JP7658704B2 - Wheel stop drone and vehicle system equipped with same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wheel-stop drone and a vehicle system equipped with the same, which prevents vehicles such as forklifts and cargo trucks from moving away unattended while the vehicles are parked.

Vehicles such as forklifts and cargo trucks are heavy, so when parking the vehicle, the driver activates the parking brake (side brake) to stop the vehicle. However, especially when the vehicle is parked on a slope, if the driver forgets to activate the parking brake or does not activate the parking brake reliably, there is a risk that the vehicle will move away without a person in it. Therefore, in addition to the parking brake, drivers also install wheel chocks (tire stoppers) on the vehicle's wheels to prevent the vehicle from moving away without a person in it.

Wheel chocks are manually placed on the vehicle's wheels by the driver, so if the vehicle is parked on a slope, there is a risk that the vehicle may start moving while the driver is preparing the wheel chocks. In particular, if the vehicle starts moving while the driver is placing the wheel chocks on the wheels, there is a risk that the driver's hands or other parts of the body may become caught in the wheels.

On the other hand, with wheel chocks, the driver must manually place the wheel chocks on the vehicle's wheels, and the driver may forget to place them. Also, when the driver drives the vehicle, the driver must manually move the wheel chocks away from the wheels and release them so that the vehicle can move, but the driver may forget to release the wheel chocks.

If the driver forgets to install wheel chocks, especially when parking a vehicle on a slope, the vehicle may move. Also, if the driver forgets to release the wheel chocks when moving the vehicle, the vehicle may run over the wheel chocks and fall over.

For this reason, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose devices that are configured to notify the driver of the installation and release of wheel chocks. However, with conventional wheel chocks, the driver must manually install and release the wheel chocks on the vehicle wheels, and even when the driver is notified, there is a risk that the driver will forget to install and release the wheel chocks.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-277159 JP 2005-199731 A

The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a wheel stop drone and a vehicle system equipped with the same that eliminate the need for the driver to manually install and release wheel stoppers.

The wheel stop drone according to the present invention is
a wheel stopper portion having a contact surface for contacting a wheel of a vehicle to stop the wheel from rolling;
A number of rotors for flight;
and a battery for driving the rotor.

Preferably, each rotor is provided on both sides of the wheel stop drone and on the rear side of the abutment surface.

It is desirable for the wheel stop drone to be equipped with a memory unit for storing the flight path flown by the wheel stop drone, and to be configured to fly along the flight path stored in the memory unit.

The memory unit may be configured to store the flight path between the waiting position where the wheel-stop drone waits and the set position where the wheels stop rolling.

Preferably, the vehicle includes a detection unit for detecting start and stop of a drive unit of the vehicle, and a wireless communication unit for transmitting a detection signal from the detection unit,
The wheel stop drone is equipped with a wireless communication unit for receiving a detection signal, and a flight control unit that controls the drone to fly along a flight path based on the detection signal.

The vehicle further includes a detection unit for detecting operation and release of a parking brake unit of the vehicle, and a wireless communication unit for transmitting a detection signal from the detection unit,
The wheel stop drone may be equipped with a wireless communication unit for receiving a detection signal, and a flight control unit for controlling the drone to fly along a flight path based on the detection signal.

The vehicle system according to the present invention comprises:
The vehicle is
The wheel-stop drone mentioned above,
a waiting position for waiting the wheel stop drone;
A power supply unit is provided at the waiting position to supply power to the battery of the wheel-stop drone.

The wheel stopper drone and vehicle system of the present invention is configured to fly using multiple rotors and be able to set and release wheel stoppers on the vehicle's wheels, eliminating the need for the driver to manually set and release the wheel stoppers. This means there is no risk of the driver's hands or other parts of the body getting caught in the vehicle's wheels.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a wheel-stop drone. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a drone and a controller. A side view showing the operation of the wheel chock drone. A plan view showing the operation of the wheel chock drone.

Below, an embodiment of a wheel stop drone and a vehicle system equipped therewith according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The X direction, Y direction, and Z direction are mutually orthogonal.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wheel stop drone 1 includes a wheel stop unit 2 and a main body unit 3. The wheel stop unit 2 and the main body unit 3 have a predetermined width in the X direction (left-right direction), and are connected to each other in the Y direction (front-rear direction). In this embodiment, the wheel stop unit 2 and the main body unit 3 are configured to be connectable and separable to facilitate maintenance and inspection. The wheel stop unit 2 and the main body unit 3 may be integrated.

