JP2023045829A - Unmanned mobile body moving method and exploring method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a moving method and an exploring method that enable an unmanned mobile body to move in a target section without requiring a GNSS signal and without requiring equipment to be installed in a target space in advance.SOLUTION: The method of moving an unmanned flying object 3 is a method of moving the unmanned flying object 3 through a shield tunnel 101 extending forward in the direction of movement from a predetermined starting point P0, including a first step, a second step, a third step, ... in which mapping is performed for each part of an area of the shield tunnel 101. In the k-th step (where k=2, 3, ...), the unmanned flying object 3 moves from the starting point P0 to a way point P(k-1) stored by the unmanned flying object 3 in the (k-1)-th step, performs the mapping of the k-th area before the way point P(k-1) by SLAM processing, and returns to the starting point so that a way point Pk set within the mapped k-th area is stored in the unmanned flying object 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a moving method and an exploration method for an unmanned mobile body.

Conventionally, an inspection system described in Patent Document 1 below is known as a technique in such a field. In this inspection system, an unmanned airship equipped with inspection equipment is flown inside the boiler furnace. Then, the unmanned airship moves to each inspection object inside the boiler furnace, and the inspection equipment acquires an external image, a thermal image, sound, wind velocity, and the like. This inspection system uses GPS technology to recognize the current position of the unmanned airship. Alternatively, the unmanned airship receives signals from transmitters installed, for example, at the four corners of the boiler furnace, and the current position of the unmanned airship is recognized by three-dimensional position measurement based on these signals, thereby controlling the flight of the unmanned airship. be.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-211995

However, in exploration by this type of unmanned mobile body, there are cases where the space to be explored is a place where radio waves from GPS satellites cannot reach, and GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) cannot be used in some cases. Moreover, in this type of exploration, there are cases where the exploration target is a space whose environment cannot be known in advance. In this case, since the safety of the target space has not been confirmed, it is difficult for people to enter the target space in advance and to install devices and the like in the target space in advance. As a result, it is not possible to control the movement of an unmanned mobile object that relies on equipment or the like in the target space.

In view of such problems, the present invention provides a movement method and an exploration method that enable an unmanned mobile body to move in a target section without requiring a GNSS signal and without requiring equipment to be installed in the target space in advance. intended to provide

A moving method of an unmanned mobile body according to the present invention is a moving method of an unmanned mobile body for moving an unmanned mobile body in a predetermined target space that spreads forward in a moving direction from a predetermined starting point. 1st step, 2nd step, 3rd step, . , the unmanned mobile body moves to the (k-1)-th waypoint stored in the (k-1)th step, and performs SLAM processing to map the k-th area ahead of the (k-1)-th waypoint. Returning to the point, the kth waypoint set within the kth mapped region is stored in the unmanned vehicle.

In the unmanned mobile body movement method of the present invention, at least three physical targets that can be detected by SLAM processing of the unmanned mobile body are fixed in the vicinity of the starting point. , . . . ), the unmanned mobile object may recognize its position based on the position of the physical target detected by SLAM processing near the starting point.

Further, in the k-th step (where k=1, 2, . The k-th waypoint may be set at a point at which the unmanned mobile body is determined to be able to make a round trip from the start point by simulation.

Further, in the k-th step (where k=3, 4, . . . ), the unmanned mobile object moves from the starting point to the (k-th) waypoint on a movement route passing through the first to (k-1)th waypoints in order from the starting point. 1) You may move to a waypoint. Also, the unmanned mobile object may be an unmanned flying object capable of flying in the target space and equipped with a scanning device for SLAM processing. Further, the unmanned air vehicle includes a main body having a power source, a pair of landing legs extending downward from the main body, and a beam extending between the landing legs below the main body. The device may be installed on the beam.

In the exploration method of the present invention, an unmanned mobile body equipped with sensors for acquiring environmental information in the target space moves in the target space by any of the methods for moving the unmanned mobile body, and the unmanned mobile body moves in the target space. Environmental information obtained by sensors during the movement of the robot is collected.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a movement method and an exploration method that enable an unmanned mobile body to move in a target section without requiring a GNSS signal and without requiring equipment to be installed in the target space in advance. .

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a shield tunnel to which the method for moving an unmanned vehicle and the method for searching according to the present embodiment are applied; FIG. 1(a) is a block diagram of an unmanned exploration system, and FIG. 1(b) is a block diagram showing the physical configuration of an integrated control unit of an unmanned flying vehicle; FIG. (a) is a perspective view showing the vicinity of the start point, and (b) is an enlarged perspective view showing the target. 1 is a front view of an unmanned air vehicle; FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the search method of the shield tunnel of this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the shield tunnel search method according to the present embodiment, following FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of an unmanned mobile body moving method and an exploration method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of the object space of the movement method and the exploration method according to the present invention. In this embodiment, a shield tunnel 101 formed underground by a shield machine will be described as an example of the target space. Shield tunnel 101 extends generally horizontally from the bottom of shaft 103 . In this shield tunnel 101, for example, there may be places that may collapse, places that are submerged, places where rubble is scattered, places where toxic gas exists, and the like. The safety inside is unconfirmed.

