JP2020059483A - Package conveying container for drone and drone loading the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a package conveying container for a drone which can safely convey and deliver a package without damaging the package.SOLUTION: A package conveying container for a drone includes a container main body 11, a top surface plate 12, a front surface plate, and a rear surface plate. The top surface plate 12 is fixed to a drone main body. The container main body part 11 and the top surface plate 12, and the top surface plate 12 and the front surface plate are pivotally supported respectively. A first link mechanism 20 is arranged between the top surface plate 12 and the container main body part 11, and a second link mechanism 30 is arranged between the container main body part 11 and the front surface plate. While the package W is conveyed, the container main body part 11 is closed in a parallel state to the top surface plate 12, and a front surface opening is closed by the front surface plate. When the package W is taken out from the conveying container 10, a front part side of the container main body part 11 swings downward to take an inclined position, the front surface plate swings upward to open the front surface opening, and the package W is discharged to slip down on the container main body part 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drone baggage carrying container mounted on a drone for carrying a baggage, and a drone equipped with the same.

  In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly referred to as "drones") that fly by remote control are being used for aerial photography of landscapes and dangerous areas, searching for missing persons in times of disaster, etc., as well as carrying various packages. For example, the following Patent Documents 1 to 4 have been proposed as a technique for transporting and delivering packages using such a drone.

  In Patent Documents 1 to 4, the drone body is equipped with a baggage holding means such as an arm or a baggage carrying container, and the baggage holding means holds the baggage, or the baggage carrying container holds the baggage to fly. It is configured. Upon arrival at the transportation destination, the luggage is dropped or placed by separating the luggage from the luggage gripping means or by talking with the drone together with the luggage carrier while the drone is floating in the air.

JP, 2018-55692, A JP, 2018-43698, A JP, 2017-105242, A JP, 2016-88675, A

  However, when carrying a load by a load holding means such as an arm as in the related art, the load may drop during flight. Even if it is stored in a luggage carrier and transported, if the luggage carrier is separated from the drone at the destination, it is not suitable for continuous transportation.

  Further, it is difficult to stably stop the drone in the air by the method of releasing the luggage while the drone is floating in the first place, and there is a high risk of the luggage being damaged or the person receiving the luggage being injured. Therefore, in recent years, unless the drone is configured to release the luggage while landing on the ground, there is a trend that the use permission cannot be obtained for carrying the drone.

  Therefore, the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and there is no risk of damage to the luggage or injury to people, and a luggage transport container for drones that can safely transport and deliver the luggage, and The purpose is to provide an onboard drone.

  As a means therefor, the present invention is a drone baggage carrying container mounted on a drone for carrying luggage, which covers a container main body including a bottom plate and left and right side plates, and a top surface of the container main body. It has a top plate, a front plate that covers the front opening of the container body, and a rear plate that covers the rear opening of the container body. The top plate is fixed to the drone body. The top plate and the container body are pivotally supported at their rear end portions, and the front side of the container body is vertically swingable. The front plate is also pivotally supported on the top plate so as to be vertically swingable. A first link mechanism connected to a link drive source is provided between the top plate and the container body. A second link mechanism is provided between the container body and the front plate. During transportation of a package containing a package in the package, the container body is closed in parallel with the top plate, and the front opening of the package is closed by the front plate. Then, when the luggage is taken out of the luggage carrying container, the link drive source is operated to swing the front side of the container body downward through the first link mechanism to tilt the container body. The front plate swings upward through the second link mechanism and the front opening of the luggage carrying container is opened.

  The rear plate is attached so as to be able to open and close a rear opening of the container body.

  The luggage stored in the luggage carrier is discharged outside the luggage carrier with the drone landing at the destination.

  Further, according to the present invention, there is also provided a drone equipped with the luggage carrying container for drone.

  According to the luggage carrier for a drone of the present invention, the container body is swingably supported on the top plate immovably fixed to the drone body, and the luggage carrier is closed during luggage transportation. As there is no need to worry about luggage falling during flight, you can safely carry it to your destination. On the other hand, when the luggage is taken out of the luggage carrying container, the container body is tilted forward and downward via the first and second link mechanisms, and the front opening of the luggage carrying container is opened to accommodate the luggage. You can smoothly and stably start your luggage. In this way, the luggage transport container is not separated from the drone body when the luggage is taken out, which is suitable for continuous transport.

  If a rear plate is attached so that the rear opening of the luggage carrying container can be opened and closed, the luggage can be easily inserted through the rear opening.

  If the drone is landed at the transportation destination and the luggage is discharged to the outside of the luggage transport container, it is possible to avoid damage to the luggage such as separation and drop. You can also get a license authorization as a drone for carrying luggage.

