Baggage handling facilities, baggage handling methods, and unmanned aircraft

Abstract

To facilitate the transfer of cargo delivered by unmanned aerial vehicles. [Solution] The luggage transfer equipment 100 comprises a linear member 20 having a suspension part 21 on its lower end from which luggage L can be suspended and a connecting part 22 on its upper end for connection to an unmanned aerial vehicle 10, a body to be held 30 provided on the linear member 20 between the suspension part 21 and the connecting part 22, and a holding structure 40 capable of holding the body to be held 30. The holding structure 40 has a plurality of holding members 41 arranged with a gap G of a predetermined size in the horizontal direction, and a connecting member 43 to which the plurality of holding members 41 are attached. The size of the gap G is set to be smaller than the size of the body to be held 30 in the horizontal direction and larger than the size of the linear member 20 in the horizontal direction, and the body to be held 30 is held by the holding members 41 with the linear member 20 inserted into the gap G.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to luggage transfer facilities, a luggage transfer method, and an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a facility for receiving luggage carried by an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the facility described in Patent Document 1, a platform for the takeoff and landing of an unmanned aerial vehicle is installed. The platform needs to be arranged horizontally and have a size suitable for the size of the unmanned aerial vehicle taking off and landing. For example, in order to carry relatively heavy luggage, a relatively large unmanned aerial vehicle is used, so the space required for installing the platform also becomes large. Therefore, it is difficult to carry luggage by an unmanned aerial vehicle in a place where it is difficult to secure a space for installing the platform or a place where it is difficult to perform the work of installing the platform itself.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to enable easy transfer of luggage carried by an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention relates to a cargo handling device for receiving or transferring cargo transported by an unmanned aerial vehicle via a linear member, comprising: a linear member having a suspension portion on its lower end from which cargo can be suspended and a connecting portion on its upper end for connection to an unmanned aerial vehicle; a body to be held provided on the linear member between the suspension portion and the connecting portion; and a holding structure capable of holding the body to be held, wherein the holding structure comprises a plurality of holding members arranged with a predetermined gap in the horizontal direction, and a connecting member to which the plurality of holding members are attached, the size of which is set to be smaller than the size of the body to be held in the horizontal direction and larger than the size of the linear member in the horizontal direction, and the body to be held is held by the holding members with the linear member inserted into the gap.

[0007] Furthermore, the present invention relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle that transports cargo via a linear member, and the unmanned aerial vehicle that receives cargo in a cargo receiving facility equipped with a holding structure having a plurality of holding members arranged with a predetermined gap in the horizontal direction, and a connecting member to which the plurality of holding members are attached, comprises an unmanned flight body, a linear member having a suspension part on its lower end that can suspend cargo and a connecting part on its upper end that connects to the flight body, and a held object provided on the linear member between the suspension part and the connecting part and held by the holding structure, and when cargo is received in the cargo receiving facility, the linear member fits into the gap and the held object is held by the holding member and hovers. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to easily transfer cargo being transported by an unmanned aerial vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a luggage handling facility according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a diagram illustrating the structure of the object being held. [Figure 4] This is a side view of the holder. [Figure 5] This is a top view of the holder. [Figure 6] This is a diagram illustrating the delivery of cargo by unmanned aerial vehicles. [Figure 7] This is a top view of the first modified example of the retaining structure. [Figure 8] This is a side view of a second modified example of the retaining structure. [Figure 9] This is a top view of the third modified example of the retaining structure. [Figure 10] This is a cross-sectional view of the retaining structure along line AA in Figure 9. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a description will be given of a baggage handling system, a baggage handling method, and an unmanned aerial vehicle according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0011] The cargo transfer equipment 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is equipment for receiving or transferring cargo transported by an unmanned aerial vehicle. For example, as shown in Figure 1, it is used to transfer cargo L transported by an unmanned aerial vehicle 10 to a worker S working at a high altitude, or to receive cargo L transported by an unmanned aerial vehicle 10 from a worker S. The transfer of cargo L using the cargo transfer equipment 100 is not limited to being performed at a high altitude, but may also be performed on a flat surface such as a ground.

