JP2020059001A - Unmanned aircraft - Google Patents

Abstract

To make it possible to perform a work for painting a structure surface by use of an unmanned aircraft with stable quality.SOLUTION: A painting method uses an unmanned aircraft which comprises a rotor, a painting device, and a wheel which can roll in any direction, and in which the painting device has a nozzle for ejecting a liquid agent, and the wheel projects to an ejection direction side of the nozzle from an airframe, and an unmanned aircraft which comprises a rotor, a nozzle for ejecting a liquid agent, a nozzle cover having an opening on an ejection direction side of the nozzle, a wheel projecting to the ejection direction side of the nozzle from an airframe or a distance-measuring sensor oriented in the nozzle ejection direction of the nozzle, causes the nozzle cover to approach a surface to be painted, and performs painting with an opening area of an opening thereof as a unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to unmanned aerial vehicle technology.

  In recent years, the utilization of unmanned aerial vehicles has been studied in various business fields.

International Publication No. 2017/183219

  The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle provided with drive wheels protruding forward and upward from the airframe. The unmanned aerial vehicle of Patent Document 1 uses the negative pressure generated by the rotation of the horizontal rotor and the vertical rotor to stick to the wall surface, and moves on the surface by the drive wheels.

  For example, when a paint roller is attached to an unmanned aerial vehicle to perform painting work, it is desirable to maintain a constant distance and posture of the unmanned aerial vehicle with respect to the structure when the painting is performed by directly contacting the surface of the structure with the painting means. As a means for achieving this, as in the unmanned aerial vehicle of Patent Document 1, a method of bringing the wheels of the unmanned aerial vehicle into contact with the surface of the structure and moving the unmanned aerial vehicle while rolling the wheels along the same surface is considered. To be In a general unmanned aerial vehicle that does not have a function of adhering to the wall surface, the posture and position of the airframe during painting work are not stable, and work efficiency and painting quality are significantly reduced.

  Further, in the case where the rotation direction of the wheels with respect to the contact surface is fixed, as in the unmanned aerial vehicle of Patent Document 1, if the machine body swings in a direction different from the rotation direction, the wheels may skid or the wheels may come into contact with each other. The aircraft may be caught on a surface and tilt greatly. Since unmanned aerial vehicles that fly with horizontal rotors are always swinging up and down, such an event occurs when, for example, the wheels are attached so that they can rotate left and right and the unmanned aerial vehicle flies left and right along the contact surface. Is likely to occur.

  In addition, many general unmanned aerial vehicles detect the heading direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle by an electronic compass, and the detection accuracy of the unmanned aerial vehicle is reduced when a structure of a reinforcing bar or the like is nearby. In particular, when painting a vertical surface, if the angle at which the painting roller or the wheel is pressed against the vertical surface is inclined, the sideways sliding of the wheel and the engagement with the contact surface as described above are likely to occur.

  In view of the above problems, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an unmanned aerial vehicle that can perform coating work on the surface of a structure with stable quality.

  In order to solve the above problems, an unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention includes a rotor that is a horizontal rotor, and a coating device that can inject a liquid agent, and the coating device includes a nozzle that injects a liquid agent, and an injection of the nozzle. A nozzle cover, which is a cover body that covers the mouth and has an opening on the ejection direction side of the nozzle, is a gist.

  Instead of contacting the coating roller with the coating surface to apply the liquid agent, spraying the liquid agent from the nozzle and applying the liquid agent in a non-contact manner allows the coating roller to tilt, skid, derail, and engage with the coating surface. It is possible to perform painting with stable quality, avoiding the above. Further, around the unmanned aerial vehicle flying by the rotor, a strong air flow is generated due to intake and exhaust of the rotor. Therefore, when the nozzle for ejecting the liquid agent is located away from the coating surface, the liquid agent ejected from the nozzle is sprayed by the air flow of the rotor, and most of it is lost. On the other hand, when the liquid agent is sprayed by moving the nozzle close to the coating surface, the liquid agent can be applied only in an extremely narrow range, resulting in poor work efficiency. Therefore, by covering the nozzle with the nozzle cover and discharging the liquid agent from the opening, the influence of the air flow of the rotor is reduced, and even when the nozzle cover is brought close to the painted surface, the opening area of the nozzle cover is set as a unit. As a result, it is possible to apply the liquid agent.

