JP2020126663A - Flight plan creation method and flying body guidance system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a three-dimensional flight plan creation method and a flying body guidance system.SOLUTION: In a flying body guidance system having: a flight device 2 of a remote controllable type which is loaded with a measurement device 7, a position measurement device 3; a ground base 4 which controls a flying body; and a controller, the flight body includes a retroreflection body 9, the position measurement device has: a non-prism measurement function of performing non-prism position and angle measurement; and a prism measurement function of performing distance and angle measurement on the retroreflection body, the controller has a flight range set within a plane based on map information, drawings, or an image including a measured object, creates a schematic flight plan with a two-dimensional schematic flight route set on the image acquired by the position measurement device, performs non-prism measurement on the schematic flight route, calculates a detailed three-dimensional flight route, also creates a detailed flight plan including the detailed flight route, and controls, based on the detailed flight plan and results of the prism measurement, a flying object so as to maintain a space between the flight device and the surface of the measured object constant.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a flight plan creating method and an aircraft guidance system for autonomously flying a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV: Unmanned Air Vehicle).

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the progress of UAV (Unmanned Air Vehicle), various devices are mounted on the UAV to perform required operations by remote control or allowing the UAV to fly autonomously. For example, a UAV is equipped with a photogrammetric camera and a scanner, and measurement is performed from above in the sky or in a place where no one can enter. Further, in measuring the position of the UAV itself, a GPS is mounted on the UAV, and the position of the UAV is measured by the GPS.

When the UAV is to fly autonomously, a flight plan that defines the measurement range and flight route is created based on known information such as map data or design drawings of structures. In addition, the UAV is caused to fly based on the flight plan, and images of measurement objects such as bridges and dams are acquired and measured.

In the case of structures such as bridges and dams, the surface shape is not a constant plane, but is inclined, curved, or has irregularities on the surface. However, the flight plan is a two-dimensional flight plan based on map information and information based on drawings, and the inclination, curvature, and unevenness of the structure are not taken into consideration. Because of this, the distance between the construct and the UAV cannot be kept constant.

For example, when maintaining a structure, it is necessary to detect minute cracks of about 0.2 mm in concrete. The image resolution corresponds to the distance to the subject, and in order to detect a minute crack of about 0.2 mm, it is necessary to acquire the image of the structure from a close range of about 2 m to 10 m. However, in the conventional flight plan, the distance between the structure and the UAV cannot be kept constant, and the images are taken at a predetermined distance that avoids collision, so it is difficult to detect minute cracks. was there.

JP, 2014-167413, A JP, 2015-1450, A JP, 2005-145784, A

The present invention provides a three-dimensional flight plan creating method for creating a three-dimensional flight route that maintains a constant distance between an air vehicle and an object to be measured, and guiding the air vehicle based on the three-dimensional flight route. A flight guidance system is provided.

The present invention relates to a flying device equipped with a measuring device and capable of remote control, a position measuring device capable of image acquisition and capable of distance measurement, angle measurement, and tracking, and based on a measurement result of the position measuring device, A flying body guidance system having a ground base for controlling flight and a control device provided in the flying body or the ground base, wherein the flying body comprises a retroreflector, and the position measuring device is a non-prism. Has a non-prism measurement function for distance measurement and angle measurement, and a prism measurement function for distance measurement and angle measurement with respect to the retroreflector, and the control device includes map information, drawings, or an object to be measured. A flight plan that is set within a plane based on an image that includes , and that has a two-dimensional rough flight route that is within the flight range and that is set on the image acquired by the position measuring device. The detailed flight route is created, non-prism measurement is performed on the rough flight route, a three-dimensional detailed flight route is calculated based on the measurement result and the rough flight route, and a detailed flight plan including the detailed flight route is created, and the detailed flight plan is generated. And a flying body guiding system for controlling the flying body so as to fly while keeping a constant distance between the flying device and the surface of the measurement object based on the result of the prism measurement.

Further, the present invention relates to the flying device guiding system, wherein the measuring device is a camera unit, and the general flight plan includes an imaging point and an overlap rate set on the general flight route.

The present invention also relates to a flying body guidance system, wherein the measuring device is a laser scanner, and the point cloud data is acquired by the laser scanner while the flying body is flying along the detailed flight route.

Further, the present invention relates to an aircraft guidance system in which the detailed flight route is deleted from a portion where the non-prism measurement cannot be performed by the position measuring device.

Further, the present invention relates to an aircraft guidance system, wherein the position measuring device is configured to emit a warning sound based on detection of departure of the flying device from the detailed flight route to the measurement target side. is there.

Further, according to the present invention, the flying device includes a GPS device, and the control of the flying object by the control device includes position information of the flying device acquired by the position measuring device and the flying device acquired by the GPS device. The present invention relates to a flying body guidance system that controls the flight of the flying device by using any of the position information.

Further, according to the present invention, the flying device is provided in a known relationship with the measuring device, which is supported by a gimbal mechanism so as to be tiltable in an arbitrary direction, and tilts integrally with the measuring device. The present invention relates to an aircraft guidance system including the retroreflector.

The present invention also provides a flight plan creation method using a remotely controllable flight device, a control device for remotely controlling the flight device, and a position measurement device capable of image acquisition and non-prism measurement and prism measurement. A flight range within a plane is set based on an image including map information, a drawing, or an object to be measured , and a two-dimensional rough flight route within the flight range and on the image acquired by the position measuring device. , A step of creating a rough flight plan including the rough flight route, a step of non-prism measurement of the rough flight route, a result of the non-prism measurement, a distance between the measurement target and the flight device. And a step of creating a detailed flight plan including a three-dimensional detailed flight route set based on the setting of 1.

Further, in the invention, the flight device has a camera unit as a measuring device, and the general flight plan or the general flight route is a photographing point set on the general flight route and an image acquired by the camera unit. And a method for creating a flight plan including the overlap rate between adjacent images.

Further, the present invention relates to a flight plan creating method for removing a portion of the detailed flight route where ranging data is not obtained as a result of non-prism measurement.

