unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

To provide an unmanned flying body that can move the center of gravity of the airframe so as to take a posture suited to such as parachute injection in emergency circumstances.SOLUTION: An unmanned flying body includes: a body part; a lock mechanism for maintaining a state where a center-of-gravity control body is in a first position relative to the body part; and a movable guide for moving the center-of-gravity control body to a second position in accordance with release of a maintenance state by the lock mechanism.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle, and more particularly to a technique for controlling the attitude of the vehicle in the event of an abnormality. [Background technology]

[0002] Unmanned aerial vehicles include drones, small helicopters, and small fixed-wing aircraft. Drones in particular often have payloads mounted on the underside of their bodies, making them suitable for transporting cargo or for aerial photography and inspections by mounting a camera.

[0003] The following Patent Document 1 describes providing an extendable lower rod at the bottom of the aircraft to stabilize the aircraft's attitude during flight. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-30431 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] A drone has a main body that houses control devices and the like, and a configuration that includes multiple rotors / propellers arranged around the main body for flight. Drones are generally designed so that their center of gravity is located at the center of the aircraft, but if an unforeseen incident occurs, such as damage to the rotors / propellers or a malfunction in the motors that drive them, it is impossible to predict in what attitude the drone will fall.

[0006] For this reason, even if a parachute is installed on the aircraft for safety reasons, depending on the attitude of the aircraft at the time of falling, the released parachute may become tangled with the aircraft, which could result in the parachute not being able to be launched properly.

[0007] This proposal was invented based on this background, and aims to stabilize the aircraft's attitude in an emergency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present invention comprises a main body, a locking mechanism that maintains a state in which a center-of-gravity control body is in a first position relative to the main body, a moving member that moves the center-of-gravity control body to a second position in response to the state maintained by the locking mechanism being released, a controller that controls the locked state of the locking mechanism, and a flight controller that controls operations related to flight in response to instruction information received from an external communication device. The locking mechanism maintains the center of gravity control body in the first position when energized, and when the locking mechanism is deenergized, releases the center of gravity control body from the first position, and in response to the release, the center of gravity control body moves to the second position, thereby moving the center of gravity of the aircraft. . For example, in an unmanned aerial vehicle such as a drone, the center of gravity moving body can be moved to a second position by releasing the locking mechanism. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, in the event of an abnormality, the center of gravity of the aircraft can be shifted to a state where the center of gravity control body is urgently positioned at the second position, and the aircraft can be placed in a desired attitude state. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram of a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the center-of-gravity control body is in a first position in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the center-of-gravity control body is in a second position in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the drones according to the first, second, and third embodiments. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart of control for unlocking according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the center-of-gravity control body is in a first position in the second embodiment. [Figure 7]FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the center-of-gravity control body is in a second position in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the center-of-gravity control body is in a first position in the third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the center-of-gravity control body is in a second position in the third embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the center-of-gravity control body is in a first position in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the center-of-gravity control body is in a second position in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a drone according to a fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] <1. First embodiment> Hereinafter, an embodiment of the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention will be described. In the embodiment, a drone will be used as an example of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a drone 1. As is well known, unmanned aerial vehicles that fall into the category of drones are known to have a variety of shapes and structures, and Fig. 1 is merely one example.

[0013] In the drone 1 of the embodiment, the main body 2 is disposed in the center. Four arms 14 are attached to the main body 2, protruding in all directions, and a motor 23 and a propeller 3 rotated by the motor 23 are attached near the tip of each arm 14. In addition, skids 4 are attached below the tip of each arm 14. The four skids 4 function as legs when landing.

[0014] On the upper surface side of the main body 2, a parachute ejection hole 10 for ejecting the parachute stored inside the main body 2 is provided.

[0015] A center-of-gravity control body 5 is mounted on the lower part of the main body 2. In the example of FIG. 1, the center-of-gravity control body 5 is shown as a box-shaped body. In this specification, the term "center of gravity control body" is used, but this may be any object having a certain degree of weight, and is not limited to any particular item. For example, when the drone 1 is used for transportation purposes, the center of gravity control body 5 is assumed to be the cargo or a box for storing the cargo. Furthermore, when the drone 1 is used for photography purposes, the center of gravity control body 5 is assumed to be a camera, a gimbal, or the like. Alternatively, when the structure of the main body 2 is made up of a plurality of units such as an upper unit and a lower unit, the lower unit may function as the center of gravity control body 5, for example.

