JP5837032B2 - Aircraft that can travel on the ground - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an aircraft capable of traveling on the ground.

  A tilt rotor type flying body in which the rotor can be tilted with respect to the aircraft is known. For example, Patent Document 1 (International Publication WO 97/15492) discloses a manned flying body having four rotors. Yes. Tilt rotor type flying bodies can be hovered and are widely used to collect information indoors and outdoors. However, an unmanned air vehicle in remote operation cannot sufficiently avoid an obstacle only by using an image of a camera mounted on the airframe or GPS, so there is a possibility of collision with the obstacle or a crash. At this time, since the rotor is exposed to the outside, the airframe is severely damaged centering on the rotor.

  Tilt rotor type aircraft can obtain a large propulsive force in the air by tilting the rotor, but it consumes a lot of energy, and it is difficult to fly for a long time with a battery that can be mounted on a small unmanned aircraft. It was.

  On the other hand, the tilt rotor type flying body can travel on the ground by wheels like the flying body of Patent Document 1, but the tilt rotor type flying body is intended to obtain a large propulsive force in the air by tilting the rotor. Therefore, it is not suitable for long-term ground travel.

  Incidentally, Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-130146) and Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-505792) describe a flying body including four rotors. In these flying bodies, the rotor is disposed in the opening of the airframe, so that there is little impact on the rotor in the event of a collision or crash.

  However, since the upper and lower surfaces of the rotor are exposed, damage due to falling objects from above or falling objects with obstacles below is inevitable. In addition, the flying bodies described in Patent Documents 2 and 3 do not have wheels and cannot travel on the ground. Since the flying object described in Patent Document 1 also serves as a passenger car, it can be said that it is suitable for running on the ground. However, a driving source other than four rotors is required, and it is flying or running as compared with a flying object using only four rotors. There was a problem that time was shortened.

International Publication No. WO 97/15492 JP 2007-130146 A JP 2012-505792 A

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a flying body that is less damaged by a collision or crash and that can be operated for a longer time.

  The flying object capable of traveling on the ground according to the present invention is provided with four saddle-shaped protective spheres, four rotors arranged inside each saddle-shaped protective sphere, a shaft holding the rotor, and the shaft. An airframe, and the saddle-shaped protective sphere is attached to the shaft so as to be rotatable about the axis of the shaft, and two saddle-shaped protective spheres are arranged on the left and right of the traveling direction axis of the airframe. At least one shaft provided forward or backward is a flying body attached to the aircraft so as to be rotatable around the axis of the shaft. In other words, the flying object according to the present invention is a flying object in which a rotor is disposed inside a saddle-shaped protective sphere and the saddle-shaped protective sphere is used as a wheel in a so-called tilt rotor type flying object.

  In the flying body according to the present invention, since the rotor is disposed inside the hollow sphere having a mesh, contact between the rotor and the obstacle is prevented, and damage to the rotor due to contact is reduced. In addition, since the protective sphere is used as a wheel, when it is not necessary to fly for movement, the vehicle travels on the ground to suppress battery consumption. Furthermore, since it moves with the driving force of the rotor, a power source other than the rotor is not required, and the weight can be reduced. Since the airframe is protected by the protective sphere, damage to the airframe during a collision or crash is reduced.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a flying object according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the saddle-shaped protective sphere of the flying object shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the flying object shown in FIG. 1 and shows a state in which the saddle-shaped protective sphere is removed. FIG. 4 is a side view in which the flying object shown in FIG. 1 is partially broken. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view in which the flying body shown in FIG. 1 is partially broken, and shows a state where the rotor is tilted forward and backward. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an aircraft system including the aircraft shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a layout diagram of object proximity detection sensors provided in the flying object shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing the flight principle of the aircraft shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the airframe control system of the flying vehicle shown in FIG.

