JP2018075938A - Flying device, flying device control method, and flying device control program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flying device, a flying device control method and a flying device control program, which enable continuous movement along different surfaces with the same operation.SOLUTION: A flying device has a determination part, a decision part, and a thrust control part. The determination part determines whether or not the flying device is in contact with one or more of the adjacent first and second surfaces of a structure, on the basis of the signal of a contact detection sensor. On the basis of the operation command that is received from a controller for operating the flying device and instructs forward movement or backward movement, and the surface determined to be in contact with the flying device, the decision part decides the moving direction of the flying device so that the flying device can continuously move along the first surface and the second surface by the same operation command. The thrust control part controls the thrust of the flying device on the basis of the decided moving direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a flying device, a flying device control method, and a flying device control program.

  In recent years, many bridges that have been bridged in the past have become obsolete, but local governments and the like that manage the bridge lack the workers who inspect the bridge. In addition, since inspection of a bridge requires visual inspection in the vicinity, the number of man-hours required for inspection of one bridge is increased, which is a burden on local governments. For this reason, it has been proposed to inspect bridges using unmanned aircraft flying by radio control (radio control), so-called drones.

JP 2003-026097 A

  However, since the operation of the drone takes time to learn, it is difficult for an operator to learn easily. In addition, in the radio control operation of the drone, in order to operate the accelerator throttle that raises or lowers the aircraft, the aileron that tilts the aircraft left and right, the elevator that tilts the aircraft forward and backward, and the ladder that rotates the aircraft left and right, Incorrect operation may occur. If an incorrect operation occurs, accidents such as the aircraft crashing may occur.

  In one aspect, the present invention provides a flying device, a flying device control method, and a flying device control program capable of continuously moving different surfaces with the same operation.

  In one aspect, the flying device includes a determination unit, a determination unit, and a thrust control unit. The determination unit determines whether or not the flying device is in contact with one or more surfaces of the adjacent first surface and second surface of the structure based on a signal from the contact detection sensor. The determination unit is configured to perform the first surface by the same operation command based on the operation command received from the controller that operates the flying device and instructing forward or backward, and the surface determined to be in contact. And the second surface are determined so as to be continuously movable. The thrust control unit controls the thrust of the flying device based on the determined moving direction.

  Different surfaces can be moved continuously with the same operation.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a control system according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flying device. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a controller. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of movement. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a contact detection sensor. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another example of the contact detection sensor. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of the contact detection sensor. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating another example of the contact detection sensor. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the movement direction table. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a surface. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a thrust control table. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of surface information. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of movement on the wall surface. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of movement on the lower surface of the girder. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of movement from the wall surface to the lower surface of the beam. FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining a difference in operation of the controller. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example in the case of being away from the surface. FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation processing according to the embodiment. FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the control process according to the embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a computer that executes a flying device control program.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a flying device, a flying device control method, and a flying device control program disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The disclosed technology is not limited by the present embodiment. Further, the following embodiments may be appropriately combined within a consistent range.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a control system according to the embodiment. A control system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a controller 10 and a flying device 100. The controller 10 is an operation unit for operating the flying device 100, that is, for operating the flying device 100. The flying device 100 is a drone that flies based on an operation command received from the controller 10. Further, the flying device 100 moves along a surface by bringing a wheel for maintaining a distance from these surfaces into contact with a lower surface of a bridge girder or a wall surface of a pier, which is an example of a structure.

  The flying device 100 determines whether or not the flying device is in contact with one or more surfaces of the adjacent first surface and second surface of the structure based on the signal of the contact detection sensor. The flying device 100 determines the moving direction of the flying device 100 based on the operation command instructing forward or backward movement received from the controller 10 that operates the flying device 100 and the surface determined to be in contact. That is, the flying device 100 determines the moving direction of the flying device 100 so that the first surface and the second surface can be continuously moved by the same operation command. The flying device 100 controls the thrust of the flying device 100 based on the determined moving direction. Thereby, the flying device 100 can continuously move different surfaces by the same operation.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flying device. FIG. 2A shows a top view of the flying device 100, and FIG. 2B shows a side view of the flying device 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the flying device 100 includes two wheels 140, an axle 141 that connects the two wheels, and a main body 142. The axle 141 is rotatably held by the main body 142. When the flying device 100 moves while being in contact with the surface of the structure, the wheel 140 rotates in accordance with the movement. For the wheel 140, for example, resin, carbon fiber, or the like can be used for weight reduction. The main body 142 has a contact detection sensor 111 at the center, and has a rotor 112 at each end of a boom extended from four corners. The contact detection sensor 111 detects whether or not the flying device 100 is in contact with the surface of the structure. The rotor 112 is, for example, a rotary blade that rotates a propeller by a motor. The flying device 100 is a multicopter that generates a thrust by rotating the rotor 112 and flies.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a controller. As shown in FIG. 3, the controller 10 has a lever 14, receives a user operation, and transmits an operation command to the flying device 100. The controller 10 is, for example, a proportional transmitter used for operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle by radio control (radio control), a so-called propo.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of movement. As shown in FIG. 4, the flying device 100 includes, for example, a region surrounded by a pier 21, a girder 22, and the ground of a bridge 20 that is an example of a structure, a wall surface of the pier 21, a lower surface of the girder 22, Move along with the ground. In other words, the flying device 100 moves among the structures of the bridge 20 where it is difficult to inspect such as a vertical surface or a high horizontal surface.

