Drone providing lighting function

Abstract

A drone providing a lighting function, according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprises: a main body part; a rotating part coupled to an upper end portion of the main body part and comprising a propeller; and a lighting part coupled so as to extend downward from a lower end portion of the main body part, wherein the propeller can be folded toward the main body part. The drone providing a lighting function according to the present invention may have a stable structure capable of stably dropping from an aircraft and starting flight at a ground portion so as to provide a lighting function.

Description

Drones that provide lighting functions

[0001] The present invention relates to a drone providing a lighting function, and more particularly, to a drone for replacing an aerial flare.

[0002] Aircraft flares are designed to provide visibility to friendly infantry during nighttime military operations. They are dropped from approximately 6,000 feet, enter a freefall, and then, at approximately 3,000 feet, a timer activates and a parachute is released, providing visible or infrared illumination to the ground. However, aircraft flares have limited illumination duration, making them insufficient for military operations. Furthermore, their use can cause environmental pollution due to the use of flammable materials. Therefore, there is a need to develop environmentally friendly products that provide long-lasting illumination. Lighting drones are gaining attention as an alternative to aircraft flares.

[0003] [Prior Art Literature]

[0004] [Patent Document]

[0005] (Patent Document 1) KR 10-2101801 B1

[0006] The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and aims to develop a drone that provides long-term illumination during night military operations and replaces aircraft flares.

[0007] A drone providing a lighting function according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a main body, a rotating part coupled to an upper part of the main body and including a propeller, and a lighting part coupled to extend downward from a lower part of the main body, wherein the propeller is capable of folding toward the main body.

[0008] In a drone providing a lighting function according to one embodiment of the present invention, the main body may include a cylindrical housing, a motor unit positioned adjacent to an upper end of the main body unit inside the housing to transmit rotational force to the rotating unit, and a power unit positioned inside the housing to supply power to the motor unit and the lighting unit.

[0009] In a drone providing a lighting function according to one embodiment of the present invention, the rotating part may include a propeller that generates lift when the rotating part rotates, a central rotating body that is formed smaller than the diameter of the housing and rotates by receiving power from the motor part, and a hinge part that extends outward from the central rotating body and rotates so that the propeller can be folded so as to be in close contact with the main body part.

[0010] In a drone providing a lighting function according to one embodiment of the present invention, the central rotating body may include a lower rotating body having a cylindrical structure that directly receives rotational force from the motor unit and extends upward from the upper end of the main body unit, and an upper rotating body formed as a cylindrical structure having a diameter larger than that of the lower rotating body and smaller than that of the housing, and formed integrally with the lower rotating body to rotate, and coupled to the hinge unit.

[0011] In a drone providing a lighting function according to one embodiment of the present invention, the main body may include a navigation sensor for measuring air pressure and altitude and a control unit for controlling the flight of the drone.

[0012] In a drone providing a lighting function according to one embodiment of the present invention, the lighting unit may include a light emitting unit that emits visible light or infrared light and a lighting housing surrounding the light emitting unit, the upper portion of which is identical to the diameter of the housing, but the diameter increases as it goes downward.

[0013] The drone providing the lighting function of the present invention can have a stable structure that can stably fall from an aircraft and start flying on the ground to provide the lighting function.

[0014] The drone providing the lighting function of the present invention can be of great help in nighttime ground operations as the lighting provision time is dramatically increased compared to existing aircraft surface-to-air missiles.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] FIGS. 2 and 3 are front views of a drone according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the rotating part of a drone according to one embodiment of the present invention; and

[0018] Figure 5 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the main body of a drone according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to specific embodiments, but rather encompasses various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives of the embodiments of the present invention. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar components.

[0020] In this document, the expressions "have", "may have", "include", or "may include" indicate the presence of a feature (e.g., a number, function, operation, or component such as a part), and do not exclude the presence of additional features.

[0021] In this document, the expressions "A or B," "at least one of A and / or B," or "one or more of A and / or B" can include all possible combinations of the listed items. For example, "A or B," "at least one of A and B," or "at least one of A or B" can all refer to cases where (1) at least one A is included, (2) at least one B is included, or (3) at least one A and at least one B are included.