The wheel stopper portion 2 has an abutment surface 2a on the front side in the Y direction. The wheel stopper portion 2 is connected to the main body portion 3 on the rear side in the Y direction. The abutment surface 2a is configured to be in contact with the wheel of the vehicle. The abutment surface 2a is inclined with respect to the Z direction (vertical direction) and has a curved shape like an arc. This allows the abutment surface 2a to abut tightly against the wheel of the vehicle.

The wheel stop drone 1 is equipped with multiple rotors 4. In this embodiment, the wheel stop drone 1 has four rotors 4 provided on the main body 3. Two rotors 4 are provided on each side of the main body 3 in the X direction (left-right direction). The two rotors 4 provided on the side of the main body 3 are arranged side by side in the Y direction (front-back direction).

The number of rotors 4 is not limited to four, and is determined according to the weight, stability, flight time, flight environment, etc. of the wheel-stop drone 1. In general, a larger number of rotors 4 allows for more stable flight, while a smaller number of rotors 4 allows for a lighter, more compact drone that can fly at higher speeds.

The rotor 4 does not have to be provided on both sides of the main body 3, and may be provided, for example, on the upper surface 3a of the main body 3. When the rotor 4 is arranged so as not to protrude from the upper surface 3a of the main body 3 as in this embodiment, the wheel stop drone 1 is installed in the space even when the vertical distance of the space between the underside of the vehicle body and the passage surface of the vehicle is small. However, when the rotor 4 is arranged on the upper surface 3a of the main body 3 or arranged so as to protrude from the upper surface 3a, the wheel stop drone 1 may not be installed in the space when the vertical distance of the space between the underside of the vehicle body and the passage surface of the vehicle is small. Therefore, by arranging the rotor 4 so as not to protrude from the upper surface 3a of the main body 3, it is possible to install the wheel stop drone 1 for various vehicles.

As shown in FIG. 2, the wheel-stop drone 1 is equipped with multiple motors 5 connected to each rotor 4, and the rotor 4 rotates when driven by the motors 5. Generally, the motor 5 is configured as a brushless motor, with a permanent magnet on the rotor side and a three-phase winding on the stator side.

The wheel stop drone 1 is equipped with a flight control unit 6 for controlling the operation of each motor 5. The flight control unit 6 is equipped with a calculation unit 60 and a memory unit 61, and is configured so that the calculation unit 60 performs calculations based on signals from various sensors etc. provided in the wheel stop drone 1 and commands etc. from the memory unit 61, and controls the flight comprehensively. The main sensors provided in the wheel stop drone 1 include a gyro sensor that measures the behavior and inclination of the aircraft, a barometric sensor that detects the altitude, and a GPS that detects the position information of the aircraft.

The wheel stop drone 1 is equipped with a wireless communication unit 8 that receives signals from a remote controller 10. The wireless communication unit 8 is composed of a modulation circuit, an amplifier circuit, an antenna, etc., and is configured to amplify and demodulate radio waves received by the antenna, convert them into information signals, and transmit them to the flight control unit 6, which controls the operation of each motor 5 based on the received signals. The wheel stop drone 1 also has a battery 7 that serves as a power source to supply power to each motor 5, the flight control unit 6, the wireless communication unit 8, etc.

An operator, such as a vehicle driver, can control the flight of the wheel stop drone 1 using a remote controller 10. The remote controller 10 is equipped with an operation unit 11 consisting of multiple buttons and the like that the operator uses to control the flight of the wheel stop drone 1, and a wireless communication unit 12 that transmits operation signals from the operation unit 11.

The wireless communication unit 12 of the remote controller 10 is wirelessly connected to the wireless communication unit 8 of the wheel stop drone 1. The wireless communication unit 12 of the remote controller 10 is composed of a modulation circuit, an amplifier circuit, an antenna, etc., and is configured to amplify and demodulate the signal received from the operation unit 11, convert it into radio waves, and transmit it to the wireless communication unit 8 of the wheel stop drone 1.

The vehicle 13, such as a forklift or cargo truck, is equipped with a drive unit 130 consisting of a motor, engine, etc. mounted on the vehicle body, and a parking brake unit 131 consisting of a side brake, etc. provided in the driver's seat. Furthermore, the vehicle 13 is equipped with a detection unit 132 for detecting the start and stop of the drive unit 130 or the activation and release of the parking brake unit 131, and a wireless communication unit 133 for transmitting a signal from the detection unit 132 to the wireless communication unit 8 of the wheel stop drone 1.

