Drone having multi degree-of-freedom flight mode

By independently adjusting the tilt of each rotor on the multi-rotor drone, the problem of the camera deviating from the target when changing directions is solved, the multi-degree freedom flight mode is achieved, and the flight flexibility and responsiveness of the flight is improved.

JP2025061040APending Publication Date: 2025-04-10イサンヒョン
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2025001905
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2020-06-29
Filing Date
2025-01-06
Publication Date
2025-04-10

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

When existing multi-rotor drones change directions, the camera shooting direction will deviate from the target due to the tilt of the body, and because the overall body needs to tilt to change directions, the responsiveness is low, making it difficult to perform sudden control.

Method used

By independently adjusting the tilt of each rotor on the multi-rotor drone, a multi-degree degree of freedom flight mode is achieved, ensuring that the body can maintain a stable attitude or achieve a specific attitude when the rotor changes.

Benefits of technology

It realizes the camera stability when rotor changes, can accurately control the attitude and movement of the fuselage, improves flight flexibility and responsiveness, avoids the use of additional equipment, and reduces cost and weight.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

To provide a drone having a multi degree-of-freedom flight mode.SOLUTION: A drone having a multi degree-of-freedom flight mode according to the present invention may comprise: a fuselage unit in which a battery is mounted and of which the forward direction is set in the x-axis; multiple rotors of which four or more are arranged around the fuselage unit and which are arranged such that respective rotation axes are aligned in the z-axis direction; an x-axis tilting mechanism unit configured to tilt the multiple rotors about respective axes parallel to the x-axis; a y-axis tilting mechanism unit configured to tilt the multiple rotors about respective axes parallel to the y-axis; a first driving motor unit for driving the y-axis tilting mechanism unit; a second driving motor unit for driving the x-axis tilting mechanism unit; and a control unit configured to implement a plurality of flight modes by controlling the first rotor, the second rotor, the third rotor, the fourth rotor, the first driving motor unit, and the second driving motor unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drone having a multi-degree-of-freedom flight mode. [Background technology]

[0002] A multi-rotor or multi-fan aircraft, commonly referred to as a drone, is a type of helicopter that generally has three or more rotors. Compared to traditional single-rotor helicopters, it has the advantage that it is possible to fly by changing the torque and speed of the rotors, and it is easy to maintain and operate. Due to these advantages and the rapid development of electronic technology, the range of applications of multi-rotor aircraft is rapidly expanding. In the past, large unmanned aircraft for military use were the mainstream, but in recent years, many small unmanned aircraft are being produced for civilian use. The scope of their use is also expanding in a variety of ways, from filming videos to transporting goods.

[0003] Among various types of small unmanned aerial vehicles, multi-rotor aerial vehicles, especially quad rotors, have many advantages over other aerial vehicles. The biggest advantage is that the mechanical mechanism is very simple. In the case of a quad rotor, there is no need to adjust the trim before flight, mechanical vibration is not large, and the probability of parts breaking due to fatigue is low. In addition, since the quad rotor has a simple shape, it is easy to model mathematically, so it is suitable for automatic flight, and unlike other small aerial vehicles that require many hours of training to operate the aerial vehicle, even beginners can easily operate it. Furthermore, since it uses multiple small propellers, it is relatively safe even for people who are not good at operating and managing it. In other words, anyone can easily operate, maintain, and manage a quad rotor without specialized knowledge about aerial vehicles or without much prior training. Due to these advantages of the quad rotor, the influence of the quad rotor is gradually expanding among small unmanned aerial vehicles for civilian use.

[0004] Many researchers have already studied the control and guidance of quadrotors. First, in the field of control, in order to effectively handle the characteristics of the nonlinear model of the quadrotor, there have been attempts to directly control the nonlinear system using the backstepping technique or the sliding mode technique, and attempts to linearize the quadrotor model using feedback linearization and then control it. In the field of guidance, it has become possible to perform flip operations in which the quadrotor's fuselage rotates 360 degrees or more in one direction, or to perform rapid maneuvers that follow a specific trajectory and attitude, as well as elaborate maneuvers such as throwing a ball to each other.

