Patent Description:
Conventionally, flying objects such as drones and unmanned aerial vehicles that can be flown by remote control or automatic control generally take off and land on a flat surface such as a dedicated landing platform, the ground, the upper surface of a vehicle, or the roof of a building (see, for example, Patent Literature <NUM> or <NUM>).

Patent Literature <NUM> discloses unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) positioning mechanisms for moving a UAV across a surface. The positioning mechanisms comprise a first guide assembly arranged opposite to a second guide assembly. A drive system is arranged to move the first guide assembly towards the second guide assembly and guide the UAV from a first position to a second position.

Patent Literature <NUM> discloses a vertical carrier device <NUM> for refuse which causes a refuse storage body <NUM> to descend within a chute <NUM> and realizes simply such a configuration as to alleviate impact produced when the refuse storage body reaches the lower end of the shute. A chute <NUM> includes a first chute 21a and a second chute 21b arranged in the first chute in a non-fixed manner. A vertical carrier device has an opening/closing door <NUM> opening and closing a lower end opening of the second chute, and the opening/closing door is provided with a lower-part gate device which receives the refuse storage body when the refuse storage body descends within the first and second chutes, with the lower end opening of the second chute closed, and discharges the received refuse storage body to under the second chute by opening the lower-end opening of the second chute. The second chute is supported, while urging upward, so that the second chute is butted against the first chute, and a cushioning support member <NUM> which absorbs impact produced when the refuse storage body is received by the opening/closing door is provided additionally.

Patent Literature <NUM> discloses a landing device for a vertical lifting aircraft and a ship. The landing device comprises a lift-off platform, wherein a plurality of power devices used for driving the lift-off platform to ascend or descend are arranged on the lift-off platform, and a locking device for locking the aircraft is arranged on the lift-off platform; the locking device used for locking the aircraft is arranged on the lift-off platform; a power cable and a main probe pipe are arranged below the lift-off platform, and a main pull-off cable is arranged in the main probe pipe; and a damping landing frame is further arranged below the lift-off platform. The ship is provided with the landing device. According to the landing device, large impact on a deck when the aircraft lands on the deck canbe avoided, and the landing safety of the aircraft is improved.

Patent Literature <NUM> discloses a landing gear (<NUM>) comprises a leg (110A, 110B, 110C), a rotating body (130A, 130B, 130C), and a housing (<NUM>). The leg (110A, 110B, 110C) makes contact with the landing surface at one end and moves linearly in the axial direction with the force received from the landing surface. The rotating body (130A, 130B, 130C) rotates by converting the linear motion of the leg (110A, 110B, 110C) into a rotary motion. The housing (<NUM>) accommodates the other end of the leg (110A, 110B, 110C) and rotatably holds the rotating body (130A, 130B, 130C).

Patent Literature <NUM> discloses a decoy can in which a sweetfish is smoothly guided to the interior and jumping-out of sweetfish from the interior is surely prevented. The decoy can <NUM> is equipped with a subsidiary lid <NUM>. The subsidiary lid <NUM> has an opening <NUM>. In the decoy can <NUM>, a door <NUM> for opening and closing the opening <NUM> is installed. The door <NUM> has a pair of door pieces <NUM> and <NUM>. The each door piece <NUM> or <NUM> is rotatably supported by a supporting shaft <NUM> or <NUM>. Each supporting shaft <NUM> or <NUM> is inclined at a prescribed angle and arranged so as to be symmetrical. The supporting shaft <NUM> is inclined to the upper surface of the subsidiary lid <NUM>. When the door <NUM> is opened, each door piece <NUM> or <NUM> is mutually remarkably separated to open the opening <NUM>.

Patent Literature <NUM> discloses a rail recovery system for aircraft. The present invention's side-arm recovery system enables large Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) to operate from small vessels or from ground sites with a minimal footprint. The side-arm recovery system allows arresting an UAS independent of a runway. On the ground or on a ship, the system makes use of a specialized crane system that includes capture and energy absorption devices. A fuselage-mounted top hook snags a horizontal cable and the arresting forces act in the plane of symmetry through the central structure of the UAS. After the capture energy is absorbed, the recovery system safely lowers the aerial vehicle to a ground handling cart. The same system can be combined into a launcher and retriever system which further reduces the footprint by eliminating the need for a separate launcher.

