JP2020140726A - Flight management server of unmanned flying object and flight management system - Google Patents

Abstract

To automatically set an optimal flight route only by selecting various work objects.SOLUTION: A flight management server according to the present invention is connected with a user terminal and an unmanned flying object via a network. The flight management server comprises: a storage part which stores flight route information including a flight parameter, and a plurality of flight applications by purpose; an acceptance part which accepts a flight request including at least a flight place and a flight purpose; a generation part which generates a flight mission including a flight route generated by referring to the flight route information, and a flight application selected from the flight applications by purpose on the basis of the flight request; and a communication part which transmits the generated flight mission to the unmanned flying object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a flight management server and a flight management system for an unmanned aerial vehicle.

In recent years, air vehicles (hereinafter collectively referred to as "air vehicles") such as drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have begun to be used in industry. Under these circumstances, Patent Document 1 discloses a system for creating a flight route of an unmanned aerial vehicle that acquires inspection data from a wind turbine, reflecting the control state of the wind turbine.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-21491

On the other hand, in drones, in addition to the above-mentioned inspections, there are various needs such as security, disaster information collection, surveying, etc., and the targets are diverse, such as solar power generation facilities, bridges, and roads.

One object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of automatically setting an optimum flight route simply by selecting various work targets.

According to the present invention
An unmanned aerial vehicle flight management server that is connected to a user terminal and an unmanned aerial vehicle via a network.
A storage unit that stores flight route information including flight parameters and multiple purpose-specific flight applications,
A reception desk that accepts flight requests including at least the flight location and purpose of flight,
Based on the flight request, a generation unit that generates a flight mission including a flight route generated by referring to the flight route information and a flight application selected from the purpose-specific flight applications.
A communication unit that transmits the generated flight mission to the unmanned aerial vehicle, and
An unmanned aerial vehicle flight management server equipped with.

According to the present invention, the optimum flight route can be automatically set only by selecting various work targets.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the flight management system by embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware configuration of the management server of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware configuration of the user terminal of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware composition of the flying object of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the function of the management server of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the function of the user terminal of FIG. This is a configuration example of a flight application for each purpose. It is a flow chart of the flight management system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the use image of the flight management system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the use image of the flight management system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the use image of the flight management system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the use image of the flight management system by one Embodiment of this invention. This is an example of a screen displayed on the user terminal side of the flight management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. This is an example of a screen displayed on the user terminal side of the flight management system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The contents of the embodiments of the present invention will be described in a list. The flight management server and flight management system according to the embodiment of the present invention have the following configurations.
[Item 1]
An unmanned aerial vehicle flight management server that is connected to a user terminal and an unmanned aerial vehicle via a network.
A storage unit that stores flight route information including flight parameters and multiple purpose-specific flight applications,
A reception desk that accepts flight requests including at least the flight location and purpose of flight,
Based on the flight request, a generation unit that generates a flight mission including a flight route generated by referring to the flight route information and a flight application selected from the purpose-specific flight applications.
A communication unit that transmits the generated flight mission to the unmanned aerial vehicle, and
An unmanned aerial vehicle flight management server equipped with.
[Item 2]
An unmanned aerial vehicle flight management system that includes a user terminal connected via a network, an unmanned aerial vehicle, and a flight management server.
The flight management server is:
It has flight route information, including flight parameters, and a storage unit that stores multiple purpose-specific flight applications;
Accept flight requests including at least the flight location and flight purpose from the user terminal;
Based on the flight request, a flight mission including a flight route generated by referring to the flight route information and a flight application selected from the purpose-specific flight applications is generated;
Send the generated flight mission to the unmanned aerial vehicle;
The unmanned aerial vehicle carries out the flight mission and transmits a flight log to the flight management server.
Flight management system for unmanned aerial vehicles.

