JP2006027588A - Small-sized flying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize high flying performance even during flying in a gust of wind. <P>SOLUTION: Wing driving motors 3 are provided at four parts of front right and left positions and rear right and left positions of a body 1 so as to change a vertical angle on a vertical surface in a fore-and-aft direction. To output shafts 3a of the wing driving motors 3, flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d composed of driving rods 9 extending to the outside of the body 1, coupling rods 11 having flexibility, and wing main bodies 10 are respectively attached. The flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d are arranged upwardly in the vertical direction with the wing driving motors 3, thereby generating a downward backwash. By reaction force of that, vertical rising, lowering, and hovering are carried out. The flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d are arranged at required attack angles to carry out flapping actions, thereby generating a rear oblique downward backwash. By reaction force of that, lifting force and propulsive force is obtained to carry out forward flying. Furthermore, the balance of propulsive force on right and left sides is changed to turn to the right and left. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a small flight apparatus used for flying to a desired target position and collecting information on the target position, transporting a small device to the target position, and the like.

  In recent years, when investigating on-site conditions in places that are difficult for people to approach easily, such as indoor or outdoor high places or disaster sites, or where contamination with chemical substances, microorganisms, radioactive substances, etc. is assumed For example, a very small flying device (Micro Air Vehicle: MAV) with a size of several tens of centimeters or less is used to detect the presence of chemical substances, microorganisms, radioactive substances, etc. in cameras, microphones, and atmospheric gases. Equipped with the necessary analysis equipment and the like to fly the small flying device to the target position, and based on the field measurement results detected by the equipment mounted on the small flying device, Further, it has been considered that information collection of the target position can be performed.

By the way, when the interaction between the flying object and the surrounding fluid is organized by the correlation with the Reynolds number, which is the ratio of the inertial force and the viscous force of the fluid, the size of the flying object and the Reynolds number are almost corresponding. In the case of a metric-sized aircraft that has been put to practical use in the past, the Reynolds number is high (Re> 10 ⁵ ), for example, so that the Reynolds number of an ordinary aircraft is on the order of 10 ⁷ to 10 ^8. On the other hand, in a small-sized flying device having a small size as described above, the Reynolds number is as low as about 10 ⁴ to 10 ^{5. In} the interaction with the surrounding gas (fluid), the inertial force At the same time, the influence of viscous force increases. Further, since the small flying device is small in size and light in weight, it is easily affected by air currents and is always in a state of flying in a gust of wind. Furthermore, in order to fly indoors and in the airflow outdoors, very high flight performances such as vertical takeoff and landing, sudden turning, and air stop flight (hovering) are required, so aircraft and helicopters Therefore, a very different design from that of the conventional aircraft is required.

  Therefore, in order to allow the above-mentioned small flying device to perform vertical take-off and landing, sudden turn, flying in the air, etc., a small flying device of a type of flapping flight has been considered as one of the flying means.

  As a small flying device of this type of flapping flight, for example, a pair of front and rear vibration type actuators are provided at the left and right positions of the body part, and the vibration axis (rotation axis) of the front and rear vibration type actuators is a body axis. It is arranged so that it is coaxially arranged on a straight line inclined downward to the required angle, between the wing shaft that forms the wing leading edge (front wing shaft) and the wing shaft that forms the wing trailing edge (rear wing shaft). Conventionally proposed is a configuration in which the front wing shaft and the rear wing shaft of a pair of left and right wings formed by stretching a membrane are connected to the corresponding vibration type actuators on the front and rear sides, respectively. Yes.

  According to such a type of small-sized flying device, the front and rear vibration actuators are flapped vertically (reciprocating so that the front vibration actuator precedes the rear vibration actuator by a required phase difference). ) When operated, the volume of the space in which the wing membrane moves is maximized by making the wing as parallel as possible to the horizontal plane when the wing is lowered. . On the other hand, at the time of wing launch operation, the volume of the space in which the wing film moves is minimized by making the wing film as close to a right angle as possible with respect to the horizontal plane. As a result, the vertical upward fluid force acting on the wing during the wing down motion is greater than the vertical downward fluid force acting on the wing during the wing launch motion so that the aircraft's levitation force (lift) So that you can get. Furthermore, the propulsive force in the front-rear direction can be obtained by adjusting the phase difference between the front and rear vibration actuators and changing the posture (angle) when each wing is launched and lowered. (For example, see Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3, and Patent Document 4).

  Similarly, the volume of the space in which the wing membrane moves when the wing is lowered is larger than the volume of the space in which the wing membrane moves when the wing is launched. Based on the idea that the vertical upward fluid force acting on the wing during operation is greater than the vertical downward fluid force acting on the wing during the wing launch operation, thereby obtaining the flying force of the aircraft As another type of actuator, actuators having three degrees of freedom are provided in the left and right positions of the body part, and the base end part of the main shaft provided in each actuator along the longitudinal direction on each pair of left and right wings. In addition to the reciprocating operation of the wing in the vertical direction, the above actuators can be rotated around the main axis of the wing, and the main shaft and the wing can be moved integrally in the front-rear direction. It shall have also been proposed in the past.

  According to this type of small-sized flying device, when the wing is lowered, the wing is set in a posture as parallel as possible to the horizontal plane. On the other hand, when the wing is launched, the wing is temporarily rotated so as to have a vertical posture. Then, the wing is rotated and moved in the front-rear direction at the same time as the wing is rotated so that the wing can be lifted in a track along the curved shape of the wing. As a result, the vertical downward fluid force acting on the wing during the wing launch operation can be made smaller, and the difference from the vertical upward fluid force acting on the wing during the wing down operation is further increased. Thus, the flying force of the airframe can be obtained more efficiently (see, for example, Patent Document 2, Patent Document 4, and Patent Document 5).

  Still another type of small-sized flying device that flutters is a reciprocating operation in the front-rear and horizontal directions of a shaft provided along the longitudinal direction of the wing at the left and right positions of the fuselage, and a rotating operation of the shaft of the wing. There has also been proposed a structure in which a drive device is provided so that a pair of left and right wing shafts are attached to the left and right drive devices, respectively.

  According to this type of small-sized flying device, the left and right wings are fluttered in the front-rear direction by the driving device, and at the same time, when the wings are struck forward and backward, the upper edge side of the wings precedes the lower edge side. The wing axis is rotated to generate a downward airflow by each wing, and the levitation force (lift) is obtained by the reaction of this downward airflow. By shifting the center position of the amplitude in the front-rear direction independently to the front in the traveling direction or rearward in the traveling direction, the flow generated from the base end side of the wing toward the tip direction during the flapping operation of each wing By changing the balance in the front-rear direction, the vehicle can be moved forward, backward, or turned in the left-right direction (see, for example, Patent Document 5).

JP 2003-135866 A JP 2002-326599 A JP 2003-339896 A JP 2003-118697 A JP 2004-90909 A

  However, among the three types of small-sized flying devices that have been proposed in the related art, a pair of front and rear vibration type actuators provided at the left and right positions of the fuselage are used to swing a pair of left and right wings up and down. In the case of a type in which a pair of left and right wings are fluttered up and down by an actuator having three degrees of freedom respectively provided at the left and right positions of the fuselage part, during vertical take-off and landing or during air stop flight, When the lift of the aircraft cannot be expected, the levitation force (lift) of the aircraft, the vertically upward fluid force acting on the surface of the wing when the wing is lowered in a posture almost parallel to the horizontal plane, and the required posture of the wing It is necessary to obtain only by the difference from the vertically downward fluid force acting on the blade when launching with Lift force is downwardly by the vane surface at most, i.e., rather than only the reaction force from the air to be pressed substantially perpendicular to the plane of 該羽, therefore the lift force obtained is considered very small. For this reason, since the weight of the fuselage must be extremely light, such as less than 1 gram, and the driving device and the power source must be very light, there is a concern that the flight capacity may be limited. Furthermore, since the weight of the aircraft is extremely light as described above, there is a possibility that the flight state is greatly affected by the airflow existing in the environment.

  In addition, among the above-described conventional small-sized flying devices that flutter, a pair of left and right wings are separated by a driving device that performs a reciprocating operation in the front-rear and horizontal directions of the wings and a rotating operation of the wing shaft provided at the left and right positions of the fuselage. In the type of flapping operation in the front-rear direction, a downward air flow is generated by the flapping operation of each wing, and a levitation force (lift) is obtained by the reaction of the downward air flow. The propulsive force is generated by shifting the center position of the amplitude in the front-rear direction of the left and right wings forward or backward in the traveling direction so that each wing flutters from the proximal side of the wing toward the distal direction. It is obtained by changing the balance of the flow in the front-rear direction. Therefore, although the levitation force can be obtained efficiently, the propulsive force in the front-rear direction is relatively weak and the flight speed is limited, so there is a concern that the action range may be limited.

