Fluid injection device

Abstract

To provide a fluid jet device which can control a motion of a restiform body with a comparatively simple structure, and can reduce weight.SOLUTION: A rotation jet body 12 is rotatably provided on a restiform body 11. An attitude sensor 13 is provided so as to detect inclination around a rotation axis of the rotation jet body 12. Each jet nozzle 23 is provided at a position symmetric with respect to an intermediate plane 27 including the rotation axis of the rotation jet body 12 so as to be rotatable around an axis parallel to the rotation axis of the rotation jet body 12. Each of the jet nozzles 23 is configured to jet fluid flowing in a flow channel of the restiform body 11 in a direction perpendicular to its axis. An attitude control part 14 rotates each of the jet nozzles 23 according to the inclination of the rotation jet body 12 detected by the attitude sensor 13 in a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the rotation jet body 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fluid ejection device. [Background technology]

[0002] At fire sites, disaster sites, and the like, firefighting, cleaning, washing, transportation, and the like are often performed by spraying liquids or gases from hoses or the like. For sites where it is dangerous for workers to approach, for example, a hose equipped with a nozzle unit having multiple spray nozzles with adjustable reaction force and direction at the tip of the hose has been developed, and the reaction force of each spray nozzle is remotely controlled to float up and reach the site of the fire or the like directly (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2, and Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2). Also, in order to float a long hose, a hose equipped with multiple nozzle units with spray nozzles attached to the middle of the hose has also been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

[0003] In a spray device attached to such a cord-like body such as a hose, for example, if the cord-like body floats up, the posture of the spray device will become twisted as the shape of the cord-like body changes. For this reason, conventional spray devices have been designed to deal with twisting of the cord-like body by incorporating many nozzles to increase the range in which the spray reaction force can be realized and by incorporating a passive joint between the nozzles and the cord-like body (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). However, this spray device requires many nozzles to increase the spray range, which makes it difficult to control each nozzle, resulting in a problem of an excessively large spray amount.

[0004] Therefore, in order to accommodate twisting of the cord-like body without increasing the number of nozzles, a device has been developed in which an actuator that can actively rotate in the longitudinal direction of the cord-like body is attached between the cord-like body and the nozzle unit, thereby adjusting the position of the nozzle unit around the longitudinal axis even when the cord-like body is twisted, and controlling the movement of the cord-like body (see, for example, Patent Document 4 or Non-Patent Document 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] International Publication WO2016 / 016880 [Patent Document 2] Specification of U.S. Patent No. 10150562 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 6620371 Gazette [Patent Document 4] International Publication WO2015 / 189738 [Non-Patent Document]

[0006] [Non-Patent Document 1] H. Ando, Y. Ambe, T. Yamaguchi, Y. Yamauchi, M. Konyo, K. Tadakuma, S. Maruyama, and S. Tadokoro, “Fire extinguishment using a 4m long flying-hose-type robot with multiple water-jet nozzles”, Advanced Robotics, 2020, vol. 34, no. 11, p. 700-714 [Non-Patent Document 2] H. Ando, Y. Ambe, A. Ishii, M. Konyo, K. Tadakuma, S. Maruyama, and S. Tadokoro, “Aerial hose type robot by water jet for fire fighting”, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, April 2018, vol. 3, no. 2, p. 1128-1135 [Non-Patent Document 3] D. Eberl and F. Majdic, “Hose manipulation with jet forces”, SILA CURKA, 2015, p. 442-449 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, the injection devices described in Patent Document 4 and Non-Patent Document 3 have a problem in that the actuator structure is complicated, making the entire device heavy.

[0008] The present invention has been made in response to such problems, and aims to provide a fluid injection device that can control the movement of a cord-like body with a relatively simple structure and can be made lighter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the fluid injection device of the present invention comprises a cord-like body having a flow path, a rotary injection body having a pair of injection nozzles and rotatably attached to the cord-like body, an attitude sensor arranged to be able to detect the inclination of the rotary injection body around its rotation axis, and an attitude control unit connected to each injection nozzle and the attitude sensor, wherein each injection nozzle is arranged at a predetermined interval, symmetrically with respect to a mid-plane including the rotation axis of the rotary injection body, and rotatably around an axis parallel to the rotation axis of the rotary injection body, and is configured to inject the fluid flowing through the flow path perpendicular to its own axis, and the attitude control unit is configured to rotate each injection nozzle within a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the rotary injection body in accordance with the inclination of the rotary injection body detected by the attitude sensor.

