Aircraft equipment and operating methods

Abstract

To provide a flight apparatus that has an excellent flight performance and eliminates the need of high operation skill that requires a user for a long time to become skilled in operation.SOLUTION: A flight apparatus 100 includes: a thrust device 10 for imparting thrust at the time of flight; wings 20 for maintaining a posture at the time of flight and changing a flight direction; a control unit for controlling a level of output from the thrust device 10; and a detachable part 30 capable of attachment to and detachment from a user H.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to aircraft equipment and operating methods. [Background technology]

[0002] Flying devices that are flies by humans wearing a propulsion system have been developed (for example, Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3). The flying devices are used, for example, to contribute to mountain rescue efforts and to assist the movement of rescue workers. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] Flight Club - Gravity Industries, [online]. [Retrieved on 18 June 2021], Retrieved from the internet :<URL: https: / / gravity.co / > [Non-patent document 2] Home - Speeder, JetPack Aviation , [online]. [Retrieved on 18 June 2021], Retrieved from the internet :<URL: https: / / jetpackaviation.com / > [Non-patent document 3] The first Jetman Yves Rossy, [online]. [Retrieved on 18 June 2021], Retrieved from the internet :<URL: https: / / yvesrossy.com / > Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional aircraft equipment uses jet engines to obtain thrust and also to control attitude and change direction during flight, which limits flight time from the standpoint of fuel efficiency. Furthermore, aircraft equipment is assumed to be operated with a human pilot equipped, which makes it difficult for the pilot to control the aircraft's attitude, resulting in issues such as insufficient flight performance and the need for time to master the equipment.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has as its object to provide an aircraft device that has high flight performance and does not require high piloting skills that require a long time to master. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means. The aircraft equipment of the present invention comprises a thrust device that applies thrust during flight, wings that maintain the attitude during flight and change the direction of flight, a control unit that controls the strength of the output of the thrust device, and a detachable unit that can be attached and detached by the user.

[0007] According to this invention, by providing wings, it is possible to receive aerodynamic forces during flight. Therefore, compared to a case where a vehicle does not have wings and flies on a bullet-like trajectory like a rocket, it is possible to control its attitude more effectively and stably. It is also possible to stabilize the attitude during takeoff and landing, including vertical takeoff and landing. Furthermore, by generating lift using the wings, it is possible to reduce the thrust required for flight and improve the fuel efficiency of the thrust device. This makes it possible to improve flight time and flight duration. As a result, it is possible to provide high flight performance.

[0008] In addition, the thrust strength is controlled by the control unit, which allows the user to perform simple operations such as acceleration or deceleration and change direction using the wings, making operation more intuitive. This makes it an aircraft device that does not require high piloting skills. Furthermore, the device is provided with a detachable section that can be easily attached and detached by the user, allowing the device to be shared by multiple people.

[0009] The control unit may also control the flight attitude and flight direction of the wings and the output of the thrust device.

[0010] According to this invention, the control unit controls the flight attitude and flight direction of the wings and the output of the thrust device. This allows autonomous flight by the aircraft device. This allows flight without operation by the user. Therefore, piloting skills of the user are not required.

[0011] Furthermore, the aircraft equipment can fly autonomously and independently without being attached to a user. In other words, when multiple users (e.g., rescue team members) are traveling from a departure point to a destination, after one user has traveled from the departure point to the destination, the aircraft equipment alone can fly autonomously back to the departure point. Therefore, even when multiple users are traveling from a departure point to a destination, a single aircraft equipment can be used. This can contribute to efficient rescue operations without the need to prepare multiple aircraft equipment.

[0012] The aircraft may further include an attitude sensor for detecting the attitude of the aircraft equipment.

[0013] According to this invention, the drone is further provided with an attitude sensor. By using the information detected by the attitude sensor for control by the control unit, more stable autonomous flight can be achieved. Furthermore, even when flying under the control of the user, more stable flight can be achieved by auxiliary use of the information from the attitude sensor.

[0014] It may also be equipped with a position sensor that determines the flying point.

[0015] According to the present invention, the aircraft further includes a position sensor, which allows the control unit to select the shortest route for flight by, for example, registering the departure point and destination in the aircraft equipment in advance.

[0016] The device may further include a communication unit for communicating with the outside.

[0017] According to this invention, the drone further includes a communication unit, which allows the drone to fly by remote control from outside in addition to being operated by a user or controlled by a control unit.

[0018] The wings may also be foldable.

[0019] According to this invention, the wings are foldable, which improves maneuverability when transporting aircraft equipment. Furthermore, the wings can be retracted during high-speed flight to reduce resistance, and deployed during low-speed flight or takeoff and landing to make it easier to gain aerodynamic force. This further improves maneuverability.