According to the present invention, a flying device equipped with a measuring device and capable of remote control, a position measuring device capable of image acquisition and capable of distance measurement, angle measurement, and tracking, and flight based on the measurement result of the position measuring device A flying body guidance system having a ground base for controlling flight of a body, and a control device provided in the flying body or the ground base, wherein the flying body comprises a retroreflector, and the position measuring device is The non-prism has a non-prism measurement function for performing distance measurement and angle measurement, and a prism measurement function for performing distance measurement and angle measurement with respect to the retroreflector, and the control device includes map information, drawings, or measurement. A general flight having a flight range set within a plane based on an image including an object, and within the flight range and having a two-dimensional rough flight route set on the image acquired by the position measuring device. A plan is created, the general flight route is non-prism-measured, a three-dimensional detailed flight route is calculated based on the measurement result and the general flight route, and a detailed flight plan including the detailed flight route is created. Based on the flight plan and the result of the prism measurement, the flying object is controlled so as to fly while keeping a constant distance between the flying device and the surface of the measurement object, and thus the distance between the measurement object and the flight device is set to The surface of the measurement object can be measured from a close distance where it can be made small and a minute crack can be detected.

Further, according to the present invention, a flight plan creation method using a remotely controllable flight device, a control device for remotely controlling the flight device, and a position measurement device capable of image acquisition and non-prism measurement and prism measurement. a is, to set the flying range in a plane on the basis of the image including the map information, drawings, or the measurement object is in the the flight line range and schematic of the two-dimensional to the position measuring device on acquired image A step of setting a flight route; a step of creating a rough flight plan including the rough flight route; a step of performing non-prism measurement of the rough flight route; a result of the non-prism measurement, the measurement target, and the flight device; And a step of creating a detailed flight plan including a three-dimensional detailed flight route set on the basis of the setting of the distance, the distance between the object to be measured and the flight device can be reduced, and minute cracks can be generated. The excellent effect that the surface of the measurement object can be measured from a detectable short distance is exhibited.

It is a block diagram which shows the flying body guidance system which concerns on a present Example. (A) is a perspective view showing a flight device according to the present embodiment, and (B) is a perspective view showing an example of a direction angle sensor. It is sectional drawing which shows the said flying device. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of this flying device. It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of the position measuring device which concerns on a present Example. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the ground base which concerns on a present Example, and the said flight apparatus, the said position measurement apparatus, the said ground base, and the relationship of a remote control machine. It is a flow chart explaining the creation processing of the detailed flight plan in this example. (A) is an explanatory view for explaining setting of a flight range in the present embodiment, and (B) is an explanatory view for explaining setting of a general flight route in the present embodiment. It is explanatory drawing explaining the detailed flight route in this implementation.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, referring to FIG. 1, a flight object guiding system according to the present embodiment will be described.

The flying body guidance system 1 is mainly composed of one flight device (UAV) 2, a position measuring device 3, a ground base 4, and a remote controller 5. Note that FIG. 1 shows a case where a total station (TS) is used as the position measuring device 3.

The flying device 2 is mainly composed of a flying body 15 (described later), a shaft 6 as a supporting member vertically supported by the flying body 15 via a gimbal mechanism, and a camera 7 provided at a lower end of the shaft 6. A GPS device 8 provided at the upper end of the shaft 6, a prism 9 as a retroreflector provided at the lower end of the shaft 6, and an optical axis of the camera 7 provided integrally with the prism 9. A direction angle sensor 10 provided in a known relationship and an air vehicle communication unit 11 that communicates with the ground base 4 are provided. The camera 7 functions as a measuring device for taking an aerial photograph or for photographing a measurement object for photogrammetry.

Here, a reference position is set for the flight device 2, and the relationship between the reference position and the camera 7, the GPS device 8, and the prism 9 is known. The reference position of the flying device 2 is, for example, the center position of an image pickup element (not shown) of the camera 7.

The camera 7 is rotatably supported via a horizontal axis (described later), and the optical axis of the camera 7 rotates in a plane parallel to the axis of the shaft 6. The rotation range of the camera 7 includes at least the range from the vertical position to the horizontal position of the optical axis of the camera 7.

Since the shaft 6 is supported by the gimbal mechanism so that the shaft center of the shaft 6 is vertical, when the optical axis of the camera 7 is vertical, the optical axis of the camera 7 and the shaft 6 are Aligns with the axis.

The optical axis of the prism 9 is also provided so as to be parallel to the axis of the shaft 6, and is set to be vertical. Furthermore, the positional relationship between the prism 9 and the camera 7 is also known. The optical axis of the camera 7 and the prism 9 may be supported so as to be vertical, and the axis of the shaft 6 does not necessarily have to be vertical.

The prism 9 is provided downward, and the prism 9 has an optical characteristic of retroreflecting light incident from the entire lower range. Further, instead of the prism 9, a reflective seal may be provided at a predetermined position on the shaft 6.

The position measured by the GPS device 8 is on the axis of the shaft 6, and the position measured by the GPS device 8 is known to the camera 7.

The direction angle sensor 10 detects the orientation of the flying device 2. As the direction angle sensor 10, for example, there is one shown in FIG. 2(B).

A light receiving sensor 30 (light receiving sensors 30a to 30d in FIG. 2B) is provided at a position equally divided around the circumference. Each of the light receiving sensors 30 can receive the distance measuring light or the tracking light emitted from the position measuring device 3, and determines which of the light receiving sensors 30 detects the distance measuring light or the tracking light. By doing so, the direction with respect to the distance measuring light or the tracking light (that is, the direction of the flying device 2 with respect to the position measuring device 3) is detected.

The position measuring device 3 is installed at an arbitrary position and further leveled so that the position measuring device 3 becomes horizontal. The position measuring device 3 is capable of distance measurement by non-prism measurement (measurement not using a prism or retroreflector) and prism measurement (measurement targeting a prism or retroreflector), and also has a horizontal angle and a vertical angle. The angle can be measured.

In the non-prism measurement, it is possible to measure the non-prism within a predetermined range with reference to the installation position of the position measuring device 3.

