Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
  • B64D—EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT
  • B64D27/00—Arrangement or mounting of power plants in aircraft; Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants
  • B64D27/02—Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants
  • B64D27/24—Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants using steam or spring force
• • 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
  • B64U50/20—Transmission of mechanical power to rotors or propellers
• • 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
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
  • B64U—UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR
  • B64U2101/00—UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
  • B64U2101/10—UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications for generating power to be supplied to a remote station, e.g. UAVs with solar panels

Definitions

• An unmanned aerial vehicle having multiple rotors, a plurality of first rotors included in the plurality of rotors; At least one second rotor included in the plurality of rotors; and a plurality of electric motors each driving the first rotor; an internal combustion engine driving the at least one second rotor; a battery for storing a first power; a power generation device driven by the internal combustion engine to generate a second electric power; a control device that controls at least one of an operation of the internal combustion engine, an operation of the electric motor, charging and discharging of the battery, and power generation by the power generation device; a power supply device that supplies at least a portion of the first power and the second power to a work machine as a third power; Equipped with The control device controls at least one of the operation of the internal combustion engine, the operation of the electric motor, the charging and discharging of the battery, and the power generation by the power generation device in accordance with the current operation or the planned operation of the work machine.
• the second rotary drive device 3B shown in FIG. 1A has a power transmission system 23 mechanically connected to the rotor 2, and an internal combustion engine 7a that provides a driving force (torque) to the power transmission system 23.
• the power transmission system 23 includes mechanical components such as gears or belts, and transmits the torque of the output shaft of the internal combustion engine 7a to the rotor 2.
• the internal combustion engine 7a can efficiently generate mechanical energy by burning fuel. Examples of the internal combustion engine 7a may include a gasoline engine, a diesel engine, and a hydrogen engine. Furthermore, the number of internal combustion engines 7a included in the rotary drive device 3B is not limited to one.
• the multicopter 10 is a quad-type multicopter (quadcopter) equipped with four rotors 2.
• the rotors 2 located on one diagonal line rotate in the same direction (clockwise or counterclockwise), but the rotors 2 located on different diagonals rotate in the opposite direction.
• the multicopter 10 is connected to a working machine 200 that can, for example, spray pesticides or fertilizers on a field or crops in the field.
• a working machine 200 that can, for example, spray pesticides or fertilizers on a field or crops in the field.
• the increase in payload and flight time makes it possible to realize a larger and/or more multifunctional working machine 200.
• ground tasks agricultural tasks
• the working machine 200 may be equipped with a mechanism such as a robot hand. In that case, one working machine 200 can perform a variety of ground tasks.
• the rotors 12, the motors 14, and the ESCs 16 are each shown as one block, but the number of the rotors 12, the motors 14, and the ESCs 16 is multiple. This is also true for FIG. 2B and FIG. 2C.
• the ESC 16 may be included in the control device 4a.
• the control device 4a can receive control commands wirelessly from, for example, a ground station 6 on the ground via the communication device 4c.
• the number of ground stations 6 is not limited to one, and may be distributed in multiple locations.
• the communication device 4c can also receive control commands wirelessly from a control device of a pilot on the ground.
• the control device 4a may have a function to automatically or autonomously perform each operation of takeoff, flight, obstacle avoidance, and landing based on sensor data obtained from the sensor group 4b.
• the control device 4a may be configured to communicate with the work machine 200 connected to the power supply device 76 and obtain a signal indicating the state of the work machine 200 from the work machine 200.
• the control device 4a may also provide the work machine 200 with a signal that controls the operation of the work machine 200.
• the work machine 200 may generate a signal instructing the operation of the multicopter 10 and transmit it to the control device 4a.
• Such communication between the control device 4a and the work machine 200 may be performed by wire or wirelessly.
• the power buffer 9 is, for example, a battery such as a secondary battery.
• the electric power generated by the power generation device 8 is supplied to the motor 14 via the power buffer 9 and the ESC 16.
• the electric power generated by the power generation device 8 can also be supplied to the work machine 200 via the power supply device 76.
• FIG. 2C is a block diagram showing an example of the basic configuration of a parallel hybrid drive type multicopter 10.