[0016] The center of gravity control body 5 may have a weight sufficient to displace the center of gravity of the aircraft and obtain a desired attitude state when its position is changed as described below.

[0017] FIG. 2 shows a state in which the center of gravity control body 5 is held at the bottom of the main body 2. The center of gravity control body 5 is fixed, for example, on both sides by holders 7. The holders 7 are slidable relative to the slide rails 6. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the holder 7 and the center of gravity control body 5 have moved downward along the slide rail 6.

[0018] The position of the center-of-gravity control body 5 in the state shown in Figure 2 is referred to as the first position. The first position is the original position of the center-of-gravity control body 5, and it is normally maintained at this first position.

[0019] The position of the center of gravity control body 5 in the state shown in Fig. 3 is referred to as the second position. The second position is a position to which the center of gravity control body 5 moves in an emergency to change the center of gravity of the aircraft. Specifically, the second position is a position farther away from the center of gravity of the aircraft than the first position when the center of gravity control body 5 is in the first position. The second position is also a position farther from the center of gravity of the aircraft than the first position when the center of gravity control body 5 is in the first position, and is also a position farther from the plane of rotation of the propeller 3 than the first position. Furthermore, the second position is also a position where the center of gravity of the aircraft is moved so that the parachute ejection hole 10 faces upward (toward the sky). In this way, the second position is a position that shifts the center of gravity of the aircraft and stabilizes its posture during a fall.

[0020] The state shown in FIG. 2 is maintained by a locking mechanism such as an electromagnetic lock 8. The electromagnetic lock 8 is a mechanism whose locking function is turned on when electricity is applied. The electromagnetic lock 8 maintains the center of gravity control body 5 in the first position, so that the state shown in FIG. 2 is maintained under normal circumstances.

[0021] When the electromagnetic lock 8 is de-energized, the lock at the first position is released. In this case, the force of the spring 9 causes the center of gravity control body 5 to move along the slide rail 6 toward the second position. Depending on the force of the spring 9, the center of gravity control body 5 may be maintained in the second position to some extent. A locking mechanism or the like may be provided to maintain the center of gravity control body 5 in the second position when it reaches the second position.

[0022] When the center of gravity control body 5 is displaced to the second position as shown in FIG. 3 compared to when it is in the first position as shown in FIG. 2, the center of gravity of the aircraft moves downward. As a result, when normal flight becomes impossible, the attitude in the air will be such that the center of gravity control body 5 side faces the ground and the parachute ejection hole 10 faces upward (towards the sky).

[0023] The spring 9 is provided to bias the drone 1 because the attitude of the drone 1 when an abnormality occurs is unknown. If the drone 1 maintains its original attitude in the air (at least its original attitude in the vertical direction), releasing the electromagnetic lock 8 will displace the center of gravity control body 5 to the second position due to its own weight. However, the aerial attitude of the drone 1 when an abnormality occurs cannot be predicted. For example, if the drone's attitude is disrupted, such as when the lower part of the drone is facing horizontally, the center of gravity control body 5 will remain in the first position even if the electromagnetic lock 8 is released. Therefore, the biasing force of the spring 9 causes the center of gravity control body 5 to move to the second position when the electromagnetic lock 8 is released.

[0024] An example of the internal configuration of the drone 1 described above is shown in Figure 4. As shown in Figure 4, the control configuration inside drone 1 includes a flight controller 20, a battery 21, a power supply unit 22, a motor 23, an ESC (Electric Speed ​​Controller) 24, a GPS (Global Positioning System) module 25, a status indicator LED (Light Emitting Diode) 26, a front / rear indicator LED 27, a 6-axis gyro sensor 28, a barometric pressure sensor 29, a controller 30, a locking mechanism 31, a parachute mechanism 32, a telemetry module 33, a magnetic sensor 34, a receiver 35, a buzzer 36, etc.

[0025] The flight controller 20 is configured with a microcomputer (arithmetic processing device) equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), etc., and controls each part related to flight operations. The flight controller 20 controls the ESC 24 in response to instructions from a ground-based communication device received by a receiver 35, for example, to control the attitude, speed, etc. of the aircraft. The flight controller 20 can also perform control for automatic flight to a destination, such as autonomous flight.

[0026] The power supply unit 22 uses the battery 21 as a power source to generate the power supply voltage required for each of the above-mentioned parts and supplies it to each part as operating power supply voltage. To avoid complication, the power supply voltage lines to each part are omitted from the illustration. The power supply unit 22 also charges the battery 21. The power supply unit 22 also performs power supply and charging operations under the control of the flight controller 20 and the controller 30.

