Collection drone

Abstract

To provide a drone that can be effectively utilized for a variety of works in a high place.SOLUTION: A collection drone 10 includes: a body 1; and two or more rotors 2 provided in the periphery of the body 1 so as to fly the body 1, where a vacuum collection device 3 for sucking and collecting an object to be collected is fixed to a lower part of the body 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a collection drone capable of collecting insects such as bees flying around high places.

Background Art

[0002] Drones have come to be used not only for shooting from high places but also for various operations at high places, and are also used in insect control operations.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In recent years, it has been particularly desired to effectively use drones for various operations at high places. The purpose of the present invention is to provide such a drone.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The present invention is a drone having a main body and a plurality of rotating wings provided around the main body so as to fly the main body, wherein a suction collection device for sucking and collecting a collection target is fixed to the lower part of the main body. The collection drone is characterized by the above.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, the collection drone can fly, approach objects at high altitudes, and directly suck them up to collect them. Therefore, objects at high altitudes, such as wasps, can be collected safely and reliably. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is an overhead perspective view of a collection drone according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a plan view of the collection drone. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a bottom view of the collection drone. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a right side view of the collection drone. [Figure 5] Figure 1 is a front view of the collection drone. [Figure 6] Figure 1 is a rear view of the collection drone. [Figure 7] Figure 1 is a forward-downward perspective view of the collection drone. [Figure 8] Figure 1 is a rear-downward perspective view of the collection drone. [Figure 9] Figure 1 is a schematic side view of the collection drone. [Figure 10] Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of the collection drone. [Figure 11] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the collection drone. [Figure 12] This figure shows the collection operation performed by the collection drone in Figure 1. [Figure 13] This is a block diagram showing another system configuration of the collection drone of the present invention. [Figure 14] This is a perspective view of a propeller. [Figure 15] This is a side view of the propeller. [Figure 16] This is a perspective view of the trumpet-shaped tip of the suction tube. [Figure 17] This is a view from arrow XVII in Figure 16. [Figure 18] This is a cross-sectional view taken from XVIII-XVIII in Figure 17. [Figure 19]It is a perspective view of the tip of the bifurcated form of the suction cylinder. [Figure 20] It is a view taken in the direction of arrow XX in FIG. 19.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] FIGS. 1 to 6 are an upper perspective view, a plan view, a bottom view, a right side view, a front view, and a rear view of a collection drone according to an embodiment of the present invention. The collection drone 10 has a main body 1 and four rotary wings 2. The four rotary wings 2 are connected to the main body 1 so as to fly the main body 1, and are provided around the main body 1 and evenly arranged in a plan view. The rotary wing 2 has a propeller 21 and a housing 22 that surrounds the propeller 21 from above. The number of rotary wings 2 is not limited to four, and any number of three or more can be adopted as long as it is suitable for flying the main body 1.

[0009] [[ID=​​​​​​​​​​​​Specifically, the support frame 4 comprises a front frame body 41, a rear frame body 42, a front transverse frame body 43, a rear transverse frame body 44, a right front / rear frame body 45, a left front / rear frame body 46, a front vertical frame body 47, and a central front / rear frame body 48. The front frame body 41 has a transverse portion 411 fixed to the lower surface of the main body 1, and right vertical portions 412 and left vertical portions 413 that extend downward and slightly widen laterally from both ends of the transverse portion 411, and is positioned on the front side of the lower surface of the main body 1. The rear frame body 42 has the same form as the front frame body 41, namely a transverse portion 421, a right vertical portion 422 and a left vertical portion 423, and is positioned parallel to the front frame body 41 on the rear side of the lower surface of the main body 1. The front transverse frame body 43 extends horizontally at the lower part of the front frame body 41 and connects the right vertical portion 412 and the left vertical portion 413. The rear transverse frame body 44 extends horizontally at the same height as the front transverse frame body 43, connecting the right vertical section 422 and the left vertical section 423 of the rear frame body 42. The right front and rear frame body 45 extends in the front and rear direction at the same height as the front transverse frame body 43, connecting the right vertical section 412 and the right vertical section 422. The left front and rear frame body 46 extends in the front and rear direction at the same height as the front transverse frame body 43, connecting the left vertical section 413 and the left vertical section 423. The front vertical frame body 47 extends vertically, connecting the center of the transverse section 411 of the front frame body 41 and the center of the front transverse frame body 43. The central front and rear frame body 48 extends rearward from the center of the transverse section 411 of the front frame body 41, connects to the center of the transverse section 421 of the rear frame body 42, extends further rearward, and has a downward extension 481. Furthermore, the suction collection device 3 is supported from above by the suction drive unit 31 being fixed to the lower extension 481 of the central front and rear frame body 48, and by the suction cylinder 32 being fixed to the center of the front longitudinal frame body 47, that is, it is fixed to the main body 1 only via the support frame 4.

