Unmanned aerial mobile body

Abstract

To provide a space-saved unmanned aerial mobile body.SOLUTION: An aerial mobile body 1 includes: a plurality of lifting-power engines 21 that generate a lifting power; a plurality of propulsion engines 22 that generate a propulsion power; a reception part 122 that is detachably mounted with a component 31 including a device according to a use; and a motion control device 40 that includes a control part 41 for controlling output of the lifting-power engines 21 and the propulsion engines 22 such that a designated posture is achieved. The aerial mobile body 1 does not include a main blade that generates a lifting power equal to or greater than a lifting power generated by the lifting-power engine 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an aerial vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Aircraft vary in function, equipment, shape, etc. depending on their intended use. Recently, vertical take-off and landing aircraft such as the V-22 (commonly known as the Osprey; see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1) have been published for transport purposes and are primarily used for military purposes. Vertical landing aircraft that can be used as fighter jets, such as the F-35B (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 2), have also been published.

[0003] However, the V-22 is prone to instability when changing propeller direction, and the F-35B cannot take off vertically.

[0004] Furthermore, both aircraft have large components such as the main wings, which require a large space to store. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] "MV-22 Osprey" https: / / www.mod.go.jp / j / approach / anpo / osprey / haibi / pdf / mv22_pamphlet.pdf [Non-patent document 2] "Reiwa 2 (2020) Defense White Paper <Commentary> Acquisition of F-35B Fighter Jets" https: / / www.mod.go.jp / j / publication / wp / wp2020 / html / nc007000.html Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a space-saving aerial vehicle.

[0007] The contents of the above "Background Art" and "Problem to be Solved by the Invention" indicate the opportunity (trigger) that led to the invention, and do not limit the technical scope of the invention, nor do they permit a limited interpretation of the technical scope of the invention (see 2005 (Gyo-Ke) No. 10042 and the Patent Office Examination Guidelines, Part II, Chapter 2, Section 2, 3.2.1 as of the filing date). [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention includes a plurality of lift engines 21, which are jet engines or rocket engines that generate lift and are equipped with reverse thrust flaps, a plurality of propulsion engines 22, which are jet engines or rocket engines that generate thrust and are equipped with reverse thrust flaps, a receiver 122 on which components equipped with devices according to the application are detachably mounted, an attitude table 431 that stores the output of the lift engines 21 and the output of the propulsion engines 22 for realizing an attitude change commanded for each attitude change, an operation condition table 432 that stores operation stop conditions for stopping an attitude change for each operation content, and a sensor that detects parameters related to each condition defined in the operation stop conditions. and a control unit 41 which, when it is determined that an instruction to perform an operation has been received, searches the operation condition table 432 to read out the attitude and the operation stop condition corresponding to the operation content of the instructed operation, searches the attitude table 431 to read out from the attitude table 431 the outputs of the lift engines 21 and the propulsion engines 22 corresponding to the attitude previously read out, and operates the lift engines 21 and the propulsion engines 22 in accordance with the read-out outputs, and when it is determined that the operation stop condition is satisfied based on the output of the sensor group, stops the specified operation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, a space-saving aerial vehicle can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a side appearance of the aerial vehicle. [Figure 2] 2 is a view of the aerial moving object as seen from the arrow A in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 is a view of the aerial vehicle as seen from the arrow B in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an aerial vehicle with components removed. [Figure 5] 5 is an end view of the receiving portion as seen from the arrow C in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a combat component. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a jet engine. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a jet engine with reverse thrust flaps open. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a motion control device. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a posture table. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of an operation condition table. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data configuration of a component control table. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An aerial moving body 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0012] (Basic Concept) Conventional aircraft have large wings, requiring a large storage space. Furthermore, models capable of vertical takeoff and landing primarily generate lift and thrust using propellers or fans. Consequently, some models are slow and prone to accidents due to unstable aircraft attitude. Furthermore, fighter jets, in particular, require time and money for pilot training, and sudden changes in attitude can be physically harmful to the pilot.

