JP2020132103A - Power supply system for unmanned flying body - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a power supply system for unmanned flying body which is capable of supplying power to a plurality of unmanned flying bodies without moving them to a power supply location and putting priority on supplying power to unmanned flying bodies with little power storage amount remaining therein.SOLUTION: A power supply system for unmanned flying body comprises a plurality of unmanned flying bodies 1 for performing transportation work and an unmanned power supply vehicle 3 for supplying power to the unmanned flying bodies 1. The unmanned flying bodies 1 comprise: a flight control part; a load holding part for holding a load associated with the transportation work; a power reception part 18 for receiving power which is transmitted by wireless power transmission; a storage battery; and a calling part for transmitting a position of itself and a power storage amount of the storage battery to the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 and calling the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 in order to make it supply power. The unmanned power supply vehicle 3 comprises: a power storage amount comparison part 35 for comparing power storage amount of the plurality of unmanned flying bodies 1 with a predetermined first power storage amount; a travel device 36; a power transmission part 38; and a power supply object change part 39 for changing the power supply object to an unmanned flying body 1 with little power storage amount remaining therein.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

It relates to a power supply system for an unmanned aerial vehicle that supplies power to an unmanned aerial vehicle that carries out transportation work.

Conventionally, unmanned aerial vehicles that carry out transportation work outdoors or indoors have been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The unmanned aerial vehicle described in Patent Document 1 is capable of hovering and autonomously flying. This unmanned aerial vehicle is equipped with a gripping device, attracts a load by the mounted gripping device, moves with the load, and carries out a transportation operation. Since this unmanned aerial vehicle flies in the air, it moves faster than a transport vehicle and is suitable for transport work.

By the way, the unmanned aerial vehicle has a small storage capacity and cannot carry out the transportation work continuously for a long time. Therefore, for example, the picking system described in Patent Document 2 is provided with a power supply means for supplying power to the starting portion where a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles stand by for a transportation operation. The plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles are supplied with power at the starting point between the transportation operations to prevent the power shortage during the transportation operations.

However, since the unmanned aerial vehicle described in Patent Document 2 returns to the departure portion and supplies power during the transportation work, the movement between the departure portion and the transportation work place is repeated. This was a problem because it was not preferable from the viewpoint of operating efficiency of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Further, in order to more reliably prevent the unmanned aerial vehicle from running out of electric power, it is preferable that the unmanned aerial vehicle having a small amount of remaining electricity is preferentially supplied with power. However, in the picking system described in Patent Document 2, the order in which the unmanned aerial vehicle is fed is not considered.

JP-A-2018-114822 JP-A-2018-016435

Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is an unmanned aerial vehicle that can supply power without moving a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles to a power supply location, and can preferentially supply power to an unmanned aerial vehicle having a small amount of remaining electricity. The purpose is to provide a power supply system for an aircraft.

In order to solve the above problems, the power supply system for unmanned aerial vehicles according to the present invention
It is equipped with a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles for carrying work and an unmanned power supply vehicle for supplying power to the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles.
The plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles
A flight control unit that controls the flight of the aircraft and
A load holding unit that holds the load related to the transportation work,
The power receiving unit that receives the wirelessly transmitted power and
A storage battery that stores the power received by the power receiving unit, and
In order to supply power, it has a calling unit that transmits the position of its own unit together with the amount of electricity stored in the storage battery to the unmanned power supply vehicle and calls the unmanned power supply vehicle.
The unmanned power supply vehicle
A storage amount comparison unit that compares the stored amount of each of the storage batteries received from the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles with a predetermined first stored amount.
A traveling device for heading to the called unmanned aerial vehicle,
A power transmission unit that wirelessly transmits power to the called unmanned aerial vehicle,
When called from the other unmanned aerial vehicle while being called by one of the unmanned aerial vehicles and moving, the storage amount of the storage battery of the one unmanned aerial vehicle is larger than that of the first storage amount, and It is characterized by having a power supply target changing unit that changes the target to be supplied to the other unmanned aerial vehicle when the storage amount of the storage battery of the other unmanned aerial vehicle is equal to or less than the first storage amount. ..

