card slot 102 at the rear end of the battery compartment 100. The front end of the battery body 200 is then inserted into the battery compartment 100. In the process, the locking end of the locking pin 211 is pressed by the side wall of the battery compartment 100, and is designed by a wedge structure whose locking end is inclined downward. During the above extrusion process, the locking pin 211 is retracted toward the rear end of the battery body 200, and the spring 212 of the locking assembly 210 is pressurized to accumulate elastic potential energy. As the battery body 200 is inserted into the battery compartment 100 downward, the locking end of the locking pin 211 corresponds to the locking slot 101 of the battery compartment 100, and at this time, the squeeze of the battery compartment 100 against the locking pin 211 disappears, and the locking component The spring 212 of the 210 releases the accumulated elastic potential energy to push the locking pin 211 toward the front end of the battery body 200, so that the locking end of the locking pin 211 is fastened in the locking groove 101, that is, the battery body 200 and the battery are realized. Installation of warehouse 100. In addition, during the installation of the battery body 200, the spring block 112 of the elastic component 110 is pressed by the front end of the battery body 200 to compress the spring 113, at which time the spring 113 accumulates elastic potential energy, and due to the lock pin 211 and the lock The buckle groove 101 is in the snap-fit state so that the elastic potential energy cannot be released, that is, the elastic component 110 cannot eject the battery body 200.

When the battery body 200 needs to be disassembled, the operator slides the locking pin 211 toward the rear end of the battery body 200, so that the locking end of the locking pin 211 slides out of the locking slot 101 of the battery compartment 100, thereby making the locking pin The 211 and the lock slot 101 are in a non-fastened state. At this time, the spring 113 of the elastic component 110 releases the elastic potential energy and converts it into the kinetic energy of the elastic block 112, and the front end of the battery body 200 is ejected through the elastic block 112, and the operator only needs to end the battery body 200 from the battery compartment 100. The card slot 102 is taken out, that is, the detachment of the battery body 200 is completed.

It should be noted herein that the drone shown in the drawings and described in this specification is only one example of many types of drones that can employ the principles of the present invention. It should be clearly understood that the principles of the present invention are in no way limited to any detail of the drone shown in the drawings or described in the specification or any component of the drone.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, in the present embodiment, the drone further includes a connector 400. The connector 400 mainly includes a battery compartment connector disposed at the bottom of the front end of the battery compartment 100 and a battery connector disposed at the bottom of the front end of the battery body 200, and the positions of the battery compartment connector and the battery connector correspond to each other. Specifically, when the battery body 200 is mounted in the battery compartment 100, the battery connector Connected to the battery compartment connector to form the connector 400 of the battery module and connected to the connection port of the drone.

In summary, the battery module and the drone of the present invention can ensure the reliability of the connection when the battery body is installed in the battery compartment by using the design of the locking pin and the locking groove of the battery compartment. At the same time, the invention utilizes the design that the locking pin is slidably connected to the battery body via the elastic member, so that the installation process is more convenient and labor-saving.

Exemplary embodiments of the battery module and the drone proposed by the present invention are described and/or illustrated in detail above. However, embodiments of the invention are not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, but rather, the components and/or steps of each embodiment can be used independently and separately from the other components and/or steps described herein. Each component and/or each step of an embodiment may also be used in combination with other components and/or steps of other embodiments. When introducing elements/components/etc. described and/or illustrated herein, the terms "a", "an", "the", "the", etc. are used to indicate the presence of one or more elements/components/etc. The terms "comprising," "comprising," and "having" are used to mean an inclusive meaning and are meant to mean additional elements/components or the like in addition to the listed elements/components/etc.

While the battery module and the drone of the present invention have been described in terms of various specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the implementation of the invention can be modified within the spirit and scope of the claims.

Claims

A battery module for powering a drone, the drone comprising a battery compartment, the battery module being installed in the battery compartment, the battery compartment being provided with a locking slot, wherein The battery module includes a battery body detachably mounted in the battery compartment, and the battery body is provided with at least one latching component, each of the latching components including:

a locking pin slidably disposed on a surface of the battery body, the locking pin having a connecting end and a locking end;

An elastic member is elastically connected between the battery body and the connecting end;

Wherein, when the battery body is installed in the battery compartment, the elastic member pushes the locking pin to engage the locking end into the locking groove.
The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the battery module further comprises:

The position detector is disposed on the battery body and adjacent to the locking pin for detecting whether the distance that the locking pin slides in the direction of compressing the elastic member exceeds a preset threshold.
The battery module according to claim 2, wherein the number of position detectors is the same as that of the latch assembly, and is in one-to-one correspondence with the latch pins to respectively detect that the latch pin is along And compressing whether the distance in which the elastic member slides exceeds the preset threshold.
A drone, characterized in that the drone includes:

body;

a battery compartment formed in the body, the battery compartment being provided with a locking groove;

a battery module, the battery module is configured to supply power to the drone, the battery module is installed in the battery compartment, and the battery module further includes a battery body detachably mounted in the battery compartment, The battery body is provided with at least one locking assembly, each of the locking assemblies including a locking pin slidably disposed on a surface of the battery body, the locking pin having a connecting end and a locking end; and elasticity The elastic member is elastically connected between the battery body and the connecting end; wherein, when the battery body is installed in the battery compartment, the elastic member pushes the locking pin to make the locking end Snap into the lock slot.
The UAV according to claim 4, wherein the battery module further comprises:

The position detector is disposed on the battery body and adjacent to the locking pin for detecting whether the distance that the locking pin slides in the direction of compressing the elastic member exceeds a preset threshold.
The drone according to claim 5, wherein the number of position detectors is the same as that of the latch assembly, and is in one-to-one correspondence with the latch pin to detect that the latch pin is Whether the distance sliding in the direction of compressing the elastic member exceeds the preset threshold.
The drone according to any one of claims 4-6, wherein the top of the battery compartment is provided with an opening for the battery body to be loaded into the battery compartment from the top of the battery compartment, The locking component is disposed on a side of the battery body.
The drone according to claim 6, wherein the locking end is a downwardly inclined wedge-shaped structure; and/or the locking assembly is two, and the two locking assemblies are respectively provided On both sides of the battery body.
The drone according to any of claims 4-6, wherein said battery compartment has a tail end adjacent to said connecting end and a front end adjacent to said latching end; wherein a top end of said battery cartridge tail end remains A portion of the top wall forms a card slot for the rear end of the battery body to be inserted into the card slot, and the front end thereof is further rotated downward to mount the battery body to the battery compartment.
The drone according to any of claims 4-6, wherein an opening of the battery compartment corresponding to the latch pin is provided, and the latch pin portion is exposed to the opening.
The UAV according to any one of claims 4-6, wherein the bottom of the battery compartment is provided with an elastic component for applying an elastic force to the battery body installed in the battery compartment; The elastic component can eject the battery module when the lock pin and the lock groove are in a non-fastened state.
The drone according to claim 11, wherein the elastic component comprises:

a seat body fixed to the battery compartment;

a spring block disposed on the seat body;

An elastic member connected between the seat body and the elastic block;

Wherein, when the battery body is installed in the battery compartment, the elastic block abuts against the battery body.