Further, the position measuring device 3 has a tracking function, and in the state of performing prism measurement, the position measuring device 3 tracks the prism 9 while the flight device 2 is in flight, and the position of the prism 9 is Three-dimensional coordinates (slope distance, horizontal angle, vertical angle) based on the installation position of the measuring device 3 are measured. In this embodiment, a total station (TS) is used as the position measuring device 3, but the measuring device is limited to the total station as long as it has a tracking function and can measure oblique distance, horizontal angle and vertical angle. It is not something that will be done.

The position measuring device 3 is electrically connected to the ground base 4 by wire or wirelessly, and the measured three-dimensional coordinates of the prism 9 (that is, the flight device 2) are input to the ground base 4 as coordinate data. To be done.

The installation position (absolute coordinates) of the position measuring device 3 can be measured by the following method.

The position measuring device 3 measures the position of the flying device 2 in flight, and the GPS device 8 measures the position coordinates of two positions of the flying device 2. Next, based on the measurement result acquired by the position measuring device 3 and the position coordinates (GPS coordinates) acquired by the GPS device 8, the installation position (GPS coordinates) of the position measuring device 3 is measured by the backward intersection method. It Further, the absolute coordinates can be obtained by converting the GPS coordinates. Therefore, if the GPS coordinates are obtained, the absolute coordinates of the position measuring device 3 can be obtained, and the result of non-prism measurement using the installation position of the position measuring device 3 as a reference can also be converted into absolute coordinates.

Furthermore, the three-dimensional coordinates of the prism 9 (that is, the three-dimensional coordinates of the flying device 2) measured by tracking the prism 9 (that is, the flying device 2) by the position measuring device 3 are also GPS. It can be converted into coordinates and even absolute coordinates. Therefore, by transmitting the position coordinates of the flight device 2 measured by the position measurement device 3 from the ground base 4 to the flight device 2 in real time, the flight based on the position coordinates measured by the position measurement device 3 is performed. The device 2 can be flown. In the following description, the measurement result of the position measuring device 3 converted into the GPS coordinate system is also referred to as GPS coordinate.

The step of installing the position measuring device 3 at a known point and measuring the installation position of the position measuring device 3 by the backward intersection method may be omitted.

The terrestrial base 4 is, for example, a PC, and has an arithmetic unit having an arithmetic function, a storage unit for storing data and programs, and a base communication unit. The base communication unit can communicate with the position measuring device 3 and the remote controller 5, and the remote controller 5 can wirelessly communicate with the flying object communication unit 11.

The flight device 2 includes a control device as described later. Therefore, by setting flight plan data having data such as the flight route of the flying body 15 and the shooting distance to the measurement object to the control device, the position data from the position measuring device 3 or the GPS device 8 is set. Based on the measured position data, the flying device 2 can fly autonomously.

The remote controller 5 can remotely control the flight of the flight device 2 when performing a manual operation. When performing the manual operation, the ground base 4 sets a flight plan based on the result of the non-prism measurement, and the remote controller 5 controls the flight range and the flight so that the flight device 2 is remotely operated according to the flight plan. Send flight control data about the route. The flight control data transmitted from the remote controller 5 is limited by the flight control data by the flight control data transmitted from the ground base 4 so that the flight device 2 moves within the flight range. Controlled to fly. Furthermore, the remote controller 5 can remotely operate the camera 7 and the shutter of the camera 7.

Next, the flight device 2 will be further described with reference to FIGS. 2(A), 2(B) and 3.

The flying body 15 has a plurality of radially extending and even-numbered propeller frames 17, and a propeller unit is provided at the tip of each propeller frame 17. The propeller unit includes a propeller motor 18 (propeller motors 18a and 18e in FIG. 3) attached to the tip of the propeller frame 17, and a propeller 19 (a propeller 19 in the figure) attached to an output shaft of the propeller motor 18. 19a to 19h). The propeller 19 is rotated by the propeller motor 18 so that the flying body 15 flies.

The flying body 15 has a hollow cylindrical main frame 21 in the center, an outer flange 22 extending outward at the upper end of the main frame 21, and an inner flange extending toward the center at the lower end. A flange 23 is provided. A circular hole 24 is formed at the center of the inner flange 23.

The propeller frame 17 is rod-shaped, is arranged in a plane orthogonal to the axis of the main frame 21, and has a predetermined number (at least four, preferably eight, eight in the drawing) at equal angular intervals in the horizontal direction. Propeller frames 17a to 17h)) are provided. An inner end portion of the propeller frame 17 penetrates the main frame 21 and is fixed to the outer flange 22.

The shaft 6 is provided so as to vertically pass through the main frame 21, and the shaft 6 is vertically supported by a gimbal 25. The gimbal 25 is provided on the inner flange 23 via a vibration isolator 26. Has been.

The gimbal 25 has swing shafts 27a and 27b in two orthogonal directions, and the gimbal 25 supports the shaft 6 swingably in two orthogonal directions. The anti-vibration member 26 absorbs vibration when the propeller motor 18 and the propeller 19 rotate and prevents the vibration from being transmitted to the shaft 6.

The tilt sensor 28 is provided at the lower end of the shaft 6 and detects a tilt of the shaft 6 caused by a change in the flight state of the flying body 15. The tilt sensor 28 detects the angle between the vertical line and the axis of the shaft 6 when the shaft 6 is tilted with respect to the vertical. The detection result of the tilt sensor 28 is transmitted to the control device 35 (see FIG. 4) described later.

The direction angle sensor 10 detects the direction of the flying body 15. The orientation of the flying body 15 is, for example, the orientation of the flying body 15 based on the position where the position measuring device 3 is installed. In the present embodiment, the direction angle sensor 10 shown in FIG. 2B is used. Further, an azimuth sensor may be used as the direction angle sensor 10.

In this embodiment, the case where the direction angle sensor 10 is provided integrally with the prism 9 is shown. The direction angle sensor 10 is provided on a lower surface of a camera holder 32 (described later) via a support member 34. Further, the prism 9 is provided on the lower surface of the direction angle sensor 10. The direction angle sensor 10 will be briefly described with reference to FIG.