The power supply system is, for example,
When the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles hold the load, the calling unit calls the unmanned power supply vehicle.

The power supply system is preferably
When the storage amount of the storage battery becomes equal to or less than the first storage amount, the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles call the unmanned power supply vehicle by the calling unit.

The power supply system is preferably
When the unmanned aerial vehicle is called from the other unmanned aerial vehicle while supplying power to one of the unmanned aerial vehicles.
The storage amount comparison unit further compares the storage amount of the storage battery of the one unmanned aerial vehicle with the predetermined second storage amount.
In the power supply target changing unit, the storage amount of the storage battery of the one unmanned aerial vehicle is equal to or more than the second storage amount, and the storage amount of the storage battery of the other unmanned aerial vehicle is equal to or less than the first storage amount. At that time, the target to be supplied by the unmanned power supply vehicle is changed to the other unmanned aerial vehicle.
The unmanned aerial vehicle stops supplying power to the one unmanned aerial vehicle, heads toward the other unmanned aerial vehicle, and supplies power to the other unmanned aerial vehicle.

The power supply system is preferably
When the unmanned aerial vehicle arrives at the called unmanned aerial vehicle, power is supplied by wirelessly transmitting power while following the unmanned aerial vehicle.

The power supply system is preferably
When the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles fly while being followed and wirelessly transmitted by the unmanned power supply vehicle, the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles further include an altitude comparison unit that compares the flight altitude of the own aircraft with a predetermined flight altitude at the time of power supply.
When the unmanned aircraft flies while being followed and wirelessly transmitted by the unmanned power supply vehicle, the flight control unit sets the flight altitude of the unmanned aircraft to the predetermined flight based on the result of comparison by the altitude comparison unit. The flight altitude of the unmanned aircraft is controlled so as to be at an altitude.

The power supply system is preferably
The plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles further have a storage unit that stores a predetermined flight path that the unmanned aerial vehicle can follow the own aircraft.
The flight control unit causes the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly along the predetermined flight path when the unmanned aerial vehicle flies while being followed and wirelessly transmitted by the unmanned power supply vehicle.

The power supply system is preferably
When the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles fly while being followed and wirelessly transmitted by the unmanned power supply vehicle, the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles further include a speed comparison unit that compares the flight speed of the own aircraft with a predetermined flight speed at the time of power supply.
When the unmanned aerial vehicle flies while being followed and wirelessly transmitted by the unmanned aerial vehicle, the flight control unit sets the flight speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle to the predetermined flight based on the result of comparison by the speed comparison unit. The flight speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled so as to be the speed.

The power supply system for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present invention can supply power to a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles without moving them to a power supply location, and can preferentially supply power to an unmanned aerial vehicle having a small amount of remaining electricity.

It is a schematic side view which shows the power supply system which concerns on one Embodiment. A and B show an unmanned aerial vehicle, A is a perspective view seen from above, B is a perspective view seen from below, and C is a bottom view showing a power receiving unit. It is a block diagram which shows the power supply system of FIG. It is a flow chart which shows the power supply method of an unmanned electric train. A is a schematic top view showing the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle when the power is not supplied, and B is a schematic top view showing the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the unmanned power vehicle when the power is supplied.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the power supply system for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a power supply system according to the present embodiment. The plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles 1 carry the load W indoors (reference code 1 is used as a reference code for any one or more of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles 1). When the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 is called by the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 supplies power by wirelessly transmitting power while following the unmanned aerial vehicle 1.

<Unmanned aerial vehicle>
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is provided on each of a disk-shaped main body 10, four arms 12 extending horizontally from the side surface of the main body 10, and the tip sides of the four arms 12. A motor 13 provided, a rotary blade 14 provided on the motor 13, a substantially octagonal columnar upper unit 15 provided on the upper surface of the main body 10, two skids 16 provided on the lower surface of the main body 10, and 2 It has a load holding portion 17 provided between the skids 16 and a power receiving portion 18 provided on the lower surface of the load holding portion 17.

The upper unit 15 is provided with a camera 15a and an illumination unit 15b for detecting the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. A plurality of markers (not shown) for recognizing the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 are provided on the entire ceiling C. The illumination unit 15b illuminates the upper part of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, and the camera 15a images the ceiling C including the marker illuminated by the illumination unit 15b to generate an upper image.

