WO2021166140A1

WO2021166140A1 - Drone

Info

Publication number: WO2021166140A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/006685
Authority: WO
Inventors: 小山　貴嗣
Original assignee: 株式会社ナイルワークス
Priority date: 2020-02-20
Filing date: 2020-02-20
Publication date: 2021-08-26
Also published as: JPWO2021166140A1

Abstract

[Problem] To cool a heating element with a simple configuration in a drone body. [Solution] This drone 100 comprises: a main body 110 on which a control unit for controlling a lift generation unit is installed; a plurality of rotary wings 102-1a to 102-4b that are provided at positions surrounding the main body when the main body is viewed from above, and that constitute the lift generation unit; and a cooling plate 20 which constitutes at least a portion of a housing of the main body and in which high-heat-generating elements 21, 22, 24 and a low-heat-generating element 23 having a heat-generating amount smaller than those of the high-heat-generating elements are joined to a surface inside the main body, wherein the low-heat-generating element is disposed at the central section of the cooling plate and the high-heat-generating elements are disposed around the low-heat-generating element.

Description

Drone

The invention of the present application relates to a drone.

The application of small helicopters (multicopters) generally called drones is advancing. One of the important application fields is spraying agricultural land (field) with pesticides and liquid fertilizers (for example, Patent Document 1). In relatively small farmlands, it is often appropriate to use drones rather than manned planes or helicopters.

Patent Document 2 describes that the chassis is bent into an L shape and the heat generating parts and the cooling plate are arranged at positions close to the bent positions. Patent Document 3 describes that a power element is attached to the outer edge of the substrate. Patent Document 4 describes an assembly structure of a circuit board with a heat radiating plate in which a heat radiating plate to which a heat-generating electronic component is attached is attached to the circuit board and the surface of the heat radiating plate is brought into contact with the surface of a housing made of a thermally good conductor. ing. Patent Document 5 describes a printed circuit board mounting bracket capable of fixing a heating element by providing a raised portion. Patent Document 6 describes a substrate mounting method in which a heat radiating member is provided in contact with a heat generating electronic component and the heat radiating member is brought into contact with an inner wall surface of a housing. Patent Document 7 describes an assembly of electric parts in which heat-generating electric parts requiring a heat dissipation structure are attached to the inner side wall of a side plate of a case.

JP 2001-120151 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-352389 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-224575 Jitsuzenpei 2-129785 Jitsuzenpei 3-23981 JP 1997-283886 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-175499

Cool the heat generating element inside the drone with a simple configuration.

The drone according to one aspect of the present invention is provided with a main body equipped with a control unit for controlling the lift generating unit and a position surrounding the main body when viewed from above the main body, and constitutes the lift generating unit. A plurality of rotor blades, a high heat generating element, and a low heat generating element having a smaller heat generation amount than the high heat generating element, which form at least a part of the housing of the main body, are arranged on the inner surface of the housing. The low heat generating element is arranged in the central portion of the cooling plate, and the high heat generating element is arranged around the low heat generating element.

The high heat generating element may be held at a position closer to the side wall of the housing adjacent to the cooling plate than the low heat generating element.

A camera module provided at the front portion in the traveling direction of the main body is further provided, the high heat generating element includes a camera substrate for driving the camera module, and the camera substrate is arranged in front of the traveling direction of the low heat generating element. It may be a thing.

The high heat generating element may include a motor control device for controlling the rotation speed of the rotary blade, and the motor control device may be arranged sideways in the traveling direction of the low heat generating element.

A power source mounting portion that holds a power source inside the main body and rearward in the traveling direction is further provided, and the high heat generating element includes a power supply board that distributes power supplied from the power source. , The low heat generating element may be arranged behind in the traveling direction.

The power supply board includes a low voltage region that generates a first voltage from the power source and a high voltage region that generates a voltage higher than the first voltage, and the low voltage region is a central portion of the cooling plate. The high voltage region may be arranged around the low voltage region.

The power supply board may include a plurality of high voltage regions, and the plurality of high voltage regions may be arranged on both sides of the low voltage region.

The voltage output terminal provided in the high voltage region may be connected to the high heat generating element arranged on the side in the traveling direction of the low heat generating element via wiring.

A drone according to another aspect of the present invention is provided with a main body equipped with a control unit for controlling a lift generating unit and a position surrounding the main body when viewed from above the main body, and constitutes the lift generating unit. A plurality of rotor blades, a high heat generating element, and a low heat generating element having a smaller heat generation amount than the high heat generating element, which form at least a part of the housing of the main body, are arranged on the inner surface of the housing. The cooling plate includes a base portion and a rising portion bent from the base portion, and at least a part of the high heat generating element is joined to the rising portion.

The cooling plate has the rising portions on both sides in the traveling direction, the plurality of rotary blades are arranged on both sides of the main body, and the high heat generating element is the rotation speed of the plurality of rotary blades. Each of the plurality of motor control devices may be included, and the plurality of motor control devices may be arranged on each of the rising portions on both sides.

