JP2017193321A - Engine mounted multi-copter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multi-copter capable of satisfying a requirement to achieve a stable flight control with a fast response to a radio control or an automatic control by controlling rotations of multiple rotors.SOLUTION: A multi-copter comprises; an airframe constituting a body; an engine; an electricity generator for generating electricity, driven by the engine; a fuel tank for supplying fuel to the engine; a payload loading part for loading various loaded articles; multiple rotors for performing a thrust generation and a flight control around the engine; multiple electric motors for driving rotations of the multiple rotors; and a control part for controlling the multiple rotors. The multi-copter is configured to position the engine above a horizontal plane at an average height of rotary surface heights of the multiple rotors, and to operate the multiple rotors by the electric motors driven by the power generated using the engine.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a small engine-mounted unmanned multicopter that can fly by remote control or automatic control. More specifically, the present invention relates to the arrangement of engines involved in the position of the center of gravity of an engine-mounted unmanned multicopter.

Conventionally, small multicopters that fly by wireless remote control or automatic control are used for various purposes such as topographic surveying, spraying of agricultural chemicals, observing affected areas at the time of disaster, transporting luggage.
Such a multicopter has a plurality of rotors (fans) in the vertical direction, and can take off and land vertically.

  Some of these multicopters use a battery-driven electric motor as a rotor power source from the viewpoint of ease of flight control. However, in the case of battery driving, there is a problem that the continuous flight time is short due to the weight and capacity of the battery to be mounted.

  As a means for solving the problem of continuous flight time, there is known a multi-copter equipped with an engine using fossil fuel and driving an electric motor by electric power generated by a generator connected to the engine (see Patent Document 1).

  In the multicopter of Patent Document 1, a propeller that is connected to an engine and generates thrust, and a plurality of propellers that are connected to a plurality of electric motors that are driven by electric power generated by a generator connected to the engine and generate thrust. A hybrid multicopter composed of the following is disclosed.

JP2015-137092A

However, in such a multicopter, it is necessary to tilt the fuselage by controlling the number of revolutions of the propeller connected to the electric motor in order to cancel the torque generated by the plurality of propellers connected to the engine during hovering. There was a problem.
In addition, the engine is located below the propeller propulsion plane, and the center of gravity is necessarily below the propulsion plane, so the aircraft is stable, but there is a problem of poor response to flight control by maneuvering. It was.

  In such a multi-copter, when the payload according to the purpose is mounted, by controlling the number of rotations of a plurality of rotors, it has a quick response to radio control and automatic control, and stable flight control. It was necessary to realize.

  However, even if the rotational speed control of a plurality of rotors is performed in the same manner, the responsiveness to the flight control during flight of the aircraft varies depending on the position of the center of gravity of the aircraft. For this reason, the present applicant is responsible for flight control during flight of the aircraft due to the difference in the center of gravity of the aircraft determined by the loading position of the power source (engine, battery, etc.) and various payloads (imaging device, etc.) loaded on the aircraft. Simulations and experiments related to responsiveness were performed.

  The conditions of this simulation and experiment are that the center of gravity of the fuselage is placed at the same height as the average value of the rotational surface heights of the multiple rotors, and the center of gravity of the aircraft is above the average value of the rotational surface heights of the multiple rotors. Measure and evaluate the responsiveness to flight control at the time of three different center of gravity positions: the case where is placed, and the case where the center of gravity of the fuselage is placed below the average value of the rotational surface height of multiple rotors did.

  As the measurement data, by controlling the number of rotations of a plurality of (for example, four) rotors, the body is tilted (rolled or pitched) to create a horizontal acceleration and moved in the horizontal direction. The time, the angle of inclination of the fuselage, and the power consumption of the rotor were measured until the target horizontal movement speed was reached.

  When the center of gravity of the aircraft is arranged at the same height as the average value of the rotational surface heights of the plurality of rotors, the time to reach the target horizontal movement speed is 13 seconds, and the inclination angle of the aircraft is 12 at the maximum. The result is that the power consumption of the rotor is 3.9 kW at maximum.

  When the center of gravity of the fuselage is placed 7 cm above the average value of the rotating surface height of multiple rotors, the time to reach the target horizontal movement speed is 6 seconds and the tilt angle of the fuselage is a maximum of 26 degrees. As a result, the maximum power consumption of the rotor was 5.0 kw.

  When the center of gravity of the fuselage is placed 10 cm below the average value of the rotational surface heights of the multiple rotors, the time required to reach the target horizontal movement speed does not reach even after 15 seconds. As a result, the maximum tilt angle was 13 degrees, and the maximum power consumption of the rotor was 3.8 kW.