The load holding unit 17 holds the load W related to the transportation work. The load holding portion 17 has a mounting surface on which the load W is placed, but is merely an example, and the configuration thereof is not particularly limited as long as the load W can be held.

As shown in FIG. 2C, the power receiving unit 18 is composed of a plurality of rectennas 18a. The rectenna 18a receives the microwave transmitted from the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 and converts it into a direct current.

As shown in FIG. 3, the unmanned vehicle 1 further includes a storage battery 20, a control device 21, an altitude sensor (not shown), a speed sensor (not shown), and a communication means (not shown).

The storage battery 20 is electrically connected to the power receiving unit 18. The storage battery 20 stores the direct current converted by the rectenna 18a and supplies electric power to the motor 13. The storage battery 20 may be a lead storage battery or an alkaline storage battery.

The control device 21 includes a flight control unit 210, a storage unit 211, a self-machine position detection unit 212, a calling unit 214, an altitude comparison unit 215, and a speed comparison unit 216.

The flight control unit 210 enables hovering of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 by controlling the rotation speed of each motor 13, and controls the flight direction, flight altitude, and flight speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1.

The storage unit 211 stores in advance an image of the entire ceiling C including the marker (hereinafter, simply referred to as “ceiling image”) together with the position information.

The own machine position detection unit 212 collates the upper image captured by the camera 15a with the ceiling image, and performs template matching to search which position in the ceiling image the upper image exists. The own aircraft position detection unit 212 detects the horizontal position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 based on the result of template matching. Further, the own aircraft position detection unit 212 detects the altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 by the altitude sensor.

The calling unit 214 transmits its own position to the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 in order to supply power, and calls the unmanned power supply vehicle 3. In the present embodiment, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 calls the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 to supply power when holding the load W.

Normally, when the load W is not held, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 has a flight speed faster than the traveling speed of the unmanned power supply vehicle 3, so that it is difficult to supply power while following the unmanned power supply vehicle 3. However, if the flight speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is limited in order to make the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 follow the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, the transportation efficiency of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is lowered. Therefore, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 holds the load W and supplies power to the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 when the flight speed becomes slow due to the weight of the load W, thereby relatively suppressing the limitation of the flight speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. It can be made to follow the unmanned power supply vehicle 3. Since it takes time for the called unmanned aerial vehicle 3 to arrive at the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, the calling unit 214 may call the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 shortly before holding the load W.

Further, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 also calls the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 by the calling unit 214 when the stored amount Q of the storage battery 20 becomes equal to or less than the predetermined first stored amount RQ1 (Q ≦ RQ1). In the present embodiment, the first storage amount RQ1 is set to 10% of the storage capacity of the storage battery 20. As a result, when the storage amount Q of the storage battery 20 is low, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 can prevent the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 from running out of power by calling the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 to supply power.

The storage unit 211 further stores a predetermined flight altitude and a predetermined flight speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 at the time of power supply. The power feeding efficiency by microwave depends on the distance between the power transmitting side and the power receiving side. Therefore, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 at the time of power supply can keep the distance between the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 following the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 within a certain range and maintain high power feeding efficiency by microwaves. Flight altitude and flight speed are predetermined. Therefore, the predetermined flight altitude is set to be slightly higher than the power transmission unit 38 described later. Further, the predetermined flight speed is set to be the same as or slightly slower than the traveling speed of the unmanned power supply vehicle 3.

The altitude comparison unit 215 compares the altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 detected by the altitude sensor with a predetermined flight altitude, and outputs the comparison result to the flight control unit 210.

The speed comparison unit 216 compares the flight speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 detected by the speed sensor with a predetermined flight speed, and outputs the comparison result to the flight control unit 210.

The flight control unit 210 controls the flight altitude and flight speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 at the time of power supply so as to be a predetermined flight altitude and a predetermined flight speed based on the comparison results by the altitude comparison unit 215 and the speed comparison unit 216. ..

