Aircraft, measurement system and measurement method

Abstract

To provide an air vehicle which can inhibit deterioration of detection accuracy while securing a sufficient flight time, and to provide a measurement system and a measurement method.SOLUTION: An air vehicle UAV includes: a detection part 5 configured to detect an external environment; rotary vanes 30 which generate lift force by rotation; and a power part 4 which rotates the rotary vanes 30. When the air vehicle fries by rotation of the rotary vanes 30, the external environment is detected by the detection part 5. The detection part 5 is arranged to detect the external environment at a level higher than the rotary vanes 30. The power part 4 is an engine which suctions and exhausts air to generate power and includes an exhaust port 42 which is disposed below the rotary vanes 30 and exhausts air downward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an aircraft, and a measurement system and a measurement method using the aircraft. [Background technology]

[0002] In 2009, a United Nations Environment Programme report named carbon absorbed into marine ecosystems "blue carbon" and presented it as a new option for carbon sinks as a measure against global warming, attracting worldwide attention. For Japan, which is surrounded by the sea on all sides, coastal areas have great potential as carbon sinks, and when it comes to utilizing blue carbon, it is important to have an evaluation method.

[0003] One of the evaluation methods used is the eddy correlation method (turbulence fluctuation method). The eddy correlation method is a method for evaluating the transport of materials and thermal energy in the atmosphere close to the earth's surface based on atmospheric turbulence theory, and is used, for example, to quantify the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed and emitted by terrestrial ecosystems on a community scale. To perform evaluation using the eddy correlation method, for example, a high-rise observation tower equipped with a sensor that detects the movement and components of the atmosphere above the forest community is used. The sensor attached to the observation tower detects the movement and components of the atmosphere above the forest community, for example, the vertical movement of air and carbon dioxide concentration, and based on the detection results, the vertical transport amount can be measured using the eddy correlation method.

[0004] However, in the case of detecting the external environment using an observation tower, the observation point is fixed, and observation at various locations such as at sea is not taken into consideration, and there is a problem that the cost increases in order to perform observation at various locations. Therefore, in order to increase the degree of freedom in measurement such as increasing and diversifying the measurement points while suppressing the increase in cost, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also called drones, for example, is being considered.

[0005] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a weather sensor that measures at least one of meteorological data among wind direction, wind speed, temperature, humidity, and air pressure. Also, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a measurement aircraft equipped with at least one of a thermometer, a hygrometer, a barometer, a carbon dioxide concentration meter, and a radiation measuring instrument, and drives a rotor with a driving unit such as a motor or an engine. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-200116 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2013-189036 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, for example, when detecting an external environment that can be used by the eddy correlation method, it is necessary to detect changes over time, and this causes a problem that the detection takes time. Detection by the unmanned aerial vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 and the measurement aerial vehicle using a motor disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a problem that the vehicle is battery-powered and may not have enough flight time for detection. In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a form that is powered by an engine, but when an engine is used, there is a problem that the air flow and temperature changes due to the exhaust, as well as the components of the exhaust, become disturbance factors, and the detection accuracy of the external environment is reduced.

[0008] The present application has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to disclose an aircraft that can suppress a decrease in detection accuracy while ensuring sufficient flight time.

[0009] This application also discloses a measurement system and a measurement method using the flying object disclosed in this application. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the flying object disclosed in the present application comprises a detection unit that detects the external environment, a rotor that generates lift through rotation, and a power unit that rotates the rotor, and is an flying object that detects the external environment using the detection unit while flying using the lift generated by the rotation of the rotor, wherein the detection unit is positioned so as to detect above the rotor, and the power unit is an engine that generates power by taking in and exhausting air, has an exhaust port positioned below the rotor, and the exhaust port exhausts air downward.

[0011] The flying object is also characterized in that it is provided with a baffle plate between the detection unit and the power unit to suppress the influence of intake and exhaust from the power unit.

[0012] In the flying object, the power unit has an intake port disposed below the rotor blades, and the intake port takes in air from below.

[0013] In the flying object, the detection unit is characterized in that it detects the movement and components of the atmosphere.

[0014] Furthermore, the measurement system disclosed in the present application is characterized in that it includes the above-mentioned aircraft and measures the state of the atmosphere using the eddy correlation method based on the movement and components of the atmosphere detected by a detection unit included in the aircraft.