[0005] Thanks to the contributions of many researchers, it is now possible to precisely control and guide multi-rotor aircraft such as quad rotors, but there are still areas that need to be improved in terms of functionality. Considering the fact that the exact position and attitude of an aircraft in a three-dimensional space is represented by six variables, a multi-rotor aircraft system is ultimately an under-actuated system in which the input dimension is smaller than the output dimension. This fact acts as a constraint on the control and guidance of a multi-rotor aircraft. For example, in order to accelerate a multi-rotor aircraft forward, the body must necessarily be tilted forward, since forward acceleration never occurs when the multi-rotor aircraft is tilted backward. In other words, the attitude and acceleration of a multi-rotor aircraft cannot be completely independent.

[0006] Therefore, when a camera is attached to the main body of a multirotor aircraft to photograph an object, when the multirotor aircraft changes direction, the main body also tilts, and the camera's shooting direction moves away from the object. In addition, since the entire multirotor aircraft is required to tilt when changing direction, the responsiveness is relatively low and it is not easy to perform sudden maneuvers. For this reason, a separate device is used to hold the camera in response to changes in the angle of the fuselage, but this causes an increase in parts and costs, increases weight, and shortens the battery life. Furthermore, since such a camera connection device is vulnerable to vibration, a separate vibration absorption means may be attached, but this has the disadvantage of making the device more complicated. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2017-0061941 (Published on June 7, 2017) [Patent Document 2] Korean Patent No. 10-1692315 (registered December 28, 2016) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide a drone with stable multiple degrees of freedom, thereby enabling various flight modes to be realized and maintaining a shake-free state without the need for a separate device for mounting a camera. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The drone according to the present invention includes a body section to which a battery is attached and whose forward direction is set to the x-axis; a first rotor and a second rotor whose respective rotation axes are aligned in the z-axis direction and are disposed to face each other at a first position around the body section when viewed from the x-axis direction; a third rotor and a fourth rotor whose respective rotation axes are aligned in the z-axis direction and are disposed to face each other at a second position around the body section in the y-axis direction when viewed from the x-axis direction; and a third rotor and a fourth rotor supported by the body section to be rotatable around a y1-axis parallel to the y-axis at the first position and supported by respective support axes parallel to the x-axis at both ends. a first frame shaft supporting the first rotor and the second rotor by a first rod portion, a second frame shaft supported on the body portion to be rotatable about a y2-axis parallel to the y-axis at the second position and supporting the third rotor and the fourth rotor at both ends by respective support shafts parallel to the x-axis; and a third frame shaft disposed apart from the first frame shaft in the z-axis direction by a plurality of first rod portions and configured to tilt the first rotor and the second rotor about respective axes parallel to the x-axis while moving due to a force acting parallel to the y-axis. a first frame shaft arranged apart from the second frame shaft in the z-axis direction by a plurality of second rod parts and formed to tilt the third rotor and the fourth rotor about each axis parallel to the x-axis while moving by a force acting parallel to the y-axis; a first drive motor part connected via a first conversion mechanism part and supplying a force parallel to the y-axis to the third frame shaft and the fourth frame shaft; a second drive motor part connected via a second conversion mechanism part and supplying a force to rotate the first frame shaft and the second frame shaft about the y1-axis and the y2-axis, respectively; and a control part formed to realize a plurality of flight modes by controlling the first rotor, the second rotor, the third rotor, the fourth rotor, the first drive motor part, and the second drive motor part, wherein the plurality of flight modes include a first flight mode in which both the first drive motor part and the second drive motor part are stopped and the speeds of the first rotor to the fourth rotor are individually controlled, and a second drive motor part is individually controlled and operated,and a second flight mode in which the speeds of the first rotor to the fourth rotor are individually controlled.

[0010] As an example according to the present invention, the first conversion mechanism may include a first transmission rod configured to simultaneously transmit the driving force of the first driving motor to the third frame shaft and the fourth frame shaft.

[0011] As an example according to the present invention, the second conversion mechanism may include a second transmission rod configured to simultaneously transmit the driving force of the second driving motor to the first frame shaft and the second frame shaft.

[0012] As an example according to the present invention, the first flight mode may include a 1-1 flight mode in which the fuselage section is tilted in the x-axis direction or moved in the y-axis direction, a 1-2 flight mode in which the fuselage section is tilted in the y-axis direction or moved in the x-axis direction, a 1-3 flight mode in which the fuselage section is rotated around the z-axis, and a 1-4 flight mode in which the fuselage section is moved in the z-axis direction.