In order to unmannedly confirm the environment inside the shield tunnel 101, an unmanned exploration system 1 equipped with an unmanned flying object 3 (unmanned moving object, unmanned flying object) is used as shown in FIG. 2(a). Since the shield tunnel 101 is an underground space, flight control of the unmanned air vehicle 3 using GNSS signals cannot be performed. In addition, since a person cannot enter the shield tunnel 101 in advance, it is impossible to install equipment or the like in the shield tunnel 101 in advance. Therefore, it is not possible to control the flight of the unmanned flying object 3 using equipment already installed in the shield tunnel 101 (for example, a sign that the unmanned flying object 3 can recognize, a wireless communication relay point, etc.). In addition, since the shield tunnel 101 is an underground space, sunlight does not reach it, and it is impossible to install lighting fixtures or the like in advance, so the inside of the shield tunnel 101 is almost completely dark. The unmanned exploration system 1 enables autonomous flight and exploration of the unmanned flying object 3 with the shield tunnel 101 having the above conditions as the target space.

As shown in FIG. 2( a ), the unmanned exploration system 1 includes an unmanned flying object 3 that flies in a shield tunnel 101 and an exploration support terminal 5 that is used by an exploration worker near the portal of the shield tunnel 101 . I have. In this embodiment, a starting point P0 is set near the bottom of the shaft 103 as a base for exploration, and the unmanned air vehicle 3 takes off and lands at this starting point P0. At the start point P0, for example, a pedestal for takeoff and landing of the unmanned air vehicle 3 may be installed. The exploration support terminal 5 is, for example, a computer system used in the vicinity of the start point P0, and is connected to a general control unit 13 (described later) of the unmanned flying vehicle 3 by wire or wirelessly to exchange information. The exploration support terminal 5 has, for example, a personal computer operated by an exploration worker near the start point P0 and a remote control controller for remotely controlling the flight of the unmanned air vehicle 3 . Alternatively, the function of a remote control controller may be incorporated in the personal computer.

The unmanned air vehicle 3 includes a drone 11 having a power source for flight and various types of equipment loaded on the drone 11 . The above-mentioned loading equipment includes a general control section 13, a scanning device 15, an optical camera 17, a gas sensor 19, and other sensors 21. As shown in FIG. The drone 11 includes, for example, a plurality of propellers that generate thrust, motors that drive the propellers, and batteries that are power sources for the motors. As such a drone 11, a commercially available known drone may be adopted.

The integrated control unit 13 is composed of a relatively small computer system that can be mounted on the drone 11, for example. The integrated control unit 13 is connected to a flight control computer (not shown) included in the drone 11 to exchange signals, and can control the flight of the drone 11 via the flight control computer. The integrated control unit 13 also controls the operations of the scanning device 15 , the optical camera 17 , the gas sensor 19 , and other sensors 21 . The integrated control unit 13 has an information storage unit 13a that stores information necessary for exploration of the shield tunnel 101, and a communication unit 13b that communicates with the exploration support terminal 5 by wire or wirelessly.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the integrated control unit 13 physically includes a CPU 211, a RAM 212 and a ROM 213 as main storage devices, an auxiliary storage device 214 such as a silicon drive or a hard disk, buttons for accepting user operations, It is configured as a computer system including an input device 215 such as a switch, a display for displaying information externally, an output device 216 such as an indicator lamp, a communication module 217 as a data transmission/reception device, and the like. Each function of the integrated control unit 13 described in the present embodiment is performed by loading predetermined computer software onto hardware such as the CPU 211 and the RAM 212 so that the communication module 217, the input device 215, and the output It is realized by operating the device 216 and reading and writing data in the RAM 212 and the auxiliary storage device 214 .

The scanning device 15 of the unmanned air vehicle 3 is a device called a 3D LiDAR (3D light detection and ranging) device or the like. By receiving the reflected light, the distance to each point on the object is measured. The scanning device 15 scans the entire circumference in the horizontal direction within a range of ±15° in the vertical direction from the horizontal plane, and points on the object (for example, the inner wall surface of the shield tunnel 101) within this scanning range. Collect distance information. The point group information, which is a set of such points, is transmitted to the general control section 13 and stored in the information storage section 13a.

Based on the point group information from the scanning device 15, the general control unit 13 recognizes the three-dimensional position and three-dimensional shape of objects around the unmanned flying object 3 in flight. That is, the integrated control unit 13 can recognize the three-dimensional arrangement of the surrounding objects and the relative three-dimensional position of the unmanned air vehicle 3 with respect to the surrounding objects. Such a process of simultaneously mapping objects around the unmanned flying object 3 and identifying the self-location of the unmanned flying object 3 is called SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) processing. The scanning device 15 and the general control unit 13 in this embodiment perform LiDAR-SLAM processing by a 3D LiDAR device using laser light. Since the LiDAR-SLAM process is well known, further detailed description is omitted. The mapping information obtained by LiDAR-SLAM processing is position information of point groups on objects around the unmanned air vehicle 3, and is stored in the information storage unit 13a of the integrated control unit 13. FIG.

