WO2021161393A1 - Drone - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To continue supplying power from a battery even after an impact.　[Solution] A drone 100 uses a battery 502 as a power source to fly, the drone comprising: a plate member 30 that detachably holds the battery; and a pair of battery-holding parts that secure both end sections of the battery to the plate member. The plate member has plate member projecting sections 30p, 30q that protrude from a flat surface of the plate member along a direction in which the pair of battery-holding parts face each other.

Description

Drone

The invention of the present application relates to a drone.

The application of small helicopters (multicopters) generally called drones is advancing. There is a need for drones that can safely evacuate in the event of a crash or collision.

Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe that a concave portion or a convex portion is formed in a member fixing a battery.

Patent Document 3 is an invention of a battery system, and discloses a plurality of grooves extending to both end edges in a spacer that opposes a battery cell. A mounting structure of a printed circuit board composed of a plurality of printed circuit boards stacked on top of each other is disclosed. Patent Document 4 is an invention of a battery case for accommodating a battery module, in which a bottom wall portion of the lower case that supports the battery module faces the lower plate portion and the upper surface of the lower plate portion with a buffer space. It is described that the portion is provided with a deformable connecting portion that connects the lower plate portion and the upper plate portion.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-129487 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-49181 Japanese Patent No. 5772885 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-53347

Continue power supply from the battery even if a shock is applied.

The drone according to one aspect of the present invention is a drone that flies using a battery as a power source, and is a plate member that holds the battery detachably and a pair of batteries that fix both ends of the battery to the plate member. The plate member includes a holding portion, and the plate member has a plate member convex portion that protrudes from the plane of the plate member along a direction in which the pair of battery holding portions face each other.

A control board to which power is supplied from the battery and a cooling plate on which the control board is arranged and opposed to the plate member with a gap are further provided, and the cooling plate and the plate member are at least mounted. The cooling plate may be fixed to each other at both ends of the battery in the state, and the cooling plate may have a cooling plate convex portion protruding from the plane of the cooling plate along the direction in which the pair of battery holding portions face each other. ..

The weight of the battery may be larger than the weight of the cooling plate.

The cooling plate and a plurality of fastening portions for fixing the plate members to each other are further provided, the convex portion of the plate member projects toward the cooling plate, and the convex portion of the cooling plate projects toward the plate member. The plurality of fastening portions may connect the convex portion of the cooling plate and the convex portion of the plate member.

A sensor element disposed in a region surrounded by the plurality of fastening portions on the plane of the plate member may be further provided.

The sensor element may be an angular velocity sensor or an angular acceleration sensor or a velocity sensor or an acceleration sensor.

The sensor element may be a sensor element whose output value fluctuates due to the influence of temperature.

The pair of battery holding portions may be arranged at positions corresponding to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the battery.

The power supply from the battery can be continued even if an impact is applied.

It is a top view of the drone which concerns on this invention. It is a front view of the said drone. It is a right side view of the above drone. It is a rear view of the said drone. It is a perspective view of the said drone. It is an overall conceptual diagram of the flight control system of the above-mentioned drone. It is a functional block diagram which the said drone has. It is a schematic partial enlarged cross-sectional view which shows the state of the inside of the body body which the drone has. It is a schematic partial enlarged cross-sectional view which shows the state of the hierarchy different from FIG. 8 inside the main body of the machine body. It is a schematic vertical sectional view which shows the state of the inside of the said body body. It is a schematic vertical sectional view in the direction orthogonal to FIG. 10 which shows the state of the inside of the main body of the machine body. It is a figure which shows the state of the plate member and the cooling plate which the machine body has, is (a) schematic perspective view, (b) top view of the plate member. It is a schematic vertical sectional view which shows the state of the 2nd Embodiment of the cooling plate and the plate member which the drone which concerns on this invention has. It is a schematic vertical sectional view which shows the state of the 3rd Embodiment of the cooling plate and the plate member which the drone which concerns on this invention has.

Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. All figures are illustrations. In the following detailed description, certain details are given for illustration purposes and to facilitate a complete understanding of the disclosed embodiments. However, embodiments are not limited to these particular details. Also, to simplify the drawings, well-known structures and devices are outlined. In the following description, the traveling direction of the drone on the horizontal plane is defined as the + x direction, the direction orthogonal to the x direction on the horizontal plane from left to right when viewed from the front is defined as the + y direction, and the vertically upward direction is defined as the + z direction.