  From this result, when the center of gravity of the fuselage is disposed 7 cm above the average value of the rotational surface heights of the plurality of rotors, the tilt angle of the fuselage is maximized and the power consumption of the plurality of rotors is also maximized. By controlling the number of rotations of the rotor, the time required to reach the target horizontal movement speed was the shortest, and the result was high response to flight control during flight. In addition, from the standpoint of attitude stability of the fuselage, the result is that the power consumption required for attitude control is almost minimized when the position of the center of gravity is within the same horizontal plane as the average value of the rotational surface heights of the multiple rotors. Yes.

  The present invention solves the above-described problem, and a multi-copter in which the center of gravity of the airframe is arranged at least above the average rotational surface height of a plurality of rotors and has high responsiveness to flight control of the airframe with respect to radio control and automatic control. The purpose is to provide.

  The present invention includes a fuselage frame that constitutes a fuselage, an engine, a generator that generates electric power from the engine, a fuel tank for supplying fuel to the engine, a payload loading unit for loading various loads, and the engine A plurality of rotors that perform thrust generation and flight control operations, a plurality of electric motors that rotationally drive the plurality of rotors, and a control unit that controls the plurality of rotors. The engine is disposed at least above a horizontal plane that is an average value of the rotational surface heights of the plurality of rotors, and the plurality of rotors are configured to operate by driving an electric motor by power generation by the engine. A multicopter characterized by the above is provided.

  Also, when there is a load in the payload loading section, the center of gravity of the fuselage is located approximately in the center of the fuselage frame and in the horizontal plane that is the average value of the rotational surface of the rotor, and the payload is loaded in the payload loading section. If not, the center of gravity of the fuselage is positioned at least above the horizontal plane that is the average value of the rotational surface height of the rotor.

  Further, the plurality of rotors driven by an electric motor are disposed on the outer periphery of the engine without providing a rotor linked to the engine.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the electric motor is driven by the electric power generated by the generator mounted on the engine and connected to the engine, the continuous flight time can be extended. Further, since the engine is disposed above the average rotational surface height of the plurality of rotors, the responsiveness of the flight control in the radio control or the automatic control can be improved.

  According to the invention of claim 2, since the center of gravity of the airframe is located in the center of the airframe and within the same horizontal plane as the average rotation surface height of the plurality of rotors, the flight control response is improved and the power consumption is improved. Can be minimized.

  According to the invention of claim 3, mechanical vibration and rotational moment due to the mounting of the engine, the two left and right generators and the rotor on the outer periphery of the engine can be made almost zero, and flight control can be stabilized and hovering. Aircraft attitude can be stabilized.

The schematic diagram which shows the basic composition of the multicopter which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The schematic diagram which shows the basic composition of the multicopter which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 1 is an external view of a multicopter according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an external view of a multicopter according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an external view of a multicopter according to an embodiment of the present invention. The graph which shows the simulation of flight control by the difference in the gravity center position of a multicopter, and an experimental result. The graph which shows the simulation of flight control by the difference in the gravity center position of a multicopter, and an experimental result. The graph which shows the simulation of flight control by the difference in the gravity center position of a multicopter, and an experimental result. The figure explaining the stability of the body by the difference in the gravity center position of a multicopter. The schematic diagram which shows the basic composition 2 of the multicopter which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The schematic diagram which shows the basic composition 3 of the multicopter which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The control block diagram which shows a multicopter and a radio control apparatus. The schematic diagram which shows the flow path of the pesticide liquid from the tank for pesticide liquid to the spray nozzle. Sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the engine of the multicopter which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The enlarged view which shows the outline of the shape of the combustion chamber of the engine of the multicopter which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows the outline of the shape of the combustion chamber of the engine of the multicopter which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 1 is an external view showing a configuration of a multicopter engine according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an external view showing a configuration of a multicopter engine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The present invention relates to an engine-mounted multicopter having high flight control responsiveness to radio control and automatic control.

  The multicopter of the present invention includes a fuselage frame that constitutes a fuselage, an engine, a generator that generates electric power from the engine, a fuel tank that supplies fuel to the engine, and a payload loading unit that loads various loads. A multicopter comprising: a plurality of rotors that perform thrust generation and flight control operations around the engine; a plurality of electric motors that rotationally drive the plurality of rotors; and a control unit that controls the plurality of rotors. The engine is disposed at least above a horizontal plane that is an average value of the rotational surface heights of the plurality of rotors, and the plurality of rotors operate by driving an electric motor by power generation by the engine. It is configured as described above.

