WO2019168052A1

WO2019168052A1 - Drone, control method therefor, and program

Info

Publication number: WO2019168052A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/007635
Authority: WO
Inventors: 千大和氣; 洋柳下
Original assignee: 株式会社ナイルワークス
Priority date: 2018-02-28
Filing date: 2019-02-27
Publication date: 2019-09-06
Also published as: JPWO2019168052A1

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a drone having high safety. [Solution] A drone comprising: flight means 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101-2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b; a flight control unit 23 for operating the flight means; a crash determination unit 251 for detecting a crash; an air bag 50 to be deployed by being filled with gas; and an air bag deploying part 26 for deploying the air bag on the basis of detection of a crash by the crash determination unit.

Description

Drone, its control method, and program

The present invention relates to a flying object (drone), in particular, a drone with improved safety, a control method therefor, and a program.

Applications of small helicopters (multicopters) generally called drones are progressing. One important application field is the application of chemicals such as agricultural chemicals and liquid fertilizers to farmland (fields) (for example, Patent Document 1. In Japan, where farmland is narrow compared to Europe and America, manned airplanes and helicopters There are many cases where drone use is suitable.

With the technology such as the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System and RTK-GPS (Real-Time-Kinematic--Global-Positioning-System), the drone can know the absolute position of its own aircraft in centimeters while flying. Even in farmland with a narrow and complex terrain typical in Japan, it is possible to fly autonomously with a minimum of manual maneuvering, and to disperse medicines efficiently and accurately.

On the other hand, there were cases where it was difficult to say that safety considerations were sufficient for autonomous flying drones for spraying agricultural chemicals. A drone loaded with drugs weighs several tens of kilograms, which can have serious consequences in the event of an accident such as falling on a person. Moreover, since the operator of the drone is usually not an expert, a foolproof mechanism is necessary, but this has not been sufficiently considered. Up to now, drone safety technology that presupposes maneuvering by humans existed (for example, addressing the safety issues peculiar to autonomous flight type drones for, for example, Patent Document 2, especially agricultural chemical spraying) There was no technology for that.

Patent Publication Gazette Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-120151 Patent publication gazette JP, 2017-163265, A

To provide a drone (aircraft) that can maintain high safety even during autonomous flight.

In order to achieve the above object, a drone according to an aspect of the present invention is deployed by enclosing a flying means, a flight control unit that operates the flying means, a crash determination unit that detects a crash, and a gas. And an airbag deployment unit that deploys the airbag based on detection of the crash by the crash determination unit.

An altitude measuring unit for measuring the altitude of the drone is further provided, and when the altitude of the drone measured when the crash determination unit detects a crash, the airbag deploying unit It may be developed.

An altitude measuring unit that measures the altitude of the drone is further provided, and when the altitude of the drone that is measured when the crash detecting unit detects a crash, is higher than a second altitude, the airbag deployment unit is configured so that the drone It is good also as what deploys the said airbag based on falling below after a crash and the said altitude becoming the said 2nd altitude or less.

The second altitude may be determined based on the drone falling speed.

The apparatus further includes a collision determination unit that detects that the drone is colliding with an obstacle, and the airbag deployment unit deploys the airbag based on the fact that the collision determination unit has detected a collision of the drone. It is good also as what makes it.

The drone may receive an emergency stop command transmitted from an operating device operated by a user, and the airbag deployment unit may deploy the airbag based on the emergency stop command. .

In the case of a crash due to an emergency stop intentionally performed by the flight control unit, the airbag deployment unit may deploy the airbag based on an emergency stop signal transmitted from the flight control unit. Good.

The gravity center of the drone may be biased toward the bottom surface in a flight state, and the airbag may be deployed on the bottom surface side of the drone.

The medicine control unit further controls whether or not the medicine is ejected from the drone to the outside, and the medicine control unit stops the medicine ejection based on the fact that the crash determination unit has detected the crash. It may be a thing.

A drone control method according to another aspect of the present invention is developed by enclosing a flying means, a flight control unit that operates the flying means, a crash determination unit that detects a crash, and gas. A drone control method comprising: an airbag; and an airbag deployment unit that deploys the airbag based on the crash detection unit detecting the crash, and the step of operating the flying means; Detecting a crash of the drone, and deploying the airbag based on detecting the crash of the drone.

The method may further include the step of measuring the height of the drone and deploying the airbag when the height of the drone measured when the drone crash is detected is higher than a first height. .

Measuring the height of the drone, and when the altitude of the drone measured when the drone crash is detected is higher than a second altitude, the drone falls downward after the crash, and the altitude is less than the second altitude. A step of deploying the airbag based on the fact that the altitude or lower is reached.

The second altitude may be determined based on the drone falling speed.

It may further include a step of detecting that the drone is colliding with an obstacle and a step of deploying the airbag based on the detection of the collision of the drone.

It may further include a step of receiving an emergency stop command transmitted from an operating device operated by a user, and a step of deploying the airbag based on the emergency stop command.

It may further include a step of deploying the airbag based on an emergency stop signal transmitted from the flight control unit.

The apparatus may further include a medicine control unit that controls whether or not medicine is discharged from the drone to the outside, and further includes a step of stopping the medicine ejection based on the detection of the crash.