[0010] The fluid ejection device according to the present invention can eject multiple fluids in any direction around the longitudinal axis of the cord-like body by ejecting the fluids flowing through the flow paths of the cord-like body from each ejection nozzle. Furthermore, the attitude of the rotary ejection body can be controlled to control the movement of the cord-like body. For example, the fluid ejection device according to the present invention can levitate a cord-like body by attaching the rotary ejection body to the tip or middle of a flexible cord-like body such as a hose or a cord-like body with a multi-link structure. The rotary ejection body may also be attached to the tip of a highly rigid cord-like body.

[0011] The fluid ejection device according to the present invention can control the attitude of a rotary ejection body according to the following principle. Specifically, as shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b), the rotary ejection body is rotatable about a rotation axis, and a pair of ejection nozzles are provided at a predetermined distance apart at positions symmetrical with respect to a mid-plane including the rotation axis of the rotary ejection body. Each ejection nozzle is rotatable about an axis parallel to the rotation axis of the rotary ejection body and ejects fluid in a direction perpendicular to its own axis. Furthermore, each ejection nozzle is configured to eject fluid in a range in which the ejection direction of the fluid has a component that varies from a direction parallel to the mid-plane to a direction toward the mid-plane, i.e., inwardly facing each other.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1(a) and (b), the reaction forces of the fluid jets from each jet nozzle are f1 and f2, their resultant force is F, and the component of each reaction force in the resultant direction is f 1N ,f 2N , the component perpendicular to the resultant force of each reaction force is f 1V ,f 2V In this case, f 1N and f 2N are in the same direction, and f 1V and f 2V are outward facing each other. Also, f1 and f2 have the same magnitude, and F=f 1N +f 2N Therefore, for example, if the cord-like body is made of a flexible material, by controlling the rotation of each jet nozzle so that a resultant force F of the desired magnitude is obtained in the direction in which the rotary jet body is to be moved, the rotary jet body can be moved in the direction of that resultant force. 1V ,f 2V Since the directions of the jet nozzles are outward from each other, a torque is generated in the rotary jet, causing the rotary jet to rotate automatically so that the arrangement direction of each jet nozzle is perpendicular to the direction of the resultant force F. In this way, the attitude of the rotary jet can be automatically adjusted while moving the rotary jet in the desired direction (the direction of the resultant force F). In addition, by jetting fluid from each jet nozzle so that the jet direction has a vertically downward component, the rotary jet can be levitated.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1(c) and (d), when each jet nozzle jets fluid outward, f 1V ,f 2V Since the directions of the jet nozzles are inward, a rotational torque is generated in the rotary jet so that the arrangement direction of each jet nozzle is parallel to the direction of the resultant force. This makes the rotary jet easier to rotate, making it difficult to control the attitude of the rotary jet.

[0014] In this way, in the fluid ejection device according to the present invention, the attitude control unit is preferably configured to rotate each ejection nozzle within a range in which the ejection direction of the fluid from each ejection nozzle has a component in a direction facing the mid-plane from a direction parallel to the mid-plane so that the resultant force of the reaction forces of each ejection nozzle has a desired angle and magnitude, thereby controlling the attitude of the rotary ejection body. In this case, it is also preferable that the attitude control unit rotates each ejection nozzle so that the mid-plane forms a desired angle with respect to a vertical plane.

[0015] As shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b), the fluid ejection device according to the present invention can control the rotation of the rotary ejection body so that the direction of resultant force F is on a midplane including the rotation axis of the rotary ejection body. Therefore, by controlling the rotation of each ejection nozzle with an attitude control unit in accordance with the tilt of the rotary ejection body detected by an attitude sensor so that resultant force F, i.e., the midplane, forms a desired angle with respect to the vertical plane, the attitude of the rotary ejection body can be controlled while moving the rotary ejection body in the desired direction (the direction of resultant force F), for example, when the cord-like body is made of a flexible material. For example, by controlling the midplane to be vertical, the attitude of the rotary ejection body can be controlled so that each ejection nozzle is positioned horizontally, thereby moving the rotary ejection body vertically. Furthermore, by controlling the midplane to be oblique to the vertical plane, the attitude of the rotary ejection body can be controlled so that each ejection nozzle is aligned perpendicular to the oblique direction, thereby moving the rotary ejection body in a diagonal direction from the vertical plane.

[0016] In the fluid ejection device according to the present invention, the rotary ejection body is rotatably attached to the cord-like body, so that the attitude of the rotary ejection body can be controlled and the movement of the cord-like body can be controlled even when the cord-like body is twisted. Thus, compared to conventional fluid ejection devices that control attitude using actuators with complex structures, the fluid ejection device according to the present invention has a simpler structure and can control the movement of the cord-like body even when it is twisted. Furthermore, since an actuator with a complex structure is not required, weight can be reduced. The attitude control unit may be connected to each ejection nozzle and attitude sensor by wire or wirelessly.

