JP2018144627A - Pilotless aircraft - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pilotless aircraft capable of safely making an airframe approach to a plane of a structure, and moving on the plane of the structure while keeping the positional relationship between the plane of the structure and the airframe constant.SOLUTION: The present invention provides a pilotless aircraft having a frame body for constituting an external shape of a casing, a driving wheel having a driving source and being a pair of wheels arranged in parallel, and a horizontal rotary wing arranged in the frame body. In the driving wheel, at least part of a wheel diameter of the driving wheel overhangs upward or sideways from the frame body, and the horizontal rotary wing can be inclined on a rotary surface with a predetermined angle range while keeping an attitude of the frame body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to unmanned aerial technology.

  Small unmanned aerial vehicles represented by industrial unmanned helicopters are expensive and difficult to obtain, and they require skill to operate in order to fly stably. However, in recent years, the sensor and software used for attitude control and autonomous flight of unmanned aircraft have been improved and the price has been reduced, which has dramatically improved the operability of unmanned aircraft. Especially for small multicopters, the rotor structure is simpler than helicopters, and the design and maintenance is easy. Therefore, not only for hobby purposes but also for various missions in a wide range of industrial fields. Yes.

JP 2011-123006 A

  An unmanned aerial vehicle such as a multicopter has a problem that it is difficult to stabilize the position compared to a vehicle traveling on the ground due to its nature of flying in the air. For example, consider a case where a multicopter is employed instead of a worker on a bucket or gondola of an aerial work platform when performing surface inspection of a bridge or a building. In this case, it is necessary to fly the unmanned aircraft at a constant speed along the inspection surface while keeping the distance between the inspection surface of the structure and the airframe constant. Such maneuvering requires extremely high maneuvering skills. In particular, turbulent flow tends to occur under the bridge girder and in the vicinity of the wall surface of the building, and it is not realistic to overcome this with maneuvering skills.

  To solve the above-mentioned problems, the distance between the inspection plane and the aircraft is kept constant by attaching wheels with a diameter larger than that of the multicopter aircraft in parallel to both sides of the aircraft and flying while pressing these wheels against the inspection surface. A method is being considered. However, an unmanned aerial vehicle such as a multicopter needs to incline the fuselage (rotor surface of the rotor) when moving or canceling disturbances such as wind. It is not easy to push the wheel against the inspection surface, move the aircraft, and deal with disturbances simultaneously by tilting the aircraft.

  In view of the above problems, the problem to be solved by the present invention is that the aircraft can be safely approached to the surface of the structure, and the positional relationship between the surface of the structure and the aircraft is kept constant. An object of the present invention is to provide an unmanned aerial vehicle that can move on the surface of a structure.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present invention is arranged in a frame that forms an outer shape of a housing, a drive wheel that is a pair of wheels that have a drive source and are arranged in parallel, and the frame. A horizontal rotor blade, wherein at least a part of a wheel diameter of the drive wheel protrudes upward or laterally from the frame body, and the horizontal rotor blade is formed of the frame body. The rotating surface can be tilted within a predetermined angle range while maintaining the posture.

  The unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention presses the driving wheel against the ceiling surface or vertical surface of the structure with the thrust of the horizontal rotary wing, and travels on the surface with the driving wheel (hereinafter, this operation of the unmanned aircraft is referred to as “wall surface traveling”). By doing so, it is possible to move on the surface of the structure while keeping the positional relationship between the surface of the structure and the airframe constant. In addition, since the horizontal rotor of the present invention is arranged in the frame constituting the outer shape of the casing, the frame acts as a rotor guard and prevents the horizontal rotor from contacting the structure outside the machine. Is done. Furthermore, since the horizontal rotor can tilt its rotating surface within the frame, the unmanned aircraft of the present invention can press the driving wheel against the vertical surface of the structure while maintaining the posture of the frame. In addition, it is possible to cancel out disturbances such as wind without disturbing the posture of the frame body running on the wall surface.

  Moreover, it is preferable that at least a part of the wheel diameter of the drive wheel protrudes upward and laterally from the frame body.

