CN108698521B

CN108698521B - Tripod cover for drone, connecting component and charging system and method for drone

Info

Publication number: CN108698521B
Application number: CN201780005675.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张肖; 丘力; 丁鹏
Original assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-09-30
Filing date: 2017-09-30
Publication date: 2021-06-04
Anticipated expiration: 2037-09-30
Also published as: WO2019061519A1; CN113184209A; CN108698521A; CN113184209B

Abstract

A tripod cover (20) for an unmanned aerial vehicle (200), a connection component (10), and a charging system and method for the unmanned aerial vehicle (200). The charging system includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (200), a base station (100) cooperating with the unmanned aerial vehicle (200), and the unmanned aerial vehicle (200) includes a fuselage (210), a battery arranged in the fuselage (210), A tripod (220) connected to the body (210) and used for electrical connection with the battery and a tripod cover (20) fixed on the tripod (220), the base station (100) comprises a casing (110), a device An apron (120) on the housing (110) for placing the drone (200) and a connecting assembly (10) provided on the apron (120); wherein, when the tripod cover (20) is carried on the On the connecting assembly (10), the tripod cover (20) can be in electrical contact with the connecting assembly (10) to charge the battery through the base station (100). The tripod cover (20) is carried on the connecting assembly (10), and at the same time, the tripod sleeve (20) and the connecting assembly (10) can achieve point contact, so that the base station (100) can automatically connect the battery of the drone (200). Charging, no manual operation is required, the structure is simple, and the realization method is more convenient.

Description

Unmanned aerial vehicle foot rest sleeve, connecting assembly, unmanned aerial vehicle charging system and method

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle charging, in particular to a foot rest sleeve and a connecting assembly of an unmanned aerial vehicle, and a charging system and method of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Background

Generally, unmanned aerial vehicle's battery duration is limited, generally in 10 to 30 minutes, before the electric quantity of battery at every turn will exhaust, need to control unmanned aerial vehicle descending through the operating handle, then manual change unmanned aerial vehicle's battery or manual with the joint that charges on the unmanned aerial vehicle peg graft on the power, after charging the battery, unmanned aerial vehicle can fly once more. However, the manual replacement of the battery or the manual insertion of the charging connector cannot meet the requirement of the automatic flight operation.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a foot rest sleeve and a connecting assembly of an unmanned aerial vehicle, and a charging system and method of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a foot rest sleeve of an unmanned aerial vehicle, for cooperating with a base station, the foot rest sleeve being mounted on a foot rest of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the foot rest sleeve comprising a support portion and an electrical contact end for electrically connecting with a battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle; when the supporting part is supported on the base station, the electric contact end can be in electric contact with the base station so as to charge the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle through the base station.

According to a second aspect of the invention, an unmanned aerial vehicle is provided, which comprises a body, a foot rest connected with the body, and a battery arranged in the body, wherein the foot rest is provided with a foot rest sleeve matched with a base station; the foot rest sleeve comprises a supporting part and an electric contact end used for being electrically connected with the battery; when the supporting part is supported on the base station, the electric contact end can be in electric contact with the base station so as to charge the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle through the base station.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connection assembly for mating with a foot rest of an unmanned aerial vehicle, the connection assembly being provided on a base station, the connection assembly comprising a connection portion for fixing a support portion on the foot rest and an electrical interface for mating with an electrical contact end on the foot rest; when the electrical interface is in electrical contact with an electrical contact terminal, the base station charges a battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a base station of an unmanned aerial vehicle, including a housing, a apron provided on the housing, and a connection assembly provided on the apron and configured to mate with a foot rest of the unmanned aerial vehicle; the connecting assembly comprises a connecting part for fixing a supporting part on the foot rest sleeve and an electric interface for matching with an electric contact end on the foot rest sleeve; when the electrical interface is in electrical contact with an electrical contact terminal, the base station charges a battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising an unmanned aerial vehicle, and further comprising a base station cooperating with the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a body, a battery disposed in the body, a foot rest connected to the body and electrically connected to the battery, and a foot rest sleeve fixed to the foot rest, the base station comprises a housing, an apron disposed on the housing and used for placing the unmanned aerial vehicle, and a connecting assembly disposed on the apron; wherein, when the foot rest sleeve is carried on the connection assembly, the foot rest sleeve can be in electrical contact with the connection assembly to charge the battery through the base station.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of charging a drone, the drone comprising an electrical contact, by a base station, the base station comprising an electrical interface, the method comprising: detecting that the unmanned aerial vehicle lands at a designated position on the base station, and controlling the electric contact end to be in electric contact with the electric interface; and charging the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle through the base station.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging apparatus for a drone, the drone being charged by a base station, the drone including an electrical contact, the base station including an electrical interface, the apparatus including one or more second processors, acting individually or collectively, the second processors being operable to: detecting that the unmanned aerial vehicle lands at a designated position on the base station, and controlling the electric contact end to be in electric contact with the electric interface; and charging the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle through the base station.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of charging a drone, the drone comprising an electrical contact, by a base station, the base station comprising an electrical interface, the method comprising: and controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to automatically land to a designated position of a base station so as to trigger the base station to control the electric contact end to be in electric contact with the electric interface, so that the base station charges a battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention there is provided a charging apparatus for a drone, the drone being charged by a base station, the drone including an electrical contact, the base station including an electrical interface, the apparatus including one or more first processors, acting individually or collectively, the first processors being operable to: and controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to automatically land to a designated position of a base station so as to trigger the base station to control the electric contact end to be in electric contact with the electric interface, so that the base station charges a battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

According to the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, the support part and the electric contact end are integrated on the foot rest sleeve of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the connecting part matched with the support part and the electric interface matched with the electric contact end are integrated on the connecting component of the base station, when the support part is borne on the connecting part, on one hand, the unmanned aerial vehicle is borne on the base station, and on the other hand, the electric contact end can be in electric contact with the electric interface, so that the base station can automatically charge the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle, manual operation is not needed, the structure is simple, and the implementation mode is more convenient.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without inventive labor.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a foot rest according to an embodiment of the present invention, shown in one orientation;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a foot rest according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in another orientation;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a foot rest according to an embodiment of the present invention in another orientation;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a connection assembly in one orientation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a connection assembly in an alternative orientation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a connecting assembly in an embodiment of the present invention in yet another orientation;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the cooperating foot rest sleeve and attachment assembly in one orientation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the mated foot mount sleeve and connection assembly of one embodiment of the present invention in another orientation;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 8 taken at section A-A;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 8 taken at section B-B;

fig. 11 is a perspective view of a drone in one direction after being carried on a base station in one embodiment of the invention;

fig. 12 is a perspective view of a drone in an embodiment of the invention carried on a base station in another orientation;

fig. 13 is a perspective view of a drone in an embodiment of the present invention carried on a base station in yet another orientation;

fig. 14 is a perspective view of a drone in an embodiment of the present invention carried on a base station in a further orientation;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 14 at section C-C;

fig. 16 is a perspective view of a base station in one of the directions in one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 17 is a perspective view of a base station in another orientation in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 18 is a perspective view of a base station in yet another orientation in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 19 is a schematic flow chart of a charging method of an unmanned aerial vehicle on a base station side in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 20 is a schematic flow chart of a charging method of an unmanned aerial vehicle on the unmanned aerial vehicle side in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 21 is a block diagram of the structure of the charging device of the unmanned aerial vehicle on the base station side in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 22 is a block diagram of the structure of the charging device of the unmanned aerial vehicle on the unmanned aerial vehicle side in an embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numerals:

100: a base station; 101: a second processor; 110: a housing; 111: an inclined surface; 112: an air outlet part; 120: parking apron; 121: a vent hole; 130: a protective cover; 131: a first shield; 132: a second shield; 140: an air conditioner; 150: a storage space; 10: a connecting assembly; 11: a connecting portion; 12: an electrical interface; 13: an identification reading module;

200: an unmanned aerial vehicle; 201: a first processor; 210: a body; 220: a foot rest; 221: a support frame; 222: a sliding support; 20: a foot rest sleeve; 21: a support portion; 22: an electrical contact end; 23: and a memory unit.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

The foot rest 20 and the connecting assembly 10 of the drone 200, and the charging system and method of the drone 200 of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The features of the following examples and embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict.