[0012] The baggage handling equipment 100 comprises a linear member 20 having a suspension section 21 on its lower end from which a baggage L can be suspended and a connecting section 22 on its upper end for connection to an unmanned aircraft 10, a body to be held 30 provided on the linear member 20 between the suspension section 21 and the connecting section 22, and a holding structure 40 capable of holding the body to be held 30.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 for transporting the load L is an unmanned aerial vehicle having the form of a so-called drone, which includes a flight body portion 12 to which a connection portion 22 of a linear member 20 is connected. An electric motor 14 provided at the tip of an arm extending radially in a substantially horizontal direction and a rotary wing 16 rotationally driven by the electric motor 14 are provided on the flight body portion 12. In addition, known devices and systems for enabling flight by remote control are mounted on the flight body portion 12 in addition to these components.

[0014] The unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is not limited to a drone and may be of any type as long as it is an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of autonomous flight. Also, the power source may be an internal combustion engine such as a gasoline engine instead of the electric motor 14, or a hybrid of these may be used. Note that FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10, and shows a state in which the load L is being transported via the linear member 20.

[0015] The linear member 20 is a steel wire rope with a carabiner attached to the lower end as a suspension portion 21 and a detachable connection portion 22 attached to the upper end to the unmanned aerial vehicle 10. Note that the linear member 20 is not limited to being made of steel and may be made of resin. Also, the connection of the connection portion 22 to the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is preferably configured to be releasable by remote control.

[0016] Also, as shown in FIG. 3, a transmission member 24 for transmitting the weight of the load L suspended from the suspension portion 21 to the holding body 30 and a fixing member 25 for fixing the transmission member 24 to a predetermined position with respect to the linear member 20 are provided on the linear member 20. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the attachment structure of the holding body 30 to the linear member 20, and FIG. 3 shows a hemispherical body 31, which will be described later, constituting the holding body 30.

[0017] The transmission member 24 is an annular washer provided with an insertion hole through which the linear member 20 is inserted in the center, and a plurality of them are provided at a predetermined interval in the axial direction of the linear member 20. The fixing member 25 is a steel wire wound around the outer peripheral surface of the linear member 20 by compression, and is wound along the axial direction of the linear member 20 for a predetermined length.

[0018] The held body 30 is a spherical body formed by joining two hemispherical bodies 31 formed in the same shape by resin via a fastening member such as a bolt (not shown), and as shown in FIG. 3, has a second diameter D2 of a predetermined size. Note that the outer shape of the held body 30 is not limited to a spherical shape, and the size of the held body 30 in the horizontal direction becomes smaller downward, and it may have any shape as long as it can be held from below by the holding portion 41a of the holding member 41 described later. For example, it may be a hemispherical body or a conical body with its apex located downward.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, on the flat surface portion of each hemispherical body 31, a linear member 20 having a first diameter D1 of a predetermined size is accommodated, and an accommodation groove 32 for accommodating the transmission member 24 and the fixing member 25 attached to the linear member 20 is formed. In the accommodation groove 32, a first groove 32a formed in accordance with the outer diameter of the transmission member 24 is formed, and the two hemispherical bodies 31 are joined in a state where the transmission member 24 is accommodated in the first groove 32a.

[0020] Also, as shown in FIG. 3, on the flat surface portion of each hemispherical body 31, a pair of positioning holes 33 and a positioning pin 34 inserted into one of the positioning holes 33 are provided. Therefore, by inserting the positioning pin 34 of one hemispherical body 31 into the positioning hole 33 of the other hemispherical body 31, the two hemispherical bodies 31 can easily form a spherical body.

[0021] Furthermore, by arranging the transmission member 24 attached to the linear member 20 within the held body 30, the weight of the load L acting on the linear member 20 can be reliably transmitted to the held body 30 via the transmission member 24. The transmission member 24 and the fixing member 25 function as positioning members that determine the position of the held body 30 relative to the linear member 20, and also function as retaining members that prevent the held body 30 from coming loose from the linear member 20.

[0022] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 3, one fixing member 25 is provided for two transmission members 24, but two fixing members 25 may be provided so as to sandwich one transmission member 24. Also, although Figure 3 shows an example in which four transmission members 24 are provided, the number of transmission members 24 is not limited to this, and may be less than four or more than four. In addition, the fixing structure of the object to be held 30 to the linear member 20 is not limited to the above structure, and any structure may be used as long as the object to be held 30 can be reliably fixed to the linear member 20.