  Furthermore, the above-described conventional three types of small-sized flying devices that perform flapping flight have only a pair of left and right wings. For this reason, if the aircraft changes its posture in the left-right direction during flight, the balance between the left and right lifts can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the lift generated by the left and right wings. Even if the attitude can be controlled, when the attitude changes such that the aircraft tilts in the front-rear direction, it is difficult to respond quickly, and there is a concern that the adjustment action may be weak.

  Therefore, the present inventor has devised and researched to give advanced flight performance to a small flying device, and as a result, vertical takeoff and landing while maintaining the horizontal attitude of the fuselage, rapid turn, aerial stop flight (hovering), etc. We focused on dragonflies with advanced flight performance. When flying horizontally, the dragonfly flapped each wing so that the average angle of attack of the wing cross section (angle formed with the horizontal plane) is almost zero, and the wing cross section moves in a manner that combines the vertical reciprocating motion and the rotational motion. On the other hand, when flying in mid-air, the average angle of attack of the wing cross-section is set to approximately 90 degrees, that is, the wing cross-section moves in a superimposed manner of the back-and-forth reciprocating motion and the rotational motion with the wing leading edge facing up. Therefore, the difference between horizontal flight and air suspension flight is that the relative reciprocating direction of the wing cross section relative to the wing cross section does not change, and the average angle of attack of the wing cross section Only the difference is.

  By the way, each wing of the dragonfly is connected to the fuselage by a joint having a degree of freedom in three directions. By utilizing this degree of freedom, the wing cross section can be freely moved up and down, back and forth, and rotated.

  For this reason, it is conceivable to adopt a wing drive mechanism having three degrees of freedom in the vertical, forward, backward, and rotational directions by imitating the structure of the attachment portion of the dragonfly wing to the fuselage. In this case, the universal joint with the three degrees of freedom as described above can be realized by combining a gimbal and a motor, etc., but it becomes too heavy and adopted for a small flying device. It is difficult to do this, and it is considered to be expensive.

  Note that the above-described conventionally proposed small-sized flying device for flapping flight has been proposed that flutters a pair of left and right wings with an actuator having three degrees of freedom. Is for lifting the wing in a trajectory along the curved shape of the wing at the time of wing launching operation, not for flapping operation with the average angle of attack of the wing changed.

  In view of these things, the present inventor is not a biomimetic idea that imitates the movement of the dragonfly wing drive unit as it is, but extracts only the excellent points of the dragonfly wing drive unit and extracts its structural The present invention has been made on the basis of a biomorphic idea that incorporates various ideas.

  Therefore, the object of the present invention is to achieve a high level of flight performance by flapping flight, even in a state where it always flies in a gust of winds indoors or outdoors. It is intended to provide a small flying device that can fly.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention, corresponding to the invention according to claim 1, is provided with flapping wings at a plurality of positions on the left and right sides of the fuselage so that the angle can be adjusted independently in the vertical direction, The flapping operation can be controlled independently for each flapping wing, and each flapping wing can be operated while flapping while flying in a required angle posture.

  Specifically, flapping wings are provided at multiple positions in the front left and right positions and rear left and right positions of the fuselage so that the angle can be adjusted independently in the vertical direction so that each flapping wing can be controlled independently. In this configuration, each flapping wing is operated in a flapping manner while being held at a required angular posture.

  More specifically, blade drive motors are provided at a plurality of positions in the front left and right positions and the rear left and right positions of the fuselage so that the output shaft can be changed in angle so that the output shaft is directed in the front-rear direction or the vertical direction. The driving rod of the flapping wing, in which the leading edge of the wing body is integrally held by the driving rod extending to the blade, is attached to the output shaft of each of the wing driving motors. A posture sensor for detecting the posture of the blade, control of the angle in the vertical direction of the output shaft of each blade driving motor based on a signal input from the posture sensor, and alternating positive of each blade driving motor, The controller includes a controller that controls the flapping operation of the flapping wing by reverse rotation driving.

  Corresponding to the invention according to claim 5, drive motors are provided at a plurality of positions in the front left and right positions and the rear left and right positions of the fuselage so that the output shaft faces the outer direction of the fuselage, and in the left and right directions. A configuration in which the driving rod of the flapping wing obtained by integrally holding the leading edge portion of the wing body on the extending driving rod is attached to the output shaft of each driving motor so as to be parallel to the axial direction of the output shaft. In this configuration, the attitude angle sensor for detecting the attitude of the fuselage, and the control of the average angle of attack of the flapping wing by controlling the angle of the drive rod by each drive motor based on the signal input from the attitude sensor And a controller that controls the flapping operation of the flapping wings by alternating forward and reverse driving of each drive motor centered on the average angle of attack.

  Further, in correspondence with the invention according to claim 7, linear actuators can be changed in angle so that the output shaft is directed in the vertical direction or the front-rear direction at a plurality of positions in the front left-right position and the rear left-right position of the body. 9. A configuration in which the driving rod of the flapping wing, which is provided and holds the leading edge of the wing body on a driving rod extending in the left-right direction, is attached to the output shaft of each linear actuator, or according to claim 8. Corresponding to the invention, linear actuators are provided at a plurality of positions in the front left and right positions and the rear left and right positions of the fuselage so that the output shaft can be changed in the vertical direction or the front and rear direction, respectively. A bracket is provided at one side in the direction, and the drive rod of the flapping wing is formed by holding the front edge of the wing body on a drive rod extending in the left-right direction. The base end side of the drive rod is rotatably attached, and the base end side of the drive rod is connected to the output shaft of the linear actuator so that it can be swung by vibration in the axial direction of the output shaft. Furthermore, in these configurations, a posture sensor for detecting the posture of the fuselage, control of the vertical angle of the output shaft of each linear actuator based on a signal input from the posture sensor, and each linear The controller includes a controller that controls flapping operation of the flapping wing by vibration in the axial direction of the output shaft of the actuator.

  A connecting rod having flexibility extending in a direction perpendicular to the driving rod is interposed between the driving rod and the front edge of the blade body in each of the above-described configurations.

  Further, the blade body in each of the above-described configurations is configured to have flexibility in a direction perpendicular to the front edge portion.

  Furthermore, the wing body in each of the above-described configurations is configured to have a low aspect ratio.