First, the configuration of the drone according to the present invention will be described. In the specification of the present application, the drone is regardless of the power means (electric power, prime mover, etc.) and the maneuvering method (wireless or wired, autonomous flight type, manual maneuvering type, etc.). It refers to all air vehicles with multiple rotor blades.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the rotor blades 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101-2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b (also referred to as rotors) are It is a means for flying the Drone 100, and is equipped with eight aircraft (four sets of two-stage rotor blades) in consideration of the balance between flight stability, aircraft size, and power consumption. Each rotor 101 is arranged on all sides of the main body 110 by an arm protruding from the main body 110 of the drone 100 aircraft. That is, the rotors 101-1a and 101-1b are on the left rear side in the direction of travel, the rotor blades 101-2a and 101-2b are on the left front side, the rotor blades 101-3a and 101-3b are on the right rear side, and the rotor blades 101- are on the right front side. 4a and 101-4b are arranged respectively. In addition, the drone 100 has the traveling direction facing downward on the paper in FIG.

A grid-shaped propeller guard forming a substantially cylindrical shape is provided on the outer circumference of each set of the rotor blade 101 to prevent the rotor blade 101 from interfering with foreign matter. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the radial members for supporting the propeller guard have a yagura-like structure rather than a horizontal structure. This is to encourage the member to buckle outside the rotor in the event of a collision and prevent it from interfering with the rotor.

Rod-shaped legs 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, 107-4 extend downward from the rotation axis of the rotor 101, respectively.

Motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 102-4a, 102-4b are rotary blades 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101- It is a means to rotate 2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b (typically an electric motor, but it may also be a motor, etc.). Has been done. Motor 102 is an example of a propulsion device. The upper and lower rotors (eg, 101-1a and 101-1b) in one set, and their corresponding motors (eg, 102-1a and 102-1b), are used for drone flight stability, etc. The axes are on the same straight line and rotate in opposite directions.

Nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4 are means for spraying the sprayed material downward and are equipped with four nozzles. In the specification of the present application, the sprayed material generally refers to a liquid or powder sprayed on a field such as a pesticide, a herbicide, a liquid fertilizer, an insecticide, a seed, and water.

The tank 104 is a tank for storing the sprayed material, and is provided at a position close to the center of gravity of the drone 100 and at a position lower than the center of gravity from the viewpoint of weight balance. The hoses 105-1, 105-2, 1053, 105-4 are means for connecting the tank 104 and the nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4, and are made of a hard material. Therefore, it may also serve as a support for the nozzle. The pump 106 is a means for discharging the sprayed material from the nozzle.

FIG. 6 shows an overall conceptual diagram of the flight control system of the drone 100 according to the present invention. This figure is a schematic view, and the scale is not accurate. In the figure, the drone 100, the actuator 401, the base station 404, and the server 405 are connected to each other via the mobile communication network 400. These connections may be wireless communication by Wi-Fi instead of the mobile communication network 400, or may be partially or wholly connected by wire. Further, the components may have a configuration in which they are directly connected to each other in place of or in addition to the mobile communication network 400.

Drone 100 and base station 404 communicate with GNSS positioning satellite 410 such as GPS to acquire drone 100 and base station 404 coordinates. There may be a plurality of positioning satellites 410 with which the drone 100 and the base station 404 communicate.

The operator 401 transmits a command to the drone 100 by the operation of the user, and also displays information received from the drone 100 (for example, position, amount of sprayed material, battery level, camera image, etc.). It is a means and may be realized by a portable information device such as a general tablet terminal that runs a computer program. The actuator 401 includes an input unit and a display unit as a user interface device. The drone 100 according to the present invention is controlled to perform autonomous flight, but may be capable of manual operation during basic operations such as takeoff and return, and in an emergency. In addition to the portable information device, an emergency operation device (not shown) having a function dedicated to emergency stop may be used. The emergency operation device may be a dedicated device provided with a large emergency stop button or the like so that an emergency response can be taken quickly. Further, apart from the operating device 401, the system may include a small mobile terminal capable of displaying a part or all of the information displayed on the operating device 401, for example, a smart phone. The small mobile terminal is connected to, for example, the base station 404, and can receive information and the like from the server 405 via the base station 404.

Field 403 is a rice field, field, etc. that is the target of spraying with the drone 100. In reality, the terrain of the field 403 is complicated, and the topographic map may not be available in advance, or the topographic map and the situation at the site may be inconsistent. Field 403 is usually adjacent to houses, hospitals, schools, other crop fields, roads, railroads, etc. In addition, there may be intruders such as buildings and electric wires in the field 403.