[0013] About the main wing The aerial vehicle 1 of this embodiment does not generate lift using main wings, but is equipped with a power source for generating lift (hereinafter referred to as lift engine 21). Specifically, the aerial vehicle 1 is equipped with a jet engine, which is a power source that takes in oxygen needed to burn fuel from the atmosphere, or a rocket engine, which is a power source that loads the oxygen or oxidizer needed to burn fuel into the aircraft, mixes this oxygen or oxidizer with fuel, and burns the mixture.

[0014] Therefore, the aerial vehicle 1 does not have main wings that generate a lift force greater than the lift force generated by the lift engines, and therefore the aerial vehicle 1 requires less space for storage.

[0015] The aerial vehicle 1 also uses a jet engine or rocket engine as a power source (hereinafter referred to as a propulsion engine 22) that generates power to move the aircraft in the forward and backward directions, and is provided in addition to the lift engine.

[0016] Therefore, not only is vertical takeoff and landing possible, but it is also possible to take off rapidly and travel at high speeds, such as the speed of sound.

[0017] About the Pilot The aerial vehicle 1 can be operated unmanned by the motion control device 40. The motion control device 40 pre-stores the operations of the lift engines and propulsion engines 22 required for the operation corresponding to the specified operation command, reads out these operations, and controls the operation of the lift engines and propulsion engines 22, including the reverse thrust flaps 211.

[0018] Therefore, there is no need for a pilot to be on board the aircraft, which saves time and money on pilot training.

[0019] Furthermore, because there is no pilot on board, it is possible to perform rapid and complex attitude changes, such as rapid somersaults, that would be impossible with a human on board. Therefore, during a dogfight between fighter planes, it is possible to assume a position and attitude that is extremely advantageous compared to enemy fighter planes piloted by humans, making it possible to effectively eliminate enemy fighter planes.

[0020] Regarding componentization of aircraft elements The airborne vehicle 1 has components made of airframe elements, which are functional parts mounted on the fuselage and the like, and is equipped with detachable members that allow the components of these airframe elements (hereinafter simply referred to as components) to be easily replaced.

[0021] Therefore, by replacing these components, it is possible to change the aircraft into a transport aircraft, a fighter aircraft, or any other mobile vehicle with the functions required for the mission. This also eliminates the need to carry both transport aircraft and fighter aircraft on an aircraft carrier, for example, thereby further saving space.

[0022] (Configuration example) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the side exterior of an aerial vehicle 1 of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a view of the aerial vehicle 1 as seen from the arrow A in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a view of the aerial vehicle 1 as seen from the arrow B in FIG. 1. As indicated by arrow X1 in FIG. 1, the direction of the air intake port of the propulsion engine 22 (hereinafter, the right propulsion engine 22R and the left propulsion engine 22L will be collectively referred to as the propulsion engines 22) will be referred to as the front, and the direction of the exhaust gas outflow will be referred to as the rear. Below, an example will be described in which jet engines are used for the lift engines 21 and the propulsion engines 22 of the aerial vehicle 1.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the aerial vehicle 1 includes a main body 10 and a transport component 31T, which is an example of a component 31 for transportation.

[0024] The main aircraft body 10 comprises an equipment storage section 11, lift engines 21 (hereinafter, the front right engine 21FR, front left engine 21FL, rear right engine 21RR, and rear left engine 21RL will be collectively referred to as the lift engines 21), and a propulsion engine 22.

[0025] The device storage section 11 stores the motion control device 40 in the front end portion of the main body 10.

[0026] Jet engines or rocket engines are used as the lift engines 21. The lift engines 21 include a front right engine 21FR installed on the front right side of the main body 10, a front left engine 21FL installed on the front left side of the main body 10, a rear right engine 21RR installed on the rear right side of the main body 10, and a rear left engine 21RL installed on the rear left side of the main body 10.

[0027] The lift engines 21 are installed with their air intakes facing upward and their exhaust gas outlets facing downward. The lift engines 21 are attached to the main body 10 via mounting members 13, but may also be attached directly to the main body 10.

[0028] The transport component 31T is provided with a hatch 31T1 on the side portion of the transport component 31T for loading and unloading items.

