Flying body and cargo conveyance method using the same

Abstract

To provide a flying body which enables easy loading and take-out of an object, and can be easily and safely operated by a person having no technical knowledge.SOLUTION: There is provided a flying body. The flying body has a loading space for loading an object, a loading port for loading the object to the loading space, and a take-out port for taking out the object loaded in the loading space. The loading port and the take-out port are provided at at least partially different positions. Such the configuration can be easily and safely operated by a person having no technical knowledge.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a flying object, and particularly to a flying object equipped with a mechanism for carrying a load, and a method for transporting a load.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, attempts have been made to deliver loads using flying objects such as drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (hereinafter collectively referred to as "flying objects"), and efforts have been made towards the practical application of delivery by unmanned aerial vehicles. Patent Document 1 discloses a flying object capable of delivering various articles such as food (hereinafter referred to as "objects"). (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

[0003] In Patent Document 1, a delivery drone is provided that includes a delivery unit for storing an object and can be used to autonomously or partially autonomously deliver any type of item. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In Patent Document 1, while monitoring information of a drone including a delivery unit for storing one or more objects, it is possible to deliver the objects to a remote address, and since the delivery unit has a deployable part, the receiving user can receive the objects.

[0006] However, the method of attaching the luggage used in this Patent Document 1 is not easily said to be convenient when the sender attaches the object.

[0007] When actually operated by a retail store or a carrier and the delivery service is carried out, it is desirable that the method of loading the object onto the aircraft can be easily operated by more people without the need for specialized knowledge and at low cost.

[0008] In Patent Document 2, as a method for simplifying the loading operation, a device in which the loading of luggage is automatically performed has been developed.

[0009] The loading device only sets the object to be loaded onto the aircraft at a predetermined location, and the loading of the object onto the aircraft and the takeoff of the aircraft are carried out in the market. However, such an automatic system device is large in size or the introduction cost of the device itself is large, so it is difficult to introduce it into practice.

[0010] Therefore, one object of the present disclosure is to provide an aircraft that can easily load and unload an object and can be easily and safely operated even by a person without specialized knowledge.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] According to the present disclosure, there is provided an aircraft including a loading space for loading an object, a loading port for loading the object into the loading space, and an unloading port for unloading the object loaded in the loading space, and the loading port and the unloading port are provided at at least partially different positions.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an aircraft that can easily load and unload an object and can be easily and safely operated even by a person without specialized knowledge.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

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[0014] The contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, it has the following configuration. [Item 1] A loading space for loading an object, A loading port for loading the object into the loading space, An outlet for taking out the object loaded in the loading space, An aircraft comprising: The loading port and the outlet are provided at at least partially different positions. Aircraft. [Item 2] The aircraft according to Item 1, wherein The loading port is provided above the loading space, The outlet is provided below the loading space. Aircraft. [Item 3] The aircraft according to Item 1, wherein The loading opening is provided on the side of the mounting space. The discharge opening is provided below the mounting space. Aircraft. [Item 4] An aircraft according to any one of Items 1 to 3, wherein the discharge opening has a discharge mechanism for discharging the object. Aircraft. [Item 5] An aircraft according to any one of Item 4, wherein the discharge mechanism discharges by receiving a discharge execution signal by communicating with a predetermined device at the landing point. Aircraft.

[0015] <Details of Embodiments According to the Present Disclosure> Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] <First Embodiment> As shown in FIG. 1, an aircraft 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a mounting space 50 for loading an object 10. The mounting space 50 is provided with a loading opening 51 for loading the object 10 and a discharge opening 52 for taking out the object 10, and the loading opening 51 and the discharge opening 52 are provided at at least partially different positions.

[0017] In addition, the aircraft 100 is provided with at least elements such as a propeller 110 and a motor 111 for flying, and it is desirable to mount energy (for example, a secondary battery, a fuel cell, a fossil fuel, etc.) for operating them.

[0018] Note that the illustrated aircraft 100 is drawn in a simplified manner to facilitate the explanation of the structure of the present disclosure. For example, detailed configurations such as a control unit are not illustrated.

[0019] The aircraft 100 and the moving body 200 are moving in the direction of the arrow D in the figure (-YX direction) (details will be described later).