  Next, the configuration of the controller 10 will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the controller 10 includes a communication unit 11, an operation unit 12, and a control unit 13. Note that the controller 10 may include various functional units included in known computers, for example, functional units such as various display devices and audio output devices, in addition to the functional units illustrated in FIG.

  The communication unit 11 is realized by, for example, a 40 MHz band, a 72 MHz band, a 73 MHz band, a 2.4 GHz band radio device, or the like. The communication unit 11 is a communication interface that is wirelessly connected to the flying device 100 and manages information communication with the flying device 100. The communication unit 11 transmits an operation command or the like input from the control unit 13 toward the flying device 100. The communication unit 11 receives telemetry information and the like transmitted from the flying device 100 and outputs them to the control unit 13.

  The operation unit 12 includes, for example, a plurality of levers 14 and switches, and receives operation of the lever 14 and the like by the user, and outputs operation information to the control unit 13.

  The control unit 13 is realized, for example, by executing a program stored in an internal storage device using a RAM as a work area by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or the like. The control unit 13 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The control unit 13 controls the entire controller 10.

  When the operation information is input from the operation unit 12, the control unit 13 generates an operation command. For example, when the operation information indicating that the lever 14 is operated upward is input from the operation unit 12, the control unit 13 generates a forward command as an operation command. For example, when the operation information indicating that the lever 14 is operated downward is input from the operation unit 12, the control unit 13 generates a backward command as the operation command. The control unit 13 outputs the generated operation command to the communication unit 11. In addition, when the telemetry information is input from the communication unit 11, the control unit 13 may display the telemetry information on a display unit (not shown).

  Next, the configuration of the flying device 100 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the flying device 100 includes a communication unit 110, a contact detection sensor 111, a rotor 112, a camera 113, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130. For example, the camera 113, the storage unit 120, and the control unit 130 are stored in the main body 142 of the flying device 100. The flying device 100 may include various functional units included in a known computer other than the functional units illustrated in FIG. 1, for example, functional units such as various display devices and audio output devices.

  The communication unit 110 is realized by, for example, a 40 MHz band, a 72 MHz band, a 73 MHz band, a 2.4 GHz band radio device, or the like. The communication unit 110 is a communication interface that is wirelessly connected to the controller 10 and manages information communication with the controller 10. The communication unit 110 receives an operation command or the like transmitted from the controller 10 and outputs it to the control unit 130. In addition, the communication unit 110 transmits telemetry information and the like input from the control unit 130 toward the controller 10.

  The contact detection sensor 111 detects whether or not the flying device 100 is in contact with the surface of the structure. The contact detection sensor 111 outputs a signal corresponding to the distance to the control unit 130 using, for example, a distance measuring sensor. Further, for example, the contact detection sensor 111 may be provided with a pressure sensor in the bearing of the axle 141 to output a signal that detects that the wheel 140 is in contact with the surface of the structure to the control unit 130.

