JP5874940B1 - Aircraft and battery unit storage system - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a battery unit storage system capable of extending the flight time in one flight as compared with the conventional one. A battery unit storage system that can be mounted on a multi-rotor helicopter that flies by a plurality of rotors, wherein the battery unit storage system includes battery units 400a to 400e in which a plurality of battery cells are arranged, and battery units 400a to 400e. A plurality of battery units, and a battery unit storage unit 200 that stores each of the battery units 400a to 400e in a releasable manner, and the multi-rotor helicopter is in flight based on the remaining amount of charge of the battery units. When the battery unit storage unit 200 releases the battery unit, the battery unit drops. [Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a flying object including, for example, a multi-rotor helicopter including a plurality of rotors, and a battery unit storage system used therefor.

  Conventionally, unmanned single-rotor helicopters (hereinafter simply referred to as helicopters) and multi-rotor helicopters having a plurality of rotors used for agrochemical spraying and the like are known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  In the multi-rotor helicopter, a motor is used for power of the rotor, and a battery is exchangeably mounted as a power source.

  And in order to make the flight time as long as possible, a large-capacity battery is installed, or when replacing the battery, the battery installed in the helicopter landing on the parking lot is detached and a charged battery is installed. A battery replacement method has been proposed in which automatic and efficient operation is performed (see, for example, FIG. 13 of Patent Document 2).

JP 2014-766676 A JP 2014-31118 A

  However, when a large-capacity battery is installed, the motor drive time can be extended in one flight from takeoff to landing, but the flight time does not increase so much due to the increase in battery weight. is there.

  Also, by installing an automatic battery replacement facility in the parking lot that automatically detaches and installs the battery, the operating rate of the multi-rotor helicopter is improved compared to manual replacement of the battery by humans. As a result, although the flight time can be increased, there is a problem that the flight time in one flight cannot be extended and the equipment cost is increased.

  In view of the above-described conventional problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a flying object and a battery unit storage system capable of extending the flight time in one flight compared to the conventional technique.

The first aspect of the present invention is
An aircraft flying with one or more rotors driven by a rechargeable battery,
A battery unit in which one or a plurality of the batteries are arranged;
A battery unit storage unit that holds the plurality of battery units, and stores the battery units so that the holding of each of the battery units can be individually released, and
A control unit that detects a remaining amount of charge of the battery unit and releases the holding of the battery unit during flight based on the detection result;
Equipped with a,
The battery unit is a thin plate-like battery arranged in parallel on a substrate,
In the battery unit housing portion, the substrates are arranged in parallel to each other,
The flying direction of the battery unit is a flying object characterized by being a direction parallel to a surface of the substrate .
The second aspect of the present invention
An aircraft flying with one or more rotors driven by a rechargeable battery,
A battery unit in which one or a plurality of the batteries are arranged;
A battery unit storage unit that holds the plurality of battery units, and stores the battery units so that the holding of each of the battery units can be individually released, and
A control unit that detects a remaining amount of charge of the battery unit and releases the holding of the battery unit during flight based on the detection result;
A power switching circuit unit that performs power switching for use in power supply one by one from the plurality of battery units in order during one flight;
The control unit switches the power sources of the plurality of battery units via the power source switching circuit unit based on the detection result, and determines in advance the battery unit that has been used before the power source switching. It is a flying object characterized by flying to a specified position and then dropping.

The third aspect of the present invention
When the number of the battery units existing in the battery unit storage unit becomes one, the control unit does not drop and land at a predetermined position even if the remaining amount of charge is below a predetermined standard. The aircraft according to the first or second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a command to be issued is issued.

The fourth aspect of the present invention is
The substrate has a ring shape with a hole in the center ,
The on the surface of the front Stories substrate is provided with openings corresponding to the mounting position of the battery, it is flying of the first invention characterized by.

The fifth aspect of the present invention provides
The flying body of the fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that an impact absorbing member for absorbing an impact is attached to all or a part of the outer peripheral edge of the substrate.

The sixth aspect of the present invention provides
The control unit pre-encrypts and stores the unique position information, checks the correspondence between the GPS signal received during flight and the encrypted unique position information, and the correspondence is determined in advance. The flight body according to any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention is characterized in that the flight is not performed when it is determined to be out of range.

The seventh aspect of the present invention
A battery unit storage system that can be mounted on an aircraft flying with one or more rotors, driven by a rechargeable battery,
The battery unit storage system includes:
A battery unit in which one or a plurality of the batteries are arranged;
A battery unit storage unit that holds the battery units in a plurality and stores the battery units in a releasable manner separately.
Based on the remaining amount of charge of the battery unit, when the holding by the battery unit storage portion is released during the flight of the flying object, the battery unit falls ,
The battery unit is a thin plate-like battery arranged in parallel on a substrate,
In the battery unit housing portion, the substrates are arranged in parallel to each other,
The battery unit storage system is characterized in that the dropping direction of the battery unit is a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate .

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the flight body and battery unit accommodation system which can lengthen the flight time in one flight compared with the past can be provided.