[0020] In addition, the operating method of the present invention is an operating method in which the aircraft equipment is shared by multiple users, and after the users wear the aircraft equipment and fly from the departure point to the destination using the flying device, only the aircraft equipment flies from the destination to the departure point.

[0021] According to this invention, after a user wears the aircraft equipment and flies from the departure point to the destination using the flight device, the aircraft equipment alone flies from the destination to the departure point. This allows multiple users to share one aircraft equipment. Therefore, multiple people can be transported without having to prepare multiple aircraft equipment. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an aircraft device that has high flight performance and does not require high piloting skills that take a long time to master. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an aircraft tool according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of an aircraft device according to the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a flight control device according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an attitude control system using quaternion feedback. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a series of processing steps performed by a control unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a flight of the flying object. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a flight control device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Hereinafter, an aircraft equipment according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figure 1, the aircraft device 100 is worn by a user H and flies through the air to travel from a departure point A to a destination point B. The aircraft device 100 also performs autonomous solo flight by itself, returning from the destination point B to the departure point A. In this way, one aircraft device 100 is shared and used by multiple people.

[0025] The aircraft device 100 according to this embodiment is used, for example, for the following purposes. That is, for example, it is used by a mountain rescue team to fly from a headquarters base (starting point A) set up at the foot of a mountain to a rescue site (destination B) on a mountain trail. After the first rescue team member arrives at destination B, the aircraft device 100 returns to starting point A on its own, and a second rescue team member heads to the rescue site. By repeating this process, a single aircraft device 100 is used to dispatch multiple rescue team members to their destination. In addition to the above-mentioned uses, it may also be used to transport a person in need of rescue on the ground to a waiting helicopter in the air.

[0026] 2, the aircraft device 100 includes a thrust unit 10, a wing 20, a control unit 230, a detachable unit 30, a detection unit 204, a communication unit 202, a memory unit 206, a power supply 208, and a drive unit 210. In the following, the control unit 230, the communication unit 202, the detection unit 204, the memory unit 206, the power supply 208, and the drive unit 210 used to control the aircraft device 100 may be referred to as a flight control device 200.

[0027] Σ shown in Figure 2 W is an earth-fixed coordinate system Σ W represents O W is the Earth-fixed coordinate Σ W represents the origin of W The axis represents true north, and the Y W The axis represents East, and Z W The axis represents the vertical downward direction. Also, if the principal axis of inertia is defined as the aircraft-fixed coordinate system, the X B The axis represents the principal axis of inertia of the aircraft when the center of gravity of the aircraft equipment 100 is the origin, and Z B The Y axis represents the downward direction of the aircraft. B The axis represents the direction to the right of the aircraft's direction of travel. In other words, the X B Axis is roll axis X B represents Z B The axis is the yaw axis Z B represents Y B The axis is the pitch axis Y B represents.

[0028] The thrust unit 10 provides thrust during flight. For example, a known jet engine is suitably used as the thrust unit 10. The output from the thrust unit 10 is controlled by a control unit 230 (described later). The wings 20 maintain the attitude during flight and change the direction of flight. The change of direction by the wings 20 may be operated by the control unit 230 that receives an input signal from the user H, or may be controlled by the control unit 230 that acquires results from various sensors. In this embodiment, the size of the wing 20 is determined appropriately in consideration of the physique of the user H who will be using the aircraft equipment 100, including the height, weight, etc.

[0029] In this embodiment, the wings 20 are equipped with a link mechanism and can be folded like bird wings. The above-mentioned wingspan is for the wings 20 in an unfolded state. The ability to fold the wings 20 provides the following functions. That is, the wings 20 can be folded to reduce air resistance during high-speed flight, and can be expanded to generate aerodynamic force during low-speed flight and takeoff and landing. Furthermore, the wings 20 can be folded when the aircraft equipment 100 is not in use, contributing to maneuverability during transportation. Furthermore, without being limited to the above, the wings 20 can be structured to be expandable and storable by having an extendable structure instead of folding. Alternatively, the wings 20 can be flat and not have a foldable structure. Furthermore, the wing 20 according to this embodiment is provided with various actuators in addition to the link mechanism described above, and is configured to rotate about the roll axis X shown in FIG. B , yaw axis Z B , pitch axis Y B It is assumed that it can rotate around the center (as will be described later).

