Flying object

Abstract

To provide a flying object capable of efficiently reducing a horizontal size of an airframe.SOLUTION: The flying object comprises: two first frames arranged in a second direction intersecting a first direction set as a longitudinal direction; two second frames arranged in the first direction and superposed on the two first frames with the second direction set as a longitudinal direction; a first rotary vane fitted to both ends of the first frames; and a second rotary vane fitted to both ends of the second frame. The second frame is provided with a hinge which can fold the second frame on the middle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a flying object.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, flying objects such as drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (hereinafter collectively referred to as "flying objects") have become widespread. For example, a multi-copter type having a plurality of rotary wings can be mentioned (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the flying object of Patent Document 1, the arms and rotors occupy most of the horizontal dimension of the airframe, which is a factor that reduces the space efficiency during storage.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a flying object capable of efficiently reducing the horizontal dimension of the airframe.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The flying object according to the present invention includes two first frames arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction with the first direction as the longitudinal direction, two second frames arranged in the first direction on top of the two first frames with the second direction as the longitudinal direction, a first rotary wing attached to both ends of the first frame, and a second rotary wing attached to both ends of the second frame, and a hinge portion for folding the second frame in the middle is provided on the second frame.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an aircraft capable of efficiently reducing the horizontal dimension of the aircraft body.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] The contents of the embodiments of the present invention will be listed and described. The aircraft according to the embodiments of the present invention has the following configuration. [Item 1] Two first frames arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction with the first direction as the longitudinal direction, Two second frames arranged in the first direction on top of the two first frames with the second direction as the longitudinal direction, First rotary wings attached to both ends of the first frame, Second rotary wings attached to both ends of the second frame, and The second frame is provided with a hinge portion capable of folding the second frame in the middle thereof. Aircraft. [Item 2] The flying object according to Item 1, when the second frame is in the folded position, it is folded in pairs, the pair is composed of a first arm and a second arm that are folded so as to overlap each other in a side view, flying object. [Item 3] The flying object according to Item 1 or Item 2, the two first frames are horizontally mounted on the two second frames in a crossbeam shape, flying object.

[0010] <Details of the Embodiment> Hereinafter, a flying object according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] <Details of the Embodiment According to the Present Invention> As shown in FIG. 1, a flying object 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a rotary wing 2, a motor 3 for rotating the rotary wing 2, and a frame 4 to which the motor 3 is attached.

[0012] The rotary wing 2 rotates in response to the output from the motor 3. When the rotary wing 2 rotates, a propulsive force is generated to lift the flying object 1 off the departure point, move it horizontally, and land it at the destination. Note that the rotary wing 2 can rotate rightward, stop, and rotate leftward.

[0013] The rotor blade 2 of the present invention has a slender shape. The number of any rotor blades (rotors), for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, or more rotor blades, may be used. Also, the shape of the rotor blades can be any shape such as a flat shape, a bent shape, a twisted shape, a tapered shape, or a combination thereof. Note that the shape of the rotor blades can be changed (for example, expansion / contraction, folding, bending, etc.). The rotor blades may be symmetric (having the same upper and lower surfaces) or asymmetric (having upper and lower surfaces of different shapes). The rotor blades can be formed into a geometric shape suitable for generating dynamic aerodynamic forces (for example, lift, thrust) when the rotor blades are moved through the air. The geometric shape of the rotor blades can be appropriately selected to optimize the dynamic aerodynamic characteristics of the rotor blades, such as increasing lift and thrust and reducing drag.

[0014] The motor 3 causes the rotor blade 2 to rotate. For example, the drive unit may include an electric motor or an engine, etc. The rotor blades can be driven by the motor and rotate around the rotation axis of the motor (for example, the long axis of the motor) in the clockwise direction and / or the counterclockwise direction.

[0015] All the rotor blades can rotate in the same direction or can rotate independently. Some of the rotor blades rotate in one direction and the other rotor blades rotate in the other direction. The rotor blades can all rotate at the same rotational speed or can rotate at different rotational speeds respectively. The rotational speed can be determined automatically or manually based on the dimensions of the moving body (for example, size, weight) and the control state (speed, moving direction, etc.).

[0016] The frame 4 is a member that supports the corresponding motor 3 and rotor blade 2. A color emitter such as an LED may be provided on the frame 4 to indicate the flight state, flight direction, etc. of the rotary wing aircraft. The frame 4 according to the present embodiment can be formed of a material appropriately selected from carbon, stainless steel, aluminum, magnesium, etc. or alloys or combinations thereof.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the frame 4 includes two first frames 40, 40 and two second frames 41, 41. The first frames 40, 40 are horizontally mounted in a cross-shaped manner on the second frames 41, 41. The first frames 40, 40 and the second frames 41, 41 are connected to each other by a conventionally known method.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the first frames 40, 40 are arranged at a predetermined interval along the X direction (second direction) intersecting the first direction with the Y direction (first direction) as the longitudinal direction. First rotary wings 20 are attached to both ends of the first frames 40, 40.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the second frames 41, 41 are arranged at a predetermined interval along the Y direction (first direction) overlapping the two first frames 40, 40 with the X direction (second direction) as the longitudinal direction. Second rotary wings 21 are attached to both ends of the second frames 41, 41. As shown in FIG. 4, the second frames 41, 41 are provided with hinge portions 42 that can fold the second frames 41, 41 in the middle.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, when the second frames 41, 41 are in the folded position, the second frames 41, 41 are folded in pairs. As shown in FIG. 4, the pair is composed of a first arm 41A and a second arm 41B that are folded so as to overlap each other in a side view. As shown in FIG. 3, in a plan view, the first arm 41A and the second arm 41B are arranged outside the rectangular space S partitioned by the two first frames 40, 40 and the two second frames 41, 41.

