JP7540764B2 - Frame assembly for unmanned aerial vehicle and unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with the same - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a frame assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle and an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with the same.

Conventionally, an aircraft is known that is composed of two frames arranged in a first direction and two frames arranged in a second direction that intersect with each other (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

China Utility Model Publication No. 204399473

In the aircraft of Patent Document 1, in order to solve the problem of making the aircraft smaller, a joint structure that allows the frame to be folded vertically is installed. The installation of such a joint structure is one of the factors that prevents the aircraft from being lighter, and there is also the problem of high manufacturing costs.

Therefore, the present disclosure aims to solve such problems, and has as one object to provide a frame assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle that is lightweight, compact, and inexpensive to manufacture, and an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with the same.

A frame assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present disclosure comprises:
A first pipe;
a second pipe having an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of the first pipe;
The first pipe is inserted into the second pipe, and the first pipe and the second pipe are fixed to each other.
The unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present disclosure comprises:
a frame assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present disclosure;
A main body portion,
A lift generating unit;
The vehicle further comprises a mounting section that is provided on the main body and that houses an object to be mounted.

The present disclosure provides a frame assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle that is lightweight, compact, and inexpensive to manufacture, and an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with the same.

1 is a plan view of an unmanned aerial vehicle according to one embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a first pipe is inserted into a second pipe. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the second pipe is rotated relative to the first pipe. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the unmanned aerial vehicle of the embodiment in a hovering state above the ground. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the embodiment during hovering. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the flying state of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the embodiment during horizontal flight. FIG. FIG. 1 is an exemplary functional block diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle.

The contents of one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. An unmanned aerial vehicle frame assembly and an unmanned aerial vehicle including the same according to one embodiment of the present disclosure have the following configuration, for example.
[Item 1]
A first pipe;
A second pipe having an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of the first pipe and fixed to the first pipe with the first pipe inserted inside.
[Item 2]
2. The unmanned aerial vehicle frame assembly according to claim 1,
A frame assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the first pipe and the second pipe are formed using metal or FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastics), which are a metal base material and/or an FRP base material.
[Item 3]
3. The unmanned aerial vehicle frame according to claim 1,
A frame assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the difference between the outer diameter of the first pipe and the inner diameter of the second pipe is 5 mm or less.
[Item 4]
The unmanned aerial vehicle frame assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A frame assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the insertion amount of the first pipe into the second pipe is 10 mm or more.
[Item 5]
The unmanned aerial vehicle frame assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A frame assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein either the first pipe or the second pipe is attached to a main body of the unmanned aerial vehicle.
[Item 6]
The unmanned aerial vehicle frame assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A frame assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein either the first pipe or the second pipe is attached to a lift generating portion of the unmanned aerial vehicle.
[Item 7]
An unmanned aerial vehicle frame assembly according to any one of items 1 to 6,
A main body portion,
An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising: a mounting section provided in the main body section and configured to store an object to be mounted.

<Details of the embodiment>
Below, an unmanned aerial vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Details of one embodiment of the present disclosure>
FIG. 1 is a plan view of an unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to the embodiment is, for example, an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of flying or hovering in a forward direction. The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 includes, for example, a rotor 2 (lift generating unit), a motor 3 for rotating the rotor 2, and a frame 4 for holding the rotor 2 and to which the motor 3 is attached. In this embodiment, the forward and backward direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is defined as the Y-axis direction, the left and right direction (or horizontal direction) as the X-axis direction, and the up and down direction (or vertical direction) as the Z-axis direction. Here, the +Y direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is defined as the forward direction. The weight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the weight is, for example, 3 kg or more.

The rotor 2 rotates upon receiving output from the motor 3. The rotation of the rotor 2 generates thrust for the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. The rotor 2 is an example of a lift generating unit. For example, in the case of a multicopter system, each of the multiple rotors 2 is controlled to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise, or to stop. This enables the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 to move vertically and horizontally, as well as turn and rotate in the yaw axis direction.

