flying object

Abstract

To provide a flying body that can handle a cargo flexibly under various environments and has high versatility.SOLUTION: A flying body includes: an airframe; a suspension part installed to the airframe and capable of suspending a cargo; a weight installed to the suspension part; and a movement mechanism for supporting the suspension part so as to be movable in a first direction intersecting a central axis of the airframe and moving the weight toward an opposite side to a side on which the suspension part is moved in the first direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to air vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, attention has been focused on technology for transporting construction materials, cargo, and the like using unmanned aerial vehicles such as multicopters and drones. The technology described in Patent Document 1 below is capable of stably transporting materials aerially using a remotely controlled aerial vehicle, regardless of the size or shape of the materials. Specifically, this aerial vehicle has a hoisting unit at the bottom center of the body. It is said that cargo can be transported and loaded / unloaded while suspended from the hoisting unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-007371 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when the above-mentioned suspending unit is located at the bottom center of the aircraft, if cargo is to be loaded or unloaded near an obstacle such as a wall, the size of the aircraft itself becomes an obstacle, making it impossible to get the cargo close enough to the wall. This has resulted in a problem of limiting the environments in which the aircraft can be used.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a highly versatile aircraft that is capable of flexibly handling cargo in a variety of environments. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the aircraft according to the present disclosure includes an airframe, a hoisting unit provided on the airframe and capable of suspending cargo, a weight provided adjacent to the hoisting unit, and a movement mechanism that supports the weight movably relative to the airframe in a first direction intersecting a central axis of the airframe and moves the weight toward an opposite side to the side to which the hoisting unit moves in the first direction. The apparatus further includes a limit switch provided in addition to the moving mechanism, and a control unit that controls the moving mechanism based on the on / off state of the limit switch, wherein the limit switch is turned on when the suspension unit is on the central axis of the machine body and turned off when the suspension unit moves away from the central axis of the machine body, and the control unit restricts the movement of the weight by the moving mechanism when the limit switch is in the on state. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, a highly versatile aircraft can be provided that is capable of flexibly handling cargo in a variety of environments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing the configuration of an aircraft according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a top view showing the configuration of a movement mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a side view showing the state when the movement mechanism is extended in the flying body according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a side view showing a modified example of the aircraft according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a main portion of an aircraft according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of a control unit according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a control flow of a control unit according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a hardware configuration diagram of a control unit according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] First Embodiment An aircraft 1 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 3. This aircraft 1 is used to transport construction materials as cargo 80, for example, at a construction site. However, it can also be used to transport cargo 80 other than construction materials.

[0010] (Configuration of Aircraft 1) As shown in FIG. 1, the flying object 1 includes an airframe 10, a movement mechanism 20, a suspension unit 30, and a weight 40.

[0011] (Configuration of aircraft 10) The aircraft 10 has an aircraft main body 11 and a thrust device 12. The aircraft main body 11 has a disk shape, a polygonal plate shape, or a rectangular plate shape centered on a central axis X. The central axis X here refers to a line passing through the geometric center of gravity of the aircraft 10. Various devices such as a transmitter / receiver, a battery, and a gyro sensor are stored inside the aircraft main body 11.

[0012] The thrust devices 12 have arms 13 that protrude outward from the aircraft body 11 and fans 14 attached to the tips of the arms 13. The number of thrust devices 12 may be determined appropriately depending on the design and specifications. The fans 14 have propellers 15 and electric motors 16, and the propellers 15 are driven to rotate by supplying current to the electric motors 16. Air is compressed as the propellers 15 rotates, generating lift primarily in the direction of the central axis X and propulsion in a direction intersecting this lift. In other words, it is desirable that the thrust direction of the propellers 15 be variable.

[0013] (Configuration of the moving mechanism 20) A movement mechanism 20 is provided at the bottom of the machine body 11. The movement mechanism 20 is a device that supports a suspension unit 30 (described later) and a weight 40 so that they can move in a first direction D. As shown in FIG. 2 , the movement mechanism 20 has a main rail 21, a first sub-rail 22, and a second sub-rail 23. The main rail 21 extends in the first direction D and is fixed to the bottom of the machine body 11. The first direction D here refers to a horizontal direction perpendicular to the central axis X of the machine body 10.

