WO2021059322A1

WO2021059322A1 - Aerial vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2021059322A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/037194
Authority: WO
Inventors: 鈴木陽一; なるみ渡邉
Original assignee: 株式会社エアロネクスト
Priority date: 2019-09-24
Filing date: 2019-09-24
Publication date: 2021-04-01
Also published as: CN114746338B; JP6664822B1; CN114746338A; JPWO2021059322A1

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an aerial vehicle that can stably land at a destination. [Solution] An aerial vehicle according to the present invention is an aerial vehicle that can travel in at least a front-back direction, comprising: a lift generation unit; an arm part that holds the lift generation unit; a mounting part that is provided on the arm part and that includes a connection part which keeps an orientation of a mounted object at least horizontal; a support member having one end that is supported by the mounting part and another end that is supported by the mounting part and can move in the front-back direction; and a positioning member that selectively positions the support member in a first positioned location in which the mounting part is prevented from moving in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, and a second positioned location in which the mounting part can move in the front-back direction.

Description

Aircraft

The present invention relates to an air vehicle, and particularly to an air vehicle having a mounting portion on which luggage or the like can be mounted.

In recent years, attempts have been made to deliver luggage using flying objects (hereinafter collectively referred to as "flying objects") such as drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Patent Document 1 discloses a delivery system using an air vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The delivery system forms a shipping inventory for delivering packages that the flying object (drone) autonomously delivers to the delivery destination.

US Patent Publication 2015-01200 94 A1

The aircraft of Patent Document 1 is in an unstable state because it is difficult to control its attitude immediately before landing, especially when it is loaded with luggage. Therefore, there may be a problem that it is difficult to land in a stable posture.

Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide an air vehicle capable of stably landing at a destination.

The flying object according to the present invention is a flying object that can move at least in the front-rear direction, and is provided with a lift generating portion, an arm portion holding the lift generating portion, and the arm portion, and the orientation of the object to be mounted is at least A mounting portion having a connecting portion that is maintained horizontally, a support member whose one end is supported by the mounting portion and the other end is supported by the mounting portion and can move in the front-rear direction, and the positions of the supporting members are determined by the mounting portion. A positioning member that selectively positions a first positioning position that prevents the mounting portion from moving in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and a second positioning position that allows the mounting portion to move in the front-rear direction. To be equipped. As a result, it is easy to control the attitude immediately before landing, and the aircraft can be stably landed at the destination.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an air vehicle capable of stably landing at a destination.

It is a figure which shows the state at the time of traveling of the flying object by this embodiment. It is the figure which looked at the flying body of FIG. 1 from the rear. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of the positioning member. It is a figure which shows the state at the time of descending of the flying object of FIG. It is a general functional block diagram of an air vehicle. It is explanatory drawing which shows the modification of this invention (the 1). It is explanatory drawing which shows the modification of this invention (the 2).

The contents of the embodiments of the present invention will be described in a list. The flying object according to the embodiment of the present invention has the following configuration.
[Item 1]
An air vehicle that can move at least in the front-back direction
Lift generator and
An arm portion that holds the lift generating portion and
A mounting portion provided on the arm portion and having a connecting portion for maintaining the orientation of the mounting object at least horizontally.
A support member whose one end is supported by the mounting portion and the other end is supported by the mounting portion and can move in the front-rear direction.
The positions of the support member include a first positioning position that prevents the mounting portion from moving in the vertical and horizontal directions, and a second positioning position that allows the mounting portion to move in the front-rear direction. , With a positioning member that selectively positions in,
Aircraft.
[Item 2]
The flying object according to item 1.
The support member
The other end of the first link member whose one end is connected to the mounting portion and the other end of the second link member whose one end is connected to the mounting portion are connected to each other, and the connecting point is configured as a movable input point. ,
It has a shape that extends substantially linearly when the position of the support member is positioned at the first positioning position by the positioning member.
It has a bent shape in a state where the position of the support member is positioned at the second positioning position by the positioning member.
Aircraft.
[Item 3]
The flying object according to item 1 or item 2.
The mounting part is
A rotating member with an elliptical cross section and
It has a pair of connecting grooves provided at positions facing both ends of the rotating member in the lateral direction.
The positioning member is
An urging member that comes into contact with both ends of the rotating member in the lateral direction and urges the rotating member in the lateral direction.
It has a pair of connecting claws provided at positions corresponding to the connecting grooves, respectively.
The positioning member is
With the longitudinal direction of the rotating member facing the front-rear direction, the position of the support member is positioned at the first positioning position.
The position of the support member is set to the second position in a state where the rotating member rotates against the urging force of the urging member and the longitudinal direction is oriented in the left-right direction, and the connecting claw portion is fitted in the connecting groove portion. Positioning to the positioning position of
Aircraft.
[Item 4]
The flying object according to any one of items 1 to 3.
The positioning member is
When hovering or flying, the position of the support member is positioned at the first positioning position.
At the time of landing, the position of the support member is positioned at the second positioning position.
Aircraft.