  Here, various contact detection sensors 111 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a contact detection sensor. In the example of FIG. 5, the contact detection sensor 111 a that is a distance measuring sensor using infrared rays or ultrasonic waves is provided in four directions of the main body 142 of the flying device 100 in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction, and the distance to the surface of the structure. Measure. For example, the contact detection sensor 111a outputs a signal corresponding to the sensor number and the distance to the control unit 130.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another example of the contact detection sensor. In the example of FIG. 6, a contact detection sensor 111 b that is a distance measuring sensor capable of measuring a wide range such as a laser range finder (LRF) is provided on the main body 142 of the flying device 100, and reaches the surface of the structure. Measure the distance. For example, the contact detection sensor 111b outputs a signal corresponding to the direction and distance to the control unit 130.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of the contact detection sensor. In the example of FIG. 7, contact detection sensors 111 c that are pressure sensors are provided on the bearing 141 a of the axle 141 in four directions, the vertical direction and the front-rear direction of the flying device 100, and the wheels 140 come into contact with the surface of the structure. The force applied to the axle 141 is detected. For example, the contact detection sensor 111c outputs a signal corresponding to the sensor number and pressure to the control unit 130.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating another example of the contact detection sensor. In the example of FIG. 8, a contact detection sensor 111 d that is a triaxial force sensor is provided in the vicinity of the connection portion of the axle 141 with the wheel 140, and the force applied to the axle 141 is caused by the wheel 140 contacting the surface of the structure. To detect. For example, the contact detection sensor 111d outputs a signal corresponding to the pressure in the triaxial direction to the control unit 130.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 1, the rotor 112 is a rotor blade that rotates a propeller by a motor, and rotates based on a rotation control signal from the control unit 130. The rotors 112 are provided, for example, at the ends of booms extending from the four corners of the main body 142 of the flying device 100, and the rotation of the four rotors 112 is controlled. For example, the rotor 112 is controlled to rotate, thereby causing the flying device 100 to perform operations such as ascending and descending, tilting in the front-rear direction, tilting in the left-right direction, and rotation.

  For example, the camera 113 is provided in the front-rear direction of the predetermined flying device 100 and images the surface of the structure. The camera 113 captures an image using, for example, a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor or a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor as an image sensor. The camera 113 photoelectrically converts light received by the image sensor and performs A / D (Analog / Digital) conversion to generate an image. The camera 113 outputs the generated image to the control unit 130. The camera 113 may be fixed in one direction, or the direction may be changed. The camera 113 may be an omnidirectional camera.

  The storage unit 120 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. The storage unit 120 includes a movement direction table 121 and a thrust control table 122. In addition, the storage unit 120 stores an image captured by the camera 113 and information used for processing by the control unit 130.

  The movement direction table 121 stores an operation command, a contacted surface, and a movement direction in association with each other. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the movement direction table. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the movement direction table 121 includes items such as “operation command”, “surface information”, and “movement direction”.

  The “operation command” is information indicating whether the operation command received from the controller 10 is a forward command or a backward command. The “surface information” is an identifier and information indicating the surface of the structure that the flying device 100 is in contact with. “Surface information” may be set in advance and may be only an identifier indicating the surface of the structure. “Movement direction” is information indicating a direction in which the flying device 100 is moved according to the operation command and the plane information. In the example of the first line of FIG. 9, when the operation command is “forward” and the surface information is “F1: ground (initial state)”, the direction in which the flying device 100 is moved is “horizontal forward”. Indicates.

  Here, the plane information will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a surface. As shown in FIG. 10, it is assumed that the flying device 100 moves along each surface in a space surrounded by the wall surface of the pier 21 of the bridge 20, which is an example of the structure, the lower surface of the beam 22 and the ground. First, the flying device 100 is placed on the ground as the initial position. Thereafter, the flying device 100 starts moving in the left direction in the figure, and makes one round in the space surrounded by the wall surface of the pier 21 of the bridge 20, the lower surface of the beam 22 and the ground. At this time, the surface with which the flying device 100 contacts changes according to the moving direction. The one-round route can be divided at a location where the surface that the flying device 100 contacts changes, and each section is expressed as, for example, surface information F1 to F8.

  The plane information F1 is an initial state and indicates that the flying device 100 is in contact with the ground. The surface information F2 indicates that the flying device 100 is in contact with the ground and the front wall surface that is the wall surface of the bridge pier 21 in the initial traveling direction. The surface information F3 indicates that the flying device 100 is in contact with the front wall surface. The surface information F4 indicates that the flying device 100 is in contact with the lower surface of the beam 22 and the front wall surface. The surface information F5 indicates that the flying device 100 is in contact with the lower surface of the beam. The plane information F6 indicates that the flying device 100 is in contact with the lower surface of the beam and the rear wall surface that is the wall surface of the pier 21 at the rear in the traveling direction in the initial state. The plane information F7 indicates that the flying device 100 is in contact with the rear wall surface. The surface information F8 indicates that the flying device 100 is in contact with the ground and the rear wall surface.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 1, the thrust control table 122 stores a movement direction, an accelerator (accelerator throttle) instruction, and an elevator instruction in association with each other. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a thrust control table. As shown in FIG. 11, the thrust control table 122 includes items such as “movement direction”, “accelerator”, and “elevator”.