Base station 404 functions as an RTK-GNSS base station and can provide the exact location of the drone 100. Further, it may be a device that provides a master unit function of Wi-Fi communication. The base unit function of Wi-Fi communication and the RTK-GNSS base station may be independent devices. Further, the base station 404 may be able to communicate with the server 405 by using a mobile communication system such as 3G, 4G, and LTE. The base station 404 and the server 405 constitute a farming cloud.

The server 405 is typically a group of computers operated on a cloud service and related software, and may be wirelessly connected to the actuator 401 by a mobile phone line or the like. The server 405 may be configured by a hardware device. The server 405 may analyze the image of the field 403 taken by the drone 100, grasp the growing condition of the crop, and perform a process for determining the flight route. In addition, the topographical information of the stored field 403 and the like may be provided to the drone 100. In addition, the history of the flight and captured images of the drone 100 may be accumulated and various analysis processes may be performed.

The small mobile terminal is, for example, a smart phone. On the display of the small mobile terminal, information on the expected operation of the drone 100, more specifically, the scheduled time when the drone 100 will return to the departure / arrival point, the content of the work to be performed by the user at the time of return, etc. Information is displayed as appropriate. Further, the operation of the drone 100 may be changed based on the input from the small mobile terminal.

Normally, the drone 100 takes off from the departure / arrival point outside the field 403 and returns to the departure / arrival point after spraying the sprayed material on the field 403 or when it becomes necessary to replenish or charge the sprayed material. The flight route (invasion route) from the departure / arrival point to the target field 403 may be stored in advance on the server 405 or the like, or may be input by the user before the start of takeoff. The departure / arrival point may be a virtual point defined by the coordinates stored in the drone 100, or may have a physical departure / arrival point.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram showing a control function of an embodiment of the spraying drone according to the present invention. The flight controller 501 is a component that controls the entire drone, and may be an embedded computer including a CPU, memory, related software, and the like. The flight controller 501 has ESC (Electronic Speed Control) 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, 22e, 22f, 22g, 22h, etc. based on the input information received from the controller 401 and the input information obtained from various sensors described later. Drone 100 by controlling the rotation speed of the motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 102-4a, 102-4b through the control means of Control the flight of. ESC22a to 22h are connected to motors 102-1a to 102-4b, respectively. ESC22a to 22h include, for example, an inverter circuit. The actual rotation speeds of the motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 102-4a, 102-4b are fed back to the flight controller 501, and normal rotation is performed. It is configured so that it can be monitored. Alternatively, the rotary blade 101 may be provided with an optical sensor or the like so that the rotation of the rotary blade 101 is fed back to the flight controller 501.

The software used by the flight controller 501 can be rewritten through a storage medium for function expansion / change, problem correction, etc., or through communication means such as Wi-Fi communication or USB. In this case, protection is performed by encryption, checksum, electronic signature, virus check software, etc. so that rewriting by malicious software is not performed. In addition, a part of the calculation process used by the flight controller 501 for control may be executed by another computer located on the controller 401, the server 405, or somewhere else. Due to the high importance of the flight controller 501, some or all of its components may be duplicated.

The flight controller 501 communicates with the actuator 401 via the communication device 530 and further via the mobile communication network 400, receives necessary commands from the actuator 401, and transmits necessary information to the actuator 401. Can be sent. In this case, the communication may be encrypted so as to prevent fraudulent acts such as interception, spoofing, and device hijacking. The base station 404 also has an RTK-GPS base station function in addition to a communication function via the mobile communication network 400. By combining the signal of the RTK base station 404 and the signal from the positioning satellite 410 such as GPS, the flight controller 501 can measure the absolute position of the drone 100 with an accuracy of about several centimeters. Flight controllers 501 are so important that they may be duplicated and multiplexed, and each redundant flight controller 501 should use a different satellite to handle the failure of a particular GPS satellite. It may be controlled.

