JP2020201849A - Control method of flying body - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an inspection method for tracks capable of more efficiently ensuring safety of railway operation.SOLUTION: A control method of a flying body 10 includes the steps of: acquiring predetermined positional information; controlling the flying body so as to move to the predetermined position; taking an image of a predetermined area at the predetermined position; and transmitting the captured image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a method for controlling an air vehicle.

Conventionally, maintenance and inspection of railway tracks are carried out manually by workers walking in the tracks, which takes time and is dangerous in relation to the running of the railway lines that operate the maintenance section. It was a thing.

As a system that supports such maintenance work, a system that confirms the safety of the line closed section where the maintenance work is to be performed on the server side and approves the work for the mobile phone carried by the worker is disclosed. (Patent Document 1). In addition, a system that improves safety when requesting a course setting during maintenance work by displaying information on other turnouts that are linked and converted according to the course setting based on the linked chart information of the signal system set in advance. Is also disclosed (Patent Document 2).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-168316 JP-A-2017-065329

However, even if the system disclosed in the patent document can ensure the safety of workers and shorten the time required for ensuring safety, manual maintenance work during railway operation hours is limited in time. You still have to work within.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve such a problem and to provide a railroad inspection method capable of more efficiently ensuring the safety of railway operation.

One embodiment of the present invention is a method for controlling an air vehicle, which includes a step of acquiring predetermined position information, a step of controlling the movement of the air vehicle to a predetermined position, and a predetermined position at the predetermined position. It includes a step of imaging an area and a step of transmitting the captured image.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a more efficient and safe line inspection method.

FIG. 1 is an overview view of an inspection method by the flying object 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the flying object 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing controls related to inspection of the flying object according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the control of the flying object and the management terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the control related to the inspection of the flying object according to the second embodiment.

The contents of the embodiments of the present invention will be described in a list. The flying object according to the embodiment of the present invention has the following configuration.
[Item 1]
It ’s a control method for the aircraft.
Steps to acquire predetermined location information and
A step to control the movement of the flying object to the predetermined position,
A step of imaging a predetermined area at the predetermined position and
The step of transmitting the captured image and
How to control the flying object, including.
[Item 2]
The method for controlling an air vehicle according to item 1.
A method of controlling an air vehicle that further includes a step of confirming whether or not a survey has been carried out at the predetermined position.
[Item 3]
The method for controlling an air vehicle according to item 1.
A method for controlling an air vehicle, further including a step of confirming the presence or absence of an abnormality based on the captured image.
[Item 4]
The method for controlling an air vehicle according to item 3.
A method for controlling an air vehicle, which comprises mapping the predetermined position to map information when an abnormality is confirmed in the confirmation step.
[Item 5]
The method for controlling an air vehicle according to claim 1.
A method for controlling an air vehicle, characterized in that the position information is acquired with reference to railway operation information.

(First Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the flying object according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overview diagram of a track inspection method by the flying object 10 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the flying object 10 can fly above the railroad track 1 and photograph the area around the railroad track 1 with a camera. The captured image can be transmitted to an external device such as a management terminal via a network.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the flying object 10 according to the first embodiment. First, the flight controller 21 can have one or more processors such as a programmable processor (eg, a central processing unit (CPU)). The camera 5 is mounted on the airframe via a gimbal, and the gimbal can, for example, rotate the camera 5 in the vertical direction with respect to the airframe. It is preferable that the machine can rotate in three axial directions (pitch angle, roll angle, yaw angle).

Further, the flight controller 21 has a memory 22 and can access the memory. Memory 22 stores logic, code, and / or program instructions that the flight controller can execute to perform one or more steps.

The memory 22 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 and sensors 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 an internal memory or an external memory. The camera is installed on the aircraft via a gimbal.

The flight controller 21 includes a control module 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 ). , Controls the propulsion mechanism (motor, etc.) of the flying object via ESC. The motor rotates the propeller 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 21 is configured to transmit and / or receive data from one or more external devices (eg, transmitter / receiver (propo) 23, terminal, display device, or other remote controller). It is possible to communicate with the unit 24. The transmitter / receiver 23 can use any suitable communication means such as wired communication or wireless communication.