Here, as shown in FIG. 3A, three physical targets 31 for calibrating the self-position of the unmanned air vehicle 3 are installed around the start point P0. The targets 31 are, for example, spherical with a diameter of about 10 to 20 cm. As shown in FIG. 3B, each target 31 is provided with legs 31a for adjusting the height position. All the targets 31 are set within the scanning range of the scanning device 15 of the unmanned air vehicle 3 in the state of landing at the starting point P0. Each target 31 is positionally fixed within the vertical shaft 103 by fixing the leg portion 31a to the bottom surface of the vertical shaft 103, for example. The target 31 may be directly installed on the bottom wall surface, side wall, or the like of the shaft 103 by omitting the leg portion 31a. In order to facilitate detection of the target 31 by the scanning device 15 , the spherical surface of the target 31 is made of a retroreflective material that retroreflects the laser beam of the scanning device 15 .

The three installed targets 31 are surveyed in advance, and the three-dimensional absolute coordinates of each target 31 are known. Further, the absolute coordinates of each target 31 obtained by the above survey are stored in advance in the information storage section 13a of the integrated control section 13 of the unmanned air vehicle 3. FIG. The scanning device 15 of the unmanned air vehicle 3 scans each target 31 , so that the integrated control unit 13 can acquire the relative positions of the three targets 31 with respect to the unmanned air vehicle 3 . Then, the integrated control unit 13 compares the relative position of each target 31 obtained by the scanning with the absolute coordinates of each target 31 stored in advance in the information storage unit 13a, and then determines the position of the unmanned flying object 3. can recognize the absolute position of

The "absolute position" of the unmanned flying object 3 includes the absolute three-dimensional coordinates of the unmanned flying object 3 and the absolute three-dimensional orientation (orientation) of the unmanned flying object 3. . In order to improve the accuracy of recognizing the absolute position of the unmanned flying object 3, the three targets 31 are preferably arranged at the vertices of a triangle surrounding the start point P0 in plan view. Larger is preferred. In addition, in order to facilitate detection by the scanning device 15, the height position of the target 31 is preferably approximately the same height position as the scanning device 15 when the unmanned air vehicle 3 has landed at the starting point P0. . Also, if the size of the target 31 is too small, detection by the scanning device 15 becomes difficult, and if the size of the target 31 is too large, the accuracy of the position detected by the scanning device 15 decreases. From this point of view, the size of the target 31 is preferably 10 to 20 cm in diameter as described above. Further, the number of targets 31 to be installed may be three or more, but four or more targets 31 may be installed to improve the accuracy of absolute position recognition.

Further, the unmanned air vehicle 3 is equipped with sensors for acquiring environmental information in the shield tunnel 101 during flight. As shown in FIG. 2(a), as examples of such sensors, the unmanned flying object 3 of this embodiment includes the optical camera 17, gas sensor 19, and other sensors 21 described above. The environmental information acquired by these sensors is sent to the integrated control unit 13, and the integrated control unit 13 transmits the environmental information to the exploration support terminal 5 via the communication unit 13b.

The optical camera 17 is, for example, a 360° camera, and shoots moving images around the unmanned flying object 3 using visible light. As described above, since the shield tunnel 101 is a dark place, the unmanned flying object 3 is equipped with a lighting device (for example, a high-intensity LED video light) that projects light toward the surroundings so that the optical camera 17 can capture moving images. It has This optical camera 17 captures a moving image around the unmanned flying object 3, and for example, information on the appearance of the inner peripheral surface of the shield tunnel 101 can be obtained. A commercially available 360° camera or the like may be adopted as the optical camera 17 .

The gas sensor 19 is a sensor that measures the concentration of a predetermined gas component (for example, toxic gas) contained in the air near the unmanned flying object 3 . Gas components whose concentrations are measured by the gas sensor 19 include, for example, oxygen, carbon monoxide, combustible gases, and hydrogen sulfide. Other sensors 21 are sensors for acquiring other environmental information in the vicinity of the unmanned air vehicle 3 . Other sensors 21 include, for example, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a dust concentration sensor, an illuminance sensor, a wind speed sensor, a noise sensor, a vibration sensor, and the like.