[0022] The expression "configured to" as used herein can be used interchangeably with, for example, "suitable for", "having the capacity to", "designed to", "adapted to", "made to", or "capable of". The term "configured to" does not necessarily mean "specifically designed to".

[0023] The terms used in this document are used only to describe specific embodiments and may not be intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. The singular expression may include the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art described in this document. Terms defined in general dictionaries among the terms used in this document may be interpreted as having the same or similar meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this document. In some cases, even if a term is defined in this document, it cannot be interpreted to exclude the embodiments of this document.

[0024] The embodiments disclosed in this document are presented for the purpose of explaining and understanding the disclosed technical content and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of this document should be interpreted to include all modifications or various other embodiments based on the technical concept of the present invention.

[0025] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. Prior to this, it should be noted that the terms and words used in this specification and claims should not be construed as limited to their conventional or dictionary meanings. Based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of a term to best explain his or her invention, they should be interpreted in a way that aligns with the technical spirit of the present invention.

[0026] Accordingly, the configurations of the embodiments described in this specification are only some of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention, so it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modified examples that can replace them at the time of filing this application.

[0027] Throughout the specification, whenever a part is said to “include” a component, this does not mean that it excludes other components, but rather that it may include other components, unless otherwise stated.

[0028] The objects, specific advantages, and novel features of the present invention described herein will become more apparent from the following detailed description and preferred embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this specification, reference numerals are given to components in each drawing, and it should be noted that, as far as possible, identical components are given the same numerals even if they are shown in different drawings. Furthermore, terms such as "one side," "the other side," "first," and "second" are used to distinguish one component from another, and the components are not limited by these terms. In the following description of the present invention, detailed descriptions of related known technologies that may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention will be omitted.

[0029] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, and the same reference numerals indicate the same components.

[0030]

[0031] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a drone (1) providing a lighting function according to the present invention will be described.

[0032]

[0033] First, in order to explain that the drone (1) providing the lighting function of the present invention is intended to replace an aerial flare, the process of using the drone (1) will be described.

[0034] The drone (1) is loaded onto an aircraft and enters the operational area at an altitude of 6,000 feet. The drone (1) is then released from the aircraft. At this time, it descends vertically to approximately 1,000 feet, after which the lighting is activated to begin providing illumination to the ground. In other words, the drone (1) of the present invention must be manufactured with a structure that facilitates vertical descent from high altitude to low altitude, and must be durable enough to withstand friction with the air caused by vertical descent.

[0035]

[0036] Figures 1 to 4 illustrate a drone (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0037]

[0038] A drone (1) providing a lighting function according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a main body (10), a rotating part (20) coupled to the upper end of the main body (10) and including a propeller (23), and a lighting part (30) coupled to extend downward from the lower end of the main body (10), and the propeller (23) is capable of folding toward the main body (10).

[0039]

[0040] A drone (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a main body (10), a rotation part (20), and a lighting part (30). The main body (10) is a component that protects major essential components and serves as a central structure of the drone (1). The rotation part (20) includes a propeller (23) and, by rotating, serves to generate lift for the drone (1). The lighting part (30) is a component that performs a lighting operation for the ground and is a component that emits visible light or infrared rays. The rotation part (20) and the lighting part (30) are respectively arranged in the vertical direction centered on the main body (10).

[0041] At this time, as shown in Fig. 3, the propeller (23) can be folded toward the main body (10). The reason why the propeller (23) is equipped with a folding function is that, due to the nature of the drone (1) of the present invention being transported by aircraft, ease of storage is important, and thus, reducing the volume of the drone (1) is essential. In addition, the drone (1) of the present invention must descend vertically from a high altitude, and thus, durability to withstand large friction with the air is important. Therefore, when descending, it is necessary to protect the propeller (23) portion, which is relatively weak in durability, and accordingly, a folding function of the propeller (23) can be equipped on the drone (1) to minimize concerns about damage due to ground resistance by folding the propeller during descent.