The 6-axis gyro sensor 505 is a means for measuring the acceleration of the drone body in three directions orthogonal to each other, and further, a means for calculating the velocity by integrating the acceleration. The 6-axis gyro sensor 505 is a means for measuring the change in the attitude angle of the drone aircraft in the above-mentioned three directions, that is, the angular velocity. The geomagnetic sensor 506 is a means for measuring the direction of the drone body by measuring the geomagnetism. The barometric pressure sensor 507 is a means for measuring barometric pressure, and can also indirectly measure the altitude of the drone. The laser sensor 508 is a means for measuring the distance between the drone body and the ground surface by utilizing the reflection of the laser light, and may be an IR (infrared) laser. The sonar 509 is a means for measuring the distance between the drone aircraft and the ground surface by utilizing the reflection of sound waves such as ultrasonic waves. These sensors may be selected according to the cost target and performance requirements of the drone. In addition, a gyro sensor (angular velocity sensor) for measuring the inclination of the aircraft, a wind power sensor for measuring wind power, and the like may be added. Further, these sensors may be duplicated or multiplexed. If there are multiple sensors for the same purpose, the flight controller 501 may use only one of them, and if it fails, it may switch to an alternative sensor for use. Alternatively, a plurality of sensors may be used at the same time, and if the measurement results do not match, it may be considered that a failure has occurred.

The flow rate sensor 510 is a means for measuring the flow rate of the sprayed material, and is provided at a plurality of locations on the path from the tank 104 to the nozzle 103. The liquid drainage sensor 511 is a sensor that detects that the amount of sprayed material has fallen below a predetermined amount.

Drone 100 is equipped with a camera module 522. The camera module 522 has, for example, the functions of a growth diagnosis camera 512a, a pathology diagnosis camera 512b, and an obstacle detection camera 513.

The growth diagnosis camera 512a is a means for photographing the field 403 and acquiring data for the growth diagnosis. The growth diagnostic camera 512a is, for example, a multispectral camera and receives a plurality of light rays having different wavelengths from each other. The plurality of light rays are, for example, red light (wavelength of about 650 nm) and near-infrared light (wavelength of about 774 nm). Further, the growth diagnosis camera 512a may be a camera that receives visible light.

The pathological diagnosis camera 512b is a means for photographing the crops growing in the field 403 and acquiring the data for the pathological diagnosis. The pathological diagnosis camera 512b is, for example, a red light camera. The red light camera is a camera that detects the amount of light in the frequency band corresponding to the absorption spectrum of chlorophyll contained in the plant, and detects, for example, the amount of light in the band around 650 nm. The pathological diagnosis camera 512b may detect the amount of light in the frequency bands of red light and near-infrared light. Further, the pathological diagnosis camera 512b may include both a red light camera and a visible light camera such as an RGB camera that detects the amount of light having at least three wavelengths in the visible light band. The pathological diagnosis camera 512b may be a multispectral camera, and may detect the amount of light in the band having a wavelength of 650 nm to 680 nm.

The growth diagnosis camera 512a and the pathology diagnosis camera 512b may be realized by one hardware configuration.

The obstacle detection camera 513 is a camera for detecting a drone intruder, and since the image characteristics and the orientation of the lens are different from the growth diagnosis camera 512a and the pathological diagnosis camera 512b, what are the growth diagnosis camera 512a and the pathological diagnosis camera 512b? Another device. The switch 514 is a means for the user 402 of the drone 100 to make various settings. The obstacle contact sensor 515 is a sensor for detecting that the drone 100, in particular, its rotor or propeller guard part, has come into contact with an intruder such as an electric wire, a building, a human body, a standing tree, a bird, or another drone. .. The obstacle contact sensor 515 may be replaced by a 6-axis gyro sensor 505. The cover sensor 516 is a sensor that detects that the operation panel of the drone 100 and the cover for internal maintenance are in the open state. The inlet sensor 517 is a sensor that detects that the inlet of the tank 104 is in an open state.

These sensors may be selected according to the cost target and performance requirements of the drone, and may be duplicated / multiplexed. Further, a sensor may be provided at the base station 404, the actuator 401, or some other place outside the drone 100, and the read information may be transmitted to the drone. For example, the base station 404 may be provided with a wind sensor to transmit information on wind power and wind direction to the drone 100 via the mobile communication network 400 or Wi-Fi communication.

The flight controller 501 sends a control signal to the pump 106 to adjust the discharge amount and stop the discharge. The current status of the pump 106 (for example, the number of revolutions) is fed back to the flight controller 501.