The figure which shows the outline | summary of the multirotor helicopter of this Embodiment Schematic perspective view for explaining the configuration of the multi-rotor helicopter of the present embodiment (A): Plan view of the battery unit of the present embodiment, (b): AA ′ cross-sectional view of FIG. The schematic perspective view which showed the structure of the battery unit accommodating part of this Embodiment. (A): Schematic diagram showing a situation in which the battery unit of the present embodiment has dropped in a vertical posture with respect to the ground. (B): Situation in which the battery unit of the present embodiment has fallen in an inclined posture with respect to the ground. Schematic showing The block diagram which shows the structure of the control relationship of the multirotor helicopter of this Embodiment Flow chart showing an example of the processing procedure of the control unit for explaining the operation of the multi-rotor helicopter of the present embodiment The flowchart which showed another example of the process sequence of the control part for demonstrating operation | movement of the multirotor helicopter of this Embodiment In the multirotor helicopter of this Embodiment, the schematic diagram which shows another structural example which drops the battery unit put in the plastic bag

  Hereinafter, a multi-rotor helicopter which is an embodiment of a flying object of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, and an example of a battery unit storage system of the present invention will be described at the same time.

(Embodiment 1)
First, the outline | summary of the multirotor helicopter 100 of this Embodiment is demonstrated using FIG.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a multi-rotor helicopter 100 of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multi-rotor helicopter 100 of the present embodiment is capable of flying based on a flight start command from the remote controller 1 and receiving radio waves transmitted from the GPS satellite 2 to automatically It is configured to allow autonomous flight by maneuvering.

  The multi-rotor helicopter 100 according to the present embodiment is configured to spray a chemical solution such as agricultural chemicals while flying in a predetermined field area. At least the position information of the field 3 to be sprayed and the parking lot 4 The position information of the battery unit 400 and the position information of the drop location of the battery unit 400 can be stored in the memory unit 340 (see FIG. 6).

  In the present embodiment, the various position information to be stored in the memory unit 340 is configured to be input by an operator operating the remote controller 1.

  Further, the remote controller 1 is provided with a USB insertion port (not shown) to be described later. The remote controller 1 may be a wireless (RF) remote controller or an infrared (IR) remote controller.

  The multi-rotor helicopter 100 according to the present embodiment is equipped with a plurality of battery units 400 (see FIG. 3) for driving a rotor driving motor (see FIGS. 2 and 6) and the like. If the remaining charge level of the battery unit 400 falls below the reference value while flying in the field area, it will fly over the predetermined fall location 5a or 5b, and the corresponding battery unit 400 will be disconnected from the fuselage, It is the structure dropped to the place 5a or 5b.

  Next, the configuration of the multi-rotor helicopter 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view for explaining the configuration of the multi-rotor helicopter 100. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control-related configuration of multirotor helicopter 100.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the multi-rotor helicopter 100 includes a first motor stay 103a having rotor motors 101a and 101b attached to both ends, a substantially orthogonal arrangement with the first motor stay 103a, and a rotor motor 101c on both ends. The second motor stay 103b to which the 101d is attached and the rotor motors 101a to 101d are attached to the respective rotor motors 101a to 101d, and located at an equal distance from the intersection 104 of the first motor stay 103a and the second motor stay 103b on the substantially same plane. A propeller 102a to 102d disposed at the center, a plurality of chemical solution spray nozzles 105, and a chemical solution pipe 106 that passes through the intersection 104 and forms an angle of approximately 45 degrees with the first motor stay 103a and the second motor stay 103b; , Supplied into the chemical pipe 106 For storing the liquid, and a liquid tank 107, which is fixed above the intersection 104 a central body.

  In the present embodiment, the length of the portion of the chemical solution pipe 106 to which the chemical solution spray nozzle 105 is attached is about 2 m from both ends, and the capacity of the chemical solution tank 107 is about 10 liters.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the multi-rotor helicopter 100 is disposed at the center of the fuselage and below the chemical tank 107, and includes a control unit unit 300 in which a control unit 301 (see FIG. 6) and the like are housed. A battery unit storage unit 200 that stores a plurality of rechargeable battery units 400 for driving the rotor motors 101a to 101d and various electrical components, which are detachably attached to the lower surface of the unit 300; It includes a pair of left and right sled skids 108a and 108b fixed to both side surfaces.

  In addition, the battery unit storage part 200 which accommodated the some battery units 400a-400e is a structure which can be supplied independently.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit unit 300 includes a control unit 301, a battery unit charge remaining amount detection unit 310 that detects the remaining amount of charge of the battery unit 400 (400a to 400e), and a chemical tank. The chemical solution remaining amount detection unit 320 for detecting the chemical solution remaining amount in the 107, the communication unit 330 for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the remote controller 1, the memory unit 340, and the radio wave from the GPS satellite 2 are received. A GPS receiver 350, a gyro sensor 360 and an acceleration sensor 370 provided for controlling the flight attitude of the multi-rotor helicopter 100, and an altitude sensor 365 for detecting altitude are arranged. It is electrically connected to all the above-mentioned components arranged in the control unit 300, and can transmit and receive control signals and various detection results. It is configured.

  Further, when the remote controller 1 is configured with a wireless (RF) remote controller, the communication unit 330 includes a wireless receiver / transmitter, and the remote controller 1 is configured with an infrared (IR) remote controller. If there is, an infrared receiver / transmitter is provided.

  Further, the control unit 301 supplies a chemical solution spraying pump 380 disposed in the middle of a chemical solution supply path (not shown) between the chemical solution tank 107 and the chemical solution pipe 106, and a wire cutting device 390 (390a to 390e) described later. Also, it is electrically connected, and is configured to be able to transmit a control signal.