[0029] 3, the main body 10 has a support frame 110 with wheels 111 that can be stored inside the main body 10. When in use, the support frame 110 is opened in the direction of arrow X2.

[0030] 4 is a plan view of the aerial vehicle 1 with the component 31 removed. As shown in FIG. 4, the aerial vehicle 1 includes a crosspiece 121, a receiving portion 122, and a lock 123.

[0031] The crosspiece 121 connects and supports the front part of the main body 10, which includes the equipment storage section 11, the front right engine 21FR, and the front left engine 22FL, and the rear part of the main body 10, which includes the rear right engine 21RR, the rear left engine 21RL, and the propulsion engine 22.

[0032] A plurality of receiving portions 122 are hung above the crosspiece 121 so as to intersect perpendicularly with the extending direction of the crosspiece 121.

[0033] Multiple locks 123 are arranged on the surfaces facing the component 31 in the front and rear parts of the main body 10, and are inserted into insertion holes pre-installed in the component 31 to secure the component 31 to the main body 10.

[0034] The lock 123 is protruded or retracted by the solenoid, and when the power to the solenoid is OFF, it protrudes and secures the component 31 to the main body 10, and when the power to the solenoid is ON, it is retracted and the component 31 can be removed from the main body 10.

[0035] Fig. 5 is an end view of the receiving portion 122 as seen from the arrow C in Fig. 4. The solid line represents the receiving portion 122, and the broken line represents the component 31. As shown in Fig. 5, the receiving portion 122 has a receiving groove 122G on its upper side.

[0036] The receiving groove 122G has approximately the same width as the width of the roller 322 of the roller portion 321 that the component 31 has on its lower surface. When the solenoid is energized, the component 31 is placed on the main body 10 by moving the roller 322 in the receiving groove 122G. Thereafter, the solenoid is de-energized, and the component 31 is fixed to the main body.

[0037] Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a combat component 31A, which is a combat component 31 as another example of the component 31. As shown in Fig. 6, the combat component 31A can selectively be equipped with a machine gun, a bomb to be dropped, or a suicide bomb to be dropped on an enemy facility and blow it up, in addition to a plurality of missiles 31A1.

[0038] In addition to these, components 31 can be newly installed depending on the purpose, such as a reconnaissance component equipped with reconnaissance equipment, a camping component equipped with facilities for camping at the landing site, a medical component equipped with facilities for performing medical procedures at the landing site, etc. It is also possible to leave the components 31 at the selected site and return only the main vehicle 10.

[0039] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a jet engine 20 used for the lift engine 21 and the propulsion engine 22. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the jet engine 20 with the reverse thrust flap 211 open. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the jet engine 20 is provided with the reverse thrust flap 211 near the exhaust port of the jet engine 20.

[0040] When the jet engine 20 receives a mechanical or electrical command to perform reverse thrust, it extends the arm 212 and displaces the flap 211 to a position where it will hit the exhaust gas coming out of the exhaust port of the jet engine 20. At this time, the flap 211 changes the direction of the exhaust gas from the jet engine 20 to a direction almost opposite to the direction of the exhaust gas outlet. Therefore, the output of the jet engine 20 acts in the direction opposite to the direction of travel.

[0041] The arm 212 is extended by energizing a solenoid connected to the arm 212, and is retracted into the housing of the jet engine 20 when the solenoid is de-energized.

[0042] 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the motion control device 40. The motion control device 40 controls the motion of the aerial moving body 1. As shown in FIG. 9, the motion control device 40 includes a control unit 41, a sensor group 42, a storage unit 43, and a communication unit 44.

[0043] The control unit 41 includes a calculation device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0044] The sensor group 42 may include, for example, an infrared sensor 421, an imaging camera 422 that captures visible light, an acceleration sensor 423 that detects the acceleration of the aerial moving object 1 in each three-dimensional direction, a gyro sensor 424 that detects the attitude displacement of the aerial moving object 1 in each three-dimensional direction, and an altitude sensor 425 that detects the altitude of the aerial moving object 1 from the ground surface using a laser beam or air pressure. Each sensor included in the sensor group 42 outputs the detection result to the control unit 41.