[0015] Furthermore, the measurement method disclosed in the present application is a measurement method using a measurement device that measures the state of the atmosphere, and is characterized in that it detects atmospheric movement and components using a detection unit provided in the aircraft, and measures the state of the atmosphere using eddy correlation method based on the detected atmospheric movement and components. Effect of the Invention

[0016] The aircraft disclosed herein includes a detection unit that detects above the rotors, and an engine that is disposed below the rotors and has an exhaust port that exhausts downward. This allows the aircraft disclosed herein to achieve excellent effects such as preventing a decrease in detection accuracy while ensuring sufficient flight time. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram conceptually illustrating an application example of the measurement system disclosed herein. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic front view showing an example of the appearance of an aircraft disclosed herein. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of an aircraft disclosed in the present application. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an enlarged view of a portion of the aircraft disclosed herein. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an aircraft disclosed herein. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram conceptually illustrating an application example of the measurement system disclosed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The measurement system disclosed in the present application is a system using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). In the following, an example of an aerial vehicle UAV will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiment is an example of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram conceptually illustrating an application example of the measurement system disclosed in the present application. The measurement system disclosed in the present application implements a measurement method using an air vehicle UAV. The air vehicle UAV disclosed in the present application used in the measurement system is realized, for example, by using an unmanned air vehicle such as a small unmanned helicopter called a drone. The measurement system disclosed in the present application measures the state of the atmosphere, for example, by eddy correlation (turbulence fluctuation method). The eddy correlation is a method for evaluating the transport amount of materials and thermal energy in the atmosphere based on atmospheric turbulence theory, and is suitable for quantifying the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed and emitted by ecosystems on a community scale. FIG. 1 conceptually illustrates a model in which an air vehicle UAV flies above an observation area such as a forest community or ocean where an ecosystem exists, and detects the movement and components of the atmosphere above the observation area. When wind, which is a large movement of the atmosphere in the approximately horizontal direction, blows above the observation area, vortices of various scales are generated, and the generated vortices cause vertical transport of various materials such as carbon dioxide. This application discloses a measurement system that detects atmospheric movements, including those in the vertical direction, and components such as carbon dioxide in such a model, and measures the state of the atmosphere using the eddy correlation method.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing an example of the appearance of the flying object UAV disclosed in the present application. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the flying object UAV disclosed in the present application. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing an enlarged part of the flying object UAV disclosed in the present application. The flying object UAV is configured by mounting a control device 1 that controls the entire flying object on a frame 2. In addition to the control device 1, various mechanisms such as a flight mechanism 3, a power unit 4, a detection unit 5, a position information acquisition unit 6, and a communication unit 7 are mounted on the frame 2.

[0021] The frame 2 includes four pillars 20 arranged such that the longitudinal direction is the vertical direction, and the pillars 20 support members such as a support section 21, a damper 22, a straightening plate 23, a middle plate 24, and a bottom plate 25. The support section 21 is a member that supports equipment such as a detection section 5, a position information acquisition section 6, and a communication section 7 arranged at the top, and is attached to the upper ends of the four pillars 20 via a damper 22 that absorbs vibrations. The damper 22 is substantially disk-shaped, and is supported so as to be located between the four pillars 20.

[0022] A rectifying plate 23 is disposed below the damper 22. The rectifying plate 23 is formed in a generally tray-like shape with an edge extending obliquely upward from the periphery of a circular plate supported by the four supports 20. The rectifying plate 23 has a function of suppressing the influence of the intake and exhaust of the power unit 4 on the detection unit 5. In addition, the control device 1 is placed on the circular plate of the rectifying plate 23.

[0023] Two generally circular middle plates 24 are arranged above and below the straightening plate 23. The middle plates 24 are supported by four supports 20. An arm 31 of the flight mechanism 3 is arranged between the two middle plates 24. An opening is generally square in plan view near the center of the two middle plates 24, and the power unit 4 is arranged so as to pass through the opening from above to below.

[0024] A substantially circular bottom plate 25 is disposed below the support columns 20. The bottom plate 25 is supported by four support columns 20, and a fuel tank 44 of the power unit 4 is disposed on the upper surface of the bottom plate 25.

[0025] The flight mechanism 3 is attached to the support 20 and includes mechanisms such as four arms 31 extending outward from each of the four support columns 20, and four sets of rotors 30 (rotors) attached to each arm 31. The rotation of each rotor 30 controls the flight and flight attitude of the flying object UAV. The base of the arm 31 is arranged so as to be sandwiched between two middle plates 24 supported by the support column 20 from above and below. Each rotor 30 is arranged so that the rotation plane is approximately horizontal. In this application, a quadcopter having four rotors 30 is described as an example, but various flying objects UAV such as a hexacopter having six rotors 30 and an octocopter having eight rotors 30 can be used.

[0026] The power unit 4 is configured using an engine that burns fuel such as gasoline to generate power. The power unit 4 includes a main unit 40 that is the engine body, an intake port 41 that takes in outside air into the main unit 40, an exhaust port 42 that exhausts air from the main unit 40 to the outside, a fuel tank 44 that stores fuel, an extender 43, etc.