  “Movement direction” is information indicating a direction in which the flying device 100 is moved according to the operation command and the plane information. “Accelerator” is information indicating that the aircraft is raised or lowered. “Elevator” is information indicating that the aircraft is tilted back and forth. When the moving direction is upward or downward, the “elevator” is inclined so that the side close to the contact surface is downward. Further, the “elevator” is tilted so that the front or rear is downward when the moving direction is horizontal front or horizontal rear.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 1, the control unit 130 is realized by executing a program stored in an internal storage device by using a RAM as a work area, for example, by a CPU, an MPU, or the like. The control unit 130 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as ASIC or FPGA, for example. The control unit 130 includes a determination unit 131, a determination unit 132, and a thrust control unit 133, and realizes or executes information processing functions and operations described below. Note that the internal configuration of the control unit 130 is not limited to the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1, and may be another configuration as long as the information processing described below is performed.

  When a signal is input from the contact detection sensor 111, the determination unit 131 contacts one or more surfaces of the adjacent first surface and second surface of the structure based on the signal. It is determined whether or not. When the contact detection sensor 111 is a distance measuring sensor, the determination unit 131 determines from the contact detection sensor 111 to one or more of the first surface and the second surface based on a signal from the contact detection sensor 111. The distance is calculated. The determination unit 131 determines whether or not the wheel 140 is in contact with the surface based on the calculated distance and the size of the wheel 140. The determination unit 131 outputs the determination result to the determination unit 132 as surface information. In the example of FIG. 10, the adjacent first surface and second surface are the ground and front wall surface, the lower surface and front wall surface of the girder, the lower surface and rear wall surface of the girder, or the ground surface and rear wall surface.

  Further, the determination unit 131 initializes, for example, the contact direction when the flying device 100 is placed on the ground, that is, the contact direction at the movement start point of the flying device 100 as the ground. For example, the determination unit 131 starts storing the image input from the camera 113 in the storage unit 120 at the time of initialization. That is, the determination unit 131 continuously images the surface of the structure from the movement start point to the movement end point of the flying device 100. Furthermore, for example, when an operation command is input once from the communication unit 110, the determination unit 131 may determine the movement direction so that the structure moves to the end point of a predetermined route. Thereby, the flying device 100 can inspect the structure more easily.

  When the contact detection sensor 111 is a laser range finder, the determination unit 131 determines one or more of the first surface and the second surface from the contact detection sensor 111 based on a signal from the contact detection sensor 111. The direction and distance to are calculated. The determination unit 131 determines whether the wheel 140 is in contact with the surface based on the calculated direction and distance and the size of the wheel 140.

  When the contact detection sensor 111 is a pressure sensor, the determination unit 131 determines which surface of the structure the wheel 140 is in contact with based on a signal from the contact detection sensor 111. In addition, when the contact detection sensor 111 is a triaxial force sensor, the determination unit 131 determines which surface of the structure the wheel 140 is in contact with based on a signal from the contact detection sensor 111. To do.

  Here, the surface information corresponding to the example of FIG. 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of surface information. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the determination unit 131 outputs the surface information F1 when the determination result is “ground”. The determination unit 131 outputs the surface information F2 when the determination result is “ground + front wall surface”. The determination unit 131 outputs the surface information F3 when the determination result is “front wall surface”. The determination unit 131 outputs the surface information F4 when the determination result is “girder lower surface + front wall surface”. The determination unit 131 outputs surface information F5 when the determination result is “digit lower surface”. The determination unit 131 outputs the surface information F6 when the determination result is “girder lower surface + rear wall surface”. The determination unit 131 outputs the surface information F7 when the determination result is “rear wall surface”. The determination unit 131 outputs the surface information F8 when the determination result is “ground + rear wall surface”.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 1, an operation command is input from the communication unit 110 to the determination unit 132, and surface information is input from the determination unit 131. The determination unit 132 determines whether an operation command has been received. When the determination unit 132 has not received an operation command, the determination unit 132 waits for reception of the operation command. When receiving the operation command, the determination unit 132 refers to the movement direction table 121 and determines the movement direction of the flying device 100 based on the operation command and the plane information. That is, the determination unit 132 refers to the movement direction table 121 and continuously connects the adjacent first surface and second surface of the structure by the same operation command based on the operation command and the surface information. The moving direction of the flying device 100 is determined so as to be movable. In the example of the first line in FIG. 9, the determination unit 132 refers to the movement direction table 121 and determines that the flight device is “forward” and the plane information is “F1: ground (initial state)”. The moving direction of 100 is determined as “horizontal front”. The determining unit 132 outputs the determined moving direction to the thrust control unit 133.