<Details of the embodiment>
Hereinafter, the flying object according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Details of Embodiments According to the Present Invention>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the flying object 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is equipped with a propeller 2 (lift generating unit: rotor blade), a motor 3 for rotating the propeller 2, and a motor 3. The arm 4 is provided, a mounting portion 5 provided on the arm 4 on which the luggage 52 (mounting object) is mounted, a support member 6, and a positioning member 7. The flying object 1 has the direction of the arrow D in the figure as the traveling direction (details will be described later).

The propeller 2 rotates by receiving the output from the motor 3. The rotation of the propeller 2 generates a propulsive force for taking off the flying object 1 from the starting point, moving it horizontally, and landing it at the destination. The propeller 2 can rotate to the right, stop, and rotate to the left.

The propeller 2 of the present invention has an elongated blade. Any number of blades (rotors) (eg, 1, 2, 3, 4, or more blades) may be used. Further, the shape of the blade can be any shape such as a flat shape, a bent shape, a twisted shape, a tapered shape, or a combination thereof. The shape of the blade can be changed (for example, expansion / contraction, folding, bending, etc.). The blades may be symmetrical (having the same upper and lower surfaces) or asymmetric (having different shaped upper and lower surfaces). The blades can be formed into air wheels, wings, or geometric shapes suitable for generating dynamic aerodynamic forces (eg, lift, thrust) as the blades move through the air. The geometry of the blades can be appropriately selected to optimize the dynamic air characteristics of the blades, such as increasing lift and thrust and reducing drag.

The motor 3 causes the rotation of the propeller 2, for example, the drive unit can include an electric motor, an engine, or the like. The vanes are driveable by the motor and rotate clockwise and / or counterclockwise around the axis of rotation of the motor (eg, the major axis of the motor).

The blades can all rotate in the same direction, or can rotate independently. Some of the blades rotate in one direction and the other blades rotate in the other direction. The blades can all rotate at the same rotation speed, and can also rotate at different rotation speeds. The number of rotations can be automatically or manually determined based on the dimensions (for example, size, weight) and control state (speed, moving direction, etc.) of the moving body.

The arm 4 is a member that supports the corresponding motor 3 and propeller 2, respectively. The arm 4 may be provided with a color-developing body such as an LED to indicate the flight state, flight direction, etc. of the rotary wing aircraft. The arm 4 according to the present embodiment can be formed of a material appropriately selected from carbon, stainless steel, aluminum, magnesium and the like, alloys thereof, combinations and the like.

The mounting unit 5 is a mechanism for loading and holding the luggage 52. The mounting portion 5 is composed of a pair of members configured at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction. The mounting unit 5 always maintains the state in a predetermined direction (for example, in the horizontal direction (vertically downward)) so that the position and orientation of the loaded luggage 52 can be maintained.