[0013] As an example according to the present invention, the second flight mode may be a 2-1 flight mode in which the fuselage is maintained horizontal and the first rotor to the fourth rotor are tilted about respective axes parallel to the x-axis to move the fuselage in the y-axis direction; a 2-2 flight mode in which the fuselage is maintained horizontal and the first rotor to the fourth rotor are tilted about respective axes parallel to the y-axis to move the fuselage in the x-axis direction; and a 2-3 flight mode in which the fuselage is maintained horizontal and the speeds of the first rotor to the fourth rotor are individually controlled to move the fuselage forward. a 2-3 flight mode in which the fuselage section is rotated around the z-axis; a 2-4 flight mode in which the fuselage section is maintained horizontal and the speeds of the first rotor to the fourth rotor are individually controlled to move the fuselage section in the z-axis direction; a 2-5 flight mode in which the first rotor to the fourth rotor are rotated around their respective axes parallel to the x-axis to rotate the fuselage section relative to the x-axis; and a 2-6 flight mode in which the first rotor to the fourth rotor are rotated around their respective axes parallel to the y-axis to rotate the fuselage section relative to the y-axis.

[0014] As one example according to the present invention, the 2-5 flight mode may include an attitude in which the rotation axes of the first rotor, the second rotor, the third rotor, and the fourth rotor are parallel to the z-axis and the fuselage is rotated about the x-axis to maintain an inclined state with respect to the ground.

[0015] As one example according to the present invention, the 2-6 flight mode may include an attitude in which the rotation axes of the first rotor, the second rotor, the third rotor, and the fourth rotor are parallel to the z-axis and the fuselage is rotated about the y-axis to maintain an inclined state with respect to the ground.

[0016] The present invention also provides a robot that includes a body section to which a battery is attached and whose forward direction is set to the x-axis; a plurality of rotors, four or more of which are arranged around the body section and whose respective rotation axes are aligned in the z-axis direction; an x-axis tilt mechanism section formed to tilt the plurality of rotors about respective axes parallel to the x-axis; a y-axis tilt mechanism section formed to tilt the plurality of rotors about respective axes parallel to the y-axis; a first drive motor section for driving the y-axis tilt mechanism section; a second drive motor section for driving the x-axis tilt mechanism section; and a control unit configured to control the second rotor, the third rotor, the fourth rotor, the first drive motor unit, and the second drive motor unit to realize a plurality of flight modes, the plurality of flight modes including a first flight mode in which both the first drive motor unit and the second drive motor unit are stopped and the speeds of the first rotor to the fourth rotor are individually controlled, and a second flight mode in which the first drive motor unit and the second drive motor unit are individually controlled and operated, and the speeds of the first rotor to the fourth rotor are individually controlled. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the drone having a multi-degree-of-freedom flight mode of the present invention, by configuring multiple rotors to be tilted independently around the x-axis and y-axis, even when the rotors are turning or their attitude or speed is changed, the main body can be set to maintain its attitude or to a desired specific attitude, thereby enabling a variety of flights to be realized.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, a first flight mode having four degrees of freedom can be achieved by individually controlling the speed of multiple rotors, and a second flight mode having six degrees of freedom can be achieved by tilting the multiple rotors in the x- and y-axis directions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a drone (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a housing (111) is separated from the drone (100) in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the drone (100) of FIG. 2 from below. [Figure 4] 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the rotors are tilted about the y-axis in the state shown in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the rotors are tilted about the x-axis in the state shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which multiple rotors are tilted about the x-axis and y-axis in the state shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the attitude of the drone (200) according to the present invention in a first flight mode, illustrating a hovering state. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 shows the attitude of the drone (200) according to the present invention in the first flight mode, illustrating rotation around the y-axis. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 shows the attitude of the drone (200) according to the present invention in the first flight mode, and is a diagram showing the forward / backward (x-axis) movement of the drone. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 shows the attitude of the drone (200) according to the present invention in the first flight mode, illustrating rotation around the x-axis. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 shows the attitude of the drone (200) according to the present invention in the first flight mode, and is a diagram showing the left-right (y-axis direction) movement of the drone. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 shows the attitude of the drone (200) according to the present invention in the first flight mode, and is a diagram illustrating the concept of the drone's movement in the z-axis direction. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 shows the attitude of the drone (200) according to the present invention in the first flight mode, illustrating the rotation of the drone around the z-axis. [Figure 14]13 is a diagram showing an attitude in a second flight mode of the drone (200) according to the present invention that is not common to the first flight mode, and shows the forward and backward movement of the drone. [Figure 15] 1 is a diagram showing the left and right movement of the drone in a second flight mode of the drone (200) according to the present invention, which is an attitude that is not common to the first flight mode. [Figure 16] 13 is a diagram showing an attitude in the second flight mode of the drone (200) according to the present invention that is not common to the first flight mode, and shows the rotation of the fuselage around the x-axis. [Figure 17] 13 is a diagram showing a rotation of the fuselage around the y-axis, which is an attitude in the second flight mode of the drone (200) according to the present invention that is not common to the first flight mode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, a drone having a multi-degree-of-freedom flight mode according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification, the same or similar components in different embodiments are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and the description thereof is incorporated by reference in the previous description.

