CN114746338A - Flying object - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a flying object capable of stably landing at a destination. The present invention provides a flying object capable of traveling at least in a front-rear direction, including: a lift force generation section; an arm portion that holds the lift force generation portion; a mounting portion provided on the arm portion and having a connecting portion for maintaining at least a horizontal orientation of the mounting object; a support member having one end supported by the mounting portion and the other end supported by the mounting portion and movable in a front-rear direction; and a positioning member that selectively positions a position of the support member at a first positioning position that prevents the mount portion from moving in the up-down direction and the horizontal direction and at a second positioning position that allows the mount portion to move in the front-rear direction.

Description

flying body

technical field

The present invention relates to an air vehicle, and more particularly, to an air vehicle having a mounting portion capable of carrying cargo or the like.

Background technique

In recent years, attempts have been made to deliver goods 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 based on an aircraft (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). The delivery system forms a shipping catalog for delivering goods autonomously delivered by the flying body (drone) to the delivery destination.

prior art literature

Patent Literature

Patent Document 1: US Patent Publication 2015-0120094A1.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The flying body of Patent Document 1 is in an unstable state because it is difficult to control the posture immediately before landing, especially in a state where the cargo is loaded. Therefore, there arises a problem that it is difficult to land in a stable posture.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an air vehicle that can stably land at a destination.

means of solving problems

The flying body of the present invention is capable of traveling at least in the front-rear direction, and includes: a lift generating portion; an arm portion that holds the lift generating portion; A connecting portion that maintains at least a horizontal orientation; a support member, one end of which is supported by the mounting portion and the other end supported by the mounting portion so as to be movable in the front-rear direction; and a positioning member that selectively positions the support member The positions are positioned at a first positioning position preventing the mounting portion from moving in the up-down and horizontal directions and a second positioning position allowing the mounting portion to move in the front-rear direction. Thereby, it becomes easy to control the attitude|position just before a landing, and it becomes possible to make an aircraft land stably at a destination.

Invention effect

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an aircraft that can stably land at a destination.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state when the aircraft of the present embodiment is traveling.

FIG. 2 is a view of the flying body of FIG. 1 viewed from the rear.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of a positioning member.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state when the aircraft of FIG. 1 descends.

Fig. 5 is a general functional block diagram of the flying body.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram (No. 1) showing a modification of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram (No. 2 ) showing a modification of the present invention.

Detailed ways

The content of the embodiment of the present invention is listed and described. The flying body according to the embodiment of the present invention has the following structure.

[Item 1]

A flying body capable of traveling at least in the fore-and-aft direction, comprising:

lift generating part;

an arm portion that holds the lift generating portion;

a mounting portion provided on the arm portion and having a connecting portion that maintains an orientation of an object to be mounted at least horizontally;

a support member having one end supported by the mounting portion and the other end supported by the mounting portion so as to be movable in the front-rear direction; and

a positioning member that selectively positions the support member at a first positioning position that prevents the mounting portion from moving in the up-down and horizontal directions and a second positioning position that allows the mounting portion to move in the front-rear direction .

[Item 2]

The flying body of item 1, wherein,

The support member is configured such that 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 connection point is used as the connection point. movable input point,

In a state where the position of the support member is positioned at the first positioning position by the positioning member, the support member has a shape extending substantially linearly,

The support member has a curved shape in a state where the position of the support member is positioned at the second positioning position by the positioning member.

[Item 3]

A flying body according to item 1 or item 2, wherein,

The mounting part has:

a rotating part, the cross-section of which is elliptical; and

a pair of connecting grooves provided at positions facing both ends of the rotating member in the width direction, respectively,

The positioning part has:

an urging member in contact with both widthwise end portions of the rotating member to urge the rotating member in the widthwise direction; and

a pair of connecting claws are respectively provided at positions corresponding to the connecting grooves,

The positioning member positions the position of the support member at the first positioning position in a state in which the longitudinal direction of the rotating member faces the front-rear direction,

In a state in which the rotating member is rotated against the urging force of the urging member so that its longitudinal direction faces the left-right direction, and the connecting claw portion is fitted into the connecting groove portion, the positioning member adjusts the position of the support member. The position is positioned at the second positioning position.

[Item 4]

The flying body according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein,

When hovering or flying, the positioning member positions the position of the support member at the first positioning position,

When landing, the positioning member positions the position of the support member at the second positioning position.

<Details of Embodiment>

Hereinafter, an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Details of Embodiments of the Present Invention>

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , an aircraft 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a propeller 2 (lift generating portion: rotor), a motor 3 for rotating the propeller 2 , an arm 4 to which the motor 3 is attached, and an arm 4 provided on the arm. 4. The mounting portion 5 on which the cargo 52 (the object to be mounted) is mounted, the support member 6 and the positioning member 7 in parallel. The flying body 1 travels in the direction of arrow D in the drawing (details will be described later).