For example, the transmission / reception unit 24 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 transmitter / receiver 24 may transmit and / or receive one or more of data acquired by sensors, processing results generated by a flight controller, predetermined control data, user commands from a terminal or a remote controller, and the like. it can.

Sensors 25 according to this embodiment may include inertial sensors (accelerometers, gyro sensors), GPS sensors, proximity sensors (eg, riders), or vision / image sensors (eg, cameras).

Further, the inspection unit 31 stores information necessary for inspection such as image data captured by the camera 5 in the memory 32, and executes the line inspection. As another example, it is also possible to provide all or a part of the functions of the inspection unit 31 in a management terminal or the like outside the flying object (not shown).

Next, a method of controlling the flying object in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram relating to the vehicle body control related to the inspection of the track of the vehicle body according to the present embodiment. Further, FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the control of the flying object and the management terminal according to the present embodiment.

The control method for the flying object to inspect the track in the present embodiment can be realized by executing the control program in the CPU in the flight controller 21 and / or the CPU in the inspection unit 31. Further, as another example, all or a part of the functions of the flight controller 10 and / or the inspection unit 31 can be provided in the external device 28 (for example, a server or a management terminal), and the necessary processing can be performed on the flying object. 10 and the external device 28 can be executed in cooperation with each other.

First, in FIG. 3, the route information acquisition unit 51 refers to, for example, the route information related to the railway line position and / or the operating time stored in the route information storage unit 61 of the memory 22, and is the subject of the survey. Check the position. With respect to the position information confirmed by referring to the route information, the current position information acquisition unit 52 acquires the current position information from the GPS sensor 54, the acceleration sensor 55, etc., and the flight control unit 53 controls the motor 26 for the purpose. It is possible to control the movement of the flying object 10 to the inspection position which is the ground (S401). The acquired current position information is stored in the current position information storage unit 62 in the memory 22. In addition, this step can be replaced by manually operating the flying object, and by recognizing the track by image recognition technology without depending on the position information, the flying object is controlled to fly on the track. It is also possible to replace it with.

Next, when the flying object 10 is positioned on the track to be investigated, the track inspection unit 71 of the inspection unit 31 refers to, for example, map information 83, and whether or not the target track has already been investigated. Is confirmed (S403). In this example, it is assumed that the surveyed positions are mapped on the map, but any other format can be used as long as it can be understood as position information. Further, the flying object 10 can also make an inquiry to an external device 28 such as a management terminal via the transmission / reception unit 24 and the network for this information. In this step, if it is confirmed that the target line has not been investigated, the process proceeds to the next step, and if it is confirmed that the investigation has been completed, the process returns to the original process. Further, in another example, the flying object 10 can fly by understanding the investigated / uninvestigated positions in advance and setting the routing of the uninvestigated positions in advance. In yet another example, the flying object 10 can keep the camera turned off at the investigated position. As a result, battery resources can be saved.

Next, the image pickup control unit 74 of the inspection unit 31 controls the camera 5 to take an image of the area around the target line (S403). At the time of imaging, an area camera such as a so-called digital camera can also be used in the sense of acquiring an image that changes visually. Further, when shooting at night, it is possible to use an infrared camera or shoot with LED lighting. The captured image can be stored in the memory 32.

Subsequently, the notification generation unit 72 of the inspection unit 31 transmits a notification to an external device 28 such as a management terminal via the transmission / reception unit 24 (S404). The notification content can include location information, images, and the like. The notification process can be performed periodically by accumulating images, but it is preferably executed at the same time as the imaging.

The external device 28 such as the management terminal receives the image transmitted from the flying object 10 (S405). Subsequently, the external device 28 such as the management terminal inspects the track based on the received image (S406). In the inspection, for example, an image processed by an image processing unit (not shown) of a management terminal using a known method such as image binarization processing, edge and feature detection, etc. can be used. .. Alternatively, it is also possible to confirm the presence or absence of an abnormality by comparing the inspection image of the image-processed area around the track with the image-processed normal image captured at normal times. Here, as inspection items, damage, deformation, misalignment, etc. of the rail are assumed.