In addition, a drone control program according to another aspect of the present invention includes a flight unit, a flight control unit that operates the flight unit, a crash determination unit that detects a crash, and an air that is deployed by enclosing gas. A flight control command for operating the flying means, the drone control program comprising: a bag and an airbag deployment unit that deploys the airbag based on the crash detection unit detecting the crash; A computer executes a crash detection command for detecting the crash of the drone and an airbag deployment command for deploying the airbag based on the detection of the crash of the drone.

The computer executes an altitude measurement command for measuring the altitude of the drone, and when the drone altitude measured when the drone crash is detected is higher than a first altitude, the computer is instructed to deploy the airbag. It may be executed.

Causing the computer to execute an altitude measuring instruction for measuring the altitude of the drone, and when the drone altitude measured when the drone crash is detected is higher than a second altitude, the drone falls downward after the crash, The computer may be caused to execute a command to deploy the airbag based on the fact that the altitude is equal to or lower than the second altitude.

The second altitude may be determined based on the drone falling speed.

The computer may further execute a collision detection command for detecting that the drone is colliding with an obstacle and a command for deploying the airbag based on the detection of the collision of the drone. .

The computer may further execute a command for receiving an emergency stop command transmitted from an operating device operated by a user and a command for deploying the airbag based on the emergency stop command.

The computer may further execute a command to deploy the airbag based on an emergency stop signal transmitted from the flight control unit.

Based on the detection of the crash, the computer may further execute a command to stop the discharge of the medicine.
The computer program can be provided by downloading through a network such as the Internet, or can be provided by being recorded on various computer-readable recording media such as a CD-ROM.

It is a top view concerning an embodiment of a drone concerning the invention in this application. It is a front view of the drone. It is a right view of the above-mentioned drone. It is an example of the whole conceptual diagram of the medicine distribution system using the example of the above-mentioned drone. It is the schematic diagram showing the control function of the Example of the said drone. It is a front view which shows a mode that the airbag which the said drone has is expand | deployed. It is a right view which shows a mode that the said airbag is expand | deployed. It is a functional block diagram about the composition for the above-mentioned drone to have the above-mentioned drone deploy an airbag. The drone is a flowchart in which the drone is detected by a detection unit included in the drone and the airbag is deployed. It is a flowchart in which the drone detects that the drone has collided by a detection unit included in the drone and deploys an airbag. It is another embodiment of the drone which concerns on this invention, Comprising: It is a bottom view which shows a mode that the airbag of a drone is expand | deployed. It is a right view which shows a mode that the airbag of the said drone is expand | deployed.

Hereinafter, an embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. All figures are exemplary.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of a drug spraying drone 100 according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof (viewed from the advancing direction side), and FIG. 3 is a right side view thereof. In the specification of the present application, drone refers to power means (electric power, prime mover, etc.) and control method (whether wireless or wired, autonomous flight type or manual control type). First, it shall refer to the entire aircraft having a plurality of rotor blades.

Rotor blades 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101-2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b) (also called rotors) are means for flying the drone 100 Yes, considering the balance of flight stability, body size, and battery consumption, it is desirable to have 8 aircraft (4 sets of 2-stage rotor blades).

The motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 102-4a, 102-4b are connected to the rotor blades 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101- 2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b Rotating means (typically an electric motor, but it may be a motor), one for each rotor blade It is desirable that The upper and lower rotors (for example, 101-1a and 101-1b) in one set and their corresponding motors (for example, 102-1a and 102-1b) are used for drone flight stability, etc. It is desirable that the axes are collinear and rotate in opposite directions. Although some of the rotor blades 101-3b and the motor 102-3b are not shown, their positions are self-explanatory and are in the positions shown if there is a left side view. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the radial member for supporting the propeller guard provided so that the rotor does not interfere with the foreign object is desirably a horizontal structure rather than horizontal. This is to prevent the member from buckling to the outside of the rotor blade and to interfere with the rotor at the time of collision.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, feet 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, and 107-4 are provided below the drone 100 to support the airframe when placed on land. The legs 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, 107-4 are rod-shaped members extending from the lower surface of the drone 100 toward the ground on land. The legs 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, 107-4 are respectively arranged at substantially the rotation centers of the paired rotating blades 101 sharing the rotation axis, and in the present embodiment, there are four legs. .

The drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4 are means for spraying the drug downward, and it is preferable that four nozzles are provided. In addition, in this specification, a chemical | medical agent generally refers to the liquid or powder disperse | distributed to agricultural fields, such as an agricultural chemical, a herbicide, liquid fertilizer, an insecticide, a seed | species, and water.

The medicine tank 104 is a tank for storing medicine to be sprayed, and is preferably provided at a position close to the center of gravity of the drone 100 and lower than the center of gravity from the viewpoint of weight balance. The chemical hoses 105-1, 105-2, 105-3, 105-4 are means for connecting the chemical tank 104 and the chemical nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4, and are rigid. And may also serve as a support for the drug nozzle. The pump 106 is a means for discharging the medicine from the nozzle.