  Also, when there is a load in the payload loading section, the center of gravity of the fuselage is located approximately in the center of the fuselage frame and in the horizontal plane that is the average value of the rotational surface of the rotor, and the payload is loaded in the payload loading section. When there is not, it is characterized in that the center of gravity of the airframe is positioned above the horizontal plane that is the average value of the rotational surface height of the rotor.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that a rotor driven by an electric motor is disposed on the outer periphery of the engine without providing a rotor linked to the engine.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the electric motor is driven by the electric power generated by the generator mounted on the engine and connected to the engine, the continuous flight time can be extended. Further, since the engine is disposed above the average rotational surface height of the plurality of rotors, the responsiveness of the flight control in the radio control or the automatic control can be improved.

  According to the invention of claim 2, since the center of gravity of the airframe is located in the center of the airframe and within the same horizontal plane as the average rotation surface height of the plurality of rotors, the flight control response is improved and the power consumption is improved. Can be minimized.

  According to the invention of claim 3, mechanical vibration and rotational moment due to the mounting of the engine, the two left and right generators and the rotor on the outer periphery of the engine can be made almost zero, and flight control can be stabilized and hovering. Aircraft attitude can be stabilized.

  Embodiments of the multicopter A according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.

  In the following embodiments, a multicopter (quad copter) having four rotors will be described. 1 and 2 are diagrams schematically showing the basic structure of the multicopter A of the present invention.

As shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2, the multicopter A of this invention consists of the following members as a fundamental structure.
That is, the basic structure is established by the machine body frame a, the engine 1, the fuel tank 2, the payload stacking unit 3, the rotor 4, the electric motor 5, and the control unit 6. Two generators 7 are connected to the output shaft of the engine 1 on the left and right sides.

  Airframe frame a is a combination of pipes and plates, and can mount engine 1, generator 7, fuel tank 2, payload stacking unit 3, rotor 4, electric motor 5, and control unit 6 in a stable functional position. It is configured in shape.

  The machine body frame a has a main frame f1 formed of a disk-shaped plate, a cylindrical case, a cross-shaped pipe, or the like at the center, and four side frames f2 project radially from the periphery of the main frame f1. A stand frame f3 as a leg used for takeoff and landing is provided below.

  On the center of the main frame f1, a two-cylinder engine 1 is connected to each cylinder, and two generators 7 and 7 are mounted, and left and right fuel tanks 2 and 2 are mounted on the sides of the engine. In addition, a load case C serving as the payload stacking unit 3 is formed at a predetermined portion of the main frame f1, for example, at the outer bottom surface of the main frame f1. The load case C is equipped with, for example, an aerial loading camera or a sprayer for spraying a chemical solution, which is suitable for the intended use of the multicopter A of the present invention.

Moreover, the rotor 4 is each mounted | worn at the front-end | tip of side frame f2 which protruded radially from the center.
The rotor 4 is configured such that the side fan 4-1 is operated by the electric motor 5.

  In addition, a control unit 6 is provided at a predetermined position of the main frame f1 of the body frame a to achieve a predetermined purpose by remote operation by radio from the ground or automatically in response to an environmental change during flight in the air. Thus, the rotational speed control of the rotor 4 is performed via the electric motor 5 for the flight control of the multicopter A together with the control of the engine 1.

  The controller 6 is equipped with a CPU, processes signals from various sensors by software, and controls the number of rotations of each rotor 4 via the electric motor 5 to perform necessary control operations.

  The wireless remote control signal is received and control operations such as up / down, forward / backward, left / right translation, and left / right turn are performed.

  Attitude control performs a control operation for obtaining an external force and a rotational moment applied to the aircraft by signals from the gyro sensor and the acceleration sensor so as to make the aircraft horizontal or target tilt angle.

  In the position control, a GPS signal is received, a current position and a current speed are obtained, and a control operation necessary for reaching the target position is performed.

  The altitude control performs a control operation for receiving a signal from an atmospheric pressure sensor or the like to obtain altitude information and maintaining a necessary altitude.

  As described above, components such as the engine 1, the generator 7, the fuel tank 2, the payload stacking unit 3, the rotor 4, the electric motor 5, and the control unit 6 that are mounted on the body frame a are aerial flight of the multicopter A of the present invention. Is configured so that a predetermined flight purpose can be achieved by remote control from the ground or by automatic control operation corresponding to environmental changes.

  The side fan 4-1 is linked to the electric motor via a six-axis joint at the tip of a side frame f2 protruding in four directions.

  The four side fans 4-1 are arranged on the circumference of the same horizontal plane. The rotation direction of the adjacent side fan 4-1 is reversed in the left and right direction in order to cancel the counter torque caused by the rotation.

  Further, in order to cancel the counter torque caused by the rotation, each rotor 4 may be a counter rotating rotor.

