JP6765736B1 - Unmanned aerial vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an unmanned aerial vehicle having a simple structure and capable of moving along an upper structural portion while maintaining a stable attitude with respect to the upper structural portion. An unmanned aerial vehicle 10 includes a main body portion 12. The unmanned aerial vehicle 10 includes a lift generating means 13 capable of imparting lift to the main body 12. The unmanned aerial vehicle 10 includes a traveling means 18 capable of traveling with respect to the upper structural portion S using the lift generated by the lift generating means 13 as a grip. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle including a lift generating means.

Conventionally, in the investigation and inspection of tunnels or bridges, the ground penetrating radar system is used to investigate the concrete thickness, cavities, and reinforcing bar conditions. In such surveys, aerial work platforms and temporary scaffolding are used to perform measurements manually or by installing special jigs.

In the ground penetrating radar system, an antenna and a controller are manufactured individually, and these antennas and a controller are connected by a cable to transmit and receive electric power and data. For measurement, a minimum of four people are required, including a person who operates the antenna, a person who operates the controller, a vehicle operator, and a work assistant for measurement support.

Therefore, in recent years, a method of reducing the number of personnel is used by mounting the measuring device on an unmanned aerial vehicle such as a drone so that the operator of the unmanned aerial vehicle becomes a measuring member as it is. That is, the information acquisition unit is provided in the main body of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the unmanned aerial vehicle is moved along the structural unit such as the surveyed unit to acquire the information of the structural unit by the information acquisition unit. At that time, in order to stabilize the attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle with respect to the structural portion, a mechanism for contacting the structural portion is projected from the upper portion of the main body portion (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

JP 2015-223995 JP-A-2018-118525 JP-A-2019-26244

However, in the case of the configurations described in the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 to 3, when the unmanned aerial vehicle is moved, a propulsive force is generated in the front-rear direction by changing the rotation speed of the rotor blades located in the front-rear direction.

Therefore, in the case of the configurations described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the main body portion tilts forward when moving in the front-rear direction, and the measuring device mounted on the main body portion is maintained in a posture parallel to the structural portion. Becomes difficult. As a result, the accuracy of information acquisition by the measuring device is reduced.

Further, in the case of the configuration described in Patent Document 3, the support supporting the rotor blades can be rotated with respect to the main body portion in order to prevent the main body portion from tilting forward when moving in the front-rear direction. The structure for maintaining the posture of the main body and the measuring device, such as connecting, becomes complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of these points, and is an unmanned aerial vehicle that can be moved along the upper structural portion while maintaining a stable attitude with respect to the upper structural portion with a simple configuration. The purpose is to provide.

The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1 has a main body portion, a lift generating means capable of applying lift to the main body portion, and a detection portion at the upper end thereof, which is arranged on the upper portion of the main body portion. an information acquisition unit is a radar antenna device for acquiring an upper information of at least the body portion by an electromagnetic wave to be output upwards, attached to the information acquisition unit surrounds the detecting section at the top of the main body portion, It is provided with a traveling means capable of traveling with respect to the upper structural portion by being driven by the lift generated by the lift generating means as a grip.

The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 2 is the unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, which includes an auxiliary moving means capable of imparting propulsive force to the main body portion along the traveling direction of the traveling means.

The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 3 is the unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary moving means are arranged in pairs in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the traveling means.

The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 4 is the unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the traveling means are arranged in pairs in a direction intersecting the traveling direction .

According to the unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, the traveling means attached to the information acquisition unit, which is a radar antenna device, around the detection unit at the upper part of the central portion of the main body portion, uses the lift generated by the lift generating means as a grip. By being driven and traveling with respect to the upper structural part, with a simple configuration, the detection part at the upper end of the information acquisition unit is maintained in a state of facing the upper structural part with respect to the upper structural part. It can be moved along the upper structural part while maintaining a stable posture, and the information of the upper structural part can be accurately acquired by the information acquisition unit by outputting an electromagnetic wave upward from the detection unit .