[0023] The holding structure 40, which is capable of holding the above-mentioned object to be held 30 provided on the linear member 20, has, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, a plurality of holding members 41 arranged with a predetermined gap G in the horizontal direction, and a connecting member 43 to which the plurality of holding members 41 are attached. Figure 4 is a side view of the holding structure 40, and Figure 5 is a top view of the holding structure 40.

[0024] The holding member 41 is a member formed by bending a steel plate-shaped member, and has a holding portion 41a formed in a convex shape toward downward, which is shaped to hold the object to be held 30 from below, a guide portion 41b formed inclined diagonally upward from the upper end of the holding portion 41a to guide the object to be held 30 to the holding portion 41a, and a limiting portion 41c formed toward upward on the opposite side of the holding portion 41a from the guide portion 41b, which restricts the movement of the object to be held 30 in the horizontal direction. The holding member 41 may also be manufactured by resin molding.

[0025] The holding portion 41a is formed to conform to the outer surface of the object to be held 30. In the example shown in Figure 4, it has a spherical shape to match the outer surface of the spherical object to be held 30. Specifically, the width W of the holding portion 41a shown in Figure 4 is set to be slightly larger than the second diameter D2 of the object to be held 30 so that the object to be held 30 can be accommodated within the holding portion 41a without resistance.

[0026] As shown in Figure 5, the guide portion 41b has a shape in which its horizontal width gradually decreases as it moves away from the holding portion 41a. In other words, the gap formed between adjacent holding members 41 gradually narrows from the guide portion 41b toward the holding portion 41a, resulting in a gap G of a predetermined size between the holding portions 41a.

[0027] Furthermore, the tip of the guide portion 41b is formed in a smooth arc shape to prevent the linear member 20, which enters the gap G as described later, from getting caught.

[0028] Furthermore, the vertical height H from the tip of the guide portion 41b to the upper end of the restricting portion 41c is greater than the width W of the holding portion 41a, preferably set to twice the width W or more. In other words, this height H is greater than the second diameter D2 of the object to be held 30, preferably set to twice the second diameter D2 or more. By extending the restricting portion 41c vertically upward in this way, the movement of the object to be held 30 in the horizontal direction is restricted, and as described later, the object to be held 30 that has come into contact with the restricting portion 41c can be easily guided to the holding portion 41a. Note that the restricting portion 41c is not limited to being formed along the vertical direction, and may be formed with a slight incline towards the guide portion 41b side or the side opposite to the guide portion 41b side.

[0029] The connecting member 43 to which multiple holding members 41 are attached is a straight pipe material and is fixed to the existing structure via the frame 45 in a horizontal direction. The connecting member 43 can be any shape of material that can accommodate multiple holding members 41, and may be an angle material, square material, or plate material. Alternatively, the connecting member 43 may not be fixed to the existing structure but may be installed on a flat surface such as a ground via the frame 45 in a horizontal direction. The connecting member 43 may also be connected to the frame 45 via a biasing member such as a spring that can bias the holding members 41 vertically upward. By providing such a biasing member, it becomes possible to cushion the impact when the object to be held 30 is held by the holding part 41a, as described later, with the biasing force of the biasing member.

[0030] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the connecting member 43 is connected to the holding member 41 via a bolted single clamp (not shown) provided on the holding member 41, on the side opposite the guide portion 41b, with the holding portion 41a in between. In other words, multiple holding members 41 are connected to each other via the connecting member 43.

[0031] As described above, by providing the connecting member 43 on the opposite side of the guide portion 41b, with the holding portion 41a in between, the area below the holding portion 41a and the guide portion 41b of the holding member 41 attached to the connecting member 43 becomes an open space where no support frame 45 or the like is provided, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 6 described later.

[0032] Furthermore, the multiple retaining members 41 are attached to the connecting member 43 at equal intervals such that the size of the gap G between adjacent retaining members 41 is smaller than the second diameter D2, which is the size of the object to be held 30 in the horizontal direction, and larger than the first diameter D1, which is the size of the linear member 20 in the horizontal direction.

[0033] In this way, the holding structure 40 is provided with multiple gaps G that are large enough for the linear member 20 to enter but not large enough for the object to be held 30 to enter. In the example shown in Figure 5, six holding members 41 are provided, but the number of holding members 41 does not need to be more than two so that at least one gap G is formed. However, as will be described later, it is preferable to have as many as possible in order to increase the opportunities for the linear member 20 connected to the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 to enter the gaps G.

