JP6202533B2 - Multicopter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a multicopter provided with a plurality of rotor blades, and more particularly to a multicopter that performs predetermined operations by flying unmanned by radio control or autonomous control.

  In recent years, multicopters, which are flying bodies each provided with rotor blades (rotors) on a plurality of arms extending radially from the main body, have become widespread. For example, each of four or more rotor blades is placed in a symmetrical position. Quad copter (4 rotors), hexacopter (6 rotors) and octocopter (8 rotors) placed on the arm are small in size but excellent in flight stability and easy for attitude control and motion control. Widely used.

  For example, the thing of Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2012-228944 implement | achieves the cross wind stabilization in the outdoors use by providing a cross wind stabilization board, and is described in Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2013-189036. As described above, it is also well known that the vehicle can fly unmanned by autonomous control using radio control or GPS positioning means, and can transmit the acquired data to the base station while performing operations such as photographing and measurement at the destination.

  Such multicopters are useful for remotely obtaining necessary information in places where humans and manned aircraft are difficult to enter, such as investigations in disaster areas, volcano observations, investigations of radioactively contaminated areas, conflict areas, etc. It is most suitable for work in places / regions that are dangerous and difficult for people to perform, such as collecting information. Recently, an attempt has been made to use a multicopter as a carrier for delivery.

  However, currently popular multicopters usually use an electric motor as a drive source in order to reduce the size, ensure control, etc., and use an internal combustion engine as the drive source. Since the flight time is much shorter than that, the range of activity tends to be limited, and the working time is also limited. In addition, when the activity destination is branched to a plurality of locations on the way or a plurality of operations need to be performed at the same time, it is difficult to effectively and efficiently cope with the existing multicopter.

JP 2012-228944 A JP2013-189036A

  The present invention is intended to solve the above-described problems, and a multi-copter that performs a predetermined work by flying unattended can simultaneously perform work at a plurality of points while allowing a wider range of activities to be covered. The challenge is to do so.

  Accordingly, the present invention includes a main body portion having a flight control means, a plurality of arms extending radially from the main body portion, and a motor-driven rotor disposed in each arm, and is unmanned. In a multicopter that performs a predetermined work, a holding means for mounting and separating one or more slave units is provided at a predetermined position of the aircraft, and the aircraft is operated as a master unit with the slave units mounted. In addition, it is possible to perform an operation or / and a setting in which the slave unit is separated and flying separately at a predetermined position.

  In this way, it is possible to separate and fly a child device at a predetermined position while mounting one or more child devices as a parent device, so that the child device can be covered to a difficult range by itself, Assuming that one or more slave units perform operations different from the master unit, work at a plurality of points can be performed simultaneously.

  Further, in this multicopter, the slave unit is a multicopter provided with a rotor on each of a plurality of arms radially extending from the main body, and each arm is folded in a predetermined direction. If it is characterized by being held and mounted by the holding means at a predetermined position of the main body, it is possible to hold more slave units by folding and mounting the slave units in a compact state that is difficult to bulk. It will be possible.

  In this case, the holding means is suspended from the lower surface side of the main body portion or arranged vertically through the main body portion, and stores and holds the slave unit therein, and releases and separates downward from the lower end side. The child device is stored in a state where the arm is folded in the storage body, and the child device is released downward by gravity by releasing the holding state, and the separation work is completed. If it is characterized by this, the slave unit can be safely separated during the flight of the master unit, and it is easy to shift to the flight state as it is.

  Further, in the above-described multicopter, communication can be performed with a slave unit separated by a predetermined communication means, and transmission / reception of data signals to / from the slave unit or / and the administrator side and the slave unit If it is characterized by the fact that the relay of communication between the two devices can be executed, it becomes easier to reliably perform a wide range of work by the slave unit.

  Furthermore, in the above-described multicopter, the child machine has a holding means and can be equipped with a grandchild machine, and the child machine equipped with the grandchild machine is mounted and can fly as the parent machine. If it is possible to operate or / and set the child machine separated from the machine in a predetermined position to fly the grandchild machine, it is possible to work with a wider range of aircraft. Is possible.

