Flying body and maas providing method

Abstract

To improve a flight control technique depending on a charging speed for a battery-driven flying body.SOLUTION: A battery-driven flying body comprises a controller and a battery charged by a power supply, the controller performing flight control depending on the charging speed of the battery.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery-powered flying object and a method for providing MaaS.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been disclosed a multi-aircraft connection type electric rotary wing unmanned aircraft capable of securing the working electricity and working time of a working unmanned aircraft by connecting a working unmanned aircraft and a power supply unmanned aircraft with an electric cable (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technology of Patent Document 1, flight control according to the charging speed has not been studied. That is, there has been room for improvement in the flight control technology according to the charging speed of a battery-powered flying object.

[0005] In view of such circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve the flight control technology according to the charging speed of a battery-powered flying object.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A flying object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a battery-powered flying object, including a control unit, a battery charged by a power supply device, and the control unit executes flight control according to the charging speed of the battery.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, flight control technology according to the charging speed of a battery-powered flying object is improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0010] (Overview of the Embodiment) With reference to FIG. 1, the outline of the system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. The system 1 includes a flying object 10 and a power supply device 20.

[0011] The flying object 10 according to the present embodiment has electric rotary wings and flies by battery drive. For example, the flying object 10 is an eVTOL (electric Vertical Take Off and Landing). The eVTOL has a cabin approximately the same size as a passenger vehicle in which one or more passengers can board, and a mechanism including one or more electric rotary wings for generating lift and thrust. The eVTOL is at least partially controlled by a visual flight rules (VFR) method. Note that the flying object 10 is not limited to an eVTOL, and includes a helicopter, a drone, and the like. The flying object 10 has a drive mechanism including a motor for driving the electric rotary wings, a control unit thereof, and a battery for supplying power to the drive mechanism. The battery is, for example, a lithium ion battery. The flying object 10 may be controlled, for example, by an instrument flight rules (IFR) method.

[0012] The aircraft 10 is connected to the power supply device 20 during flight, and the battery of the aircraft 10 is charged by the power supply device 20.

[0013] The power supply device 20 is a device that supplies power for charging the battery of the aircraft 10. The power supply device 20 may include, for example, a generator, a battery, etc. When the power supply device 20 includes a generator, the power supply device 20 includes fuel. Such fuel may be, for example, gasoline, diesel, natural gas, etc.

[0014] The power supply device 20 is connected to the aircraft 10 by a power supply cable 30 for power supply, and charges the battery of the aircraft 10. The power supply cable 30 may include a refrigerant pipe for circulating the refrigerant for battery cooling. The power supply device 20 is connected to the aircraft 10 by a plurality of wires 40, and is held by the wires 40 during the flight of the aircraft 10. In other words, the power supply device 20 is suspended and held in the air by the wires 40. Thereby, the aircraft 10 is charged by the power supply device 20 during flight.

[0015] First, the outline of this embodiment will be described, and the details will be described later. The aircraft 10 according to this embodiment is battery-driven, and is characterized in that flight control is executed according to the charging speed of the battery.

[0016] Thus, according to this embodiment, flight control is executed based on the charging speed of the battery of the aircraft 10. Therefore, the flight control technology according to the charging speed of a battery-driven aircraft is improved in that flight control can be adaptively performed according to the charging speed of the battery.

[0017] Next, each component of the aircraft 10 will be described in detail.

[0018] (Configuration of the aircraft) As shown in FIG. 2, the aircraft 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an input unit 13, an output unit 14, a communication unit 15, a positioning unit 16, a detection unit 17, and a battery 18.

[0019] The control unit 11 includes at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (central processing unit) or a GPU (graphics processing unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). While controlling each part of the aircraft 10, the control unit 11 executes processing related to the operation of the aircraft 10. For example, the control unit 11 controls a drive mechanism including a motor for driving an electric rotary wing.

[0020] The storage unit 12 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or a combination of at least two of these. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM (random access memory) or a ROM (read only memory). The RAM is, for example, an SRAM (static random access memory) or a DRAM (dynamic random access memory). The ROM is, for example, an EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read only memory). The storage unit 12 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 12 stores data used for the operation of the aircraft 10 and data obtained by the operation of the aircraft 10.