LED107 is a display means for notifying the drone operator of the drone status. Display means such as a liquid crystal display may be used in place of or in addition to the LED. The buzzer is an output means for notifying the state of the drone (particularly the error state) by an audio signal. The communication device 530 is connected to a mobile communication network 400 such as 3G, 4G, and LTE, and can communicate with a farming cloud composed of a base station and a server and an operator via the mobile communication network 400. Will be done. In place of or in addition to the communication device, other wireless communication means such as Wi-Fi, infrared communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), NFC, or wired communication means such as USB connection. You may use it. The speaker 520 is an output means for notifying the state of the drone (particularly the error state) by means of recorded human voice, synthetic voice, or the like. Depending on the weather conditions, it may be difficult to see the visual display of the drone 100 in flight. In such cases, voice communication is effective. The warning light 521 is a display means such as a strobe light for notifying the state of the drone (particularly the error state). These input / output means may be selected according to the cost target and performance requirements of the drone, and may be duplicated or multiplexed.

● Drone As shown in Fig. 8, a circuit board for driving the drone 100 is arranged inside the main body 110 of the drone 100 aircraft. The circuit board receives power supplied from the camera board 21 that drives the camera module 522, the ESC 22a to 22h, the main control board 23 that constitutes the flight controller 501 function, and the battery 502 (see FIGS. 7 and 9). , ESC22a to 22h and the power supply board 24 that distributes power to the main control board 23. The camera board 21, ESC 22a to 22h, and the power supply board 24 are examples of boards on which high heat generating elements are mounted. The main control board 23 is an example of a board on which a low heat generation element having a smaller heat generation amount than a high heat generation element is mounted.

The camera board 21, ESC22a to 22h, the main control board 23, and the power supply board 24 are arranged on the cooling plate 20. The cooling plate 20 is a thin plate extending in a substantially xy plane. The cooling plate 20 constitutes at least a part of the housing of the main body 110, and holds the camera board 21, the ESC 22a to 22h, the main control board 23, and the power supply board 24 on a substantially xy plane. In FIG. 8, the main body 110 has a shape in which a partial circle is connected to one side of a rectangle in a top view, and the cooling plate 20 constitutes the bottom surface of the main body 110. The cooling plate 20 may be rectangular in top view.

The cooling plate 20 is made of a material having high thermal conductivity, for example, metal. More specifically, the cooling plate 20 uses, for example, aluminum as a main raw material. According to the structure in which the cooling plate 20 is mainly made of aluminum, it is lightweight, so that the energy consumption of the drone 100 can be saved.

As shown in FIG. 10, the cooling plate 20 is composed of a base portion 20e on which a heat generating element is arranged and rising portions 20a and 20b formed by bending the end portion of the base portion 20e upward. The rising portions 20a and 20b are composed of members equivalent to the base portion 20e of the cooling plate 20. The rising portions 20a and 20b may be prepared as separate members and connected to both ends of the base portion 20e. In the present embodiment, the base portion 20e constitutes the bottom surface of the main body 110, and the rising portions 20a and 20b form a part of the side wall surfaces on the front surface and the rear surface of the main body 110. According to this configuration, the rigidity of the cooling plate can be increased as compared with the flat cooling plate.

As for the rising portion, the left and right sides of the cooling plate in the traveling direction may be raised. According to this configuration, the rigidity of the cooling plate in the longitudinal direction can be increased. Further, the rising portion may be formed over the entire outer edge of the cooling plate and may have a tray shape.

Also, the outer surface of the cooling plate 20 is open. That is, there is a gap between the tank 104 and the cooling plate 20. According to this configuration, since the outside air comes into contact with the outer surface of the cooling plate 20, the heat dissipation efficiency of the cooling plate 20 is good.

The camera board 21 is arranged in front of the cooling plate 20 in the traveling direction. In other words, the camera board 21 is arranged in front of the main control board 23 in the traveling direction. Since the camera module 522 is arranged at the front portion of the main body 110 in the traveling direction, the wiring can be shortened by arranging the camera board 21 at a position corresponding to the camera module 522. By shortening the wiring, it is possible to reduce the cost of wiring, the risk of noise generation, and the risk of failure.

Further, ESC22a to ESC22h are arranged on the left and right sides of the main control board 23 on the cooling plate 20. Specifically, the ESCs 22a to 22d connected to the motors 102-1a to 102-2b are provided on the + y side of the main control board 23 along the x direction. The ESCs 22e to 22h connected to the motors 102-3a to 102-4b, respectively, are provided on the −y side of the main control board 23 along the x direction. According to this configuration, the motors 102-1a to 102-2b are provided on the + y side of the main body 110, and the motors 102-3a to 102-4b are provided on the −y side of the main body 110, so that the wiring can be shortened. ..