  The electric motor 5 serves as a power source for driving the side fan 4-1 through power generation by a generator 7 connected to the output shaft of the engine 1.

In the basic multicopter A configured as described above, the present invention is characterized in that the entire center of gravity of the vehicle body can be displaced up and down.
In particular, by arranging the center of gravity of the airframe upward, it is possible to respond quickly to changes in the air environment during flight, and to speed up the response speed of flight control operations.

  The vertical position of the aircraft center of gravity is specified by setting the horizontal plane having the average height of the rotation surfaces of the plurality of rotors 4 as the horizontal reference level L, and specifying the vertical position of the aircraft center of gravity around the horizontal reference level L.

  The four rotors 4 in the multicopter A of the present embodiment have their rotational surfaces in the horizontal plane of the same height, but the rotational surface heights of the two pairs of rotors 4 on the diagonal are different. Also good. By comprising in this way, the diameter containing a rotor can be shortened.

  The embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown as an overall structure related to the change in the position of the center of gravity of the aircraft under the above conditions.

[Example]
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the engine 1 is mounted on the main frame f1 of the fuselage frame a above the horizontal reference level L, the fuel tank 2 is disposed on the left and right sides of the engine 1, and the payload loading unit is disposed below the engine 1. 3 is arranged.

  The center of gravity G of the airframe when the payload having the maximum load capacity is loaded on the payload loading portion is configured to be on the horizontal reference level L at the center of the airframe.

  With such a layout structure, responsiveness to flight control is good and power consumption can be minimized.

  The displacement means of the body center of gravity G is largely due to the fuel tank 2 and the payload loading unit 3. By changing the positions of the fuel tank 2 and the payload stacking unit 3 on the basis of the horizontal reference level L, the position of the body gravity center G can be changed.

  In a state where a payload equal to or less than the maximum load capacity is loaded, the center of gravity position G of the aircraft is above the horizontal reference level L, and the responsiveness to flight control is further improved. Although the aircraft posture becomes unstable, the posture stability of the aircraft is ensured by the control of the control unit 6.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the electric motor 5 can be disposed adjacent to the left and right sides of the engine 1 at the center of the main frame f1.

  In this case, the electric motor at the center may be configured to mechanically transmit power to the side fan 4-1 as the rotor 4 provided at the tip of the side frame f2 via an output shaft, a bevel gear, or the like. is there.

  In this case, when the electric motor 5 is disposed adjacent to the engine 1 at the center of the fuselage frame a, heavy objects are concentrated at the center of the fuselage frame together with the engine 1, the fuel tank 2, the payload loading part 3, and the like. As a result, the center of gravity of the aircraft is more likely to change downward.

  However, in the case of the normal configuration in which the electric motor 5 is disposed at the front end portion of the side frame f2, a predetermined heavy object is disposed around the center portion of the side frame f2 so that it can easily swing, and the stability of the entire body is increased. However, the responsiveness of the control operation for controlling the flight posture is improved.

  The stability of the multicopter A accompanying the change in the center of gravity position will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the thrust surface refers to the rotational surface of the rotor 4 that forms a pair.

Note that “when the center of gravity is in the thrust plane” in (1) means that heavy objects such as the engine 1 and fuel tanks 2 and 2 having a large element forming the center of gravity are placed on the upper part of the thrust surface, and the payload loading unit 3 is thrust. It is arranged at the bottom of the plane, and refers to the structure where the center of gravity is located within the approximate thrust plane when payload (various loads) is loaded, and the center of gravity G when the payload is loaded is at the center of the aircraft This is the case.
In this case, the clockwise rotational moment is M _φ = F ₁ l-F ₂ l where the thrust between the left and right rotors 1 and 2 is F1, F2, and the distance between the fuselage center and the rotor is l. It does not depend on the angle φ (airframe tilt angle) between the vertical direction and the vertical direction. In this case, the aircraft posture is stable.

The clockwise rotation moment of “When the center of gravity is below the thrust surface” in (2) is M _φ = F ₁ l where m is the mass of the aircraft, g is the acceleration of gravity, and h is the distance between the thrust surface and the center of gravity. -F ₂ l-mgh sinφ. As the tilt angle increases, the rotational moment decreases and the aircraft posture is stable.