[0017] The fluid ejection device according to the present invention, for example, when the cord-like body is made of a flexible material, can stably float up under its own power while ejecting fluid, allowing workers to approach dangerous locations or locations with obstacles, such as fire sites or disaster sites, from the sky. The ejected fluid can also be used to perform various tasks, such as firefighting, cleaning, washing, and transportation. Even when the cord-like body is made of a rigid material, multiple ejections of fluid can be made in all directions around the longitudinal axis, making it relatively easy to perform various tasks, such as firefighting, cleaning, and washing.

[0018] In the fluid ejection device according to the present invention, the rotation axis of the rotary ejection body may be offset from the center of gravity. However, in order to accurately control the attitude of the rotary ejection body, it is preferable that the rotation axis coincide with or be as close as possible to the center of gravity. Furthermore, the rotation axis of the rotary ejection body may be offset from the central axis of the cord-like body at the attachment position to the cord-like body. However, it is preferable that the rotation axis approximately coincides with the central axis of the cord-like body. Although the attitude of the rotary ejection body can be controlled even if the rotation axis of the rotary ejection body is offset from the central axis of the cord-like body, it is easier and more accurate to control the attitude of the rotary ejection body when the rotation axis of the rotary ejection body approximately coincides with the central axis of the cord-like body. Furthermore, it is preferable that the rotary ejection body be rotatably mounted on the outer surface of the cord-like body along the circumferential direction of the cord-like body. In this case, the rotary ejection body can be rotated around the cord-like body at its attachment position.

[0019] In the fluid ejection device according to the present invention, the rotation axis of the rotary ejection body and the axes of the ejection nozzles do not have to be arranged on the same plane, but it is preferable that they are arranged on the same plane. Although the attitude of the rotary ejection body can be controlled even if the rotation axis of the rotary ejection body and the axes of the ejection nozzles are not arranged on the same plane, the attitude of the rotary ejection body can be controlled more easily and accurately if they are arranged on the same plane.

[0020] In the fluid ejection device according to the present invention, the rotary ejection body may be rotatable relative to the cord-like body around its rotation axis due to the reaction force of each ejection nozzle, each ejection nozzle having a rotation drive means configured to be rotatable around the axis by the respective rotation drive means, and the attitude control unit may be configured to rotate each ejection nozzle by controlling each rotation drive means. The rotary ejection body may be attached to the cord-like body in any configuration as long as it is rotatable relative to the cord-like body and can supply fluid flowing through the flow path of the cord-like body to each ejection nozzle. The rotary ejection body may have, for example, a swivel joint and be rotatably attached to the cord-like body via the swivel joint. The rotary ejection body may also have a resistance adding means configured to add rotational resistance to rotation about the rotation axis of the rotary ejection body.

[0021] The fluid injection device of the present invention has an auxiliary attitude sensor, and the rotary injection body has a pair of auxiliary nozzles and is rotatable relative to the cord-like body around an orthogonal axis perpendicular to the rotation axis, and each auxiliary nozzle is arranged at a predetermined interval, symmetrically with respect to an orthogonal plane including the orthogonal axis, and rotatable around an axis parallel to the orthogonal axis, and is configured to inject fluid flowing through the flow path in a direction perpendicular to its own axis, and the auxiliary attitude sensor is arranged to detect the inclination of the rotary injection body around the orthogonal axis, and the attitude control unit is also connected to each auxiliary nozzle and the auxiliary attitude sensor, and is configured to rotate each auxiliary nozzle within a plane perpendicular to the orthogonal axis of the rotary injection body in accordance with the inclination of the rotary injection body detected by the auxiliary attitude sensor.

[0022] With this auxiliary nozzle, the rotary jet can be rotated around two axes, the rotation axis and the orthogonal axis. Furthermore, the attitude of the rotary jet can be controlled by each jet nozzle and each auxiliary nozzle with respect to each axis. In this case, the midplane and the orthogonal plane are orthogonal to each other, and the jet directions of each jet nozzle are parallel to the midplane and the orthogonal plane, respectively. Therefore, the attitude of the rotary jet can be controlled without mutual influence. Preferably, the attitude control unit is configured to control the attitude of the rotary jet by rotating each auxiliary nozzle within a range in which the jet direction of the fluid from each auxiliary nozzle has a component from a direction parallel to the orthogonal plane to a direction toward the orthogonal plane, so that the resultant reaction force of each auxiliary nozzle has a desired angle and magnitude. In this case, the attitude control unit preferably rotates each auxiliary nozzle so that the orthogonal plane forms a desired angle with respect to the vertical plane.