[0030] The control unit 230 controls the strength of the output of the thrust device 10. Specifically, the thrust is increased or decreased depending on the conditions of high-speed flight, low-speed flight, and takeoff and landing. This contributes to more stable flight. The control of the output described above may be performed by the control unit 230 receiving input from the user H via an interface (not shown). Alternatively, the control unit 230 may perform autonomous control based on various information provided by the detection unit 204 (described later).

[0031] Furthermore, as described above, the control unit 230 may control the flight attitude and flight direction of the wing 20. That is, the control unit 230 may receive input from the user H via an interface regarding the shape and orientation of the wing 20, and the control unit 230 may appropriately operate actuators provided on the wing 20. Alternatively, the control unit 230 may control the wing 20 based on various information provided by the detection unit 204 (described later) (hereinafter, control based on information from a sensor unit that does not depend on user input is referred to as autonomous control). In this way, the control unit 230 controls the thrust unit 10 and the wing 20 by receiving operations by the user H via the interface or by autonomous control. In other words, the control unit 230 may be used to complement operations by the user H, or may be used to fly the aircraft device 100 autonomously and independently.

[0032] The detachable part 30 is used by the user H to put on the aircraft equipment 100. The detachable part 30 has a structure that allows the user H to easily attach and detach it. For example, it may have a structure that allows it to be worn over the shoulder like a typical backpack and a fastener for fastening it to the user H. Alternatively, it may have a structure in which each user H is equipped with an attachment member having a shape corresponding to the detachable part 30, and the attachment member and the detachable part 30 are appropriately fastened together.

[0033] The detection unit 204 detects each state of the aircraft device 100 during flight. The detection unit 204 includes, for example, an attitude sensor, a position sensor, and an acceleration sensor. The attitude sensor detects the attitude of the aircraft device 100 during flight. Specifically, it detects how many degrees the aircraft device has rotated in each of the three-dimensional axis directions relative to an arbitrary reference attitude (for example, a state in which the user H is wearing the aircraft device 100 and standing perpendicular to the ground).

[0034] The position sensor detects the position of the aircraft device 100 during flight. For example, a known GPS sensor is preferably used as the position sensor. Depending on the distance between departure point A and destination B, the position may be determined by transmitting radio waves from departure point A or destination B and detecting them with radar. This allows confirmation of whether the aircraft device 100 is moving along the planned route from departure point A to destination B.

[0035] The acceleration sensor detects the acceleration or speed of the aircraft device 100 during flight, thereby complementing the control of the aircraft device 100 when it is flying autonomously. The information detected by the above-mentioned sensors is used in the control of the thrust unit 10 and the wing 20 by the control unit 230, thereby stabilizing control of flight. The information of the detection unit 204 may be used when the thrust unit 10 and the wing 20 of the aircraft device 100 are autonomously controlled by the control unit 230 as described above. In addition, even when the aircraft device 100 is being operated by the user H, the information may be used to complement the operation by the user H.

[0036] The communication unit 202 is used for communication between the aircraft device 100 and the outside. For example, the communication unit 202 is used to transmit similar operation information from the outside to the control unit 230 in place of the operation of the thrust unit 10 and the wing 20 by the user H during flight. As a result, when the user H has inexperienced piloting skills and autonomous solo flight by the control unit 230 is impossible, the communication unit 202 is used to allow a skilled operator to pilot the aircraft from the outside. Alternatively, the communication unit 202 may be used to notify the user H during flight of a change in destination B, etc.

[0037] [Configuration of flight control device] The configuration of the flight control device 200 will be described below with reference to Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. The following control is an example of control that is applied when the above-mentioned aircraft device 100 performs autonomous solo flight. In other words, the control of the aircraft device 100 does not necessarily have to be based on the control below.

[0038] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a flight control device 200 in the first example of control. The flight control device 200 includes, for example, a communication unit 202, a detection unit 204, a memory unit 206, a power supply 208, a drive unit 210, and a control unit 230. The control of the wing 20 described below is performed when the wing 20 rotates along the roll axis X shown in FIG. B , yaw axis Z B , pitch axis Y B It will be described as being capable of being rotated around or folded.

[0039] The communication unit 202 performs wireless communication with an external device via a network such as a wide area network (WAN). The external device may be, for example, a remote controller that can remotely control the aircraft tool 100. For example, the communication unit 202 receives commands from the external device that instruct the attitude, speed, etc. that the aircraft tool 100 should take.