[0034] Next, with reference to Figures 1 to 6, a method for handling luggage using the luggage handling equipment 100 configured as described above will be explained.

[0035] As shown in Figure 6, the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 that transports the cargo L approaches the holding structure 40 of the cargo handling equipment 100 by remote control or programmed operation.

[0036] Specifically, the altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is controlled so that the guide portion 41b is positioned between the held object 30 and the suspension portion 21. When viewed from above, the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is controlled so that it is located on the side of the guide portion 41b relative to the holding portion 41a, and is positioned approximately in the center of the holding structure 40 in the direction in which the holding members 41 are aligned. In other words, the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is controlled so that when it approaches the holding structure 40, the linear member 20 in the portion between the held object 30 and the suspension portion 21 can be inserted into one of the gaps G provided in the holding structure 40.

[0037] Then, when the linear member 20 is inserted into the gap between the guide sections 41b, the unmanned aircraft 10 is operated to gradually descend.

[0038] As the unmanned aircraft 10 descends, the object to be held 30, which is in contact with the upper surface of the guide section 41b, moves along the guide section 41b toward the holding section 41a, and as the unmanned aircraft 10 descends further, the object to be held 30 is housed within the holding section 41a.

[0039] Furthermore, if the cargo L is blown around by the wind or the like, causing the held object 30 to move beyond the holding part 41a and approach the building side, the movement of the held object 30 will be restricted by the restricting part 41c. Therefore, even in such a case, it is possible to guide the held object 30 to the holding part 41a relatively smoothly. Alternatively, the unmanned aircraft 10 may be deliberately operated toward the restricting part 41c so that the held object 30 comes into contact with the restricting part 41c, thereby guiding the held object 30 to the holding part 41a via the restricting part 41c.

[0040] After the held object 30 is held by the holding part 41a, the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is operated to descend until the weight of the payload L is completely held by the holding structure 40, that is, until the weight of the payload L acting on the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 becomes zero. With the held object 30 held by the holding part 41a, as the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 descends, the weight of the payload L gradually acts on the holding part 41a via the held object 30. The length of the linear member 20 between the held object 30 and the suspension part 21 is set in advance to a length such that the payload L does not come into contact with the ground or the like before the held object 30 is held by the holding part 41a. In other words, when the held object 30 is held by the holding part 41a, the payload L hangs from the holding part 41a.

[0041] When the weight of the load L acting on the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 becomes zero, the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is operated to hover as far away from the holding structure 40 as possible, with the linear member 20 between the connecting part 22 and the held object 30 slackened, as shown in Figure 1.

[0042] Until the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is in a hovering state at a distance from the holding structure 40, for safety reasons, the worker S waits inside a building or the like, as shown in Figure 6. The length of the linear member 20 between the connecting part 22 and the held object 30 is predetermined to be long enough to allow the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 to hover at a sufficient distance from the load L, in order to ensure the safety of the worker S.

[0043] Then, worker S, having confirmed that the unmanned aircraft 10 is hovering and waiting, removes the cargo L from the suspension unit 21 and receives the cargo L, as shown in Figure 1. If there is cargo L to be handed over, attach the cargo L to the suspension unit 21.

[0044] When removing the load L from the suspension section 21 and when attaching the load L to the suspension section 21, the weight of the load L acts only on the holding structure 40 via the held body 30, and does not act on the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 at all.

[0045] In this way, the transfer of cargo L is carried out in a state where the weight of cargo L has no effect on the unmanned aircraft 10, thus preventing the flight of the unmanned aircraft 10 from becoming unstable due to the transfer of cargo L, and making it possible to transfer cargo L while the unmanned aircraft 10 is hovering without landing.

[0046] When the load L is removed from the suspension section 21, the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is operated to move above the held object 30, which is held by the holding section 41a, and then rises to a height where the guide section 41b is positioned between the held object 30 and the suspension section 21.

[0047] Then, by moving toward the guide section 41b while maintaining altitude, the linear member 20 separates from the gap G between the holding members 41, and the held object 30 also separates from the holding structure 40.

