JP2017136914A - Unmanned rotary wing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an unmanned rotary wing machine comprising a camera and capable of imaging an object, which can enhance stability and safety of flight without damaging imaging quality.SOLUTION: An unmanned rotary wing machine comprises: a flight body frame; a rotor unit which is attached to the flight body frame and generates lift force; a control unit which is mounted on the flight body frame and controls drive of the rotor unit; and a camera which is coupled to the flight body frame and images the surrounding. The unmanned rotary wing machine further comprises a support unit for coupling the camera and the flight body frame through a gimbal device for correcting inclination, the support unit comprises: an arm-shaped arm member for supporting the camera; and a circular or spherical rotary mechanism which is rotatably attached to the arm member and protruded outward by a largest distance on the unmanned rotary wing machine.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present disclosure relates to an unmanned rotary wing aircraft including a plurality of rotor units and flying by wireless communication control, and more particularly to an unmanned rotary wing aircraft equipped with a camera and capable of photographing an object.

  2. Description of the Related Art An unmanned rotorcraft equipped with a camera is known as an unmanned rotorcraft that includes a plurality of rotor units and flies by wireless communication control. For example, this type of unmanned rotorcraft can be used in the inspection of structures such as bridges. Specifically, an unmanned rotary wing aircraft flies to the vicinity of the structure to be inspected, and the surface of the structure is photographed with a camera. This allows the surface of the structure to be checked for cracks, damage, and other deterioration. It is possible to observe.

  By the way, in such an inspection, depending on the positional relationship between the unmanned rotorcraft and the structure, the air flow generated by the rotor unit of the unmanned rotorcraft is disturbed, and the unmanned rotorcraft moves (flies) or There is concern that posture control will be difficult. For example, when there is a structure (for example, a ceiling) above the unmanned rotary wing aircraft in flight, the air pressure at the top of the unmanned rotary wing aircraft may be disturbed, resulting in unstable flight and the aircraft moving up and down. There is sex.

  This is particularly noticeable when an unmanned rotary wing aircraft flies in a corner area or the like of a structure. Also, as a unique phenomenon that can occur in a rotary wing machine, a phenomenon (so-called vortex ring state) is known in which a downward airflow returns to the upper part of the rotor around the rotor of the rotor unit and loses lift. . If the flight of the unmanned rotorcraft is unstable, the risk of the unmanned rotorcraft contacting (collising) the structure increases.

  In this regard, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses an unmanned rotary wing machine in which a wheel unit is provided outside the fuselage frame. In this unmanned rotary wing machine, the wheel unit comes into contact with the ceiling or the wall surface, so that the body part can be prevented from contacting (collising) with the ceiling or the like.

  Further, Non-Patent Document 2 discloses an unmanned rotary wing machine in which a skeleton-like sphere structure is provided so as to wrap the entire body. Even in this unmanned rotary wing machine, it is possible to prevent the airframe part from contacting (collising) the ceiling or the like by contacting the spherical structure with the ceiling or the wall surface.

"ROLLING SPIDER", Parrot, [Search on January 15, 2016], Internet (URL: http://www.parrot.com/jp/products/rolling-spider/) "Gimball / flying robot", FLYABILITY, [Search January 15, 2016], Internet (URL: http://www.flyability.com)

  However, in the technique of Non-Patent Document 1, the positional relationship between the wheel unit and the body frame is fixed. Further, the wheel unit can rotate only on one axis. In this case, depending on the manner of contact between the wheel unit and the structure, a large resistance is generated at the time of contact. Specifically, when the wheel unit contacts the structure obliquely without facing the structure, for example, the rotation of the wheel unit is suppressed and the contact resistance is not reduced. Therefore, there is a possibility that the movement (flight) of the unmanned rotorcraft is hindered. In other words, there are still weak points in terms of flight stability.

  In the technique of Non-Patent Document 2, when a camera is mounted on an airframe and an attempt is made to photograph the surroundings, a skeleton structure enters the field of view of the camera. Therefore, in a scene where a structure is inspected with a camera, there may be a problem in inspection accuracy.