The physical configuration of the unmanned air vehicle 3 is as follows. As shown in FIG. 4, the drone 11 has four propellers 11a arranged at its upper end. Further, the unmanned air vehicle 3 has a pair of landing legs 23 extending downward from the drone 11 at symmetrical positions of the airframe. Note that the landing legs 23 may be provided as part of the commercially available drone 11 . A beam portion 27 extending in the lateral direction of the fuselage is provided so as to bridge between the landing legs 23 . A rectangular parallelepiped general control section 13 is fixed to the center upper surface of the beam section 27 , and a columnar scanning device 15 having the same size as the general control section 13 is attached to the upper surface of the general control section 13 . That is, the integrated control unit 13 and the scanning device 15 are arranged vertically in a central portion below the drone 11 . In this manner, the integrated control unit 13 and the scanning device 15, which are the main heavy components, are arranged in the lower central portion of the drone 11, so that the unmanned flying object 3 can fly stably. The optical camera 17, the lighting device, the gas sensor 19, and the other sensors 21, which are relatively small and light, are not shown in the drawings, but they can be mounted on the upper surface or the lower surface of the drone 11 in consideration of the weight balance. It may be appropriately attached to the landing leg portion 23 or the like.

Next, a method for searching inside the shield tunnel 101 using the unmanned exploration system 1 as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 5, and 6. FIG. 5 and 6 are flow charts of the exploration work inside the shield tunnel 101 according to the exploration method. The operations of the unmanned flying object 3 and the like in the following description are realized by the general control unit 13 and the exploration support terminal 5 executing a predetermined flight control program. In this exploration work, the method of moving the unmanned flying object 3 within the shield tunnel 101 is as follows: first step, second step, . . . , m-th step (m=2, 3, . , Am are gradually added forward in the moving direction (that is, toward the face side of the shield tunnel 101). Hereinafter, the face side of the shield tunnel 101 may be referred to as "moving direction forward" or simply "forward", and the portal side of the shield tunnel 101 may be referred to as "moving direction rearward" or simply "rear". The above value of m is appropriately determined in consideration of conditions such as the cruising range of the unmanned air vehicle 3, for example.

Details will be described later, but
In the first step, the mapping information of the area A1 in front of the starting point P0 is acquired and the waypoint P1 is set in the area A1,
In the second step, the mapping information of the area A2 further ahead of the area A1 is obtained, and the waypoint P2 is set in the area A2,
In the third step, the mapping information of the area A3 further ahead of the area A2 is acquired, and the waypoint P3 is set in the area A3,
…,
In the m-th step, the mapping information of the area Am further ahead of the area A(m−1) is acquired, and the waypoint Pm is set within the area Am.

The areas A1 to Am are all part of the area within the shield tunnel 101, and the waypoints P1 to Pm are set within the areas A1 to Am as flight passage points of the unmanned aircraft 3 and recognized by the integrated control unit 13. It is a virtual point where The waypoints P1 to Pm are manually selected by the exploration operator and set to positions near the forefront of the areas A1 to Am, respectively. Note that the waypoints P1 to Pm are flight passage points of the unmanned air vehicle 3 and are not landing points of the unmanned air vehicle 3, so there is no need to select points suitable for landing.

Details of the first step, the second step, . . . , the m-th step will be described below. Here, one step of the first step, the second step, . =2 to m will be described separately.

[First step (when k = 1)]
As shown in FIG. 5, in the first step, the unmanned air vehicle 3 is first installed at the starting point P0 (step S302 in FIG. 5). At this time, the integrated control unit 13 of the unmanned flying object 3 detects three surrounding targets 31 by LiDAR-SLAM processing using the scanning device 15, and recognizes the accurate absolute position of the unmanned flying object 3 (step S304: calibration option). After that, the integrated control unit 13 starts the drone 11, raises the unmanned flying object 3 vertically at the start point P0, lowers it again, and lands again at the start point P0 (step S306). Here, the unmanned flying object 3 rises, for example, by about 5 m so as to reach a position higher than the ceiling of the portal of the shield tunnel 101 . Note that the above calibration (step S304) may be performed during this ascent/descent (step S306). During the above ascending/descending (step S306), the scanning device 15 continuously scans surrounding objects, and the integrated control unit 13 performs mapping around the start point P0 by LiDAR-SLAM processing. Then, when the unmanned air vehicle 3 lands again at the start point P0, the mapping information around the start point P0 is stored in the information storage unit 13a (step S308).

In the LiDAR-SLAM process described above, the laser light from the scanning device 15 reaches the innermost side of the shield tunnel 101 through the portal of the shield tunnel 101, so mapping information up to the area ahead of the portal of the shield tunnel 101 can be obtained. Note that the distance at which an object can be detected by a general 3D LiDAR device is said to be about 100 m. Therefore, in this case, it is considered that mapping information can be obtained up to a position approximately 80 m ahead of the portal of the shield tunnel 101 (approximately 100 m ahead of the start point P0), for example. In this way, in the first step, the mapping information of the "area A1", which is the area up to the position about 80 m ahead of the portal of the shield tunnel 101 at the maximum, is obtained and stored in the information storage unit 13a.