The number of blades (rotors) of the rotor 2 of the present disclosure may be any (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, or more blades). The shape of the blade may be any shape, such as flat, curved, twisted, tapered, or a combination thereof. The shape of the blade may be fixed or may be variable, such as, for example, expandable, collapsible, or bent. The blade may be symmetrical or asymmetrical (having upper and lower surfaces of different shapes). Symmetrical here means that the upper and lower surface shapes are symmetrical with respect to the chord line of the blade. Asymmetrical means that the above-mentioned symmetry is not present. Thus, the blade may be formed into an airfoil, a wing, or a geometry suitable for generating aerodynamic forces (e.g., lift, thrust) as the blade is moved through the air. The blade geometry may be appropriately selected to optimize the dynamic aerodynamic properties of the blade, such as increasing lift and thrust and reducing drag. Furthermore, the rotor 2 may be of a push type, a pull type, or a combination thereof.

The motor 3 causes the rotor 2 to rotate. That is, the motor 3 is an example of a drive unit. For example, the drive unit of the rotor 2 may be an engine or the like in addition to the motor 3. The blades can be driven by the motor 3, and rotate, for example, in a clockwise and/or counterclockwise direction around the rotation shaft of the motor 3 (e.g., the long axis of the motor 3). Alternatively, the propeller (rotor 2) that constitutes the blades may have a drive shaft to which output is transmitted from the power shaft of the motor 3 via a pulley or the like, and the blades may rotate around the drive shaft.

The rotation of each blade can also be controlled independently. For example, in a multicopter type unmanned aerial vehicle, some of the blades rotate in one direction and others in the other direction. The blades can all rotate at the same rotation speed, or they can each rotate at a different rotation speed. The rotation speed can be determined automatically or manually based on the dimensions of the moving object (e.g., size, weight) or control state (speed, direction of movement, etc.).

The frame 4 is a member that supports the corresponding motor 3 and rotor 2. The frame 4 is an example of a main body. The frame 4 may be provided with a color-emitting body such as an LED to indicate the flight state and flight direction of the rotorcraft. The frame 4 according to this embodiment can be formed from a material appropriately selected from metals such as carbon, carbon fiber resin, glass fiber resin, stainless steel, aluminum, aluminum alloy, magnesium, or magnesium alloy, or combinations of these. Note that the configuration disclosed in this embodiment is merely an example of the shape of the frame 4 and the manner of connection with other components.

The frame 4 may be, for example, symmetrical, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the frame 4 includes a first frame 40 and a second frame 41. In the example shown in Figure 1, the second frames 41, 41 are horizontally arranged side by side between the first frames 40, 40 which are arranged substantially parallel to each other. The first frame 40 and the second frame 41 are connected by a known method, for example, by joints or rivets.

As shown in Fig. 1, the first frames 40, 40 are arranged at a predetermined interval along the X direction with the Y direction as the longitudinal direction. Rotating blades 2 are attached via motors 3 to both ends of the first frames 40, 40.

Also, as shown in Figure 1, the second frames 41, 41 are arranged at a predetermined interval along the Y direction, with the X direction being the longitudinal direction.

In this embodiment, the connection points between the two first frames 40, 40 and the two second frames 41, 41 are defined as V1 to V4. A first frame assembly 60 and a second frame assembly 61 are attached to the frame 4. In the following, the first frame assembly 60 and the second frame assembly 61 may be collectively referred to as the "frame assembly 6". The first frame assembly 60 extends in the X direction from the first frame 40 starting from between vertices V1 and V2 on the first frame 40. The second frame assembly 61 extends in the X direction from the first frame 40 in the opposite direction to the first frame assembly 60 starting from between vertices V3 and V4 on the first frame 40.

1 and 2, a motor mount 31 that supports the rotor 2 and the motor 3 is provided at each end of the frame assembly 6. The motor mount 31 is an example of a support part. The motor mount 31 is provided so that the rotation axis RA of the rotor 2 is inclined toward the front of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and toward the frame 4. For example, the motor mount 31 may have a tapered shape that narrows from the end of the frame 4 toward the longitudinal direction of the frame 4. The motor mount 31 according to this embodiment is fixed at the end of the frame 4. In other words, the motor mount 31 fixes the rotor 2 to the frame 4 so that it cannot rotate. In other words, the rotor 2 itself does not rotate relative to the frame 4. Note that the motor mount 31 according to this embodiment is provided so as to be inclined relative to the frame 4, but in other embodiments, the motor mount 31 may be provided in a direction in which the rotation axis RA of the rotor 2 is perpendicular to the plane formed by the frame 4.