[0040] The detection unit 204 includes, for example, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) in addition to the above-mentioned sensors. The IMU includes, for example, a triaxial acceleration sensor and a triaxial gyro sensor. The IMU outputs detection values ​​detected by these sensors to the control unit 230. The detection values ​​by the IMU include, for example, acceleration and / or angular velocity in the horizontal, vertical, and depth directions, and velocity (rate) of each axis of pitch, roll, and yaw. The detection unit 204 may further include a radar, a finder, a sonar, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, and the like. The detection unit 204 may also include an optical fiber sensor that detects strain on the wings 20 and a pressure sensor that detects pressure acting on the wings 20.

[0041] The storage unit 206 is realized by a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), flash memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), etc. The storage unit 206 stores various programs such as firmware and application programs, as well as calculation results of the control unit 230 as logs.

[0042] The power supply 208 is, for example, a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery. The power supply 208 supplies power to the drive unit 210 and the control unit 230. The power supply 208 may further include a solar panel or the like.

[0043] The drive section 210 includes, for example, a thrust actuator 212 , a sweep actuator 214 , a twist actuator 216 , and a fold actuator 218 .

[0044] The thrust actuator 212 drives the thrust device 10 to provide thrust to the aircraft device 100. The sweep actuator 214 drives the yaw axis Z B The wings 20 rotate around the

[0045] The twist actuator 216 rotates along the pitch axis Y B The fold actuator 218 rotates the wing 20 about the pitch axis Y B The wings 20 are deployed and retracted in the direction of the arrow.

[0046] The control unit 230 is realized by, for example, a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU) executing a program stored in the storage unit 206. The control unit 230 may also be realized by hardware such as a large scale integration (LSI), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

[0047] [First example of control] A first example of the control content of the control unit 230 will be described below. The control unit 230 controls the thrust actuator 212 to drive the thrust unit 10 when the flying device 100 is in a 90-degree pitch-up state, that is, when the flying device 100 is in a state in which it is rising directly upwards due to the thrust unit 10. This causes the flying device 100 to take off like a tail-sitter VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) unmanned aircraft. The tail-sitter method is a flight method in which the flying device takes off from a 90-degree pitch-up state, returns the nose to horizontal at a certain altitude, and flies using the lift generated by the wings 20.

[0048] This type of tailsitter method has large attitude changes, so if ZYX Euler is used to calculate the attitude error, Z B When the axis is at plus or minus 90 degrees, a singular attitude occurs and expression becomes impossible. Furthermore, when mimicking bird flight using the wing 20 according to this embodiment, there is a high probability of large attitude fluctuations occurring, so an attitude expression that does not result in a singular attitude is necessary. To solve this problem, a quaternion is used to calculate the attitude error. A quaternion is expressed by Equation (1) using a three-dimensional unit vector r and its rotation angle ζ.

[0049]

number

[0050] Target posture q r Let the current posture be q c Then, the deviation q between the desired posture and the current posture is e is expressed by the formula (2) using a quaternion matrix.

[0051]

number

[0052] Deviation q eindicates how much rotation should be performed around which axis in the current aircraft-fixed coordinate system in order to bring the current attitude of the aircraft closer to the target attitude. For example, the control unit 230 calculates q e The vector part q of ex、ey、ez The aircraft fixed coordinate X B , Y B , Z B Feedback control is performed according to the axis.

[0053] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an attitude control system using quaternion feedback. For example, the control unit 230 controls the sweep actuator 214, the twist actuator 216, and the fold actuator 218 to adjust the X-axis of the aircraft 100. B Axis, Y B axis, Z B Controls the attitude on the axis.

[0054] The control unit 230 performs PID (Proportional-Integral-Differential Controller) control on the actuators corresponding to the respective axes. The PID control is expressed by the following equations (3) to (5).

[0055]

number

[0056]

number

[0057]

number

[0058] δ in the formula x represents the twist control angle of the wing 20, i.e., the twist angle, and δ y represents the elevator angle, and δ z represents the rudder angle. P represents the proportional gain, and KI represents the integral gain, and K D represents the differential gain. j is a gain for correcting the gyro moment of the aircraft.

[0059] Y B axis and Z B For axis control, a correction term is added to the third term on the right-hand side to take into account the influence of the thrust gyro effect. ω x is the aircraft X B Since it rarely rotates around an axis at high speed, it is considered small enough to be ignored.

[0060] For example, as shown in Fig. 4, the control unit 230 calculates the target attitude using the error distance between the current position and the target position of the aircraft device 100. Then, based on the calculated target attitude, the control unit 230 controls the twist actuator 216 to control the attitude of the aircraft device 100. Note that the target attitude may be instructed as a command from an external device.

[0061] [Processing flow of the control section] The following describes the flow of a series of processes performed by the control unit 230 using a flowchart. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of a series of processes performed by the control unit 230. The processes of this flowchart may be performed repeatedly at a predetermined interval, for example.