• the parallel hybrid drive type multicopter 10 like the series hybrid drive type multicopter 10, includes a plurality of rotors 12, a plurality of motors 14 for driving the rotors 12, a plurality of ESCs 16, a control device 4a, a group of sensors 4b, a communication device 4c, an internal combustion engine 7a, a fuel tank 7b, a power generation device 8, a power buffer 9, and a power supply device 76.
• the parallel hybrid drive type multicopter 10 further includes a drive train 27 for transmitting the driving force of the internal combustion engine 7a, and a rotor 22 that rotates by receiving the driving force of the internal combustion engine 7a from the drive train 27.
• a drive train 27 for transmitting the driving force of the internal combustion engine 7a
• a rotor 22 that rotates by receiving the driving force of the internal combustion engine 7a from the drive train 27.
• One of the rotor 12 and the rotor 22 may be called the “first rotor” and the other may be called the “second rotor” to distinguish them from each other.
• the number of rotors 22 connected to the drive train 27 and rotating may be one or more.
• the internal combustion engine 7a In a parallel hybrid drive type multicopter 10, the internal combustion engine 7a not only drives the power generation device 8 to generate electricity, but also mechanically transmits energy to the rotor 22 to rotate the rotor 22. On the other hand, in a series hybrid drive type multicopter 10, all of the rotors 12 rotate using the electricity generated by the power generation device 8. For this reason, in a series hybrid drive type multicopter 10, if the power generation device 8 is, for example, a fuel cell, the internal combustion engine 7a is not an essential component.
• the multicopter 100 shown in FIG. 3A has eight sub-rotors 12 and two main rotors 22.
• the sub-rotor 12 is composed of four sets of propellers 12a and 12b that rotate in opposite directions on the same axis. Each of the propellers 12a and 12b has two blades.
• the propellers 12a and 12b are each rotated by a motor 14.
• the four sets of propellers 12a and 12b that rotate in opposite directions on the same axis are located at the vertices of a square.
• the main rotor 22 is composed of two propellers 22a that rotate in opposite directions at different positions. Each of the propellers 22a has four blades.
• the aircraft body 120 has a power supply device 76 and an actuator 78 used for connecting the work machine 200.
• the power supply device 76 is a device that supplies power generated within the aircraft body 120 to the work machine 200.
• the actuator 78 is a device such as an electric motor that performs an operation for connecting the work machine 200 to the aircraft body 120 of the multicopter 100.
• the actuator 78 drives a mechanism that winds up a cable connecting the aircraft body 120 and the work machine 200. This cable may include a power supply line for supplying power (external power) for the work machine 200 from the multicopter 100, and a communication line for communication between the multicopter 100 and the work machine 200.
• the aircraft body 120 of the multicopter 100 has a control device 30 including a flight controller 32, a sensor group 72, and a communication device 74. This is basically the same as the control device 4a, the sensor group 4b, and the communication device 4c of the aircraft body 4 of the multicopter 10 described with reference to FIG. 1A.
• the multicopter 100 in this embodiment includes eight sub-rotors 12, eight motors 14 that rotate the eight sub-rotors 12, and eight ESCs that control the eight motors 14.
• Each ESC 16 receives a signal (motor control signal) for controlling the motor 14 from the control device 30 via the wiring 82.
• the motor control signal is, for example, a PWM (Pulse With Modulation) signal.
• PWM Pulse With Modulation
• the duty of the PWM signal can indicate an analog value of the motor rotation speed.
• Each ESC 16 controls the rotation speed of the motor 14 connected to the ESC 16 based on the motor control signal from the control device 30. In FIG.
• one set of "sub-rotors 12, motors 14, and ESCs 16" is shown for simplicity, but the multicopter 100 in this embodiment includes eight sets of "sub-rotors 12, motors 14, and ESCs 16.” The number of these sets is not limited to eight.
• the control device 30 is connected to each ESC 16 via electrically independent wiring 82, and can control each of the eight ESCs 16 individually.
• the sub rotor 12 is used not only to generate lift but also for attitude control. Attitude control is achieved by the flight controller 32 of the control device 30 obtaining measured or estimated values indicating the attitude of the main body 120 from the sensor group 72, determining the current attitude of the main body 120, and controlling the rotational speed of each motor 14 according to the difference from the target attitude.
• the main rotor control unit 26 is configured to output an engine control signal based on a signal transmitted from the control device 30.
• the engine control signal includes, for example, a throttle opening.
• a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and/or a voltage converter may be connected between the control device 30 and the main rotor control unit 26.
• Mechanical devices such as a clutch and a reducer may be provided between the main rotor drive unit 24 and the main rotor 22.
• the main rotor drive unit 24 is preferably an internal combustion engine with little vibration.
• the main rotor drive unit 24 is, for example, an opposed piston engine.
• An opposed piston engine is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent No. 5,508,604. The entire contents of Japanese Patent No. 5,508,604 are incorporated herein by reference.