[0042]

[0043] In a drone (1) providing a lighting function according to one embodiment of the present invention, the main body (10) may include a cylindrical housing (11), a motor unit (12) disposed adjacent to the upper end of the main body (10) inside the housing (11) to transmit rotational force to the rotating unit (20), and a power supply unit (13) disposed inside the housing (11) to supply power to the motor unit (12) and the lighting unit (30).

[0044]

[0045] The main body (10) of a drone (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a housing (11), a motor (12), and a power supply (13).

[0046] The housing (11) can be manufactured in a cylindrical shape to minimize air resistance when the drone (1) vertically descends.

[0047] Referring to Fig. 5, the configuration formed inside the main body (10) can be seen. A motor unit (12) and a power supply unit (13) can be formed inside the main body (10). The motor unit (12) is formed adjacent to the upper part of the main body (10) to transmit the rotational power of the rotation unit (20). The power supply unit (13) can be formed as a battery, and the power supply unit (13) is formed so as to be able to supply power to the lighting unit (30) and the motor unit (12).

[0048]

[0049] In a drone (1) providing a lighting function according to one embodiment of the present invention, the rotating part (20) may be formed to be smaller than the diameter of the housing (11), and may include a central rotating body (21) that receives power from the motor part (12) to rotate, and a hinge part (22) that extends outward from the central rotating body (21) and rotates so that the propeller (23) can be folded so as to be in close contact with the main body part (10).

[0050]

[0051] The rotating part (20) of the drone (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a central rotating body (21), a hinge part (22), and a propeller (23).

[0052] The central rotating body (21) is configured to rotate by receiving power directly from the motor unit (12), and is positioned above the upper portion of the main body unit (10). Referring to Fig. 4, the hinge unit (22) is configured to allow the propeller (23) to fold toward the main body unit (10), and is formed to extend toward the outside from the central rotating body (21).

[0053]

[0054] In a drone (1) providing a lighting function according to one embodiment of the present invention, the central rotating body (21) may include a lower rotating body (21a) having a cylindrical structure that directly receives rotational force from the motor unit (12) and extends upward from the upper end of the main body unit (10), and an upper rotating body (21b) formed as a cylindrical structure that is larger than the diameter of the lower rotating body (21a) and smaller than the diameter of the housing (11), and is formed integrally with the lower rotating body (21a) to rotate, and is coupled to the hinge unit (22).

[0055]

[0056] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the central rotor (21) of the drone (1) includes a lower rotor (21a) and an upper rotor (21b). Referring to FIG. 3, the lower rotor (21a) has a structure extending upward from the upper end of the main body (10), and can be seen to have a smaller height than the upper rotor (21b) and the main body (10). The upper rotor (21b) is formed to have a diameter larger than that of the lower rotor (21a) and smaller than that of the housing (11). The reason why the diameter of the upper rotor (21b) is formed to be smaller than that of the main body (10) is to minimize air resistance when the drone (1) vertically descends. In addition, the gap between the upper rotor (21b) and the upper end of the housing (11), i.e., the height of the lower rotor (21a), may be formed to be 1 / 5 or more and 1 / 4 or less of the height of the upper rotor (21b). This means that if the gap between the upper rotor (21b) and the upper part of the housing (11) is formed to be less than 1 / 5 of the height of the upper rotor (21b), air resistance due to the rotation of the upper rotor (21b) may be amplified due to the configuration of the main body (10), which may reduce drone flight efficiency, and if the gap between the upper rotor (21b) and the upper part of the housing (11) is formed to be more than 1 / 4 of the height of the upper rotor (21b), air may enter the space between the upper rotor (21b) and the main body (10) when the drone (1) vertically descends, which may weaken the durability of the rotating part (20).

[0057]

[0058] In a drone (1) providing a lighting function according to one embodiment of the present invention, the main body (20) may include a navigation sensor (14) that measures air pressure and altitude and a control unit (15) that controls the flight of the drone (1).

