Aerial vehicle

Abstract

In the present invention, a positioning device uses a pair of drone-side communication devices (22) to perform short distance wireless communication in accordance with a UWB wireless communication standard with an external communication device, and thereby acquires a positioning value for a drone (2). A housing (25) houses the positioning device. The housing (25) is disposed between the pair of drone-side communication devices (22) in a view from the vertical direction. The center position (C) of a straight line connecting the respective rotational axes (211) of a pair of rotors (21) overlaps with the housing (25) in a view from the vertical direction.

Description

Flying vehicle

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a flying vehicle.

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2024-124767 discloses a system that performs control to cause a drone, which is an example of a flying vehicle, to reach a target position using GPS (Global Positioning System) positioning values.

[0003] There is a demand for improving the accuracy of a flying vehicle reaching a target position.

[0004] One example aspect that the present disclosure can provide is a flying vehicle, comprising: a pair of rotor blades; a pair of communicators; a positioning device that acquires a positioning value of the flying vehicle by performing short-range wireless communication conforming to the UWB wireless communication standard with an external communication device using the pair of communicators; a housing that accommodates the positioning device; wherein the housing is arranged between the pair of communicators when viewed from the vertical direction, and a midpoint position of a straight line connecting rotation axes of the pair of rotor blades overlaps the housing when viewed from the vertical direction.

[0005] One example aspect that the present disclosure can provide is a flying vehicle, comprising: at least three rotor blades; a pair of communicators; a positioning device that acquires a positioning value of the flying vehicle by performing short-range wireless communication conforming to the UWB wireless communication standard with an external communication device using the pair of communicators; a housing that accommodates the positioning device; wherein the housing is arranged between the pair of communicators when viewed from the vertical direction, and a geometric center position of a figure formed by straight lines connecting rotation axes of the at least three rotor blades overlaps the housing when viewed from the vertical direction.

[0006] One embodiment that the present disclosure may provide is an aircraft comprising: a pair of rotors; at least three communication devices; a positioning device that acquires positional values ​​of the aircraft by performing short-range wireless communication in accordance with the UWB wireless communication standard with an external communication device using the at least three communication devices; and a housing that houses the positioning device, wherein the housing is positioned inside the sides of a polygon whose vertices are the reference positions of the at least three communication devices when viewed from the vertical direction, and the midpoint of the line connecting the rotation axes of the pair of rotors coincides with the housing when viewed from the vertical direction.

[0007] One embodiment that the present disclosure may provide is an aircraft comprising: at least three rotors; at least three communication devices; a positioning device that acquires positional values ​​of the aircraft by performing short-range wireless communication in accordance with the UWB wireless communication standard with an external communication device using the at least three communication devices; and a housing that houses the positioning device, wherein the housing is positioned inside the sides of a polygon whose vertices are the reference positions of the at least three communication devices when viewed from the vertical direction, and the geometric center of a figure formed by straight lines connecting the rotation axes of the at least three rotors coincides with the housing when viewed from the vertical direction.

[0008] The weight of the housing containing the rangefinder accounts for a relatively high proportion of the total weight of the aircraft. The inventors of this invention investigated the optimal arrangement when mounting such a housing on an aircraft that acquires positional values ​​by short-range wireless communication compliant with the UWB wireless communication standard using multiple communication devices. As a result, they found that by determining the positional relationship of the housing with respect to the multiple rotors and multiple communication devices to satisfy the above conditions, it is possible to acquire positional values ​​while improving the stability of the flight attitude. Therefore, an aircraft having the configuration described in each of the above embodiments can increase the accuracy of reaching the target position.

[0009] This section illustrates a drone and landing / takeoff port included in a communication system according to one embodiment. The functional configuration of the drone and landing / takeoff port shown in Figure 1 is illustrated. An example of the communication flow between the first port-side communication device and the first drone-side communication device shown in Figure 2 is illustrated. Another example of the communication flow between the first port-side communication device and the first drone-side communication device shown in Figure 2 is illustrated. One configuration example of the drone shown in Figure 1 is viewed from vertically below. Another configuration example of the drone shown in Figure 5 is illustrated. Another configuration example of the drone shown in Figure 1 is viewed from vertically below. Another configuration example of the drone shown in Figure 7 is illustrated. Another configuration example of the drone shown in Figure 1 is viewed from vertically below. Another configuration example of the drone shown in Figure 9 is illustrated. Another configuration example of the drone shown in Figure 1 is viewed from vertically below. Another configuration example of the drone shown in Figure 11 is illustrated.