  Since the drive wheels protrude above and to the side of the frame body, the pair of drive wheels can be used for both the ceiling surface and the vertical surface of the structure. Further, by reducing the number of parts by increasing the efficiency of the airframe structure, it is possible to reduce the weight of the airframe and reduce the production cost.

  The unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention further includes a caster capable of freely changing a traveling direction, and the caster protrudes above or to the side of the frame, and the frame is supported by the drive wheel and the caster. It is preferable to be able to support the surface of the structure.

  When the airframe is turned on the surface of the structure, the frictional resistance of the drive wheels in contact with the surface becomes a problem. Even if the drive wheels are not equipped with a mechanical steering mechanism, the casters that can freely change the direction of travel are supported by the drive wheels and casters on the surface of the structure. The aircraft can be smoothly turned on the surface.

  The unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention further includes a rotary wing support portion that supports the horizontal rotary wing, and the rotary wing support portion includes a support shaft that is a shaft portion extending in a cross shape in plan view. It is preferable that the frame body has a bearing portion in which a shaft hole for holding the support shaft is formed, and the support shaft can be moved up and down in the shaft hole.

  A support shaft having a cross shape in plan view is held by the bearing portions of the frame body, and the support shaft can be moved up and down in the shaft holes of the bearing portions, whereby the horizontal support supported by the rotor blade support portion via the support shaft is provided. The rotor blade can change its pitch angle and roll angle within the range in which the support shaft can be moved. That is, the horizontal rotary blade can independently perform the aileron operation and the elevator operation within this range without affecting the posture of the frame body running on the wall surface.

  Further, the outer shape of the frame body is configured by a frame material assembled in a cubic shape or a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the frame body includes the frame material constituting each side of the upper surface of the frame body and the frame body. A middle frame that is a frame material constituting each side of the third horizontal plane between the frame material constituting each side of the lower surface of the frame, and the middle frame is fixed in the frame body. It is preferable that the bearing portion is provided on the middle frame.

  By providing the bearing portion in the middle frame whose vertical position can be changed, the arrangement of the horizontal rotary blades in the frame can be adjusted more flexibly according to the size and properties of the horizontal rotary blades.

  Further, the outer shape of the frame body is configured by a frame material assembled in a cubic shape or a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the frame body is fixed at two ends in the longitudinal direction to the two frame materials arranged in parallel. The movable frame is preferably a movable shaft, and the movable shaft is preferably slidable at a fixed position along the longitudinal direction of the two frame members.

  Because the frame has a movable shaft whose mounting position can be changed, additional devices such as cameras and sensors, or devices that constitute a part of the machine body such as a storage battery are desired in the frame. It becomes possible to arrange | position in the position of.

  The movable shaft includes a first movable shaft fixed to the frame member constituting each side of the upper surface of the frame body and a first movable shaft fixed to the frame member constituting each side of the lower surface of the frame body. An inspection device that is a photographing device or a measurement device is attached to the first movable shaft, and a storage battery that is a power source is attached to the second movable shaft. The storage battery is preferably slidable in its mounting position along the longitudinal direction of the second movable shaft.

  When a device for checking a structure is placed in the frame, the weight of the device may disturb the center of gravity of the aircraft, which may hinder flight. The frame body has a first movable shaft and a second movable shaft, the inspection device is attached to the first movable shaft, and the storage battery is attached to the second movable shaft, thereby adjusting the position of the storage battery in the frame body. It becomes possible to correct the position of the center of gravity of the aircraft.

  The outer shape of the frame is configured by a frame material assembled in a cubic shape or a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the casters are attached to a lower frame that is the frame material constituting each side of the lower surface of the frame body. It is good also as a structure which has protruded to the side from this lower frame, and the said lower frame has the leg part protruded below.

  For example, if the caster is a swivel caster with wheels supported by a swivelable fork, and the caster is mounted so as to protrude sideways from the lower frame of the frame, the caster It hangs down below the lower frame. By providing the frame with leg portions that protrude downward from the lower frame, it is possible to prevent the casters from hindering landing.

  Thus, according to the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention, the airframe can be safely approached to the surface of the structure, and the positional relationship between the surface of the structure and the airframe is kept constant. It is possible to move on the surface.

