JP6779442B2 - Luggage carrier for drone and drone equipped with this - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a luggage carrying container for a drone mounted on a drone for carrying luggage, and a drone equipped with the same.

In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly known as "drones") that fly by remote control are being used for aerial photography of landscapes and dangerous areas, search for missing persons in the event of a disaster, and transportation and delivery of various packages. For example, the following Patent Documents 1 to 4 have been proposed as a technique for transporting and delivering a package using such a drone.

In Patent Documents 1 to 4, a luggage gripping means such as an arm and a luggage carrying container are mounted on the drone body, and the luggage is gripped by the luggage gripping means, or the luggage is stored in the luggage carrying container and flies. It is configured. Upon arriving at the transportation destination, the drone is suspended in the air, and the luggage is separated from the luggage gripping means, or the luggage transportation container is cut off from the drone to drop or place the luggage.

JP-A-2018-55692 JP-A-2018-43698 JP-A-2017-105242 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-88675

However, when the luggage is transported by a luggage gripping means such as an arm as in the conventional case, the luggage may fall during the flight. Even if it is housed in a cargo carrier and transported, it is not suitable for continuous transportation if the cargo carrier is separated from the drone at the destination.

In addition, with the method of releasing the luggage while the drone is floating in the air, it is difficult for the drone to stop stably in the air, and there is a high risk that the luggage will be damaged or the recipient will be injured. Therefore, in recent years, there has been a tendency that permission to use a drone for carrying luggage cannot be obtained unless the drone is configured to release the luggage while landing on the ground.

Therefore, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and provides a luggage carrying container for drones, which can safely carry and deliver the luggage without the risk of damaging the luggage or injuring a person. The purpose is to provide a drone on board.

As a means for that purpose, the present invention is a luggage carrying container for a drone mounted on a drone for carrying luggage, and covers a container main body composed of a bottom plate and left and right side plates, and a top surface of the container main body. It has a top plate, a front plate that covers the front opening of the container body, and a rear plate that covers the rear opening of the container body. The top plate is fixed to the drone body. The top plate and the container main body are pivotally supported at the rear ends of both, and the front side of the container main body can swing in the vertical direction. The front plate is also pivotally supported on the top plate so as to be swingable in the vertical direction. A first link mechanism connected to a link drive source is provided between the top plate and the container body. A second link mechanism is provided between the container body and the front plate. During the transportation of the cargo in which the cargo is stored in the cargo carrying container, the main body of the container is closed in parallel with the top plate, and the front opening of the luggage carrying container is closed by the front plate. Then, when the luggage is taken out of the luggage carrying container, the link drive source is operated and the front portion side of the container main body swings downward via the first link mechanism, and the container main body tilts. It is characterized in that the front plate swings upward via the second link mechanism and the front opening of the luggage carrier is opened.

The rear surface plate is attached so that the rear surface opening of the container body can be opened and closed.

The luggage stored in the luggage carrier is discharged to the outside of the luggage carrier with the drone landing at the destination.

Further, according to the present invention, a drone equipped with the above-mentioned luggage carrier for drone is also provided.

According to the luggage carrier for drones of the present invention, the container body is swingably supported by the top plate fixed to the drone body in an immovable manner, and the luggage carrier is closed during luggage transportation. Therefore, there is no need to worry about luggage falling during flight, and it can be safely transported to the destination. On the other hand, when the luggage is taken out of the luggage carrier, the container body is tilted forward and downward via the first and second link mechanisms, and the front opening of the luggage carrier is opened to accommodate the luggage. You can slide your luggage smoothly and stably. As described above, since the luggage carrying container is not separated from the drone body when taking out the luggage, it is also suitable for continuous transportation.

If a rear plate is attached so that the rear opening of the luggage carrier can be opened and closed, luggage can be easily put in through the rear opening.

If the luggage is discharged to the outside of the luggage transportation container with the drone landing at the transportation destination, it is possible to avoid damage to the luggage that would be separated and dropped. In addition, it can be used as a drone for carrying luggage.

It is a perspective view of a drone. It is a front view of the drone. It is a rear perspective view of a transport container. It is a side view of the transport container during cargo transport. It is a side view of the transport container in the state of being opened. It is a side view of the transport container in an open state.