  The flying body according to the present invention includes four saddle-shaped protective spheres, four rotors arranged inside each saddle-shaped protective sphere, a shaft holding the rotor, and an airframe to which the shaft is attached. Prepare.

  The flying body includes four rotors that serve as a power source when the aircraft flies, moves in the air, and travels on the ground. Two rotors are arranged on the left and right sides of the aircraft in the traveling direction so as to keep the flying body level. The rotor has a plurality of blades, but the number is not limited. The rotor is fixed to a shaft attached to the airframe. The four rotors are preferably rotors having the same performance, but may be rotors having different performances.

  The shaft is attached to the fuselage at a right angle to the direction of travel of the fuselage. There are two or four shafts, and they are attached to the front and rear of the aircraft with respect to the method of traveling the aircraft. When there are two shafts, each shaft is attached through the airframe, one shaft is attached to the front of the airframe, and the remaining one shaft is attached to the rear of the airframe. In the case of four shafts, the two shafts are attached so as to extend to the left and right of the airframe, the two shafts are attached to the front of the airframe, and the remaining two shafts are attached to the rear of the airframe, respectively.

  One or two shafts provided at the front or rear of the airframe rotate around the axis of the shaft, and are attached to the airframe so that the rotating shaft of the rotor can be inverted within a range of approximately 90 degrees in the front-rear direction. That is, by rotating the shaft 90 degrees, the blade rotation surface is directed upward (see, for example, FIG. 1) and the blade rotation surface is directed forward and / or rearward of the aircraft (for example, see FIG. 5). In between, the rotation axis of the rotor can be tilted or raised. When the rotor blades are directed upward, the flying object is in a mode of flying in the air, and when the rotor blades are directed forward or backward of the aircraft, the flying object is in a mode of traveling on the ground. Note that it is only necessary that the rotation axis of the rotor is inverted within a range in which these two modes can be executed, and it is not always necessary to invert 90 degrees from the state where the rotation axis of the rotor faces upward. In addition, when speeding up or braking is required when traveling on the ground, all of the two or four shafts provided at the front and rear of the fuselage rotate around the shaft axis. Sometimes. At this time, the shaft provided at the front of the aircraft may be rotated forward at either the front or the rear of the aircraft as the shaft provided at the rear of the aircraft is rotated 90 degrees toward the rear of the aircraft. . These shafts rotate independently or in conjunction with each other.

  One rotor or two rotors are attached to one shaft. In other words, the four shafts with one rotor fixed to the fuselage are attached so that the rotation shaft of the rotor can be inverted, or the two shafts with two rotors fixed are respectively the rotor shafts. The rotating shaft can be mounted upside down.

  The saddle-shaped protective sphere is a protective member for a rotor having a hollow inside having a mesh. The saddle-shaped protective sphere is attached to the shaft so that the attachment position of the rotor to the shaft is substantially the center of the saddle-shaped protective sphere. The saddle-shaped protective sphere is attached to the shaft through a bearing and freely rotates around the shaft. That is, in the saddle-shaped protective sphere, the rotor can turn the blade upward or the blade can face the front of the airframe. In addition, a stopper that temporarily stops free rotation in the mode of flying in the air is provided as necessary.

  Each bowl-shaped protective sphere is at least large enough that the rotor blades do not touch and the bottom of the fuselage does not touch the ground. The four bowl-shaped protective spheres are the same size. That is, the saddle-shaped protective sphere functions to protect the rotor, particularly the blade, and to function as a wheel when traveling on the ground. Therefore, the size and shape of the mesh of the saddle-shaped protective sphere are determined in consideration of the obtained propulsive force, the strength as a wheel, and the risk of contact with an obstacle. The material of the saddle-shaped protective sphere is not particularly limited, but is determined in consideration of flight performance and ground performance, and a lightweight and high-strength material is preferably used. The material is, for example, carbon fiber, FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastics), aluminum alloy, and can be aluminum.