[0048] The unmanned aircraft 10, having detached from the baggage handling facility 100, moves to another baggage handling facility 100 located elsewhere, and the baggage L is transferred through the same process.

[0049] According to the above embodiments, the following effects are achieved.

[0050] According to the above-described baggage handling equipment 100, the object to be held 30, which is attached to the linear member 20 connected to the unmanned aircraft 10, is held by the holding members 41 with the linear member 20 inserted into the gap G provided between two adjacent holding members 41.

[0051] In this way, by holding the retained body 30 provided on the linear member 20 between the suspension part 21 from which the cargo L is suspended and the connecting part 22 connected to the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 with the retaining member 41, the weight of the cargo L acts only on the retaining member 41 via the retained body 30 and not on the unmanned aerial vehicle 10.

[0052] As a result, the transfer of cargo L is carried out in a state where the weight of cargo L has no effect on the unmanned aircraft 10, thus preventing the transfer of cargo L from destabilizing the flight of the unmanned aircraft 10, and making it possible to transfer cargo L while the unmanned aircraft 10 is hovering stably without landing.

[0053] This makes it possible to easily transfer cargo L transported by the unmanned aircraft 10 without having to secure space for the unmanned aircraft 10 to take off and land, or to install takeoff and landing equipment.

[0054] Furthermore, according to the above-described cargo transfer method, the removal of cargo L from the suspension section 21 of the linear member 20, or the attachment of cargo L to the suspension section 21, is performed while the object to be held 30 is held by the holding member 41 and the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is hovering. Therefore, the transfer of cargo L transported by the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 can be easily performed without securing space for the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 to take off or land, or without installing takeoff and landing equipment.

[0055] Furthermore, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 with the above configuration receives or receives cargo L at the cargo receiving facility 100, it is controlled so that the linear member 20 fits into the gap G between the holding members 41 and the object to be held 30 is held by the holding members 41, and the vehicle 10 hovers in this state. As a result, the receiving or receiving of cargo L transported by the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 can be easily carried out without having to secure space for the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 to take off or land, or to install takeoff and landing facilities.

[0056] Furthermore, the following modifications are also within the scope of the present invention, and it is possible to combine the configurations shown in the modifications with the configurations described in the embodiments described above, or to combine the configurations described in the following different modifications.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the holding member 41 and the connecting member 43 are formed as separate members, but they may be formed integrally. For example, as shown in the first modified example in Figure 7, the limiting portion 141c side of each holding member 141 may be formed integrally, and this limiting portion 141c side may be used as a connecting member 143 that connects the holding members 141 having a holding portion 141a and a guide portion 141b to each other. Figure 7 is a top view of the holding structure 140 and corresponds to Figure 5 of the above embodiment. In this case, the frame 45 is attached to the limiting portion 141c side which becomes the connecting member 143. Thus, the holding structure 140 may be configured in a comb-like shape.

[0058] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the holding structure 40 is configured such that the linear member 20 can be inserted from only one side. Alternatively, as shown in the second modified example in Figure 8, the holding structure 240 may be configured such that the linear member 20 can be inserted from both sides.

[0059] Specifically, in the second modified example shown in Figure 8, guide portions 241b corresponding to the guide portion 41b of the above embodiment are provided on both sides of the holding portion 241a corresponding to the holding portion 41a of the above embodiment, and a connecting member 243 corresponding to the connecting member 43 of the above embodiment is attached below the holding portion 241a. In other words, in the second modified example, the multiple holding members 241 are connected to each other via the connecting member 243 below the holding portion 241a. Figure 8 is a side view of the holding structure 240 and corresponds to Figure 4 of the above embodiment.

[0060] By enabling the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 that transports the cargo L to approach the holding structure 240 from two opposing directions, for example, if an unmanned aerial vehicle 10 has already approached the holding structure 240 from one side, another unmanned aerial vehicle 10 can be kept waiting on the other side, making it possible to transfer the cargo L almost continuously with little delay, and as a result, the efficiency of transferring the cargo L can be increased.

[0061] Furthermore, the holding structure 340 may be configured such that the linear member 20 can enter from all directions, as shown in the third modified example in Figures 9 and 10. Figure 9 is a top view of the holding structure 340 and corresponds to Figure 5 of the above embodiment, while Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a section along line AA in Figure 9.

