JP7044413B1 - Flight equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flight device having a wing portion capable of effectively obtaining lift during flight. A flight device (10) includes an airframe base (14), a first leg (26) and a second leg (27) provided on the airframe (14) and deformable between a flight state and a landing state, and a first leg (26). It also includes a first wing portion 28 and a second wing portion 29 that are provided on the second leg portion 27 and generate lift during flight. Therefore, when the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29 generate lift during the flight state, the energy required for flight can be reduced and the continuous flight distance can be extended. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention relates to a flight device, in particular to a flight device having foldable legs.

Conventionally, a flight device capable of flying in the air unmanned has been known. Such a flight device is capable of flying in the air by the thrust of a rotor that is rotationally driven around a vertical axis.

As the application field of the flight device, for example, the transportation field, the surveying field, the photographing field, and the like can be considered. When applying a flight device to such a field, a surveying instrument or a photographing device is installed in the flight device. By applying the flight device to the relevant field, it is possible to fly the flight device to an area where no one can enter, and to carry out transportation, photography and surveying in such an area. The invention relating to such a flight device is described in, for example, Patent Document 1.

With reference to Patent Document 1, a plurality of arms are provided on the airframe, and a motor and a rotary blade are installed at the outer end of each arm.

Further, a flight device having a wing portion for obtaining lift when flying is described in Patent Document 2 and the like.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-122674 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-26236

However, in the flight device described in Patent Document 2 described above, there is room for improvement in the mechanism for obtaining lift during flight.

Specifically, the wing portion (kite wing) described in Patent Document 2 was fixed to the airframe, and its angle and position could not be changed. Therefore, depending on the flight conditions of the flight device, sufficient lift cannot be obtained from the wing portion, and in some cases, the wing portion may hinder the stable flight of the flight device.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a flight device having wings capable of effectively obtaining lift during flight.

The flight device of the present invention includes an aircraft base , a wing portion provided on the aircraft base, which can be deformed between a flight state and a landing state, and which generates a lift during the flight state, and the wing . A leg portion provided at the tip of the portion, a wing portion angle changing portion that changes the angle of the wing portion with respect to the aircraft base when the aircraft base is tilted from the horizontal direction in the flight state, and the aircraft base. It comprises a plurality of arms extending from to the periphery and a plurality of rotors attached to the tip end side of the plurality of arms and having a rotation axis along the vertical direction, and the flight state is directed toward one direction. A first flight state in which the aircraft base is tilted to fly, a second flight state in which the aircraft base is tilted in the opposite direction to travel in the direction opposite to the one direction, and a descending state. Including, in the first flight state, the wing angle changing portion changes the angle of the wing so that the wing is closer to the horizontal state than the aircraft base, and the second flight. In the state, the wing angle changing portion adjusts the angle of the wing in the direction opposite to that in the first flight state so that the wing is closer to the horizontal state than the aircraft base. In the descending state, the wing portion is characterized in that it stands upright with respect to the aircraft base and is parallel or substantially parallel to the front-rear direction.

The flight device of the present invention includes an aircraft base , a wing portion provided on the aircraft base, which can be deformed between a flight state and a landing state, and which generates a lift during the flight state, and the wing . A leg portion provided at the tip of the portion, a wing portion angle changing portion that changes the angle of the wing portion with respect to the aircraft base when the aircraft base is tilted from the horizontal direction in the flight state, and the aircraft base. It comprises a plurality of arms extending from to the periphery and a plurality of rotors attached to the tip end side of the plurality of arms and having a rotation axis along the vertical direction, and the flight state is directed toward one direction. A first flight state in which the aircraft base is tilted to fly, a second flight state in which the aircraft base is tilted in the opposite direction to travel in the direction opposite to the one direction, and a descending state. Including, in the first flight state, the wing angle changing portion changes the angle of the wing so that the wing is closer to the horizontal state than the aircraft base, and the second flight. In the state, the wing angle changing portion adjusts the angle of the wing in the direction opposite to that in the first flight state so that the wing is closer to the horizontal state than the aircraft base. In the descending state, the wing portion is characterized in that it stands upright with respect to the aircraft base and is parallel or substantially parallel to the front-rear direction. As a result, according to the flight device of the present invention, by changing the angle of the wing portion with respect to the leg portion according to the traveling direction, lift can be obtained regardless of the traveling direction. can.