The power supply board 24 is arranged on the cooling plate 20 behind the main control board 23 in the traveling direction. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the battery 502 is arranged inside the main body 110 and above the cooling plate 20. The battery 502 is an example of a power source and may be a primary battery. The battery 502 is located above the power supply board 24. According to this configuration, the distance between the power supply board 24 and the battery 502 is short, and the wiring can be shortened. Further, by forming the cooling plate 20 and the battery 502 into a two-layer structure, the main body 110 can be compactly configured. As for the battery 502, the first battery 502a and the second battery 502b are arranged side by side.

The plate member 30 is a member arranged with a gap from the cooling plate 20, and is plate-shaped in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the plate member 30 is housed inside the main body 110 and is arranged above the cooling plate 20 in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 11, a gyro sensor 505 is joined to the plate member 30. The gyro sensor 505 is an example of a sensor element. In the present embodiment, the gyro sensor 505 is substantially in the center of the plate member 30 and is joined to the antipodal surface of the surface on which the battery 502 is held. The drive board of the gyro sensor 505 may be joined to the plate member 30 together. Since the gain and offset of the gyro sensor 505 change due to the influence of temperature, the output value fluctuates. That is, the temperature change causes a measurement error. According to this configuration, since the gyro sensor 505 is joined to a member different from the cooling plate 20 to which the high heat generating element is joined, it is possible to suppress the temperature rise of the gyro sensor 505. Further, according to the configuration in which the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30 are laminated, the cooling plate 20 is smaller than the configuration in which the high heat generating element and the gyro sensor 505 are arranged on the cooling plate 20 so as to be sufficiently long. And the main body 110 can be made smaller. The sensor element may be any of an angular velocity sensor, an angular acceleration sensor, a velocity sensor, and an acceleration sensor.

In addition, a temperature sensor 505a is installed in the vicinity of the gyro sensor 505. The temperature sensor 505a may be mounted on the drive board of the gyro sensor 505. There is a correlation between the temperature of the gyro sensor 505 and the amount of fluctuation in the output value. A calculation formula or table for associating the temperature with the fluctuation amount of the output value is stored in advance on the main control board 23, and the output value of the gyro sensor 505 is corrected based on the measurement result by the temperature sensor 505a.

An air layer 40 is provided between the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30. According to this configuration, heat is less likely to be transferred and the temperature rise of the gyro sensor 505 arranged on the plate member 30 can be reduced as compared with the configuration in which the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30 are in contact with each other. can.

In the present embodiment, the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30 are arranged substantially horizontally, but the angle of the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30 with respect to the horizontal is arbitrary, and the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30 may be arranged substantially vertically. That is, the longitudinal angle of the battery 502 is arbitrary and may be along the horizontal direction or may be arranged substantially vertically.

The plate member 30 includes a battery holding portion 31 and holds the battery 502 detachably. In the present embodiment, the battery holding portion 31 is a frame body that covers a part of the battery 502, and the lower surface of the frame is fixed to the plate member 30. The shape of the battery holding portion 31 is arbitrary.

Battery 502 is composed of two batteries 502a and 502b, each of which is a long and thin rectangular parallelepiped member, and is mounted in parallel so that the long side follows the traveling direction in the connected state. The number of batteries 502 is arbitrary. Both ends of the battery 502 are fixed to the plate member 30 by the battery holding portion 31. More specifically, the front surface of the battery 502a in the traveling direction is held by the battery holding portion 31a-2, and the rear surface in the traveling direction is held by the battery holding portion 31a-1. The front surface of the battery 502b in the traveling direction is held by the battery holding unit 31b-2, and the rear surface in the traveling direction is held by the battery holding unit 31b-1. In other words, the battery 502 is fixed to the plate member 30 by the battery holding portions 31 at both ends of the long side. That is, the pair of battery holders 31a-1 and 31a-2 and the pair of battery holders 31b-1 and 31b-2 are arranged at positions corresponding to both ends of the batteries 502a and 502b in the longitudinal direction, respectively. ..

Further, the battery 502 is provided with output terminals on at least one of both ends of the long side, and is electrically connected to the terminals of the plate member 30 in the connected state. The terminals of the plate member 30 are electrically connected to each substrate on the gyro sensor 505 and the cooling plate 20, and electric power is supplied to each configuration through the terminals. In the present embodiment, the battery 502 is provided with an output terminal on the front surface in the traveling direction in the connected state. According to the configuration in which the arrangement surface of the output terminal is held by the battery holding unit 31, the electrical connection of the output terminal is firmly maintained even when the drone 100 crashes or collides.