  In addition, in the above-described multicopter, a planar solar cell is arranged on the upper surface of the main body or / and the main body of the child device or / and the upper surface of the arm, and is in flight or / and on standby It is said that the battery can be recharged and the battery can be charged. Therefore, it is possible to use the electric power for the communication and to charge the battery, so that a wider range of work is possible.

  And if the above-mentioned multicopter is a multicopter complex having a child machine or a child machine equipped with a grandchild machine as a parent machine, it is possible to cover a wider range of activities by using this. Work at the same time.

  According to the present invention in which one or more slave units are mounted as a master unit and the slave units are separated and flying separately at a predetermined position, work at a plurality of points can be performed simultaneously while enabling a wider activity range to be covered. It can be done.

(A) is a top view of the multicopter which is 1st Embodiment in this invention, (B) is a front view of (A). (A) is the front view which folded the arm of the subunit | mobile_unit which can be mounted in the multicopter of FIG. 1, (B) is the front view which expanded the arm of the subunit | mobile_unit of (A). (A) is a front view of the application example of the child device of FIG. 2 in a folded state, (B) is a front view of the application example of the child device of (A) in a folded state, and (C) is the child device of FIG. It is the front view which made the modified example of the folded state. (A) is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view of a state in which the child device of FIG. 2 is housed in a cylindrical housing body, and (B) is a plane showing a state in which the child device of (A) is released from the housing body and the arm is unfolded. FIG. (A) is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a state in which the slave unit of FIG. 3 (A) is stored in a cylindrical storage body, and (B) is a state in which the slave unit of (A) is released from the storage unit and the arm is unfolded. FIG. (A) is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a state in which the slave unit of FIG. 3 (B) is stored in a cylindrical storage body, and (B) is a state in which the slave unit of (A) is released from the storage unit and the arm is unfolded. FIG. (A) is a top view of the multicopter which is 2nd Embodiment in this invention, (B) is a front view of (A). (A) And (B) is a top view of the main-body part in the application example of the multicopter of FIG. FIG. 8A is a plan view in which a slave unit that can be mounted on the multicopter in FIG. 7 is in a folded state, and FIG. 8B is a plan view in which an arm of the slave unit in FIG. (A) is the top view which made the modification of the subunit | mobile_unit of FIG. 9 into the folding state, (B) is the top view which made the arm of the subunit | mobile_unit of (A) unfolded. 10A is a plan view in which a modification of the slave unit in FIG. 10 is folded, FIG. 10B is a side view of FIG. 10A, and FIG. 10C is a plan view in which the arm of the slave unit in FIG. It is. (A) is a plan view in which another modification of the slave unit of FIG. 10 is in a folded state, (B) is a side view of (A), and (C) is an unfolded state of the arm of the slave unit of (A). It is a top view. (A) is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a storage state when the slave unit of FIG. 9 is mounted on the master unit of FIG. 7, and (B) is a slave unit of FIG. 11 mounted on the master unit of FIG. 8 (B). FIG. 13C is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing the storage state when the slave unit of FIG. 12 is mounted on the master unit of FIG. 8B. 8A is a partial bottom view showing a modified example of the storage body of FIG. 8B, and FIG. 7B is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a storage state when a slave unit is mounted on the modified example of the storage body of FIG. is there. (A) is an enlarged partial view showing an example of an arm folding means, and (B) is an enlarged partial view showing an example of another folding means. 4A is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a mechanism for holding / separating the slave unit in the holding unit of FIG. 4A, and FIG. FIG. 14C is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of a mechanism for separating, and FIG. 14C is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of a mechanism for holding and separating the slave unit in the holding means of FIG. 14B. (A) is an expanded partial longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows an example of the connection structure in a holding means, (B) is a cross-sectional view of (A). (A) is a top view which shows the state which connected two multicopters as 3rd Embodiment in this invention, (B) is a front view of (A). (A) is a front view of a state in which a child machine and grandchild machines are mounted using the multicopter of FIG. 18 as a parent machine, and (B) is a front view of a state in which three grandchild machines are mounted on the parent machine. It is a front view which shows the state which isolate | separated the multicopter complex of FIG. 19 (A). FIG. 19A is an enlarged partial longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a connection structure in the multicopter complex of FIG. 19A, and FIG. 19B is a transverse sectional view of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example of the multicopter composite_body | complex by the multicopter of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of operation | use of the multicopter complex of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 (A) shows a plan view of a multicopter 1A as the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 (B) shows a front view thereof. In this multicopter 1A, arms 4a, 4b, 4c,..., 4h are radially extended from the respective side surfaces of the tablet-like main body 2A in an octagonal plan view, and the rotors 6a, 6b are provided at the respective distal ends. , 6c,..., 6h is an unmanned octocopter provided with electric motors 5a, 5b, 5c,.