[0027] The motors 23 in FIG. 4 are a group of four motors 23 attached to the ends of the arms 14 as shown in FIG. An ESC 24 is provided for each of the motors 23. In the figure, the four ESCs 24 are shown as one. Each motor 23 is driven while its rotation speed is controlled by the ESC 24.

[0028] The GPS module 25 includes a GPS antenna and a receiver, detects position information, and notifies the position information to the flight controller 20.

[0029] The status display LED 26 displays various statuses of the drone 1 by lighting up, flashing, emitting different colors, etc., under the control of the flight controller 20. The front and rear display LED 27 indicates the front and rear of the drone 1 by emitting light based on the control of the flight controller 20.

[0030] The six-axis gyro sensor 28 is a sensor that detects angular velocities in the X, Y, and Z directions and acceleration in the rotation direction of the angular axis, and notifies the detected information to the flight controller 20. The flight controller 20 determines and controls the attitude of the aircraft based on the detected information of the six-axis gyro sensor 28.

[0031] The air pressure sensor 29 detects the air pressure and notifies the flight controller 20. This enables the flight controller 20 to detect the altitude.

[0032] The telemetry module 33 performs processing to transmit various states of the drone 1, sensing information, images, etc. to devices on the ground, allowing the operator to check the flight status, altitude, battery status, images, etc. of the drone 1.

[0033] The magnetic sensor 34 detects the direction by magnetism and notifies the flight controller 20.

[0034] The receiver 35 receives remote instructions from the operator's communication device. The buzzer 36 generates a buzzer sound for alerts and notifications under the control of the flight controller 20.

[0035] The controller 30 controls operations in an emergency. The controller 30 may be configured as a separate microcomputer independent of the flight controller 20, or may be configured as an internal function of the flight controller 20. Furthermore, the controller 30 does not necessarily have to be configured by a microcomputer, but may be a circuit controlled by the flight controller 20.

[0036] The controller 30 controls the locking mechanism 31 and the parachute mechanism 32 . The lock mechanism 31 includes an electromagnetic lock 8 and a power supply circuit for the electromagnetic lock 8 . The parachute mechanism 32 includes a parachute and a parachute launcher.

[0037] The controller 30 controls the maintenance / release of the lock by turning on / off the power supply to the locking mechanism 31. The controller 30 normally keeps the locking mechanism 31 powered at all times, thereby maintaining the center-of-gravity control body 5 in the first position shown in FIG. In addition, the controller 30 cuts off the power supply to the locking mechanism 31 and unlocks the electromagnetic lock 8 in response to an emergency instruction, abnormality determination, or when the remaining charge of the battery 21 drops below a predetermined threshold. The controller 30 can also control the parachute mechanism 32 to release the parachute.

[0038] An example of such a process by the controller 30 is shown in FIG. The controller 30 (or flight controller 20) repeatedly executes the processes of steps S101, S102, and S103 in FIG. 5 during flight.

[0039] In step S101, the controller 30 determines whether the device is falling or in an abnormal situation that could lead to a fall, based on, for example, the attitude state, stability state, impact, change in altitude, and the like determined by the acceleration and angular velocity information of the 6-axis gyro sensor 28.

[0040] If it is not determined that a fall abnormality has occurred, the controller 30 proceeds from step S102 to step S103, and checks whether or not an emergency instruction has been received by the receiver 35. For example, it checks whether or not an emergency instruction to take measures to deal with the fall has been received from the operator.

[0041] If the controller 30 determines that a drop has occurred in the drop abnormality determination in step S101, the controller 30 proceeds from step S102 to step S104. If the controller 30 receives an emergency instruction for a drop response procedure, the controller 30 proceeds from step S103 to step S104.

[0042] In step S104, the controller 30 performs control to unlock the electromagnetic lock 8. That is, the controller 30 performs a process to turn off the power supply to the electromagnetic lock 8.

[0043] In step S105, the controller 30 determines whether the aircraft has reached an appropriate attitude. In this case, the determination is whether the aircraft has reached an appropriate attitude for parachute release. Therefore, the controller 30 uses the detection information of the six-axis gyro sensor 28 to determine whether the parachute launch hole 10 is facing skyward.

[0044] First, in step S104, the electromagnetic lock 8 is unlocked and the center of gravity control body 5 moves to the second position, which causes the center of gravity to move, changing the aircraft's posture in the air, and during the fall, the parachute ejection hole 10 faces upward.