In this way, by inspecting railroad tracks using flying objects, not only can conventional visual work be automated, but also the time required to ensure safety can be shortened, thus ensuring the safety of railway operations more efficiently. A possible line inspection method can be provided.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 5 shows a flowchart relating to the flight body control related to the inspection of the track of the flight body according to the second embodiment. The feature of the flying object 20 in the present embodiment is that the inspection performed by the management terminal in the first embodiment is carried out by the flying object 20 itself.

The structure and functional blocks of the flying object 20 of the present embodiment can be equivalent to the flying object 10 disclosed in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, except for the parts particularly mentioned.

Regarding the step of flying on the track of FIG. 5 (S501), the step of confirming whether or not the position of the survey target has been surveyed (S502), and the step of imaging the periphery of the position of the survey target (S503), FIG. Since it is equivalent to the method in the first embodiment described in the above, the description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 5, the track inspection unit 71 of the inspection unit 31 of the flying object 20 inspects the track based on the captured image (S454). In the inspection, for example, an image processed by the image processing unit 73 using a known method such as binarization processing of an image, detection of an edge and a feature amount, and the like can be used. Alternatively, the presence or absence of an abnormality can be confirmed by comparing the inspection image 81 of the image-processed area around the track with the image-processed normal image 82 captured at normal times. Here, as inspection items, damage, deformation, misalignment, etc. of the rail are assumed.

Subsequently, the track inspection unit 71 confirms whether or not there is an abnormality in the track to be investigated as a result of the inspection (S505). As an abnormality, for example, damage to the rail is found, the rail width is different from the normal one, or the center of the rail is deviated.

If no abnormality is confirmed, the process returns to the original process, but if an abnormality is confirmed, the track inspection unit 71 inputs the fact that the abnormality has been confirmed, the content of the abnormality, an image, etc. into the map included in the map information 83. (S506). In addition, you can enter information on the map whether it has been investigated or not. The updated map information is transmitted by the notification generation unit 72 to an external device 28 such as a management terminal as a notification, whereby the operator of the management terminal can confirm the investigated position and the inspection result at a glance on the map. It becomes possible to do.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the flying object 20 can carry out all the investigations, it is possible to further improve the work efficiency.

The air vehicle of the present invention can be expected to be used as an industrial air vehicle mainly in surveys, surveys, observations, etc. in the railway business. In addition, the air vehicle of the present invention can be used in airplane-related industries such as multicopter drones, and further, through the present invention, it contributes to the improvement of safety related to the flight of these air vehicles and air vehicles. be able to.

The above-described embodiments are merely examples for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the interpretation of the present invention. It goes without saying that the present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention includes an equivalent thereof.

1 track 5 camera 10 flight object 21 flight controller
22 Memory 23 Sensors 24 Transmitter / receiver 25 Transmitter / receiver 26 Motor 28 External device 31 Inspection unit 32 Memory 51 Route information acquisition unit 52 Current position information acquisition unit 53 Flight control unit 54 GPS sensor 55 Accelerometer 61 Route information storage unit 62 Current position Information storage unit 71 Line inspection unit 72 Notification generation unit 73 Image processing unit 74 Imaging control unit 81 Inspection image 82 Normal image 83 Map information

Claims (5)

It ’s a control method for the aircraft.
Steps to acquire predetermined location information and
A step to control the movement of the flying object to the predetermined position,
A step of imaging a predetermined area at the predetermined position and
The step of transmitting the captured image and
How to control the flying object, including. The method for controlling an air vehicle according to claim 1.
A method of controlling an air vehicle that further includes a step of confirming whether or not a survey has been carried out at the predetermined position. The method for controlling an air vehicle according to claim 1.
A method for controlling an air vehicle, further including a step of confirming the presence or absence of an abnormality based on the captured image. The method for controlling an air vehicle according to claim 3.
A method for controlling an air vehicle, which comprises mapping the predetermined position to map information when an abnormality is confirmed in the confirmation step. The method for controlling an air vehicle according to claim 1.
A method for controlling an air vehicle, characterized in that the position information is acquired with reference to railway operation information.

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