  In an unmanned rotary wing aircraft equipped with a camera and capable of photographing an object, it is desired to improve flight stability or safety without impairing photographing quality.

  An unmanned rotorcraft according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an airframe, a rotor unit that is attached to the airframe and generates lift, and a control that is mounted on the airframe and controls driving of the rotor unit An unmanned rotary wing aircraft comprising a unit and a camera connected to the flying body frame and photographing the surroundings. The flying object frame is a member that forms the skeleton of an unmanned rotorcraft.

The unmanned rotorcraft further includes a support unit that connects the camera and the flying body frame via a gimbal device that corrects an inclination.
The support unit includes an arm-shaped arm member that supports the camera, and a circular or spherical rotating mechanism that is rotatably attached to the arm member and that projects outwardly in the unmanned rotorcraft. And the relative distance between the flying body frame and the camera can be changed.

  According to such an unmanned rotary wing aircraft, since the rotation mechanism attached to the arm member projects outwardly in the unmanned rotary wing aircraft, the flying body frame, the rotor unit, etc. are in contact with the wall surface or ceiling of the flight area. You can avoid doing that. Specifically, since the rotating mechanism is overhanging, the rotating mechanism can first come into contact with the wall surface or the ceiling.

  In addition, since the rotation mechanism has a circular or spherical shape and is rotatably attached to the arm member, the rotation mechanism allows the rotation of the rotation mechanism when the rotation mechanism contacts the wall surface or ceiling. Can be minimized. Therefore, stable flight of the unmanned rotorcraft can be realized.

  Further, when the unmanned rotary wing aircraft is flying while the rotating mechanism is in contact with the object, the object can be photographed with the camera while keeping the distance between the camera and the object constant. As a result, the accuracy of photographing can be improved, and as a result, the inspection of the object can be performed easily and reliably.

  According to the unmanned rotorcraft of the present disclosure, it is possible to improve safety by preventing the flying object frame, the rotor unit, and the like from coming into contact with an object to be photographed by the camera. In addition, the accuracy and quality of shooting by the camera can be further improved.

In the unmanned rotorcraft of the present disclosure, the camera may be connected to the gimbal device, and the gimbal device may be supported by the arm member.
According to such an unmanned rotary wing machine, the tilt (or posture) of the camera is always corrected by the gimbal device. In other words, the tilt (or posture) of the camera can be held at a desired tilt (or posture) by the gimbal device. As a result, the accuracy and quality of shooting by the camera can be improved.

In the unmanned rotary wing aircraft of the present disclosure, the camera may be supported by the arm member, and the arm member may be coupled to the flying body frame via the gimbal device.
According to such an unmanned rotary wing machine, the tilt (or posture) of the arm member can be corrected by the gimbal device and held at a desired tilt (or posture). As a result, the tilt (or posture) of the camera can be maintained at a desired tilt (or posture). Therefore, as in the case described above, the accuracy and quality of shooting by the camera can be improved.

In the unmanned rotary wing aircraft of the present disclosure, the arm member may be configured to be swingable with respect to the flying body frame.
According to such an unmanned rotary wing machine, the contact resistance between the rotation mechanism and the object can be further reduced by the amount that the arm member can swing. For this reason, the flight stability of the unmanned rotorcraft can be further enhanced. As a result, flight safety can be further enhanced. In addition, by reducing the contact resistance when the rotating mechanism comes into contact with the object, it is possible to suppress the shake of the unmanned rotorcraft when the rotating mechanism comes into contact with the object. Etc. can also be suppressed. In other words, the accuracy and quality of shooting by the camera can be improved.

  Further, the unmanned rotary wing machine of the present disclosure includes a battery that supplies electric power for driving, and the battery is opposite to the rotation mechanism across the fulcrum on which the arm member swings in the arm member. It may be attached to.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to improve the balance of the arm member by adjusting the position of the rotation mechanism, the camera, and the battery supported by the arm member (attachment position on the arm member). Therefore, it becomes easy to obtain the effects as described above.

