JP2022126002A - Flight body, posture control device of loaded object, method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system for suppressing change in a posture of a loaded object due to change in a posture of a flight body.

SOLUTION: A rotation mechanism is a mechanism in which joints are arranged so that a link 1 and a link 2 are connected to each other by a joint 10, the link 2 and a link 3 are connected to each other by a joint 12, the link 3 and a link 6 are connected to each other by a joint 15, a link 4 is connected to a joint 11 on the link 1 by a joint 13 on a link B, a link 5 is connected to a joint 14 on the link 2 by a joint 16 on a link 6, a straight line connecting the joints 10 and 11 and a straight line connecting the joints 12 and 13 are parallel to each other, a straight line connecting the joints 12 and 14 and a straight line connecting the joints 15 and 16 are parallel to each other, a straight line connecting the joints 10 and 12 and a straight line connecting the joints 11 and 13 are parallel to each other, and a straight line connecting the joints 12 and 15 and a straight line connecting the joints 14 and 16 are parallel to each other, wherein a flight body is connected to the link 1, and a loaded object is connected to the link 6.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

It relates to payload position, attitude control, and air vehicle control.

In recent years, development is underway to realize delivery using flying objects called drones.
Most drones are equipped with control computers, batteries, sensors, etc. near the center of the aircraft. In flight, placing a heavy component near the center of the airframe reduces the moment of inertia, which is advantageous for the movement of the airframe. In addition, it is advantageous in terms of control and sensing to place an acceleration sensor or the like at the center of the aircraft.

JP 2019-059480

Problems and concerns in attaching payloads to air vehicles include: Attaching a payload to an aircraft changes the center of gravity and adversely affects the flight performance of the aircraft. When the flying object changes its attitude, the attitude of the payload connected to the flying object also changes. Since the weight and shape of the payload differ depending on the payload, it is inefficient to use an aircraft with a dedicated center-of-gravity design. Therefore, a mechanism for canceling out the change in posture of the load is required.

There is a method of canceling out the attitude change of the suspended load due to the attitude change of the drone by equipping the drone with a gimbal mechanism and connecting the drone and the load with the gimbal mechanism. However, if the rotation center of the gimbal mechanism does not match the rotation center of the drone's attitude change, the weight of the suspended load will generate a force to rotate the drone, and the drone will change its attitude to cancel that force. A force needs to be generated. In addition, since the position of the payload changes as the attitude of the aircraft changes, the control of the aircraft becomes complicated when it is necessary to control the position of the payload.

In general, the center of rotation of a drone is often located inside the fuselage. A special body is required. (Patent document 1)

Therefore, in the present invention, by providing a mechanism for controlling the position and attitude of the cargo to be loaded on the aircraft with respect to the position and attitude of the aircraft, changes in the position of the center of gravity and the attitude of the cargo are suppressed, and flight efficiency and stability are improved. improve.

The rotation center of the rotating body with respect to the rotation reference is set outside the mechanism structure by the link mechanism.

Link X and link A are connected by joint XA,
Link A and link B are connected by joint AB,
Link B and link Y are connected by joint BY,
Link C is connected by joint XC on link X and joint BC on link B,
Link D is connected by joint AD on link A and joint DY on link Y,
The straight line connecting joints XA and XC is parallel to the straight line connecting joints AB and BC, and
The straight line connecting joints AB and AD is parallel to the straight line connecting joints BY and DY,
The straight line connecting joints XA and AB is parallel to the straight line connecting joints XC and BC, and
A mechanism in which joints are arranged so that a straight line connecting joints AB and BY and a straight line connecting joints AD and DY are parallel,
a rotation reference is connected to link X, or link X is a rotation reference, and
A rotation mechanism in which a rotating body is connected to the link Y, or the link Y is a rotating body.

The positional relationship of the joints XA and XC and the rotation center O of the rotating body as a link mechanism is the same as the positional relationship of the joints AB, BC and BY as a link mechanism.

By using a parallel link mechanism, the center of rotation can be set at a point in the air.