The clockwise rotational moment of “when the center of gravity is above the thrust surface” in (3) is M _φ = F ₁ l −F ₂ l + mgh sinφ. In this case, the rotational moment increases as the tilt angle increases, and the body posture becomes unstable. However, this instability can be controlled because a counterclockwise rotational moment is generated by controlling the rotational speed of the left and right rotors 4 in order to stabilize the body posture. However, if the rotational speed control of the rotor that generates the required counterclockwise rotational moment exceeds the capacity of the rotor 4, the aircraft attitude becomes uncontrollable. Therefore, in the multicopter A, the height of the center of gravity position from the thrust surface, the maximum inclination angle of the aircraft, etc. are set so that the attitude of the aircraft can be stably controlled even if the gravity center is above the thrust surface. .
When the payload is loaded, the center of gravity is within the thrust plane, but the payload is not loaded. May be above the thrust surface. At this time, since the mass of the fuselage is reduced by the payload, the rotor speed control that generates the counterclockwise rotation moment does not exceed the capacity of the rotor 4.

  In addition to the relationship between the position of the center of gravity and the attitude of the fuselage, in FIGS. 5 to 7, the horizontal direction acceleration by tilting the fuselage is formed, and the gravity center and thrust surface when the fuselage is horizontally moved at that time The result of simulating the correlation between "speed", "inclination angle" and "rotor power consumption" resulting from the positional relationship with the graph is graphed.

  In the case of “the center of gravity is 7 cm above the thrust surface” in FIG. 5, the time from the stationary state to the target speed of 10 m / s is 6 seconds, the maximum inclination angle of the aircraft is 26 degrees, and the maximum power consumption is 5 kw.

  In the case of “the center of gravity is in the thrust plane” in FIG. 6, the time from the stationary state to the target speed of 10 m / s is 13 seconds, the maximum tilt angle of the aircraft is 17.5 degrees, and the maximum power consumption is 3.9 kw. .

  When “the center of gravity is 7 cm below the thrust surface” in FIG. 7, the target speed of 10 m / s is not reached even after 15 seconds from the stationary state, the maximum tilt angle of the aircraft is 13 degrees, and the maximum power consumption is 3.8 kw It is. From these empirical studies, it is understood that the responsiveness of the multicopter A to the flight control is better when the position of the center of gravity of the aircraft is positioned above the thrust plane.

  In the multicopter of the present invention configured as described above, in the payload stacking section for loading each load, depending on the purpose of use of the multicopter, for example, a camera for aerial photography purposes, A sensor unit with built-in sensors can be mounted for the purpose of sensing the collapse situation at the mountain collapse site. As an example of loading on such a payload loading section, when the multicopter of the present invention is used for the purpose of spreading agrochemicals, the pesticide spraying section can be loaded. The details of the agricultural chemical spraying part will be described below.

As described above, the multicopter A can be used for spraying agricultural chemicals, and the configuration when used for spraying agricultural chemicals will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 10.
In the above-described multicopter A, the engine 1 is arranged on the upper side of the main frame f1, and the payload stacking unit 3 is arranged on the lower side. However, when spraying the agricultural chemical liquid, the engine 1 is arranged on the lower side of the main frame f1. The pesticide spraying unit 10 for spraying the pesticide liquid is disposed on the upper side.

As shown in FIG. 9, the engine 1 is mounted at the lower center of the main frame f <b> 1, the generators 7 are arranged on both sides of the engine 1, and the fuel tanks 2 are arranged outside the generators 7. In addition to the above-described configuration, the pesticide spraying unit 10 is further disposed on the upper side of the main frame f1.
In such a configuration, the center of gravity of the multicopter A and the center of gravity of the agricultural chemical spraying part are made to be the same in both directions.

  The agricultural chemical spraying unit 10 includes an agricultural chemical liquid tank 11, an agricultural chemical liquid pump 12, a communication pipe 13 connecting the agricultural chemical liquid tank 11 and the agricultural chemical liquid pump 12, a spray nozzle 14, a tank frame (not shown), and the like. Consists of.

  The agrochemical solution tank 11 is mounted on the main frame f1 via a tank frame. The agricultural chemical liquid tank 11 may be configured such that, for example, a pipe is inscribed in a hollow space inside the tank, and the pipe is filled with the agricultural chemical liquid.

  When the pesticide liquid in the pesticide liquid tank 11 is full, the center of gravity of the multicopter A is slightly above or not the thrust surface, and when the pesticide liquid in the pesticide liquid tank 11 is empty, the multicopter Although the center of gravity of A is below the thrust surface, the weight of the multicopter A is light and the control responsiveness does not deteriorate so much, so it is possible to fly safely.

  The pesticide liquid pump 12 is configured to be mounted in the center on the main frame f1. Further, the agrochemical solution tank 11 and the spray nozzle 14 are connected by a communication pipe 13, and an agrochemical solution pump 12 is connected to the middle portion of the communication pipe 13, and the agricultural chemical solution pump 12 is connected from the tank 11. The pesticide solution supplied via the is discharged to the spray nozzle 14. The pesticide liquid pump 12 is electrically connected to the generator 7 and is driven by electricity supplied from the generator 7 to open the on-off valve and pump the pesticide liquid.