FIG. 4 shows an overall conceptual diagram of a system using an embodiment of the drug spraying application of the drone 100 according to the present invention. This figure is a schematic diagram, and the scale is not accurate. The controller 401 is a means for transmitting a command to the drone 100 by an operation of the user 402 and displaying information received from the drone 100 (for example, position, amount of medicine, remaining battery level, camera image, etc.). Yes, it may be realized by a portable information device such as a general tablet terminal that operates a computer program. The drone 100 according to the present invention is desirably controlled so as to perform autonomous flight, but it is desirable that a manual operation can be performed at the time of basic operations such as takeoff and return, and in an emergency. In addition to the portable information device, an emergency operating device (not shown) that has a dedicated emergency stop function may be used (the emergency operating device has a large emergency stop button etc. so that it can respond quickly in an emergency) It is desirable to be a dedicated device with It is desirable that the controller 401 and the drone 100 perform wireless communication using Wi-Fi or the like.

The field 403 is a rice field, a field, or the like that is a target of drug spraying by the drone 100. Actually, the topography of the field 403 is complicated, and a topographic map cannot be obtained in advance, or the topographic map and the situation at the site may be different. Usually, the farm 403 is adjacent to houses, hospitals, schools, other crop farms, roads, railways, and the like. Further, there may be an obstacle such as a building or an electric wire in the field 403.

The base station 404 is a device that provides a base unit function of Wi-Fi communication, etc., and preferably functions as an RTK-GPS base station so that the exact position of the drone 100 can be provided (Wi-Fi The communication master unit and the RTK-GPS base station may be independent devices). The farming cloud 405 is typically a computer group operated on a cloud service and related software, and is desirably wirelessly connected to the controller 401 via a mobile phone line or the like. The farming cloud 405 may analyze the image of the field 403 taken by the drone 100, grasp the growth status of the crop, and perform processing for determining the flight route. In addition, the drone 100 may be provided with the topographic information and the like of the stored farm 403. In addition, the history of the flight of the drone 100 and the captured video may be accumulated and various analysis processes may be performed.

Usually, the drone 100 takes off from the landing point 406 outside the field 403 and returns to the landing point 406 after spraying the medicine on the field 403 or when it is necessary to refill or charge the medicine. The flight route (intrusion route) from the landing point 406 to the target field 403 may be stored in advance in the farming cloud 405 or the like, or may be input by the user 402 before the takeoff starts.

The schematic diagram showing the control function of the Example of the drone for chemical distribution which concerns on FIG. 5 at this invention is shown. The flight controller 501 is a component that controls the entire drone. Specifically, the flight controller 501 may be an embedded computer including a CPU, a memory, related software, and the like. The flight controller 501 receives motors 102-1a and 102-1b via control means such as ESC (Electronic Speed Control) based on input information received from the pilot 401 and input information obtained from various sensors described below. , 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 104-a, and 104-b are controlled to control the flight of the drone 100. The actual rotational speed of motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 104-a, and 104-b is fed back to the flight controller 501, and normal rotation is performed. It is desirable to have a configuration that can monitor whether Alternatively, a configuration in which an optical sensor or the like is provided on the rotor blade 101 and the rotation of the rotor blade 101 is fed back to the flight controller 501 may be employed.

The software used by the flight controller 501 is desirably rewritable through a storage medium or the like for function expansion / change, problem correction, or through communication means such as Wi-Fi communication or USB. In this case, it is desirable to protect by encryption, checksum, electronic signature, virus check software, etc. so that rewriting by illegal software is not performed. Further, a part of calculation processing used for control by the flight controller 501 may be executed by another computer that exists on the pilot 401, the farming cloud 405, or in another place. Since the flight controller 501 is highly important, some or all of the components may be duplicated.

The battery 502 is a means for supplying power to the flight controller 501 and other components of the drone, and is preferably rechargeable. The battery 502 is preferably connected to the flight controller 501 via a power supply unit including a fuse or a circuit breaker. The battery 502 is desirably a smart battery having a function of transmitting the internal state (amount of stored electricity, accumulated usage time, etc.) to the flight controller 501 in addition to the power supply function.

The flight controller 501 communicates with the pilot 401 via the Wi-Fi slave function 503 and further via the base station 404, receives necessary commands from the pilot 401, and sends necessary information to the pilot. It is desirable to be able to send to 401. In this case, it is desirable to encrypt the communication so that it is possible to prevent illegal acts such as interception, spoofing, and takeover of the device. The base station 404 preferably has an RTK-GPS base station function in addition to a Wi-Fi communication function. By combining the signal from the RTK base station and the signal from the GPS positioning satellite, the GPS module 504 can measure the absolute position of the drone 100 with an accuracy of about several centimeters. Since the GPS module 504 is highly important, it is desirable to duplicate or multiplex, and each redundant GPS module 504 should use a different satellite in order to cope with the failure of a specific GPS satellite. It is desirable to control.