• the generator 42 has the structure of an AC synchronous motor having a rotor and a stator. Therefore, when the main rotor drive unit 24 is started, the generator 42 can also function as a "starter” by rotating the rotor by passing current through it.
• the generator 42 rectifies the AC generated by power generation and converts it into DC.
• the generator 42 generates the DC power required to drive the motor 14 and supplies it to each ESC 16 via the wiring 80.
• the generator 42 is configured to output a DC voltage of, for example, 250V or more.
• the wiring 80 is a power wiring
• the wiring 82 is a signal wiring. Each of the wirings 80 and 82 includes multiple conductors.
• the power generation device 42 is connected to a power management device 44.
• the power management device 44 is connected to the control device 30 and a battery management device 54 described below.
• the power management device 44 can control the amount of power generated by the power generation device 42 based on signals from the control device 30 or the battery management device 54. This amount of power generation can be variably controlled by the power management device 44 according to the power required by the motor 14 and the battery 52, even when the engine speed of the main rotor drive unit 24, which is an internal combustion engine, is constant.
• the aircraft body 120 further includes a battery 52, which may be, for example, a lithium-ion secondary battery with multiple cells connected in series or parallel, and a battery management device 54 that controls the charging and discharging of the battery 52.
• a battery 52 which may be, for example, a lithium-ion secondary battery with multiple cells connected in series or parallel
• a battery management device 54 that controls the charging and discharging of the battery 52.
• 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 power stored in the battery 52 can be output as a DC voltage of, for example, 250 V or more. However, this DC voltage decreases as the charging rate decreases. Therefore, when the charging rate falls below a predetermined level, the battery management device 54 operates to supply part of the DC power from the power generation device 42 to the battery 52 to charge the battery 52.
• the power supply device 76 is electrically connected to the power generation device 42 or the battery 52 by the power switch 56.
• the power supply device 76 in this example is configured to supply power (external power) generated within the machine body 120 to an external machine or device such as a work machine 200.
• control device 30 can change the ratio (power ratio) between the first drive power output from the multiple motors 14 and the second drive power output from the main rotor drive unit 24. This point will be explained in detail below.
• battery-powered multicopters use various algorithms to adjust the torque of each of the multiple motors to adjust the thrust of each rotor and control it to the desired attitude.
• adding a rotor rotated by an internal combustion engine can complicate the calculations required for attitude control.
• each of the multiple motors 14 can operate by receiving at least one of power (first power) from the battery 52 and power (second power) from the power generation device 42.
• the battery 52 and the power generation device 42 function as a "power source.”
• a wiring 80 that supplies power from the power source (the power generation device 42 and the battery 52) is connected to each of the multiple motors 14. Power can also be supplied from the power source to devices other than the motors 14.
• a wiring (second wiring) 80A branched from the wiring (first wiring) 80 electrically connects the power source and the power supply device 76, and power can be supplied from the power source to the work machine 200.
• FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the battery management device 54.
• the battery management device 54 has a cell monitoring circuit 54a that monitors the state (voltage, temperature, etc.) of each of the multiple single cells included in the battery 52, and a microcontroller (Micro Controller Unit: MCU) 54b that estimates the state of the battery 52 and performs management operations for the battery 52.
• MCU Micro Controller Unit
• the battery management device 54 which functions as a first power control device, can control the electrical connection state between the wiring 80 that connects the power generation device 42 to the motor 14 and the battery 52.
• the battery management unit 54 can control the power management unit 44 , which is the second power control unit, depending on the state of the battery 52 .
• 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 work plan can be created by the management system (agricultural management system) of the multicopter 100.
• the agricultural management system shown in FIG. 6 may be suitably used for managing agricultural work using multiple multicopters 100 that fly automatically or manually.
• the management device 600 may create a work plan for each multicopter 100 based on information indicating a rough plan for agricultural work input by each user using their respective terminal device 400, and may perform route planning for each multicopter 100 based on the work plan.
• the management device 600 may be a collection of multiple computers.
• the management device 600 may include a computer that creates a work plan for each multicopter 100, and a computer that performs route planning for each multicopter 100.