A power source mounting portion that holds the power source may be further provided so that the power source is arranged in at least a part of the space surrounded by the rising portion and the base portion.

The cooling plate further includes a front rising portion bent from the base portion in the front portion in the traveling direction, further includes a camera module provided in the front portion in the traveling direction of the main body, and the high heat generating element includes the camera module. The camera board may be arranged at the front rising portion, including the camera board to be driven.

The high heat generating element includes a power supply board that distributes power supplied from the power source, and the power supply board includes a low voltage region that generates a first voltage from the power source and a voltage higher than the first voltage. The low voltage region may be arranged at the base portion, and at least a part of the high voltage region may be arranged at the rising portion.

The cooling plate further includes a rear rising portion that is bent from the base portion at the rear portion in the traveling direction, and the high heat generating element includes a power supply board that distributes electric power supplied from the power source, and at least the power supply board. A part may be arranged at the rear rising portion.

The heat generating element can be cooled in the drone with a simple configuration.

It is a top view of the drone which concerns on this invention. It is a front view of the said drone. It is a right side view of the above drone. It is a rear view of the said drone. It is a perspective view of the said drone. It is an overall conceptual diagram of the flight control system of the above-mentioned drone. It is a functional block diagram which the said drone has. It is a schematic partial enlarged cross-sectional view which shows the state of the inside of the body body which the drone has. It is a schematic partial enlarged cross-sectional view which shows the state of the hierarchy different from FIG. 8 inside the main body of the machine body. It is a schematic vertical sectional view which shows the state of the inside of the said body body. It is a figure which shows the state of the 2nd Embodiment of the cooling plate which the machine body has, is (a) the schematic perspective view, (b) is the schematic vertical sectional view which shows the cross section in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction. It is a figure which also shows the arrangement relation of a battery. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the state of the 3rd Embodiment of the said cooling plate. It is a figure which shows the state of the 4th Embodiment of the said cooling plate, is (a) schematic perspective view, (b) schematic vertical sectional view which shows the cross section along the traveling direction. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the state of the 5th Embodiment of the said cooling plate. It is a schematic vertical sectional view which shows the state of the 6th Embodiment of the said body body. It is a schematic vertical sectional view seen from the front which shows the state of the cooling plate which the drone which concerns on 7th Embodiment has. It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the body body of the drone. It is a schematic vertical sectional view which shows the state of the 8th Embodiment of the said body body.

Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. All figures are illustrations. In the following detailed description, certain details are given for illustration purposes and to facilitate a complete understanding of the disclosed embodiments. However, embodiments are not limited to these particular details. Also, to simplify the drawings, well-known structures and devices are outlined. In the following description, the traveling direction of the drone on the horizontal plane is defined as the + x direction, the direction orthogonal to the x direction on the horizontal plane from left to right when viewed from the front is defined as the + y direction, and the vertically upward direction is defined as the + z direction.

First, the configuration of the drone according to the present invention will be described. In the specification of the present application, the drone is regardless of the power means (electric power, prime mover, etc.) and the maneuvering method (wireless or wired, autonomous flight type, manual maneuvering type, etc.). It refers to all air vehicles with multiple rotor blades.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the rotor blades 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101-2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b (also referred to as rotors) are It is a means for flying the Drone 100, and is equipped with eight aircraft (four sets of two-stage rotor blades) in consideration of the balance between flight stability, aircraft size, and power consumption. Each rotor 101 is arranged on all sides of the main body 110 by an arm protruding from the main body 110 of the drone 100 aircraft, that is, at a position surrounding the main body 110 when viewed from above. That is, the rotors 101-1a and 101-1b are on the left rear side in the direction of travel, the rotor blades 101-2a and 101-2b are on the left front side, the rotor blades 101-3a and 101-3b are on the right rear side, and the rotor blades 101- are on the right front side. 4a and 101-4b are arranged respectively. The rotor 101 constitutes a lift generating portion. In addition, the drone 100 has the traveling direction facing downward on the paper in FIG.

A grid-shaped propeller guard 115-1,115-2,115-3,115-4 forming a substantially cylindrical shape is provided on the outer circumference of each set of the rotor blade 101 to prevent the rotor blade 101 from interfering with foreign matter. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the radial members for supporting the propeller guard have a wobbling structure rather than a horizontal structure. This is to encourage the member to buckle outside the rotor in the event of a collision and prevent it from interfering with the rotor.

Rod-shaped legs 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, 107-4 extend downward from the rotation axis of the rotor 101, respectively.

Motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 102-4a, 102-4b are rotor blades 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101- It is a means to rotate 2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b (typically an electric motor, but it may also be a motor, etc.), and one rotor is provided for each rotor. Has been done. Motor 102 is an example of a propulsion device. The upper and lower rotors (eg, 101-1a and 101-1b) in one set, and their corresponding motors (eg, 102-1a and 102-1b), are used for drone flight stability, etc. The axes are on the same straight line and rotate in opposite directions.

Nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4 are means for spraying the sprayed material downward and are equipped with four nozzles. In the specification of the present application, the sprayed material generally refers to a liquid or powder sprayed on a field such as a pesticide, a herbicide, a liquid fertilizer, an insecticide, a seed, and water.