According to the unmanned aircraft according to claim 2, in addition to the effect of the unmanned aircraft according to claim 1, a propulsive force for assisting the traveling of the traveling means can be imparted by the auxiliary moving means, so that the upper structural portion can be provided with a propulsive force. While maintaining a stable posture, the traveling by the traveling means can be assisted by the auxiliary moving means.

According to the unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 3, in addition to the effect of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 2, by changing the driving force of one auxiliary moving means and the other auxiliary moving means, the upper structural portion The traveling direction can be easily changed without changing the attitude toward.

According to the unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 4, in addition to the effect of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, by changing the driving force between one traveling means and the other traveling means, the driver moves upward. The traveling direction can be easily changed without changing the posture of the structure .

It is a side view which shows the unmanned aerial vehicle of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a rear view of the unmanned aerial vehicle as above. It is explanatory drawing of the investigation system including the unmanned aerial vehicle as above. It is a front view which shows the state which one traveling means is in contact with the structural part of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the other traveling means is not in contact.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, 10 indicates an unmanned aerial vehicle. The unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is called a drone, a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), or the like. The unmanned aerial vehicle 10 includes a main body 12. The main body 12 is provided with lift generating means 13 that applies lift to the main body 12. Further, the lift generating means 13 has a function of floating (hovering) the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 by applying a lift that balances the gravity acting on the unmanned aerial vehicle 10. As an example, the lift generating means 13 is a rotary wing (horizontal rotary wing) having a rotating shaft along the vertical direction and being rotationally driven by a motor, and applies lift to the main body 12 by rotation. A plurality of lift generating means 13 are provided. The lift generating means 13 is preferably evenly or substantially evenly arranged around the main body 12.

In the present embodiment, the lift generating means 13 is attached to the arm portion 14 formed on the main body portion 12. The arm portion 14 extends horizontally from the main body portion 12.

Further, in the present embodiment, the main body unit 12 has an information acquisition unit 16. The information acquisition unit 16 acquires at least information on the upper side of the main body unit 12. The information acquisition unit 16 is located above the main body unit 12. In the present embodiment, the information acquisition unit 16 is formed in a quadrangular box shape or a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The information acquisition unit 16 has a detection unit 16a at the upper end. The detection unit 16a is formed in a flat shape. Further, the detection unit 16a is arranged along the horizontal direction. In the present embodiment, the information acquisition unit 16 is positioned so as to project above the main body unit 12. Not limited to this, the information acquisition unit 16 may be housed in the main body unit 12. In the present embodiment, the information acquisition unit 16 reflects an electromagnetic wave from the position of the detection unit 16a toward the inspection object, and detects the reflected wave at the position of the detection unit 16a to detect a tunnel, a bridge, or the like. A known ground penetrating radar for investigating the presence or absence and thickness of a gap G (Fig. 3) in the concrete inside such as the ceiling surface of an artificial structure to be investigated, that is, in the structural part S (inspected part). you and the device. Further, the information acquisition unit 16 may include a storage unit for storing the acquired information. As the storage unit, a detachable one such as a USB memory is preferably used.

Further, the main body 12 is provided with a traveling means 18 capable of traveling the main body 12 or the unmanned aerial vehicle 10. As an example, the traveling means 18 is a driving wheel that has a rotating shaft along the horizontal direction and is rotationally driven by a motor, and enables the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 to travel along the upper structural portion S by rotation. Hereinafter, for the sake of clarity, the traveling direction of the unmanned vehicle 10 by the traveling means 18 is referred to as a front-rear direction, and the direction along the rotation axis of the traveling means 18, that is, the vertical direction and the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction are referred to as a left-right direction. ..

The traveling means 18 is located above the main body 12. In the present embodiment, the traveling means 18 is located above the information acquisition unit 16 of the main body unit 12. Further, the traveling means 18 are arranged in pairs in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the traveling means 18 (a direction along the rotation axis of the drive wheels). That is, the traveling means 18 is located in pairs on the left and right sides of the main body portion 12. Further, in the present embodiment, a plurality of traveling means 18 are arranged in the front-rear direction. In the illustrated example, the traveling means 18 is located on the left and right of the front portion and the left and right of the rear portion of the information acquisition unit 16 in the main body unit 12, respectively. The traveling means 18 may use driving wheels such as omni wheels and mecanum wheels, and may also include driving wheels such as tracks.

