JP2019156127A - Unmanned flight device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an unmanned flight device that can move horizontally without inclining an airframe.SOLUTION: An unmanned flight device 1A includes: vertical thrust generating means constituted of multiple propellers 8 for generating thrust vertically upward; horizontal thrust generating means for generating thrust in a horizontal direction; and a housing 2 disposed with a camera 10 via a fixing device 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle.

  Conventionally, an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) that obtains thrust by rotating a plurality of propellers has been used (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2014-122019 A

  When the drone moves horizontally, it is necessary to increase the rotation speed of the propeller on the side opposite to the traveling direction and to incline the entire body. When the airframe is tilted, the area of the gas viewed from the front in the traveling direction increases, so the air resistance increases. In addition, since the thrust generated by the rotation of the propeller has a horizontal component, the vertical component is reduced. Therefore, not only for the movement in the horizontal direction, but also to increase the propeller rotation speed in order to maintain the altitude. There is a need.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an unmanned air vehicle that can move horizontally without tilting the aircraft.

  A first aspect of the present invention is an unmanned aerial vehicle having a vertical thrust generating means composed of a plurality of propellers for generating a vertically upward thrust and a horizontal thrust generating means for generating a thrust in the horizontal direction. It is.

  According to the configuration of the first invention, the unmanned flight apparatus can generate the thrust in the horizontal direction by the horizontal thrust generating means while maintaining the altitude by the vertical thrust generating means, so that the aircraft does not tilt. , Can move horizontally.

  According to a second aspect of the invention, in the configuration of the first aspect of the invention, the vertical thrust generating means is configured to move in the horizontal direction by the horizontal thrust generating means while maintaining the unmanned flight apparatus in a horizontal position. It is an unmanned flying device.

  A third aspect of the invention is an unmanned flying apparatus according to the second aspect of the invention, wherein the horizontal thrust generating means is composed of a plurality of airflow generating means having different directions of the generated thrust.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the third aspect of the present invention, the unmanned flying device has thrust calculating means for calculating a thrust generated by each of the plurality of airflow generating means in order to move in the predetermined horizontal direction. It is a flying device.

  5th invention is an unmanned flight apparatus with which the said horizontal thrust generation means is comprised by the single airflow generation means which can change the direction of the thrust to generate | occur | produce.

  According to a sixth invention, in the configuration of the fifth invention, the single airflow generating means is configured to change the direction of thrust generated by rotating in the horizontal direction, It is an unmanned flying apparatus including first reaction canceling means for calculating thrust generated in each of the plurality of propellers of the vertical thrust generating means in order to cancel the reaction caused by the rotation of the airflow generating means.

  According to a seventh invention, in any one of the first to sixth inventions, the thrust of the horizontal thrust generating means is generated by rotation of a second propeller, and is generated by rotation of the second propeller. In order to cancel the reaction, the unmanned flying apparatus includes a second reaction canceling unit that calculates a thrust generated in each of the plurality of propellers of the vertical thrust generating unit.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can provide providing the unmanned air vehicle which can move horizontally, without tilting an airframe.

It is the schematic which shows the unmanned flight apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows a fan. It is explanatory drawing of the method of the direction control by a some fan. It is the schematic which shows the function structure of an unmanned flight apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of an unmanned transfer apparatus. It is the schematic which shows the unmanned flight apparatus which concerns on 2nd embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the method of the direction control by a single fan. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of an unmanned transfer apparatus. It is the schematic which shows the fan of the unmanned flight apparatus which concerns on 3rd embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of an unmanned transfer apparatus.

<First embodiment>
Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described in detail. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the same components, and the description thereof is omitted or simplified. Note that descriptions of configurations that can be appropriately implemented by those skilled in the art are omitted, and only the basic configuration of the present invention is described.

  An unmanned aerial vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an example of an unmanned aerial vehicle, and performs a predetermined operation by autonomously flying along a predetermined route. The drone 1 starts work in response to an instruction from the base station 50 (see FIG. 4) that manages the drone 1, and performs charging and the like in the base station 50.

  The drone 1 has a housing 2. The casing 2 includes a computer that controls each part of the drone 1, an autonomous flight device, a wireless communication device, a positioning device using a navigation satellite system such as a GPS (Global Positioning System), an inertial sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a battery, and the like. Has been placed. Further, the camera 10 is disposed in the housing 2 via the fixing device 12. The camera 10 is a visible light camera or a near infrared camera, but may be a switchable hybrid camera. The camera 10 is an example of information collection means. The fixing device 12 is a three-axis fixing device (so-called gimbal) that can minimize blurring of an image captured by the camera 14 and can control the optical axis of the camera 14 in an arbitrary direction.