Example one

With reference to fig. 1 to 3, an embodiment of the present invention provides a foot rest sleeve 20 of an unmanned aerial vehicle 200. The foot rest 20 can be engaged with the base station 100, so that the drone 200 can be fixed to the base station 100 and the drone 200 can be charged through the base station 100. In particular, the foot rest sleeve 20 may comprise a support portion 21 and an electrical contact end 22. The electric contact end 22 is used for electrically connecting with a battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200, and the battery can be charged by matching the electric contact end 22 with an external power supply.

When the supporting portion 21 is supported on the base station 100, the electrical contact terminal 22 can be electrically contacted with the base station 100, so as to charge the battery of the drone 200 through the base station 100. Through integrating supporting part 21 and electric contact end 22 on unmanned aerial vehicle 200's foot rest cover 20, unmanned aerial vehicle 200 bears behind basic station 100 through supporting part 21 on the foot rest cover 20, can realize electric contact end 22 and basic station 100's electric contact, realizes that basic station 100 charges to the automation of unmanned aerial vehicle 200's battery, need not manual operation, simple structure, and the implementation is more convenient.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the ability of the electrical contact end 22 to electrically contact with the base station 100 indicates the capability of the electrical contact end 22 to electrically contact with the base station 100, and the electrical contact end 22 to electrically contact with the base station 100 indicates that the electrical contact end 22 is in electrical contact with the base station 100.

The support portion 21 and the base station 100 can be engaged or engaged in other ways, so that the support portion 21 can be stably supported on the base station 100. Referring to fig. 1 to 3, the supporting portion 21 has a smooth surface, and the surface of the smooth transition is in contact with the base station 100 during landing of the drone 200, so that the sliding resistance of the drone 200 can be reduced. In this embodiment, the smooth transition surface of the supporting portion 21 is a spherical surface. Referring to fig. 4 to 7, the base station 100 is provided with a groove corresponding to the supporting portion 21, and when the supporting portion 21 slides into the corresponding groove, the supporting portion 21 is clamped in the groove to fix the supporting portion 21.

Referring again to fig. 1-3, in this embodiment, the electrical contact end 22 may be an electrical contact surface configured to mate with an electrical pogo pin on the base station 100, so that the battery can be electrically contacted with the base station 100, thereby charging the battery through the base station 100. The use of electrical contact surfaces increases the size of the contact area and increases the likelihood that the battery will make electrical contact with the base station 100. In addition, the matching of the electric contact surface and the electric spring needle is soft contact, the contact resistance is small, the consistency is good, and the long-term use reliability is high. Of course, in other embodiments, the electrical contact end 22 may also include one or more (at least two) electrical pogo pins, and the base station 100 is provided with an electrical contact surface, and the electrical contact between the battery and the base station 100 is realized through the electrical contact between the electrical pogo pins and the electrical contact surface. It should be noted that the electrical contact 22 is not limited to the type of electrical contact surface and electrical pogo pin, but may be other types, and the base station 100 may be provided with the electrical interface 12 matching with the electrical contact 22. Taking the electrical contact end 22 as an electrical contact surface, the base station 100 is further described by taking an electrical pogo pin as an example.

In this embodiment, the electric contact surface with the electricity bullet needle contact connection realizes the electricity and connects, realizes the electricity through the grafting mode among the contrast prior art and connects, and it is more convenient to adopt the mode that the contact connection realized the electricity and connect. In addition, since the electric pogo pin has elasticity, abrasion, contact failure, and the like caused by hard collision between the electric contact terminal 22 and the electric pogo pin can be reduced. The electrical contact surface and the electrical pogo pin may be made of a conductive material, for example, a conductive metal.

Further, referring to fig. 10, the foot rest 20 may further include a storage unit 23 for cooperating with the base station 100. The storage unit 23 stores an identification (ID number) of the drone 200. When the support portion 21 is carried on the base station 100 and the identification is a legal identification, the electrical contact end 22 is electrically contacted with the base station 100. In this embodiment, the default of the electric bullet needle on the base station 100 is not powered on, and when the base station 100 needs to identify the identity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 descending thereon and determine that the identity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is legal, the power supply is switched on to enable the electric bullet needle to be powered on, so that the electric contact surface and the electric bullet needle are electrically contacted, and the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 starts to be charged. By setting the step of identity authentication, safety accidents caused by false triggering can be avoided. It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the identification of the drone 200 may be a string of characters, and the characters may include, but are not limited to, numbers, letters, graphics, and the like.

The storage unit 23 may be accommodated in the support portion 21 or disposed at other positions of the foot rest sleeve 20, so that the base station 100 can conveniently read the identity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 in the storage unit 23. In the present embodiment, the memory unit 23 is disposed in the support portion 21, and the memory unit 23 may be fixed in the support portion 21 by, for example, bonding, clamping, or the like.

The storage unit 23 may be an electronic tag (e.g., RFID tag, english name: Radio Frequency Identification, chinese name: Radio Frequency Identification) or other types. The identity of the drone 200 may be written into the electronic tag in advance, and the base station 100 may determine, after reading the identity of the drone 200 in the electronic tag, whether the identity is a valid identity, where the valid identity may be stored in advance by the base station 100.

Further, a charging switch (not shown) may be disposed between the electric contact end 22 and the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200, and the charging switch may be used to control whether the electric contact end 22 is connected (i.e., electrically connected) with the battery, so as to control whether the electric contact end 22 is electrically connected with the battery according to needs, thereby further ensuring the charging safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200. Specifically, when the base station 100 detects that the identity identifier is a legal identifier, a switch command is sent to the storage unit 23 to instruct the drone 200 to control the charging switch to be turned on, so as to connect the electrical contact terminal 22 with the battery of the drone 200.

In addition, with reference to fig. 9-11, the foot rest sleeve 20 may further include a securing end (not shown). The fixed end is used for connecting the foot rest 220 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200. Wherein, unmanned aerial vehicle 200's foot rest 220 can include and slide support 222, the stiff end can overlap and establish slide support 222's tip, also the joint of stiff end is in slide support 222's tip, perhaps the stiff end pass through the mode of screw fixation connect in slide support 222's tip. Of course, the fixed end may be connected to the end of the sliding bracket 222 by other means. In this embodiment, the fixed end and the supporting portion 21 are disposed at two sides of the foot rest sleeve 20, and the electric contact end 22 is disposed between the fixed end and the supporting portion 21.

Example two

With reference to fig. 4 to 6, a second embodiment of the present invention provides a connection assembly 10 for cooperating with a foot rest 20 of the drone 200 according to the first embodiment. In particular, the connection assembly 10 may include a connection portion 11 and an electrical interface 12. Wherein, the connecting portion 11 is used for fixing the supporting portion 21 on the foot rest sleeve 20. The electrical interface 12 is adapted to mate with electrical contacts 22 on the foot casing 20. When the electrical interface 12 is in electrical contact with the electrical contact 22, the base station 100 charges the battery of the drone 200. Through setting up connecting portion 11 and electrical interface 12, respectively with integrated supporting part 21 and the cooperation of electrical contact end 22 on unmanned aerial vehicle 200's foot rest cover 20, unmanned aerial vehicle 200 bears behind connecting portion 11 through supporting part 21 on the foot rest cover 20, can realize the electrical contact of electrical contact end 22 with electrical interface 12, realize that basic station 100 charges to the automation of unmanned aerial vehicle 200's battery, need not manual operation, moreover, the steam generator is simple in structure, the implementation mode is more convenient.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the ability of the electrical contact end 22 to electrically contact with the electrical interface 12 indicates the capability of the electrical contact end 22 to electrically contact with the electrical interface 12, and the electrical contact end 22 to electrically contact with the electrical interface 12 indicates that the electrical contact end 22 is in electrical contact with the base station 100.