1 and 2, the first frame assembly 60 includes a first pipe 60A and a second pipe 60B. The first pipe 60A and the second pipe 60B are formed using metal or FRP, for example, a metal substrate such as stainless steel, aluminum, aluminum alloy, magnesium, or magnesium alloy, and/or a fiber reinforced plastics (FRP) substrate. The frame 4 is attached to the end of the first pipe 60A by a known method such as a joint or crimping. The motor mount 31 is attached to the end of the second pipe 60B. The second pipe 60B has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the first pipe 60A, and is fixed to the first pipe 60A with the first pipe 60A inserted inside. Therefore, there is actually a step at the boundary between the first pipe 60A and the second pipe 60B, but this is omitted in the example shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

It is preferable that the difference between the outer diameter of the first pipe 60A and the inner diameter of the second pipe 60B is 5 mm or less. This is because the pipes 60A and 60B can be more firmly and securely fixed to each other by making the difference 5 mm or less. Furthermore, it is preferable that the insertion amount of the first pipe 60A into the second pipe 60B (the overlap length of the first pipe 60A and the second pipe 60B) is 10 mm or more. This is because the pipes 60A and 60B can be more firmly and securely fixed to each other by making the insertion amount 10 mm or more. Note that the overlap here refers to the overlap of the end of the pipe 60A and the end of the pipe 60B when viewed from the radial direction of the pipes 60A and 60B. The overlap length here refers to the distance measured along the axial direction of the pipes 60A and 60B.

As shown in Figure 3, the outer peripheral surface of the first pipe 60A is subjected to a diameter expansion process. Hereinafter, the portion subjected to the diameter expansion process is referred to as the "expanded diameter section." In the example shown in Figure 3, the expanded diameter section 60C is formed in the middle part of the first pipe 60A. The expanded diameter section 60C is provided with a recess 60D recessed radially inward.

As shown in FIG. 3, a coil spring 60E having elasticity in the axial direction is provided in the space inside the second pipe 60B. A protrusion 60F is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the second pipe 60B, which passes through the recess 60D by a predetermined distance (e.g., 10 mm or more) against the elasticity of the coil spring 60E. The first frame assembly 60 is configured such that the second pipe 60B can rotate with respect to the first pipe 60A when the second pipe 60B is inserted into the first pipe 60A by a predetermined distance (e.g., 10 mm or more) (in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG. 4). When the position of the protrusion 60F shifts from the position of the recess 60D due to this rotation, as shown in FIG. 4, the protrusion 60F is pressed against the enlarged diameter portion 60C by the biasing force of the coil spring 60E. Due to this pressing, the second pipe 60B is fixed in a state where it is positioned at a predetermined position with respect to the first pipe 60A.

Note that since parts 60A to 60F of the first frame assembly 60 and parts 61A to 61F of the second frame assembly 61 are similar in order, the configuration of the second frame assembly 61 will not be described.

The mounting unit 5 is, for example, a mechanism for mounting and holding luggage (object to be mounted) 51. A battery 50 may be loaded on the mounting unit 5. The mounting unit 5 is provided on the frame 4 and stores luggage 51. The batteries 50 are arranged side by side in the X direction with the luggage 51 in between. The number of batteries 50 to be loaded is not particularly limited. In a plan view, the mounting unit 5 may have not only a rectangular portion with vertices V1 to V4, but also a rectangular portion that protrudes from this rectangular portion in the -Y direction.

The mounting unit 5 may be fixed to the frame 4 so as not to be rotatable. The mounting unit 5 may also have a mechanism that allows it to rotate relative to the frame 4.

More specifically, as shown in Fig. 5, the mounting unit 5 has a hinge (connection portion) 52 that connects the housing of the mounting unit 5 to the frame 4. The mounting unit 5 is configured to be rotatable in the pitch direction relative to the frame 4 with the hinge 52 as a fulcrum. Note that there is no particular limit to the angle by which the mounting unit 5 rotates relative to the frame 4 via the hinge 52.

By providing such a hinge 52, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, even when the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 hovers from the ground Gr in a backward tilted attitude, the orientation of the mounting unit 5 can be kept horizontal so that the cargo 51 does not tilt. This allows the cargo 51 to be held in a stable state even during flight and delivered to the destination. Note that the hinge 52 in this embodiment rotates the mounting unit 5 only in the forward/backward direction (i.e., the pitch direction), which is the same direction as the direction of travel. However, the hinge 52 may also rotate the mounting unit 5 in the left/right direction (roll direction and/or yaw direction).