  In the present embodiment, in order to prevent the multi-rotor helicopter 100 from being misused for criminal acts, the purchaser of the flight target area of the multi-rotor helicopter 100 at the sales stage of the multi-rotor helicopter 100 is purchased. The position information corresponding to the registered flight target area is encrypted and stored in the memory unit 340 in a non-rewritable manner in advance.

  The battery units 400a to 400e are connected in parallel to a power supply line (not shown) via a switching circuit 395 (see FIG. 6), respectively, and by the switching circuit 395 that receives a control signal from the control unit 301, In this configuration, the battery units 400a to 400e are sequentially switched to supply power continuously.

  Next, the structure of the battery unit 400 and the battery unit storage part 200 is further demonstrated using FIG. 3 (a)-FIG.5 (b).

  3A is a plan view of the battery unit 400, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ of FIG. 3A.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the battery unit storage unit 200.

  In FIG. 4, the battery cells 420, the rectangular opening 411, and the triangular opening 412 are omitted from the battery units 400 a to 400 e in order to make the drawing easy to see. Further, in order to make the drawings easier to see, the shock absorbing cushion member 430 is omitted from the battery units 400b and 400c.

  FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram showing a situation in which the battery unit 400 has dropped in a vertical posture with respect to the ground, and FIG. 5B shows a situation in which the battery unit 400 has fallen in an inclined posture with respect to the ground. It is a schematic diagram shown.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the battery unit 400 includes a donut-shaped substrate 410 having a circular opening 413 at the center, and a plurality of the battery units 400 on the main surface 410a of the substrate 410 at equal intervals. The battery cell 420 and the outer peripheral edge of the substrate 410 are fixed to the upper edge and the lower edge of the substrate 410 shown in FIG. It is comprised by the cushion member 430 for rubber | gum shock absorption.

  The substrate 410 is mainly provided with a wiring pattern (not shown) for electrically connecting the positive electrode (not shown) and the negative electrode (not shown) of each battery cell 420 arranged on the main surface 410a in series. It is printed on the surface 410a and connected to the positive electrode side fast charge electrode 440a and the negative electrode side fast charge electrode 440b. The battery unit 400 can be charged at high speed via the positive electrode side high speed charging electrode 440a and the negative electrode side high speed charging electrode 440b by a high speed charging device (not shown).

  Further, the positive electrode side fast charge electrode 440a and the negative electrode side fast charge electrode 440b formed on the left and right ends on the main surface 410a of the substrate 410 are connected to the battery cutting device 390 (390a to 390e) and the battery unit 400 (400a). ˜400e) and one end of a pair of left and right power supply wires 441 for electrically connecting the battery unit 400 (400a to 400e) to a power supply line (not shown) are soldered.

  The other ends of the pair of left and right power supply wires 441 are connected to a wire cutting device 390 (390a to 390e), and the battery unit 400 (400a to 400e) is suspended vertically to the battery unit storage unit 200. It is a configuration to lower.

  In addition, a rectangular opening 411 smaller than the projected area of the battery cell 420 is provided on the lower surface of the substrate 410 where the battery cell 420 is disposed, and further, between the adjacent battery cells 420. A triangular opening 412 is provided.

  The weight of the battery unit 400 can be reduced by the rectangular opening 411, the triangular opening 412, and the circular opening 413 provided in the substrate 410.

  In addition, since the back surface of the battery cell 420 comes into contact with air through the rectangular opening 411 provided in the substrate 410, heat radiation from the back surface is promoted, and a cooling fan or the like for cooling the battery cell 420 is unnecessary. .

  Moreover, the battery cell 420 is comprised with the thin lithium ion secondary battery whose output is 3.7V, 4000mA, and the external dimension is a thin rectangular shape of about 120 mm x 65 mm x 3 mm.

  Since the battery unit 400 of this embodiment has six battery cells 420 mounted thereon, it supplies a voltage of 22.2V.

  Further, as described above, since the wiring pattern is printed on the substrate 410, the wiring harness for electrically connecting the battery cells 420 is not necessary, and the wiring is not necessary. Accordingly, the weight of the battery unit 400 can be reduced.

  Note that the weight of the battery unit 400 of the present embodiment is approximately 1 kg.

  Further, when the battery unit 400 is housed in the battery unit housing portion 200 by the shock absorbing cushion member 430 fixed to the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion of the substrate 410, the impact absorbing cushion member 430 is used. Since the cushion member 430 serves as a cushioning material, the substrate 410 and the battery cell 420 of the adjacent battery unit 400 can be prevented from colliding with each other. Further, even when the power supply wire 441 is cut and the battery unit 400 falls to the ground in any posture as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the shock absorbing cushion member 430 is used. Absorbs the impact when the battery drops, so that the substrate 410 and the battery cell 420 can be prevented from being damaged.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the battery unit storage unit 200 according to the present embodiment includes a rectangular parallelepiped storage unit body 220 having an opening 210 formed in the lower surface and having a storage space therein, and a ceiling part of the storage unit body 220. Are formed by five pairs of wire cutting devices 390 (390a to 390e) disposed opposite to the corners at both ends at the corners where the sidewalls on both sides intersect.

  Five battery units 400a to 400e are suspended from each wire cutting device 390 (390a to 390e) via a pair of left and right power supply wires 441 in the storage space inside the battery unit storage unit 200.

  Each wire cutting device 390 (390a to 390e) receives a connection control unit (not shown) that maintains electrical connection of the power supply wire 441 and at the same time holds mechanical connection, and a predetermined control signal from the control unit 301. A cutting section (not shown) that releases the electrical connection and mechanical connection held by the connection holding section by cutting the power supply wire 441 with a scissors (not shown) when received is incorporated. Yes.