The connecting portion 11 may be clamped or otherwise fixed to the supporting portion 21. Referring to fig. 7 to 10, the connecting portion 11 may be a groove for being engaged with the supporting portion 21 of the foot rest sleeve 20. Correspondingly, the support portion 21 has a smooth surface, and when the support portion 21 slides into the corresponding groove, the groove can clamp the support portion 21, so as to fix the support portion 21. In this embodiment, the smooth transition surface of the supporting portion 21 is a spherical surface.

The electrical interface 12 may include one or more (at least two) electrical pogo pins that are capable of mating with the electrical contact terminals 22 so that the battery of the drone 200 may be charged through the base station 100. Since the electric pogo pin has elasticity, abrasion, contact failure, etc. caused by hard collision between the electric contact terminal 22 and the electric pogo pin can be reduced. Alternatively, the electrical contact end 22 may be an electrical contact surface, which can increase the size of the contact area, thereby increasing the possibility of making electrical contact between the battery and the base station 100. In addition, the matching of the electric contact surface and the electric spring needle is soft contact, the contact resistance is small, the consistency is good, and the long-term use reliability is high. Of course, in other embodiments, the electrical interface 12 may be an electrical contact surface, and the electrical contact end 22 may include one or more electrical pogo pins, and the electrical contact surface and the electrical pogo pins are electrically contacted to realize the electrical contact between the base station 100 and the battery. It should be noted that the electrical interface 12 is not limited to the types of electrical contact surfaces and electrical pogo pins, but may be other types, and the electrical contact end 22 is of a type matching the electrical interface 12.

In this embodiment, the number of the electric pogo pins is not limited, and the number of the electric pogo pins may be the number of the electric pogo pins required when the base station 100 charges the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200. In this embodiment, the electrical interface 12 includes a plurality of electrical pogo pins, and the electrical contact end 22 is an electrical contact surface.

In this embodiment, the electric contact surface with the electricity bullet needle contact connection realizes the electricity and connects, realizes the electricity through the grafting mode among the contrast prior art and connects, and it is more convenient to adopt the mode that the contact connection realized the electricity and connect. The electrical contact surface and the electrical pogo pin may be made of a conductive material, for example, a conductive metal.

Further, referring to fig. 10, the connection assembly 10 may further include an identification reading module 13. Wherein the identification reading module 13 is able to cooperate with the storage unit 23 of the foot rest sleeve 20. Specifically, when the supporting portion 21 is supported on the connecting portion 11, the identification reading module 13 reads the identification of the drone 200 in the storage unit 23. When the identity is legal information, the electrical interface 12 is in electrical contact with the electrical contact end 22. In this embodiment, the default of the electric bullet needle on the base station 100 is not powered on, and when the base station 100 needs to identify the identity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 descending thereon and determine that the identity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is legal, the power supply is switched on to enable the electric bullet needle to be powered on, so that the electric contact surface and the electric bullet needle are electrically contacted, and the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 starts to be charged. By setting the step of identity authentication, safety accidents caused by false triggering can be avoided.

The mark reading module 13 is disposed on the connecting portion 11 to cooperate with the storage unit 23 accommodated in the supporting portion 21, so as to conveniently read the information stored in the storage unit 23. The identification reading module 13 may be fixed on the connecting portion 11 by bonding, clamping, or other methods. Of course, the mark reading module 13 may also be disposed at other positions of the connection assembly 10, and the placement position of the mark reading module 13 may be specifically selected according to the requirement.

The identification reading module 13 and the storage unit 23 may be in communication connection in a wired communication manner or a wireless communication manner. In this embodiment, the identifier reading module 13 is connected to the storage unit 23 in a wireless communication manner, which is convenient and fast. Optionally, the storage unit 23 is an electronic tag, and the identification reading module 13 is a reader cooperating with the electronic tag of the foot rest 20. The identity of the drone 200 can be written into the electronic tag in advance, and the base station 100 can judge whether the identity is a legal identity after reading the identity of the drone 200 in the electronic tag through the reader, wherein the legal identity can be stored in advance by the base station 100. In a specific implementation, the storage unit 23 is an RFID tag, and the reader is an RFID antenna for cooperating with the RFID tag. Of course, the storage unit 23 and the identification reading module 13 may alternatively be of other types.

EXAMPLE III

With reference to fig. 11 to 13, a third embodiment of the present invention provides an unmanned aerial vehicle 200. The unmanned aerial vehicle 200 may include a body 210, a foot rest 220 connected to the body 210, a battery disposed in the body 210, and the foot rest sleeve 20 of the first embodiment. The structure of the foot rest sleeve 20 can be referred to the description of the foot rest sleeve 20 of the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted here.

Wherein the battery is electrically connected to the electrical contact end 22 of the leg sleeve 20, and the battery can be charged by the electrical contact end 22 in cooperation with an external power source.

The foot rest 20 is disposed on the foot rest 220, for example, the foot rest 20 is directly sleeved and fixed on the foot rest 220, or the foot rest 20 is fixed on the foot rest 220 by other methods.

Referring to fig. 11, the foot rest 220 may include a support bracket 221 respectively connected to both sides of the body 210 and a sliding bracket 222 connected to one side of the support bracket 221, which is far from the body 210. The two ends of each sliding bracket 222 are respectively provided with the foot rest sleeve 20, and the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 can be borne on the base station 100 through the foot rest sleeves 20 and can take power from the base station 100 through the foot rest sleeves 20.

In this embodiment, the two sliding brackets 222 are parallel to each other. Of course, in other embodiments, the central axes of the two sliding brackets 222 may also form an inclined angle.

With reference to fig. 22, the drone 200 may also include a first processor 201. When the first processor 201 detects a switch command existing in the storage unit 23 of the foot rest sleeve 20, the charging switch is controlled to be turned on so as to control the electric contact end 22 to be connected with the battery. The switch command may be sent to the storage unit 23 by the base station 100 when the base station 100 detects that the identity of the currently-loaded unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is legal, so as to instruct the first processing unit to control the charging switch to be turned on, thereby ensuring the charging safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200.

Certainly, in other embodiments, when detecting that the identity of the currently-loaded drone 200 is legal, the base station 100 directly sends a switch command to the first processor 201, and instructs the first processor 201 to control the charging switch to be turned on, so as to control the electrical contact terminal 22 to be connected with the battery, thereby ensuring the charging safety of the drone 200.

Example four

With reference to fig. 11 to 18, a base station 100 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention is provided, where the base station 100 may include a housing 110, an apron 120 disposed on the housing 110, and the connection assembly 10 according to the second embodiment. The structure of the connecting assembly 10 can be referred to the description of the connecting assembly 10 of the first embodiment, and is not described herein again.

Wherein the connecting assembly 10 is provided on the apron 120. For example, the connection assembly 10 may be partially embedded in the tarmac 120 or otherwise secured to the tarmac 120.