[0020] In the following description, terms may be used differently according to the following definitions. Longitudinal direction: +Y direction and -Y direction, vertical direction (or perpendicular direction): +Z direction and -Z direction, lateral direction (or horizontal direction): +X direction and -X direction, traveling direction (forward): -Y direction, backward direction (rearward): +Y direction, ascending direction (upward): +Z direction, descending direction (downward): -Z direction

[0021] The propellers 110a and 110b rotate upon receiving the output from the motor 111. When the propellers 110a and 110b rotate, a propulsive force is generated to lift the aircraft 100 off the departure point, move it, and land it at the destination. Note that the propellers 110a and 110b can rotate in the right direction, stop, and rotate in the left direction.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the aircraft 100 includes a mounting portion and can mount an object 10a to be delivered (hereinafter also simply referred to as the object 10). Examples of the object to be mounted include, but are not limited to, documents and goods exchanged between companies and individuals, food provided by restaurants, relief supplies, and survey equipment.

[0023] The propeller 110 included in the aircraft of the present disclosure has one or more blades. The number of blades (rotors) may be arbitrary (for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, or more blades). Also, the shape of the blade can be any shape such as a flat shape, a bent shape, a twisted shape, a tapered shape, or a combination thereof. Note that the shape of the blade can be changed (for example, expanded and contracted, folded, bent, etc.). The blade may be symmetric (having the same upper and lower surfaces) or asymmetric (having different-shaped upper and lower surfaces). The blade can be formed into a geometric shape suitable for generating dynamic aerodynamic forces (for example, lift, thrust) when the blade moves through the air. The geometric shape of the blade can be appropriately selected to optimize the dynamic aerodynamic characteristics of the blade, such as increasing lift and thrust and reducing drag.

[0024] In addition, the propellers of the aircraft of the present disclosure may include, but are not limited to, fixed pitch, variable pitch, or a combination of fixed and variable pitch.

[0025] The motor 111 causes the propeller 110 to rotate. For example, the drive unit may include an electric motor, an engine, or the like. The blades are drivable by the motor 111 and rotate around the rotation axis of the motor 111 (for example, the long axis of the motor 111).

[0026] All the blades can rotate in the same direction or can rotate independently. Some of the blades rotate in one direction and the other blades rotate in the other direction. The blades can all rotate at the same rotational speed or can rotate at different rotational speeds. The rotational speed can be determined automatically or manually based on the dimensions of the moving body (for example, size, weight) and the control state (speed, moving direction, etc.).

[0027] The aircraft 100 determines the rotational speed of each motor and the flight angle according to the wind speed and wind direction. Thereby, the aircraft can perform movements such as ascending / descending, accelerating / decelerating, and changing direction.

[0028] The aircraft 100 can perform autonomous flight according to a route or rules set in advance or during flight, or flight by operation using the props. For example, in the delivery business, it is desirable to fly autonomously from the facility serving as the shipping origin to the facility or residence of the delivery destination.

[0029] The mounting space 50 provided in the aircraft 100 of the present disclosure is provided inside or outside the aircraft. The object may be mounted so as to tilt according to the tilt of the aircraft, or may be connected using means such as a gimbal structure with one or more axes so as to be independently displaceable and not affected by the tilt of the aircraft.

[0030] Regarding the delivery of an object using the aircraft, an example of the case of delivering from a business operator to a private residence is shown below. (1) A person engaged in the business of making deliveries (e.g., a carrier, a retailer, a convenience store, a fast food restaurant, etc.) mounts the object on the aircraft. (2) The aircraft takes off and heads towards the delivery destination. (3) The aircraft arrives at the delivery destination. (4) The aircraft lands at a predetermined location or hovers at a predetermined location. (5) The luggage is discharged and the object is unloaded at a predetermined location. (6) The aircraft ascends again and starts moving. (7) If continuing with deliveries, it heads towards the next delivery destination and discharges the luggage in the same manner. (8) The aircraft that has completed the delivery returns to a predetermined facility. (9) Necessary operations such as battery replacement, charging, and maintenance are performed on the aircraft.

[0031] In existing unmanned aircraft for home delivery, in addition to the aircraft that loads and unloads the object from below the fuselage, many aircraft have been developed that are equipped with a case for mounting the object and can open and close the case from the side of the fuselage to load and unload the object. In the case of aircraft that adopt this method, unlike loading the object below the fuselage, users are not required to perform complex operations.