It is a perspective view which shows the landing state of the flight apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the flight state of the flight apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the flight state of the flight apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the connection structure of the flight apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flight apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (A) is the side view which shows the flight apparatus which is moving forward, (B) is the side view which shows the flight apparatus which is moving backward. Is. It is a figure which shows the flight apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and is the side view which shows the flight apparatus which is in a descending state.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same members are designated by the same reference numerals in principle, and repeated description thereof will be omitted. Further, in the following description, each direction of up, down, front, back, left and right is used, and the left and right are the left and right when the flight device 10 is viewed from the rear in FIG.

1 and 2 show the whole picture of the flight device 10. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the flight device 10 in the landing state as viewed from below, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the flight device 10 in the flight state as viewed from below. Here, the landing state is a state in which the lower ends of the first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27 of the flight device 10 are in contact with the ground. On the other hand, the flight state is a state in which the first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27 are separated from the ground by the flight device 10 floating in the air.

With reference to FIG. 1, the flight apparatus 10 mainly includes an airframe base 14, an arm 11 extending from a peripheral portion of the airframe base 14 toward the periphery, and a rotor 12 arranged at an outer end portion of the arm 11. It is equipped. Here, four arms 11 extend from one airframe base 14 at substantially equal angular intervals, and a rotor motor 17 and a rotor 12 are attached to the tips of the respective arms 11. The flight device 10 makes it possible to rotate the rotor 12 at a predetermined rotation speed and fly in the air by using the driving force generated from the engine 20 or the motor mounted on the airframe base 14.

The airframe base 14 is arranged in the center of the flight device 10, and houses an engine 20, a battery, a generator, a control device, various sensors, a fuel tank, and the like (not shown here). The outer skin of the machine body base 14 is covered with a synthetic resin plate or a steel plate formed into a predetermined shape.

At the lower part of the airframe base 14, the first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27 that come into contact with the ground at the time of landing are arranged. The first leg 26 and the second leg 27 are members also called skids, and when the flight device 10 lands, the lower ends of the first leg 26 and the second leg 27 are on the ground. Contact. In the landing state, the first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27 are in an upright state with respect to the lower surface of the aircraft base 14. The first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27 are rotatably arranged with respect to the machine body base 14, and the rotational function thereof is driven by the leg opening / closing mechanism 31 described later.

The first leg 26 and the second leg 27 are deformably attached to the lower surface of the airframe base 14 between the flight state and the landing state. When transforming from the landing state to the flight state, the first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27 rotate so as to spread outward in the left-right direction with the upper end as a fulcrum, and become the main surface of the aircraft base 14. On the other hand, the state is almost parallel. On the other hand, when the first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27 are transformed from the flight state to the landing state, the first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27 rotate so as to narrow inward in the left-right direction with the upper end as a fulcrum, and the main surface of the aircraft base 14. It becomes a state of standing up against.

The first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29 are wing portions that generate lift when the flight device 10 flies. The first wing portion 28 is attached to the first leg portion 26, and the second wing portion 29 is attached to the second leg portion 27. As will be described later, the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29 may be rotatably attached to the first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27.

A mounting object 13 such as a photographing camera is installed below the machine base 14. In the landing state shown in FIG. 1, the lower ends of the first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27 described above extend below the lower end of the load 13. By doing so, when the flight device 10 lands on a landing surface such as the ground, the load 13 is prevented from colliding with the landing surface, and an expensive camera or the like is used when the flight device 10 lands. It is possible to prevent the mounted object 13 of the above from being damaged.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the flight device 10 in flight as viewed from below on the rear side. In the flight state, the first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27 rotate so as to open their legs in the left-right direction by the driving force of the leg opening / closing mechanism 31 (not shown here). As a result, the first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27 are parallel or substantially parallel to the lower surface of the machine body base 14 or the axial direction of the arm 11. When the first leg 26 and the second leg 27 are in flight, it is possible to prevent the first leg 26 and the second leg 27 from entering the field of view of the camera as the on-board object 13, and the camera raises the height. You can shoot high quality images.

When the first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27 rotate as described above, the first wing portion 28 and the second leg portion 28 attached to the intermediate portion of the first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27 are attached. The wing portion 29 also rotates together. As a result, the main surfaces of the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29 are also parallel or substantially parallel to the lower surface of the airframe base 14 or the axial direction of the arm 11, and the first wing portion is moved when the flight device 10 is moved. Lift can be generated by the 28 and the second wing 29.

FIG. 3 is a top view showing a flight state of the flight device 10. In this figure, the outer edge of the rotation range of the rotor 12 is shown by a dotted line. When the flight device 10 is viewed from above, the rotation range of the rotor 12 shown by the dotted line does not overlap with the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29. Specifically, the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29 do not overlap with the rotation range of the rotor 12 as a whole. By doing so, when the flight device 10 flies, the downwash generated by the rotation of the rotor 12 does not act on the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29, and the downwash causes the first wing. The portion 28 and the second wing portion 29 are prevented from being pushed down.

