JP2007260374A - Radio-controlled small plane - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an airplane specially for aerial photographing, which is set up by attaching a bucket in which a video camera is mountable, to an air frame of a radio-controlled small plane. <P>SOLUTION: According to the structure of the radio-controlled small plane, the bucket 9 in which the video camera is mounted, is attached to the air frame by inserting a rod 14 into both brackets, and to reduce transmission of oscillation of an engine, a spring is interposed between the brackets. The rod 14 is made of a plastic that is flexibly bent, and therefore a large impact imposed on the air frame is absorbed by the rod 14, to thereby protect the camera. When the video camera 15 which is heavier than an ordinary one is mounted in the bucket, even if the center of gravity of the air frame shifts forward, the airplane is designed so as to shift the mounting location of a main wing accordingly. Specifically only by matching holes 10 formed in the air frame with holes 11 formed in the main wing, and inserting rods 12 into the respective holes, shift of the mounting location is achieved. The bucket in which the camera is mounted can laterally switch its direction by a servo. The airplane is set up by simply assembling the bucket, the main wing, a horizontal tail, and front wheels, by screws and the rods, and therefore it can be easily disassembled, which contributes to easy transportation and easy storage of the same. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a radio-controlled small aircraft, and generally relates to a radio-controlled aircraft.

When shooting terrain, landscapes and buildings from the sky, shooting with a manned airplane or helicopter will be expensive, but it will be expensive, and if it is shot at an extremely low altitude of 50 meters or less, it will be several times the normal altitude. There is a danger.
In the unlikely event of an accident, a significant loss will occur.

  Even if you shoot with a camera or video camera attached to a conventional radio-controlled small airplane, the engine and propeller will be the obstacle to shooting. Even if the weight of the video camera is light, it is about 500 to 1000 grams, so the conventional radio-operated small airplane is not well balanced to equip the aircraft with the aircraft weight of 2 to 3 kilograms.

JP-A-8-33772

  There are a number of challenges in realizing an unprecedented radio-controlled small airplane dedicated to aerial photography.

  When equipped with a video camera on a radio-controlled small airplane, the engine and propeller must be installed in the foreground and the engine and propeller installed behind the main wing so that the engine and propeller do not obstruct the shooting. First of all, the type of camera and the weight of the camera mounted in front of the airplane vary depending on the shooting conditions and the user. You need a bucket that can hold video cameras from different manufacturers.

  In order for an airplane to fly safely, it must be installed with the center of gravity (center of weight) of the aircraft and the wind pressure center of the main wing aligned. Conventionally, the installation position of the main wing is fixed and does not change. However, the video camera used varies depending on the shooting conditions, and if the camera is replaced with a heavy one with a different weight, the camera is equipped at the forefront of the airplane, so the center of gravity of the aircraft moves forward and the wind pressure center position of the main wing Because of the difference, the front side of the plane becomes too heavy to fly.

  During flight photography, video cameras and other equipment are affected by the vibrations of the engine and propeller, making it impossible to take good pictures. The vibration of the engine and propeller may cause damage to equipment such as cameras.

  Because it is also intended to be used in business, it must be a plane that is not easily broken. In addition, it can be disassembled so that it is as easy to carry as possible.

  In order to solve the problems described above, a dedicated bucket that can be equipped with a video camera is prepared separately from the airplane.

  Even if the video camera with a different weight is mounted, the main wing moves to an appropriate position even if the center of gravity moves. In other words, the installation position of the main wing can be changed.

  Even if the vibration of the engine and propeller occurs during the flight, the aircraft and the packet are not attached directly to the bucket on which the camera is mounted but attached via a spring to reduce the transmission of vibration.

  In order to increase the rigidity of the airplane, the aircraft structure is a monocoque structure, and the main wing, horizontal tail, wheel, and camera bucket can be removed with screws for easy carrying.

As described above, according to the present invention, a radio-controlled small airplane having a dedicated bucket on which a video camera (total length 20 centimeters, weight 1000 g or less) can be mounted, the camera becomes heavy and the center of gravity of the fuselage is shifted forward. Even so, the mounting position of the main wing can be easily changed, so that the weight of the camera can be placed without much restrictions.
The camera bucket is attached to the fuselage via a spring, so it is difficult for the engine and propeller to vibrate. In addition, the fuselage is sturdy and the main wing, horizontal tail, front wheel, and camera bucket can be removed, making it easy to move and carry.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a side view of the appearance, FIG. 2 is a view seen from an oblique front, and mainly relates to attachment of the fuselage and the main wing, and FIG. 3 is a view seen from the oblique forward. FIG. 4 relates to the attachment of the camera bucket and the aircraft, and FIG. Originally, the main wing is longer, but only the central part related to the present invention is shown for the sake of space.

  As shown in FIG. 1, this airplane has a dedicated bucket 9 on which equipment such as a video camera is placed at the forefront of the airframe 2. Since the engine and propeller 5 are arranged in the center of the aircraft, the camera can shoot without any obstacles.

