WO2022096410A1 - Agencement d'alimentation de drones d'un essaim de drones - Google Patents

Agencement d'alimentation de drones d'un essaim de drones Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2022096410A1
WO2022096410A1 PCT/EP2021/080247 EP2021080247W WO2022096410A1 WO 2022096410 A1 WO2022096410 A1 WO 2022096410A1 EP 2021080247 W EP2021080247 W EP 2021080247W WO 2022096410 A1 WO2022096410 A1 WO 2022096410A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
drones
drone
arrangement according
swarm
station
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2021/080247
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Harald Müller
Holger Meyer
Original Assignee
Naturetec GmbH
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Naturetec GmbH filed Critical Naturetec GmbH
Publication of WO2022096410A1 publication Critical patent/WO2022096410A1/fr

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64F—GROUND OR AIRCRAFT-CARRIER-DECK INSTALLATIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH AIRCRAFT; DESIGNING, MANUFACTURING, ASSEMBLING, CLEANING, MAINTAINING OR REPAIRING AIRCRAFT, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; HANDLING, TRANSPORTING, TESTING OR INSPECTING AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B64F1/00—Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations
    • B64F1/007—Helicopter portable landing pads
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60L—PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
    • B60L53/00—Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
    • B60L53/80—Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64F—GROUND OR AIRCRAFT-CARRIER-DECK INSTALLATIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH AIRCRAFT; DESIGNING, MANUFACTURING, ASSEMBLING, CLEANING, MAINTAINING OR REPAIRING AIRCRAFT, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; HANDLING, TRANSPORTING, TESTING OR INSPECTING AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B64F1/00—Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations
    • B64F1/32—Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations for handling freight
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64U—UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR
    • B64U80/00—Transport or storage specially adapted for UAVs
    • B64U80/20—Transport or storage specially adapted for UAVs with arrangements for servicing the UAV
    • B64U80/25—Transport or storage specially adapted for UAVs with arrangements for servicing the UAV for recharging batteries; for refuelling
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64U—UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR
    • B64U80/00—Transport or storage specially adapted for UAVs
    • B64U80/40—Transport or storage specially adapted for UAVs for two or more UAVs
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G5/00—Traffic control systems for aircraft, e.g. air-traffic control [ATC]
    • G08G5/0004—Transmission of traffic-related information to or from an aircraft
    • G08G5/0013—Transmission of traffic-related information to or from an aircraft with a ground station
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G5/00—Traffic control systems for aircraft, e.g. air-traffic control [ATC]
    • G08G5/0017—Arrangements for implementing traffic-related aircraft activities, e.g. arrangements for generating, displaying, acquiring or managing traffic information
    • G08G5/0026—Arrangements for implementing traffic-related aircraft activities, e.g. arrangements for generating, displaying, acquiring or managing traffic information located on the ground
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G5/00—Traffic control systems for aircraft, e.g. air-traffic control [ATC]
    • G08G5/003—Flight plan management
    • G08G5/0034—Assembly of a flight plan
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G5/00—Traffic control systems for aircraft, e.g. air-traffic control [ATC]
    • G08G5/0047—Navigation or guidance aids for a single aircraft
    • G08G5/0069—Navigation or guidance aids for a single aircraft specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G5/00—Traffic control systems for aircraft, e.g. air-traffic control [ATC]
    • G08G5/02—Automatic approach or landing aids, i.e. systems in which flight data of incoming planes are processed to provide landing data
    • G08G5/025—Navigation or guidance aids
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
    • A62C—FIRE-FIGHTING
    • A62C3/00—Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places
    • A62C3/02—Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places for area conflagrations, e.g. forest fires, subterranean fires
    • A62C3/0228—Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places for area conflagrations, e.g. forest fires, subterranean fires with delivery of fire extinguishing material by air or aircraft
    • A62C3/0242—Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places for area conflagrations, e.g. forest fires, subterranean fires with delivery of fire extinguishing material by air or aircraft by spraying extinguishants from the aircraft
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64U—UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR
    • B64U50/00—Propulsion; Power supply
    • B64U50/30—Supply or distribution of electrical power
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64U—UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR
    • B64U80/00—Transport or storage specially adapted for UAVs
    • B64U80/10—Transport or storage specially adapted for UAVs with means for moving the UAV to a supply or launch location, e.g. robotic arms or carousels
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64U—UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR
    • B64U80/00—Transport or storage specially adapted for UAVs
    • B64U80/80—Transport or storage specially adapted for UAVs by vehicles
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
    • Y02T10/60—Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect
    • Y02T10/70—Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
    • Y02T10/60—Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect
    • Y02T10/7072—Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors

Definitions

  • the invention relates to an arrangement for supplying drones in a swarm of drones with energy and/or consumables
  • a store is provided for the provision of a multiplicity of packages with energy and/or consumables
  • a packet exchange station is provided for exchanging unloaded and/or exhaled packets for packets from the store.