[0045] Until the aircraft assumes such an appropriate attitude, the controller 30 determines in step S106 whether time is up. The controller 30 starts counting the time, for example, from the point at which the lock is released in step S104, and determines in step S106 whether a predetermined time has elapsed. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the controller 30 returns to step S105. In other words, the controller 30 waits for the aircraft to assume an appropriate attitude until the predetermined time has elapsed.

[0046] Once the appropriate attitude is achieved, the controller 30 proceeds from step S105 to step S107 to execute a process for initiating a fall response, i.e., parachute injection control.

[0047] If the time runs out before the robot is able to assume the appropriate attitude for some reason, the controller 30 proceeds from step S106 to step S107, and performs parachute injection control as a fall response process.

[0048] By the process of FIG. 5, when an unexpected event causes a fall, the parachute can be appropriately released. Furthermore, by waiting for the aircraft to assume an appropriate attitude before releasing the parachute when the aircraft's attitude is unknown, the probability that the parachute will open correctly can be increased. Furthermore, if the appropriate posture is not achieved after waiting for a predetermined time, the parachute is released anyway, which can prevent the parachute from being released and the person falling.

[0049] If the motor 23 cannot rotate due to a dead battery or other reason, causing the drone to fall, the electromagnetic lock 8 is also de-energized, causing the center of gravity control body 5 to move to the second position and changing the center of gravity position. This also causes the parachute launch hole 10 to face skyward, allowing the parachute launch hole 10 to be opened appropriately. In other words, if the battery runs out, the drone can assume an appropriate posture for parachute launch without relying on the control shown in Figure 5. In this case, if a spare battery or a circuit is installed that can supply power for a certain period of time from a capacitor that stores an electric charge, the parachute can be launched and controlled even if the battery runs out.

[0050] <Second embodiment> A drone 1A according to the second embodiment is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. FIG. 6 shows the state in which the center-of-gravity control body 5 is in the first position, and FIG. 7 shows the state in which the center-of-gravity control body 5 is in the second position.

[0051] In this example, the parachute ejection hole 10 is formed so as to eject toward the right side in the drawing. Accordingly, the second position is a position where the aircraft is displaced to the left in the drawing.

[0052] 6, the center of gravity control body 5 is normally maintained at the first position by the electromagnetic lock 8. In this case, the slide rail 6 is provided in the horizontal direction. In the event of an abnormality, the electromagnetic lock 8 is released, and the biasing force of the spring 9 displaces the center of gravity control body 5 to the second position as shown in FIG. This shifts the center of gravity, so that the parachute ejection hole 10 faces upward during the fall.

[0053] <Third embodiment> A drone 1B according to the third embodiment is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. FIG. 8 shows the state in which the center-of-gravity control body 5 is in the first position, and FIG. 9 shows the state in which the center-of-gravity control body 5 is in the second position.

[0054] In this example, the parachute ejection hole 10 is formed so that the parachute ejects in an upward diagonal direction to the left of the main body 2 in the drawing.

[0055] A shaft 12 is provided on a holder 11 that holds the center-of-gravity control body 5. Normally, the center-of-gravity control body 5 (and the holder 11) is maintained in the first position by an electromagnetic lock 8, as shown in FIG.

[0056] The holder 11, which rotates by the shaft 12, is biased by a spring 19 (for example, a torsion spring), so when the lock is released, it rotates by the shaft 12 as shown in Figure 9, and the center of gravity control body 5 is displaced to the second position. This moves the center of gravity position, and during the fall, the parachute launch hole 10 faces skyward.

[0057] <Fourth embodiment> A drone 1C according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 12. FIG. Figure 10 shows the state where the center of gravity control body 5 is in the first position, and Figure 11 shows the state where the center of gravity control body 5 is in the second position. In this example, the parachute ejection hole 10 is formed so that the parachute ejects toward the right side in the figure. Accordingly, the second position is a position where the machine body is displaced to the left in the drawing. In other words, as in the second embodiment, the slide rail 6 is provided horizontally, and when the electromagnetic lock 8 is released, the gravity center control body 5 is displaced to the second position by the biasing force of the spring 9 as shown in FIG.

[0058] An example of the internal configuration of drone 1C is shown in Figure 12. The configuration example of Figure 12 adds a controller 40, an impact detection unit 42, and an airbag unit 41 to the configuration of Figure 4 described above. Since the rest are similar, the same reference numerals are used to avoid redundant explanation.

