JP2011078707A - Radio control receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily set a fail-safe voltage and change its settings in a receiver with a setting means for the fail-safe voltage of a battery. <P>SOLUTION: A menu of the fail-safe voltage is displayed on a display DP of a transmitter T. Selecting the fail-safe voltage of the battery BA2 mounted in the receiver R from the menu and turning on a transmission switch SW1 allow the fail-safe voltage to be supplied to the receiver R through a direct-servo-controller cable CA. Turning on a loading switch SW2 for the fail-safe voltage allows the fail-safe voltage to be stored in a memory ME, which means that the fail-safe voltage is set in the memory ME. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a radio control receiver used for remote control of industrial devices such as model airplanes, model cars, and cranes, and more particularly to a fail-safe voltage setting device for a radio control receiver.

In conventional radio control receivers, when the output voltage of the battery for the power supply that is installed falls below a certain value, remote control becomes impossible and it becomes dangerous, so the output voltage is below the reference voltage (so-called fail-safe voltage) Then, the servo motor is configured to be switched to a fail safe state (fail safe mode) (see Patent Document 1).
A conventional fail-safe voltage setting device of a radio control receiver will be described with reference to FIG.
2A is a block diagram of the radio control receiver, and FIG. 2B shows the discharge voltage characteristics of the battery.
First, in FIG. 2A, the radio control receiver is equipped with a battery 11 for power supply, from the battery 11 to a high-frequency circuit 12, a microcomputer 13, a circuit of a receiving unit such as a voltage detection circuit 15, and a servo motor 14. To supply power. The radio control receiving device receives a transmission radio wave from a transmission device (not shown) by an antenna 16, amplifies and demodulates the high frequency circuit 12, and supplies it to the microcomputer 13. The microcomputer 13 generates various control signals based on the signals sent from the transmission device and supplies them to the servo motor 14.

  The voltage detection circuit 15 is a circuit that monitors the output voltage of the battery 11, and a predetermined fail-safe voltage is set. The voltage detection circuit 15 supplies a fail-safe voltage detection signal to the microcomputer 13 when the output voltage of the battery 11 falls below the fail-safe voltage. The microcomputer 13 generates a fail safe switching signal based on the fail safe voltage detection signal and supplies it to the servo motor 14 to switch the servo motor 14 to the fail safe mode. When the mode is switched to the fail-safe mode, for example, in the case of a model airplane, the vehicle changes to a horizontal turning flight, and in the case of a model automobile, a transition is made to a safe state such as applying a brake.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-239796

  In the receiving apparatus of FIG. 2A, when only one type of battery can be used for the battery 11, once the fail-safe voltage is set in the voltage detection circuit 15, it is not necessary to change it halfway. However, when there are many types of batteries, such as Ni-Cd batteries, Ni-MH batteries, Li-Po batteries, etc., the discharge voltage characteristics of the batteries differ depending on the type of the battery. Therefore, the fail-safe voltage depends on the battery installed in the radio control receiver. It is necessary to change the setting according to the type.

Here, the relationship between the discharge voltage characteristics of the battery and the fail-safe voltage will be described with reference to FIG. 2B, taking a Ni—Cd battery and a Li—Po battery as examples.
In FIG. 2B, the vertical axis indicates the output voltage V of the battery, the horizontal axis indicates the discharge time t, Vnc indicates the discharge voltage characteristic of the Ni-Cd battery, and Vli indicates the discharge voltage characteristic of the Li-Po battery. Indicates.
Since the radio control receiving device becomes unmanageable when the output voltage of the battery becomes equal to or lower than the operation lower limit voltage Vth, the fail safe voltage is set higher than the operation lower limit voltage Vth. For example, the fail-safe voltage is set to Vnfs for Ni-Cd batteries, and Vlfs is set for Li-Po batteries. The fail safe voltages Vnfs and Vlfs are set in consideration of the time until the output voltage of the battery decreases from the fail safe voltage to the operation lower limit voltage Vth (referred to herein as fail safe time) Tnfs and Tlfs. The fail safe times Tnfs and Tlfs are determined in consideration of the time that the driver can safely deal with after the servo motor is switched to the fail safe mode.