  • a drone is an unmanned flying object that can be controlled from a control center, for example.
  • Such drone swarms consist of a large number of drones that are controlled from the same control center.
  • Drones in drone swarms are not controlled individually, but always in cooperation with others. For example, shared control prevents the drones from colliding, obstructing the field of view of cameras on other drones in the flock, or duplicating a task in an unnecessary and/or undesired manner.
  • EP 3 587 265 A1 discloses a drone for cleaning purposes, with which high-pressure water can be sprayed onto an object.
  • WO 2017/062051 A1 discloses a drone that is used to fight fires. The drone recognizes it Source of the fire or its surroundings and can drop the extinguishing agent in a targeted manner. These drones are not used in swarms, but individually. Loading a sufficient amount of water or other extinguishing agent is time-consuming. Using only one drone with a heavy load requires a correspondingly large, expensive drone.
  • EP 2 511 888 B1 discloses a control system for a swarm of different aircraft and vehicles for firefighting.
  • US 2020/0140087 A1 discloses a swarm of drones for firefighting.
  • the drones of the drone swarm have batteries on their top that can be exchanged at a station during the flight.
  • the drone flies to the station from below.
  • Spent batteries are picked up from the bottom at the bottom of the station and charged batteries at the top of the drone.
  • the drone must have a very precise approach to the station. A gust of wind can disrupt this approach and require a new attempt. That takes time.
  • Changing the battery in flight requires at least two battery modules.
  • the station flies itself, the capacity for fresh batteries is limited.
  • the station also has a limited flight duration.
  • a water tank is attached to the bottom of the drone.
  • the drone flies to a water source, such as a lake. Flaps on the bottom of the tank are opened with a dedicated motor and the water from the water source is allowed to enter the water tank. This is also time consuming. The tank and the motor have their own weight, which puts additional strain on the drone.
  • WO 2017/208 272 A1 discloses a swarm of drones for firefighting, in which drones land on a container, are fitted with a new battery and extinguishing water there and then start again. The landing pad is only released for the next drone after the drone has been fully supplied.
  • the invention is based on the knowledge that costs can be reduced if the drones are supplied with consumables and/or energy more quickly.
  • a fixed landing pad is provided for the drones.
  • the drones do not need high landing accuracy, but can be positioned at the target position with positioning means and transported to a station at a different location with funding.
  • the positioning means can be provided in front of the conveyor means and/or at the station.
  • the landing pad is typically less expensive than a station. Multiple landing pads can also be provided for each station.
  • the drones can land with a high landing frequency, regardless of weather conditions, for example. Due to the fact that the landing field and station are separate, subsequent drones can already land while the drones are still being supplied at the station. The following drones do not have to wait until the supply of a drone has been completed and the station is free before landing. This allows a higher throughput speed for the drones to be achieved. The drones are ready for use again more quickly. Fewer drones and fewer supply arrangements are needed for the same task.
  • more drones can be supplied at the same time. This allows a higher amount of consumables to be flown to the scene. This in turn enables the use of smaller, more cost-effective drones with a low dead weight and lower energy requirements.
  • the failure of a drone is associated with a significantly lower risk than with large cargo drones or helicopters. Even if a drone of the drone swarm fails, the mission still secured by the other drones. The economic damage is significantly less. Smaller drones are also easier to transport, store and replace.
  • the drones are comparatively inexpensive and unmanned, they can be used around the clock, including at night and when visibility is poor. In the event of a fire, for example, considerably fewer emergency services are required. More consumables can be deployed per 24 hours. The drones can fly lower over risk areas, such as fires in areas with a risk of explosion. This improves the throwing accuracy.
  • swarms of drones allow consumables to be deployed not just at one point, but at a desired area. In this way, preventive wetting or irrigation can take place, or certain areas can be heavily wetted and other areas less wetted.