According to the small flight device of the present invention, the following excellent effects are exhibited.
(1) Left and right positions of the fuselage, more specifically, a plurality of flapping wings at the front left and right positions and rear left and right positions of the fuselage, and each flapping wing independently flapping action and vertical angle posture Since it is configured to be controllable, each of the flapping wings can independently control the vertical angle posture, that is, the angle of attack and the flapping operation, respectively. The lift obtained by flapping operation and the magnitude of propulsive force can be adjusted respectively. Therefore, since the magnitude of the lift force acting on the fuselage from each flapping wing and the magnitude and direction of the propulsive force can be individually controlled, even if the posture is likely to be disturbed in the front-back, left-right direction, it is easily corrected Thus, the horizontal posture can be maintained. Moreover, advanced flight performance such as vertical take-off and landing and air stop flight can be achieved.
(2) More specifically, blade driving motors are provided at a plurality of positions in the front left and right positions and rear left and right positions of the fuselage so that the output shaft can be rotated in the front-rear direction or the vertical direction. And the driving rod of the flapping wing composed of the driving rod and the wing body is attached to the output shaft of each of the wing driving motors, thereby alternately changing the vertical angle of the wing driving motor. By controlling forward and reverse driving, it is possible to change the angle of attack in the vertical direction of the flapping wing and control the flapping operation.
(3) Further, drive motors are provided at a plurality of positions in the front left and right positions and the rear left and right positions of the fuselage so that the output shaft faces the outer side of the fuselage, and the flapping wing composed of the drive rod and the wing body By configuring the drive rod to be attached to the output shaft of each drive motor, the angle at which the output shaft of the drive motor is held on average and the angle at which the output shaft is held on average By controlling alternating forward / reverse drive centered on the center, it is possible to change the average angle of attack in the vertical direction of the flapping wing and to control the flapping operation.
(4) Further, linear actuators are provided at a plurality of positions in the front left / right position and the rear left / right position of the fuselage so that the output shaft can be rotated in the vertical direction or the front / rear direction, and the drive rod and the blade The drive rod of the flapping wing composed of the main body is attached to the output shaft of each linear actuator, thereby controlling the vertical angle of the linear actuator and the vibration along the axial direction of the output shaft. Thus, it is possible to change the angle of attack of the flapping wing in the vertical direction and control the flapping operation.
(5) Furthermore, linear actuators are provided at a plurality of positions in the front left and right positions and rear left and right positions of the fuselage so that the angle can be changed so that the output shaft is directed in the vertical direction or the front and rear direction. A bracket is provided at one position in the direction, and the base end side of the driving rod of the flapping wing composed of the driving rod and the wing body is rotatably attached to the bracket, and the base end side of the driving rod is By connecting to the output shaft of the linear actuator so that it can be swung by vibration in the axial direction of the output shaft, the vertical angle of the linear actuator and the vibration along the axial direction of the output shaft By controlling the flapping wing, it is possible to change the angle of attack of the flapping wing in the vertical direction and control the flapping operation with the mounting position of the drive rod to the bracket as a fulcrum. That. Furthermore, since the amplitude of the vibration of the output shaft of the linear actuator can be amplified and transmitted to the flapping wing, the flapping operation can be performed even if the amplitude of the vibration of the output shaft of the linear actuator is small. Therefore, it is easy to set the amplitude of the linear actuator, which is advantageous for downsizing the linear actuator.
(6) Further, a posture sensor for detecting the posture of the fuselage, and a controller for controlling the vertical attack angle of the flapping wing and the control of the flapping operation based on a signal input from the posture sensor. By adopting a configuration, when the attitude of the small flying device of the present invention is collapsed and tilted in the required direction, the angle of attack of each flapping wing is changed so as to change the balance of lift acting on the tilted side and the opposite side. In addition, the posture can be corrected by changing the flapping operation and the flight posture can be stably maintained.
(7) By adopting a structure in which a flexible connecting rod is interposed between the drive rod and the blade body of each flapping wing, the air resistance acting on the wing body during flapping operation of the flapping wing is reduced. The connecting rod can be bent by a load, and feathering can be passively generated in the wing body.
(8) Further, by providing the wing body with flexibility in a direction perpendicular to the front edge portion, feathering can be passively generated in the wing body during the flapping operation of the flapping wing.
(9) By configuring the blade body with a low aspect ratio, it is possible to make the blade shape more advantageous in a region controlled by a low Reynolds number.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  1 (a) (b) to FIG. 3 show an embodiment of a small-sized flying device of the present invention. In the front-rear direction, for example, both left and right sides of a fuselage 1 having a length of about a few tens of centimeters. Flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d that can control the flapping speed independently at a plurality of positions, for example, at the front left and right positions and at the rear left and right positions, can be changed in angle in the vertical direction. Each of the four flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d is provided so that the flight can be performed by appropriately controlling the angle and flapping speed.

  Details will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 2, blade driving motors 3 are respectively arranged at the front left and right positions and rear left and right positions of the fuselage 1 so that the output shaft 3 a faces forward, and each blade driving motor 3 has an output shaft. A rotation support shaft 4 attached so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to 3a is rotatably supported by a pair of left and right bearings 5 provided at the front left and right positions and the rear left and right positions of the body 1, respectively. , Each blade driving motor 3 is rotated in the vertical direction so that the angle of the output shaft 3a can be adjusted. Further, an angle changing gear 6 is attached to one of the rotation support shafts 4 of each of the blade driving motors 3, for example, each rotation support shaft 4 located on the center side of the fuselage 1, and each of the gears 6 is attached. Each engaged pinion 8 is attached to an output shaft 7 a of an independent angle control motor 7, and the pinion 8 is independently rotated by each motor 7. The corresponding blade drive motors 3 can be rotated in the vertical direction (angle change) in the vertical plane along the front-rear direction. At this time, by appropriately controlling the rotation speed of each angle control motor 7, the flapping blades 2 a, 2 b, 2 c, 2 d attached to the blade driving motor 3 together with the corresponding blade driving motor 3 are vertically controlled. The angle of attack (direction) of the direction can be changed independently. The blade driving motor 3 and the angle control motor 7 may be either electromagnetic motors or ultrasonic motors.

  The flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d are configured as follows. That is, one end of the drive rod 9 (end on the side of the fuselage 1) is connected to the output shaft 3a of each wing drive motor 3 so as to extend in the left-right direction and project outside the fuselage 1 by a required dimension. The drive rod 9 is swung by the rotation of the output shaft 3a. The drive rod 9 may be made of a material having some flexibility (flexibility). On the other end side of each drive rod 9 protruding outward from the body 1, the front edge of a rectangular blade body 10 disposed in a plane parallel to the output shaft 3 a of the corresponding blade drive motor 3. The parts are integrally attached via a plurality (three in the figure) of connecting rods 11 arranged at a required interval in the width direction of the blade body 10. Thus, the drive connected to the output shaft 3a by driving the output shaft 3a of each of the blade driving motors 3 alternately in the required angle range, for example, an angle range of about 30 degrees, in the forward and reverse directions. When the rod 9 is reciprocated, the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d composed of the drive rod 9, the connecting rod 11, and the wing body 10 can be operated to flutter within the required angle range. It is. At this time, by individually controlling the forward and reverse driving speeds of the blade driving motors 3, the flapping operation speeds (flapping speeds) of the corresponding flapping wings 2 a, 2 b, 2 c and 2 d are made independent. Can be controlled.

  Further, each connecting rod 11 is made of a material having flexibility (flexibility), and when air resistance acts on the wing body 10 during the flapping operation of the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, the load In response, each of the connecting rods 11 is bent by a required amount. As a result, when the flapping blades 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d are fluttered by the blade driving motor 3, the connecting rods 11 are deflected, so that the connecting rods 11 can be moved against the reciprocating movement of the driving rod 9. 11, the reciprocating movement of the wing body 10 connected via 11 is delayed by a required phase, and the trailing edge (on the side of the non-driving rod 9) with respect to the reciprocating movement of the front edge (edge on the driving rod 9) of each wing body 10. The edge) follows the required phase lag, so that the blade body 10 can passively perform so-called feathering.

  Each of the wing bodies 10 has a rectangular shape with a low aspect ratio. For example, the transverse bone member 12 disposed along the front edge of the wing body 10 and extending in the left-right direction, and the longitudinal direction of the transverse bone member 12 One end is attached to a plurality of places (five places in the figure), and a frame structure composed of a plurality of longitudinal bone members 13 arranged so that the other end reaches the rear edge of the wing body 10 is like a thin plastic film. The film 14 is stretched. Further, each longitudinal bone member 13 is made of a material having flexibility (flexibility), and the air received by the film 14 of the wing body 10 during the flapping operation of each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d. Each vertical bone member 13 is bent by a required amount due to the load of resistance, and this also causes each wing body 10 to perform feathering passively during the flapping operation of the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d. It is made to be able to.

The reason why the shape of the wing body 10 is a low aspect ratio in the above is that the small flying device of the present invention is small in size, and the interaction with the fluid is dominated by a low Reynolds number of about 10 ⁴ to 10 ^5. Unlike a meter-sized aircraft whose normal Reynolds number is greater than 10 ⁵ , the chord length is lower than a high-aspect-ratio wing shape that is smaller than the wing width. This is because the wing shape having an aspect ratio is more advantageous.

  As a result, when the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d are fluttered by swinging the drive rod 9 by alternately driving the output shaft 3a of each wing driving motor 3 forward and reverse, the corresponding wing body 10, a slip stream (rear flow) is generated in the outer region on the rear edge side. Therefore, the reaction force of the rear flow acts on each of the flapping blades 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d. . Therefore, in the entire small flying device of the present invention, the resultant force of the upward component (vertical component force) in the reaction force of the wake that acts on each of the four flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d acts as lift. Moreover, the horizontal component (horizontal component) of the reaction force of the wake that acts on each of the four flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d acts as a horizontal thrust. Accordingly, by independently adjusting the angle of attack and the flapping speed of each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, the balance between the lift and propulsive force generated for each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d is adjusted. Because it can be changed, high flight performance will be realized.