[0027] The main unit 40 is in the shape of a cylinder with a bottom, and contains the main parts such as a cylinder and a piston, and generates power by burning fuel. The main unit 40 is disposed so as to penetrate the two middle plates 24 from top to bottom.

[0028] The air intake 41 is disposed directly below the main body device 40 and below the rotor 30. The air intake 41 opens downward below the rotor 30 and takes in air from below. Therefore, the flying object UAV disclosed in the present application prevents the influence of the intake air on the outside air from reaching the rotor 30 and affecting the detection of the detection unit 5 above.

[0029] The exhaust port 42 is attached to the side of the main body device 40, extends downward, and is disposed so as to be lower than the rotor 30. The exhaust port 42 opens downward below the rotor 30, and exhausts air downward. Therefore, the flying object UAV disclosed in the present application prevents the effect of the exhaust on the outside air from reaching the rotor 30 and affecting the detection of the detection unit 5 above.

[0030] The fuel tank 44 is disposed below the main unit 40, on the bottom plate 25. The fuel tank 44 stores fuel such as gasoline, and supplies the fuel to the main unit 40.

[0031] The extender 43 is disposed above the main unit 40 and has a function of generating electricity when driven by the main unit 40. The electric power obtained by the power generation of the extender 43 is used to rotationally drive the rotor 30 of the flight mechanism 3, thereby obtaining lift and enabling the flying object UAV to fly.

[0032] The detection unit 5 is attached to the support portion 21 of the frame 2. The detection unit 5 is a sensor that detects the external environment. The detection unit 5 detects, for example, atmospheric movement and components as the external environment. The flying object UAV is equipped with a wind direction and speed detection unit 50 that detects wind direction and wind speed as the detection unit 5 that detects atmospheric movement. The atmospheric movement detected by the wind direction and speed detection unit 50 is mainly vertical movement. The flying object UAV is also equipped with a carbon dioxide detection unit 51 that detects the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere as the detection unit 5 that detects atmospheric components.

[0033] The location information acquisition unit 6 has an antenna that communicates with artificial satellites such as GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellites, and is a mechanism that acquires and processes location information indicating the location of the flying object UAV based on communication with the GNSS satellite. The location information is acquired using the GNSS. Examples of the GNSS include systems such as GPS: Global Positioning System (USA), GLONASS: GLObal'naya NAvigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema (Russia), Galileo: Galileo (Europe), Compass: Compass (China), and QZSS: Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (Japan).

[0034] The location information acquisition unit 6 has a function of receiving radio waves on which location information is superimposed from GNSS satellites, for example, GPS satellites, and can acquire information including location information such as date and time, longitude and latitude, and ellipsoid height superimposed on the received radio waves. The ellipsoid height acquired from a GPS satellite is the height perpendicular to the surface of an ellipsoid that is approximated to a geoid surface that indicates the potential surface of the earth's gravity, etc., and the altitude can be calculated from the ellipsoid height and the geoid surface.

[0035] The communication unit 7 is a circuit for communicating with an operation device (not shown) operated by an operator. The flying object UAV transmits various information such as flight position, flight state, detection data detected by the detection unit 5, and measurement results based on the detection data from the communication unit 7 to the operation device. In addition, the operator can operate the flying object UAV, which receives commands via the communication unit 7, by operating the operation device and transmitting various commands.

[0036] Next, a functional configuration example of the flying object UAV disclosed in the present application will be described. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of the flying object UAV disclosed in the present application. As described above, the flying object UAV includes a control device 1, a flight mechanism 3, a power unit 4, a detection unit 5, a position information acquisition unit 6, a communication unit 7, and the like.

[0037] The control device 1 is a device that controls the entire flying object UAV, and is configured using a computer such as a microcomputer. The control device 1 is configured with a flight control unit 10, a detection control unit 11, a measurement control unit 12, a memory unit 13, etc. The memory unit 13 stores various programs such as a measurement program 13a and various information such as data.

[0038] The flight control unit 10 controls the flight mechanism 3, and executes control such as movement control by flight and attitude control during flight. That is, the flight control unit 10 acquires the position of its own aircraft using the position information acquisition unit 6, operates the power unit 4 to drive the flight mechanism 3, and controls the rotation of the arm 31 and rotor 30 of the flight mechanism 3, thereby executing various controls such as movement control by flight and attitude control.

[0039] The detection control unit 11 controls the detection unit 5 and executes various controls related to detection, such as detection by the detection unit 5 and import of detection data obtained by the detection. The measurement control unit 12 executes the measurement program 13a stored in the storage unit 13 and controls measurement of the atmospheric state based on the detection data obtained by the detection of the detection unit 5. That is, the measurement control unit 12 executes a process of measuring the atmospheric state by the eddy correlation method based on the atmospheric movement such as wind direction and wind speed detected by the wind direction and wind speed detection unit 50 and the atmospheric components such as carbon dioxide concentration detected by the carbon dioxide detection unit 51. In addition, the measurement control unit 12 executes a correction process for appropriately correcting disturbances generated based on the characteristics of the flying object UAV in the calculation for measurement.