It is a perspective view which shows the whole multicopter structure of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the outline of the system configuration | structure of the multicopter of this embodiment. It is a side view of the multicopter of this embodiment. It is a top view of the multicopter of this embodiment, and is a figure explaining operation of a rotation mechanism. It is a top view of the multicopter of this embodiment, and is a figure explaining operation of a rotation mechanism. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of a suspension mechanism. It is a figure explaining other embodiment of a multicopter.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The unmanned rotorcraft of this embodiment includes a plurality of rotor units. Hereinafter, the unmanned rotorcraft of this embodiment is referred to as a multicopter.

[overall structure]
The multicopter 1 according to the present embodiment includes an airframe 10, a support unit 20, a battery unit 40, a camera unit 60, and a rotation mechanism 80.

1. Aircraft 10
The aircraft 10 includes an aircraft frame 11, support legs 17, an aircraft cover 19, a reception unit 29, a flight controller (hereinafter referred to as FC: Flight Controller) 31, and an inertial unit (hereinafter referred to as IMU: Internal Measurement Unit). ) 33, an electronic speed controller (hereinafter referred to as “ESC: Electronic Speed Controller”) 35, a motor 37, and a rotor 39.

  The flying object frame 11 is a member that forms the skeleton of the multicopter 1. Specifically, it is a member that becomes a base for mounting or mounting various members constituting the multicopter 1.

  The flying object frame 11 is required to be strong and lightweight, and the flying object frame 11 is made of carbon, for example. In addition to the flying body frame 11, the support legs 17 and the body cover 19 are also formed of carbon.

  The flying body frame 11 has four frames 15 extending in an X shape, and the frame 15 has a long longitudinal portion 15a, a tip portion 15b to which a motor 37 is attached, and a wiring for inserting the wiring 13. Hole 15c. An ESC 35 is attached to a base portion on the flying body frame 11 side in the longitudinal portion 15a.

A motor 37 is attached to the distal end portion 15 b, and the ESC 35 and the motor 37 are electrically connected by the wiring 13.
The support legs 17 are legs for supporting the airframe 10 and are provided at four locations corresponding to the frame 15 in this embodiment.

The airframe cover 19 is disposed on the airframe frame 11 so as to cover the receiving unit 29, the FC 31, the IMU 33 and the like mounted on the airframe frame 11.
The receiving unit 29 is a device that receives a signal transmitted from a control device (not shown) for remotely controlling the multicopter 1. The receiving unit 29 incorporates an antenna for receiving a signal from the control device. A signal transmitted from the control device and received by the receiving unit 29 is input to the FC 31.

  The FC 31 is a controller that controls flight control of the airframe 10, and includes a well-known CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like, although not shown. The FC 31 includes a camera control unit 31a (see FIG. 2). The camera control unit 31a is a unit for controlling a gimbal device 62 and a camera 64 described later.

  The IMU 33 includes a gyro sensor 33a, an acceleration sensor 33b, and an atmospheric pressure sensor 33c (see FIG. 2), and is configured to transmit data acquired by each sensor to the FC 31.

  The gyro sensor 33a is a sensor that detects the amount of change in angle (in other words, the amount of change in the inclination of the multicopter 1). The gyro sensor 33a is a three-axis gyro, and the gyro sensor 33a detects the amount of change in inclination with respect to the roll axis, pitch axis, and yaw axis directions.

The acceleration sensor 33 b is a sensor that detects the acceleration of the multicopter 1. The acceleration sensor 33b is a three-axis acceleration sensor that detects acceleration in three directions of the XYZ axes.
The atmospheric pressure sensor 33c may be provided for performing altitude detection based on the detected atmospheric pressure in addition to detecting atmospheric pressure.

  In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, the multicopter 1 is equipped with the well-known global navigation satellite system (GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System). The FC 31 is configured to acquire GNSS data (specifically, position information data) from the IMU 33 or directly from an antenna (not shown).