Link X is connected to an air vehicle, or Link X is an air vehicle,
Link Y is connected to the payload, or Link Y is the payload.

One of the rotating mechanisms will be referred to as a first rotating mechanism, the other as a second rotating mechanism, and each constituent element will be referred to as a first link X, a second link X, and so on.

The rotation mechanism is such that the second link X is connected to the first link Y. Here, it may be considered that the first link Y is the second link X. Also, the directions of the rotation axis of the first rotation mechanism and the rotation axis of the second rotation mechanism do not match.

The positional relationship of the joints XA and XC of the first rotating mechanism and the rotation center O of the rotating body as a link mechanism is the same as the positional relationship of the link mechanism of the joints AB, BC and BY of the first rotating mechanism,
Rotation where the positional relationship of the joints XA and XC of the second rotating mechanism and the rotation center O of the rotating body as a link mechanism is the same as the positional relationship of the joints AB, BC and BY of the second rotating mechanism as a link mechanism mechanism.

A payload may be rotatably connected to the link Y. For example, the rotating body may be rotatable about a rotation axis passing through the rotation center O with the link Y as a reference.

Either link X or link Y or both may be allowed to move horizontally.

An actuator may be provided so that link Y can be rotated with respect to link X. By rotating any joint or tilting any link, the rotation mechanism can rotate link Y with respect to link X.

Controls so that link Y does not rotate when link X rotates. Rotate link Y to offset the rotation of link X.

Since the center of rotation can be provided outside the object that constitutes the rotation mechanism, when connected to an aircraft, the center of rotation of the rotor can be positioned at a point inside the aircraft. Become. Therefore, even in a flying object whose center is occupied by a sensor or the like, it is possible to match the center of rotation of the load with respect to the flying object to the center of rotation of the flying object.

Configuration diagram of rotation mechanism Form with shifted center of rotation Configuration example of a two-axis rotation mechanism Configuration example 2 of a two-axis rotation mechanism Example of omitting part of a link Example of connecting one side with a bearing or motor Application example 1 to flying object Application example 2 to an aircraft Application example 3 to an air vehicle Attitude control system configuration example Example of application to tail sitter drone Example of changing the placement of links

FIG. 1 shows the basic configuration of the rotation mechanism of the present application.

Link X1 and link A2 are connected by joint XA10,
Link A2 and link B3 are connected by joint AB12,
Link B3 and link Y6 are connected by joint BY15,
Link C4 is connected by joint XC11 on link X1 and joint BC13 on link B3,
Link D5 is connected by joint AD14 on link A2 and joint DY16 on link Y6.

Here, the joints are capable of rotating links that are connected by parallel axes of rotation. It can be considered as a so-called rotating pair.

When looking at the joint in a plane perpendicular to the joint's axis of rotation,
The straight line connecting joints XA10 and XC11 and the straight line connecting joints AB12 and BC13 are parallel,
The straight line connecting joints AB12 and AD14 is parallel to the straight line connecting joints BY15 and DY16,
The straight line connecting joints XA10 and AB12 and the straight line connecting joints XC11 and BC13 are parallel,
The link mechanism is such that the joints are arranged so that the straight line connecting the joints AB12 and BY15 and the straight line connecting the joints AD14 and DY16 are parallel. The position of the joint is equivalent in the link mechanism even if the position changes in the depth direction.

With such a configuration, the link Y6 can rotate about the rotation center O with respect to the link X1. The link Y6 can be rotated around the rotation center O without arranging a component for rotation such as a joint at the rotation center O. Here, the rotation axis of link Y6 is parallel to the rotation axis of the joint. An example of the state of rotation is shown in (a) and (b) of FIG. However, here, the link X is illustrated as rotating around the rotation center O with respect to the link Y.

The configuration is not limited to that illustrated in FIG. 1, and any modification that satisfies the positional conditions of each joint may be used. For example, link D5 may be arranged above link C4. The positions of link A2 and link C4 may be interchanged.