The 6-axis gyro sensor 505 is a means for measuring the acceleration of the drone body (further, means for calculating the speed by integrating the acceleration), and is preferably a 6-axis sensor. The geomagnetic sensor 506 is a means for measuring the direction of the drone body by measuring geomagnetism. The atmospheric pressure sensor 507 is a means for measuring atmospheric pressure, and can indirectly measure the altitude of the drone. The laser sensor 508 is a means for measuring the distance between the drone body and the ground surface using the reflection of laser light, and it is preferable to use an IR (infrared) laser. The sonar 509 is a means for measuring the distance between the drone body and the ground surface using reflection of sound waves such as ultrasonic waves. These sensors may be selected according to drone cost targets and performance requirements. Further, a gyro sensor (angular velocity sensor) for measuring the inclination of the aircraft, a wind sensor for measuring wind force, and the like may be added. In addition, these sensors are preferably duplexed or multiplexed. When there are a plurality of sensors having the same purpose, the flight controller 501 may use only one of them, and when a failure occurs, it may be switched to an alternative sensor. Alternatively, a plurality of sensors may be used at the same time, and when each measurement result does not match, it may be considered that a failure has occurred.

The flow sensor 510 is a means for measuring the flow rate of the medicine, and is preferably provided at a plurality of locations in the path from the medicine tank 104 to the medicine nozzle 103. The liquid shortage sensor 511 is a sensor that detects that the amount of the medicine has become a predetermined amount or less. The multispectral camera 512 is a means for capturing the field 403 and acquiring data for image analysis. The obstacle detection camera 513 is a camera for detecting a drone obstacle. Since the image characteristics and the lens orientation are different from those of the multispectral camera 512, the obstacle detection camera 513 is preferably a device different from the multispectral camera 512. The switch 514 is a means for the user 402 of the drone 100 to perform various settings. Obstacle contact sensor 515 is a sensor for detecting that the drone 100, in particular, its rotor or propeller guard part has come into contact with an obstacle such as an electric wire, a building, a human body, a tree, a bird, or another drone. . The cover sensor 516 is a sensor that detects that the operation panel of the drone 100 and the internal maintenance cover are open. The medicine inlet sensor 517 is a sensor that detects that the inlet of the medicine tank 104 is open. These sensors may be selected according to drone cost targets and performance requirements, and may be duplicated or multiplexed. Further, a sensor may be provided in the base station 404, the controller 401, or other place outside the drone 100, and the read information may be transmitted to the drone. For example, a wind sensor may be provided in the base station 404, and information regarding wind power and wind direction may be transmitted to the drone 100 via Wi-Fi communication.

The flight controller 501 transmits a control signal to the pump 106 to adjust the medicine discharge amount and stop the medicine discharge. It is desirable that the current situation (for example, the rotational speed) of the pump 106 is fed back to the flight controller 501.

The LED 107 is a display means for informing the drone operator of the drone status. Display means such as a liquid crystal display may be used instead of or in addition to the LED. The buzzer 518 is an output means for notifying a drone state (particularly an error state) by an audio signal. The Wi-Fi handset function 519 is an optional component for communicating with an external computer or the like for software transfer or the like, separately from the controller 401. In place of or in addition to the Wi-Fi handset function, other wireless communication means such as infrared communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), NFC, or wired communication means such as USB connection May be used. The speaker 520 is an output means for notifying a drone state (particularly an error state) by a recorded human voice or synthesized voice. Depending on the weather conditions, it may be difficult to see the visual display of the drone 100 during the flight, and in such a case, the situation transmission by voice is effective. The warning light 521 is a display unit such as a strobe light that notifies the drone state (particularly an error state). These input / output means may be selected according to drone cost targets and performance requirements, and may be duplexed / multiplexed.

In a drone that flies over the sky, it is desirable to have a configuration that can prevent harm to a person even when the drone crashes and collides with a person existing below the drone. Specifically, it is desirable to provide an airbag that detects that the drone has crashed and is deployed at the bottom of the drone.

6 and 7, the drone 100 according to the present invention includes an airbag 50.

The airbag 50 is retracted and stored inside the drone 100 during normal use. The airbag 50 is fixed to the drone 100. The fixing position of the airbag 50 is fixed below the center in the vertical direction of the drone 100. That is, as described above, the center of gravity of the drone 100 is biased toward the bottom surface in the flight state, and the airbag 50 is deployed on the bottom surface side of the drone 100. According to this configuration, the center of gravity of the drone 100 is closer to the bottom surface, and it is easy to reach the ground surface while maintaining the direction of the flight state during a crash. Since the drone 100 approaches the ground surface from the side of the deployed airbag 50, the airbag 50 can mitigate the impact at the time of a collision with a person or the like existing on the ground surface.

The airbag 50 is deployed so as to cover the bottom surface of the drone 100. The airbag 50 has a vent at a portion fixed to the drone 100, and is deployed by sealing gas from the vent. Gas can be sealed in the airbag 50 by an appropriate method. The airbag 50 may be configured to be instantly deployed to prevent a collision between the aircraft and a person or the like when the drone 100 crashes. For example, it is possible to instantaneously enclose the gas in the airbag 50 by disposing the explosive at a position communicating with the vent and firing the explosive.

The airbag 50 has a shape such that a part of a sphere is linearly cut when deployed, and is fixed to the drone 100 so that the spherical surface faces downward of the drone 100. The airbag 50 is inflated further to the outside in the left-right direction of the drone 100 than the four legs 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, 107-4 of the drone 100. Further, the most projecting portion of the airbag 50 is inflated below the tips of the legs 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, 107-4. This is to prevent the tips of the feet 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, 107-4 from colliding with a person or the like when the drone 100 crashes.