However, in a general flying object that takes off and lands on a flat surface as described in Patent Literatures <NUM> and <NUM>, it is necessary to reduce the thrust of a propeller or the like when landing, so that it is difficult to deal with disturbances and there is also the problem of the ground effect. Therefore, there is a problem that the control tends to be unstable and it is difficult to quickly guide the flying object to a desired position and land the flying object.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object thereof is to provide a flying object landing system that enables smooth guiding to and landing at a desired position.

In order to achieve the above object, a flying object landing system according to the present invention includes a pair of guide rails arranged side by side with a space therebetween and provided so that the space increases toward one set of tips of the guide rails, wherein one guide rail is supported so as to be rotatable about a first shaft extending in a direction perpendicular to a plane including the guide rails, at or near the tip thereof, and the other guide rail is supported so as to be rotatable about a second shaft extending in a direction perpendicular to the plane including the guide rails, at or near the tip thereof; a flying object having a suspension portion provided on an upper part so as to be inserted between the guide rails from sides of the one set of tips of the guide rails; and a landing means arranged on the sides of the other set of tips of the guide rails and provided so as to be able to land the flying object guided from sides of the one set of tips of the guide rails to the sides of the other set of tips through the suspension portion between the guide rails.

In the flying object landing system according to the present invention, when a guiding target object collides with the inside of one guide rail when the guiding target object enters between the guide rails from sides of one set of tips of the guide rails, since one guide rail rotates toward the outer side around the first shaft, the angle between the traveling direction of the guiding target object and one guide rail can be reduced. Further, when the guiding target object collides with the inside of the other guide rail, since the other guide rail rotates toward the outer side around the second shaft, the angle between the traveling direction of the guiding target object and the other guide rail can be reduced. As a result, even if the guiding target object collides with each of the guide rails, the guiding target object can easily enter from sides of one set of tips of the guide rails toward the sides of the other set of tips without being bounced back to the side opposite to the entering direction. In this way, the passive guidance mechanism according to the present invention can smoothly guide the guiding target object to a desired position on the sides of the other set of tips of the guide rails.

In the flying object landing system according to the present invention, since the guide rails are provided so that the space between the guide rails increases toward one set of tips, the guiding target object can easily enter between the guide rails from sides of one set of tips of the guide rails. The guide rails may have any shape as long as the space between the guide rails increases toward one set of tips of the guide rails. The guide rails may have a linear shape so that one set of tips of the guide rails form a smooth curve and the other set of tips are parallel to each other. One set of tips may have a linear shape and the entire guide rail may have a linear shape. The guide rails may be arranged at intervals in the vertical direction, or may be arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction.

The flying object landing system according to the present invention may be configured to guide a moving object to a desired position, or may be configured to move itself and guide a stationary object to a desired position. The passive guidance mechanism according to the present invention can be used, for example, as a guidance mechanism for landing a flying object at a desired position, a robot arm or a gripper for capturing and gripping an object.

In the flying object landing system according to the present invention, it is preferable that the one guide rail and the other guide rail are provided so as to be rotatable in a forward direction and a reverse direction in a range of predetermined rotation angles about the first shaft and the second shaft, respectively, from an initial position where the guide rails are arranged symmetrically with respect to a predetermined plane. In this case, the range of rotation angles of the first shaft and the second shaft can limit the range of movement of the other set of tips of the guide rails, and the guide range can be limited to a desired range.

In the flying object landing system according to the present invention, it is preferable that the guide rails are configured to be urged toward the initial position. In this case, the rotationally moved guide rails can always be returned to the initial position. Therefore, the guiding target object can be moved to an intermediate position of each of the guide rails at the initial position, and the guide range can be narrowed.

The flying object landing system according to the present invention may include a damper for absorbing a rotational force of the one guide rail and the rotational force of the other guide rail when the one guide rail rotates from the initial position to a side opposite to the other guide rail and when the other guide rail rotates from the initial position to a side opposite to the one guide rail. In this case, the damper can absorb the impact of the guiding target object that collides with the guide rails, and can prevent damage to the guide rails and the guiding target object. Further, it is possible to absorb the energy in the collision direction of the guiding target object and suppress the bounce, so that the guiding target object can easily enter from the sides of one set of tips of the guide rails toward the sides of the other set of tips.