[0062] First, the control unit 230 receives a command from an external device via the communication unit 202 (step S100). The command may include, for example, a desired attitude q r Includes:

[0063] Next, the control unit 230 calculates the current attitude q of the aircraft device 100 based on the detection result of the detection unit 204. c Calculate the current posture q c and the target posture q r deviation from q e (Step S102). e The aircraft fixed coordinate X B , Y B , Z BQuaternion q corresponding to the axis ex , ey , ez Includes:

[0064] Next, the control unit 230 calculates the deviation q e Based on this, the twist angle δ x , elevator angle δ y , rudder angle δ z is used as a control variable and calculated by PID control (step S104).

[0065] Next, the control unit 230 calculates each of the calculated steering angles δ x , δ y , δ z The control signal based on the above is sent to each actuator to control each actuator (step S106). This completes the processing of this flowchart.

[0066] 6 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the flight of the aircraft device 100. In the illustrated example, the aircraft device 100, flying horizontally at a constant altitude, is shown landing. In the diagram, G is the target landing point. The landing point G may be a one-dimensional point, a two-dimensional surface, or a three-dimensional space.

[0067] For example, assume that at time t1, the communication unit 202 receives a command from an external device to land the aircraft device 100. In this case, the control unit 230 controls the sweep actuator 214 to move the wing 20 along the yaw axis Z B Pivoting the wings 20 around the wings 20 moves the wings 20 forward of the aircraft, causing the nose of the aircraft equipment 100 to rise. The control unit 230 also controls the fold actuator 218 to further rotate the wing 20 along the pitch axis Y BThe control unit 230 also extends the wings 20 in the direction of the arrow B. The control unit 230 also raises the nose of the aircraft device 100. As a result, the aircraft device 100 transitions to a 90-degree pitch-up state while lifting the fuselage, as shown at times t2, t3, and t4. As a result, the drag of the entire aircraft increases, allowing the aircraft device 100 to decelerate quickly. When the aircraft device 100 enters the pitch-up state, the control unit 230 controls the thrust actuator 212 to cause the aircraft device 100 to descend to destination B while hovering.

[0068] According to the first example of control described above, the blade 20 rotates along the pitch axis Y B This allows for aerodynamic force to be obtained, thereby suppressing stall. As a result, the flight performance of the aircraft device 100 can be improved.

[0069] Furthermore, according to the first example of control described above, the blade 20 is rotated along the pitch axis Y B In addition to the folding mechanism that expands and contracts the wings 20 in the yaw axis Z B a sweep mechanism that rotates the wing 20 around the pitch axis Y and moves the wing 20 in the fore-and-aft direction of the aircraft; B By providing a twist mechanism that rotates the wing 20 around the center of the wing 20 and rotates the wing 20 inward or outward relative to the aircraft device 100, it is possible to increase the amount of change in the wing area and shape of the wing 20. As a result, the changes in lift and moment become greater, and the agility of the aircraft device 100 can be improved.

[0070] The above-described wing 20 can sweep, twist, and fold symmetrically or asymmetrically. The wing 20 can be applied not only to flight structures but also to wind or tidal power generation blades and other structures that receive force from fluids.

[0071] [Second example of control] A second example of control will be described below. The second example of control differs from the first example of control described above in that deep reinforcement learning is used to determine the control amounts for each of the sweep mechanism, twist mechanism, and fold mechanism based on the attitude, speed, etc. of the aircraft device 100. The following description will focus on the differences from the first example of control, and will omit a description of the points in common with the first example of control. In the description of the second example of control, parts that are the same as those in the first example of control will be described using the same reference numerals.

[0072] One example of deep reinforcement learning is DQN (Deep Q-Network). DQN is a reinforcement learning method called Q-learning, which uses a certain environment state s at a certain time t. t Under this, an action a t The action value function Q(s t , a t ) as an approximate function in a neural network.

[0073] 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a flight control device 200A according to the second example of control. In the flight control device 200A according to the second example of control, model information 300 is stored in a storage unit 206A.

[0074] The model information 300 is information (a program or a data structure) that defines the model MDL learned by Q-learning. The model MDL may be realized, for example, by a neural network including multiple convolution layers and a fully connected layer that integrates the output results of the multiple convolution layers into one.