When fail-safe times Tnfs and Tlfs are the same (when Tnfs = Tlfs), fail-safe voltages Vnfs and Vlfs satisfy Vnfs> Vlfs. That is, when the fail-safe time is the same, the fail-safe voltage varies depending on the type of battery. Therefore, the fail-safe voltage set in the voltage detection circuit 15 in FIG. 1A needs to be changed according to the type of battery used in the radio control receiver.
The conventional voltage detection circuit 15 is troublesome to change the setting such as requiring a tool when changing the setting of the fail-safe voltage, and the setting change at the operation site is particularly difficult.
It is an object of the present invention to easily set and change the fail-safe voltage in a radio control receiver.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, the radio control receiver according to claim 1 includes a memory that receives and stores a fail-safe voltage of the battery selected in the radio control transmitter. .
The radio control receiver according to claim 2 is the radio control receiver according to claim 1, wherein the fail safe voltage is selected from a menu of fail safe voltages displayed on the display of the transmitter.
The radio control receiver according to claim 3 is the radio control receiver according to claim 1, wherein the fail safe voltage is selected from the output voltage of the fail safe voltage source of the radio control transmitter.
A radio control receiver according to a fourth aspect is the radio control receiver according to the first, second, or third aspect, further comprising a switch that takes in a fail-safe voltage into a memory.
The radio control receiving device according to claim 5 is the radio control receiving device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein a voltage of a predetermined level is received for a predetermined time after the radio control receiving device is turned on. When this occurs, the voltage is regarded as a fail-safe voltage and is taken into the memory.

  According to the present invention, the fail-safe voltage can be set in the receiving device and the setting of the fail-safe voltage can be changed only by selecting the fail-safe voltage in the transmitting device and supplying it to the receiving device. Therefore, according to the present invention, the setting of the fail safe voltage and the operation of changing the setting are simplified, and the setting change of the fail safe voltage can be easily performed without using a tool even at the operation site.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a radio control transmitter and receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a conventional radio control receiver.

  A radio control transmitter and radio control receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 1, a transmitting apparatus T includes a microcomputer M1, a battery BA1, a power supply circuit POW1, a switch SW1 and a display DP, an antenna AT1, a high-frequency circuit RF1, a direct servo controller (DSC) cable CA used when setting a fail-safe voltage. DSC connector CON1, connecting stick ST used for maneuvering the steered object, and digital / analog converter DAC. The receiving device R includes a microcomputer M2, a power supply circuit POW2, a switch SW2 used when setting the failsafe voltage, an antenna AT2, a high frequency circuit RRF2, a DSC connector CON2 for connecting the DSC cable CA, a memory ME for storing the failsafe voltage, A voltage detection circuit DE for detecting the output voltage of the battery BA2 and an analog / digital converter ADC are provided. A battery BA2 is connected to the receiving device R, and a servo motor SEM is connected to the microcomputer M2.
The DSC cable and the DSC connector may be cables and connectors that are generally used.

A menu of fail-safe voltages for various batteries is displayed on the display DP. The fail-safe voltage menu includes, for example, a list of battery types and fail-safe voltages that can be used for the battery BA2 of the receiving device R. In addition to the fail-safe voltage menu, the display DP can also display other setting information, operation information of the target object, and the like.
The DSC cable CA is a cable used for various settings such as setting of a fail-safe voltage, and is used by being connected to the DSC connectors CON1 and CON2. After the setting, the DSC cable CA is disconnected from the DSC connectors CON1 and CON2. The memory ME is a memory that stores the fail-safe voltage sent from the transmission device T.
The power supply circuits POW1 and POW2 are power supply circuits that supply electric power to the circuits of the transmission device T, the circuits of the reception device R, and the servo motor SEM. Generate the necessary voltage. The voltage detection circuit DE is a circuit that detects the output voltage of the battery BA2, and supplies the detected voltage to the microcomputer M2.

  Note that the stick ST generates a steering signal to be steered as in the conventional case. The steering signal is supplied to the microcomputer M2 via the microcomputer M1, the high frequency circuit RF1, the antenna AT1, the antenna AT2, and the high frequency circuit RF2. The microcomputer M2 generates a signal for controlling the servo motor SEM based on the steering signal.