[0013] The support frame 4 includes a right-side grounding frame body 491 and a left-side grounding frame body 492 for stabilizing the ground contact of the collection drone 10. The right-side grounding frame body 491 extends horizontally, connecting the lower end of the right vertical section 412 and the lower end of the right vertical section 422, and further extends in the front-rear direction beyond the front frame body 41 and the rear frame body 42. The left-side grounding frame body 492 extends horizontally, connecting the lower end of the left vertical section 413 and the lower end of the left vertical section 423, and further extends in the front-rear direction beyond the front frame body 41 and the rear frame body 42. The right-side grounding frame body 491 and the left-side grounding frame body 492 are parallel to each other.

[0014] Figure 9 is a schematic side view of the collection drone 10. Figure 10 is a schematic top view of the collection drone 10. The main body 1 incorporates a propeller drive unit 11 that drives the propeller 21. The rotor blade 2 has a motor 23 that receives power from the propeller drive unit 11 and rotates the propeller 21. The collection drone 10 also has a power supply cable 51 that extends from the generator 5 and is connected to the main body 1. Specifically, the power supply cable 51 is connected to supply power to the propeller drive unit 11 and the suction drive unit 31. The power supply cable 51 also serves as a guide rope for the main body 1. The propeller drive unit 11 and the suction drive unit 31 each have a receiving unit that receives signals from the operating device 6, and are controlled on / off and strength by the operating device 6.

[0015] Figure 11 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the collection drone 10. The power supply cable 51 is wound onto a winding machine 52 and moves forward and backward from the winding machine 52. The power supply cable 51 is connected to the suction drive unit 31 via a power conversion unit 101. The power supply cable 51 is also connected to the propeller drive unit 11 via a power conversion unit 102. The power conversion unit 102 is mounted and fixed on the front lateral frame body 43 and the rear lateral frame body 44 of the support frame 4. The propeller drive unit 11 is also connected to an auxiliary power supply 103 built into the main body 1. Furthermore, an inertial navigation / attitude control unit (flight controller) 111 is connected to the propeller drive unit 11. A receiving unit 112 is connected to the inertial navigation / attitude control unit 111. The receiving unit 112 is configured to receive signals transmitted from the control unit 6 based on the image from the camera 113. The inertial navigation and attitude control unit 111 controls the propeller drive unit 11 based on the signal received by the receiving unit 112.

[0016] The collection drone 10 with the above configuration operates as follows. Figure 12 shows the collection operation by the collection drone 10. Here, the object to be collected is a hornet 200. First, the operator 6 is operated to activate the propeller drive unit 11 and the main body 1 is made to fly towards the hornet 200 flying near the nest 201 under the eaves of the second floor of the house, that is, towards the object to be collected at a high place. At this time, the power supply cable 51 moves forward and backward from the winding machine 52 as the main body 1 flies. Then, when the main body 1 approaches the hornet 200, the operator 6 is operated to activate the suction drive unit 31. When the suction drive unit 31 is activated, the tip 320 of the suction tube 32 sucks in the hornet 200. The sucked-in hornet 200 is captured by the object to be collected trap 321. In this way, the object to be collected at a high place is collected.

[0017] The collection drone 10 with the above configuration can exhibit the following effects. (1) By flying and approaching the target object at a high altitude, it can directly suck up and collect the target object, thus ensuring the reliable collection of targets at high altitudes.

[0018] (2) Workers can collect the materials without having to go to high places, thus improving worker safety. For example, fallen leaves and other debris that have accumulated in high places such as roofs can be collected safely.

[0019] (3) In particular, when the captured object is a dangerous insect such as a hornet that has nested in a high place, the worker can work at a distance from the dangerous insect, thus improving the worker's safety.

[0020] (4) Since the suction cylinder 32 is positioned between adjacent rotor blades 2 in a plan view, the rotor blades 2 can be prevented from getting in the way when bringing the tip 320 of the suction cylinder 32 closer to the object to be collected. Therefore, the tip 320 of the suction cylinder 32 can be brought closer to the object to be collected more easily, and the object to be collected can be collected more efficiently.

[0021] (5) Since the suction cylinder 32 is configured to be extendable and retractable, the approach position of the collection drone 10 to the object to be collected can be optimized. Therefore, from this point of view as well, the object to be collected can be collected more efficiently.

[0022] (6) Since the power supply cable 51 also functions as a guide rope for the main unit 1, the main unit 1 can be guided towards the desired position, and thus the main unit 1 can be flown stably.

[0023] (7) Since the power supply cable 51 also serves as the guide rope for the main body 1, the flight of the main body 1 is more agile compared to when both the power supply cable and the guide rope are present. Therefore, the work efficiency of the collection drone 10 can be improved.

[0024] (8) In particular, if the captured object is a dangerous insect such as a hornet 200 that has nested in a high place, the propeller 21 can crush the dangerous insect, and thus the dangerous insect can also be eliminated by the propeller 21.

[0025] [Differentiation] The collection drone 10 of the present invention may employ one or more of the following modifications.

[0026] (1) Figure 13 is a block diagram showing an alternative system configuration of the collection drone 10. This system differs from the system in Figure 11 only in the following respect: it has one power converter 104 instead of two power converters 101 and 102. This system allows for a simplified structure and weight reduction of the collection drone 10.