The storage unit 211 further stores the transportation information. The transportation information includes the loading position and the loading position. Further, the storage unit 211 further stores a predetermined flight path (hereinafter, referred to as “power supply flight path”) when the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is fed. The flight path for power supply is predetermined based on the layout in the warehouse and the traveling characteristics of the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 so that the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 can follow the unmanned aerial vehicle 1.

The flight control unit 210 controls the flight direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 so that the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 flies in the flight path for power supply at the time of power supply.

<Unmanned power supply vehicle>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 includes a main body 30, a vehicle position detection unit 32, a storage battery 34, a storage amount comparison unit 35, a traveling device 36, and an air vehicle detection unit 37. , A power transmission unit 38, a power supply target changing unit 39, and a communication means (not shown).

The own vehicle position detection unit 32 detects the position of the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 by a known laser guidance method, but this is just an example, and the method of detecting the position of the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 is not particularly limited. The vehicle position detection unit 32 includes a laser scanner 321 and an analysis unit (not shown). The laser scanner 321 is provided on the upper part of the main body 30. The laser scanner 321 transmits a laser while rotating 360 degrees in the horizontal direction, and receives the laser reflected by a plurality of reflectors arranged at predetermined locations indoors. The analysis unit identifies the positional relationship between the plurality of reflectors and the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 by analyzing the transmission / reception directions of the laser scanner 321 and detects the position of the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 based on this positional relationship.

The storage battery 34 supplies electric power to the power transmission unit 38. The storage battery 34 may be a lead storage battery or an alkaline storage battery.

The storage amount comparison unit 35 compares the storage amount Q of the storage battery 20 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 received from the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 with the first storage amount RQ1 and the predetermined second storage amount RQ2.

The traveling device 36 includes a power unit (not shown), wheels 360, and a steering unit 361. The unmanned power supply vehicle 3 runs by rotating the wheels 360 by the power of the power unit. The steering unit 361 steers the wheels 360 so that the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 can follow the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 based on the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 and the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. The power unit may be carried by, for example, a storage battery 34, or may be composed of another storage battery. When the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 is called by the calling unit 214, the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 faces the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 received by the communication means by the traveling device 36 and follows the unmanned aerial vehicle 1.

The flying object detection unit 37 has an upper camera 371 and an analysis unit (not shown). The upper camera 371 is provided on the upper part of the main body 30. The upper camera 371 images the surroundings of the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 and generates a surrounding image. The analysis unit detects the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and its position based on the surrounding image.

The power transmission unit 38 is provided above the unmanned power supply vehicle 3. When the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 arrives at the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, the power transmission unit 38 transmits a microwave to the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 detected by the air vehicle detection unit 37, thereby transmitting the microwave to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. Wireless power transmission. The power transmission unit 38 may be configured by a phased array antenna, but is merely an example and is not limited thereto.

The power supply target changing unit 39 changes the target to be supplied by the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 in a predetermined case. Specifically, the power supply target changing unit 39 is a storage battery of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a when the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 is called by one unmanned aerial vehicle 1a and is called from the other unmanned aerial vehicle 1b while moving. When the stored amount Q1 of 20 is larger than the first stored amount RQ1 and the stored amount Q2 of the storage battery 20 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1b is equal to or less than the first stored amount RQ1 (that is, when Q2 ≦ RQ1 <Q1), unmanned salary The target to be supplied by the train 3 is changed from the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1b. In this way, the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 can prevent the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 from running out of electric power by preferentially heading to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 having a small amount of electricity remaining Q.

Further, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 is called from the other unmanned aerial vehicle 1b while the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 is supplying power to one unmanned aerial vehicle 1a, the power supply target changing unit 39 has a storage amount Q1 of the storage battery 20 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a. 2 When the storage amount RQ2 or more and the storage amount Q2 of the storage battery 20 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1b is the first storage amount RQ1 or less (that is, when (Q1 ≧ RQ2) ∧ (Q2 ≦ RQ1)), the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 Changes the target to be powered by this unmanned aerial vehicle 1b. In the present embodiment, the second storage capacity RQ2 is set to 40% of the storage capacity of the storage battery 20. That is, the power supply target changing unit 39 changes the power supply target only when the storage amount Q1 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a, which is the current power supply target, is sufficient (in this embodiment, it is set to 40% of the storage capacity). As described above, even while the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 is supplying power to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a has a sufficient amount of electricity Q1, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1b having a small amount of electricity Q2 remaining is given priority. By supplying power, it is possible to prevent the unmanned aerial vehicle 1b from running out of power.