The connection configuration of the flight device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The flight device 10 includes an operation control device 21, a sensor 18, a communication device 22, an engine 20, a power generation unit 23, a battery unit 25, an output control device 24, a rotor motor 17, and a wing angle changing unit 30. And a leg opening / closing mechanism 31.

Here, the so-called series hybrid type flight device 10 in which the power generation unit 23 is generated by the driving force of the engine 20 and each motor is rotated by the electric power generated from the power generation unit 23, thereby rotating the rotor 12 described above. Shows. However, a so-called parallel hybrid type mechanism in which a part of the rotor 12 is directly rotated by the driving force of the engine 20 and the other rotor 12 is rotated by the motor can also be adopted. Further, it is also possible to adopt an electric mechanism that does not have an engine 20 and rotates each rotor motor 17 only by the electric power of the battery unit 25 which is a secondary battery.

The sensor 18 senses the situation of the flight device 10 itself and its surroundings. Specifically, the sensor 18 includes a gyro sensor that measures the angle at which the flight device 10 is tilted, a compass that measures the direction of the flight device 10, a GPS sensor (Global Positioning System) that measures the position of the flight device 10, and flight. One or more of a pressure sensor for measuring the altitude of the device 10 and an acceleration sensor for measuring the moving speed of the flight device 10 and the like can be adopted. Information indicating each physical quantity measured by the sensor 18 is transmitted to the motion control device 21.

The communication device 22 can transmit and receive information to and from a ground communication device (not shown) possessed by an operator who operates the flight device 10 on the ground. By operating the ground communication device, the operator can operate the altitude, the traveling direction, the moving speed, and the like of the flight device 10. Further, the operator can obtain the survey data and the video data obtained by the flight device 10 by receiving the information emitted from the communication device 22 by a ground communication device (not shown).

The operation control device 21 has an arithmetic unit composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage device composed of a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), and controls the operation of the entire flight device 10. ..

The drive operation of the engine 20 is controlled by the operation control device 21, and the electric power generated by the power generation unit 23 drivenly connected to the engine 20 is supplied to the output control device 24.

The output control device 24 has a power conversion circuit or the like, converts the power supplied from the power generation unit 23 into electric power suitable for flying the flight device 10, and then supplies the power to the four rotor motors 17. When changing the attitude of the flight device 10 in the air, the output control device 24 changes the electric power supplied to the rotor motor 17 and the like based on the instruction of the operation control device 21. Here, a part of the electric power supplied from the power generation unit 23 to the output control device 24 is used to charge the battery unit 25 which is a rechargeable battery, and the electric power supplied from the battery unit 25 rotates the rotor motor 17 and the like. You may let me.

The wing portion angle changing portion 30 is a device including a motor and the like for changing the angles of the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29 in the flight state shown in FIG. The wing portion angle changing portion 30 changes the angles of the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29 with respect to the first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27 based on the instruction of the motion control device 21. The operation of the wing angle changing portion 30 will be described later with reference to FIG.

The leg opening / closing mechanism 31 is a mechanism including a motor for driving the opening / closing operation of the first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Specifically, the leg opening / closing mechanism 31 has a first leg 26 and a second leg between a landing state (FIG. 1) and a flight state (FIG. 2) based on the instruction of the motion control device 21. It drives the opening / closing operation of 27.

FIG. 5A is a side view showing the flight device 10 moving forward, and FIG. 5B is a side view showing the flight device 10 moving backward.

With reference to FIG. 5A, the flight device 10 is moving forward as the first flight state. At this time, the rotor 12 on the rear side rotates at a higher speed than the rotor 12 on the front side, so that the airframe base 14 is tilted downward toward the front. At this time, the motion control device 21 detects the inclination angle of the airframe base 14 based on the output value of the sensor 18, and rotates the second wing portion 29 clockwise by the wing portion angle changing portion 30. By doing so, the main surface of the second wing portion 29 can be made parallel or substantially parallel to the horizontal direction, and lift can be obtained by the second wing portion 29 even in the first flight state.