Note that this mapping information is acquired by the scanning device 15 as information indicating the relative position with respect to the unmanned flying object 3 . However, since the integrated control unit 13 recognizes the absolute position of the unmanned air vehicle 3 through the above-described calibration using the target 31 (step S304), the integrated control unit 13 converts the obtained mapping information into the absolute position is stored in the information storage unit 13a. Similarly, the mapping information, the position information of the waypoints P1 to Pm, the flight route information, the current position information of the unmanned air vehicle 3, and other position information acquired by the scanning device 15 thereafter are all indicated by absolute positions. It is recognized by the general control unit 13 as information to be received.

After the unmanned flying object 3 re-lands and stops at the starting point P0, the exploration operator connects the exploration support terminal 5 to the integrated control unit 13 of the unmanned flying object 3 by wire or wirelessly, and the data is stored in the information storage unit 13a. The mapping information of the obtained area A1 is read out to the search support terminal 5 (step S310). Further, after the mapping information of the area A1 read out by the search support terminal 5 is stored in the search support terminal 5, it is deleted from the information storage unit 13a, thereby saving the storage capacity of the information storage unit 13a. be done.

In the exploration support terminal 5, a predetermined flight plan program is executed, and the read mapping information of the area A1 is a visual representation of a point cloud on an object existing in the area A1 (for example, the inner wall surface of the shield tunnel 101). displayed as a typical image. While referring to this image, the exploration operator selects an arbitrary point in the vicinity of the frontmost point in the area A1 and temporarily sets it as the waypoint P1 (step S312).

Subsequently, the exploration operator executes the flight simulator function included in the flight plan program, and based on the mapping information of the area A1 and the positional information of the waypoint P1 stored in the exploration assistance terminal 5, the exploration assistance terminal 5, a flight simulation is performed (step S314). In this flight simulation, it is confirmed that the unmanned air vehicle 3 can safely fly back and forth from the start point P0 to the waypoint P1 and return based on the mapping information of the area A1. If the unmanned flying object 3 cannot safely fly back and forth in the simulation, the simulation is repeated while making adjustments such as changing the waypoint P1 and resetting the flight route as necessary. Finally, a waypoint P1 that allows safe round-trip flight from the start point P0 and a flight route F1 from the start point P0 to the waypoint P1 are determined. The determined position information of the waypoint P1 and the information of the flight route F1 are stored in the exploration support terminal 5, transmitted to the integrated control unit 13 of the unmanned flying vehicle 3, and stored in the information storage unit 13a. Thus, the first step is completed.

[Step k (when k = 2 to m)]
Following the first step, the second step, the third step, . . . , the mth step are executed in order. Almost the same steps are repeated for these second to m-th steps (see steps S401, S418 and S420 in FIG. 6). In the following description, overlapping detailed descriptions of the same or equivalent processes as in the first step will be omitted as appropriate.

Already at the beginning of the kth step,
A waypoint P1 and a flight route F1 within the area A1 have been set by the first step,
A waypoint P2 and a flight route F2 within the area A2 have been set by the second step,
A waypoint P3 and a flight route F3 within the area A3 have been set by the third step,
…,
A waypoint P(k-1) and a flight route F(k-1) within the area A(k-1) have been set by the (k-1) step.
The positional information of the waypoints P1 to P(k-1) and the information on the flight routes F1 to F(k-1) are stored in the search support terminal 5 and the information storage section 13a of the integrated control section 13. FIG. Further, the search support terminal 5 further stores mapping information of the areas A1 to A(k-1). The position information of these waypoints P1 to P(k-1), the mapping information of the waypoints P1 to P(k-1), and the areas A1 to A(k-1) are, as described above, absolute position is stored as information indicating

In the k-th step, the unmanned air vehicle 3 is installed at the start point P0, and under the control of the general control unit 13, from the start point P0 along the flight routes F1 to F(k-1) to the waypoint P(k-1). fly to and from This round-trip flight is autonomously performed by the unmanned flying object 3, and the exploration operator near the start point P0 does not need to operate the unmanned flying object 3 during flight except in an emergency. The procedure for this round-trip flight is as follows.

As shown in FIG. 6, from the state where the unmanned flying object 3 is installed at the starting point P0 (step S402 in FIG. 6), the integrated control unit 13 starts the drone 11 and makes the unmanned flying object 3 take off. Before or immediately after takeoff, the integrated control unit 13 of the unmanned air vehicle 3 detects three targets 31 (FIG. 3) by LiDAR-SLAM processing and recognizes the absolute position of the unmanned air vehicle 3 (step S404: calibration). After that, the unmanned flying object 3 flies under the control of the integrated control unit 13, and the positional information of the waypoints P1 to P(k-1) and the flight routes F1 to F(k-1) stored in the information storage unit 13a. Based on the information, it autonomously flies to the waypoint P(k-1) (step S406). Here, when k=3 to m, the unmanned air vehicle 3 reaches waypoint P(k-1) while passing waypoints P1 to P(k-1) in order.