The spray nozzle 14 is configured to spray the agricultural chemical solution over a wide range downward, and is connected to the tip of an L-shaped communication pipe 13 extending downward from the side surface of the main frame f1. With this configuration, the pesticide liquid discharged from the spray nozzle 14 is sprayed on the field by the rotating airflow of the side fan.
The spray nozzle 14 may be an atomizer that sprays while rotating.

  Further, a radio control device 20 for remotely operating the pesticide spraying unit 10 by a ground operator is separately provided at the user's hand. The operation and stop of the pesticide spraying unit 10 of the multicopter A are performed by operating the operation button 22 of the pesticide spraying unit 10 provided in the wireless control device 20.

  The multicopter A includes a receiving unit 8 that receives an operation signal for operating and stopping the agricultural chemical spraying unit 10 transmitted from the radio control device 20. When the receiving unit 8 receives the operation signal, the multicopter A controls the multicopter A. The unit 6 controls the operation and stop of the agricultural chemical spraying unit 10 based on the signal. In FIG. 12, reference numeral 21 denotes a central processing unit (CPU) of the radio control device 20. The central processing unit 21 processes a signal indicating that the operation button 22 is turned on or off and transmits an operation signal from the wireless transmission unit 23. The reception unit 8 of the multicopter A receives.

  Next, a procedure in which an operator sprays agricultural chemicals from the multicopter A with the radio control device 20 will be described.

  The worker fills the pesticide solution tank 11 of the pesticide spraying unit 10 with the pesticide solution to be sprayed on the field, and attaches the pesticide solution tank 11 to the tank frame of the multicopter A.

The multicopter A flies over the field, and when the operator operates the operation button 22 of the pesticide spraying unit 10 of the radio control device 20, the multicopter A sprays the pesticide liquid from the spray nozzle 14 on the field below the operation signal. Sprinkle toward.
In other words, when the operation button 22 of the wireless control device 20 is turned on, an operation signal for starting pesticide spraying is transmitted to the multicopter A. The receiving unit 8 of the multicopter A receives the operation signal, and the control unit 6 opens the on-off valve while driving the pesticide liquid pump 12 of the pesticide spraying unit 10 based on the operation signal, and the pesticide liquid is stored in the pesticide liquid tank. 11 is discharged to the spray nozzle 14 through the pesticide liquid pump 12 and sprayed to the field just below the multicopter A.

When the spraying of the pesticide liquid on the field is finished, the operator turns off the operation button 22 of the pesticide spraying unit 10 of the wireless control device, so that an operation signal for stopping the spraying of the pesticide is transmitted to the multicopter A. The receiving unit 8 of the multicopter A receives the operation signal, and the control unit 6 closes the on-off valve while stopping the pesticide liquid pump 12 of the pesticide spraying unit 10 based on the operation signal.
With this operation, the spraying of the agricultural chemical from the multicopter A is completed.

  The multicopter A shown in FIG. 10 has a configuration in which the agricultural chemical spraying portion 10 is disposed on the upper side of the main frame f1 and the fuel tanks 2 and 2 are mounted on both sides thereof. The engine 1 is arranged in the center below the main frame f1, and the generators 7 and 7 are mounted on both sides thereof.

  The agricultural chemical spraying unit 10 includes an agricultural chemical liquid tank 11, an agricultural chemical liquid pump 12, a communication pipe 13 that connects the agricultural chemical liquid tank 11 and the spray nozzle 14, a spray nozzle 14, a tank frame (not shown), and the like. ing. In addition, about each component of the agrochemical spraying part 10, the same code | symbol as the component mentioned above is attached | subjected, and duplication description is abbreviate | omitted.

    When the pesticide liquid in the pesticide liquid tank 11 is full, the center of gravity of the multicopter A is slightly above or not the thrust surface, and when the pesticide liquid in the pesticide liquid tank 11 is empty, the multicopter Although the center of gravity of A is below the thrust surface, the weight of the multicopter A is light and the control responsiveness does not deteriorate so much, so it is possible to fly safely.

An example of the basic configuration of the multicopter engine 1 will be described.
The multicopter engine 1 is an engine in which left and right horizontal cylinders face each other in one cylinder.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the engine block 151 includes left and right engine blocks 151-1 and 151 that are divided into left and right, and left and right crank covers 117 a and 118 a that close open ends of the left and right engine blocks 151-1 and 151. ing.