Also, the position of the rotation center O at this time is the same as the positional relationship between joints XA10 and XC11 and the rotation center O, and the positional relationship between joints AB12, BC13, and BY15 when the joint is viewed on a plane perpendicular to the joint's rotation axis. The position of the rotation center O is such that That is, by designing the position of joint BY15 with respect to joints AB12 and BC13, it is possible to obtain rotation center O at an arbitrary position.

Link C4 and link D5 may be connected by joint CD17. At this time, the straight line connecting the joints AB12 and AD14 and the straight line connecting the joints BC13 and CD17 are made parallel. In this way, an improvement in load resistance can be expected by adding redundant joints. In addition, when the configuration as shown in FIG. 8 is used, the configuration can be left-right symmetrical, which is advantageous in terms of balance and the like.

Each link may be shifted in the depth direction and the rotation axis direction so as to avoid interference between the links. In the example of FIG. 12, the link B3 and the link D5 are arranged on the back side and the front side so as not to interfere with each other, and are arranged so as to sandwich the link Y6. By doing so, the movable range of the link B3 and the link D5 can be widened, and as a result, the rotatable range of the rotation mechanism can be widened. Also, the size of the rotating mechanism can be reduced.

In FIG. 1, each link is composed of a straight line, but as long as the positional relationship of the joints satisfies the above conditions, the shape thereof does not matter. Therefore, in order to avoid interference between the links and to widen the range of motion, the links may be bent, or joints may be arranged at positions in the depth direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the position of the rotation center O can be changed by shifting the positions of the joint BY15 and the joint DY16. As a result, for example, when the link X1 is connected to the bottom surface of the aircraft 100, the center of rotation O can be arranged above the bottom surface.

By further rotating this rotating mechanism about another axis, the link Y6 can be rotated about two axes, the rotating shaft of the rotating mechanism and the rotating shaft that rotates the rotating mechanism. For example, in FIG. 1, link X1 is rotated about an axis parallel to the straight line connecting joints XA10 and XC11. Here, by setting the rotation axis for rotating the link X1 as an axis passing through the rotation center O, the link Y6 can be rotated around the rotation center O in two directions. As an example of a method of connecting the link X1 and the rotation reference, the link X1 is connected to the rotation reference by a motor or a bearing so as to be rotatable on the rotation shaft of the link X1.

A rotating portion may be provided so that the link Y6 can rotate about an axis parallel to the straight line connecting the joints BY15 and DY16. For example, the link Y6 and the rotating body are connected by a motor or a bearing so as to be rotatable on an axis parallel to the straight line connecting BY15 and DY16.

A gimbal may be used to connect the link Y6 and the rotor. The gimbal here may be a general gimbal whose rotating shaft is composed of a motor, for example, which is used to prevent camera shake. With such a configuration, it is possible to control the rotating body so that its position and attitude do not change due to changes in the attitude of the rotation reference. It can change its orientation and tilt.

The rotating body may be connected so as to be able to move parallel to the link Y6. By allowing the rotating body to move parallel to the link Y6, it is possible to absorb vibrations of the rotating body and to adjust the position of the rotating body.

At least one of the link Y6 and the rotating body or the link X1 and the rotation reference may be connected by a vibration isolating member. An example of the anti-vibration member is rubber, a damper, or the like.

By using two rotation mechanisms, it is possible to control rotation on two axes.

For the sake of explanation, one of the rotating mechanisms will be referred to as a first rotating mechanism, the other as a second rotating mechanism, and each constituent element will be referred to as a first link X, a second link X, and so on.

The rotation mechanism is such that the second link X is connected to the first link Y. Here, it may be considered that the first link Y is the second link X. Also, the directions of the rotation axis of the first rotation mechanism and the rotation axis of the second rotation mechanism do not match. For example, the rotation axes of the first rotation mechanism and the second rotation mechanism are orthogonal.

Also, for each of the first and second rotation mechanisms, when the joints are viewed on a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the joints,
The positional relationship of the joints XA and XC of the first rotating mechanism and the rotation center O of the rotating body as a link mechanism is the same as the positional relationship of the link mechanism of the joints AB, BC and BY of the first rotating mechanism,
Rotation where the positional relationship of the joints XA and XC of the second rotating mechanism and the rotation center O of the rotating body as a link mechanism is the same as the positional relationship of the joints AB, BC and BY of the second rotating mechanism as a link mechanism By using the mechanism, the rotation axes of the first rotation mechanism and the second rotation mechanism pass through the rotation center O, so that the second link Y can be rotated around the rotation center O in two directions.

