JP2020032903A - Flight body - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a flight body capable of performing flight control by acquiring an external force applied to an airframe, without use of a sensor for detecting the external force applied to the airframe.SOLUTION: A flight body 1 flying by rotating a plurality of rotors 11 is constituted to calculate a force acting on an airframe at least by rotation of the rotors 11 (S10), calculate a force applied to the airframe at least by a motion state of the airframe (S12), calculate an external force applied to the airframe, on the basis of a difference between by the force acting on the airframe by the rotation of the rotors 11 and the force applied to the airframe by the motion state of the airframe (S14), and perform flight control by using the external force applied to the airframe.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a flying object provided with a plurality of rotors.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a flying body having a plurality of rotors, for example, as described in Japanese Patent No. 6207003, a multi-rotor aircraft having a plurality of rotors, a cable is attached to the fuselage, and tension of the cable is reduced. A device that performs flight control in consideration of the above is known.

Japanese Patent No. 6207003

  In such an aircraft, it is conceivable to attach a sensor for detecting an external force in order to accurately calculate an external force received from a cable or the like. In this case, a special sensor is required in addition to the sensor for controlling the normal flight of the flying object. For this reason, the cost and weight of the flying object are increased.

  Therefore, development of a flying object capable of performing flight control without using a sensor for detecting an external force applied to the aircraft is desired.

  Therefore, a flying object according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a flying object that rotates by rotating a plurality of rotors, a first calculation unit that calculates a force acting on the aircraft by at least rotation of the rotor, and at least a motion state of the aircraft. A second calculating unit for calculating the force applied to the body by the first unit, and an external force calculating unit for calculating the external force applied to the body based on a difference between the force calculated by the first calculating unit and the force calculated by the second calculating unit. And a flight control unit that performs flight control using an external force applied to the airframe. According to this flying object, the first arithmetic unit calculates at least the force acting on the airframe by the rotation of the rotor, and the second arithmetic unit calculates at least the force applied to the airframe based on the motion state of the airframe. The external force applied to the body is calculated based on the difference between the force calculated by the unit and the force calculated by the second calculation unit. Therefore, the external force applied to the body can be calculated without detecting the external force applied to the body by the sensor. Therefore, the external force applied to the airframe can be obtained without using a sensor that directly detects the external force applied to the airframe, and flight control can be performed using the external force applied to the airframe.

  In the flying object according to an aspect of the present disclosure, the second calculation unit may calculate a force applied to the aircraft by the motion state of the aircraft and a force applied to the aircraft by gravity. In this case, by calculating the force applied to the body by gravity by the second calculation unit, it is possible to calculate the external force applied to the body by taking gravity into account.

  In the flying object according to an aspect of the present disclosure, the flight control unit controls the rotation speeds of the plurality of rotors without receiving a flight command against the external force when the external force is equal to or greater than a preset external force value. You may. In this case, flying against external force is suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an unreasonable flight such as the flying object flying toward the structure.

  Further, in the flying body according to an aspect of the present disclosure, when a target external force that is a target value of the external force is input, the flight control unit includes a plurality of rotors that press the body against an external object to apply the target external force to the body. May be controlled. In this case, it is possible to perform a flight in which the flying object is positively pressed against the external object.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to calculate the external force applied to the airframe without using a sensor for detecting the external force applied to the airframe, and perform flight control using the external force applied to the airframe.

It is a perspective view showing the schematic structure of the flying object concerning a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the flying object of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of flight control in the flying object of FIG. 1. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an external force calculation process in the flying object of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a flight operation of the flying object in FIG. 1. It is a block diagram showing an example of flight control in the flying object concerning a second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flying operation in the flying object of FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of the flying object of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements will be denoted by the same reference symbols, without redundant description. In the following description, a case where the present invention is applied to an unmanned aerial vehicle (hereinafter, referred to as UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)) will be described.