With reference to FIG. 4, the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 when the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 is called from the other unmanned aerial vehicle 1b while supplying power to one unmanned aerial vehicle 1a will be specifically described.

When the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 is called from one of the unmanned aerial vehicles 1a (S1), the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 is supplied with power by wirelessly transmitting power while following the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a (S2). Unless the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 is called from the other unmanned aerial vehicle 1b (No in S3), the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 continues to supply power to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1b until the power supply is completed (No in S4, S2). When the power supply to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a is completed (Yes in S4), the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 stops the power supply to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a (S5), and waits until it is called by another unmanned aerial vehicle 1.

On the other hand, when the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 is called from the other unmanned aerial vehicle 1b while supplying power to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a (Yes in S3), the storage amount Q1 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a is the second storage amount RQ2 or more. When the stored amount Q2 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1b is equal to or less than the first stored amount RQ1 (that is, when (Q1 ≧ RQ2) ∧ (Q2 ≦ RQ1)) (Yes in S6), the power supply target is supplied by the power supply target changing unit 39. Is changed from the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1b (S7). Next, the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 stops the power supply to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a (S8), and supplies power to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1b (S9). The unmanned power supply vehicle 3 continues to supply power to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1b until the power supply is completed (No. of S10, S9). When the power supply to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1b is completed (Yes in S10), the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 stops the power supply to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1b (S5), and waits until it is called by another unmanned aerial vehicle 1.

Further, the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 is called from the other unmanned aerial vehicle 1b while supplying power to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a (Yes in S3), and the predetermined conditions ((Q1 ≧ RQ2) ∧ (Q2 ≦) When RQ1)) is not satisfied (No in S6), power supply to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a is continued.

<Power supply method>
Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the power supply method of the power supply system in the warehouse will be specifically described. FIG. 5A is a schematic top view showing an example of the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 in the warehouse when the power is not supplied. A plurality of shelves 5 having a loading section are installed in the warehouse.

Since the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 in FIG. 5A does not hold the load W and moves from the current position toward the loading position P1, it is not the power supply flight path D2 but the normal flight path D1 which is the shortest distance. Move along. In this way, since the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 flies above the shelf 5 and heads for the loading position P1, it can move faster than bypassing the shelf 5.

FIG. 5B is a schematic top view showing the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 at the time of power supply. When the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 arrives at the loading position P1, it receives the load W. At this time, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 transmits its own position to the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 by the calling unit 214 in order to supply power, and calls the unmanned aerial vehicle 3.

When the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 is called by the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, the traveling device 36 heads for the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. When the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 arrives at the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and the aircraft detection unit 37 detects the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, the power transmission unit 38 wirelessly transmits power to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. The unmanned power supply vehicle 3 wirelessly transmits power while following the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 as it is.

The unmanned aircraft 1 bypasses the shelf 5 along the power feeding flight path D2 while holding the load W and controlling the flight altitude and flight speed to a predetermined flight altitude and flight speed by the flight control unit 210. While flying from the loading position P1 to the loading position P2. As a result, the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 can follow the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 without being separated from the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. The unmanned aerial vehicle 3 preferably follows the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 so as to be located directly below the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. According to this positional relationship, the power receiving unit 18 and the power transmitting unit 38 are in a facing state, and the transmitted microwaves are efficiently absorbed by the power receiving unit 18, so that the power feeding efficiency can be improved.

During power supply to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a, for example, when a call is made from the unmanned aerial vehicle 1b when the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a and the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 approach the position P3, the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 is subjected to the storage amount comparison unit 35. The stored amount Q1 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 and the stored amount Q2 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1b are compared with the first stored amount RQ1 and the second stored amount RQ2. As a result of comparison by the storage amount comparison unit 35, the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 has a storage amount Q1 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a of the second storage amount RQ2 or more and a storage amount Q2 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1b of the first storage amount RQ1 or less. At that time (that is, when (Q1 ≧ MQ2) ∧ (Q2 ≦ RQ1)), the power supply target is changed from the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1b by the power supply target changing unit 39. Next, the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 heads for the unmanned aerial vehicle 1b. Since the unmanned aerial vehicle 1a is no longer supplied with power from the unmanned power supply vehicle 3, the flight path is changed from the position P3 to the flight path D3, which is the shortest route to the loading position P2, and the loading position P2 is along the flight path D3. Fly up to.