The ESC 35 is a controller that controls the rotation speed (the number of rotations) of the motor 37.
The motor 37 is a three-phase brushless DC motor having a U phase, a V phase, and a W phase, and rotates at a desired number of rotations under the control of the FC 31 and the ESC 35.

  The rotor 39 is attached to each of the rotation shafts 37 a of the motor 37 and rotates as the motor 37 is driven to generate lift. In the multicopter 1, one set of opposing rotors 39 rotates in the same direction, and the other set of rotors 39 rotates in the opposite direction, so that the rotational torque around the yaw axis of the fuselage 10 is canceled out. .

  The FC 31 controls the attitude of the multicopter 1 by controlling the driving of each motor 37 via the ESC 35, that is, individually controlling the rotation speed of each rotor 39. The multicopter 1 can freely fly (move) by individually controlling the rotation speed (rotation speed) of each rotor 39.

2. Support unit 20
The support unit 20 includes a column 22 fixed to the flying body frame 11, an arm 24 that is swingably connected to the column 22, and a motor 26.

  The support column 22 includes a fixed portion 22a fixed to the body 10 and a connection portion 22b for connecting the arm 24 (see FIG. 3). A motor 26 for swinging the arm 24 is disposed in the connection portion 22b. The motor 26 is fixed to the connection portion 22b via a bracket (not shown). The rotation shaft of the motor 26 is connected to the arm 24. As a result, the arm 24 swings (rotates) as the motor 26 is driven (rotated).

  The swing range of the arm 24, in other words, the drive range of the motor 26 is set in advance in a range in which the arm 24 does not contact the multicopter 1 itself (for example, the flying body frame 11, the rotor 39, etc.). Stored in a memory or the like. The FC 31 controls driving of the motor 26, that is, swinging of the arm 24 based on a command from a control device (not shown).

  The multicopter 1 is moving (flying) in the horizontal direction, the distance to the side wall surface of the object (the distance in the horizontal direction) is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, and the wall surface existing above the multicopter 1 or When the distance to the structure is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, the swing of the arm 24 may be controlled so that the arm 24 is in a substantially horizontal state.

  Further, when the distance to the wall surface or structure existing above is not more than a predetermined distance and the horizontal distance to the side wall surface of the object is not less than the predetermined distance, the arm 24 is in a substantially vertical state. In addition, the swing of the arm 24 may be controlled.

3. Battery unit 40
A battery unit 40 is attached to the arm 24 of the support unit 20.
The battery unit 40 includes a housing 42, a battery 44 that is held by the housing 42 and supplies power for driving the multicopter 1, a connection member 46 that fixes the housing 42 to the arm 24, Have The battery unit 40 is attached to the arm 24 on the side opposite to the camera unit 60 and the rotation mechanism 80 described later with the connection portion 22b interposed therebetween.

  A lithium polymer rechargeable battery can be used as the battery 44. A PMU (Power Management Unit) is connected to the battery 44, and driving power is supplied from the battery 44 to each unit directly or via the PMU.

4). Camera unit 60
A camera unit 60 is attached to the arm 24. The camera unit 60 includes a gimbal device 62, a camera 64 disposed in the gimbal device 62, and a connection member 66 that connects the gimbal device 62 and the arm 24. The gimbal device 62 has two axes of freedom. The gimbal device 62 has a servo motor, and is a well-known device that cancels the tilt by driving the servo motor and keeps the posture (horizontal degree, depression angle, etc.) of the camera 64 constant. The operations of the gimbal device 62 and the camera 64 are controlled by the camera control unit 31a as described above. The camera 64 is a camera having an image sensor such as a CCD or a CMOS, but may be an infrared camera, for example.

5. Rotating mechanism 80
A rotation mechanism 80 is provided at the tip of the arm 24 on the side opposite to the battery unit 40. The rotation mechanism 80 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS.

  The rotation mechanism 80 includes a support shaft 82, two wheel members 84 that are rotatably supported by the support shaft 82, and a rotation unit 86. The support shaft 82 includes a rotary shaft main body 82a and a central shaft 82b held by the rotary shaft main body 82a.