[0032] However, when home delivery by unmanned aircraft becomes widespread in the future, the receipt of luggage will be done not by a person engaged in the business but by an ordinary citizen living in a private residence. In that case, the individual will perform the operation of opening the case of the aircraft, taking out the luggage, and closing the lid of the case from the aircraft that has landed at the private residence.

[0033] When entrusting the operation to an individual, many risks are assumed. For example, forgetting to close the case, malfunctions or accidents caused by accidentally touching various parts of the aircraft, injuries or mischief by infants or animals, modification or destruction by malicious individuals, and entanglement accidents when restarting the aircraft. Even if there is some damage to the aircraft, it is possible to narrow down the point of occurrence by tracing the delivery route, but it is desirable to reduce the possibility of such risks occurring.

[0034] As a means for a user who receives a package at home not to need to approach or touch the aircraft, there is a method of loading the package on the lower part of the aircraft and detaching the package at the delivery destination. In this method, a business operator connects the package from the lower side of the aircraft to the aircraft and lowers the package after landing at the delivery destination. Alternatively, without landing at the delivery destination, the package is lowered from above the air, so the user who receives the package does not need to touch the aircraft. However, compared with the method of loading the package horizontally into the case for loading the package, the operations of the business operator become complicated or complex.

[0035] Therefore, in the package loading system according to the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 2 and the like, for example, by separately providing an opening for loading a package onto the aircraft and an opening for lowering the package from the aircraft, the simplicity of the package loading operation is maintained while improving the safety during unloading.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 7, the package can be loaded onto the aircraft by dropping it from above the aircraft body. Therefore, the operation of manually attaching the package to the lower part of the aircraft is unnecessary, and it is possible to minimize complicated operations and contact with the aircraft.

[0037] Also, even when a cover is attached in consideration of waterproofing, dustproofing, aerodynamics, etc., basically only the operation of opening and closing the upper lid is required.

[0038] <Example 1> As shown in FIGS. 1 to 2, the object 10 is loaded from above the aircraft body, and the object 10 can be taken out from below the aircraft body.

[0039] In FIG. 7, an object loaded from a loading port 51 provided above the aircraft body is stopped at a predetermined position of the aircraft body by a discharge mechanism 53. At this time, when fixing means in the X and Y directions are provided together with the fixing in the Z direction, even if the size of the object 10 to be mounted is smaller than the maximum storage size of the mounting portion of the aircraft body, it is possible to mount the object 10 so that it does not slide within the mounting portion. By the discharge mechanism 53 stopping the holding of the object 10 or performing an operation of lowering the object 10 to the landing point, the object 10 is discharged from the flying body 100.

[0040] Also, the loading port 51 and the unloading port 52 for the object may be provided with a lid or the like from the viewpoints of preventing dripping, aerodynamic performance, and preventing the object 10 from falling due to the behavior of the aircraft body. The lid is preferably provided with a locking mechanism (such as a locking pin), a mechanism that cannot be opened without applying a predetermined force (such as a magnet), a mechanism that can visually confirm the presence or absence of locking, and the like. The locking mechanism from the viewpoint of security will be described later.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 8, the flying body 100 carrying the object 10 flies to the delivery destination. By flying through human operation or flying including autonomous control, the flying body 100 reaches a predetermined position at the delivery destination of the object 10.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 9, when the flying body 100 is in a state suitable for discharging the object 10, such as landing or hovering, at a predetermined location, the object 10 can be discharged from the lower part of the aircraft body by the discharge mechanism 53.

[0043] After taking out the object 10 at a predetermined location, the flying body 100 can leave the place and head to the next destination. Also, the user who receives the object 10 can acquire the object delivered to the predetermined location. Since it is not necessary for the receiving user to contact the aircraft body of the flying body 10, an operation with high safety can be achieved for both the aircraft body side and the user side.

[0044] <Example 2> In the details of Pattern 2 of the first embodiment pattern according to the present disclosure, since the components overlapping with Pattern 1 perform the same operations, the description will be omitted again.

[0045] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 4 and FIGS. 10 to 12, the object 10 is mounted from the side of the aircraft body, and it is possible to take out the object 10 from below the aircraft body.

