JP7276197B2 - Drone protector - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a drone protection device that is mounted on a drone and is activated when the drone falls to protect an object to be protected at the destination from the falling drone.

Conventionally, in a drone protection device, the gas bag is inflated by using the inflation gas (combustion gas) generated by burning the explosive contained in the gas generator, and the inflated gas bag spreads the underside of the drone. It is known that a gas bag that is configured to cover the sides and protects the object to be protected at the drop destination by an inflated gas bag (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2019-196142 A

However, conventional drone protection devices are configured to generate gas for inflating gas bags by burning explosives, and the gas generator itself is heavy, and furthermore, high-pressure inflation gas is generated. Therefore, it is necessary to have rigidity around the periphery of the gas generator and the joint between the gas bag and the gas generator, and there is a demand for a lightweight and simple way to protect the object to be protected from a falling drone. rice field.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-described problems, and to provide a drone protection device capable of protecting an object to be protected where the drone falls, with a lightweight and simple configuration.

A drone protection device according to the present invention is mounted on a drone including legs extending downward from a main body, and a plurality of propellers disposed so as to surround the main body and rotating during flight. A drone protection device comprising a protection member that is actuated when the drone falls and covers the lower side of the leg of the drone,
The protection member has an inlet at the center of the lower surface side, through which air can flow in when dropped, and has a substantially disk shape that swells so as to extend radially from the inlet when air flows in from the inlet. The bag body is composed of
a storage portion disposed near the leg portion for storing the folded bag body;
push-out means having a holding portion that pushes the folded bag body out of the storage portion and holds the periphery of the inflow port with the inflow port facing downward so as to allow air to flow in during operation;
It is characterized by being configured with

In the drone protection device according to the present invention, when activated, the push-out means is actuated to push out the folded bag body from the storage portion. At this time, the inlet of the bag body is held downward by the holding part so that air can flow in when the bag is dropped, and the air smoothly flows into the bag body from the inlet, and the bag body is inflated. It expands to the completed shape. Therefore, even if the lower part of the drone, such as the legs, tries to interfere with the target to be protected, the target is protected from the drone because the air-inflated bag body is interposed like a cushion. can. The bag body is configured to be inflated by letting in the air around the drone when it falls, and can be easily inflated without using a gas generator that burns gunpowder. Further, as the push-out means, a solenoid actuator, a motor, a spring mechanism, or the like may be used to hold the peripheral edge of the inflow port and push it out.

Therefore, the drone protection device according to the present invention can protect the object to be protected where the drone falls with a lightweight and simple configuration.

In the drone protection device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the inlet is provided with a check valve that allows the inflow of air and restricts the outflow of air.

With such a configuration, if air flows into the bag body from the inlet port and the bag body is inflated, the action of the check valve prevents air from flowing out of the bag body. A high pressure can be maintained, the cushioning action of the bag body can be further enhanced, and the object to be protected at the drop destination can be more preferably protected.

Further, in the drone protection device according to the present invention, the bag body extends upward from the lower side of the leg portion to the outer peripheral edge inflated by the inflow of air, and can cover the sides of the propellers. It is desirable to be configured with a cover portion.

In such a configuration, when the bag body is completely inflated, the object to be protected can be protected not only by the lower legs of the drone but also by the cover portion of the inflated bag body from the propeller used during flight. can be done.

1 is a schematic plan view showing a drone equipped with a drone protection device according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing a drone equipped with a drone protection device according to an embodiment; FIG. Fig. 3 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view for explaining the vicinity of a housing portion in the drone protection device of the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view for explaining a check valve arranged at the inlet of the bag body of the embodiment; FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the check valve arranged at the inlet of the bag body of the embodiment, showing the VV portion of FIG. 4; 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a drone when the protection device for drone of the embodiment is in operation; FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a drone when a modification of the drone protection device of the embodiment is in operation.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. A drone protection device 20 of the embodiment is mounted on a drone (multicopter) 1 shown in FIGS.

The drone 1 includes a leg portion 10 extending downward from a main body portion 3 arranged in the center, a plurality of (six in the embodiment) propellers 6 disposed so as to surround the main body portion 3 and rotating during flight, is configured with The propellers 6 are arranged on the upper surface side of the tips of a plurality of arms 4 (six corresponding to the six propellers 6 in the embodiment) projecting radially from the main body 3 . Each propeller 6 is rotationally driven by a driving device 7 consisting of a motor. The driving device 7 is driven by power supplied from a battery (not shown) in the main body 3 .