Battery 502 has a slower temperature change rate than the high heat generating element bonded to the cooling plate 20. That is, the change in the measurement error of the gyro sensor 505 due to the temperature change becomes gradual. According to this configuration, the value measured by the temperature sensor 505a more accurately reflects the temperature of the gyro sensor 505. That is, the output value of the gyro sensor 505 can be corrected more accurately than the configuration in which the temperature change of the gyro sensor 505 is rapid.

Further, since the high heat generating element on the cooling plate 20 operates and stops intermittently during the operation of the drone 100, the temperature rises and falls repeatedly, and the temperature change mode is complicated, while the temperature of the battery 502 is a voltage. Increases monotonically when is being pulled. Therefore, according to the configuration in which the gyro sensor 505 is connected to the plate member 30 like the battery 502, the temperature change of the gyro sensor 505 becomes monotonous, and the output value of the gyro sensor 505 can be corrected more accurately. In order to reduce the influence of heat from the battery 502, the plate member 30 may be made of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the cooling plate 20.

Battery 502 is heavier than cooling plate 20. According to this configuration, since the plate member 30 suppresses high-frequency vibration as compared with the cooling plate 20, noise to the gyro sensor 505 can be reduced. In particular, when the weight of the cooling plate 20 is 300 g, the weight of the battery 502 is preferably 2 kg or more and preferably 5000 g or less. For example, the battery 502 may weigh 2500 g, or 2.5 kg.

In the present embodiment, the plate member 30 is a plate-shaped member, but the shape of the plate member 30 is arbitrary as long as the battery 502 and the gyro sensor 505 can be held. The plate member 30 may be a case that covers the outer periphery of the battery 502 and houses the battery 502, for example.

As shown in FIG. 12A, the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30 are fixed to each other by a plurality of fastening portions 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d at least at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the battery 502. In the present embodiment, there are four fastening portions 40a to 40d, which are connected to the vicinity of the four corners of the area where the battery 502 is held.

The fastening portions 40a to 40d are, for example, bolts, and the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30 are provided with through holes through which the fastening portions 40a to 40d are inserted. The fastening portions 40a to 40d are longer than the total thickness of the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30, and maintain a distance from each other so that the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30 face each other with a gap. The configuration in which the fastening portions 40a to 40d maintain the distance between the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30 may be appropriate. For example, a spacer is inserted into the fastening portions 40a to 40d between the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30. You may. Further, nuts may be fastened to the fastening portions 40a to 40d, respectively, and the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30 may be positioned by the nuts. The structure may be such that a part of the through hole of the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30 is threaded and a bolt is screwed into the side wall of the through hole.

As shown in FIG. 12B, the gyro sensor 505 is arranged in a region surrounded by a plurality of fastening portions 40a to 40d on the plane of the plate member 30. According to this configuration, the rigidity at the arrangement position of the gyro sensor 505 is increased and the deflection is also reduced, so that vibration is suppressed. Therefore, the noise of the gyro sensor 505 can be reduced.

The cooling plate 20 has cooling plate convex portions 20p and 20q protruding from the plane thereof. Further, the plate member 30 has plate member convex portions 30p and 30q protruding from the plane thereof. The cooling plate convex portions 20p and 20q and the plate member convex portions 30p and 30q are elongated grooves provided along the longitudinal direction of the battery 502. In other words, the cooling plate convex portions 20p and 20q and the plate member convex portions 30p and 30p are formed along the directions in which the pair of battery holding portions 31a-1 and 31a-2 face each other. The cooling plate convex portions 20p and 20q and the plate member convex portions 30p and 30q are formed by bending the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30. According to this configuration, it can be configured more simply and lightly than in the case where another member is joined to form a convex portion.

The plate member convex portions 30p and 30q are formed to have a length corresponding to at least the long side of the battery 502. The plate member convex portions 30p and 30q may be formed up to the end portion of the plate member 30, or may be formed by a length corresponding to the long side of the battery 502.

In the embodiment, the cooling plate convex portions 20p and 20q and the plate member convex portions 30p and 30q are each two, but may be one or three or more. Even if the cooling plate convex portions 20p and 20q and the plate member convex portions 30p and 30q project vertically upward with respect to the horizontal plane when the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30 are placed along the horizontal plane, respectively. Alternatively, it may protrude downward in the vertical direction, that is, it may be recessed. Further, the cooling plate convex portions 20p and 20q and the plate member convex portions 30p and 30q may project in the same direction or in opposite directions.

