JP2020152143A - Flying body - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a flying body that can improve cooling performance of a heat source without increase in size of a device.SOLUTION: A flying body 20 includes: a propeller 10; a light source; and a heat radiation part 32 disposed in a position on which an air stream generated by the propeller abuts, and radiating heat generated by the light source.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to an air vehicle.

A technology that mounts a camera or laser generator on a drone (an example of an air vehicle) and uses it as an autopilot to carry luggage, and a technology to inspect bridges and roads for cracks and dents. Proposed.

Further, a technique has been proposed in which a part or the whole of an optical engine of a projector using a solid-state light source is sealed to improve dustproof performance. For example, a technique has been proposed in which a display device is arranged inside a dustproof case and a heat sink connected to the display device is arranged outside the dustproof case to realize dustproofness and cooling of a heat source (display device).

However, in the above technology, it is necessary to house the dustproof case in which the display device is arranged and the heat sink (heat dissipation portion) outside the dustproof case in the housing. For this reason, it is difficult to set the cooling path in the housing, and it is necessary to increase the size of the heat radiating portion and the housing in order to obtain sufficient cooling performance.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an air vehicle capable of improving the cooling performance of a heat source without increasing the size of the device.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention comprises a propeller, a light source, and a heat radiating unit which is arranged at a position where an air flow generated by the propeller hits and dissipates heat generated by the light source. It is an air vehicle to prepare.

According to the present invention, there is an effect that the cooling performance of the heat source can be improved without increasing the size of the apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a drone equipped with a projector. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a more detailed configuration of the drone of the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a cross-sectional shape of a part of the housing. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the heat radiating portion. FIG. 5 is a front view of the drone provided with the heat radiating portion. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the drone provided with the heat radiating portion. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the drone. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of the hardware configuration of the drone. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the projector. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the drone. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of control processing according to the speed of the drone. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another example of the drone. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of the drone. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing another example of the heat dissipation unit. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing another example of the heat dissipation unit.

An embodiment of the flying object according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following, an example of using a drone as an air vehicle will be described, but the applicable air vehicle is not limited to the drone. For example, it can be applied to other aircraft having a propeller. Further, in the following, an air vehicle equipped with a projector will be described as an example. For example, a light source in a projector corresponds to a heat source. Electronic devices that include heat sources are not limited to projectors. For example, a camera including an illumination (light source) as a heat source, an image sensor, and the like may be mounted on the flying object.

In the flying object of the present embodiment, the heat radiating portion connected to the heat source in the housing of the projector is installed outside the housing, and the heat radiating portion is installed in the vicinity of the air supply / exhaust of the propeller for flight. As a result, a fan inside the housing is not required, the cooling path can be simplified, and even a heat source having a large heat capacity can be cooled. That is, even when a projector having a sealed housing and a light source having a higher output is used, it is possible to improve the cooling performance of the heat source without increasing the size of the apparatus. Further, by improving the cooling performance of the sealed and miniaturized projector and mounting it on the drone, for example, it is possible to improve the inspection means using the drone and expand the range of use.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a drone 100 equipped with a projector. The upper left of FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of the drone 100. The upper right and lower left of FIG. 1 are a simplified front view and a plan view of the drone 100, respectively. In the following, it will be described mainly using a simplified diagram.

As shown in FIG. 1, the drone 100 includes propellers 10a to 10d, a flying object main body 20, and a projector 120. Since the propellers 10a to 10d have the same configuration, they may be referred to as propellers 10 when it is not necessary to distinguish them. The number of propellers 10 is not limited to four, and may be one or more.