[0040] As described above, the measurement system disclosed in the present application uses an air vehicle UAV that includes a detection unit 5 for detecting the external environment and rotates the rotor 30 with a power unit 4. The air vehicle UAV disclosed in the present application includes a power unit 4 having an engine, an intake port 41, and an exhaust port 42, and the detection unit 5 is arranged so as to detect above the rotor 30. The intake port 41 is arranged below the rotor 30 of the air vehicle UAV and takes in air from below. The exhaust port 42 is arranged below the rotor 30 and exhausts air downward. The air vehicle UAV disclosed in the present application is capable of flying for a long time because the power unit 4 is configured using an engine. Therefore, the air vehicle UAV disclosed in the present application has excellent effects such as being able to detect an external environment that can be used by the eddy correlation method, which requires a long time for detection. Furthermore, the air vehicle UAV disclosed in the present application has excellent effects such as being able to detect the external environment with the detection unit 5 being able to detect the external environment while suppressing the influence of intake and exhaust. Furthermore, the flying object UAV disclosed in the present application is provided with a baffle plate 23 between the detection unit 5 and the power unit 4 to suppress the effects of intake and exhaust, thereby achieving excellent effects such as improved detection accuracy.

[0041] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various other forms. Therefore, the above-described embodiment is merely illustrative in all respects and should not be interpreted as being restrictive. The technical scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, and is not restricted in any way by the text of the specification. Furthermore, all modifications and changes within the scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

[0042] For example, in the above embodiment, an example is given of a form in which a control device 1 equipped in an aircraft UAV executes a process of measuring the atmospheric state based on detection data, but the measurement system disclosed in the present application can be configured in various ways.

[0043] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram conceptually illustrating an application example of the measurement system disclosed in the present application. FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of the measurement system disclosed in the present application. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, a measurement device 8 using a computer such as a mobile computer is used separately from the flying object UAV. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the flying object UAV transmits detection data obtained by the detection of the detection unit 5 to the measurement device 8 via the communication unit 7, or stores it in the memory unit 13. The measurement device 8 receives detection data from the flying object UAV during flight, or reads detection data stored in the memory unit 13 of the flying object UAV after recovery, and obtains the detection data. Then, the measurement device 8 measures the state of the atmosphere by the eddy correlation method based on the movement and components of the atmosphere obtained as the detection data. In this way, the measurement system disclosed in the present application can be deployed in various configurations.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the air movement and components are mainly detected in the vertical direction and the carbon dioxide concentration, but the measurement system disclosed in the present application is not limited to this. The measurement system disclosed in the present application can be used to detect various external environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, radiation dose, fine particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide concentration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] UAV flying vehicle 1 Control device 2 Frames 23 Rectifier plate 3 Flight mechanism 30 Rotor 4 Power unit (engine) 40 Main unit 41 Air Intake 42 Exhaust port 43 Extender 44 Fuel Tank 5. Detection section 50 Wind direction and speed detection unit 51 Carbon dioxide detector 6 Location information acquisition section 7. Communications Department 8. Measurement Equipment

Claims

1. 1. An aircraft comprising: a detection unit that detects an external environment; a rotor that generates lift by rotation; and a power unit that rotates the rotor; wherein the detection unit detects the external environment during flight using the lift generated by the rotation of the rotor, a baffle plate is provided between the detection unit and the power unit, at a position separated from the detection unit and the power unit, for suppressing the influence of intake and exhaust of the power unit when the detection unit detects vertical movement of the atmosphere; The detection unit is The rotor is disposed so as to detect the rotor above the rotor. The power unit includes: It is an engine that takes in and exhausts air to generate power. An exhaust port is disposed below the rotor blades, The exhaust port is The exhaust is directed downwards. The straightening plate is It is formed like a tray with the edge extending diagonally upward from the periphery of the disk. An aircraft characterized by:

2. An aircraft as described in claim 1, The power unit includes: an intake port disposed below the rotor blade; The intake port is Inhale from below An aircraft characterized by:

3. The flying object according to claim 1 or 2, The detection unit is Detecting atmospheric movements and components An aircraft characterized by:

4. A flying object according to claim 3, The atmospheric condition is measured using an eddy correlation method based on the movement and components of the atmosphere detected by a detection unit equipped on the aircraft. A measurement system comprising:

5. A measurement method using a measurement device that measures an atmospheric condition, comprising: Detecting the movement and components of the atmosphere by a detection unit provided in the flying object according to claim 3; Based on the detected atmospheric movements and components, the atmospheric condition is measured using the eddy correlation method. A measuring method comprising:

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