In the main body 3, a well-known receiving device, transmitting device, flight control device, map storage device, camera, battery, and the like (not shown) are arranged. In the drone 1, the receiving device receives a wireless signal remotely controlled by an operator on the ground side and inputs it to the flight control device, and the flight control device controls the driving of the driving device 7 based on the signal, and the predetermined A flight will be executed. In addition, the flight control device can be programmed to fly on a predetermined flight route including altitude, and can be programmed to start and end camera photography at a predetermined point. Then, the photographed data can be immediately transmitted to a predetermined receiving device on the ground side by a transmitting device, or can be recorded in a built-in recording medium.

The legs 10 are composed of two supporting legs 11 which are arranged so as to extend downward from the vicinity of the center of the lower surface of the main body 3 on both the left and right sides, and which extend from the lower ends of the left and right supporting legs 11 to both the front and rear sides. and a lateral rod portion 12 for grounding extending to the ground. A case 21 of a protective device 20 is fixed to the left and right horizontal rod portions 12 .

The protective device 20 includes a bag body 30 as a protective member, a case 21 as a housing portion for housing the folded bag body 30, and pushing means for pushing out the folded bag body 30 from the case 21 when it is activated. and a solenoid actuator 25 that constitutes the pushing device 24 .

The bag body 30 is formed of a sheet material such as cloth having flexibility and low air permeability, and is provided with an inlet 33 at the center 30a of the lower surface side through which air AT can flow when dropped. It has a substantially disk-like bag shape that swells so as to extend radially from the inlet 33 when the air AT flows from the inlet 33 . More specifically, the bag body 30 comprises an upper sheet 31 and a lower sheet 32 having outer peripheral edges 31b and 32b connected to each other. Peripheral edges 31a and 32a (see FIG. 3) are each formed into a substantially annular shape by being coupled to a holding portion 28, which will be described later. In the case of the embodiment, the inlet 33 is a region surrounded by the inner peripheral edge 32a of the lower sheet 32, and furthermore, an inner peripheral surface 38c of a tapered tubular partition wall 38 having a communication port (communication portion) 39, which will be described later. It is the part on the side.

Further, in the case of the embodiment, the bag body 30 that has completed inflation has a bowl-like shape, and has a substantially disk-like shape that covers the lower part of the leg part 10 near the center 30a, that is, the lower part of the lateral rod parts 12, 12 on both sides. and a propeller cover portion 35 extending upward while curving from an outer peripheral edge 34 a of the leg cover portion 34 . The propeller cover portion 35 is arranged as a cover portion that covers the entire outer periphery of the six propellers 6 . In the case of the embodiment, the propeller cover portion 35 is configured such that the upper end 35 a exceeds the height of each propeller 6 .

In the case of the embodiment, the inlet 33 is disposed on the side of the inner peripheral edge 32a of the lower seat 32. More specifically, the inner peripheral edge 31a of the upper seat 31 of the bag body 30 is positioned at the check valve 37, which will be described later. The inner peripheral edge 32a of the lower sheet 32 is fixed to the lower edge 38b of the partition wall 38 on the outer peripheral surface 38d side, and the air AT flows into the bag body 30. passes through the inlet 33 on the side of the inner peripheral edge 32 a of the lower sheet 32 and flows in from a communicating port (communicating portion) 39 provided in the partition wall 38 . The communication port 39 is opened and closed by a valve seat 41 of the check valve 37 . In the case of the embodiment, the partition wall 38 is a portion shared with the lower holding portion 28b of the holding portion 28, as will be described later.

The case 21 as a storage portion has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and both left and right edges are connected and fixed to the left and right horizontal rod portions 12, 12 of the leg portion 10, and a double door-like opening is formed on the lower surface 21b side when the bag body 30 is pushed out. Doors 22, 22 which are pushed open on both left and right sides are arranged. A housing 26 of a solenoid actuator 25 as a pushing means is arranged and fixed on the upper surface 21a side of the case 21 .

A solenoid actuator 25 as the push-out device 24 has a plunger 27 that operates to be pushed out from a fixed iron core (not shown) disposed in a housing 26 . A holding portion 28 made of synthetic resin or the like having a shape-retaining property for holding the peripheral edge is connected. The holding portion 28 includes an upper approximately disk-shaped upper holding portion 28a coupled to the lower end of the plunger 27, and a lower holding portion 28b extending downward in a tapered tubular shape extending downward from the vicinity of the center of the upper holding portion 28a. , is configured with The lower holding portion 28b is a portion that holds the peripheral edge of the inlet 33 of the bag body 30. As described above, the lower holding portion 28b constitutes the partition wall 38 of the check valve 37. 31a is fixed, and the inner peripheral edge 32a of the lower sheet 32 is fixed to the lower edge 38b. The bag body 30 is folded so that the outer peripheral edge 30b side approaches the lower holding portion 28b side of the holding portion 28, and is arranged around the lower holding portion 28b on the lower side of the upper holding portion 28a, In that state, it is housed in the case 21 .