[0023] In the fluid ejection device according to the present invention, the rotary ejection body has a propelling nozzle rotatably mounted around an axis perpendicular to the mid-plane. The propelling nozzle can eject the fluid flowing through the flow path in a direction parallel to the mid-plane. The propelling nozzle may be provided singly on the mid-plane and / or in a pair or pairs symmetrically positioned with a predetermined distance from the mid-plane. In this case, the propelling nozzle can move the rotary ejection body along the mid-plane. Furthermore, each of the ejection nozzles can move the rotary ejection body by tilting the mid-plane from the vertical plane. Therefore, by combining each of the ejection nozzles with the propelling nozzle, the cord-like body can be moved in any direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a fluid ejection device that can control the movement of a cord-like body with a relatively simple structure and can be made lighter in weight. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] (a) A front view of the rotary jet when tilted to one side, showing the principle of controlling the attitude of the rotary jet of the fluid injection device of the present invention, (b) a front view of the rotary jet when tilted to the other side, and (c) a front view of the rotary jet when tilted to one side, showing the principle of controlling the attitude of the rotary jet of the fluid injection device of the present invention, when each injection nozzle ejects fluid outward from each other, and (b) a front view of the rotary jet when tilted to the other side, for comparison. [Figure 2] 1A is a front view, FIG. 1B is a right side view, FIG. 1C is a bottom view, and FIG. 1D is a perspective view of a fluid ejection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a swivel joint of the fluid ejection device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a front view illustrating a control method for a fluid ejection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1A and 1B are a perspective view and a bottom view, respectively, showing a modified example of the fluid ejection device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the modified example having a propelling nozzle. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the fluid ejection device according to the embodiment of the present invention, which includes an auxiliary nozzle. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a fluid ejection device according to an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a configuration for various experiments; [Figure 8] (a) A front view showing the experimental layout of an experiment to determine the reaction force of each injection nozzle of a fluid injection device according to an embodiment of the present invention, (b) an enlarged front view showing the mounting position of the rotating injection body, and (c) an enlarged right side view showing the mounting position of the rotating injection body. [Figure 9] 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the reaction force of the jet of one jet nozzle and the water supply pressure, which is the result of an experiment to determine the reaction force of each jet nozzle shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the direction of the combined reaction force of each injection nozzle input and the actual rotation angle of the rotary injection body, which is the result of a rotation control test of the rotary injection body of a fluid injection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a fluid ejection device according to an embodiment of the present invention for use in a flight experiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 2 to 11 show a fluid ejection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the fluid ejection device 10 includes a cord-like body 11, a rotary ejection body 12, a posture sensor 13, and a posture control unit 14.

[0027] The cord-like body 11 is made of a thin, flexible hose, and has a flow path provided inside along the length. The rotary injection body 12 has a base body 21, a swivel joint 22, a pair of injection nozzles 23, a pair of rotary motors 24, a branch pipe 25, and a damper 26. The base body 21 has a symmetrical, approximately rectangular planar shape that is short in the front-to-back direction and long in the left-to-right direction, and has a small thickness in the up-down direction. Note that the cord-like body 11 is not limited to a hose, and may be a rigid pipe or the like.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3, swivel joint 22 is formed by connecting cylindrical rotating portion 22a and cylindrical fixed portion 22b to each other in the front-rear direction with their central axes aligned. Swivel joint 22 is configured so that rotating portion 22a and fixed portion 22b rotate coaxially and independently and smoothly. Swivel joint 22 is also formed so that there is almost no step between the inner surfaces of rotating portion 22a and fixed portion 22b. In the specific example shown in FIG. 3, swivel joint 22 is made of an aluminum alloy. With rotating portion 22a facing rearward, swivel joint 22 is attached to base body 21 by fixing fixed portion 22b along the center of base body 21 in the left-right direction.

[0029] 2, the rotary injection body 12 is configured such that the cord 11 is attached from rear to front along the centerline in the left-right direction of the base 21, and the tip of the cord 11 is fixed to the rotating portion 22a of the swivel joint 22. As a result, the rotary injection body 12 is attached to the outer surface of the cord 11 via the swivel joint 22 so as to be rotatable along the circumferential direction of the cord 11. The rotary injection body 12 is rotatable around the cord 11, and its rotation axis approximately coincides with the central axis of the cord 11 at the attachment position to the cord 11. Furthermore, the rotary injection body 12 and the base 21 are provided symmetrically with respect to the mid-plane 27 including the rotation axis of the rotary injection body 12.