As shown in FIG. 2, several holes 10 are made in the main wing attachment portion of the airframe 2. Also, several holes 11 are made in the attachment portion of the main wing 1. When the video camera 15 is placed on the bucket 9 before the flight, the center of gravity of the entire body including the camera is determined. Therefore, the main wing fixing rod 12 is inserted by aligning the hole at that position with the hole at the wind pressure center position of the main wing. And fix the main wing 1. Pin the wing fixing rod so that it will not fall out.
Even if the weight of the video camera to be mounted changes, the installation position of the main wing can be changed, so you can always fly in a well-balanced state.

As shown in FIG. 3, holes are drilled in two upper and lower semi-circular mounting brackets 18 and 19 at the bucket mounting portion of the camera bucket 9 on which the video camera is placed. Holes are also made in the two circular mounting brackets 16 and 17.
Align the holes of the mounting brackets 18 and 19 of the bucket 9 with the holes of the mounting brackets 16 and 17 of the fuselage 2, put the spring 13 between the holes 17 and 18, and between the holes of the brackets 16 and 18 A short spring is put in and the bracket threading rod 14 is inserted, and the pin 22 for preventing removal is fastened. Since the attachment bracket 18 of the camera bucket 9 is attached through a stick while being sandwiched between two springs, the vibration of the engine is not easily transmitted to the camera.
Further, the bracket through rod 14 is made of a light and flexible plastic, so that the vertical movement of the camera bucket 9 becomes smooth, and the camera is protected from an impact such as landing of an airplane.

As shown in FIG. 4, the bracket 19 of the camera bucket 9 and the servo motor 20 on the airframe side are connected by a rod 21 so that the direction of the camera can be changed during flight photography.
The photo can be taken not only in front of the aircraft but also left and right.

The airframe's rigidity has been increased to improve the vibration resistance of the aircraft.
Two pieces of the side plates 2 of the airframe are spaced apart to form a box structure at the bottom, and two vertical tails 4 are configured. A top plate 23 is mounted thereon, and a horizontal tail is fixed thereto with screws.
In addition, the horizontal tail 3, the camera bucket 9, the main wing 1, and the wheel portion 7 can be removed for carrying and carrying, and the main wing is divided into a central portion 1, a right side on both sides, and a left side.

As an example, the data of the prototype is described.
The shape is the same as the drawing, the aircraft is 150 centimeters long, the wings are 140 centimeters wide, and weighs about 3000 grams. The engine is a 2-stroke glow engine for radio-controlled airplanes and uses a 50-class engine. The transmitter (transmitter) is 6 channels, the receiver is also 6 channels, the servo is 2 for the main wing aileron, 1 for the ladder, 1 for the elevator, 1 for the encon, 1 for the camera bucket Use a total of six.
The video camera that can be placed in the camera bucket can be installed with a video camera weighing from 500 grams to 1000 grams, a length of 200 mm, and a width of 100 mm, and a shock absorber such as a towel or sponge under the camera. Lay down and fix with Velcro.

  The present invention relates to construction sites such as dams, bridges, and highways, aerial photography for confirming and recording work on construction sites, photography of disaster scenes, narrow canyons and volcanic craters that cannot fly by manned airplanes, buildings It can be used in fields such as special effects for movies such as valleys and aerial photography of automobiles such as commercials.

    The whole figure seen from the side of the aerial radio controlled small airplane of the present invention.     It is related to the drawing of the airplane seen from the left front and the installation of the main wing.     It relates to the installation of the camera bucket and the drawing of the airplane as seen from diagonally left.     It is related to moving the camera bucket from side to side.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main wing (central part) 14 Bracket through rod 2 Airframe 15 Video camera 3 Horizontal tail 16 Mounting bracket body side 4 Vertical tail 17 Mounting bracket body side 5 Engine, propeller 18 Mounting bracket bucket side 6 Ladder 19 Mounting bracket bucket side 7 Front wheel 20 Servo 8 Tail wheel 21 Rod 9 Camera bucket 22 Fastening pin 10 Airframe side mounting hole 11 Main wing side mounting hole 12 Main wing threading rod 13 Spring

Claims (5)

A radio-controlled small airplane intended for shooting from the sky with a bucket that can be equipped with a propulsion unit behind the main wing and equipped with equipment such as a camera on the front. A bucket equipped with equipment such as a camera is a radio-controlled small airplane in which a spring is placed between the hole in the mounting plate at the front of the aircraft and the hole in the bucket mounting plate, and a plastic rod is inserted. Drill a few holes in the front and rear direction for attaching the main wing on the front upper part of the fuselage, and make several holes in the attachment part of the main wing. The airframe and main wing can be attached and fixed by inserting several of them, and the position of the main wing can be changed in the front-rear direction by changing the mounting holes on the aircraft. The bucket that carries equipment such as cameras is a radio-controlled small airplane that can be moved left and right by a servo motor. The airframe is cut into the shape of the airframe and the two plates are put together to put the upper and lower plates into a box structure in the lower part of the airframe. The vertical tail is composed of two pieces and the top plate is placed on it. A radio-controlled small airplane with a horizontal tail mounted on it.

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