When the solenoid actuator 25 is actuated, the plunger 27 is extended downward to move the upper holding portion 28a and the lower holding portion 28b of the holding portion 28 downward. The bag body 30 folded around the holding portion 28b pushes open the door 22 of the case 21 to the left and right, and is pushed out below the case 21. - 特許庁At this time, the peripheral edge (inner peripheral edge) 32a of the inflow port 33 of the bag body 30 is held by the downwardly opening tapered tubular lower holding portion 28b of the holding portion 28 so that the opening faces downward. , the air AT below the drone 1 at the time of fall is made to flow into the bag body 30 from the inlet 33 via the communication port (communication portion) 39 of the partition wall 38, and extend radially from the inlet 33, It swells into a substantially disc shape, more specifically, into a bowl shape.

The solenoid actuator 25 is actuated when the drone 1 falls, and when it is operated by an operator on the ground side, or when the flight control device (not shown) becomes unable to control the drive device 7 etc. In some cases, the airbag 30 is actuated when it is above a predetermined height above the ground (above a height at which the air AT can flow into the bag body 30 to complete its inflation).

A check valve 37 disposed in the inlet 33 allows the air AT to flow into the bag body 30 and regulates the outflow of the air AT. In the case of the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a plurality of tapered tubular partition walls 38 widening downward serve as a lower holding portion 28b to which the inner peripheral edge 32a of the lower sheet 32 of the bag body 30 is joined. It is composed of (eight) communication ports 39 and a flexible valve seat 41 coupled to the outer peripheral surface 38 d side of the partition wall 38 . The valve seat 41 is coupled to the partition wall 38 between the communication ports 39 by coupling portions 41b along the width direction. In this check valve 37, when the bag body 30 is dropped, the air AT flows upward near the inlet 33 of the lower seat 32, and if it reaches the inner peripheral surface 38c of the partition wall 38, the communication port of the partition wall 38 is reached. Through 39, the air AT flows into the bag body 30 and is stored therein. Then, when the air AT tries to flow out of the bag body 30 from the communication port 39, the closing portion 41a of the valve seat 41 covering the communication port 39 is pressed against the communication port peripheral edge 38e on the outer peripheral surface 38d side of the partition wall 38. As a result, the communication port 39 is closed, and a decrease in the internal pressure of the bag body 30 is suppressed.

While the drone 1 equipped with the protective device 20 of the embodiment is in flight, the solenoid actuator 25 as the pushing device 24 is operated by the instruction of the operator on the ground side or by the flight control device's own judgment, and the plunger 27 is pushed. By pushing down, the holding portion 28 coupled to the lower end of the plunger 27 moves downward, and the bag body 30 folded and stored between the upper holding portion 28a and the lower holding portion 28b of the holding portion 28 also moves downward. Then, the doors 22, 22 are pushed open, and the bag body 30 is pushed out from the case 21. - 特許庁At this time, the inflow port 33 of the bag body 30 is held downward and pushed out so that the air AT can flow in when the lower sheet 32 is dropped by holding the inner peripheral edge 32a of the lower sheet 32 by the lower holding portion 28b of the holding portion 28. Air AT smoothly flows into the bag body 30 from the inflow port 33 via the communication port 39, and the bag body 30 is inflated to the completed inflation shape (see FIG. 6). Therefore, even if the horizontal rod portion 12 on the lower side of the leg portion 10 of the drone 1 tries to interfere with the target to be protected (for example, a person) 50 where it falls, the bag body 30 inflated by the inflow of the air AT does not act as a cushion. As such, the protected object 50 can be protected from the drone 1 by being interposed. The bag body 30 is configured to be inflated by letting in the air AT around the drone 1 when it falls, and can be easily inflated without using a gas generator that burns gunpowder. Furthermore, as the push-out means, the solenoid actuator 25 may be used to hold the peripheral edge 32a of the inlet 33 and push it out.

Therefore, the drone protection device 20 of the embodiment can protect the object 50 to be protected where the drone 1 falls with a lightweight and simple configuration.

In the drone protection device 20 of the embodiment, the inflow port 33 is configured with a check valve 37 that allows the inflow of the air AT and regulates the outflow of the air AT.

Therefore, in the embodiment, when the air AT flows into the bag body 30 from the inlet 33 and the bag body 30 is inflated, the action of the check valve 37 prevents the air AT from flowing out from the bag body 30 . Since it is suppressed, the pressure of the bag body 30 can be kept high, the cushioning action of the bag body 30 can be further enhanced, and the protected object 50 at the falling destination can be more preferably protected.

