Flying object

Abstract

A flying object that flies while suspending a load 8 comprises: lift force generating parts 3 that generate a lift force used for flying; support members 5 that support the load 8; winding parts 18 that feed out or wind up the support members 5 to adjust the length of the support members 5; and a relay mechanism 22 that is composed of a plurality of relay parts that relay and support the support members 5 between the load 8 and the winding parts 18.

Description

flying object

[0001] The present invention relates to a flying vehicle that flies with a payload suspended therefrom.

[0002] The flying vehicle can fly while holding a payload (item) such as luggage suspended therefrom. The flying vehicle (unmanned flying vehicle) disclosed in the patent document suspends the payload from a support member (wire).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-109467

[0004] When an aircraft flies with a payload suspended from it, the configuration and position of the suspended load, the weight of the equipment used to suspend the load, the operation of the equipment used to suspend the load, and the effects of external disturbances such as wind may combine to make it difficult to control the aircraft.

[0005] The present invention aims to reduce the influence of obstacles to precise control of a flying object.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an aircraft according to one embodiment of the present invention is an aircraft that flies with a payload suspended therefrom, and is equipped with a lift generating unit that generates lift used for flight, a support member that supports the payload, a hoisting unit that pays out or winds up the support member to adjust its length, and a relay mechanism composed of multiple relay units that relay and support the support member between the payload and the hoisting unit.

[0007] With this configuration, the position of the hoist, the positional relationship between the hoist and the relay mechanism, and the configuration of the relay mechanism can be adjusted with a degree of freedom, thereby improving the weight balance of the vehicle. As a result, the payload can be stably suspended, the stability of the vehicle can be improved, and the flying vehicle can be controlled with precision. Furthermore, the position at which the payload is suspended on the vehicle can be freely configured. For example, the payload can be suspended at an appropriate position using a single support member. Furthermore, even when the payload is suspended using multiple support members, the payload can be suspended in a balanced manner by attaching each support member to an appropriate position. This also improves the stability of the vehicle and allows the flying vehicle to be controlled with precision.

[0008] The relay section may include at least a fixed pulley and a movable pulley.

[0009] The relay section includes a pulley around which the support member is wound, and the pulley includes a movable pulley, which reduces the force with which the hoisting section hoists up the payload. This allows the hoisting section to be made smaller, and the weight of the aircraft to be reduced. As a result, the cruising distance can be increased and the aircraft can be controlled with precision.

[0010] The load may be suspended by a plurality of the support members, and the relay mechanism may be provided for each of the support members.

[0011] This configuration allows the payload to be stably suspended and the flying object to be controlled with precision.

[0012] The relay mechanism may also include a first relay section including a fixed pulley and a movable pulley, and a second relay section consisting of a fixed pulley, and the support member may be connected to the load from the hoisting section via the first relay section and then the second relay section, and one of the first relay section and the second relay section may be arranged in a central region of the body, and the other of the first relay section and the second relay section may be arranged in an outer region that is further outside the body in a planar view than the central region.

[0013] This configuration allows for free selection of the configuration for suspending the payload. Furthermore, the weight balance of the aircraft can be easily optimized by taking into account the weight of the first relay section and the weight of the second relay section. As a result, the aircraft can be controlled with high precision.

[0014] The first link portion may be disposed in the central region, and the second link portion may be disposed in the outer region.

[0015] Generally, the first relay section is heavier than the second relay section. By arranging the first relay section in the central region of the airframe, for example, in a position that overlaps with the center position and center of gravity of the airframe in a plan view, and arranging the second relay section in a region of the airframe that is more outer than the first relay section, it is possible to make the outer region of the airframe lighter than the central region of the airframe. As a result, the airframe can be stabilized, and the flying object can be controlled with high precision.

[0016] The roll-up portion may also be located in the central region.

[0017] This configuration allows the outer regions of the vehicle to be lighter than the central region of the vehicle, resulting in greater stability and improved control of the vehicle.

[0018] The hoisting unit may also be a motor.

[0019] With this configuration, the length of the support member can be easily adjusted.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating the configuration of an aircraft with a load suspended; FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the configuration of an aircraft with a load suspended; FIG. 3 is a view illustrating the configuration of a motor unit; FIG. 4 is a view illustrating the configuration of a relay mechanism; FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating the configuration of an aircraft provided with an attachment portion as an attachment mechanism; and FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating the configuration of an aircraft suspending a load by a looped wire.