In the flying object landing system according to the present invention, it is preferable that the guide rails are connected to each other so that the rotation angle of the one guide rail about the first shaft from the initial position is equal to the rotation angle of the other guide rail about the second shaft from the initial position. In this case, when the guiding target object collides with one guide rail, one guide rail rotates toward the outer side and the other guide rail rotates toward the inner side, so that the guiding target object colliding with one guide rail can immediately collide with the other guide rail side and the guide rails can rotate toward the opposite sides. Similarly, when the guiding target object collides with the other guide rail, the other guide rail rotates toward the outer side and one guide rail rotates toward the inner side, so that the guiding target object colliding with the other guide rail can immediately collide with one guide rail side and the guide rails can rotate toward the opposite sides. As a result, the guiding target object can be gradually moved to an intermediate position of each of the guide rails at the initial position while colliding with the guide rails, and the guide range can be narrowed.

In the flying object landing system according to the present invention, it is preferable that it includes a connecting member that connects the one guide rail and the other guide rail, the connecting member has one end connected the one guide rail so as to be rotatable about a third shaft perpendicular to the plane including the guide rails and has the other end connected to the other guide rail so as to be rotatable about a fourth shaft perpendicular to the plane including the guide rails, and the first shaft, the second shaft, the third shaft, and the fourth shaft form a four-node link mechanism composed of rotating pairs, and a line connecting the third shaft and the fourth shaft has the same length as and moves in parallel to a line connecting the first shaft and the second shaft. Also in this case, the guiding target object can be gradually moved to an intermediate position of each of the guide rails at the initial position while colliding with the guide rails, and the guide range can be narrowed.

In the flying object landing system according to the present invention, it is preferable that the connecting member is arranged at a predetermined distance in a vertical direction from the plane including the guide rails. In this case, it is possible to prevent the guiding target object passing between the guide rails from hitting the connecting member.

The flying object landing system according to the present invention preferably has a connection support member that supports the connecting member so as to be movable in relation to the guide rails. In this case, the guide rails and the connecting member can be stably rotated or moved.

A flying object landing system according to the present invention; the landing means is arranged on the extension direction of the sides of the other set of tips of the guide rails.

The flying object landing system according to the present invention can land a flying object as follows. That is, the flying object is made to fly from the sides of one set of tips of the guide rails toward the lower sides of the guide rails, and the suspension portion provided on the upper part of the flying object is inserted between the guide rails from the sides of one set of tips of the guide rails. At this time, the passive guidance mechanism can smoothly guide the flying object to the sides of the other set of tips of the guide rails, and the flying object can be landed by the landing means.

In the flying object landing system according to the present invention, the influence of the ground effect can be made almost negligible by arranging the guide rails so that a sufficient space is provided under the flying object. In addition, since there is almost no influence of the ground effect, the flying object can land stably even in a relatively narrow space. In the flying object landing system according to the present invention, the guide rails may be installed in any place as long as a space can be provided at least on the lower side and in the extension direction on one end side. The guide rails may be installed on the ceiling or under the eaves of a factory, a house, a building, or the like, or may be suspended by a crane or the like.

In the flying object landing system according to the present invention, it is preferable that the landing means has a pair of landing rails, and is configured so that the suspension portion of the flying object guided to the sides of the other set of tips of the guide rails is guided between the landing rails and the flying object can be suspended at a predetermined position of the landing rails with the suspension portion inserted between the landing rails.

When the landing rails are provided, by inserting the suspension portion between the landing rails, the flying object can be easily moved to the landing position along the landing rails by only the urging force of the flying object at the time of insertion, or by applying force from the sides of one set of ends of the landing rails toward the sides of the other set of ends to the flying object. Therefore, after the suspension portion is inserted between the landing rails, fine flight control is not required, and in some cases, it is possible to stop the propulsion means such as the propeller of the flying object.