The tank 104 is a tank for storing the sprayed material, and is provided at a position close to the center of gravity of the drone 100 and at a position lower than the center of gravity from the viewpoint of weight balance. The hoses 105-1, 105-2, 1053, 105-4 are means for connecting the tank 104 and the nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4, and are made of a hard material. Therefore, it may also serve as a support for the nozzle. The pump 106 is a means for discharging the sprayed material from the nozzle.

FIG. 6 shows an overall conceptual diagram of the flight control system of the drone 100 according to the present invention. This figure is a schematic view, and the scale is not accurate. In the figure, the drone 100, the actuator 401, the base station 404, and the server 405 are connected to each other via the mobile communication network 400. These connections may be wireless communication by Wi-Fi instead of the mobile communication network 400, or may be partially or wholly connected by wire. Further, the components may have a configuration in which they are directly connected to each other in place of or in addition to the mobile communication network 400.

Drone 100 and base station 404 communicate with GNSS positioning satellite 410 such as GPS to acquire drone 100 and base station 404 coordinates. There may be a plurality of positioning satellites 410 with which the drone 100 and the base station 404 communicate.

The operator 401 transmits a command to the drone 100 by the operation of the user, and also displays information received from the drone 100 (for example, position, amount of sprayed material, battery level, camera image, etc.). It is a means and may be realized by a portable information device such as a general tablet terminal that runs a computer program. The actuator 401 includes an input unit and a display unit as a user interface device. The drone 100 according to the present invention is controlled to perform autonomous flight, but may be capable of manual operation during basic operations such as takeoff and return, and in an emergency. In addition to the portable information device, an emergency operation device (not shown) having a function dedicated to emergency stop may be used. The emergency operation device may be a dedicated device provided with a large emergency stop button or the like so that an emergency response can be taken quickly. Further, apart from the operating device 401, the system may include a small mobile terminal capable of displaying a part or all of the information displayed on the operating device 401, for example, a smart phone. The small mobile terminal is connected to, for example, the base station 404, and can receive information and the like from the server 405 via the base station 404.

Field 403 is a rice field, field, etc. that is the target of spraying with the drone 100. In reality, the terrain of the field 403 is complicated, and the topographic map may not be available in advance, or the topographic map and the situation at the site may be inconsistent. Field 403 is usually adjacent to houses, hospitals, schools, other crop fields, roads, railroads, etc. In addition, there may be intruders such as buildings and electric wires in the field 403.

Base station 404 functions as an RTK-GNSS base station and can provide the exact location of the drone 100. Further, it may be a device that provides a master unit function of Wi-Fi communication. The base unit function of Wi-Fi communication and the RTK-GNSS base station may be independent devices. Further, the base station 404 may be able to communicate with the server 405 by using a mobile communication system such as 3G, 4G, and LTE. The base station 404 and the server 405 constitute a farming cloud.

The server 405 is typically a group of computers operated on a cloud service and related software, and may be wirelessly connected to the actuator 401 by a mobile phone line or the like. The server 405 may be configured by a hardware device. The server 405 may analyze the image of the field 403 taken by the drone 100, grasp the growing condition of the crop, and perform a process for determining the flight route. In addition, the topographical information of the stored field 403 may be provided to the drone 100. In addition, the history of the flight and captured images of the drone 100 may be accumulated and various analysis processes may be performed.

The small mobile terminal is, for example, a smart phone. On the display of the small mobile terminal, information on the expected operation of the drone 100, more specifically, the scheduled time when the drone 100 will return to the departure / arrival point, the content of the work to be performed by the user at the time of return, etc. Information is displayed as appropriate. Further, the operation of the drone 100 may be changed based on the input from the small mobile terminal.

Normally, the drone 100 takes off from the departure / arrival point outside the field 403 and returns to the departure / arrival point after spraying the sprayed material on the field 403 or when it becomes necessary to replenish or charge the sprayed material. The flight route (invasion route) from the departure / arrival point to the target field 403 may be stored in advance on the server 405 or the like, or may be input by the user before the start of takeoff. The departure / arrival point may be a virtual point defined by the coordinates stored in the drone 100, or may have a physical departure / arrival point.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram showing a control function of an embodiment of the spraying drone according to the present invention. The flight controller 501 is a component that controls the entire drone, and may be an embedded computer including a CPU, memory, related software, and the like. The flight controller 501 is an example of a control unit. The flight controller 501 has ESC (Electronic Speed Control) 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, 22e, 22f, 22g, 22h, etc. based on the input information received from the controller 401 and the input information obtained from various sensors described later. By controlling the rotation speed of the motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 102-4a, 102-4b through the motor controller of Control 100 flights. ESC22a to 22h are connected to motors 102-1a to 102-4b, respectively. ESC22a to 22h include, for example, an inverter circuit. The actual rotation speeds of the motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 102-4a, 102-4b are fed back to the flight controller 501, and normal rotation is performed. It is configured so that it can be monitored. Alternatively, the rotary blade 101 may be provided with an optical sensor or the like so that the rotation of the rotary blade 101 is fed back to the flight controller 501.