[0021] 1 and 2, an air vehicle that flies with a load 8 suspended therefrom will be described using a drone as an example. The load 8 may be a baggage (carried object) that the drone carries, or a work machine that the drone suspends and moves to perform work, or anything that can be suspended and flown by a drone.

[0022] A drone, which is an example of an air vehicle, includes a main body 2. The drone also includes multiple rotors 3, which are an example of lift generating units used for flight, a support member, and an arm 4. The arm 4 protrudes from the main body 2 to the outside of the aircraft. The rotors 3 are supported by the arm 4. The drone also includes a main rotor 3A (main lift generating unit) and a sub-rotor 3B (sub-lift generating unit) as rotors 3. The main rotor 3A generates lift to propel the aircraft (float, ascend, and descend) and fly, and the sub-rotor 3B is used to control the drone's attitude. The support member is, for example, multiple wires 5, which may be rod-shaped members that are extendable and / or swingable around a pivot point. Below, a drone using rotors 3 as lift generating units and wires 5 as support members will be described as an example.

[0023] Each wire 5 is supported by the drone via an attachment mechanism 15. Each wire 5 has a support 6 such as a hook at its end. The payload 8 is suspended from the drone by being supported by the wire 5 via the support 6. This allows the drone to fly with the payload 8 loaded. Furthermore, the suspended configuration of the payload 8 makes it easy to attach and detach the payload 8.

[0024] The main body 2 also includes an engine 11, a generator 12, and a battery 13. The generator 12 generates electricity using power output from the engine 11 and stores the generated electricity in the battery 13. The rotor 3 operates using the power output from the engine 11, the power generated by the generator 12, or the power stored in the battery 13. For example, the main rotor 3A may operate using the power output from the engine 11, and the sub-rotor 3B may operate using the power generated by the generator 12 or the power stored in the battery 13, or conversely, the main rotor 3A may operate using the power generated by the generator 12 or the power stored in the battery 13, and the sub-rotor 3B may operate using the power output from the engine 11.

[0025] [Attachment Mechanism] As shown in FIG. 1 , an attachment mechanism 15 is provided for each wire 5. Each attachment mechanism 15 includes an attachment section 16 to which the wire 5 is attached and an intermediary section 17 that supports the wire 5. The wire 5 is attached to the airframe by the attachment section 16 and supported by the intermediary section 17. When the payload 8 is suspended, the wire 5 extends from the intermediary section 17 toward the payload 8. In this embodiment, the attachment section 16 is a motor 18, which is a hoisting section that can adjust the length of the wire 5 from the airframe to the payload 8 by reeling out or reeling in the wire 5. That is, the attachment mechanism 15 includes the same number of motors 18 and intermediary sections 17 as the number of wires 5. Adjusting the length of the wire 5 with the motor 18 stabilizes the attitude of the payload 8, improving the stability of the airframe and enabling precise control of the aircraft. For example, the intermediary section 17 is a pulley that supports the wire 5, the length of which is adjustable, in a friction-reduced manner. The motor 18 is operated by the electric power generated by the generator 12 or the electric power stored in the battery 13 .

[0026] At least one of the motors 18 is provided in a central region of the airframe, and preferably all of the motors 18 are provided in the central region of the airframe on the underside of the main body 2. The central region is a region that includes the center position or center of gravity G of the airframe in a plan view and is near the center position or center of gravity G. For example, multiple motors 18 are arranged close to each other, and the motors 18 are arranged so that the center of gravity of the aggregate of multiple motors 18 overlaps with or is near the center position or center of gravity G of the airframe in a plan view. Note that the central position is the midpoint of the length in the width direction of the drone's airframe, for example, the midpoint of the length in the width direction of the main body 2.

[0027] The relay units 17 are arranged in an outer region (outer region) of the airframe. The outer region is an area that is outer than the center position or center of gravity G of the airframe or main body 2 in a plan view, and is an area that is outer than the central region. For example, the relay units 17 are arranged outer than the motors 18 in a plan view. Note that all of the relay units 17 may be arranged outer than all of the motors 18, or they do not necessarily have to be arranged outer than the other motors 18 as long as they are arranged outer than the motors 18 that support the same wire 5.

[0028] Specifically, the motor 18 is provided in the central region of the main body 2, and the relay unit 17 is provided on the arm 4. Furthermore, it is preferable that the relay unit 17 is provided in an end region of the arm 4 that is remote from the main body 2.