[0030] A pair of jet nozzles 23 are attached to the left and right of the base 21 at positions symmetrical with respect to the mid-plane 27, with a predetermined distance between them. Each jet nozzle 23 is attached via a swivel joint so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the rotation axis of the rotary jet 12. Each jet nozzle 23 is attached so that its own rotation axis is positioned on approximately the same plane as the rotation axis of the rotary jet 12. Furthermore, each jet nozzle 23 is attached so as to jet fluid in a direction perpendicular to its own rotation axis. Each jet nozzle 23 is configured to jet the same amount of fluid at the same speed.

[0031] The pair of rotary motors 24 are made up of servo motors, and are attached to the left and right of the base 21 in positions symmetrical with respect to the mid-plane 27, corresponding to each of the jet nozzles 23. Each rotary motor 24 is attached so that the corresponding jet nozzle 23 can rotate about its rotation axis.

[0032] The branch pipe 25 is attached to the fixed portion of the swivel joint 22 so as to communicate with the flow path of the cord-like body 11 attached to the rotary jet body 12. The branch pipe 25 branches to the left and right along the front side of the base body 21, and the tips of the branched portions are connected to each of the jet nozzles 23. In this way, the branch pipe 25 is configured to supply the fluid that has flowed through the flow path toward the tip of the cord-like body 11 to each of the jet nozzles 23. The damper 26 is made up of a commercially available rotary damper, and is connected to the swivel joint 22 to reduce the force that occurs when the rotary jet body 12 rotates relative to the cord-like body 11 and suppress vibrations caused by the rotation. The damper 26 constitutes resistance adding means.

[0033] The attitude sensor 13 is made up of a commercially available inertial measurement unit and is attached along the center line in the left-right direction on the top of the base 21. The attitude sensor 13 is arranged so that it can detect the inclination of the rotary jet body 12 from the vertical direction.

[0034] The attitude control unit 14 is connected to each rotary motor 24 and the attitude sensor 13 by a cable. The attitude control unit 14 is connected to each jet nozzle 23 via each rotary motor 24. The attitude control unit 14 is configured to rotate each jet nozzle 23 within a range in which the jet direction of fluid from each jet nozzle 23 has a component from a direction parallel to the mid-plane 27 to a direction facing the mid-plane 27. The attitude control unit 14 is configured to control the attitude of the rotary jet body 12 by rotating each jet nozzle 23 in accordance with the inclination of the rotary jet body 12 detected by the attitude sensor 13 so that the resultant force of the reaction forces of each jet nozzle 23 has a desired angle and magnitude with respect to the vertical plane. Note that the attitude control unit 14 may be connected to each rotary motor 24 and the attitude sensor 13 wirelessly.

[0035] Next, the operation will be described. The fluid ejection device 10 can automatically adjust the attitude of the rotary ejection body 12 by ejecting the fluid flowing through the flow path of the cord-like body 11 from each ejection nozzle 23, according to the principle shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b). The fluid ejection device 10 can control the rotation of the rotary ejection body 12 so that the direction of the resultant force F is on a mid-plane 27 including the rotation axis of the rotary ejection body 12. Therefore, by controlling the rotation of each ejection nozzle 23 with the attitude control unit 14 in accordance with the inclination of the rotary ejection body 12 detected by the attitude sensor 13 so that the resultant force F, i.e., the mid-plane 27, forms a desired angle with respect to the vertical plane, if the cord-like body 11 is made of a flexible material such as a hose, the attitude of the rotary ejection body 12 can be controlled while moving it in the desired direction (the direction of the resultant force F of the reaction forces of each ejection nozzle 23). Furthermore, by ejecting fluid from each ejection nozzle 23 so that the ejection direction has a vertically downward component, the rotary ejection body 12 can be levitated.

[0036] The fluid ejection device 10 can automatically adjust the attitude of the rotary ejection body 12 by the attitude control unit 14, for example, as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the magnitude of the resultant force of the reaction forces of the ejection nozzles 23 is F, and the angle of the resultant force F from the vertical direction is θ f If the magnitude of the reaction force of each injection nozzle 23 is R, the rotation angle of the rotary injection body 12 from the position where each injection nozzle 23 is horizontally aligned is θ, and the rotation angles of each injection nozzle 23 from the alignment direction of each injection nozzle 23 are φ1 and φ2, respectively, φ1 and φ2 can be expressed by equation (1).