<Details of the embodiment>
Hereinafter, the flight management device and the flight management system of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in particular, the embodiment of the flight management system (hereinafter referred to as “the present system”). In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar elements are given the same or similar reference numerals and names, and duplicate description of the same or similar elements may be omitted in the description of each embodiment. In addition, the features shown in each embodiment can be applied to other embodiments as long as they do not contradict each other.

<Composition>
As shown in FIG. 1, this system has a management server 1, a plurality of user terminals 2, 3 and one or more flying objects 4. The management server 1, the user terminals 2 and 3, and the aircraft 4 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a network.

<Management server 1>
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the management server 1. The illustrated configuration is an example, and may have other configurations.

As shown in the figure, the management server 1 is connected to a plurality of user terminals 2 and 3 and an air vehicle 4 to form a part of the system. The management server 1 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be logically realized by cloud computing.

The management server 1 includes at least a processor 10, a memory 11, a storage 12, a transmission / reception unit 13, an input / output unit 14, and the like, and these are electrically connected to each other through a bus 15.

The processor 10 is an arithmetic unit that controls the operation of the entire management server 1, controls the transmission and reception of data between each element, and performs information processing necessary for application execution and authentication processing. For example, the processor 10 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and executes each information processing by executing a program or the like for the system stored in the storage 12 and expanded in the memory 11.

The memory 11 includes a main storage composed of a volatile storage device such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and an auxiliary storage composed of a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). .. The memory 11 is used as a work area or the like of the processor 10, and also stores a BIOS (Basic Input / Output System) executed when the management server 1 is started, various setting information, and the like.

The storage 12 stores various programs such as application programs. A database storing data used for each process may be built in the storage 12.

The transmission / reception unit 13 connects the management server 1 to the network and the blockchain network. The transmission / reception unit 13 may be provided with a short-range communication interface of Bluetooth (registered trademark) and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy).

The input / output unit 14 is an information input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, and an output device such as a display.

The bus 15 is commonly connected to each of the above elements and transmits, for example, an address signal, a data signal, and various control signals.

<User terminals 2, 3>
The user terminals 2 and 3 shown in FIG. 3 also include a processor 20, a memory 21, a storage 22, a transmission / reception unit 23, an input / output unit 24, and the like, which are electrically connected to each other through a bus 25. Since the functions of each element can be configured in the same manner as the management server 1 described above, detailed description of each element will be omitted.

<Aircraft 4>
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the air vehicle 4. The flight controller 41 can have one or more processors such as a programmable processor (eg, a central processing unit (CPU)).

Further, the flight controller 41 has a memory 411 and can access the memory. Memory 411 stores logic, code, and / or program instructions that the flight controller can execute to perform one or more steps. Further, the flight controller 41 may include sensors 412 such as an inertial sensor (acceleration sensor, gyro sensor), GPS sensor, proximity sensor (for example, rider) and the like.

Memory 411 may include, for example, a separable medium such as an SD card or random access memory (RAM) or an external storage device. The data acquired from the cameras / sensors 42 may be directly transmitted and stored in the memory. For example, still image / moving image data taken by a camera or the like is recorded in the internal memory or an external memory. The camera 42 is attached to the flying object via the gimbal 43.

The flight controller 41 includes a control module (not shown) configured to control the state of the flying object. For example, the control module adjusts the spatial placement, velocity, and / or acceleration of an air vehicle with six degrees of freedom (translational motion x, y and z, and rotational motion θ _x , θ _y and θ _z ). , ESC44 (Electric Speed Controller) to control the propulsion mechanism (motor 45, etc.) of the flying object. The propeller 46 is rotated by the motor 45 supplied from the battery 48 to generate lift of the flying object. The control module can control one or more of the states of the mounting unit and the sensors.

The flight controller 41 is configured to transmit and / or receive data from one or more external devices (eg, transmitter / receiver (propo) 49, terminal, display device, or other remote controller). It is possible to communicate with the unit 47. The transmitter / receiver 49 can use any suitable communication means such as wired communication or wireless communication.

