Unmanned flying body

Abstract

To provide an unmanned flying body that can effectively obtain a turning force with a plurality of rotors.SOLUTION: An unmanned flying body includes: a plurality of rotors for generating thrust; and a shield part positioned between any two adjacent rotors in plan view and shielding a lower side air current of the two rotors during flight.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to unmanned air vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles such as drones have been used in various fields such as facility inspection. The unmanned aerial vehicle is equipped with multiple rotors to obtain thrust for lifting. For example, see Patent Document 1. 1 discloses a method for controlling an aircraft to turn by varying the rotation speed of the rotors. It has been done. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-111181 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A technique for more efficient flight of such an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with multiple rotors is proposed. Technique is required.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above problems, and its object is to provide a rotor having a plurality of rotor blades. The present invention provides an unmanned aerial vehicle that can obtain a turning force more efficiently. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, a rotor blade for generating thrust and adjacent rotor blades in a plan view A shield located between two rotors that blocks the airflow under the two rotors during flight. An unmanned air vehicle is provided that includes a cover. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of efficiently obtaining turning force by using multiple rotors can be provided. can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] A plan view diagrammatically illustrating an unmanned aerial vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 2 is a front view of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining torque generated between adjacent rotor blades. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a plan view of an aircraft shown for comparison. [Diagram 5] A plan view showing a schematic diagram of the torque generated when the unmanned aerial vehicle according to this embodiment turns. [Figure 6] A side view of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the same embodiment. [Figure 7] A diagram showing an example of the configuration of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to the same embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are The same reference numerals are used to denote the same components, and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

[0010] <Summary> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure in a plan view. The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 of this embodiment (hereinafter, simply referred to as the "aircraft") generates lift by multiple rotors. The aircraft 1 in this example is an unmanned aircraft, but it can be used with a person on board. The present invention may also be applied to manned aircraft.

[0011] As shown in the plan view of FIG. 1, the aircraft 1 includes a main body 1 located at the center of the aircraft in a plan view. 0 (aircraft body), and a plurality of rotors supported by the main body 10 for generating thrust for flight. As shown in the front view of FIG. The main body 10 is provided with a shielding portion 30, and the shielding portion 30 is formed by two adjacent shielding portions in the circumferential direction around the main body 10. The rotor 20 is located between the rotors 20 (between the left and right rotors in this example). It is configured to block airflow between the rotors.

[0012] The main body 10 includes a control unit, a storage unit, a communication unit, a sensor unit, an imaging unit (camera), and the like, which will be described later. The electronic components that make up the device are provided with a frame that supports them, and a cover that covers the electronic components. The center of gravity of the aircraft 1 is preferably located approximately at the center of the main body 10 in a plan view. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0013] The shielding part 30 of this example is configured to be detachable from the lower surface side of the main body part 10. The shielding portion 30 constitutes a battery pack having a built-in rechargeable battery. When the battery runs short, a battery pack equipped with a pre-charged battery is inserted into the shielding portion 30. The battery can provide power to the rotor. At the joint between the main body 10 and the 30, a connector (contact point) for power supply or signal communication is provided. At least a part of a storage unit, a control unit, etc., which will be described later, is provided inside the shielding unit 30. It may have constituent parts.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the rotor 20 (20A, 20B, 20C, 20D) of this example is The number of rotors 20 is not limited to four, and may be three or more. The number of blades constituting the rotor 20 may be five or less. There is no limitation to the shape and number of blades. The rotor blade may have a plurality of blades arranged in the axial direction.

[0015] The aircraft 1 of this embodiment has a left front rotor 20A located on the left front side of the main body 10, a right front rotor 20B located on the left rear side; a left rear rotor 20C located on the right rear side; In this example, the main body 10 has two rotors adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction. 20 are configured to rotate in opposite directions during flight, but in the same direction. It may also be rotated.

[0016] In this example, the left front rotor 20A and the right rear rotor 20D rotate clockwise (CW) in a plan view. The right front rotor 20B and the left rear rotor 20C are configured to rotate in the kwise direction. 20C is configured to rotate counterclockwise (CCW) in a plan view. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and may be configured such that the rotors rotate in opposite directions. stomach.