[0046] The discharge mechanism 53 for discharging the object 10 that the flying object 100 has includes, as simple mechanisms, the opening / closing mechanism shown in FIGS. 9 and 12, and the rotating mechanism shown in FIGS. 20 to 21. Such a discharge mechanism can serve both to hold and discharge the object 10, and causes the held object 10 to freely fall by an operation and discharges it from the flying object.

[0047] When the flying object 100 has landed, the impact on the object 10 due to free fall is slight, but when discharging the object 10 in the air, it is preferable to provide a mechanism for attenuating the descent speed of the object 10 such as a parachute in advance. For example, when delivering rescue supplies or installing survey equipment in mountainous areas where it is difficult for people to enter or for the flying object to land, it is necessary to drop the object 10 from the air.

[0048] Alternatively, by using a feed by gears, a robot arm, a slope, etc., it is possible to perform the discharge while suppressing the impact on the object 10 such as free fall. For example, in the case of a slope, the lid of the mounting space 50 may be also used.

[0049] Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 6, the flying object 100 may stack a plurality of objects 10 for different delivery destinations. When taking the method of mounting the object 10 from above the aircraft body and lowering it from below the aircraft body, in order to place the objects 10 for a plurality of delivery destinations and unload the cargo smoothly, as shown in FIGS. 13 to 19, it is preferable to stack the objects 10 from the ones to be lowered first so that the first-in, first-out principle is followed. However, the loading order of the objects 10 is not limited to this.

[0050] In addition, in the flying object with the loading port 51 provided on the lower side, the flying object can recover the object 10 placed on the landing surface. If the object 10 recovered from the lower side is discharged from the discharge ports 52 provided on the upper side or the left and right sides, it is possible to perform first-in first-out in the direction opposite to FIGS. 13 to 15.

[0051] For example, as shown in FIGS. 24 to 25, the flying object 100 or the moving object 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can recover the object 10a (exemplified by a road cone in the figure) placed on the ground and discharge it from above or the side. In this case, first-in first-out is realized and the extraction of the object 10a is facilitated.

[0052] In the operation of the flying object 100, it is desirable to provide a locking mechanism from the viewpoint of security in addition to the locking mechanism from the viewpoints of the above-described drip prevention, aerodynamics, and prevention of object dropping.

[0053] When the discharge mechanism provided in the flying object 100 can communicate with a predetermined device at the landing point or the object discharge point and perform discharge by receiving a discharge execution signal, it is possible to prevent accidents such as the carried object being discharged at the wrong point or being discharged when the receiving posture is not ready.

[0054] The above-described aircraft has the functional blocks shown in FIG. 26. Note that the functional blocks in FIG. 26 are a minimum reference configuration. The flight controller is a so-called processing unit. The processing unit can have one or more processors such as a programmable processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)). The processing unit has a memory (not shown) and can access the memory. The memory stores logic, code, and / or program instructions executable by the processing unit to perform one or more steps. The memory may include a separable medium such as an SD card or a random access memory (RAM), or an external storage device. Data acquired from cameras and sensors may be directly transmitted to and stored in the memory. For example, still image / moving image data captured by a camera or the like is recorded in the built-in memory or the external memory.

[0055] The processing unit includes a control module configured to control the state of the rotary-wing aircraft. For example, the control module controls the propulsion mechanism (motor, etc.) of the rotary-wing aircraft to adjust the spatial arrangement, speed, and / or acceleration of the rotary-wing aircraft having six degrees of freedom (translational motions x, y, and z, and rotational motions θ x , θ y and θ z ). The control module can control one or more of the mounting part and the states of the sensors.

[0056] The processing unit is communicable with a transceiver configured to transmit and / or receive data from one or more external devices (e.g., a terminal, a display device, or other remote controllers). The transceiver can use any suitable communication means such as wired communication or wireless communication. For example, the transceiver can utilize one or more of a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), infrared, wireless, WiFi, a point-to-point (P2P) network, a telecommunications network, cloud communication, etc. The transceiver can transmit and / or receive one or more of data acquired by sensors, processing results generated by the processing unit, predetermined control data, user commands from a terminal or a remote controller, etc.