The software used by the flight controller 501 can be rewritten through a storage medium for function expansion / change, problem correction, etc., or through communication means such as Wi-Fi communication or USB. In this case, protection is performed by encryption, checksum, electronic signature, virus check software, etc. so that rewriting by malicious software is not performed. In addition, a part of the calculation process used by the flight controller 501 for control may be executed by another computer located on the controller 401, the server 405, or somewhere else. Due to the high importance of the flight controller 501, some or all of its components may be duplicated.

The flight controller 501 communicates with the actuator 401 via the communication device 530 and further via the mobile communication network 400, receives necessary commands from the actuator 401, and transmits necessary information to the actuator 401. Can be sent. In this case, the communication may be encrypted so as to prevent fraudulent acts such as interception, spoofing, and device hijacking. The base station 404 also has an RTK-GPS base station function in addition to a communication function via the mobile communication network 400. By combining the signal of the RTK base station 404 and the signal from the positioning satellite 410 such as GPS, the flight controller 501 can measure the absolute position of the drone 100 with an accuracy of about several centimeters. Flight controllers 501 are so important that they may be duplicated and multiplexed, and each redundant flight controller 501 should use a different satellite to handle the failure of a particular GPS satellite. It may be controlled.

The 6-axis gyro sensor 505 is a means for measuring the acceleration of the drone body in three directions orthogonal to each other, and further, a means for calculating the velocity by integrating the acceleration. The 6-axis gyro sensor 505 is a means for measuring the change in the attitude angle of the drone aircraft in the above-mentioned three directions, that is, the angular velocity. The geomagnetic sensor 506 is a means for measuring the direction of the drone body by measuring the geomagnetism. The barometric pressure sensor 507 is a means for measuring barometric pressure, and can also indirectly measure the altitude of the drone. The laser sensor 508 is a means for measuring the distance between the drone body and the ground surface by utilizing the reflection of the laser light, and may be an IR (infrared) laser. The sonar 509 is a means for measuring the distance between the drone aircraft and the ground surface by utilizing the reflection of sound waves such as ultrasonic waves. These sensors may be selected according to the cost target and performance requirements of the drone. In addition, a gyro sensor (angular velocity sensor) for measuring the inclination of the aircraft, a wind power sensor for measuring wind power, and the like may be added. Further, these sensors may be duplicated or multiplexed. If there are multiple sensors for the same purpose, the flight controller 501 may use only one of them, and if it fails, it may switch to an alternative sensor for use. Alternatively, a plurality of sensors may be used at the same time, and if the measurement results do not match, it may be considered that a failure has occurred.

The flow rate sensor 510 is a means for measuring the flow rate of the sprayed material, and is provided at a plurality of locations on the path from the tank 104 to the nozzle 103. The liquid drainage sensor 511 is a sensor that detects that the amount of sprayed material has fallen below a predetermined amount.

Drone 100 is equipped with a camera module 522. The camera module 522 has, for example, the functions of a growth diagnosis camera 512a, a pathology diagnosis camera 512b, and an obstacle detection camera 513.

The growth diagnosis camera 512a is a means for photographing the field 403 and acquiring data for the growth diagnosis. The growth diagnostic camera 512a is, for example, a multispectral camera and receives a plurality of light rays having different wavelengths from each other. The plurality of light rays are, for example, red light (wavelength of about 650 nm) and near-infrared light (wavelength of about 774 nm). Further, the growth diagnosis camera 512a may be a camera that receives visible light.

The pathological diagnosis camera 512b is a means for photographing the crops growing in the field 403 and acquiring the data for the pathological diagnosis. The pathological diagnosis camera 512b is, for example, a red light camera. The red light camera is a camera that detects the amount of light in the frequency band corresponding to the absorption spectrum of chlorophyll contained in the plant, and detects, for example, the amount of light in the band around 650 nm. The pathological diagnosis camera 512b may detect the amount of light in the frequency bands of red light and near infrared light. Further, the pathological diagnosis camera 512b may include both a red light camera and a visible light camera such as an RGB camera that detects light amounts of at least three wavelengths in the visible light band. The pathological diagnosis camera 512b may be a multispectral camera, and may detect the amount of light in the band having a wavelength of 650 nm to 680 nm.

The growth diagnosis camera 512a and the pathology diagnosis camera 512b may be realized by one hardware configuration.

The obstacle detection camera 513 is a camera for detecting a drone intruder, and since the image characteristics and the orientation of the lens are different from the growth diagnosis camera 512a and the pathological diagnosis camera 512b, what are the growth diagnosis camera 512a and the pathological diagnosis camera 512b? Another device. The switch 514 is a means for the user 402 of the drone 100 to make various settings. The obstacle contact sensor 515 is a sensor for detecting that the drone 100, in particular, its rotor or propeller guard part, has come into contact with an intruder such as an electric wire, a building, a human body, a standing tree, a bird, or another drone. .. The obstacle contact sensor 515 may be replaced by a 6-axis gyro sensor 505. The cover sensor 516 is a sensor that detects that the operation panel of the drone 100 and the cover for internal maintenance are in the open state. The inlet sensor 517 is a sensor that detects that the inlet of the tank 104 is in an open state.

