JP2024033489A - working equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to improve the stability of an unmanned aerial vehicle in a working device that uses the unmanned aerial vehicle. A working device 100 is a connector 3 that connects an unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and a working tool 2 that requires a working force including a horizontal component to the unmanned aircraft 1, and includes at least a working tool in the pitch direction. and a connector 3 that allows rotation of the connector. [Selection diagram] Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to a work device.

Conventionally, it has been proposed to use unmanned aerial vehicles for various tasks such as work at heights. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a snow removal device that uses a drone. This device uses a drone to tow a snow blower. Specifically, the snow blower is provided with two handles. The drone is equipped with a winch. The snow blower is towed by the drone by attaching wires wrapped around the winch to two handles.

JP2022-38623A

In the devices described above, various loads such as reaction forces from operations are applied to the unmanned aircraft. Therefore, there is a possibility that the unmanned aircraft will fly unstable.

An object of the present invention is to provide a working device that can improve the stability of an unmanned aircraft.

A working device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a connector that connects an unmanned aircraft and a working tool that requires a working force including a horizontal component to the unmanned aircraft, the working device rotating at least in a pitch direction. and a connector that allows.

The connector may extend vertically downward from the center of gravity of the unmanned aircraft, and the work implement may be retained by the lower end of the connector.

The work implement may include a rod that may be held horizontally or at an angle to the horizontal by the lower end of the connector.

The connector may hold the rod at the center of gravity of the work implement.

The length of the rod may be greater than the maximum width of the unmanned aerial vehicle in the horizontal direction.

A first end of the rod may receive a working force, and a second end of the rod opposite the first end may include an auxiliary propeller that generates a thrust opposite the reaction force from the working force.

According to the present disclosure, the stability of an unmanned aircraft can be improved.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a working device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the working device in use. FIG. 3 is another schematic side view showing the working device in use.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Specific dimensions, materials, numerical values, etc. shown in such embodiments are merely examples for easy understanding, and do not limit the present disclosure unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are designated by the same reference numerals to omit redundant explanation, and elements not directly related to the present disclosure are omitted from illustration. do.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a working device 100 according to an embodiment. The working device 100 can be used for various tasks that require working force including a horizontal component. For example, the work device 100 is used for high-place work. The work using the work device 100 is not limited to work at high places, and may be, for example, various works that are generally performed by humans.

For example, in this embodiment, the work device 100 is used to remove snow from a high place such as a roof. For example, the work device 100 includes an unmanned aerial vehicle 1, a snow blower (work implement) 2, a connector 3, and a controller 4.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 may be, for example, a drone. For example, the unmanned aircraft 1 may be an "unmanned aircraft" as defined in Article 2, Paragraph 22 of the Japanese Civil Aeronautics Act. For example, the unmanned aircraft 1 may be an airplane, a rotary-wing aircraft, a glider, or an airship that can be used for aviation purposes, but which cannot be manned due to its structure, and which can be remotely controlled or automatically piloted (automatically controlled by a program). It may also be possible to fly the aircraft by controlling the aircraft. For example, in this embodiment, the unmanned aircraft 1 is a multicopter type drone.

In this embodiment, the unmanned aircraft 1 includes a plurality of propellers (blades) 11. For example, the plurality of propellers 11 are arranged radially with respect to the center of the unmanned aircraft 1 (for example, the center of gravity G1). For example, the propeller 11 is rotated by a motor (not shown). The plurality of propellers 11 are rotatable independently of each other. For example, the operation of the propeller 11 is controlled by the controller 4. The propeller 11 generates an upward thrust in the vertical direction. Directions such as forward, rear, right, left, up (vertically upward), and downward (vertically downward) are predetermined for the unmanned aircraft, and the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 controls the rotation speed of the plurality of propellers 11. It can be moved forward, backward, right, left, up and down. An operator can move the unmanned aircraft 1 in a desired direction by operating the controller 4.

The snow blower 2 is configured to apply a working force including a horizontal component to the snowfall. For example, the snow blower 2 includes a rod 21, a head 22, and one or more auxiliary propellers 23.

The rod 21 is held by the connector 3 horizontally or at an angle to the horizontal. In this embodiment, the length of the rod 21 is longer than the maximum width of the unmanned aircraft 1 in the horizontal direction. More specifically, in this embodiment, the rod 21 is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the unmanned aircraft 1, and the rod 21 is longer than the width of the unmanned aircraft 1 in the longitudinal direction. In other embodiments, the length of the rod 21 may be shorter than the maximum width of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 in the horizontal direction.