  Further, in the nozzle cover, it is preferable that the opening area of the opening is larger than the flow passage cross-sectional area at the position of the injection port. At this time, it is more preferable that the nozzle cover has a shape in which the flow passage cross-sectional area gradually increases from the position of the injection port toward the opening.

  Further, in the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention, when the nozzle is arranged with the ejection port oriented in the horizontal direction, and the direction in which the ejection port is directed is the front of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the opening of the nozzle cover. Is preferably arranged in front of the plurality of rotors.

  By arranging the opening of the nozzle cover in front of the rotor, it is possible to reduce the influence of downwash of the rotor and to more reliably prevent the liquid agent from being dispersed.

  The coating device includes a liquid agent tank filled with the liquid agent and a nozzle pipe that is a tubular body extending in the front-rear direction, and the nozzle is attached to the front end of the nozzle pipe. The liquid agent in the tank is preferably supplied to the nozzle through the nozzle pipe.

  If the center of gravity of the machine body is biased, the load is concentrated on a specific rotor, which may make it difficult for some of the rudder to move. By arranging a heavy-duty liquid agent tank on the center side of the machine and using the nozzle pipe to project the nozzle forward, it is possible to achieve both stable coating quality and a good balance of the machine's weight. You can

  Further, the coating device further has a pressure feeding device for feeding the liquid agent under pressure, the rear end of the nozzle pipe is connected to the pressure feeding device, and the pressure feeding device is arranged below the liquid agent tank. Is preferred.

  By disposing the liquid medicine pumping device below the liquid medicine tank, it is possible to send the liquid medicine to the pressure feeder by utilizing the difference in height. As a result, the requirement for the pressure required for liquid feeding is relaxed, and the width of the device that can be adopted as the pressure feeding device is expanded.

  In addition, it is preferable that the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention further includes a plurality of distance measuring sensors, and the plurality of distance measuring sensors have their measuring directions oriented in the ejection direction of the nozzles.

  Since the unmanned aerial vehicle is provided with the plurality of distance measuring sensors, it is possible to accurately specify the attitude of the airframe with respect to the painted surface. As a result, the opening of the nozzle cover can be more accurately aligned with the painted surface, and the quality of the painted can be improved.

  Further, it is preferable that the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention further includes wheels arranged so as to protrude from the airframe toward the ejection direction side of the nozzle. At this time, it is more preferable that the wheel is a rotating body capable of rolling in all directions by contact with a peripheral object.

  By providing the unmanned aerial vehicle with the wheels protruding toward the painted surface, it is possible to reduce the disturbance of the posture of the unmanned aircraft when the aircraft comes into contact with the painted surface and the posture of the unmanned aircraft is tilted or returned from there. In addition, by allowing the same wheel to roll in all directions and allowing it to swing freely even when the machine is in contact with the painted surface as if it was not in contact, the machine can be caught on the painted surface and tilt significantly. It is possible to prevent the quality of coating from falling within a certain range.

  At this time, it is preferable that the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention has three or more wheels that project in the same direction. By providing three or more wheels, it becomes possible to more accurately limit the inclination of the machine body with respect to the painted surface.

  In addition, the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention includes a plurality of rotors, and one rotor and another rotor adjacent to the one rotor have different positions of their rotational surfaces in the vertical direction, and the rotors are adjacent to each other. It is preferable that the planes of rotation of the rotors partially overlap with each other when the unmanned aerial vehicle is viewed in plan.

  By arranging the ranges of the rotation surfaces of the adjacent rotors so as to overlap each other so that the thrusts thereof are not impaired, the planar size of the machine body can be reduced. This makes it possible to perform work in a narrower area more safely, and also to improve space efficiency during storage and transportation.

  As described above, according to the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention, it is possible to perform the coating work on the surface of the structure with stable quality.