In this embodiment, the apron 120 is formed by the top of the housing 110 being recessed downward. The four connecting assemblies 10 are respectively arranged at four corners of the apron 120. Four foot rest covers 20 on coupling assembling 10 and the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 correspond the cooperation to can bear unmanned aerial vehicle 200 steadily, and realize charging strong reliability to unmanned aerial vehicle 200 battery through coupling assembling 10. Of course, in other embodiments, the connecting assembly 10 may also include one, two, three or more than four connecting assemblies, which are distributed at different positions of the apron 120 and correspondingly cooperate with the foot rest sleeves 20 on the drone 200. In this embodiment, the connection assembly 10 includes four, and the leg rest 20 of the drone 200 also includes four.

In one embodiment, the drone 200 may be secured to the tarmac 120 in a direct alignment such that the four foot mounts 20 of the drone 200 are carried on the tarmac 120 in correspondence to the four connection assemblies 10, which is highly desirable for flight control of the drone 200.

In another embodiment, the housing 110 may be provided with an inclined surface 111 for the foot stool 220 of the drone 200 to slide, and the inclined surface 111 is disposed around the apron 120. The unmanned aerial vehicle 200 can slide to the apron 120 from any one inclined surface 111 or two inclined surfaces 111 thereof, and continue to slide until the four foot rest sleeves 20 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 are correspondingly borne on the four connecting assemblies 10 on the apron 120, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 can be stably borne on the apron 120, and the implementation manner is simple.

The base station 100 may also include a fan (not shown) disposed inside the housing 110. Referring to fig. 16 and 17, the inclined surface 111 may be provided with an air outlet portion 112. The air outlet of the fan is matched with the air outlet portion 112 to guide the wind of the fan (i.e., the airflow flowing out of the air outlet of the fan) to the unmanned aerial vehicle 200, so as to cool the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200. The number and size of the air outlet part 112, the number of the through holes on the air outlet part 112, the structure of the through holes, and the like can be set according to requirements.

Further, referring to fig. 16 to 18, the apron 120 may be provided with a vent 121, and the housing 110 may be provided with an air conditioner 140 inside. The vent hole 121 communicates with the inside of the case 110. The number and arrangement of the vent holes 121 can be set as required, thereby satisfying different cooling requirements. For example, ventilation hole 121 includes the multirow, and evenly distributed is in the middle part of air park 120, coupling assembling 10 locates the multirow the through-hole is all around, unmanned aerial vehicle 200 descends to behind the assigned position of basic station 100, unmanned aerial vehicle 200's fuselage 210 can just be to the multirow ventilation hole 121 to make the air current downflow of concentrating on air park 120 middle part, pass the inside that ventilation hole 121 got into basic station 100 and be cooled off by air conditioner 140. In addition, the fan can make the cold air generated by the air conditioner 140 in the base station 100 flow through the air outlet portion 112 and blow towards the unmanned aerial vehicle 200, so that the cooling effect on the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is better.

Referring again to fig. 11-18, the base station 100 may further include a shield 130. The shield 130 is rotatably coupled to the top of the housing 110. For example, in one embodiment, the shield 130 is pivotally attached to one side of the top of the housing 110. Specifically, the top of the housing includes a first side to which the shield 130 is rotatably coupled and a second side opposite to the first side. After the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 lands to the designated position of the apron 120 (for example, each support portion 21 of the foot rest 20 is supported on the corresponding connecting portion 11 of the connecting assembly 10), the protective cover 130 is controlled to rotate towards the second side in a manual or automatic manner until the free end cover of the protective cover 130 is arranged at the second side, and the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is accommodated in the accommodating space 150 formed by the housing 110 and the protective cover 130 in an enclosing manner, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is further protected from being charged.

In another embodiment, the shield 130 includes a first shield 131 and a second shield 132 rotatably coupled to both sides of the housing 110, respectively. For example, the top of the cabinet includes a first side to which the first shield 131 is rotatably coupled and a second side opposite to the first side to which the second shield 132 is rotatably coupled. After the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 lands on the designated position of the apron 120 (for example, each support portion 21 of the foot rest 20 is supported on the corresponding connecting portion 11 of the connecting assembly 10), the first protective cover 131 can be controlled to rotate towards the second side in a manual or automatic manner, and the second protective cover 132 can be controlled to rotate towards the first side in a manual or automatic manner until the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is accommodated in the accommodating space 150 formed by the housing 110 and the protective cover 130 in an enclosing manner, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 can be further protected from being charged.

With reference to fig. 21, the base station 100 may further include a second processor 101, where the second processor 101 may be configured to send a switch command to the storage unit 23 of the cradle sleeve 20 when the identity identifier is a legal identifier, so as to instruct the drone 200 to connect the electric contact terminal 22 with a battery of the drone 200, thereby ensuring charging safety of the drone 200.

The second processor 101 may obtain the identity of the drone 200 currently carried by the base station 100 in a variety of ways, for example, in one embodiment, the second processor 101 may be in communication connection with the identity reading module 13 and obtain the identity information of the drone 200 read by the identity reading module 13.

In another embodiment, when the drone 200 is carried at the designated location of the base station 100, the drone 200 sends its identification information to the second processor 101.

After acquiring the identity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200, the second processor 101 determines whether the identity is a legal identity. Specifically, the second processor 101 pre-stores legal identification information, and when it is determined that the identity exists in the legal identification, it is determined that the identity is a legal identification; otherwise, the identity is an illegal identity, and the base station 100 is prohibited from charging the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200. For example, when the electrical interface 12 on the base station 100 is not powered by default (that is, the electrical interface 12 is disconnected from the power supply), when the second processor 101 determines that the identity is a legal identity, the electrical interface 12 is controlled to be powered on, and the base station 100 starts to charge the drone 200; otherwise, the electrical interface 12 remains disconnected from the power source without processing.

Further, the base station 100 may further include an indicator light electrically connected to the second processor 101, wherein the indicator light is used for indicating an operation status of the base station 100. For example, the operating state of the base station 100 may be determined by the light emission color, the light emission time length, or the blinking state of an indicator lamp, or the operating state of the base station 100 may be determined by a combination of at least two of the light emission color, the light emission time length, and the blinking state of an indicator lamp. For example, in a specific implementation manner, when the drone 200 lands on a designated location of the base station 100 and the identity of the drone 200 is a legal identity, the indicator light is displayed green (normally on). And when the drone 200 lands on the designated location of the base station 100 but the identity of the drone 200 is an illegal identity, the indicator light displays red and flashes at preset intervals (e.g., 1 second).

In addition, the second processor 101 may also send the operating status of the base station 100 to a server, so as to remind the user in real time.

EXAMPLE five

With reference to fig. 1 to 18, a fifth embodiment of the present invention provides a charging system for a drone 200, where the charging system may include a drone 200 and a base station 100 cooperating with the drone 200. Wherein, unmanned aerial vehicle 200 can include fuselage 210, locate battery in the fuselage 210, with what the fuselage 210 is connected be used for with foot rest 220 that the battery is connected and be fixed in foot rest cover 20 on the foot rest 220. The base station 100 may include a housing 110, an apron 120 disposed on the housing 110 for placing the drone 200, and a connection assembly 10 disposed on the apron 120. When the foot rest sleeve 20 is carried on the connection assembly 10, the foot rest sleeve 20 can make electrical contact with the connection assembly 10 to charge the battery through the base station 100. In the embodiment of the invention, the foot rest sleeve 20 is supported by the connecting assembly 10, and meanwhile, the foot rest sleeve 20 and the connecting assembly 10 can realize point contact, so that the base station 100 can automatically charge the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200, manual operation is not needed, the structure is simple, and the implementation mode is more convenient.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the ability of the foot rest sleeve 20 to electrically contact the connection assembly 10 indicates the ability of the foot rest sleeve 20 to electrically contact the connection assembly 10, and the electrical contact between the foot rest sleeve 20 and the connection assembly 10 indicates the electrical contact between the foot rest sleeve 20 and the connection assembly 10.

