Flight vehicle

The aircraft's connector system with gripping and insertion holes allows cables to be routed from beam ends to the center, enhancing structural simplicity and strength by containing them within the girder and fuselage cover.

JP2026013032APending Publication Date: 2026-01-28大仓 义宪
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024113175
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-07-16
Publication Date
2026-01-28

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing aircraft designs with girders extending across the entire width face challenges in routing cables from electrical components to rotors when there is no central end for connection.

Method used

The aircraft incorporates a connector system with gripping holes and insertion holes to route cables through the girder body, allowing them to extend from the ends of the beams to the center, using CFRP girder members and a fuselage cover for protection and strength.

Benefits of technology

This configuration simplifies and strengthens the aircraft structure by containing cables within the girder and fuselage cover, ensuring they are not exposed and maintaining structural integrity.

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Abstract

To provide a flying object in which a cable is wired from an end of a beam material to the center when there is no end of the beam material at the center.SOLUTION: A plurality of girder materials, a connector that connects the girder materials to each other, and a rotor that is provided at each end portion of the girder materials, in which the connector includes a connector main body, a plurality of grip holes that penetrate the connector main body in a horizontal direction and are disposed to be vertically aligned, and an insertion hole that penetrates from a surface of the connector main body to each of the grip holes, the girder includes a girder body having an elongated cylindrical shape, and a girder hole formed at an intermediate portion of the girder body in a longitudinal direction and penetrating to an inside of the girder body, and each of the girders is configured such that the girder body is inserted into the gripping hole, an intermediate portion of the girder body in the longitudinal direction is gripped by the coupler body, the insertion hole and the girder hole communicate with each other, a cable is connected to each of the rotors, and each of the cables passes through the inside of the girder body and extends to the outside of the girder body through the girder hole and the insertion hole.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1
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Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an aircraft such as a drone having a rotor (rotating wing). [Background technology]

[0002] Unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as drones or UAVs), which have become widespread in recent years, generally have a structure that includes a centrally located main body, multiple beams (frames) extending radially from the main body, and rotors attached to the tips of the beams, as shown in Patent Document 1, for example. The main body is equipped with electrical components such as a controller and a battery. These electrical components are connected to the motor that rotates the rotors by cables. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-37347 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the aircraft of Patent Document 1, the base end of the girder (the end opposite the end where the rotor blades are provided) is connected to the main body, i.e., the opening on the base end side faces the main body. Therefore, the cable extending from the electrical component can be connected to the motor from the opening on the base end side of the girder through the interior of the girder. However, unlike the above configuration, if the aircraft has a girder that extends across the entire width of the aircraft, there is no end (opening) of the girder in the center of the aircraft where the electrical component is located, so some ingenuity is required in how the cable is routed.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an aircraft in which a cable is routed from the end of a beam to the center when there is no end of the beam in the center. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The aircraft of the present invention comprises a plurality of beams, connectors for connecting the beams together, and rotors provided at each end of the beams, the connectors having a connector body, a plurality of gripping holes that penetrate horizontally through the connector body and are arranged in a row above and below, and insertion holes that penetrate from the surface of the connector body to each of the gripping holes, the beams having a long, tubular beam body and girder holes formed in the longitudinal middle of the beam body and penetrating to the inside of the beam body, the beam body being inserted into the gripping hole and gripped by the connector body at the longitudinal middle, the insertion holes and the girder holes being connected, and a cable being connected to each of the rotors, the cables passing through the inside of the beam body and extending to the outside of the beam body through the girder holes and the insertion holes. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, by passing the cables extending from each rotor through the inside of the girder body and then exiting the girder body through the girder holes and insertion holes, the cables can be routed from the end of the girder to the center even if there is no end of the girder in the center. This makes it possible to simplify and strengthen the main structure of the aircraft. That is, the configuration is simple: the girder is fixed by passing it through the gripping hole of the connector, and the girder is not separated at the part where it is connected, so it is strong. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] An enlarged perspective view of the center of the aircraft (with the fuselage cover removed). [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of the center of the aircraft (with the fuselage cover attached). [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the aircraft. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the connector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Specific details of the aircraft of the present invention will be described below. As shown in Figures 1 to 4, this aircraft 100 comprises two girder members 10, a connector 20 that connects the girder members 10 together, rotors 30 provided at each end of the girder members 10, electrical components 40 for driving and controlling the rotors 30, cables 50 that connect the rotors 30 and the electrical components 40, and a fuselage cover 60 that covers the connector 20. The two girder members 10 are orthogonal in plan view, and the direction in which one girder member 10 extends is defined as the front-rear direction, and the direction in which the other girder member 10 extends is defined as the left-right direction. Both the front-rear direction and the left-right direction are horizontal.