  The flying body is provided with one or more imaging devices, one or more, preferably a plurality of object proximity detection sensors and inertial measurement devices, as necessary. The photographing device is a device for photographing a surrounding situation, and a moving image or a still image photographed by the photographing device is transmitted wirelessly or by wire. In addition, the flying object may be provided with a recording device that records a captured moving image or still image. An object proximity detection sensor is a known sensor that measures a distance from an obstacle around a flying object. The object proximity detection sensor includes a transmission unit that transmits a signal using ultrasonic waves, infrared rays, or the like and a reception unit that receives a signal reflected from a surrounding object, and the measurement unit measures a distance from the transmitted / received signal to the object. The inertial measurement device is a device that measures the attitude and traveling direction of the airframe, and generally includes a three-axis gyroscope, a three-direction accelerometer, and a three-axis geomagnetic meter. Furthermore, in order to improve reliability, the inertial measurement device may further include a sensor having a function different from that of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, or a geomagnetometer, such as a pressure gauge, a current meter, and a GPS.

  Although the shape of the airframe is not limited, a cylindrical body having a cavity is preferable, and an airframe having a rounded tip is preferable so that resistance during flight is reduced. The airframe includes an on-board control device that controls the rotation of four rotors and shafts, a drive mechanism for rotating the shaft, one or more imaging devices, one or more object proximity sensors, an inertial measurement device, and a remote controller. A receiving device for receiving a control signal, a transmitting device for transmitting a sensor signal or an image signal from an object proximity sensor, an autonomous control device for autonomous control based on a signal from an object proximity sensor, these mechanisms, A battery or the like serving as a power source for the device is provided. The material of the airframe is not particularly limited, but is preferably strong and lightweight, such as carbon fiber, FRP, aluminum alloy, and aluminum.

  The installation location of the photographing apparatus is arbitrary, and may be, for example, the tip of the aircraft, the lower surface of the aircraft, or the upper surface of the aircraft. The installation location of the object detection sensor is also arbitrary, and may be, for example, the tip of the shaft, the lower surface of the shaft, the tip of the airframe, the upper surface of the airframe, or the lower surface of the airframe. Moreover, it may be attached via an attachment member for sensor attachment.

  The flying object is configured as a flying object system by a ground station provided separately from the flying object. The flying object is operated by an instruction from the ground station. The flying object flies by remote control by human manual operation, automatic control based on autonomous control, or a combination thereof. The ground station differs depending on the operation method of the flying object. For example, a remote controller for manual operation, a display device such as a tablet terminal or a liquid crystal display, a wireless device (for example, wireless LAN) for communicating between the airframe and the ground station, a rotor A machine control device (for example, a computer) for calculating a control amount and controlling the machine, a ground controller (for example, a computer) for converting an operation from a remote controller or computer into a control signal, and the like are combined as necessary.

  Most of the remote operations are wireless operations, but may be wired operations. A remote controller is used for manual operation. The remote controller is, for example, a so-called propo set (propo) using digital proportional control, and may be a personal computer equipped with a wireless device.

  In the case of remote operation, the operation from the remote controller is converted into a control signal by the ground control device, and the converted control signal is transmitted from the transmission device of the ground station. The transmitted control signal is received by a receiving device provided on the fuselage, and the on-board control device controls the rotor (for example, rotational speed control) and shaft control (around the shaft axis) based on the received control signal. Various controls such as rotation control) are performed. The sensor signal and image signal of the object detection sensor, and the airframe information grasped by the inertial measurement device are transmitted to the remote controller from the transmission / reception device provided on the flying object. The received machine information and image signals are displayed on a display device on the remote controller and / or the ground control device, and recorded on a recording device on the remote controller and / or personal computer as necessary.

