JP2022107078A - Drone system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drone system that safely and efficiently performs a work by means of a plurality of drones.

SOLUTION: A drone system 500 includes at least a plurality of drones 100a, b that performs a work by flying in a work area and a control device 40 that controls a take-off order for causing the plurality of drones to take off. A departure platform (a movable body) 406a is capable of storing resources to be supplied to the drones, and the control device may further include a replenishment control unit 44 that controls a replenishment plan for replenishing the plurality of drones with resources. A movement control unit 45 may be further provided that causes some or all of the plurality of drones to fly a predetermined distance away from the movable body 406a when the movable body and the plurality of drones are moved.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a drone system .

The application of small helicopters (multicopters), which are generally called drones, is advancing. One of the important application fields is spraying chemicals such as pesticides and liquid fertilizers on agricultural land (fields) (for example, Patent Document 1). In Japan, where agricultural land is small compared to Europe and the United States, it is often appropriate to use drones instead of manned airplanes and helicopters.

Technologies such as the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System and RTK-GPS (Real Time Kinematic --Global Positioning System) have made it possible for drones to accurately know the absolute position of their aircraft in centimeters during flight. Even in the typical narrow and complicated terrain of farmland, it is possible to fly autonomously with minimal manual maneuvering and to spray chemicals efficiently and accurately.

On the other hand, there were cases where it was difficult to say that safety was taken into consideration for autonomous flying drones for agricultural chemical spraying. Since the drone carrying the drug weighs several tens of kilograms, it can have serious consequences in the event of an accident such as falling onto a person. In addition, since the operator of the drone is usually not an expert, a foolproof mechanism is necessary, but consideration for this is insufficient. Until now, there have been drone safety technologies that are premised on human maneuvering (for example, Patent Document 2), but in particular, they address safety issues specific to autonomous flight drones for agricultural chemical spraying. There was no technique to do this.

Further, when a plurality of drones perform work, a system is required to carry out the work safely and efficiently without the plurality of drones colliding with each other.

Patent Document 3 describes a remote control device that alternates between two sets of moving bodies without stopping the operation of the other set of moving bodies while charging one set of moving bodies. Is disclosed. When the change time detecting means detects that it is the change time of the moving body, the control unit of the remote control device alternates between the operating moving body and the charging moving body by wireless transmission.

However, Patent Document 3 does not describe that one of the moving bodies always operates, and that the work is safely performed without the plurality of moving bodies colliding with each other.

Patent Publication Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-120151 Patent Publication Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-163265 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1998-143246

We provide a drone system that carries out work safely and efficiently with multiple drones.

In order to achieve the above object, the drone system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of drones that fly in a work area to perform work, and a control device that controls the takeoff sequence for taking off the plurality of drones. , At least.

The control device may be configured to take off the plurality of drones one by one.

The control device may be configured to acquire information on the first drone that is taking off and to take off the second drone when the drone meets a predetermined condition.

The control device may be configured to take off the second drone when the distance between the first drone and the second drone is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance.

The control device may be configured to control the landing sequence for landing on the landing platform.

When the drone information acquisition unit that acquires the information of the plurality of drones and the scheduled stay time zone of the plurality of drones at the departure / arrival platform overlap, the control device makes the landing based on the information of the plurality of drones. It may further include a landing order determination unit that determines the order.

The drone information acquisition unit acquires return information regarding the cause of the drone returning to the departure / arrival platform.
The landing order determination unit may determine the landing order based on the return information.

The landing order determination unit may be configured to land the drone before the other drones when the drone returns based on a return command from the user.

The landing order determination unit may be configured to land the drone before any other drone if the drone returns based on at least one failure or anomaly occurring in the drone. good.

The drone information acquisition unit may acquire the amount of resources held by the plurality of drones, and the landing order determination unit may determine the landing order based on the amount of the resources.

The landing order determination unit may be configured to land the drone with a smaller amount of resources before the other drones.

The amount of the resource may be configured to include at least one of the amount of energy driving the drone and the amount of drug sprayed by the drone.

When the scheduled stay time zones overlap, the drone whose landing order is later may be configured to wait until the drone is ready to land on the landing platform.

When the scheduled stay time zones overlap, the drone whose landing order is later is configured to hover and wait in the work area until the drone is ready to land on the landing platform. You may.

When the scheduled stay time zones overlap, the drone having the landing order first may be landed on the landing platform, and other drones may be landed at a place different from the landing platform. ..

It may be configured to shorten the work planned for at least one drone of the plurality of drones having overlapping scheduled stay time zones.

The control device may be configured to change the scheduled stay time zone by changing the flight speed of at least one of the drones in a plurality of the drones having overlapping scheduled stay time zones. ..

It may be configured to increase the flight speed of at least one of the drones having overlapping scheduled stay time zones.

The drone's landing platform can accommodate the resources to be replenished to the drone, and the control device is configured to further include a replenishment control unit that controls a replenishment plan to replenish the resources to the plurality of drones. You may.

The replenishment plan is configured to include at least one piece of information about the order of landing of the drone on the landing platform, the type of resource replenished to the drone, the amount of the resource, and the time of replenishment. It may have been done.

The drone system may be further configured to include a terminal that receives and notifies at least a portion of the replenishment plan.

The replenishment control unit includes a replenishment plan acquisition unit that acquires the amount of the resource that is planned to be replenished from the departure / arrival platform to the drone, and a moving body that acquires the amount of the resource that is accommodated in the departure / arrival platform. Resource acquisition department and
The terminal may be configured to notify when the planned amount of the resource exceeds the amount of the contained resource.

The replenishment control unit issues a notification when the amount of the resources planned to be replenished to the drone scheduled to land most recently exceeds the amount of resources accommodated in the landing platform. It may be configured to do so.

The landing platform may be a moving body that can move with the drone.

When the moving body and the plurality of the drones move, a moving control unit which allows a part or all of the plurality of the drones to fly at a predetermined distance from the moving body may be further provided.

The movement control unit may be configured to fly a plurality of the drones separated by a predetermined distance behind the moving body in the traveling direction.

The movement control unit may be configured to fly a plurality of the drones separated by a predetermined distance above the moving body.

In a state where the moving body and the plurality of the drones are moving, when the moving body moves in the direction opposite to the traveling direction, the moving control unit starts the drone at the rearmost position in the traveling direction. It may be configured to move.

The drone includes an obstacle detection unit that detects obstacles in the vicinity, and the mobile control unit is configured to land a plurality of the drones including the drone when the drone detects an obstacle. May be good.

The movement control unit is configured to land a plurality of the drones when the moving body and the plurality of the drones are moving and the moving body moves in the direction opposite to the traveling direction. May be good.

The mobile control unit may be configured to issue an alarm when landing the drone.

In order to achieve the above object, the method for controlling a drone system according to one aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling a drone system including at least a plurality of drones that fly in a work area and perform work. Includes steps to control the takeoff sequence of taking off the drone.

In order to achieve the above object, the drone system control program according to one aspect of the present invention is a drone system control program including at least a plurality of drones that fly in a work area and perform work.
Have the computer execute an instruction to control the takeoff sequence for taking off the plurality of drones.

In order to achieve the above object, the drone according to one aspect of the present invention is a drone that flies in a work area to perform work, and is connected to a control device that controls the takeoff sequence to be taken off. Take off based on the order from.

In order to achieve the above object, the moving body according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of drones that fly in a work area to perform work, and a control device that controls the takeoff sequence for taking off the plurality of drones. A moving body included in a drone system including at least, the moving body can accommodate resources to be replenished to the drone.

In order to achieve the above object, the control device according to one aspect of the present invention is connected to a plurality of drones that fly in a work area and perform work, and based on the information regarding the plurality of drones, the plurality of drones. Control the takeoff sequence of taking off the drone.

Work can be carried out safely and efficiently with multiple drones.