It is a perspective view showing appearance of a multicopter which is an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment. It is a top view of a multicopter. It is the side view which looked at the multicopter of Drawing 1 from the A direction. It is a schematic diagram which shows a mode that a multicopter image | photographs the ceiling surface and vertical surface of a structure. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the movable shaft of a multicopter. It is a perspective view which shows the rotary blade support part and rotor of a multicopter. It is the elements on larger scale of a spindle part and a bearing part. It is a side view which shows a mode that the support shaft shown by FIG.7 (b) inclined up and down. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of a multicopter.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. The following embodiments are examples of the unmanned aircraft of the present invention used for surface inspection of structures such as bridges and buildings.

(Configuration overview)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a multicopter 100 that is an unmanned aerial vehicle of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the multicopter 100. FIG. 3 is a side view of the multicopter 100 of FIG. 1 viewed from the A direction. In the following description, “upper and lower”, “vertical”, and “vertical” mean directions parallel to the Z-axis of the coordinate axis display drawn in each figure. Similarly, “horizontal” means a plane parallel to the XY plane shown in the same coordinate axis display. In addition, “side” of the multicopter 100 means a direction from the multicopter 100 toward the outside in the horizontal direction. In the following description, among the direction parallel to the X axis of the coordinate axes the display, "front" of the multirotor 100 X ₁ side, the X ₂ side of the multirotor 100 and "backward".

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the multicopter 100 has a rectangular parallelepiped frame 500, and the frame 500 constitutes the outer shape of the housing of the multicopter 100.

  Four rotors R, which are horizontal rotary blades, are arranged inside the frame body 500, and the multicopter 100 flies freely in the air by controlling the rotation speed of these rotors R. The “horizontal rotary blade” in the present invention refers to a rotary blade whose axial direction of the rotary shaft extends vertically and whose plane direction of the rotary surface is horizontal. The rotor R is supported by a rotor blade support portion 600 that is semi-fixed to the frame body 500, whereby the rotor R inclines the rotation surface within a predetermined angle range while maintaining the posture of the frame body 500. be able to.

  In addition, the driving wheel D and the two casters 410 and 420 are attached to the frame 500. The drive wheel D has a pair of tires 163 arranged in parallel, and each of these tires 163 includes a servo motor 162 as a drive source. The casters 410 and 420 are turning casters in which wheels are supported by a turning fork. The drive wheel D and the casters 410 and 420 protrude upward and forward from the frame body 500, and come into contact with the ceiling surface of the structure and the vertical surface in front of the multicopter 100 before the frame body 500. A camera 300 capable of photographing the ceiling surface and the vertical surface of the structure is disposed in the frame 500.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the multicopter 100 captures a ceiling surface and a vertical surface of a structure. As shown in FIG. 4, the multicopter 100 having the above configuration presses the driving wheel D and the casters 410 and 420 with the thrust of the rotor R against the ceiling surface HS or the vertical surface VS of the structure C, and on the surface thereof. Drive with drive wheels D. Thereby, it is possible to move on the surface of the structure C while keeping the positional relationship between the surface of the structure C and the airframe constant (hereinafter, such an operation of the multicopter 100 is also referred to as “wall surface traveling”). ).

  In addition, the rotor R of the present embodiment is disposed in a frame body 500 that forms the outer shape of the multicopter 100 housing, and the frame body 500 acts as a rotor guard. Is prevented from coming into contact. Further, since the rotor R can tilt its rotation surface within the frame body 500, the multicopter 100 can press the driving wheel D against the vertical surface VS of the structure C while maintaining the posture of the frame body 500. Not only is this possible, but it is also possible to cancel out disturbances such as wind without disturbing the posture of the frame 500 while running on the wall surface.

(Frame structure)
In the frame body 500 of this embodiment, a pipe material made of CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics) is used as the frame material. In addition to the pipe material of the present embodiment, a rod material, an elongated plate material, or the like can be used for the frame material of the frame body 500. The material of the frame material is not limited to CFRP, but it is desirable to use a light weight and high strength material.