The main heat sources in the projector 120 are a light source that emits light, a modulation element that forms an image, a drive circuit (driver) that drives the light source, a substrate that controls the projector 120, and the like. Depending on the projector 120, a power source for driving the projector, a color wheel of an optical engine, a phosphor wheel, an optical element, and the like can also be heat sources.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a more detailed configuration of the drone 100 of the present embodiment. An air vehicle such as the Drone 100 is expected to be used outdoors. Therefore, when the projector 120 is mounted on the drone 100, the inside of the housing of the projector 120 is a closed space. That is, it is not possible to use a fan or the like to allow air outside the projector 120 to flow into the inside of the projector 120 to cool it. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the heat radiating unit 32 for cooling the heat source outside the housing is installed outside the housing, and the heat source and the heat radiating unit 32 are connected by the heat pipe 31. Although heat can be transferred by the heat pipe 31, it is desirable that all the heat source connections are in contact with the housing in consideration of cost and the like.

Further, the heat radiating unit 32 is arranged near the air supply / exhaust of the propeller 10, that is, at a position where the air flow generated by the propeller 10 hits. As a result, the propeller 10 can be used as a fan for cooling the heat radiating unit 32.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the projector 120 is provided separately from the flying object main body 20, but may be provided in the flying object main body 20.

As shown in FIG. 2, the heat radiating portion 32 installed outside the housing of the projector 120 is attached to the propeller 10 at a position separated in the axial direction of the propeller 10. Further, the heat radiating portion 32 is arranged in consideration of the positions of the heat pipe 31 and other structures so that the overall weight can be balanced.

The housing may have a structure for dissipating heat from a heat source. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a cross-sectional shape of a part of the housing. As shown in FIG. 3, an inner fin 302a and an outer fin 302b are formed in at least a part of the housing 301. The fins 302a and 302b allow the heat inside the housing to be released to the outside of the housing. That is, it is possible to prevent heat or the like that could not be released to the outside by the heat pipe 31 from the main heat source from being accumulated in the housing.

The heat radiating unit 32 may be formed so as to have a function of preventing an object (finger or the like) from coming into contact with the propeller. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the heat radiating unit 32 configured in this way. 5 and 6 represent a front view and a plan view of the drone 100 provided with the heat radiating portion 32 as shown in FIG. 4, respectively. The heat radiating units 32a to 32d of FIGS. 5 and 6 each have the structure of the heat radiating unit 32 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the heat radiating unit 32 includes a fence member 401 at a position where the airflow generated by the propeller 10 hits. The fence member 401 has a function of preventing contact with an object and a function of a cooling fin for dissipating heat of a heat source transmitted through the heat pipe 31. The length between the plurality of fence members 401 may be such that an assumed object (for example, a finger) does not enter. The fence member 401 is not limited to the structure shown in FIG. For example, a mesh-shaped fence member 401 may be used. With the structure shown in FIG. 4, the volume of the heat radiating unit 32 can be reduced.

4 and 5 show an example in which the heat radiating portion 32 is circular, but the shape of the heat radiating portion 32 is not limited to this. For example, the heat radiating unit 32 may be rectangular. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the heat radiating unit 32 may be provided above and below each of the propellers 10, or may be provided on either one of the top and bottom.

Next, the hardware configuration of the drone 100 will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the drone 100. As shown in FIG. 7, the drone 100 includes a controller 101, a memory 102, a power supply 103, a communication I / F (interface) 104, a motor controller 105, a sensor 106, motors 111a to 111d, and a projector 120. And.

The controller 101 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The CPU connects to the ROM and RAM via a bus line such as an address bus and a data bus. The CPU expands the program stored in the ROM into the RAM. The CPU controls the drone 100 by operating according to the program expanded in the RAM.

The memory 102 is a storage device such as a semiconductor memory element and a flash memory. The memory 102 stores, for example, an image projected by the projector 120 and a control program. The control program is a program for exerting the functions provided in the operating system and the drone 100. The control program includes a program that exerts a characteristic function according to the present embodiment.

The power source 103 is a lithium ion battery or the like. The power source 103 supplies electric power to each part of the drone 100.

