JP6829453B2 - Drones, drone control methods, and drone control programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drone, a drone control method, and a drone control program.

The application of small helicopters (multicopters) 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 agricultural land, 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. Drones loaded with drugs weigh tens of kilograms, which 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 flying drones for agricultural chemical spraying. There was no technology to do this.

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

We provide drones that can maintain high safety even during autonomous flight.

In order to achieve the above object, the drone according to one aspect of the present invention is acquired by a battery that supplies driving power, an information acquisition unit that measures the temperature of the battery and the amount of electricity stored in the battery, and the information acquisition unit. Based on the value, the warm-up determination unit that determines the necessity of warm-up operation for raising the temperature of the battery and the warm-up determination unit that determines the necessity of warm-up operation while landing are required. When it is determined, the drone includes a warm-up unit that performs the warm-up operation, and the warm-up unit raises the temperature of the battery by applying a load to the battery to perform the warm-up operation. Let me.

A propulsion device for flying the drone may be further provided, and the warm-up unit may be configured to drive the propulsion device within a range in which the drone does not take off.

The takeoff determination unit for determining whether or not the drone is taking off is further provided, and the warm-up unit operates the motor within a range in which the drone does not take off, referring to the result of detection by the drone. It may be configured to allow.

A tank for storing the drug, a pump for flowing the drug in the tank, a discharge path for discharging the drug to the outside, a circulation path for circulating the drug inside the drone, and the pump are driven to drive the pump. When the warm-up determination unit determines that the warm-up operation is necessary, the warm-up unit is further provided with a drug control unit capable of selectively inflowing the drug into the discharge path and the circulation path. The drug control unit may drive the pump to allow the drug to flow into the circulation path.

The information acquisition unit has a flight plan acquisition unit that acquires information on a flight plan for the drone to fly after takeoff, and the warm-up determination unit determines whether or not the warm-up operation is necessary based on the flight plan information. May be configured to determine.

The warm-up determination unit may be configured to determine the necessity of warm-up operation based on the maximum current predicted value predicted from the flight speed or flight acceleration of the drone in the flight plan.

The warm-up determination unit may be configured to determine the necessity of the warm-up operation based on the scheduled flight time of the drone in the flight plan.

The warm-up determination unit may be configured to detect that the temperature of the battery becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined target temperature during the warm-up operation and stop the warm-up operation.

A labor-saving flight determination unit that determines whether or not to start a labor-saving flight in which the power consumption of the battery is smaller than that of a normal flight is further provided, and the labor-saving flight determination unit is the battery in a state where the drone is flying. It may be configured to determine whether or not to start the labor-saving flight based on the stored amount of electricity.

A current measuring unit for measuring the current value output by the battery is further provided, and the labor-saving flight determination unit refers to the temperature of the battery, and has a maximum value of the outputable current calculated based on the temperature of the battery. It may be configured to determine to start the labor-saving flight based on the difference between the current at which the battery is discharged and the current that is discharged.

In the labor-saving flight, the upper limit of the command value to the propulsion device may be smaller than that in the normal flight.

The drone control method according to one aspect of the present invention is a drone control method including a battery for supplying driving power, which includes a step of measuring the temperature of the battery and the amount of electricity stored in the battery, and the information acquisition unit. Based on the value acquired by the above, the step of determining the necessity of the warm-up operation for raising the temperature of the battery and the determination by the warm-up determination unit in the landing state that the warm-up operation is necessary. When this is done, the step of performing the warm-up operation includes the step of performing the warm-up operation, and the step of performing the warm-up operation raises the temperature of the battery by applying a load to the battery to perform the warm-up operation.

The drone control program according to one aspect of the present invention is a drone control program including a battery for supplying driving power, and includes an instruction for measuring the temperature of the battery and the amount of electricity stored in the battery, and the information acquisition unit. Based on the value acquired by, the command for determining the necessity of warm-up operation for raising the temperature of the battery, and the warm-up determination unit for determining that the warm-up operation is necessary while landing. At that time, the computer is made to execute the command to perform the warm-up operation, and the command to perform the warm-up operation raises the temperature of the battery by applying a load to the battery to perform the warm-up operation. ..
The computer program can be provided by downloading via a network such as the Internet, or can be recorded and provided on various computer-readable recording media such as a CD-ROM.

It is possible to provide a drone that can maintain high safety even during autonomous flight.