  A round bar-like arm 4 is connected to the housing 2. A motor 6 is connected to each arm 4, and a propeller 8 is connected to each motor 6. Each motor 6 is a direct current motor (brushless DC motor).

  Each motor 6 is independently controlled by the autonomous flight device in the housing 2 so that the drone 1 can freely move in the vertical and horizontal directions, stop in the air (hovering), and control the attitude. It has become. When the electric power supplied to each motor 6 by the autonomous flying device increases, the number of revolutions of each motor 6 increases, the output of each motor 6 increases, and the thrust generated by the propeller 8 connected to each motor 6 (hereinafter simply “ "Thrust") also increases.

  The autonomous flying device controls the electric power supplied to each motor 6 in order to obtain thrust for positioning the drone 1 at a predetermined altitude, ascending / descending, or rotating the nose (yaw). In the present embodiment, the motor 6 and the propeller 8 are mainly used for generating thrust upward in the vertical direction. The plurality of propellers 8 are an example of vertical thrust generating means.

  The arm 4 is made of, for example, carbon fiber reinforced plastic and is configured to be lightweight while maintaining strength.

  Fans 20 </ b> A, 20 </ b> B, 20 </ b> C, and 20 </ b> D are disposed on the top of the housing 2. Each of the fans 20A and the like has a different direction of thrust to be generated. The fans 20A and the like are examples of horizontal thrust generating means for generating a thrust in the horizontal direction as a whole, and the fans 20A and the like are examples of airflow generating means.

  The drone 1 rotates a plurality of propellers 8 at a constant speed to generate a vertically upward thrust indicated by an arrow Z1 in FIG. When the drone 1 moves in a horizontal direction such as the directions indicated by arrows X1, X2, Y1, and Y2 in FIG. 1, the plurality of propellers 8 continue to rotate at a constant speed to maintain the horizontal state of the drone 1 body. However, at least one of the fan 20A and the like is rotated. Thereby, the drone 1 can move to a horizontal direction, maintaining a body in a horizontal state.

  An outline of the configuration of the fan 20A will be described with reference to FIG. The configuration of the fans 20B, 20C, and 20D is the same as that of the fan 20A, and thus the description thereof is omitted. The fan 20A is composed of fans 20A1 and 20A2. The small propeller 20A1a of the fan 20A1 rotates in the arrow R1 direction (clockwise), and the small propeller 20A2a of the fan 20A2 rotates in the arrow R2 direction (counterclockwise). That is, the fan 20A is formed in a contra-rotating propeller structure. The small propeller 20A1a and the small propeller 20A2a rotate at the same rotational speed in opposite directions to cancel the reaction caused by the mutual rotation. The small propellers 20A1a and 20A2a are examples of the second propeller.

  The horizontal movement (generation of thrust in the horizontal direction) by the fan 20A or the like will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3A is a schematic plan view of the fan 20A and the like viewed from the direction of the arrow Z2 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3A, when only the fan 20A is rotated, thrust in the direction of the arrow X1 is generated. “Rotation of fan 20A” means “rotation of small propellers 20A1a and 20A2a of fan 20A”. When only the fan 20B is rotated, thrust in the direction of arrow Y1 is generated. When only the fan 20C is rotated, thrust in the arrow X2 direction is generated. When only the fan 20D is rotated, thrust in the direction of the arrow Y2 is generated.

  When thrusts other than those indicated by the arrows X1, X2, Y1, and Y2 are required, two or more fans 20A and the like are rotated at a predetermined rotational speed. The drone 1 is configured to calculate the thrust generated by each of the fans 20A and the like in order to generate a thrust in a predetermined direction. For example, when the thrust in the direction of the vector a1 shown in FIG. 3B is required, the fan 20A is rotated to obtain a thrust having the direction and magnitude indicated in the vector X1a, and the fan 20B is rotated to obtain the vector Y1a. A thrust having the direction and magnitude shown is obtained. The resultant force of the thrust indicated by the vector X1a and the vector Y1a is the thrust indicated by the vector a1.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the drone 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the drone 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 100, a storage unit 102, a wireless communication unit 104, a satellite positioning unit 106, an inertial sensor unit 108, a drive control unit 110, an image processing unit 112, and The power supply unit 114 is included.

  The drone 1 can communicate with the base station 50 by the wireless communication unit 104. The drone 1 receives an instruction such as starting from the base station 50 by the wireless communication unit 104. The base station 50 is configured by a computer.

  The drone 1 can measure the position of the drone 1 itself by the satellite positioning unit 106 and the inertial sensor unit 108. The GPS unit 106 basically receives radio waves from three or more GPS satellites and measures the position of the drone 1. The inertial sensor unit 108 measures the position of the drone 1 by accumulating the movement of the drone 1 from the starting point using, for example, an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor. The position information of the drone 1 itself is used for determining the movement route of the drone 1 and autonomous movement, and also for linking image data photographed by the image processing unit 112 and coordinates (position). .