Fig. 3 shows an example of combining two rotating mechanisms.

FIG. 3(a) illustrates the link viewed from the rotation axis direction (z-axis) of the first rotation mechanism. (b-1) and (b-2) of FIG. 3 illustrate the link seen in the rotation axis direction (x-axis) of the second rotation mechanism. As a connection example of the second rotating shaft, a second link X301 is connected to the top of the first link Y300 as shown in FIG. 3(b-1). Since the second link X301 can be brought closer to the rotation center O by providing the second link X301 at the top, the size of the rotation mechanism can be reduced.

As a matter of course, the second link X301 may be connected to the bottom of the first link Y300 as shown in (b-2) of FIG. However, in order to set the rotation center of the second rotation mechanism to the rotation center O, it is necessary to secure a large vertical distance between the straight line connecting the joints AB312 and BC313 and the joint BY, which may increase the size of the rotation mechanism. The second link X301 is not limited to the illustrated position, and may be attached at any position.

By making the rotation axis of the first rotation mechanism and the rotation mechanism of the second rotation mechanism orthogonal, the second link Y306 rotates around the point where the rotation axes of the first rotation mechanism and the second rotation mechanism intersect. , can be rotated in two directions. As a result, this rotation mechanism can have a function equivalent to that of a two-axis gimbal.

Fig. 4 shows another configuration example. FIG. 4(b-1) shows the first rotating mechanism installed next to the second rotating mechanism. Compared to the configuration of FIG. 3, for example, in order to avoid interference between the link B303 of the second rotating mechanism and the first rotating mechanism, it is necessary to secure a large space between the joints XA301 and AB312 of the second rotating mechanism. do not have. Therefore, the height and length of the rotation mechanism can be suppressed. In FIG. 4, the second joint XA310 can also be brought closer to the center of rotation O. For example, the connecting position of the first link Y300 and the second link X301 is arranged further up. In the example of FIG. 4, the first link Y300 can also be extended upward.

FIG. 4(b-2) further includes a third rotating mechanism for rotating the link Y400 on the same rotating shaft as the first rotating mechanism, and supports the second rotating mechanism on both sides. Compared to (b-1) in FIG. 4, the number of connection points increases, which is advantageous in terms of load resistance. In addition, it is advantageous in terms of balance because it can have a symmetrical configuration. In (b-1) and (b-2) of FIG. 4, illustration of the first and third rotating mechanisms other than the link Y is omitted.

The first rotating mechanism and the third rotating mechanism are connected by the second rotating mechanism to rotate by the same amount, but at least one of the corresponding links of the first and third rotating mechanisms is rotated by one. may be connected as one link. To prevent a difference in the amount of rotation of the link Y between the first and third rotating mechanisms, and to prevent a twisting force from being applied to the second rotating mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 5, part of the links of the first and third rotating mechanisms in (b-2) of FIG. 4 can be omitted. For example, the first link B3 is omitted, instead link C4 is connected to link D5 at joint CD17, and the third link D is omitted. At this time, the joint CD17 is made parallel to the straight line connecting the third joints XA510 and AD514. At this time, it may be considered that one rotating mechanism is composed of the first and third rotating mechanisms.

As shown in FIG. 6, one side of the second linkage may be connected to a rotational reference with a conventional rotatable connection method such as a motor or bearing 601 . At this time, the rotating shaft is assumed to be the same as the rotating shaft of the first rotating mechanism.

An example of applying the rotation mechanism of the present application to a flying object will be described by taking a multicopter type drone as the flying object 100 and mounting a payload 101 on the drone. Here, it is assumed that the flying object is a rotation reference and the load is a rotating object. The configuration described here can also be applied to objects other than the flying object 100 and the payload 101. FIG.