It is a perspective view of a drone. It is a front view of a drone. It is a rear perspective view of a transportation container. It is a side view of a transportation container during luggage transportation. It is a side view of the transportation container in the state of opening. It is a side view of a transportation container in an open state.

  The luggage carrying container of the present invention (hereinafter, simply referred to as a carrying container) is fixed to the lower surface of the drone body. Here, as the drone body to which the baggage carrying container of the present invention (hereinafter, simply referred to as a carrying container) is fixed, a body forming the center of the drone body, a control unit for transmitting and receiving signals, controlling flight, etc. Any structure may be used as long as it has a general rotor for flying, and there is no particular limitation as long as the transport container can be fixed to the lower surface. Therefore, the embodiment to be described later with reference to the drawings is an example of the present invention, and particularly the drone main body can use widely known drone main bodies. Based on this, a typical embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the drone of this embodiment, a transport container 10 is fixed to the lower surface of the drone body 1. The drone body 1 includes a body 2, a control unit 3, an arm 4, a rotor 5, and legs 6. The body 2, the control unit 3 (the outer lid thereof), the arm 4, the rotor 5, and the leg 6 are made of lightweight and strong fiber-reinforced plastic except for various components such as a connecting fitting and a drive mechanism. As the reinforcing fiber, carbon fiber, glass fiber or the like is used.

  The body 2 is a hollow casing that forms the center of the drone body 1. Inside the body 2, a battery serving as a power source of the rotors 5 and wirings to the rotors 5 are housed.

  The control unit 3 is installed on the upper surface of the body 2. The control unit 3 accommodates a receiving device that receives a signal from a remote controller (not shown), a control circuit that controls the flight speed and direction of the drone, opening and closing of the transport container 10, and the like.

  A plurality of arms 4 extend radially from the body 2, and a rotor 5 is rotatably provided at the tip thereof. Each arm 4 is detachably connected to the body 2. In the present embodiment, six arms 4 are provided, but as long as stable flight is possible, 3 to 8 arms may be provided.

  The legs 6 are connected to the lower surface of the body 2, and the transport container 10 is fixed to the lower surface of the drone body 1 via the legs 6. Therefore, the leg 6 has a trapezoidal shape with no lower side when viewed from the front so that a lower space can be secured. Specifically, the leg 6 has an open leg portion 6a that extends in the left-right direction and opens in a trapezoidal shape, and two left and right ground contact portions 6b that contact the ground. A plurality of open legs 6a are provided in the front and rear, and the ground contact portion 6b is connected to the tip of each open leg 6a and extends in the front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, two open leg portions 6a are provided at the front and rear, but one may be provided at the central portion in the front-rear direction, or three or more may be provided.

  A connecting plate 7 is provided on the lower surface of the body 2, and the legs 6 are connected to the connecting plate 7 via a joint 8 screwed to the connecting plate 7. Further, a joint 9 is also connected to the leg 6, and the transport container 10 is screwed via the joint 9. In addition, the left and right open leg width of the leg 6 is larger than the width dimension of the transport container 10, and the height of the leg 6 is larger than the height dimension of the transport container 10.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the transport container 10 includes a bottom plate and a container main body 11 including left and right side plates that are erected by bending both left and right edges of the bottom plate, and a top plate 12 that covers the top surface of the container main body 11. A front plate 13 that covers the front opening of the container body 11 and a rear plate 14 that covers the rear opening of the container body 11 are provided. The transport container 10 is also preferably as light as possible and has high strength, and may be made of fiber reinforced plastic or metal.

  The top plate 12 is a flat plate. In addition, the left and right edges and the rear edge of the top plate 12 have downwardly extending flanges, and when assembled as the transport container 10, the flanges on the left and right edges are the upper edge parts of the left and right side walls of the container body 11. And inside and outside. Reference numeral 12a is a screw hole for screwing, and the top plate 12 is fixedly fixed by being screwed in the screw hole 12a. Further, a motor 21 is provided on the upper surface of the top plate 12 as a link drive source of a first link mechanism 20, which will be described in detail later, via a bracket 22. The motor 21 is connected to a battery, a control circuit and the like in the drone body 1 via an electric cord (not shown).

  The container body 11 and the top plate 12 are axially supported by a shaft pin P1 at the rear end portions of both 11 and 12. The shaft pin P1 penetrates a portion where the container body 11 and the top plate 12 overlap inward and outward, that is, the left and right sidewalls of the container body 11 and the flange of the top plate 12. As a result, the front side of the container body 11 can swing vertically with respect to the immovable top plate 12.