[0021] According to the flying object 1 of the present embodiment, by making the second frames 41, 41 foldable, it is possible to efficiently reduce the horizontal dimension of the airframe, and a flying object 1 that is easy to use on site can be provided. Furthermore, the labor of attaching and detaching the second frames 41, 41 can be reduced.

[0022] The above-described aircraft has the functional blocks shown in FIG. 5. Note that the functional blocks in FIG. 5 are a minimum reference configuration. The flight controller is a so-called processing unit. The processing unit can have one or more processors such as a programmable processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)). The processing unit has a memory (not shown) and can access the memory. The memory stores logic, code, and / or program instructions executable by the processing unit to perform one or more steps. The memory may include a separable medium such as an SD card or a random access memory (RAM) or an external storage device. Data acquired from cameras and sensors may be directly transmitted to and stored in the memory. For example, still image and moving image data captured by a camera or the like are recorded in the built-in memory or the external memory.

[0023] The processing unit includes a control module configured to control the state of the aircraft. For example, the control module controls the propulsion mechanism (such as a motor) of the aircraft to adjust the spatial arrangement, speed, and / or acceleration of the aircraft having six degrees of freedom (translational motions x, y, and z, and rotational motions θ x , θ y and θ z ). The control module can control one or more of the states of the mounting part and the sensors.

[0024] The processing unit is communicable with a transceiver configured to transmit and / or receive data from one or more external devices (e.g., a terminal, a display device, or another remote controller). The transceiver can use any suitable communication means such as wired communication or wireless communication. For example, the transceiver can utilize one or more of a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), infrared, wireless, WiFi, a point-to-point (P2P) network, a telecommunications network, cloud communication, etc. The transceiver can transmit and / or receive one or more of data acquired by sensors, a processing result generated by the processing unit, predetermined control data, a user command from a terminal or a remote controller, etc.

[0025] The sensors according to this embodiment may include inertial sensors (acceleration sensors, gyro sensors), GPS sensors, proximity sensors (e.g., lidar), or vision / image sensors (e.g., cameras).

[0026] The aircraft of the present invention can be expected to be used as an aircraft dedicated to delivery services and as an industrial aircraft in warehouses and factories. Further, the aircraft of the present invention can be used in the aircraft-related industries such as multicopters and drones. Furthermore, the present invention can also be suitably used as an aircraft for aerial photography equipped with a camera or the like, and can also be used in various industries such as the security field, agriculture, and infrastructure monitoring.

[0027] The above-described embodiments are merely examples for facilitating the understanding of the present invention and are not for limiting the interpretation of the present invention. It goes without saying that the present invention can be changed and improved without departing from its gist, and equivalents thereof are included in the present invention.

[0028] (First Modified Example) Figures 6 and 7 are diagrams showing a first modification of the frame structure in the aircraft of the present invention. In this modification, as shown in FIG. 6, for the rectangular space S partitioned by two first frames 40, 40 and two second frames 41, 41, the four rectangular vertices of the space S are defined as V1 to V4 in clockwise order. As shown in FIG. 6, the frame structure includes a first arm 41A extending in the X direction starting from the midpoint between vertex V1 and vertex V2, and a second arm 41B extending in the X direction opposite to the first arm 41A starting from the midpoint between vertex V3 and vertex V4. As shown in FIG. 7, the frame structure is provided with a hinge portion 42A capable of folding the first arm 41A downward and a hinge portion 42B capable of folding the second arm 41B downward. According to the frame structure of this modification, by making the first arm 41A and the second arm 41B foldable, it is possible to efficiently reduce the horizontal dimension of the aircraft body, and an aircraft that is convenient to use on site can be provided. Furthermore, the labor of detaching the first arm 41A and the second arm 41B can also be reduced.

[0029] (Second Modification Example) FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a second modification of the frame structure in the aircraft of the present invention. In this modification, the first arm 41A is detachably connected to the first frame 40. Similarly, the second arm 41B is also detachably connected to the first frame 40. According to the frame structure of this modification, since the first arm 41A and the second arm 41B are detachable from the first frame 40, it is possible to efficiently reduce the horizontal dimension of the aircraft body, and an aircraft that is convenient to use on site can be provided.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0030] 1 Aircraft 20 First Rotor 21 Second Rotor 40 First Frame 41 Second Frame 41A First Arm 41B Second Arm 42 Hinge Portion

Claims

[Claim 1] Two first frames arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction with a first direction as a longitudinal direction; two second frames connected to the insides of the two first frames and aligned in the first direction with the second direction as a longitudinal direction; two third frames connected to the outsides of the two first frames and extending in the second direction with the second direction as a longitudinal direction; a first rotor attached to the first frame; a second rotor attached to the third frame; The total number of rotors provided is six. A rectangular space is defined by the first frame and the second frame, the third frame extends in the second direction from a midpoint between first and second vertices aligned in the first direction in the rectangular space; Only the third frame out of the first frame and the third frame is provided with a hinge portion capable of folding the third frame. Flying vehicle.

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