It is a top view which shows the 1st Embodiment of the drone which concerns on this invention. It is a front view of the said drone. 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 the whole conceptual diagram of the drug spraying system which the said drone has. It is a schematic diagram which showed the control function of the said drone. It is a schematic diagram which showed the structure of the said chemical spraying system. It is a functional block diagram concerning the structure which determines the necessity of warm-up operation which the drone has. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the temperature of the battery which the drone has, and the internal resistance of the said battery. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the discharge time and the voltage when the battery keeps discharging a constant current for each temperature of the battery. It is a two-dimensional map showing the relationship between the temperature of the battery and the voltage at the start of operation, and the expected voltage that the battery exerts after a predetermined time from the start of operation. It is a graph which shows the relationship of discharge time and voltage for each amount of currents discharged when the said battery keeps discharging different currents at the same temperature. The above-mentioned drone is a flowchart for determining the necessity of warm-up operation in the landing state. The above-mentioned drone is a flowchart for determining the necessity of warm-up operation during flight. It is a flowchart in which the said drone monitors a battery temperature and a current value during a flight, and starts a labor-saving flight.

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, for simplification of the drawings, well-known structures and devices are outlined.

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 four sets of eight two-stage rotors in consideration of the balance between flight stability, aircraft size, and battery consumption.

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, it is an electric motor, but it may be a motor, etc.), and one is provided for one rotor. Has been done. The motor 102 is an example of a thruster. The upper and lower rotors (eg, 101-1a and 101-1b) in one set and their 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. Although some rotor blades 101-3b and motor 102-3b are not shown, their positions are self-evident and are in the positions shown if there is a left side view. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the radial member for supporting the propeller guard provided so that the rotor does not interfere with foreign matter has a rather 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 are provided with four machines. In the specification of the present application, a drug 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 material and also serve to support the drug nozzle. The pump 106 is a means for discharging the drug from the nozzle.

FIG. 4 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. The controller 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 has a large emergency stop button or the like so that an emergency response can be taken quickly. It may be a dedicated device equipped with). The pilot 401 and the drone 100 perform wireless communication by Wi-Fi or the like.

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 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, obstacles 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). 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 controller 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 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.

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.

FIG. 6 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, digital signature, virus check software, etc. so that rewriting by malicious 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 pilot 401, on the farming cloud 405, or elsewhere. Due to the high importance of the flight controller 501, some or all of its components may be duplicated.

The battery 502 is a means of supplying power to the flight controller 501 and other components of the drone and may be rechargeable. The battery 502 is connected to the flight controller 501 via a fuse or a power supply unit including a circuit breaker or the like. The battery 502 may be a smart battery having a function of transmitting the internal state (charge amount, total usage time, etc.) to the flight controller 501 in addition to the power supply function.

The flight controller 501 communicates with the pilot 401 via the Wi-Fi slave unit function 503 and further via the base station 404, receives the necessary commands from the pilot 401, and receives the necessary information from the pilot. 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. The base station 404 has the function of an 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 GPS module 504 makes it possible to measure the absolute position of the drone 100 with an accuracy of about several centimeters. GPS module 504 is so important that it may be duplicated / multiplexed, and each redundant GPS module 504 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 (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 airframe, a wind force sensor for measuring the wind force, and the like may be added. Moreover, 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 out 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 obstacle detection camera 513 is a camera for detecting a drone obstacle, and is a device different from the multispectral camera 512 because the image characteristics and the 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 obstacle contact sensor 515 is a sensor for detecting that the drone 100, in particular, its rotor or propeller guard part, has come into contact with an obstacle such as an electric wire, a building, a human body, a standing tree, a bird, or another drone. .. 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 outside the drone 100, the controller 401, or some other place, 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 a voice 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 control unit 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. The speaker 520 is an output means for notifying the state of the drone (particularly an error state) by means of a recorded human voice or synthetic voice. 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.

As shown in FIG. 8, the drug tank 104 is a tank for storing the sprayed drug. The drug tank 104 is provided with an openable / closable lid for filling the drug and discharging the stored drug. An open / close sensor 104a) capable of detecting the open / closed state is attached to the openable / closeable lid. The open / close sensor 104a) can be composed of, for example, a magnet attached to a lid and a sensor attached to a main body to detect the magnetic force or contact of the magnet. As a result, the open / closed state of the lid can be determined so that the user can recognize the opened / closed state of the lid, and it is possible to prevent a situation in which the drug is sprayed with the lid open.

Further, the drug tank 104 is provided with a drug type discrimination sensor 104b. The drug type discrimination sensor 104b can discriminate the type of the drug stored in the drug tank 104.

The drug type discrimination sensor 104b is composed of, for example, a device capable of measuring the viscosity, conductivity, or pH of the drug in the drug tank 104, and the measured values of each item and the reference value for each drug. And can be compared to determine the type of drug.