  • Both the supply of consumables and the energy supply can be in the form of packages.
  • the energy can be supplied by exchanging a tank filled with combustible material.
  • the packs include electrical accumulators or batteries.
  • Accumulators can be charged with energy generated in a climate-neutral manner.
  • the accumulators can be charged at any desired location.
  • the store has a charging device for recharging the accumulators on site. The arrangement can then remain at the place of use for as long as is desired. No accumulators have to be moved between the place of use and the charging device.
  • Another embodiment provides that at least two stores are provided to provide a large number of packages, and the package changing station is designed in such a way that a package is unloaded from the drone into a first store and an unused package is loaded into the drone from a second store will.
  • the memories alternately receive a used packet and provide a new, unused packet. This avoids empty runs or empty movements of grippers or lifters at the package changing station. This is particularly advantageous if the drone allows access to the package from two sides. A package can then be pushed in from one side while the other package is still being unloaded.
  • the packages can preferably be fed in and removed alternately from opposite sides.
  • the use of two stores can further reduce throughput times.
  • the packages are already pre-positioned in the vicinity of the transfer location, so that only short distances have to be covered during loading.
  • At least one charging station is provided for charging water, fire extinguishing agents, liquids for spreading on agricultural land, or other consumables. These consumables are loaded into the drone in addition to the power supply.
  • the consumables can also be in packages.
  • the consumable at the charging station is gaseous or liquid and can be filled into a tank provided in a drone by means of pressure charging—similar to pressure refueling in air traffic. This avoids additional weight in the form of an additional container and associated fastening means.
  • Pressure loading enables particularly fast loading and high throughput speeds.
  • a further shortening of the loading time is achieved by using two or more loading nozzles. Filling the pressurized tank may be slower from a nearby consumable source. For example, water from lakes, rivers, vehicle-mounted water tanks or hydrants can be used to fill the pressurized tank.
  • several package changing and/or loading stations and conveying means for transporting the drones from station to station are provided that are spatially separate from one another. This allows the separation of, for example, current-carrying components such as accumulators from consumables such as water. Separating the stations avoids mutual interference, such as contamination or short circuits. It is preferably provided that positioning means are provided for positioning the drone in a target position and the landing site for the drones of the drone swarm and the target position are ground-based. This ensures high stability and availability.
  • the landing pad can be dismantled and/or folded up, plugged together, pushed together or reduced to smaller dimensions in some other way. This facilitates transport and storage when not in use. However, the landing area can still be dimensioned sufficiently large.
  • the store can be air-conditioned to provide a large number of packages.
  • the performance of accumulators can be impaired if the temperatures are too low or too high. Consumables can also make air conditioning necessary. Especially when fighting fires in summer, very high temperatures can occur, which can be harmful to the accumulators.
  • conveying means are provided for transporting packages between a storage location in the store and the package changing station.
  • Such funding can include, for example, a rail car with a lifter, gripper or the like.
  • the lifter lifts a package from a storage location and drives the cart to the package exchange station where the package is placed in or on the drone.
  • a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention provides that the arrangement consists of a modular design of one or more separate modules, each of which can be transported on a vehicle approved for public road traffic. If each of the containers is transported on the chassis of a truck, no additional trailer is required, which means that drivers without a license to drive trailers can also move the containers.
  • the arrangement can have (a) a first module having a container with the storage for providing a plurality of packages; and
  • two stores can also be provided in the form of two commercially available containers and a chassis or container with which the landing pad, positioning means and funding means can be transported. Then the entire infrastructure for supplying the drones with three containers, for example on trucks or autonomous vehicles provided for this purpose, can be brought to a safe place near the deployment site.
  • a controller is provided, which is acted upon by signals from the drones of the drone swarm. Then not every drone is controlled individually, but all drones together from a control center. Conversely, the drones provide signals such as altitude, geographic location, orientation, flight speed, status of energy supply and consumables and the like.
  • each of the drones in the swarm of drones can have a camera and a transceiver, and the controller can be acted upon by the images recorded by the camera. These images and the results of their evaluation can be taken into account when controlling subsequent drones.
  • each of the drones to have a GPS receiver or other position-determining means for determining the geographic position, and for the central controller to be supplied with the signals from the position-determining means.
  • the controller preferably has data processing means with which flight paths and dropping locations and/or times for dropping consumables can be determined from signals from an infrared camera, a pyrometer and/or other signals from the drones of the drone swarm.