[0021] The input unit 13 includes at least one input interface. The input interface is, for example, a physical key, a capacitive key, a pointing device, or a touch screen provided integrally with a display. The input interface may also be, for example, a sound sensor that receives voice input, or a camera that receives gesture input. The input unit 13 receives an operation for inputting data used for the operation of the aircraft 10. Instead of being provided in the aircraft 10, the input unit 13 may be connected to the aircraft 10 as an external input device. As a connection method, for example, any method such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), HDMI (Registered Trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), or Bluetooth (Registered Trademark) can be used.

[0022] The output unit 14 includes at least one output interface. The output interface is, for example, a display that outputs information as video, or a speaker that outputs information as sound. The display is, for example, an LCD (liquid crystal display) or an organic EL (electro luminescence) display. The output unit 14 displays and outputs data obtained by the operation of the aircraft 10. Instead of being provided in the aircraft 10, the output unit 14 may be connected to the aircraft 10 as an external output device. As a connection method, for example, any method such as USB, HDMI (Registered Trademark), or Bluetooth (Registered Trademark) can be used.

[0023] The communication unit 15 includes at least one interface for external communication. The communication interface may be either a wired communication interface or a wireless communication interface. In the case of wired communication, the communication interface is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) interface or a USB (Universal Serial Bus). In the case of wireless communication, the communication interface is, for example, an interface corresponding to a mobile communication standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th generation), or 5G (5th generation), or an interface corresponding to short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The communication unit 15 receives data used for the operation of the aircraft 10 and transmits data obtained by the operation of the aircraft 10.

[0024] The positioning unit 16 includes sensors or receivers for obtaining the position of the aircraft 10 by means of autonomous navigation, inertial navigation, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), etc. Sensors for autonomous navigation include, for example, acceleration sensors, gyro sensors, azimuth magnets, altimeters, etc. Receivers for inertial navigation include, for example, receivers for receiving radio waves from ground radio facilities such as VOR (VHF omni-directional radio range) and ILS (Instrument Landing System). Furthermore, GNSS receivers include, for example, at least any one of GPS (Global Positioning System), QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System), BeiDou, GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and Galileo. The positioning unit 16 obtains the position information of the aircraft 10 and sends the position information to the control unit 11. Here, the position information includes the altitude information of the aircraft 10.

[0025] The detection unit 17 has one or more sensors that detect the states or operations of each part of the aircraft 10, or an interface with the sensors, and sends information indicating the detection results by the sensors to the control unit 11. The sensors include sensors that detect the states or operations such as a drive mechanism including a motor, the rotational speed of the propeller, the remaining charge of the battery 18, the temperature, and the charging speed. Further, the sensors include a wind speed sensor, a wind direction sensor, an air temperature sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a humidity sensor, an illuminance sensor, a rainfall sensor, a camera, etc., that detect the state of the external environment of the aircraft 10.

[0026] The battery 18 supplies power to the drive mechanism of the aircraft 10. The battery 18 may be, for example, a lithium-ion battery, a solid electrolyte battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery, or the like. The battery 18 can be charged by the power supply device 20.

[0027] (Operation of the aircraft) With reference to FIG. 3, the operation of the system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0028] Step S10: The control unit 11 of the aircraft 10 acquires information related to the charging speed of the battery 18 (hereinafter also referred to as charging speed information).

[0029] Any method can be adopted for acquiring the charging speed information. For example, the control unit 11 may acquire the charging speed information from the detection unit 17.

[0030] Step S20: The control unit 11 executes flight control based on the charging speed information. In other words, the control unit 11 executes flight control according to the charging speed.

[0031] The flight control according to the charging speed includes, for example, at least any one of a change in flight speed, flight altitude, and rotational speed of the propeller. For example, the flight control includes a change in flight speed, and the control unit 11 may increase the flight speed as the charging speed is higher. As the charging speed is higher, the temperature of the battery 18 rises. Therefore, by increasing the flight speed, the temperature rise of the battery 18 can be efficiently suppressed.

[0032] Also, for example, flight control may include a change in flight altitude, and the control unit 11 may increase the flight altitude as the charging speed is higher. As described above, the temperature of the battery 18 increases as the charging speed is higher. Therefore, by increasing the flight altitude, the temperature rise of the battery 18 can be efficiently suppressed.