In particular, the foot rest sleeve 20 may further comprise a support portion 21 and an electrical contact end 22 for electrical connection with the battery. The connection assembly 10 may further comprise a connection portion 11 for carrying the support portion 21 and an electrical interface 12 for cooperating with the electrical contact 22. When the supporting portion 21 is carried on the connecting portion 11, the electrical contact end 22 can electrically contact with the electrical interface 12, so that the foot rest 20 is electrically contacted with the connecting assembly 10. In the embodiment of the present invention, the support portion 21 and the electrical contact end 22 are integrated on the foot rest 20 of the drone 200, and the connection portion 11 engaged with the support portion 21 and the electrical interface 12 engaged with the electrical contact end 22 are integrated on the connection assembly 10 of the base station 100, when the support portion 21 is carried on the connection portion 11, on one hand, the drone 200 is carried on the base station 100, and on the other hand, the electrical contact end 22 can be electrically contacted with the electrical interface 12, so that the base station 100 can automatically charge the battery of the drone 200, and manual operation is not required, the structure is simple, and the implementation manner is more convenient.

The support portion 21 and the connecting portion 11 can be engaged or engaged in other ways, so that the support portion 21 can be stably supported on the connecting portion 11. Referring to fig. 7 to 10, the supporting portion 21 may have a smooth surface, and the connecting portion 11 may be a groove engaged with the supporting portion 21. During landing of the drone 200, the smoothly transitioned surface contacts the inclined surface 111 of the base station 100 and the apron 120, so that the sliding resistance of the drone 200 can be reduced. When the supporting part 21 slides into the corresponding groove, the supporting part 21 is clamped in the groove, so that the supporting part 21 is stably fixed. In this embodiment, the smooth transition surface of the supporting portion 21 is a spherical surface.

With reference to fig. 1 to 6, in this embodiment, the electrical contact end 22 is an electrical contact surface, and the electrical interface 12 includes one or more (at least two) electrical pogo pins, and the contact surface is matched with the one or more electrical pogo pins, so that the battery of the drone 200 can be electrically contacted with the base station 100, so as to charge the battery through the base station 100. The use of electrical contact surfaces increases the size of the contact area and increases the likelihood that the battery will make electrical contact with the base station 100. In addition, the matching of the electric contact surface and the electric spring needle is soft contact, the contact resistance is small, the consistency is good, and the long-term use reliability is high. Of course, in other embodiments, the electrical contact end 22 may also include one or more (at least two) electrical pogo pins, and the electrical interface 12 may be an electrical contact surface, and the electrical contact between the battery and the base station 100 is realized through the electrical contact between the electrical pogo pins and the electrical contact surface. It should be noted that the electrical contact 22 and the electrical interface 12 are not limited to the types of electrical contact surfaces and electrical pogo pins, but may be other types. In this embodiment, the electrical contact end 22 is taken as an electrical contact surface, and the electrical interface 12 includes a plurality of electrical pogo pins as an example for further explanation.

In this embodiment, the electric contact surface with the electricity bullet needle contact connection realizes the electricity and connects, realizes the electricity through the grafting mode among the contrast prior art and connects, and it is more convenient to adopt the mode that the contact connection realized the electricity and connect. In addition, since the electric pogo pin has elasticity, abrasion, contact failure, and the like caused by hard collision between the electric contact terminal 22 and the electric pogo pin can be reduced. The electrical contact surface and the electrical pogo pin may be made of a conductive material, for example, a conductive metal. In addition, in this embodiment, the number of the electric pogo pins is not limited, and the number of the electric pogo pins may be the number of the electric pogo pins required when the base station 100 charges the battery of the drone 200.

Further, referring to fig. 10, the foot rest sleeve 20 may further include a storage unit 23 storing an identity of the drone 200, and the connection assembly 10 may further include an identity reading module 13 configured to cooperate with the storage unit 23. When the supporting portion 21 is supported on the base station 100, the identification reading module 13 reads the identification of the drone 200 in the storage unit 23. When the identity is a legal identity, the electrical contact end 22 is in electrical contact with the electrical interface 12. In this embodiment, the default of the electric bullet needle on the base station 100 is not powered on, and when the base station 100 needs to identify the identity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 descending thereon and determine that the identity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is legal, the power supply is switched on to enable the electric bullet needle to be powered on, so that the electric contact surface and the electric bullet needle are electrically contacted, and the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 starts to be charged. By setting the step of identity authentication, safety accidents caused by false triggering can be avoided.

The identification reading module 13 and the storage unit 23 may be in communication connection in a wired communication manner or a wireless communication manner. In this embodiment, the identifier reading module 13 is connected to the storage unit 23 in a wireless communication manner, which is convenient and fast.

The storage unit 23 may be an electronic tag (e.g., an RFID tag, an english name: Radio Frequency Identification, a chinese name: Radio Frequency Identification) or another type, and the identifier reading module 13 is a reader that is matched with the electronic tag of the tripod cover 20 or the storage unit 23 of another type. The identity of the drone 200 can be written into the electronic tag in advance, and the base station 100 can judge whether the identity is a legal identity after reading the identity of the drone 200 in the electronic tag through the reader, wherein the legal identity can be stored in advance by the base station 100. In a specific implementation, the storage unit 23 is an RFID tag, and the reader is an RFID antenna for cooperating with the RFID tag. Of course, the storage unit 23 and the identification reading module 13 may alternatively be of other types.

With reference to fig. 21 and 22, the drone 200 may further include a first processor 201, and the base station 100 may further include a second processor 101. The second processor 101 is configured to send a switch command to the storage unit 23 when the identity identifier is a legal identifier. When the first processor 201 detects that a switch command exists in the storage unit 23, the charging switch is controlled to be turned on according to the switch command, so that the electric contact end 22 is controlled to be connected with the battery, and the charging safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is guaranteed.

In another embodiment, when the drone 200 is carried at a designated location of the base station 100, the first processor 201 sends its identification information to the second processor 101.

After acquiring the identity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200, the second processor 101 determines whether the identity is a legal identity. Specifically, the second processor 101 pre-stores legal identification information, and when it is determined that the identity exists in the legal identification, it is determined that the identity is a legal identification; otherwise, the identity is an illegal identity, and the base station 100 is prohibited from charging the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200. For example, in a case that the electrical interface 12 on the base station 100 is not powered by default (i.e. the electrical interface 12 is disconnected from the power supply), when the second processor 101 determines that the identity is a legal identity, the electrical interface 12 is controlled to be powered on, and a switch command is sent to the first processor 201 or the storage unit 23, and after obtaining the switch command, the first processor 201 turns on the charging switch, so that the battery and the electrical contact terminal 22 are turned on, so that the battery can be charged through the base station 100; otherwise, the electrical interface 12 remains disconnected from the power source without processing.

With reference to fig. 9 and 10, the foot rest sleeve 20 may further include a securing end (not shown). The fixed end is used to connect the sliding bracket 222. For example, the fixed end may be sleeved on the end of the sliding bracket 222, the fixed end may also be clamped on the end of the sliding bracket 222, or the fixed end is connected to the end of the sliding bracket 222 by a screw fixing method. Of course, the fixed end may be connected to the end of the sliding bracket 222 by other means. In this embodiment, the fixed end and the supporting portion 21 are disposed at two sides of the foot rest sleeve 20, and the electric contact end 22 is disposed between the fixed end and the supporting portion 21.

The connecting assembly 10 is provided on the apron 120. For example, the connection assembly 10 may be partially embedded in the tarmac 120 or otherwise secured to the tarmac 120.