A head 22 is provided at the first end 2a of the rod 21. In this embodiment, the rod 21 is held by the connector 3 such that the head 22 is located on the front side of the unmanned aircraft 1. When the working device 100 is used, the head 22 is pierced into the snow horizontally or, depending on the shape of the roof, in a direction inclined to the horizontal direction. Therefore, the first end 2a receives a reaction force including a horizontal component, more specifically, a reaction force including a backward component. For example, head 22 includes a plurality of protrusions extending perpendicularly to rod 21. The shape of the head 22 is not limited to this, and the head 22 may have various shapes suitable for snow removal.

An auxiliary propeller 23 is provided at the second end 2b of the rod 21. In this embodiment, two auxiliary propellers 23 are provided at the second end 2b. In this embodiment, the rod 21 is held by the connector 3 such that the auxiliary propeller 23 is located on the rear side of the unmanned aircraft 1. For example, the two auxiliary propellers 23 are arranged along the left-right direction. The auxiliary propeller 23 generates a thrust including a forward component, that is, a thrust in the opposite direction to the reaction force applied to the first end 2a.

For example, the rod 21 may be divided into a first rod 21a including a first end 2a and a second rod 21b including a second end 2b. For example, the first rod 21a may be fixed to the head 22, and the second rod 21b may be fixed to the auxiliary propeller 23. The first rod 21a and the second rod 21b may be separable from each other, or may be assembled together when the working device 100 is used. The working device 100 may include an auxiliary propeller unit 50 that includes a combination of the second rod 21b and the auxiliary propeller 23.

In other embodiments, a commercially available snow blower with a handle may be used as the first rod 21a and head 22 combination. In this case, a combination of a commercially available snow blower and the auxiliary propeller unit 50 may be used as the snow blower 2 of the present disclosure.

The connector 3 connects the snow blower 2 to the unmanned aircraft 1. In this embodiment, the connector 3 extends downward from the center of gravity G1 of the unmanned aircraft 1. The upper end of the connector 3 is connected to the unmanned aircraft 1. The lower end of the connector 3 holds the snow blower 2. Specifically, in this embodiment, the connector 3 holds the rod 21 such that the head 22 is located at the front side of the unmanned aircraft 1 and the auxiliary propeller 23 is located at the rear side of the unmanned aircraft 1. Further, in this embodiment, the connector 3 holds the rod 21 at the center of gravity G2 of the snow remover 2 including the auxiliary propeller unit 50. Therefore, the snow remover 2 is kept horizontal. When holding the snow remover 2 at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction, the connector 3 may hold the rod 21 at a position spaced apart from the center of gravity G2 of the snow remover 2, for example. Alternatively, the snow remover 2 may be loosely restrained relative to the unmanned aircraft 1 by a supporter such as a cable tie, for example, so that the snow remover 2 is held at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction.

Note that in the present disclosure, if the part used for work, the head 22 in this embodiment, is not placed on the front side of the unmanned aircraft 1, priority may be given to the direction related to the work tool. Specifically, the direction of the working force is defined as “in front” of the working device 100, and the direction opposite to the working force is defined as “behind” the working device 100. Further, the horizontal direction perpendicular to the working force is defined as the "left" and "right" of the working device 100, and the rotation direction around this left-right axis is defined as the "pitch". "Roll" and "yaw" may be similarly redefined.

The connector 3 is configured to allow rotation of the snow remover 2 at least around the left and right axes, that is, rotation of the snow remover 2 in the pitch direction. From another point of view, the connector 3 is configured such that the part used for the work, the head 22 in this embodiment, is swingable at least vertically up and down. In this embodiment, the connector 3 is configured to allow rotation of the snow remover 2 around the left-right axis and around the front-back axis, that is, rotation of the snow remover 2 in the pitch direction and the roll direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, the connector 3 does not allow rotation of the snow blower 2 in the yaw direction. According to such a configuration, the snow remover 2 can be held so that the head 22 always faces forward. Note that in other embodiments, the connector 3 may be configured to allow rotation of the snow blower 2 in the pitch direction, roll direction, and yaw direction. In this case, for example, the operation of a part of the snow remover 2 may be restrained by a supporter such as a binding band so that the snow remover 2 is difficult to rotate in the yaw direction.

For example, the connector 3 that allows the snow blower 2 to rotate includes a universal joint or a gimbal. The connector 3 is not limited to these, and can include various structures that allow rotation of the snow blower 2 at least in the pitch direction (for example, a bearing, etc.).