During this flight, the scanning device 15 continuously scans surrounding objects, and the integrated control unit 13 maps the surroundings of the unmanned air vehicle 3 by LiDAR-SLAM processing. The current position information of the unmanned flying object 3 required for the flight control of the integrated control unit 13 is obtained by combining LiDAR-SLAM processing and estimation processing by an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) provided in the drone 11. It is recognized in real time by the position estimation process.

In addition, during flight, the optical camera 17 of the unmanned flying object 3 shoots a moving image of the surroundings, the gas sensor 19 measures the concentration of gas components, and the other sensors 21 collect other environmental information continuously. . Then, the integrated control unit 13 associates the collected environmental information with the current position information of the unmanned flying object 3, and continuously transmits it to the exploration support terminal 5 in real time via the communication unit 13b (step S407). The exploration operator can know the environment inside the shield tunnel 101 by analyzing each of these environmental information received by the exploration support terminal 5 . For example, based on a moving image of the inner wall surface of the shield tunnel 101 taken by the optical camera 17, the soundness of the segments of the shield tunnel 101 can be known. Further, for example, the presence or absence of toxic gas in the shield tunnel 101 can be known from the concentration information of gas components measured by the gas sensor 19 .

It should be noted that the photographing of the moving image of the surroundings by the optical camera 17, the concentration measurement of the gas component by the gas sensor 19, and the collection of other environmental information by the other sensors 21 (step S407) as described above are the final steps of the m-th You may make it perform only by a process. In this way, in the first to (m-1)th processes, it is not necessary to load the unmanned flying object 3 with the optical camera 17, the gas sensor 19, and other sensors 21, and the unmanned flying object 3 can be made lightweight. It can be transformed to extend the cruising distance.

During the flight of the unmanned air vehicle 3, the scanning device 15 continuously scans surrounding objects as described above, and the integrated control unit 13 performs mapping of the surroundings by LiDAR-SLAM processing. Then, when the unmanned air vehicle 3 reaches the waypoint P(k-1), mapping information around the waypoint P(k-1) is stored in the information storage unit 13a. That is, at this time, the mapping information of the "area Ak", which is the area ahead of the waypoint P(k-1), is stored in the information storage unit 13a (step S408). For example, an area of about 100 m ahead of the waypoint P(k-1) is the area Ak. However, if the laser beam from the scanning device 15 does not sufficiently reach the front of the waypoint P(k-1), for example, at a curved portion of the shield tunnel 101, the area Ak becomes narrower than the above.

After that, under the control of the integrated control unit 13, the unmanned air vehicle 3 uses the position information of the waypoints P1 to P(k-1) and the flight route F1 to F(k-1) information stored in the information storage unit 13a. Based on this, it autonomously flies to the starting point P0 and returns to the starting point P0 along the flight route that follows the forward route in reverse order (step S409).

During the flight of the unmanned air vehicle 3, a processing program for executing the following measures is also executed in parallel for safe flight. For example, when an obstacle is detected in front of the unmanned air vehicle 3 in the movement direction by the LiDAR-SLAM processing, the unmanned air vehicle 3 automatically avoids the obstacle and flies. According to this process, it is possible to deal with the case where an obstacle that did not exist before the (k-1)th step occurs later. Alternatively, if the obstacle cannot be avoided and is not eliminated for a predetermined period of time, the unmanned air vehicle 3 automatically returns to the starting point P0. Further, when the battery of the drone 11 is expected to run out (for example, when the remaining battery capacity becomes less than a predetermined value), the unmanned flying object 3 automatically returns to the starting point P0, or to land.

In addition, if dust, fog, or smoke is generated around the unmanned flying object 3, it may hinder the LiDAR-SLAM processing. conduct. Alternatively, if the dust or the like does not converge for a predetermined time, the unmanned flying object 3 automatically returns to the starting point P0. Also, in an emergency, an exploration operator at the starting point P0 can operate the remote control controller of the exploration support terminal 5 to manually remotely control the unmanned flying object 3 .

After the unmanned flying object 3 returning from the waypoint P(k−1) lands and stops at the starting point P0, the exploration worker connects the exploration support terminal 5 to the unmanned flying object 3 via the communication unit 13b by wire or wirelessly. is connected to the total control unit 13, and the mapping information of the area Ak stored in the information storage unit 13a is read out to the exploration support terminal 5 (step S410). Then, as in the first step, the exploration operator executes the flight plan program on the exploration support terminal 5 to provisionally set the waypoint Pk within the area Ak (step S412).

Subsequently, the exploration operator executes a flight simulation on the exploration support terminal 5 as in the first step (step S414). Through this flight simulation, the waypoint Pk is adjusted as necessary, and the flight route Fk from waypoint P(k-1) to waypoint Pk is adjusted, enabling safe round-trip flight from the starting point P0. waypoints Pk and flight routes Fk are determined. The determined position information of the waypoint Pk and the information of the flight route Fk are stored in the exploration support terminal 5, transmitted to the integrated control unit 13 of the unmanned air vehicle 3, and stored in the information storage unit 13a (step S416). ). This completes the k-th step.