  Here, the electrical connection of the power supply wire 441 means that the power supply wire 441 is electrically connected to a power supply line (not shown) via the switching circuit 395. Further, the mechanical connection of the power supply wires 441 means that the power supply wires 441 are mechanically connected to connection holding portions (not shown) of the wire cutting devices 390 (390a to 390e). doing.

  For example, when a pair of wire cutting devices 390a and 390a provided in the center of the ceiling receives a predetermined control signal from the control unit 301, the pair of power supply wires 441 are sequentially cut by the scissors of the cutting unit and stored. It is the structure which falls by the dead weight toward the downward direction from the opening part 210 provided in the lower surface of the part main body 220. FIG.

  The multi-rotor helicopter 100 according to the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the flying object of the present invention, and the battery cell 420 according to the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the battery according to the present invention. Further, the rectangular opening 411 of the present embodiment is an example of the opening of the present invention. Further, the switching circuit 395 of this embodiment corresponds to an example of a power supply switching circuit unit of the present invention. The shock absorbing cushion member 430 of the present embodiment is an example of the shock absorbing member of the present invention.

  Moreover, the component which includes the battery unit 400 (400a-400e) of this Embodiment and the battery unit storage part 200 corresponds to an example of the battery unit storage system of this invention.

  Next, the operation of the chemical solution spraying by the multi-rotor helicopter 100 of the present embodiment will be described mainly with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the control unit 301 for explaining the operation of the multi-rotor helicopter 100.

  First, the operator inserts a security USB key (not shown) in which an ID is stored in advance into the USB insertion port of the remote controller 1 (see FIG. 1), and then inputs a password (password) to remotely On the controller 1 side, activation confirmation is executed. Thereby, in the remote controller 1, when the security authentication is performed and it is determined that the ID and the code are correct, the remote controller 1 performs the operation of transmitting the flight start command by the operator. However, if it is determined that the ID or password is not compatible, the remote controller 1 does not accept the operation of sending the flight start command by the operator.

  When authentication of security is performed on the remote controller 1 side and it is determined that the ID and password are compatible, a flight start command is transmitted from the remote controller 1 operated by the operator, so communication of the multi-rotor helicopter 100 The unit 330 receives the flight start command from the remote controller 1 operated by the operator, and transmits that fact to the control unit 301. A minimum backup power source (not shown) that allows the communication unit 330 to receive the flight start command and activate the control unit 301 is built in the control unit unit 300 in advance separately from the battery unit 400.

  When the control unit 301 (see FIG. 6) receives the flight start command (S701), the control unit 301 (S701) sends a control signal to the switching circuit 395, among the five mounted battery units 400a to 400e, the center of the battery unit storage unit 200. The battery unit 400a disposed at the position is electrically connected to a power supply line (not shown). Thereby, drive power is supplied only from the battery unit 400a.

  Although details will be described later, after the battery unit 400a is separated and dropped onto the ground, driving power is supplied only from the battery unit 400b stored next to the position where the battery unit 400a is stored. After that, the battery unit 400 that supplies driving power while separating the battery unit 400 in a well-balanced manner so as not to adversely affect the attitude maintenance of the aircraft, such as the battery unit 400c, the battery unit 400d, and finally the battery unit 400e. It is switched sequentially.

  Further, when the control unit 301 receives the flight start command (S701), the control unit 301 activates the GPS receiving unit 350 (see FIG. 6) to receive the radio wave from the GPS satellite 2 (see FIG. 1). Calculation of position information is started using the GPS reception data (S702).

  The control unit 301 decrypts the encrypted unique position information stored in advance in the memory unit 340 using the decryption key recorded in advance in the control unit 301 at the manufacturing stage, and calculates in step S702. Compared with the position information, the correspondence between the two is checked (S703). If it is determined that the correspondence is outside the predetermined range, takeoff is rejected (S704), and the control of the flight by the control unit 301 is stopped (S704). S705).

  Thereby, for example, the position obtained when the flight start command is actually received (S701) and the calculation of the position information is started from the GPS reception data (S702) is outside the range of the flight area registered in advance. If the control unit 301 detects that there is, the take-off is refused, so that it is possible to prevent the possibility that the multi-rotor helicopter 100 will be used for criminal acts.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S703 that the correspondence between the positional information is within a predetermined range, a rotation start control signal is output to the rotor motors 101a to 101d, and the gyro sensor 360, acceleration The sensor 370, the altitude sensor 365, and the like are activated, and the takeoff of the multi-rotor helicopter 100 is disclosed (S706).

  Thereafter, the control unit 301 detects the attitude of the multi-rotor helicopter 100 using detection signals from the gyro sensor 360 and the acceleration sensor 370, and controls the number of rotations of the rotor motors 101a to 101d in order to control the flight attitude. While moving to the spray start position, using the detection signal from the altitude sensor 365, the step S707 is repeated while the multi-rotor helicopter 100 is lifted until reaching a predetermined height.

  When the multi-rotor helicopter 100 reaches a predetermined height, the control unit 301 causes the multi-rotor helicopter 100 to hover, transmits a drive start signal to the chemical liquid spray pump 380, and controls the attitude in the spray start direction. The scattering flight is started while keeping the constant (S708).