The luggage transport container of the present invention (hereinafter, simply referred to as a transport container) is fixed to the lower surface of the drone body. Here, the drone main body to be fixed to the luggage carrying container (hereinafter, simply referred to as a carrying container) of the present invention includes a body forming the center of the drone main body and a control unit that transmits / receives signals and controls flight. Any structure may be used as long as it has a general structure including a rotor for flying, and there is no particular limitation as long as the transport container can be fixed to the lower surface. Therefore, the embodiment described later while being illustrated is an example of the present invention, and in particular, a conventionally known drone body can be widely used as the drone body. On the premise of this, a typical embodiment of the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the drone of the present embodiment, the transport container 10 is fixed to the lower surface of the drone main body 1. The drone main body 1 includes a body 2, a control unit 3, an arm 4, a rotor 5, and legs 6. The body 2, the control unit 3 (outer lid), the arm 4, the rotor 5, and the legs 6 are made of lightweight and strong fiber reinforced plastic except for various parts such as connecting metal fittings and a drive mechanism. As the reinforcing fiber, carbon fiber, glass fiber or the like is used.

The body 2 is a hollow housing that forms the center of the drone body 1. Inside the body 2, a battery that serves as a power source for the rotor 5 and wiring to each rotor 5 are housed.

The control unit 3 is installed on the upper surface of the body 2. The control unit 3 includes a receiving device that receives a signal from a remote controller (not shown), a control circuit that controls the flight speed and direction of the drone, opening and closing of the transport container 10, and the like.

A plurality of arms 4 extend radially from the body 2, and a rotor 5 is rotatably provided at the tip thereof. Each arm 4 is detachably connected to the body 2. In the present embodiment, six arms 4 are provided, but as long as stable flight is possible, three to eight arms 4 may be provided.

The legs 6 are connected to the lower surface of the body 2, and the transport container 10 is fixed to the lower surface of the drone body 1 via the legs 6. Therefore, the legs 6 have a trapezoidal shape without a lower side when viewed from the front so as to secure a lower space. Specifically, the leg 6 has an open leg portion 6a extending in the left-right direction and opening the leg in a trapezoidal shape, and two left and right ground contact portions 6b that come into contact with the ground. A plurality of open leg portions 6a are provided in the front-rear direction, and the ground contact portions 6b are connected to the tips of the open leg portions 6a and extend in the front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, two open leg portions 6a are provided in the front-rear direction, but one may be provided in the central portion in the front-rear direction, and three or more may be provided.

A connecting plate 7 is provided on the lower surface of the body 2, and the legs 6 are connected to the connecting plate 7 via a joint 8 screwed to the connecting plate 7. Further, a joint 9 is also connected to the leg 6, and the transport container 10 is screwed through the joint 9. The left and right open leg widths of the legs 6 are larger than the width dimension of the transport container 10, and the height of the legs 6 is larger than the height dimension of the transport container 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the transport container 10 includes a container main body 11 composed of a bottom plate and left and right side plates erected by bending both left and right edges of the bottom plate, and a top plate 12 covering the top surface of the container main body 11. It has a front plate 13 that covers the front opening of the container body 11, and a rear plate 14 that covers the rear opening of the container body 11. The transport container 10 is also preferably as light as possible and has high strength, and may be made of fiber reinforced plastic or metal.

The top plate 12 is made of a flat plate. Further, both the left and right edges and the trailing edge of the top plate 12 have flanges extending downward, and when assembled as a transport container 10, the flanges on both the left and right edges are the upper edges of the left and right side walls of the container body 11. And overlap inside and outside. Reference numeral 12a is a screw hole for screwing, and the top plate 12 is immovably fixed by being screwed in the screw hole 12a. A motor 21 is provided on the upper surface of the top plate 12 via a bracket 22 as a link drive source for the first link mechanism 20, which will be described in detail later. The motor 21 is connected to the battery, control circuit, and the like in the drone body 1 via an electric cord (not shown).

The container body 11 and the top plate 12 are pivotally supported by the shaft pin P1 at the rear ends of both 11 and 12. The shaft pin P1 penetrates a portion where the container body 11 and the top plate 12 overlap inside and outside, that is, the left and right side walls of the container body 11 and the flange of the top plate 12. As a result, the front side of the container body 11 can swing in the vertical direction with respect to the immovable top plate 12.

The front plate 13 is also made of a flat plate. Further, on the left and right side edges of the front plate 13, there are fourth links 32 constituting the second link mechanism 30, which will be described in detail later. The fourth link 32 may be integrally provided by bending the left and right side edges of the front plate 13, or may be fixed to the front plate 13 by welding, adhesion, or the like. The fourth link 32 extends rearward from the left and right side edges of the front plate 13, and when assembled as a transport container 10, the fourth link 32 overlaps the flange of the top plate 12 inside and outside. Then, the left and right fourth links 32 and the left and right flanges of the top plate 12 are rotatably supported by the shaft pin P7. As a result, the front plate 13 that moves integrally with the fourth link 32 can swing in the vertical direction as a whole with respect to the immovable top plate 12. That is, the front plate 13 is pivotally supported on the top plate 12 via the fourth link 32 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction. In this sense, the fourth link 32 also serves as a flange for axially supporting the front plate 13 to the top plate 12.