  The main body 2A is equipped with a power storage means (battery) (not shown), a communication means, a flight control means having a GPS positioning function / attitude control function / flight route storage function, etc. It is possible to fly autonomously on the set route, and it can be equipped with various work devices according to the work purpose such as measurement means / photographing means, etc., and it is also possible to store or transmit various data acquired by these It is.

  And 7 cylindrical storage bodies 21a, 21b, 21c,..., 21g constituting the holding means for holding the slave unit are suspended from the lower surface side of the main body 2A. It is possible to store each child device with the arm folded in the vertical direction inside, and by releasing the holding state, the child device can be released downward from the lower end side by gravity and separated. This point is the greatest feature in the present embodiment.

  2A, the multicopter 1A of FIG. 1 is used as a master unit, and the multicopter 10A as a slave unit stored in the storage bodies 21a, 21b, 21c,. The arm 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d which provided electric motor 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d with 16c, 16d at the front-end | tip is shown in the state folded vertically, FIG. (B) shows the arm 14a, 14b. , 14c, 14d are shown expanded.

  This multi-copter 10A is also equipped with power storage means, communication means, flight control means, etc. (not shown) in the main unit 12A, and can fly autonomously by wireless remote operation or a preset route. The same is true in that various unmanned quadcopters equipped with various working devices such as measuring means and photographing means according to the work purpose can store or transmit various data obtained.

  In addition, the multicopter 10A is remarkably smaller in size than the multicopter 1A that is the master unit, and the arms 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d can be moved up and down in the elevation direction on the tip side. The base end side is pivotally attached to the main body portion 12A, and these can be folded further upward to be more compact, and can be stored in the storage bodies 21a, 21b, 21c,. It becomes.

  3A and 3B show application examples of the above-described multicopter 10A as a slave unit. FIG. 5A shows a multicopter 10B in which the arms 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d are folded on the lower surface side of the main body 10B in the opposite direction to the multicopter 10A described above, and FIG. The multicopter 10C is a multicopter 10C that is provided with a connection fitting 121 for connecting to the base unit on the bottom surface side of the machine and is stored and held in the upside down direction with respect to the multicopter 10A. On the other hand, the multicopter 10D of FIG. (C) is a system in which the arms 18a, 18b, 18c, and 18d are folded in a state of being further bent along the way like a folding umbrella.

  FIG. 4A shows a state in which the multicopter 10A of FIG. 2 is stored in the storage body 21a of the multicopter 1A that is the master unit. When the multicopter 1A is released from the holding state during the flight, the multicopter 10A is released from the lower end side of the cylindrical storage body 21a by gravity, and as shown in FIG. (B), the arms 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d is developed by a predetermined driving means to be in a flightable posture.