[0029] By providing relay unit 17 in the outer region of the airframe, it is possible to suspend payload 8 from the periphery (outer region) of the airframe to below the central region of the airframe using wires 5, without providing motor 18 in the outer region of the airframe. By suspending payload 8 from the periphery of the airframe, multiple lateral outward forces Fh are applied to payload 8. These forces Fh pull payload 8 in the periphery direction, suppressing attitude disturbance and rotation due to external disturbances, etc., and allowing payload 8 to be suspended stably. As a result, the flying object can be controlled with high precision.

[0030] Generally, the motor 18 is heavier than the relay unit 17. If the center of gravity of the aircraft is closer to the central region of the aircraft, the aircraft will be more stable and attitude control of the aircraft will be easier than if the center of gravity of the aircraft is in the outer region of the aircraft. Therefore, by locating the relay unit 17 outside the motor 18, the outer region of the aircraft will be lighter than the central region of the aircraft, and the aircraft will be more stable. As a result, the aircraft can be controlled with high precision.

[0031] Furthermore, it is preferable that the relay portion 17 be disposed in a position overlapping with the rotor 3 in a plan view. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, it is more preferable that the relay portion 17 be disposed in a position overlapping with the sub-rotor 3B in a plan view. For example, it is preferable that the center of the relay portion 17 overlaps with the center of the sub-rotor 3B in a plan view. In some cases, it may be difficult to balance the aircraft due to the stress (moment) generated in the relay portion 17 by supporting the wire 5 that suspends the payload 8 or the weight of the relay portion 17. Even in such cases, the sub-rotor 3B can efficiently exert lift on the relay portion 17, easily stabilizing the aircraft.

[0032] Furthermore, when the motor 18 unwinds or winds up the wire 5, stress (moment) is generated in the motor 18. If this moment occurs in the outer region of the airframe, combined with the influence of external disturbances such as turbulent airflow, it becomes difficult to control the attitude of the airframe. By locating the motor 18 in the central region of the airframe, the moment generated in the outer region of the airframe can be suppressed. As a result, the stability of the airframe is improved, and the flying object can be controlled with precision.

[0033] [Motor Unit] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3 , the drone preferably includes a motor unit 20. The motor unit 20 is a hollow body surrounded by walls, and the underside of the main body 2 may serve as a portion of the surface. The motor unit 20 includes waterproof sections (not shown) in areas such as holes through which the wires 5 extending from the motor 18 to the relay section 17 pass, an area where the wall meets the main body 2, and an area where adjacent walls meet. The motor unit 20 also includes an outside air inlet (not shown) for dissipating heat generated by the motor 18, and a dustproof section (not shown) for the outside air inlet. This configuration prevents moisture, dust, and the like from entering the motor unit 20 from the outside.

[0034] Furthermore, the motor unit 20 houses at least two of the multiple motors 18. Preferably, the motor unit 20 houses all of the motors 18. Note that at least some of the motors 18 may be housed in one motor unit 20, or the motors 18 may be housed dispersedly across multiple motor units 20. The motor units 20 are provided in a central region of the vehicle body in a plan view on the underside of the main body 2. Preferably, the motor units 20 are arranged so that the center of gravity is located at or near the center of the vehicle body or the center of gravity G in a plan view. When multiple motor units 20 are provided, the motor units 20 are arranged so that the collective center of gravity is located at or near the center of the vehicle body or the center of gravity G in a plan view. This improves the stability of the vehicle body.

[0035] Each motor 18 is an electric component and therefore requires waterproofing and dustproofing. By housing the motors 18 in the motor unit 20 equipped with waterproof and dustproof sections, it is no longer necessary to provide waterproof and dustproof sections to each individual motor 18. Therefore, the combined weight of the motor unit 20 and all of the motors 18 is smaller than the total weight of all of the motors 18 in a configuration in which each individual motor 18 is equipped with a waterproof and dustproof section. As a result, the weight of the aircraft is reduced, improving the stability of the aircraft and increasing the drone's range.

[0036] 4, the attachment mechanism 15 may include a relay mechanism 22 instead of the relay unit 17. The relay mechanism 22 is made up of a plurality of relay units 17 that relay and support the wire 5 between the load 8 and the motor 18. It is preferable that a relay mechanism 22 is provided for each wire 5.