[0017] Here, on the outside of the rotor (outside when viewed from the center of the aircraft in a plan view), Each rotor may be provided with a propeller guard. A cylindrical propeller duct may be provided surrounding the enclosure.

[0018] The rotor 20 in this example is supported by a rotor support portion (not shown) extending outward from the main body portion 10. The rotor 20 is supported on the lower side of the rotor support portion. A motor is located above the propeller that constitutes the rotor 20, and a rotor support part is located above the motor. The rotor 20 may be supported by the main body 10 from below.

[0019] When the aircraft 1 is hovering in the air, it basically uses four rotors 20 in the same direction. The rotation speed of the rotor 20 is adjusted according to the flight environment. For example, information on the flight environment, such as temperature, air pressure, wind speed, and wind direction, is collected and controlled appropriately. The information is acquired by sensors or received from external devices, and flight control is performed based on the information. The rollers determine the rotational speed of each rotor 20 to maintain proper flight conditions.

[0020] When the flying object 1 ascends, the rotation speed of the four rotors 20 is set to be equal to or faster than when hovering. When descending, the rotation speed is made evenly smaller than when hovering ( When the aircraft 1 moves forward, the front rotors (left front rotor 20A and right front rotor The rotation speed of the rotors (left rear rotor 20C and right rear rotor 20D) behind the rotor 20B When the aircraft 1 moves to the left, the left The rotors to the right of the rotors (left front rotor 20A and left rear rotor 20C) are the rotors to the right of the rotors (right front rotor 20A and right rear rotor 20C). When the aircraft moves to the right, the rotational speed of the rotor 20B and the right rear rotor 20D is increased, and when the aircraft moves to the right, the rotational speed of the rotor 20B and the right rear rotor 20D is decreased. The aircraft 1 moves while tilting in the direction of movement from the reference attitude during hovering.

[0021] When aircraft 1 turns left (counterclockwise), it turns clockwise (CW (Clockwise) direction). The rotation speed of the rotating rotors (in this example, the left front rotor 20A and the right rear rotor 20D) is A rotor that rotates counterclockwise (CCW (Counterclockwise) direction) (in this example, the right front rotor) 20B and the left rear rotor 20C) and when turning right, the rotation speed is made smaller. This is because a turning torque in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the rotor 20 is generated on the aircraft. I am using it.

[0022] When there is a difference in the rotation speed of two adjacent rotors in a plan view, as shown in Figure 3, As shown in Fig. 3, the rotor with the smaller rotation speed (rotor 20A in Fig. 3) is rotated from the rotor with the larger rotation speed (rotor 20B), an airflow (wind) is generated, and a turning torque in the opposite direction to this airflow is generated on the aircraft.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an aircraft 100 without a shielding portion for comparison. Thus, when the flying object 100 turns left (counterclockwise), the relative rotational speed is The smaller rotors (the right front rotor 20B and the left rear rotor 20C) rotate at a higher speed. Airflow is generated toward the left front rotor 20A and the right rear rotor 20D, and the rotors rotate in the opposite direction. In this case, a vortex caused by the airflow from the right front rotor 20B to the left front rotor 20A occurs. and a rotation torque T1 due to the airflow from the left rear rotor 20C to the left front rotor 20A. T2 act in a direction that cancels each other out. 3 and turning torque T4 also cancel each other out.

[0024] Therefore, as shown in the example of FIG. 5, between two adjacent rotors (the left front rotor 20A and the right Between the front rotor 20B and between the left rear rotor 20C and the right rear rotor 20D 30 is provided to make it difficult for airflow to occur between the two rotors below the rotors. This suppresses (or reduces) the generation of turning torques T1 and T3 in FIG. As a result, the turning torques T2 and T4 By effectively utilizing the above, the flying object 1 can be turned efficiently. In the main body 1, the two front rotors (left front rotor 2) are adjacent to each other in the left-right direction (width direction) of the aircraft. A shielding portion 30 (front portion) is provided between the right front rotor 20A and the right front rotor 20B, and The two rear rotors adjacent to each other in the left-right direction (width direction) (left rear rotor 20C and right rear rotor 20D), a shielding portion 30 (rear portion) is provided between the left front rotor 20A and the right front rotor 20D. 20B, and the turning torque between the left rear rotor 20C and the right rear rotor 20D. As a result, the airflow from the left rear rotor 20C to the left front rotor 20A and a rotation torque T2 caused by the airflow from the right front rotor 20B to the right rear rotor 20D. The torque T3 acts as a left turning torque, enabling efficient turning. When turning, a turning torque is generated in the opposite direction to the turning torques T2 and T4 in FIG. Therefore, even in this case, efficient turning is possible. It may extend from the front end to the rear end, or may be provided only in a portion of the aircraft in the front-rear direction. It may be possible to do so.