It is a top view of the drone which the drone system which concerns on this invention has. It is a front view of the drone which the said drone system has. It is a right side view of the above drone. It is a rear view of the said drone. It is a perspective view of the said drone. It is an overall conceptual diagram of the said drone system. It is an overall conceptual diagram which shows the 2nd Embodiment of the said drone system. It is an overall conceptual diagram which shows the 3rd Embodiment of the said drone system. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the arrangement of the field where the drone works, and the automatic driving permission area where the moving body travels. It is a schematic diagram which showed the control function of the said drone. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the state of the moving body which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the state that the upper surface plate on which the drone is placed slides rearward of the moving body. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram relating to a function of controlling the landing, resource replenishment, and movement of a plurality of the drones possessed by the drone, the moving body, and the control device according to the present invention. It is a schematic diagram of (a) the first embodiment and (b) the schematic diagram of another embodiment which shows how the moving body and a plurality of drones move at the same time. It is a flowchart about landing control performed by the said control device. It is a flowchart about replenishment control performed by the said control device. It is a flowchart about mobile control performed by the said control device.

Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. All figures are illustrations. In the following detailed description, certain details are given for illustration purposes and to facilitate a complete understanding of the disclosed embodiments. However, embodiments are not limited to these particular details. Also, to simplify the drawings, well-known structures and devices are outlined.

First, the configuration of the drone included in the drone system according to the present invention will be described. In the specification of the present application, the drone is regardless of the power means (electric power, prime mover, etc.) and the maneuvering method (wireless or wired, autonomous flight type, manual maneuvering type, etc.). It refers to all air vehicles with multiple rotor blades.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the rotor blades 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101-2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b (also referred to as rotors) are It is a means for flying the Drone 100, and is equipped with eight aircraft (four sets of two-stage rotor blades) in consideration of the balance between flight stability, aircraft size, and power consumption. Each rotor 101 is arranged on all sides of the main body 110 by an arm protruding from the main body 110 of the drone 100. That is, the rotor blades 101-1a and 101-1b are on the left rear side in the traveling direction, the rotor blades 101-2a and 101-2b are on the left front side, the rotor blades 101-3a and 101-3b are on the right rear side, and the rotor blades 101- are on the right front side. 4a and 101-4b are arranged respectively. In addition, the drone 100 has the traveling direction facing downward on the paper in FIG. Rod-shaped legs 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, 107-4 extend downward from the rotation axis of the rotary blade 101, respectively.

Motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 102-4a, 102-4b are rotary blades 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101- It is a means to rotate 2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b (typically an electric motor, but it may also be a motor, etc.), and one machine is provided for one rotary blade. Has been done. Motor 102 is an example of a thruster. The upper and lower rotors (eg, 101-1a and 101-1b) in one set, and the corresponding motors (eg, 102-1a and 102-1b), are used for drone flight stability, etc. The axes are on the same straight line and rotate in opposite directions. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the radial members for supporting the propeller guards provided so that the rotor does not interfere with foreign matter have a wobbling structure rather than a horizontal structure. This is to encourage the member to buckle outside the rotor in the event of a collision and prevent it from interfering with the rotor.

The drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4 are means for spraying the drug downward, and four of them are provided. In the specification of the present application, the term "pharmaceutical" generally refers to a liquid or powder sprayed in a field such as a pesticide, a herbicide, a liquid fertilizer, an insecticide, a seed, and water.

The drug tank 104 is a tank for storing the sprayed drug, and is provided at a position close to the center of gravity of the drone 100 and at a position lower than the center of gravity from the viewpoint of weight balance. The drug hoses 105-1, 105-2, 1053, 105-4 are means for connecting the drug tank 104 and the drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4, and are rigid. It may be made of the above-mentioned material and also serve to support the drug nozzle. The pump 106 is a means for discharging the drug from the nozzle.

FIG. 6 shows an overall conceptual diagram of a system using an embodiment of the drone 100 for chemical spraying according to the present invention. This figure is a schematic view, and the scale is not accurate. In the figure, the drone 100, the actuator 401, the small mobile terminal 401a, the base station 404, and the mobile body 406a are connected to the farming cloud 405, respectively. These connections may be wireless communication by Wi-Fi, mobile communication system or the like, or may be partially or wholly connected by wire.

The drone 100 and the mobile body 406a send and receive information to each other and operate in cooperation with each other. The moving body 406a is an example of a departure / arrival platform and has a departure / arrival point 406. The drone 100 has a flight control unit 21 that controls the flight of the drone 100, and a functional unit for transmitting and receiving information to and from the moving body 406a.

The operator 401 is a means for transmitting a command to the drone 100 by the operation of the user 402 and displaying information received from the drone 100 (for example, position, amount of medicine, remaining battery level, camera image, etc.). Yes, it may be realized by a portable information device such as a general tablet terminal that runs a computer program. The drone 100 according to the present invention is controlled to perform autonomous flight, but may be capable of manual operation during basic operations such as takeoff and return, and in an emergency. In addition to the portable information device, an emergency operation device (not shown) having a function dedicated to emergency stop may be used. The emergency operation device may be a dedicated device provided with a large emergency stop button or the like so that an emergency response can be taken quickly. Further, apart from the operating device 401, the system may include a small mobile terminal 401a capable of displaying a part or all of the information displayed on the operating device 401, for example, a smart phone. Further, it may have a function of changing the operation of the drone 100 based on the information input from the small mobile terminal 401a. The small mobile terminal 401a is connected to, for example, the base station 404, and can receive information and the like from the farming cloud 405 via the base station 404.

The field 403 is a rice field, a field, or the like that is the target of chemical spraying by the drone 100. In reality, the terrain of the field 403 is complicated, and the topographic map may not be available in advance, or the topographic map and the situation at the site may be inconsistent. Normally, field 403 is adjacent to houses, hospitals, schools, other crop fields, roads, railroads, and the like. In addition, intruders such as buildings and electric wires may exist in the field 403.

The base station 404 is a device that provides a master unit function for Wi-Fi communication, etc., and may also function as an RTK-GPS base station so that it can provide an accurate position of the drone 100 (Wi-). The base unit function of Fi communication and the RTK-GPS base station may be independent devices). Further, the base station 404 may be able to communicate with the farming cloud 405 by using a mobile communication system such as 3G, 4G, and LTE. In the present embodiment, the base station 404 is loaded on the mobile body 406a together with the departure / arrival point 406.

The farming cloud 405 is typically a group of computers and related software operated on a cloud service, and may be wirelessly connected to the actuator 401 by a mobile phone line or the like. The farming cloud 405 may analyze the image of the field 403 taken by the drone 100, grasp the growing condition of the crop, and perform a process for determining the flight route. In addition, the topographical information of the stored field 403 and the like may be provided to the drone 100. In addition, the history of the flight and captured images of the drone 100 may be accumulated and various analysis processes may be performed.

The small mobile terminal 401a is, for example, a smart phone or the like. On the display of the small mobile terminal 401a, information on expected operations regarding the operation of the drone 100, more specifically, the scheduled time when the drone 100 will return to the departure / arrival point 406, and the work to be performed by the user 402 at the time of return Information such as contents is displayed as appropriate. Further, the operation of the drone 100 and the mobile body 406a may be changed based on the input from the small mobile terminal 401a. The small mobile terminal 401a can receive information from either the drone 100 or the mobile 406a. Further, the information from the drone 100 may be transmitted to the small mobile terminal 401a via the mobile body 406a.

Normally, the drone 100 takes off from the departure / arrival point 406 outside the field 403 and returns to the departure / arrival point 406 after spraying the chemicals on the field 403 or when the chemicals need to be replenished or charged. The flight route (invasion route) from the departure / arrival point 406 to the target field 403 may be stored in advance in the farming cloud 405 or the like, or may be input by the user 402 before the start of takeoff.

As in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7, in the drug spraying system of the drone 100 according to the present invention, the drone 100, the actuator 401, the small mobile terminal 401a, and the farming cloud 405 are connected to the base station 404, respectively. It may be the configuration that is used.

Further, as in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 8, in the drug spraying system of the drone 100 according to the present invention, the drone 100, the actuator 401, and the small mobile terminal 401a are each connected to the base station 404 and operated. Only the vessel 401 may be connected to the farming cloud 405.