[0045] The storage unit 43 includes a storage device selected from various types of memories and storage devices, and stores a posture table 431, an operation condition table 432, and a component control table 433.

[0046] The communication unit 44 includes a master communication unit 441, a master-slave communication unit 442, and a location information acquisition unit 443. The master communication unit 441 includes a communication device for communicating with the base station, and the master-slave communication unit 442 includes a communication device for communicating between the master unit that issues instructions to other aerial vehicles 1 and the slave unit that is an aerial vehicle 1 that follows the instructions of the slave unit. The location information acquisition unit 443 includes a communication device for acquiring location information of its own vehicle from, for example, GPS (The Global Positioning System), and outputs the acquired location information to the control unit 41.

[0047] 10 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the attitude table 431. The attitude table 431 stores the output of each engine for each change in the attitude of the aerial vehicle 1.

[0048] 10, the attitude table 431 stores an attitude number, which is an identifier uniquely assigned to each attitude of the aerial vehicle 1, attitude change details indicating the changes in the attitude of the aerial vehicle 1, and the numerical output of each engine of the lift engines 21 and each engine of the propulsion engines 22 for each attitude change detail. Here, for example, +10 indicates that the output in the forward direction without operating the flaps 211 is 10% of the maximum output, and -20 indicates that the output in the reverse direction with operating the flaps 211 is 20% of the maximum output.

[0049] 11 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the movement condition table 432. The movement condition table 432 stores conditions for stopping the change in attitude of the aerial moving object 1 for each movement of the aerial moving object 1.

[0050] As shown in Figure 11, the movement condition table 432 stores an movement number, which is an identifier uniquely assigned to each movement content of the aerial moving body 1, a posture number corresponding to the posture used for each movement of the aerial moving body 1, and a movement stop condition indicating the condition for stopping the maintenance of the posture indicated by the posture number.

[0051] Here, we will explain the operation of the control unit 41 when changing the attitude of the aerial moving object 1. First, when the control unit 41 determines that it has received an instruction for an operation to change the attitude of the aerial moving object 1, it searches the operation condition table 432 and reads out the attitude number and operation stop condition corresponding to the operation content of the specified operation.

[0052] For example, when the control unit 41 receives an instruction to start movement No. Bn (forward somersault), the control unit 41 searches the movement condition table 432 to read out the posture No. corresponding to movement No. Bn and the movement stop condition.

[0053] Next, the control unit 41 searches the attitude table 431 to read out the output of each engine corresponding to the attitude number, and adjusts the output of each engine according to the read-out output. In the above example, the control unit 41 reads out attitude number: "An+1", operation stop condition: "model rotation angle = 180°", and attitude number: "An+2", operation stop condition: "roll angle = 180°".

[0054] Next, the control unit 41 adjusts the output of each engine corresponding to the attitude No. An+1 to perform a nose climb. Then, the control unit 41 determines whether the aircraft turning angle has reached 180°, and if so, changes the output of each engine corresponding to the attitude No. An+1 to the output of each engine corresponding to the attitude No. An+2.

[0055] Then, the control unit 41 determines whether the roll angle has reached 180°, and if it determines that the roll angle has reached 180°, returns the output of each engine to the default (for example, constant forward speed).

[0056] 12 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the component control table 433. The component control table 433 stores the details of the operation of each component 31 and the conditions for stopping that operation.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 12, the component control table 433 stores a component No., which is an identifier uniquely assigned to each component 31, a component name, a control ID, which is an identifier uniquely assigned to the control content, the control content, and a control stop condition indicating the condition for stopping the operation of the control content.

[0058] For example, if the airborne vehicle 1 is equipped with a component for transporting equipment, when the control unit 41 determines that it has received control ID: C001-001, which is an instruction to open the hatch, it performs the pre-stored lock-and-open operation to open the hatch and the door open operation, and when it determines that the control stop condition "lock-and-open & door open sensor ON" is satisfied, it stops the hatch open operation.