  In autopilot based on autonomous control, avoid contact with obstacles based on the measurement results of the position and orientation of the aircraft, the traveling direction, and the distance to the object, which are measured from the sensor signals from inertial measurement devices and object proximity detection sensors. The flying object moves forward and backward. It is also possible to set a target position in advance. The target position is set in advance from the ground station to the control device of the aircraft based on, for example, GPS or map information that has been grasped in advance. Control that avoids such obstacles and flight to a target position can be performed by, for example, an autonomous control device.

  Airframe information obtained from the object proximity detection sensor and the inertial measurement device is displayed on the display device of the ground station. The aircraft information is, for example, the flight altitude, the position of the aircraft, the flight speed, the traveling direction, the rotation speed of each rotor and the rotation angle (rotation amount of the shaft), Or the acceleration of each rotor, the angular velocity of the aircraft and / or each rotor, the tilt of the aircraft, and the distance to surrounding objects (obstacles). The machine information is automatically displayed on the display device as needed, and items selected by the operator as necessary are displayed on the display device.

  The flying object has a mode for flying in the air (air flight mode) and a mode for traveling on the ground (ground travel mode). Switching between the aerial flight mode and the ground traveling mode is performed by rotating the shaft. Switching is performed at any time by remote operation or when it is determined that it is necessary to overcome an obstacle in autonomous control.

  The aerial flight mode is a mode in which four rotors are controlled with the blades facing upward. A method of controlling the flight of an air vehicle with four rotors is also known. That is, ascending / descending and front / back / left / right flight are controlled by the difference in rotational speed of the four rotors. The ground running mode is a combination of the two rotors or the remaining two in the state in which the blades of the two rotors or four rotors at the front or rear of the aircraft are directed to the front and / or rear of the aircraft. In this mode, the rotors are controlled. A method of controlling the flying of the flying object with two or four rotors is also known. For example, when traveling on a flat ground, two rotors with blades facing forward are controlled. At this time, the remaining two rotors are in a stopped state. Further, when the vehicle is running, the remaining two rotors with the blades facing backward are controlled. In this state, the two rotors function as a brake, and the two rotors whose blades face forward are stopped.

  As described above, since the flying body according to the present invention includes the saddle-shaped protective sphere that functions as a wheel around the rotor, damage to the rotor (blade) due to contact with the object or dropping is reduced. Further, since the rotor is attached to the airframe so that the blades can be inverted to the front and / or rear of the airframe via the shaft, the propulsive force of the two rotors can be used for forward and backward travel during ground travel. For this reason, it is possible to travel on the ground with less power consumption than in the aerial flight mode with four rotors, and it is possible to operate for a long time.