Not limited to this, for example, if a cartridge-type drug tank is used as the drug tank 104, an IC or the like that records data on the drug type is attached to the cartridge-type drug tank, and the drug type is classified from the IC or the like. By providing a means for acquiring data, it is possible to determine the type of drug.

Here, since a plurality of types of drugs may be used, it is useful to determine whether or not the drug to be sprayed is stored in the drug tank 104. In particular, the particle size of the drug differs depending on the type, and if a drug with a smaller particle size than the drug planned to be sprayed is accidentally sprayed, drift (scattering of the drug to other than the target object) , Adhesion) is likely to occur and cannot be overlooked.

Further, the medicine tank 104 is equipped with a liquid shortage sensor 511 for detecting the liquid shortage of the medicine. In addition, the case where the drug runs out includes the case where the amount of the drug falls below a predetermined amount, and the case where the drug runs out is detected according to an arbitrarily set amount. Can be done.

It is preferable that the drug tank 104 is provided with a function for detecting the evaporation of the drug in the drug tank 104, a function for measuring temperature and humidity, and the like so that the drug is managed in an appropriate state.

The pump 106 discharges the medicine stored in the medicine tank 104 to the downstream, and the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, through the medicine hoses 105-1, 105-2, 1053, 105-4, respectively. Send to 103-3 and 103-4.

The drug is delivered from the drug tank 104 to the drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4. However, in the description of the present embodiment, the drug is delivered along this delivery path. Is referred to as a downstream direction, and the opposite direction may be referred to as an upstream direction. A part of the drug is sent from the drug tank 104 to the drug tank 104 again via the three-way valve 122. Regarding this route, the three-way valve 122 side is referred to as the downstream direction and the drug tank 104 side is referred to as the upstream direction. There is.

The expansion tank 131 is a tank for temporarily storing the medicine delivered from the three-way valve 122 and returning it to the medicine tank 104.

The route from the three-way valve 122 to the drug tank 104 via the expansion tank 131 is a route for removing (defoaming) air bubbles in the water or the drug injected into the drug tank 104. Water or chemicals can be defoamed by circulating this route and temporarily storing it in the expansion tank 131.

Check valves 121-1, 121-2, 121-3, 121-4, 121-5, 121-6, 121-7 deliver the drug only in one direction and in the direction opposite to that direction. It is a valve to prevent inflow, that is, backflow. These check valves 121-1, 121-2, 121-3, 121-4, 121-5, 121-6, 121-7 are from the drug tank 104 to the drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-. In the route leading to 3, 103-4, it plays the role of a blocking mechanism that shuts off the discharge of the drug, and if it can play the role of blocking the discharge of the drug, a solenoid valve or other mechanism can be used as the blocking mechanism. It can also be used.

In this example, the check valve 121-1 is between the drug tank 104 and the pump 106 and is provided near the drug discharge port provided in the drug tank 104, and the check valve 121-2 is the three-way valve 122 and the drug. Check valves 121-4, 121-5, 121-6, 121-7 are provided between nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4 and discharge ports 103a- to the outside of the drug. It is provided in 1, 103a-2, 103a-3, 103a-4, and a check valve 121-3 is provided between the three-way valve 122 and the expansion tank 131. The check valve 121-1 sends the medicine delivered from the medicine tank 104 in the downstream direction and controls the medicine so that it cannot flow back to the medicine tank 104. Further, the check valve 121-2 sends the medicine delivered from the pump 106 in the downstream direction and controls the pump 106 so that it cannot flow back. In addition, the check valve 121-3 sends the medicine delivered from the three-way valve 122 in the upstream direction where the expansion tank 131 is located, and controls the check valve 122 so that it cannot flow back. Furthermore, the check valves 121-4, 121-5, 121-6, 121-7 can block the discharge of the drug from the discharge ports 103a-1, 103a-2, 103a-3, 103a-4 to the outside. I have to.

For each check valve 121-1, 121-2, 121-3, 121-4, 121-5, 121-6, 121-7, various types such as swing type, lift type, and wafer type are used. It can be used and is not particularly limited to a specific one. Further, regardless of this example, more check valves than in this example may be provided at appropriate locations.

The three-way valve 122 is provided between the pump 106 and the drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4, and the pump 106 to the drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, It constitutes a branch point of the route leading to 103-4 and the route connecting the pump 106 to the drug tank 104 via the expansion tank 131, and the drug is sent to each path according to the switching operation. The three-way valve 122 is an example of a valve, for example, a three-way solenoid valve.
Here, the route from the pump 106 to the drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4 causes the drug to be discharged from the drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4. , A route for spraying the drug.
Further, as described above, the path from the pump 106 to the drug tank 104 via the expansion tank 131 is a path for removing (defoaming) air bubbles in the drug.