  The front plate 13 is also a flat plate. Further, on both left and right edges of the front plate 13, there are provided fourth links 32 constituting a second link mechanism 30 which will be described in detail later. The fourth link 32 may be integrally provided by bending the left and right side edges of the front plate 13, or may be fixed to the front plate 13 by welding, bonding, or the like. The fourth link 32 extends rearward from both right and left edges of the front plate 13, and when assembled as the transport container 10, the fourth link 32 overlaps with the flange of the top plate 12 inside and outside. In addition, the left and right fourth links 32 and the left and right flanges of the top plate 12 are pivotally supported by a shaft pin P7 so as to be rotatable relative to each other. As a result, the front plate 13 that moves integrally with the fourth link 32 can swing vertically with respect to the immovable top plate 12. That is, the front plate 13 is pivotally supported on the top plate 12 via the fourth link 32 so as to be vertically swingable. In this sense, the fourth link 32 also serves as a flange for pivotally supporting the front plate 13 to the top plate 12.

  The rear plate 14 is also made of a flat plate, and is attached to the container body 11 so that the rear opening can be opened and closed. When attaching the rear surface plate 14 to the container body 11, the positioning holes 14a formed in the four corners of the rear surface plate 14 are provided with two positioning protrusions 11a provided on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the container body 11, respectively. Through. Then, the screw holes 14b projecting forward from the left and right side edges of the rear plate 14 and the screw holes 11b formed in the left and right side walls of the container body 11 overlap each other inside and outside. Then, the rear surface plate 14 can be fixed to the container body 11 by screwing the fixing screws 15 into the screw holes 11b and 14b. Reference numeral 14c is a handle for facilitating the opening / closing operation of the rear plate 14.

  A hinge may be provided on one edge of the rear plate 14 to swing and open / close. Further, it is also possible to adopt a structure in which the engaging projection is engaged with the engaging hole without using the fixing screw 15. The presence of the projection 11a and the positioning hole 14a allows the rear plate 14 to be attached easily and stably, but the projection 11a and the positioning hole 14a are not necessarily provided.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, a link mechanism is provided on both left and right outer surfaces of the transport container 10. Specifically, the first link mechanism 20 is provided between the top plate 12 and the container body 11, and the second link mechanism 30 is provided between the container body 11 and the front plate 13. ing.

  The first link mechanism 20 includes a rod-shaped first link 23 whose one end is fixed to the rotation shaft P4 of the motor 21, and a rod-shaped second link 24 whose one end is fixed to the container body 11 by a fixing pin P2. Prepare The other end of the first link 23 and the other end of the second link 24 are rotatably supported by a shaft pin P3. The first link 23 is shorter than the second link 24. Further, on the outer surface of the left and right brackets 22, pin-shaped stoppers 25 that restrict the rotation limit of the first link 23 are provided at two upper and lower positions.

  The second link mechanism 30 has a rod-shaped third link 31 whose one end is rotatably supported by a shaft pin P5, and the above-mentioned fourth link which is rotatably supported at the center by a shaft pin P7. And 32. The fourth link 32 is substantially V-shaped, and a portion below the shaft pin P7 is along the side edge of the front plate 13, and a portion above the shaft pin P7 functions as a rod-shaped link. The other end of the third link 31 and the upper end of the fourth link 32 are rotatably supported by a shaft pin P6.

  It should be noted that the first link mechanism 20 is provided on the outer side in the left-right direction than the second link mechanism 30, so that the first link mechanism 20 and the second link mechanism 30 are opened and closed when the transport container 10 is opened and closed. And do not interfere with each other. Alternatively, the second link mechanism 30 may be provided in the laterally outward position with respect to the first link mechanism 20.

  Next, the operation of the drone will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 4, in a state where the transport container 10 is closed, the fixing screws 15 are removed and the rear plate 14 is opened, and after the luggage W is accommodated from the rear surface of the transport container 10, the rear container 14 is used again by the rear plate 14. The rear surface is closed and the fixing screw 15 is screwed and fixed. As a result, there is no concern that the luggage W will fall from the transportation container 10 during transportation.

  In the closed state of the transport container 10 shown in FIG. 4, in the first link mechanism 20, the first link 23 and the second link 24 are in the upright state, and the other end of the first link 23 and the second link 24 are The shaft pin P3 that pivotally supports the other end is above the rotation shaft P4 of the motor 21 to which one end of the first link 23 is fixed and the fixed pin P2 of the second link 24. The fixed pin P2, the shaft pin P3, and the rotating shaft P4 have substantially the same position in the front-rear direction and are arranged vertically.

  On the other hand, in the state in which the transport container 10 shown in FIG. 4 is closed, in the second link mechanism 30, the third link 31 is in a standing state in which the third link 31 is slightly inclined rearward, and the upper half of the fourth link 32 is largely inclined rearward. are doing. At this time, the shaft pin P5 that pivotally supports one end of the third link 31 is below and behind the shaft pin P7 that serves as the rotation shaft of the fourth link 32, and the connecting shaft of the third link 31 and the fourth link 32. The shaft pin P6 is located above and behind the shaft pin P6 and the shaft pin P7.