• the management device 600 determines the route along which each multicopter 100 should move so that each multicopter 100 performs a specified agricultural task (e.g., plowing, sowing, planting, pest control, fertilization, harvesting, etc.).
• the management device 600 refers to a map of the area in which each multicopter 100 will move, generates a route on the map along which each multicopter 100 should move, and transmits the route information to the terminal device 400 of each multicopter 100 or the user.
• Multicopters 100 capable of automatic flight move based on the received route information and perform the specified agricultural task in the field assigned to each multicopter 100. In the case of a manually flown multicopter 100, the user can operate the multicopter 100 based on the route information received by the terminal device 400.
• the management device 600 generates a target route in the field based on information about the field. For example, the management device 600 can generate a target route in the field based on various information such as the preregistered outline of the field, the area of the field, the location of the entrance and exit to the field, the size of the multicopter 100, the model or size of the work machine 200, the work content, the type of crop being cultivated, the crop growing area, the crop growing conditions, or the spacing between crop rows or ridges.
• the management device 600 can generate a target route in the field based on information input by the user using the terminal device 400 or other device, for example.
• the management device 600 generates a route in the field so as to cover, for example, the entire work area where work is performed.
• the terminal device 400 is a computer used by a user located away from the multicopter 100.
• the terminal device 400 may be a mobile terminal such as a laptop computer, smartphone, or tablet computer as shown in FIG. 6, or a stationary computer such as a desktop PC (personal computer).
• the terminal device 400 displays a setting screen on the display for the user to input information required to create a work plan (e.g., a schedule for each agricultural work).
• a work plan e.g., a schedule for each agricultural work.
• the management device 600 creates a work plan based on that information.
• the terminal device 400 may also be used to register one or more fields in which the multicopter 100 will perform agricultural work.
• the management device 600 may create a work plan based not only on information indicating the approximate timing of agricultural work, but also on information input by each user using the terminal device 400. For example, the management device 600 may create a work plan based on information indicating a rough plan for each type of agricultural work in one or more fields managed by each user.
• 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 time setting section 762 displays the work time input by the user.
• the user inputs the work time for which the user wishes to perform the farm work.
• the work time is specified by a start time and an end time.
• the input work time is set as a candidate for the time when the farm work will be performed.
• the crop variety selection section 763 displays a list of crop varieties to be cultivated (i.e., planted). The user can select the desired variety from the list. In the example of Figure 8, the rice variety "Koshiibuki" has been selected.
• 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 names of multiple fertilizers that have been registered in advance are displayed in the fertilizer selection section 767.
• 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 battery management device 54 can control the charging rate of the battery 52 according to flight conditions including the flight altitude of the multicopter 100.
• the flight conditions are various parameters that determine the power (power consumption) consumed by the multicopter 100 per unit time during flight, such as flight altitude, flight speed, wind direction and speed during flight, and payload size (weight).
• the control device 30 in this embodiment calculates an estimated value of power consumption based on the above parameters that define the flight conditions.
• the battery management device 54 in this embodiment is configured to determine whether or not the vehicle can descend to a possible landing point and land using only the power currently stored in the battery 52, based on the estimated value of power consumption obtained from the control device 30.
• 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.
• the control device 30 may start charging the battery 52 immediately after startup (for example, before flight starts) to increase the charge rate.
• 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.
• control device 30 may include, for example, a flight control device such as the flight controller 32 and a higher-level computer (companion computer) as separate components.
• the companion computer may execute each of the processes described above, and give flight-related commands based on the results of the processes to the flight controller.
• 2 rotor (propeller), 3: rotation drive unit, 4: aircraft body, 4a: control unit, 4b: sensor group, 4c: communication unit, 5: aircraft frame, 10: multicopter, 12: sub rotor, 12a: propeller, 12b: propeller, 14: motor, 16: ESC, 22: main rotor, 52: battery, 54: battery management unit

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

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Citations (6)

• 2022
  • 2022-12-27 WO PCT/JP2022/048181 patent/WO2024142238A1/ja not_active Ceased
  • 2022-12-27 JP JP2024567021A patent/JPWO2024142238A1/ja active Pending

Patent Citations (6)

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