As shown in FIG. 9, the drone 100 flies over the fields 403a and 403b to perform the work in the field. The moving body 406a automatically travels in the automatic driving permission area 90 provided around the fields 403a and 403b. The automatic driving permission area 90 is, for example, a farm road. The fields 403a and 403b and the automatic operation permit area 90 constitute a work area. In the automatic driving permission area 90, the moving body 406a can move, but the drone 100 cannot land. The moving permission area 901 and the moving body 406a can move, and the drone 100 can land on the moving body 406a. It is subdivided into a landing permit area 902. The reason why the drone 100 cannot land is that, for example, an obstacle 80 such as a guardrail, a utility pole, an electric wire, a warehouse, or a grave is installed between the area and the field 403a.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of drones 100a and 100b (hereinafter, also referred to as a first drone 100a and a second drone 100b) fly simultaneously in one field 403a (example of a work area), and each of them performs work. You may. The work performed by the first drone 100a is an example of the first work, and the work performed by the second drone 100b is an example of the second work. The first operation includes the operation of flying the first operation path 51 comprehensively set in the first work area 403c which is a part of the field 403a. The second work includes an operation of flying the second operation path 52 comprehensively set in the second work area 403d, which is an area other than the first work area 403c in the field 403a. The drones 100a and 100b spray chemicals and photograph the inside of the field 403a while flying along the first and second driving routes 51 and 52.

The first operation path 51 includes a start point 51s, a work path 51a, an unworked path 51b, and an end point 51e. The first drone 100a starts flying from the starting point 51s and flies to the ending point 51e. The route that the drone 100a has already flown is the worked route 51a, and the route that the drone 100a plans to fly is the unworked route 51b. Similarly, the second operation path 52 includes a start point 52s, a work path 52a, an unworked path 52b, and an end point 52e. The second drone 100b starts flying from the starting point 52s and flies to the ending point 52e. The route that the drone 100b has already flown is the worked route 52a, and the route that the drone 100b plans to fly is the unworked route 52b.

A plurality of moving bodies 406A and 406b (hereinafter, also referred to as first moving body 406A and second moving body 406B) travel in the automatic driving permission area 90. The plurality of drones 100a and 100b and the plurality of mobile bodies 406A and 406B included in the drone system 500 are connected to each other via a network and are centrally managed by the control device 40 described later in FIG.

In this embodiment, the number of drones and moving objects is the same, but it does not have to be the same. When the number of drones and moving bodies is the same, one drone can be mounted on each moving body, so that all the drones can be loaded on the moving body and the drones can be carried in from outside the work area. In addition, although the moving object cannot replenish resources for a plurality of drones at the same time, it is possible to replenish resources for all the drones at the same time according to the configuration in which the drone system 500 includes the same number of drones and moving objects.

The control device 40 may be an independent device or may be mounted on any of the configurations included in the drone system 500, such as a plurality of drones 100a, 100b, a plurality of mobile bodies 406A, 406B or a farming cloud 405. May be good.

Drone 100 takes off from moving object 406a and performs work in fields 403a and 403b. During the work in the fields 403a and 403b, the drone 100 interrupts the work as appropriate and returns to the moving body 406a to replenish the battery 502 and the medicine. When the work in the predetermined field is completed, the drone 100 rides on the moving body 406a, moves to the vicinity of another field, takes off from the moving body 406a again, and starts the work in the other field. In this way, the movement of the drone 100 within the automatic driving permission area 90 is, in principle, carried out on the moving body 406a, and the moving body 406a carries the drone 100 to the vicinity of the field where the work is performed. According to this configuration, the battery 502 of the drone 100 can be saved. Further, since the moving body 406a stores the battery 502 and the medicine that can be replenished in the drone 100, according to the configuration in which the moving body 406a moves to the vicinity of the field where the drone 100 is working and stands by, the drone It is possible to efficiently replenish resources to 100.

The area outside the automatic driving permitted area 90 is the automatic driving non-permitted area 91. The automatic driving permitted area 90 and the automatic driving non-permitted area 91 are partitioned by the partition members 407a, 407b, 407c, 407d, and 407e. The automatic driving permitted area 90 and the automatic driving non-permitted area 91 are separated by various obstacles, etc., and roads are continuously formed. It may be located on the road. In other words, the compartment members 407a, 407b, 407c, 407d, and 407e are located at the entrance to the automated driving permit area 90.

The section member 407 is a member for partitioning a work area to be moved when the moving body 406a or the drone 100 works in the field 403 and its surrounding area, and is, for example, a color cone (registered trademark) or a triangular cone. , Cone bars, barricades, field arches, fences, etc. The partition member 407 may be physically partitioned or may be partitioned by a light beam such as infrared rays. The compartment member 407 is mainly used to notify an intruder outside the work area that he / she is working and to restrict access to the work area. Therefore, it is a member that can be visually recognized by an intruder even from a distance. Further, since the partition member 407 is installed by the user 402 at the start of the work, it is preferable that the partition member 407 is easy to install and remove. A plurality of partition members 407 may be included in the drone system 500. The partition member 407 may detect that an intruder has invaded the work area and transmit the intrusion information to the mobile body 406a, the actuator 401, the small mobile terminal 401a, and the like. Intruders include people, cars, and other moving objects.

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram showing a control function of an embodiment of the drug spraying drone according to the present invention. The flight controller 501 is a component that controls the entire drone, and may be an embedded computer including a CPU, memory, related software, and the like. The flight controller 501 uses motors 102-1a and 102-1b via control means such as ESC (Electronic Speed Control) based on the input information received from the controller 401 and the input information obtained from various sensors described later. , 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 104-a, 104-b to control the flight of the drone 100. The actual rotation speeds of the motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 104-a, 104-b are fed back to the flight controller 501, and normal rotation is performed. It is configured so that it can be monitored. Alternatively, the rotary blade 101 may be provided with an optical sensor or the like so that the rotation of the rotary blade 101 is fed back to the flight controller 501.

The software used by the flight controller 501 can be rewritten through a storage medium or the like for function expansion / change, problem correction, etc., or through communication means such as Wi-Fi communication or USB. In this case, protection is performed by encryption, checksum, electronic signature, virus check software, etc. so that rewriting by unauthorized software is not performed. In addition, a part of the calculation process used by the flight controller 501 for control may be executed by another computer located on the controller 401, the farming cloud 405, or somewhere else. Due to the high importance of the flight controller 501, some or all of its components may be duplicated.

The flight controller 501 communicates with the actuator 401 via the Wi-Fi slave unit function 503 and further via the base station 404, receives necessary commands from the actuator 401, and receives necessary information from the actuator 401. Can be sent to 401. In this case, the communication may be encrypted so as to prevent fraudulent acts such as interception, spoofing, and device hijacking. Base station 404 has the function of RTK-GPS base station in addition to the communication function by Wi-Fi. By combining the signal from the RTK base station and the signal from the GPS positioning satellite, the flight controller 501 can measure the absolute position of the drone 100 with an accuracy of about several centimeters. Flight controllers 501 are so important that they may be duplicated and multiplexed, and each redundant flight controller 501 should use a different satellite to handle the failure of a particular GPS satellite. It may be controlled.

The 6-axis gyro sensor 505 is a means for measuring the acceleration of the drone body in three directions orthogonal to each other, and further, a means for calculating the velocity by integrating the acceleration. The 6-axis gyro sensor 505 is a means for measuring the change in the attitude angle of the drone aircraft in the above-mentioned three directions, that is, the angular velocity. The geomagnetic sensor 506 is a means for measuring the direction of the drone body by measuring the geomagnetism. The barometric pressure sensor 507 is a means for measuring barometric pressure, and can also indirectly measure the altitude of the drone. The laser sensor 508 is a means for measuring the distance between the drone body and the ground surface by utilizing the reflection of the laser light, and may be an IR (infrared) laser. The sonar 509 is a means for measuring the distance between the drone aircraft and the ground surface by utilizing the reflection of sound waves such as ultrasonic waves. These sensors may be selected according to the cost target and performance requirements of the drone. In addition, a gyro sensor (angular velocity sensor) for measuring the inclination of the aircraft, a wind power sensor for measuring wind power, and the like may be added. Further, these sensors may be duplicated or multiplexed. If there are multiple sensors for the same purpose, the flight controller 501 may use only one of them, and if it fails, it may switch to an alternative sensor for use. Alternatively, a plurality of sensors may be used at the same time, and if the measurement results do not match, it may be considered that a failure has occurred.