[0059] The impact detection unit 42 is a sensor that detects impact with the ground or the like when falling (when falling by parachute). For example, as shown in Figure 10, a propeller guard 15 is provided, and the impact detection unit 42 is disposed on the outer edge of the propeller guard 15. The airbag unit 41 is provided on the side surface of the main body 2 (on the left side in the figure) as shown in FIG. The impact detection unit 42 may be provided on at least the propeller guards 15 of the two propellers 3 that are closer to the airbag unit 41 out of the propeller guards 15 of the four propellers 3 .

[0060] When an impact is detected by the impact detection unit 42, the controller 40 controls the airbag unit 41 to perform an operation of instantaneously inflating the airbag.

[0061] In this fourth embodiment, if the electromagnetic lock 8 is released in the event of an abnormality, the center of gravity control body 5 is displaced to the second position as shown in Figure 11. This changes the center of gravity position, and when falling, the parachute launch hole 10 assumes a posture facing skyward. This allows the parachute to be launched appropriately.

[0062] Furthermore, when the parachute falls, the side on which the airbag unit 41 is provided faces the ground. That is, the propeller guard 15 on the side on which the airbag unit 41 is provided comes into contact with the ground first. Therefore, when the aircraft hits the ground, the impact detection unit 42 immediately detects it and activates the airbag unit 41. This allows for a landing with less impact.

[0063] <Effects of the embodiment and modifications> According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0064] The drones 1, 1A, 1B, and 1C of the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments include a main body 2, a locking mechanism 31 (e.g., an electromagnetic lock 8) that maintains the center of gravity control body 5 in a first position relative to the main body 2, and a moving member that moves the center of gravity control body 5 to a second position in response to the state maintained by the locking mechanism 31 being released.

[0065] This allows the center of gravity of the aircraft to be changed. In an emergency, such as when flight becomes extremely unstable or when the aircraft is falling, the center of gravity can be shifted to achieve the desired attitude in the air. The movable member may be composed of a slide rail 6, a holder 7, and a spring 9, or may be composed of a holder 11, an axis 12, and a spring 19, and by using these movable members to move to a specific second position, the position of the center of gravity after displacement can be determined. The moving member may have a variety of configurations, as long as it is configured to move the center of gravity control body 5 from the locked position to another position upon unlocking.

[0066] In the drones 1, 1A, 1B, and 1C of the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments, the second position is a position that moves the center of gravity of the drone body and stabilizes its attitude during a fall. That is, with the center of gravity control body 5 moved to the second position, the drones 1, 1A, 1B, and 1C are stabilized in an airframe attitude with the center of gravity control body 5 on the lower side. This suppresses attitude fluctuations during a fall, allowing the parachute mechanism 32 and airbag unit 41 to function properly.

[0067] In the drones 1, 1A, 1B, and 1C of the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments, the second position is a position that is farther away from the center of gravity of the aircraft than the first position when the center of gravity control body 5 is in the first position. By moving the center of gravity control body 5 away from the center of gravity of the main body 2, the center of gravity can be moved appropriately, which is suitable for stabilizing the attitude of the aircraft when it falls.

[0068] In the drone 1 of the first embodiment, the second position is a position that is farther from the center of gravity of the aircraft than the first position when the center-of-gravity control body 5 is in the first position, and farther from the plane of rotation of the propeller 3 than the first position. In a rotary-wing aircraft such as the drone 1, the position of the propeller 3 (the position of the plane of rotation of the propeller 3) is designed to be a position that takes into account the center of gravity of the aircraft. Therefore, moving the center-of-gravity control body 5 in a direction away from the plane of rotation of the propeller 3 is an operation that is suitable for moving the center of gravity.

[0069] The drones 1, 1A, 1B, and 1C of the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments are provided with a parachute launch hole 10, and the second position is a position in which the center of gravity of the aircraft is moved so that the parachute launch hole 10 faces upward (toward the sky). The center of gravity of the aircraft is moved to the opposite side of the parachute ejection hole 10, so that the parachute ejection hole 10 faces substantially upward (toward the sky). This allows the parachute to be ejected smoothly during a fall. The parachute can also be ejected so that it opens without being obstructed by the aircraft.

[0070] The locking mechanism 31 in each embodiment is an electromagnetic lock 8 that maintains the center of gravity control body 5 in the first position when energized and releases the maintained state when de-energized. The center of gravity control body 5 is maintained in the first position by the electromagnetic lock 8, and is unlocked by turning off the power. As a result, if the power supply becomes unavailable due to an accident, malfunction, or dead battery, and the drone becomes uncontrollable, the center of gravity control body 5 moves to the second position without control, allowing for emergency center of gravity movement.