[0025] When the flying object 1 turns clockwise, the rotor blades rotate clockwise as shown in FIG. The rotation speed of the left front rotor 20A and the right rear rotor 20D (in this example) is increased by rotating counterclockwise. The rotation speed of the rotors (in this example, the right front rotor 20B and the left rear rotor 20C) is faster than the rotation speed of the rotors (in this example, the right front rotor 20B and the left rear rotor 20C). This reduces the swirl caused by the airflow from the right rear rotor 20D to the right front rotor 20B. A rotation torque T4 and a rotation torque due to the airflow from the left front rotor 20A to the left rear rotor 20C. Together with T3, these act as right turning torques, enabling efficient turning.

[0026] As described above, in the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 of this embodiment, multiple rotations are performed to generate thrust. The rotor blade 20 is located between any two adjacent rotor blades in a plan view, and during flight and a shielding portion 30 for blocking the airflow under the two rotor blades. The position and size of the shielding portion 30 are as follows: It is preferable to set it appropriately depending on the rotation direction of the rotors 20, the distance between the rotors 20, etc.

[0027] It is preferable that the shielding portion 30 is configured so that the shielding amount can be changed. The magnitude of the turning torque can be adjusted by changing the amount of shielding. For example, the shielding portion 30 is The shielding unit 30 may be configured to be partially detachable. It is connected via a removable connection and can be attached and detached. The configuration of the part is not particularly limited, but may be a hook mechanism that hooks one side onto the other, a claw engagement, or a magnetic force. The method may be a combination of one or more of the following: The shielding portion 30 may be configured to have a sliding structure so that the shielding amount can be changed. For example, a part of the shielding part 30 slides in the front-rear direction of the aircraft body, expanding and contracting in the front-rear direction. In this way, a part of the shielding portion 30 can slide vertically and expand and contract in the vertical direction. You may do so.

[0028] 6 is a side view of the aircraft 1. The shielding unit 30 is a shielding member for shielding the aircraft 1 in the vertical direction (axial direction of the rotor blades). As shown in FIG. 6, the shielding amount (high) of the shielding unit 30 in the vertical direction can be changed. The depth H) from the lower surface of the rotor 20 downward is preferably 1 / 3 or more of the diameter D, This is not limited to the above.

[0029] In addition, the shielding portion 30 is a straight line connecting the centers of the two rotors that sandwich the shielding portion 30 in a plan view. The length of the shielding portion in the direction perpendicular to the shielding portion (in the example of FIG. 1, the front-rear direction of the aircraft) may be changeable. The shielding amount in the horizontal direction (perpendicular to the line connecting the centers of the two rotors) of 30 (each length in Fig. 6) L) is preferably equal to or greater than 1 / 2 of the area between both radial ends of the rotor 20. It is preferable that the diameter is 1 / 2 or more of the diameter D, but is not limited thereto. It is sufficient that the area below the rotor blades is partially shielded.

[0030] FIG. 7 is a diagram (plan view) showing an example of the hardware configuration of the aircraft 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the aircraft 1 according to this embodiment has a rotational The wing 20, the motor 21, and the ESC (Electric Speed ​​Control In addition, the aircraft 1 has a flight controller 22 in the main body 10. The flight controller 23 includes, for example, a central processing unit (C PU) and FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) The processor 23 may have one or more processors 23b, such as a programmable processor The flight controller 23 has a memory 23a. The memory 23a is accessible to the flight controller for performing one or more steps. The controller 23 stores executable logic, code, and / or program instructions. The flight controller 23 is an example of a control unit. The aircraft 1 is equipped with a camera and / or a sensor 24 as an information acquisition unit. 5. Note that the configuration of the aircraft 1 shown in FIG. 7 is an example, and the main body 10 shown in FIG. Rotorcraft having different configurations may also be included within the scope of the present invention.