(First embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 1, the flying object 1 of the present embodiment is a flying object that rotates by rotating a plurality of rotors 11. The flying object 1 includes a payload portion (main body) 2 disposed at the center, six frames 3 fixed to the payload portion 2 and extending outward, and six And a rotor 11. The fuselage of the flying object 1 includes a payload unit 2, a frame 3, and a rotor 11. The airframe also includes the payload 2, the frame 3, and the rotor 11, as well as a portion attached thereto and flying as a unit. For example, when a rotor guide or work equipment is attached to the flying object 1, the rotor guide and work equipment are also included in a part of the airframe. The flying object 1 is a multi-rotor aircraft (rotor wing aircraft) having a plurality of rotors 11 and flies unmanned according to a flight command. The flying object 1 that is a UAV can independently generate a motion component having six degrees of freedom that combines the rotation and the translational motion. Therefore, the flying object 1 is suitable for a flight in a narrow place or a flight involving a contact operation.

  The six rotors 11 of the flying object 1 are arranged around a vertical line N passing through the payload portion 2, and the flying object 1 is a hexacopter type flying object. The six rotors 11 arranged around the vertical line N are arranged, for example, on a vertex of a hexagon extending along a horizontal plane. That is, the rotation centers of the six rotors 11 are arranged on the same plane, and are arranged on the vertices of a regular hexagon. The six rotors 11 do not need to be arranged on the vertices of a regular hexagon, and may be arranged on the vertices of a hexagon in which only a pair of opposing sides (two parallel sides) are long. The six rotors 11 do not necessarily have to be arranged on the same plane, and may be offset in the Z-axis direction. When the six rotors 11 or the rotation centers 11a are arranged so as to be symmetrical with respect to a predetermined horizontal line, the control system is simplified, and the design and mounting are facilitated.

  The rotation center 11a of the rotor 11 is directed, for example, in the vertical direction. Note that the direction of the rotation center 11a may be substantially vertical, and may be a direction oblique to the vertical direction. In this case, the flying stability of the flying object 1 is improved.

  Although a guide member for preventing the rotor 11 from contacting the outside is not shown in FIG. 1, such a guide member may be provided. Although FIG. 1 shows the flying object 1 provided with six rotors 11, the number of rotors 11 may be less than six, or may be six or more.

  FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of an electrical configuration of the flying object 1. In FIG. 2, a solid line indicates a power supply system, and a broken line indicates a communication system (control system). As shown in FIG. 2, the payload unit 2 includes a control unit 20 for controlling each unit of the flying vehicle 1, a battery 21 which is a power supply for driving each unit of the flying vehicle 1, and a power supply for each unit. A power supply board 22 for supplying power is mounted. The payload section 2 has sensors 23 and a communication section 28 mounted thereon. The sensors 23 are devices for estimating the position and attitude of the flying object 1 and the like. For example, as the sensors 23, a gyro sensor 24, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor 25, an air pressure sensor 26, and an acceleration sensor 27 are provided. The gyro sensor 24 is a sensor that detects the angular velocity of the body. The acceleration sensor 27 is a sensor that detects acceleration in the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the longitudinal direction of the body. Note that the gyro sensor 24 and the acceleration sensor 27 may be integrated sensors having respective functions. These sensors 23 output data indicating the measurement result to the control unit 20. The control unit 20 estimates the current position and orientation of the flying object 1 based on the sensor data output from the sensors 23 using, for example, an estimation algorithm. It should be noted that the sensors 23 are not provided with a sensor for directly detecting an external force applied to the airframe of the flying object 1. That is, the sensors 23 do not include a sensor for directly detecting an external force applied to the body such as a force sensor or a pressure sensor.

  The communication unit 28 is a part that performs communication with a transmitter (not shown). The communication unit 28 is configured to be capable of wireless communication with a transmitter operated on the ground, for example, and has at least a reception function of receiving a flight command. Specifically, the communication unit 28 receives the signal of the flight command, and inputs the signal of the flight command to the control unit 20.