  That is, for example, by rotating the blade driving motor 3 by the angle control motor 7, the angle of attack of each flapping blade 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d is 90 degrees, as shown in FIG. When the output shaft 3a is driven to flutter by alternately driving forward and reverse by driving the blade driving motor 3 in a state where the blade leading edge is vertically upward, the flapping blades 2a, 2b, The wakes 2c and 2d of the wing body 10 are generated downward in the vertical direction. For this reason, the reaction force of the wake is only an upward component in the vertical direction, and no horizontal component force is generated. Therefore, the flapping speeds of the flapping blades 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d by the respective blade driving motors 3 are adjusted in a region where there is no airflow, and the four flapping blades 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d are respectively adjusted. If the lift of the small flying device of the present invention, which is the resultant force of the reaction force of the wake generated, exceeds the weight (overall weight) of the small flying device of the present invention, the small flying device It will rise vertically without being moved. On the other hand, when the lift of the above-described small-sized flying device is less than the weight of the aircraft, the small-sized flying device can be lowered vertically. Furthermore, if the lift of the above-described small flying device is balanced with the weight of the aircraft, the small flying device of the present invention can perform aerial stop flight (hovering). In the case of vertical ascending, vertical descending, and hovering as described above, it is not preferable that the flapping wings 2a, 2b at the front of the fuselage and the flapping wings 2c, 2d at the rear of the fuselage are operated in a reverse phase. It becomes possible to prevent the generation of equilibrium force.

  Further, for example, when the blade driving motor 3 is rotated by the angle control motor 7 to change the angle of the flapping blades 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, the flapping operation of the flapping blades 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d is performed. Since the direction of the generated wake is inclined from the downward direction in the vertical direction, a horizontal component is generated in the reaction force of the wake. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), each of the four flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d is in a state in which all of the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d are in a posture that is slightly upward at the required angle of attack. When the flapping operation is performed by driving 3, the reaction force of the wake generated by the four flapping wings 2 a, 2 b, 2 c, and 2 d acts slightly upward in the forward direction. By appropriately adjusting the lift, which is the resultant force of the vertical component force, so as to be balanced with the body weight of the small flying device of the present invention, the propulsive force, which is the resultant force of the horizontal component force, acts forward. From this, in a quiet air current, the small flight device of the present invention can fly forward according to the magnitude of the propulsive force while maintaining a constant altitude. When the small flying device of the present invention is to fly forward as described above, the flapping wings 2a and 2b at the front of the fuselage and the flapping wings 2c and 2d at the rear of the fuselage may be operated in a similar manner. However, since the flapping wings 2c and 2d at the rear of the fuselage move in the wake of the flapping wings 2a and 2b positioned at the front, respectively, the front and rear flapping wings 2a provided on the same left and right sides Interference occurs at 2c, 2b and 2d. Therefore, the phase difference during the flapping operation of the front and rear flapping wings 2a, 2b and 2c, 2d may be adjusted as appropriate so that this interference effect can be taken into account.

  Further, when the small flight apparatus of the present invention is caused to fly forward while maintaining a constant altitude as described above, the flapping speeds of the front and rear flapping wings 2a and 2c, and the front and rear flapping wings 2b and 2b, When the flapping speed of 2d is made different, the propulsive force acting on the left side of the fuselage from the flapping wings 2a and 2c and the propulsive force acting on the right side of the fuselage by the flapping wings 2b and 2d are different. For this reason, in a quiet air current, the small flying device of the present invention can be turned to one side in the left-right direction where the acting thrust is smaller. On the other hand, in a turbulent airflow that attempts to turn the flying small flying device to one of the left and right directions, either the left or right of the fuselage 1 that is the side on which the small flying device is to be turned. If the flapping speeds of the left and right flapping wings 2a, 2c and 2b, 2d are made to be different so that the propulsive force acting on the side increases, the propulsive force acting on the other side also increases. It is possible to obtain an effect of preventing the departure from a predetermined flight course.

  Each of the flapping wings 2a by the respective wing driving motors 3a during the forward flight or the left / right turning of the small flight apparatus of the present invention by the flapping operation of the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d as described above. , 2b, 2c, 2d, and by appropriately changing the angle of attack of each flapping blade 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d together with the blade driving motor 3 by driving the angle control motor 7, The lift, which is the resultant force of the vertical component force in the reaction force of the wake generated by each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, should be greater than the aircraft weight or less than the aircraft weight. For example, the small flying device of the present invention can be gradually raised or lowered during flight forward or turning.

  In addition, as described above, each of the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d is fluttered by alternating forward and reverse driving of each wing driving motor 3 to give a horizontal thrust to the small flying device of the present invention. At this time, the driving of each blade driving motor 3 is controlled so that the speed when the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d are lowered is higher than the speed when the wings are launched. The direction of the wake generated by the blades 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d is biased downward from the angle of attack set for the flapping blades 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d, and the wake that is biased downward The lift for supporting the weight of the aircraft may be obtained by the reaction force. In this way, when the small flying device of the present invention is caused to fly forward in the horizontal direction, the angle of attack of each of the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d is set to zero, that is, the posture is directed forward in the horizontal direction. Is possible.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1 (a), when the small flying device of the present invention is hovering, vertically rising or vertically descending, either one of the left and right flapping wings 2a, 2c or 2b, If the posture of 2d is slightly inclined forward and the posture of the flapping wings 2b, 2d or 2a, 2c on the other side is inclined slightly rearward, the left and right sides of the fuselage 1 are moved in the front-rear direction. Since a reverse propulsive force can be applied, the small flying device of the present invention can be turned in the horizontal direction on the spot. Further, if the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d on both the left and right sides are all inclined slightly rearward, it is possible to fly backward.

  By the way, the small flight apparatus of the present invention controls the angles and flapping operations of the four flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d provided at the front left / right position and the rear left / right position of the fuselage 1 independently. , Vertical ascent, vertical descent, hover, vertical turn, vertical descent and hovering in-situ turn, forward flight, left and right turn, advance or turn while rising, descent, reverse flight, etc. However, as mentioned above, because of its small size, when flying in an actual environment, it is always in turbulent flow due to the influence of airflow existing in the environment. It will be like flying. For this reason, there is a concern that the posture may be easily disturbed, and there is also a concern that the flight course may easily deviate from the desired flight course when flying in the turbulent flow. Since it is difficult for the operator to perform such correction of posture disturbance and correction of deviation from the desired flight course each time by wireless control or the like, the following control mechanism is used in the small flight device of the present invention. Is provided so that autonomous flight control can be performed.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a position sensor 15 such as a position sensor composed of a GPS, a magnetic sensor, a flight speed meter and a flight altimeter, a posture sensor 16 such as a gyro, and an obstacle are detected at a required position of the fuselage 1. The anti-collision sensor 17 is provided, and the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d at the front left and right positions and the rear left and right positions of the fuselage 1 are handled based on signals from the sensors 15, 16, and 17, respectively. A controller 18 is provided to give independent control commands to the set of blade driving motor 3 and angle control motor 7 provided as described above.

  Furthermore, at the required position of the fuselage 1, wireless reception for receiving a flight command according to the purpose of use of the small flying device of the present invention, which is issued wirelessly from an external control device (not shown), and for inputting to the controller 18. A device 19 and a command setting device 20 are provided. Furthermore, a state monitor 21 and a wireless transmitter 22 are provided for wirelessly transmitting the current position, flight status, etc. of the small flight device of the present invention output from the controller 18 to the external control device. is there.

  The controller 18 will be described in detail. One of its functions is an attitude control function. As described above, since the attitude of the small flight apparatus of the present invention may be easily disturbed by turbulence during flight, the controller 18 is input from the mounted attitude sensor 16. Based on the signal, the front / rear / left / right inclination is constantly monitored, and when the inclination is detected, the flapping wings at the front left / right position and the rear left / right position are returned so that the detected inclination is canceled and the horizontal posture is restored. Commands are given to the blade driving motor 3 and the angle control motor 7 in order to appropriately change the angles and flapping speeds of 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d.

  More specifically, for example, when it is detected by the signal from the attitude sensor 16 that the left side is tilted down, the flapping operation state of each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d in the current flight state In order to slightly increase the lift by the front and rear flapping wings 2a and 2c on the left side of the fuselage, and to prevent the lift from deviating from the desired flight course as this lift increases, The fuselage 1 with the left and right flapping wings 2a, 2c and 2b, 2d in order to slightly reduce the lift by the flapping wings 2b, 2d and to prevent the flapping wings 2a, 2c and 2b, 2d from deviating from the desired flight course in the horizontal direction. Corresponding to the angle of attack and the flapping speed of each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d so that the propulsive force acting on the left and right of the So as to adjust the drive motor 3 and the angle control motor 7. Thereby, the balance of lift acting on the left side and the right side of the body 1 is adjusted to correct the inclination so that the horizontal posture can be maintained.

  Similarly, when a tilt with a lower right side is detected or when a tilt in the front-rear direction is detected, each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c existing on the lower side and the higher side of the fuselage 1, respectively. , 2d, the inclination is corrected by changing the balance of the lift generated at 2d so that the horizontal posture can be maintained.