With reference to FIG. 5B, the flight device 10 is moving backward as the second flight state. At this time, the rotor 12 on the front side rotates at a higher speed than the rotor 12 on the rear side, so that the airframe base 14 is tilted downward toward the rear. At this time, the motion control device 21 detects the inclination angle of the airframe base 14 based on the output value of the sensor 18, and rotates the second wing portion 29 counterclockwise by the wing portion angle changing portion 30. By doing so, the main surface of the second wing portion 29 can be made parallel or substantially parallel to the horizontal direction, and lift can be obtained by the second wing portion 29 even in the second flight state.

The angle control described with reference to FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B) is similarly performed for the first wing portion 28.

FIG. 6 is a view showing the flight device 10, and is a side view showing the flight device 10 in a descending state. Here, the descending state is a state in which the flight device 10 is gradually descending to land based on a user's instruction or the like via a controller (not shown here).

In the descending state, the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29 are in a state of standing up from the main surface of the airframe base 14, that is, in a state similar to a landing state. Further, the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29 are in a state of being parallel or substantially parallel to the front-rear direction. By doing so, the downwash generated by the rotation of the rotor 12 flows downward along the planes of the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29, and stabilizes the attitude of the flight device 10 in the descending state. Can be transformed into.

According to the present embodiment described above, the following main effects can be achieved.

According to the flight device 10, the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 28 and the second wing portion that generate lift during the flight state in the first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27 that are deformable between the flight state and the landing state. By attaching the portion 29, the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29 generate lift during flight, reducing the energy required for flight and extending the continuous flight distance. ..

Further, since the rotation range of the rotor 12 and the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29 do not overlap with each other, the downwash generated by the rotation of the rotor 12 is transferred to the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29. It is possible to prevent the lift generated from the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29 from decreasing without hitting.

Further, lift can be obtained by the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29 in the flight state, and by the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29 which are close to the upright state in the landing state. The downwash can be guided downward by the wing portion in the landing motion or the takeoff motion, and the posture of the flight device 10 in the landing motion or the takeoff motion can be stabilized.

Further, when the airframe base 14 is tilted in the flight state, the upper and lower surfaces of the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29 can be brought closer to the horizontal state, and the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29 can be brought closer to each other. Lifting force can be obtained stably from.

Further, by changing the angles of the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29 with respect to the first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27 according to the traveling direction, the vehicle moves in any traveling direction. Even if you are, you can get lift.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. In addition, the above-mentioned forms can be combined with each other.

For example, referring to FIG. 1, when the flight device 10 is hovering, the first leg portion 26 and the second leg portion 27 may be in an upright state as in the landing state. By doing so, the downwash can flow to the lower layer along the main surfaces of the first wing portion 28 and the second wing portion 29, and the attitude of the flight device 10 can be stabilized.

Further, with reference to FIG. 5, the cross-sectional shape of the second wing portion 29 or the like may be axisymmetric with respect to a symmetric line perpendicularly passing through the central portion in the front-rear direction. By doing so, lift can be generated regardless of whether the flight device 10 moves forward or backward.

10 Flight equipment 11 Arm 12 Rotor 13 On-board equipment 14 Aircraft base 17 Rotor motor 18 Sensor 20 Engine 21 Operation control device 22 Communication device 23 Power generation unit 24 Output control device 25 Battery unit 26 1st leg 27 2nd leg 28 1st wing Part 29 Second wing part 30 Wing part angle changing part 31 Leg opening / closing mechanism

Claims (3)

Aircraft base and
A wing that is provided on the airframe base, is deformable between a flight state and a landing state , and generates lift during the flight state .
The legs attached to the tip of the wing and
A wing angle changing portion that changes the angle of the wing with respect to the aircraft base when the aircraft base is tilted from the horizontal direction in the flight state.
Multiple arms extending from the aircraft base toward the surroundings,
A plurality of rotors attached to the tip end side of the plurality of arms and having a rotation axis along the vertical direction are provided.
The flight state is a first flight state in which the aircraft base is tilted to fly in one direction, and a first flight state in which the aircraft base is tilted in the opposite direction in order to travel in the direction opposite to the one direction. 2 Including flight state and descent state,
In the first flight state, the wing angle changing portion changes the angle of the wing portion so that the wing portion is closer to the horizontal state than the airframe base.
In the second flight state, the wing angle changing portion is the wing in the direction opposite to that in the first flight state so that the wing portion is closer to the horizontal state than the airframe base. Change the angle of the part,
A flight device characterized in that, in the descending state, the wing portion is in an upright state with respect to the airframe base and is parallel or substantially parallel to the front-rear direction. The flight device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation range of the rotor and the wing portion do not overlap when viewed from above. The flight state further includes a hovering state.
The flight device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the hovering state, the wing portion is in a state of standing upright with respect to the airframe base.

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