  Hereinafter, an aircraft according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The flying body shown in FIG. 1 has a fuselage 1, four rotors 3a to 3d, two shafts 4a and 4b, and four saddle-shaped protective spheres 2. The airframe 1 has a hollow prismatic main body 1a and a hollow cylindrical portion 1b protruding from the center of the upper surface thereof. Each of the four rotors 3a to 3d has three blades, is the same size, and has the same performance. The shaft 4 a is provided in front of the machine body 1, and the shaft 4 b is provided in the rear of the machine body 1, and the shafts 4 a and 4 b penetrate the machine body 1. A shaft 4a in front of the fuselage 1 is provided in the fuselage 1 so as to be rotatable in a range of 90 degrees in the forward direction of the fuselage, and a rear shaft 4b of the fuselage 1 is attached to the fuselage 1 so as to be rotatable in a range of 90 degrees in the backward direction of the fuselage Is provided. Two rotors 3 a and 3 b are fixed to the shaft 4 a, and the rotors 3 c and 3 d are fixed to the shaft 4 b, and one rotor 3 a to 3 d is provided on each of the left and right sides of the body 1. The shaft 4a is provided with rotors 3a and 3b so that the rotation surface of the blade faces upward and forward of the body 1, and the other shaft 4b has the rotation surface of blade facing upward and the rear of the body 1. Are provided with rotors 3c and 3d. In the aerial flight mode, as shown in FIG. 3, the blade rotation surfaces of the four rotors 3a to 3d face upward, and the rotation surfaces of the four rotors 3a to 3d are located on the same plane. Further, in the ground traveling mode, as shown in FIG. 5, the blade rotation surfaces of the rotors 3 a and 3 b face the front of the body 1, and the blade rotation surfaces of the rotors 3 c and 3 d face the rear of the body 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, each bowl-shaped protective sphere 2 is made of a hollow true sphere having a mesh, and the sphere 2 has a shaft hole 2a through which the shafts 4a and 4b are inserted. The illustrated saddle-shaped protective sphere 2 is manufactured by arranging the wires in a graticule shape, and the weight is reduced. The saddle-shaped protective sphere 2 is attached to the shafts 4a and 4b via bearings (not shown) attached to the shaft holes 2a so as to freely rotate around the axes of the shafts 4a and 4b. When attached, the center of the bowl-shaped protective sphere 2 is located at a location where the rotors 3a to 3d are fixed to the shafts 4a and 4b. As shown in FIG. 4, the saddle-shaped protective sphere 2 has a size such that the blade does not contact and the bottom of the body 1 does not contact the ground. The four bowl-shaped protective spheres 2 have the same size, and the four bowl-shaped protective spheres 2 keep the airframe 1 substantially horizontal when grounded.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the aircraft system. The air vehicle system includes the air vehicle 10 shown in FIG. 1 and a ground station 20 for remotely operating the air vehicle 10.

  The flying object 10 has eight object proximity detection sensors 6. The object proximity detection sensor 6 is attached to the upper surface of the cylindrical portion 1b of the airframe 1, the lower surface of the airframe 1, the center of the left and right side surfaces of the airframe 1, the front surface of the airframe 1, the rear surface of the airframe 1, and the left and right in the vicinity of the front surface of the airframe 1. As shown in FIG. 7, these object proximity detection sensors 6 are located above the fuselage 1, below the fuselage 1, to the left of the fuselage 1, to the right of the fuselage 1, in front of the fuselage 1, behind the fuselage 1, and behind the fuselage 1. Monitor the left front and right front and measure the distance to the surrounding obstacles. Of the eight object proximity detection sensors 6, the object proximity detection sensor 6 in front of the body 1 and the object proximity detection sensor 6 below the body 1 are ultrasonic sensors. When used in a narrow space, there is a possibility of detecting a reflected wave by another sensor 6, so that detection of a reflected wave by another sensor 6 is avoided in the straight traveling direction and the altitude direction. The other object proximity detection sensor 6 is an infrared sensor. In addition, an aerial camera 5 is installed in front of the airframe 1 to capture an image in front of the airframe 1.

  The flying object 10 includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 13. An inertial measurement device 13 is also known, and the inertial measurement device 13 measures the acceleration, angular velocity, and azimuth of the flying object 10. The flying object 10 includes a control device 11. The control device 11 calculates a traveling direction, a traveling speed, an altitude, and a distance from the inertial measurement device 13 and the object proximity detection sensor 6 to the body information, and controls the four rotors 3a to 3d. The apparatus and an on-board controller that controls the rotation of the four rotors 3a to 3d and the shafts 4a and 4b by a control signal from the ground station 20 are provided. The air vehicle 10 further includes a wireless LAN modem 12 for communication with the ground station 20.

  The ground station 20 includes a personal computer (PC) 21 as a control device, a radio transmitter 23 as a radio controller, a tablet terminal 24 as a display device, and a wireless device (not shown). The personal computer 21 has both a ground control device that converts the operation of the transmitter 23 into a control signal and a camera control device that controls the aerial camera provided in the body 1.