  Another function of the controller 18 is a flight control function. This is to fly the small flight apparatus of the present invention to a predetermined target position, and then return to the initial position or the predetermined position after completion of the desired work. Therefore, the position of the small flying device of the present invention itself (for example, based on a signal input from the position sensor 15 such as a position sensor consisting of a magnetic sensor, a speedometer, and a flight altimeter when GPS or GPS radio waves do not reach (for example, 3D coordinates) can be detected. Further, when a flight command, for example, a target position is set by a GPS coordinate or the like from the external control device via the wireless receiver 19 and the command setting unit 20, the target is detected from the detected initial position (takeoff position). Find the direction, distance, etc. to reach the position, for example, first take off vertically and then ascend vertically to the required height position, then fly forward to the required direction toward the target position The flight course can be automatically determined and set, and is set according to changes in lift and propulsion required to fly along the set flight course, that is, set to the flight course. It adjusts the lift to ascend or descend according to the altitude, adjusts the balance of left and right propulsive forces to turn left and right, and acts on the whole to set the flight speed. Commands are given to the blade driving motor 3 and the angle control motor 7 of each of the flapping blades 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d so that the propulsive force can be adjusted, and the angle of each flapping blade 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d is given. The flapping speed can be controlled independently and appropriately. Thereby, the small flight apparatus of the present invention can fly to the target position along the set flight course.

  In addition, since the small flight device of the present invention is easily disturbed by the turbulent flow as described above, the flight control function of the controller 18 has the predetermined small flight device of the present invention as described above. When flying along a flight course, the current flight position of the small flight device of the present invention is constantly monitored based on signals from the position sensor 15 such as GPS coordinates, and the detected current flight position is If it is detected that there is a deviation from a predetermined flight course, the right and left flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are appropriately applied to the wing driving motor 3 and the angle control motor 7 so as to correct the deviation. A command is given so that it can be swung left and right, or raised or lowered. Thereby, even if a flight course is disturbed, it has a function which can fly the small flight apparatus of this invention to a target position, correcting it at any time.

  Further, as the flight control function of the controller 18, after a predetermined purpose at the target position is achieved, the small flight apparatus of the present invention is returned to the initial position (takeoff position) or to a predetermined position set in advance. It is assumed that the flight course can be made to fly by performing the same control as described above along the return flight course.

  As another function of the controller 18, an obstacle avoidance function for automatically avoiding an obstacle present on the flight course is provided. This is because the controller 18 always monitors the front in the traveling direction based on the signal input from the collision prevention sensor 17 and if the presence of an obstacle is detected in front of the flight course, each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, By appropriately giving instructions to the 2d wing drive motor 3 and the angle control motor 7, the flight direction is appropriately changed in the vertical and horizontal directions to bypass the obstacle. After avoiding the obstacle in this way, the flight course to the target position or the return flight course may be returned based on the flight control function of the controller 18.

  For example, an optical flow sensor may be employed as the collision prevention sensor 17. This is because, when a moving body is moving and the outside is visually observed, the external image obtained expands radially from one point in front of the traveling direction. After flowing fastest at a speed corresponding to the speed of the moving body to the rear, it changes so as to be concentrated at one point behind the traveling direction. At this time, the object positioned in front of the moving direction of the moving body does not change the relative position in the field of view, and the object existing in the position deviating from the front of the moving direction moves up and down from the moving direction. The relative position changes in the vertical and horizontal directions on the field of view depending on the direction of shifting to the left and right, and the object that exists at a position deviated from the front of the traveling direction is smaller in the field of view. Obstacles ahead in the direction of travel can be detected using the principle that the rate of change of the relative position on the top increases.

  Furthermore, at a predetermined position (not shown) of the fuselage 1, depending on the purpose of use of the small flight apparatus of the present invention, for example, for the purpose of collecting information on a remote place, the CCD sensor 23a for image capturing, Various sensors such as a chemical sensor 23b and a biosensor 23c for detecting a substance present in the atmospheric gas, and a gripping device (not shown) for performing a detachment operation and a gripping operation of the object to be transported The payload 23 can be loaded. When the payload 23 is various sensors, as shown in FIG. 3, the current position of the small flight apparatus of the present invention is sent to the state monitor 21 and input from the controller 18 as shown in FIG. In addition, it may be transmitted wirelessly to an external control device via the wireless transmitter 22 together with the flight status and the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), legs 24 are provided at the lower required position of the fuselage 1 for grounding when the small flight apparatus of the present invention is taken off and landing. A power source (not shown) such as a battery for supplying power to the motors 3 and 7 and the devices in the control mechanism is mounted at a required position of the body 1.

  Since the small flying device of the present invention is a flying object, it is important that all of the various components described above are lightweight. Therefore, the various components described above may be appropriately selected and used from light materials within a range in which required strength and function are satisfied.

  Due to the above configuration, when using the small flying device of the present invention, the operator can wirelessly transfer from the external control device to the required takeoff position and place it on the ground or at the required location. When a flight command is issued so that the flight to the target position and the desired purpose, for example, the status of the target position is observed by various sensors mounted as the payload 23, the command is wirelessly received by the small flight device of the present invention. The data is input to the controller 18 via the device 19 and the command setting device 20. When the command is input to the controller 18 in this way, the controller 18 sets a flight course up to the designated target position, and obtains lift and propulsive force that can fly along the predetermined flight course. As shown, commands for individually driving the blade driving motor 3 and the angle control motor 7 of each flapping blade 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d are issued. Thereby, the angle of attack of each of the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d is adjusted to a required angle by the angle control motor 7, and each of the flapping wings 2a, 2a, Since 2b, 2c, and 2d are operated by flapping, the small flight device of the present invention flies to the target position along the predetermined flight course.

  During the flight, if the posture is disturbed due to turbulent flow or the like, the posture of the posture is detected by the controller 18 based on a signal input from the posture sensor 16, and each wing is corrected by the controller 18 so as to correct the disturbance of the posture. A command is issued to the drive motor 3 and each angle control motor 7 so that the angles and flapping speeds of the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are appropriately adjusted. You can fly while holding

  Further, when the vehicle deviates from a predetermined flight course due to the influence of wind or the like, a deviation from the flight course is detected by the controller 18 based on a signal from the position sensor 15, and the controller 18 corrects the deviation from the flight course. Since a command is issued to each blade driving motor 3 and each angle control motor 7, the angle and flapping speed of each flapping blade 2 a, 2 b, 2 c, 2 d are appropriately adjusted to adjust lift force and propulsive force. The small flight device of the present invention can fly toward the target position.

  Further, when there is an obstacle on the flight course, the controller 18 detects the obstacle by a signal from the collision prevention sensor 17, and the controller 18 drives each wing so as to fly around the obstacle. Since a command is issued to the motor 3 and each angle control motor 7 and the angles and flapping speeds of the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are adjusted as appropriate, the small flying device of the present invention avoids obstacles. Will be able to fly.

  When the small flight device of the present invention reaches the target position, the status of the target position is measured by a sensor mounted on the payload 23. For example, when the sensor is a CCD sensor 23a, the status of the target position is determined. When an image can be taken and the chemical sensor 23b or the biosensor 23c is used, the atmosphere gas at the target position is analyzed, the image of the target position, the analysis result of the gas component in the atmosphere, and the like. Can be transmitted to an external control device via the state monitor 21 and the wireless transmitter 22.

  Thereafter, when the target work at the target position is completed, the controller 18 allows the wing drive motor 3 and each of the wing driving motors 3 to fly along the flight course for returning to the take-off position or a predetermined position specified in advance by the controller 18. A command is issued to the angle control motor 7, and the lift and propulsion generated by adjusting the angles and flapping speeds of the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d are adjusted accordingly. The device can be returned to the take-off position or a predetermined position.

Thus, according to the small flight apparatus of the present invention, the flapping operation can be performed by independently controlling the angle of attack and flapping speed of the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d provided at the front left and right positions and the rear left and right positions. Therefore, by controlling the angle and the flapping speed of each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, the lift and propulsive force acting on the front left / right position and the rear left / right position of the fuselage 1 are independent. Can be adjusted. For this reason, since the small flight device of the present invention has a Reynolds number as low as about 10 ⁴ to 10 ⁵ due to its size, it receives interaction with a fluid that is significantly different from a meter-sized aircraft, Although the situation is such that the aircraft always flies in a turbulent flow, advanced flight performance can be achieved while the posture disturbance detected by the posture sensor 16 is always corrected and held in a horizontal posture.