[0010] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. In the drawings used in the following description, the scale has been appropriately changed to make each element recognizable.

[0011] Figure 1 illustrates the appearance of a drone 2 and a landing / takeoff port 3 included in a communication system 1 according to one embodiment. The communication system 1 is configured to land the drone 2 at a target position T at the landing / takeoff port 3 using communication compliant with the UWB (Ultra-Wide Band) wireless communication standard. The drone 2 is an example of an aircraft.

[0012] An example of a UWB wireless communication standard is channel number 9 in IEEE 802.15.4z (center frequency: 7987.2 MHz, frequency bandwidth: 499.2 MHz).

[0013] Drone 2 is equipped with multiple rotors 21. In this example, Drone 2 is equipped with four rotors 21.

[0014] As illustrated in Figure 2, the drone 2 is equipped with multiple drone-side communication devices 22. In this example, the multiple drone-side communication devices 22 include a first drone-side communication device 221, a second drone-side communication device 222, a third drone-side communication device 223, and a fourth drone-side communication device 224.

[0015] On the other hand, the arrival / departure port 3 is equipped with multiple port-side communication devices 32. In this example, the multiple port-side communication devices 32 include a first port-side communication device 321, a second port-side communication device 322, a third port-side communication device 323, and a fourth port-side communication device 324.

[0016] Each of the multiple drone-side communication devices 22 and the multiple port-side communication devices 32 has a well-known configuration that enables bidirectional communication in accordance with the aforementioned UWB wireless communication standard. In other words, each of the multiple drone-side communication devices 22 and the multiple port-side communication devices 32 is equipped with an antenna that has radio wave transmission and reception functions.

[0017] Drone 2 is equipped with a drone-side control device 23. The drone-side control device 23 is configured to control the radio wave transmission operation of each of the multiple drone-side communication devices 22. The drone-side control device 23 is configured to acquire information superimposed on the radio waves received by each of the multiple drone-side communication devices 22.

[0018] The arrival / departure port 3 is equipped with a port-side control device 33. The port-side control device 33 is configured to control the radio wave transmission operation of each of the multiple port-side communication devices 32. The port-side control device 33 is configured to acquire information superimposed on the radio waves received by each of the multiple port-side communication devices 32.

[0019] Referring to Figure 3, the positioning process performed between the first drone-side communication device 221 and the first port-side communication device 321 will be explained.

[0020] The port-side control device 33 causes the first port-side communicator 321 to transmit a first start signal p1 at time t1. The first start signal p1 is received by the first drone-side communicator 221 at time t2.

[0021] The drone-side control device 23, in response to the first start signal p1, causes the first drone-side communicator 221 to transmit a first response signal r1 at time t3. The first response signal r1 is received by the first port-side communicator 321 at time t4.

[0022] The port-side control device 33, in response to the first response signal r1, causes the first port-side communicator 321 to transmit a first completion signal f1 at time t5. The first completion signal f1 is configured to include information that identifies times t1, t4, and t5. The first completion signal f1 is received by the first drone-side communicator 221 at time t6.

[0023] The drone-side control device 23 holds information that identifies time points t2, t3, and t6. Adding the information that identifies time points t1, t4, and t5 provided by the first completion signal f1, the drone-side control device 23 calculates the following equation to obtain the distance d11 between the first port-side communicator 321 and the first drone-side communicator 221. The symbol c is the speed of light. d11 = c[(t4 - t1) - (t3 - t2) + (t6 - t3) - (t5 - t4)] / 4

[0024] Similarly, the drone-side control device 23 obtains the distance d21 between the second port-side communication device 322 and the first drone-side communication device 221, the distance d31 between the third port-side communication device 323 and the first drone-side communication device 221, and the distance d41 between the fourth port-side communication device 324 and the first drone-side communication device 221.