Further, the main body 12 is provided with an auxiliary moving means 20 that applies a propulsive force along the traveling direction of the traveling means 18 to assist the traveling by the traveling means 18. As an example, the auxiliary moving means 20 is a rotary wing (vertical rotary wing) having a rotation axis along the front-rear direction and being rotationally driven by a motor, and imparts a propulsive force in the front-rear direction to the main body 12 by rotation. To do. A plurality of auxiliary transportation means 20 are provided. The auxiliary moving means 20 are arranged in pairs in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the traveling means 18. That is, the auxiliary moving means 20 are arranged on the left and right.

In the present embodiment, the auxiliary moving means 20 is attached to the leg portion 21 formed on the main body portion 12. The leg 21 is a portion to be installed with respect to the ground when the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 lands. The leg portion 21 extends downward from the main body portion 12. In the present embodiment, the legs 21 are arranged in pairs on the left and right. Further, a plurality of leg portions 21 are arranged in the front-rear direction of the main body portion 12. In the illustrated example, the legs 21 are located on the left and right sides of the front portion and the left and right sides of the rear portion of the main body portion 12, respectively. Then, the auxiliary moving means 20 is attached to the beam member 23 which is bridged between the legs 21 and 21 and arranged along the left-right direction. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the rotation axis of the auxiliary moving means 20 is located below the rotation axis of the lift generating means 13.

Further, a control unit 25 is arranged in the main body unit 12. The control unit 25 controls the operations of the lift generating means 13, the traveling means 18, and the auxiliary moving means 20. For example, the control unit 25 operates the lift generating means 13, the traveling means 18, and the auxiliary moving means 20 in response to the operation signal input via the predetermined controller C by the operator PO shown in FIG. Control. That is, the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is remotely controlled by the operator PO. The controller C is preferably capable of wireless communication with the control unit 25, but is not limited to this, and may be configured to perform wired communication with the control unit 25. When investigating a dark place such as the inside of a tunnel, the operator PO usually conducts the investigation together with the work assistant PA. The work assistant PA assists the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 by the operator PO by, for example, illuminating the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 and the structural portion S. In addition, the control unit 25 may control the operation of the information acquisition unit 16 or may have a function of storing or analyzing the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 16.

Further, a power supply unit is arranged in the main body unit 12 shown in FIG. The power supply unit serves as a power source for the lift generating means 13, the traveling means 18, the auxiliary moving means 20, and the control unit 25. Further, the power supply unit may be the power supply of the information acquisition unit 16. The power supply unit may be a rechargeable secondary battery, a replaceable primary battery, or may take power from an external power source by wire.

Then, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 moves in the air, it uses the propulsive force generated by the lift generating means 13 and / or the auxiliary moving means 20 controlled by the control unit 25, and moves back and forth, left and right, and up and down. It is movable.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 travels by the upward lift force of the lift generating means 13 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 when, for example, the upper structural portion S is investigated. The means 18 is pressed against the structural portion S, and the pressing force is used as a grip to travel along the structural portion S by the traveling means 18. Then, when the information acquisition unit 16 acquires the information of the structure unit S, the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 moves along the structure unit S at a predetermined speed of, for example, about 4 km / h, and the information acquisition unit 16 acquires the information of the structure unit S. Get information about. That is, in the case of the present embodiment, when moving along the structural portion S, the lift difference of the front-rear and left-right lift generating means 13, for example, the propulsive force in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction caused by the difference in the rotational speed of the rotary blade. Is not used, only lift in the upward direction is used, and propulsive force in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction is basically generated by the traveling means 18.