Referring again to fig. 11-18, the base station 100 may further include a shield 130. The shield 130 is rotatably coupled to the top of the housing 110. For example, in one embodiment, the shield 130 is pivotally attached to one side of the top of the housing 110. Specifically, the top of the housing includes a first side (not labeled) to which the shield 130 is rotatably coupled and a second side (not labeled) opposite the first side. After the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 lands to the designated position of the apron 120 (for example, each support portion 21 of the foot rest 20 is supported on the corresponding connecting portion 11 of the connecting assembly 10), the protective cover 130 is controlled to rotate towards the second side in a manual or automatic manner until the free end cover of the protective cover 130 is arranged at the second side, and the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is accommodated in the accommodating space 150 formed by the housing 110 and the protective cover 130 in an enclosing manner, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is further protected from being charged.

In another embodiment, the shield 130 includes a first shield 131 and a second shield 132 rotatably coupled to both sides of the housing 110, respectively. For example, the top of the housing includes a first side (not shown) to which the first shield 131 is rotatably coupled and a second side (not shown) opposite the first side to which the second shield 132 is rotatably coupled. After the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 lands on the designated position of the apron 120 (for example, each support portion 21 of the foot rest 20 is supported on the corresponding connecting portion 11 of the connecting assembly 10), the first protective cover 131 can be controlled to rotate towards the second side in a manual or automatic manner, and the second protective cover 132 can be controlled to rotate towards the first side in a manual or automatic manner until the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is accommodated in the accommodating space 150 formed by the housing 110 and the protective cover 130 in an enclosing manner, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 can be further protected from being charged.

EXAMPLE six

Fig. 19 is a flowchart of a method of charging an unmanned aerial vehicle at a base station 100 according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The drone 200 may be automatically charged through the base station 100. The drone 200 comprises an electrical contact 22 and the base station 100 comprises an electrical interface 12. The structures of the drone 200 and the base station 100 may be further explained with reference to the above embodiments one to five.

Referring to fig. 19, the method may include the steps of:

step S191: detecting that the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 lands at a designated position on the base station 100, and controlling the electrical contact end 22 to be in electrical contact with the electrical interface 12;

the designated position of the drone 200 landing on the base station 100 means that the support portion 21 of each foot rest 20 on the drone 200 is supported on the connecting portion 11 of the corresponding connecting assembly 10 on the base station 100.

Further, after detecting that the drone 200 lands at a specific position on the base station 100 and before controlling the electrical contact terminal 22 to be in electrical contact with the electrical interface 12, the method may further include: and acquiring the identity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200. The controlling the electrical contact end 22 to be in electrical contact with the electrical interface 12 may include: and when the identity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is a legal identity, controlling the electric contact end 22 to be in electric contact with the electric interface 12. In this embodiment, the electrical interface 12 on the base station 100 is not powered on by default, and when the base station 100 needs to identify the identity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 landing thereon and determines that the identity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is legal, the power supply is switched on to power on the electrical interface 12, so that the electrical contact end 22 is in electrical contact with the electrical interface 12, and the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 starts to be charged. By setting the step of identity authentication, safety accidents caused by false triggering can be avoided.

The base station 100 may acquire the identity of the currently landing drone 200 in a plurality of ways, for example, in one embodiment, the acquiring the identity of the drone 200 may include: the identity of the drone 200 stored in the storage unit 23 on the drone 200 is read. The base station 100 reads the identification of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 stored in advance in the storage unit 23 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200, and can acquire the identification of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 more quickly.

In another embodiment, the drone 200 is communicatively connected to the base station 100, and the obtaining the identity of the drone 200 may include: receiving the identity of the drone 200 sent by the drone 200. For example, all contain this unmanned aerial vehicle 200's identification in the information that unmanned aerial vehicle 200 sent to basic station 100, basic station 100 accessible identification verifies the legitimacy of the information that unmanned aerial vehicle 200 sent to guarantee the security that unmanned aerial vehicle 200 charges.

In some embodiments, after obtaining the identity of the drone 200, the method may further include: when the identity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is a legal identity, writing a switch command into the storage unit 23 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200; or, when the identity of the drone 200 is a legal identity, a switch command is sent to the drone 200. The switch command is used for instructing to connect the battery of the drone 200 with the electric contact end 22, so that the charging safety of the drone 200 is further guaranteed.

Before the detecting that the drone 200 lands on the base station 100, the method may further include: when the distance from the drone 200 to the position above the base station 100 (i.e., the top of the base station 100) is detected to be less than or equal to a first preset distance (indicating that the drone 200 needs to land on the base station 100), the protective cover 130 of the base station 100 is opened. Open basic station 100 when unmanned aerial vehicle 200 need descend, avoid basic station 100 to always open the risk that brings. Wherein, the first preset distance can be set to be 2 meters or other sizes. In a specific implementation manner, before detecting that the distance from the drone 200 to the position above the base station 100 is less than or equal to a first preset distance, the method may further include: and positioning the distance from the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 to the position above the base station 100 by using a carrier-phase differential technology (RTK). The distance from the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 to the position above the base station 100 is also obtained by detection in other distance detection modes. Of course, the base station 100 determines whether the drone 200 needs to land, and the manner of determining whether to open the shield 130 of the base station 100 is not limited to the determination of the distance from the drone 200 to the base station 100, and other manners may be adopted.

Further, after detecting that the drone 200 lands on the base station 100 at the designated location, the method may further include: the protective cover 130 of the base station 100 is closed, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is accommodated in the accommodating space 150 formed by the base station 100 and the protective cover 130 in an enclosing manner, and the charging safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is further guaranteed.

Further, after detecting that the drone 200 lands on the base station 100 at the designated location, the method may further include: when the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is detected to be in an abnormal state, the indicator light on the base station 100 is controlled to flash, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 currently borne by the base station 100 is reminded of being in the abnormal state. Of course, after detecting that the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is in the abnormal state, the base station 100 may also indicate that the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is in the abnormal state by controlling the lighting color or the lighting duration of the indicator light, or indicate that the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is in the abnormal state by controlling the combination of at least two of the lighting color, the lighting duration, and the flashing state of the indicator light. Wherein the abnormal state may include: after the identity of the drone 200 is an illegal identity, the identity of the drone 200 is not stored in the storage unit 23 of the drone 200, the electrical interface 12 is electrically connected to the electrical contact terminal 22, and the battery of the drone 200 is in a non-charging state.

While the controlling the indicator light on the base station 100 to flash, the method may further include: and sending alarm information to a server, and further reminding a user that the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 currently borne by the base station 100 is in an abnormal state.

Step S192: charging the battery of the drone 200 through the base station 100.

In the embodiment of the present invention, when the drone 200 is carried at the designated position of the base station 100, the base station 100 can automatically charge the battery of the drone 200 by controlling the electrical contact end 22 to be in electrical contact with the electrical interface 12, and the drone does not need to be manually operated, and has a simple structure and a more convenient implementation manner.

EXAMPLE seven

Fig. 20 is a flowchart of a method of charging an unmanned aerial vehicle at the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 side according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. The drone 200 may be charged by a base station 100, said drone 200 comprising electrical contacts 22, said base station 100 comprising an electrical interface 12. The structures of the drone 200 and the base station 100 may be further explained with reference to the above embodiments one to five.

Referring to fig. 20, the method may include the steps of:

step S201: the drone 200 is controlled to automatically land to a designated position of the base station 100 to trigger the base station 100 to control the electrical contact terminal 22 to electrically contact with the electrical interface 12 so that the battery of the drone 200 is charged by the base station 100.