[0014] The first sub-rail 22 and the second sub-rail 23 are connected to the main rail 21 in a nested manner. The first sub-rail 22 is movable forward and backward in a first direction D on the underside of the main rail 21. The second sub-rail 23 is movable forward and backward in the first direction D on the upper side of the main rail 21. Note that the example in FIG. 2 shows a configuration having one each of the first sub-rail 22 and the second sub-rail 23, but it is also possible to provide a plurality of each of the first sub-rail 22 and the second sub-rail 23 depending on the design and specifications.

[0015] The first sub-rail 22 and the second sub-rail 23 can be moved forward and backward in a first direction D by a drive source (not shown). A command signal to the drive source is generated and transmitted by a transmitter of a remote operator. In other words, the operation of the moving mechanism 20 can be performed remotely in conjunction with the operation of the vehicle 10.

[0016] (Configuration of the hanging unit 30) The suspending unit 30 is provided on the underside of the first sub-rail 22. The suspending unit 30 is, for example, hook-shaped, and is a device that can suspend cargo 80 downward. When the first sub-rail 22 moves in the first direction D, the suspending unit 30 and the cargo 80 also move in the first direction D.

[0017] (Weight 40 composition) A weight 40 is integrally attached to the second sub-rail 23. The weight 40 is preferably made of a high-density metal material, such as tungsten. When the second sub-rail 23 moves in the first direction D, the weight 40 also moves in the first direction D. More specifically, when the suspender 30 and cargo 80 move to one side in the first direction D, the second sub-rail 23 and weight 40 move to the other side in the first direction D. In other words, the shift in the center of gravity and moment caused by the movement of the suspender 30 and cargo 80 are corrected by the movement of the weight 40 in the opposite direction. Therefore, preferably, the amount of movement of the first sub-rail 22 and the amount of movement of the second sub-rail 23 are equal to or proportional to each other.

[0018] 3, the first sub-rail 22 and the second sub-rail 23 can extend further outward than the contour line of the airframe 10 (i.e., the outermost line in the radial direction relative to the central axis X when the airframe 10 is viewed from the direction of the central axis X). In other words, the hoisting unit 30 and the cargo 80 can be moved further outward than the contour line of the airframe 10.

[0019] (Action and effect) Next, the transportation of cargo 80 by the above-mentioned aircraft 1 will be described. When transporting cargo 80 by aircraft 1, first, the cargo 80 is attached to the suspending unit 30. This operation is preferably performed while the aircraft 1 is hovering. Then, the aircraft 1 is remotely controlled to fly to the destination. Once it arrives at the destination, the connection between the suspending unit 30 and the cargo 80 is released, and the cargo 80 is lowered. This completes the normal transportation of cargo 80.

[0020] Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 3, there is also a demand for transporting cargo 80 near an obstacle 90 such as a wall. In this case, conventionally, the hoisting unit 30 was typically provided at the position of the central axis X of the aircraft 10, and the dimensions and size of the aircraft 1 made it difficult to bring the cargo 80 sufficiently close to the obstacle 90. As a result, there was a problem that loading and unloading operations using the aircraft 1 were restricted, making it difficult to improve work efficiency. To solve this problem, the aircraft 1 according to this embodiment employs the configurations described above.

[0021] According to the above configuration, by operating the movement mechanism 20 to move the suspending unit 30, on which the cargo 80 is suspended, in the first direction D, the cargo 80 can be loaded and unloaded even at a position away from the central axis X of the airframe 10. At this time, even if the cargo 80 moves away from the position of the central axis X and a moment occurs in the center of gravity of the airframe 10, the movement mechanism 20 can move the weight 40 to the opposite side of the first direction D (i.e., the side opposite to the side to which the cargo 80 moved), thereby correcting the change in the center of gravity position and canceling the moment. This allows the cargo 80 to be loaded and unloaded stably even near an obstacle 90 without causing an inadvertent change in the attitude of the airframe 10. This increases the versatility of the airframe 1 during loading and unloading operations, making it possible to significantly improve work efficiency.

[0022] Furthermore, according to the above configuration, the first sub-rail 22 and the second sub-rail 23 are connected to the main rail 21 in a nested manner in the first direction D, thereby limiting the movement direction of the first sub-rail 22 and the second sub-rail 23 to only the first direction D. Therefore, the pilot need only determine the orientation of the aircraft 10 relative to the obstacle 90, and does not need to determine in which direction the movement mechanism 20 will move the cargo 80. In other words, operation of the movement mechanism 20 is simplified, making it easier to perform cargo handling operations using the aircraft 1. Furthermore, because the main rail 21, the first sub-rail 22, and the second sub-rail 23 are connected to each other in a nested manner, the dimensions of the aircraft 1 can be kept small when the first sub-rail 22 and the second sub-rail 23 are stored on the main rail 21. This minimizes any deterioration in the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft 1, allowing the aircraft 1 to maintain its previous cruising range and cruising speed.