[0021] 1, the drone 100 having a multi-degree-of-freedom flight mode according to the present invention includes a central fuselage 110 and multiple rotors 121, 122, 123, 124 arranged around the fuselage 110. To support the rotors 121, 122, 123, 124, a first frame shaft 131, a second frame shaft 132, a third frame shaft 133, and a fourth frame shaft 134 are installed on the fuselage 110.

[0022] Defining a coordinate system for the sake of convenience, body 110 is placed along the x-axis, which is the front-to-back direction, the y-axis is the left-to-right direction of body 110, and the z-axis is the up-to-down direction of body 110. Rotors 121, 122, 123, and 124 have their respective rotation axes aligned along the z-axis.

[0023] The rotors may be arranged in pairs at multiple positions along the body 110 (in the x-axis direction). FIG. 1 shows two pairs as one such example. That is, a first rotor 121 and a second rotor 122 form a pair at the rear end side of the body 110, and a third rotor 123 and a fourth rotor 124 form a pair at the front end side of the body 110. The first rotor 121 and the second rotor 122 are supported by a first frame shaft 131 and a third frame shaft 133, and the third rotor 123 and the fourth rotor 124 are supported by a second frame shaft 132 and a fourth frame shaft 134.

[0024] The multiple rotors 121, 122, 123, 124 are supported by respective support shafts 136, 137, 138, 139 that are parallel to the x-axis. The support shafts 136, 137, 138, 139 provide installation space for cables that supply power to each rotor, and also function as primary support points for tilting the rotors 121, 122, 123, 124 by control.

[0025] The body 110 may have internal components covered by a housing 111. A camera 112 may be disposed in front of the body 110. As shown in FIG. 2, the camera 112 is directly mounted on a board or the like, and does not use a separate element such as a gimbal for suppressing shaking. This is because, as will be described later, the configuration and flight mode of the drone according to the present invention suppress shaking of the camera 112 and allow the camera 112 to be accurately and easily pointed in a desired direction.

[0026] 2, a battery 113 for supplying power to components is disposed in the fuselage 110. In order to reduce the power consumption of the battery 113 and increase the flight time, the present invention omits the above-mentioned gimbal and additional components, thereby reducing the weight accordingly.

[0027] The frame shafts 131, 132, 133, 134 for supporting the rotors 121, 122, 123, 124 are formed to have a structure that allows both "fixing" and "tilting" of the rotors. For this purpose, as an example, the frame shafts include a first frame shaft 131 supported by the body 110 at the rear end of the body 110 so as to be rotatable about a y1 axis parallel to the y axis, a second frame shaft 132 supported by the body 110 at the front end of the body 110 so as to be rotatable about a y2 axis parallel to the y axis, a third frame shaft 133 disposed at a distance in the z-axis direction from the first frame shaft 131 by a plurality of first rod portions 141, 142, and a fourth frame shaft 134 disposed at a distance in the z-axis direction from the second frame shaft 132 by a plurality of second rod portions 143, 144. That is, the first frame shaft 131 and the second frame shaft 132 are supported rotatably in the y-axis direction with respect to the body 110, and the third frame shaft 133 and the fourth frame shaft 134 are not fixed to the body 110, but are moved by a driving force while being constrained to the first frame shaft 131 and the second frame shaft 132 by their respective rods 141, 142, 143, and 144. In this example, the third frame shaft 133 and the fourth frame shaft 134 move in the y-axis direction and serve to rotate the support shafts 136, 137, 138, and 139 that primarily support the multiple rotors 121, 122, 123, and 124 about their respective axes parallel to the x-axis.