After the k-th process is completed, if the k-th process is the m-th process of the final process (step S418), the exploration work inside the shield tunnel 101 is terminated, and if the m-th process has not yet been reached, the k-th process is completed. The value is counted up (step S420) and the process returns to step S402. In the m-th process of the final process, steps S410 to S416 for setting the next waypoint Pm and setting the flight route Fm may be omitted. Further, in the m-th process of the final process, when the unmanned air vehicle 3 reaches the waypoint P(m−1), the information storage unit 13a stores the mapping information of the area Am (part of step S408). may be omitted.

Next, the effects of the shield tunnel 101 exploration method by the unmanned exploration system 1 as described above will be described.

According to the above exploration method, areas A1, A2, . can be gradually expanded toward the face side of the shield tunnel 101. At this time, the unmanned flying object 3 in the k-th process flies to the waypoint P(k-1) based on the flight routes F1 to F(k-1) set up to the (k-1)th process. do. In particular, when k=3 to m, the unmanned air vehicle 3 flies through the waypoints P1 to P(k-1) set up to the (k-1) step in order. Point P(k-1) is reached. Here, the waypoints P1 to P(k-1) and the flight routes F1 to F(k-1) described above allow the unmanned air vehicle 3 to make a safe round-trip flight through the flight simulation up to the step (k-1). Therefore, the unmanned air vehicle 3 can safely fly back and forth from the starting point P0 to the waypoint P(k-1).

In addition, the current position information of the unmanned flying object 3 required for the flight control of the integrated control unit 13 is recognized in real time by self-position estimation processing that combines LiDAR-SLAM processing and estimation processing by the IMU provided in the drone 11. be done. Therefore, GNSS signals are not necessary for flight control of the unmanned flying object 3. In addition, signs that can be read by the unmanned flying object 3 and devices for communicating with the unmanned flying object 3 are placed in the shield tunnel 101 in advance. The unmanned flying object 3 can fly autonomously.

Therefore, according to the exploration method described above, it is possible to suitably execute exploration targeting a space such as the shield tunnel 101 where GNSS signals cannot be used and where people cannot enter in advance. Further, since the scanning device 15 of the unmanned flying object 3 is a LiDAR device that uses laser light, according to the above exploration method, for example, exploration in a dark place such as the shield tunnel 101 can be suitably executed.

At least three targets 31 whose absolute coordinates are known are installed near the starting point P0, and the integrated control unit 13 of the unmanned flying object 3 controls the unmanned flight A calibration of the absolute position of the body 3 can be performed. Therefore, in the unmanned exploration system 1, the position information of the waypoints P1 to Pm, the mapping information of the areas A1 to Am, the information of the flight routes F1 to Fm, the current status of the unmanned flying object 3 in each process (first to m-th processes). Position information and the like can be consistently recognized as absolute position information.

If the various positional information as described above is recognized not as absolute positional information but as relative positional information with respect to the unmanned flying object 3, the unmanned flight The body 3 should be placed exactly at the starting point P0 in the same position and posture. That is, in this case, since the positions of the waypoints P1 to Pm are recognized as relative positions with reference to the installation position and installation posture of the unmanned flying object 3 at the start of each process, the position of the unmanned flying object 3 at the start point P0 is recognized. If there is an error in the installation position and installation attitude, the subsequent flight route will be shifted according to the error. In particular, an error in the installation attitude of the unmanned air vehicle 3 can cause a large deviation as the flight route becomes longer. In contrast, according to the exploration method of the present embodiment, the positions of the waypoints P1 to Pm are recognized as absolute position information regardless of the position and attitude of the unmanned flying object 3. It is not necessary to set with high positional accuracy at the start of each process (first to m-th processes), and as a result, the workload is reduced.

The present invention can be embodied in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the embodiment described above. Moreover, it is also possible to configure modifications of the embodiments by using the technical matters described in the above-described embodiments. You may use it, combining the structure of each embodiment etc. suitably.

For example, it is not essential for the unmanned air vehicle 3 to fly through the waypoints P1 to P(k-1) in order in the k-th step (where k=3 to n). For example, the unmanned air vehicle 3 may fly along a flight route from the starting point P0 to the waypoint P(k-1) without necessarily passing through the waypoints P1 to P(k-2). In this case, the flight route as described above may be set in the (k−1) step and stored in the general control unit 13 .

Further, in the embodiment, after the unmanned flying object 3 returns to the starting point P0, the mapping information is read from the general control unit 13 to the exploration support terminal 5, and the exploration support terminal 5 sets waypoints, sets flight routes, A flight simulation is in progress. However, this procedure is not essential. A flight plan program for setting, flight route setting, and flight simulation may be directly executed on the integrated control unit 13 .