As shown in FIG. 9, the drone 100 according to the present invention includes rotating blades 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101-2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b, Motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 102-4a, 102-4b, flight control unit 23, information acquisition unit 24, and determination unit 25 The airbag deployment unit 26 and a drug control unit 30 that controls the amount of drug discharged from the drone 100 are provided. In the following description, reference numerals for the rotor blades and the motor may be omitted.

The flight control unit 23 is a functional unit that controls the motor to control the number of rotations and the direction of rotation of the rotor blades so that the drone 100 flies within a section intended by the user 402. Specifically, the flight control unit 23 is a CPU implemented by a microcomputer or the like, and is realized by the flight controller 501 together with the medicine control unit 30. The flight control unit 23 transmits a command value for the rotational speed of each motor for each motor. The command value for the number of rotations of each motor is calculated from the planned flight path based on the input section information. The flight path plan and command value calculation are performed on the farming cloud 405 shown in FIG. 4 and transmitted to the flight control unit 23 via the controller 401.

In addition, the flight control unit 23 controls take-off and landing of the drone 100.

Furthermore, the flight control unit 23 controls the evacuation behavior. The retreat action includes, for example, a normal landing operation, an air stop such as hovering, and “emergency return” that moves immediately to a predetermined return point by the shortest route. The predetermined return point is a point that is previously stored in the flight control unit 23, for example, a point that has taken off. The predetermined return point is a land point where the user 402 can approach the drone 100, for example, and the user 402 can check the drone 100 that has reached the return point or manually carry it to another location. can do.

Further, the evacuation action may be “normal return” that moves to a predetermined return point through an optimized route. The optimized route is, for example, a route that is calculated with reference to a route in which medicine is dispersed before receiving a normal feedback command. For example, the drone 100 moves to a predetermined return point while spraying the drug via a route where the drug is not yet sprayed.

Furthermore, the evacuation action also includes an “emergency stop” in which all the rotating blades are stopped and the drone 100 is dropped downward from the spot.

The information acquisition unit 24 is a functional unit that acquires necessary information to determine whether or not the drone 100 is in a situation where the airbag should be deployed. The information acquisition unit 24 includes an altitude measurement unit 241, a crash information acquisition unit 242 and a collision information acquisition unit 243.

The altitude measurement unit 241 may measure the aircraft altitude using a plurality of sensors. For altitude measurement, a combination of sonar, infrared laser, barometric pressure sensor, acceleration sensor (preferably using a 6-axis gyro sensor), and GPS (preferably using the RTK-GPS method) may be used. In this case, the measuring instruments and sensors may be multiplexed in preparation for failure.

In addition, multiple methods may be used in combination. For example, Sonar can measure accurately when the field is the ground, but it is difficult to measure accurately when the field is water (in this case, an infrared laser is appropriate). It is because there is a weak point. In addition, when a disturbance of GPS radio waves, an abnormality of a base station, or the like occurs, even if multiplexing is performed, it causes an overall failure, and therefore other measurement means may be provided.

The crash information acquisition unit 242 is a functional unit that acquires information necessary for determining whether or not the drone 100 has crashed, that is, a free fall. The crash information acquisition unit 242 measures the altitude of the drone 100 in the same manner as the altitude measurement unit 241, for example, and calculates the altitude change rate. The crash information acquisition unit 242 may acquire the acceleration in the height direction from the measurement value of the acceleration sensor included in the drone 100.

In addition, the crash information acquisition unit 242 receives a signal related to the emergency stop from the flight control unit 23 when the drone 100 crashes in the case of a free fall due to an emergency stop intentionally performed by the flight control unit 23 of the drone 100. You may acquire the information to that effect. An emergency stop that is intentionally performed, for example, when an abnormality occurs in the control of a motor, or when it is determined that evacuation by normal landing is impossible by detecting strong winds, an obstacle is caught. This is the case when it is determined that evacuation by landing is impossible.

Furthermore, when the drone 100 falls freely based on the emergency stop command input to the emergency controller 10 or the controller 401 by the user 402, the crash information acquisition unit 242 The information that the drone 100 crashes may be acquired by receiving the information.

The collision information acquisition unit 243 is a functional unit that acquires information necessary for determining whether or not the drone 100 is colliding with an obstacle. When drone 100 collides with an obstacle, there is a high probability that drone 100 will crash, so it is possible to crash drone 100 more safely by detecting the collision and using it to determine whether airbag 50 needs to be deployed. it can.

The collision information acquisition unit 243 includes a pressure detection element such as a micro switch or a piezo element, for example. In this case, the collision information acquisition unit 243 is preferably installed in the propeller guard unit that is positioned at the outermost peripheral part of the drone 100. A collision information acquisition unit 243 may be provided in each of the upper and lower propeller guards of the counter-rotating rotor. A plurality of sensors for each direction may be provided around the propeller guard, but by providing a sensor at the part where the propeller guard connects to the aircraft body, a single sensor detects contact in multiple directions. May be.

Further, the collision information acquisition unit 243 may acquire information on the collision by an acceleration sensor provided in the drone 100. When the drone 100 comes into contact with the obstacle, the drone 100 is accelerated in a direction opposite to the direction in which the obstacle comes into contact in a short time. The acceleration sensor measures acceleration with an accuracy capable of measuring this short-term rapid acceleration.