  The frame 500 includes an upper frame 510 that is four pipe members that constitute each side of the upper surface of the frame 500, and a lower frame 520 that is four pipe members that constitute each side of the lower surface of the frame 500. Between the upper frame 510 and the lower frame 520, an intermediate frame 540 that is four pipe members constituting each side of the third horizontal plane is provided. In addition, in a portion corresponding to each vertex of the upper frame 510, the lower frame 520, and the middle frame 540, vertical frames 530 that are four pipe members arranged vertically are arranged. The frame 500 has a rectangular parallelepiped outer shape as a whole by fixing the upper frame 510, the lower frame 520, and the middle frame 540 to the vertical frame 530. Further, the fixing position of the middle frame 540 can be changed up and down in the frame body 500.

  The frame 500 further has a first movable shaft 571 that is a movable shaft fixed to the upper frame 510 and a second movable shaft 572 that is a movable shaft fixed to the lower frame 520. A camera 300 is attached to the first movable shaft 571, and a battery 190, which is a storage battery, is attached to the second movable shaft 572. The battery 190 is a power source for the multicopter 100.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the movable shaft of the multicopter 100. As shown in FIG. 5, the first movable shaft 571 of the present embodiment is perpendicular to the two pipe members parallel to the X axis of the coordinate axis display among the four pipe members constituting the upper frame 510. It is arranged, and both ends in the longitudinal direction are fixed to these two pipe members. The first movable shaft 571 can slide its fixed position along the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of these two pipe members.

  The second movable shaft 572 of the present embodiment is disposed perpendicular to two pipe members parallel to the X axis of the coordinate axis display among the four pipe members constituting the lower frame 520. Both ends in the longitudinal direction are fixed to the pipe material. Similarly to the first movable shaft 571, the second movable shaft 572 can slide its fixed position along the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of these two pipe members. Further, the battery 190 attached to the second movable shaft 572 can slide its attachment position along the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) of the second movable shaft 572.

  As described above, the frame 500 according to the present embodiment includes the first movable shaft 571 and the second movable shaft 572 which are movable shafts whose fixed positions can be changed. It is possible to dispose a device for inspecting a structure including other measuring devices, and further, a device that constitutes a part of the body of the multicopter 100 such as the battery 190 at a desired position in the frame 500. ing.

  When an inspection device such as the camera 300 is arranged in the frame 500, the position of the center of gravity of the multicopter 100 is disturbed by the weight of the device, which may hinder flight. In the multicopter 100 of this embodiment, the camera 300 is attached to the first movable shaft 571 and the battery 190 is attached to the second movable shaft 572. Therefore, while the camera 300 is arranged at a position suitable for photographing the structure C, the position of the center of gravity of the machine body can be corrected by adjusting the arrangement of the battery 190 in the frame body 500.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the lower frame 520 of the frame 500 is provided with leg portions 521 that protrude downward from the four corners of the lower frame 520. In the multicopter 100 of the present embodiment, a caster 410 is attached to the lower frame 520, and the caster 410 protrudes forward from the lower frame 520. Therefore, when the multicopter 100 is landed, the caster 410 hangs down below the lower frame 520 due to its own weight. Even in this case, since the lower frame 520 includes the leg portions 521, the caster 410 is prevented from being prevented from landing.

  The frame 500 formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape (or a cubic shape) has an advantage that the weight balance is good and it is easy to maintain the posture, and an advantage that it is easy to secure a space for arranging the inspection device inside. In particular, the multicopter 100 of the present embodiment includes a camera 300 as an inspection device for the structure C, and the distance between the surface of the structure C and the camera 300 can be adjusted to a distance suitable for photographing. On the other hand, the shape of the frame 500 is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped shape or a cubic shape. The shape of the frame 500 can secure a flow path through which the rotor R performs intake and exhaust, and the frame 500 is supported by the driving wheels D (and auxiliary wheels such as casters 410 and 420) with respect to the surface of the structure C. Other shapes can be adopted as long as the shape can protect the rotor R from the surface of the structure C.