  Thereafter, the control unit 301 uses the position information of the field 3 to be sprayed stored in advance in the memory unit 340 and the position information obtained from the GPS receiving unit 350 to determine whether the spraying of the spray area has been completed. It is determined whether or not (S709).

  When it is determined that the spraying of the spray area has been completed, the control unit 301 uses the position information of the parking lot 4 stored in advance in the memory unit 340 and the position information obtained from the GPS receiving unit 350, The multi-rotor helicopter 100 is moved to the parking area 4 and landed (S710), and the control ends (S711).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the spraying of the spray area has not been completed, the control unit 301 determines whether or not the chemical remaining amount in the chemical liquid tank 107 output from the chemical remaining amount detection unit 320 is greater than or equal to a reference value ( S712).

  When it is determined that the remaining amount of the chemical solution is not equal to or greater than the reference value, the control unit 301 transmits a signal for stopping the driving of the chemical solution spray pump 380 (S713), and the position of the parking lot 4 stored in advance in the memory unit 340 Using the information and the position information obtained from the GPS receiver 350, the multi-rotor helicopter 100 is moved to the parking lot 4 and landed (S710), and the control ends (S711).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the remaining amount of the chemical liquid in the chemical liquid tank 107 is greater than or equal to the reference value, the control unit 301 supplies power at the present time based on the detection result from the battery unit remaining charge detection unit 310. It is determined whether the remaining charge amount of the battery unit 400a is equal to or greater than a reference value (S714).

  If it is determined that the remaining charge is equal to or greater than the reference value, the process returns to step S709 and the above steps are repeated.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the remaining charge of the battery unit 400a is not equal to or greater than the reference value, the control unit 301 checks the number of times the wire cutting command (predetermined control signal) is output to the wire cutting device 390, and It is determined whether or not there is one battery unit 400 stored in the storage unit 200 (S715).

  Since the control unit 301 has not yet output a wire cutting command at this time, the number of battery units 400 stored in the battery unit storage unit 200 is not one, and the process proceeds to step S716.

  In step S <b> 716, the control unit 301 once interrupts the driving of the chemical solution spraying pump 380, acquires position information at the time of the interruption from the GPS receiving unit 350, and stores it in the memory unit 340. Then, the control unit 301 uses the position information of the drop locations 5a and 5b stored in the memory unit 340 in advance and the position information obtained from the GPS receiver 350 to determine which fall location is the current flight. Determine if it is the closest distance from the position. If the fall location determined to be the closest distance is, for example, the fall location 5a, the control unit 301 controls the rotor motors 101a to 101d and moves the multi-rotor helicopter 100 to the sky above the fall location 5a. After moving (S716), a wire cutting command is output to the wire cutting device 390a.

  Upon receiving the wire cutting command, the pair of wire cutting devices 390a operates the scissors of the built-in cutting unit (not shown) to provide a slight time difference between the pair of power supply wires 441 connecting the battery unit 400a. Cut sequentially (S717). This is to prevent the voltage of the battery unit 400a from being applied to the pair of saddles by sequentially cutting the pair of power supply wires 441 with a slight time difference.

  As a result, the battery unit 400a whose remaining charge is lower than the reference value falls from the sky above the fall location to the fall location due to its own weight.

  Even if the battery unit 400a falls to the ground in any posture, as described with reference to FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), the impact shock when the rubber shock absorbing cushion member 430 is dropped. Therefore, the substrate 410 and the battery cell 420 can be prevented from being damaged, recovered, and reused as the battery unit 400.

  As a result of the battery unit 400a being disconnected from the fuselage, the total weight of the multi-rotor helicopter 100 is reduced by about 1 kg, and when the driving of the chemical solution spray pump 380 stored in the memory unit 340 in step S716 is interrupted. The position information is used again to return to the place where chemical spraying is interrupted in the spraying area (S718).

  Then, after the multi-rotor helicopter 100 reaches the place where the chemical solution spraying is interrupted, the driving of the chemical solution spray pump 380 is resumed (S719), and the spraying flight is continued and the process returns immediately before step S709.

  Thereafter, whenever it is detected that the remaining charge of the battery unit 400 is below the reference value, the battery unit 400b, the battery unit 400c, and the battery unit 400d are sequentially disconnected from the fuselage in this order. The total weight is reduced by about 1Kg each time, and finally the last battery unit 400e is used with the total weight of the machine reduced by about 4Kg by disconnecting the battery units 400a to 400d. However, it is possible to continue spraying chemicals.

  Then, when it is detected that the remaining charge amount of the last battery unit 400e is lower than the reference value (S714, S715), the control unit 301 moves to the parking lot 4 and lands without disconnecting the battery unit 400e. (S710), and the control is terminated (S711).

  As is clear from the above description, according to the configuration of multirotor helicopter 100 of the present embodiment, a plurality of battery units 400 in which a plurality of battery cells 420 are mounted are held in order. The used battery unit 400 with the remaining battery unit charge remaining below the reference value is sequentially and safely dropped to the place where it was dropped to reduce the weight of the aircraft, and as a result, the flight time in one flight Can be extended significantly.

  The dropped used battery unit 400 can be collected, charged, and reused as the battery unit 400 by replacing the pair of left and right power supply wires 441 that have been cut.

  The configuration of the present embodiment has been described with the configuration in which four rotor motors 101a to 101d are provided. For example, in the case of providing eight rotor motors, other configurations are the same as those in the above embodiment. If it is, it can be set as the structure which can be lifted and fly to about 20Kg including dead weight.