[0028] A first conversion mechanism is provided for driving the third frame shaft 133 and the fourth frame shaft 134, and the first conversion mechanism converts the driving force transmitted from the first driving motor unit 150 into a force for moving the third frame shaft 133 and the fourth frame shaft 134 in a direction parallel to the y-axis. However, since the third frame shaft 133 and the fourth frame shaft 134 are restrained by the first rod units 141 and 142, they move in a direction rotating around the x1-axis and x2-axis parallel to the x-axis relative to the first frame shaft 131 and the second frame shaft 132, respectively. In the first conversion mechanism, the first transmission rod 151 is disposed so as to transmit the driving force of the first driving motor unit 150 to the third frame shaft 133 and the fourth frame shaft 134 simultaneously. The first transmission rod 151 extends in the x-axis direction and rotates due to the rotational force transmitted from the first driving motor unit 150, thereby rotating the link member at the opposite end and simultaneously moving the third frame shaft 133 and the fourth frame shaft 134 in the y-axis direction.

[0029] 3, the first frame shaft 131 and the second frame shaft 132 are connected by a second conversion mechanism, which is connected by a second driving motor unit 160 to transmit the rotational force of the second driving motor unit 160 and rotate the first frame shaft 131 and the second frame shaft 132 around their respective rotation axes y1 and y2. The second conversion mechanism has a second transmission rod 161 formed to simultaneously transmit the driving force of the second driving motor unit 160 to the first frame shaft 131 and the second frame shaft 132. The second transmission rod 161 also extends in the x-axis direction, but receives the driving force of the second driving motor unit 160 and moves in the x-axis direction, thereby providing a torque that rotates the first frame shaft 131 and the second frame shaft 132.

[0030] The operation of this configuration will be described with reference to Figs. 4 to 6. Fig. 4 shows that the second transmission rod 161 moves in the x-axis direction by the driving force of the second driving motor unit 160 to rotate the first frame shaft 131 and the second frame shaft 132, and as a result, the first rotor 121 and the second rotor 122 rotate around the y1 axis, and the third rotor 123 and the fourth rotor 124 rotate around the y2 axis. Such tilt of the rotors 121, 122, 123, and 124 in the y-axis direction brings about a change in angle with respect to the body unit 110, and the propulsive force of the rotors 121, 122, 123, and 124 is also tilted in the y-axis direction with respect to the body unit 110.

[0031] 5 shows that the first transmission rod 151 rotates around the x-axis by the driving force of the first driving motor unit 150, moving the third frame shaft 133 and the fourth frame shaft 134 in the y-axis direction, and as a result, the support shafts 136, 137, 138, and 139 supporting the rotors 121, 122, 123, and 124 rotate around the x1-axis and x2-axis directions, respectively, and the rotors 121, 122, 123, and 124 also rotate in those directions. Such tilt of the rotors 121, 122, 123, and 124 induces them to tilt around the x-axis (tilt left and right) or move in the y-axis direction (move left and right) with respect to the body unit 110.

[0032] 6 shows the result of tilting the rotors 121, 122, 123, and 124 on the x-axis and y-axis, respectively, as a result of the operation of both the first driving motor unit 150 and the second driving motor unit 160. Such tilting of the rotors 121, 122, 123, and 124 results in the body unit 110 moving or inclining in a diagonal direction.

[0033] The drone 100 having multiple degrees of freedom according to the present invention has a control unit for controlling the rotors 121, 122, 123, 124, the first driving motor unit 150, and the second driving motor unit 160 to realize a plurality of flight modes. The control unit precisely adjusts the tilt of the rotors 121, 122, 123, 124 by controlling the speed of the rotors 121, 122, 123, 124 or by controlling the operation or rotation angle of the first driving motor unit 150 and the second driving motor unit 160. A wireless communication module for communicating with a remote control on the ground is installed in the body unit 110, and the control unit realizes a flight mode according to an input signal.

[0034] Hereinafter, the flight mode of the drone 200 having multiple degrees of freedom according to the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 7 and subsequent drawings. In these drawings, the rotors 221, 222, 223, and 224 correspond to the rotors 121, 122, 123, and 124 described above, and the elements that support or tilt these rotors 221, 222, 223, and 224 are also similar to the configurations described above. However, for ease of understanding, a brief description will be given.

[0035] The multiple flight modes of the drone 200 having multiple degrees of freedom according to the present invention include a four-degrees of freedom mode and a six-degrees of freedom mode. The four-degrees of freedom mode and the six-degrees of freedom mode can be realized independently, and in some cases, can be realized simultaneously.

[0036] 7 to 13 show attitudes of the drone 200 according to the present invention in the first flight mode.