  Then, while the transportation container 10 shown in FIG. 4 is closed, a remote controller (not shown) is operated to fly the drone carrying the transportation container 10 to a predetermined destination and land it. The container body 11 is parallel to the top plate 12 during the transportation of the luggage containing the luggage W in the transportation container 10 and at the time of landing. The front opening of the transport container 10 is closed by the front plate 13.

  Then, the switch provided on the remote controller is operated to drive the motor 21. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the first link 23 of the first link mechanism 20 rotates forward as the rotation shaft P4 of the motor 21 rotates. Along with this, the second link 24 descends downward about the shaft pin P3. Then, since one end of the second link 24 is fixed to the container body 11, the container body 11 also moves downward. However, since the rear end portion of the container body 11 is connected to the top plate 12 by the shaft pin P1, only the front side of the container body 11 is lowered about the shaft pin P1. It becomes a forward tilted posture. As a result, the luggage W can be slid out from the inside of the container body 11 toward the front opening.

  On the other hand, as the container body 11 swings, the shaft pin P5 moves downward and rearward. As a result, one end of the third link 31 of the second link mechanism 30 also moves downward and rearward, and the upper half of the fourth link 32 is pulled downward and rearward via the shaft pin P6. 32 rotates about the shaft pin P7, and the lower half of the fourth link 32 rotates upward. As a result, the front plate 13 fixed to the lower half of the fourth link 32 swings upward, and the front surface of the transport container 10 opens.

  The operation is continued as it is, and when the front surface of the carrying container 10 is largely opened as shown in FIG. 6, the driving of the motor 21 may be stopped. In this state, since the container body 11 is largely inclined, the luggage W can smoothly slide out of the transport container 10 and can be transported to the destination without being damaged. Even if the stop of the motor 21 is delayed, since the first link 23 comes into contact with the lower stopper 25 to limit the rotation, the container body 11 and the front plate 13 do not swing more than necessary. .

  When the load W can be taken out of the transport container 10, the motor 21 can be rotated in the reverse direction to return to the closed state shown in FIG. In this case, even if the stop of the motor 21 is delayed, the first link 23 comes into contact with the upper stopper 25, so that there is a limit to the rotation in the closing direction. Therefore, the container body 11 and the front plate 13 are shaken more than necessary. It does not move.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described representative embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the rear surface plate 14 may be integrated with the container body 11, and the container body 11 may be tilted and accommodated from the front opening when the luggage W is accommodated. The luggage W can also be discharged to the outside of the transport container 10 while the drone 1 is floating in the air. The opening / closing operation of the container body 11 can be performed not only by the remote control by the controller but also by the opening / closing switch provided in the drone 1.

  It is also preferable that the carrier W is accommodated inside the transport container 10 and the luggage W is slid out together with the carrier. It is possible to store a small load W in a small capsule and then store the whole capsule in the transport container 10 so that the capsule can roll.

  The container body 11, the top plate 12, the front plate 13, and the rear plate 14 that form the transport container 10 may be provided with a plurality of weight-reducing holes in order to reduce the weight as much as possible while ensuring a certain level of strength. preferable.

1 Drone Main Body 2 Body 3 Controller 4 Arm 5 Rotor 6 Leg 10 Transport Container 11 Container Main Body 12 Top Plate 13 Front Plate 14 Rear Plate 20 First Link Mechanism 23 First Link 24 Second Link 25 Stopper 30 Second Link mechanism 31 Third link 32 Fourth link W Luggage

Claims (4)

A luggage carrier for drones that is mounted on a drone to carry luggage,
A container body consisting of a bottom plate and left and right side plates,
A top plate that covers the top of the container body,
A front plate that covers the front opening of the container body,
A rear face plate that covers the rear face opening of the container body,
The top plate is fixed to the drone body,
The top plate and the container body are pivotally supported at the rear end portions of both, and the front side of the container body is vertically swingable.
The front plate is also pivotally supported on the top plate so as to be vertically swingable,
A first link mechanism connected to a link drive source is provided between the top plate and the container body.
A second link mechanism is provided between the container body and the front plate,
During transportation of a package containing a package in a package, the container body is closed in parallel with the top plate, and the front opening of the package is closed by the front plate.
When the luggage is taken out of the luggage carrying container, the link drive source is operated to swing the front side of the container body downward through the first link mechanism, so that the container body is tilted. The luggage carrier for drones, wherein the front plate swings upward through the second link mechanism to open the front opening of the luggage carrier.   The luggage carrying container for the drone according to claim 1, wherein the rear surface plate is attached to the rear surface opening of the container body so as to be opened and closed.   The luggage carrying container for drone according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the luggage contained in the luggage carrying container is discharged outside the luggage carrying container in a state where the drone has landed at a carrying destination. A drone equipped with the luggage transport container according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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