(Driving wheels and casters)
As shown in FIG. 3, the entire wheel diameter of the drive wheel D of the present embodiment protrudes upward and laterally from the frame body 500. More specifically, the tire 163 constituting the drive wheel D is attached to a pipe material constituting the front surface of the frame body 500 in the upper frame 510 and projects obliquely upward toward the front of the frame body 500. ing. Therefore, when the multicopter 100 approaches the ceiling surface HS of the structure C or the vertical surface VS in front of the multicopter 100, the tire 163 has the ceiling surface HS and the vertical surface VS before the frame body 500. Abut. In other words, the pair of drive wheels D can be used as a common drive means for the ceiling surface HS and the vertical surface VS of the structure C. As a result, the body structure of the multicopter 100 is made more efficient, and the number of parts is reduced, thereby reducing the weight of the body and reducing the production cost. Of course, it is also possible to provide separate drive wheels D for the ceiling surface HS and the vertical surface VS.

  As described above, the casters 410 and 420 are turning casters in which wheels are supported by a turnable fork. Therefore, the casters 410 and 420 can freely change their traveling directions on the surface of the structure C. The caster 410 is attached to a pipe material constituting the front surface of the frame body 500 among the pipe materials constituting the lower frame 520 and projects forward from the frame body 500. The caster 420 is attached to a pipe material constituting the back surface (rear side surface) of the frame body 500 among the pipe materials constituting the upper frame 510 and projects upward from the frame body 500.

  The multicopter 100 supports the frame 500 at the three points of the driving wheel D and the caster 420 with respect to the ceiling surface HS of the structure C. The frame 500 is supported by the three points of the driving wheel D and the caster 410 with respect to the vertical plane VS in front of the multicopter 100. In the present embodiment, the frame body 500 is supported at three points with respect to each surface of the structure C, thereby improving the efficiency of the body structure and reducing the weight of the body. On the other hand, it is also possible to provide two casters 410 and two casters 420 to support the frame body 500 at four points on each surface.

  The peripheral surfaces of the tire 163 and the casters 410 and 420 of this embodiment are made of an elastic material such as rubber. Thereby, the frictional resistance between the tires 163 and the like and the surface of the structure C is increased, slip on the surface of the structure C is suppressed, and driving force is increased.

  On the other hand, when the airframe is turned on the surface of the structure C, the frictional resistance of the tire 163 and the casters 410 and 420 becomes a problem. In particular, the drive wheel D of the present embodiment does not include a mechanical steering mechanism, and the body is turned by adjusting the rotation speed and rotation direction of each tire 163. The multicopter 100 employs casters 410 and 420 as auxiliary wheels of the driving wheel D, and thereby the aircraft can smoothly turn on the surface of the structure C.

  The casters 410 and 420 are not limited to turning casters, and the same effect can be obtained by using, for example, a ball caster. If there is no particular problem that the turning performance on the surface of the structure C is impaired, a fixed caster in which the direction of the wheel cannot be changed can be used instead of the casters 410 and 420. In this case, all the wheels may be the drive wheels D, or a separate steering mechanism may be provided. Further, the drive wheels D and the casters 410 and 420 do not need to be entirely disposed outside the frame body 500, and at least a part of the wheel diameter only has to protrude above or to the side of the frame body 500.

(Rotating blade support)
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the rotor blade support portion 600 and the rotor R of the multicopter 100.

  The rotor blade support portion 600 of this embodiment is mainly configured by a central hub 610, an arm 630, a support shaft 620, and a protective cover 650. The rotor R is disposed at the tip of each arm 630.

  The central hub 610 is a connection portion that transmits the inclination of the arm 630 that supports the rotor R to the support shaft 620. The central hub 610 includes a base portion 611, a plurality of clamp portions 612 fixed to the base portion 611, and a bearing portion 613. The base 611 is two flat plate members that are substantially rectangular in plan view and are arranged vertically with the plate surface horizontal. The clamp part 612 and the bearing part 613 are arranged between these two flat plate members. The clamp part 612 is a substantially cylindrical fastener and fastens and fixes the base end part of the arm 630 inserted into the cylinder. The bearing portion 613 is a flat plate member disposed perpendicular to the base portion 611. Each bearing portion 613 is formed with a circular through hole having the same outer diameter as the support shaft 620. The base end portion of the support shaft 620 is inserted into the through hole of the bearing portion 613 and is fixedly bonded to the bearing portion 613. Since the arm 630 and the support shaft 620 are integrated by the central hub 610, when the rotation speed of each rotor R changes and the arm 630 tilts, the support shaft 620 also tilts in conjunction with this. .