The communication I / F 104 is a communication interface that communicates with an operating device for operating the drone 100, for example, by wireless communication. For example, the communication I / F 104 receives information for operating the drone 100 from the operating device.

The motor controller 105 controls the rotation of each of the motors 111a to 111d based on the control by the controller 101.

The sensor 106 is an inertial sensor that detects angular velocity and acceleration. The sensor 106 detects, for example, the posture and motion state of the own device. Then, the detection result of the sensor 106 is used for flight control based on the information received from the operating device. The sensor 106 may be an inertial measurement unit having a 3-axis acceleration sensor, a 3-axis gyro sensor, and a 3-axis geomagnetic sensor. Further, the drone 100 may be provided with another sensor such as a distance sensor that measures the distance to the inspection target.

The motors 111a to 111d are motors for rotating the propellers 10a to 10d, respectively.

The flying object (drone 100) may be configured to include a camera in place of or with the projector 120. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the drone 100-2 including the camera. The drone 100-2 of FIG. 8 is different from the drone 100 of FIG. 7 in that the camera 130-2 is provided instead of the projector 120. Since other configurations are the same as those in FIG. 7, the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof will be omitted.

The camera 130-2 includes an image sensor 131-2 and an illumination 132-2. The image sensor 131-2 is, for example, an optical sensor using CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) or CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and outputs a signal corresponding to the projected light. Illumination 132-2 corresponds to a light source for emitting light to the imaging region. For example, lighting 132-2 can be a heat source.

Next, the hardware configuration of the projector 120 will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the projector 120. As shown in FIG. 9, the projector 120 includes a CPU 801 and a ROM 802, a RAM 803, a media I / F807, an operation unit 808, a power switch 809, a bus line 810, a network I / F811, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) drive circuit 814, and an LED. It includes a light source 815, a projection device 816, a projection lens 817, and an external device connection I / F 818.

The CPU 801 controls the operation of the entire projector 120. The ROM 802 stores a program used to drive the CPU 801. The RAM 803 is used as a work area of the CPU 801.

The media I / F807 controls reading or writing (storage) of data to a recording medium 806 such as a flash memory.

The operation unit 808 is provided with various keys, buttons, LEDs, and the like, and is used for performing various operations other than turning on / off the power of the projector 120 by the user. For example, the operation unit 808 receives instructional operations such as a projected image size adjustment operation, a color tone adjustment operation, a focus adjustment operation, and a keystone adjustment operation, and outputs the received operation contents to the CPU 801.

The power switch 809 is a switch for switching the power ON / OFF of the projector 120. The power source may be the same as the power source 103 of the drone 100 described above, or may be a power source different from the power source 103.

The bus line 810 is an address bus, a data bus, or the like for electrically connecting each component such as the CPU 801 shown in FIG.

The network I / F811 is an interface for data communication using a communication network such as the Internet.

The LED drive circuit 814 controls the lighting and extinguishing of the LED light source 815 under the control of the CPU 801.

When the LED light source 815 is turned on under the control of the LED drive circuit 814, it irradiates the projection device 816 with projected light. A light source using an element other than the LED may be used.

The projection device 816 transmits the modulated light obtained by modulating the projected light from the LED light source 815 by the spatial light modulation method based on the image data given via the external device connection I / F 818 or the like through the projection lens 817. , Project as an image on the projection surface of the screen. As the projection device 816, for example, a liquid crystal panel or a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) or the like is used. The LED drive circuit 814, the LED light source 815, the projection device 816, and the projection lens 817 as a whole function as a projection unit (projection means) for projecting a projected image on the projection surface based on the image data.

The external device connection I / F818 is directly connected to a PC (Personal Computer) and acquires control signals and image data from the PC.

When the power supply power is supplied, the CPU 801 is activated according to a control program stored in advance in the ROM 802, and gives a control signal to the LED drive circuit 814 to light the LED light source 815. Further, when the power supply power from the power supply is started to be supplied to the projector 120, the projection device 816 is in a state where the image can be displayed, and power is further supplied from the power supply to various other components.