The light receiving sensors 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d are provided along the outer peripheral surface of the sensor case 29 formed in a cylindrical shape. The light receiving sensors 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d are arranged at positions that divide the circumference into four equal parts, and each light receiving sensor 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d is a distance measuring light or tracking light emitted from the position measuring device 3. It is configured to emit a light reception signal when light is received. Further, by determining which position of the light receiving sensor 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d is receiving the distance measuring light or the tracking light, the direction of the flying device 2 with respect to the position measuring device 3 is detected. ..

A control box 31 is provided at the lower end of the shaft 6. Inside the control box 31, the control device 35 and an IMU ((Inertial Measurement Unit)) 40 (described later) are housed. The camera holder 32 is provided on the lower surface of the control box 31, and the camera 7 is provided on the camera holder 32 via a horizontal shaft 33. The camera 7 is rotatable about the horizontal shaft 33, and the camera holder 32 is provided with an imaging direction changing motor (not shown) for rotating the camera 7 via the horizontal shaft 33. The optical axis of the reference posture of the camera 7 is vertical, and the imaging direction changing motor rotates the camera 7 by a required angle with respect to the vertical according to a command from the control device 35. In FIG. 2A, the optical axis of the camera 7 is horizontal, and in FIG. 3, the optical axis of the camera 7 is vertical for easy understanding.

A digital camera is used as the camera 7 so that a still image and a moving image can be taken. Further, a CCD, a CMOS sensor, or the like, which is a group of pixels, is used as the image pickup device, and each pixel can specify its position in the image pickup device. For example, the position of each pixel is specified by Cartesian coordinates whose origin is a point through which the optical axis of the camera of the image sensor passes.

The GPS device 8 is provided on the upper end of the shaft 6. The center of the GPS device 8 (reference position of the GPS device 8) coincides with the axis of the shaft 6, and the optical axis of the prism 9 is parallel to the axis of the shaft 6.

The control box 31, the camera holder 32, the camera 7, the prism 9 and the like function as a balance weight. In a state where no external force acts on the shaft 6, that is, in a free state, the weight balance of the control box 31, the camera holder 32, the camera 7, the prism 9, etc. is adjusted so that the shaft 6 is in a vertical state. Is set.

In order to stably hold the shaft 6 in the vertical posture, when the shaft 6 is suddenly tilted (when the posture of the flying body 15 is drastically changed), a balance assist is provided so that the shaft 6 can quickly return to the vertical state. A member may be provided. If the shaft 6 can be sufficiently held vertically by the balance weight function of the control box 31, the camera holder 32, the camera 7, the prism 9, etc., the balance assisting member may not be provided.

In the following example, the case where the damper spring 16 is provided as the balance assisting member will be described.

The damper spring 16 is stretched between the propeller frame 17 and the shaft 6. At least three, preferably four, damper springs 16 are provided, and the damper springs 16 are preferably provided between the shaft 6 and the propeller frame 17 extending in parallel with the swing shafts 27a and 27b. ..

Further, the four damper springs 16 apply tension between the shaft 6 and the propeller frame 17, respectively, and balance the tension when the flying body 15 is in a horizontal posture (the propeller frame 17 is horizontal). Thus, the shaft 6 is set to maintain the vertical state. Further, the tension and the spring constant of the damper spring 16 are set to be small so that when the flying body 15 is tilted, the shaft 6 is oriented in the vertical direction by the action of gravity.

The damper spring 16 is an urging unit that urges the shaft 6 in a vertical state. When the shaft 6 swings or vibrates, the damper spring 16 quickly returns to the vertical state and attenuates the vibration. Is. In addition to the damper spring 16, the biasing means may be a torsion coil spring that rotates in the return direction when the swing shafts 27a and 27b of the gimbal 25 rotate.

The control system of the flight device 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

The control device 35 and the IMU 40 are housed inside the control box 31.

The control device 35 mainly includes a control calculation unit 36, a clock signal generation unit 37, a storage unit 38, a flight imaging control unit 39, a flight control unit 41, a gyro unit 42, a motor driver unit 43, and the flight body communication unit 11. It has.

The shooting by the camera 7 is controlled by the flight imaging control unit 39, and the image shot by the camera 7 is input to the flight imaging control unit 39 as image data.

A program storage unit and a data storage unit are formed in the storage unit 38. A shooting program for controlling shooting of the camera 7, a flight control program for driving and controlling the propeller motor 18 and controlling flight based on a flight control signal described later, and a detection result of the IMU 40 are stored in the program storage unit. A flight device position calculation program for calculating the position of the flight device 2 in real time based on the above, a return program for returning the flying body 15 to a predetermined position based on the calculated position, and transmitting the acquired data to the ground base 4. Also, a communication program for receiving a flight command or the like from the remote controller 5, a data processing program for processing and storing the data acquired by the camera 7, and moving image data acquired by the camera 7. Programs such as an image tracking program for use in tracking and a flight plan creation program for creating a flight plan are stored.

In the data storage unit, flight plan data for executing autonomous flight, still image data acquired by the camera 7, moving image data, and position of the flight device 2 measured by the GPS device 8 during flight. Data, position data of the flight device 2 measured by the position measurement device 3 transmitted from the remote controller 5, travel distance data measured by the IMU 40, position data of the flight device 2, and further still image data The time, position data, etc. when the moving image data is acquired are stored.

The flight image pickup control section 39 controls the image pickup of the camera 7 based on a control signal issued from the control calculation section 36. Examples of the control include selection of a camera angle according to the measurement object, control of imaging of the camera 7, control of acquiring still images at predetermined time intervals during acquisition of moving images. Further, with respect to the camera 7, the photographing time is controlled or the synchronization is controlled based on the clock signal issued from the clock signal generator 37.

The direction angle sensor 10 detects the orientation of the flying body 15, inputs the detection result to the control calculation unit 36, and the gyro unit 42 detects the attitude of the flying body 15 in a flight state, and the detection result is obtained. Input to the control calculation unit 36.