These sensors may be selected according to the cost target and performance requirements of the drone, and may be duplicated / multiplexed. Further, a sensor may be provided at the base station 404, the actuator 401, or some other place outside the drone 100, and the read information may be transmitted to the drone. For example, the base station 404 may be provided with a wind sensor to transmit information on wind power and wind direction to the drone 100 via the mobile communication network 400 or Wi-Fi communication.

The flight controller 501 sends a control signal to the pump 106 to adjust the discharge amount and stop the discharge. The current status of the pump 106 (for example, the number of revolutions) is fed back to the flight controller 501.

LED107 is a display means for notifying the drone operator of the drone status. Display means such as a liquid crystal display may be used in place of or in addition to the LED. The buzzer is an output means for notifying the state of the drone (particularly the error state) by an audio signal. The communication device 530 is connected to a mobile communication network 400 such as 3G, 4G, and LTE, and can communicate with a farming cloud composed of a base station and a server and an operator via the mobile communication network 400. Will be done. In place of or in addition to the communication device, other wireless communication means such as Wi-Fi, infrared communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), NFC, or wired communication means such as USB connection. You may use it. The speaker 520 is an output means for notifying the state of the drone (particularly the error state) by means of recorded human voice, synthetic voice, or the like. Depending on the weather conditions, it may be difficult to see the visual display of the drone 100 in flight. In such cases, voice communication is effective. The warning light 521 is a display means such as a strobe light for notifying the state of the drone (particularly the error state). These input / output means may be selected according to the cost target and performance requirements of the drone, and may be duplicated or multiplexed.

● Internal configuration of the drone body (1)
As shown in FIG. 8, a circuit board for driving the drone 100 is arranged inside the main body 110 of the drone 100 aircraft. The circuit board receives power supplied from the camera board 21 that drives the camera module 522, the ESC 22a to 22h, the main control board 23 that constitutes the flight controller 501 function, and the battery 502 (see FIGS. 7 and 9). , ESC 22a to 22h and a power supply board 24 that distributes power to the main control board 23. The camera board 21, ESC 22a to 22h, and the power supply board 24 are examples of boards on which high heat generating elements are mounted. The main control board 23 is an example of a board on which a low heat generation element having a smaller heat generation amount than a high heat generation element is mounted.

The camera board 21, ESC22a to 22h, the main control board 23, and the power supply board 24 are arranged on the cooling plate 20. The camera board 21, ESC22a to 22h, the main control board 23, and the power supply board 24 may be connected to the cooling plate 20 via a spacer or the like, or may be directly connected to the cooling plate 20 after ensuring the insulation of each element on the board. It may be placed. Each substrate and the cooling plate 20 are appropriately connected in a manner having good thermal conductivity.

The cooling plate 20 is a thin plate that spreads in a substantially xy plane. The cooling plate 20 constitutes at least a part of the housing of the main body 110, and holds the camera board 21, the ESC 22a to 22h, the main control board 23, and the power supply board 24 on a substantially xy plane. In FIG. 8, the main body 110 has a shape in which the cooling plate 20 has a shape in which a partial circle is connected to one side of a rectangle in a top view, and constitutes the bottom surface of the main body 110. The cooling plate 20 may be rectangular in top view.

The cooling plate 20 is made of a material having high thermal conductivity, for example, metal. More specifically, the cooling plate 20 uses, for example, aluminum as a main raw material. According to the structure in which the cooling plate 20 is mainly made of aluminum, it is lightweight, so that the energy consumption of the drone 100 can be saved.

The high heat generation element is held at a position closer to the side wall of the main body 110 adjacent to the cooling plate 20 than the low heat generation element. For example, the main control board 23 is arranged in the central portion on the cooling plate 20, and at least a part of the high heat generating elements is arranged on the outer periphery of the main control board 23. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, rotary blades 101-1a to 101-4b are provided around the main body 110. When the rotor blades 101-1a to 101-4b rotate, an air flow in the z direction, that is, in the vertical vertical direction is generated on the side of the main body 110. This air flow promotes heat dissipation of the main body 110. Therefore, inside the main body 110, the position near the side wall of the main body 110 is more likely to be cooled than the central portion of the main body 110. Therefore, by arranging the high heat generating element at a position close to the side wall of the main body 110, it is possible to cool the high heat generating element by utilizing the air flow generated during flight without providing a separate cooling configuration. In the drone 100, since it is necessary to provide the substrate in a narrow space surrounded by the rotor blades 101-1a to 101-4b, this configuration can achieve cooling performance with a simple configuration even in a narrow space, especially. Suitable.