  In addition to the above-described devices, the payload unit 2 may be equipped with working devices such as a camera and a robot arm. The equipment mounted on the payload unit 2 can be appropriately changed according to the flight and work required for the flying object 1. The weight and the position of the center of gravity of the payload unit 2 can change depending on the position and the weight of the device mounted on the payload unit 2. In the flying object 1, the rotation of the rotor 11 is controlled in consideration of the weight of the payload 2 and the position of the center of gravity.

  A motor 31 for rotating each of the rotors 11 is attached to the tip of each frame 3. The payload unit 2 is equipped with six motor amplifiers 30 for controlling the number of rotations of these motors 31. Power is supplied to each motor amplifier 30 from a battery 21 via a power supply board 22. Each motor amplifier 30 is controlled by the control unit 20 and supplies a current to the motor 31 so that the motor 31 rotates at a predetermined rotation speed and rotation direction.

  The control unit 20 is a computer including hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and software such as a program stored in the ROM. . The control unit 20 functions as a flight control unit that controls the flight of the flying object 1. That is, the control unit 20 controls the rotation of the rotor 11 by driving the motor 31 via the motor amplifier 30 based on the flight command received from the transmitter. At this time, the control unit 20 calculates an external force applied to the airframe, and performs flight control using the external force applied to the airframe. That is, the control unit 20 functions as an external force calculation unit that calculates the external force applied to the airframe of the flying object 1. Further, when calculating the external force applied to the airframe, the control unit 20 calculates the force applied to the airframe by the rotation of the rotor 11 and the force applied to the airframe based on the motion state of the airframe. That is, the control unit 20 functions as a first calculation unit that calculates at least a force acting on the body by the rotation of the rotor 11. Further, the control unit 20 functions as a second calculation unit that calculates a force applied to the body at least based on a motion state of the body. At this time, the control unit 20 may calculate the gravity applied to the body together with the force applied to the body according to the motion state of the body as the second calculation unit.

  The control unit 20 calculates an external force applied to the aircraft based on a difference between the force calculated as the first calculation unit and the force calculated as the second calculation unit. For example, the control unit 20 calculates an external force applied to the aircraft based on a difference between a force applied to the aircraft based on the motion state of the aircraft and gravity applied to the aircraft and a force applied to the aircraft due to the rotation of the rotor 11. . Here, the external force applied to the airframe does not include the gravity applied to the airframe. The external force applied to the airframe includes the reaction force received by the airframe of the flying vehicle 1 upon contact with the obstacle, the tension received from a cable connected to the airframe, the force received from an object colliding with the airframe, the force received by the wind, and the like. And so on.

  When performing the flight control, the control unit 20 executes the flight control using the external force applied to the body. For example, when the external force applied to the body is equal to or greater than a preset external force value, the control unit 20 controls the rotation speed of the rotor 11 without receiving a flight command against the external force. Specifically, there is a structure in the traveling direction of the flying object 1, the flying object 1 contacts the structure, receives an external force as a reaction force from the structure, and the external force is equal to or greater than the set external force value. In this case, the flying object 1 flies without receiving a flight command for a structure. At this time, as the external force applied to the airframe, the magnitude of the external force and the time change amount of the external force (differential value of the external force) are calculated, and when each of them is equal to or more than a preset threshold, a flight command against the external force is received. Flight control may be performed so as not to occur. In this case, it is possible to distinguish between a case where the flying object 1 receives an external force due to wind or the like and a case where the flying object 1 collides with a structure or the like and receives the external force, and control the flight. In other words, when the flying object 1 receives an external force due to wind or the like, the flight against the external force is performed, and when the flying object 1 collides with a structure or the like and receives the external force, the flight against the external force is not performed. And flight control.

  Next, flight control of the flying object 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a flight control system in the flying object 1. The position and orientation corrector, flight controller, and external force calculator shown in FIG. 3 are controllers provided in the controller 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the flight command sent from the transmitter on the ground is input to the position and orientation corrector. Further, the current position signal and attitude signal of the aircraft output from the sensors of the aircraft are input to the position and orientation corrector. Further, a signal of the external force applied to the body calculated by the external force calculator is input to the position and orientation corrector.