The flight body communication unit 11 receives a flight control signal from the remote control 5 when the flight of the flight vehicle 15 is remotely controlled by the remote control 5, and performs the control calculation on the flight control signal. Input to the part 36. Alternatively, it has a function of transmitting the image data taken by the camera 7 to the ground base 4 on the ground side together with the time of shooting.

The control calculation unit 36 converts the position coordinates measured by the position measuring device 3 into GPS coordinates and acquires the GPS coordinates as the GPS coordinates of the flying device 2. Further, the control calculation unit 36 acquires the GPS coordinates of the flight device 2 measured by the GPS device 8. A flight control signal is calculated based on the obtained GPS coordinates and a flight command transmitted from the remote controller 5, or a flight control signal is calculated based on the flight plan data stored in the storage unit 38 and the GPS coordinates. And outputs it to the flight control unit 41.

As for which of the GPS coordinates obtained based on the measurement result of the position measuring device 3 and the GPS coordinates measured by the GPS device 8 is used, the GPS coordinates that can be obtained in principle are used. For example, when an obstacle exists between the flight device 2 and the position measurement device 3 and the position measurement device 3 cannot track the flight device 2, the position data from the position measurement device 3 is lost. Therefore, the GPS coordinates measured by the GPS device 8 are used. The position data measured by the IMU 40 is updated in real time or at predetermined time intervals based on the position data acquired by the GPS device 8 or the position measuring device 3.

Further, in an environment where radio waves from artificial satellites are cut off in a building or the like, GPS coordinates obtained based on the measurement result of the position measuring device 3 are used. Note that absolute coordinates obtained from GPS coordinates may be used as the position information for flying the flight device 2.

Furthermore, when the flight device 2 is located under a bridge where the radio waves from the artificial satellites are blocked, and an obstacle exists between the flight device 2 and the position measurement device 3, that is, the position measurement is performed. GPS coordinates may not be obtained from either the device 3 or the GPS device 8. In this case, the movement distance and the movement direction (that is, the current position of the flight device 2) from the position where the acquisition of the GPS coordinates is interrupted, for example, the position where the position measurement device 3 becomes unable to track the flight device 2. The IMU 40 measures, and based on the measurement result, the control calculation unit 36 outputs a flight control signal for returning the flying device 2 to a position where GPS coordinates can be acquired. Here, the position information of the flight device 2 until it is restored is acquired by the IMU 40.

When both the measurement result from the position measuring device 3 and the measurement result by the GPS device 8 are obtained, the priority order to be used may be set in advance. Since the position measuring device 3 is better in measurement accuracy, when the accuracy is prioritized, it is preferable to prioritize the measurement result by the position measuring device 3.

Further, the control calculation unit 36 executes the control necessary for acquiring an image based on the required program stored in the storage unit 38.

When the flight control signal is input from the control calculation unit 36, the flight control unit 41 drives the propeller motors 18a to 18h to a required state via the motor driver unit 43 based on the flight control signal. ..

Next, the position measuring device 3 will be described with reference to FIG.

The position measuring device 3 mainly includes a measurement control device 45, a camera unit 46 (see FIG. 1), a distance measuring unit 47, a horizontal angle detector 48, a vertical angle detector 49, a horizontal rotation drive unit 51, a vertical rotation drive unit. 52, a display unit 53, an operation unit 54 and the like.

A digital camera is used as the camera unit 46, and is capable of capturing still images and moving images. Further, a CCD, a CMOS sensor, or the like, which is a group of pixels, is used as the image pickup element, and the position of each pixel in the image pickup element can be specified. Further, the camera unit 46 is a camera capable of zooming by optical or digital processing or both optical and digital processing. The measuring object is detected from the moving image or the still image captured by the camera unit 46, and the measuring object is collimated (image tracking).

The distance measuring unit 47 emits distance measuring light through the camera unit 46, and further receives reflected light from the measurement object through the camera unit 46 to measure the distance. Further, the distance measuring section 47 has three modes as a measurement mode, that is, a non-prism measurement mode, a prism measurement mode, and a tracking measurement mode for tracking the measurement object (prism) while performing prism measurement. The distance to the object to be measured can be measured by either of them. In the tracking measurement mode, tracking light is emitted via the camera unit 46 in addition to the distance measuring light.

The horizontal angle detector 48 detects a horizontal angle in the collimation direction of the camera unit 46. The vertical angle detector 49 detects a vertical angle in the collimation direction of the camera unit 46. The detection results of the horizontal angle detector 48 and the vertical angle detector 49 are input to the measurement control device 45.

The display unit 53 is, for example, a touch panel, and the collimation position can be adjusted by sliding a finger in a touched state. In addition, the operation unit 54 is capable of performing various operations such as changing the measurement mode, setting the measurement conditions, and finely adjusting the collimation position. Further, the display unit 53 can also have the function of the operation unit 54.

The measurement control device 45 mainly includes an arithmetic processing unit 55, an imaging control unit 56, a distance measurement control unit 57, a position measurement storage unit 58, a position measurement communication unit 59, a tracking control unit 60, a motor drive control unit 61, and image processing. It has a portion 62 and the like.

The imaging control unit 56 sets the magnification of the camera unit 46, the timing of shooting, etc. based on a command from the arithmetic processing unit 55. Further, the imaging control unit 56 controls the camera unit 46 according to the set magnification, the timing of photographing, and the like.

Based on the measurement mode selection command from the arithmetic processing unit 55, the distance measurement control unit 57 causes the distance measurement unit 47 to perform measurement in any one of a non-prism measurement mode, a prism measurement mode, and a tracking measurement mode. Decide Further, the distance measurement control unit 57 controls the measurement by the distance measurement unit 47 according to the determined measurement mode. Here, in the non-prism measurement mode, the position measurement device 3 performs measurement with a structure such as a bridge or a dam as a measurement target. In the tracking measurement mode, the measurement target is the prism 9, and the position of the flight device 2 is measured while tracking the flight device 2.