[0037] By providing the relay mechanism 22, the positioning of the motor 18, the positional relationship between the motor 18 and the relay mechanism 22, and the configuration of the relay mechanism 22 can be adjusted with a degree of freedom, thereby improving the weight balance of the vehicle. As a result, the payload 8 can be stably suspended, the stability of the vehicle can be improved, and the flying vehicle can be controlled with precision. Furthermore, the position at which the payload 8 is suspended on the vehicle can be freely configured. For example, the payload 8 can be suspended at an appropriate position using a single wire 5. Furthermore, even when the payload 8 is suspended using multiple wires 5, the payload 8 can be suspended in a balanced manner by attaching each wire 5 to an appropriate position. This also improves the stability of the vehicle and allows the flying vehicle to be controlled with precision.

[0038] At least a part of the relay section 17 may be a pulley. The pulley may include a fixed pulley and a movable pulley. By using a pulley, friction when supporting the wire 5 can be reduced.

[0039] For example, the relay mechanism 22 includes a first relay part 24 and a second relay part 25. The wire 5 is connected from the motor 18 to the payload 8 via the first relay part 24 and the second relay part 25 in this order. One of the first relay part 24 and the second relay part 25 is disposed in the central region of the vehicle body, and the other is disposed in the outer region of the vehicle body.

[0040] The first relay section 24 is configured by combining a movable pulley 24A and a fixed pulley 24B, and the second relay section 25 is a fixed pulley. The fixed pulley 24B and the movable pulley 24A support the wire 5. The fixed pulley 24B is fixed to the machine body, for example, to the main body 2. The movable pulley 24A is supported on the machine body in a manner that allows it to move in response to the unwinding or winding of the wire 5. For example, the movable pulley 24A can move along a rail provided on the main body 2.

[0041] By providing the first relay section 24, which combines the fixed pulley 24B and the movable pulley 24A, the force required for the motor 18 to wind up the wire 5 (lift the payload 8) can be reduced, allowing the motor 18 to be made smaller. As a result, it is expected that the weight reduction achieved by making the motor 18 smaller will be greater than the weight increase achieved by providing the first relay section 24, allowing the total weight of the aircraft to be reduced. This allows the aircraft to have a longer range and be more precisely controlled. Furthermore, reducing the total weight of the aircraft allows the aircraft's payload to be increased, making it possible to support a heavier payload 8.

[0042] The second relay portion 25 is preferably disposed outside the first relay portion 24. In other words, the first relay portion 24 is preferably disposed in a central region of the airframe, and the second relay portion 25 is preferably disposed in an outer region of the airframe. For example, the second relay portion 25 can be disposed in a position overlapping with the sub-rotor 3B in a plan view. Specifically, it is preferable that the center of the second relay portion 25 overlaps with the center of the sub-rotor 3B in a plan view. Furthermore, the motor 18 is preferably disposed inside the second relay portion 25 (toward the center position or center of gravity position G of the airframe), preferably in the central region, and more preferably inside the first relay portion 24.

[0043] This allows for an optimal weight balance of the aircraft and allows for precise control of the aircraft.

[0044] The load 8 is not limited to being suspended by a plurality of wires 5, but may be suspended by a single wire 5. In this case, it is preferable that the second relay part 25 is provided in the central region of the vehicle, and the load 8 is suspended below the central region of the vehicle. Even in this case, by providing the first relay part 24, the motor 18 can be made smaller, and the vehicle can be made lighter.

[0045] (2) In each of the above embodiments, the relay unit 17 is not limited to being disposed outside the motor 18, and the relay unit 17 may be disposed in the central region, and the motor 18 may be disposed outside the relay unit 17. In other words, one of the motor 18 (mounting unit 16) and the relay unit 17 is disposed closer to the outside of the aircraft than the other in a plan view. For example, one of the motor 18 (mounting unit 16) and the relay unit 17 is disposed in the central region, and the other is disposed in the outer region.

[0046] As described above, if the motor 18 is heavier than the relay unit 17, arranging the relay unit 17 outside the motor 18 improves the stability of the airframe and enables precise control of the airframe. Conversely, if the relay unit 17 is heavier than the motor 18 (mounting unit 16), the motor 18 (mounting unit 16) may be arranged outside the relay unit 17. This improves the stability of the airframe and enables precise control of the airframe. In other words, the lighter of the motor 18 (mounting unit 16) and the relay unit 17 may be arranged outside the heavier one in a plan view. This allows the outer region of the airframe to be lighter, resulting in improved airframe stability and precise control of the airframe.

[0047] Furthermore, it is preferable to determine the placement of the motor 18 (mounting portion 16) and the relay portion 17 so that the aircraft is more stable, taking into consideration not only the weight of the motor 18 (mounting portion 16) and the weight of the relay portion 17, but also these weights, the moment acting on the motor 18, and the effects of external disturbances, etc.