The flow rate sensor 510 is a means for measuring the flow rate of the drug, and is provided at a plurality of locations on the path from the drug tank 104 to the drug nozzle 103. The liquid drain sensor 511 is a sensor that detects that the amount of the drug has fallen below a predetermined amount. The multispectral camera 512 is a means of photographing the field 403 and acquiring data for image analysis. The intruder detection camera 513 is a camera for detecting a drone intruder, and is a different device from the multispectral camera 512 because its image characteristics and lens orientation are different from those of the multispectral camera 512. The switch 514 is a means for the user 402 of the drone 100 to make various settings. The Intruder Contact Sensor 515 is a sensor for detecting that the drone 100, in particular its rotor or propeller guard, has come into contact with an intruder such as an electric wire, a building, a human body, a tree, a bird, or another drone. .. The intruder contact sensor 515 may be replaced by a 6-axis gyro sensor 505. The cover sensor 516 is a sensor that detects that the operation panel of the drone 100 and the cover for internal maintenance are in the open state. The drug inlet sensor 517 is a sensor that detects that the inlet of the drug tank 104 is in an open state. These sensors may be selected according to the cost target and performance requirements of the drone, and may be duplicated or multiplexed. Further, a sensor may be provided at the base station 404, the actuator 401, or some other place outside the drone 100, and the read information may be transmitted to the drone. For example, a wind power sensor may be provided in the base station 404 to transmit information on the wind power and the wind direction to the drone 100 via Wi-Fi communication.

The flight controller 501 transmits a control signal to the pump 106 to adjust the drug discharge amount and stop the drug discharge. The current status of the pump 106 (for example, the number of revolutions) is fed back to the flight controller 501.

The LED 107 is a display means for informing the drone operator of the state of the drone. Display means such as a liquid crystal display may be used in place of or in addition to the LED. The buzzer 518 is an output means for notifying the state of the drone (particularly the error state) by an audio signal. The Wi-Fi slave unit function 519 is an optional component for communicating with an external computer or the like for transferring software, for example, in addition to the actuator 401. Instead of or in addition to the Wi-Fi slave function, other wireless communication means such as infrared communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), NFC, or wired communication means such as USB connection You may use it. Further, instead of the Wi-Fi slave unit function, mutual communication may be possible by a mobile communication system such as 3G, 4G, and LTE. The speaker 520 is an output means for notifying the state of the drone (particularly the error state) by means of recorded human voice, synthetic voice, or the like. Depending on the weather conditions, it may be difficult to see the visual display of the drone 100 in flight. In such cases, voice communication is effective. The warning light 521 is a display means such as a strobe light for notifying the state of the drone (particularly the error state). These input / output means may be selected according to the cost target and performance requirements of the drone, and may be duplicated or multiplexed.

● Configuration of the moving body The moving body 406a shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 receives the information possessed by the drone 100 and appropriately notifies the user 402, or receives the input from the user 402 and transmits it to the drone 100. It is a device. In addition, the moving body 406a can be moved by loading the drone 100. The moving body 406a may be driven by the user 402 or may be autonomously movable. Although the moving body 406a in the present embodiment is assumed to be a vehicle such as an automobile, more specifically, a light truck, it may be an appropriate moving body capable of traveling on land such as a train, or a ship or flight. It may be a body. The drive source of the moving body 406a may be an appropriate one such as gasoline, electricity, and a fuel cell.

The moving body 406a is a vehicle in which a passenger seat 81 is arranged in the front in the direction of travel and a loading platform 82 is arranged in the rear. On the bottom surface side of the moving body 406a, four wheels 83, which are examples of the means of transportation, are arranged so as to be driveable. The user 402 can board the passenger seat 81.

The passenger seat 81 is provided with a display unit 65 that displays the state of the moving body 406a and the drone 100. The display unit 65 may be a device having a screen, or may be realized by a mechanism for projecting information on the windshield. Further, in addition to the display unit 65, a rear display unit 65a may be installed on the rear side of the vehicle body 810 that covers the passenger seat 81. The angle of the rear display unit 65a with respect to the vehicle body 810 can be changed to the left and right, and the user 402 working behind the loading platform 82 and to the left and right can obtain information by looking at the screen.

At the left end of the front part of the loading platform 82 of the moving body 406a, a base station 404 having a shape in which a disk-shaped member is connected above a round bar extends above the passenger seat 81. The shape and position of the base station 404 are arbitrary. According to the configuration in which the base station 404 is on the passenger seat 81 side of the loading platform 82, the base station 404 is less likely to interfere with the takeoff and landing of the drone 100 as compared with the configuration in the rear of the loading platform 82.

The loading platform 82 has a battery 502 of the drone 100 and a luggage compartment 821 for storing the medicine to be replenished in the medicine tank 104 of the drone 100. The luggage compartment 821 is an area surrounded by a vehicle body 810 that covers the passenger seat 81, a rear plate 822, a pair of side plates 823 and 823, and a top plate 824. The rear plate 822 and the side plate 823 are also referred to as "tilts". Rails 825 are arranged along the upper ends of the side plates 823 up to the vehicle body 810 on the back side of the passenger seat 81 at each of the upper ends of the rear plate 822. The top plate 824 is a departure / arrival area which is a departure / arrival point 406 on which the drone 100 is placed and can take off and land, and is slidable back and forth along the rail 825 in the traveling direction. The rail 825 has ribs protruding above the plane of the top plate 824 to prevent the drone 100 on the top plate 824 from slipping out from the left and right ends of the moving body 406a. Further, a rib 8241 protruding to the upper surface side to the same extent as the rail 825 is also formed behind the upper surface plate 824.

Warning lights 830 may be arranged on the upper part of the vehicle body 810 and on the rear side of the rear plate 822 in the traveling direction to indicate that the drone system 500 is in operation. The warning light 830 may be a display that distinguishes between working and non-working by color scheme or blinking, or may be capable of displaying characters or patterns. Further, the warning light 830 on the upper part of the vehicle body 810 may extend to the upper part of the vehicle body 810 and can be displayed on both sides. According to this configuration, the warning can be visually recognized from the rear even when the drone 100 is arranged on the loading platform 82. In addition, the warning can be visually recognized from the front of the moving body 406a in the traveling direction. Since the warning light 830 can be visually recognized from the front and the rear, it is possible to partially save the trouble of installing the partition member 407.

The top plate 824 may be slidable manually, or may be slid automatically by using a rack and pinion mechanism or the like. When the top plate 824 is slid rearward, the article can be stored in the luggage compartment 821 and the article can be taken out from above the loading platform 82. Further, in the form in which the upper surface plate 824 is slid rearward, the upper surface plate 824 and the vehicle body 810 are sufficiently separated from each other, so that the drone 100 can take off and land at the departure / arrival point 406.

The top plate 824 is provided with four foot receiving portions 826 to which the feet 107-1,107-2,107-3,107-4 of the drone 100 can be fixed. The footrest 826 is a disk-shaped member whose upper surface is recessed in a truncated cone shape, one by one at positions corresponding to, for example, the four feet 107-1,107-2,107-3,107-4 of the drone 100. be. The bottom of the truncated cone-shaped recess of the foot receiving portion 826 and the tips of the feet 107-1,107-2,107-3,107-4 may have shapes that can be fitted to each other. When landing on the footrest 826, the drone 100's feet 107-1,107-2,107-3,107-4 slide along the conical surface of the footrest 826 and on the bottom of the cone 107-1,107-2,107. -3,107-4 tips are guided. The drone 100 can be automatically or manually fixed to the footrest 826 by an appropriate mechanism, and even when the moving body 406a moves with the drone 100 on it, the drone 100 does not vibrate or fall excessively. Can be transported safely. Further, the moving body 406a can detect whether or not the drone 100 is fixed to the foot receiving portion 826.