[0037]

number

[0038] Here, θ is obtained from the attitude sensor 13, and R can be calculated in advance. Therefore, the desired F and θ f By substituting into equation (1), the jet directions φ1 and φ2 of each jet nozzle 23 can be determined. The attitude control unit 14 determines the desired F and θf By rotating each jet nozzle 23 based on φ1 and φ2 calculated using equation (1) to realize the above, the attitude of the rotary jet 12 is changed to θ f It will be automatically adjusted to be

[0039] In the fluid ejection device 10, for example, when the cord-like body 11 is made of a flexible material, by controlling the intermediate plane 27 to be vertical, the attitude of the rotary ejection body 12 can be controlled so that the ejection nozzles 23 are positioned horizontally, thereby moving the rotary ejection body 12 in the vertical direction. Also, by controlling the intermediate plane 27 to be oblique to the vertical plane, the attitude of the rotary ejection body 12 can be controlled so that the ejection nozzles 23 are aligned perpendicular to the oblique direction, thereby moving the rotary ejection body 12 in an oblique direction from the vertical plane.

[0040] In the fluid ejection device 10, the rotary ejection body 12 is rotatably attached to the cord-like body 11, so that even when the cord-like body 11 is twisted, the attitude of the rotary ejection body 12 can be controlled, and the movement of the cord-like body 11 can be controlled. In this way, compared to conventional devices that control the attitude using an actuator with a complex structure, the fluid ejection device 10 has a simple structure and can control the movement of the cord-like body 11 even when it is twisted. Furthermore, an actuator with a complex structure is not required, and weight can be reduced.

[0041] For example, when the cord-like body 11 is made of a flexible material, the fluid ejection device 10 can stably rise under its own power while ejecting fluid, allowing workers to approach from the sky even at dangerous locations or locations with obstacles, such as fire sites or disaster sites. The ejected fluid can also be used to perform various tasks, such as firefighting, cleaning, washing, and transportation. Even when the cord-like body 11 is made of a rigid material, multiple ejections of fluid can be made in all directions around the longitudinal axis, making it relatively easy to perform various tasks, such as firefighting, cleaning, and washing.

[0042] In the fluid ejection device 10, the rotary ejection body 12 may be attached to the middle portion of the cord-like body 11 instead of the tip portion. Also, the rotary ejection body 12 may be attached to the tip portion of the cord-like body 11 and one or more locations in the middle portion of the cord-like body 11.

[0043] 5, in the fluid ejection device 10, the rotary ejection body 12 has a pair of propelling nozzles 31 rotatably mounted on the base 21 behind each of the ejection nozzles 23 and rotatably about an axis perpendicular to the mid-plane 27. The propelling nozzles 31 may be spaced apart symmetrically with respect to the mid-plane 27. In this case, the branch pipe 25 branches off to the left and right just before the branching points to the ejection nozzles 23, and the tips of the branched portions are connected to the respective propelling nozzles 31 via swivel joints. Each propelling nozzle 31 is capable of ejecting the fluid flowing through the flow path toward the tip of the cord-like body 11 in a direction parallel to the mid-plane 27. The propelling nozzles 31 are rotated synchronously by their corresponding propelling motors 32 to prevent angular difference and eject the fluid in the same direction.

[0044] In this case, each propulsion nozzle 31 can move the rotary jet 12 along the mid-plane 27. Furthermore, each jet nozzle 23 can tilt the mid-plane 27 from the vertical to move the rotary jet 12, so by combining each jet nozzle 23 with each propulsion nozzle 31, the cord-like body 11 can be moved in any direction. Because each propulsion nozzle 31 sprays fluid in a direction parallel to the mid-plane 27, the cord-like body 11 can be moved without affecting the attitude control of the rotary jet 12 by each jet nozzle 23.

[0045] 6, fluid ejection device 10 may include an auxiliary attitude sensor (not shown), rotary ejection body 12 includes a pair of auxiliary nozzles 33, and is rotatable relative to cord-like body 11 about an orthogonal axis perpendicular to the rotation axis. Each auxiliary nozzle 33 is spaced a predetermined distance apart, symmetrically positioned with respect to an orthogonal plane including the orthogonal axis, and rotatable about an axis parallel to the orthogonal axis. Fluid flowing through the flow path toward the tip of cord-like body 11 may be ejected in a direction perpendicular to its own axis. In this case, the auxiliary attitude sensor is configured to detect the tilt of rotary ejection body 12 about the orthogonal axis. Attitude control unit 14 is also connected to each auxiliary nozzle 33 and the auxiliary attitude sensor, and is configured to rotate each auxiliary nozzle 33 within a range in which the ejection direction of fluid from each auxiliary nozzle 33 has a component ranging from a direction parallel to the orthogonal plane to a direction facing the orthogonal plane. In addition, the attitude control unit 14 is configured to control the attitude of the rotary jet 12 by rotating each auxiliary nozzle 33 together with each jet nozzle 23, in accordance with the inclination of the rotary jet 12 detected by the auxiliary attitude sensor, so that the resultant reaction force of each auxiliary nozzle 33 is at the desired angle and magnitude relative to the vertical plane.