  The image processing unit 112 allows the drone 1 to acquire an external image by operating the camera 10 (see FIG. 1).

  By the drive control unit 110, the drone 1 controls the rotation of the propeller 8 (see FIG. 1) connected to each motor 6 (see FIG. 1), and postures such as vertical movement, air suspension, nose rotation, and tilting. Is to control.

  The power supply unit 114 is, for example, a replaceable rechargeable battery, and supplies power to each unit of the drone 1.

  The storage unit 102 stores various data and programs necessary for autonomous movement, such as data indicating a movement plan for autonomous movement from the starting point to the target position, and information indicating the topography, shape, and structure position of the planned work area. In addition, a thrust calculation program is stored. The CPU 100 and the thrust calculation program are examples of thrust calculation means.

  The drone 1 calculates a thrust generated by each of the plurality of fans 20A and the like in order to generate a thrust in a predetermined horizontal direction by a thrust calculation program. Electric power for generating the calculated thrust is supplied to each fan 20A and the like by the drive control unit 110.

  Hereinafter, an operation example of the drone 1 will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. When the drone 1 receives the start instruction from the base station 50, the drone 1 rotates by rotating all the propellers 8 (step ST1 in FIG. 5) and determines that the planned altitude has been reached (step ST2). Is lowered and hovered in the air (step ST3). The drone 1 performs operations such as photographing while stopping in the air. Upon receiving an instruction for horizontal movement (step ST4), the drone 1 calculates a thrust to be generated by each fan 20A or the like according to the moving direction (step ST5), and supplies necessary power to each fan 20A or the like. Then, the fans 20A and the like are rotated (step ST6). When it is determined that the drone 1 has reached the target position (step ST7), the rotation of the fan 20A and the like is stopped (step ST8).

<Second Embodiment>
The second embodiment will be described with respect to differences from the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, in the drone 1 </ b> A of the second embodiment, a horizontal rotation device 22 is disposed on the upper portion of the housing 2, and a fan 20 </ b> A is fixed on the upper portion of the horizontal rotation device 22. As the horizontal rotation device 22 rotates in the horizontal direction at the upper part of the housing 2, the fan 20A rotates in the horizontal direction, and the direction of thrust generated by the fan 20A is adjusted. The fan 20A is an example of a single airflow generating means. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the rotation of the fan 20 </ b> A has the same meaning as the rotation of the horizontal rotation device 22.

  In the state shown in FIG. 7, when the fan 20A rotates, thrust in the direction indicated by the arrow Y1 is generated. At this time, the fan 20A generates an airflow in a direction opposite to the thrust (the direction indicated by the arrow Y2). In the state shown in FIG. 7, when the fan 20A rotates in the direction of the arrow W1, thrust in the direction indicated by the arrow X1 can be generated. Further, when the fan 20A rotates in the direction of the arrow W2, thrust in the direction indicated by the arrow Y2 is generated. It becomes possible. Further, when the fan 20A rotates in the direction of the arrow W3, a thrust in the direction indicated by the arrow X2 can be generated. As described above, the fan 20A rotates in the horizontal direction, so that a thrust in a desired direction can be generated 360 degrees.

  When the fan 20A is rotated in the horizontal direction, the unmanned aircraft 1A acts as a reaction to exert a force to rotate in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the fan 20A. This force acts as a force that causes the drone 1A to rotate (yaw). The first reaction cancellation program is stored in the storage unit 102 (see FIG. 4) of the drone 1A. The CPU 100 and the first reaction cancellation program are examples of first reaction cancellation means. In the drone 1A, for example, if the rotation direction of the fan 20A is the direction of the arrow W1 in FIG. 7 (counterclockwise rotation direction), the reaction is the opposite direction to the arrow W1 (clockwise rotation direction). Then, the rotation of each propeller 8 is controlled to generate a force that rotates the nose counterclockwise (referred to as “first reaction canceling operation”) and cancels the reaction caused by the rotation of the fan 20A. This prevents model rotation due to rotation of the fan 20A. Thereby, horizontal movement can be implemented by the single fan 20A while maintaining the horizontal state of the drone 1A body and preventing nose rotation.

  Hereinafter, an operation example of the drone 1A will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Upon receiving a start instruction from the base station 50, the drone 1A rotates all the propellers 8 to rise (step ST1 in FIG. 8), and determines that the planned altitude has been reached (step ST2), the rotation of the propeller 8 Is lowered and hovered in the air (step ST3). Upon receiving an instruction for horizontal movement (step ST4), the drone 1A calculates a rotation angle of the fan 20A according to the movement direction (step ST5A), and is a thrust for canceling a reaction caused by the rotation. One reaction canceling thrust is calculated (step ST5B). Subsequently, the drone 1A rotates the fan 20A by a predetermined angle and controls the rotation of each propeller 8 during the rotation to perform the first reaction canceling operation (step ST5C). When the rotation of the fan 20A is completed, the drone 1A stops the first reaction canceling operation and rotates the fan 20A (step ST6). When it is determined that the drone 1A has reached the target position (step ST7), the rotation of the fan 20A is stopped (step ST8).