The camera board 21 is arranged in front of the cooling plate 20 in the traveling direction. In other words, the camera board 21 is arranged in front of the main control board 23 in the traveling direction. Since the camera module 522 is arranged at the front portion of the main body 110 in the traveling direction, the wiring can be shortened by arranging the camera board 21 at a position corresponding to the camera module 522. By shortening the wiring, the cost of wiring, the risk of noise generation, and the risk of failure can be reduced.

Further, ESC22a to ESC22h are arranged on the left and right sides of the main control board 23 on the cooling plate 20. Specifically, the ESCs 22a to 22d connected to the motors 102-1a to 102-2b are provided on the + y side of the main control board 23 along the x direction. The ESCs 22e to 22h connected to the motors 102-3a to 102-4b, respectively, are provided on the −y side of the main control board 23 along the x direction. According to this configuration, the motors 102-1a to 102-2b are provided on the + y side of the main body 110, and the motors 102-3a to 102-4b are provided on the −y side of the main body 110, so that the wiring can be shortened. ..

The power supply board 24 is arranged on the cooling plate 20 behind the main control board 23 in the traveling direction. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the battery 502 is arranged inside the main body 110 and above the cooling plate 20. The battery 502 is an example of a power source and may be a primary battery or a fuel cell. The battery 502 is located above the power supply board 24. According to this configuration, the distance between the power supply board 24 and the battery 502 is short, and the wiring can be shortened. Further, by forming the cooling plate 20 and the battery 502 into a two-layer structure, the main body 110 can be compactly configured. As for the battery 502, the first battery 502a and the second battery 502b are arranged side by side. The battery 502 is connected to the battery mounting portion 30. The battery mounting portion 30 is provided with a terminal for taking out the voltage from the battery 502, and holds the battery 502 detachably. The battery mounting unit 30 is an example of a power source mounting unit.

As shown in FIG. 8, the power supply board 24 distributes the power supplied from the battery 502 into a plurality of voltages. This is because the camera board 21, ESC22a to ESC22h, and the main control board 23 are driven by different voltages. Specifically, the ESC22a to ESC22h are driven by a voltage higher than that of the main control board 23 and the camera board 21. The power supply board 24 includes a low voltage region 24a that generates a first voltage from the battery 502, and a plurality of

high voltage regions

24b and 24c that generate a voltage higher than the first voltage. The voltages generated by the first high voltage region 24b and the second high voltage region 24c may be equal to or different from each other. The low voltage region 24a is connected to the main control board 23 and the camera board 21, and the

high voltage regions

24b and 24c are connected to ESC22a to ESC22h.

The low voltage region 24a is arranged at the center of the cooling plate 20, and the

high voltage regions

24b and 24c are arranged closer to the side wall of the main body 110 than the low voltage region 24a. The plurality of

high voltage regions

24b and 24c are arranged on both sides of the low voltage region 24a, and on the left and right sides in the present embodiment, respectively. Since the

high voltage regions

24b and 24c generate a larger amount of heat than the low voltage regions 24a, the

high voltage regions

24b and 24c can be cooled more efficiently according to this configuration.

Further, according to the configuration in which the low voltage region 24a is arranged in the central portion of the cooling plate 20, the main control board 23 is also arranged in the central portion in the lateral direction of the cooling plate 20, so that the wiring can be shortened. can.

The voltage output terminals provided in the

high voltage regions

24b and 24c supply voltage to ESC22a to ESC22h arranged on the same side in the y direction via wiring. That is, the output terminal of the high voltage region 24b arranged on the + y side on the power supply board 24 is connected to ESC22a to ESC22d arranged on the + y side side of the main control board 23. Further, the output terminal of the high voltage region 24c arranged on the −y side on the power supply board 24 is connected to the ESC22e to ESC22h arranged on the −y side side of the main control board 23. According to this configuration, each wiring connecting the power supply board 24 and the ESC22a to ESC22h can be shortened.

The cooling plate 20 is composed of a base portion 20e on which a heat generating element is arranged and rising

portions

20a and 20b formed by bending the left and right ends of the base portion 20e upward. The rising

portions

20a and 20b are composed of members equivalent to the base portion 20e of the cooling plate 20. The rising

portions

20a and 20b may be prepared as separate members and connected to both ends of the base portion 20e. In the present embodiment, the base portion 20e constitutes the bottom surface of the main body 110, and the rising

portions

20a and 20b form a part of the side wall of the main body 110. According to this configuration, the rigidity of the cooling plate can be increased as compared with the flat cooling plate.

The heat generated from ESC22a to ESC22h is transmitted to the rising

portions

20a and 20b, and is cooled by the airflow flowing outside the side wall generated by the propulsion device, that is, the rotor blades, so that the cooling of the heat generating element can be promoted. The angle formed by the rising

portions

20a and 20b and the base portion 20e is arbitrary, and may extend upward at an angle looser or sharper than a right angle.

● Internal configuration of the drone body (2)
A second embodiment relating to the internal configuration of the drone body will be described with reference to FIG. The cooling plate 201 included in the drone according to the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a high heat generating element is bonded to the rising

portions

201a and 201b. The same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those in the first embodiment.