The position measurement storage unit 58 stores a measurement program for performing distance measurement in each of the non-prism measurement mode, prism measurement mode, and tracking measurement mode, a tracking program for receiving tracking light to perform tracking, and image processing. An image tracking program for tracking, a program such as a communication program for communicating with the flying device 2 and the ground base 4, and the like are stored. Further, the position measurement storage unit 58 is configured to store the measurement result (distance measurement, angle measurement) of the measurement object and the image acquired by the camera unit 46.

The position measurement communication unit 59 transmits the result (oblique distance, vertical angle, horizontal angle of the prism 9) of the measurement target (the prism 9) measured in the tracking measurement mode to the ground base 4 in real time. Note that the prism tracking and the image tracking for detecting and tracking the measurement target object from the captured image are simultaneously performed in parallel, and the prism tracking is preferentially performed.

The tracking control unit 60 calculates the difference between the center of the image sensor and the light receiving position of the prism 9 based on the light receiving position on the image sensor when the tracking light reflected by the prism 9 is received. Further, the tracking control unit 60 sends a control signal to the motor drive control unit 61 so as to set the deviation between the center of the image pickup device and the light receiving position of the prism 9 to 0 based on the calculation result.

The motor drive control unit 61 causes the camera unit 46 to collimate the measurement target, or causes the camera unit 46 to track the measurement target based on a control signal from the tracking control unit 60. The horizontal rotation drive unit 51 and the vertical rotation drive unit 52 are controlled to rotate the camera unit 46 in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction.

Further, the image processing unit 62 performs predetermined image processing such as extracting feature points and edges from the image acquired by the camera unit 46. By the image processing, the measurement object is detected, and the direction angle of the measurement object is determined based on the position of the measurement object in the image sensor and the detection results of the horizontal angle detector 48 and the vertical angle detector 49. Is calculated. When the image tracking is executed, this calculated direction angle is used.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the ground base 4, and a relation among the flight device 2, the position measuring device 3, the ground base 4, and the remote controller 5.

The ground base 4 includes a control device 63 having a calculation function, a base storage unit 64, and a base communication unit 65.

The control device 63 has a clock signal generator (not shown). The control device 63 associates image data, shutter time data, and coordinate data received via the remote controller 5 with a clock signal, processes the data as time series based on the clock signal, and stores the base memory 64. Save to. Further, the control device 63 creates a general flight plan (described later), and creates detailed flight plan data (described later) based on the general flight plan data.

In the base storage unit 64, a flight range, flight route, etc. are set based on map information obtained from the Internet or the like, or images acquired by the camera unit 46, and a general flight plan is created. A program, a detailed flight plan creation program that corrects a rough flight plan based on the measurement result of the flight range obtained by the position measuring device 3 to create a detailed flight plan, and a flight of the flight device 2 based on the detailed flight plan. A flight control program for creating flight control data for controlling, a communication program for performing data communication between the remote controller 5 and the position measuring device 3, the flight of two or more positions transmitted from the flying device 2. A program for calculating the GPS coordinates of the installation position of the position measuring device 3 based on the GPS coordinates of the device 2 and the measurement results of the position measuring device 3 (oblique distance of the prism 9, vertical angle, horizontal angle) Various programs such as a program for converting to GPS coordinates based on the GPS coordinates of the installation position of the measuring device 3 are stored.

Regarding the work of converting the measurement result of the position measuring device 3 into GPS coordinates based on the GPS coordinate of the installation position of the position measuring device 3, the measurement result of the position measuring device 3 is transmitted to the flight device 2 as it is. However, it may be executed by the control device 35 of the flying device 2.

Further, various data such as an image acquired by the flight device 2, measurement data (coordinate data) measured by the position measurement device 3, time when the image is acquired, position coordinates, detailed flight plan data, and the like are stored in the base storage unit. Stored in 64.

The base communication unit 65 performs wired communication or wireless communication between the ground base 4 and the remote controller 5.

The detailed flight plan data is transmitted to the flight device 2 via the remote controller 5 or the base communication unit 65, and the detailed flight plan data is stored in the storage unit 38. The flight control unit 41 causes the flight device 2 to fly autonomously based on detailed flight plan data. Alternatively, by storing the detailed flight plan data in the base storage unit 64 of the ground base 4 and transmitting a flight control signal created based on the detailed flight plan to the flight device 2, the flight device 2 can You may make it fly autonomously.

When inspecting structures such as bridges and dams, it is necessary to detect minute cracks of, for example, about 0.2 mm. Therefore, in order to detect the cracks from the image captured by the flight device 2, the flight device 2 is caused to fly in a state of being brought close to the object to be measured, and the image capturing distance (offset) is set to about 2 m to 10 m. Need to get.

First, a measurement range is set based on existing map information, photographs, blueprints, etc., and a flight route is set on the map. Further, in setting the flight route, for example, in the case of taking an aerial photograph, the overlap rate, the photographing point, etc. are considered. As described above, a flight plan (general flight plan) including flight conditions, shooting conditions, etc. is created. The rough flight plan is based on two-dimensional information such as a map and is two-dimensional flight plan data, and does not correspond to unevenness, inclination, or curvature of the surface of the measurement target. Therefore, when the flying device 2 is allowed to fly autonomously, the shooting distance may fluctuate, and thus cracks may not be detected. Further, when the flight device 2 is simply caused to fly in a state of being brought close to the measurement target, there is a possibility that the flight device 2 and the measurement target contact each other.

In order to fly the flight device 2 while maintaining a proper shooting distance between the flight device 2 and the measurement object, a three-dimensional flight plan (detailed flight plan) corresponding to the unevenness of the surface of the measurement object Need to create.

Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7 and FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 9, detailed flight plan creation processing for flying the flight device 2 in the state of being brought close to the measurement object Will be described. The detailed flight plan is prepared in advance of the inspection work of structures such as bridges and dams.

STEP: 01 First, a structure such as a bridge or a dam is set as a measurement target, and the measurement points necessary for setting the measurement range 68 are determined based on the drawing or the photograph. As shown in FIG. 8(A), the measurement points are corner points 67 and the like of the measurement object 66 (the upper part of the pier in the figure), so that a closed space is formed by the measurement points.