[0062] Specifically, in the third modified example shown in Figures 9 and 10, a plurality of retaining members 341 corresponding to the retaining member 41 of the above embodiment are arranged radially at equal intervals with a predetermined gap G in the circumferential direction, and a connecting member 343 corresponding to the connecting member 43 of the above embodiment is attached to the retaining member 341 on the opposite side from the guide portion 341b, sandwiching the retaining portion 341a. The connecting member 343 is a pipe material formed in an arc shape or an annular curve. In addition, retaining members 341 may be the same shape as the retaining member 41 of the above embodiment.

[0063] By enabling the unmanned aircraft 10 that transports the cargo L to approach the holding structure 340 from multiple directions, it becomes possible to transfer the cargo L almost continuously with little delay, thereby increasing the efficiency of cargo transfer.

[0064] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the retaining member 41 is formed from a steel plate. Alternatively, the retaining member 41 may be formed from a steel rod, in which case the retaining member 41 is formed by bending the rod along the shape shown in Figure 4.

[0065] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 hovers and waits when the cargo L is handed over. Alternatively, the cargo L may be handed over by releasing the connection of the connection part 22 to the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 and detaching the linear member 20 from the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 while the object to be held 30 is held by the holding member 41. In this case as well, since the cargo L is handed over while the weight of the cargo L is not acting on the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 at all, it is possible to prevent the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 from becoming unstable due to the handover of the cargo L.

[0066] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments only represent a part of the application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0067] 100... Luggage handling facilities 10. Unmanned aircraft 12. Flight main body 20. Linear member 21. Hanging section 22...Connection part 30...Object to be held 40,140,240,340...retention structure 41,141,241,341...Retaining member 41a,141a,241a,341a...Holding part 41b, 141b, 241b, 341b... Guide section 41c, 141c... Restriction section 43,143,243,343...Connecting parts 45... Stand G... Gap

Claims

1. A baggage handling facility that receives or delivers cargo transported by an unmanned aerial vehicle via a linear member, The linear member has a suspension portion on its lower end from which the aforementioned load can be suspended, and a connecting portion on its upper end from which it can be connected to the unmanned aerial vehicle, A retained body is provided on the linear member between the suspension portion and the connecting portion, The holding structure comprises the holding structure capable of holding the object to be held, The holding structure comprises a plurality of holding members arranged with a predetermined gap between them in the horizontal direction, and a connecting member to which the plurality of holding members are attached. The size of the gap is set to be smaller than the size of the object to be held in the horizontal direction, and larger than the size of the linear member in the horizontal direction. The object to be held is held by the holding member with the linear member inserted into the gap. Baggage handling facilities.

2. The aforementioned retaining member is A holding portion formed in a convex shape toward downwards, which holds the object to be held from below, The holding portion has a guide portion that is formed to be inclined diagonally upward from the upper end of the holding portion and guides the object to be held to the holding portion, The luggage handling equipment according to claim 1.

3. The holding portion is formed in a shape that conforms to the outer surface of the object to be held. The luggage handling equipment according to claim 2.

4. The size of the object to be held in the horizontal direction decreases as it moves downward. The luggage handling equipment according to claim 1.

5. A method for receiving or handing over luggage transported by an unmanned aerial vehicle, using the luggage receiving equipment described in any one of claims 1 to 4, The removal of the load from the suspension portion of the linear member, or the attachment of the load to the suspension portion of the linear member, is performed while the object to be held is held by the holding member and the unmanned aerial vehicle is hovering. How to receive and deliver luggage.

6. An unmanned aerial vehicle that transports cargo via a linear member, having a cargo transfer facility equipped with a holding structure comprising a plurality of holding members arranged with a predetermined gap between them in the horizontal direction, and a connecting member to which the plurality of holding members are attached, the unmanned aerial vehicle that transfers the cargo is An unmanned flight unit, The linear member has a suspension portion on its lower end from which the aforementioned cargo can be suspended, and a connecting portion on its upper end from which it is connected to the aircraft body, The system comprises a retained object provided on the linear member between the suspension portion and the connecting portion, which is held by the retaining structure, When transferring luggage in the aforementioned luggage transfer equipment, the linear member enters the gap and the object to be held is held by the holding member while the device hovers. Unmanned aerial vehicle.

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