A circumferential light 850 that displays a guideline for the takeoff and landing position of the drone 100 is arranged in the substantially central part of the top plate 824. The circumferential lamp 850 is formed by a group of light emitters arranged in a substantially circular shape, and the group of light emitters can blink individually. In the present embodiment, four large illuminants 850a arranged at intervals of about 90 degrees on the circumference and two small illuminants 850b arranged at equal intervals between the large illuminants 850a are used as one. Consists of the circumferential light 850. The circumferential light 850 indicates the flight direction of the drone 100 after takeoff or the direction of flight when landing by lighting one or more of the light emitter groups 850a and 850b. The circumferential lamp 850 may be composed of one annular light emitter that can be partially blinked.

The bottom side of the pair of side plates 823 is hinged to the loading platform 82, and the side plates 823 can be tilted outward. FIG. 12 shows how the side plate 823 on the left side in the traveling direction is tilted outward. When the side plate 823 falls outward, the contents can be stored and taken out from the side of the moving body 406a. The side plate 823 is fixed substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the luggage compartment 821, and the side plate 823 can also be used as a workbench.

The pair of rails 825 constitutes a form switching mechanism. Further, a hinge connecting the side plate 823 and the loading platform 82 may also be included in the form switching mechanism. The moving body 406a moves in a form in which the top plate 824 is arranged so as to cover the upper part of the luggage compartment 821 and the side plate 823 stands up and covers the side surface of the luggage compartment 821. When the moving body 406a is stationary, the top plate 824 is switched to a form in which the top plate 824 is slid rearward, or the side plate 823 is in a form in which the side plate 823 is tilted, so that the user 402 can approach the inside of the luggage compartment 821.

The drone 100 can replenish the battery 502 while landing at the departure / arrival point 406. Replenishment of the battery 502 includes charging the built-in battery 502 and replacing the battery 502. A charging device for the battery 502 is stored in the luggage compartment 821, and the battery 502 stored in the luggage compartment 821 can be charged. Further, the drone 100 is provided with an ultracapacitor mechanism instead of the battery 502, and a charger for the ultracapacitor may be stored in the luggage compartment 821. In this configuration, when the drone 100 is fixed to the footrest 826, the battery 502 mounted on the drone 100 can be quickly charged through the foot of the drone 100.

The drone 100 can replenish the medicine stored in the medicine tank 104 while landing at the departure / arrival point 406. The luggage compartment 821 contains an appropriate component for dilution and mixing, such as a dilution and mixing tank for diluting and mixing the drug, a stirring mechanism, and a pump and a hose that suck the drug from the dilution and mixing tank and inject it into the drug tank 104. It may have been done. Further, a replenishment hose that extends from the luggage compartment 821 to the upper side of the upper surface plate 824 and can be connected to the injection port of the drug tank 104 may be piped.

A waste liquid groove 840 and a waste liquid hole 841 for guiding the medicine discharged from the medicine tank 104 are formed on the upper surface side of the top plate 824. Two waste liquid grooves 840 and two waste liquid holes 841 are arranged, and the waste liquid groove 840 is located below the drug nozzle 103 regardless of whether the drone 100 faces the left or right side of the moving body 406a. ing. The waste liquid groove 840 is a groove having a predetermined width formed substantially straight along the length direction of the moving body 406a along the position of the drug nozzle 103, and is slightly toward the passenger seat 81 side. It is tilted. At the end of the waste liquid groove 840 on the passenger seat 81 side, a waste liquid hole 841 that penetrates the upper surface plate 824 and guides the chemical solution into the luggage compartment 821 is formed. The waste liquid hole 841 communicates with the waste liquid tank 842 installed in the luggage compartment 821 and substantially directly below the waste liquid hole 841.

When injecting a drug into the drug tank 104, an air bleeding operation is performed in which the gas filling the drug tank 104, mainly air, is discharged to the outside. At this time, it is necessary to perform an operation of discharging the medicine from the discharge port of the medicine tank 104. In addition, after the drone 100 has completed the work, it is necessary to discharge the drug from the drug tank 104. According to the configuration in which the waste liquid groove 840 and the waste liquid hole 841 are formed in the top plate 824, the waste liquid is discharged into the waste liquid tank when the medicine is injected and discharged into the medicine tank 104 with the drone 100 arranged in the top plate 824. It can be guided to 842, and drug injection and excretion can be performed safely.

● Configuration of drone, mobile body, and control device included in the drone system As shown in FIG. 13, the drone system 500 includes a first drone 100a, a second drone 100b, a first mobile body 406a, and a control device 40. The drone 100, the first drone 100a, the second drone 100b, the mobile body 406a, and the control device 40 are configured to be connected to each other, for example, via a network NW. The network NW may be all wireless, or part or all may be wired. Further, the specific connection relationship is not limited to the figure, and each configuration may be directly or indirectly connected. Since the first and second drones 100a and 100b have the same configuration as each other, they will be simply referred to as the drone 100 in the following description.

In the present embodiment, the number of drones is two and the number of moving objects is one, but each of them may be more than this. Further, the number of drones and moving objects may be the same or different. Multiple drones can take off and land on any of the multiple moving objects 406a and can replenish resources. Note that resource replenishment is a concept that includes replenishment of battery 502 and replenishment of chemicals.

● Drone Drone 100 is equipped with a flight control unit 21, an on-board resource acquisition unit 22, and a battery 502, respectively.

The flight control unit 21 is a functional unit that operates the motor 102 of the drone 100 and controls the flight and takeoff and landing of the drone 100. The flight control unit 21 is realized by, for example, the function of the flight controller 501.

The on-board resource acquisition unit 22 is a functional unit that acquires the amount of resources mounted on the drone 100, that is, the amount of electricity stored in the battery 502 and the amount of chemicals. The on-board resource acquisition unit 22 includes a storage amount acquisition unit 221 and a drug amount acquisition unit 222.

The electricity storage amount acquisition unit 221 is a functional unit that acquires the electricity storage amount of the battery 502 mounted on the drone 100. The amount of electricity stored in the battery 502 shall refer to the amount of energy that can operate the drone 100 without replenishing resources. The battery 502 may be any type of energy supply mechanism such as a primary battery, a secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

The storage amount acquisition unit 221 may acquire information from another configuration for measuring the storage amount of the battery 502, or the storage amount acquisition unit 221 itself may measure the storage amount of the battery 502.

The drug amount acquisition unit 222 is a functional unit that estimates the current storage amount of the drug in the drug tank 104. The drug amount acquisition unit 222 may estimate the stored amount from the weight of the drone 100 measured by the weight measuring unit 211a. Further, the drug amount acquisition unit 222 may have a function of estimating the liquid level in the drug tank 104, for example. The drug amount acquisition unit 222 may estimate the stored amount by using a liquid level gauge, a water pressure sensor, or the like arranged in the drug tank 104. When the drone 100 is in operation, the drug amount acquisition unit 222 integrates the discharge flow rate from the drug tank 104 measured by the flow rate sensor 510 to obtain the drug discharge amount, and the drug discharge amount is calculated from the initially loaded drug amount. May be estimated by subtracting.

The obstacle detection unit 23 is a functional unit that detects obstacles around the drone 100. The obstacle detection unit 23 is realized by, for example, an infrared sensor or a multispectral camera. When the obstacle detection unit 23 detects that the obstacle is within a predetermined range around the drone 100, the flight control unit 21 lands the drone 100.

● Moving object The moving object 406a is equipped with a luggage compartment 821, a storage resource acquisition unit 31, a landing detection unit 32, and a replenishment unit 33.