It is a perspective view showing appearance of a multi-copter concerning an embodiment. It is a top view of a multicopter. It is a see-through perspective view showing the inside of the nozzle cover. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of a multicopter.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is an example of a multicopter M which is an unmanned aerial vehicle including a plurality of rotors R. In the following description, "upper" and "lower" mean directions parallel to the Z-axis of the coordinate axis display depicted in FIG. 1, where the Z1 side is "upper" and the Z2 side is "lower". "Front" and "rear" mean directions parallel to the X axis of the same coordinate axis display, where the X1 side is "front" and the X2 side is "rear". Similarly, “left and right” means a direction parallel to the Y axis of the same coordinate axis display. Further, "horizontal" means the XY plane direction of the same coordinate axis display.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the multi-copter M according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the multicopter M. The multi-copter M of the present embodiment is a device that coats a structure in front of the fuselage with a spray gun 72.

[Body frame]
Hereinafter, the airframe structure of the multi-copter M will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The multicopter M has, as its body, a frame body made of a flat plate material made of CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics) and a pipe material.

  The body of the multicopter M is mainly provided between the center plate 11, the rotor arm 12 that extends horizontally from the center plate 11, the cross tube 81 and the skid 82 that are landing gears, and the two pipe members that form the skid 82. The bridge rod 83, the hanging arm 84 extending so as to project forward from the machine body, and the support arm 85 for reinforcing the hanging arm 84.

  The center plate 11 is composed of two flat plate members which are arranged in parallel with their plate surfaces facing upward and downward and which are substantially oval in plan view. Inside the center plate 11, a control box 13 which is a case body in which control devices such as a flight controller FC described later are housed is arranged. A paint tank stand 17, which is a flat plate member having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, is fixed to the upper surface of the center plate 11 with its plate surface facing up and down. A paint tank 71 is placed on the paint tank stand 17, and the paint tank 71 is fixed to the paint tank stand 17 by a band 171. Further, on the bottom surface of the center plate 11, a battery box 60, which is a case body accommodating a battery, is supported so as to be hung behind the machine body.

  The rotor arm 12 is composed of six pipe members extending radially from the center plate 11 in a plan view. A rotor R, which is a horizontal rotor, is attached to the tip of each rotor arm 12. The rotor R has a motor 41 and a propeller 42 directly connected to its output shaft.

  Each motor 41 is arranged so that the direction of its output shaft is opposite to that of the motor 41 adjacent to the motor 41. That is, assuming that the output shaft of one motor 41 is directed upward, the output shafts of the two motors 41 adjacent thereto are directed downward. Accordingly, the rotation surface RS of each rotor R is arranged at a position vertically displaced from the position of the rotation surface RS of the rotor R adjacent to the rotor R. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, in each rotor R of the present embodiment, when the multicopter M is viewed in a plan view, a part of the range of the rotation surface RS thereof overlaps the range of the rotation surface RS of the adjacent rotor R. Are arranged as follows. In the multicopter M of the present embodiment, the plane view dimensions of the machine body are suppressed to be small by arranging the ranges of the rotation surfaces RS of the rotors R that are adjacent to each other so as to overlap each other so that the thrust is not impaired. This makes it possible to perform work in a narrower area more safely, and also improves space efficiency during storage and transportation.

  A cross tube 81 that constitutes a landing gear is fixed to the bottom surface of the center plate 11. The cross tube 81 is composed of two pipe members arranged side by side in parallel in the front-rear direction, and these pipe members are bent downward in a U-shape. Further, a pair of laser distance measuring sensors 35 are attached to the pipe material arranged on the front side. The laser distance measuring sensor 35 has its measuring direction directed forward and measures the distance between the machine body of the multicopter M and the painted surface and also detects the inclination of the machine body in the yaw direction with respect to the painted surface. A skid 82 is connected to the tip of the cross tube 81. The skid 82 is composed of a pair of pipe members arranged side by side in parallel with each other. As described below, in this embodiment, the installation space for the spray gun 72 is provided by expanding the structure of the landing gear.