  In the above embodiment, the multi-rotor helicopter 100 has been described as an example of the flying object. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, even a single-rotor helicopter exhibits the same effect as described above.

  In the above embodiment, the multi-rotor helicopter 100 including four rotor motors has been described. However, the number of rotor motors is not limited to this. For example, the number of rotor motors may be six or eight. It is not limited.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where chemical | medical solution dispersion | distribution, such as an agricultural chemical, was demonstrated as a use of the multirotor helicopter 100, it is not restricted to this, For example, aerial photography, the defect inspection of a solar panel, the space dose measurement of radiation Any application may be applied.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where chemical | medical solution dispersion | distribution, such as an agrochemical, was performed as a use of the multirotor helicopter 100, it is not restricted to this, For example, a fertilizer of a powder agent, a granular agent, an agrochemical, another chemical | medical agent etc. It is good also as a structure which utilizes the multirotor helicopter 100 when spraying.

  In the above embodiment, the drop position of the used battery unit 400 whose remaining battery unit charge is below the reference value has been described as being stored in advance in the memory unit 340 by the operator using the remote controller 1. For example, the multi-rotor helicopter 100 can detect the presence of the blue sheet in the multi-rotor helicopter 100, and the blue sheet is arranged at an arbitrary location so that the multi-rotor helicopter 100 can locate the blue sheet during the flight. The structure which detects and determines a fall position may be sufficient.

  In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the used battery unit 400 with the remaining battery unit charge remaining below the reference value is dropped from the flying height of the chemical spray is not limited to this. Accordingly, for example, when the wind is strong, the flight height exceeds the height that guarantees a safe fall, or the fall area is narrow, etc., the used battery unit 400 is lowered to fall to fall. The structure to be made may be sufficient.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the used battery unit 400 in which the remaining charge amount of the battery unit falls below the reference value is described as being in the direction parallel to the main surface 410a of the substrate 410, but is not limited thereto. For example, the structure which drops in the direction perpendicular | vertical to the main surface of a board | substrate may be sufficient. In this case, unlike the configuration shown in FIG. 4, the battery unit storage unit 200 arranges the main surface 410a of the substrate 410 of the battery unit 400 horizontally and arranges the plurality of battery units 400 in the vertical direction. And each battery unit 400 is pulled and fixed with the power supply wire 441 from at least two places, preferably three places on the inner wall surface of the rectangular cylindrical cylindrical battery unit housing portion so as to maintain a horizontal posture. Then, the battery unit 400 is used for power supply in order from the battery unit 400 arranged at the lowest position of the plurality of battery units 400 arranged in the vertical direction, and the power supply wire 441 is cut in order from the battery unit 400 at the lowest position. Then, it may be configured to drop by its own weight. In the case of this configuration, the movement of the center of gravity of the airframe due to dropping can be reduced compared to the above configuration.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the cutting timing of the used battery unit 400 when the battery unit charge remaining amount has fallen below the reference value and switching to the next battery unit 400 maintain the continuity of power supply. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the area of the field 3 is vast and the distance to the drop position is far away, the battery unit charge remaining below the reference value Continue to use, but if it becomes necessary to switch to an unused battery unit before reaching the drop position, switch to an unused battery unit to maintain continuity of power supply and fly When it reaches the drop position, the used battery unit whose remaining battery unit charge is below the reference value is disconnected. And it may be formed.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the battery unit 400 is not disconnected until the remaining charge of the battery unit 400 falls below the reference value is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When flying in the vicinity of the position, even if the remaining charge is equal to or greater than the second reference value, it is still below the first reference value (however, the first reference value is the second reference value). (The value is higher than the reference value), the spraying operation is interrupted, the battery unit below the first reference value is cut off and dropped even though there is still a little charge remaining, and the next unused battery Although it is possible to effectively use the remaining charge amount by continuing to use the battery unit until the remaining charge amount falls below the second reference value, in view of the fact that switching to the unit 400 can reduce the aircraft weight earlier. And, as a result, fall Compared with the point of view that the useless flight time that returns to the fall position only for the fall work occurs, and which is the point of view that leads to the extension of the effective flight time? It is good also as a structure which the control part 301 judges.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where the cushion member 430 for rubber | gum shock absorption was used as an example of the shock-absorbing member of this invention was demonstrated, it is not restricted to this, For example, it is a shock-absorbing member made of foamed plastic. It may be an open-cell type impact member, or any material that can absorb impacts. Alternatively, as an example of the impact absorbing member of the present invention, a spring spring-shaped member may be attached to both or both of the substrate and all or part of the outer peripheral edge for shock absorption.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the cushion member 430 for shock absorption was fixed to a part of outer periphery edge part of the board | substrate 410 as an example of the impact-absorbing member of this invention, it is not restricted to this, for example The substrate 410 may be fixed to the entire periphery of the outer peripheral edge.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the outer shape of the substrate 410 is circular and has a donut shape having the opening 413 in the center has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the outer shape may be any shape such as a rectangle. It is good and the opening part does not need to be formed.

  Moreover, although the case where the battery cell 420 was mounted in the main surface 410a of the board | substrate 410 was demonstrated in the said embodiment, not only this but the structure arrange | positioned alternately in the position which does not overlap by planar view in both surfaces of a board | substrate, for example. There may be. According to this configuration, since the center of gravity does not deviate toward the main surface 410a, the weight balance of the substrate is improved when the substrate 410 is suspended vertically.