[0025] Based on the distance between the first drone-side communication device 221 and each of the multiple port-side communication devices 32, the three-dimensional coordinates of the first drone-side communication device 221 can be determined by processing such as solving a system of three linear equations, which is well known in positioning technology.

[0026] The drone-side control device 23 controls the flight of the drone 2 so that the three-dimensional coordinates of the identified first drone-side communication device 221 are brought closer to the three-dimensional coordinates associated with the target position T of the landing port 3. Specifically, the amount of rotation of each of the multiple rotors 21 is controlled. This allows the drone 2 to land at the landing port 3.

[0027] In this embodiment, the distance between each of the second drone-side communication device 222, the third drone-side communication device 223, and the fourth drone-side communication device 224 and each of the four port-side communication devices is obtained in the same manner. Therefore, a total of 16 distance values ​​are obtained. Based on these 16 distance values, the three-dimensional coordinates of the four drone-side communication devices 22 are obtained.

[0028] In the example above, the start signal is transmitted from multiple port-side communicators 32 mounted on the arrival / departure port 3. However, as illustrated in Figure 4, the start signal may also be transmitted from multiple drone-side communicators 22 mounted on the drone 2.

[0029] In this case, the acquired distance information is located at the take-off / arrival port, so in order for drone 2 to determine its own position, the acquired distance information is transmitted from take-off / arrival port 3 to drone 2. For example, the transmission of distance information is performed using communication compliant with the UWB wireless communication standard.

[0030] However, communication compliant with the UWB wireless communication standard has the characteristic that the power consumption burden is greater on the receiving side than on the transmitting side. As an alternative to avoid this problem, distance information can be transmitted using signals that do not comply with the UWB wireless communication standard.

[0031] Specifically, as illustrated in Figure 2, the drone 2 and the landing / takeoff port 3 may be equipped with auxiliary communication devices 24 and 34, respectively. The auxiliary communication devices 24 and 34 are configured to send and receive auxiliary signals AX via short-range wireless communication that does not conform to the UWB wireless communication standard. Examples of such short-range wireless communication include Bluetooth®, Bluetooth Low Energy®, ZigBee®, and Wi-Fi®.

[0032] In other words, the drone-side control device 23 operates as a positioning device that acquires the position of the drone 2 by using multiple drone-side communication devices 22 to perform short-range wireless communication in accordance with the UWB wireless communication standard with multiple port-side communication devices 32. Each of the multiple port-side communication devices 32 is an example of an external communication device.

[0033] The drone-side control device 23 can be implemented by at least one dedicated integrated circuit equipped with a memory element on which a computer program for realizing the above-described functions is pre-installed. Examples of dedicated integrated circuits include microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, and the like.

[0034] Alternatively, the drone-side control device 23 may be implemented by at least one general-purpose microprocessor operating in cooperation with at least one general-purpose memory. Examples of general-purpose microprocessors include CPUs, MPUs, and GPUs. Examples of general-purpose memory include ROMs and RAMs. In this case, the ROM may store a computer program for implementing the function. The general-purpose microprocessor selects at least a portion of the program stored in the ROM and loads it onto the RAM, and then works in cooperation with the RAM to execute the above-described process. This arithmetic unit may be implemented by a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a dedicated integrated circuit.

[0035] As illustrated in Figure 5, the drone 2 is equipped with a housing 25. The housing 25 houses the drone-side control device 23. Although not shown, the drone-side control device 23, which is implemented by at least one of a general-purpose microprocessor and a dedicated integrated circuit, may be mounted on a circuit board. The housing 25 is configured to house the components necessary to operate the drone-side control device 23, including the circuit board, power supply, wiring, etc. The shape of the housing 25 can be determined as appropriate, as long as it can accommodate the drone-side control device 23.

[0036] Figure 5 schematically illustrates the positional relationship between the multiple rotor blades 21, the multiple drone-side communication devices 22, and the housing 25 when the drone 2 is viewed from vertically below. The shape of the airframe supporting these components can be appropriately determined according to the specifications of the drone 2.