For example, the work device 100 may be provided with a mooring line C when used in a specific situation such as over a densely populated area or at night. In this case, for example, the mooring line C may be a string having a length of 30 m or less and sufficient strength. The mooring line C can be attached to an appropriate location on the working device 100. In this embodiment, the mooring line C is attached to the snow remover 2.

The controller 4 may be able to communicate with the unmanned aircraft 1 using known wireless communication standards. For example, the controller 4 may include a plurality of sticks, and the operator can remotely control the unmanned aircraft 1 by operating the sticks.

Next, the operation of the work device 100 will be explained.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the working device 100 in use. In FIG. 2, the work device 100 removes snow S from the roof R. In FIG. 2, the roof R is horizontal, and the head 22 penetrates the snow S in the horizontal direction.

When the work device 100 moves, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 receives a moment of inertia from the snow blower 2. When the snow blower 2 is fixed to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, there is a possibility that the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 will tilt due to the moment of inertia from the snow blower 2. In particular, in this embodiment, the rod 21 is longer than the width of the unmanned aircraft 1 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, the moment of inertia in the pitch direction tends to increase. Furthermore, if the snow remover 2 is fixed to the unmanned aircraft 1, there is a possibility that the falling snow S will hit the snow remover 2, causing the unmanned aircraft 1 to tilt. However, the connector 3 holds the snow blower 2 rotatably around the center of gravity G2 in the pitch direction and the roll direction. Therefore, by rotating the snow remover 2 in the pitch direction and the roll direction, the moment of inertia and the impact of the falling snow S are prevented from being applied to the unmanned aircraft 1. Therefore, the stability of the unmanned aircraft 1 is improved.

Further, in this embodiment, the first end 2a of the rod 21 receives a horizontal reaction force F1, more specifically, a backward reaction force F1 from the snow S. In contrast, in this embodiment, the auxiliary propeller 23 generates forward thrust F2. Therefore, the thrust force F2 increases the working force. Further, the second end 2b, which receives the forward thrust F2, is located coaxially with the first end 2a. Therefore, the thrust force F2 is opposite to and coaxial with the reaction force F1. By generating a thrust force F2 having an absolute value equal to the reaction force F1 by the auxiliary propeller 23, it is possible to cancel the rotational moment around the center of gravity G1 caused by the reaction force F1. Therefore, the stability of the unmanned aircraft 1 is further improved.

FIG. 3 is another schematic side view showing the working device 100 in use. In FIG. 3, the roof R is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, and the head 22 is stuck into the snow S in the direction inclined to the horizontal direction.

In this embodiment, the connector 3 holds the center of gravity G2 of the snow blower 2, and the snow blower 2 is kept horizontal in an unloaded state. However, since the snow remover 2 is rotatable in the pitch direction, the snow remover 2 naturally tilts with respect to the horizontal direction depending on the inclination angle of the roof R, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the working device 100 can function in substantially the same way as the situation in FIG. 2 . Note that in other embodiments, the snow remover 2 is loosely restrained with respect to the unmanned aircraft 1 by the supporter so that the snow remover 2 is held at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction depending on the inclination angle of the roof R. You may. In this case as well, the working device 100 can function in substantially the same way as the situation in FIG. 2 .

In particular, in FIG. 3, the first end 2a of the rod 21 receives from the snow S a reaction force F3 that includes a horizontal component and is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, more specifically, a backward downward reaction force F3. . On the other hand, in this embodiment, the second end 2b of the rod 21 receives the forward and upward thrust F4 from the auxiliary propeller 23. Therefore, the thrust force F4 increases the working force. Further, the second end 2b is located coaxially with the first end 2a. Therefore, the thrust force F4 is opposite to and coaxial with the reaction force F3. Therefore, in this embodiment as well, by generating the thrust force F4 having the same absolute value as the reaction force F3 by the auxiliary propeller 23, it is possible to cancel the rotational moment around the center of gravity G1 caused by the reaction force F3. Therefore, the stability of the unmanned aircraft 1 is improved.

As described above, the working device 100 according to the present embodiment is a connector 3 that connects the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and the snow blower 2, which requires a working force including a horizontal component, to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. A connector 3 is provided that allows rotation of the snow blower 2 at least in the pitch direction. According to such a configuration, by rotating the snow remover 2 in the pitch direction, the moment of inertia from the snow remover 2 is prevented from being applied to the unmanned aircraft 1. Therefore, the stability of the unmanned aircraft 1 is improved.

Further, in the working device 100, the connector 3 extends vertically downward from the center of gravity G1 of the unmanned aircraft 1, and the snow remover 2 is held by the lower end of the connector 3. According to such a configuration, the snow blower 2 is suspended from the unmanned aircraft 1 at the center of gravity G1. This prevents rotational moment due to the weight of the snow remover 2 from being applied to the unmanned aircraft 1.