[0023] Furthermore, with the above configuration, the hoisting unit 30 can be moved to the outside of the outline of the airframe 10, so that cargo 80 can be loaded and unloaded even closer to the obstacle 90 while maintaining a certain distance between the airframe 10 and the obstacle 90. In particular, since the thrust unit 12 has a rotating propeller 15, there is a concern that it may be damaged when it comes into contact with the obstacle 90. With the above configuration, loading and unloading operations can be performed with the propeller 15 far away from the obstacle 90. This makes it possible to significantly reduce the possibility of damage to the airframe 10 or the obstacle 90 themselves. In addition, because the weight 40 also moves an equivalent distance to the opposite side as the hoisting unit 30 moves, changes in the center of gravity and the generation of moments can also be minimized.

[0024] The first embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above. It should be noted that various changes and modifications can be made to the above configuration without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, in the first embodiment, an example was described in which the moving mechanism 20 was fixed to the vehicle body 11. However, as a modified example, as shown in FIG. 4 , a rotating unit 50 can be further provided to support the moving mechanism 20 rotatably relative to the vehicle body 11. The moving mechanism 20 itself can be rotated around the central axis X of the vehicle body 10 by operating the rotating unit 50. With this configuration, by rotating the hoisting unit 30 and the weight 40 using the rotating unit 50, the position and direction in which the cargo 80 is loaded and unloaded can be flexibly adjusted without changing the posture or orientation of the vehicle body 10 itself. This can further improve the accuracy and efficiency of loading and unloading operations.

[0025] In the first embodiment, an example has been described in which the weight 40 is fixed to the second sub-rail 23. However, the weight 40 may be detachably attached to the second sub-rail 23. In this case, the optimum weight 40 can be selected from a plurality of weights 40 of different weights depending on the weight of the cargo 80 and attached to the second sub-rail 23. Therefore, the center of gravity position can be stably corrected regardless of the weight of the cargo 80. As a result, the versatility of the aircraft 1 for cargo handling operations can be further improved.

[0026] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 5 to 8. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0027] (Configuration of limit switch 60) As shown in Figure 5, in the flying body 1 according to this embodiment, a limit switch 60 is attached to the movement mechanism 20. As an example, this limit switch 60 is turned on when the suspension unit 30 is positioned on the central axis X of the airframe 10, and turned off when it is separated from the central axis X. In addition, this limit switch 60 is electrically connected to a control unit 70 that controls the movement mechanism 20. In other words, an electrical signal indicating the on / off state of the limit switch 60 is sent to the control unit 70.

[0028] (Configuration of control unit 70) As shown in FIG. 6 , the control unit 70 includes a switch determination unit 71, a restriction signal generation unit 72, a movement mechanism drive unit 73, and a memory unit 74. The switch determination unit 71 receives an input of an electrical signal indicating an on / off state transmitted from the limit switch 60 and determines whether the limit switch 60 is in an on state or an off state. In other words, it determines whether the suspension unit 30 is located on the central axis X. When the limit switch 60 is in an on state, the restriction signal generation unit 72 generates a signal that restricts the movement of the weight 40 by the movement mechanism 20 and transmits the signal to the movement mechanism drive unit 73. Upon receiving this restriction signal, the movement mechanism drive unit 73 enters an electrically locked state to prevent movement of the weight 40. The memory unit 74 is used to temporarily or permanently store signals exchanged between the above-mentioned functional blocks.

[0029] Next, the control flow of the control unit 70 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 7, in step S1, the switch determination unit 71 determines whether the limit switch 60 is in the on state or the off state. If the determination in step S1 is No, step S1 is repeated. On the other hand, if the determination in step S1 is Yes, in step S2 the restriction signal generation unit 72 generates the restriction signal and transmits it to the movement mechanism drive unit 73. As a result, the movement of the weight 40 is restricted (step S3).

[0030] (Action and effect) According to the above configuration, when the limit switch 60 is in the on state, i.e., when the suspender 30 is on the central axis X of the airframe 10, the control unit 70 restricts the movement of the weight 40 by the movement mechanism 20. This makes it possible to suppress changes in the attitude of the airframe 10 due to inadvertent movement of the weight 40. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the safety of loading and unloading operations. Furthermore, since the pilot of the airframe 1 does not need to continuously monitor the operating status of the movement mechanism 20, he or she can concentrate solely on moving the airframe 1 itself. Therefore, it is possible to more easily control the airframe 1. This eliminates the need for long periods of time for training new pilots and simultaneously makes it possible to efficiently allocate personnel. Ultimately, it is possible to achieve greater efficiency and labor savings in loading and unloading operations.