[0037] Each of the multiple rotor blades 21 is rotatable about a rotation axis 211. The geometric center position G of the rectangle formed by the straight lines connecting the four rotation axes 211 coincides with the housing 25 when viewed from the vertical direction. The rectangle is just one example of a geometric shape.

[0038] In addition, the housing 25 is positioned inside the sides of a rectangle whose vertices are the reference positions of the four drone-side communication devices 22 when viewed from the vertical direction. The rectangle is an example of a polygon. The reference positions of the multiple drone-side communication devices 22 can be determined as appropriate, provided that the same rules are applied to all of the drone-side communication devices 22. For example, the reference position may be the center position of each drone-side communication device 22 when viewed from the vertical direction. Alternatively, the reference position may be the position closest to or farthest from the geometric center position G when viewed from the vertical direction on each drone-side communication device 22.

[0039] The weight of the housing 25, which houses the drone-side control device 23, accounts for a relatively high proportion of the total weight of the drone 2. The inventors of this application investigated the optimal arrangement when mounting such a housing 25 on a drone 2 that acquires positional values ​​by short-range wireless communication compliant with the UWB wireless communication standard using multiple drone-side communication devices 22. As a result, they found that by determining the positional relationship of the housing 25 with respect to the multiple rotors 21 and multiple drone-side communication devices 22 to satisfy the above conditions, it is possible to acquire positional values ​​while improving the stability of the flight attitude. Therefore, with the drone 2 having the configuration according to this embodiment, the accuracy of reaching the target position T of the take-off and landing port 3 can be increased.

[0040] Multiple drone-side communication devices 22 can be made movable between the positions illustrated in Figure 5 and the positions illustrated in Figure 6. For example, a rail 27 can be provided to allow sliding of each drone-side communication device 22. This allows for displacements that increase or decrease the area of ​​a rectangle with the reference position of each drone-side communication device 22 as its vertex.

[0041] In this example, even when the area of ​​the rectangle is minimized, the entire housing 25 is located inside the sides of the rectangle. However, in the same state, a part of the housing 25 may be located outside the sides of the rectangle.

[0042] The shorter the distance between the plurality of drone-side communication devices 22, the easier it is for the geometric center of the rectangle having each reference position as a vertex to approach the center of mass of the drone 2, whereby flight stability can be improved. On the other hand, the longer the distance, the more the stability of short-range wireless communication compliant with the UWB wireless communication standard can be enhanced. According to the above configuration, it is possible to adjust the positions of the plurality of drone-side communication devices 22 in accordance with the specifications required for the drone 2. Therefore, the accuracy with which the drone 2 reaches the target position T can be improved.

[0043] In addition, the drone-side control device 23 can be caused to execute a process of changing the positions of the plurality of drone-side communication devices 22 in accordance with the flight schedule of the drone 2. For example, when it is determined as a result of acquiring a positioning value that the distance to the target position T is less than a threshold value Dt (see FIG. 1), the drone-side control device 23 can displace the plurality of drone-side communication devices 22 so as to increase the area of the rectangle having the reference positions of the respective drone-side communication devices 22 as vertices. The condition that the distance to the target position T is less than the threshold value Dt is one example of a predetermined condition.

[0044] According to such a configuration, the plurality of drone-side communication devices 22 can be placed at positions that prioritize flight stability until the drone 2 approaches the target position T to a certain extent, and after approaching the target position T, the plurality of drone-side communication devices 22 can be placed at positions that prioritize the stability of positioning processing. Note that even at a position where the distance to the target position T is less than the threshold value Dt, the plurality of drone-side communication devices 22 may be arranged to increase the area of the rectangle in order to stabilize operations such as hovering.

[0045] Alternatively, a case where an instruction to change the position of the drone-side communication device 22 from an operator of the drone 2 is input via wireless communication can also be one example of the predetermined condition.

[0046] FIG. 7 shows another example configuration that the drone 2 can adopt. The drone 2 according to this example includes a pair of rotor blades 21 and a pair of drone-side communication devices 22.