Further, in the projector 120, when the power switch 809 is turned off, a power OFF signal is sent from the power switch 809 to the CPU 801. When the CPU 801 detects the power OFF signal, the projector 120 gives a control signal to the LED drive circuit 814 to display the LED. Turn off the light source 815. After that, when a predetermined time elapses, the CPU 801 ends the control process of the CPU 801 itself, and finally gives an instruction to the power source to stop the supply of the power source power.

Of the components shown in FIG. 7 and the components shown in FIG. 9, the components that can be shared may be shared. For example, the CPU, ROM, and RAM in the controller 101 may be shared with the CPU 801, ROM 802, and RAM 803 in the projector 120, respectively. Further, the communication I / F 104 and the network I / F 811 may be shared.

Next, the functional configuration of the drone 100 will be described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the drone 100.

The controller 101 of the drone 100 expands the control program stored in the memory 102 into the RAM and operates according to the control program to generate each functional unit shown in FIG. 7 in the RAM. Specifically, the controller 101 includes a communication control unit 201, a flight control unit 202, a projection control unit 203, and a detection unit 204 as functional units. In addition, a part or all of each functional part of FIG. 7 may be realized by a processor such as a dedicated IC (Integrated Circuit), that is, hardware.

The communication control unit 201 controls the communication I / F 104 to communicate with the operating device connected by wireless communication. For example, the communication control unit 201 receives remote operation information for operating the drone 100 from the operation device.

The flight control unit 202 flies the drone 100 by controlling the motors 111a to 111d via the motor controller 105. The flight control unit 202 detects the attitude and motion state of the drone 100 from the signal of the sensor 106. Further, the flight control unit 202 calculates an appropriate rotation speed of the motors 111a to 111d according to the detected attitude, the motion state, and the remote operation information. Then, the flight control unit 202 outputs the calculated rotation speed to the motor controller 105. As a result, the drone 100 flies as operated by the operating device.

The projection control unit 203 (an example of the control unit) executes various controls related to image projection. For example, the projection control unit 203 controls to change the brightness (amount of light) of the light emitted from the LED light source 815 based on the image signal to be projected, and modifies the light from the LED light source 815. It executes control for the modulation element.

The detection unit 204 detects the moving speed of the drone 100. For example, the detection unit 204 detects the moving speed of the drone 100 based on a signal from a speed detection sensor different from the sensor 106. The detection unit 204 may be configured to obtain the speed based on the output signal (angular velocity, acceleration, etc.) of the sensor 106.

When the drone 100 moves, the housing is exposed to air. Then, as the speed of the drone 100 increases, the wind speed of the air that hits the housing increases, so that the cooling performance is improved. Therefore, for example, the projection control unit 203 may be configured to control the amount of light of the LED light source 815 according to the speed. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of control processing according to the speed of the drone 100.

The detection unit 204 refers to a signal from a speed sensor or the like and detects the speed of the drone 100 (step S101). The projection control unit 203 determines whether or not the detected speed is greater than the threshold value (step S102). When the speed is larger than the threshold value (step S102: Yes), the projection control unit 203 sets the mode of the LED light source 815 to the high power mode (step S103). When the speed is equal to or less than the threshold value (step S102: No), the projection control unit 203 sets the mode of the LED light source 815 to the low power mode (step S104).

The high power mode is a mode in which the amount of light emitted from the LED light source 815 is increased by relatively increasing the power supplied to the LED light source 815. The low power mode is a mode in which the amount of light emitted from the LED light source 815 is reduced by making the power supplied to the LED light source 815 smaller than that in the high power mode.

By controlling in this way, a high power mode in which the heat generated from a heat source such as the LED light source 815 becomes large is permitted only when the speed of the drone 100 is larger than the threshold value, that is, when the cooling performance is high. Is possible. If the drone 100 projects an image while moving, it is possible to project a higher-brightness image with a smaller configuration while maintaining cooling performance.