At least a part of the high heat generating element is bonded to the rising

portions

201a and 201b. In this embodiment, ESC22a to 22d and ESC22e to 22h are joined to the rising

portions

201a and 201b, respectively. According to this configuration, cooling of the high heat generating element can be further promoted through the rising

portions

201a and 201b. The high heat generating element bonded to the rising

portions

201a and 201b may be a part of the camera substrate 21. Twice

As shown in FIG. 11B, the battery mounting portion 30 holds the battery 502 so that the battery 502 is arranged in at least a part of the space surrounded by the rising

portions

201a, 201b and the base 201e. The space surrounded by the rising

portions

201a, 201b and the base 201e is a space surrounded by the rising

portions

201a, 201b and the base 201e and a virtual surface formed by connecting the opposite sides of the rising

portions

201a and 201b, respectively. This is the space where the center of gravity 201o of the cooling plate 201 exists. According to the configuration in which the battery 502 is fixed in the space, the center of gravity 502o of the battery 502 and the center of gravity 201o of the cooling plate 201 are close to each other. Energy consumption can be further reduced.

The battery mounting portion 30 may hold the battery 502 so that the center of gravity 502o of the battery 502 is located in a space surrounded by the rising

portions

201a, 201b and the base 201e. According to this configuration, the center of gravity 502o of the battery 502 and the center of gravity 201o of the cooling plate 201 are closer to each other.

● Internal configuration of the drone body (3)
In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 12, a part of the power supply board 240 is joined to the rising

portions

201a and 201b. Specifically, the

high voltage regions

240b and 240c of the power supply board 240 are arranged in the rising

portions

201a and 201b, respectively, and the low voltage regions 240a are arranged in the base portion 201e. According to this configuration, cooling of the

high voltage regions

240b and 240c can be promoted. Further, by arranging the

high voltage regions

240b and 240c connected to each other and the ESC22a to 22h on the same surface, the wiring can be simplified.

● Internal configuration of the drone body (4)
In the fourth embodiment shown in FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b), rising

portions

202a and 202c are provided on both side surfaces with respect to the traveling direction of the cooling plate 202, and the rising

portions

202a and 202c are provided on the front and rear sides of the cooling plate 202 in the traveling direction.

Parts

202b and 202d are provided. At least a part of the power supply board 241 is joined to the rising portion 202d on the rear side of the cooling plate 202 in the traveling direction. Specifically, at least the

high voltage regions

241b and 241c of the power supply board 241 are arranged in the rising portion 202d, respectively, and the low voltage region 241a is arranged in the base portion 202e. Alternatively, the high-

voltage regions

241b and 241c and the low-voltage regions 241a of the power supply board 241 may be arranged at the rising

portions

202a, 202c, and 202d, respectively. According to this configuration, cooling of the

high voltage regions

241b and 241c can be promoted. Further, by arranging the

high voltage regions

241b and 241c connected to each other and the ESC22a to 22h on the same surface, the wiring can be simplified.

As shown in FIG. 13 (b), the camera board 21 is joined to the front rising portion 202b. Since the airflow generated by the rotor blades 102-1a to 102-4b is also generated in the vertical direction before and after the traveling direction of the main body 110, according to this configuration, the cooling of the camera substrate 21 is promoted through the front rising portion 202b. be able to. A power supply board 24 is joined to the rear rising portion 202c. According to this configuration, cooling of the power supply board 24 can be promoted via the rear rising portion 202c.

● Internal configuration of the drone body (5)
As in the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 14, the rising

portions

203a, 203c, the front rising portion 203b, and the rear rising portion 203d are connected to each other, and the cooling plate 203 has a hollow box shape. May be good.

● Internal configuration of the drone body (6)
The sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is different from the first to fifth embodiments in that the upper part of the main body housing is composed of the cooling plate 204. The rising

portions

204a and 204b of the cooling plate 204 form the upper part of the side wall of the housing. In the present embodiment, the battery 502 and the plate member 30 are arranged below the cooling plate 204. Further, the cooling plate 20 and the plate member 30 face each other with a gap, and the battery 502 is located in the gap.

● Internal configuration of the drone body (7)
A seventh embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. This embodiment differs from the first to sixth embodiments in that the cooling plate 205 is configured to be substantially vertical. In the present embodiment, the cooling plate 205 constitutes the rear portion of the main body 110 housing in the traveling direction. The rising

portions

205a and 205b of the cooling plate 205 form a part of the rear portion of the side wall of the main body housing in the traveling direction. In the cooling plate 205, the camera substrate 21 is arranged close to the lower portion in the vertical direction, that is, the bottom portion of the main body 110. The camera board 21 may be in contact with the bottom of the main body 110. The main control board 23 is joined to the upper part of the camera board 21 and substantially in the center of the cooling plate 205. ESC22s are arranged on the left and right sides of the main control board 23. Since the rotor blades are arranged diagonally left and right front and diagonally left and right rear with respect to the traveling direction, according to this configuration, the high heat generating element and the rotary blade are arranged relatively close to each other, and the high heat generating element is efficiently cooled. be able to.

