Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
  • B64U—UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR
  • B64U10/00—Type of UAV
  • B64U10/10—Rotorcrafts
  • B64U10/13—Flying platforms
  • B64U10/14—Flying platforms with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
  • B64U—UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR
  • B64U10/00—Type of UAV
  • B64U10/10—Rotorcrafts
  • B64U10/13—Flying platforms
  • B64U10/16—Flying platforms with five or more distinct rotor axes, e.g. octocopters
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
  • B64U—UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR
  • B64U50/00—Propulsion; Power supply
  • B64U50/10—Propulsion
  • B64U50/11—Propulsion using internal combustion piston engines
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
  • B64U—UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR
  • B64U50/00—Propulsion; Power supply
  • B64U50/10—Propulsion
  • B64U50/19—Propulsion using electrically powered motors
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
  • B64U—UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR
  • B64U50/00—Propulsion; Power supply
  • B64U50/30—Supply or distribution of electrical power
  • B64U50/33—Supply or distribution of electrical power generated by combustion engines
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
  • Y02T50/00—Aeronautics or air transport
  • Y02T50/60—Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Definitions

• Patent Document 1 describes an unmanned aerial vehicle (unmanned flying object) that changes its flight position in conjunction with the operation of agricultural machinery.
• the present disclosure provides an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of increasing payload and/or flight time and suitable for agricultural applications.
• the unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to fly while towing the work machine, An unmanned aerial vehicle described in any one of items B1 to B7, wherein the power supply device and the work machine are electrically connected by a cable.
• the unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to fly while towing the work machine, An unmanned aerial vehicle described in any one of items C1 to C10, wherein the power supply device and the work machine are electrically connected by a cable.
• the unmanned aerial vehicle disclosed herein it becomes possible to adjust the generation and use of the electricity required to rotate the electric motor according to the flight conditions or the work to be done.
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating schematic examples of rotary drive devices that rotate rotors in an unmanned aerial vehicle having multiple rotors.
• 1 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of one basic configuration example of an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with multiple rotors.
• 1 is a side view showing a schematic diagram of one basic configuration example of an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with multiple rotors.
• FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of another basic configuration example of an unmanned aerial vehicle having multiple rotors.
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a basic configuration of a battery-powered multicopter.
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a basic configuration of a series hybrid type multicopter.
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a basic configuration of a parallel hybrid type multicopter.
• FIG. 1 is a top view diagrammatically illustrating a multicopter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a schematic view of a multicopter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a system configuration in the multicopter of the present embodiment.
• 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a battery management device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an agricultural management system in this embodiment.
• FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a work plan for each agricultural work.
• FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen displayed on the terminal device.
• 1 is a side view showing a schematic diagram of a lower limit (first reference value) of a target range of a state of charge (SOC) when the flight altitude of the multicopter in this embodiment is h4, h3, h2, and h1.
• 1 is a graph showing an example of a relationship between the flight altitude of a multicopter and a lower limit (first reference value) of a target range of a charging rate (SOC) in this embodiment.
• 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a process performed by a battery management device in the present embodiment.
• 5 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of external power supply in the present embodiment.
• Unmanned aerial vehicles with multiple rotors are equipped with a rotary drive device that rotates the rotors (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “propellers”).
• pumps a rotary drive device that rotates the rotors
• multicopters such unmanned aerial vehicles will be referred to as "multicopters.”
• Figure 1A is a block diagram showing four examples of the rotary drive device 3 in this disclosure.
• the first rotary drive device 3A shown in FIG. 1A has a plurality of electric motors (hereinafter referred to as "motors") 14 that rotate a plurality of rotors 2, and a battery 52 that stores power to be supplied to each motor 14.
• the battery 52 is, for example, a secondary battery such as a polymer-type lithium-ion battery.
• Each rotor 2 is connected to the output shaft of the corresponding motor 14 and rotated by the motor 14.
• the storage capacity of the battery 52 can be increased by making the battery 52 larger, but making the battery 52 larger results in an increase in weight.
• the mechanical energy generated by the internal combustion engine 7a can also be used to rotate the rotor 2 without being converted into electric power, making it possible to increase the efficiency of energy utilization.
• This type of drive is called a "parallel hybrid drive.”
• the series hybrid drive type multicopter 10 like the battery drive type multicopter 10, includes multiple rotors 12, multiple motors 14, multiple ESCs 16, a control device 4a, a sensor group 4b, and a communication device 4c.