  • the large number of drones not only enables the more targeted dropping of extinguishing agents and, for example, more targeted firefighting, from temperature profiles, for example, but also the determination of the condition of the deployment site and the success of measures - not just measures taken by the drone swarm.
  • the operations of the subsequent drones can be adjusted and optimized if necessary.
  • the controller advantageously has storage means for storing potential obstacles or sources of danger in the flight paths of the drones, which can be taken into account when controlling the drones.
  • Such obstacles can be buildings, power and/or water lines or other man-made or natural installations, which may necessitate an adjustment of the flight path.
  • the drones can avoid these and, for example, fly over or around them.
  • the obstacles for example towers or the like, can be used as markers when comparing the trajectory with a target trajectory
  • the controller can have data processing means and storage means for the implementation of predetermined flight scenarios when controlling the drones of the drone swarm.
  • the specified flight scenarios can include preventive measures.
  • An example of such a flight scene is wetting the area surrounding a settlement or building complex to prevent a fire from spreading to this area. This scene can be stored in advance and implemented as a preventive measure. If the swarm of drones is to apply an insecticide or crop protection product, such a flight scene can, for example, exclude protected areas from application. Flights in areas that are particularly dangerous due to ammunition loads can also be excluded from a flight scene.
  • the controller can include a learning system for adapting the flight scenarios to the reality on which a given task is based, which reality was recorded with cameras and/or sensors or previously transmitted from a memory.
  • a learning system artificial intelligence
  • the drone swarm can be used to extinguish forest fires or other fires. However, it can also be used to apply consumables such as pesticides, water, fertilizer and/or seed in agriculture. Finally, the swarm of drones can also be used to transport food, drinks, blood supplies or rescue material, for example for sea emergencies or other locations that are difficult or impossible to reach.
  • the present invention is also achieved by a method for controlling drones of a swarm of drones to fulfill a task with the steps:
  • Refinements of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims. An embodiment is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
  • Fig.l illustrates the use of a drone swarm in firefighting.
  • Fig.3 is a detailed view of the landing pad of a supply assembly
  • FIG. 4 shows the landing site from FIG. 3 with the drone having landed.
  • FIG. 5 shows a carrier with a conveyor belt, at the ends of which the landing pad from FIG. 3 and a starting pad are attached.
  • Fig.6 illustrates how the carrier of Figure 5 on the chassis of a truck or a
  • FIG.7 is a separate view of the packet exchange station
  • Fig.8 shows a detail from Figure 7 with only one memory and a drone at the
  • Fig.9 shows a detail from Figure 8 and illustrates how a package between its
  • FIG. 10 shows part of the conveyor belt of the supply arrangement from FIG. 2 with a device for filling with water or extinguishing agent.
  • FIG. 11 shows the arrangement from FIG. 10 with a drone.
  • Figure 12 illustrates the water supply for the arrangement of Figures 10 and 11.
  • FIG. 13 shows the starting point of the supply arrangement from FIG.
  • Figure 14 shows the launch site from Figure 13 with a drone.
  • Fig.15 is a perspective view of a drone of the drone swarm.
  • Fig. 16 illustrates the exchange of accumulators in an arrangement from Figure 2.
  • FIG. 1 schematically shows a swarm of drones with drones which are generally designated 10 .
  • a drone 10 is shown in FIG.
  • the drone 10 has a through opening in the middle.
  • An accumulator 16 can be inserted into the through hole.
  • an electrical contact is made between the accumulator 16 and the propulsion and on-board system of the drone 10, so that the drone can be supplied with the required energy.
  • the drone is provided with skids 56 on which it can land and be carried.
  • the runners 56 are formed from a tubular, bent linkage.
  • a tank 72 is provided between the runners.
  • the tank 72 has two openings through which liquid or solid consumables, for example extinguishing water, can be filled.
  • FIG. 1 shows only a few drones 10. Depending on the application, in practice many more drones, for example 100 to 1000 drones, can be included in the swarm. In the present exemplary embodiment, the drones 10 are used, for example, to fight a fire at a location 12 . The drones fly to the site 12, drop water or another extinguishing agent 15 there and fly empty to a supply arrangement 14.
  • the rotors 11 (FIG. 15) are shown as an example and can be replaced by any other rotor system suitable for drones .