In some embodiments, after the controlling the drone 200 automatically lands to the designated location of the base station 100, the method may further include: when detecting that there is a switch command in the storage unit 23 of the drone 200, controlling a charging switch of the drone 200 to be turned on, so that a battery of the drone 200 is electrically connected with the electrical contact terminal 22. In this embodiment, the switch command is feedback information that the identity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 sent by the base station 100 is legal, and the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 controls the charging switch to be turned on after receiving the switch command, so that the charging safety of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 can be further ensured

In yet other embodiments, after the controlling the drone 200 automatically lands at the designated location of the base station 100, the method may further include: when a switch command sent by the base station 100 is received, the charging switch of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is controlled to be turned on, so that the battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is electrically connected with the electric contact end 22. In this embodiment, basic station 100 and unmanned aerial vehicle 200 communication connection, basic station 100 can directly send the switch command to unmanned aerial vehicle 200 when verifying that its identity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 that bears at present is legal, instruct unmanned aerial vehicle 200 to open the switch that charges, ensure the security that unmanned aerial vehicle 200 charges.

In addition, after the charging switch controlling the drone 200 is turned on, the method may further include: and controlling the charging switch to be closed when the electric quantity of the battery is detected to be greater than or equal to a preset electric quantity value. The preset electric quantity value can be the electric quantity corresponding to the fully charged battery, or other numerical values, and can be specifically set as required, so that the electric quantity of the battery reaches an expected value. In this embodiment, the preset current is an electric quantity corresponding to the fully charged battery, and when the electric quantity of the battery is greater than or equal to a preset electric quantity value, it indicates that the battery is charged, and the charging switch is turned off without continuing to charge the battery.

Example eight

Fig. 21 is a block diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle charging device on the base station 100 side according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 21, the charging device may include one or more second processors 101 (e.g., single-core or multi-core processors), which work individually or jointly, and the second processors 101 are configured to execute the charging method of the drone according to the sixth embodiment.

Example nine

Fig. 22 is a block diagram of a charging device of an unmanned aerial vehicle on the base station 100 side according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 22, the charging device includes one or more first processors 201 (e.g., single-core or multi-core processors), which work individually or jointly, and the first processors 201 are configured to execute the charging method of the drone according to the seventh embodiment.

Example ten

An embodiment tenth of the present invention provides a computer storage medium, where program instructions are stored in the computer storage medium, and the computer storage medium stores program instructions, where the program executes the unmanned aerial vehicle charging method according to the seventh embodiment and the eighth embodiment.

For the device embodiments, since they substantially correspond to the method embodiments, reference may be made to the partial description of the method embodiments for relevant points. The above-described embodiments of the apparatus are merely illustrative, and the units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the present embodiment. One of ordinary skill in the art can understand and implement it without inventive effort.

It is noted that, herein, relational terms such as first and second, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising an … …" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

The description of "particular examples," or "some examples," etc., means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the terms used above do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

Any process or method descriptions in flow charts or otherwise described herein may be understood as representing modules, segments, or portions of code which include one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logical functions or steps of the process, and alternate implementations are included within the scope of the preferred embodiment of the present invention in which functions may be executed out of order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, as would be understood by those reasonably skilled in the art of the present invention.

The logic and/or steps represented in the flowcharts or otherwise described herein, e.g., an ordered listing of executable instructions that can be considered to implement logical functions, can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. For the purposes of this description, a "computer-readable medium" can be any means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection (electronic device) having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette (magnetic device), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber device, and a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM). Additionally, the computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via for instance optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted or otherwise processed in a suitable manner if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

It should be understood that portions of the present invention may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the above embodiments, the various steps or methods may be implemented in software or firmware stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented in hardware, as in another embodiment, any one or combination of the following techniques, which are well known in the art, may be used: a discrete logic circuit having a logic gate circuit for implementing a logic function on a data signal, an application specific integrated circuit having an appropriate combinational logic gate circuit, a Programmable Gate Array (PGA), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or the like.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all or part of the steps carried out to implement the above-described implementation method can be implemented by hardware related to instructions of a program, which can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the program, when executed, includes one or a combination of the steps of the method embodiments.

In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present invention may be integrated into one processing module, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one module. The integrated module can be realized in a hardware mode, and can also be realized in a software functional module mode. The integrated module, if implemented in the form of a software functional module and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may also be stored in a computer readable storage medium.

The storage medium mentioned above may be a read-only memory, a magnetic or optical disk, etc. Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention, and that variations, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to the above embodiments by those of ordinary skill in the art within the scope of the present invention.

The foot rest sleeve and the connecting assembly of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the charging system and method of the unmanned aerial vehicle provided by the embodiment of the invention are described in detail, a specific example is applied in the description to explain the principle and the implementation mode of the invention, and the description of the embodiment is only used for helping to understand the method and the core idea of the invention; meanwhile, for a person skilled in the art, according to the idea of the present invention, there may be variations in the specific embodiments and the application scope, and in summary, the content of the present specification should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

Claims

1. a tripod cover of unmanned aerial vehicle, in order to cooperate with base station, described tripod is set on the tripod of unmanned aerial vehicle, it is characterized in that, described tripod cover comprises support part, is used for with all The electrical contact end for the electrical connection of the battery of the drone and the fixed end for connecting the tripod of the drone, the fixed end and the support part are arranged on both sides of the tripod cover, the electrical contact The end is arranged between the fixed end and the support part;

When the support portion is carried on the base station, the electrical contact can be in electrical contact with the base station to charge the battery of the drone through the base station.

2. The tripod cover according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit storing the identity of the drone, the storage unit being used to cooperate with the base station;

When the support part is carried on the base station and the identification is a legal identification, the electrical contact terminal is in electrical contact with the base station.

3. The tripod cover according to claim 2, wherein the storage unit is accommodated in the support portion.

4. The tripod cover according to claim 2, wherein the storage unit is an electronic label.

5. The tripod cover according to claim 4, wherein the electronic tag is an RFID tag.

6 . The tripod cover of claim 1 , wherein the support portion has a smooth transition surface. 7 .

7 . The tripod cover according to claim 1 , wherein a charging switch is provided between the electrical contact terminal and the battery of the drone to control the connection between the electrical contact terminal and the battery. 8 . Pass or not.

8 . The tripod cover according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical contact end is an electrical contact surface, which is used for cooperating with the electric spring needle on the base station. 9 .

9. An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a fuselage, a tripod connected to the fuselage, and a battery arranged in the fuselage, wherein the tripod is provided with a tripod for cooperating with a base station set;

The tripod cover includes a support portion, an electrical contact end for electrical connection with the battery, and a fixed end for connecting to the tripod of the drone, and the fixed end and the support portion are arranged on the tripod On both sides of the sleeve, the electrical contact end is arranged between the fixed end and the support portion;

10. The drone according to claim 9, wherein the tripod cover further comprises a storage unit storing the identity of the drone, and the storage unit is used to cooperate with the base station;

11. The drone of claim 10, wherein the storage unit is accommodated in the support portion.

12. The drone according to claim 10, wherein the storage unit is an electronic tag.

13. The drone according to claim 12, wherein the electronic tag is an RFID tag.

14. The drone of claim 9, wherein the support portion has a surface with a smooth transition.

15. The drone according to claim 9, wherein a charging switch is provided between the electrical contact terminal and the battery of the drone to control the electrical contact terminal to be connected to the battery. Pass or not.

16. The drone according to claim 15, further comprising a first processor, when the first processor detects a switch command existing in the storage unit of the tripod cover, controls The charging switch is turned on to control the electrical contacts to be connected to the battery.

17 . The drone according to claim 9 , wherein the electrical contact end is an electrical contact surface, which is used for cooperating with an electric bullet needle on the base station. 18 .

18 . The drone according to claim 9 , wherein the tripod comprises a support frame connected to two sides of the fuselage respectively and a sliding frame connected to a side of the support frame away from the fuselage. 19 . bracket;

The tripod sleeves are mounted on both ends of each sliding bracket.

19. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the two sliding supports are parallel to each other.