The flow rate sensor 510 is provided between the pump 106 and the drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4 and sends out to the drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4. Measure the flow rate of the drug being used. Based on the flow rate of the drug measured by the flow rate sensor 510, the amount of the drug sprayed on the field 403 can be grasped.

The pressure sensors 111-1 and 111-2 measure the discharge pressure of the drug at the mounting position.
The pressure sensor 111-1 is attached to the downstream side of the pump 106 and is attached to the upstream side of the check valve 121-2 and the three-way valve 122, and measures the discharge pressure of the drug discharged downstream.
The pressure sensor 111-2 is on the downstream side of the check valve 121-2, and is attached to the upstream side of the drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4, and discharges the drug downstream. Measure the discharge pressure.

Since the discharge pressure of the drug can be measured by these pressure sensors 111-1 and 111-2, the check valves 121-1, 121-2, 121-3, 121-4, 121-5, 121-6 With the valve closed, the change over time of the drug discharge pressure measured by each pressure sensor 111-1 and 111-2 is acquired, and this is used as the time-dependent change of the drug discharge pressure during normal operation. By comparing with, it is possible to detect an abnormality in drug leakage. For example, if the discharge pressure of the drug acquired by the pressure sensors 111-1 and 111-2 draws a downward line over time, and this downward line exceeds the error range and differs from the normal time, it is in the path. It can be inferred that drug leakage may have occurred.

In addition, by determining the discharge pressure for each of the pressure sensors 111-1 and 111-2, it is possible to roughly identify the route where the drug leak occurs. That is, in this example, when the measured value of the pressure sensor 111-1 is normal, but the measured value of the pressure sensor 111-2 is determined to be abnormal, it is downstream from the pressure sensor 111-1. It can be inferred that drug leakage has occurred in.

The pump sensor 106a measures the rotation speed of the rotor that sucks the drug from the drug tank 104 and discharges it downstream in the pump 106.
After measuring the rotation speed of the rotor of the pump 106 with this pump sensor 106a, it is compared with the discharge pressure of the drug measured by the pressure sensors 111-1 and 111-2, and whether or not it matches the normal ratio. By discriminating, it is possible to detect a drug leakage abnormality. That is, when the discharge pressure of the drug corresponding to the rotation speed of the pump 106 is not obtained as compared with the normal state, it is presumed that the drug leaks and the discharge pressure is reduced.

Nozzle type discrimination sensors 114-1, 114-2, 114-3, 114-4 discriminate the types of drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4 attached to the drug discharge port. be able to.
Due to the difference in particle size of each drug to be sprayed, the drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4 are usually used differently depending on the drug. Therefore, by determining whether or not the types of the drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4 are appropriate, it is possible to prevent erroneous spraying of the drug.

Specifically, for example, the discharge port is provided with a mechanism for fitting or engaging with the drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4, and the drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103. -3 and 103-4 are mechanisms for fitting or engaging with the fitting or engaging mechanism on the spout side, and are a plurality of drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4. A mechanism with a different shape is provided for each. Then, when the drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4 are attached to the discharge port, different shapes are identified for each drug nozzle 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4. By doing so, the types of drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4 can be identified.

In the middle of the route from the medicine tank 104 to the medicine nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4, there is a discharge port with a cock for discharging the medicine stored in the route to the outside. (Indicated as "DRAIN" in FIG. 8) is provided. When discharging the drug accumulated in the route from the drug tank 104 to the drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4, etc. after the spraying of the drug to the field 403 is completed, The drug can be discharged from this discharge port.

The behavior of the voltage of the battery 502 mounted on the drone 100 at the time of discharging differs depending on the temperature of the battery 502 itself. In particular, when the temperature of the battery 502 becomes low, the internal resistance of the battery 502 increases, and the voltage after discharge drops significantly. If the drone 100 takes off with the battery 502 at a low temperature, the flight cannot be continued due to this remarkable voltage drop, and there is a risk of impairing safety due to a crash or unintended operation. Therefore, the present embodiment has a function of raising the temperature of the battery 502 before takeoff when the temperature of the battery 502 is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, which may hinder the safe flight of the drone 100. .. In addition, if the battery 502 becomes cold during flight, it has a function to raise the temperature of the battery 502 while flying or to evacuate the drone 100.

As shown in FIG. 9, the drone 100 according to the present invention includes the flight control unit 23, the information acquisition unit 24, the warm-up determination unit 25, the warm-up unit 26, the labor-saving flight determination unit 27, and the drone 100. A drug control unit 30 for controlling the amount of the drug to be discharged is provided.