Further, in the drone protection device 20 of the embodiment, the bag body 30 extends upward from the lower side of the leg portion 10 to the outer peripheral edge 30b inflated by the inflow of the air AT to cover the side of each propeller 6. A propeller cover portion 35 is provided as a possible cover portion.

Therefore, in the embodiment, when the bag body 30 is completely inflated, not only the legs 10 on the lower side of the drone 1, but also the propeller cover 35 of the inflated bag body 30 protects the propeller 6 used during flight. , the protected object 50 can be protected.

In the embodiment, the bag body 30 is configured to cover the sides of the propellers 6 when the inflation is completed. Only the leg cover portion 34 may be arranged so as to cover the area below the lateral rod portions 12, 12 of the leg portion 10 without extending to the side of the propeller 6. - 特許庁

In this drone protection device 20A, the only difference is that the upper sheet 31A and the lower sheet 32A of the bag body 30A are configured to have smaller outer diameters than the upper sheet 31 and the lower sheet 32 of the embodiment. A case 21 as a housing portion for housing the bag body 30A and a solenoid actuator 25 having a holding portion 28 as pushing means are the same as those of the embodiment.

In this drone protection device 20A as well, during flight, if the solenoid actuator 25 as a pushing means is activated by an instruction from the operator on the ground side or by an independent judgment of the flight control device, the plunger 27 is pushed down and the plunger is pushed down. The holding portion 28 coupled to the lower end of the door 27 moves downward, and the bag body 30A folded and stored between the upper holding portion 28a and the lower holding portion 28b of the holding portion 28 also moves downward. 22, 22 are pushed open to push the bag body 30A out of the case 21. At this time, the inlet 33 of the bag body 30A is held by the lower holding portion 28b of the holding portion 28 to the inner peripheral edge 32a of the lower sheet 32A. When dropped, the air AT is held downward and pushed out so that the air AT can flow in. The air AT smoothly flows into the bag body 30A from the inlet 33 through the communication port 39, and the bag body 30A is It expands to the expansion completion shape. Therefore, even if the horizontal rod portion 12 on the lower side of the leg portion 10 of the drone 1 tries to interfere with the protection target 50 at the fall destination, the protection target 50 is prevented from being interposed by the bag body 30A into which the air AT is introduced. Can protect against drone 1.

In addition, the bag body 30A is also provided with a check valve 37 in the same manner as the bag body 30, and the action of the check valve 37 suppresses the outflow of the air AT from the bag body 30A. , the pressure of the bag body 30A can be kept high, the cushioning action of the bag body 30A can be further enhanced, and the protected object 50 at the falling destination can be more preferably protected.

In the embodiment, the solenoid actuator 25 was exemplified as the pushing means for pushing out the folded bag bodies 30 and 30A from the case 21 as the storage part. In addition to the solenoid actuator 25, a simple motor, spring mechanism, or the like may be used as the push-out means as long as the push-out means can be pushed out from the case 21, which is the housing portion, in this state.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... drone, 3... main-body part, 6... propeller, 10... leg part, 20, 20A... protective device, 21... case, 25... (extrusion means) solenoid actuator, 28... holding part, 28b... lower side holding part, 30, 30A (protective member) bag body 30a center 30b outer peripheral edge 33 inlet 35 (cover part) propeller cover portion 37 check valve 38 partition 39 communication port 41... valve seat, 50... (protected object) person, AT... air.

Claims (3)

A drone protection device mounted on a drone, comprising a leg portion extending downward from a body portion and a plurality of propellers disposed so as to surround the body portion and rotating during flight,
A protective member that operates when the drone falls and covers the lower side of the leg of the drone, has an inlet into which air can flow when the drone falls, and the air that flows in from the inlet causes the a protection member composed of a substantially disk-shaped bag body that swells so as to extend radially from the inflow port;
a storage portion disposed near the leg portion for storing the folded bag body;
push-out means for pushing out the folded bag body from the housing portion in order to operate the protection member, the holding portion having a holding portion for holding the periphery of the inflow port ;
with
The holding portion has a tapered tubular partition wall extending downward, the partition wall having a communication port communicating with the inflow port of the bag body,
A protection device for a drone , wherein the bag body is inflated by air flowing in from the inlet through the communication port . 2. The protection device for a drone according to claim 1, wherein the inflow port is configured by disposing a check valve that allows air to flow in and restricts air to flow out. The bag body is configured with a cover part extending upward from the lower side of the leg part and capable of covering the side of each propeller on the outer peripheral edge inflated by the inflow of air. A drone protection device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

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