  The support shafts 620 are four shaft bodies that extend from the central hub 610 into a cross shape in plan view (see FIG. 2), and each tip portion thereof is supported by a bearing portion 580 provided in the middle frame 540. . The bearing portion 580 is provided at substantially the center of each pipe material constituting the middle frame 540. The arms 630 are four shaft bodies extending from the central hub 610 in a plan view X shape (see FIG. 2). The same pipe material as the frame material of the frame body 500 is used for the support shaft 620 and the arm 630.

  The protective cover 650 is placed on the upper surface of the central hub 610. In the protective cover 650, a control device 120 and the like to be described later are accommodated.

  FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of the support shaft portion 620 and the bearing portion 580. FIG. 7A is a view of a portion surrounded by a broken line B in FIG. FIG. 7B is a side view of the support shaft portion 620 and the bearing portion 580 shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a side view showing how the support shaft 620 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the bearing portion 580 is formed with a shaft hole 581 that is a long hole that is long in the vertical direction, and the support shaft portion 620 is inserted into the shaft hole 581. The support shaft portion 620 is locked from moving in the longitudinal direction by a flange 621 that is a diameter-expanded portion provided at the tip portion thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, since the vertical length L of the shaft hole 581 is larger than the outer diameter d of the support shaft portion 620, a gap p is necessarily formed above or below the support shaft portion 620. Occurs. The support shaft 620 can move up and down within the shaft hole 581 within the range of the gap p. That is, the rotor R supported by the arm 630 via the support shaft 620 can change the pitch angle and the roll angle within the range in which the support shaft 620 can move. That is, the rotor R can independently perform the aileron operation and the elevator operation within this range without affecting the posture of the frame body 500 during the wall running. Thereby, the multicopter 100 not only can press the driving wheel D against the vertical surface VS of the structure C while maintaining the posture of the frame 500, but also disturbs the posture of the frame 500 while traveling on the wall surface. It is possible to cancel out disturbances such as wind without any problems. In addition, for example, even when the horizontal plane HS of the structure C is not a complete horizontal plane and is slightly inclined, there is an effect that the level of the rotor R can be maintained.

  Further, the bearing portion 580 of the present embodiment is provided in the middle frame 540 of the frame body 500. By providing the bearing portion 580 in the middle frame 540 whose fixing position can be changed up and down, the arrangement of the rotor R in the frame 500 can be adjusted more flexibly according to the size and properties of the rotor R.

  For example, the connection between the ceiling surface HS and the vertical surface VS is particularly turbulent, and the rotor R is blocked by the vertical surface VS, so that the amount of intake air from the front decreases. At this time, by adjusting the position of the middle frame 540 so as to increase the distance between the ceiling surface HS of the structure C and the rotor R as much as possible, the rotor R at the connecting portion between the ceiling surface HS and the vertical surface VS is adjusted. A decrease in the intake air amount can be reduced. Thereby, the transition from the ceiling surface HS to the vertical surface VS and the transition from the vertical surface VS to the ceiling surface HS can be performed smoothly during wall surface travel. Note that it is not essential that the bearing portion 580 is provided in the middle frame 540. For example, the bearing portion 580 may be provided in the lower frame 520.

  In the case of an unmanned aerial vehicle in which the horizontal rotor is as close as possible to the surface of the structure and the aircraft is adsorbed to the surface of the structure by the negative pressure generated on the intake side of the horizontal rotor, the horizontal rotor is moved away from the surface of the structure. The attraction force is remarkably reduced, and the stability of the wall running is impaired. On the other hand, the multicopter 100 of the present embodiment is based on the idea that the airframe is pressed against the structure C by the thrust of the rotor R, rather than the airframe is adsorbed to the structure C by the negative pressure of the rotor R. And disturbance is dealt with by the rotor R being able to incline the rotation surface independently of the frame body 500. That is, even when the rotor R is moved away from the surface of the structure C, the stability during traveling on the wall surface can be ensured.