For example, the transmission / reception unit 47 uses one or more of a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), infrared rays, wireless, WiFi, a point-to-point (P2P) network, a telecommunications network, and cloud communication. can do.

The transmission / reception unit 47 transmits and / or receives one or more of the data acquired by the sensors 42, the processing result generated by the flight controller 41, the predetermined control data, the user command from the terminal or the remote controller, and the like. be able to.

Sensors 42 according to this embodiment may include inertial sensors (acceleration sensors, gyro sensors), GPS sensors, proximity sensors (eg, riders), or vision / image sensors (eg, cameras).

<Management server function>
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the functions implemented in the management server 1. The management server 1 includes a communication unit 110, a flight mission generation unit 130, a report generation unit 150, an application unit 170, and a storage unit 190. The flight mission generation unit 130 includes a route generation unit 132, an application selection unit 134, an evaluation unit 136, and a correction unit 138. In addition, the storage unit 190 includes various databases of flight route information 192, purpose-specific flight application 194, flight log 196, and interface information 198.

The communication unit 110 communicates with the user terminal 2 and the flying object 4. The communication unit 110 also functions as a reception unit that receives flight requests including at least the flight location and flight purpose from the user terminal 2. The flight mission generation unit 130 generates a flight mission. Flight missions are applications selected from flight route and purpose-specific flight applications 194. The flight route is generated by the route generation unit 132 with reference to the flight route information 192. The flight application is selected by the application selection unit 134 with reference to the purpose-specific flight application 194.

In the present embodiment, an evaluation unit 136 for evaluating whether or not the generated flight mission is appropriate may be provided. The evaluation unit 136 may evaluate the appropriateness of the flight mission by a score or the like by, for example, an operation from the user for the flight mission, machine learning based on the flight mission accumulated in the past, or the like. If the score is not within the predetermined range, the flight mission is corrected by the correction unit 138.

In the present embodiment, the information (still image, moving image, sound, and other information) acquired by the flight object 4 is accumulated in the flight log 196. The report generation unit 150 generates report information to be transmitted to the user terminal 2 based on the flight log. The report according to the present embodiment can exemplify, for example, the inspection result of the inspection target facility, the security result of the security target facility, and the like, and may be various reports according to the needs.

The interface information 198 stores various control information for displaying on a display unit (display or the like) of the user terminal 2 together with the application unit 170 (see FIG. 10 for a screen example).

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram implemented on the user terminal 2. The user terminal 2 includes a communication unit 210, a storage unit 220, an input unit 240, an output unit 250, and an application unit 270, and interacts with each other.

<Flight application by purpose>
As shown in FIG. 7, the purpose-specific flight application 194 is prepared for each work purpose (use) of the flying object 4 to work by this system. Examples include, but are not limited to, application 1941 for security / monitoring, application 1942 for equipment inspection, application 1943 for surveying, and application 1944 for disaster countermeasures. For each application, for example, information on flight control (altitude, speed, range, etc.) suitable for the purpose, acquisition conditions (camera resolution, shooting angle, overlap rate, presence / absence of filter, scheduled flight time, battery requirement) (Quantity, etc.) and other control information of the flying object 4 necessary for accomplishing the purpose are included.

The processing flow of this system will be described with reference to FIG. The user transmits a flight request from the user terminal 2 (SQ101). The flight request contains at least information about the flight location and purpose of the flight. The management server 1 refers to the storage unit 190 (see FIG. 5) (SQ102) and generates a flight mission (SQ104). The generated flight mission is transmitted directly (or indirectly via a terminal, a radio, etc.) to the aircraft 4 (SQ106). The aircraft 4 transmits (reports) the information acquired during the flight mission to the management server 1 in real time (or after the fact) (SQ108). The management server 1 generates a report based on the information (flight log) acquired from the aircraft (SQ110).