[0059] (Other examples of airborne vehicles) The airborne vehicle 1 requires little space. Therefore, multiple vehicles can be mounted on a large aircraft. For example, an airborne vehicle 1 equipped with the combat component 31A is loaded onto an airborne carrier, which is a large aircraft, and transported to the vicinity of an enemy base. Then, when an instruction to commence an attack is issued from the base, the airborne carrier releases the airborne vehicle 1, causing it to commence the attack. Operating in this manner makes it possible to reduce the fuel consumption of the airborne vehicle 1, and if a refueling device is installed on the airborne carrier, continuous attacks become possible.

[0060] (effect) As described above, the aerial vehicle 1 of this embodiment includes a plurality of lift engines 21, which are jet engines or rocket engines that generate lift and are equipped with reverse thrust flaps; a plurality of propulsion engines 22, which are jet engines or rocket engines that generate thrust and are equipped with reverse thrust flaps; a receiver 122 on which components equipped with equipment according to the application are detachably mounted; an attitude table 431 that stores, for each lift engine 21 and for each propulsion engine 22, the output of the lift engines 21 and the output of the propulsion engines 22 for realizing an attitude change commanded for each attitude change; an operation condition table 432 that stores operation stop conditions for stopping an attitude change for each operation; and a condition table 432 that stores the operation stop conditions for stopping an attitude change for each operation content. and a control unit 41 which, when it is determined that an instruction to perform an operation has been received, searches the operation condition table 432 to read out the attitude and operation stop conditions corresponding to the operation content of the instructed operation, searches the attitude table 431 to read out from the attitude table 431 the outputs of the lift engines 21 and the propulsion engines 22 corresponding to the attitude previously read out, and operates the lift engines 21 and the propulsion engines 22 in accordance with the read-out outputs, and stops the specified operation when it is determined that the operation stop conditions are satisfied based on the output of the sensor group, and does not have a main wing that generates lift greater than the lift generated by the lift engines 21.

[0061] Therefore, the aerial vehicle 1 of the present invention has the effect of realizing space saving. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1. Aerial Vehicles 2 Patent Office Examination Guidelines Part II, Article 10 Main body 11 Equipment storage area 13 Mounting material 20. Jet Engine 21 Lift engine 21FL front left engine 21FR front right engine 21RL rear left engine 21RR rear right engine 22 Propulsion Engine 22FL front left engine 22L propulsion left engine 22R propulsion right engine 31 Components 31A Combat Components 31A1 missile 31T Transport Components 31T1 Hatch 40 Motion control device 41 Control Unit 42 Sensors 43 Storage section 44 Communications Department 110 Support Rejection 111 Wheels 121 crossing 122 Receiving part 122G receiving groove 123 Rock 211 Flap 212 Arm 321 Roller section 322 Laura 421 Infrared Sensor 422 Imaging camera 423 Accelerometer 424 Gyro Sensor 425 Altitude Sensor 431 Posture Table 432 Operating Condition Table 433 Component Control Table 441 Main Communications Department 442 Master / Slave Communication Unit 443 Location information acquisition unit

Claims

[Claim 1] a plurality of lift engines, which are jet or rocket engines that generate lift and have retro-thrust flaps; a plurality of propulsion engines, each of which is a jet engine or a rocket engine, for generating thrust and having reverse thrust flaps; a receiving portion for detachably mounting a component having equipment according to an application; an attitude table that stores, for each of the lift engines, the output power of the lift engines and the output power of the propulsion engines, which are required to realize the attitude change instructed for each of the attitude changes; a motion condition table storing motion stop conditions for stopping the posture change for each motion; a group of sensors that detect parameters related to each condition defined in the operation stop condition; a control unit that, when it is determined that an instruction to perform an operation has been received, searches the operation condition table to read out the attitude and the operation stop condition corresponding to the operation content of the instructed operation, searches the attitude table to read out the outputs of the lift engine and the propulsion engine corresponding to the previously read out attitude from the attitude table, and causes the lift engine and the propulsion engine to output in accordance with the read-out outputs, and when it is determined that the operation stop condition has been met based on the outputs of the sensor group, stops the specified operation; Equipped with An aerial vehicle that does not have a main wing that generates a lift greater than the lift generated by the lift engine.

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