[0033] Also, for example, flight control may include a change in the rotational speed of the propeller, and the control unit 11 may increase the rotational speed of the propeller as the charging speed is higher. As described above, the temperature of the battery 18 increases as the charging speed is higher. Therefore, by increasing the rotational speed of the propeller, the flight speed can be increased, and thereby the temperature rise of the battery 18 can be efficiently suppressed.

[0034] As described above, the control unit 11 of the flying object 10 according to the present embodiment executes flight control based on the charging speed of the battery 18 of the flying object 10. Therefore, the flight control technology according to the charging speed of the battery-driven flying object 10 is improved in that flight control can be adaptively performed according to the charging speed of the battery 18.

[0035] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or each step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to be logically contradictory, and it is possible to combine or divide a plurality of components or steps, etc. into one.

[0036] For example, the control unit 11 may execute flight control according to the environmental information as well. Such environmental information may include at least any one of the outside air temperature, wind speed, weather information, and atmospheric pressure. The temperature rise during charging of the battery 18 may vary depending on the outside air temperature, wind speed, weather information, atmospheric pressure, etc. Therefore, the control unit 11 may execute flight control based on the environmental information. For example, when the outside air temperature at the flight altitude is low, the temperature rise during charging of the battery 18 can be suppressed. Therefore, the control unit 11 may execute flight control in consideration of the outside air temperature as well.

[0037] Also, for example, in the present embodiment, although one flying object 10 and the power supply device 20 are connected by the wire 40 and the power supply device 20 is held during flight, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, by connecting a plurality of flying objects 10 and the power supply device 20 with the wire 40, the power supply device 20 may be held during flight. By doing so, the load of the power supply device 20 can be dispersed among a plurality of flying objects 10. When a plurality of flying objects 10 hold the power supply device 20, it is necessary to coordinate the flight control of the plurality of flying objects 10. For example, the flight speeds and flight altitudes of the plurality of flying objects 10 need to be generally the same. When coordinating the flight control of the plurality of flying objects 10, the control unit 11 of one of the plurality of flying objects 10 (hereinafter also referred to as the master) may acquire its own charging speed information and determine the flight control of the plurality of flying objects 10. Further, the control unit 11 of the master flying object 10 may transmit information related to the determined flight control to other flying objects 10 (hereinafter also referred to as slaves) via the communication unit 15. The control unit 11 of the slave flying object 10 executes its own flight control based on the information related to the flight control received from the master.

[0038] Also, for example, the flying object 10 and the power supply device 20 may not be connected by the wire 40. For example, the power supply device 20 may be attachable to the outside of the flying object 10. Alternatively, the power supply device 20 may be provided inside the flying object 10.

[0039] For example, in the above-described embodiment, an embodiment in which the configuration and operation of the aircraft 10 are distributed to a plurality of computers capable of communicating with each other is also possible. For example, an embodiment in which some components of the aircraft 10 are provided in an external server device is also possible.

[0040] In one example, the aircraft 10 may be used to provide Mobility as a Service (MaaS), a service that utilizes mobility. In one example, the processing procedure in the flowchart of FIG. 3 may be executed when providing a service (MaaS) using the aircraft 10. In this case, the information processing method according to the above processing procedure is an example of a method for providing a service (MaaS) using the aircraft 10.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0041] 1 System 10 Aircraft 11 Control Unit 12 Storage Unit 13 Input Unit 14 Output Unit 15 Communication Unit 16 Positioning Unit 17 Detection Unit 18 Battery 20 Power Supply Device 30 Power Supply Cable 40 Wire

Claims

1. A battery-powered flying object, comprising: a control unit; a battery charged by a power supply device; and the control unit executes flight control according to the charging speed of the battery.

2. The flying object according to Claim 1, wherein the flight control includes at least any one of changes in flight speed, flight altitude, and propeller rotation speed.

3. The flying object according to Claim 2, wherein the flight control includes a change in flight speed, and the control unit increases the flight speed as the charging speed is higher.

4. The flying object according to Claim 1, wherein the flight control is executed according to environmental information as well.

5. The flying object according to Claim 4, wherein the environmental information includes at least any one of outside air temperature, wind speed, weather information, and atmospheric pressure.

6. A method for providing MaaS (Mobility as a Service) using the flying object according to Claim 1.

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