[0075] The model information 300 includes various information, such as coupling information on how units included in the input layer, one or more hidden layers (intermediate layers), and output layer of each neural network are coupled to each other, and coupling coefficients assigned to data input / output between coupled units. The coupling information includes, for example, the number of units included in each layer, information specifying the type of unit to which each unit is coupled, activation functions that realize each unit, and gates provided between units in the hidden layer. The activation functions that realize the units may be, for example, rectified linear functions (ReLU functions), sigmoid functions, step functions, or other functions. The gates selectively pass or weight data transmitted between units depending on, for example, the value (e.g., 1 or 0) returned by the activation function. The coupling coefficients include, for example, weights assigned to output data when data is output from a unit in a layer to a unit in a deeper layer in the hidden layer of a neural network. The coupling coefficients may also include bias components specific to each layer.

[0076] The model MDL is, for example, t When input, the action value Q(s t , a t ) is trained to output

[0077] State variable s t is, for example, the current attitude q of the aircraft equipment 100 described above. c and target posture q r , or their deviation q e In addition, the state variable s t may include the speed of the aircraft device 100 instead of or in addition to the attitude or deviation. Also, if the detection unit 204 includes an optical fiber sensor that detects strain or a pressure sensor that detects pressure, the state variable s t may include strain and pressure that can be obtained from those sensors. The state variables s t is an example of "displacement information."

[0078] action at are, for example, the control amount of the sweep mechanism, the control amount of the twist mechanism, the control amount of the fold mechanism, the rotation speed of the thrust device 10, the elevator angle, the rudder angle, etc. t is the operation amount of each actuator of the driving unit 210. t is the proportional gain K of the PID control P and integral gain K I , differential gain K D , correction gain K j Also, action a t may be an index value that indicates which of various types of control, such as PID control or hovering control, is to be performed, or whether or not to be performed.

[0079] Q-learning learns the weights and biases of the model MDL by increasing the reward when, for example, the wings 20, thrusters 10, elevators, and rudder are in ideal states. For example, when the aircraft device 100 is in a 90-degree pitch-up attitude above a predetermined landing point G and the aircraft device 100 is traveling at a speed that can be considered stationary, the reward may be increased. On the other hand, when the aircraft device 100 comes into contact with the ground or trees, or deviates from the predetermined altitude, the reward may be decreased (for example, to zero).

[0080] The control unit 230 thus performs the action a t The model MDL is trained to give rewards according to the current attitude q of the aircraft equipment 100. c and target posture q r and the state variable s t These state variables s t The model MDL, to which the input is given, calculates the action value Q(s t , a t )

[0081] The control unit 230 controls the actuators based on the operation amount of each actuator output by the model MDL, thereby causing the aircraft device 100 to fly.

[0082] According to the second example of control described above, the actuators are controlled using the model MDL, which has been learned in advance by Q-learning, so that the flying method of the aircraft device 100 can be made closer to that of a bird. As a result, the agility of the aircraft device 100 can be further improved.

[0083] Furthermore, according to the second example of control described above, in flight operations using the sweep mechanism, twist mechanism, and fold mechanism, although the relationship between the input and the movement in response to that input is highly nonlinear, the model MDL can be trained to output appropriate behavior even in a nonlinear environment, making it possible to adopt flight methods that were difficult to achieve with conventional control.

[0084] (Operation of aircraft equipment) Next, we will explain an operation method using the aircraft device 100 and the flight control device 200 installed in the aircraft device 100. Operation according to this embodiment is performed when multiple users H share one aircraft device 100 and travel from a departure point A to a destination B, as shown in Figure 1.

[0085] (When aircraft equipment is operated by the user) First, a case will be described in which the flying device 100 is operated by the user H to fly. That is, a case will be described in which the flying device is operated by the control unit 230 receiving input from the user H via the interface. First, a first user H travels from a departure point A to a destination point B. At this time, first, the user H puts on the aircraft device 100 at the departure point A. Next, the user H operates the interface to start the aircraft device 100 and instructs the thrust unit 10 to output power, thereby taking off vertically. At this time, the wings 20 are stored by the folding mechanism. If there are obstacles such as trees around the departure point A, the wings 20 are stored to their maximum extent by the folding mechanism. If it is desired to obtain aerodynamic force from the wake of the thrust unit 10 during takeoff, the wings 20 may be deployed. The deployment of the wings 20 may be performed by the user H, or the control unit 230 may assist the user H by automatically deploying the wings 20 to their maximum extent simultaneously with the startup of the aircraft device 100.