Further, in the working device 100, the snow blower 2 includes a rod 21, which is held by the lower end of the connector 3 in the horizontal direction or at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction. According to such a configuration, the part used for work, the head 22 in this embodiment, can be placed at a position spaced apart from the unmanned aircraft 1 in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the risk of the unmanned aircraft 1 coming into contact with an object such as a roof can be reduced.

Further, in the working device 100, the connector 3 holds the rod 21 at the center of gravity G2 of the snow blower 2. According to such a configuration, the rod 21 is kept horizontal or substantially horizontal.

Furthermore, in the working device 100, the length of the rod 21 is longer than the maximum width of the unmanned aircraft 1 in the horizontal direction. In this case, the moment of inertia in the pitch direction tends to increase. The connector 3 therefore functions better to prevent moments of inertia from being imposed on the unmanned aircraft 1.

Further, in the working device 100, the first end 2a of the rod 21 receives a working force, and the second end 2b of the rod 21 opposite to the first end 2a receives a thrust F2 in the opposite direction to the reaction force from the working force. , F4. According to such a configuration, the working force is increased by the thrust forces F2 and F4. Further, the thrust forces F2 and F4 are opposite to and coaxial with the reaction forces F1 and F3. Therefore, by generating thrust forces F2 and F4 having the same absolute value as the reaction forces F1 and F3 by the auxiliary propeller 23, it is possible to cancel the rotational moment around the center of gravity G1 caused by the reaction forces F1 and F3. Therefore, the stability of the unmanned aircraft 1 is further improved.

Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. It is clear that those skilled in the art can come up with various changes and modifications within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these naturally fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. be done.

For example, in the above embodiment, the working device 100 is used to remove snow from the roof R. In other embodiments, work apparatus 100 may be used for various tasks that require work forces that include a horizontal component. For example, the work device 100 may be used to clean windows or exterior walls of a building. In this case, the working device 100 may include a cleaning tool such as a squeegee as a working tool. Further, for example, the work device 100 may be used for high-altitude water spraying work in the event of a fire. In this case, the working device 100 may include a water sprayer as a working tool. Further, for example, the work device 100 may be used for lawn mowing work. In this case, the work device 100 may include a lawn mower as a work implement. Even in these cases, the working device 100 may include the auxiliary propeller unit 50 attached to these working tools.

For example, this disclosure can contribute to improving urban safety, so Goal 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): ``Create cities and human settlements that are inclusive, safe, and resilient.'' and contribute to making it sustainable.

1 Unmanned aerial vehicle 2 Snow blower (work equipment)
2a First end 2b Second end 3 Connector 21 Rod 23 Auxiliary propeller 100 Working device F1 Reaction force F2 Thrust force F3 Reaction force F4 Thrust force G1 Center of gravity of unmanned aircraft G2 Center of gravity of snow blower

A working device according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a connector that connects an unmanned aircraft and a working tool that requires a working force including a horizontal component to the unmanned aircraft, the working device rotating at least in a pitch direction. a connector , the connector extending vertically downward from the center of gravity of the unmanned aircraft, and the work implement being retained by the lower end of the connector .

A working device according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a connector that connects an unmanned aircraft and a working tool that requires a working force including a horizontal component to the unmanned aircraft, the working device rotating at least in a pitch direction. a connector, the connector extending vertically downward from the center of gravity of the unmanned aircraft, and the work implement being held by the lower end of the connector to allow rotation at least in the pitch direction .

Claims (7)

unmanned aircraft and
A connector for connecting a working tool that requires a working force including a horizontal component to the unmanned aircraft, the connector allowing rotation of the working tool at least in a pitch direction;
A working device comprising: The connector extends vertically downward from the center of gravity of the unmanned aircraft,
the work implement is held by a lower end of the connector;
The working device according to claim 1. The work implement includes a rod;
the rod is held by a lower end of the connector horizontally or at an angle to the horizontal;
The working device according to claim 2. 4. The work device of claim 3, wherein the connector holds the rod at the center of gravity of the work implement. The working device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the length of the rod is longer than the maximum width of the unmanned aircraft in the horizontal direction. a first end of the rod receives the working force;
A second end of the rod opposite to the first end includes an auxiliary propeller that generates a thrust in the opposite direction to the reaction force from the working force.
The working device according to claim 3 or 4. a first end of the rod receives the working force;
A second end of the rod opposite to the first end includes an auxiliary propeller that generates a thrust opposite to the reaction force from the working force.
The working device according to claim 5.

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