  • the drones 10 regularly require new energy. This serves to drive the rotor or rotors and to supply the on-board systems, sensors, etc.
  • the drones 10 are supplied with energy in packets via the replaceable accumulator 16 from one or more storage devices 18.
  • the Drone fed water has a landing pad 22 for landing the drones 10 .
  • a launch site 24 is provided for launching the fully supplied drones 10 .
  • FIG. 2 shows the supply arrangement 14 with two stores 18.
  • the stores 18 have the external shape of a standard container. Such containers can be loaded onto truck or trailer chassis and moved on ordinary roads. However, the container shape also allows transport by other means of transport, such as ships or planes.
  • a container with storage 18 is arranged on a trailer 50 . He remains there during the operation.
  • FIG. 8 shows a memory 18 in detail.
  • Each of the stores 18 is air-conditioned with an air conditioner 26 .
  • the memory 18 also has a generator 28, via which accumulators 16 can be recharged.
  • the accumulators 16 are in Racks 40 are held inside storage 18 .
  • the figures show the memory 18 in such a way that the racks 40 with the accumulators 16 can be clearly seen.
  • a rail 30 is provided between the racks 40 in the longitudinal direction of the container and parallel to the racks. This can be clearly seen in FIG.
  • a carriage 32 moves on the rail 30.
  • the carriage 32 can be seen clearly in FIG. Figures 7 and 9 each show the carriage 32 in two different positions.
  • the carriage is provided with an electrically operable jack 34 .
  • the accumulator 16 is transported into the drone with the lifter. An empty accumulator 16 is removed from the drone 10 and placed in one of the racks 40 with the lifter 34 .
  • the spent accumulator 16 can be charged either in the rack 40 or at the charging station provided for this purpose, which is connected to the generator 28, within the store 18 and made available for further use.
  • the empty jack 34 can then be slid into a horizontal gap 52 between two accumulators 16 in the rack 40 .
  • a charged accumulator 16 can then be lifted out of a rack 40 with the lifter 34 and transported to the drone at the package exchange station 36 by moving the carriage 32 . There, the lifter 34 can place the accumulator 16 at the designated location in the drone 10, where the used accumulator was previously removed.
  • a locking mechanism provides mechanical support and electrical contact.
  • other conveying mechanisms such as arms with grippers or the like, are also suitable for conveying the accumulators 16. It goes without saying that more or just one accumulator 16 can also be provided.
  • FIG. 16 shows the carriage 32 with the lifting device during the loading process.
  • the drone 10 is moved between two platforms 38.
  • Two accumulators 16 arranged one behind the other in the direction of movement of the drone 10 are arranged on the platforms 38 .
  • the accumulators are then pushed out of the holder 40 onto the lifting device of the carriage 32 and from the lifting device onto the platform 38 using actuators, for example a slide.
  • the accumulators can be moved into the drone more quickly from the platform 38 .
  • two stores 18 are provided on the side of the package changing station.
  • a charged accumulator 16 can already be made available and inserted while the lifter 34 of the opposite store 18 is still busy discharging.
  • empty runs of the carriage 32 are avoided and the loading and unloading process is further accelerated.
  • the aim of the supply arrangement is to keep the drones 10 there as short as possible.
  • the drone 10 therefore first lands on a landing pad 22 specially provided for this purpose, which is separate from the parcel exchange station 36 .
  • the landing site is shown in Figure 3.
  • the landing pad 22 is large compared to the drone, so the drone 10 does not need to achieve precise positioning. This can be clearly seen in FIG.
  • the large landing area allows for a quick landing, although this results in a less precise landing position.
  • the drone 10 lands on the skid-shaped frame 56.
  • Two elongate sliders 58 are pushed inwardly from the outer edge 60 of the landing pad 22 in a symmetrical manner. In doing so, they grasp the runners 56 of the drone 10 and push them into a desired target position on a conveyor belt 62. After positioning with the pushers, the runners stand straight on the two parts of the comparatively narrow conveyor belt 62 and can thus be transported in the direction of the package changing station.
  • the target position is shown in FIG.
  • the conveyor belt 62 is part of a conveyor section 64 which is guided on a carrier 68 .
  • the carrier 68 is designed in several parts. The parts of the carrier 68 can be assembled or disassembled. The parts of the carrier 68 have dimensions which allow transport together on a trailer 70 or road-legal truck. This is illustrated in FIG.