  Although the multicopter 10B of FIG. 3 (A) is the same, as shown in FIG. 5 (A), the multicopter 10B is stored in the storage body 21a upside down as described above, and the holding state is released, so that FIG. As shown in FIG. In this case, as a method of deploying the arms 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d, the rotors are rotated after being opened to a position where the rotors do not interfere with predetermined elastic repulsion means, and the arms 17a, 17b, It is assumed that the tip ends of 17c and 17d are lifted.

  On the other hand, the multicopter 10C in FIG. 3 (B) has a configuration in which a connecting bracket 121 is simply added to the bottom surface of the main body portion 12A of the multicopter 10A. However, as shown in FIG. In FIG. 4A, it is stored upside down. In this case, by releasing the engagement of the connecting metal member 121, the arms 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d are deployed by a predetermined driving means as shown in FIG. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3C, it is characterized in that it is turned upside down to have a normal orientation.

  On the other hand, the height of the multicopter 10D of FIG. 3C is about half that of the folded state of the multicopter 10A. Therefore, although illustration is omitted, it is also possible to store a plurality of machines in the vertical direction in one storage body. The multicopters 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D as the slave units described above are preferably configured to be locked and fixed at the positions when the arms reach the deployed positions.

  FIG. 7 (A) shows a plan view of a multicopter 1B according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 (B) shows a front view thereof. This multicopter 1B has the same basic structure as the multicopter 1A described above, but the cylindrical storage body 22a constituting the holding means of the slave unit moves the center position of the main body 2B up and down. It is characterized by being penetrating, and in order to store and mount a plurality of slave units in one storage body 22a, the arm of the slave unit is folded horizontally to form a flat plate (tablet shape) It is also a feature.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the arm of the slave unit is folded in the horizontal direction. However, the arm is not necessarily in the shape of a disk in a plan view in the housed state, and is assumed to have a shape in a plan view. The storage body 22b penetrating the main body 2C may be a prismatic shape as shown in FIG. 2, and further, it may be a storage body 22c in a mode in which a prismatic space is partitioned in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. .

  FIG. 9A shows a multicopter 10E with arms 24a, 24b, 24d, and 24e folded in the horizontal direction in order to store the multicopter 1B of FIG. 7 in the cylindrical storage body 22a. Show. In this multicopter 10E, arms 24a, 24b, 24d, and 24e that are curved in an arc shape so as to be in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the disc-shaped main body portion 23A are pivotally attached to the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 23A. It opens and closes in the horizontal direction.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 9 (B), the main rotor 29A disposed at the center of the upper surface of the main body 23A after being separated from the main unit is rotationally driven, whereby the main body 23A rotates in the reverse direction due to the reaction. The arms 24a, 24b, 24d, and 24e are expanded by the centrifugal force and fixed at the positions. That is, the multi-copter 10E as a slave unit is extremely small in volume by adopting such an arm folding method, so that the maximum number of slave units can be mounted while minimizing the storage capacity in the master unit. It is what.

  FIG. 10A shows a multicopter 10F as a modified example of the above-described multicopter 10E, in which the storage state is a tablet having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. In this example, the main body 23B has a square shape in plan view, and the arms 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d are linear and come into close contact with the side surface of the main body 23B in a folded state. As shown in FIG. 8 (B), the arm is developed by rotating the main rotor 29B after being separated from the parent machine, and the prismatic shape shown in FIGS. 8 (A) and 8 (B). It is assumed that they are stored in the storage bodies 22b and 22c.

  FIG. 11A shows a plan view of a multicopter 10G as a modification of the above-described multicopter 10F, FIG. 11B shows a side view, and FIG. 11C shows a plan view when the arm is deployed. This modification is characterized in that the arms 26a, 26b, 26c, and 26d are folded in a parallel direction to form a generally rectangular tablet shape in plan view, thereby reducing the lateral width when stored. Is possible.

  FIG. 12A shows a plan view of a multicopter 10H as another modification of the multicopter 10F, FIG. 12B shows a side view, and FIG. 12C shows a plan view when the arm is deployed. This modification is characterized in that the adjacent arms 27a, 27d and arms 27b, 27c are folded in an overlapping direction so that the width on the longer diameter side becomes shorter than that of the above-described multicopter 10G.