  The rotation mechanism 80 projects outward from the body 10 and the rotor 39 in a state where the rotation mechanism 80 is fixed to the arm 24. More specifically, in the range in which the arm 24 can swing, the rotation mechanism 80 always projects outward from the body 10 and the rotor 39 and the like.

  The support shaft 82 is connected and fixed to the tip of the arm 24 by the rotation shaft main body 82a. Wheel members 84 are fixed to both ends of the central shaft 82b via bearings (not shown). Each wheel member 84 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the central shaft 82b via a bearing. The two wheel members 84 can rotate independently of each other. Note that the two wheel members 84 may be configured to be fixed and interlocked with a common central axis.

The rotating portion 86 is provided between the arm 24 and the support shaft 82 and is configured to be rotatable about the axis of the arm 24.
The operation of the rotation mechanism 80 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as described above, the wheel member 84 is rotatable with respect to the support shaft 82. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the wheel member 84 is configured to be rotatable in the direction of the arrow X.

In addition, the rotation portion 86 is configured to be rotatable around the axis of the arm 24, and thereby the portion including the support shaft 82 and the wheel member 84 is configured to be rotatable in the direction indicated by the arrow Y.
[Function and effect]
As described above, the multicopter 1 of the present embodiment is configured such that the rotation mechanism 80 projects outward from the airframe 10 and the rotor 39 and the like, and can fly with the rotation mechanism 80 in contact with, for example, a wall surface or a ceiling surface. ing. In particular, the rotation mechanism 80 is allowed to contact the wall surface and the ceiling surface, and the body 10 and the rotor 39 are prevented from contacting the wall surface and the ceiling surface.

  When the multicopter 1 approaches a structure to be imaged (inspected), the wheel member 84 protrudes to the outermost side. Therefore, even if the wheel member 84 contacts the wall surface or ceiling surface of the structure, the aircraft body The ten main bodies, the rotor 39 and the like do not come into contact with the structure. For this reason, the multicopter 1 can fly safely.

  In addition, since the wheel member 84 can rotate in contact with the wall surface or ceiling surface of the structure, it can be realized that the multicopter 1 flies while the wheel member 84 contacts the wall surface or ceiling surface of the structure. In particular, at this time, the contact between the wheel member 84 and the wall surface or ceiling surface can be optimized by driving the motor 26 and adjusting the angle of the arm 24 to a desired angle. And since the rotation mechanism 80 and the wheel member 84 are rotatable, it can implement | achieve that the wheel member 84 and a wall surface or a ceiling surface contact smoothly irrespective of the attitude | position of the multicopter 1. FIG.

  And according to such a multicopter 1, the distance between the wall surface or ceiling surface and the camera 64 can be kept constant by flying the multicopter 1 while the wheel member 84 is in contact with the wall surface or ceiling surface. It becomes possible. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately photograph the object to be imaged, and it is possible to realize a highly accurate inspection particularly when inspecting the surface of the structure for cracks, damage, and other deterioration.

[Other Embodiments]
As mentioned above, although an example of embodiment was explained, the present invention is not restricted to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can take various forms in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of the present invention.

For example, the multicopter 1 may have a suspension mechanism 90 shown in FIG.
Specifically, the rotation mechanism 80 may be connected to the arm 24 via the suspension mechanism 90 as shown in FIG. In this case, the suspension mechanism 90 is preferably provided between the rotating portion 86 and the support shaft 82.

The suspension mechanism 90 includes an elastic member 92, links 94 and 96, and a joint 98.
The elastic member 92 is specifically a spring, and is provided so as to be able to expand and contract in the axial direction of the arm 24.

  One end of the link 94 is connected to the support shaft 82, and the other end of the link 94 is connected to the joint 98. One end of the link 96 is connected to one end side of the elastic member 92 in the arm 24, and the other end of the link 96 is connected to the joint 98.

The joint 98 connects the links 94 and 96 so that the links 94 and 96 can rotate freely.
Such a suspension mechanism 90 absorbs an external force acting on the rotation mechanism 80 (specifically, an external force acting on the wheel member 84). In other words, it absorbs an impact when the wheel member 84 comes into contact with the wall surface or ceiling of the structure.