[0086] After taking off to a sufficient height using the aircraft device 100, the aircraft transitions to horizontal flight. That is, the user H rotates the wing 20 around the pitch axis Y by the twist mechanism. B The sweep mechanism rotates the yaw axis Z. B The aircraft may be rotated in the forward direction to transition to a forward tilt attitude. At this time, the wings 20 may be retracted during flight to reduce air resistance, or the wings 20 may be deployed during flight to generate lift. During flight, the user H operates the interface as appropriate to adjust the flight attitude, flight height, flight direction, and flight speed. The interface may also display a map showing the current flight position. After approaching the destination in horizontal flight, the aircraft transitions to a landing attitude. That is, the user H rotates the wing 20 around the pitch axis Y B The sweep mechanism rotates the yaw axis Z. B The wings 20 are moved from a forward-leaning attitude to an upright attitude by rotating them in the forward direction. At this time, the wings 20 are stored by the folding mechanism. If there are obstacles such as trees around destination B, the wings 20 are stored to their maximum extent by the folding mechanism. If it is desired to obtain aerodynamic force from the wake of the thrust device 10 during landing, the wings 20 may be deployed. The wings 20 may be deployed by the user H, or the control unit 230 may assist the user H by automatically deploying the wings 20 upon detecting that the user H has rotated the wings 20 to move to the landing attitude.

[0087] After the first person arrives at destination B using the aircraft device 100, the aircraft device 100 flies autonomously, and returns by itself to the departure point A. Thereafter, if necessary, the aircraft device 100 is refueled, and the second user H puts on the aircraft device 100 and travels to destination B.

[0088] (When flying by autonomous control of aircraft equipment) Next, we will explain the case where the aircraft device 100 is flown by autonomous control. The flight by autonomous control may be performed when only the aircraft device 100 returns from the destination B to the departure point A as described above, or may be performed when the user H is traveling from the departure point A to the destination B but is not yet familiar with operating the aircraft device 100. First, the first user H arrives at destination B and detaches the aircraft device 100. Next, he instructs the aircraft device 100 to return. Specifically, by inputting this to the control unit 230 via the interface, the aircraft device 100 transitions to autonomous control. Alternatively, the detection unit 204 may detect that user H has detached the aircraft device 100, and the transition to autonomous control may be automatic.

[0089] The flying device 100 that has transitioned to autonomous control returns to the departure point A using the above-mentioned functions. That is, the control unit 230 controls the drive unit 210 to take off, and referring to information on the destination B and departure point A stored in the memory unit 206 and information on the current position of the flying device 100 detected by the detection unit 204, the drive unit 210 appropriately adjusts the direction of travel, and when the detection unit 204 determines that the flying device 100 is approaching the departure point A, the flying device descends and lands. The flight is also controlled in a similar manner when the user H moves from the departure point A to the destination B by autonomous control of the aircraft device 100. In this case, the user H instructs the control unit 230 via the interface to move from the departure point A to the destination B by automatic control.

[0090] The departure point A and destination B are registered in the memory unit 206 as follows. That is, if the destination B is determined before departure, the departure point A and destination B may be registered in the memory unit 206 via the interface or by the communication unit 202 before the aircraft device 100 starts flying. If the destination B is not determined before departure (for example, when rescuers are using the aircraft device 100 and the location of the rescuer is unknown and a search for the rescuer from the air is required), only the departure point A is registered in the memory unit 206 in advance. Thereafter, the first user H may register the departure point A in the memory unit 206 via the interface after use, or the location where the aircraft device 100 first lands may be detected by the detection unit 204 and automatically registered in the memory unit 206.

[0091] Furthermore, if the user H needs to change the destination B during flight, the registered contents in the memory unit 206 may be changed by the communication unit 202. Furthermore, if the user H is not familiar with operating the aircraft device 100, another person who is familiar with the operation may perform flight operations on the ground using the communication unit 202.

[0092] As explained above, the aircraft device 100 according to this embodiment is provided with the wings 20, which allows it to receive aerodynamic forces during flight. Therefore, compared to a case where an aircraft is not provided with the wings 20 and flies on a bullet-like trajectory like a rocket, it is possible to control its attitude more effectively and stably. It is also possible to stabilize its attitude during takeoff and landing, including vertical takeoff and landing. Furthermore, the lift generated by the wings 20 reduces the thrust required for flight, improving the fuel efficiency of the thrust unit 10. This makes it possible to improve flight time and flight duration. As a result, it is possible to provide high flight performance.

[0093] Furthermore, the strength of the thrust is controlled by the control unit 230. This allows for more intuitive operation, since the user H only needs to perform simple operations such as acceleration or deceleration and change direction using the wings 20. Therefore, the aircraft device 100 does not require high piloting skills. Furthermore, the aircraft equipment 100 is provided with a detachable part 30 that can be easily attached and detached by the user H. This allows the aircraft equipment 100 to be shared by multiple people.