  Between the skids 82, bridge rods 83, which are three pipe members arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction, are arranged, and both ends of these pipe members are connected to the skids 82. A spray gun base 86, which is a flat plate material having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, is fixed to the bridge rod 83 with its plate surface facing up and down. The spray gun 72 is mounted on the spray gun base 86, and the spray gun 72 is fixed to the spray gun base 86 with a band 861.

  One of the rotor arms 12 extends forward, and a hanging arm 84 having a T-shape in plan view extending forward from the rotor arm 12 is connected to the rotor arm 12. The hanging arm 84 is composed of a pipe member extending in the front-rear direction and a pipe member extending in the left-right direction and connected to the tip (front end) of the pipe member. The hanging arm 84 suspends and supports a nozzle pipe 73 and a nozzle cover 75, which will be described later. The pipe material extending to the left and right at the front end of the hanging arm 84 is supported by the bridge rod 83 via two support arms 85, which are pipe materials.

[caster]
At the front end of the hanging arm 84, there are fixed casters 19 which are two wheels arranged so as to project forward (on the side of the painted surface). The caster 19 of this embodiment does not have a drive source, and is driven to rotate solely by contact with surrounding objects. The multi-copter M is provided with the casters 19 protruding toward the coating surface side, so that the disturbance of the posture due to the tilting of the vehicle body due to the vehicle body coming into contact with the coating surface and the returning operation from the aircraft body is reduced.

  The caster 19 of this embodiment is a wheel that can rotate only in the vertical direction, but it may be a so-called universal caster that can roll in any direction. By making the caster 19 a free caster, even when the caster 19 is in contact with the painting surface, the aircraft can swing freely as well as when it is not in contact, preventing the aircraft from being caught on the painting surface and greatly tilting. Therefore, it becomes possible to keep the irregularity of the coating quality within a certain range.

  Further, the number of casters 19 is not limited to two and may be three or more. By providing three or more casters 19, it becomes possible to more reliably limit the tilting of the machine body. In addition, the wheels of the present invention may be, for example, ball casters or omni wheels. Further, the caster 19 of the present embodiment is a driven wheel that is not provided with a drive source, but may be provided with a drive source if necessary. However, in that case, it is necessary to take measures so as not to hinder the driven rotation of the caster 19 due to the contact with the painted surface.

  The caster 19 is not an indispensable component, and may be omitted if it can be controlled by the laser distance measuring sensor 35 so that the machine body does not come into contact with the painted surface, for example.

[Painting equipment]
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the inside of the nozzle cover 75. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the coating device 70 for the multi-copter M according to the present embodiment mainly includes a paint tank 71, a spray gun 72, a nozzle pipe 73, a nozzle 74, and a nozzle cover 75.

  The paint tank 71 is a liquid agent tank in which the paint to be applied to the painted surface is stored. A hole is provided in the bottom surface of the paint tank 71, and the paint tank 71 is connected to a sub tank 721 of the spray gun 72 by a tube (not shown). The sub tank 721 is arranged below the paint tank 71, and the paint in the paint tank 71 is constantly supplied to the sub tank 721 due to the difference in height.

  The spray gun 72 is a pressure feeding device that pressure feeds the paint to the nozzle pipe 73. A wire connected to a servo 722 (see FIG. 1) is hooked on the trigger of the spray gun 72, and when the trigger is pulled by the servo 722, the spray gun 72 sends the paint in the sub tank 721 to the nozzle pipe 73. The spray gun 72 is merely an example of the pressure feeding device of the present invention, and another pump device or the like may be used as long as the liquid agent can be pressure fed. In addition, if the pressure of the pump device or the like is sufficient, it is not necessary to feed the liquid using the height difference. It is also conceivable that, for example, the paint tank 71, a pump device, or the like is placed on the ground and the paint is sucked up / pressurized by a tube on the machine.

  The nozzle pipe 73 is a cylindrical pipe extending in the front-rear direction, the rear end thereof is connected to the spray gun 72, and the nozzle 74 is attached to the front end thereof. The paint sent from the spray gun 72 is sent to the nozzle 74 through the nozzle pipe 73 and is sprayed forward from the spray port 741 of the nozzle 74.