[0037] FIG. 7 conceptually illustrates the rotational state of the rotors 221, 222, 223, and 224 for forming a hovering state. That is, in order for the drone body 210 to stably hover, the diagonally opposed rotors 221, 222, 223, and 224 must rotate in the same direction, and the rotors positioned side by side rotate in the opposite direction. When the rotors 221, 222, 223, and 224 have the same rotational speed, the body 210 can maintain a horizontal position, and when the magnitude of the propulsive force due to the rotation of the rotors matches the magnitude of gravity of the drone 200, the drone 200 can stably perform hovering, which is a maneuver that stops in the air. The rotors 221, 222, 223, and 224 of the drone 200 in this example for hovering are controlled by the speed of the motor without performing a separate tilt.

[0038] 8 and 9 show the relationship between the rotational speeds of the rotors 221, 222, 223, and 224 for the drone 200 to move forward and backward (x direction). That is, to move the drone 200 forward and backward, the angle of the body 210 must be tilted forward and backward to change the direction of thrust. To this end, if the rotational speeds of the third rotor 223 and the fourth rotor 224 on the front side are reduced and the speeds of the first rotor 221 and the second rotor 222 on the rear side are increased, the body 210 of the drone 200 tilts forward, and as a result, the thrust is directed toward the rear of the body 210, so that the drone 200 moves forward.

[0039] 10 and 11 are diagrams showing the left-right (y-axis direction) movement and rotation around the x-axis of the drone. That is, in order to move the drone 200 left-right, the angle of the body 210 must be tilted left-right to change the direction of thrust. To this end, if the speeds of the second rotor 222 and the fourth rotor 224 are reduced and the rotation speeds of the first rotor 221 and the third rotor 223 are increased, the body 210 of the drone 200 tilts to the right, and as a result, the thrust is directed toward the left side of the body 210, so that the drone 200 moves to the right.

[0040] 12 is a diagram showing the concept of the drone's movement in the z-axis direction, and the up and down movement of the drone 200 follows the same principle as hovering. If the rotational speeds of the rotors 221, 222, 223, and 224 are all increased to the same value while the magnitudes of the rotational speeds of the rotors 221, 222, 223, and 224 are all made the same, the thrust increases, and the altitude rises while the fuselage remains horizontal (FIG. 12(a)). Conversely, if the rotational speeds of the rotors 221, 222, 223, and 224 are all decreased to the same value, the thrust decreases, and the altitude falls while the fuselage remains horizontal (FIG. 12(b)). 13 is a diagram showing the rotation of the drone about the z-axis. To rotate the drone 200 in the z-axis direction, the rotation speed of the diagonally opposed rotors rotating in the z-axis direction is reduced by a predetermined ratio, and the rotation speed of the other rotors rotating in the opposite direction to the z-axis is increased by the same ratio. According to Newton's law of action and reaction, if the sum of the rotation vectors in the z-axis direction of the rotors 221, 222, 223, and 224 is greater than 0, the fuselage rotates in the opposite direction to the z-axis due to a reaction.

[0041] 14 to 17 show attitudes in the second flight mode of the drone 200 according to the present invention that are not common to the first flight mode. In the six-degree-of-freedom flight mode, hovering, z-axis rotation, ascent and descent can be realized in the same way as in the four-degree-of-freedom flight mode described above. In this example, the description will be centered on forms that cannot be realized in the four-degree-of-freedom flight mode.

[0042] 14 is a diagram showing forward and backward movement of the drone. That is, in order to move the drone 200 forward and backward, the rotors 221, 222, 223, and 224 are tilted forward (meaning tilting by rotating around the y-axis) while maintaining hovering. At this time, the mechanism for maintaining the fuselage 210 horizontal is the same as that for hovering.

[0043] 15 is a diagram showing the left-right movement of the drone. In order to move the drone 200 left-right, the rotors 221, 222, 223, and 224 are tilted left-right (meaning tilting by rotating around the x-axis) while maintaining hovering. At this time, the mechanism for keeping the body 210 horizontal is the same as when hovering.

[0044] 16 is a diagram showing the rotation of the fuselage around the x-axis. That is, in order to tilt the fuselage 210 around the x-axis while hovering, if the rotation speed of the second rotor 222 and the fourth rotor 224 on the right side is increased and the rotation speed of the first rotor 221 and the third rotor 223 on the left side is decreased, the fuselage 210 of the drone 200 rotates around the x-axis.