  When the surface information indicating that the first surface and the second surface are in contact with each other is input, the determining unit 132 determines the history of the surface information, that is, is determined and input by the previous determination unit 131. The moving direction may be determined based on the surface information. For example, when the flying device 100 is at the position of the surface information F2 in FIG. 10, the determining unit 132 determines whether the flying device 100 has moved leftward on the ground indicated by the surface information F1 by the forward command, or the surface information F3. If it is unclear whether or not the wall surface of the pier 21 shown in FIG. In such a case, the determination unit 132 determines that the previously determined surface information is, for example, the surface information F1 and has moved to the position F2 by the forward command, the moving direction is to move the wall of the pier 21 upward. You can decide to move.

  When the moving direction is input from the determination unit 132, the thrust control unit 133 refers to the thrust control table 122 and controls the thrust of the flying device 100. That is, the thrust control unit 133 controls the thrust of the flying device 100 by outputting a rotation control signal to each rotor 112 and controlling the rotation of each rotor 112. In the example of the first row in FIG. 11, when the moving direction is “upward”, the thrust control unit 133 controls the rotation of each rotor 112 so that the accelerator operation is “raised”, and the elevator operation is “ The rotation of each rotor 112 is controlled so that the side close to the contact surface is tilted downward.

  Here, using FIG. 13 to FIG. 15, the movement on the wall surface and the lower surface of the girder and the inclination of the airframe in the movement from the wall surface to the lower surface of the girder will be described. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of movement on the wall surface. As shown in FIG. 13, when the flying device 100 moves along the wall surface 23, the aircraft is tilted toward the front of the aircraft, that is, toward the wall surface 23, so that the pressing force against the wall surface 23 and the vertical thrust force Based on this, the wheel 140 contacts the wall surface 23, that is, sticks to the wall surface 23 and moves. In other words, the flying device 100 is configured such that the aircraft is tilted forward by the operation of the elevator so that a pressing force is generated on the wall surface 23, and then the vertical thrust is adjusted by the operation of the accelerator. Move to.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of movement on the lower surface of the girder. As shown in FIG. 14, when the flying device 100 moves along the girder lower surface 24, the aircraft is tilted toward the front of the aircraft, which is the moving direction, and the upward force, that is, the pressing force against the girder lower surface 24, Based on the thrust in the forward direction of the machine body, the wheel 140 is brought into contact with the lower surface 24 of the spar, that is, stuck to the lower surface 24 of the spar and moved. In other words, the flying device 100 moves in the forward direction of the aircraft by tilting the aircraft in the forward direction of the aircraft by operating the elevator after the pressing force is generated on the lower surface 24 of the beam by the operation of the accelerator. When the flying device 100 moves in the rear direction of the aircraft, the flying device 100 moves in the backward direction of the aircraft by tilting the aircraft in the backward direction of the aircraft.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of movement from the wall surface to the lower surface of the beam. As shown in FIG. 15, when the flying device 100 receives the forward command and moves upward along the wall surface 23, the flying device 100 contacts the lower surface 24 of the beam. When the flying device 100 continues to receive the forward command, the flying device tilts the aircraft that has been tilted so that the side close to the contact surface is down to the rear side of the aircraft, which is the traveling direction. At this time, the accelerator operation is in the direction of raising the aircraft. In the examples of FIGS. 9 and 10, this corresponds to the case where the surface information changes to the surface information F3, F4, F5. That is, since the forward command is continuously input to the flying device 100, the moving direction changes to “upward”, “horizontal rear”, and “horizontal rear”.

  The difference between the operation of the controller 10 in this case and the operation of the conventional accelerator and elevator will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining a difference in operation of the controller. FIG. 16 shows the controller 10 of the present embodiment and the previous controller 15. As shown in FIG. 16, the operation of the controller 10 in the case of performing the movement of FIG. 15 is simply to perform the operation corresponding to the forward and backward movements even if the contact surface changes by tilting the lever 14 a up and down. . On the other hand, since the user operates the lever 16a corresponding to the accelerator and the lever 16b corresponding to the elevator in the previous controller 15, when the contact surface changes, the user moves the lever 16a upward. For example, it is required to operate the lever 16b with good timing from left to right. That is, the operation of the flying device 100 according to the present embodiment can continuously move on different surfaces with the same operation.