The setting and change of the fail safe voltage of the receiving device R are performed according to the following procedure.
The transmitter T and the receiver R are prepared at hand, the DSC cable CA is connected to the DSC connectors CON1 and CON2, and the transmitter T and the receiver R are turned on. From the fail safe voltage menu displayed on the display DP, the fail safe voltage corresponding to the battery BA2 mounted on the receiving device R is selected, and the transmission switch SW1 is turned on. The microcomputer M1 supplies a digital voltage corresponding to the selected fail-safe voltage to the digital / analog converter DAC, converts the digital voltage into an analog voltage, and supplies the analog voltage to the receiver R via the DSC cable CA. The analog / digital converter ADC of the receiving device R converts the analog voltage into a digital voltage and supplies it to the microcomputer M2. When the switch SW2 for taking in (setting) fail-safe voltage is turned on, the digital voltage is stored in the memory ME. That is, a fail safe voltage is set in the memory ME. When the setting of the failsafe voltage or the like is completed, the DSC cable CA is disconnected from the DSC connectors CON1 and CON2.

  When the fail safe voltage is set in the memory ME, the microcomputer M2 compares the detected voltage of the voltage detection circuit DE of the battery BA2 with the fail safe voltage, and when the detected voltage is lower than the fail safe voltage, the microcomputer M2 sends a fail safe signal to the servo motor SEM. And the servo motor SEM is switched to the fail safe state (fail safe mode). At that time, a sound generator or a light emitter may be installed in the receiving device R so that the operator is notified of the switch to the fail-safe state.

Next, modifications of each part in the above embodiment will be described.
In the above embodiment, the transmission device T is provided with the transmission switch SW1, but instead of the switch SW1, a transmission button may be displayed on the display DP and the transmission button may be selected.
In the above embodiment, the digital voltage of the fail-safe voltage is converted into an analog voltage in the transmission device T and supplied to the reception device R, and the digital voltage is converted into an analog voltage in the reception device R. It is also possible to supply the voltage to the receiving device R without converting the voltage into an analog voltage. In this case, the digital / analog converter DAC of the transmission device T and the analog / digital converter ADC of the reception device R can be omitted.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the servo motor is switched to the fail-safe state by the fail-safe signal has been described. However, the target to be controlled by the fail-safe signal is not limited to the servo motor. The drive device may be used.
In the above embodiment, the fail safe voltage menu is displayed on the display DP and the fail safe voltage is selected on the display DP. However, a fail safe voltage source that generates a plurality of fail safe voltages without using the display DP is provided. A predetermined failsafe voltage is selected from the output of the failsafe voltage source and supplied to the receiving device R, and the receiving device R converts the failsafe voltage into a digital voltage and stores the digital voltage in the memory ME. May be. The fail-safe voltage source can be configured using, for example, a voltage dividing circuit that divides the power supply voltage.

  In the above-described embodiment, the fail-safe voltage take-in switch SW2 is provided in the receiving device R. However, for example, the voltage at a predetermined level for a predetermined time from when the power of the receiving device R is turned on without using the switch SW2. Can be regarded as a fail-safe voltage and stored in the memory ME.

  In this embodiment, the fail safe voltage can be set in the receiving device R only by selecting the fail safe voltage in the transmitting device T and supplying it to the receiving device R, and the setting of the fail safe voltage can be changed. Therefore, the work of setting and changing the fail-safe voltage is simplified, and the setting of the fail-safe voltage can be easily changed without using a tool even at the operation site.

ADC Analog-to-digital converter BA1, BA2 Battery CA Direct servo controller (DSC) cable CON1, CON2 DSC connector DAC Digital-to-analog converter DE Voltage detection circuit DP Display M1, M2 Microcomputer ME Memory POW1, POW2 Power supply circuit R Receiver SEM Servo motor SW1, SW2 Switch T Transmitter

Claims (5)

  A radio control receiver comprising a memory for receiving and storing a fail-safe voltage of a battery selected in the radio control transmitter.   The radio control receiver according to claim 1, wherein the fail safe voltage is selected from a menu of fail safe voltages displayed on a display of the transmission device.   The radio control receiver according to claim 1, wherein the fail safe voltage is selected from an output voltage of a fail safe voltage source of the radio control transmitter.   4. The radio control receiver according to claim 1, further comprising a switch for taking in a fail-safe voltage into a memory.   In the radio control receiver according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, when a voltage of a predetermined level is received for a predetermined time after the radio control receiver is turned on, the voltage is regarded as a fail-safe voltage. A radio control receiver characterized in that it is stored in a memory.

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