The rear plate 14 is also made of a flat plate, and is attached so that the rear opening of the container body 11 can be opened and closed. When the rear surface plate 14 is attached to the container main body 11, two positioning protrusions 11a are provided on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the container main body 11 in the positioning holes 14a formed in the four corners of the rear plate 14. Is inserted. Then, the screw holes 14b projecting forward from the left and right side edges of the rear surface plate 14 and the screw holes 11b bored in the left and right side walls of the container main body 11 overlap inside and outside. Then, by screwing the fixing screws 15 into the screw holes 11b and 14b, the rear surface plate 14 can be fixed to the container main body 11. Reference numeral 14c is a handle for facilitating the opening / closing operation of the rear surface plate 14.

It is also possible to provide a hinge on one edge of the rear surface plate 14 to swing open and close. Further, the engaging projection may be engaged with the engaging hole without using the fixing screw 15. Due to the presence of the protrusion 11a and the positioning hole 14a, the rear surface plate 14 can be easily and stably fixed, but the protrusion 11a and the positioning hole 14a do not necessarily have to be provided.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, link mechanisms are provided on both the left and right outer surfaces of the transport container 10. Specifically, a first link mechanism 20 is provided between the top plate 12 and the container main body 11, and a second link mechanism 30 is provided between the container main body 11 and the front plate 13. ing.

The first link mechanism 20 has a rod-shaped first link 23 whose one end is fixed to the rotating shaft P4 of the motor 21 and a rod-shaped second link 24 whose one end is fixed to the container body 11 by a fixing pin P2. Be prepared. The other end of the first link 23 and the other end of the second link 24 are rotatably supported by a shaft pin P3. The first link 23 is shorter than the second link 24. Further, on the outer surfaces of the left and right brackets 22, pin-shaped stoppers 25 that regulate the rotation limit of the first link 23 are provided at two upper and lower positions.

The second link mechanism 30 has a rod-shaped third link 31 whose one end is rotatably supported by a shaft pin P5 and the above-mentioned fourth link rotatably supported by a shaft pin P7 at a central portion. 32 and. The fourth link 32 has an abbreviated shape, a portion below the shaft pin P7 is along the side edge of the front plate 13, and a portion above the shaft pin P7 functions as a rod-shaped link. The other end of the third link 31 and the upper end of the fourth link 32 are rotatably supported by a shaft pin P6.

The first link mechanism 20 is provided at a position outward in the left-right direction with respect to the second link mechanism 30, and the first link mechanism 20 and the second link mechanism 30 are provided when the transport container 10 is opened and closed. And do not interfere with each other. Alternatively, the second link mechanism 30 may be provided at a position outside the left-right direction with respect to the first link mechanism 20.

Next, the operation of the drone will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 4, in a state where the transport container 10 is closed, the fixing screw 15 is removed, the rear surface plate 14 is opened, the luggage W is accommodated from the rear surface of the transport container 10, and then the transport container 10 is again operated by the rear surface plate 14. The rear surface is closed, and the fixing screw 15 is screwed to fix the container. As a result, there is no concern that the luggage W will fall from the transport container 10 during transportation.

In the state where the transport container 10 shown in FIG. 4 is closed, in the first link mechanism 20, the first link 23 and the second link 24 are in an upright state, and the other end of the first link 23 and the second link 24 The shaft pin P3 that pivotally supports the other end is above the rotation shaft P4 of the motor 21 to which one end of the first link 23 is fixed and the fixing pin P2 of the second link 24. The fixed pin P2, the shaft pin P3, and the rotating shaft P4 are located at substantially the same position in the front-rear direction and are arranged vertically.

On the other hand, in the state where the transport container 10 shown in FIG. 4 is closed, in the second link mechanism 30, the third link 31 is in an upright state slightly inclined rearward, and the upper half of the fourth link 32 is greatly inclined rearward. doing. At this time, the shaft pin P5 that pivotally supports one end of the third link 31 is below and behind the shaft pin P7 that is the rotation axis of the fourth link 32, and is the connecting shaft of the third link 31 and the fourth link 32. The shaft pin P6 is above and behind the shaft pin P6 and the shaft pin P7.

Then, with the transport container 10 shown in FIG. 4 closed, the remote controller (not shown) is operated to fly the drone equipped with the transport container 10 to a predetermined destination and land it. The container body 11 is parallel to the top plate 12 during the transportation of the luggage W stored in the transportation container 10 and at the time of landing. Further, the front opening of the transport container 10 is closed by the front plate 13.