The determination unit 25 is a functional unit that determines whether or not to deploy the airbag 50 based on information from the altitude measurement unit 241, the crash information acquisition unit 242 and the collision information acquisition unit 243. The determination unit 25 includes a crash determination unit 251, a collision determination unit 252, and an airbag deployment determination unit 253.

The crash determination unit 251 determines whether or not the airbag 50 of the drone 100 should be deployed based on the result acquired by the crash information acquisition unit 242. The crash determination unit 251 determines whether or not the drone 100 crashes based on the information that the drone 100 is moving downward at a predetermined speed or acceleration that the crash information acquisition unit 242 acquires during normal flight or hovering. Is determined. The fall acceleration of the drone 100 at the time of the crash is expected to be a value obtained by adding the influence of the air resistance of the drone 100 to the acceleration of gravity. Therefore, the range of acceleration determined by the crash determination unit 251 to be “falling” may be a value stored in the crash determination unit 251 in advance. Moreover, the range of acceleration determined to be “falling” may be corrected as appropriate based on wind speed information acquired by an appropriate method.

The collision determination unit 252 determines that “the drone 100 has collided with an obstacle based on the information acquired by the collision information acquisition unit 243 that an object has contacted the drone 100 and a predetermined acceleration has occurred in the drone 100 due to the collision. Is determined.

The airbag deployment determination unit 253 refers to the altitude of the drone 100 measured by the altitude measurement unit 241 when it is determined that the drone 100 has crashed or collided. When the altitude of the drone 100 when the drone 100 crashes or collides is higher than a predetermined altitude (hereinafter also referred to as “first altitude”), the airbag deployment determination unit 253 generates an airbag deployment signal, This is transmitted to the airbag deployment section 26. When the altitude of the drone 100 when the drone 100 crashes or collides is equal to or lower than the first altitude, the airbag deployment determination unit 253 does not generate an airbag deployment signal and the airbag 50 is not deployed. This is because, when the altitude at which the drone 100 starts to fall is equal to or lower than the first altitude, it is not necessary to deploy the airbag 50 because the degree of impact generated by the falling drone 100 hit is small.

Further, when the altitude of the drone 100 when the drone 100 crashes or collides is higher than the first altitude, the airbag deployment determination unit 253 causes the airbag to fall until the drone 100 falls and reaches a predetermined second altitude. The deployment signal may be configured not to be transmitted to the airbag deployment section 26. This is because if the airbag 50 is deployed at an altitude higher than the second altitude, a large air resistance is generated, the drone 100 rotates or reverses, and the possibility of colliding with a person or the like at a place other than the airbag 50 increases.

If the altitude of the drone 100 when the drone 100 crashes or collides is higher than the second altitude, the airbag deployment determination unit 253 drops the drone 100 downward after the crash, and the altitude measured by the altitude measurement unit 241 The air bag deployment signal is transmitted to the air bag deployment unit 26 based on the fact that the air pressure is lower than the second altitude.

The second altitude may be a fixed value determined in advance, or may be a fluctuating value calculated based on the drop speed of the drone 100. In addition, since the degree of impact generated by hitting a person or the like on the ground surface differs depending on the mass of the drone 100, the value may vary depending on the mass of the drone 100. Moreover, the fall speed of the drone 100 may be measured, and the second altitude may be corrected based on the drop speed.

The drug control unit 30 is a control unit that controls the amount or timing of spraying the drug solution from the drug tank 104. For example, an opening / closing means for opening and closing the drug solution path is provided somewhere in the path from the drug tank 104 to each drug nozzle 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4. Various emergency operations may be executed after the release of the chemical solution is blocked by the opening / closing means. Further, the medicine control unit 30 may stop the pump 106 before executing the retreat action. This is because spraying the medicine on a flight route different from the normal time causes an adverse effect such as an excessive spraying amount or spraying the medicine on a place where the medicine should not be sprayed.

When the crash determination unit 251 or the collision determination unit 252 detects a crash or collision of the drone 100, the crash determination unit 251 or the collision determination unit 252 generates a drug stop signal and transmits the drug stop signal to the drug control unit 30. To do. When the medicine stop signal is transmitted, the medicine control unit 30 stops the medicine spraying.

The crash determination unit 251 or the collision determination unit 252 determines the threshold value of each value such as altitude change, acceleration, contact detection, etc. that determines whether the drone 100 crashes or collides, and the airbag deployment determination unit 253 determines that the airbag 50 should be deployed. The altitude threshold value may be a fixed threshold value stored in advance in the drone 100, or a variable threshold value that is changed according to the situation. In the case of the fluctuating threshold value, it may be automatically changed by an appropriate configuration connected to the drone 100 wirelessly or by wire, or may be manually changed by the user 402.

The determination unit 25 may determine the crash or collision based on the measurement result at a certain time point measured, and the altitude at which the airbag 50 is deployed, or may determine based on the measurement results of a plurality of past times. Good.

The determination unit 25 displays the fact that a crash or collision has been detected on the controller 401 monitored by the user 402 by an appropriate communication means possessed by the drone 100. Further, the determination unit 25 may display on the pilot 401 that the airbag 50 is deployed or that the airbag 50 is scheduled to be deployed after a predetermined time. Further, the determination unit 25 may be configured to display that the drone 100 has crashed or collided with display means, for example, an LED, that the drone 100 has.