[0046] In this case, the rotary injection body 12 can be rotated around two axes: the rotation axis and the orthogonal axis. The attitude of the rotary injection body 12 can be controlled with respect to each axis by each injection nozzle 23 and each auxiliary nozzle 33. In this case, the mid-plane 27 and the orthogonal plane are orthogonal to each other, and the injection direction of each injection nozzle 23 is parallel to the mid-plane 27, and the injection direction of each auxiliary nozzle 33 is parallel to the orthogonal plane, so the attitude of the rotary injection body 12 can be controlled without affecting each other. [Example]

[0047] Various experiments were conducted using the fluid ejection device 10 shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 7, the cord-like body 11 is composed of a 2-m-long hose 11a with an inner diameter of 25 mm and a 2-m-long hose 11b. As shown in Figure 7, the 25-mm-inner-diameter hose 11a is connected to the rotary ejection body 12, and the 38-mm-inner-diameter hose 11b is connected to a water tank 42 via a pump 41. The water tank 42 contains water as a fluid. A pressure gauge 43 and a flow meter 44 are attached to the 38-mm-inner-diameter hose 11b. The rotary ejection body 12 is 230 mm long, 195 mm wide, and 65 mm high. When the branch pipe 25 is filled with water, it weighs 1.14 kg. The attitude control unit 14 is composed of a personal computer and is configured to sample data from the attitude sensor 13 at 1 kHz and convert the data into attitude data (roll angle, pitch angle, and yaw angle) via a filter.

[0048] First, the reaction force R of each jet nozzle 23 was determined. As shown in Fig. 8, a force sensor 45 was attached to the top of the rotary jet body 12, and the rotary jet body 12 was attached to the ceiling of a test stand 46 with a space below it, with the force sensor 45 sandwiched between them. Each jet nozzle 23 was pointed vertically downward, and water was sprayed while the water supply pressure from the pump 41 was changed in 0.1 MPa increments from 0.2 MPa to 1.0 MPa, and the force sensor 45 measured the vertical force (jet reaction force) for 15 seconds for each water supply pressure.

[0049] Half of the average value of the measured forces was taken as the jet reaction force of one jet nozzle 23, and the relationship between that jet reaction force and the water supply pressure is shown in Figure 9. As shown in Figure 9, it was confirmed that the jet reaction force is approximately proportional to the water supply pressure. The dashed line in Figure 9 approximates the relationship between the water supply pressure P and the jet reaction force R using the least squares method. The equation for this line is R = 27.568P. By using the jet reaction force R of each jet nozzle 23 calculated in this way, the attitude of the rotary jet body 12 can be controlled using equation (1).

[0050] Next, the direction of the resultant force of the reaction forces of the jet nozzles 23 that you want to realize (θ fA rotation control test was conducted to confirm that the rotary jet 12 faces in the direction when the input of the force (θ in Figure 4) is changed. In the test, the cord-like body 11 is fixed as a rigid body, and the rotary jet 12 is set to rotate around the rotation axis. The water supply pressure was set to 0.3 MPa, and the direction of the resultant force of the reaction forces of the input jet nozzles 23 (θ in Figure 4) was f ) was changed counterclockwise from 0 degrees to 180 degrees in 5-degree increments every 15 seconds, and the actual angle around the rotation axis of the rotary injection body 12 was measured. The test was conducted five times, and the average of the measured angles was calculated. In addition, taking into account the influence of friction, a similar test was conducted in which the angle was changed clockwise from 180 degrees to 0 degrees in 5-degree increments every 15 seconds.

[0051] FIG. 10 shows the relationship between the direction of the resultant force of the input reaction forces of each injection nozzle 23 and the actual rotation angle of the rotary injection body 12 (average of measured values). In FIG. 10, the solid line indicates the case where the direction of the input resultant force and the actual rotation angle match. As shown in FIG. 10, it was confirmed that the rotary injection body 12 rotates in accordance with the direction of the input resultant force, regardless of the rotation direction, and rotates to an angle that is approximately the same. Note that the actual rotation angle of the rotary injection body 12 is slightly offset from the solid line, which is thought to be due to a misalignment between the position of the rotation axis and the position of the center of gravity of the rotary injection body 12. [Example]

[0052] A flight experiment was conducted using the fluid injection device 10 shown in Figure 5. As shown in Figure 11, the cord-like body 11 consists of a 2-m-long hose covered with a flexible, tubular rigid body, one end of which is connected to the rotary injection body 12 and the other end of which is fixed to the ground. The other end of the cord-like body 11 is connected to a water tank 42 via a water supply hose (10 m long) 47 and a pump 41. The water tank 42 contains water as a fluid. A pressure gauge 43 and a flow meter 44 are attached to the water supply hose 47. The attitude control unit 14 is composed of a personal computer.