  Further, by giving a flight command related to the target position and the purpose of use, after allowing autonomous flight to the target position, the predetermined operation at the target position is performed, and then the take-off position or the predetermined position is returned. You can fly. Therefore, for example, taking a picture of a disaster occurrence site or a place where people can not easily approach, analyzing the components of gas contained in the atmosphere of the place, and confirming the occurrence of harmful gas, etc. It is possible to collect information on the target position from a remote location.

  Furthermore, if a gripping device is mounted on the payload 23, it is possible to transport a required transported object to a place where a person set as a target position cannot easily approach or to a remote place or to collect it. Become.

  Next, FIGS. 4 (a) (b) and 5 show other embodiments of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. The angle control motor 7 and the blade driving motor 3 perform the angle adjustment and the flapping operation of the flapping blades 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d provided at the position and the rear left and right positions separately. Instead, the adjustment of the angle of attack and the flapping operation of each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d provided at the front left / right position and the rear left / right position correspond to each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d. This can be performed by the drive motor 25.

  That is, the drive motor 25 is provided at the front left and right positions and the rear left and right positions of the body 1 so that the output shafts 25a are outward in the left and right directions. One end of a drive rod 9a protruding to the outside of the body 1 along the axial direction is connected and fixed to the output shaft 25a of each drive motor 25. At the other end of each drive rod 9a, a blade body 10 similar to the blade body 10 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 (a) to (b) is arranged in parallel with the drive rod 9a. The center part in the width direction of the front edge part is attached via the connecting rod 11 perpendicular to the drive rod 9a. As a result, by rotating the output shaft 25a of each drive motor 25, the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d composed of the drive rod 9a, the connecting rod 11 and the wing body 10 attached to the output shaft 25a are moved. The drive rod 9a can be rotated in the vertical direction together with the connecting rod 11 around the drive rod 9a. Therefore, by adjusting the direction (rotation angle) of the output shaft 25a by each drive motor 25, the average angle of attack of the blade body 10 around the drive rod 9a (as will be described later, the blade body 10 outputs the output). Since the flapping operation is performed around the shaft 25a within a required angle range, the vertical angle at the center of the flapping angle range is referred to as an average angle of attack) can be set in a predetermined direction. Further, by driving the output shaft 25a by the drive motors 25 alternately in the required angle range around the set direction, for example, in the angle range of about 30 degrees, the drive rod 9a is driven. As a center, the corresponding flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d can be operated to flutter within the required angle range with the set average angle of attack as the center. At this time, by individually controlling the speeds at which the drive motors 25 are driven forward and reverse, the flapping operation speeds (flapping speeds) of the corresponding flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are independently controlled. I can do it. The drive motor 25 may be either an electromagnetic motor or an ultrasonic motor.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, the adjustment of the angle of attack (average angle of attack) of each of the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d and the flapping operation are performed by the corresponding one drive motor 25. Therefore, the attitude control function, flight control function, and obstacle avoidance function are provided, and the lift and propulsion generated by each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d based on each control function are independent of each other. As shown in FIG. 5, the controller for controlling the blades includes the blade driving motors 3 of the flapping blades 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d as shown in FIGS. In place of the controller 18 for giving commands to the motor 7 for driving, the drive motor 25 has a function for giving commands for controlling the average angle of attack and the flapping speed of the flapping blades 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d. It is acceptable to provide controller 18a.

  Other configurations are the same as those shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B to FIG. 3, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  According to the present embodiment, only by controlling the rotation of the drive motor 25, the average angle of attack of each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d is set to 90 degrees as shown in FIG. Each of the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d is fluttered in a state where the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are in the vertical upward direction, or the average angle of attack is set to zero as shown in FIG. It can be operated in a fluttering state. Accordingly, each of the flapping blades 2a, 2b, 2c through the control of the corresponding angle control motor 7 and blade driving motor 3 by the controller 18 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. , 2d flapping by giving control commands to the drive motor 25 based on the attitude control function, flight control function, and obstacle avoidance function of the controller 18a as well as control of the angle of attack and the flapping speed independent of each other. By independently controlling the average angle of attack and the flapping speed of the blades 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d, the same effects as those of the embodiments of FIGS. 1 (A) to (B) to FIG. 3 can be obtained. . Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the number of motors to be used can be reduced, the configuration can be made simpler and more advantageous in terms of reducing the weight of the fuselage. it can.

  6 (a) (b) to FIG. 9 show still another embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 (b) (b) to FIG. The flapping operation of the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d provided at the position and the rear left and right positions is performed by a vane driving motor 3 that can change the angle in the vertical direction. As a linear actuator in which the flapping operation of each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d provided at the left and right positions of the rear part and the rear left and right positions can be independently changed in the vertical direction, for example, a moving coil type linear actuator Each of them is performed by the actuator 26.

  That is, the moving coil type linear actuator 26 has a cylindrical support container 27 whose one end is closed at the other end of the cylindrical support container 27 as shown in FIGS. A permanent magnet magnetic circuit 29 having an annular gap (groove) 29a for generating a magnetic field in the radial direction is installed inside the support container 27, A required space is formed between the magnetic circuit 29 and the lid 27a, and the gap 29a is opened to the lid 27a side. In the gap 29a of the magnetic circuit 29, the coil 30 is inserted and arranged so as to be reciprocally movable in the axial direction, and an attachment member 32 is attached to the axial end of the coil 30 on the lid portion 27a side. Furthermore, one end of the output shaft 31 that is slidably inserted into the opening 28 in the central portion of the lid portion 27a is attached to the central portion of the mounting member 32. Thus, when AC power having a required frequency is supplied to the coil 30, the coil 30 can be reciprocated in the axial direction by the interaction with the magnetic field in the gap 29 a of the magnetic circuit 29. With the reciprocating motion in the axial direction, the mounting member 32 is moved in the space, and the output shaft 31 is vibrated (reciprocated) in the axial direction at a frequency similar to the frequency of the AC power to be fed. I can do it. For example, if the outer peripheral portion of the coil 30 is connected to the inner surface of the support container 27 located on the outer periphery via an elastic member (not shown) such as a spring arranged in the radial direction, When the power supply to the linear actuator 26 is stopped, the output shaft 31 can be held in the neutral position.

  The linear actuator 26 having the above-described configuration is arranged on the outer surface of the support container 27 in the direction perpendicular to and opposite to the reciprocating direction of the coil 30 as shown in FIGS. The rotation support shaft 4 extending to both sides of the support container 27 is rotatably supported by a pair of left and right bearings 5 provided at the front left and right positions and the rear left and right positions of the body 1, respectively. As shown in FIG. Furthermore, angle changing gears 6 are respectively attached to one (one side) of the rotational support shafts 4, for example, the respective rotational support shafts 4 located on the center side of the body 1 of each linear actuator 26, and Each of the meshed pinions 8 is attached to an output shaft 7a of each independent angle control motor 7 installed on the body 1, and each pinion 8 is independently rotated by each angle control motor 7, thereby The linear actuator 26 can be independently rotated (angle changed) in a vertical plane along the front-rear direction via the angle changing gear 6 and the rotation support shaft 4.

  Further, the output shaft 31 of the linear actuator 26 has left and right as in the case where it is connected to the output shaft 3a of each blade driving motor 3 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. One end (end on the body 1 side) of the drive rod 9 extending in the direction and projecting the required dimension outward from the body 1 is connected and fixed at a right angle as shown in FIG. In addition, the other end of the drive rod 9 protruding outward from the body 1 has the same configuration as that of the wing body 10 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. The front edge portion of the blade body 10 arranged in a plane perpendicular to the output shaft 31 is attached via a plurality of connecting rods 11, and the blade is passed through the drive rod 9 and the connecting rod 11 by reciprocating movement of the output shaft 31. As a configuration in which the main body 10 is operated to flapping, . In each figure of the present embodiment, when the output shaft 31 of the linear actuator 26 is directed upward in the vertical direction, the blade body 10 is in a posture in which the blade leading edge is directed forward in the horizontal direction, and the output shaft 31 of the linear actuator 26 is moved in the horizontal direction. When facing backward, the wing body 10 is set so that the leading edge of the wing has a vertically upward posture.