In this way, in the power supply system, since the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 calls the unmanned power supply vehicle 3 to supply power during the transportation work, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 is not moved to the power supply location for power supply. Therefore, the power supply system can maintain high operating efficiency of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. Moreover, since the power supply system preferentially supplies power to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 whose storage amount Q is low due to the unmanned power supply vehicle 3, it is possible to more reliably prevent the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 from running out of power.

Although one embodiment of the power feeding system according to the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

(1) The method by which the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 detects its own position is not particularly limited. For example, the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 may be detected by SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) technology.

(2) The illumination unit 15b may not be provided on the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 as long as the own machine position detection unit 212 can recognize the marker from the upper image captured by the camera 15a.

(3) The power receiving unit 18 may be provided in the main body 10 as long as it can efficiently receive the microwave transmitted by the unmanned power supply vehicle 3, and the position where the power receiving unit 18 is provided is not particularly limited.

(4) The flying object detection unit 37 may have a radar for detecting the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 instead of the camera, or may have it together with the camera.

(5) The unmanned aerial vehicle 3 does not have to have the flying object detection unit 37 as long as it can transmit microwaves based on the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 received from the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. In this case, the power transmission unit 38 wirelessly transmits power to the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 based on the received position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1, and the traveling device 36 follows the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 based on the received position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 1. To do.

1 Unmanned vehicle 10 Main body 12 Arm 13 Motor 14 Rotorcraft 15 Upper unit 16 Skid 17 Load holding unit 18 Power receiving unit 18a Rectenna 20 Storage battery 21 Control device 210 Flight control unit 211 Storage unit 212 Own machine position detection unit 214 Calling unit 215 Altitude Comparison unit 216 Speed comparison unit 3 Unmanned power supply vehicle 30 Main body 32 Own vehicle position detection unit 321 Laser scanner 34 Storage battery 35 Storage capacity comparison unit 36 Traveling device 360 Wheels 361 Steering unit 37 Air vehicle detection unit 371 Upper camera 38 Power transmission unit 39 Power supply target Change part C Ceiling W Load

In order to solve the above problems, the power supply system for unmanned aerial vehicles according to the present invention
It is equipped with a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles for carrying work and an unmanned power supply vehicle for supplying power to the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles.
The plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles
A flight control unit that controls the flight of the aircraft and
A load holding unit that holds the load related to the transportation work,
The power receiving unit that receives the wirelessly transmitted power and
A storage battery that stores the power received by the power receiving unit, and
For powered, it transmits the own device located in the unmanned powered vehicle with the storage amount of the storage battery, have a, a calling unit for calling the unmanned powered vehicle,
The unmanned power supply vehicle
A storage amount comparison unit that compares the stored amount of each of the storage batteries received from the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles with a predetermined first stored amount.
A traveling device for heading to the called unmanned aerial vehicle,
A power transmission unit that wirelessly transmits power to the called unmanned aerial vehicle,
When called from the other unmanned aerial vehicle while being called by one of the unmanned aerial vehicles and moving, the storage amount of the storage battery of the one unmanned aerial vehicle is larger than that of the first storage amount, and When the storage amount of the storage battery of the other unmanned aerial vehicle is equal to or less than the first storage amount, the power supply target changing unit for changing the target to be supplied to the other unmanned aerial vehicle is provided.
When the unmanned aerial vehicle is called from the other unmanned aerial vehicle while supplying power to one of the unmanned aerial vehicles.
The storage amount comparison unit further compares the storage amount of the storage battery of the one unmanned aerial vehicle with the predetermined second storage amount.
In the power supply target changing unit, the storage amount of the storage battery of the one unmanned aerial vehicle is equal to or more than the second storage amount, and the storage amount of the storage battery of the other unmanned aerial vehicle is equal to or less than the first storage amount. At that time, the target to be supplied by the unmanned power supply vehicle is changed to the other unmanned aerial vehicle.
The unmanned aerial vehicle is characterized in that the power supply to the one unmanned aerial vehicle is stopped and the power is supplied to the other unmanned aerial vehicle toward the other unmanned aerial vehicle .