[0031] The second embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above. Various changes and modifications can be made to the above configuration without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, the control unit 70 described above receives only the state of the limit switch 60 as an input signal. However, signals from a gyro sensor or GPS sensor provided on the vehicle 10 can also be used as input signals. For example, if the gyro sensor determines that a significant change has occurred in the vehicle 10's attitude, the vehicle 10 is considered to be in an unsuitable state for operation of the movement mechanism 20. In this case, it is desirable to employ a configuration in which the control unit 70 restricts operation of the movement mechanism 20. Furthermore, if a GPS sensor is provided, the GPS sensor can be configured to compare the destination location information with the current location and prevent the movement mechanism 20 from operating in locations other than the destination. Regardless of the configuration, operation of the movement mechanism 20 in inappropriate situations can be avoided, further improving the safety and efficiency of cargo handling.

[0032] It should be noted that the order of the processes performed by the control unit 70 in the embodiment of the present disclosure may be changed as long as the processes are performed appropriately.

[0033] The storage unit 74 and other storage devices in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided anywhere within the range where appropriate information can be transmitted and received. Furthermore, there may be multiple storage units 74 and other storage devices within the range where appropriate information can be transmitted and received, and data may be stored in a distributed manner.

[0034] The processing steps of the traffic management system described above are stored in the form of a program on a recording medium that can be read by the computer 100, and the above processing is performed by reading and executing this program by the computer 100. A specific example of the computer 100 is shown below.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 8, the computer 100 includes a CPU 101, a main memory 102, a storage 103, and an interface 104. For example, the above-described traffic management system is implemented in a computer 100. The operations of the above-described processing units are stored in the form of a program in storage 103. CPU 101 reads the program from storage 103, loads it into main memory 102, and executes the above-described processing in accordance with the program. CPU 101 also allocates a storage area in main memory 102 corresponding to the above-described storage unit 74 in accordance with the program.

[0036] Examples of storage 103 include a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disc read only memory (DVD-ROM), and a semiconductor memory. Storage 103 may be an internal medium directly connected to the bus of computer 100, or an external medium connected to computer 100 via interface 104 or a communication line. Furthermore, when this program is distributed to computer 100 via a communication line, computer 100 that receives the program may load the program into main memory 102 and execute the above-mentioned processing. Storage 103 is a non-transitory tangible storage medium.

[0037] The program may also implement some of the functions described above. Furthermore, the program may be a file that can implement the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in computer 100, a so-called differential file (differential program).

[0038] In addition to or instead of the above configuration, a custom LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit) such as a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or similar processing devices may be provided. Examples of PLDs include PAL (Programmable Array Logic), GAL (Generic Array Logic), CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). In this case, some or all of the functions realized by the processor may be realized by the integrated circuit.

[0039] <Additional Notes> The aircraft 1 described in each embodiment can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0040] (1) The aircraft 1 of the first aspect comprises an airframe 10, a suspension unit 30 provided on the airframe 10 and capable of suspending cargo 80, a weight 40 provided adjacent to the suspension unit 30, and a movement mechanism 20 that supports the suspension unit 30 so that it can move in a first direction D that intersects with the central axis X of the airframe 10, and moves the weight 40 toward the side opposite to the side to which the suspension unit 30 moved in the first direction D.

[0041] According to the above configuration, by moving the hoisting unit 30 on which the cargo 80 is suspended in the first direction D, the cargo 80 can be loaded and unloaded even at a position away from the central axis X of the vehicle body 10. At this time, even if the center of gravity of the vehicle body 10 shifts as a result of the cargo 80 moving away from the position of the central axis X, the position of the center of gravity can be corrected by moving the weight 40 to the opposite side of the first direction D using the movement mechanism 20.

[0042] (2) The aircraft 1 of the second aspect is the aircraft 1 of (1), wherein the moving mechanism 20 has a main rail 21 fixed to the aircraft 10 and extending in the first direction D, a first sub-rail 22 telescopically connected to the main rail 21 and movable back and forth in the first direction D and supporting the suspension unit 30, and a second sub-rail 23 telescopically connected to the main rail 21 and movable back and forth in the first direction D and supporting the weight 40.