[0057] The sensors according to this embodiment may include inertial sensors (acceleration sensors, gyro sensors), GPS sensors, proximity sensors (e.g., lidar), or vision / image sensors (e.g., cameras).

[0058] <Second Embodiment> In the details of the second embodiment according to the present disclosure, since the components overlapping with those of the first embodiment perform the same operations, the description thereof will be omitted again.

[0059] As shown in FIGS. 22 to 23, a moving body 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a mounting space 50 for mounting an object 10. The mounting space 50 is provided with a loading port 51 for loading the object 10 and an unloading port 52 for taking out the object 10, and the loading port 51 and the unloading port 52 are provided at least partially at different positions.

[0060] The moving body 200 has a function of being able to mount an object, such as a well-known autonomous mobile robot, and being able to move to a target point.

[0061] As described above, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, since the loading port and the unloading port of the luggage are different, it is possible to efficiently load and unload the luggage. Note that the loading port may be any of the front side, the rear side, the right side, the left side, the upper side, and the lower side. In particular, when it is the upper side, since it is only necessary to lower the luggage, it can be easily loaded. Also, when it is difficult to load from above, for example, it may be loaded from the horizontal direction such as the front side, the rear side, the right side, or the left side. Further, the unloading port of the luggage may be any of the front side, the rear side, the right side, the left side, the upper side, and the lower side as long as it is different from the loading port. In this case, when automatically loading and unloading the luggage, it may be taken out from the lower side. However, for example, when manually taking out the luggage, it may be taken out from the horizontal direction such as the front side, the rear side, the right side, or the left side. Also, if the weight is not large, it may be taken out from the upper side.

[0062] Furthermore, if necessary, each or one of the loading port and the unloading port may have a plurality. Thereby, in particular, according to the situation of the landing place, it becomes possible to select an easy-to-take-out unloading port and then take out the luggage.

[0063] As described above, according to the present disclosure, an object such as luggage is loaded from the loading port into the loading space along the first direction (the direction in which the luggage is loaded when loading into the loading port). Then, the flying object is flown and moved to the destination. At the destination, the luggage is taken out from the unloading port along the second direction (the direction in which the luggage loaded in the loading space is taken out from the unloading port). In this case, the loading port and the unloading port are at least partially different. For this reason, the loading direction and the unloading direction of the luggage can also be different. According to such a configuration, even if the surrounding environment at the time of loading and unloading is different, it is possible to smoothly load and unload the luggage.

[0064] Also, if loading and unloading from two directions are enabled in this way, it is possible to flexibly respond according to the environment of the takeoff and landing place of the flying object without fixing their uses, such as using one for loading and the other for unloading.

[0065] The above-described embodiments are merely examples for facilitating the understanding of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the interpretation of the present disclosure. It goes without saying that the present disclosure can be changed and improved without departing from its gist, and equivalents thereof are included in the present disclosure.

Explanation of Signs

[0066] 10a to 10e Object 50 Mounting Space 51 Loading Port 52 Unloading Port 53 Discharge Mechanism 100 Aircraft 110a to 100h Propeller 111a to 111h Motor 200 Mobile Body

Claims

1. a loading space for loading an object; a loading port for loading the object into the mounting space; an outlet for taking out the object loaded in the loading space; An aircraft comprising: The loading port and the unloading port are provided at least partially at different positions. Flying vehicle.

2. The flying object according to claim 1 . The loading port is provided above the loading space, The outlet is provided below the mounting space. Flying vehicle.

3. The flying object according to claim 1 . The loading port is provided on a side of the loading space, The outlet is provided below the mounting space. Flying vehicle.

4. The flying object according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The outlet has a discharge mechanism for discharging the object. Flying vehicle.

5. 5. The flying object according to claim 4, The ejection mechanism performs ejection by receiving an ejection execution signal through communication with a predetermined device at the landing site. Flying vehicle.

6. A method for transporting luggage using an aircraft, comprising: a loading space for loading an object; a loading port for loading the object into the loading space; and an unloading port for unloading the object loaded into the loading space, the loading port and the unloading port being provided at least partially at different positions, A loading step of loading the object into the loading space from the loading opening along a first direction; flying the aircraft to a destination; and removing the object from the outlet along a second direction. How to transport your luggage.

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