  The flying object 10 and the ground station 20 are wirelessly connected via a wireless LAN modem 12 provided in the flying object 10. The control signal of the airframe 1 is transmitted from the personal computer 21 of the ground station 20 to the control device 11 of the flying object 10. The control signal of the aerial camera 5 is transmitted from the control device of the ground station 20 to the aerial camera 5. In addition, the body information grasped by the inertial measurement device 13 and the object proximity detection sensor 6 is transmitted to the personal computer 21 of the ground station 20 by radio. The transmitted body information is displayed on a display which is a display device provided in the personal computer 21. Images taken by the aerial camera 5 are also transmitted to the personal computer 21 of the ground station 20 via the wireless LAN modem 12 and displayed on the tablet terminal (display device) 24.

  The operator operates the transmitter 23 while confirming the aircraft information displayed on the display 22 of the ground station 20. When the propo 23 transmits the operated operation to the personal computer (control device) 21, the personal computer (control device) 21 transmits the control signal as a control signal to the machine body 1. The control device 11 on the flying object 10 controls the four rotors 3a to 3d or the shafts 4a and 4b based on the control signal. Further, when the operator gives a recording instruction on the tablet terminal (display device) 24, the video transmitted to the tablet terminal 24 is recorded.

  In the aerial flight mode, the flying vehicle 10 is controlled by controlling the four rotors 3a to 3d. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing the flight principle of the flying vehicle 10 by operating the four rotors 3a to 3d. The flying body 10 has a roll that shows left and right rotation with respect to the traveling direction of the airframe 1 (upper left figure in FIG. 8), a pitch that shows up and down movement of the airframe 1 (upper right figure in FIG. 8), The advancing direction is controlled by controlling the yaw (the lower diagram in FIG. 8) indicating the rotation at. For example, if the number of rotations of the two rotors 3a and 3c on the left side in the traveling direction is made larger than the number of rotations of the two rotors 3b and 3d on the right side, a roll that rotates clockwise with respect to the traveling direction is generated. Further, for example, if the rotational speeds of the two rotors 3a and 3b in front of the airframe 1 are made larger than the rotational speeds of the two rotors 3b and 3d in the rear of the airframe 1, a pitch in which the front of the flying object 10 rises is generated. Further, for example, when the rotational speeds of the rotor 3b at the front right of the body 1 and the rotor 3c at the rear left of the body 1 are made larger than the rotational speeds of the remaining two rotors 3a and 3d, yaw of right rotation occurs. In addition, the arrow shown on each rotor 3a-3d in FIG. 8 has shown the rotation direction of the braid | blade. Further, when the four rotors 3a to 3d are rotated equally, the flying object 10 moves up and down or hovers. These operations are performed according to instructions from the propo 23 of the ground station 20, and the instructions from the propo 23 are determined by the personal computer 21 of the ground station 20 based on control software (roll angle and pitch as target values). Angle, yaw angle, and throttle (rotation speed)) are generated, and the control signal is transmitted to the control device 11 of the flying object 10. The control device 11 of the flying object 10 controls the rotors 3a to 3d so as to achieve the target value. The flight control method of the flying object 10 by the four rotors 3a to 3d is known, and a known method is referred to for a specific operation method.

  In the ground travel mode, the shaft 4a rotates 90 degrees forward from the aerial flight mode, and the two rotors 3a and 3b in the traveling direction have their blades facing forward of the airframe 1. In this state, when the rotation speed and rotation direction of the two rotors 3a and 3b are changed, the saddle-shaped protection sphere 2 functions as a wheel, and the flying object 10 moves forward and backward on the ground. In addition, by changing the rotation speed of the two rotors 3a and 3b, or by driving a diagonal rotor among the four rotors 3a to 3d like a combination of the rotors 3a and 3d or 3b and 3c. The flying object 10 bends left and right.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the airframe control system of the flying object 10, and the flying object 10 is equipped with a system (collision avoidance system) that generates obstacle avoidance behavior. The system detects an object (obstacle) close to the flying object 10 and automatically avoids a collision with the object. In other words, the advancing angle, angular velocity, and altitude of the flying object 10 are corrected from the airframe information obtained from the eight object proximity detection sensors 6 and the inertial measurement device 13, thereby avoiding a collision with an obstacle. Due to this avoidance action, the control device 11 of the flying object 10 corrects necessary for avoiding an obstacle with respect to the angle level (roll, pitch, yaw) that is the target value transmitted from the ground station 20. The angle target values (θ, φ, ψ) are calculated, and the angular velocity target values (p, q, r) necessary for flight are obtained. Control values for the four rotors 3a to 3d are calculated from these target values and altitude target values to control the motor drivers 1, 2, 3, and 4 corresponding to the four rotors 3a to 3d, respectively.