• the illustrated series hybrid drive type multicopter 10 further includes an internal combustion engine 7a, a fuel tank 7b that stores fuel for the internal combustion engine 7a, a power generation device 8 that is driven by the internal combustion engine 7a to generate electric power, a power buffer 9 that temporarily stores the electric power generated by the power generation device 8, and a power supply device 76 that is electrically connected to the power buffer 9.
• the eight propellers 12a and 12b of the sub-rotor 12 have the same pitch angle and diameter as each other.
• the two propellers 22a of the main rotor 22 also have the same pitch angle and diameter.
• the diameter of the propeller 22a is 1.2 times or more, for example, 1.4 times or more and 2.0 times or less, the diameter of the propellers 12a and 12b.
• the storage capacity of the battery 52 has a value that allows the aircraft to continue to generate lift and control attitude by the sub-rotor 12, fly to a location where landing is possible, and land there, even if power generation by the power generation device 42 stops for some reason and lift by the main rotor 22 is lost.
• the power required to drive the sub-rotor 12 can be supplied to the ESC 16 from the power generation device 42, not from the battery 52. For this reason, even if the payload and flight time are increased, there is little need to increase the storage capacity of the battery 52 accordingly.
• the motor 14 functions as a plurality of "attitude control devices” that respectively drive a plurality of first rotors (sub rotors) 12.
• the main rotor drive unit 24 which is an internal combustion engine, functions as a “main thrust generating device” that drives the second rotor (main rotor) 22.
• an internal combustion engine can efficiently generate a large thrust.
• the sub-rotor 12 is rotated using electricity generated by the power of the main rotor drive unit 24, which is an internal combustion engine, but energy losses occur when mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy. For this reason, from the perspective of improving energy consumption efficiency, it is preferable that the main rotor drive unit 24 is used to rotate the main rotor 22 to generate the main thrust. Also, in order to increase the thrust of the main rotor 22, it is preferable that the diameter of the main rotor 22 is larger than the diameter of each of the multiple first rotors 12.
• attitude control performance improves, but energy consumption efficiency decreases.
• the battery management device 54 can control the power management device 44 to adjust the amount of power generation according to the work content of the multicopter 100.
• the work content of the multicopter 100 is specified by a work plan. Then, a work machine 200 selected according to the work content can be connected to the multicopter 100. The work plan will be described in detail below.
• Each multicopter 100 can perform the agricultural work assigned to it in a designated field according to instructions from the management device 600.
• the operation of the multicopter 100 may be initiated by a user (operator) from the ground, in which case the management device 600 may be used by the user or other people to create a work plan.
• the multicopter 100 in this embodiment can be equipped with or towed by a work machine 200, so that the multicopter 100 can fly above a field while performing agricultural work according to the type of work machine 200.
• the multicopter 100 can also move between fields and fly between a storage facility and a field.
• the management device 600 may be, for example, a server computer that centrally manages information related to farm fields and farm work on the cloud and supports agriculture by utilizing data on the cloud.
• the management device 600 for example, creates a work plan for each multicopter 100 and performs global path planning for each multicopter 100 according to the work plan.
• the work plan in this example includes information indicating the date and time when the agricultural work will be performed, the field, the work content, and the work machine 200 to be used for each registered multicopter 100.
• the work plan is not limited to the format shown in FIG. 7 and may include other information related to the work. For example, information such as the type of pesticide or fertilizer or the amount to be applied may be included in the work plan.
• the processor provided in the management device 600 generates a route for each multicopter 100 for each work day and issues instructions for agricultural work to each multicopter 100.
• the work plan may be downloaded by the control device 30 of the multicopter 100 and stored in the storage device 37 described later. In this case, the control device 30 may autonomously start operating according to the schedule indicated by the work plan stored in the storage device 37.
• FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen 760 displayed on the display screen of the terminal device 400.
• the processor of the terminal device 400 starts application software for creating a work plan, and causes a setting screen 760 such as that shown in FIG. 8 to be displayed on the display screen.
• the user can input outline plan information required for creating a work plan on this setting screen 760.
• the period input by the user is displayed in the period setting section 761.
• the user inputs the period during which the user wishes to perform the farm work.
• the days included in the input period are set as candidate days for performing the farm work.
• the field selection section 764 displays the fields on the map. The user can select any field from the displayed fields. In the example of Figure 8, the portion showing "Field A" is selected. In this case, the selected “Field A” is set as the field where agricultural work will be carried out. The user can also select multiple fields at the same time.
• the machine selection section 766 is a section for setting the multicopter to be used in the agricultural work.
• the type or model of the multicopter registered in advance by the management device 600, and the type or model of the work implement 200 that can be used, etc. can be displayed in the machine selection section 766.
• the user can select a specific machine from the displayed machines.
• a work implement 200 with the model number "XX4511" is selected. In this case, that work implement 200 is set as the machine to be used in the agricultural work.