In addition, when the user 402 acquires the information of the drone 100 with the eyewear-type wearable terminal, it may be displayed or projected on the eyewear screen. Further, when the user 402 acquires the information on the drone 100 with the earphone-type wearable terminal, notification may be made by sound.

(Flow where drone detects crash and deploys airbag)
As shown in FIG. 9, first, the drone 100 starts normal flight or hovering as planned (step S1). The crash information acquisition unit 242 of the drone 100 acquires information regarding the altitude change and acceleration of the drone 100, and the crash determination unit 251 determines whether or not the drone 100 has crashed (step S2).

If no crash is detected, return to the operation of step S1 and continue normal flight. When the crash determination unit 251 detects the crash of the drone 100, the medicine control unit 30 stops the medicine spraying when the medicine is being sprayed (step S3). Note that the steps S1 to S2 may be executed when the medicine is not sprayed, such as during hovering immediately after the start of flight. When the medicine is not sprayed, step S3 is omitted.

The airbag deployment determination unit 253 refers to the measurement value of the altitude measurement unit 241 and determines whether the altitude is higher than the first altitude (step S4). When the altitude of the drone 100 is equal to or lower than the first altitude, the airbag deployment unit 26 does not deploy the airbag 50. The drone 100 falls freely and reaches the surface.

When the altitude is higher than the first altitude, the altitude measuring unit 241 repeatedly measures the altitude during the free fall of the drone 100 (step S5), and the airbag deployment determining unit 253 determines whether the altitude is equal to or lower than the second altitude. (Step S6). When the altitude falls below the second altitude, the airbag deployment determination unit 253 generates an airbag deployment signal and transmits the airbag deployment signal to the airbag deployment unit 26. The airbag deployment unit 26 that has received the airbag deployment signal deploys the airbag 50 (step S7).

(Flow where drone 100 detects collision and deploys airbag 50)
As shown in FIG. 10, first, the drone 100 starts normal flight or hovering as planned flight (step S11). The collision information acquisition unit 243 of the drone 100 acquires information about the collision such as the altitude change and acceleration of the drone 100, the measurement value of the contact detection sensor, and the collision determination unit 252 determines whether or not the drone 100 is colliding with an obstacle. Is determined (step S12).

If no collision is detected, the process returns to the operation of step S11 and continues normal flight. When the collision determination unit 252 detects a collision of the drone 100, the drug control unit 30 stops the drug spraying when the drug spraying is being performed (step S13). In addition, the process of step S11 thru | or S12 may be performed when spraying of the chemical | medical agent is not performed, for example during the hovering immediately after the start of flight. If the medicine is not sprayed, step S13 is omitted.

The airbag deployment determination unit 253 refers to the measurement value of the altitude measurement unit 241 and determines whether the altitude is higher than the first altitude (step S14). When the altitude of the drone 100 is equal to or lower than the first altitude, the airbag deployment unit 26 does not deploy the airbag 50. The drone 100 falls freely and reaches the surface.

When the altitude is higher than the first altitude, the altitude measuring unit 241 repeatedly measures the altitude during the free fall of the drone 100 (step S15), and the airbag deployment determining unit 253 determines whether the altitude is equal to or lower than the second altitude. (Step S16). When the altitude falls below the second altitude, the airbag deployment determination unit 253 generates an airbag deployment signal and transmits the airbag deployment signal to the airbag deployment unit 26. The airbag deployment section 26 that has received the airbag deployment signal deploys the airbag 50 (step S17).

(Second Embodiment)
The second embodiment of the drone according to the present invention will be described with a focus on differences from the first embodiment described above. The drone of the second embodiment differs from the drone of the first embodiment in that it has fixed wings.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the drone 200 has a casing 201 extending in the traveling direction, and fixed wings 202 that are orthogonal to the casing 201 and arranged substantially symmetrically on the left and right.

The drone 200 is inside the casing 201, and a control unit and a function unit for causing the drone 200 to fly in the flying state are arranged on the bottom side. According to this configuration, the center of gravity of the drone 200 is closer to the bottom surface, and it is easy to reach the ground surface while maintaining the direction of the flight state in the event of a crash.

In the casing 201 of the drone 200, an airbag 150 is disposed at a lower part in front of the joint portion with the fixed wing 202. The airbag 150 is disposed so as to be deployable so as to protect the front end of the casing 201 in the traveling direction and a part of the bottom surface continuous to the front end. In the drone 200 having the fixed wings 202, there is a high possibility that the drone 200 will reach the ground surface from the front and bottom in the traveling direction at the time of the crash. Therefore, in the drone 200 configured such that the airbag 150 is deployed at the above-described position, the airbag 150 can mitigate an impact at the time of a collision with a person or the like existing on the ground surface.

Since the drone 200 having the fixed wing 202 can fly for a long time with energy saving compared to the drone 100 having the rotating wing, it is useful for a drone for monitoring, for example. The drone 200 is assumed to fly at a higher altitude than the drone 100. In addition, the drone 200 is assumed to be lighter than the drone 100 in the embodiment. Therefore, the altitude threshold at which the airbag 150 is deployed may be higher than that of the drone 100. The threshold may be set, for example, between 5 meters and 10 meters.