[0047] In this example, the housing 25 is arranged between the pair of drone-side communication devices 22 when viewed from the vertical direction. In addition, the midpoint position C of the straight line connecting the pair of rotating shafts 211 overlaps the housing 25 when viewed from the vertical direction. Even with such a configuration, the aforementioned advantageous effect that the acquisition of positioning values can be performed while improving the stability of the flight attitude of the drone 2 can be obtained.

[0048] The pair of drone-side communication devices 22 can be movable between the position illustrated in FIG. 7 and the position illustrated in FIG. 8. For example, a rail 27 that allows sliding of each drone-side communication device 22 may be provided. This allows displacement that increases or decreases the distance between the reference positions of the pair of drone-side communication devices 22 when viewed from the vertical direction.

[0049] In this example, when the distance is minimized, a part of the housing 25 overlaps each drone-side communication device 22 when viewed from the vertical direction. However, even in this state, the entire housing 25 may be positioned between the pair of drone-side communication devices 22 when viewed from the vertical direction.

[0050] Even with such a configuration, it is possible to adjust the positions of the plurality of drone-side communication devices 22 according to the specifications required for the drone 2, and it is also possible to cause the drone-side control device 23 to perform processing of changing the positions of the pair of drone-side communication devices 22 according to the flight schedule of the drone 2.

[0051] As long as the drone 2 includes a plurality of rotor blades 21 and a plurality of drone-side communication devices 22, the numbers of the two do not need to match. FIG. 9 shows another configuration example of such a drone 2. The drone 2 according to this example includes a pair of rotor blades 21 and three drone-side communication devices 22.

[0052] In this example, the housing 25 is arranged inside the sides of a triangle whose vertices are the reference positions of the three drone-side communication devices 22 when viewed from the vertical direction. A triangle is an example of a polygon. In addition, the midpoint position C of the straight line connecting the pair of rotating shafts 211 overlaps the housing 25 when viewed from the vertical direction. Even with such a configuration, the aforementioned advantageous effect that the acquisition of positioning values can be performed while improving the stability of the flight attitude of the drone 2 can be obtained.

[0053] The three drone-side communication devices 22 can be movable between the positions illustrated in Figure 9 and the positions illustrated in Figure 10. For example, a rail 27 can be provided to allow sliding of each drone-side communication device 22. This allows for displacements that increase or decrease the area of ​​the triangle with the reference position of each drone-side communication device 22 as its vertex.

[0054] In this example, in the state where the area of ​​the triangle is minimized, a portion of the housing 25 overlaps with each drone-side communication device 22 when viewed from the vertical direction. However, even in the same state, the entire housing 25 may be located inside the sides of the triangle when viewed from the vertical direction.

[0055] With this configuration, the positions of the three drone-side communication devices 22 can be adjusted according to the specifications required for drone 2, and the drone-side control device 23 can be made to perform the process of changing the positions of the three drone-side communication devices 22 according to the flight schedule of drone 2.

[0056] The explanation given with reference to Figures 9 and 10 is also applicable when the number of drone-side communication devices 22 is five or more.

[0057] Figure 11 shows another configuration example of drone 2 in which the number of rotor blades 21 and the number of drone-side communication devices 22 do not match. In this example, drone 2 is equipped with three rotor blades 21 and a pair of drone-side communication devices 22.

[0058] In this example, the housing 25 is positioned between a pair of drone-side communication devices 22 when viewed from the vertical. In addition, the geometric center position G of the triangle formed by the straight lines connecting the three rotation axes 211 coincides with the housing 25 when viewed from the vertical. This configuration also provides the aforementioned advantageous effect of being able to acquire positioning values ​​while improving the stability of the drone 2's flight attitude.

[0059] A pair of drone-side communication units 22 may be movable between the positions illustrated in Figure 11 and the positions illustrated in Figure 12. For example, a rail 27 may be provided to allow sliding of each drone-side communication unit 22. This allows for displacements that increase or decrease the distance between the reference positions of each drone-side communication unit 22.

[0060] In this example, even when the distance is minimized, the entire housing 25 is positioned between the pair of drone-side communication devices 22. However, in the same state, a part of the housing 25 may overlap with each drone-side communication device 22 when viewed from the vertical direction.