More specifically, the mounting portion 5 has a hinge (gimbal) 50, and the luggage 52 is configured to bend according to the inclination of the flying object 1 with the hinge 50 as a fulcrum. The angle at which the hinge 50 bends is not particularly limited. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, it is sufficient that the position and direction of the luggage 52 can be kept horizontal even when the flying object 1 flies in a forward leaning posture. As a result, the luggage 52 is always held in a vertically downwardly suspended state, and can be delivered to the destination while maintaining the position and state at the starting point. The hinge 50 according to the present embodiment is movable only in the front-rear direction, which is the same direction as the traveling direction. However, it may be movable in the left-right direction.

Here, the hinge 50 may be controlled by a motor or the like. As a result, the luggage 52 is more prevented from wobbling (natural vibration, etc.) during flight.

The shape and mechanism of the mounting portion 5 are not particularly limited as long as the luggage 52 can be stored and held, and the luggage 52 mounted on the first mounting portion 30 is tilted or held in its position. Anything that can be done is acceptable.

The mounting portions 5 are provided at positions facing both ends of the elliptical cam 53 in the lateral direction and an elliptical cam 53 as an example of a rotating member having an elliptical cross-sectional shape and an axial center 53A in the vertical direction. It has a pair of connecting

grooves

54 and 54. The mounting unit 5 has a motor (not shown) for controlling the rotation of the elliptical cam 53, and adjusts the rotation angle of the elliptical cam 53 in response to an instruction from the control unit (not shown: described later). It is possible to change.

The support member 6 is composed of a pair of members configured at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction. The support member 6 is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction by being supported by a block member 55 having one end supported by the mounting portion 5 and the other end being fixed to the mounting portion 5. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the support member 6 includes the other end of the first link member 60 having one end connected to the mounting portion 5 and the second link member 61 having one end connected to the block member 55. The ends are connected to each other, and the connecting point is configured as a movable input point.

The positioning member 7 can move the position of the support member 6 to a first positioning position that prevents the mounting portion 5 from moving in the vertical and horizontal directions, and to allow the mounting portion 5 to move in the vertical and horizontal directions. Selectively position to the second positioning position. In a state where the position of the support member 6 is positioned at the first positioning position by the positioning member 7, the support member 6 has a shape extending substantially linearly. It has a shape that is bent toward the side away from the mounting portion 5 in a state where the position of the support member 6 is positioned at the second positioning position by the positioning member 7.

As shown in FIG. 3, the positioning member 7 includes an urging member 70 such as a push spring that contacts both ends of the elliptical cam 53 in the lateral direction and urges the elliptical cam 53 in the lateral direction, and a connecting groove portion 54. It has a pair of connecting

claws

71, 71, which are provided at positions corresponding to 54, respectively. The positioning member 7 positions the position of the support member 6 at the first positioning position in a state where the longitudinal direction of the elliptical cam 53 faces the front-rear direction. The positioning member 7 is in a state where the elliptical cam 53 rotates against the urging force of the urging member 70 and the longitudinal direction is oriented in the left-right direction, and the connecting

claws

71 and 71 are fitted in the connecting

grooves

54 and 54. The position of the support member 6 is positioned at the second positioning position.

The mounting portion 5 according to the present embodiment is provided behind the center of gravity Gh in the front-rear direction of the flying object 1 in the traveling direction D by a predetermined distance L1. The predetermined distance L1 is set so that the luggage 52 does not overlap in the vertical direction at least with the circular region generated by the rotation of the rear propeller 2, even if it partially. In other words, the predetermined distance L1 is set to a value such that the propeller 2 that rotates when viewed from above the propeller 2 and the luggage 52 do not overlap. More preferably, the luggage 52 is provided at a position that is not affected by the wake region generated from the rear propeller 2. The mounting portion 5 can be provided at an arbitrary position on the arm 4. It is also possible to change the position by moving the slide after mounting.

<Explanation during flight>
Subsequently, the flight mode of the flying object 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4. In addition. In the following description, in order to clarify the explanation, three modes of ascending, horizontal movement, and descending will be described, respectively. However, for example, horizontal movement is performed while ascending. Of course, the mode of flying by combination is also included.

<When rising>
The user operates a radio control transmitter provided with an operation unit to increase the output of the motor 3 of the flying object to increase the rotation speed of the propeller 2. As the propeller 2 rotates, the lift required to levitate the flying object 1 is generated vertically upward. When the lift exceeds the gravity acting on the flying object 1, the flying object 1 leaves the ground and takes off from the starting point.