  By providing such a suspension mechanism 90, it is possible to absorb an impact when the wheel member 84 comes into contact with the wall surface, ceiling, or the like of the structure, and to further improve the stability and safety of the multicopter 1.

FIG. 7 is a view showing another arrangement form of the rotation mechanism 80.
In FIG. 7, unlike the configuration of FIG. 1, the rotation mechanism 80 is disposed at the upper end of the column 22. In the example of FIG. 7, the rotation mechanism 80 is disposed so as to be able to rotate 360 ° around the axis of the support column 22 like a weathercock. Other configurations of the rotating mechanism 80 are the same as those described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 7, the camera unit 60 is not shown, but the camera unit 60 may be attached to the column 22. Alternatively, the camera unit 60 may be disposed on the body cover 19.

  According to the configuration of FIG. 7, in particular, when the multicopter 1 is brought close to the ceiling of the structure and the ceiling is photographed, it is advantageous to keep the distance between the ceiling and the camera at a constant distance. Moreover, it can avoid more effectively that the body 10, the rotor 39, etc. contact a ceiling.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the arm 24 to which the rotation mechanism 80 is attached is attached to the support column 22 so as to be swingable is described. However, the arm 24 may be fixed horizontally, vertically, or at a predetermined angle.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the structure (two-wheel structure) provided with two wheel members 84, three or more wheel members 84 may be provided. Further, instead of the support shaft 82 and the wheel member 84, a rotatable member formed in a spherical shape and rotatable may be provided. Of course, it is preferable that such a member can be rotated from the viewpoint of reducing the contact resistance with the object. However, as long as the contact resistance with the object can be kept within an allowable range, the member may be configured not to rotate. .

  In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the camera unit 60 is provided in the arm 24, specifically, the configuration in which the gimbal device 62 is disposed in the arm 24 and the camera 64 is held by the gimbal device 62 has been described. 24 or the column 22 may be fixed to the body 10 via the gimbal device, and the camera may be directly fixed to the arm 24 or the column 22. In this case, the arm 24 or the support column 22 is maintained at a desired angle by the gimbal device 62, and the camera 64 can be maintained at a desired angle via this, and the same effect can be obtained. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Multicopter, 10 ... Airframe, 11 ... Airframe frame, 15 ... Frame, 17 ... Support leg, 19 ... Aircraft cover, 20 ... Support unit, 22. Support column, 24 ... arm, 26 ... motor, 29 ... receiving unit, 31 ... flight controller (FC), 33 ... inertia unit (IMU), 35 ... electronic speed controller ( ESC), 37 ... motor, 39 ... rotor, 42 ... casing, 44 ... battery, 46 ... connecting member, 62 ... gimbal device, 64 ... camera, 66. ..Connecting member, 80 ... rotation mechanism, 82 ... support shaft, 84 ... wheel member, 86 ... rotating part

Claims (5)

A flying body frame,
A rotor unit attached to the flying body frame for generating lift;
A control unit mounted on the flying body frame for controlling the driving of the rotor unit;
An unmanned rotary wing aircraft comprising a camera connected to the flying body frame and photographing the surroundings,
A support unit that connects the camera and the flying body frame via a gimbal device that corrects an inclination;
An arm-shaped arm member that supports the camera, and a circular or spherical rotation mechanism that is rotatably attached to the arm member, and a rotation mechanism that projects outwardly in the unmanned rotorcraft. Unmanned rotorcraft.   The unmanned rotary wing aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the camera is connected to the gimbal device, and the gimbal device is supported by the arm member.   The unmanned rotary wing aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the camera is supported by the arm member, and the arm member is connected to the flying body frame via the gimbal device.   The unmanned rotary wing aircraft according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the arm member is configured to be swingable with respect to the flying body frame. It has a battery to supply power for driving,
The unmanned rotorcraft according to claim 4, wherein the battery is attached to the arm member on a side opposite to the rotation mechanism across a fulcrum on which the arm member swings.

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