In this case, the landing position of the landing rails may be a predetermined point, or may be a predetermined length range along the length direction of the landing rails. The flying object does not necessarily have to stop at the landing position. In this case, for example, the flying object landing system can be suitably used when carrying luggage or the like attached to the lower part of the flying object. When the flying object is suspended at the landing position, since there is a space under the flying object, it is easy to attach luggage to the lower part of the flying object and to unload the luggage attached to the lower part of the flying object. At this time, for example, by installing a belt conveyor under the flying object suspended at the landing position, the luggage being unloaded from the flying objects coming one after another can be conveyed by the belt conveyor, and the luggage being conveyed by the belt conveyor can be sequentially attached to the lower part of the flying object and transported individually.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a flying object landing system that enables smooth guiding to and landing at a desired position.

<FIG> show a passive guidance mechanism of the flying object landing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in <FIG>, a passive guidance mechanism <NUM> has a pair of rail members <NUM>, a rail support member <NUM>, a connecting member <NUM>, and a connecting support member <NUM>.

The pair of rail members <NUM> has a pair of guide rails 21a and 21b arranged side by side with a space therebetween and provided so that the space increases toward one set of tips of the guide rails. The guide rails 21a and 21b are formed in a linear shape so that one set of tips thereof form a curve so as to open toward the outer side and the other set of tips are parallel to each other. The guide rails 21a and 21b may have any shape as long as the space increases toward one set of tips thereof. For example, one set of tips may have a linear shape and the entire guide rails 21a and 21b may have a linear shape. The guide rails 21a and 21b may be arranged at intervals in the vertical direction, or may be arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction.

Each rail member <NUM> has a surface member <NUM> extending in a direction perpendicular to a plane including the guide rails 21a and 21b so as to have a predetermined width in the perpendicular direction. Further, one rail member <NUM> is provided so as to be rotatable about a first shaft <NUM> extending in the direction perpendicular to the plane including the guide rails 21a and 21b at one tip of the guide rail 21a. The other rail member <NUM> is provided so as to be rotatable about a second shaft <NUM> extending in the direction perpendicular to the plane including the guide rails 21a and 21b at one tip of the guide rail 21b. One guide rail 21a and the other guide rail 21b are provided so as to be rotatable in the forward and reverse directions from an initial position where the guide rails 21a and 21b are arranged symmetrically with respect to the plane perpendicular to the plane including the guide rails 21a and 21b.

Each rail member <NUM> has a first reinforcing portion 25a extending vertically toward the outer side from the other set of tips of the guide rails 21a and 21b, a second reinforcing portion 25b extending from one set of tips to the first reinforcing portion 25a in parallel to the other set of linear tips, and a third reinforcing portion 25c extending parallel to the first reinforcing portion 25a from the vicinity of the center of the second reinforcing portion 25b toward the guide rails 21a and 21b. In addition, each rail member <NUM> also has a reinforcing member for reinforcing the surface member <NUM> and the like.

As shown in <FIG>, the rail support member <NUM> is provided so as to extend toward the outer side from one set of tips of the guide rails 21a and 21b so as to rotatably support one set of tips of the guide rails 21a and 21b. The rail support member <NUM> supports the guide rails 21a and 21b so that the positions of one set of tips of the guide rails 21a and 21b do not move even when the guide rails 21a and 21b rotate.

As shown in <FIG>, the connecting member <NUM> has a linear shape, and connects the connection position between the first reinforcing portion 25a and the second reinforcing portion 25b of one rail member <NUM> and the connection position between the first reinforcing portion 25a and the second reinforcing portion 25b of the other rail member <NUM>. The connecting member <NUM> has one end connected to one guide rail 21a via the first reinforcing portion 25a and the second reinforcing portion 25b so as to be rotatable about a third shaft <NUM> perpendicular to the plane including the guide rails 21a and 21b. The connecting member <NUM> has the other end connected to the other guide rail 21b via the first reinforcing portion 25a and the second reinforcing portion 25b so as to be rotatable about a fourth shaft <NUM> perpendicular to the plane including the guide rails 21a and 21b. The connecting member <NUM> is arranged at a predetermined distance from the guide rails 21a and 21b on the side opposite to the surface member <NUM> in a direction perpendicular to the plane including the guide rails 21a and 21b.