Air vehicle 100 is considered as a general multi-rotor type drone comprising flight controller 51 , receiver 52 , motors and propellers 53 . For autonomous flight, the receiver 52 may be omitted.

FIG. 7 shows an example in which the flying object 100 is provided with a rotation mechanism. When the rotation mechanism of the present application is applied to an existing aircraft, the rotation mechanism of the present application is connected to the bottom, side, top, etc. of the aircraft. FIG. 7 shows an example in which the link X1 is connected to the side surface of the aircraft 100 so as to be rotatable in the x-axis direction. The rotation mechanism rotates the link Y6 in the z-axis direction. A point O inside the flying object 100 is assumed to be the center of rotation of the flying object 100 .

As shown in Fig. 7, the rotation axis of link X1 is connected so as to pass through the rotation center O of the aircraft. As a result, by rotating the link X1, it is possible to offset the rotation of the payload 101 against the rotation of the aircraft 100 in the x-axis direction. Each joint in FIG. 7 makes the links connected in the z-axis direction rotatable. The joints BY15 and DY16 are arranged so that the joints BY15 and DY16 and the rotation center O are aligned with each other when viewed on the x-y plane in FIG. This makes it possible to offset the rotation of the payload with respect to the z-axis rotation of the aircraft.

FIG. 8 is another example in which the flying object 100 is provided with a rotation mechanism. The link X1 is divided into a left side and a right side, and the link X1 is connected to both sides of the aircraft 100. FIG. In the example of FIG. 8, the link X1 connected to the link A2 is connected to the left side of the aircraft, and the link X1 connected to the link C4 is connected to the right side. The two links X1 are coaxial in the x-axis direction and rotatable.

Compared with the configuration of FIG. 7, the configuration of FIG. 8 is advantageous in terms of load resistance because the number of connection points with the aircraft increases. In addition, it is advantageous in terms of balance because it can have a symmetrical configuration.

FIG. 9 shows another example of how the link X1 is connected. The link X1 is rotatably connected about an axis passing through the rotation center O in the x-axis direction. Here, joints XA10 and XC11 can be installed at positions that are not on the axis of rotation of link X1. In this case, in order to make the rotation center of link Y6 the rotation center O, the positional relationship between joints AB12, BC13, and BY15 and the positional relationship between joints XA10, XC11, and rotation center O when viewed on the x-y plane should be the same. to As shown in FIG. 7, the same configuration can be used when only one side is connected.

The configuration of FIG. 9 can be applied to flying objects 100 of different sizes by changing the shape of the link X1 as shown in (a) and (b). Therefore, depending on the flying object 100 to which it is applied, the rotation mechanism can be replaced by simply replacing the link X1. Alternatively, by making the length of the link X1 in the x-axis direction variable, it can be attached to flying objects 100 of various sizes. By making the positions of the joints BY15 and DY16 variable, the position of the rotation center O can be changed, and the degree of freedom in application is further improved.

8 and 9 mainly differ in the movable range of link A2 and link C4. The configuration in FIG. 8 and the configuration in FIG. 9 can be used properly so as not to impede the function of the component to which the system is applied, such as an aircraft.

In the examples of FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, the configuration in which the payload 101 is provided on the lower portion of the aircraft 100 is illustrated, but the payload 101 may be attached to the upper portion of the aircraft 100. FIG. In that case, a configuration in which the rotation mechanism is attached upside down may be employed. Arranging the payload 101 above the flying object 100 is effective, for example, when a sensor or the like is to be brought close to the upper part of the flying object, such as when sensing the ceiling.

A method of driving the rotation mechanism will be described.

Either joint of each rotation mechanism may be driven by a motor or the like. Further, by providing a sensor for measuring the amount of rotation and the rotation angle of the joint in any of the joints, the system for controlling the attitude of the rotating body can calculate the attitude of the rotating body with respect to the rotation reference. An example of a sensor is a rotary encoder. If an actuator, such as a servomotor, is used as the motor to rotate to a target angle, the target amount can be treated as the amount of rotation.

Any link of each rotating mechanism may be moved by an arm drivable by an actuator.