The accommodation resource acquisition unit 31 is a functional unit that measures the amount of resources possessed by the moving body 406a. The amount of resources includes the number of charged batteries 502 and the amount of chemicals. Further, the amount of resources may be the remaining charging capacity of the equipment for charging the battery 502. When the drone 100 is driven by a fuel cell, the amount of fuel gas that can be stored in the drone 100, for example, hydrogen gas, may be used. The amount of resources prepared in the moving body 406a may be acquired manually by the user 402, or may be automatically acquired. As an example of the configuration for automatically acquiring, a configuration for measuring the weight in a predetermined range of the luggage compartment 821 may be provided in order to acquire the amount of the drug. Further, in order to acquire the number of charged batteries 502, in addition to the weight within a predetermined range of the luggage compartment 821, the battery 502 may have a configuration for measuring the stored amount of electricity.

The landing detection unit 32 is a functional unit that detects whether or not the drone 100 is landing on the moving object 406a. The landing detection unit 32 detects the feet 107-1 to 107-4 of the drone 100, such as a touch switch and a capacitance sensor mounted on the foot receiving unit 826, so that the drone 100 lands on the moving body 406a. Detects whether or not it is done. When there are multiple drones 100 in the drone system 500, the landing detection unit 32 identifies which drone 100 is landing by acquiring the unique information of the drone 100 from the feet 107-1 to 107-4. It may be possible. Further, the landing detection unit 32 may identify the landing drone 100 by acquiring the position information of each drone 100 by RTK-GPS or the like.

The replenishment unit 33 is a functional unit that replenishes resources to the drone 100 landing on the moving object 406a. As described above, the replenishment unit 33 can charge the battery 502 mounted on the drone 100 landing on the moving body 406a. Further, instead of charging the battery 502, a configuration may be configured in which the battery 502 is charged at high speed by an ultracapacitor. Further, the replenishment unit 33 can replenish the drug stored in the drug tank 104.

● Control device The control device 40 is a functional unit that determines the work plan of the drone 100 and the moving body 406a. The work plan includes the movement routes of the drone 100 and the moving body 406a, and the moving speeds on the moving routes. The work plan for Drone 100 includes flight speed, flight acceleration and landing position coordinates, as well as information on the timing and amount of drug spraying. The work plan for the moving body 406a includes the moving speed, the moving acceleration, and the position coordinates of the moving body 406a when the drone 100 lands.

The work plan is independent for each drone 100 so that if there is only one drone 100 in the drone system 500, it will return when the amount of resources of the drone 100 meets certain conditions or when the work is completed. It is set. However, if the number of departure / arrival points 406 is less than the number of drones 100, it is not possible to land at the departure / arrival point 406 at the same time. Therefore, the control device 40 can control the drone 100 so that the time zones in which the drone 100 stays at the departure / arrival point 406 do not overlap. In addition, when the control device 40 replenishes the drone 100 with the resources at the departure / arrival point 406 in the work plan, the resources accommodated in the drone 100 and the moving body 406a so that the resources are replenished according to the work plan of each drone 100. Manage the amount.

The control device 40 includes a drone information acquisition unit 41, a moving object information acquisition unit 42, a landing control unit 43, a supplementary control unit 44, and a mobile control unit 45.

The drone information acquisition unit 41 is a functional unit that acquires information on each of the plurality of drones 100. The drone information acquisition unit 41 acquires, for example, the work plan currently planned for the drone 100. In addition, the drone information acquisition unit 41 acquires the position and state of the drone 100. The position of the drone 100 may include information on whether the drone 100 is inside or outside the field 403, in addition to the three-dimensional coordinates. The state of the drone 100 includes information on the operating state of the drone 100, that is, whether the drone 100 is moving, hovering, or landing. It also includes information on whether or not the drone 100 is spraying the drug while moving within the field 403. In addition, the state of the drone 100 includes information on whether or not a failure or abnormality has occurred in the drone 100. Abnormality refers to all events that hinder the flight of the drone 100 other than the failure of the drone 100 itself, and includes various events such as strong winds, extremely low and high temperatures, catching obstacles, and bird strikes.

The drone information acquisition unit 41 also acquires information on the destination of the drone 100 when the drone 100 is moving outside the field 403. When the destination of the drone 100 is the departure / arrival point 406 on the moving object 406a, the drone information acquisition unit 41 may acquire information on the cause of the return of the drone 100. The cause of the return of the drone 100 is, for example, the replenishment of the drone 100's resources, that is, charging or replenishing the drug. Further, the cause of the return of the drone 100 may be that a return command is transmitted from the actuator 401 or the small mobile terminal 401a. In addition, the drone 100 may be out of order or abnormal.

The drone information acquisition unit 41 can also acquire information on the amount of resources possessed by the drone 100 as the state of the drone 100. The resources possessed by the drone 100 include the flight energy of the drone 100, for example, the storage capacity of the battery 502. The flight energy of the drone 100 may be the amount of electricity stored by the ultracapacitor instead of the battery 502. Further, the resource possessed by the drone 100 includes a drug stored in the drug tank 104 of the drone 100.

The above-mentioned information acquired by the drone information acquisition unit 41 may be received directly or indirectly from the drone 100 on a regular basis, or the information is received when the state change or the amount of resources reaches a predetermined range. It may be configured as follows.

The moving body information acquisition unit 42 is a functional unit that acquires information on the moving body 406a, for example, the speed, acceleration, position, and state of the moving body 406a. The position of the moving body 406a may include information on whether the moving body 406a exists in the movement permission area 901 or the landing permission area 902 in addition to the three-dimensional coordinates.

● Configuration related to landing control The landing control unit 43 is a functional unit that controls the landing timing and landing order of multiple drones 100 included in the drone system 500. The landing control unit 43 includes a landing schedule acquisition unit 431, a landing order determination unit 432, a standby control unit 4333, and a return control unit 434.

The landing schedule acquisition unit 431 is a functional unit that acquires information on the landing schedule of the drone 100 based on the information acquired by the drone information acquisition unit 41. The landing schedule acquisition unit 431 acquires the scheduled landing time determined based on the position of the drone 100, the amount of resources held, etc., or the time from a certain reference time to the scheduled landing time. The landing schedule acquisition unit 431 may calculate the scheduled landing time, etc. or the time until the scheduled landing time by referring to the work plan of the drone 100, or may calculate the scheduled landing time, etc. or the time until the scheduled landing time from the drone 100. You may get it.

In addition, the landing schedule acquisition unit 431 also acquires information at the time of takeoff after each drone 100 has landed. Further, the landing schedule acquisition unit 431 provides information on when each drone 100 exits from the exit point of the field 403, reaches the departure / arrival point 406, takes off from the departure / arrival point 406, and enters from the entry point of the field 403. To get. From the above information, the landing schedule acquisition unit 431 can calculate the planned stay time zone of each drone 100 at the departure / arrival point 406.

The landing order determination unit 432 is a functional unit that determines the landing order when the scheduled stay time zones at the departure and arrival points 406 of a plurality of drones overlap based on the information acquired by the landing schedule acquisition unit 431.

The landing order determination unit 432 determines the landing order based on the information of the drone 100 acquired by the drone information acquisition unit 41. For example, the landing order determination unit 432 determines the landing order based on the return information regarding the cause of return acquired by the drone information acquisition unit 41. When the drone 100 returns based on the return command from the user, the landing order determination unit 432 makes the drone 100 land before the other drones 100.

Further, when the drone 100 returns based on a failure or abnormality that occurs in the drone 100, the landing order determination unit 432 makes the drone 100 land before other drones. This is because the return based on a failure or abnormality increases the risk of a crash or runaway due to the delay in the return, so it is necessary to land immediately. The drone 100 returning based on a failure or abnormality lands before the drone 100 returning based on the return command.

The landing order determination unit 432 may determine the landing order based on the amount of resources possessed by each of the plurality of drones 100. Specifically, the landing order determination unit 432 lands the drone 100, which has a smaller amount of resources, before the other drones 100. The amount of resources may be the amount of energy that drives the drone 100 or the amount of drug stored in the drone 100. Drone 100 with a smaller amount of resources is expected to work for a longer time after replenishing resources, so it is carried out by multiple drones 100 by performing replenishment work first and returning to work. The total work can be completed quickly. Also, the drone 100, which has less energy in the battery 502, may not have the energy for standby, which will be described later, so it is better to land first.