The propeller 2 receives the output from the motor 3 and rotates. Rotation of the propeller 2 generates propulsive force for taking off the aircraft 1 from the starting point, moving horizontally, and landing at the destination. In addition, the propeller 2 can rotate to the right, stop and rotate to the left.

The blades of the propeller 2 of the present invention have an elongated shape. The number of blades (rotors) can be arbitrary (eg 1, 2, 3, 4 or more blades). In addition, the shape of the paddle may be any shape such as a flat shape, a curved shape, a twisted shape, a conical shape, or a combination thereof. Additionally, the shape of the paddle can vary (eg, telescoping, folding, bending, etc.). The paddles can be symmetrical (with the same upper and lower surfaces) or asymmetrical (with differently shaped upper and lower surfaces). The blades can be formed as airfoils, wings or geometric shapes suitable for generating aerodynamic forces (eg lift, thrust) as the blades move through the air. The geometry of the blade can be appropriately selected to optimize the aerodynamic properties of the blade, eg, increase lift and thrust, reduce drag, etc.

The motor 3 is used to rotate the propeller 2, for example, the drive unit may comprise an electric motor or a motor or the like. The paddles may be driven by a motor to rotate in a clockwise and/or counterclockwise direction about an axis of rotation of the motor (eg, the long axis of the motor).

The paddles can all rotate in the same direction or independently. Some paddles rotate in one direction, others in the other direction. The paddles may all rotate at the same rotational speed, or they may rotate at different rotational speeds. The rotational speed may be determined automatically or manually based on the size (eg size, weight), control state (speed, moving direction, etc.) of the moving body.

The arm 4 is a member that supports the corresponding motor 3 and the propeller 2, respectively. A color-emitting body such as an LED can also be arranged on the arm 4 to indicate the flight state and flight direction of the rotorcraft. The arm 4 of the present embodiment can be formed of a raw material appropriately selected from carbon, stainless steel, aluminum, magnesium, or the like, alloys or combinations thereof, or the like.

The mounting portion 5 is a mechanism for mounting and holding the cargo 52 . The mounting portion 5 is composed of a pair of members that are spaced apart by a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. The mounting portion 5 always maintains its state in a predetermined direction (for example, a horizontal direction (vertically downward)) so that the position and orientation of the loaded cargo 52 can be maintained.

More specifically, the mounting portion 5 includes a hinge (gimbal) 50 , and is configured to bend with the inclination of the aircraft 1 on which the cargo 52 is mounted, using the hinge 50 as a fulcrum. The angle at which the hinge 50 is bent is not particularly limited. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , the position and direction of the cargo 52 may be kept horizontal even when the aircraft 1 flies in a forward-leaning posture. Thereby, the cargo 52 is always kept in a state of hanging downward in the vertical direction, and can be delivered to the destination while maintaining the position and state of the departure point. The hinge 50 of the present embodiment can move only in the same direction as the traveling direction, that is, in the front-rear 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, shaking (natural vibration, etc.) of the cargo 52 can be further prevented during flight.

The shape and mechanism of the loading portion 5 are not particularly limited, as long as the cargo 52 can be accommodated or held, and the position of the cargo 52 mounted on the first loading portion 30 can be maintained when the cargo 52 is tilted.

The mounting portion 5 includes: an elliptical cam 53 as an example of a rotating member, which has an elliptical cross-sectional shape and has an axis 53A in the vertical direction; A position where both ends in the width direction of the cam 53 face each other. The mounting portion 5 includes a motor (not shown) for controlling the rotation of the elliptical cam 53 , and can change the rotation angle of the elliptical cam 53 in accordance with an instruction from a control portion (not shown, described later).

The support member 6 is composed of a pair of members formed at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. The support member 6 is supported by the mounting part 5 at one end, and is supported by the block member 55 fixed to the mounting part 5 at the other end so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 1 , the support member 6 is configured so that the other end of the first link member 60 whose one end is connected to the mounting portion 5 and the other end of the second link member 61 whose one end is connected to the block member 55 are connected to each other, And use the connection point as the movable input point.