  Here, the external force calculation processing by the external force calculator of the control unit 20 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the external force calculation process. First, in step S10 of FIG. 4 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “S10”. The same applies to subsequent steps), a first calculation process is performed. The first calculation process is a process of calculating a force acting on the body by the rotation of the rotor 11. Here, the force acting on the aircraft includes the thrust acting on the aircraft and the torque acting on the aircraft. For example, the control unit 20 calculates a thrust acting on the body and a torque acting on the body by the rotation of each rotor 11 based on the rotation speed command of each rotor 11. The thrust acting on the aircraft is the propulsive force acting on the aircraft when the flying body 1 moves back and forth, left and right, and up and down. The torque acting on the fuselage is a rotational torque acting on the fuselage of the flying body 1.

Specifically, the thrust f _g acting on the fuselage by rotation of the rotor 11, by the following equation (1), is calculated.

In Expression (1), T _i is a thrust generated by each rotor 11, and n _i is a unit vector of the rotor 11 in the thrust direction. Thrust T _i and the unit vectors n _i, for example the rotational speed of the rotor 11 may be calculated based on the rotation state, such as the direction of rotation. In the case of the flying object 1 having six rotors 11, the value of n is 6.

The torque τ _g acting on the body by the rotation of each rotor 11 is calculated by the following equation (2). Note that the torque τ _g is a counter torque generated by the rotation of each rotor 11.

In equation (2), r _i is the position of each rotor as viewed from the center of gravity of the airframe, and τ _i is the torque generated by each rotor 11. Position r _i is determined by the mechanical structure of the aircraft 1. The torque τ _i may be calculated based on the rotation state of the rotor 11 such as the rotation speed and the rotation direction. s _i is the sign indicating the direction of torque takes a value of 1 or -1. That, _{s i,} in accordance with the direction of the relationship between the occurrence direction and _{n i} of the torque of the rotor 11, a value of 1 or -1.

As described above, the control unit 20 calculates the thrust f _g acting on the body by the rotation of each rotor 11 and the torque τ _g acting on the body as the force acting on the body by the rotation of the rotor 11. The calculation of the force acting on the body by the rotation of the rotor 11 may be performed by a calculation method other than the above-described calculation method.

  Then, the process proceeds to S12 in FIG. 4, and the second calculation process is performed. The second calculation process is a process of calculating a force applied to the aircraft of the flying object 1. For example, in the second arithmetic processing, as the force applied to the body, the force and torque applied to the body according to the motion state of the body and the force applied to the body due to gravity are calculated. The force applied to the airframe by the motion state of the airframe is, for example, a force applied to the airframe estimated by the motion state of the airframe. That is, the force applied to the aircraft according to the motion state of the aircraft is calculated as Ma. M is the mass of the fuselage, and a is the acceleration of the fuselage. a is represented as a vector having a magnitude and a direction. The torque applied to the airframe by the motion state of the airframe is, for example, the torque applied to the airframe estimated by the motion state of the airframe. That is, the torque applied to the body according to the motion state of the body is calculated as I · β + ω × I · ω. I is the moment of inertia (inertia tensor) of the aircraft, β is the angular acceleration of the aircraft, and ω is the angular velocity of the aircraft. The angular acceleration β and the angular velocity ω are represented as vectors having magnitude and direction. The gravity applied to the airframe is calculated as M · g. g is a gravitational acceleration and is represented as a vector having a magnitude and a direction.

Thus, in the second calculation process, torque tau _a are applied to the force f _a and aircraft being applied to the body is calculated by the following equation (3) and (4).

f _a = M · a + M · g (3)

τ _a = I · β + ω × I · ω (4)

Force f _a are applied to the fuselage of the formula (3) is the force which is calculated on the basis of the linear movement of the aircraft 1. The torque τ _a applied to the airframe of the equation (4) is a torque calculated based on the rotational motion of the flying vehicle 1. Note that the force applied to the body by gravity may not be calculated in the second calculation process, but the force applied to the body by gravity may be calculated in the first calculation process.