The standby control unit 433 is a functional unit that makes the drone 100, which has a later landing order, wait until it is ready to land at the departure / arrival point 406 when the scheduled stay time zones at the departure / arrival points 406 of the plurality of drones 100 overlap. .. Since the number of landing points 406 is limited at the same time, the drone 100 can be put on standby to prevent a collision and the drone 100 can be safely returned.

The standby control unit 433 may hover the drone 100, which has a later landing order, in the field 403 to stand by when the scheduled stay time zones overlap. Since there is a traffic of people including users and moving objects 406a outside the field 403, there is a risk of collision if the drone 100 is on standby. Can be secured. Further, the plurality of drones 100 have a common departure / arrival point, departure / arrival point 406, and departure / arrival route from the exit point to the departure / arrival point 406. This is because by sharing the flight route outside the field 403, it becomes easier for the user to grasp the flight route of the drone 100, and the user can feel reassured. On the other hand, if there are multiple drones 100 on the departure / arrival route, they may collide with each other. Therefore, by making the drone 100 stand by in the field 403, it is possible to avoid a collision with the drone 100 entering the field 403 from the departure / arrival point 406.

The standby control unit 433 acquires information from the moving object information acquisition unit 42 that the drone 100 can land at the departure / arrival point 406, ends the standby of the drone 100, and flies to the departure / arrival point 406. Further, the standby control unit 433 may fly the waiting drone 100 to the departure / arrival point 406 after determining that there is no other drone 100 at the departure / arrival point 406, the departure / arrival route, and the exit point.

In addition to the above, the standby control unit 433 puts the drone 100 in the field 403 based on the fact that the moving body 406a is undergoing replenishment work or that there is an obstacle such as a user around the moving body 406a. You may make it stand by.

The return control unit 434 is a functional unit that changes the flight operation of at least one drone 100 when the scheduled stay time zones of the plurality of drones 100 overlap. The return control unit 434 may land the drone 100, which has the first landing order, at the departure / arrival point 406, and may land another drone 100 at a location different from the departure / arrival point 406. For example, another drone 100 may land in the vicinity of moving object 406a. Further, the other drone 100 may land at a predetermined distance behind the moving body 406a in the traveling direction. When a plurality of drones 100 and the moving body 406a move at the same time, the drone 100 moves in a row behind the moving body 406a, for example. Can be started smoothly.

The return control unit 434 may change the scheduled stay time zone by shortening the work plan scheduled for at least one drone 100 in the plurality of drones 100 having overlapping scheduled stay time zones. That is, the return control unit 434 interrupts the work early and returns it to the departure / arrival point 406 before the resources of one drone 100 reach the state where replenishment is still required. According to this configuration, compared to the configuration in which the drone 100 is kept on standby, the drone that has been interrupted earlier can complete the replenishment earlier and resume the work in the field 403, so that the work can be performed efficiently. ..

The return control unit 434 may change the scheduled stay time zone by changing the flight speed of at least one drone 100 in a plurality of drones 100 having overlapping scheduled stay time zones. More specifically, among a plurality of drones 100 having overlapping landing schedules, the flight speed of the drone 100 that is determined to land first is increased. According to this configuration, it is possible to fly the route according to the original work plan and then return to the departure / arrival point 406 by shifting the scheduled stay time zone. That is, the work can be performed more efficiently than the configuration in which the drone 100 is made to stand by and the configuration in which the work of one drone 100 is interrupted at an early stage.

● Configuration related to replenishment control The replenishment control unit 44 is a functional unit that controls replenishment plans for replenishing resources to multiple drones 100.

A replenishment plan is a set of information that includes at least one piece of information about the order of landing of the drone 100 at the departure and arrival point 406, the type of resources replenished by the multiple drones 100, the amount of resources, and the time of replenishment. That is, the replenishment plan is information on when which drone 100 returns to the departure / arrival point 406 and how much of which resource is replenished. The replenishment control unit 44 controls the replenishment plan based on the information from the drone information acquisition unit 41.

In addition, the supplementary control unit 44 controls the amount of resources housed in the moving body 406a having the departure / arrival point 406. The replenishment plan includes information on the type and amount of resources contained in the mover 406a.

The replenishment control unit 44 includes a replenishment plan acquisition unit 441 and a mobile resource acquisition unit 442.

The replenishment plan acquisition unit 441 is a functional unit that acquires the amount of resources planned to be replenished from the departure / arrival point 406 to the drone 100.

The mobile resource acquisition unit 442 is a functional unit that acquires the amount of resources stored in the departure / arrival point 406.

The replenishment control unit 44 transmits at least a part of the information of the replenishment plan to the actuator 401 or the small mobile terminal 401a. The actuator 401 and the small mobile terminal 401a may sequentially display the replenishment plan, or may be configured to separately issue specific information.

The small mobile terminal 401a may display only a part of the information displayed on the actuator 401, or may report only a part of the information by a separate reporting means such as a sound. .. For example, when the small mobile terminal 401a needs to be replenished with resources to the mobile body 406a, or when all the work is completed and it is necessary to clean up, the information at the time when the intervention of the user 402 is required, and each Only the information related to the prediction of the time point may be displayed on the small mobile terminal 401a. In addition, the user 402 may be notified when the moving body 406a needs to be replenished with resources, when the total work is completed, and when an abnormality occurs.

In addition to the information on the field 403 to be worked on most recently and the field 403 to be worked on, the actuator 401 is planned to be another field defined by a farm road or the like where the work is performed by the same drone system 500. It may be possible to display the replenishment plan. Another field is a region discontinuous with the field 403, for example, where the moving body 406a and the plurality of drones 100 move outside the field 403 and then work is started by the movement control described later. According to this configuration, the amount of resources required for the entire work performed by the same drone system 500 can be centrally grasped by the actuator 401. In the display, information on the field 403 and another field may be continuously displayed, or the display may be switched by a predetermined operation.

The Replenishment Control Department 44 will notify when the amount of resources planned to be replenished to the drone 100 scheduled to land most recently exceeds the amount of resources contained in the moving object 406a. Even if the replenishment of resources is automatically performed by the moving body 406a, if the resources stored in the moving body 406a are insufficient, it is necessary to request the user to replenish the resources to the moving body 406a. Because there is. According to this configuration, it is possible to encourage the user to replenish the resources to the moving object 406a, in particular, so that the drone 100 returning most recently can be replenished with resources as planned.

The replenishment control unit 44 informs the operator 401 or the small mobile terminal 401a when it is expected that the replenishment work of resources from the departure / arrival point 406 to the drone 100 will not be completed by the scheduled landing time of the drone 100. You may issue a report. According to this configuration, when the drone 100 is replenished with resources by the user, the notification can prompt the user to replenish the resources. Moreover, even when the drone 100 is automatically replenished with resources, the progress of the work can be notified to the user.

In addition, the Replenishment Control Department 44 will replenish the resources when the amount of resources planned to be replenished to the drone 100 scheduled to land most recently exceeds the amount of resources contained in the moving object 406a. When the work is not completed, a standby command may be sent to the drone 100. The drone 100 that receives the standby order, for example, hover in the field 403 and waits until the standby order is released. When replenishing resources to the moving body 406a, it is highly probable that the user exists in the vicinity of the moving body 406a. At that time, if the drone 100 approaches the moving body 406a, the replenishment work by the user may be hindered. Therefore, the drone 100 can be made to stand by in the field 403 to ensure work efficiency and safety.

● Configuration related to the movement control of drones The mobile control unit 45 is a functional unit that controls the movement routes of the moving body 406a and the plurality of drones 100 in order to safely move the moving body 406a and the plurality of drones 100 at the same time. The mobile control unit 45 acquires the position information of the drone 100 and the mobile body 406a by the drone information acquisition unit 41 and the mobile body information acquisition unit 42, and feeds back the speed and acceleration and their directions to the position and speed of each configuration. And control the acceleration so that it meets the predetermined conditions. The moving body 406a may move autonomously based on the control of the moving control unit 45, the moving body 406a moves by the operation of the user, and the drone 100 follows based on the movement of the moving body 406a. You may move.