[0048] (3) In each of the above embodiments, the attachment mechanism 15 may be an attachment portion 16 that fixes and supports the wire 5 instead of the motor 18 that is the winding portion.

[0049] (4) In each of the above embodiments, the wire 5 is not limited to being supported by the drone via the attachment mechanism 15. As shown in FIG. 5 , the wire 5 may be directly supported by the drone by the attachment portion 16 instead of the motor 18 or relay portion 17. The attachment portion 16 is disposed outward from the center position or center of gravity G of the main body portion 2, i.e., in a position spaced outward from the center position or center of gravity G of the main body portion 2. In other words, the attachment portion 16 is disposed in a region between the midpoint of a line connecting the center position or center of gravity G of the main body portion 2 and the central portion (axis of the sub-rotor 3B), which is the axis of the rotor 3, and the rotor 3 (sub-rotor 3B), i.e., in a region spaced outward from the midpoint, in a plan view. For example, the attachment portion 16 is provided on the arm portion 4, more preferably in an end region of the arm portion 4 away from the main body portion 2. Alternatively, the attachment portion 16 may be positioned in a region of the main body portion 2 that is outside the midpoint between the center position or center of gravity position G of the main body portion 2 and the outer edge of the main body portion 2 when viewed in a plane, and more preferably, may be positioned at or near the outer end portion of the main body portion 2 that is the boundary portion with the arm portion 4.

[0050] With this configuration, the payload 8 can be suspended from the periphery (outer region) of the airframe to below the central region of the airframe by the wires 5. By suspending the payload 8 from the periphery of the airframe, the payload 8 is pulled in the circumferential direction, allowing the payload 8 to be suspended stably. As a result, the flying object can be controlled with high precision.

[0051] Furthermore, since the attachment parts 16 can be distributed in the outer region of the airframe, it is easy to maintain the weight balance of the airframe in an appropriate state. Furthermore, the suspension load of the payload 8 is distributed, making it easy to maintain the airframe structure in an appropriate state to ensure the strength necessary to hold the attachment parts 16 and the payload 8. As a result, it is easy to stabilize and lighten the airframe, and the flying object can be controlled with precision.

[0052] Furthermore, since the mounting portion 16 can be configured to simply fix and support the wire 5, it is relatively easy to reduce the weight, and it is possible to suppress an increase in weight in the outer area of ​​the airframe, which results in improved stability of the airframe and allows for precise control of the flying object.

[0053] Furthermore, it is preferable that the mounting portion 16 be positioned so as to overlap the rotor 3, more preferably the sub-rotor 3B, in a plan view. For example, it is preferable that the center of the mounting portion 16 overlaps the center of the sub-rotor 3B in a plan view. The rotor 3 generates lift, and the sub-rotor 3B in particular generates lift for controlling the attitude of the vehicle. By positioning the mounting portion 16 so as to overlap the sub-rotor 3B, the lift generated by the sub-rotor 3B can be adjusted in response to the weight of the mounting portion 16 and the moment generated on the mounting portion 16 by hanging the payload 8, thereby easily improving the stability of the vehicle.

[0054] (5) In the above embodiment (4), the attachment portion 16 may be a hoisting portion that adjusts the length of the wire 5 of the motor 18, etc. With this configuration, the length of the wire 5 can be adjusted, and the posture of the load 8 can be easily stabilized.

[0055] (6) In a configuration in which the load 8 is suspended from multiple locations (multi-point suspension), the configuration is not limited to using multiple wires 5, and the load 8 can be suspended from two locations using a single circular wire 5, as shown in Figure 6.

[0056] The drone in this embodiment includes a motor 18 provided in a central region of the airframe and two relay units 17 provided in outer regions of the airframe. For example, the motor 18 is located in a position that overlaps the center position or center of gravity G of the airframe in a plan view at the bottom of the main body 2. The two relay units 17 are located at both end regions of the airframe, for example, end regions of the arm unit 4, so as to face each other across the center position or center of gravity G of the airframe in a plan view.

[0057] The wire 5 is provided with supports 6 on both ends, and the two supports 6 support the payload 8 at two points. In other words, the wire 5, including the payload 8, is configured in a ring shape. The motor 18 and two relay units 17 support the wire 5. In other words, the wire 5 is supported on the aircraft at three points: the motor 18 and the two relay units 17. The relay units 17 support the wire 5 at two opposing outer areas, so the payload 8 is suspended from two points. The relay units 17 can be pulleys.