The flight control unit 23 controls the motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 102-4a, 102-4b to control the rotor blades 101-1a, 101. Control the number and direction of rotation of -1b, 101-2a, 101-2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b to fly Drone 100 within the compartment intended by user 402. It is a functional part to make. In addition, the flight control unit 23 controls the takeoff and landing of the drone 100. Specifically, the flight control unit 23 is a CPU implemented by a microcomputer or the like, and is a flight controller 501.

The flight control unit 23 may operate to control the flight of the drone 100 in the normal operation of the drone 100, or may be configured separately from the flight control means in the normal operation. In the latter case, the flight control unit 23 operates only when taking labor-saving flight and evacuation action described later.

Labor-saving flight is a form of flight in which the current consumed is less than that of normal flight. In labor-saving flight, the drone 100 can be flown with low power consumption, so when the amount of electricity stored in the battery 502 is small and the temperature of the battery 502 is below the specified value, the battery 502 is warmed up while continuing the flight. be able to. In labor-saving flight, the upper limit of the thrust exerted by the flight control unit 23 or the upper limit of the command value from the flight control unit 23 to the motor 102 is smaller than that in normal flight. As a result, the absolute value of the acceleration of the drone 100 becomes smaller, in other words, the deceleration and acceleration become slower. In addition, the attitude angle of the drone 100 will be horizontal compared to normal flight.

The labor-saving flight depends on the operation that the drone 100 is performing when switching to the labor-saving flight. For example, if the drone 100 is switched to labor-saving flight during hovering or constant-velocity flight, the drone 100 will continue hovering and constant-velocity flight because power can be saved by not decelerating and accelerating. Further, after a constant velocity flight, the vehicle may slowly decelerate and shift to hovering.

Furthermore, the altitude of the drone 100 in labor-saving flight is lower than that in normal flight. The labor-saving flight may be a flight in which chemical spraying is stopped, or may be a state in which various configurations such as a camera are stopped.

The evacuation action includes, for example, a normal landing operation of landing on the spot and an "emergency return" of immediately moving to a predetermined return point by the shortest route. The predetermined return point is a point stored in the flight controller 501 in advance, for example, a takeoff departure / arrival point 406. The departure / arrival point 406 is, for example, a land point where the user 402 can approach the drone 100, and the user 402 can inspect the drone 100 that has reached the return point or manually carry it to another place. Can be done.

Further, the evacuation action may be a "normal return" in which the user moves to a predetermined return point by an optimized route. The optimized route is, for example, a route calculated by referring to a route in which a drug is usually sprayed before receiving a return command. For example, the drone 100 travels to a predetermined return point while spraying the drug via a route that has not yet been sprayed with the drug.

The flight control unit 23 may be configured to perform different evacuation actions depending on the situation of the battery 502. For example, when the remaining battery level is equal to or higher than the predetermined value and it is possible to return to the departure / arrival point 406, normal return is performed. If it is difficult to return normally due to a drop in battery temperature while the drone 100 is more than a predetermined distance from the departure / arrival point 406, emergency return or normal landing operation is performed on the spot.

The drug control unit 30 is a control unit that controls the amount or timing of spraying the drug solution from the drug solution tank 104. For example, somewhere in the path from the drug solution tank 104 to each drug nozzle 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4, an opening / closing means for opening / closing the drug solution path is provided, and the drug control unit 30 , Various emergency actions are performed after blocking the release of the chemical solution by the opening / closing means. Further, the drug control unit 30 may stop the pump 106 before executing the evacuation action.

The information acquisition unit 24 is a functional unit that acquires information for determining the necessity of warm-up operation by the warm-up determination unit 25. The information acquisition unit 24 includes a battery temperature acquisition unit 241, a battery storage amount acquisition unit 242, a flight plan acquisition unit 243, and a current measurement unit 244.

The battery temperature acquisition unit 241 is a functional unit that measures the temperature of the battery 502 of the drone 100. The battery temperature acquisition unit 241 may be, for example, a temperature sensor arranged in the vicinity of the battery 502, or may be a temperature sensor built in the battery 502.

The battery charge amount acquisition unit 242 is a functional unit that acquires the charge amount of the battery 502. The battery storage amount acquisition unit 242 is a generally known battery storage amount measuring device, and may be, for example, a voltmeter. Further, the battery charge amount acquisition unit 242 estimates the charge amount of the battery 502 based on one or more values of the battery voltage, the battery temperature, and the current, and the charge amount of the battery 502 is equal to or less than a predetermined value. May be detected. Specifically, a value called SOC (State of Charge) may be calculated by measuring the battery voltage, current, and battery temperature, and the amount of stored electricity may be estimated. Further, the battery storage amount acquisition unit 242 may correct the storage amount of the battery 502 estimated by the above method based on one or more values of the actual usage time of the battery 502, the ambient temperature, and the like.