The connecting support member <NUM> is provided on the side of the connecting member <NUM> opposite to the guide rails 21a and 21b so as to movably support the connecting member <NUM> with respect to the guide rails 21a and 21b. The connecting support member <NUM> has a slide member <NUM> attached to the central portion of the connecting member <NUM>, and an arc-shaped support portion <NUM> provided so as to allow the slide member <NUM> to slide. The arc-shaped support portion <NUM> is provided along the trajectory of the slide member <NUM> when the connecting member <NUM> moves with the rotation of the guide rails 21a and 21b. As a result, the connecting support member <NUM> is configured so that the slide member <NUM> slides smoothly. The connecting support member <NUM> is fixed to the rail supporting member <NUM> and supports the connecting member <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in the passive guidance mechanism <NUM>, the first shaft <NUM>, the second shaft <NUM>, the third shaft <NUM>, and the fourth shaft <NUM> forms a four-node link mechanism composed of rotating pairs. In the passive guidance mechanism <NUM>, the line connecting the third shaft <NUM> and the fourth shaft <NUM> has the same length as and moves in parallel to the line connecting the first shaft <NUM> and the second shaft <NUM>. The passive guidance mechanism <NUM> is configured so that the rotation angle of one guide rail 21a about the first shaft <NUM> from the initial position is equal to the rotation angle of the other guide rail 21b about the second shaft <NUM> from the initial position.

In the passive guidance mechanism <NUM>, the rotation range of the guide rails 21a and 21b is defined by the range until the guide rails 21a and 21b collide with each other when they rotate and the slide range of the slide member <NUM> on the arc-shaped support portion <NUM>. As a result, the guide rails 21a and 21b can rotate in the forward direction and the reverse direction about the first shaft <NUM> and the second shaft <NUM>, respectively, within the defined range of the rotation angles from the initial position.

In the passive guidance mechanism <NUM>, when a guiding target object collides with the inside of one guide rail 21a when the guiding target object enters between the guide rails 21a and 21b from the sides of one set of tips of the guide rails 21a and 21b, since one guide rail 21a rotates toward the outer side around the first shaft <NUM>, the angle between the traveling direction of the guiding target object and one guide rail 21a can be reduced. Further, when the guiding target object collides with the inside of the other guide rail 21b, since the other guide rail 21b rotates toward the outer side around the second shaft <NUM>, the angle between the traveling direction of the guiding target object and the other guide rail 21b can be reduced. As a result, even if the guiding target object collides with each of the guide rails 21a and 21b, the guiding target object can easily enter from the sides of one set of tips of the guide rails 21a and 21b toward the sides of the other set of tips without being bounced back to the side opposite to the entering direction.

In the passive guidance mechanism <NUM>, when the guiding target object collides with one guide rail 21a, one guide rail 21a rotates toward the outer side and the other guide rail 21b rotates toward the inner side, so that the guiding target object colliding with one guide rail 21a can immediately collide with the other guide rail 21b side and the guide rails 21a and 21b can rotate toward the opposite sides. Similarly, when the guiding target object collides with the other guide rail 21b, the other guide rail 21b rotates toward the outer side and one guide rail 21a rotates toward the inner side, so that the guiding target object colliding with the other guide rail 21b can immediately collide with one guide rail 21a side and the guide rails 21a and 21b can rotate toward the opposite sides. As a result, the guiding target object can be gradually moved to an intermediate position of each of the guide rails 21a and 21b at the initial position while colliding with the guide rails 21a and 21b, and the guide range can be narrowed. In this way, the passive guidance mechanism <NUM> can smoothly guide the guiding target object to a desired position on the sides of the other set of tips of the guide rails 21a and 21b.

In the passive guidance mechanism <NUM>, since the guide rails 21a and 21b are provided so that the space between the guide rails 21a and 21b increases toward one set of tips, the guiding target object can easily enter between the guide rails 21a and 21b from the sides of one set of tips of the guide rails 21a and 21b. Since the connecting member <NUM> is arranged at a predetermined distance from the guide rails 21a and 21b, the guiding target object passing between the guide rails 21a and 21b can be prevented from hitting the connecting member <NUM>. Due to the rail support member <NUM> and the connection support member <NUM>, the guide rails 21a and 21b and the connecting member <NUM> can be stably rotated and moved.