Therefore, for example, unlike the conventional case where the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is moved along the structural portion S due to the difference in rotational speed of the rotary blades, the main body portion 12 is not tilted back and forth with respect to the structural portion S, and has a simple configuration. Therefore, it can be moved along the upper structural portion S while maintaining a stable posture with respect to the upper structural portion S.

Therefore, when the information acquisition unit 16 for acquiring the information on the upper side of the main body unit 12 is provided, the information acquisition unit 16 can be moved along the structure unit S while maintaining the state of facing the structure unit S. The information of S can be accurately acquired by the information acquisition unit 16. That is, since the structural unit S can be investigated by the information acquisition unit 16 mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle 10, the preparation of the measurement vehicle, high-altitude worker, temporary scaffolding, etc. becomes unnecessary as compared with the conventional measurement method. It enables reduction of personnel, time reduction, and cost reduction.

The traveling means 18 may be constantly driven while the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is flying, but when the power supply unit is a battery, the traveling means 18 may be driven when necessary in order to suppress unnecessary consumption of the battery. It may be driven only. For example, the traveling means 18 may be driven in response to the operation of the operator PO by the operator PO transmitting an operation signal to the control unit 25 via the controller C, or the operator PO may be driven to the controller C. It may be automatically driven by a predetermined condition such as a predetermined operation or a contact of the traveling means 18 with the structural portion S as a trigger. By doing so, the operator PO basically maintains the simple operation of the controller C to press the traveling means 18 against the structure S, that is, to generate an upward lift by the lift generating means 13. The unmanned aerial vehicle 10 can be moved along the structural portion S simply by doing so.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, depending on the structural portion S such as the ceiling surface of the tunnel, the shape is curved, so that only one of the left and right traveling means 18 comes into contact with the structural portion S. The other may not come into contact with the structural portion S. In this case, it is assumed that it will be difficult for the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 to travel in an appropriate direction along the structural portion S only by the traveling means 18. Therefore, in the present embodiment, by applying a propulsive force to assist the traveling of the traveling means 18 by the auxiliary moving means 20, the traveling by the traveling means 18 is assisted while maintaining a stable posture with respect to the structural portion S. It can be assisted by means of transportation 20. For example, when only one of the traveling means 18 comes into contact with the structural portion S, the traveling means 18 stops traveling only by pressing against the structural portion S by the lift force generated by the lift generating means 13, and the propulsive force generated by the auxiliary moving means 20 causes the traveling means 18 to stop traveling. The unmanned aerial vehicle 10 may be moved along the structural portion S, or the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 may be moved to the structural portion S by using the propulsive force generated by one of the traveling means 18 and the propulsive force generated by the auxiliary moving means 20. It may be moved along.

Further, by arranging the auxiliary moving means 20 in pairs in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the traveling means 18, the driving force of one auxiliary moving means 20 and the other auxiliary moving means 20 can be changed. The traveling direction can be easily changed without changing the posture with respect to the structural portion S.

Then, by arranging the traveling means 18 in pairs in the direction intersecting the traveling direction, the driving force of one traveling means 18 and the other traveling means 18 is changed, so that the posture with respect to the structural portion S is changed. The traveling direction can be easily changed without changing.

10 unmanned aerial vehicle
12 Main body
13 Lift generating means
16 Information acquisition department
16a detector
18 Traveling means
20 Auxiliary transportation

Claims (4)

With the main body
A lift generating means that can apply lift to the main body,
Wherein disposed over the central portion of the main body portion has a detection portion at the upper end, the information acquisition is radar antenna device for acquiring an upper information of at least the body portion by an electromagnetic wave to be outputted upwardly from the detector Department and
A traveling means that is attached to the information acquisition unit by surrounding the detection unit at the upper part of the main body portion and is driven by the lift generated by the lift generating means as a grip so as to travel with respect to the upper structural portion.
An unmanned aerial vehicle characterized by being equipped with. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary moving means capable of imparting propulsive force to the main body along the traveling direction of the traveling means. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary moving means are arranged in pairs in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the traveling means. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the traveling means are arranged in pairs in a direction intersecting the traveling direction.

Images