  Thus, when the operator operates the prop 23 while viewing the image, the control device 11 mounted on the flying object 10 controls the four rotors 3a to 3d according to the operation of the prop 23, respectively, and moves the flying object 10 in the target direction. Steer. At this time, when the distance from the object (obstacle) to which the flying object 10 is close is equal to or less than the preset distance, the collision avoidance system corrects the control values of the four rotors 3a to 3d as described above to the object. Avoid collisions. If the operator sees the image and determines that the vehicle can travel on the ground, the vehicle 10 is shifted to the ground travel mode and travels on the ground. In the ground travel mode, the collision avoidance system corrects the traveling angle and the angular velocity from the body information obtained from the six object proximity sensors 6 and the inertial measurement device 13 except the object proximity sensors 6 on the upper and lower surfaces of the body, Avoid collisions with obstacles. Thus, the flying object 10 moves to the target value while performing the air flight and the ground traveling while avoiding the obstacles around.

  Since this flying body 10 is provided with the saddle-shaped protective sphere 2 so as to surround the rotors 3a to 3d, even if it contacts with an obstacle, the rotors 3a to 3d can be less damaged. Further, the rotors 3a and 3b provided in the flying body 10 are provided such that the rotating surfaces of the blades face the traveling direction, and the saddle-shaped protective sphere 2 serves as a wheel, so that the propulsive force of the rotors 3a and 3b. Can be used as a driving source in the traveling direction. Accordingly, the flying object 10 can travel on the ground only by driving the two rotors 3a and 3b, and energy consumption is reduced as compared with the forward and backward traveling by flight. As a result, a long-time monitoring activity by the flying object 10 can be performed.

  However, in the above embodiment, the manual operation in which the operator controls the flying object 10 while viewing the image has been described. However, in the flight system of the present invention, the purpose is automatically confirmed while confirming that there is no obstacle ahead. It can also be an automatic flight system that can fly to a place.

  The present invention provides an aircraft that can reduce damage to the aircraft and can operate for a long time. In particular, it is suitably used as a drone for reconnaissance in facilities and areas where it is difficult for a person to enter.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Airframe 2 Spear-shaped protection sphere 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d Rotor 10 Aircraft 21 Personal computer (Combined use of ground control device and camera control device)
23 Propo (remote controller)
24 Tablet terminal (display device)

Claims (3)

4 saddle protection spheres,
Four rotors arranged inside each bowl-shaped protective sphere;
A shaft holding the rotor;
An airframe to which the shaft is attached;
With
The saddle-shaped protective sphere is attached to the shaft so as to be rotatable around the axis of the shaft;
Two saddle-shaped protective spheres are arranged on the left and right of the traveling direction axis of the aircraft,
An aircraft capable of traveling on the ground, wherein at least one shaft provided in front of or behind the aircraft is attached to the aircraft so as to be rotatable around an axis of the shaft. The flying object includes an object proximity detection sensor and an inertial measurement device,
The flying body according to claim 1, further comprising a control mechanism that performs collision avoidance with an obstacle based on airframe position information detected by the object proximity detection sensor and the inertial measurement device.   A flying object system comprising: the flying object according to claim 1; and a ground station including a remote controller that controls flight and traveling of the flying object.

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