[0061] With this configuration, it is possible to adjust the positions of multiple drone-side communication devices 22 according to the specifications required for drone 2, and it is also possible to have the drone-side control device 23 perform the process of changing the positions of a pair of drone-side communication devices 22 according to the flight schedule of drone 2.

[0062] The explanation given with reference to Figures 11 and 12 is also applicable when the number of rotor blades 21 is five or more.

[0063] The configurations described herein are merely examples to facilitate understanding of this disclosure. Each configuration example may be modified and combined with other configuration examples as appropriate, without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0064] In each configuration example described with reference to Figures 5 to 12, the multiple drone-side communication devices 22 are positioned below the multiple rotor blades 21.

[0065] With this configuration, radio waves transmitted and received between the port-side communication device 32, which is located below the drone 2 during flight, are less likely to be obstructed by parts of the drone 2's body. In addition, the flexibility of positioning multiple drone-side communication devices 22 can be increased.

[0066] The "UWB wireless communication standard" used in the above embodiment example originates from a standardization standard compliant with IEEE 802.15. However, this expression is not intended to limit the scope to that standard. Any short-range wireless communication standard that can determine the relative positions of communication devices with high accuracy and has advantages such as low power consumption and low interference with other communications may be adopted. For example, distance values ​​may be obtained by short-range wireless communication compliant with the Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark) standard.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the communication system 1 is used to determine the position of the drone 2 relative to the target position. However, the communication system 1 may also be used to determine the position of an aircraft capable of carrying a person.

[0068] The contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-053800, filed on 27 March 2025, are incorporated herein by reference as forming part of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An aircraft comprising: a pair of rotors; a pair of communication devices; a positioning device that acquires the position of the aircraft by performing short-range wireless communication in accordance with the UWB wireless communication standard with an external communication device using the pair of communication devices; and a housing that houses the positioning device, wherein the housing is positioned between the pair of communication devices when viewed from the vertical direction, and the midpoint of the line connecting the rotation axes of the pair of rotors coincides with the housing when viewed from the vertical direction.

2. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the pair of communication devices are positioned below the pair of rotor blades.

3. An aircraft comprising: at least three rotors; a pair of communication devices; a positioning device that acquires the position of the aircraft by performing short-range wireless communication in accordance with the UWB wireless communication standard with an external communication device using the pair of communication devices; and a housing that houses the positioning device, wherein the housing is positioned between the pair of communication devices when viewed from the vertical direction, and the geometric center of the figure formed by the straight lines connecting the rotation axes of the at least three rotors coincides with the housing when viewed from the vertical direction.

4. The aircraft according to claim 3, wherein the pair of communication devices are positioned below the at least three rotor blades.

5. The aircraft according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the pair of communication devices are movable so as to increase or decrease the distance between reference positions as viewed from the vertical.

6. An aircraft comprising: a pair of rotors; at least three communication devices; a positioning device that acquires the position of the aircraft by performing short-range wireless communication in accordance with the UWB wireless communication standard with an external communication device using the at least three communication devices; and a housing that houses the positioning device, wherein the housing is positioned inside the sides of a polygon whose vertices are the reference positions of the at least three communication devices when viewed from the vertical direction, and the midpoint of the line connecting the rotation axes of the pair of rotors coincides with the housing when viewed from the vertical direction.

7. The aircraft according to claim 6, wherein the at least three communication devices are positioned below the pair of rotor blades.

8. An aircraft comprising: at least three rotors; at least three communication devices; a positioning device that acquires the position of the aircraft by performing short-range wireless communication in accordance with the UWB wireless communication standard with an external communication device using the at least three communication devices; and a housing that houses the positioning device, wherein the housing is positioned inside the sides of a polygon whose vertices are the reference positions of the at least three communication devices when viewed from the vertical direction, and the geometric center of the figure formed by the straight lines connecting the rotation axes of the at least three rotors coincides with the housing when viewed from the vertical direction.

9. The aircraft according to claim 8, wherein the at least three communication devices are positioned below the at least three rotor blades.

10. The aircraft according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein at least three communication devices are movable so as to increase or decrease the area of ​​the polygon as viewed from the vertical.

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