    The left cylinder (left cylinder block) 148 and the right cylinder (right cylinder block) 149 are joined together to form one horizontal cylinder 101. In the horizontal cylinder 101 formed horizontally, the left and right pistons 102 and 103 are slidably accommodated with the left and right piston heads 104 and 105 facing each other.

  The combustion chamber S communicated between the left and right piston heads 104 and 105 is filled with a mixed gas and ignited and exploded therein, thereby sliding the left and right pistons 102 and 103 in directions away from each other. The piston output is taken out from a crank mechanism which will be described later.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14, the combustion chamber S includes a joining space S- 1 (sub-combustion chamber) composed of inclined surfaces 104 a and 105 a partially formed in the vicinity of the left and right piston heads 104 and 105, respectively. It is composed of a volume space S-2 (main combustion chamber) formed by expanding a middle side wall of the horizontal cylinder 101 and communicating with the joining space S-1.

  Here, the volume space S-2 is a clearance between the left and right piston heads 104 and 105 facing from the space constituting the combustion chamber S (for example, a space in consideration of component accuracy tolerance, thermal expansion, piston head behavior, etc.) ) And the above-described joining space S-1, and the space occupied by the spark plug 106, the intake valve 107, the exhaust valve 135, and the like, which will be described later.

  A space formed by the flat recesses 104a ′ and 105a ′ is defined as a joining space S-1 (sub-combustion chamber), and the joining space S-1 has a middle side wall of the horizontal cylinder 1 along the cross-sectional direction of the horizontal cylinder 101. It swells in a substantially flat shape and communicates with a volume space S-2 formed outside the horizontal cylinder 101 main body.

  The shape of the volume space S-2 (main combustion chamber) is semi-circular from the semicircular arc recesses 104b ′ and 105b ′ communicating with the lower edge of the joint space S-1 and the semicircular arc recesses 104b ′ and 105b ′. The left and right enlarged portions 104c ′ and 105c ′ expanded in an arc shape and the combustion space S− in which the thickness of the space gradually increases downward from the semicircular arc-shaped concave portions 104b ′ and 105b ′ to the left and right enlarged portions 104c ′ and 105c ′. 3.

  The tip of the spark plug 106 is disposed at the center lower portion on one side of the left and right enlarged portions 104c ′ and 105c ′, and the enlarged portions on both sides of the left and right enlarged portions 104c ′ and 105c ′ are provided with suction. The tips of the exhaust valves 107 and 135 are disposed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 15, valve installation holes 135a and 107a of the intake valve 107 and the exhaust valve 135 are provided outside the volume space S-2 on the right piston head 105 side, and the intake valve 107 and An exhaust valve 135 can be arranged.

The intake valve 107 introduces a mixed gas from a gas supply unit (not shown) and sucks the mixed gas into the combustion chamber S at an appropriate timing.
As shown in FIG. 3, the stem 108 of the intake valve 107 is configured to advance and retract through a stem drive mechanism 109, and opens and closes the intake valve 107 in accordance with the advance / retreat operation.

  The exhaust valve 135 has the same configuration as the intake valve 107, and exhausts the exhaust gas in the combustion chamber S from a later-described valve installation hole at an appropriate timing.

  In this way, the intake valve 107 and the exhaust valve 135 are arranged in communication with the volume space S-2 as the combustion chamber S, and the intake valve 107 and the exhaust valve 135 have a valve operating axis that is a horizontal cylinder. In contrast, the opposed piston type engine A is made compact, and as a result, the volume space S-2 of the combustion chamber S is made as small as possible, so that a higher compression ratio can be achieved.

  As shown in FIG. 13, left and right crank mechanisms 117 and 118 are connected to the bottom portions of the left and right pistons 102 and 103, that is, the left and right pistons 102 and 103, respectively. The left and right crank mechanisms 117 and 118 include left and right connecting rods 119 and 120, and cam function left and right crank arms 121 and 122 provided between the left and right connecting rods 119 and 120 and the left and right crank output shafts 123 and 124, respectively. Outputs from the left and right crank mechanisms 117 and 118 are output to the outside via the left and right crank output shafts 123 and 124.

  In this way, the left and right crank mechanisms 117 and 118 are linked and connected to the bottom portions of the left and right pistons 102 and 103, respectively, and outputs from the left and right pistons 102 and 103 are output from the left and right crank output shafts 123 and 124 in the left and right crank mechanisms 117 and 118, respectively. Two axes are taken out, and each of the two axes is configured to rotate in opposite directions.

  With this configuration, when the rotational output from the left and right crank output shafts 123 and 124 varies and excessive or insufficient rotation occurs, the rotational torque varies and reaction force is generated in various forms. Even if such a reaction force is generated, the left and right reaction forces are always generated in the same form, so that they can cancel each other.

