So-Ken Corporation

Denso Corporation

The University of Tokyo

Masami Kurosaka

Koji Kawasaki

Takenori Matsue

Michihiro Matsuura

Masayuki Inaba

Naoya Katoh

A observation device includes an aircraft and an observation unit attached to the aircraft that observes a target within a predetermined view angle. The aircraft includes a base, at least two thrusters that generate a propulsion force including lift, actuators that change a direction of the propulsion force generated by the thrusters with respect to the base, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that detects an orientation of the base with respect to a ground surface, and a controller that controls the thrusters and the actuators based on the orientation of the base detected by the IMU. The observation unit is fixedly attached to the base and the aircraft is configured to fly in any arbitrary orientation with respect to the ground surface through a combination of a magnitude of the propulsion force and the direction of the propulsion force of each of the thrusters.

Observation device

Driving wheels and non-driving wheels are installed to a lower portion of a case body. The driving wheels are driven by drive devices, respectively. A control device controls a drive operation of the drive devices. An angle sensing device senses a tilt angle of the case body about a rotational axis of the driving wheels. In a case where the tilt angle of the case body, which is sensed with the angle sensing device, is equal to or larger than a predetermined tilt angle in a state where the driving wheels contact a ground while the non-driving wheels are lifted away from the ground, the control device controls the drive devices in such a manner that the case body is held in a self-standing state with the driving wheels while keeping the non-driving wheel away from the ground.

Carrier apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Nishio, Japan

Masami Kurosaka