In a configuration using a plurality of rotating mechanisms, by applying a link Y connected to the rotating body or by applying a force to move the rotating body, the movement becomes rotational movement around the rotation center O. If one of the links to which the rotating body is connected can be driven in two directions, the rotation of the rotating body can be controlled around the rotation axis O.

Fig. 1 shows a configuration example for driving by an arm. The actuator 31 that drives the arm 30 is mounted on the link X1 or the rotation reference, and is connected to the link C4 by the link 32 for driving.

When rotating in two axial directions, a spherical pair or a rotating sliding pair is used to connect the arm 30, the drive link 32, and the link C4. Even when one rotation mechanism is rotated by another rotation mechanism as shown in FIG. 3, the actuator 31 can be installed on the first link X1 or the rotation reference.

The amount of rotation of the link Y by the rotation mechanism may be obtained by providing a sensor for obtaining the amount of rotation in the joint. Also, the amount of rotation of the link Y relative to the rotation of the arm may be calculated. It can be calculated from the length of the arm, the amount of rotation, and distance information between the joints.

As an example, if the rotation center of arm 30 is placed on the straight line connecting joints XA10 and XC11, and the drive link is parallel to XA10-XC11, the amount of rotation of the arm will be the amount of rotation of link Y6 as it is, so the calculation load will be reduced. less.

A configuration in which the length between the joints of the drive link 32 in FIG. 1 is changed may be employed. The drive link 32 may be extendable, or the position of the joint may be moved by a slider. In this case, the arm 30 may be fixed, or the arm 30 may be removed and the drive link 32 may be connected to the link X1.

Attitude control of the rotating body will be described.

The attitude control system 50 controls the rotating body so that it maintains a constant attitude with respect to the attitude change of the rotation reference. For example, the payload 101 is rotated with respect to the flying object 100 so that the payload 101 maintains a horizontal state with respect to the inclination change of the flying object 100 . In addition to the horizontal control, the rotating body may be controlled so that it assumes the target attitude at that time with respect to the horizontal.

The attitude control system 50 can use various sensors to calculate the rotation reference or the attitude of the rotating body. If the orientation of either the rotation reference or the rotating body can be calculated, the orientation of the other can be calculated from the amount of rotation by the rotation mechanism. In general, the attitude can be calculated using an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor, but any means can be used as long as the attitude control system 50 can acquire the attitude. The attitude control system 50 may receive the attitude of the flying object 100 calculated by the attitude calculating means 54 provided in the flying object 100 .

When the attitude of the rotation reference is controlled based on the target attitude and the target rotational speed received by the receiver 52, as in the case where the flying object 100 is radio-controlled, the attitude control system 50 controls the target attitude and the target rotation speed of the receiver 52. By adopting a configuration in which the target rotation speed can be obtained, it becomes possible to calculate the orientation of the rotation reference. In particular, when receiving a target orientation, it is only necessary to control an actuator that causes a rotation mechanism to rotate so that the rotation reference orientation with respect to the rotator becomes the received target orientation.

In addition, in the case of an aircraft in which the receiver 52 is connected to the flight controller 51, it is easy to connect the signal line to the attitude control system 50, so that the end user can easily incorporate the attitude control system 50.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a system configuration when applied to an aircraft 100. As shown in FIG. The aircraft 100 includes a flight controller 51 and a receiver 52 for flight control. Flight controller 51 may have one or more processors, such as programmable processors (eg, central processing units (CPUs)). You can think of it as a general computer. The flight controller 51 also comprises means 54 for calculating the attitude of the aircraft 100 . An example may be a general configuration including an acceleration sensor and an angular rate sensor. It is assumed that the attitude calculation means 54 can calculate at least the inclination of the flying object 100 . The receiver 52 transmits to the flight controller 51 a signal for instructing the inclination of the aircraft 100 from the operator. Based on the signal, the flight controller 51 controls the rotation speed of each propeller 53 so that the attitude of the flying object becomes the target attitude, and moves the flying object 100 by tilting the airframe. In the case of autonomous control, a control device for autonomous control may be connected instead of the receiver 52 to transmit an instruction signal to the flight controller 51, or the flight controller 51 may be provided with an autonomous control function.