  Then, the process proceeds to S14 of FIG. 4, and the external force calculation process is performed. The external force calculation process is a process of calculating an external force applied to the aircraft of the flying object 1. For example, in the external force calculation process, the external force applied to the body is calculated based on the difference between the force calculated by the first calculation process of S10 and the force calculated by the second calculation process of S12.

  For example, the external force applied to the airframe is calculated by the following equations (5) and (6).

_{f = f a -f g ... (} 5)

τ = τ _a −τ _g (6)

  The external force f in the equation (5) is an external force applied to the airframe in the linear motion of the airframe. The external force τ in Expression (6) is an external force (torque) applied to the airframe during the rotational motion of the airframe.

  As described above, the external forces f and τ applied to the airframe can be obtained by the calculation. That is, the external forces f and τ applied to the body can be obtained by calculation without using a sensor that directly detects the external forces f and τ applied to the body.

  Referring back to FIG. 3, the position and orientation corrector corrects the flight command based on the external force applied to the aircraft of the flying body 1 from the outside and the current position and orientation signals of the aircraft, and outputs the correction command. For example, when the external force received by the aircraft of the flying object 1 is not greater than or equal to a preset external force value, the position and orientation corrector outputs the flight command as a correction command without correcting the flight command. On the other hand, when the external force received by the aircraft of the flying body 1 is equal to or greater than a preset external force value, the position and orientation corrector corrects the flight command so as not to receive a flight command against the external force and outputs the correction command. Output. Specifically, when the flying object 1 comes into contact with a structure in the traveling direction and receives an external force, the flying object 1 does not receive a flight command toward the traveling direction and does not fly in the traveling direction. Flight control is performed.

  The correction command output from the position and orientation corrector is input to the flight controller. The flight controller outputs a rotation speed command according to the correction command. The rotation speed command is a rotation control signal of each rotor 11. The flight controller calculates a target thrust and a target torque for realizing the target position and the target attitude based on the correction command indicating the target position and the target attitude of the flying object 1 and the current position and attitude signals of the aircraft. I do. Then, the flight controller generates a rotation speed command for each rotor 11 so as to generate a target thrust and a target torque, and outputs a rotation speed signal to the motor amplifier 30 of the aircraft.

  According to such flight control of the flying object 1, inappropriate flight of the flying object 1 in a narrow place can be suppressed. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the flying object 1 is caused to fly in a narrow place where a structure exists above and to the side, the flying object 1 may contact or collide with the structure. Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the flying object 1 comes into contact with the side wall and receives an external force equal to or more than a predetermined value, the flying object 1 does not receive a flight command to proceed toward the wall. Therefore, as shown in (c) of FIG. 5, the flying object 1 maintains the flight position without traveling toward the wall even when receiving a flight command for traveling toward the wall. Therefore, the aircraft of the flying object 1 can be stably flown.

  On the other hand, if the flight control is performed without considering the external force from the outside, even when the flying object 1 comes into contact with the wall, the flying object 1 is further moved in accordance with the flight instruction for moving the flying object 1 toward the wall. Will fly towards. In this case, the rotor 11 of the flying body 1 may be driven until the output reaches the output limit, and flight stability is impaired. The flying object 1 according to the present embodiment can suppress such unstable flight control.

  As described above, according to the flying vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, at least the force acting on the airframe due to the rotation of the rotor is calculated as the first arithmetic processing, and is applied to the airframe at least according to the motion state of the airframe as the second arithmetic processing. And calculating the external force applied to the body based on the difference between the force calculated by the first calculation process and the force calculated by the second calculation process. Therefore, the external force applied to the body can be calculated without detecting the external force applied to the body by the sensor. Therefore, the external force applied to the airframe can be obtained without using a sensor that directly detects the external force applied to the airframe, and flight control can be performed using the external force applied to the airframe.

  Further, according to the flying object 1 according to the present embodiment, as the second arithmetic processing, the force applied to the aircraft by the motion state of the aircraft and the force applied to the aircraft by gravity are calculated. For this reason, the external force applied to the aircraft can be calculated in consideration of the gravity acting on the aircraft.