  Moreover, although the case where the six battery cells 420 were mounted in the board | substrate 410 was demonstrated in the said embodiment, it is not restricted to this, The number of battery cells may be one or any number.

  Moreover, although the case where the five battery units 400 were accommodated in the battery unit accommodating part 200 was demonstrated in the said embodiment, not only this but the number of battery units may be any if it is two or more.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the power supply wire 441 is cut with scissors has been described as an example of releasing the holding of the battery unit 400 in the storage space in the battery unit storage unit 200. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the power supply wire 441 may be melted using an electric heater.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the power supply wire 441 is cut with scissors has been described as an example of releasing the holding of the battery unit 400 in the storage space in the battery unit storage unit 200. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the battery units 401 to 405 are put in a plastic bag (or plastic bag) 1400 and one end of the plastic bag 1400 is hung from a fixed end 1401 to 1405 in the internal space of the battery unit storage unit 200. And a power supply line (not shown) via a power connector 1441a attached to the other end of the pair of left and right power supply wires 1441 whose one end is solder-connected to the battery units 401 to 405. The battery is detachably electrically connected to the battery, and the battery As a heating and fusing device that heats and melts the fixed end of the plastic bag 1400 with the knits 401 to 405 stored therein, for example, sealers (or heaters) 1451 to 1455 that heat and melt the plastic bag 1400 are battery units. The structure provided for every battery unit 401-405 in the accommodating part 200 may be sufficient. Here, FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating another configuration example in which the battery units 401 to 405 placed in the plastic bag 1400 are dropped. In this configuration, the battery units are attached in the order of 401, 402, 403, 404, and 405, and the battery units are fused in the order of 405, 404, 403, 402, and 401. Further, according to this configuration, for example, when the battery unit 405 is dropped, the heater 1455 provided corresponding to the battery unit 405 is heated by a command from the control unit 301, so that the battery unit 405 is stored. The plastic bag 1400 is heated and melted, and moves downward due to its own weight. At the same time, the pair of left and right power connectors 1441a are disconnected, and the battery unit 405 falls from the battery unit storage unit 200. In this configuration, it is sufficient if there is enough power to heat and melt the plastic bag, and the required power can be reduced compared to the configuration in which the power supply wire 441 is melted using the above-described electric heater. In this configuration example, for example, the heater length used for the sealers 1451 to 1455 is about 35 mm and the current flows through 2A.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the some battery cell 420 was mounted in the board | substrate 410 as an example of the battery unit of this invention, it is not restricted to this, For example, one battery cell is set inside. The structure accommodated in the battery cell protective case to which the impact absorbing member is attached may be used.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, as an example of the battery unit of this invention, when the cushion member 430 for shock absorption is fixed to the board | substrate 410, or in a battery cell protective case to which the shock absorption member was attached inside, it is a battery. Although the case where the cell is stored has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the battery unit is not equipped with a shock absorbing member, and has a collection box with a shock absorbing net attached at the dropping position. The structure may be different. According to this configuration, the battery unit dropped during the flight is received by the shock absorbing net of the collection box arranged in advance at the dropping position and is safely collected.

  In the above embodiment, the purchaser is obliged to register the flight target area of the multi-rotor helicopter 100, and the position information corresponding to the registered flight target area is encrypted and rewritten in the memory unit 340. The configuration in which the security function stored in advance is impossible has been described. However, the configuration is not limited thereto, and for example, a configuration in which such a security function is not added may be used.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, as an example of the battery unit storage system of this invention, it attaches to the lower surface of the control unit part 300 so that attachment or detachment is possible, and the battery unit storage part 200 which accommodated the some battery unit 400a-400e is. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as another example of the battery unit storage system of the present invention, a battery unit storage unit 200 that stores a plurality of battery units 400a to 400e. And a control unit having at least a function of detecting a remaining amount of charge of the battery unit 400 and releasing and holding the battery unit 400 during flight based on the detection result, and independently It is good also as a structure which can be supplied. Alternatively, as yet another example of the battery unit storage system of the present invention, the battery unit storage unit 200 storing a plurality of battery units 400a to 400e and the remaining amount of charge of the battery unit 400 are detected, and the detection result is Based on the control unit having at least the function of releasing and dropping the battery unit 400 during the flight, and all or a part of the control unit unit 300 (excluding portions overlapping with the control unit) And an element that can be supplied independently.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the configuration using the lithium ion secondary battery for the battery cell 420 has been described. However, the configuration is not limited thereto, and for example, a configuration using another type of secondary battery such as a lithium / air battery. There may be.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the remote controller 1 performs security authentication has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, security authentication is performed on the multi-rotor helicopter 100 side. It may be configured. Here, FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of the control unit when security authentication is performed on the multi-rotor helicopter 100 side.