  The nozzle 74 of this embodiment is entirely covered by the nozzle cover 75. The nozzle cover 75 is a cover body having an opening 751 on the ejection direction side of the nozzle 74, and is configured by assembling a flat plate material made of CFRP into a rectangular tube shape. The flow passage cross-sectional area (cross section in the left-right direction) of the nozzle cover 75 is constant in the portion behind the position of the nozzle 74 in the front-rear direction, and the left-right width gradually increases from the position of the nozzle 74 toward the opening 751. Is formed. The shape of the nozzle cover 75 is not limited to that of this embodiment, and may be any cover body that covers at least the ejection port 741 of the nozzle 74 and is open on the ejection direction side of the nozzle 74. For example, it may be a tubular body having a constant flow passage cross-sectional area over its entire length.

  As described above, in the multi-copter M according to the present embodiment, the paint is sprayed from the nozzle 74 to apply the paint in a non-contact manner, instead of applying the paint by contacting the paint roller with the paint surface. It is said that it is possible to perform painting with stable quality by avoiding tilting, skidding, derailment, engagement, etc. of the painting roller. Here, the multi-copter M is a rotary wing aircraft, and a violent air flow is generated around the multi-copter M due to intake and exhaust of the rotor R. Therefore, when the nozzle 74 for spraying the paint is located away from the coating surface, the paint sprayed from the nozzle 74 is dispersed by the airflow of the rotor R, and most of it is lost. On the other hand, when the nozzle 74 is moved close to the painted surface and the paint is sprayed, the paint can be applied only in an extremely narrow range. Therefore, in the multicopter M of the present embodiment, the nozzle 74 is covered with the nozzle cover 75, and the paint is discharged from the opening 751 adjusted to have an arbitrary opening area, thereby reducing the influence of the air flow of the rotor R and reducing the nozzle. Even when the cover 75 is brought close to the surface to be painted, it is possible to paint with the opening area of the nozzle cover 75 as a unit.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the opening 751 of the nozzle cover 75 is arranged in front of the rotation surface RS of any rotor R. As a result, the influence of downwash of the rotor R is reduced, and the spray of paint is more reliably prevented.

  Further, the multi-copter M is equipped with a paint tank 71 and a sub tank 721, which are heavy objects. As a result, when the center of gravity of the machine body is deviated, the load is concentrated only on the specific rotor R, which may make it difficult for some of the rudder to be effective. In view of this, in the present embodiment, the liquid agent tank 17 and the sub tank 721 are arranged on the center side of the machine body, and the nozzle pipe 73 is used to send the paint forward to reduce the deviation of the center of gravity of the machine body. Further, the weight box of the machine body is adjusted more favorably by moving the battery box 60, which is another heavy object, to the rear side of the machine body.

[Function configuration]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the multi-copter M. The function of the multicopter M of this embodiment is to communicate with the flight controller FC that is the control unit, the rotor R, the ESC23 (Electronic Speed Controller) that is the drive circuit of the motor 41 that constitutes the rotor R, and the operator (operator terminal 51). The communication device 52 and the coating device 70 are included. The description of the battery that supplies power to these is omitted.

  The flight controller FC has a control device 20. The control device 20 has a CPU 21 which is a central processing unit, and a memory 22 which is a storage device such as a RAM, a ROM and a flash memory.

  The flight controller FC further includes a flight control sensor group S including an IMU 31 (Inertial Measurement Unit), a GPS receiver 32, an atmospheric pressure sensor 33, and an electronic compass 34, which are connected to the control device 20. Has been done. The laser distance measuring sensor 35 is also connected to the control device 20 as a part of the flight controller FC.

  The IMU 31 is a sensor that detects the inclination of the frame 10, and is mainly composed of a triaxial acceleration sensor and a triaxial angular velocity sensor. The atmospheric pressure sensor 33 is an altitude sensor that calculates the altitude (elevation) above sea level of the multicopter M from the detected atmospheric pressure altitude. A triaxial geomagnetic sensor is used for the electronic compass 34 of this example. The electronic compass 34 detects the azimuth angle of the nose of the multicopter M. To be exact, the GPS receiver 32 is a receiver of a navigation satellite system (NSS: Navigation Satellite System). The GPS receiver 32 acquires the current latitude and longitude values from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or the Regional Navigational Satellite System (RNSS).