● Internal configuration of the drone book (8)
As in the eighth embodiment shown in FIG. 18, the cooling plate 206 may be arranged in a substantially vertical direction to form a front portion of the main body 110 housing in the traveling direction. The rising

portions

206a and 206b of the cooling plate 206 form a part of the front portion in the traveling direction of the side walls of the main body housing. Even with this configuration, the high heat generating element is arranged closer to the rotary blade 101 than the main control board 23, and the high heat generating element can be cooled efficiently.

Further, in a mode in which the cooling plate is arranged in a substantially vertical direction, the cooling plate may form a wall on the side in the traveling direction. In this case, the rising portion of the cooling plate constitutes a part of the front surface and the rear surface in the traveling direction. Further, on the cooling plate, for example, the camera board 21 is joined to the upper part in the traveling direction, and the power supply board 24 is joined to the lower part in the traveling direction. The camera board 21 may be joined to the front portion in the traveling direction, and the power supply board 24 may be joined to the rear portion in the traveling direction.

(Technically remarkable effect of the present invention)
In the drone according to the present invention, the heat generating element can be cooled in the drone body with a simple configuration.

Claims

A main body equipped with a control unit that controls the lift generating unit,
When viewed from above the main body, a plurality of rotary blades provided at a position surrounding the main body and constituting the lift generating portion, and
A cooling plate that constitutes at least a part of the housing of the main body and in which a high heat generating element and a low heat generating element having a smaller heat generation amount than the high heat generating element are arranged on the inner surface of the housing.
With
The low heat generation element is arranged in the central portion of the cooling plate, and the high heat generation element is arranged around the low heat generation element.
Drone.
The high heat generating element is held at a position closer to the side wall of the housing adjacent to the cooling plate than the low heat generating element.
The drone according to claim 1.
Further equipped with a camera module provided at the front portion in the traveling direction of the main body,
The high heat generating element includes a camera substrate that drives the camera module.
The camera substrate is arranged in front of the low heat generating element in the traveling direction.
The drone according to claim 1 or 2.
The high heat generating element includes a motor control device that controls the rotation speed of the rotary blade.
The motor control device is arranged on the side in the traveling direction of the low heat generating element.
The drone according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
A power source mounting part that holds a power source inside the main body and at the rear in the traveling direction is further provided.
The high heat generating element includes a power supply board that distributes electric power supplied from a power source.
The power supply board is arranged behind the low heat generating element in the traveling direction.
The drone according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The power supply board includes a low voltage region that generates a first voltage from the power source and a high voltage region that generates a voltage higher than the first voltage.
The low voltage region is arranged in the central portion of the cooling plate, and the high voltage region is arranged around the low voltage region.
The drone according to claim 5.
The power supply board has a plurality of high voltage regions and has a plurality of high voltage regions.
The plurality of high voltage regions are arranged on both sides of the low voltage region, respectively.
The drone according to claim 6.
The voltage output terminal provided in the high voltage region is connected to the high heat generating element arranged on the side in the traveling direction of the low heat generating element via wiring.
The drone according to claim 6 or 7.
A main body equipped with a control unit that controls the lift generating unit,
When viewed from above the main body, a plurality of rotary blades provided at a position surrounding the main body and constituting the lift generating portion, and
A cooling plate that constitutes at least a part of the housing of the main body and in which a high heat generating element and a low heat generating element having a smaller heat generation amount than the high heat generating element are arranged on the inner surface of the housing.
With
The cooling plate is
At the base,
A rising portion formed by bending the base portion and a rising portion
Have,
At least a part of the high heat generating element is bonded to the rising portion.
Drone.
The cooling plate has the rising portions on both sides in the traveling direction, respectively.
The plurality of rotor blades are arranged on both sides of the main body, respectively.
The high heat generating element includes a plurality of motor control devices for controlling the rotation speeds of the plurality of rotary blades.
The plurality of motor control devices are arranged on each of the rising portions on both sides.
The drone according to claim 9.
A power source mounting portion that holds the power source is further provided so that the power source is arranged in at least a part of the space surrounded by the rising portion and the base portion.
The drone according to claim 9 or 10.
The cooling plate further includes a front rising portion formed by bending from the base portion in the front portion in the traveling direction.
Further equipped with a camera module provided at the front portion in the traveling direction of the main body,
The high heat generating element includes a camera substrate that drives the camera module.
The camera board is arranged at the front rising portion.
The drone according to any one of claims 9 to 11.
The high heat generating element includes a power supply board that distributes electric power supplied from a power source.
The power supply board includes a low voltage region that generates a first voltage from the power source and a high voltage region that generates a voltage higher than the first voltage.
The low voltage region is arranged at the base, and at least a part of the high voltage region is arranged at the rising portion.
The drone according to any one of claims 9 to 12.
The cooling plate further includes a rear rising portion that is bent from the base portion at the rear portion in the traveling direction.
The high heat generating element includes a power supply board that distributes electric power supplied from a power source.
At least a part of the power supply board is arranged at the rear rising portion.
The drone according to any one of claims 9 to 12.