[0043] According to the above configuration, the first sub-rail 22 and the second sub-rail 23 are connected to the main rail 21 in a nested manner in the first direction D, so that the movement direction of the first sub-rail 22 and the second sub-rail 23 can be limited to only the first direction D. In other words, the operation of the movement mechanism 20 is simplified, making it easy to control the aircraft 1. Furthermore, because they are connected in a nested manner, the dimensions and size of the first sub-rail 22 and the second sub-rail 23 when they are stored can be kept small.

[0044] (3) The aircraft 1 according to the third aspect is the aircraft 1 of (1) or (2), in which the moving mechanism 20 is capable of moving the suspension part 30 and the weight 40 to the outside of the outline of the aircraft 10.

[0045] According to the above configuration, the hoisting unit 30 can be moved to the outside of the outline of the machine body 10, so that the cargo 80 can be loaded and unloaded closer to the obstacle 90 while maintaining a certain distance between the machine body 10 and the obstacle 90. In addition, since the weight 40 also moves an equivalent distance in association with this, the change in the center of gravity position can be minimized.

[0046] (4) The aircraft 1 according to the fourth aspect is the aircraft 1 according to any one of the aspects (1) to (3), wherein the moving mechanism 20 further has a rotating part 50 that supports the suspension part 30 and the weight 40 so that they can rotate around the central axis X of the aircraft 10.

[0047] According to the above configuration, by rotating the suspension unit 30 and the weight 40 using the rotating unit 50, the position and direction in which the cargo 80 is loaded and unloaded can be flexibly adjusted without changing the posture of the aircraft body 10.

[0048] (5) The aircraft 1 according to the fifth aspect is an aircraft 1 according to any one of the aspects (1) to (4), further comprising a limit switch 60 provided in addition to the moving mechanism 20, and a control unit 70 that controls the moving mechanism 20 based on the on / off state of the limit switch 60, wherein the limit switch 60 is turned on when the suspension unit 30 is on the central axis X of the aircraft 10 and turned off when the suspension unit 30 moves away from the central axis X of the aircraft 10, and the control unit 70 restricts the movement of the weight 40 by the moving mechanism 20 when the limit switch 60 is on.

[0049] According to the above configuration, when the limit switch 60 is in the on state, i.e., when the suspender 30 is on the central axis X of the airframe 10, the control unit 70 restricts the movement of the weight 40 by the movement mechanism 20. This makes it possible to suppress changes in the attitude of the airframe 10 due to inadvertent movement of the weight 40. Furthermore, the pilot can concentrate solely on moving the airframe 1 itself. This makes it possible to further improve the efficiency of loading and unloading operations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1...Flying object 10...Aircraft 11...Aircraft body 12...Thrust device 13...Arm 14...Fan 15...Propeller 16...Electric motor 20...Movement mechanism 21...Main rail 22...First sub-rail 23...Second sub-rail 30…Hanging section 40...Weight 50...Rotating part 60...Limit switch 70...Control unit 71...Switch determination section 72...Regulatory signal generator 73...Moving mechanism drive unit 74...Storage section 80…Freight 90...Obstacle 100...Computer 101...CPU 102...Main memory 103…Storage 104...Interface D…first direction X…center axis

Claims

1. The aircraft and a hoisting unit provided on the airframe and capable of hoisting cargo; a weight attached to the suspension unit; a movement mechanism that supports the suspension unit so as to be movable in a first direction intersecting a central axis of the aircraft body and moves a weight toward an opposite side to the side to which the suspension unit moved in the first direction; Equipped with a limit switch provided in the moving mechanism; a control unit that controls the movement mechanism based on the on / off state of the limit switch; Furthermore, the limit switch is turned on when the suspension unit is on the central axis of the machine body, and turned off when the suspension unit is separated from the central axis of the machine body; The control unit of the flying object restricts the movement of the weight by the movement mechanism when the limit switch is in the on state.

2. The moving mechanism includes: a main rail fixed to the fuselage and extending in the first direction; a first sub-rail connected to the main rail in a nested manner, movable forward and backward in the first direction, and supporting the suspension unit; a second sub-rail that is connected to the main rail in a nested manner, is movable back and forth in the first direction, and supports the weight; 2. The air vehicle of claim 1, comprising:

3. 3. The flying vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the movement mechanism is capable of moving the suspension unit and the weight to the outside of the outline of the airframe.

4. 2. The flying vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the movement mechanism further comprises a rotating part that supports the suspension part and the weight so that they can rotate about the central axis of the airframe.

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