Claims (8)

A power supply system for unmanned aerial vehicles
It is equipped with a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles for carrying work and an unmanned power supply vehicle for supplying power to the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles.
The plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles
A flight control unit that controls the flight of the aircraft and
A load holding unit that holds the load related to the transportation work,
The power receiving unit that receives the wirelessly transmitted power and
A storage battery that stores the power received by the power receiving unit, and
In order to supply power, it has a calling unit that transmits the position of its own unit together with the amount of electricity stored in the storage battery to the unmanned power supply vehicle and calls the unmanned power supply vehicle.
The unmanned power supply vehicle
A storage amount comparison unit that compares the stored amount of each of the storage batteries received from the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles with a predetermined first stored amount.
A traveling device for heading to the called unmanned aerial vehicle,
A power transmission unit that wirelessly transmits power to the called unmanned aerial vehicle,
When called from the other unmanned aerial vehicle while being called by one of the unmanned aerial vehicles and moving, the storage amount of the storage battery of the one unmanned aerial vehicle is larger than that of the first storage amount, and It is characterized by having a power supply target changing unit that changes the target to be supplied to the other unmanned aerial vehicle when the storage amount of the storage battery of the other unmanned aerial vehicle is equal to or less than the first storage amount. Power supply system. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles call the unmanned power supply vehicle by the calling unit when holding the load. The power supply system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles call the unmanned power supply vehicle by the calling unit when the storage amount of the storage battery becomes equal to or less than the first storage amount. When the unmanned aerial vehicle is called from the other unmanned aerial vehicle while supplying power to one of the unmanned aerial vehicles.
The storage amount comparison unit further compares the storage amount of the storage battery of the one unmanned aerial vehicle with the predetermined second storage amount.
In the power supply target changing unit, the storage amount of the storage battery of the one unmanned aerial vehicle is equal to or more than the second storage amount, and the storage amount of the storage battery of the other unmanned aerial vehicle is equal to or less than the first storage amount. At that time, the target to be supplied by the unmanned power supply vehicle is changed to the other unmanned aerial vehicle.
The unmanned aerial vehicle is characterized in that the power supply to the one unmanned aerial vehicle is stopped and the power is supplied to the other unmanned aerial vehicle toward the other unmanned aerial vehicle. The power supply system according to any one item. The unmanned power supply vehicle
The power supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the vehicle arrives at the called unmanned aerial vehicle, power is supplied by wirelessly transmitting power while following the unmanned aerial vehicle. The plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles further have an altitude comparison unit that compares the flight altitude of the own aircraft with a predetermined flight altitude at the time of power supply when flying while being followed and wirelessly transmitted by the unmanned power supply vehicle.
When the unmanned aircraft flies while being followed and wirelessly transmitted by the unmanned power supply vehicle, the flight control unit sets the flight altitude of the unmanned aircraft to the predetermined flight based on the result of comparison by the altitude comparison unit. The power supply system according to claim 5, wherein the flight altitude of the unmanned vehicle is controlled so as to have an altitude. The plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles further include a storage unit that stores a predetermined flight path that the unmanned aerial vehicle can follow the own aircraft.
5. The flight control unit is characterized in that, when the unmanned aircraft flies while being followed and wirelessly transmitted by the unmanned power supply vehicle, the unmanned aircraft is made to fly along the predetermined flight path. The power supply system according to 6. The plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles further include a speed comparison unit that compares the flight speed of the own aircraft with a predetermined flight speed at the time of power supply when flying while being followed and wirelessly transmitted by the unmanned power supply vehicle.
When the unmanned aerial vehicle flies while being followed and wirelessly transmitted by the unmanned aerial vehicle, the flight control unit sets the flight speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle to the predetermined flight based on the result of comparison by the speed comparison unit. The power supply system according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the flight speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled so as to have a speed.

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