The flight plan acquisition unit 243 is a functional unit that acquires the next flight plan to be performed by the drone 100. The flight plan includes at least one of the flight path, the scheduled flight speed, the scheduled flight time, and the presence or absence of chemical application during the flight. The flight plan acquisition unit 243 is realized by, for example, the function of the flight controller 501.

The current measuring unit 244 is a functional unit that measures the current value output by the battery 501.

The warm-up determination unit 25 is a functional unit that determines whether or not the drone 100 performs warm-up operation based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 24.

Here, the relationship between the battery temperature and the internal resistance will be described.
As shown in FIG. 10, the value of the internal resistance of the battery 502 changes depending on the temperature. The internal resistance of the battery 502 is substantially constant at temperatures above T1. When the temperature of the battery 502 falls below the temperature T1, the internal resistance increases sharply as the temperature decreases.

As shown in FIG. 11, the behavior of the voltage generated by the battery 502 differs depending on the temperature of the battery 502. When the temperature of the battery 502 is a temperature T1 and a temperature T2 slightly lower than the temperature T1, the voltage when the battery 502 starts discharging a predetermined constant current is inversely proportional to the internal resistance. After that, when the battery 502 continues to discharge at a constant current, the voltage gradually decreases as the amount of electricity stored in the battery 502 decreases.

At a temperature T3 lower than the temperature T2, when the battery 502 begins to discharge, the generated voltage drops sharply over time. After that, the temperature of the battery 502 rises due to the generated voltage, so that the internal resistance decreases and the voltage rises temporarily. As a result, a downward peak, that is, a minimum voltage value Vp appears after a predetermined time tp from the start of discharge. The predetermined time tp varies slightly depending on the temperature. Specifically, the larger the current value, the shorter the predetermined time tp.

The temperature Tt is a temperature at which the minimum value Vp becomes the operating lower limit voltage Vt. The operating lower limit voltage Vt is a lower limit value of the voltage at which various configurations of the drone 100 can operate normally. If the temperature of the battery 502 falls below the temperature Tt, the voltage falls below the operating lower limit voltage Vt after a predetermined time tp from the start of operation, so that the drone 100 may not operate normally. Therefore, when the temperature of the battery 502 is lower than the temperature Tt, the drone 100 can be normally operated even at a temperature at which the minimum voltage value Vp appears by detecting this and performing the warm-up operation.

The warm-up determination unit 25 determines the necessity of warm-up operation based on the temperature of the battery 502. Specifically, the warm-up determination unit 25 determines to perform warm-up operation when the temperature of the battery 502 falls below a predetermined temperature Tt. According to this configuration, it is possible to automatically determine the necessity of warm-up operation.

Further, the warm-up determination unit 25 requires warm-up operation based on the temperature of the battery 502 and a voltage corresponding to the amount of electricity stored in the battery 502 at the start of operation (hereinafter, also referred to as “operation start voltage”). You may decide whether or not.

As shown in FIG. 12, the value of the minimum value Vp of the voltage appearing after a predetermined time tp from the start of discharging the constant current I1 depends on the operation start voltage and the temperature of the battery 502. The plurality of curves in the figure are equipotential lines connecting points where the voltages at the downward peaks after a predetermined time tp from the start of discharge are equal to each other. When the temperature is higher than T2, the minimum value of the voltage at a predetermined time tp having a predetermined width may be plotted. The higher the temperature of the battery 502, the higher the voltage after tp for a predetermined time. Further, the larger the operation start voltage, the larger the voltage after the predetermined time tp. That is, in the figure, the upper right side indicates that the voltage after a predetermined time tp is larger.

The warm-up determination unit 25 stores in advance a table as shown in FIG. 11 showing the relationship between the operation start voltage, that is, the amount of electricity stored in the battery 502, the battery 502 temperature, and the voltage at the time tp at which the minimum value Vp can appear. ing. The warm-up determination unit 25 determines that warm-up operation is necessary when the acquired temperature and storage amount of the battery 502 belong to the lower left of the equipotential line of voltage Vt. According to this configuration, the voltage at time tp can be predicted from the stored amount of the battery 502, and the necessity of warm-up operation can be determined more accurately.

Further, the warm-up determination unit 25 is used when the amount of electricity stored in the battery 502 is less than or equal to a predetermined value and is not sufficient for warm-up operation, that is, when it belongs to the “war-up impossible” region in the figure. May make a decision not to do so. This is because when the stored amount of the battery 502 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, it is expected that the temperature of the battery 502 will not rise to the temperature Tt even if the stored amount is discharged and warmed up. In this case, the warm-up determination unit 25 restricts the flight of the drone 100 and causes the controller 401 to display the fact. According to this configuration, the effectiveness of the warm-up operation can be determined more accurately to determine the necessity of the warm-up operation.

