JP3836469B2 - Spraying device and spraying method using radio controlled helicopter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a spraying apparatus and a spraying method using a radio control helicopter capable of effectively spraying a liquid agent in a field, a forest, a riverbed, or the like.

Conventionally, various liquid agent or granule (agricultural chemical, etc.) spraying devices using a radio control helicopter have been proposed. Liquid spray using a radio control helicopter sprays or drops liquid or granule from a height of 2 to 3 meters above the ground. It can spray an area of 40 ares in one flight with a required time of around 3 minutes. And reduction of labor. In addition, since the weight of the aircraft is light, crops that have been knocked down after the aircraft has moved completely return without damaging the crops due to wind pressure. Furthermore, since it can fly in an extremely low altitude compared to an actual helicopter, the sprayed liquid or granule can be attached to the crop without waste, and it can be prevented from scattering to the surroundings to minimize environmental degradation. . Further, the sprayed liquid or granule descends due to the swirling flow of the main rotor and efficiently adheres to the back of the crop.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-163223 discloses a granular material spraying device that prevents agricultural chemicals from being sprayed over a wide range more than necessary and causing damage to surrounding human livestock. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-163922 discloses a device that uses a high concentration of pesticides to limit the amount of medicine that can be mounted on a radio-controlled helicopter, and eliminates uneven spraying by refining the sprayed pesticides. It is disclosed.
JP-A-7-163223 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-163922

  A conventional spraying device using a radio controlled helicopter configured as described above can easily check the flight speed and spray amount when the radio controlled helicopter is flying near the pilot. It is difficult to check the flight speed and spread rate. In the case of a spraying device using a radio-controlled helicopter, it is essential to spray the amount of liquid or granule according to the flight speed, and it is impossible to spray a uniform amount of liquid or granule unless the flight speed is accurately grasped. . For this reason, it is necessary for the operator to concentrate on both the helicopter operation and the spraying of the liquid or the granule, which has a great mental burden.

  The present invention has been proposed in view of the above, and it is possible to spray the amount of liquid or granule according to the flight speed of the aircraft even at a place away from the operator who is difficult to see, and the liquid or granule spraying work An object of the present invention is to provide a spraying apparatus and a spraying method using a radio control helicopter that can reduce the burden on the vehicle.

In order to achieve the above object, a spraying device using the radio-controlled helicopter of the present invention includes a storage tank for storing a sprayed liquid or granule, a spraying mechanism for spraying the liquid or granule, and a sensor for detecting wind force. A control unit for controlling the spraying mechanism, and a power supply for supplying power to the spraying mechanism, and adjusting the spraying amount from the spraying mechanism according to an output signal from the sensor, the sensor is a radio controlled helicopter It is an ON-OFF switch that is turned on and off by wind force in either the forward or backward direction .

  Since this invention consists of an above-described structure, there can exist an effect which is demonstrated below.

In the invention according to claim 1, a storage tank for storing the liquid or granule to be sprayed, a spraying mechanism for spraying the liquid or granule, a sensor for detecting wind force, a control unit for controlling the spraying mechanism, A power supply for supplying power to the spraying mechanism, and adjusting the spraying amount from the spraying mechanism according to an output signal from the sensor, and the sensor is turned on by wind force in either the forward or backward direction of the radio control helicopter Since the ON-OFF switch is turned off, the amount of spraying from the spraying mechanism can be controlled in two steps regardless of whether the helicopter moves forward or backward. Further, even in a place that is far away from the operator and difficult to see, it is possible to spray the amount of liquid or granule according to the flight speed of the aircraft. Therefore, the mental fatigue of the operator can be remarkably reduced.

  Even when flying far from the pilot, the purpose of spraying a uniform amount of liquid or granule can be realized by detecting the wind force applied to the radio control helicopter and adjusting the spray amount.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a liquid agent spraying apparatus using a radio control helicopter according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of a wind sensor used in the liquid spraying apparatus using the radio control helicopter of the present invention. 3 is a block diagram showing a spray mechanism used in the liquid spraying apparatus using the radio control helicopter of the present invention. In this embodiment, the spraying device 10 using a radio control helicopter includes a storage tank 11 that stores a liquid agent to be sprayed, a spray mechanism 13 that sprays the liquid agent from a nozzle 12, a sensor 14 that detects wind force, and the spray mechanism 13. And a power source 18 that supplies power to the drive motor 17 via the control unit 15.

  A plurality of nozzles 12 are installed along the spreading bar 19. In this embodiment, six nozzles 12 are attached at substantially equal intervals. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the sensor 14 includes, for example, a rectangular wind measuring board 21 that is rotatably attached to the spray bar 19 by a hinge 20, and a detection unit 22 that is installed before and after the wind measuring board 21. It is composed of The detection unit 22 is an ON-OFF switch that is turned ON / OFF by the wind measurement board 21a that is turned backward or forward by wind power. Therefore, when the wind measuring board 21 receives a predetermined wind or more from the front or the rear, the detection unit 22 is turned on, and this detection signal is transmitted to the control unit 15, and the control unit 15 controls the drive motor 17.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the spray mechanism 13 includes a pump 16 connected to the storage tank 11 and a drive motor 17 that drives the pump 16. The drive motor 17 is controlled by the control unit 15, and by increasing the rotation number of the drive motor 17, the amount of liquid sprayed from the nozzle 12 is increased, and conversely, the rotation number of the drive motor 17 is decreased. Thereby, the quantity of the liquid agent sprayed from the nozzle 12 can be reduced.

  The sensor 14 may output a stepped signal or a stepless signal corresponding to the wind force in either the forward or backward direction of the radio control helicopter. When comprised in this way, the quantity of the liquid agent sprayed from the nozzle 12 can be adjusted stepwise or steplessly.