FIG. 9 is an example of flight mission (flight route) generation of a photovoltaic power generation facility. As shown in the figure, when the inspection range is wide, a route may be generated on the premise of inspection by a plurality of flying objects in consideration of the power supply (battery) of the flying object, the inspection time, and the like. In the illustrated example, flight routes R1 and R2 are generated by the flying objects 4a and 4b for the flight areas A1 and A2. The information acquired by the flying objects 4a and 4b is merged based on the position information and the time information associated with the information acquired on the management server 1 side, and used for report generation. As for the flight routes of a plurality of aircraft, for example, a flight request may be transmitted for each aircraft to generate a flight route, or a flight request of one aircraft 4a as shown in FIG. 10 (a). As shown in FIG. 10B, flight routes R4 and R5 for each flight object (for example, two flight objects 4a and 4b) may be assigned based on the flight route R3 generated for the above. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, a series of flight routes R6 by one aircraft 4 may be generated for a plurality of flight routes in the flight areas A1 and A2 which are originally performed by two units (plural units). .. Further, as shown in FIG. 12, since the series of flight routes R6 by one aircraft 4 has a long distance and there is a high possibility that the battery runs out, the replacement battery 5 is replaced in the middle of the flight route R6. The flight route R7 for this purpose may be set.

<Usage example>
FIG. 13 is a display example displayed on the display DP of the user terminal 2 when receiving an input (operation) of a flight request from the user. As shown, the user selects the purpose of inspecting the photovoltaic equipment (not shown) and specifies a specific range S on the map to automatically generate the flight route R8. The flight mission including the automatically generated flight route can be customized by receiving additional detailed adjustments from the user.

FIG. 14 is a display example in which the report generated based on the still image information acquired by the flying object is displayed on the display DP of the user terminal 2. As shown in the figure, the still image information P1 acquired by the flying object is plotted on a map image M acquired in advance (for example, an ortho image based on separately acquired information or a map image acquired through the Internet or the like). By superimposing), the latest information is superimposed and displayed so that it can be easily confirmed. The information displayed on the display DP of the user terminal 2 as a report is not limited to the plotted still image information, but information useful for inspection (for example, date and time, information on the flying object, number of abnormal locations, etc.) is displayed. May be good.

The air vehicle of the present invention can be used in an airplane-related industry such as a multicopter drone, and further, the present invention can be suitably used as an air vehicle for aerial photography equipped with a camera or the like. It can also be used in various industries such as security, agriculture, and infrastructure monitoring.

The above-described embodiment is merely an example for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the interpretation of the present invention. It goes without saying that the present invention can be modified and improved without deviating from the gist thereof, and the present invention includes an equivalent thereof.

1 Management server 2 User terminal 4 Aircraft

Claims (2)

An unmanned aerial vehicle flight management server that is connected to a user terminal and an unmanned aerial vehicle via a network.
A storage unit that stores flight route information including flight parameters and multiple purpose-specific flight applications,
A reception desk that accepts flight requests including at least the flight location and purpose of flight,
Based on the flight request, a generation unit that generates a flight mission including a flight route generated by referring to the flight route information and a flight application selected from the purpose-specific flight applications.
A communication unit that transmits the generated flight mission to the unmanned aerial vehicle, and
An unmanned aerial vehicle flight management server equipped with. An unmanned aerial vehicle flight management system that includes a user terminal connected via a network, an unmanned aerial vehicle, and a flight management server.
The flight management server is:
It has flight route information, including flight parameters, and a storage unit that stores multiple purpose-specific flight applications;
Accept flight requests including at least the flight location and flight purpose from the user terminal;
Based on the flight request, a flight mission including a flight route generated by referring to the flight route information and a flight application selected from the purpose-specific flight applications is generated;
Send the generated flight mission to the unmanned aerial vehicle;
The unmanned aerial vehicle carries out the flight mission and transmits a flight log to the flight management server.
Flight management system for unmanned aerial vehicles.

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