  With the flight control sensor group S, the flight controller FC can acquire the position information of the aircraft including the longitude and latitude of the aircraft, the altitude, and the azimuth of the nose, in addition to the tilt and rotation of the aircraft. Has been done.

  Although the flight control sensor group S of this example is configured to be used outdoors, the multicopter M may be a vehicle that flies indoors. For example, beacons for transmitting radio signals are arranged at a predetermined interval in a facility, the relative distance between the multicopter M and each beacon is measured from the radio field intensity of signals received from these beacons, and the multicopter in the facility is measured. It is conceivable to specify the position of M. Alternatively, it is also possible to separately mount a camera on the multicopter M, detect a characteristic portion in the facility by image recognition from the surrounding image captured by the camera, and specify the position in the facility based on this. Similarly, a distance measuring sensor using laser, infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, etc. is separately mounted, and the distance between the floor surface or ceiling surface or wall surface of the facility and the multicopter M is measured, and the multicopter M in the facility is measured. May be specified.

  The control device 20 has a flight control program FS which is a program for controlling the attitude and basic flight operation of the multicopter M during flight. The flight control program FS adjusts the number of revolutions of each rotor R based on the information acquired from the flight control sensor group S and the laser distance measuring sensor 35, and corrects the disturbance of the attitude and the position of the airframe to the multicopter M. To fly.

  The control device 20 further has an autonomous flight program AP which is a program for causing the multicopter M to fly autonomously. Then, in the memory 22 of the control device 20, the flight plan FP, which is a parameter in which the latitude and longitude of the destination and the waypoint of the multicopter M, the altitude and speed during flight, and the like are designated, is registered. The autonomous flight program AP can cause the multicopter M to fly autonomously in accordance with the flight plan FP by using an instruction from the operator terminal 51 or a predetermined time as a start condition.

  Thus, the multicopter M of this embodiment is an unmanned aerial vehicle having a sophisticated flight control function. However, the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention is not limited to the form of the multi-copter M, and can fly, for example, an aircraft in which some of the sensors are omitted from the flight control sensor group S, or can be fly only by manual operation without an autonomous flight function. An airframe can also be used. Further, the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention is not limited to the form of a multicopter, and may be a helicopter.

[Laser ranging sensor]
The multi-copter M of the present embodiment includes the pair of laser distance measuring sensors 35, so that it is possible to specify and automatically correct the accurate posture of the machine body with respect to the painted surface. This allows the opening 751 of the nozzle cover 75 to face the painted surface more accurately, and the stability and quality of the painting work are improved.

  The laser distance measuring sensor 35 of the present embodiment is arranged near the left and right ends of the front cross tube 81. As a result, it is possible to automatically correct not only the distance to the painted surface but also the tilt of the machine body in the yaw direction with respect to the painted surface. Note that the laser distance measuring sensors 35 of the present embodiment are arranged with their vertical positions aligned, but, for example, by arranging these laser distance measuring sensors 35 with their vertical positions offset, the laser distance measuring sensors 35 are arranged in the pitch direction with respect to the painted surface. The inclination of can also be automatically corrected.

  Further, the distance measuring sensor of the present invention is not limited to the laser distance measuring sensor 35, and as long as it is a sensor capable of measuring the distance to the painted surface, for example, infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, radar (radio waves), cameras or stereo cameras are used. It may be a distance measuring sensor using image recognition or the like. Further, the number of distance measuring sensors is not limited to two, and can be arbitrarily changed according to the purpose. Further, the laser distance measuring sensor 35 is not an indispensable component and may be omitted if the coating work can be performed with desired quality without the laser distance measuring sensor 35.

[Modification]
Although the multi-copter M of the above-described embodiment is configured to coat the front surface of the structure, it can be changed to a configuration in which the ceiling surface of the structure is coated. In that case, the spray gun 72 and the opening 751 of the nozzle cover 75 may be directed upward, the caster 19 may be provided so as to project upward if necessary, and the measurement direction of the laser distance measuring sensor 35 may be directed toward the ceiling surface. Even in this case, it is possible to discharge the paint with the opening 751 having a necessary opening area being brought close to the ceiling surface in a non-contact manner, and the coating work can be performed with stable quality.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention.