  With this configuration, the drive rod 9, the connecting rod 11, and the blade body 10 connected to the output shaft 31 are vibrated by vibrating the output shaft 31 of each linear actuator 26 in the axial direction with a required amplitude. Each of the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d consisting of the above is oscillated in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the wing body 10 to be fluttered. At this time, the output shaft 31 of each linear actuator 26 is operated. By individually controlling the vibration speed, the flapping operation speeds (flapping speeds) of the corresponding flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are independently controlled. Further, by appropriately controlling the number of rotations of each angle control motor 7, the vertical wings of the flapping wings 2 a, 2 b, 2 c, 2 d attached to the linear actuator 26 together with the corresponding linear actuator 26 are received. Each corner (orientation) is changed independently.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, as described above, the flapping operation of each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d is performed by the linear actuator 26, so that the attitude control function and the flight control are performed. FIG. 3 shows a controller that has a function and an obstacle avoidance function and independently controls the lift and propulsion generated by the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d based on the control functions. As shown in FIG. 9, each flapping blade 2a, 2b, 2c, 2c, 2c, 2d, instead of the controller 18 that gives commands to the blade driving motor 3 and the angle control motor 7 of each flapping blade 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d shown. A command is given to each of the linear actuator 26 of 2d and the angle control motor 7, and the flapping speed and the vertical attitude of the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d are given. It is acceptable to provide the controller 18b has a function of giving a command to control, respectively.

  Other configurations are the same as those shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B to FIG. 3, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  According to the present embodiment, the rotation of the angle control motor 7 is controlled to rotate the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d together with the linear actuator 26 in the vertical direction so that each flapping wing 2a, As shown in FIG. 6 (a), the angle postures 2b, 2c, and 2d are set to 90 degrees, and the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are fluttered in a state in which they are in the vertically upward posture. As shown in FIG. 6 (b), the flapping operation can be performed in a state where the posture is in the horizontal forward direction.

  Accordingly, the flapping blades 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are controlled by the control of the corresponding angle control motor 7 and blade driving motor 3 by the controller 18 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. Control commands are given to the angle control motor 7 and the linear actuator 26 based on the attitude control function, flight control function, and obstacle avoidance function of the controller 18b, as well as control of the angle of attack and flapping speed independent of each other. Thus, the angle of attack as the angle posture of each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d and the flapping speed are controlled independently, respectively, so that it is the same as the embodiment of FIGS. The effect of can be obtained.

  As described above, when the small flying device according to the present embodiment is caused to fly in the horizontal direction, each flapping wing 2a, By causing 2b, 2c, and 2d to be in a slightly upward posture at the required angle of attack, the wake is generated slightly backward and the present invention is based on the upward component in the vertical direction in the reaction force of the wake. What is necessary is just to obtain the lift to support the weight of the small aircraft. Also, when supplying AC power to each of the linear actuators 26, a DC component is simultaneously loaded so that the speed at which the corresponding flapping blades 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d are lowered is higher than the speed at the time of launch. The drive of each linear actuator 26 is controlled to be large, and thereby the direction of the wake generated by each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d is set to flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d. If the lift force for supporting the weight of the fuselage can be obtained by biasing downward from the angle of attack that is made downward and the reaction force of the wake that is biased downward, the attack of each of the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d The corners can be in a posture directed forward in the horizontal direction.

  FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b) show application examples of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) to FIG. 9, and what is shown in FIG. (B) As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 9, one end portion (end portion on the body 1 side) of the drive rod 9 of each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d is provided on the output shaft 31 of the linear actuator 26. Instead of the direct fixing configuration, the required dimension protrudes in parallel with the output shaft 31 at one side position in the left-right direction closer to the outer side of the body 1 than the output shaft 31 on the front surface of the lid portion 27a of the support container 27 of each linear actuator 26. One end of the bracket 33 corresponding to the base end side of the drive rod 9 of the corresponding flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d (only the flapping wing 2a is shown in the figure) is provided at the tip of the bracket 33. Pin 34 is used for the required location Is supported each pivoted rotatably to one end portion of the base end side of each of the drive rods 9, provided with a long hole 35 having the required dimension along the axial direction. On the other hand, a clevis-shaped connecting member 36 having a gap communicating in the left-right direction is attached to the tip end of the output shaft 31 of the linear actuator 26, and the drive is inserted into the gap on the tip end side of the connecting member 36. One end portion of the rod 9 is arranged along the both ends, and both end portions of the power transmission pin 37 inserted through the long hole 35 of the drive rod 9 are attached to the distal end portion of the connecting member 36 to connect the connecting member 36 and One end of the drive rod 9 is engaged, and the output shaft 31 of the linear actuator 26 vibrates in the axial direction so that the drive rod 9 is swung through the power transmission pin 37 and the long hole 35. It is set as the structure made into.

  10B, the output shaft 31 and the output shaft 31 are located on the other side of the front side of the lid portion 27a of the support container 27 of each linear actuator 26 in the left-right direction closer to the center of the body 1 than the output shaft 31. A bracket 33 protruding in parallel with a required dimension is provided, and the base of the drive rod 9 of the corresponding flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d (only the flapping wing 2a is shown in the figure) is provided at the tip of the bracket 33. One end as an end side is pivotally supported by a pin 34 so as to be pivotable, and a long hole 35 is provided at a required position on the base end side of the drive rod 9 as shown in FIG. 10 and is fixed to the distal end of the output shaft 31 of the linear actuator 26, and along the connecting member 36 similar to that shown in FIG. Hole The drive rod 9 can be swung around the pivot point on the bracket 33 when the output shaft 31 of the linear actuator 26 vibrates in the axial direction. It is what.

  Other configurations are all the same as those shown in FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (b) to FIG. 9, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Further, for example, the required portion of the outer periphery of the coil 30 and the inner surface of the support container 27 located on the outer periphery thereof are connected via a required elastic member (not shown) such as a spring arranged in the radial direction, When the power supply to the linear actuator 26 is stopped, the output shaft 31 may be held in a neutral position.

  10 (b) and 10 (b), both are attached to the output shaft 31 via the connecting member 36 by vibrating the output shaft 31 of the linear actuator 26 in the axial direction. The power transmission pin 37 pushes and pulls the portion of the long hole 35 in the drive rod 9 of each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d in the axial direction of the output shaft 31. Accordingly, each drive rod 9 is provided at a required position on the front surface of the lid portion 27a of the support container 27 of the linear actuator 26, as indicated by a one-dot chain line and a two-dot chain line in FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b), respectively. Since the pin 34 at the tip of the bracket 33 can be swung around the fulcrum, the wing body 10 attached to the other end of each drive rod 9 can be operated to flapping. Further, when the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are fluttered as described above, the vibration amplitude of the output shaft 31 of each linear actuator 26 is set to the tip of the connecting member 36 attached to the output shaft 31. The distance L1 from the position of the elongated hole 35 of the drive rod 9 driven by the power transmission pin 37 to the fulcrum, that is, the pin 34 at the tip of the bracket 33, and the bracket 33 serving as the fulcrum Each flapping wing 2a is amplified in accordance with the ratio (L2 / L1) to the distance L2 from the pin 34 at the tip end to the mounting position of the wing body 10 on the other end projecting outward of the body 1 of the driving rod 9. , 2b, 2c, 2d. For this reason, even if the amplitude of the vibration of the output shaft 31 of the linear actuator 26 is small, it is easy to set the amplitude of the flapping operation of each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d. This can be advantageous for downsizing.

  In addition, this invention is not limited only to the said embodiment, The thing as described below is also included. For example, you may increase / decrease the size of the small flight apparatus of this invention suitably. As long as the fuselage 1 has a shape that does not become a resistance during flight of the small flight device of the present invention, such as a streamline, the shape may be freely determined.

  The number of connecting rods 11 that connect the drive rods 9, 9a and the wing body 10 is three in FIGS. 1 (a) and (b), FIG. 6 (a), (b) and FIG. 7, and FIG. In (B), it is shown as one, but it may be increased or decreased as appropriate. The wing body 10 is lightweight and has an area capable of obtaining the necessary lift and propulsion necessary for flying the small flight apparatus of the present invention by flapping operation, and causes feathering during flapping operation. If it is a flat thing provided with the flexibility, the number of the horizontal bone members 12 may be increased, or the number of the vertical bone members 13 may be increased or decreased. Furthermore, it is good also as things other than the structure which consists of the transverse bone member 12, the longitudinal bone member 13, and the film 14, such as making it a sheet-like thing. The shape is preferably a rectangular shape with a low aspect ratio, but the shape may not be a low aspect ratio, and the shape may be slightly changed. It is desirable that both the wing body 10 and the connecting rod 11 have flexibility. However, if feathering can be generated in the wing body 10 with only one of the flexibility, the other does not have flexibility. Also good. The wing body 10 may be directly attached to the drive rods 9 and 9a without the connection rod 11 interposed.