The positioning member 7 selectively positions the support member 6 at a first positioning position that prevents the mounting portion 5 from moving in the vertical and horizontal directions and a second positioning position that allows the mounting portion 5 to move in the vertical and horizontal directions. 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. In a state where the position of the support member 6 is positioned at the second positioning position by the positioning member 7 , the support member 6 has a shape curved toward the side away from the mounting portion 5 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , the positioning member 7 includes a biasing member 70 such as a compression spring, which contacts both ends of the oval cam 53 in the width direction to bias the oval cam 53 in the width direction, and a pair of coupling claw portions 71 , 71 , which are provided at positions corresponding to the connecting grooves 54 and 54 , respectively. The positioning member 7 positions the position of the support member 6 at the first positioning position in a state in which the longitudinal direction of the elliptical cam 53 faces the front-rear direction. The positioning member 7 positions the support member 6 in a state in which the elliptical cam 53 rotates against the urging force of the urging member 70 so that its longitudinal direction faces the left-right direction, and the connecting claws 71 , 71 are fitted into the connecting grooves 54 , 54 . in the second positioning position.

The mounting portion 5 of the present embodiment is provided at a position rearward in the travel direction D by a predetermined distance L1 from the center of gravity Gh in the front-rear direction of the aircraft 1 . The predetermined distance L1 is determined so that even a part of the cargo 52 does not overlap in the vertical direction with at least a circular area generated by the rotation of the rear propeller 2 . In other words, the predetermined distance L1 is determined as a value at which the rotating propeller 2 and the cargo 52 do not overlap when viewed from above the propeller 2 . More preferably, the cargo 52 is installed at a position where the cargo 52 is not affected by the wake region generated by the propeller 2 behind. In addition, the mounting portion 5 can be provided at any position on the arm 4 . In addition, the position can also be changed by sliding movement or the like after installation.

<Instructions during flight>

Next, referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 , the flight mode of the aircraft 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. In addition, in the following description, for the sake of clarity, the three methods of ascending, horizontal movement and descending will be described separately, but it goes without saying that flying by a combination of these methods, such as horizontal movement while ascending, is also included. The way.

<When ascending>

The user operates the wireless control transmitter provided with the operation unit to increase the output of the motor 3 of the aircraft, thereby increasing the rotational speed of the propeller 2 . When the propeller 2 rotates, the lift force required to float the aircraft 1 is generated vertically upward. When the lift force exceeds the gravitational force acting on the flying body 1, the flying body 1 leaves the ground and takes off from the starting point.

When ascending, the entire aircraft 1 including the arms 4 is kept horizontal. In other words, when the lift forces generated by the propellers 2 are equal, the gravitational force acting on the aircraft 1 in the front-rear direction is the same with respect to the center of gravity Gh (the rotational moments around the center of gravity Gh cancel each other out in the left-right direction). Thereby, the flying body 1 can maintain the horizontal ascent.

In addition, when the weight acting on the flying body 1 and the lift force generated on the flying body 1 by the rotation of the propeller 2 are mechanically balanced, the flying body 1 can hover. At this time, the height of the flying body 1 is maintained at a constant level. The flying body 1 of the present embodiment maintains the same posture even when hovering.

<When moving horizontally>

When the aircraft 1 is traveling in the horizontal direction, the rotational speed of the propeller 2 located rearward in the traveling direction is controlled to be higher than the rotational speed of the propeller 2 located forward in the traveling direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1 , when moving horizontally in the traveling direction, the flying body 1 adopts a forward leaning posture. At this time, due to the presence of the hinge 50, the orientation of the cargo 52 remains horizontal. Further, due to the presence of the positioning member 7, the position of the support member 6 is positioned at the 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 further rearward from the gravity center Gh, the cargo 52 is not located in the wake region of the propeller 2 . Therefore, according to the aircraft 1 of the present embodiment, at least the flight efficiency when traveling in the horizontal direction can be improved.

<When descending (at the time of landing)>

As shown in FIG. 4 , the aircraft 1 lands at the destination, and the cargo 52 mounted on the mounting portion 5 is unloaded to the destination. That is, at the destination, the aircraft 1 is separated from the cargo 52 . The separation of the aircraft 1 and the cargo 52 is performed by detaching the cargo 52 from the mounting portion 5 . In order to achieve weight reduction, the aircraft 1 of the present embodiment does not have a landing gear. Therefore, when landing, the carried cargo 52 itself has the function of a landing gear. However, in the aircraft 1 of the present embodiment, due to the presence of the positioning member 7, the position of the support member 6 is positioned at the first positioning position (position where the mounting portion 5 is prevented from moving in the vertical and horizontal directions). Therefore, the aircraft 1 of the present embodiment can land at the destination in a state where the cargo 52 is fixed to the mounting portion 5 .

The above-mentioned flying body has the functional blocks shown in FIG. 5 . Additionally, the functional blocks of Figure 5 are minimal reference structures. The flight controller is a so-called processing unit. A processing unit may have more than one processor such as a programmable processor such as a central processing unit (CPU). The processing unit has a memory, not shown, and can access the memory. The memory stores logic, code and/or program instructions executable by the processing unit in order to perform one or more steps. The memory may also include, for example, a detachable medium such as an SD card, a random access memory (RAM), or an external storage device. The data obtained from the camera, sensor classes can also be passed directly and stored in memory. For example, still image and moving image data captured by a camera or the like are recorded in a built-in memory or an external memory.