Like the cooling plate 201 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the cooling plate convex portions 201p and 201q are formed from a flat surface by making the plate thickness thicker than other portions instead of the shape formed by bending the plate. It may be formed so as to protrude. Further, the plate member convex portions 301p and 301q of the plate member 301 may also be formed so as to protrude from the plane by making the plate thickness thicker than the other portions.

Like the cooling plate 202 of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 14, the plurality of cooling plate convex portions 202p and 202q may include those protruding in different directions from each other. Similarly, the plurality of plate member convex portions 302p and 302q included in the plate member 302 may include those projecting in different directions from each other. That is, at least a part of the cooling plate 202 and the plate member 302 may be corrugated or bellows-shaped.

According to the configuration in which the battery 502 is fixed by one side and the other end side in the longitudinal direction and the convex portions 30p and 30q of the plate member are formed along the longitudinal direction of the battery 502, the longitudinal direction of the battery 502 of the plate member 30 The strength in the battery increases, and it is difficult to bend in that direction. Therefore, even if the drone 100 crashes or collides, the battery 502 does not easily come off from the battery holding portion 31, and the power supply can be continued. As a result, even when a large impact such as a crash or a collision is applied to the drone 100, it is possible to reliably execute a safe operation for safely retracting the drone 100. The safe operation is, for example, an operation of stopping the discharge of the drug from the tank 104 or an operation of stopping the rotation of the rotary blade 101. Further, the safe operation may include an operation of landing on the spot and an operation of returning to a predetermined departure / arrival point in a state where the flight can be continued.

In the present embodiment, the cooling plate convex portions 20p and 20q project toward the plate member 30, and the plate member convex portions 30p and 30q project toward the cooling plate 20. The plate member convex portions 30p and 30q are formed at least on both sides of the battery 502, and the cooling plate convex portions 20p and 20q are formed at positions corresponding to at least the plate member convex portions 30p and 30q. At this time, the fastening portions 40a to 40d may be connected to the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30 at the cooling plate convex portions 20p and 20q and the plate member convex portions 30p and 30q. For example, holes may be formed in the curved surfaces constituting the cooling plate convex portions 20p and 20q and the plate member convex portions 30p and 30q through which the fastening portions 40a to 40d are inserted.

According to this configuration, the lengths of the fastening portions 40a to 40d can be shortened as compared with the configuration in which the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30 are connected at the flat plate portion. As a result, the moment of inertia of area and the rigidity of the plate member 30 can be further increased while ensuring the distance between the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30. As a result, even if the drone 100 is subjected to a large impact, the power supply from the battery 502 can be continued. Further, since the rigidity of the plate member 30 is increased, the noise of the gyro sensor 505 mounted on the plate member 30 can be further reduced.

(Technically remarkable effect of the present invention)
In the drone according to the present invention, the power supply from the battery can be continued even if an impact is applied.

Claims (8)

1. A drone that flies using a battery as a power source
   A plate member that holds the battery detachably and
   A pair of battery holding portions for fixing both ends of the battery to the plate member are provided.
   The plate member has a plate member convex portion that protrudes from the plane of the plate member along a direction in which the pair of battery holding portions face each other.
   Drone.
   
2. A control board to which power is supplied from the battery and
   A cooling plate on which the control board is arranged and facing the plate member with a gap,
   With more
   The cooling plate and the plate member are fixed to each other at least at both ends of the battery in the mounted state.
   The cooling plate has a cooling plate convex portion that protrudes from the plane of the cooling plate along the direction in which the pair of battery holding portions face each other.
   The drone according to claim 1.
   
3. The weight of the battery is greater than the weight of the cooling plate.
   The drone according to claim 2.
   
4. Further provided with a plurality of fastening portions for fixing the cooling plate and the plate members to each other.
   The convex portion of the plate member projects toward the cooling plate and
   The convex portion of the cooling plate projects toward the plate member and
   The plurality of fastening portions connect the cooling plate convex portion and the plate member convex portion.
   The drone according to claim 2 or 3.
   
5. A sensor element disposed in a region surrounded by the plurality of fastening portions on the plane of the plate member is further provided.
   The drone according to claim 4.
   
6. The sensor element is an angular velocity sensor or an angular acceleration sensor or a velocity sensor or an acceleration sensor.
   The drone according to claim 5.
   
7. The sensor element is a sensor element whose output value fluctuates due to the influence of temperature.
   The drone according to claim 5 or 6.
   
8. The pair of battery holders are arranged at positions corresponding to both ends of the battery in the longitudinal direction.
   The drone according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
   
   

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