As shown in FIG. 14A, for example, when a plurality of drones 100 exist in the drone system 500, the first drone 100a moves while landing at the departure / arrival point 406 on the moving body 406a. The second to fourth drones 100b, 100c, and 100d fly at a predetermined distance from the moving body 406a. The mobile control unit 45 may fly a plurality of drones 100 side by side in series at a distance of a predetermined distance behind the moving body 406a in the traveling direction. According to this configuration, the drone 100 will fly after the moving body 406a on the path taken by the moving body 406a, so that the possibility of obstacles is low and the drone 100 can fly safely. ..

As shown in FIG. 14B, the mobile control unit 45 may fly a plurality of drones 100 separated by a predetermined distance above the moving body. The route that the moving object 406a and the drone 100 move is mainly assumed to be the farm road around the field 403. Since it is unlikely that there are obstacles above the moving object 406a on the farm road, it is possible to fly safely. In addition, even if the drone 100 crashes while moving, it will fall on the moving object 406a, so it is less likely to harm the configuration outside the drone system 500 such as people and buildings, and it is safe. be.

When the moving body 406a moves in the direction opposite to the traveling direction, the moving control unit 45 may move with the drone at the rearmost position in the traveling direction as the head. At this time, when the drone 100 detects an obstacle by the obstacle detection unit 23 of the drone 100, a plurality of drones 100 including the drone 100 are landed.

The movement control unit 45 may be configured to land a plurality of drones 100 when the moving body 406a moves in the direction opposite to the direction of travel. According to this configuration, even if the drone 100 is not provided with the obstacle detection unit 23, the safety of the moving body 406a when moving backward can be ensured.

When the mobile control unit 45 lands the drone 100, the mobile control unit 45 may notify the user of an alarm to that effect via the drone 100, the actuator 401, the small mobile terminal 401a, or the mobile control unit 45. The alarm may be an appropriate means of notification, such as sound and display. By paying attention to the drone 100, for example, it is possible to prevent the moving object 406a from colliding with the landing drone 100, which is safe.

● Flow chart for landing control Fig. 15 will be used to explain an example of the operation of the control device 40 when the scheduled stay time zones at the departure and arrival points 406 overlap. The control device 40 may perform the steps described below at the start of all the work, or may be performed periodically during the work. Further, the control device 40 may perform the following steps when a specific event occurs during the work. For example, the control device 40 may perform the following steps at the time when a failure or abnormality occurs in a certain drone 100, when a return order is issued, or when a waiting time different from the plan occurs.

First, the drone information acquisition unit 41 acquires the planned stay time zone planned for the plurality of drones 100 included in the drone system 500 (S11).

Next, the landing schedule acquisition unit 431 determines whether there is a drone 100 whose scheduled stay time zone overlaps (S12).

If there is no drone 100 with overlapping scheduled stay time zones, the landing order determination unit 432 ends the process without changing the landing order of the drone 100. Drone 100 will land at departure and arrival points 406 in sequence according to the original work plan.

If there are drones 100 with overlapping scheduled stay times, the landing order determination unit 432 determines whether there is a drone 100 whose return cause is a failure or an abnormality (S13). If there is a malfunctioning or abnormal drone 100, the landing order determination unit 432 determines the landing order of the drone 100 first (S14).

Next, the landing order determination unit 432 determines whether there is a drone 100 to return by the return order from the user (S15). If there is a drone 100 returning by a return order, the landing order determination unit 432 determines the landing order of the drone 100 to land next (S16). That is, if there is a malfunctioning or abnormal drone 100, the drone 100 is determined second, and if there is no malfunctioning or abnormal drone 100, the drone 100 is determined first.

Next, the landing order determination unit 432 determines that the remaining drones 100 will land in ascending order of the amount of loaded resources, and ends the process (S17).

● Flow chart for replenishment control Fig. 16 will be used to explain an example of the operation of the control device 40 that controls the amount of resources contained in the moving body 406a. As with the landing control, the timing at which the control device 40 performs the following steps may be performed at the start of all the work, or may be performed periodically during the work. The landing control process and the replenishment control process may be performed at the same time or at different timings.

First, the replenishment plan acquisition unit 441 acquires the time when each of the plurality of drones 100 returns for replenishment, and the type and amount of resources to be replenished (S21).

The mobile resource acquisition unit 442 acquires the amount of resources contained in the mobile 406a (S22). Note that steps S21 and S22 are in no particular order and may be performed at the same time.

The replenishment control unit 44 determines whether or not the capacity of the moving body 406a is sufficient (S23). If the capacity of the mobile body 406a is not sufficient, a request for resource replenishment is issued to the actuator 401 or the small mobile terminal 401a (S24).

● Flowchart for mobile control Fig. 17 will be used to explain an example of the operation of the control device 40 performed to move the moving body 406a and the drone 100. Movement control is performed when the moving object 406a and multiple drones 100 move at the same time. Specifically, mobile control is performed when the drone system 500 moves between working fields 403.

First, the plurality of drones 100 and the moving body 406a move at the same time (S31). At this time, the movement control unit 45 controls the position, speed, acceleration, etc. of each drone 100 and the moving body 406a, and moves them apart by a predetermined distance. While on the move, when the drone 100 detects an obstacle (S32), the drone 100 lands (S33). Further, the actuator 401 or the small mobile terminal 401a notifies an alarm to that effect.

In this description, an agricultural chemical spray drone has been described as an example, but the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to all drones for other purposes such as photography and surveillance. .. In particular, it is applicable to machines that operate autonomously. Further, the moving body is not limited to the vehicle and may have an appropriate configuration.

(Technically significant effect of the present invention)
In the drone system according to the present invention, in a system for replenishing resources from a moving body to a drone, even if the resources contained in the drone and the moving body are insufficient during work, the resources are efficiently supplied to the drone and the moving body. Can be replenished.

Claims (14)

With multiple drones flying in the work area and performing work,
A control device that controls the landing order for landing the plurality of drones on the landing platform, and
Drone system including at least.
The control device
The drone information acquisition unit that acquires the information of the plurality of drones, and
When the scheduled stay time zones of the plurality of drones at the departure and arrival platforms overlap, the landing order determination unit that determines the landing order based on the information of the plurality of drones, and the landing order determination unit.
Further prepare,
The drone system according to claim 1.
The drone information acquisition unit acquires return information regarding the cause of the drone returning to the departure / arrival platform.
The landing order determination unit determines the landing order based on the return information.
The drone system according to claim 2.
When the drone returns based on a return command from the user, the landing order determination unit makes the drone land before the other drones.
The drone system according to claim 3.
The landing order determination unit will land the drone before the other drones if the drone returns based on at least one failure or anomaly occurring in the drone.
The drone system according to claim 3 or 4.
The drone information acquisition unit acquires the amount of resources held by the plurality of drones, and obtains the amount of resources.
The landing order determination unit determines the landing order based on the amount of the resource.
The drone system according to any one of claims 2 to 5.
The landing order determination unit lands the drone with a smaller amount of resources before the other drones.
The drone system according to claim 6.
The amount of the resource includes at least one of the amount of energy driving the drone and the amount of drug sprayed by the drone.
The drone system according to claim 6 or 7.
When the scheduled stay time zones overlap, the drone whose landing order is later is made to wait until the drone is ready to land on the landing platform.
The drone system according to any one of claims 2 to 8.
When the scheduled stay time zones overlap, the drone whose landing order is later is made to hover and wait in the work area until the drone is ready to land on the landing platform.
The drone system according to claim 9.
When the scheduled stay time zones overlap, the drone having the landing order first is landed on the landing platform, and the other drones are landed at a place different from the landing platform.
The drone system according to claim 9 or 10.
To shorten the work planned for at least one of the drones having overlapping scheduled stay times.
The drone system according to any one of claims 2 to 11.
The control device changes the scheduled stay time zone by changing the flight speed of at least one of the drones in a plurality of the drones having overlapping scheduled stay time zones.
The drone system according to any one of claims 2 to 12.
Accelerate the flight speed of at least one of the drones having overlapping scheduled stay times.
The drone system according to claim 13.

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