[0031] The main body 10 is formed by a frame and the like that constitute the aircraft 1. The material is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include carbon fiber resin, glass fiber resin, magnesium, mag. It can be nickel alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, steel, titanium or other materials. The rotor 20 is attached to a motor 21. The rotor 20 is automatically rotated by the rotation of the motor 21. The rotation of the rotor 20 generates lift (thrust) in the aircraft 1. In the embodiment, the sensors are provided at four locations, namely, front, rear, left and right, but the present invention is not limited to this example. Alternatively, the rotors 20 may be provided at six or eight locations around the airframe. The number of rotors 20 provided can be changed appropriately depending on the shape, equipment, size, etc.

[0032] The memory 23a may be, for example, a storage device such as an SD card or a random access memory (RAM). The image data may include a removable medium or an external storage device. The acquired data may be directly transmitted to and stored in memory 23a. For example, The captured still and video data is stored in the built-in memory or external memory. 3a is information acquired from an external information processing device connected via a signal connector 13, Various types of information, such as information transmitted from the control terminal 26, can be stored as appropriate.

[0033] The flight controller 23 is a control module configured to control the state of the air vehicle 1. For example, the control module has six degrees of freedom (translational x, y, and z; The spatial arrangement, speed, and / or rotational motions θx, θy, and θz of the flying object 1 In order to adjust the acceleration, the motor 2, which is the propulsion mechanism of the aircraft 1, is connected via the ESC 11c. The motor 21 rotates the rotor 20 to generate lift for the flying object 1. The flight controller 23 controls the number of rotations of the motor 21 (the number of rotations per predetermined time). The thrust generated by the rotor 20 can be adjusted by controlling the rotational speed (also referred to as revolution speed).

[0034] The flight controller 23 may be connected to one or more external devices (e.g., a flight control terminal 26 ) in communication with a transceiver 25 configured to transmit and / or receive data from The transceiver unit 25 may use any suitable communication means, such as wired or wireless communication. The transmission / reception unit 25 can be, for example, a local area network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Infrared, Wireless, WiFi, Point-to-Point Any communication method, such as P2P networks, telecommunications networks, and cloud communications You can use one or more of them.

[0035] The transmitter / receiver 25 transmits the data acquired by the sensor 24 and the data generated by the flight controller 23. Among the processing results, predetermined control data, and user commands from a terminal or a remote controller, The received information can be stored in memory 23a, etc. The information obtained by the sensor 24 can be stored in the storage unit 25. The information may then be output to the control terminal 26 or an external device.

[0036] The control terminal 26 is a device for controlling the flight of the flying object 1. The flight of the drone may be controlled by an operator on the ground or the like, or the flight route information and Autonomous flight program based on sensing (e.g., GCS (Ground Control System) It may be controlled by an automatic pilot based on the flight control station or by manual pilot. The vertical terminal 26 may be, for example, a transceiver (radio transmitter), a smartphone, a tablet, or other terminal. The control terminal 26 may send flight control instructions to the flight controller 23. It can send information.

[0037] The sensor 24 according to the present embodiment is, for example, an inertial sensor (IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) Inertial measurement devices such as measurement sensors, acceleration sensors, gyro Sensor, GPS sensor, wind sensor, temperature sensor, humidity sensor, pressure sensor, altitude sensor, LiDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Rangin) g) or other proximity sensors, or vision / image sensors other than cameras. The sensor 24 may be mounted on the flight controller 23 or may be a sensor mounted on the flight controller 23. The camera may be provided outside the remote controller 23. In this case, the camera may be any camera. For example, the camera may be a general camera. In addition to the camera, an infrared camera, a stereo camera, etc. may be used. A camera for use in position estimation and a camera for capturing an image of a target are provided. In the aircraft 1 of this embodiment, the battery pack may be mounted in the main body 10 when the aircraft 1 is not flying. The battery pack may be integrated into the shield 30. In addition, the aircraft 1 may have multiple batteries or may have only one battery. The battery may include only one battery.