The position measuring device 3 is installed at a predetermined position with respect to the measurement object 66, for example, at a known point. The measurement point determined by the position measuring device 3 is measured in the non-prism measurement mode. The measurement range 68 is set based on the measurement result and the photograph and known map information. Based on the measurement range 68, a flight range for flying the flight device 2 is set. The flight range is set so as to sufficiently cover the measurement range 68, and is preferably set larger than the measurement range 68.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8(A), the upper part of the pier is set as the measurement object 66, and the corner point 67 of the measurement object 66 is determined from the photograph acquired by the camera unit 46. A portion surrounded by the corner points 67 that is detected may be set as the measurement range 68. Further, FIG. 8A shows a case where the measurement range 68 and the flight range are set to be the same.

STEP: 02 Next, the position measuring device 3 sets a rough flight route 69 (see FIG. 8B) within the measurement range 68. The general flight route 69 is set in consideration of the overlap ratio between the images adjacent to each other in the traveling direction and between the adjacent general flight routes 69 and the photographing distance with respect to the measurement object 66. In addition, a shooting position (shooting point) or the like is set on the rough flight route 69 to create a rough flight plan. The general flight route 69 may be set on the drawing and transferred to the captured image, or may be directly set on the captured image. The general flight plan may be created manually via the operation unit 54, or may be automatically created based on the program stored in the position measurement storage unit 58.

Here, the shooting position of the flying device 2 may be set by the moving speed of the flying device 2 and the timing of shooting using an interval timer or the like, or may be measured by the position measuring device 3 or the GPS device 8. It may be set using coordinate data.

STEP: 03 After creating the rough flight plan, the rough flight route 69 set by the position measuring device 3 is scanned and measured in the non-prism measurement mode. By scanning and measuring the general flight route 69, the three-dimensional coordinates (GPS coordinates) of the surface of the measurement object 66 on the general flight route 69 are measured. Further, the unevenness, the curvature, and the inclination on the approximate flight route 69 can be measured based on the three-dimensional coordinates. In addition, a portion for which a measurement value is not obtained in the process of scanning measurement of the rough flight route 69 by the position measuring device 3, that is, a portion of the rough flight route 69 which is a blind spot due to an obstacle (blind spot portion). To detect.

STEP: 04 Based on the scanning result of the rough flight route 69 by the position measuring device 3, the measurement control device 45 corrects the rough flight plan. That is, proximity to the measurement object 66 such that the distance between the flying device 2 and the surface of the measurement object 66 corresponding to the unevenness, curvature, and inclination of the surface (measurement surface) of the measurement object 66 becomes constant. The detailed flight route including the movement in the separating direction is calculated. Further, the measurement control device 45 deletes the blind spot portion from the general flight plan and creates the detailed flight route having no blind spot portion.

The setting of the photographing point, the setting of the overlap rate, and the setting of the distance between the measuring object 66 and the flying device 2 may be set based on the detailed flight route.

As described above, the detailed flight route including the movement in the approaching/separating direction with respect to the measurement object 66 is created, and the detailed flight route in which the blind spot portion is deleted is created. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, a three-dimensional detailed flight route 71 maintaining a constant distance from the surface of the measurement object 66 is created. Further, the general flight plan is modified based on the detailed flight route 71. For example, changing the position of the shooting points, increasing or decreasing the number of shooting points, correcting the orientation of the flying device 2 at the shooting points, and the like. A detailed flight plan is created by modifying the rough flight plan.

When the radio wave from the satellite can be received, the flying device 2 autonomously flies based on the detailed flight route 71 set based on the position information acquired by the GPS device 8.

Next, a case will be described where the flying device 2 is allowed to autonomously fly based on a detailed flight plan in a place where radio waves from satellites cannot be received. The detailed flight plan is set in the flight device 2 in advance.

In a state where the flight device 2 is tracked by the position measurement device 3, the control calculation unit 36 reads the detailed flight route 71 from the detailed flight plan stored in the storage unit 38, and further the position measurement device 3 Transmits the measurement result to the flight device 2. The flight device 2 acquires the current position information (GPS coordinates) of the flight device 2 by receiving the measurement result of the position measurement device 3.

When the coordinates of the position where the position measuring device 3 is installed are unknown (when the position is not a known point), the flying device 2 is caused to fly in a space where radio waves from satellites can be received, and the GPS device 8 uses two GPS points. Get coordinates. Further, by measuring the position of each of the two flying devices 2 by the position measuring device 3, the GPS coordinates and the absolute coordinates of the installation position of the position measuring device 3 can be obtained by the backward intersection method.

Next, the detailed flight route 71 is compared with the current position of the flight device 2, and a flight control signal is issued to the flight control unit 41 so that the current position moves on the detailed flight route 71, and the flight control is performed. The section 41 controls the drive of the propeller motor 18 via the motor driver section 43 based on the flight control signal.

Next, the photographing point (target position) is read from the storage unit 38, and the control calculation unit 36 determines whether the target position and the current position match. When the deviation is 0 or within the allowable range, the required work such as the photographing by the camera 7 is executed. When the required work is completed, the next shooting point (target position) is read from the detailed flight plan, and the flight of the flight device 2 is controlled so that the target position and the current position are sequentially matched.

The above-described processing is repeated until the flight device 2 has finished flying the detailed flight route 71 of the detailed flight plan, and when the scheduled work is completed, the flight device 2 returns to the original standby position.

During the autonomous flight of the flight device 2, the flight device 2 may deviate from the detailed flight route 71 due to the influence of wind or the like. In this case, especially when the flying device 2 approaches the measurement object 66, in order to avoid contact between the flying device 2 and the measurement object 66, the flight device 2 is quickly moved to the detailed flight route 71. And need to be restored.

In this embodiment, when the position measuring device 3 detects the departure of the flight device 2 from the detailed flight route 71 toward the measurement object 66 side, the position measuring device 3 emits a warning sound. .. When the warning sound is emitted, the operator causes the ground base 4 to execute a return process for returning the flight device 2 to the detailed flight route 71. As the return processing, for example, the flight device 2 is returned to a point which deviates from the detailed flight route 71 for the first time.