Further, the integrated control unit 13 of the embodiment performs LiDAR-SLAM processing using a 3D LiDAR device (scanning device 15) as the SLAM processing of the unmanned air vehicle 3. Instead of this, for example, the optical camera 17 Visual-SLAM processing using the video may be performed. Further, the scanning of the scanning device 15 is performed within a scanning range of ±15° in the vertical direction from the horizontal plane, but the entire scanning range may be tilted with respect to the horizontal plane. For example, when flying through an inclined tunnel, if the inclination of the scan range is adjusted according to the inclination of the tunnel, the detection sensitivity of the inner wall surface of the tunnel can be increased more easily than the technique of flying the drone 11 in an inclined posture. can be done.

Further, the drone 11 in the present embodiment is driven by a motor, but instead of this, a gasoline engine drone or a hybrid engine drone may be employed. However, the motor-driven drone 11 is preferable in that vibration is reduced compared to a gasoline engine or a hybrid engine. Alternatively, the unmanned flying object 3 may land on the water surface by providing a floating body at the lower end of the landing leg 23 of the unmanned flying object 3, for example.

Further, in the exploration method and the movement method of the present invention, an unmanned mobile body that moves on the ground may be used instead of the unmanned flying body 3 that flies in the target space. For example, instead of the drone 11, the unmanned mobile body may be a crawler-type traveling device or a quadrupedal robot loaded with the aforementioned various loading devices (integrated control unit 13, scanning device 15, etc.). However, the unmanned flying object 3 is preferable in that it can move regardless of the state of the bottom surface of the target space, compared to a crawler-type traveling device or a quadrupedal robot.

Further, the exploration method and movement method of the present invention can be applied not only to collecting environmental information of the shield tunnel 101 but also to various uses. For example, the exploration method and movement method of the present invention can be used for automatic inspection of mountain tunnels and underground tunnels, investigation of dangerous places (places where toxic gas and danger of collapse exist), inspection of joint structures, etc., detection of the presence of hydrogen sulfide. Inspection of ballast tanks of ships where there is a possibility of oxygen deficiency, patrol inspection of construction site buildings and underground structures, forest areas in mountainous areas where it is difficult to receive GNSS signals, investigation of accidents and disasters, and tunnel faces. It can also be applied to measurement of dimensional shape, and the like.

3... unmanned flying object (unmanned moving object), 15... scanning device, 17... optical camera (sensors), 19... gas sensor (sensors), 21... other sensors, 23... landing leg, 27... beam Part, 31... Target, Ak, A1 to Am... Area, P0... Starting point, Pk, P1 to Pm... Waypoint, Fk, F1 to Fm... Flight route, 101... Shield tunnel (target space).

Claims (7)

A method for moving an unmanned mobile body for moving the unmanned mobile body in a predetermined target space extending forward in a moving direction from a predetermined starting point, comprising:
A first step, a second step, a third step, .
In the k-th step (where k = 2, 3, ...),
From the state in which the unmanned mobile body is installed at the start point, the unmanned mobile body moves to the (k-1)th waypoint stored in the (k-1)th step, and the SLAM process performs the (k-1th) waypoint. ) of an unmanned mobile body, wherein a k-th area ahead of a waypoint is mapped to return to the starting point, and the k-th waypoint set in the mapped k-th area is stored in the unmanned mobile body; Moving method. At least three physical targets detectable by the SLAM processing of the unmanned mobile body are fixed near the starting point;
In the k-th step (where k = 1, 2, ...),
2. The method of moving an unmanned mobile body according to claim 1, wherein said unmanned mobile body recognizes its own position based on the position of said physical target detected by said SLAM processing in the vicinity of said start point. In the k-th step (where k = 1, 2, ...),
A movement simulation of the unmanned mobile body is executed based on the mapping information of the k-th area stored by the unmanned mobile body that has returned to the start point, and the unmanned mobile body moves back and forth from the start point by the movement simulation. 3. The method of moving an unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the point determined to be possible is set as said k-th way point. In the k-th step (where k = 3, 4, ...),
1. The unmanned mobile body moves from the starting point to the (k-1)th waypoint on a movement route passing through the first to (k-1)th waypoints from the starting point in order. 4. The method for moving an unmanned vehicle according to any one of 3. 5. The method for moving an unmanned mobile body according to claim 1, wherein said unmanned mobile body is an unmanned flying body capable of flying in said target space and equipped with said scanning device for SLAM processing. The unmanned air vehicle includes a main body having a power source, a pair of landing legs extending downward from the main body, and a beam extending between the landing legs below the main body. 6. The method of moving an unmanned vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said scanning device is installed on said beam. The unmanned mobile body equipped with sensors for acquiring environmental information in the target space moves in the target space by the unmanned mobile body moving method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
An exploration method, wherein the environment information obtained by the sensors is collected while the unmanned mobile body is moving in the target space.

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