The passive guidance mechanism <NUM> may be configured to guide a moving object to a desired position, or may be configured to move itself and guide a stationary object to a desired position. The passive guidance mechanism <NUM> can be used, for example, as a guidance mechanism for landing a flying object at a desired position, a robot arm or a gripper for capturing and gripping an object.

The passive guidance mechanism <NUM> may be configured so that the guide rails 21a and 21b are urged toward the initial position. In this case, the rotationally moved guide rails 21a and 21b can always be returned to the initial position. Therefore, the guiding target object can be moved to an intermediate position of each of the guide rails 21a and 21b at the initial position, and the guide range can be narrowed.

The passive guidance mechanism <NUM> may include a damper for absorbing a rotational force of the one guide rail 21a and the rotational force of the other guide rail 21b when the one guide rail 21a rotates from the initial position to a side opposite to the other guide rail 21b and when the other guide rail 21b rotates from the initial position to a side opposite to the one guide rail 21a. In this case, the damper can absorb the impact of the guiding target object that collides with the guide rails 21a and 21b, and can prevent damage to the guide rails 21a and 21b and the guiding target object. Further, it is possible to absorb the energy in the collision direction of the guiding target object and suppress the bounce, so that the guiding target object can easily enter from the sides of one set of tips of the guide rails 21a and 21b toward the sides of the other set of tips.

<FIG> show a flying object landing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in <FIG>, a flying object landing system <NUM> includes a flying object <NUM>, the passive guidance mechanism <NUM>, and a landing means <NUM>.

The flying object body <NUM> has a suspension portion <NUM> provided at the upper part so as to extend upward. The suspension portion <NUM> has an arm 41a provided so as to extend upward from the flying object <NUM> and an engagement portion 41b provided at the tip of the arm 41a. The engagement portion 41b has a shape that it is elongated along the traveling direction of the flying object <NUM>, and the tip in the traveling direction is sharp. In a specific example, the flying object <NUM> is a drone, but may be any flyable object such as an aerial vehicle. The flying object <NUM> may be able to fly by remote control or may be able to fly by automatic control.

The passive guidance mechanism <NUM> is provided so that the suspension portion <NUM> of the flying object <NUM> can be inserted between the guide rails 21a and 21b from the sides of one set of tips of the guide rails 21a and 21b. The passive guidance mechanism <NUM> is provided so that the flying object <NUM> having the suspension portion <NUM> inserted between the guide rails 21a and 21b is guided from the sides of one set of tips of the guide rails 21a and 21b to the sides of the other set of tips.

As shown in <FIG>, the landing means <NUM> has a pair of landing rails <NUM>. The landing rails <NUM> are arranged side by side with a space between the guide rails 21a and 21b at the sides of the other set of tips of the guide rails 21a and 21b so as to extend along the extension direction of the guide rails 21a and 21b. One set of tips of the landing rails <NUM> on one end side (the side of the guide rails 21a and 21b) are provided so that the space therebetween increases toward the guide rails 21a and 21b. The landing means <NUM> is provided so as to guide the suspension portion <NUM> of the flying object <NUM> guided to the sides of the other set of tips of the guide rails 21a and 21b between the landing rails <NUM>. The landing means <NUM> is configured so that the flying object <NUM> can be suspended and landed at a predetermined position of the landing rails <NUM> with the suspension portion <NUM> inserted between the landing rails <NUM>.

In a specific example, the guide rails 21a and 21b and the landing rails <NUM> are arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction, but may be arranged at intervals in the vertical direction or the like without being limited to the horizontal direction. The guide rails 21a and 21b and the landing rails <NUM> may be installed in any place as long as a space can be provided at least on the lower side and in the extension direction on one end side of the guide rails 21a and 21b. The guide rails 21a and 21b and the landing rails <NUM> may be installed on the ceiling or under the eaves of a factory, a house, a building, or the like, or may be suspended by a crane or the like.