  FIG. 13A is a longitudinal sectional view showing a storage state of the storage body 22a when the multicopter 10E of FIG. 9 is mounted as a slave unit on the multicopter 1B of FIG. In this case, the multicopter 10E, which has been compacted by being folded into a substantially disk shape as a whole, is stacked in the vertical direction inside the cylindrical storage body 22a and stored in five units, realizing an extremely efficient storage state. doing. In the storage, each slave unit is placed in a cylindrical case having an upper surface or a lower surface opened, thereby making it possible to minimize separation and facilitate the separation operation. Although not shown, the same applies to the case where the multicopter 10F shown in FIG. 10 having a square shape in plan view is stored in the prismatic storage body 22b shown in FIG.

  FIG. 13B shows a storage state when the multicopter 10G of FIG. 11 is held in the partitioned storage body 22c of FIG. 8B, and FIG. 13C shows the multicopter of FIG. The storage state when 10H is held in the storage body 22c is shown. As described above, by storing the child devices folded in a tablet shape in the storage body 22c partitioned in the vertical direction in parallel in the vertical direction, an extremely efficient storage state is realized.

  On the other hand, as shown in the bottom view of FIG. 14A, as a modified example of FIG. 8B, a storage chamber having the same shape and size as the individual storage chambers divided into three by the storage body 22c is configured. Even when a plurality of storage bodies 22d are arranged on the lower surface side of the main body 2E, efficient storage can be realized as described above. Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, the multicopter 10I is stored in a storage body 22e similar to the storage body 22a shown in FIG. 7 while folding the arms in the vertical direction and overlapping the multicopter 10I like badminton blades. In this case, it is easier to perform the storing and separating operations by increasing the inner diameter of the storage body 22e from the top to the bottom as shown in the figure.

  FIG. 15 shows an example of a mechanism for actively deploying the arm of the slave unit. Fig. (A) shows a system in which an actuator such as a servo motor 50 is arranged on the base end side of the arm, and the arm is operated and fixed in the deployment direction by energization. Fig. (B) shows the arm deployed on the base end side of the arm. This is a system in which a spring 60 is disposed so as to be urged in the direction, the arm is folded against the repulsive force of the spring and stored in the storage body, and the arm is automatically deployed by being escaped from the storage body. Although the figure shows the case where the arm is expanded in the horizontal direction, the same applies to the case where the arm is expanded in the vertical direction. Further, as described above, a method of deploying the arm using the centrifugal force generated by rotating the main body portion or the lift of the rotor is possible, and a plurality of methods described above may be combined.

  Next, an example of a mechanism for latching and separating the slave unit inside the storage body will be described as a part of the holding unit of the slave unit in each embodiment described above. FIG. 16 (A) shows a state in which the multicopter 10A as the slave unit is sandwiched from the left and right by the rollers 70a and 70b inside the storage body 21a of the multicopter 1A as the master unit. In this method, the multicopter 10A is pushed downward and separated by rotating 70a and 70b in the direction of the arrow.

  FIG. 16B shows a multi-copter 10E as a slave unit stacked in a plurality of stages inside the housing 22a of the multi-copter 1B as a master unit, and the lowermost stage is sandwiched between the rollers 70c and 70d from the left and right. This is a system in which the rollers 70c and 70d are rotated in the direction of the arrow to separate the multicopter 10E in order from the bottom while pushing it downward. 16A and 16B is also suitable for the slave unit storage system shown in FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 14A.

  In FIG. 16C, the lower end side of the multi-copter 10I that is a plurality of slave units in the storage body 22e of FIG. 14B is closed by the gates 80a and 80b, and opened and closed to open the bottom. In this method, the arms of the multicopter 10I are urged by a spring or the like in the expanding direction so that the inner peripheral surface forming the tapered space is pressed on the distal end side of the arm. Therefore, each aircraft is easy to move in the separation direction.