[0027] (2) Figure 14 is a perspective view of the propeller 21. Figure 15 is a side view of the propeller 21. The propeller 21 of the collection drone 10 has a black surface. For example, the propeller 21 is colored with black paint or is made of a black material such as carbon black.

[0028] Dangerous insects like wasps are attracted to black objects, so if the surface of the propeller 21 is black, more dangerous insects will approach the propeller 21, and as a result, more dangerous insects can be crushed by the propeller 21. Therefore, dangerous insects can be eliminated efficiently.

[0029] (3) The tip 320 of the suction cylinder 32 is detachable from the suction cylinder 32. This detachable mechanism consists of a large-diameter portion 322 provided on the tip side of the suction cylinder 32 and a rear end portion of the tip 320 that is configured to fit into the large-diameter portion 322. That is, the tip 320 is detachable from the suction cylinder 32 by fitting its rear end portion into the large-diameter portion 322. "Fitting" includes "inserting" and "screwing". Other known mechanisms for connecting cylinders can be used as the detachable mechanism. The tip 320 is the part that comes into direct contact with the object to be collected and is therefore prone to contamination or damage, but if the tip 320 is detachable from the suction cylinder 32, maintenance of the tip 320 can be easily performed.

[0030] (4) The tip 320 of the suction tube 32 is detachable from the suction tube 32 and interchangeable with other forms of tip 320. The tip 320 shown in Figure 1, etc., has a substantially cylindrical shape, but other forms of tip 320 can be a trumpet shape, a bifurcated shape, etc., and these are interchangeable. Figure 16 is a perspective view of the trumpet-shaped tip 320, Figure 17 is a view taken along arrow XVII in Figure 16, and Figure 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII in Figure 17. Also, Figure 19 is a perspective view of the bifurcated tip 320, and Figure 20 is a view taken along arrow XX in Figure 19.

[0031] When using a trumpet-shaped tip 320, the tip 320 has a wide opening 321, allowing it to suck up the collected material from a wide area. Therefore, the suction efficiency can be improved.

[0032] The bifurcated tip 320 has a fork 325 and two pointed protrusions 326. Therefore, when using the bifurcated tip 320, it is possible to break up or shake the nests of dangerous insects such as wasps, thereby forcing the dangerous insects hiding inside the nest out and sucking them up.

[0033] Furthermore, in all configurations, the tip 320 has a rear end portion 324 that can be fitted into the large-diameter portion 322 of the suction cylinder 32, thereby making the tip 320 detachable from the suction cylinder 32.

[0034] (5) The tip 320 of the suction tube 32 is black on its outer surface, inner surface, or both sides. Dangerous insects such as wasps have a tendency to approach black objects, so if the tip 320 is black, more dangerous insects will approach the tip 320, and as a result, more dangerous insects can be sucked up from the tip 320. Therefore, dangerous insects can be collected efficiently. [Industrial applicability]

[0035] The collection drone of the present invention has great industrial value because it can safely and reliably collect objects at high altitudes. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 1 Main unit 2 rotor blades 21 Propellers 3 Suction collection device 31 Suction drive unit 32 Suction cylinder 320 Tip 321 Object trap 4. Support frame 51 Power supply cable 200 hornets

Claims

1. A drone having a main body and a plurality of rotors provided around the main body to cause the main body to fly, A suction collection device for collecting objects by sucking them in is fixed to the lower part of the main body. The aforementioned suction collection device, A suction drive unit that exerts suction power, A suction cylinder is maintained in a position extending linearly laterally from the suction drive unit and is configured to suck in the object to be collected from its tip. It has, The suction cylinder is located between adjacent rotor blades in a plan view of the collection drone.

2. The suction tube has a protrusion length from the main body that is shorter than the distance between the main body and the portion of the rotational trajectory of the rotating blade that can be located furthest out from the main body. The collection drone according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned suction cylinder has a trap for collected material in the middle, The suction collection device is fixed to the main body only via a support frame. The collection drone according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The suction cylinder is configured to be extendable and retractable. The collection drone according to claim 1.

5. The tip of the suction cylinder is detachable from the suction cylinder. The collection drone according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The tip of the suction tube is interchangeable with the tip of another form. The collection drone according to claim 5.

7. The other forms mentioned above are trumpet-shaped or bifurcated. The collection drone according to claim 6.

8. The suction tube has a tip that is black on its outer surface, inner surface, or both sides. The collection drone according to claim 1 or 2.

9. Furthermore, it has a power supply cable extending from the generator and connected to the main body. The power supply cable also serves as the guide rope for the main body and is connected to supply power to the rotor blade drive unit and the suction drive unit. The collection drone according to claim 1 or 2.

10. The aforementioned captured object is an insect. The collection drone according to claim 1 or 2.

11. The rotor blade has a propeller, The aforementioned propeller has a black surface. If the captured object is a dangerous insect, The collection drone according to claim 1 or 2.

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