[0010] The girder 10 has a girder body 11 and a girder hole 12. The girder body 11 is made of CFRP and has a long cylindrical shape. The girder hole 12 is a circular hole formed in the longitudinal center of the girder body 11 and penetrating into the interior of the girder body 11. The two girder members 10 are identical. The two girder members 10 are arranged one above the other and are perpendicular to each other in a plan view. Hereinafter, when distinguishing between the two upper and lower girder members 10, they will be referred to as the upper girder member 10a and the lower girder member 10b. The upper girder member 10a extends in the front-to-rear direction, and the lower girder member 10b extends in the left-to-right direction.

[0011] The connector 20 has a connector body 21, two gripping holes 22, two insertion holes 23, and two split grooves 24. The connector body 21 is made of metal and has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape, with an upper surface 211, a lower surface 212, and four side surfaces 213. The four side surfaces 213 face in the front-to-rear and left-to-right directions, respectively. The upper surface 211 and the lower surface 212 are square. The side surfaces 213 are rectangular and long in the vertical direction. The two gripping holes 22 are provided at the top and bottom of the connector body 21, respectively. That is, the two gripping holes 22 are arranged side by side above and below the connector body 21. Hereinafter, when distinguishing between the two upper and lower gripping holes 22, they will be referred to as the upper gripping hole 22a and the lower gripping hole 22b. The upper gripping hole 22a is a hole that penetrates the connector main body 21 in the front-to-rear direction. That is, the upper gripping hole 22a opens to the front and rear side surfaces 213. The lower gripping hole 22b is a hole that penetrates the connector main body 21 in the left-to-right direction. That is, the lower gripping hole 22b opens to the left and right side surfaces 213. The gripping holes 22 have a circular cross section, and their diameter is large enough to fit the girder 10. The insertion holes 23 are holes that penetrate from the side surfaces 213 of the connector main body 21 to the respective gripping holes 22. Hereinafter, when distinguishing between the two upper and lower insertion holes 23, they will be referred to as the upper insertion hole 23a and the lower insertion hole 23b. The upper insertion hole 23a penetrates from the right side surface 213 of the connector main body 21 to the upper grip hole 22a. The lower insertion hole 23b penetrates from the rear side surface 213 of the connector main body 21 to the lower grip hole 22b. The insertion hole 23 has a circular cross section and its diameter is smaller than that of the grip hole 22. Slit grooves 24 are provided on each of the upper surface 211 and lower surface 212 of the connector main body 21. On the upper surface 211, the slit groove 24 extends in the front-rear direction, is provided in the center in the left-right direction, and communicates with the upper grip hole 22a. On the lower surface 212, the slit groove 24 extends in the left-right direction, is provided in the center in the front-rear direction, and communicates with the lower grip hole 22b. A fastening bolt 25 is provided for each of the upper and lower slit grooves 24. For the upper split groove 24, a hole for inserting a fastening bolt 25 extending in the left-right direction perpendicular to the split groove 24 is formed in the connector body 21. This hole is a through hole on the right side of the split groove 24 and a female screw hole on the left side of the split groove 24. The width of the split groove 24 is narrowed by inserting and tightening the fastening bolt 25 from the right side surface 213. The same is true for the lower split groove 24, and the fastening bolt 25 is inserted from the rear side surface 213.

[0012] The girder body 11 of each of the two girder members 10 is inserted into the gripping hole 22. In both the upper girder member 10a and the lower girder member 10b, the connector body 21 is positioned in the longitudinal center of the girder body 11. At this time, the orientation of the girder body 11 around the longitudinal axis is set so that the insertion hole 23 of the connector 20 communicates with the girder hole 12 of the girder member 10. By tightening the fastening bolts 25 on both the top and bottom, the girder body 11 is gripped (fixed) by the connector body 21. When viewed in a plane, the two girder members 10 form a cross shape with the connector 20 at the center.