  Next, a case will be described in which the flying device 100 is moved away from the wall surface of the pier 21 by being blown by a gust of wind while moving along the surface. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example in the case of being away from the surface. As shown in FIG. 17, for example, the flying device 100 receives the gust 150 having a force exceeding the pressing force while moving along the wall surface of the pier 21, and moves to the position 152 that is blown from the original position 151. Suppose you have. At this time, for example, when the flying device 100 detects that there is no contact surface based on a signal from the contact detection sensor 111, the flying device 100 performs soft landing at a low altitude. Further, the flying device 100 moves until it detects a surface that is in contact with the original position 151 based on information from an acceleration sensor (not shown), for example. Note that the flying device 100 performs soft landing by slowly lowering the altitude if it cannot detect the contacted surface even after moving for a certain time or longer. Further, when the contact detection sensor 111 is a distance-measurable sensor, the flying device 100 detects the nearest surface and moves until it contacts the detected nearest surface. Thereby, the flying device 100 can return to the original route or perform soft landing even when the moving route deviates due to an external force.

  Next, operation | movement of the control system 1 of an Example is demonstrated. First, the operation of the controller 10 will be described. FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation processing according to the embodiment.

  For example, when the controller 10 is turned on, the controller 13 of the controller 10 initializes the settings of the communication unit 11 and the operation unit 12 (step S1), and accepts operation information input from the operation unit 12 To start. The control unit 13 determines whether or not to continue the operation (step S2). The control part 13 complete | finishes an operation process, when not continuing operation (step S2: No).

  When the operation is continued (step S2: affirmative), the control unit 13 determines whether operation information is input from the operation unit 12 (step S3). When the operation information corresponding to the advance is input (step S3: advance), the control unit 13 transmits the advance command to the flying device 100 via the communication unit 11 (step S4), and returns to step S2. . When the operation information corresponding to the reverse is input (step S3: reverse), the control unit 13 transmits a reverse command to the flying device 100 via the communication unit 11 (step S5), and returns to step S2. . When the operation information is not input (Step S3: None), the control unit 13 returns to Step S2. Thereby, the controller 10 can transmit an operation command to the flying device 100.

  Next, the operation of the flying device 100 will be described. FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the control process according to the embodiment.

  The determination unit 131 of the flying device 100 initializes the contact direction at the movement start point of the flying device 100 as the ground (step S11). Further, the determination unit 131 starts storing an image input from the camera 113 in the storage unit 120. The determination unit 131 determines whether or not to continue the control process (step S12). If the control unit 131 does not continue the control process (No at Step S12), the determination unit 131 ends the control process.

  When continuing the control process (step S12: affirmative), the determination unit 131 acquires a signal from the contact detection sensor 111 (step S13). Based on the signal from the contact detection sensor 111, the determination unit 131 determines whether or not the flying device 100 is in contact with one or more of the adjacent first and second surfaces of the structure. (Step S14). The determination unit 131 outputs the determination result to the determination unit 132 as surface information.

  The determination unit 132 determines whether an operation command has been received (step S15). When the determination unit 132 has not received the operation command (No at Step S15), the determination unit 132 returns to Step S12. When receiving the operation command (Yes at Step S15), the determination unit 132 refers to the movement direction table 121 and determines the movement direction of the flying device 100 based on the operation command and the plane information (Step S15). S16). The determining unit 132 outputs the determined moving direction to the thrust control unit 133.

  When the moving direction is input from the determining unit 132, the thrust control unit 133 controls the thrust of the flying device 100 by referring to the thrust control table 122 and controlling the rotation of each rotor 112 according to the moving direction. (Step S17), the process returns to Step S12. Thereby, since the flying device 100 determines a moving direction based on the surface which is in contact with the operation command, it is possible to continuously move different surfaces with the same operation.

  As described above, the flying device 100 determines whether or not the flying device 100 is in contact with one or more surfaces of the adjacent first surface and second surface of the structure based on the signal of the contact detection sensor 111. Determine whether. The flying device 100 uses the same operation command as the first surface based on the operation command instructing forward or backward received from the controller 10 that operates the flying device 100 and the surface determined to be in contact. The moving direction of the flying device 100 is determined so as to be able to move continuously with the second surface. The flying device 100 controls the thrust of the flying device 100 based on the determined moving direction. As a result, different surfaces can be continuously moved by the same operation.

  Further, the flying device 100 further determines the moving direction based on the surface that has been previously determined to be in contact. As a result, the user can continuously move different surfaces with the same operation without worrying about the actual moving direction of the flying device 100 at the connection portion of the different surfaces of the structure.

  The flying device 100 controls the thrust of the flying device 100 by controlling an accelerator throttle that raises or lowers the flying device 100 and an elevator that tilts the flying device 100 back and forth. As a result, different surfaces can be moved continuously with a simple operation.