Next, the operation of the wheel stopper drone 1 will be described.
3 and 4, the vehicle 13 includes a body 134 on which a driver's seat 136, a drive unit 130, a battery 137, etc. are mounted, and a plurality of wheels 135 provided on the lower part of the body 134. In the vehicle 13, for example, a position behind the driver's seat 136 is a standby position 13a where the wheel stopper drone 1 waits.

The vehicle 13 is equipped with a power supply unit 70 at the standby position 13a for supplying power to the battery 7 of the wheel stop drone 1. The power supply unit 70 is connected to the battery 137 mounted on the vehicle 13 and is configured as a contact or non-contact power supply device, and is configured so that while the wheel stop drone 1 is waiting at the standby position 13a, power is supplied from the battery 137 of the vehicle 13 to the battery 7 of the wheel stop drone 1 through the power supply unit 70.

When parking the vehicle 13, an operator such as the driver of the vehicle 13 uses the remote controller 10 to fly the wheel stop drone 1 from the waiting position 13a to an installation position 13b that prevents the vehicle's wheels 135 from rolling. The wheel stopper portion 2 of the wheel stop drone 1 is positioned to face the vehicle's wheels 135. This allows the wheel stopper 2 of the wheel stop drone 1 to be installed on the wheel 135, preventing the wheel 135 from rolling. The wheel 135 on which the wheel stop drone 1 is installed may be one of the four wheels provided on the vehicle 13.

When the driver or other operator of the vehicle 13 moves the vehicle 13, the operator uses the remote controller 10 to fly the wheel stopper drone 1 so that it moves from the installation position 13b to the waiting position 13a. This releases the wheel stopper applied by the wheel stopper drone 1.

In this embodiment, two wheel stop drones 1 are configured to wait at the waiting position 13a of each vehicle 13, with one wheel stop drone 1 installed in front of the wheel 135 and the other wheel stop drone 1 installed behind the wheel 135. This allows the wheel stop drone 1 to prevent the vehicle 13 from moving forward or backward.

The memory unit 61 of the wheel stop drone 1 is configured to store the drive of each motor 5 while the wheel stop drone 1 flies between the standby position 13a and the installation position 13b by the operation of the operator. As a result, the wheel stop drone 1 is configured to store the flight path between the standby position 13a and the installation position 13b.

When the wheel stop drone 1 receives a detection signal from the detection unit 132, it flies between the standby position 13a and the installation position 13b based on the flight path stored in the memory unit 61. When the detection unit 132 detects the start of the drive unit 130 or the operation of the parking brake unit 131, the wheel stop drone 1 flies from the standby position 13a to the installation position 13b. When the detection unit 132 detects the stop of the drive unit 130 or the release of the parking brake unit 131, the wheel stop drone 1 flies from the installation position 13b to the standby position 13a.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, the following modifications are also possible.

The flight path of the wheel stopper drone 1 may be simulated by a computer based on the relative three-dimensional coordinates of the waiting position 13a and the installation position 13b with respect to the vehicle 13, and the memory unit 61 may be configured to store the flight path.

The vehicle 13 may be provided with a button for flying the wheel stop drone 1 near the driver's seat 136. As a result, the driver may press the button when parking the vehicle 13 to fly the wheel stop drone 1 from the standby position 13a to the installation position 13b, and may press the button when moving the vehicle 13 to fly the wheel stop drone 1 from the installation position 13b to the standby position 13a.

The wheel stop drone 1 may have the wheel stop portion 2 and the main body portion 3 constructed as one unit.

The effects of the present invention will be explained.

The wheel stop drone 1 of the present invention comprises a wheel stopper part 2 having an abutment surface 2a that abuts against the wheels 135 of the vehicle 13 to stop the wheels 135 from rolling, a plurality of rotors 4 for flight, and a battery 7 for driving the rotors 4.

This eliminates the need for the driver to manually install and release the wheel chock, eliminating the risk of the driver's hands or other body parts becoming caught in the vehicle's wheels while installing and releasing the wheel chock.

In addition, each rotor 4 is provided on both sides of the wheel stop drone 1 and on the rear side of the contact surface 2a.