  Further, the generator can be driven simultaneously as the external actuator M.

  The intake valve 107 and the exhaust valve 135 are configured to be able to advance and retreat via a stem drive mechanism 109, and the base ends of the stems of the intake valve 107 and the exhaust valve 135 are connected to the stem drive mechanism 109. A time-interlocking mechanism is provided such that when one valve is opened, the other valve is closed when the valve is opened.

  Next, an interlocking mechanism related to the generator 7 that operates by receiving the output from the engine 1 centering on the engine 1 of the multicopter A of the present invention and the intake and exhaust valves 313 and 314 that communicate with the main combustion chamber 330 of the engine 1. Will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The left and right cylinders 301L and 301R are disposed in an extended state in the left and right direction of the body frame a. The left and right pistons 302L and 302R of the left and right cylinders 301L and 301R are connected to the left and right crank mechanisms 308L and 308R in an interlocking manner. Left and right generators 7 and 7 are connected to the ends of the shafts 309 and 309, and mechanical energy of the crank mechanisms 308 </ b> L and 308 </ b> R is converted into electrical energy of the generator 7 to energize the rotor 4 arranged around the engine 1, The side fan 4-1 is driven via the electric motor 5 to allow the multicopter A to fly.

  A magnet rotor 7a of the generator 7 is integrally linked to the tip rotation shaft 310 of the crankshaft 309.

  Reference numeral 311 in the figure denotes a reversing belt, and 312 denotes a pulley. The reversing belt 311 is configured to rotate the rotation output of the left and right crank output shafts 310 of the left and right crank mechanisms 308L and 308R in the opposite direction. By realizing counter rotation in which the rotation direction is reversed by the pulley 312, the rotational reaction forces from the left and right crank output shafts 308L ′ and 308R ′ are canceled out to reduce vibration. In addition, the code | symbol 330 is a cooling fan and 331 is an oil tank.

  Further, the advance / retreat operation mechanism of the intake / exhaust valves 313 and 314 communicated with each other in an opposed state to the volume space S-2 (main combustion chamber) which is an external bulge portion of the cylinder is as follows.

  That is, the front ends of the left and right piston heads 304 and 305 are linked to the valve driving cams 319 and 319 via the left and right crank output shafts 308L 'and 308R' of the crank mechanisms 308L and 308R.

  The valve drive cams 319 and 319 slide at predetermined intervals on the intake and exhaust valves 313 and 314 of the poppet valve mechanism in which the head portions are arranged to face each other.

  That is, according to the stroke operation of the left and right piston heads 304 and 305 of the engine 1, the valve driving cams 319 and 319 are finally cammed via the left and right crank mechanisms 308L and 308R and the gear group, and the intake and exhaust valves 313 are operated. , 314 performs the mixed gas intake / exhaust operation.

  The intake / exhaust valves 313 and 314 are composed of a stem, a mushroom-type valve body, a valve seat, and a closing biasing spring, like a general engine valve, and the entire valve slides in the axial direction of the stem. By doing so, the interval between the valve seat and the valve body is changed to control the flow rate of the mixed fuel to the intake hole 324.

A Multicopter C Road case a Airframe frame f1 Main frame f2 Side frame G Airframe center of gravity L Horizontal reference level

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Engine 2 Fuel tank 3 Payload stacking part 4 Rotor 4-1 Side fan 5 Electric motor 6 Control part 7 Generator 10 Pesticide spraying part 11 Pesticide liquid tank 12 Pesticide liquid pump 13 Communication pipe 14 Spray nozzle

Claims (3)

An aircraft frame constituting the aircraft, and
Engine,
A generator for generating electricity by the engine;
A fuel tank for supplying fuel to the engine;
A payload loading section for loading various loads;
A plurality of rotors that perform thrust generation and flight control around the engine;
A plurality of electric motors for rotationally driving the plurality of rotors;
A control unit for controlling the plurality of rotors;
A multicopter equipped with
The engine is arranged at least above a horizontal plane that is an average value of the rotational surface heights of the plurality of rotors, and the plurality of rotors are configured to operate by driving an electric motor by power generation by the engine. Multicopter characterized by that. When there is a load in the payload loading section, the center of gravity of the fuselage is substantially located in the center of the fuselage frame and in the horizontal plane that is the average value of the rotational surface heights of the plurality of rotors, and the payload loading section 2. The multicopter according to claim 1, wherein when there is no load, the center of gravity of the airframe is positioned at least above a horizontal plane that is an average value of the rotational surface heights of the plurality of rotors. 3. The multicopter according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of rotors driven by the electric motor are arranged on an outer periphery of the engine without providing a rotor linked to the engine.

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