[0058] Since the motor 18 supports the wire 5 midway, the wire 5 protrudes from two points on the motor 18. The motor 18 can feed the wire 5 from one side to the other. In the example of FIG. 6 , the motor 18 can feed the wire 5 to the right or left. Since the wire 5 is supported by two relay sections 17, the length of the wire 5 from one relay section 17 to the payload 8 becomes longer and the length of the wire 5 from the other relay section 17 to the payload 8 becomes shorter as the motor 18 feeds the wire 5 to the left and right. This makes it possible to adjust the length of the wire 5 from the aircraft body to the payload 8 so that the posture of the payload 8 is stable.

[0059] Furthermore, since one motor 18 feeds out the wire 5 in one of two directions, only one motor 18 needs to be provided for each two points supporting the payload 8. This allows for a reduction in the number of motors 18, thereby reducing the weight of the aircraft. Furthermore, since the number of motors 18 can be reduced, the weight of the frame supporting the motors 18 can also be reduced, thereby also reducing the weight of the aircraft. As a result, the aircraft can be controlled with high precision. Furthermore, by arranging the motors 18 in the central region of the aircraft, the weight balance of the aircraft can be optimized, allowing for high precision control of the aircraft.

[0060] In addition, the drone is not limited to a configuration including one wire 5, one motor 18, and two relay units 17, but may also include multiple sets, with one wire 5, one motor 18, and two relay units 17 as one set.

[0061] (7) In each of the above embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2 , a configuration may be provided in which two main rotors 3A and four sub-rotors 3B are provided, but the number of each of the main rotors 3A and sub-rotors 3B is arbitrary. Furthermore, the configuration is not limited to one in which the main rotor 3A propels the aircraft and the sub-rotors 3B control the aircraft's attitude, and each may have an arbitrary function. For example, the main rotor 3A may have a function of controlling the attitude in addition to propelling the aircraft, and the sub-rotors 3B may have a function of supplementing the thrust of the main rotor 3A.

[0062] In each of the above embodiments, a configuration has been exemplified in which any one of the relay portion 17, the second relay portion 25, and the mounting portion 16 is arranged in a position overlapping with the sub-rotor 3B, but any one of the relay portion 17, the second relay portion 25, and the mounting portion 16 may also be arranged in a position overlapping with the main rotor 3A. In other words, any one of the relay portion 17, the second relay portion 25, and the mounting portion 16 may be arranged in a position overlapping with either the main rotor 3A or the sub-rotor 3B, depending on the function, arrangement, number, etc. of the main rotor 3A and the sub-rotor 3B.

[0063] (8) In each of the above embodiments, the arm portion 4 may not be provided, and the rotor 3, the attachment portion 16, and the relay portion 17 may be supported by the main body portion 2. In this case, it is preferable that at least one of the attachment portion 16 and the relay portion 17 is disposed outside the center position or the center of gravity position G of the main body portion 2. Furthermore, the attachment portion 16 and the relay portion 17 may be supported by the rotor 3.

[0064] The present invention can be applied to any flying object that flies with any payload suspended by a wire.

[0065] 3 rotor (lift generating section) 5 wire (supporting member) 8 load 17 relay section 18 motor (hoisting section) 22 relay mechanism 24 first relay section 24A fixed pulley 24B movable pulley 25 second relay section

Claims

1. An aircraft that suspends a load and flies, comprising: a lift generating unit that generates lift used for flight; a support member that supports the load; a winding unit that extends or winds up the support member to adjust the length of the support member; and a relay mechanism including a plurality of relay units that relay and support the support member between the load and the winding unit.

2. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the relay unit includes at least a fixed pulley and a movable pulley.

3. The load is suspended by a plurality of the support members, and the relay mechanism is provided for each of the support members. The aircraft according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The relay mechanism includes a first relay unit including a fixed pulley and a movable pulley, and a second relay unit including a fixed pulley, the support member is connected to the load via the first relay unit and the second relay unit in this order from the winding unit, and one of the first relay unit and the second relay unit is arranged in a central region of the fuselage, and the other of the first relay unit and the second relay unit is arranged in an outer region outside the fuselage in a plan view with respect to the central region. The aircraft according to claim 3.

5. The aircraft according to claim 4, wherein the first relay unit is arranged in the central region and the second relay unit is arranged in the outer region.

6. The aircraft according to claim 5, wherein the winding unit is arranged in the central region.

7. The aircraft according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the winding unit is a motor.