  Moreover, according to the flying object 1 according to the present embodiment, the flight control is performed by correcting the flight command according to the external force received by the aircraft. For this reason, flight control in consideration of the external force applied to the airframe becomes possible, and stable flight control can be performed even when the flying object 1 contacts or collides with a structure or the like.

  Further, according to the flying object 1 according to the present embodiment, when the external force is equal to or greater than a preset external force value, the rotation speeds of the plurality of rotors are controlled without receiving a flight command against the external force. Therefore, the flying object 1 is prevented from flying against external force. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an unreasonable flight such as the flying object flying toward the structure.

  The flying object 1 according to the present embodiment is suitable for use in inspecting a structure by photographing with a camera. For example, when a camera is attached to the flying object 1, the flying object 1 is caused to fly close to the structure, and the structure is imaged and inspected, even if the flying object 1 comes into contact with the structure, 1 is suppressed from flying in contact with the structure. Therefore, the flight of the flying object 1 can be performed stably, and the inspection work of the structure can be performed smoothly.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a flying object 1a according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The flying object 1a according to the present embodiment has substantially the same appearance as the flying object 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. The arrangement position of the rotor 11 in the flying object 1a according to the present embodiment is configured similarly to the flying object 1 according to the first embodiment.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing flight control of the flying object 1a. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the flight operation of the flying object 1a. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the flying object 1a.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, a working device 40 is attached to the flying object 1a. The work equipment 40 is equipment used to execute the work of the flying object 1a. The work device 40 is a device that performs work by contacting an external object such as a structure, and corresponds to, for example, an ultrasonic sensor, an X-ray inspection device, a screwdriver, a cleaning device, and the like. An ultrasonic sensor detects an internal state of a structure or the like by bringing a detector into contact with the structure or the like. The X-ray inspection device non-destructively inspects an internal state of a structure or the like by moving the inspection device in contact with the structure or the like. The screw tightening driver performs a work of tightening a screw such as a structure. The cleaning device performs cleaning by wiping the surface of a structure or the like. The work equipment 40 is electrically connected to the control unit 20, and its operation is controlled by the control unit 20.

  The work equipment 40 is attached to the payload unit 2 via the arm member 41, for example. Specifically, an arm member 41 is attached to a lower portion of the payload section 2, and a working device 40 is attached to a tip of the arm member 41 extending laterally. When the work equipment 40 comes into contact with or comes into contact with a structure or the like, an external force is applied to the body of the flying object 1a.

  Next, flight control of the flying object 1a according to the present embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 6, first, signals of the target position and the attitude of the aircraft are input to the flight controller, and signals of the current position and attitude of the aircraft are input. The signal of the target position and the target attitude of the aircraft is a flight command received from the transmitter. The current signal of the position and attitude of the aircraft is at least one output signal of the gyro sensor 24, the GPS sensor 25, the barometric pressure sensor 26, and the acceleration sensor 27 mounted on the flying vehicle 1. The flight controller calculates a target thrust and a target torque of the aircraft based on signals of the target position and the attitude of the aircraft and signals of the current position and attitude of the aircraft.

  In addition, a signal of the current external force of the aircraft is input to the flight controller, and a target external force is input. The current external force signal is an external force signal output by the external force calculator. The calculation of the external force by the external force calculator is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment described above. The target external force is a target value of the external force set in the control unit 20 in advance. For example, the target external force according to the work equipment 40 is set in the control unit 20. That is, the target external force is set according to the pressing force for pressing the working device 40 against a structure or the like. When the target external force is set and the work equipment 40 is pressed against a structure or the like, the magnitude of the external force received from the structure or the like is the same as the pressing force of the work equipment 40 against the structure or the like.