[0045] When the fuselage section 210 rotates, the rotors 221, 222, 223, 224 also rotate in the same direction, changing the direction of thrust and moving the fuselage section 210, but to compensate, the angle of the rotors 221, 222, 223, 224 can be changed by the same amount in the opposite direction to the direction in which the fuselage section 210 rotates.

[0046] 17 is a diagram showing the rotation of the fuselage around the y-axis. That is, in order to tilt the fuselage 210 in the y-axis direction while maintaining hovering, when the rotation speed of the third rotor 223 and the fourth rotor 224 on the front side is increased and the rotation speed of the first rotor 221 and the second rotor 222 on the rear side is decreased, the fuselage 210 of the drone 200 rotates around the y-axis.

[0047] As in FIG. 16, when the fuselage section 210 rotates, the rotors 221, 222, 223, and 224 also rotate in the same direction, changing the direction of thrust and causing the fuselage section 210 to move, but to compensate for this, the angles of the rotors 221, 222, 223, and 224 can be changed by the same amount in the opposite direction to the direction in which the fuselage section 210 rotates.

[0048] The drone having the multi-degree-of-freedom flight mode described above is not limited to the configurations and methods of the described embodiments. The above embodiments may be configured by selectively combining all or part of each embodiment so that various modifications can be made.

Claims

1. a body part to which a battery is attached and whose forward direction is set to the x-axis; a first rotor and a second rotor, the respective rotation axes of which are aligned in a z-axis direction and which are disposed opposite to each other at a first position with respect to the body as a center when viewed from the x-axis direction; a third rotor and a fourth rotor, the respective rotation axes of which are aligned in the z-axis direction and which are disposed opposite each other in the y-axis direction at a second position of the body portion when viewed from the x-axis direction; a first frame shaft supported by the body portion at the first position so as to be rotatable about a y1-axis parallel to the y-axis, and supporting the first rotor and the second rotor at both ends by respective support shafts parallel to the x-axis; a second frame shaft supported by the body portion at the second position to be rotatable around a y2 axis parallel to the y axis, and supporting the third rotor and the fourth rotor at both ends by respective support shafts parallel to the x axis; a third frame shaft disposed apart from the first frame shaft in the z-axis direction by a plurality of first rod portions and configured to tilt the first rotor and the second rotor about their respective axes parallel to the x-axis while moving due to a force acting parallel to the y-axis; a fourth frame shaft that is disposed apart from the second frame shaft in the z-axis direction by a plurality of second rod portions and is configured to tilt the third rotor and the fourth rotor about their respective axes parallel to the x-axis while moving due to a force acting parallel to the y-axis; a first drive motor unit connected via a first conversion mechanism unit and supplying a force to the third frame shaft and the fourth frame shaft in a direction parallel to the y-axis; a second drive motor unit connected via a second conversion mechanism unit and supplying a force to rotate the first frame shaft and the second frame shaft around the y1 axis and the y2 axis, respectively; a control unit configured to control the first rotor, the second rotor, the third rotor, the fourth rotor, the first drive motor unit, and the second drive motor unit to realize a plurality of flight modes; The plurality of flight modes include: a first flight mode in which both the first drive motor unit and the second drive motor unit are stopped and the speeds of the first rotor to the fourth rotor are individually controlled; a second flight mode in which the first drive motor unit and the second drive motor unit are individually controlled to operate, and the speeds of the first rotor to the fourth rotor are individually controlled.

2. 2. The drone having a multi-degree-of-freedom flight mode according to claim 1, wherein the first conversion mechanism includes a first transmission rod formed to simultaneously transmit the driving force of the first drive motor to the third frame shaft and the fourth frame shaft.

3. 2. The drone having a multi-degree-of-freedom flight mode according to claim 1, wherein the second conversion mechanism includes a second transmission rod formed to simultaneously transmit the driving force of the second drive motor to the first frame shaft and the second frame shaft.

4. The first flight mode is A 1-1 flight mode in which the fuselage is tilted in the x-axis direction or moved in the y-axis direction; A first-second flight mode in which the fuselage is tilted in the y-axis direction or moved in the x-axis direction; a first to third flight mode in which the fuselage section is rotated around the z-axis; A drone having a multi-degree-of-freedom flight mode as described in claim 1, including a first to fourth flight mode in which the fuselage portion moves in the z-axis direction.