The attitude control system 50 includes a control computer 55, attitude calculation means 57, and an actuator 56 for rotating by a rotating mechanism. Control computer 55 may have one or more processors, such as programmable processors (eg, central processing units (CPUs)). You can think of it as a general computer. Further, the control computer 55 may be considered as part of the flight controller 51, and the function of controlling the attitude of the payload 10 may be incorporated into the flight controller 51. The attitude calculation means 57 of the attitude control system 50 can at least calculate the inclination of the load 101 . An example may be a general configuration including an acceleration sensor and an angular rate sensor. Further, the attitude calculation means 54 of the flying object 100 may be used, and the attitude control system 50 may receive the sensor information and the inclination information output by the attitude calculation means 54 of the flying object 100 . Alternatively, the signal or tilt information received by the flight controller 51 from the attitude calculation means 54 or the tilt information calculated by the flight controller 51 may be transmitted to the attitude control system 50 . The attitude control system 50 can calculate the attitude of the payload 101 from the attitude information of the aircraft 100 and the amount of rotation of the payload 101 rotated by the rotation mechanism.

The drive actuator 56 has a function of driving to a target angle and position. When using the attitude calculation means 54 of the flying object 100, the attitude of the payload 101 with respect to the flying object 100 can be calculated from the drive amount of each actuator. It is possible. Based on the tilt of the load 101 received from the attitude calculation means 57, the control computer 55 of the attitude control system 50 controls the drive so that the tilt is kept constant, for example, the load is kept horizontal. Controls the drive amount of the actuator.

The attitude control system 50 may acquire information on the change speed of the inclination of the flying object 100, that is, the angular velocity, from the attitude calculation means 54, and change the driving speed of the driving actuators.

In addition, by receiving target attitude information of the flying object 100 and attitude information of the future flying object from the flight controller 51 and receiver 52 of the flying object 100 and the computer that controls the autonomous control, A delay in rotation control of the rotor may be reduced. Feedforward control may be added to the attitude control of the rotating body using the information.

For controlling the attitude of the payload 101 with respect to the flying object 100, a control method used for general gimbals can be used. In the case of controlling a camera mounted on a gimbal horizontally by driving the rotating shaft as a motor, an actuator for driving the rotation mechanism of the present application may be driven instead of the motor.

7, 8, or 9 is shown as an example of application to a case where the tilt of the airframe changes greatly between hovering and moving, such as a tail-sitter type flying object.

As shown in the example of FIG. 11, when the flying object 100 changes its attitude during flight at the rotation center O by 90° in the x-axis direction, the rotation mechanism of the present application is connected to the flying object 100 so as to be rotatable in the x-axis direction. This makes it possible to keep the payload 101 horizontal with respect to both the attitudes of the flying object during hovering (a) and during movement (b).

The length between joints XA10-AB12 and between joints XC11-BC13 may be changed during flight. In the example of FIG. 11, the distance between the bottom surface of the flying object and the link B3 is long at flight time 100, so the size during flight can be suppressed by shortening the distance.

Each joint position of the rotation mechanism may be configured to be changeable. One example is to allow the length of links between joints to vary. One example of a variable length configuration places the joints of the links on sliders whose movement can be locked. As another example, a part of the link may be configured with a screw so that the distance between the joints can be adjusted according to the degree of tightening of the screw. You can think of connecting the joints with male and female threads so that the distance between the joints can be changed.

A plurality of joint position candidates may be prepared, and when connecting to the rotation reference, the joint position to be used may be selected according to the size of the rotation reference and the position of the rotation center O to assemble the rotation mechanism. For example, multiple joint holes are provided in each link, the hole to be used is selected according to the size of the aircraft and the position of the rotation center O, and the links can rotate around the hole with screws and rivets. Connecting.

In particular, by making it possible to change the position of the joint BY with respect to the joint AB and the position of the joint DY with respect to the joint AD, the position of the rotation center O of the rotation mechanism can be changed, so that it can be applied to various flying objects. It is also possible to replace the aircraft.