The flying object landing system <NUM> can land the flying object <NUM> as follows. That is, as shown in <FIG>, the flying object <NUM> is made to fly from the sides of one set of tips of the guide rails 21a and 21b toward the lower sides of the guide rails 21a and 21b, and as shown in <FIG>, the suspension portion <NUM> provided on the upper part of the flying object <NUM> is inserted between the guide rails 21a and 21b from the sides of one set of tips of the guide rails 21a and 21b. At this time, since the engagement portion 41b of the flying object <NUM> has a shape in which the tip is sharpened in the traveling direction, the flying object <NUM> can be easily inserted between the guide rails 21a and 21b. Further, as shown in <FIG>, the passive guidance mechanism <NUM> gradually brings the suspension portion <NUM> of the flying object <NUM> to an intermediate position of each of the guide rails 21a and 21b while colliding with the guide rails 21a and 21b. In this way, the flying object <NUM> can be smoothly guided to the sides of the other set of tips of the guide rails 21a and 21b.

The flying object landing system <NUM> can guide the suspension <NUM> of the flying object <NUM> guided from between the guide rails 21a and 21b to the sides of the other set of tips of the guide rails 21a and 21b between the landing rails <NUM>, and the landing means <NUM> can land the flying object <NUM>. In the flying object landing system <NUM>, the flying object <NUM> can be easily moved to the landing position along the landing rails <NUM> by only the urging force of the flying object <NUM> when the suspension portion <NUM> of the flying object <NUM> is inserted between the landing rails <NUM>, or by applying force from the sides of one set of ends of the landing rails <NUM> toward the other set of ends to the flying object <NUM>. Therefore, after the suspension portion <NUM> is inserted between the landing rails <NUM>, fine flight control is not required, and in some cases, it is possible to stop the propulsion means such as the propeller of the flying object <NUM>.

In the flying object landing system <NUM>, the influence of the ground effect can be made almost negligible by arranging the guide rails 21a and 21b and the landing rails <NUM> so that a sufficient space is provided under the flying object <NUM>. In addition, since there is almost no influence of the ground effect, the flying object <NUM> can land stably even in a relatively narrow space.

The flying object landing system <NUM> can be suitably used when carrying luggage or the like attached to the lower part of the flying object <NUM>. When the flying object <NUM> is suspended at the landing position, since there is a space under the flying object <NUM>, it is easy to attach luggage to the lower part of the flying object <NUM> and to unload the luggage attached to the lower part of the flying object <NUM>. At this time, for example, by installing a belt conveyor under the flying object <NUM> suspended at the landing position, the luggage being unloaded from the flying objects <NUM> coming one after another can be conveyed by the belt conveyor, and the luggage being conveyed by the belt conveyor can be sequentially attached to the lower part of the flying object <NUM> and transported individually.

The landing position of the landing rails <NUM> may be a predetermined point, or may be a predetermined length range along the length direction of the landing rails <NUM>. The flying object <NUM> does not necessarily have to stop at the landing position. Further, the landing rails <NUM> may be configured so that the flying object <NUM> can take off from the other set of ends on the side opposite to the guide rails 21a and 21b. In this case, the flying object <NUM> can smoothly take off by moving the flying object <NUM> from the suspended state at the landing position toward the sides of the other set of ends of the landing rails <NUM>.

Using the flying object landing system <NUM> shown in <FIG>, an entering test was conducted in which the flying object <NUM> was guided between the landing rails <NUM>. In the test, as shown in <FIG>, the flying object <NUM> was made to enter from the sides of one set of ends of the guide rails 21a and 21b <NUM> times at a random angle and velocity, and the trajectory was recorded by a motion capture system (trade name: "OptiTrack"). For comparison, an entering test was conducted in the same manner in a state where the guide rails 21a and 21b are fixed at the initial positions so that the first shaft <NUM>, the second shaft <NUM>, the third shaft <NUM>, and the fourth shaft <NUM> do not rotate.