5. The second flight mode is A 2-1 flight mode in which the fuselage is maintained horizontal and the first rotor to the fourth rotor are tilted about respective axes parallel to the x-axis to move the fuselage in the y-axis direction; A 2-2 flight mode in which the fuselage is maintained horizontal and the first rotor to the fourth rotor are tilted about respective axes parallel to the y axis to move the fuselage in the x-axis direction; A second-third flight mode in which the fuselage is maintained horizontal and the speeds of the first rotor to the fourth rotor are individually controlled to rotate the fuselage around the z-axis; A second-fourth flight mode in which the fuselage is maintained horizontal and the speeds of the first rotor to the fourth rotor are individually controlled to move the fuselage in the z-axis direction; A second-fifth flight mode in which the first rotor to the fourth rotor are rotated about their respective axes parallel to the x-axis to rotate the fuselage about the x-axis; and a second to sixth flight mode in which the first rotor to the fourth rotor are rotated about their respective axes parallel to the y axis to rotate the fuselage about the y axis. A drone having a multi-degree-of-freedom flight mode as described in claim 1.

6. The second to fifth flight modes are:

6. The drone having a multi-degree-of-freedom flight mode according to claim 5, including an attitude in which the rotation axes of the first rotor to the fourth rotor are parallel to the z-axis, and the fuselage is rotated about the x-axis to maintain an inclined state with respect to the ground.

7. The second to sixth flight modes are:

6. The drone having a multi-degree-of-freedom flight mode according to claim 5, including an attitude in which the rotation axes of the first rotor to the fourth rotor are parallel to the z-axis and the fuselage is rotated about the y-axis to maintain an inclined state with respect to the ground.

8. a body part to which a battery is attached and whose forward direction is set to the x-axis; A plurality of rotors, four or more of which are arranged around the body portion, with their respective rotation axes aligned in the z-axis direction; an x-axis tilt mechanism configured to tilt the rotors about respective axes parallel to the x-axis; a y-axis tilt mechanism configured to tilt the rotors about respective axes parallel to the y-axis; a first drive motor unit for driving the y-axis tilt mechanism unit; a second drive motor for driving the x-axis tilt mechanism; a control unit configured to control the first rotor, the second rotor, the third rotor, the fourth rotor, the first drive motor unit, and the second drive motor unit to realize a plurality of flight modes; The plurality of flight modes include: a first flight mode in which both the first drive motor unit and the second drive motor unit are stopped and the speeds of the first rotor to the fourth rotor are individually controlled; a second flight mode in which the first drive motor unit and the second drive motor unit are individually controlled to operate, and the speeds of the first rotor to the fourth rotor are individually controlled.

9. The first flight mode is A 1-1 flight mode in which the fuselage is tilted in the x-axis direction or moved in the y-axis direction; A first-second flight mode in which the fuselage is tilted in the y-axis direction or moved in the x-axis direction; a first to third flight mode in which the fuselage section is rotated around the z-axis; and a first to fourth flight mode in which the fuselage portion moves in the z-axis direction.

10. The second flight mode is A 2-1 flight mode in which the fuselage is maintained horizontal and the first rotor to the fourth rotor are tilted about respective axes parallel to the x-axis to move the fuselage in the y-axis direction; A 2-2 flight mode in which the fuselage is maintained horizontal and the first rotor to the fourth rotor are tilted about respective axes parallel to the y axis to move the fuselage in the x-axis direction; A second-third flight mode in which the fuselage is maintained horizontal and the speeds of the first rotor to the fourth rotor are individually controlled to rotate the fuselage around the z-axis; A second-fourth flight mode in which the fuselage is maintained horizontal and the speeds of the first rotor to the fourth rotor are individually controlled to move the fuselage in the z-axis direction; A second-fifth flight mode in which the first rotor to the fourth rotor are rotated about their respective axes parallel to the x-axis to rotate the fuselage about the x-axis; and a second to sixth flight mode in which the first rotor to the fourth rotor are rotated about their respective axes parallel to the y axis to rotate the fuselage about the y axis. A drone having a multi-degree-of-freedom flight mode as described in claim 8.

11. The second to fifth flight modes are:

11. The drone having a multi-degree-of-freedom flight mode according to claim 10, including an attitude in which the rotation axes of the first rotor to the fourth rotor are parallel to the z-axis, and the fuselage is rotated about the x-axis to maintain an inclined state with respect to the ground.

12. The second to sixth flight modes are:

11. The drone having a multi-degree-of-freedom flight mode according to claim 10, including an attitude in which the rotation axes of the first rotor to the fourth rotor are parallel to the z-axis and the fuselage is rotated about the y-axis to maintain an inclined state with respect to the ground.

Citation Information

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