The processing unit includes a control module configured to control the state of the flying body. For example, the control module controls the propulsion mechanism (motors, etc.) of the flying body to adjust the spatial configuration, velocity and/or the flying body with six degrees of freedom (translational motions x, y and z, and rotational motions θx, θy and θz) acceleration. 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 transceiver configured to transmit and/or receive data from one or more external devices (eg, a terminal, display device, or other remote controller). The transceiver unit can use any appropriate communication method such as wired communication or wireless communication. For example, the transceiver unit can utilize one or more of a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), infrared, wireless, WiFi, peer-to-peer (P2P) network, telecommunication network, cloud communication, and the like. The transceiver unit can transmit and/or receive one or more of data acquired by sensors, processing results generated by the processing unit, predetermined control data, and user commands from a terminal or a remote controller.

The sensor classes of this embodiment may include inertial sensors (acceleration sensors, gyroscope sensors), GPS sensors, proximity sensors (eg, radar), or vision/image sensors (eg, cameras).

The flying body of the present invention can be expected to be used as a dedicated flying body for delivery work, and as an industrial flying body in warehouses and factories. In addition, the flying body of the present invention can be used in industries related to aircraft such as multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles, and the present invention can be suitably used not only as a flying body for aerial photography mounted with a camera, etc., but also in the field of security, Agriculture, infrastructure monitoring and other industries.

The above-described embodiments are merely examples to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the interpretation of the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the present invention includes the equivalents thereof.

<Variation>

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , the position changing member may be constituted by a hook 90 , a connecting rod 91 , a link member 92 , and a block member 93 . The hook 90 is a block material in which the arm portion 90A and the arm portion 90B are formed by being bent in an L-shape in a side view. The front end of the arm portion 90B is pivotally supported by the mounting portion 5 , and one end of the connecting rod 91 is rotatably connected to the middle portion of the arm portion 90B through a shaft. The other end of the connecting rod 91 is rotatably connected to one end of the link member 92 via 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 in accordance with the state of contact and separation between the distal end of the wrist portion 30 and the mounting portion 5 . That is, in a state where the position of the mounting portion 5 is positioned at the first positioning position, the distal end of the arm portion 30 is in contact with the mounting portion 5 . On the other hand, in a state where the position of the mounting portion 5 is positioned at the second positioning position, the distal end of the arm portion 30 is separated from the contact position with the mounting portion 5 .

Symbol Description.

1 flying body

2 propellers (lift generator)

3 motors

4 arms (arms)

5 Mounting part

6 Support parts

7 Positioning parts

53 Oval cam (rotating part)

54 A pair of connecting grooves

60 The first link part

61 Second link part

70 Force Parts

71 A pair of connecting claws.

Claims (4)

1. A flying object capable of traveling at least in a front-rear direction, comprising:

a lift force generation section;

an arm portion that holds the lift force generation portion;

a mounting portion provided on the arm portion and having a connecting portion that maintains at least a horizontal orientation of the mounting object;

a support member having one end supported by the mounting portion and the other end supported by the mounting portion and movable in a front-rear direction; and

and a positioning member that selectively positions the position of the support member at 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.

2. The flying object of claim 1, wherein,

the support member is configured to connect the other end of the first link member having one end connected to the mounting portion and the other end of the second link member having one end connected to the mounting portion to each other, and to set the connection point as a movable input point,

the support member has a shape extending substantially linearly in a state where the position of the support member is positioned at the first positioning position by the positioning member,

the support member has a curved shape in a state where the position of the support member is positioned at the second positioning position by the positioning member.

3. The flying object of claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the mounting portion includes:

a rotating member having an elliptical cross-section; and

a pair of coupling grooves provided at positions facing both ends in the width direction of the rotating member,

the positioning member has:

a biasing member that contacts both width-direction end portions of the rotating member to bias the rotating member in the width direction; and

a pair of coupling claw portions provided at positions corresponding to the coupling groove portions, respectively,

the positioning member positions the support member at the first positioning position with the longitudinal direction of the rotating member directed in the front-rear direction,

the positioning member positions the support member at the second positioning position in a state where the rotating member is rotated against the biasing force of the biasing member so that the longitudinal direction thereof is oriented in the left-right direction and the coupling claw portions are fitted into the coupling groove portions.

4. The flying object of any one of claims 1-3, wherein,

the positioning member positions the position of the support member at the first positioning position when hovering or flying,

when falling, the positioning component positions the position of the supporting component at the second positioning position.

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