The warm-up determination unit 25 may determine whether or not to perform warm-up operation based on the flight plan of the drone 100 acquired by the flight plan acquisition unit 243 in addition to the temperature and the amount of electricity stored in the battery 502. For example, after predicting the amount of electricity stored in the battery 502 after warm-up operation, the amount of electricity stored in the battery 502 required to achieve the flight plan is estimated, and the expected amount of electricity stored in the temperature after warm-up operation changes. If is less than the amount of electricity required to achieve the flight plan, it may be decided not to warm up. On the contrary, if the flight plan can be achieved with a small amount of electricity stored, the flight plan can be achieved by carrying out warm-up operation even when the amount of electricity stored is small. The amount of electricity stored to achieve a flight plan depends on, for example, the area of the field in which the flight is planned, the scheduled flight time, the speed during flight, and the degree of change in acceleration during flight. For example, when the scheduled flight time is less than the predetermined time, the amount of electricity required to achieve the plan is small, so that the threshold value for warm-up operation is lower than when the scheduled flight time is longer than the predetermined time. In addition, a flight with chemical spraying requires a larger amount of electricity than a flight without chemical spraying.

According to this configuration, since it is estimated in advance whether or not the flight plan has a sufficient amount of electricity to be achieved after the warm-up operation, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not the warm-up operation is effective.

The warm-up determination unit 25 calculates the target temperature of the battery 502 and compares it with the current temperature of the battery 502 to determine the necessity of warm-up operation. The target temperature of the battery 502 may be constant, or may be calculated based on the flight plan in which the drone 100 will fly after takeoff. For example, when the flight time in the flight plan is short, the target temperature is low because the amount of electricity stored to achieve the flight plan is small. On the contrary, when the flight time in the flight plan is long, the target temperature is high because the required amount of electricity is large.

The warm-up determination unit 25 may calculate the target temperature based on the maximum current predicted value expected in the flight plan. In FIG. 13, at the same temperature condition, that is, at the temperature Tt in this figure, the value of the voltage minimum value Vp2 when the constant current I2 is energized is the minimum value of the voltage when the current I1 smaller than the current I2 is energized. It shows that it is smaller than the value of Vp1. That is, under the same temperature condition, the value of the minimum value Vp of the voltage becomes smaller as the energized current becomes larger. If the velocity or acceleration in the flight plan is high, the maximum expected current is high and the target temperature needs to be higher. Further, the target temperature may be calculated by predicting the internal resistance value of the battery 502 and further considering the voltage drop due to the direct current internal resistance (DCR).

The warm-up determination unit 25 displays to the pilot 401 monitored by the user 402 that warm-up operation is necessary by an appropriate communication means possessed by the drone 100. Further, the warm-up determination unit 25 may be configured so that the display means of the drone 100, for example, an LED, indicates that the drone 100 is performing warm-up operation. Further, an appropriate sound may be output from the speaker of the drone 100.

Further, when the user 402 acquires the information of the drone 100 by the eyewear type wearable terminal, it may be displayed or projected on the screen of the eyewear. Further, when the user 402 acquires the information of the drone 100 by the earphone type wearable terminal, the user may notify by sound.

The warm-up determination unit 25 may automatically start the warm-up operation on the warm-up unit 26, or whether or not to perform the warm-up operation after notifying the user 402 of the necessity of the warm-up operation. It may be configured to be determined by the input of the user 402. When the battery 502 has a low temperature and a low storage capacity, it is effective to replace the battery 502 or warm the battery 502 and install it instead of the warm-up operation. Therefore, in addition to the warm-up operation, the warm-up determination unit 25 notifies the user 402 of a message prompting the user to replace the battery 502 or warm the battery 502, and determines and inputs to the user 402 which measure to take. It may be configured to allow.

Further, the warm-up determination unit 25 may take a measure for prohibiting the takeoff of the drone 100 instead of the operation of causing the warm-up unit 26 to start the warm-up operation.

The flight controller 501 may change the flight plan based on the information obtained by the information acquisition unit 24. Specifically, if the temperature of the battery 502 is low and it is expected that the battery 502 will not be able to withstand a large load, the flight will reduce the speed, acceleration, and rotation speed of the motor-102 of the drone 100. You may change to a plan.