  Further, when the flying device 100 receives the operation command once, the flying device 100 determines the moving direction so as to move to the end point of the route predetermined for the structure. As a result, the structure inspection work can be efficiently advanced.

  In the above embodiment, the flying device 100 is moved so that the surfaces of the pier 21 and the girder 22 are continuously imaged in a band shape, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, by adding a left / right command to the operation command, the flying device 100 moves to the left / right while moving forward / backward when contacting the wall surface, and freely moves in the horizontal direction when contacting the underside of the beam, so that the flying device 100 can be moved to a location to be imaged. May be moved.

  In addition, each component of each part illustrated does not necessarily need to be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the specific form of distribution / integration of each unit is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or a part thereof may be functionally or physically distributed / integrated in arbitrary units according to various loads or usage conditions. Can be configured. For example, the determination unit 131 and the determination unit 132 may be integrated. In addition, the illustrated processes are not limited to the above-described order, and may be performed at the same time as long as the process contents are not contradictory, or may be performed in a different order.

  Furthermore, various processing functions performed by each device may be executed entirely or arbitrarily on a CPU (or a microcomputer such as an MPU or MCU (Micro Controller Unit)). In addition, various processing functions may be executed in whole or in any part on a program that is analyzed and executed by a CPU (or a microcomputer such as an MPU or MCU) or on hardware based on wired logic. Needless to say, it is good.

  By the way, the various processes described in the above embodiments can be realized by executing a program prepared in advance by a computer. Therefore, in the following, an example of a computer that executes a program having the same function as in the above embodiment will be described. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a computer that executes a flying device control program.

  As illustrated in FIG. 20, the computer 200 includes a CPU 201 that executes various arithmetic processes, an input device 202 that receives data input, and a monitor 203. The computer 200 also includes a medium reading device 204 that reads a program and the like from a storage medium, an interface device 205 for connecting to various devices, and a communication device 206 for connecting to other information processing devices and the like by wire or wirelessly. Have The computer 200 also includes a RAM 207 that temporarily stores various types of information and a flash memory 208. Each device 201 to 208 is connected to a bus 209.

  The flash memory 208 stores a flying device control program having the same functions as the processing units of the determination unit 131, the determination unit 132, and the thrust control unit 133 shown in FIG. Further, the flash memory 208 stores a moving direction table 121, a thrust control table 122, and various data for realizing the flying device control program. For example, the input device 202 receives an input of a signal from a contact detection sensor having the same function as the contact detection sensor 111 illustrated in FIG. The monitor 203 is, for example, a 7-segment LED (Light Emitting Diode) and displays a code indicating the state of the computer 200 to the user of the computer 200. For example, the rotor 112 is connected to the interface device 205. For example, the communication device 206 has the same function as the communication unit 110 illustrated in FIG. 1 and is wirelessly connected to the controller 10 and exchanges various information such as operation commands and telemetry information with the controller 10.

  The CPU 201 reads out each program stored in the flash memory 208, develops it in the RAM 207, and executes it to perform various processes. In addition, these programs can cause the computer 200 to function as the determination unit 131, the determination unit 132, and the thrust control unit 133 illustrated in FIG.

  Note that the above flight device control program is not necessarily stored in the flash memory 208. For example, the computer 200 may read and execute a program stored in a storage medium readable by the computer 200. The storage medium readable by the computer 200 corresponds to, for example, a portable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory, a hard disk drive, and the like. Alternatively, the flight device control program may be stored in a device connected to a public line, the Internet, a LAN, or the like, and the computer 200 may read and execute the flight device control program therefrom.

  As described above, the following supplementary notes are further disclosed regarding the embodiment including the present example.

(Additional remark 1) Based on the signal of a contact detection sensor, the determination part which determines whether the flying apparatus is contacting one or more surfaces among the 1st surface and 2nd surface which a structure adjoins. ,
Based on the operation command for instructing forward or backward movement received from the controller for operating the flying device and the surface determined to be in contact, the first surface and the second surface by the same operation command. A determination unit that determines a moving direction of the flying device so that the plane can be continuously moved;
A thrust control unit for controlling the thrust of the flying device based on the determined moving direction;
A flying device characterized by comprising:

(Supplementary note 2) The flying device according to supplementary note 1, wherein the determination unit further determines the movement direction based on the surface that was previously determined to be in contact.

(Additional remark 3) The said thrust control part controls the thrust of the said flight apparatus by controlling the accelerator throttle which raises or lowers the said flight apparatus, and the elevator which inclines the said flight apparatus back and forth. The flying apparatus according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2.