  Although the multicopter 100 of the present embodiment allows the rotor R to operate independently with the rotor blade support portion 600 having a simple structure, the rotor blade support portion of the present invention is not limited to the aspect of the rotor blade support portion 600. The rotor blade support portion of the present invention only needs to be able to incline the rotor R within a predetermined angle range while maintaining the posture of the frame body 500. For example, the rotor R is attached to the frame body 500 with a rubber member having an appropriate hardness. It is also conceivable that the frame 500 is provided with a biaxial or triaxial electric gimbal so as to absorb a predetermined amount of inclination of the rotor R by supporting the central hub 610 and the arm 630.

(camera)
The multicopter 100 of this embodiment includes a camera 300 as an inspection device for the structure C. The inspection device included in the multicopter 100 is not limited to the camera 300, and may include other measurement devices depending on the application.

(Flight function)
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the multicopter 100. The flight function of the multicopter 100 is mainly configured by a flight controller FC, a receiver 130, a rotor R, an ESC 141 (Electric Speed Controller) provided for each rotor R, and a battery 190 that supplies electric power thereto. . Hereinafter, a basic flight function of the multicopter 100 will be described.

  Each rotor R is composed of a motor 142 and a blade 143 attached to its output shaft. The ESC 141 is connected to the motor 142 of the rotor R, and rotates the motor 142 at a speed instructed from the flight controller FC.

  The flight controller FC includes a control device 120 that is a microcontroller to which a receiver 130 that receives a steering signal from a pilot (operator terminal 200) is connected. The control device 120 includes a CPU 121 that is a central processing unit, a memory 122 that is a storage device such as a ROM and RAM, a flash memory, and a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controller 123 that controls the rotation speed of each motor 142 via the ESC 141. have.

  The flight controller FC further includes a flight control sensor group 132 and a GPS antenna 133 (hereinafter collectively referred to as “sensors”), which are connected to the control device 120. The GPS antenna 133 is precisely a navigation satellite system (NSS) receiver. The GPS antenna 133 acquires the current longitude and latitude values and time information from the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) or the regional navigation satellite system (RNSS). The flight control sensor group 132 of the multicopter 100 according to the present embodiment includes an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) having a triaxial acceleration sensor and a triaxial angular velocity sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor (altitude sensor), a geomagnetic sensor (azimuth sensor). ) Etc. are included. The control device 120 can acquire the position information of the own device including the latitude and longitude, the altitude, and the azimuth angle of the nose in addition to the tilt and rotation of the aircraft by using these sensors.

  The memory 122 of the control device 120 stores a flight control program FCP, which is a program in which an algorithm for controlling the attitude and basic flight operation of the multicopter 100 during flight is installed. The flight control program FCP flies the multicopter 100 while adjusting the rotational speed of each rotor R based on information obtained from sensors, etc. according to instructions from the pilot, and correcting the disturbance of the attitude and position of the aircraft. Let

  The pilot of the multicopter 100 is manually performed by the operator using the operator terminal 200, and the flight plan FP which is parameters such as the flight path, speed, altitude, etc. of the multicopter 100 is registered in the autonomous flight program APP in advance. It is also possible to fly the multicopter 100 autonomously to the destination (hereinafter, such autonomous flight is referred to as “autopilot”).

  As described above, the multicopter 100 in the present embodiment has an advanced flight control function. However, the unmanned aerial vehicle in the present invention is not limited to the form of the multicopter 100. For example, an aircraft in which some sensors are omitted from a sensor or the like, or an aircraft that does not have an autopilot function and can fly by only manual operation is used. You can also.