This reduces the distance that the rotor 4 protrudes above the top surface of the wheel stop drone 1, so that the wheel stop drone 1 can be installed in the space between the underside of the vehicle body 134 and the passageway even when the vertical distance of the space is small.

In addition, the wheel stop drone 1 is equipped with a memory unit 61 for storing the flight path flown by the wheel stop drone 1, and is configured to fly along the flight path stored in the memory unit 61.

As a result, an operator such as a driver does not need to operate the wheel stop drone 1 to fly between the waiting position 13a where the wheel stop drone 1 waits and the installation position 13b where the vehicle's wheels 135 are prevented from rolling, and the wheel stop drone 1 can fly automatically along the flight path. In addition, although the waiting position 13a and the installation position 13b differ depending on each vehicle 13, by storing the flight path that the wheel stop drone 1 actually flew, it is possible to store a flight path that corresponds to each vehicle 13.

The vehicle 13 also includes a detection unit 132 for detecting the start and stop of the drive unit 130 of the vehicle 13, and a wireless communication unit 133 for transmitting a detection signal from the detection unit 132, and the wheel stop drone 1 includes a wireless communication unit 8 for receiving the detection signal, and a flight control unit 6 that controls the drone to fly along a flight path based on the detection signal.

The vehicle 13 also includes a detection unit 132 for detecting the activation and release of the parking brake unit 131 of the vehicle 13, and a wireless communication unit 133 for transmitting a detection signal from the detection unit 132, and the wheel stop drone 1 includes a wireless communication unit 8 for receiving the detection signal, and a flight control unit 6 for controlling the drone to fly along a flight path based on the detection signal.

As a result, when the detection unit 132 detects the start of the drive unit 130 or the operation of the parking brake unit 131, the wheel stop drone 1 flies from the standby position 13a to the installation position 13b. Also, when the detection unit 132 detects the stop of the drive unit 130 or the release of the parking brake unit 131, the wheel stop drone 1 flies from the installation position 13b to the standby position 13a. As a result, the operator such as the driver will not forget to fly the wheel stop drone 1, so that the wheel stop can be reliably installed and released for the wheels 135.

The vehicle 13 also includes a wheel stop drone 1 and a standby position 13a for waiting for the wheel stop drone 1, and a power supply unit 70 for supplying power to the battery 7 of the wheel stop drone 1 at the standby position 13a.

This allows power to be supplied from the battery 137 of the vehicle 13 to the battery 7 of the wheel stop drone 1 through the power supply unit 70 while the wheel stop drone 1 is waiting at the waiting position 13a.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Wheel stop drone 2 Wheel stop portion 2a Contact surface 4 Rotor 7 Battery 8 Wireless communication unit 13 Vehicle 61 Memory unit 70 Power supply unit 13a Standby position 13b Installation position 130 Drive unit 132 Detection unit 133 Wireless communication unit 131 Parking brake unit 135 Wheel

Claims (7)

a wheel stopper portion having a contact surface for contacting a wheel of a vehicle to stop the wheel from rolling;
A number of rotors for flight;
A wheel-stop drone comprising: a battery for driving the rotor. The wheel stop drone according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the rotors is provided on both sides of the wheel stop drone and on the rear side of the abutment surface. The wheel stopper drone according to claim 1, characterized in that the wheel stopper drone is equipped with a memory unit for storing a flight path flown by the wheel stopper drone, and is configured to fly along the flight path stored in the memory unit. The wheel stopper drone according to claim 3, characterized in that the memory unit is configured to store as the flight path a distance between a standby position where the wheel stopper drone waits and a set position where the wheels stop rolling. The vehicle includes a detection unit for detecting start and stop of a drive unit of the vehicle, and a wireless communication unit for transmitting a detection signal from the detection unit,
The wheel stopper drone of claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the wheel stopper drone is equipped with a wireless communication unit for receiving the detection signal, and a flight control unit that controls the drone to fly along the flight path based on the detection signal. The vehicle includes a detection unit for detecting operation and release of a parking brake unit of the vehicle, and a wireless communication unit for transmitting a detection signal from the detection unit,
The wheel stopper drone of claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the wheel stopper drone is equipped with a wireless communication unit for receiving the detection signal, and a flight control unit that controls the drone to fly along the flight path based on the detection signal. The vehicle is
A wheel stop drone according to claim 1;
A waiting position for waiting the wheel stop drone,
A vehicle system comprising a power supply unit for supplying power to the battery of the wheel stop drone at the waiting position.

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