An air vehicle such as the drone 100 may receive an impact on the bottom surface when landing or falling due to engine trouble or the like. However, if the housing of the drone 100 (the housing of the projector 120) is constructed only of metal having high thermal conductivity, it cannot withstand the impact of landing and dropping and may be damaged.

Therefore, the drone 100 may be configured to include a member that improves durability against impact. 12 and 13 are diagrams showing an example of the drone 100 configured in this way.

In the example of FIG. 12, the drone 100 is configured to have an elastic member 33 at a corner of the housing of the projector 120. In the example of FIG. 13, the drone 100 includes an impact-resistant spring member 34 and an elastic member 35 connected to the spring member 34 on the bottom surface of the housing of the projector 120. The elastic members 33 and 35 are elastic members formed of, for example, rubber and resin materials. The spring member 34 is connected to the housing so as to expand and contract in a direction of absorbing impact.

The fins of the heat radiating portion may be shaped so as to further improve the cooling efficiency. 14 and 15 are views showing an example of heat radiating units 32-2 and 32-3 configured in this way.

In the example of FIG. 14, the heat radiating unit 32-2 is configured to have fins 1301 extending in the moving direction of the drone 100 (which can also be interpreted as the projection direction of the projector 120). As a result, when the drone 100 moves, the fin shape is made so that the wind can easily pass through, and the cooling efficiency can be improved.

In the example of FIG. 15, the heat radiating unit 32-3 is configured to have fins 1401 extending radially from the shaft 1402 of the propeller 10. As a result, the cooling efficiency can be improved regardless of the direction in which the drone 100 moves.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the heat radiating portion connected to the heat source is taken out of the housing, and the heat radiating portion is installed in the vicinity of the flight propeller. This eliminates the need for a fan in the housing, so that it is possible to improve the cooling performance of the heat source without increasing the size of the device.

Each function of the embodiment described above can be realized by one or more processing circuits. Here, the "processing circuit" in the present specification means an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a DSP (digital signal processor), and an FPGA (field programmable gate array) designed to execute each function described above. ), Processors programmed to perform each function by software, such as processors implemented by electronic circuits, and devices such as conventional circuit modules.

The effects described in the embodiments of the present invention merely list the most preferable effects arising from the present invention, and the effects according to the present invention are not limited to those described in the embodiments of the present invention. ..

10a, 10b, 10c, 10d Propeller 20 Aircraft body 31 Heat pipe 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d Heat dissipation part 33, 35 Elastic member 34 Spring member 100 Drone 101 Controller 102 Memory 103 Power supply 104 Communication I / F
105 Motor controller 106 Sensors 111a, 111b, 111c, 111d Motor 120 Projector 201 Communication control unit 202 Flight control unit 203 Projection control unit 204 Detection unit

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-133609

Claims (10)

With a propeller
Light source and
A heat radiating unit that is arranged at a position where the airflow generated by the propeller hits and dissipates heat generated by the light source
Aircraft equipped with. A housing with fins on at least one of the inside and the outside.
The flying object according to claim 1. The heat radiating portion includes a fence member at a position where the air flow hits.
The flying object according to claim 1. A detector that detects the moving speed of the flying object,
A control unit that controls the amount of light from the light source according to the speed is further provided.
The flying object according to claim 1. A housing having elastic members at the corners is provided.
The flying object according to claim 1. The housing to which the spring member is connected and
An elastic member connected to the spring member.
The flying object according to claim 1. The heat radiating portion has fins extending in the moving direction of the flying object.
The flying object according to claim 1. The heat radiating portion has fins extending radially.
The flying object according to claim 1. A projector including the light source and a projection device for projecting the projected light from the light source.
The flying object according to claim 1. A camera including the light source and an image sensor.
The flying object according to claim 1.

Images