When ascending, the flying object 1 including the arm 4 is maintained horizontally as a whole. In other words, when the lifts generated by the propellers 2 are the same, the gravity applied to the flying object 1 is the same with respect to the center of gravity Gh in the front-rear direction (the rotational moment around the center of gravity Gh in the left-right direction is the same. They cancel each other out). As a result, the flying object 1 can ascend while maintaining the horizontal position.

Note that the flying object 1 can hover when the weight applied to the flying object 1 and the lift generated in the flying object 1 due to the rotation of the propeller 2 are mechanically balanced. At this time, the altitude of the flying object 1 is maintained at a constant level. The flying object 1 in the present embodiment maintains the same attitude during hovering.

<When moving horizontally>
When traveling in the horizontal direction, the flying object 1 is controlled so that the rotation speed of the propeller 2 rearward in the traveling direction is higher than the rotation speed of the propeller 2 in the front in the traveling direction. .. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the flying object 1 takes a forward leaning posture when moving horizontally in the traveling direction. At this time, the orientation of the luggage 52 is kept horizontal due to the presence of the hinge 50. Further, the presence of the positioning member 7 positions the support member 6 at a second positioning position (a position that allows the mounting portion 5 to move in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction).

Since the mounting portion 5 is located behind the center of gravity Gh, the luggage 52 is not located in the wake region of the propeller 2. Therefore, according to the flying object 1 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the flight efficiency at least when traveling in the horizontal direction.

<Descent (landing)>
As shown in FIG. 4, the aircraft body 1 lands at the destination and lowers the luggage 52 mounted on the mounting unit 5 to the destination. That is, at the destination, the air vehicle 1 and the luggage 52 are separated. The separation of the aircraft body 1 and the luggage 52 is performed by separating the luggage 52 from the mounting portion 5. The flying object 1 in the present embodiment does not have a landing gear in order to reduce the weight. Therefore, at the time of landing, the loaded luggage 52 itself has the function of a landing gear. However, in the flying object 1 of the present embodiment, the position of the support member 6 is the first positioning position (the position that prevents the mounting portion 5 from moving in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction) due to the presence of the positioning member 7. It is positioned at. Therefore, the aircraft 1 in the present embodiment can land at the destination with the luggage 52 fixed to the mounting portion 5.

The above-mentioned flying object has a functional block shown in FIG. The functional block in FIG. 5 has a minimum reference configuration. The flight controller is a so-called processing unit. The processing unit can have one or more processors, such as a programmable processor (eg, a central processing unit (CPU)). The processing unit has a memory (not shown), and the memory can be accessed. Memory stores logic, code, and / or program instructions that a processing unit can execute to perform one or more steps. The memory may include, for example, a separable medium such as an SD card or random access memory (RAM) or an external storage device. The data acquired from the cameras and sensors may be directly transmitted and stored in the memory. For example, still image / moving image data taken by a camera or the like is recorded in an internal memory or an external memory.

The processing unit includes a control module configured to control the state of the aircraft. For example, the control module adjusts the spatial placement, velocity, and / or acceleration of an air vehicle with six degrees of freedom (translational motion x, y and z, and rotational motion θ _x , θ _y and θ _z). Controls the propulsion mechanism (motor, etc.) of the aircraft. The control module can control one or more of the states of the mounting unit and the sensors.

The processing unit is capable of communicating with a transmitter / receiver configured to transmit and / or receive data from one or more external devices (eg, terminals, display devices, or other remote controls). The transmitter / receiver can use any suitable communication means such as wired communication or wireless communication. For example, the transmitter / receiver uses one or more of local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), infrared, wireless, WiFi, point-to-point (P2P) network, telecommunications network, cloud communication, and the like. be able to. The transmitter / receiver can transmit and / or receive one or more of the data acquired by the sensors, the processing result generated by the processing unit, the predetermined control data, the user command from the terminal or the remote control, and the like. ..