(Technologically significant effect of the present invention)
The drone according to the present invention can provide a drone that can maintain high safety even during autonomous flight.

Claims

Flight means;
A flight control unit for operating the flight means;
A crash determination unit that detects a crash;
An airbag that is deployed by enclosing gas;
Based on the fact that the crash determination unit has detected the crash, an airbag deployment unit that deploys the airbag;
Drone equipped with.
An altitude measuring unit for measuring the altitude of the drone is further provided, and when the altitude of the drone measured when the crash determination unit detects a crash, the airbag deploying unit The drone of claim 1, which is deployed.
An altitude measuring unit that measures the altitude of the drone is further provided, and when the altitude of the drone measured when the crash determination unit detects a crash, the airbag deployment unit is The drone according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air bag is deployed based on the fact that it falls downward after a crash and the altitude is equal to or less than the second altitude.
The drone according to claim 3, wherein the second altitude is determined based on a drop speed of the drone.
The apparatus further includes a collision determination unit that detects that the drone is colliding with an obstacle, and the airbag deployment unit deploys the airbag based on the fact that the collision determination unit has detected a collision of the drone. The drone according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The drone can receive an emergency stop command transmitted from an operating device operated by a user, and the airbag deployment unit deploys the airbag based on the emergency stop command. 5. The drone according to any one of 5.
The airbag deployment unit deploys the airbag based on an emergency stop signal transmitted from the flight control unit when the airbag control unit crashes due to an emergency stop intentionally performed by the flight control unit. The drone according to any one of 1 to 6.
The drone according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a center of gravity of the drone is biased toward a bottom surface side in a flight state, and the airbag is deployed on a bottom surface side of the drone.
The medicine control unit further controls whether or not the medicine is ejected from the drone to the outside, and the medicine control unit stops the medicine ejection based on the fact that the crash determination unit has detected the crash. The drone according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
Flight means;
A flight control unit for operating the flight means;
A crash determination unit that detects a crash;
An airbag that is deployed by enclosing gas;
Based on the fact that the crash determination unit has detected the crash, an airbag deployment unit that deploys the airbag;
A drone control method comprising:
Operating the flying means;
Detecting the drone crash;
Deploying the airbag based on detecting the drone crash;
Including drone control method.
The method further comprises: measuring the drone altitude; and deploying the airbag when the drone altitude measured when the drone crash is detected is higher than a first altitude. The drone control method described.
Measuring the height of the drone, and when the altitude of the drone measured when the drone crash is detected is higher than a second altitude, the drone falls downward after the crash, and the altitude is less than the second altitude. The drone control method according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising a step of deploying the airbag based on being below an altitude.
The drone control method according to claim 12, wherein the second altitude is determined based on a drop speed of the drone.
14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: detecting that the drone is colliding with an obstacle; and deploying the airbag based on detecting the collision of the drone. The drone control method described in 1.
The method according to claim 10, further comprising: receiving an emergency stop command transmitted from an operating device operated by a user; and deploying the airbag based on the emergency stop command. The drone control method described.
The drone control method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, further comprising a step of deploying the airbag based on an emergency stop signal transmitted from the flight control unit.
The medicine control part which controls whether medicine is discharged from the drone outside is further included, and the step of stopping discharge of the medicine based on having detected the crushing is further included. The drone control method according to any one of the above.
Flight means;
A flight control unit for operating the flight means;
A crash determination unit that detects a crash;
An airbag that is deployed by enclosing gas;
Based on the fact that the crash determination unit has detected the crash, an airbag deployment unit that deploys the airbag;
A drone control program comprising:
Flight control instructions for operating the flight means;
A crash detection command to detect the crash of the drone;
Based on detecting the drone crash, an airbag deployment command to deploy the airbag;
A drone control program that makes a computer run.
The computer executes an altitude measurement command for measuring the altitude of the drone, and when the drone altitude measured when the drone crash is detected is higher than a first altitude, the computer is instructed to deploy the airbag. The drone control program according to claim 18, which is executed.
Causing the computer to execute an altitude measuring instruction for measuring the altitude of the drone, and when the drone altitude measured when the drone crash is detected is higher than a second altitude, the drone falls downward after the crash, The drone control program according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the computer executes a command to deploy the airbag based on the fact that the altitude is equal to or lower than the second altitude.
21. The drone control program according to claim 20, wherein the second altitude is determined based on a drop speed of the drone.
The computer further executes a collision detection command for detecting that the drone is colliding with an obstacle and a command for deploying the airbag based on the detection of the collision of the drone. The drone control program in any one of thru | or 21.
23. The computer according to claim 18, further comprising: an instruction for receiving an emergency stop command transmitted from an operating device operated by a user; and a command for deploying the airbag based on the emergency stop command. The drone control program described in any one.
The drone control program according to any one of claims 18 to 23, further causing a computer to execute an instruction to deploy the airbag based on an emergency stop signal transmitted from the flight control unit.
The drone control program according to any one of claims 18 to 24, further causing a computer to execute an instruction to stop the discharge of the medicine based on the detection of the crash.