  • the separation of the landing pad 22 from the package changing station 36 makes it possible for a following drone 10 to be able to land while batteries 16 are still being replaced in one drone.
  • both drones - the drone that has just landed and the drone that is supplied with charged accumulators - can be moved forward with the conveyor belt 62 .
  • the drone 10 does not need to take off or land to go from station to station.
  • the previously landed drone can now be supplied with charged accumulators. This can be clearly seen in FIG.
  • the drones 10 are not only used for overflight, but also for deploying consumables, namely water.
  • This is filled in at station 20.
  • Station 20 is shown in FIG.
  • FIG. 11 shows the station 20 during filling.
  • a basin-shaped water reservoir in the form of a tank 78 is shown as the water source.
  • any other natural or artificial water reservoir such as a lake, river, the sea, a vehicle-mounted water tank or an underground chamber can also be used.
  • the water is conveyed from the reservoir 78 via a line 74 in the form of a hose or pipe into one or more pressure tanks 76 in the filling area.
  • the pressure vessel 76 is connected to a source of pressure, such as high pressure air.
  • a compressor can be provided for this purpose.
  • Line 74 is provided with one or more check valves.
  • the pressure source creates high pressure in the pressure vessels 76.
  • FIG. 13 shows the launch site 24 without and FIG. 14 shows the launch site 24 with the drone 10 .
  • parts 82 that protrude laterally beyond the carrier 68 are articulated on a central part 84 and can be folded in for transport and storage. Alternatively, these can be removed or inserted.
  • the arrangement described enables a cycle of, for example, 15 seconds.
  • the drone 10 is therefore ready to take off again in about a minute after landing. With a sufficient number of drones, a significantly larger volume of water can be deployed than with a single cargo drone or helicopter. A night break is not necessary. The risk of failure and the required investments are lower with smaller drones.
  • the drones can also fly low in dangerous areas, such as those with ammunition remnants. They enable targeted and precise application at the desired location.
  • FIG. 15 schematically illustrates a suitable drone 10.
  • the drone may vary in type and construction so long as it is capable of picking up packages and has suitable controls.
  • Each of the drones of the present embodiment is provided with a camera and an IR sensor. This means that sources of fire can also be easily identified at night.
  • the images can be sent to a common controller and to the following drone. This can then, for example, readjust the drop location.
  • the swarm of drones is controlled from a control center.
  • each drone has a transceiver and a GPS receiver or other positioning system.
  • An optimal extinguishing strategy can be determined from the data received on the condition of the area to be flown by the drones and the position and speed of the drones. This can be done manually, for example with the help of a visualization on a screen and corresponding input means for control commands, or it can be automated.
  • FIG. 1 A mobile supply arrangement is shown in FIG.
  • An elongate beam is mounted on a chassis or trailer on which the conveyor runs.
  • the ends of the carrier are provided with fold-out areas for landing and take-off.
  • the carrier itself can be pulled apart like a telescope, so that it has a sufficient length for all 4 stations, namely the landing area, package changing station, loading station and launch site.
  • the storage for the accumulators are housed in separate containers. In this way, a complete supply arrangement can be transported in three containers close to the place of use.
  • top, bottom, bottom, right and “left” refer exclusively to the attached drawings. It is understood that claimed devices may also take a different orientation.
  • containing and the term “comprising” mean that further components that are not mentioned can be provided.
  • the term “essentially”, “predominantly” and “mainly” includes all features that have a property or content in majority, i.e. more than all other components or properties of the feature mentioned, i.e. with two components, for example more than 50%.

Abstract

L'invention concerne un agencement d'alimentation de drones (10) d'un essaim de drones comportant des matériaux énergétiques et/ou consommables, au moins une partie des matériaux énergétiques ou consommables étant sous forme d'emballage ; une unité de stockage (18) permettant de fournir une pluralité d'emballages (16) des matériaux énergétiques et/ou consommables ; et un poste (36) de changement d'emballage permettant d'échanger des emballages (16) déchargés et/ou consommés avec des emballages (16) de l'unité de stockage (18), caractérisé par un emplacement d'atterrissage (22) pour les drones (10) de l'essaim de drones et des moyens de transport (62) permettant de transporter les drones (10) atterris vers un poste (36).
PCT/EP2021/080247 2020-11-06 2021-11-01 Agencement d'alimentation de drones d'un essaim de drones WO2022096410A1 (fr)

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