M: Multicopter (unmanned aerial vehicle), 12: Rotor arm, 19: Caster (wheel), FC: Flight controller, 35: Laser distance measuring sensor (distance measuring sensor), R: Rotor, S: Rotating surface, 70: Painting Device, 71: Paint tank (liquid agent tank), 72: Spray gun (pressure feeding device), 73: Nozzle pipe, 74: Nozzle, 741: Injection port, 75: Nozzle cover, 751: Opening part (opening)

In view of the above problems, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to perform the coating work on the surface of a structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle with stable quality .

In order to solve the above problems, an unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention includes a rotor that is a horizontal rotor, and a coating device that can inject a liquid agent, and the coating device includes a nozzle that injects a liquid agent, and an injection of the nozzle. A nozzle cover, which is a cover body that covers the mouth and has an opening on the ejection direction side of the nozzle, is a gist. Further, the coating method of the present invention includes a rotor that is a horizontal rotary blade, a nozzle that ejects a liquid agent, and a nozzle cover that is a cover body that covers the ejection port of the nozzle and has an opening on the ejection direction side of the nozzle. An opening of the nozzle cover, using an unmanned aerial vehicle comprising: a wheel arranged so as to project from the airframe toward the injection direction of the nozzle, or a distance measuring sensor whose measurement direction is oriented in the injection direction of the nozzle. The gist of the invention is to apply the coating in units of the opening area of the opening so that the portion is close to the coated surface.

Since the unmanned aerial vehicle is provided with the plurality of distance measuring sensors, it is possible to accurately specify the attitude of the airframe with respect to the painted surface. As a result, for example, the opening of the nozzle cover can be more accurately aligned with the surface to be coated, and the coating quality can be improved.

In order to solve the above problems, the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention includes a rotor that is a horizontal rotor, a coating device that can inject a liquid agent, and a wheel that can roll in all directions due to contact with a peripheral object. The gist is that the coating device has a nozzle for injecting a liquid agent, and the wheel is arranged so as to protrude from the machine body toward the ejection direction of the nozzle.

Claims (11)

A rotor that is a horizontal rotor,
And a coating device capable of spraying a liquid agent,
The coating device is
Nozzle for spraying liquid agent,
An unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising: a nozzle cover that is a cover body that covers the ejection port of the nozzle and has an opening on the ejection direction side of the nozzle.   The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle cover has an opening area larger than that of the flow passage cross-sectional area at the position of the injection port.   The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the nozzle cover has a shape in which a flow passage cross-sectional area gradually increases from a position of the injection port toward the opening. The nozzle is arranged with the injection port in the horizontal direction,
The opening of the nozzle cover is arranged in front of the range of the rotation surface of the rotor when the direction in which the injection port is directed is the front of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The coating device is
A liquid agent tank filled with the liquid agent,
A nozzle pipe that is a tubular body extending in the front-rear direction,
The nozzle is attached to the front end of the nozzle pipe,
The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the liquid agent in the liquid agent tank is supplied to the nozzle through the nozzle pipe. The coating device further has a pressure-feeding device that pressure-feeds the liquid agent,
A rear end of the nozzle pipe is connected to the pressure feeding device,
The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the pumping device is disposed below the liquid agent tank. Further equipped with a plurality of distance measuring sensors,
The unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the plurality of distance measuring sensors have a measuring direction oriented in a jetting direction of the nozzle.   The unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a wheel arranged so as to project from a machine body to a jetting direction side of the nozzle.   9. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the wheel is a rotating body that can roll in any direction by contact with a peripheral object.   The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle has three or more wheels protruding in the same direction. A plurality of said rotors,
One of the rotors and the other of the rotors adjacent thereto are different in the position of the rotation surface in the vertical direction, and the rotation surfaces of the rotors adjacent to each other, when the unmanned aircraft is viewed in plan, The unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a part of the range is overlapped.

Images