(Additional remark 4) The said determination part determines the said moving direction so that it may move to the end point of the route predetermined to the said structure, if the said operation command is received once, Additional remarks 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The flying device according to any one of the above.

(Supplementary Note 5) Based on the signal of the contact detection sensor, it is determined whether or not the flying device is in contact with one or more of the adjacent first surface and second surface of the structure,
Based on the operation command for instructing forward or backward movement received from the controller for operating the flying device and the surface determined to be in contact, the first surface and the second surface by the same operation command. The direction of movement of the flying device is determined so that the plane can be continuously moved,
Controlling the thrust of the flying device based on the determined moving direction;
A flight device control method, wherein a computer executes processing.

(Supplementary note 6) The flying device control method according to supplementary note 5, wherein the determining process further determines the moving direction based on the surface previously determined to be in contact.

(Additional remark 7) The process which controls the said thrust controls the thrust of the said flying apparatus by controlling the accelerator throttle which raises or lowers the said flying apparatus, and the elevator which inclines the said flying apparatus back and forth. The flying device control method according to appendix 5 or 6, characterized by:

(Additional remark 8) The said process to determine determines the said moving direction so that it may move to the end point of the route predetermined to the said structure, if the said operation command is received once. The flying device control method according to claim 7.

(Supplementary note 9) Based on the signal of the contact detection sensor, it is determined whether or not the flying device is in contact with one or more of the adjacent first and second surfaces of the structure,
Based on the operation command for instructing forward or backward movement received from the controller for operating the flying device and the surface determined to be in contact, the first surface and the second surface by the same operation command. The direction of movement of the flying device is determined so that the plane can be continuously moved,
Controlling the thrust of the flying device based on the determined moving direction;
A flying device control program that causes a computer to execute processing.

(Supplementary note 10) The flying device control program according to supplementary note 9, wherein the determining process further determines the moving direction based on the surface previously determined to be in contact.

(Additional remark 11) The process which controls the said thrust controls the thrust of the said flight apparatus by controlling the accelerator throttle which raises or lowers the said flight apparatus, and the elevator which inclines the said flight apparatus back and forth. The flight apparatus control program according to appendix 9 or 10, characterized by:

(Additional remark 12) When the said determination process receives the said operation command once, the said moving direction is determined so that it may move to the end point of the route predetermined to the said structure, The additional remarks 9- The flying device control program according to any one of 11.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Control system 10 Controller 11 Communication part 12 Operation part 13 Control part 100 Flight apparatus 110 Communication part 111 Contact detection sensor 112 Rotor 113 Camera 120 Storage part 121 Movement direction table 122 Thrust control table 130 Control part 131 Determination part 132 Determination part 133 Thrust Control unit

Claims (6)

A determination unit that determines whether or not the flying device is in contact with one or more of the adjacent first surface and second surface of the structure based on a signal of the contact detection sensor;
Based on the operation command for instructing forward or backward movement received from the controller for operating the flying device and the surface determined to be in contact, the first surface and the second surface by the same operation command. A determination unit that determines a moving direction of the flying device so that the plane can be continuously moved;
A thrust control unit for controlling the thrust of the flying device based on the determined moving direction;
A flying device characterized by comprising:   2. The flying device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit further determines the moving direction based on the surface that has been previously determined to be in contact.   The thrust control unit controls the thrust of the flying device by controlling an accelerator throttle that raises or lowers the flying device and an elevator that tilts the flying device back and forth. The flying device according to 1 or 2.   The said determination part determines the said moving direction so that it may move to the end point of the route predetermined to the said structure, if the said operation command is received once. The flying device according to one. Based on the signal from the contact detection sensor, it is determined whether or not the flying device is in contact with one or more of the adjacent first and second surfaces of the structure;
Based on the operation command for instructing forward or backward movement received from the controller for operating the flying device and the surface determined to be in contact, the first surface and the second surface by the same operation command. The direction of movement of the flying device is determined so that the plane can be continuously moved,
Controlling the thrust of the flying device based on the determined moving direction;
A flight device control method, wherein a computer executes processing. Based on the signal from the contact detection sensor, it is determined whether or not the flying device is in contact with one or more of the adjacent first and second surfaces of the structure;
Based on the operation command for instructing forward or backward movement received from the controller for operating the flying device and the surface determined to be in contact, the first surface and the second surface by the same operation command. The direction of movement of the flying device is determined so that the plane can be continuously moved,
Controlling the thrust of the flying device based on the determined moving direction;
A flying device control program that causes a computer to execute processing.

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