  FIG. 17A is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a mechanism for latching the latch metal 121 of the multicopter 10B of FIG. 3A and the multicopter 10C of FIG. FIG. (B) shows a cross-sectional view thereof. The latch 121 is made of a mushroom-like member, and the hook 131 is engaged with the small-diameter portion from the side when the latch 121 is inserted from below into the latch hole 130 on the base unit side. Thus, by engaging, the latch member 121 is in a state where it cannot be removed, and the latched state is fixed and maintained.

  The hook 131 is urged in the latching direction by a spring 132, and an arcuate engagement portion formed on the tip side thereof is engaged with a small diameter portion of the latch 121. In addition, the outer peripheral side of the upper surface of the large-diameter portion of the saddle fitting 131 is chamfered to form an umbrella shape as a whole, and the engaging portion of the saddle fitting 131 is slid on the surface by the operation of inserting into the retaining hole 130 from below. The engagement portion is adapted to engage with the small diameter portion when the large diameter portion passes by being inserted to a predetermined depth.

  Further, at the time of separation, when the actuator 133 is energized, the metal fitting 131 moves backward and the latched state is released. Further, a connecting hole for making an electrical connection with the base unit is opened at the front end surface of the latching metal 121 so as to be connected to the connection terminal 134 on the base unit side in the latched state. ing. In order to secure the connection between the base unit side and the slave unit side, a permanent magnet is disposed on one of the contact surfaces, and a magnetic body is disposed on the other contact surface so that it is attracted by a magnetic force. Alternatively, at the time of separation, the separation operation may be promoted by magnetic repulsion by energizing an electromagnetic coil arranged on the magnetic body side so as to have the same polarity as the permanent magnet side.

  FIG. 18A shows a plan view of a multicopter complex 1Ca formed by connecting two multicopters 1C according to the third embodiment of the present invention up and down, and FIG. 18B is a front view thereof. Is shown. In the present embodiment, the slave unit mounted on the master unit is similar to the master unit, and is held while being connected to the lower surface side and / or the upper surface side of the parent device without folding the arm. It is characterized by.

  This multicopter complex 1Ca is an octet that connects two multicopters 1C, which are unmanned quadcopters having arms 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d having motor-driven rotors on the front end side. It is a copter that is connected to each other so that the upper and lower rotors do not overlap each other with a 45 ° offset around the central axis. In addition to being used as an octocopter to drive all rotors, It is also possible to drive the rotor and use one as a master unit and the other as a slave unit.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, a multicopter 100 that is smaller than the multicopter 1C and mainly assumed to be used as a slave unit, and a similar smaller form than the multicopter 100. It is also characterized in that it can be used in combination with a multicopter 1000 that is mainly intended for use as a grandchild machine. That is, as shown in FIG. (A), the multicopter complex 1Cb formed by connecting the multicopter 1C as a master unit, the multicopter 100 as a slave unit, and the multicopter 1000 as a grandchild unit, or as shown in FIG. In addition, various combinations such as a multicopter complex 1Cd in which the multicopter 1C is connected as a master unit and the three multicopters 1000 as slave units are assumed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the structure of the connecting portion by the combination of the concavo-convex structure forming a part of the holding means for connecting the parent device and the child device and the child device and the grandchild device is common to all the aircraft. It is characterized by that. That is, as shown in FIG. 20, the connecting convex bodies 122a, 122b, 122c projecting at the center of the upper surface of the main body portions 2F, 2G, 2H of the multicopters 1C, 100, 1000 have the same shape and size. In addition, the connecting recesses 123a, 123b, 123c (not shown) formed by recessing the center position of the lower surface of the main body portions 2F, 2G, 2H have the same shape and size according to the shapes of the connecting protrusions 122a, 122b, 122c. It is possible to connect a plurality of machines in the vertical direction while matching the central axis with the combination of all the airframes.