Subsequently, the switch provided on the remote controller is operated to drive the motor 21. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the first link 23 of the first link mechanism 20 rotates forward with the rotation of the rotation shaft P4 of the motor 21. Along with this, the second link 24 is lowered about the shaft pin P3. Then, since one end of the second link 24 is fixed to the container main body 11, the container main body 11 also goes down. However, since the rear end portion of the container main body 11 is connected to the top plate 12 by the shaft pin P1, only the front side of the container main body 11 is lowered downward with the shaft pin P1 as the center. It becomes a forward leaning posture. As a result, the luggage W can slide out from the inside of the container main body 11 toward the front opening.

On the other hand, the shaft pin P5 moves downward and rearward as the container body 11 swings. As a result, one end of the third link 31 of the second link mechanism 30 also moves downward and rearward, and the upper half of the fourth link 32 is pulled downward and backward via the shaft pin P6, so that the fourth link 32 rotates about the shaft pin P7, and the lower half of the fourth link 32 rotates upward. As a result, the front plate 13 fixed to the lower half of the fourth link 32 swings upward, and the front surface of the transport container 10 opens.

The operation may be continued as it is, and when the front surface of the transport container 10 is wide open as shown in FIG. 6, the drive of the motor 21 may be stopped. In this state, since the container main body 11 is greatly inclined, the luggage W can smoothly slide out of the transport container 10 and can transport the luggage W to the destination without being damaged. Even if the stop of the motor 21 is delayed, since the first link 23 comes into contact with the stopper 25 below and there is a rotation limit, the container body 11 and the front plate 13 do not swing more than necessary. ..

After the luggage W can be taken out from the transport container 10, the motor 21 can be rotated in the reverse direction to return to the closed state shown in FIG. 4 by the reverse movement of the above description. In this case, even if the stop of the motor 21 is delayed, since the first link 23 comes into contact with the stopper 25 above and there is a rotation limit in the closing direction, the container body 11 and the front plate 13 shake more than necessary. It doesn't move.

The present invention is not limited to the above typical embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the rear surface plate 14 may also be integrated with the container body 11, and the container body 11 may be tilted to accommodate the luggage W from the front opening. The luggage W can also be discharged to the outside of the transport container 10 while the drone 1 is floating in the air. The opening / closing operation of the container body 11 can be performed not only by remote control by the controller but also by the opening / closing switch provided in the drone 1.

It is also preferable to accommodate the cargo bed with casters inside the transport container 10 so that the luggage W can slide out together with the cargo bed. If it is a small baggage W, it is possible to store it in a small capsule and then store the capsule together in the transport container 10 so that the capsule can roll.

The container body 11, top plate 12, front plate 13, and rear plate 14 constituting the transport container 10 may be provided with a plurality of weight reduction holes in order to reduce the weight as much as possible while ensuring a certain level of strength. preferable.

1 Drone body 2 Body 3 Control unit 4 Arm 5 Rotor 6 Leg 10 Transport container 11 Container body 12 Top plate 13 Front plate 14 Rear plate 20 1st link mechanism 23 1st link 24 2nd link 25 Stopper 30 2nd Link mechanism 31 3rd link 32 4th link W Luggage

Claims (4)

It is a luggage carrier for drones that is mounted on a drone to carry luggage.
The container body, which consists of the bottom plate and the left and right side plates,
A top plate that covers the top surface of the container body and
A front plate that covers the front opening of the container body and
It has a rear surface plate that covers the rear surface opening of the container body, and has a rear surface plate.
The top plate is fixed to the drone body and
The top plate and the container main body are pivotally supported at the rear ends of both, and the front side of the container main body can swing in the vertical direction.
The front plate is also pivotally supported on the top plate so as to be swingable in the vertical direction.
A first link mechanism connected to a link drive source is provided between the top plate and the container body.
A second link mechanism is provided between the container body and the front plate.
During the transportation of the cargo in which the cargo is stored in the cargo carrier, the container main body is closed in parallel with the top plate, and the front opening of the cargo carrier is closed by the front plate.
When the luggage is taken out of the luggage carrier, the link drive source is operated and the front side of the container main body swings downward via the first link mechanism, and the container main body is in an inclined posture. At the same time, the front plate of the luggage carrier swings upward via the second link mechanism to open the front opening of the luggage carrier container. The luggage carrying container for a drone according to claim 1, wherein the back plate is attached so as to open and close the rear opening of the container body. The luggage carrying container for a drone according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the luggage stored in the luggage carrying container is discharged to the outside of the luggage carrying container with the drone landing at the transportation destination. A drone equipped with the luggage carrying container for the drone according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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