  A usage mode of the spraying device using the radio controlled helicopter configured as described above will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 4, during hovering or ultra-low speed flight, the wind from the main rotor 23 of the helicopter blows down in the direction of the arrow, that is, directly below. In this state, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 2, the wind measuring board 21 is suspended from the hinge 20 and is not detected by the detection unit 22. At this time, the control unit 15 keeps the number of rotations of the drive motor 17 low and reduces the amount of liquid sprayed from the nozzle 12 to prevent a large amount of liquid spray from being sprayed on the same place.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, when flying at an appropriate speed, the wind from the main rotor 23 of the helicopter blows down in the direction of the arrow, that is, obliquely downward. In this state, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 2, the wind measuring board 21 a is rotated obliquely backward from the hinge 20 and is detected by the detection unit 22. At this time, the control unit 15 increases the number of rotations of the drive motor 17 and increases the amount of liquid agent sprayed from the nozzle 12 to ensure that a uniform amount of liquid agent is sprayed. Note that the radio control helicopter may be used for backward flight. When the radio controlled helicopter flies backward, the wind measuring board 21 rotates forward, and the detection unit 22 is turned on.

  By configuring the present invention as described above, even when the sprayed state cannot be confirmed with the naked eye when flying far away from the operator, a uniform amount of liquid can be sprayed on the field, etc. The labor of spraying the liquid using a radio control helicopter can be significantly reduced. In other words, the operator can concentrate solely on flying the helicopter, and the amount of application can be adjusted automatically.

  It should be noted that the color of the scattering bar 19 is easily visible, for example, a fluorescent color, so that the attitude of the aircraft can be easily confirmed even when flying far away. Moreover, when the detection part 22 shall output the stepwise signal or stepless signal according to a wind force, the quantity of the liquid agent sprayed from the nozzle 12 can be adjusted stepwise or steplessly.

  Further, the spraying method using the radio control helicopter according to the present invention includes a detection step of detecting wind force with respect to a plane perpendicular to the traveling direction of the radio control helicopter, and an amount of spray from the spray mechanism is adjusted according to a detection result of the detection step. It comprises an adjustment step and a spraying step of spraying the liquid agent on the field or the like while discharging the liquid agent from the nozzle at the spray amount determined by the adjustment step.

  In the detection step, for example, the sensor 14 as shown in FIG. 2 is used, and the wind force received by the helicopter is measured by the inclination of the wind measuring board 21. The measurement of the wind force is not limited to the wind measuring board, and may be a propeller type. Moreover, a Pitot tube, a hot wire anemometer, etc. can be used.

  The adjustment step adjusts the amount of spray from the nozzle by adjusting the number of rotations of the drive motor according to the detection result of the sensor. The rotation number adjustment of the drive motor includes two-stage control, multi-stage control, stepless control, and the like.

  The spraying step adjusts the number of rotations of the drive motor in accordance with the detection result of the sensor in the adjustment step, thereby adjusting the spraying amount from the spraying mechanism and then spraying the liquid agent or the granule on the field or the like.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a spraying mechanism used in the granule spraying apparatus using the radio control helicopter of the present invention, and FIG. 7 shows a spraying mechanism used in the granule spraying apparatus using the radio control helicopter of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing. In the present embodiment, the spraying mechanism 24 includes a granule spraying section 25 that sprays the granules, and the granule spraying section 25 includes a shutter 27 that opens and closes an opening 26 of the granules falling from the storage tank 11. A rotating plate drive motor 29 that drives a rotating plate 28 for diffusing the granules R falling from the opening 26, and controls the opening degree of the shutter 27 via the control unit 15.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a large number of granules R are stored in the storage tank 11, and an opening 26 is formed at the lower end. The opening 26 is controlled to be opened and closed by a shutter 27. Further, a rotary plate 28 is rotatably supported at the lower end of the opening 26 by a rotary plate drive motor 29. Therefore, the granule R dropped from the opening 26 is uniformly diffused by the rotating plate 28. The amount of diffusion is controlled by the shutter 27.

  When comprised as mentioned above, according to the flight speed of a helicopter, a suitable quantity of granule can be sprayed.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a liquid spraying apparatus using a radio control helicopter according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of a wind sensor used in the liquid spraying apparatus using the radio controlled helicopter. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a spray mechanism used in the liquid spraying apparatus using the radio control helicopter. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a hovering state of the liquid spraying apparatus using the radio control helicopter. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a flight state of the liquid spraying device using the radio control helicopter. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a spraying mechanism used in the granule spraying apparatus using the radio control helicopter. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a spraying mechanism used in the granule spraying apparatus using the radio control helicopter. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a hovering state of the granule spraying apparatus using the radio control helicopter. FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a flight state of the granule spraying apparatus using the radio control helicopter.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Spraying apparatus using radio controlled helicopter 11 Storage tank 12 Nozzle 13 Spray mechanism 14 Sensor 15 Control part 16 Pump 17 Drive motor 18 Power supply 19 Spreading bar 20 Hinge 21 Wind measuring board 22 Detection part 23 Main rotor 24 Spraying mechanism 25 Granule spraying Part 26 opening
27 Shutter 28 Rotating plate 29 Rotating plate drive motor

Claims (1)

Storage tank for storing liquid or granule to be sprayed, spraying mechanism for spraying liquid or granule, sensor for detecting wind force, control unit for controlling the spraying mechanism, and power supply for supplying power to the spraying mechanism And
The amount of spraying from the spraying mechanism is adjusted according to the output signal from the sensor, and the sensor is an ON-OFF switch that is turned on and off by wind power in either the forward or backward direction of the radio control helicopter. A spraying device using a radio controlled helicopter.

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