  In addition, the connecting convex bodies 122a, 122b, and 122c are formed by chamfering a quadrangular pyramid (pyramid) ridge line, and the inner shapes of the connecting concave bodies 123a, 123b, and 123c are the same. In the state where the horizontal angle of the combination of the two is shifted by 45 ° from each other, the orientation is automatically corrected while sliding with the chamfered shape without overlapping in the correct orientation, and the aircraft is connected up and down, Since the angular position is accurately deviated by 45 °, the upper and lower rotors do not overlap in plan view.

  FIG. 21A shows an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view in a connected state of the connecting concave body 123a and the connecting convex body 122b constituting the connecting portion described above. As shown in the drawing, an engagement body 1230 formed in a mushroom shape substantially similar to the connection fitting 121 in the above-described embodiment is provided on the distal end side of the connection convex body 122b, and the upper end side of the connection concave body 123a. Includes a connecting mechanism having the same structure as that shown in FIG.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 21 (A), as in the connection mechanism described in FIG. 17, at the time of connection, the engaging portion of the metal fitting 137 is engaged with the small-diameter portion of the engaging body 1230 to be in a hooked state. At times, the actuator 139 is operated to retract the bar bracket 137 to release the hooked state. Further, a connection terminal 1231 for electrically connecting the upper and lower machine bodies is disposed on the distal end side of the engagement body 1230, and is connected by being inserted into the connection hole 136 on the coupling recess 123a side.

  Next, an operation example using the multicopter according to the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 22 is a simplified diagram showing an operation example of a multicopter complex in which the multicopter 1A in FIG. 1 is used as a master unit and three multicopters 10B are installed as slave units. In this example, cameras are mounted on three multicopters 10B, and live images are simultaneously captured and transmitted at three points A, B, and C. In addition to the fact that the shooting location is far from the base station. Since it is distributed at multiple points, it cannot be performed with one multi-copter 1A with a follow-up distance of about 40km, but this can be performed by installing three slave units in the master unit. It is what.

  First, start from the starting point (base station) as a multi-copter complex with three slave units installed in the master unit, separate the three slave units in the air at the 30km point, and fly as they are. Lands at that position and waits. When each slave unit arrives at preset work points A, B, and C using GPS positioning means, etc., it captures the target object while flying or landing and transmits video data to the base station. To do.

  At that time, if communication with the base station becomes insufficient due to the terrain and distance of the work point, the base unit waiting at the separation point relays communication between the slave unit and the base station . In this way, a plurality of slave units mounted on the master unit are separated on the way, and they are individually operated by flying to each work point. In addition to being able to cover points where it was possible, it is possible to perform various operations simultaneously at multiple points. Such operation can also be applied to the multicopters 1B and 1C described above as the master unit, and can be applied to all of the multicopters 10A to 1000 described above as slave units.

  FIG. 23 shows an operation example in which a predetermined article is transported / dropped to a destination and then returned to the departure point using the multicopter complex 1Cb of FIG. 19 (A). If the cruising distance of the multicopter 1C alone is 50 km, if the destination is 35 km from the departure point, it will be 70 km in a round trip, so it is not possible to return with only one aircraft.

  Therefore, by connecting the multicopter 1C as a parent machine, the multicopter 100 as a child machine, and the multicopter 1000 as a grandchild machine to form a multicopter complex 1Cb, the work can be executed. That is, assuming that the cruising distance of the multicopter complex 1Cb, which is increased in weight by installing the child machine / grandchild machine, is 40 km, the parent machine is landed as it is while the child machine is separated at the separation point A of 15 km from the departure point. The child machine waits, the child machine is separated at a separation point B 25 km from the departure point, and the child machine is landed and waits as it is.

  Then, the grandchild arrives at a target point of 35 km from the departure point, separates and drops the transported goods that have been held, and then flies as it is before returning home. After that, the grandchild machine is connected to the child machine waiting at the separation point B to form a child machine, which flies to the separation point A and is connected to the parent machine waiting to be connected to the parent child. The machine, that is, the multicopter complex 1Cb (in reverse order of loading) is constructed, and this flies back to the departure point.