Here, the hinge 52 may have a mechanism for actively controlling the attitude of the mount 5 using a motor or the like, for example like a gimbal. This makes it possible to control the attitude of the mount 5 during flight. This further reduces the wobble (natural vibrations, etc.) of the mount 5, allowing for more stable delivery of the cargo 51. The hinge 52 may be configured to be connected to the cargo 51 instead of the mount 5. Also, such a hinge 52 need not be provided.

The shape and/or mechanism of the mounting unit 5 is not particularly limited as long as it can store or hold the luggage 51. In addition, the mechanism that holds the position or tilt of the luggage 51 mounted on the mounting unit 5 may be, for example, a tilt mechanism that tilts the luggage 51. In addition, as described above, the mounting unit 5 does not necessarily have to have a structure that allows it to rotate with respect to the frame 4.

In this embodiment, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 does not have landing legs in order to reduce weight. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 lands, the mounting unit 5 performs the function of the landing legs. In other embodiments, landing legs may be provided on the frame 4 or the mounting unit 5, etc. as appropriate.

Figure 6 is a side view showing the flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to this embodiment during hovering. Figure 7 is a side view showing the flight state of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to this embodiment during horizontal flight. As shown in Figure 6, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is hovering, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 takes a backward tilted attitude so that the lift force obtained by the rotor 2 is directed upward.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is flying horizontally, the frame 4 is horizontal, and the rotation axis RA of the rotor 2 faces in the Y-axis direction and diagonally upward. At this time, the lift obtained from the rotor 2 consists of a forward component and an upward component. This allows, for example, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 to move horizontally in the air while keeping the attitude of the mounting unit 5 horizontal. Note that the flight mode of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to this embodiment is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 7. For example, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is flying in a hovering state, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is in a horizontal attitude, and when the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is flying horizontally, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 may be in an attitude that is inclined forward relative to the cruising direction. Such a flight mode can be appropriately adjusted according to the configuration of the frame 4, rotor 2, etc. that constitute the unmanned aerial vehicle 1.

In some conventional aircraft, in order to solve the problem of making the aircraft smaller, a joint structure that allows the frame to be folded vertically is installed. The installation of such a joint structure is one of the factors that prevents the aircraft from being lighter, and tends to increase manufacturing costs.

On the other hand, in the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to this embodiment, the second pipe 60B (second pipe 61B) can be attached and detached from the first pipe 60A (first pipe 61A) simply by inserting and removing the second pipe 60B (second pipe 61B) from the first pipe 60A (first pipe 61A). Therefore, in the configuration according to this embodiment, a joint structure that allows the frame to be folded is not required. In other words, the configuration according to this embodiment makes it possible to provide a frame assembly 6 that is lightweight, compact, and inexpensive to manufacture, and an unmanned aerial vehicle 1 equipped with the same.

In addition, in this embodiment, even if the second pipe 60B (second pipe 61B) is repeatedly inserted and removed from the first pipe 60A (first pipe 61A), repeatability of the positioning of the second pipe 60B (second pipe 61B) relative to the first pipe 60A (first pipe 61A) is ensured. This ensures that the length of the first frame assembly 60 (second frame assembly 61) is maintained the same every time. Therefore, the attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is always kept symmetrical, and the balance of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 during flight can be stably maintained.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 1 described above has, for example, the functional blocks shown in FIG. 8. The functional blocks in FIG. 8 are a minimum reference configuration. Therefore, the functional blocks of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 according to this embodiment are not limited to such an example. The flight controller is a so-called processing unit. The processing unit may have one or more processors, such as a programmable processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)). The processing unit has a memory (not shown) and is accessible to the memory. The memory stores logic, code, and/or program instructions that the processing unit can execute to perform one or more steps. The memory may include, for example, a separable medium such as an SD card or a random access memory (RAM) or an external storage device. Data acquired from a camera or sensors may be directly transmitted to and stored in the memory. For example, still image and video data captured by a camera or the like is recorded in an internal memory or an external memory.

The processing unit includes a control module configured to control the state of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. For example, the control module controls the propulsion mechanisms (e.g., motors) of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 to regulate the spatial configuration, velocity, and/or acceleration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, which has six degrees of freedom (translational motions _x , y, and z, and rotational motions θ x , θ _y , and θ _z ). The control module may control one or more of the payload 5, the state of the sensors, etc.