<Third embodiment>
In the third embodiment, parts different from the second embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, a fan 20A ′ shown in FIG. 9 is fixed to the rotating device 22 (see FIG. 6) of the drone 1B of the third embodiment. The fan 20A ′ is composed of the fan 20A1. That is, unlike the first and second embodiments, it is not a contra-rotating propeller. For this reason, when the small propeller 20A1a rotates in the direction of the arrow R1 (clockwise), a reaction in the direction of the arrow R1r (counterclockwise) occurs and acts as a force for tilting the body of the drone 1B.

  The storage unit 102 (see FIG. 4) of the drone 1B stores a second reaction cancellation program. The CPU 100 and the second reaction cancellation program are examples of the second reaction cancellation unit. The drone 1B calculates the reaction when the fan 20A 'rotates. For example, when the fan 20A ′ rotates clockwise (in the direction of arrow R1 in FIG. 9) in the state shown in FIG. 6, the nose (the side on which the camera 10 is arranged) is lowered as a reaction (arrow R1r in FIG. 9). Direction) force. The drone 1B increases the rotational speed of the two propellers 8 on the near side (camera 10 side) in order to cancel the reaction and maintain the horizontal state of the gas, and generates a force that raises the near side (“second” This is referred to as “reaction canceling operation”), and counteracts the reaction caused by the rotation of the fan 20A ′. Thereby, the inclination of the airframe due to the rotation of the fan 20A 'is prevented.

  Hereinafter, an operation example of the drone 1B will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the drone 1B receives a start instruction from the base station 50, the drone 1B rotates all the propellers 8 (step ST1 in FIG. 10) and determines that the planned altitude has been reached (step ST2). Is lowered and hovered in the air (step ST3). Upon receiving an instruction for horizontal movement (step ST4), the drone 1B calculates a rotation angle of the fan 20A ′ according to the movement direction (step ST5A), and is a thrust for canceling the reaction caused by the rotation. A reaction canceling thrust is calculated (step ST5B). Subsequently, the drone 1B rotates the fan 20A 'by a predetermined angle and controls the rotation of each propeller 8 during the rotation to perform the first reaction canceling operation (step ST5C). When the rotation of the fan 20A 'is completed, the drone 1B calculates a reaction cancellation thrust for canceling the reaction caused by the rotation of the fan 20A' (step ST6A), and rotates the fan 20A '(step ST6B). The drone 1B performs the second reaction canceling operation while rotating the fan 20A '. When it is determined that the drone 1B has reached the target position (step ST7), the rotation of the fan 20A 'and the like is stopped (step ST8). At this time, the second reaction canceling operation is also stopped.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications, improvements, and the like within a scope in which the object of the present invention can be achieved are included in the present invention.

1, 1A, 1B drone 2 Case 6 Motor 8 Propeller 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D, 20A 'Fan 22 Horizontal rotation device

Claims (7)

Vertical thrust generating means composed of a plurality of propellers for generating a vertically upward thrust;
Horizontal thrust generating means for generating a thrust in the horizontal direction;
Unmanned flight equipment with. The vertical thrust generation means is configured to move in the horizontal direction by the horizontal thrust generation means while maintaining the unmanned flight apparatus horizontal.
The unmanned flight apparatus according to claim 1.   The unmanned flight apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the horizontal thrust generating means includes a plurality of airflow generating means having different directions of thrust to be generated. The unmanned flying device has a thrust calculating means for calculating a thrust generated by each of the plurality of airflow generating means in order to move in a predetermined horizontal direction;
The unmanned flight apparatus according to claim 3.   The unmanned flight apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the horizontal thrust generating means is constituted by a single airflow generating means capable of changing a direction of the generated thrust. The single airflow generating means is configured to change the direction of thrust generated by rotating in the horizontal direction,
The first reaction canceling means for calculating the thrust generated in each of the plurality of propellers of the vertical thrust generating means in order to cancel the reaction caused by the rotation of the single airflow generating means. 5. The unmanned flight apparatus according to 5.   The thrust of the horizontal thrust generating means is generated by the rotation of the second propeller, and is generated by each of the plurality of propellers of the vertical thrust generating means in order to cancel the reaction caused by the rotation of the second propeller. The unmanned flight apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising second reaction canceling means for calculating thrust.