The sensors according to this embodiment may include an inertial sensor (accelerometer, gyro sensor), GPS sensor, proximity sensor (eg, rider), or vision / image sensor (eg, camera).

The air vehicle of the present invention can be expected to be used as an air vehicle dedicated to home delivery business and as an industrial air vehicle in warehouses and factories. Further, the air vehicle of the present invention can be used in an airplane-related industry such as a multicopter drone, and further, the present invention can be suitably used as an air vehicle for aerial photography equipped with a camera or the like. In addition, it can be used in various industries such as security field, agriculture, and infrastructure monitoring.

The above-described embodiment is merely an example for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the interpretation of the present invention. It goes without saying that the present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention includes an equivalent thereof.

<Modification example>
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the position changing member may be composed of a hook 90, a connecting rod 91, a link member 92, and a block material 93. The hook 90 is a block material in which the arm portion 90A and the arm portion 90B are formed by bending in an L shape in a lateral view. The tip of the arm 90B is pivotally supported by the mounting portion 5, and one end of the connecting rod 91 is rotatably connected to the intermediate portion of the arm 90B by a shaft. At the other end of the connecting rod 91, one end of the link member 92 is rotatably connected by a shaft. The other end of the link member 92 is pivotally supported by the block member 93 fixed to the mounting portion 5. In this modification, the position of the mounting portion 5 is switched to the first positioning position or the second positioning position according to the contact / separation state between the tip of the arm portion 30 and the mounting portion 5. That is, when the position of the mounting portion 5 is positioned at the first positioning position, the tip of the arm portion 30 comes into contact with the mounting portion 5. On the other hand, when the position of the mounting portion 5 is positioned at the second positioning position, the tip of the arm portion 30 is separated from the contact position with the mounting portion 5.

1 Aircraft 2 Propeller (lift generator)
3 motor 4 arm (arm part)
5 Mounting part 6 Support member 7 Positioning member 53 Elliptical cam (rotating member)
54 Pair of connecting grooves 60 First link member 61 Second link member 70 Biasing member 71 Pair of connecting claws

Claims

An air vehicle that can move at least in the front-back direction
Lift generator and
An arm portion that holds the lift generating portion and
A mounting portion provided on the arm portion and having a connecting portion for maintaining the orientation of the mounting object at least horizontally, and a mounting portion.
A support member whose one end is supported by the mounting portion and the other end is supported by the mounting portion and can move in the front-rear direction.
The positions of the support member include a first positioning position that prevents the mounting portion from moving in the vertical and horizontal directions, and a second positioning position that allows the mounting portion to move in the front-rear direction. , With a positioning member that selectively positions in,
Aircraft.
The flying object according to claim 1.
The support member
The other end of the first link member whose one end is connected to the mounting portion and the other end of the second link member whose one end is connected to the mounting portion are connected to each other, and the connecting point is configured as a movable input point. ,
It has a shape that extends substantially linearly when the position of the support member is positioned at the first positioning position by the positioning member.
It has a bent shape in a state where the position of the support member is positioned at the second positioning position by the positioning member.
Aircraft.
The flying object according to claim 1 or 2.
The mounting part is
A rotating member with an elliptical cross section and
It has a pair of connecting grooves provided at positions facing both ends of the rotating member in the lateral direction.
The positioning member is
An urging member that comes into contact with both ends of the rotating member in the lateral direction and urges the rotating member in the lateral direction.
It has a pair of connecting claws provided at positions corresponding to the connecting grooves, respectively.
The positioning member is
With the longitudinal direction of the rotating member facing the front-rear direction, the position of the support member is positioned at the first positioning position.
The position of the support member is set to the second position in a state where the rotating member rotates against the urging force of the urging member and the longitudinal direction is oriented in the left-right direction, and the connecting claw portion is fitted in the connecting groove portion. Positioning to the positioning position of
Aircraft.
The flying object according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The positioning member is
When hovering or flying, the position of the support member is positioned at the first positioning position.
At the time of landing, the position of the support member is positioned at the second positioning position.
Aircraft.