The processing unit can communicate with a transceiver configured to transmit and/or receive data from one or more external devices (e.g., a terminal, a display device, or other remote controller). The transceiver can use any suitable communication means, such as wired or wireless communication. For example, the transceiver can utilize one or more of a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), infrared, wireless, WiFi, a point-to-point (P2P) network, a telecommunications network, cloud communication, and the like. The transceiver can transmit and/or receive one or more of data acquired by sensors, processing results generated by the processing unit, predetermined control data, user commands from a terminal or a remote controller, and the like.

The sensors in this embodiment may include inertial sensors (accelerometers, gyro sensors), GPS sensors, proximity sensors (e.g., lidar), or vision/image sensors (e.g., cameras).

The frame assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle disclosed herein and an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with the same are expected to be used as an unmanned aerial vehicle for logistics and as an industrial unmanned aerial vehicle in warehouses and factories. The unmanned aerial vehicle disclosed herein can also be used in aircraft-related industries such as multicopters and drones. Furthermore, the present disclosure can also be suitably used as an unmanned aerial vehicle for aerial photography equipped with a camera or the like. The present technology can also be used in various industries such as security, agriculture, and infrastructure monitoring.

The above-described embodiment is merely an example for facilitating understanding of the present technology, and is not intended to limit the present technology. The present technology can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit of the present technology, and it goes without saying that the present technology includes equivalents.

In the above-described embodiment, pressing using the biasing force of the coil spring 60E (coil spring 61E) has been described as an example of a method for fixing the second pipe 60B (second pipe 61B) to the first pipe 60A (first pipe 61A). However, the fixing method is not limited to this. The fixing method may be, for example, press-fitting, screwing, screwing, welding, adhesion, crimping by plastic deformation, magnetic adhesion, or other types of fixing methods.

In the above-described embodiment, an example of a method of fixing the pipes to each other is shown in which a recess 60D (recess 61D) is provided on the first pipe 60A (first pipe 61A) and a protrusion 60F (protrusion 61F) is provided on the second pipe 60B (second pipe 61B). However, the method of fixing the pipes to each other is not limited to this, and the reverse may also be used.

In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the frame 4 is attached to the end of the first pipe 60A and the motor mount 31 is attached to the end of the second pipe 60B. However, this is not limited thereto, and the motor mount 31 may be attached to the end of the first pipe 60A and the frame 4 may be attached to the end of the second pipe 60B.

1 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle 2 Rotor (Lift Generator)
3 Motor 31 Motor mount (support part)
4 Frame (main body)
5 Loading section 51 Baggage (object to be loaded)
52 Hinge (connection part)
6 Frame assembly 60 First frame assembly 61 Second frame assembly 60A, 61A First pipe 60B, 61B Second pipe 60C, 61C Enlarged diameter portion 60D, 61D Recess 60E, 61E Coil spring 60F, 61F Protrusion

Claims (6)

A first pipe;
a second pipe having an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of the first pipe and fixed to the first pipe in a state where the first pipe is inserted inside the second pipe,
An expanded diameter portion having a recess recessed radially inward on one side of the first pipe or the second pipe,
A protrusion is provided on the other side of either the first pipe or the second pipe,
A frame assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle, in which the first pipe is inserted inside and the protrusion passes through the recess, and then rotated, thereby fixing the enlarged portion and the protrusion to each other. 2. The unmanned aerial vehicle frame assembly of claim 1,
A frame assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle, in which the first pipe is inserted inside and the protrusion passes through the recess, and then rotated, thereby pressing the enlarged portion and the protrusion against each other and fixing them in place. 3. The unmanned aerial vehicle frame assembly according to claim 1 or 2,
A frame assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle, further comprising a biasing member at an inner end of the second pipe for pressing the enlarged portion and the protrusion portion against each other. 4. The unmanned aerial vehicle frame assembly according to claim 1,
The expanded diameter portion is provided on the first pipe,
A frame assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the protrusion portion is provided on the second pipe. 4. The unmanned aerial vehicle frame assembly according to claim 1 ,
The expanded diameter portion is provided on the second pipe,
A frame assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the protrusion portion is provided on the first pipe. An unmanned aerial vehicle frame assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
A main body portion,
An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a mounting section provided on the main body section and configured to store an object to be mounted.

Images