[0053] The attitude control unit 14 controlled the rotation of each jet nozzle 23 and each propulsion nozzle 31 to lift and move the rotary jet 12. As a result, while controlling the attitude of the rotary jet 12, it was possible to move the cord-like body 11 in the desired direction without being affected by twisting of the cord-like body 11. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 10 Fluid injection device 11 Funicular body 12 Rotating jet 21 Base 22 Swivel joint 22a Rotating part 22b Fixed part 23 Injection nozzle 24 RPM motor 25 Branch pipe 26 Damper 27 Intermediate plane 13 Attitude sensor 14 Attitude control unit 31 Propulsion nozzle 32 Propulsion motor 33 Auxiliary nozzle 41 Pump 42 Aquarium 43 Pressure gauge 44 Flow meter 45 Force Sensor 46 Test Stand 47 Water supply hose

Claims

1. A cord-like body having a flow path; A rotary injector having a pair of injection nozzles and rotatably attached to the cord-like body; An attitude sensor capable of detecting the inclination of the rotary ejection body around the rotation axis; a posture control unit connected to each jet nozzle and the posture sensor; Each of the injection nozzles is provided at a predetermined interval, symmetrically with respect to a mid-plane including the rotation axis of the rotary injection body, and rotatably about an axis parallel to the rotation axis of the rotary injection body, and is configured to inject the fluid flowing through the flow path in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the injection nozzle itself; The attitude control unit is configured to rotate each jet nozzle in a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the rotary jet according to the inclination of the rotary jet detected by the attitude sensor. A fluid ejection device comprising:

2. The fluid injection device described in claim 1, characterized in that the attitude control unit is configured to control the attitude of the rotating injection body by rotating each injection nozzle within a range in which the injection direction of the fluid from each injection nozzle has a component from a direction parallel to the mid-plane to a direction toward the mid-plane, so that the resultant reaction force of each injection nozzle is at a desired angle and magnitude.

3. The rotary injection body is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the cord-like body around its rotation axis by the reaction force of each injection nozzle, Each of the injection nozzles has a rotary drive means and is configured to be rotatable by the rotary drive means around the axis; the attitude control unit is configured to rotate each of the injection nozzles by controlling each of the rotary drive means.

3. The fluid ejection device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. 4. The fluid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the rotary ejection body has a resistance adding means for adding a rotational resistance to the rotation about the rotation axis of the rotary ejection body.

5. 5. The fluid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein a rotation axis of the rotary ejection body and the axis of each ejection nozzle are arranged on the same plane.

6. 6. The fluid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the center of gravity of the rotary ejection body is located on a rotation axis of the rotary ejection body.

7. A fluid injection device as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the rotating injection body has a rotation axis that coincides with the central axis of the cord-like body at the attachment position to the cord-like body, and is rotatably mounted on the outer surface of the cord-like body along the circumferential direction of the cord-like body.

8. An auxiliary attitude sensor is provided. The rotary jet has a pair of auxiliary nozzles and is rotatable with respect to the cord-like body about an orthogonal axis perpendicular to the rotation axis. each auxiliary nozzle is provided at a predetermined interval, at a position symmetrical with respect to an orthogonal plane including the orthogonal axis, and rotatable about an axis parallel to the orthogonal axis; and configured to eject the fluid flowing through the flow path in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the auxiliary nozzle itself; The auxiliary attitude sensor is provided so as to be capable of detecting the inclination of the rotary jet body about the orthogonal axis, The attitude control unit is also connected to each auxiliary nozzle and the auxiliary attitude sensor, and is configured to rotate each auxiliary nozzle in a plane perpendicular to the orthogonal axis of the rotary jet in accordance with the inclination of the rotary jet detected by the auxiliary attitude sensor.

8. A fluid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the fluid ejection device is a nozzle.

9. The fluid injection device described in claim 8, characterized in that the attitude control unit is configured to control the attitude of the rotating injection body by rotating each auxiliary nozzle within a range in which the injection direction of the fluid from each auxiliary nozzle has a component from a direction parallel to the orthogonal plane to a direction facing the orthogonal plane, so that the resultant reaction force of each auxiliary nozzle is at a desired angle and magnitude.

10. The rotary jet has a propelling nozzle rotatably mounted about an axis perpendicular to the mid-plane, The propulsion nozzle is capable of ejecting the fluid flowing through the flow path in a direction parallel to the mid-plane, and is provided on the mid-plane alone and / or in one or more pairs at positions symmetrical to the mid-plane with a predetermined interval therebetween.

10. A fluid ejection device according to claim 1 .

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