  In the embodiments of FIGS. 1 (a) to (b) to FIG. 3, when changing the angle of each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, the bearing 5 is supported rotatably via the rotation support shaft 4. A linear actuator in which the blade driving motor 3 is supported by a bearing 5 via a rotation support shaft 4 so as to be freely rotatable in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 26 is shown as being rotated up and down by the angle control motor 7 via the pinion 8 and the angle changing gear 6, respectively, but when the small flying device of the present invention is made to fly, each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d can rotate in a required angle range so that a desired angle of attack can be taken, and if it is lightweight, the mechanism for rotating the blade drive motor 3 and the linear actuator 26 in the vertical direction is as follows: Rack-and-pinion Structure and the required push-pull mechanism directly or via a link by the actuator, may be employed any other mechanism.

  Bearings of the rotary support shaft 4 attached to the outside of the body 1 of the linear actuator 26 in the embodiment of FIGS. 6 (a) (b) to FIG. 9 and the embodiment of FIGS. 10 (b) (b). 5 when the linear actuator 26 is rotated in the vertical direction to change the angular posture, the bearing 5 does not interfere with the drive rod 9 attached to the output shaft 31. When the shaft 31 is in the vertically downward direction, the wing body 10 is in a horizontally forward posture, and when the output shaft 31 of the linear actuator 26 is in the horizontally forward direction, the wing body 10 is in a vertically upward posture. It may be set. As a linear actuator for flapping the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, an output is obtained by utilizing the electromagnetic interaction between the magnetic field in the gap 29a of the magnetic circuit 29 and the coil 30. The voice coil type linear actuator 26 is illustrated as an example. However, if the output shaft can be vibrated in the axial direction, a linear ultrasonic motor or electromagnetic type may be used instead of the voice coil type linear actuator 26. The linear motor may be used.

  10 (a) and 10 (b), the base end side of the drive rod 9 of the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d that is rotatably attached to the bracket 33 of the linear actuator 26 is connected to the linear actuator 26. If it can be connected to the output shaft 31 so that it can be swung by vibration in the axial direction of the output shaft 31, the elongated hole 35 of the drive rod 9 and the power transmission pin 37 attached to the output shaft 31 side are engaged. Any connecting means other than the configuration to be combined may be adopted.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, when the output of the lift and propulsion generated by the flapping operation of each flapping wing 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d is increased or decreased, the flapping speed is changed. The flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are fluttered by increasing / decreasing the angle range of alternating forward / reverse driving by the driving motor 3 and the driving motor 25 or increasing / decreasing the amplitude of the output shaft 31 of the linear actuator 26. The lift and propulsion generated by the flapping wings 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d may be increased or decreased by increasing or decreasing the angular range or amplitude.

  As long as the position sensor 15 can detect the position of the small flight apparatus of the present invention, an arbitrary sensor such as an acceleration sensor is adopted in addition to a position sensor composed of a GPS, a magnetic sensor, a flight speed meter, and a flight altimeter. Also good. The posture sensor 16 may employ a device other than the gyro such as three GPS receivers and three antennas. The collision prevention sensor 17 adopts an arbitrary type of sensor such as a sensor that detects an obstacle by an ultrasonic wave or an infrared echo in addition to the optical flow sensor as long as the obstacle located in the front of the flight direction can be detected. Also good.

  If the size and weight do not hinder the flight of the small flight device of the present invention, the payload 23 may be arbitrary depending on the desired use purpose of the small flight device of the present invention. Therefore, the small flight device of the present invention can be applied to any purpose of use according to the payload 23 to be loaded.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the controllers 18, 18a, and 18b have been described as having an attitude control function, a flight control function, and an obstacle avoidance function. However, these are basic functions, and the small flight device of the present invention. In addition, a communication device with another small flying device is provided, and the controller 18, 18a, 18b is added with a function for interworking with another small flying device or another external device related to the flight. Another sensor for collecting information can be added so that the attitude control function, the flight control function, the obstacle avoidance function, etc. can be modified based on the signal of the sensor. You may make it have arbitrary functions, such as adding the control function of the apparatus mounted in the payload 23. FIG. Of course, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of a small-sized flying device according to the present invention, in which (a) shows a state in which a vertical upward lifting force is generated, and (b) shows a state of flying forward. FIG. 2 is a schematic cut plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a schematic diagram which shows the control mechanism of the apparatus of FIG. FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the present invention, where (a) shows a state in which each flapping wing is in a vertically upward posture and a vertical upward lift is generated, and (b) shows a state of flying forward. It is a schematic perspective view. It is a schematic diagram which shows the control mechanism of the apparatus of FIG. FIG. 7 shows still another embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) shows a state in which each flapping wing is in a vertically upward posture and a vertical upward lift is generated, and (b) shows a state of forward flight. It is a schematic perspective view shown. FIG. 7 is a schematic cut plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 6. 7 shows the linear actuator used in FIG. 7 and its supporting structure, in which (A) is a partially cut enlarged view from the AA direction of FIG. 7, and (B) is a BB direction arrow of (A). FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the control mechanism of the apparatus of FIG. FIGS. 8A and 8B show other forms of the linear actuator used in the apparatus of FIG. 6, and are diagrams showing application examples of FIGS.

Explanation of symbols

1 Body 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d Flapping wing 3 Blade driving motor 3a Output shaft 9, 9a Drive rod 10 Blade body 11 Connecting rod 16 Attitude sensor 18, 18a, 18b Controller 25 Drive motor 25a Output shaft 26 Linear actuator 31 Output Shaft 33 Bracket

Claims (12)

  Flapping wings are provided at a plurality of positions on the left and right sides of the fuselage so that the angle can be adjusted independently in the vertical direction, and the flapping operation of each flapping wing can be controlled independently. A small-sized flying device characterized by being able to fly while flapping while maintaining an angular posture.   Flapping wings are provided at a plurality of positions on the front left and right positions of the fuselage and the left and right positions of the rear so that the angle can be adjusted independently in the vertical direction, and the flapping operation of each flapping wing can be controlled independently. A small-sized flying device characterized in that each flapping wing is operated by flapping while holding the flapping wing in a required angle posture.   Blade drive motors are provided at multiple positions in the front left and right positions and rear left and right positions of the fuselage so that the angle of the output shaft can be changed so that the output shaft faces in the front-rear direction or the up-down direction. A small-sized flying device having a configuration in which the drive rod of the flapping wing formed by integrally holding the front edge of the wing is attached to the output shaft of each wing drive motor.   A posture sensor for detecting the posture of the fuselage, control of the vertical angle of the output shaft of each blade driving motor based on a signal input from the posture sensor, and alternating positive and negative of each blade driving motor The small-sized flying device according to claim 3, further comprising a controller that controls flapping operation of the flapping wing by reverse rotation driving.   Drive motors are installed at multiple locations in the front left and right positions of the fuselage and the left and right positions of the rear so that the output shaft faces the outside of the fuselage, and the front edge of the wing body is integrated with the drive rod that extends in the left and right directions A small-sized flying device having a configuration in which the drive rod of the flapping wing held is attached to the output shaft of each drive motor so as to be parallel to the axial direction of the output shaft.   The attitude sensor for detecting the attitude of the fuselage, the control of the average angle of attack of the flapping wing by controlling the angle of the drive rod by each drive motor based on the signal input from the attitude sensor, and the average angle of attack 6. A small flight apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a controller for controlling flapping operation of flapping wings by alternating forward and reverse driving of each driving motor.   Linear actuators are provided at multiple positions in the front left and right positions of the fuselage and rear left and right positions so that the angle of the output shaft can be changed so that the output shaft is directed in the vertical direction or the front-rear direction. A small-sized flying device having a configuration in which the drive rod of a flapping wing having an edge held is attached to an output shaft of each linear actuator.   Linear actuators are provided at a plurality of positions in the front left and right positions and rear left and right positions of the fuselage so that the angle of the output shaft can be changed so that the output shaft is directed in the vertical direction or the front-rear direction. The base end side of the flapping wing formed by holding the front edge of the wing body on a drive rod extending in the left-right direction is rotatably attached to the bracket, and the base end of the drive rod A small-sized flying device characterized in that the side is connected to the output shaft of the linear actuator so as to be swingable by vibration in the axial direction of the output shaft.   A posture sensor for detecting the posture of the fuselage, control of the vertical angle of the output shaft of each linear actuator based on a signal input from the posture sensor, and the axial direction of the output shaft of each linear actuator The small flight apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising a controller that controls flapping operation of the flapping wing by vibration.   A connection rod having flexibility extending in a direction perpendicular to the drive rod is interposed between the drive rod and the front edge of the blade body. The described small flying device.   The small flight device according to claim 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10, wherein the wing body is provided with flexibility in a direction perpendicular to the front edge portion.   The small flight apparatus according to claim 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or 11, wherein the wing body has a low aspect ratio.

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