  The flight controller outputs an external force control signal based on the current external force signal and the target external force of the aircraft. The external force control signal is a signal for adjusting an external force that the flying object 1a receives from a structure or the like, that is, a force that presses the work equipment 40 against the structure or the like. This external force control signal is added to the target thrust and target torque signals. Then, a rotation speed calculation is performed based on the added signal. By this rotation speed calculation, a rotation speed command for each rotor is calculated. The rotation speed command is a rotation control signal of each rotor 11. The flight controller presses the work equipment 40 against a structure or the like so that the pressing force of the work equipment 40 becomes the same force as the target external force, and causes the flying object 1a to fly.

  According to the flight control of the flying object 1a, the flying object 1a can be positively pressed against a structure or the like and caused to fly. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the flying object 1a to which the work equipment 40 is attached is caused to fly, and is positioned in front of a structure to be worked. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the flying object 1a is moved toward the structure to press the work equipment 40 against the structure. At this time, the external force received from the structure is calculated by the external force calculator, and the flying object 1a is caused to fly such that the external force becomes the target external force. Thus, the work equipment 40 attached to the flying object 1a can be pressed against the structure with a desired pressing force to cause the flying object 1a to fly. It should be noted that the operation of the flying object 1 at this time may be entirely performed manually by a pilot on the ground. The flying object 1a may be pressed against the structure to fly.

  As described above, according to the flying object 1a according to the present embodiment, it is possible to perform a flight in which the aircraft is positively pressed against an external object so that the target external force is applied to the aircraft.

  Also, in the flying vehicle 1a according to the present embodiment, similarly to the flying vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment, the force acting on the airframe by the rotation of the rotor is calculated as the first arithmetic processing, and the airframe 1 is calculated as the second arithmetic processing. And the external force applied to the body can be calculated based on the difference between the force calculated by the first calculation process and the force calculated by the second calculation process. Therefore, the external force applied to the airframe can be obtained without using a sensor that directly detects the external force applied to the airframe, and flight control can be performed using the external force applied to the airframe.

  The flying object according to the present invention is not limited to the flying objects 1 and 1a according to each of the above-described embodiments, and is based on the knowledge of a person skilled in the art so as not to change the gist described in the claims. Various modifications and improvements can be implemented in various forms. Further, it is also possible to configure a modification of the embodiment using the technical matters described in the above-described embodiment. The configurations of the embodiments may be appropriately combined and used.

  For example, the flying objects 1 and 1a according to each embodiment may fly by connecting a cable. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the cable 5 is connected to the payload portion 2 of the flying object 1a, the tension of the cable 5 is calculated by an external force received by the aircraft, and flight control is performed in consideration of the external force. You may. The cable 5 is used, for example, for supplying power to the flying object 1a, inputting a flight command, and the like.

  In addition, although the flying object 1, 1a according to the above-described embodiment has been described as having the six rotors 11, it may have six or more rotors 11. Further, in addition to the six rotors 11, one or more auxiliary rotors or spare rotors may be further provided. The present invention is not limited to being applied to UAVs, but may be applied to manned aircraft.

1, 1a Aircraft 2 Payload part (main body)
11 Rotor 11a Rotation center 20 Control unit (first operation unit, second operation unit, external force operation unit, flight control unit)
40 work equipment N plumb line

Claims (4)

In a flying object that rotates by rotating a plurality of rotors,
A first calculation unit that calculates a force acting on the body by at least the rotation of the rotor,
A second calculation unit that calculates a force applied to the aircraft based on at least the motion state of the aircraft,
An external force calculation unit that calculates an external force applied to the aircraft based on a difference between the force calculated by the first calculation unit and the force calculated by the second calculation unit;
A flight control unit that performs flight control using external force applied to the aircraft,
A flying object equipped with. The second calculation unit calculates a force applied to the aircraft by the motion state of the aircraft and a force applied to the aircraft by gravity,
The flying object according to claim 1. The flight control unit controls the rotation speed of the plurality of rotors without receiving a flight command against the external force when the external force is equal to or greater than a preset external force value,
The flying object according to claim 1. When a target external force that is a target value of the external force is input, the flight control unit controls the rotation speeds of the plurality of rotors so as to press the body against an external object and apply the target external force to the body.
The flying object according to claim 1.

Images