The orientation of the load 100 with respect to the link Y may be changed. For example, link Y and payload 101 are connected by a normal gimbal. With such a configuration, the movement of the payload can be controlled by the movement of the vehicle, and the orientation of the payload can be gimbal-controlled.

Moreover, the load 101 and the link Y may be connected by a vibration-proof member. Alternatively, the link X and the flying object 100 may be connected by a vibration-isolating member.

In the rotation mechanism of the present application, since all joints can be configured with rotating pairs, for example, it is advantageous in terms of load capacity compared to a configuration that uses spherical pairs such as ball joints.

Regarding the rotation mechanism of the present application, compared to general gimbals, the object to be rotated such as the camera, the rotation reference in the present application, and the flying object do not need to be configured to fit inside the gimbal, so the overall size can be reduced. be able to.

The above-described embodiments are examples for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit and interpret the present invention. It goes without saying that the present invention can be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and that equivalents thereof are included in the present invention.

The function of one component in the embodiment of the present application may be distributed as multiple components, or the functions of multiple components may be integrated into one component. Also, at least part of the configuration of the embodiment of the present application may be replaced with a known configuration having similar functions.

It can be used when you want to keep the posture of the load horizontal, such as carrying luggage with a drone, shooting with a camera, and measuring devices such as sensors.

When used for sensing such as 3D mapping, there is no need to correct the sensing position in consideration of the tilt of the measurement device due to the tilt of the aircraft, so calculation processing can be simplified and errors can be reduced.

0 Center of rotation O
1 link X
2 Link A
3 Link B
4 Link C
5 Link D
6 Link Y
10 Joint XA
11 Joint XC
12 Joint AB
13 Joint BC
14 Joint AD
15 Joint BY
16 Joint DY
17 Joint CD
30 arms
31 Actuator
32 drive link
33 Rotation Mechanism
50 Attitude Control System
51 Flight Controller
52 Receiver
53 Motor Propeller
54 Attitude calculation means
55 Control computer
56 Drive Actuator
57 Attitude calculation means
100 aircraft
101 Cargo
300 Link Y of the first rotating mechanism connecting the second rotating mechanism
301 Second Link X
302 Second Link A
303 Second link B
304 Second Link C
305 Second Link D
306 Second Link Y
310 2nd Joint XA
311 2nd Joint XC
312 2nd joint AB
313 2nd joint BC
314 2nd Joint AD
315 SECOND JOINT BY
316 2nd joint DY
317 Second Joint CD
400 Link Y of the third rotating mechanism
501 Link X of the first rotating mechanism and the third rotating mechanism
502 Third Link A
505 Third Link D
510 3rd Joint XA
514 3rd Joint AD
516 3rd Joint DY
601 bearing or motor
602 Connection member to rotation reference

Claims (4)

Link X and link A are connected by joint XA,
Link A and link B are connected by joint AB,
Link B and link Y are connected by joint BY,
Link C is connected by joint XC on link X and joint BC on link B,
Link D is connected by joint AD on link A and joint DY on link Y,
The straight line connecting joints XA and XC is parallel to the straight line connecting joints AB and BC, and
The straight line connecting joints AB and AD is parallel to the straight line connecting joints BY and DY,
The straight line connecting joints XA and AB is parallel to the straight line connecting joints XC and BC, and
A mechanism in which joints are arranged so that a straight line connecting joints AB and BY and a straight line connecting joints AD and DY are parallel,
a rotation reference is connected to link X, or link X is a rotation reference, and
A rotation mechanism in which a rotating body is connected to the link Y, or the link Y is a rotating body. comprising the first rotation mechanism and the second rotation mechanism according to claim 1,
the link X of the second rotation mechanism is connected to the link Y of the first rotation mechanism;
A rotating mechanism in which the rotating body is connected to the link Y of the second rotating mechanism. 3. The rotating mechanism of claim 1, wherein the rotating reference is an aircraft, and the rotating body is a payload. 4. The rotating mechanism of claim 3, wherein the load is a measuring device.

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