[0038] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The technical scope of the disclosure is not limited to such examples. If a person makes such a claim, he / she may make various modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. It is apparent that various modifications and variations are possible, which are of course within the scope of the present disclosure. It is understood to be within the scope of the art.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the autonomous flight control is performed by the flight controller of the aircraft 1. However, the present technology is not limited to this example. That is, the autonomous flight control method is not limited to the example of processing at the edge of the flying object, but may be applied to other The autonomous flight control device performs the above-mentioned correction processing remotely and transmits the processing results to the flying object. In addition, the driving unit may be controlled based on the result. The hardware entity that executes the flight control method is not particularly limited, and the above-mentioned functional units may be a plurality of The present invention may be implemented by hardware.

[0040] In addition, the effects described in this specification are merely illustrative or exemplary and are not limiting. In other words, the technology according to the present disclosure has the above-mentioned effects in addition to or in place of the above-mentioned effects. In addition, other effects that will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of this specification may be achieved.

[0041] Note that the following configurations also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. (Item 1) a plurality of rotors for generating thrust; Located between any two adjacent rotors in a plan view, the rotors and a shielding section that blocks the airflow below the rotor of the unmanned aerial vehicle. (Item 2) 2. The rotor blade according to claim 1, wherein any two adjacent rotor blades rotate in opposite directions. Human flying vehicle. (Item 3) The shielding portion is configured to be able to change the amount of shielding by partial attachment / detachment. 2. An unmanned aerial vehicle as described in claim 2. (Item 4) The shielding portion is configured to be able to change the amount of shielding by a partial sliding structure. An unmanned aerial vehicle described in any one of items 1 to 3. (Item 5) Any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the shielding unit is configured to change the amount of shielding in the vertical direction of the aircraft. An unmanned aerial vehicle as described above. (Item 6) Any one of items 1 to 5, wherein the shielding portion is configured to change the amount of shielding in the front-rear direction of the aircraft. An unmanned aerial vehicle as described above. (Item 7) The shielding portion is located between adjacent rotors in the left-right direction of the airframe, and is any one of items 1 to 6. An unmanned aerial vehicle as described above. (Item 8) The rotors are provided at four locations on the right front side, left front side, right rear side, and left rear side of the aircraft. An unmanned aerial vehicle described in any one of items 1 to 7. (Item 9) Any one of items 1 to 8, wherein the shielding portion has a battery for supplying power to the rotor. An unmanned aerial vehicle as described in any one of the preceding claims. (Item 10) The shielding portion extends from the front end to the rear end of the aircraft body. An unmanned aerial vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1. Flying object 10 Main body 20 Rotor 30 Shielding part

Claims

1. a plurality of rotors for generating thrust; Located between any two adjacent rotors in a plan view, and a shielding section that blocks the airflow below the rotor of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

2. The rotor of claim 1 , wherein any two adjacent rotors rotate in opposite directions. Unmanned aerial vehicle.

3. The shielding portion is configured so that the amount of shielding can be changed by partial attachment / detachment.

2. An unmanned aerial vehicle as described in 2.

4. The shielding portion is configured to be able to change the amount of shielding by a partial sliding structure. An unmanned aerial vehicle as described in claim 1 or 2.

5. 3. The shielding unit according to claim 1, wherein the shielding amount in the vertical direction of the aircraft is changeable. An unmanned aerial vehicle as described above.

6. 3. The shielding portion according to claim 1, wherein the shielding amount in the front-rear direction of the aircraft is changeable. An unmanned aerial vehicle as described above.

7. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the shielding portion is located between adjacent rotors in the left-right direction of the aircraft. An unmanned aerial vehicle as described above.

8. The rotors are provided at four locations on the right front side, the left front side, the right rear side, and the left rear side of the aircraft. An unmanned aerial vehicle as described in claim 1 or 2.

9. 3. The shielding member according to claim 1, further comprising a battery for supplying power to the rotor. An unmanned aerial vehicle as described above.

10. The shielding portion according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shielding portion extends from the front end to the rear end of the aircraft body. Unmanned aerial vehicle.

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