[0071] As a modification, a locking mechanism 31 may be provided that is unlocked by energizing. For example, in order to reduce power consumption, it may be desirable to have a locking mechanism 31 that maintains a locked state when de-energized and unlocks when energized. The locking mechanism 31 is not limited to the electromagnetic lock 8 and may be a servo mechanism or the like.

[0072] In each embodiment, the controller 30 for controlling the lock state of the lock mechanism 31 is provided. The controller 30 controls the locking / unlocking of the center of gravity control body 5 by the electromagnetic lock 8. For example, when various sensors detect wobbling, impact, abnormal attitude, or fall of the aircraft, or when an emergency state is commanded by remote control from the ground, the controller 30 unlocks the electromagnetic lock 8. This allows the center of gravity to be moved in an emergency.

[0073] In addition to unlocking by the controller 30, it is more preferable to also unlock by turning off the power supply, since this allows the center of gravity to be moved even if control becomes impossible. Furthermore, a locking mechanism 31 other than the electromagnetic lock 8 may be used, and the lock may be released only by control, based on the detection of various sensors or an operation instruction.

[0074] In the first, second and fourth embodiments, the moving member is configured to include the slide rail 6 that allows the center of gravity control body 5 to move between the first position and the second position. The slide rail 6 allows the center of gravity control body 5 to move only between the first position and the second position. This allows the center of gravity control body 5, such as luggage or a camera, to be stably displaced to the second position even in an emergency, thereby reducing damage to the luggage or camera.

[0075] After the center of gravity control body 5 moves to the second position in an emergency, the center of gravity shifts so that the center of gravity control body 5 faces downward, regardless of its previous attitude in the air. Then, the center of gravity control body 5 remains in the second position at the end of the slide rail 6 due to its own weight, and does not swing significantly relative to the drone body. This ensures a stable attitude even in the event of a fall, and also reduces damage to luggage, cameras, etc. Furthermore, after the center of gravity control body 5 assumes a downward position, the center of gravity control body 5 remains in the second position due to its own weight, so the biasing force of the spring 9 may not need to be very strong.

[0076] In the embodiment, a drone 1 is used as an example of an unmanned aerial vehicle, but the present invention can also be applied to other types of unmanned aerial vehicles. Examples of unmanned aerial vehicles include small helicopters and small fixed-wing airplanes that are remotely controlled, and the present invention can also be applied to these for emergency center-of-gravity shifting. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to remotely controlled aircraft, but can also be applied to unmanned aircraft that automatically navigate to a destination. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 1, 1A, 1B, 1C Drone 2 Main body 5 Center of gravity control body 6 slide rails 7 Holder 8 Electromagnetic Lock 9 Spring 10 Parachute launch unit 11 Holder 12 Shaft 20 Flight Controller 21 Battery 22 Power supply unit 30 Controller 31 Locking mechanism 32 Parachute mechanism

Claims

1. a main body; a locking mechanism for maintaining a state in which the center of gravity control body is in a first position relative to the main body; a moving member that moves the center of gravity control body to a second position in response to the state maintained by the locking mechanism being released; a controller for controlling the locking state of the locking mechanism; a flight controller that controls flight-related operations in accordance with instruction information received from an external communication device; The locking mechanism maintains the center of gravity control body in the first position when energized, and when the locking mechanism is deenergized, releases the center of gravity control body from the first position, and in response to the release, the center of gravity control body moves to the second position, thereby moving the center of gravity of the aircraft. Unmanned aerial vehicle.

2. The second position is a position where the center of gravity of the aircraft is shifted to stabilize its posture during a fall. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1 .

3. The second position is a position farther away from the center of gravity of the aircraft than the first position when the center of gravity control body is in the first position. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1 .

4. An unmanned aerial vehicle having rotors, The second position is a position that is farther away from the center of gravity of the airframe than the first position when viewed from the center of gravity of the airframe in a state where the center of gravity control body is in the first position, and is farther away from the plane of rotation of the rotor than the first position when viewed from the plane of rotation of the rotor. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1 .

5. Equipped with a parachute ejection hole, The second position is a position where the center of gravity of the aircraft is moved so that the parachute ejection hole faces upward. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1 .

6. The locking mechanism is an electromagnetic locking mechanism that maintains the center of gravity control body in the first position when energized and releases the maintained state when energized. An unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The moving member includes a slide rail that allows the center of gravity control body to move between the first position and the second position. An unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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