20. A connecting assembly for cooperating with a tripod cover of an unmanned aerial vehicle, the connecting assembly being arranged on a base station, wherein the connecting assembly comprises a a connecting part and an electrical interface for matching with the electrical contact end on the tripod sleeve, the connecting part is a groove, the supporting part is adapted to the groove, and the electrical interface is arranged at intervals on the one side of the groove;

When the support portion is carried in the groove, the electrical interface is in contact with the electrical contact end to achieve electrical contact, so that the base station charges the battery of the drone.

21. The connection assembly according to claim 20, further comprising an identification reading module for cooperating with the storage unit of the tripod cover;

When the supporting part is carried on the connecting part, the identification reading module reads the identification of the drone in the storage unit of the tripod cover;

When the identification is legal information, the electrical interface is in electrical contact with the electrical contact terminal.

22. The connecting assembly according to claim 21, wherein the identification reading module is provided on the connecting portion.

23 . The connection assembly according to claim 21 , wherein the identification reading module is a reader matched with the electronic tag of the tripod cover. 24 .

24. The connection assembly of claim 23, wherein the reader is an RFID antenna for mating with the RFID tag of the tripod cover.

25. The connection assembly of claim 20, wherein the electrical interface comprises a plurality of electrical spring pins for mating with the electrical contact ends.

26. A base station of an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising a housing and a parking pad arranged on the housing, characterized in that it also comprises a tripod cover arranged on the parking pad for cooperating with a tripod cover of the drone connection components;

The connection assembly includes a connection part for fixing the support part on the tripod sleeve and an electrical interface for mating with the electrical contact end on the tripod sleeve, the connection part is a groove, and the support The part is adapted to the groove, and the electrical interface is arranged on one side of the groove at intervals;

27. The base station according to claim 26, further comprising an identification reading module for cooperating with the storage unit of the tripod cover;

28. The base station according to claim 27, wherein the identification reading module is arranged on the connecting part.

29. The base station according to claim 27, wherein the identification reading module is a reader matched with the electronic tag of the tripod cover.

30. The base station of claim 29, wherein the reader is an RFID antenna adapted to cooperate with the RFID tag of the tripod cover.

31. The base station according to claim 27, further comprising a second processor, configured to send a switch command to the storage unit to instruct the unmanned aerial vehicle when the identity identifier is a legal identifier The electrical contacts are connected to the battery of the drone.

32. The base station according to claim 31, further comprising an indicator light electrically connected to the second processor, wherein the indicator light is used to indicate the working state of the base station.

33. The base station of claim 26, wherein the electrical interface comprises a plurality of electrical spring pins for mating with the electrical contacts.

34. The base station according to claim 26, characterized in that, the apron is formed by the top of the casing being recessed downward, and the connecting components comprise four, which are respectively arranged at four corners of the apron.

35 . The base station according to claim 34 , wherein the housing is provided with an inclined surface for the tripod of the UAV to slide, and the inclined surface is arranged around the parking pad. 36 .

36 . The base station according to claim 35 , further comprising a fan arranged inside the casing, an air outlet portion is arranged on the inclined surface, and an air outlet of the fan is connected to the air outlet portion. 37 . cooperate to direct the wind from the fan to the drone.

37. The base station according to any one of claims 26 to 36, wherein a ventilation hole is provided on the apron, and an air conditioner is further provided inside the housing;

The ventilation hole communicates with the inside of the housing.

38. The base station of claim 26, wherein the connection assembly is embedded in the apron.

39. The base station of claim 26, further comprising a protective cover rotatably connected to the top of the housing.

40. The base station according to claim 39, wherein the protective cover comprises a first protective cover and a second protective cover, which are respectively rotatably connected to two sides of the housing.

41. A charging system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising an unmanned aerial vehicle, characterized in that it further comprises a base station cooperating with the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a fuselage and is arranged in the fuselage. A battery, a tripod connected to the fuselage for electrical connection with the battery, and a tripod cover fixed on the tripod, the base station includes a casing, a An apron for placing the UAV and a connecting assembly provided on the apron; wherein,

When the tripod cover is carried on the connecting assembly, the tripod sleeve can be in electrical contact with the connecting assembly to charge the battery through the base station;

The tripod cover includes a support portion, an electrical contact end for electrical connection with the battery, and a fixed end for connecting to the tripod of the drone, and the connection assembly further includes a support portion for connecting with the support portion. a connecting portion and an electrical interface for mating with the electrical contact;

the fixed end and the support part are arranged on both sides of the tripod cover, and the electrical contact end is arranged between the fixed end and the support part;

When the supporting portion is supported on the connecting portion, the electrical contact end can be in electrical contact with the electrical interface, so that the tripod sleeve is in electrical contact with the connecting component.

42. The charging system according to claim 41, wherein the supporting portion has a smooth transition surface, and the connecting portion is a groove matched with the supporting portion.

43 . The charging system according to claim 41 , wherein the electrical contact end is an electrical contact surface, the electrical interface comprises a plurality of electrical spring pins, and the contact surface is matched with a plurality of the electrical spring pins. 44 . .

44. The charging system according to claim 41, wherein the tripod cover further comprises a storage unit storing the identification of the drone, and the connection assembly further comprises a storage unit for connecting with the storage unit. Matching identification reading module;

When the support part is carried on the base station, the identification reading module reads the identification of the drone in the storage unit;

When the identity identification is a legal identification, the electrical contact terminal is in electrical contact with the electrical interface.

45. The charging system according to claim 44, wherein the storage unit is accommodated in the support portion, and the identification reading module is provided on the connection portion.

46. The charging system according to claim 44, wherein the storage unit is an electronic tag, and the identification reading module is a reader matched with the electronic tag.

47. The charging system according to claim 46, wherein the electronic tag is an RFID tag, and the reader is an RFID antenna matched with the RFID tag.

48. The charging system according to claim 44, wherein a charging switch is provided between the electrical contact terminal and the battery of the drone to control the electrical contact terminal to be connected to the battery or not.

49. The charging system according to claim 48, wherein the drone further comprises a first processor, and the base station further comprises a second processor, configured to: when the identity identifier is a legal identifier, Send switch commands to the storage unit;

When the first processor detects that a switch command exists in the storage unit, it controls the charging switch to be turned on according to the switch command, so as to control the electrical contact terminal to be connected to the battery.

50. The charging system according to claim 49, wherein the base station further comprises an indicator light electrically connected to the second processor, and the indicator light is used to indicate the working state of the base station.

51. The charging system of claim 41, wherein the connection assembly is embedded in the apron.

52. The charging system according to claim 41, wherein the tripod comprises a support frame connected to two sides of the fuselage respectively and a sliding frame connected to a side of the support frame away from the fuselage ;

The tripod sleeves are mounted on both ends of each sliding bracket.

53. The charging system according to claim 52, wherein the two sliding brackets are parallel to each other.

54. The charging system according to claim 41, wherein the apron is formed by the top of the casing being recessed downward, and the connecting components comprise four, which are respectively disposed at four corners of the apron .

55. The charging system according to claim 41, wherein the housing is provided with an inclined surface for the tripod to slide, and is arranged around the apron.

56. The charging system according to claim 55, wherein the base station further comprises a fan disposed inside the casing, an air outlet is provided on the inclined surface, and the air outlet of the fan is connected to the air outlet of the fan. The air outlet cooperates to guide the wind of the fan to the drone.

57. The charging system according to claim 56, wherein a ventilation hole is provided on the apron, and an air conditioner is further provided inside the housing;

The ventilation hole communicates with the inside of the housing.

58. The charging system of claim 41, further comprising a protective cover rotatably connected to the top of the housing.

59. The charging system according to claim 58, wherein the protective cover comprises a first protective cover and a second protective cover, which are respectively rotatably connected to two sides of the housing.