  In that case, a USB insertion slot (not shown) for inserting a security USB key (not shown) is provided in the control unit 300 (see FIG. 2) of the multi-rotor helicopter 100.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the operator inserts a security USB key (not shown) in which an ID is stored in advance into a USB insertion slot provided on the multi-rotor helicopter 100 side (see step S801 in FIG. 8). Then, the control unit 301 determines whether or not the ID is appropriate (see step S802 in FIG. 8). If it is determined that the ID is appropriate, the process proceeds to step S803, where it is determined that the ID is not appropriate. If it does, it will progress to step S704 (refer FIG. 7), takeoff will be refused, and control will be complete | finished (refer step S705 of FIG. 7). On the other hand, in step S803, the personal identification code (password) input from the remote controller 1 by the operator is transmitted to the multi-rotor helicopter 100 side. Then, the control unit 301 of the multi-rotor helicopter 100 reads the password code (password) transmitted from the remote controller 1 (see step S803 in FIG. 8), and whether or not the password code conforms to a proper one. (See step S804 in FIG. 8), and if it is determined that it is suitable, the process proceeds to step S701 (see FIG. 7). Thereafter, each step is executed as described in FIG. If it determines, it will progress to step S704 (refer FIG. 8), will refuse takeoff, and control will be complete | finished (refer step S705 of FIG. 8).

  Thereby, in the control part 301 of the multi-rotor helicopter 100, when security authentication is performed and it is determined that the ID and the password are compatible, the flight start transmitted from the remote controller 1 is started. Although the command is accepted (see step S701 in FIG. 7), if it is determined that the ID or the code is not compatible, the control unit 301 rejects the takeoff of the multi-rotor helicopter 100 and ends the control (FIG. 7). 8 (see steps S704 and S705).

  In the above embodiment, in addition to the case where security authentication is performed in the remote controller 1, as shown in FIG. 8, the case where security authentication is performed in the control unit 301 of the multi-rotor helicopter 100. Although described above, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the ID conformity determination described in step S802 of FIG. 8 is performed by the control unit 301 of the multi-rotor helicopter 100, and the code code conformance described in steps S803 to S804 of FIG. The determination may be performed by the remote controller 1.

  In the above-described embodiment, the communication unit 330 of the control unit 301 includes a wireless reception unit / transmission unit when the remote controller 1 is configured by a wireless (RF) remote controller. In the case of being configured with an infrared (IR) remote controller, the case where an infrared receiver / transmitter is provided has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the communication unit 330 is a WiFi transceiver (not shown). Or a USB communication unit (not shown).

  The flying body and the battery unit storage system of the present invention exhibit an effect that it is possible to increase the flight time in one flight as compared with the conventional one, for example, a single rotor helicopter, a multi-rotor helicopter, and It is useful as a battery unit storage system that can be mounted on them.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Remote controller 2 GPS satellite 3 Farm 4 Parking place 5a, 5b Falling place 100 Multirotor helicopter 101a-101d Motor for rotor 102a-102d Propeller 103a First motor stay 103b Second motor stay 104 Intersection 105 Nozzle 106 Chemical liquid pipe 107 Chemical liquid tank 108a, 108b Skid 200 Battery unit storage unit 210 Opening unit 220 Storage unit main body 300 Control unit unit 301 Control unit 390a to 390e Wire cutting device 400a to 400e Battery unit 441 Power supply wire

Claims (7)

An aircraft flying with one or more rotors driven by a rechargeable battery,
A battery unit in which one or a plurality of the batteries are arranged;
A battery unit storage unit that holds the plurality of battery units, and stores the battery units so that the holding of each of the battery units can be individually released, and
A control unit that detects a remaining amount of charge of the battery unit and releases the holding of the battery unit during flight based on the detection result;
With
The battery unit is a thin plate-like battery arranged in parallel on a substrate,
In the battery unit housing portion, the substrates are arranged in parallel to each other,
The flying body according to claim 1, wherein the falling direction of the battery unit is a direction parallel to a surface of the substrate. An aircraft flying with one or more rotors driven by a rechargeable battery,
A battery unit in which one or a plurality of the batteries are arranged;
A battery unit storage unit that holds the plurality of battery units, and stores the battery units so that the holding of each of the battery units can be individually released, and
A control unit that detects a remaining amount of charge of the battery unit and releases the holding of the battery unit during flight based on the detection result;
A power switching circuit unit that performs power switching for use in power supply one by one from the plurality of battery units in order during one flight;
The control unit switches the power sources of the plurality of battery units via the power source switching circuit unit based on the detection result, and determines in advance the battery unit that has been used before the power source switching. A flying body characterized by flying to a specified position and then dropping it. When the number of the battery units existing in the battery unit storage unit becomes one, the control unit does not drop and land at a predetermined position even if the remaining amount of charge is below a predetermined standard. The flying object according to claim 1, wherein a command to be issued is issued. The substrate has a ring shape with a hole in the center ,
Flying body according to claim 1 which is on the surface before Symbol substrate, wherein the openings corresponding to the mounting position of the battery is provided.   The flying body according to claim 4, wherein an impact absorbing member that absorbs an impact is attached to all or a part of the outer peripheral edge of the substrate.   The control unit pre-encrypts and stores the unique position information, checks the correspondence between the GPS signal received during flight and the encrypted unique position information, and the correspondence is determined in advance. The flying object according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when the vehicle is determined to be out of range, the flight is not performed. A battery unit storage system that can be mounted on an aircraft flying with one or more rotors, driven by a rechargeable battery,
The battery unit storage system includes:
A battery unit in which one or a plurality of the batteries are arranged;
A battery unit storage unit that holds the battery units in a plurality and stores the battery units in a releasable manner separately.
Based on the remaining amount of charge of the battery unit, when the holding by the battery unit storage portion is released during the flight of the flying object, the battery unit falls,
The battery unit is a thin plate-like battery arranged in parallel on a substrate,
In the battery unit housing portion, the substrates are arranged in parallel to each other,
The battery unit storage system, wherein the dropping direction of the battery unit is a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate.

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