(Wall running function)
The drive wheel D is composed of a servo motor 162 and a tire 163 connected to the output shaft thereof. The servo motor 162 is connected to the receiver 130 and drives the tire 163 in accordance with an operation instruction from the operator (operator terminal 200). The drive power for the servo motor 162 is supplied from the battery 190. Each servo motor 162 has a built-in control device and automatically corrects its output so as to follow the rotational direction and rotational speed instructed by the operator. Since the multicopter 100 includes the drive wheels D, the operator can make the multicopter 100 travel on the surface of the structure C at a desired speed and turn.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the movement of the multicopter 100 on the surface of the structure C is basically performed manually by the operator, but the travel path of the multicopter 100 on the surface of the structure C A function of causing the multicopter 100 to run on the wall surface automatically or semi-automatically by setting parameters such as speed may be implemented.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, although the multicopter 100 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of rotors R, it is also possible to provide a machine body having only one horizontal rotary blade by separately providing an anti-torque canceling means. In addition, the “drive wheel” of the present invention can use not only tires but also endless tracks called crawlers and crawler belts.

100 Multicopter (Unmanned aerial vehicle)
500 Frame 510 Upper frame (frame material constituting each side of the upper surface)
520 Lower frame (frame material constituting each side of the lower surface)
521 Leg 530 Vertical frame 540 Middle frame (pipe material constituting the third horizontal plane)
571 First movable axis (movable axis)
572 Second movable axis (movable axis)
580 Bearing portion 581 Shaft hole 600 Rotor blade support portion 610 Central hub 620 Support shaft 630 Arm 410 Vertical surface caster (caster)
420 Caster for ceiling surface (caster)
200 Operator terminal FC Flight controller FCP Flight control program R Rotor (horizontal rotor)
142 motor 143 blade 190 battery (storage battery)
D drive wheel 162 servo motor 163 tire 300 camera (photographing equipment (inspection equipment))
C Structure HS Ceiling surface VS Vertical surface

Claims (8)

A frame constituting the outer shape of the housing;
A drive wheel which is a pair of wheels having a drive source and arranged in parallel;
A horizontal rotary blade disposed in the frame body,
In the drive wheel, at least a part of the wheel diameter of the drive wheel protrudes upward or laterally from the frame,
The unmanned aerial vehicle characterized in that the horizontal rotary wing can tilt a rotation surface within a predetermined angle range while maintaining the posture of the frame body.   2. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of a wheel diameter of the drive wheel protrudes upward and sideward from the frame body. Further equipped with casters that can freely change the direction of travel,
The caster protrudes above or to the side of the frame,
The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the frame can be supported on a surface of a structure by the driving wheel and the caster. A rotating blade support portion for supporting the horizontal rotating blade;
The rotary blade support portion has a support shaft that is a shaft portion extending in a cross shape in plan view,
The frame body has a bearing portion in which a shaft hole for holding the support shaft is formed;
The unmanned aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the support shaft is movable up and down in the shaft hole. The outer shape of the frame is composed of a frame material assembled in a cubic shape or a rectangular parallelepiped shape,
The frame body constitutes each side of a third horizontal plane between the frame material constituting each side of the upper surface of the frame body and the frame material constituting each side of the lower surface of the frame body. It has a middle frame that is a frame material,
The middle frame can be changed up and down its fixed position in the frame body,
The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the bearing portion is provided on the inner frame. The outer shape of the frame is composed of a frame material assembled in a cubic shape or a rectangular parallelepiped shape,
The frame body has a movable shaft which is a frame material in which both ends in the longitudinal direction are fixed to the two frame materials arranged in parallel,
The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the movable shaft is slidable at a fixed position along a longitudinal direction of the two frame members. The movable shaft includes a first movable shaft fixed to the frame member constituting each side of the upper surface of the frame body, and a second movable shaft fixed to the frame member constituting each side of the lower surface of the frame body. A shaft, and
An inspection device that is a photographing device or a measuring device is attached to the first movable shaft,
A storage battery as a power source is attached to the second movable shaft,
2. The plain aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the storage battery is slidable along a longitudinal direction of the second movable shaft. The outer shape of the frame is composed of a frame material assembled in a cubic shape or a rectangular parallelepiped shape,
The caster is attached to a lower frame that is the frame material constituting each side of the lower surface of the frame body, and protrudes laterally from the lower frame,
The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the lower frame has legs projecting downward.

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