In the test, as the flying object <NUM>, a drone ("Mavic Air" manufactured by DJI) having a suspension portion <NUM> having a <NUM> long arm 41a and an engagement portion 41b attached to the upper part was used. The drone is <NUM> in length, <NUM> in width, and <NUM> in height, and weighs <NUM>, and the flying object <NUM> weighs <NUM>. Further, as the passive guidance mechanism <NUM>, a mechanism was used in which the guide rails 21a and 21b, the first reinforcing portion 25a, the second reinforcing portion 25b, the third reinforcing portion 25c, the connecting member <NUM>, and the connecting support member <NUM> are manufactured by a 3D printer using acrylic resin and the surface member <NUM> is formed of a PET plate having a thickness of <NUM>. In the passive guidance mechanism <NUM>, the opening width on the sides of one set of ends of the guide rails 21a and 21b is <NUM>, the opening width on the sides of the other set of ends is <NUM>, the range of the tapered portion from one set of ends of the guide rails 21a and 21b is <NUM>, the range (depth) from one set of ends of the guide rails 21a and 21b to the other set of ends is <NUM>, the width of the surface member <NUM> is <NUM>, the opening angle at one set of ends of the guide rails 21a and 21b is <NUM>°, and the weight of each of the rail members <NUM> is <NUM>.

The relationship between the entering velocity of the flying object <NUM>, the entering angle θ shown in <FIG> and the success or failure of the entering is obtained and shown in <FIG>. It was confirmed that as shown in <FIG>, in the comparative example in which the guide rails 21a and 21b do not rotate, the entering success rate greatly decreases in the range of <NUM>° < θ < <NUM>°, whereas as shown in <FIG>, the entering success rate was very high in the example using the passive guidance mechanism <NUM>. It was confirmed that both the example using the passive guidance mechanism <NUM> and the comparative example had a very high entering success rate up to the entering angle θ of <NUM>°, and almost no difference was observed.

Next, the relationship between the collision position y (distance from the center line of the opening at the initial position to the collision position with the guide rails 21a and 21b) shown in <FIG>, the entering angle θ, and the failure rate of the entering is shown in <FIG>. It can be confirmed that as shown in <FIG>, in the comparative example, in the range of the collision position y of <NUM> to <NUM>, the failure rate was <NUM>% when the entering angle θ was <NUM>° or more, and the failure rate was <NUM>% or more when the entering angle θ was <NUM>° or more and less than <NUM>°. It was also confirmed that in the range of the collision position y of <NUM> to <NUM>, the failure rate was <NUM>% when the entering angle θ was <NUM>° or more and less than <NUM>°. In contrast, as shown in <FIG>, it was confirmed that in the example using the passive guidance mechanism <NUM>, in the range of the collision position y of <NUM> to <NUM>, the failure rate was <NUM>% when the entering angle θ was <NUM>° or more, whereas in the range of the collision position y of <NUM> to <NUM>, the failure rate was <NUM>% when the entering angle θ was <NUM>° or more and less than <NUM>°, and the entering angle range of the flying object <NUM> was wide. Among the examples using the passive guidance mechanism <NUM> shown in <FIG>, a failure example was observed when the collision position y was in the range of <NUM> to <NUM> and the entering angle θ was less than <NUM>°. However, in these failure examples, the flying object <NUM> that collided with the guide rails 21a and 21b flew upward.

Claim 1:
A flying object landing system (<NUM>) comprising:
a passive guidance mechanism (<NUM>) having a pair of guide rails (21a, 21b) arranged side by side with a space therebetween and provided so that the space increases toward one set of tips of the guide rails (21a, 21b), wherein
one guide rail (21a) is supported so as to be rotatable about a first shaft (<NUM>) extending in a direction perpendicular to a plane including the guide rails (21a, 21b), at or near the tip thereof, and
the other guide rail (21b) is supported so as to be rotatable about a second shaft (<NUM>) extending in a direction perpendicular to the plane including the guide rails (21a, 21b), at or near the tip thereof;
a flying object (<NUM>) having a suspension portion (<NUM>) provided on an upper part so as to be inserted between the guide rails (21a, 21b) from sides of the one set of tips of the guide rails (21a, 21b); and
a landing means (<NUM>) arranged on the sides of the other set of tips of the guide rails (21a, 21b) and provided so as to be able to land the flying object (<NUM>) guided from sides of the one set of tips of the guide rails (21a, 21b) to the sides of the other set of tips through the suspension portion (<NUM>) between the guide rails (21a, 21b).