By performing the return process, contact between the flying device 2 and the measurement object 66 is prevented.

It should be noted that, instead of the operator causing the ground base 4 to perform the return processing based on the warning sound, the position measurement device 3 causes the position measurement device 3 to move when the flying device 2 approaches the measurement object 66. May be issued to the ground base 4 and the ground base 4 may automatically execute the recovery process based on the warning signal.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the two-dimensional rough flight route 69 of the rough flight plan created based on the map information, the photograph, etc. is scanned and measured by the position measuring device 3, and the rough flight route 69 is obtained. The unevenness, curvature, and inclination of the surface (measurement surface) of the measurement object 66 is measured, and the three-dimensional detailed flight route 71 including the movement in the approaching/separating direction corresponding to the measurement surface is created.

Therefore, the distance (offset) between the measurement surface and the flight device 2 can be made constant regardless of the unevenness, curvature, or inclination of the measurement surface of the measurement object 66. It is possible to fly in a state of approaching the surface of the object 66, and it is possible to capture an image of the surface of the object 66 from a close range at which a minute crack can be detected. Thereby, the crack detection accuracy can be improved.

Further, in the detailed flight plan, when the general flight route 69 is scanned and measured by the position measuring device 3, a portion where the measurement object 66 cannot be scanned, that is, a portion which is a blind spot due to an obstacle or the like is detected. Then, the detailed flight route 71 having no blind spot is created by deleting the portion of the detailed flight route 71 corresponding to the blind spot from the detailed flight plan.

Therefore, since the tracking by the position measuring device 3 is not interrupted during the autonomous flight of the flying device 2, it is possible to avoid a state where the position information by the position measuring device 3 cannot be obtained, and the flying device 2 is stable and reliable. It can perform various autonomous flights.

In this embodiment, as the measuring device, the camera 7 is mounted on the flight device 2 and the camera 7 acquires an image of the object to be measured. Instead, another measuring device may be mounted. For example, a laser scanner may be mounted on the flight device 2 as a measuring device, and the laser scanner may acquire point cloud data of a measurement object while the flight device 2 is flying along the detailed flight route 71. Good. Alternatively, the measuring device may be a spectrum camera for geological survey and crop growth survey.

Further, it goes without saying that the photogrammetry of the measurement object 66 may be performed based on the image taken by the camera 7 of the flight device 2. In this case, the camera 7 functions as a measuring device.

1 Flight Object Guidance System 2 Flight Device 3 Position Measuring Device 4 Ground Base 5 Remote Control Device 7 Camera 8 GPS Device 9 Prism 10 Direction Angle Sensor 11 Flight Object Communication Section 15 Flight Object 30 Light Receiving Sensor 36 Control Calculation Section 38 Storage Section 39 Flight Imaging control unit 41 Flight control unit 45 Measurement control device 46 Camera unit 47 Distance measuring unit 56 Imaging control unit 57 Distance measuring control unit 58 Position measurement storage unit 59 Position measurement communication unit 64 Base storage unit 65 Base communication unit 66 Measurement object 69 General Flight Route 71 Detailed Flight Route

Claims (10)

A flying device equipped with a measuring device and capable of remote control, a position measuring device capable of image acquisition and capable of distance measurement, angle measurement, and tracking, and controlling flight of a flying object based on the measurement result of the position measuring device A flying body guidance system having a ground base and a control device provided in the flying body or the ground base, wherein the flying body comprises a retroreflector, and the position measuring device measures distance with a non-prism. It has a non-prism measurement function for performing angle measurement, and a prism measurement function for performing distance measurement and angle measurement on the retroreflector, and the control device displays map information, drawings, or an image including an object to be measured. A flight range set within a plane based on the plane , and a general flight plan that is within the flight range and has a two-dimensional general flight route set on the image acquired by the position measuring device , A non-prism measurement of the rough flight route is performed, a three-dimensional detailed flight route is calculated based on the measurement result and the rough flight route, a detailed flight plan including the detailed flight route is created, and the detailed flight plan and the prism measurement are calculated. A flying body guidance system for controlling the flying body so as to fly while keeping a constant distance between the flying device and the surface of the measurement object based on the result. The aircraft guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the measurement device is a camera unit, and the general flight plan includes a shooting point and an overlap rate set on the general flight route. The aircraft guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the measuring device is a laser scanner, and the point cloud data is acquired by the laser scanner while the aircraft is flying along the detailed flight route. The flight body guidance system according to claim 2, wherein the detailed flight route is deleted from a portion where the non-prism measurement by the position measurement device cannot be performed. The position measuring device is configured to emit a warning sound based on detection of departure of the flying device from the detailed flight route to the measurement target side. The described aircraft guidance system. The flying device includes a GPS device, and control of the flying object by the control device is performed either by the position information of the flying device acquired by the position measuring device or the position information of the flying device acquired by the GPS device. The flight body guidance system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the flight of the flight device is controlled by means of: The flying device includes the measuring device that is tiltably supported in any direction via a gimbal mechanism, and the retroreflector that is tilted integrally with the measuring device and is provided in a known relationship with the measuring device. The aircraft guidance system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: A flight plan creation method using a remotely controllable flight device, a control device for remotely controlling the flight device, a non-prism measurement capable of image acquisition, and a position measurement device capable of prism measurement, including map information, A step of setting a flight range in a plane based on a drawing or an image including an object to be measured , and setting a two-dimensional rough flight route on the image within the flight range and acquired by the position measuring device ; , A step of creating a rough flight plan including the rough flight route, a step of performing non-prism measurement of the rough flight route, and setting based on a result of the non-prism measurement and a setting of a distance between the measurement target and the flight device And a detailed flight plan including a detailed three-dimensional flight route described above. The flight device has a camera unit as a measuring device, and the general flight plan or the general flight route is set between a shooting point set on the general flight route and an adjacent image in the images acquired by the camera unit. 9. The flight plan creation method according to claim 8, further comprising: 9. The flight plan creating method according to claim 8, wherein in the detailed flight route, a portion where ranging data is not obtained as a result of non-prism measurement is removed.