[0094] Furthermore, the control unit 230 controls the flight attitude and flight direction of the wings 20 and the output of the thrust unit 10. This allows the aircraft device 100 to fly autonomously. This allows the aircraft device 100 to fly without any operation by the user H. This makes it possible to eliminate the need for piloting skills on the part of the user H.

[0095] Furthermore, the aircraft device 100 can fly autonomously and independently without being attached to the user H. In other words, when multiple users H (e.g., rescue team members) are traveling from a departure point A to a destination B, after one user H has traveled from the departure point A to the destination B, only the aircraft device 100 can return to the departure point A by autonomous flight. Therefore, even when multiple users H are traveling from the departure point A to the destination B, one aircraft device 100 can be used to handle the situation. Therefore, it is possible to contribute to efficient rescue operations without having to prepare multiple aircraft devices 100.

[0096] The drone is also provided with an attitude sensor. Information detected by the attitude sensor can be used for control by the control unit 230, thereby enabling more stable autonomous flight. Furthermore, even when flying under the control of the user H, more stable flight can be achieved by auxiliary use of the information from the attitude sensor.

[0097] The aircraft device 100 is also provided with a position sensor, so that, for example, by registering a departure point A and a destination point B in the aircraft device 100 in advance, the control unit 230 can select the shortest route for flight.

[0098] The drone further includes a communication unit 202. This allows the drone to fly under remote control from outside in addition to being piloted by the user H or controlled by the control unit 230.

[0099] In addition, the wings 20 are foldable. This improves maneuverability when transporting the aircraft device 100. Furthermore, the wings 20 can be retracted during high-speed flight to reduce resistance, and can be unfolded during low-speed flight or takeoff and landing to make it easier to obtain aerodynamic force. This further improves maneuverability.

[0100] Furthermore, after user H wears the aircraft equipment 100 and flies from departure point A to destination point B by the flight device, only the aircraft equipment 100 flies from destination B to departure point A. This allows multiple users H to share one aircraft equipment 100. Therefore, multiple people can be transported without having to prepare multiple aircraft equipment 100.

[0101] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, it may be possible to switch between a mode in which the drone is flown by the user H and an autonomous flight mode in which the control unit 230 controls the drone. Furthermore, during flight, the user H may be able to record any point in the position information output by the position sensor at any time by some method, which may contribute to more efficient rescue operations by, for example, registering the point where the user H found a person in need of rescue in the air in the recording unit. Furthermore, the wings 20 may be replaceable depending on the physique of the user H, the weather at the flight site, and the like. The aircraft device 100 may also be provided with a tail. For example, the tail may be retracted when the user H is wearing the aircraft device 100, and deployed when performing autonomous solo flight. Furthermore, the user H may detach the aircraft device 100 from his / her body in the air during flight. After that, the user H may descend to the destination B by parachute or the like. In this case, the aircraft device 100 may detect that it has been detached from the user H and return by automatic flight.

[0102] In addition, within the scope of the spirit of the present invention, the components in the above-described embodiments may be replaced with well-known components as appropriate, and the above-described modifications may be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 10 Thrust device 20 wings 30 Detachable part 100 Airplane equipment 230 Control Unit A. Departure point B Destination H user

Claims

1. a thrust device that provides thrust during flight; Wings that maintain the attitude during flight and change the direction of flight; a control unit that controls the output strength of the thrust device and the wing; A detachable part that can be attached or detached by a user; wherein the control unit performs control based on the operation of the user when the user is wearing the aircraft equipment, and performs autonomous control when the user is not wearing the aircraft equipment, controls the actuators that move the wings to raise the nose and then transition to a 90-degree pitch-up state, and after transitioning to the pitch-up state, controls the thrust actuators that drive the thrust devices to descend and land while hovering.

2. 2. The aircraft equipment according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the flight attitude and flight direction of the wing and the output of the thrust device to take off and land vertically.

3. an interface for inputting the user's operation, The control unit transitions to autonomous control based on the input of the interface.

3. An aircraft equipment according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a detection unit that detects that the user has removed the aircraft equipment, and the control unit transitions to autonomous control based on the detection by the detection unit; 3. An aircraft equipment according to claim 1 or 2.

5. Further comprising a communication unit for communicating with the outside, The control unit performs control based on an operation via the communication unit.

5. An aircraft equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The wings are foldable.

6. An aircraft equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A method for operating an aircraft device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 in which a plurality of users share the aircraft device, comprising: After a user wears the aircraft equipment and flies from a departure point to a destination point by the aircraft equipment, only the aircraft equipment flies from the destination point to the departure point. Management method.

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