• the fertilizer selection section 767 displays the names of multiple fertilizers that have been registered in advance. The user can select a specific fertilizer from the multiple fertilizers displayed. The selected fertilizer is set as the fertilizer to be used in the farm work.
• the spray amount setting section 770 displays the numerical value input from the input device 420.
• the input numerical value is set as the spray amount.
• the information on agricultural work managed by the management device 600 is not limited to the above.
• the type of pesticide to be used in the field and the amount to be sprayed may be set on the setting screen 760.
• Information on agricultural work other than the agricultural work shown in FIG. 8 may also be set.
• the management device 600 creates a work plan for each multicopter 100 to perform agricultural work based on information received from each user's terminal device 400. For example, the management device 600 determines the actual work date and work time of the agricultural work to be performed by each multicopter 100. For example, the management device 600 determines the date and time of agricultural work in each field by comprehensively considering the number, distribution, and usage status of the multicopter 100, the distribution of fields in which agricultural work is performed in the area, the work date and time desired by each user, and the estimated work period in the area. An algorithm using artificial intelligence (AI), such as a deep neural network, may be used to determine the date and time of agricultural work in each field. The management device 600 notifies the terminal device 400 used by the user of the determined date and time of agricultural work.
• AI artificial intelligence
• the management device 600 executes a route plan for each multicopter 100 for each work day based on the determined date and time when the agricultural work will be performed in each field.
• the battery management device 54 in this embodiment can monitor the state of the battery 52 (particularly the charging rate) while controlling the power management device 44 to efficiently increase or decrease the amount of power generation. That is, as described below, the amount of power generation can be increased immediately before the work machine 200 starts to operate. Since the battery 52, such as a lithium-ion battery, is prone to deterioration if kept in a fully charged state, the process of increasing the charging rate in line with the start of work by the work machine 200 is also effective in extending the life of the battery 52. Such control of the charging rate is described below.
• the first reference value may be 80% and the second reference value may be 90%.
• the first reference value and the second reference value do not need to be fixed values.
• the battery management device 54 controls the power management device 44 to increase the amount of power generation and charge the battery 52.
• step S24 the control device 30 obtains information on the current power generation state (e.g., power generation amount) and battery state (e.g., charge amount) from the power management device 44 and the battery management device 54, and determines the possible amount of external power supply. Even if the current amount of power generation is small, if the charge amount of the battery 52 is sufficiently high, the possible amount of external power supply can be high.
• the current power generation state e.g., power generation amount
• battery state e.g., charge amount
• step S26 the control device 30 determines whether the required amount of external power supply is greater than the available amount. If the answer is No, the process returns to step S20. If the answer is Yes, in step S28, the control device 30 increases the amount of power generated by the power generation device 42. In the example of FIG. 13, the control device 30 increases the amount of power generated by the power generation device 42 at time g1, which is earlier than time t1. The control device 30 may change the increase in the amount of power generated by the power generation device 42 in response to changes in the required amount of external power supply. In the example of FIG. 13, the increase in the amount of power generation is reduced at time g2 after time t2, and the amount of power generation is returned to the level before the increase at time g3 after time t3.
• the required amount of external power supply is determined based on the operation of the work machine 200, but it is also possible to adopt an algorithm such as the one below without performing such processing.
• charging of the battery 52 is started from the power generation device 42, and the charging rate of the battery 52 is increased to a desired level (e.g., 90% or more).
• a desired level e.g. 90% or more
• the timing for starting charging of the battery 52 is executed so that the charging rate reaches the desired level by the scheduled time when the work machine 200 starts operating.
• FIG. 14 is a block diagram that shows a schematic diagram of the connection state between the power supply device 76 and the work machine 200 in this embodiment.
• RAM 36 provides a working area for loading the programs stored in ROM 35 at boot time.
• RAM 36 does not have to be a single recording medium, but can be a collection of multiple recording media.
• the communication I/F 38 is an interface for communicating between the control device 30 and other electronic components or electronic control units (ECUs).
• the communication I/F 38 can perform wired communication conforming to various protocols.
• the communication I/F 38 may also perform wireless communication conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard and/or the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) standard. Both standards include wireless communication standards that utilize frequencies in the 2.4 GHz band.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Remote Sensing (AREA)
• Hybrid Electric Vehicles (AREA)
• Electric Propulsion And Braking For Vehicles (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

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ID=91716744

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Citations (5)

• 2022
  • 2022-12-27 EP EP22970030.7A patent/EP4620841A1/en active Pending
  • 2022-12-27 WO PCT/JP2022/048179 patent/WO2024142236A1/ja not_active Ceased
  • 2022-12-27 JP JP2024567019A patent/JPWO2024142236A1/ja active Pending

Patent Citations (5)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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