  As described above, the multicopter complex 1Cb formed by connecting the parent machine, the child machine, and the grandchild machine so as to be separable from each other is separated twice in the middle of the outgoing path and connected twice in the middle of the backward path. As a result, even if it is a work point that has been considered impossible to return in the past, it is possible to return with a margin. Also in this example, it goes without saying that the parent device or the child device can relay the communication between the grandchild device and the base station. Furthermore, the above-described operation can be implemented by various other combinations using the multicopters 1C, 100, and 1000.

  It should be noted that a planar solar cell is disposed on the upper surface of the main body or / and arm of the multicopter used in each operation described above, and power storage means (battery) is provided as necessary while generating power during flight and standby. With a configuration that can be charged, for example, in standby, it is possible to use power generated by solar power generation in a relay of communication, or to supplement power that is insufficient to return, so further cover The range can be expanded.

  In addition, if the main body of the multicopter has a liquid-tight structure inside and outside, it can float on the water surface for a predetermined time or more, and even when the standby point is on the water, it can be standby and relayed, and the recovery work is also possible It becomes relatively easy. Furthermore, the color of the stand-by parent machine and child machine so that it blends into the situation at the waiting point can minimize the risk of being taken away by others.

  As described above, the multicopter that performs unmanned flight and performs a predetermined work can be performed at a plurality of points at the same time by the present invention while covering a wider activity range.

  1A, 1B, 1C, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F, 10G, 10H, 10I, 100, 1000 Multicopter, 1Ca, 1Cb, 1Cd Multicopter complex, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2F, 2G, 2H, 12A, 12B, 12D, 23A, 23B Main body, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f, 4g, 4h, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d, 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d, 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d, 24d, 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d, 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d, 27a, 27b, 27c, 27d, 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d arm, 5a , 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 5h, 15a, 15b, 15c, 15 Electric motor, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f, 6g, 6h, 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d Rotor, 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d, 21e, 21f, 21g, 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, 22e container

Claims (7)

  A main body provided with a flight control means, a plurality of arms extending radially from the main body, and a motor-driven rotor disposed in each arm, and performing unmanned flight to perform a predetermined work In the multicopter to be performed, the aircraft is provided with holding means for mounting and separating one or more slave units at a predetermined position of the aircraft, and the aircraft is flying as the master unit with the slave units mounted, The multicopter is characterized in that the operation or / and setting for separating the slave units and flying separately is possible.   The slave unit is a multicopter provided with a plurality of arms extending radially from a main body, each having a rotor, and the arms are folded in a predetermined direction and placed in a predetermined position on the main body. The multicopter according to claim 1, wherein the multicopter is mounted by being held by the holding means.   The holding means is a method of suspending from the lower surface side of the main body part or penetrating up and down the main body part, storing and holding the slave unit therein, and releasing / separating downward from the lower end side. Having a storage body, the child device is stored in a state in which the arm is folded in the storage body, and by releasing the holding state, the child device is released downward by gravity to complete the separation work; The multicopter according to claim 2.   Communication is possible with the slave unit separated by a predetermined communication means, and transmission / reception of data signals with the slave unit and / or communication between the administrator side and the slave unit The multicopter according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the relay is executable.   The slave unit has a holding unit so that a grandchild device can be mounted, and the slave device on which the grandchild device is mounted is allowed to fly as the master device, and the slave device is separated from the master device. 5. The multicopter according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein a slave unit can be operated or / and set so that the grandchild plane can fly in a predetermined position.   A planar solar cell is disposed on the upper surface of the main body or / and the upper surface of the arm of the parent device or / and the child device, and generates power during flight or / and standby and charges the battery. The multicopter according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein A multicopter complex in which the multicopter according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 is mounted with the child device on which the child device or grandchild device is mounted as the parent device.

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