[0059]

[0060] Referring to FIG. 5, a navigation sensor (14) and a control unit (15) may be arranged inside the main body (20) of a drone (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The navigation sensor (14) measures the altitude of the drone (1) and measures the air pressure around the drone (1) to enable the drone (1) to operate at an appropriate altitude. The control unit (15) controls the flight of the drone (1), and in particular, performs flight control during vertical descent or mission execution. The control unit (15) may also be capable of performing a step-by-step mission according to the remaining battery level in order to perform an input mission.

[0061]

[0062] In a drone (1) providing a lighting function according to one embodiment of the present invention, the lighting unit (30) may include a light emitting unit (31) that emits visible light or infrared light and a lighting housing (32) that surrounds the light emitting unit (31) and has an upper portion that matches the diameter of the housing (11) but increases in diameter as it goes downward.

[0063]

[0064] A lighting unit (30) according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a light emitting unit (31) and a lighting housing (32).

[0065] The light emitting unit (31) is configured to emit visible light or infrared light. The light housing (32) can be configured to have a diameter that increases as it goes downward while being connected to the lower end of the housing (11). This is to control the speed of vertical descent while protecting other components of the drone (1) by having the light housing (32) receive air resistance when the drone (1) vertically descends. To this end, the drone must be dropped so that the light housing (32) faces downwards. The heaviest component among the components of the drone (1) is the power supply unit (13) composed of a battery. By arranging the power supply unit (13) adjacent to the light supply unit (30) as shown in FIG. 5, the center of gravity of the drone (1) can be moved downward. Therefore, when the drone (1) vertically descends, the light housing (32) experiences air resistance, thereby protecting other components of the drone (1).

[0066]

[0067] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a rotating part (20) of a drone (1) may additionally be provided with a fixing member (24) that is coupled between the propeller (23) and the hinge part (22) and serves to fix the propeller (23) while rotating about the hinge part (22). By separating the screw formed in the fixing member (24), the propeller (23) may be stored separately from the rotating part (20).

[0068]

[0069] Although the present invention has been described in detail through specific examples, this is intended to specifically explain the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and it will be apparent that modifications and improvements can be made by those skilled in the art within the technical spirit of the present invention.

[0070] All simple modifications or changes of the present invention fall within the scope of the present invention, and the specific protection scope of the present invention will be made clear by the appended claims.

[0071] [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1: Drone

[0073] 10: Main body

[0074] 11: Housing

[0075] 12: Motor section

[0076] 13: Power supply

[0077] 14: Navigation sensor

[0078] 15: Control unit

[0079] 20: Rotating part

[0080] 21: Central Rotor

[0081] 21a: Lower rotor

[0082] 21b: Upper rotor

[0083] 22: Hinge

[0084] 23: Propeller

[0085] 30: Lighting Department

[0086] 31: Light-emitting part

[0087] 32: Lighting housing

Claims

1. For drones that provide lighting functions, Main body; A rotating part coupled to the upper part of the main body and including a propeller; and It includes a lighting unit that is coupled to extend downward from the lower part of the main body; A drone that provides a lighting function and has the propellers foldable toward the main body.

2. In claim 1, The above main body part, A housing of cylindrical shape; A motor unit disposed adjacent to the upper end of the main body within the housing and transmitting rotational force to the rotating unit; and A drone providing a lighting function, comprising a power supply unit arranged inside the housing and supplying power to the motor unit and the lighting unit.

3. In claim 2, The above rotating part, A central rotating body formed smaller than the diameter of the housing and rotating by receiving power from the motor unit; and A drone providing a lighting function, comprising a hinge portion extending from the central rotating body to the outside and rotating so that the propeller can be folded so as to be in close contact with the main body.

4. In claim 3, The above central rotating body is, A lower rotating body having a cylindrical structure that directly receives rotational force from the above motor unit and extends upward from the upper end of the main body unit; and A drone providing a lighting function, comprising an upper rotating body formed as a cylindrical structure having a diameter larger than that of the lower rotating body and smaller than that of the housing, and formed integrally with the lower rotating body to rotate, and coupled to the hinge portion.

5. In claim 4, The above main body part, Navigation sensors that measure pressure and altitude; and A drone providing a lighting function, comprising a control unit that controls the flight of the drone.

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