[0013] The flying body 100 has four rotors 30. Each rotor 30 has a rotor body 31 and a motor 32 that rotates and drives the rotor body 31. A motor 32 is attached to the upper side of each of the ends of the beam members 10, and the rotor body 31 is attached to the motor 32.

[0014] The fuselage cover 60 has a cylindrical shape extending vertically, and has a fuselage upper surface 61, a fuselage lower surface 62, and fuselage side surfaces 63. The fuselage upper surface 61 and the fuselage lower surface 62 are circular. The fuselage side surfaces 63 are cylindrical. The fuselage upper surface 61 and the fuselage lower surface 62 are detachable from the fuselage side surfaces 63. The connectors 20 are housed inside the fuselage side surfaces 63. Holes are formed in the fuselage side surfaces 63 for passing the beams 10 therethrough, so that the beams 10 protrude from the fuselage side surfaces 63. Furthermore, electrical components 40 are housed inside the fuselage cover 60. The electrical components 40 are, for example, a controller or a battery. The electrical components 40 are located below the connectors 20. During assembly, the connectors 20 are housed inside the fuselage side surfaces 63, and then the beams 10 are attached to the connectors 20. Alternatively, the fuselage side surface 63 may be structured to be separable, and the girders 10 may be attached to the connectors 20 before the fuselage side surface 63 is attached.

[0015] The motors 32 of each rotor 30 are connected to the electrical components 40 by cables 50. Each cable 50 extends from the motor 32 through the inside of the girder body 11 toward the center (the connector 20 side). In each of the upper girder 10a and lower girder 10b, the cables 50 extending from the motors 32 at both ends meet at the longitudinal center of the girder body 11. The joined cables 50 then extend from the inside of the girder body 11 through the girder holes 12 and insertion holes 23 toward the outside of the girder body 11. However, the cables 50 are housed inside the body cover 60. Furthermore, the cables 50 extend downward outside the girder body 11 (inside the body cover 60) and are connected to the electrical components 40.

[0016] With the aircraft of the present invention configured in this manner, the cables 50 extending from each rotor 30 are passed through the inside of the girder body 11 and then exit the girder body 11 through the girder holes 12 and the insertion holes 23. This allows the cables 50 to be routed from the ends of the girder members 10 to the center, even if the ends of the girder members 10 are not located in the center. Because the cables 50 are contained within the inside of the girder body 11 and the fuselage cover 60 and are not exposed to the outside, they are protected from damage and have a good design. Furthermore, the main structure of the aircraft 100 can be made simple and strong. That is, with a simple configuration in which the girder members 10 are fastened by passing them through the gripping holes 22 of the connectors 20, the girder members 10 are not severed at the portions where they are connected, resulting in high strength.

[0017] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the shape and structure of each part can be modified as appropriate within the spirit of the invention. For example, three or more beams may be used. Furthermore, any method of fastening the beams and connectors may be used. Furthermore, the shape of the body cover can be modified as appropriate, taking into consideration the type of electrical components to be stored inside and the design. [Explanation of symbols]

[0018] 10 Girder material 11 Girder body 12 Girder holes 20 Connector 21 Connector body 22 Gripping hole 23 Insertion hole 30 rotors 50 Cable

Claims

[Claim 1] The system comprises a plurality of beams, a connector for connecting the beams together, and a rotor provided at each end of the beams, The connector has a connector body, a plurality of gripping holes that penetrate the connector body in the horizontal direction and are arranged vertically side by side, and insertion holes that penetrate from the surface of the connector body to each of the gripping holes, The girder has a long, cylindrical girder body and a girder hole formed in a longitudinal middle portion of the girder body and penetrating to the inside of the girder body, Each of the beams has a beam body inserted into the gripping hole, a longitudinal middle portion of the beam body gripped by the connector body, and the insertion hole and the beam hole communicate with each other; A flying vehicle characterized in that a cable is connected to each of the rotors, and each of the cables passes through the inside of the girder body and extends to the outside of the girder body through the girder hole and the insertion hole.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Air vehicle

    JP2020037347A