The warm-up unit 26 is a functional unit that performs a warm-up operation for raising the temperature of the battery 502. The warm-up unit 26 includes a motor-drive unit 261, a takeoff determination unit 262, and a pump drive unit 263.

The motor drive unit 261 is a functional unit that energizes the motor 102 with a current that does not allow the drone 100 to take off. The amount of current that the motor drive unit 261 energizes the motor 102 may be fixed. Further, the motor drive unit 261 may control the amount of current so that the current is such that the drone 100 does not take off, based on whether or not the drone 100 determined by the takeoff determination unit 262 is taking off.

The takeoff determination unit 262 can determine whether or not the drone 100 is taking off based on the measured position information of the drone 100. The position information of the drone 100 is specifically a value indicating the height of the drone 100, and is the vertical position information of the drone 100 measured by the GPS module RTK504 or the acceleration of the 6-axis gyro sensor 505 in the z direction. Required by information. According to this configuration, the motor drive unit 261 can energize the motor 102 with the maximum current. That is, the temperature of the battery 502 can be raised in a shorter time. In particular, in a drone for spraying chemicals, the total weight of the drone varies greatly depending on the amount of chemicals loaded, so the amount of current required for takeoff varies depending on the amount of chemicals loaded. Therefore, by adjusting the amount of current to be energized based on the position information of the drone, more efficient warm-up operation becomes possible.

The pump drive unit 263 is a functional unit that operates the pump 106 in order to raise the temperature of the battery 502. Specifically, the circulation path from the three-way valve 122 located below the drug tank 104 to the drug tank 104 via the expansion tank 131 is released again to operate the pump 106, and the drug is circulated inside the drone 100. Let me. As a result, the pump 106 can be operated without discharging the chemicals, and the temperature of the battery 502 can be raised.

The pump drive unit 263 may operate the pump 106 after releasing the path from the three-way valve 122 to the nozzle 103. In this case, the pump drive unit 263 may operate the pump 106 with a small operating force such that the drug is not discharged from the nozzle 103.

In addition to the above, the warm-up unit 26 may energize other configurations mounted on the drone 100, such as a camera. However, in the present embodiment, the configuration capable of energizing the largest amount of current is the motor 102, followed by the pump 106. Further, these configurations can easily change the operation according to the amount of the energized current. Therefore, it is preferable to use the drive of the motor 102 and the pump 106 for the warm-up operation.

The labor-saving flight determination unit 27 is a functional unit in which the drone 100 determines the necessity of labor-saving flight based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 24 during flight. When the amount of electricity stored in the battery 502 is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the labor-saving flight determination unit 27 determines to perform a labor-saving flight and notifies the flight control unit 23 to that effect.

Further, the labor-saving flight determination unit 27 calculates the maximum value of the outputable current value of the battery 502 based on the temperature of the battery 502. Further, the output current of the battery 502 obtained by the current measuring unit 244 is acquired and compared with the maximum value of the outputable current value. When the difference between the output current and the maximum value is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the labor-saving flight determination unit 27 determines that labor-saving flight is necessary, and transmits that fact to the flight control unit 23. The output current value varies depending on the temperature of the battery 502. Further, the output current of the battery 502 differs depending on the operation content of the drone 100 such as a command to the motor 102. Therefore, according to this configuration, it is possible to more accurately determine the necessity of labor-saving flight based on the output current value and the output current value.

According to such a configuration, the drone 100 can be safely flown even when the outside temperature is low such as in the cold season or at dawn. For example, in an agricultural drone that sprays chemicals in a relatively hot season and monitors growth in a cold season or at dawn, the drone 100 can be safely flown for any purpose.

● Flow chart for determining the necessity of warm-up operation in the landing state As shown in FIG. 14, first, the battery temperature acquisition unit 241 measures the temperature of the battery 502 while the drone 100 is landing (step S1). ..

The battery charge amount acquisition unit 242 measures the charge amount of the battery 502 (step S2).

The flight plan acquisition unit 243 acquires the flight plan to be performed by the drone 100 after takeoff (step S3). The steps S1 to S3 are in no particular order. Further, steps S1 to S3 may be executed at the same time.

The warm-up determination unit 25 determines whether or not warm-up operation is necessary based on the battery temperature acquisition unit 241, the battery storage amount acquisition unit 242, and the flight plan acquisition unit 243 (step S4).

When the warm-up determination unit 25 determines that warm-up operation is not necessary, the drone 100 takes off (step S10). Further, before takeoff, a preparatory operation leading to takeoff may be appropriately performed.

When the warm-up determination unit 25 determines that warm-up operation is necessary, it notifies the controller 401 to that effect and waits for the input of the user 402 (step S5). On the controller 401, it is possible to select which of warm-up operation, replacement of the battery 502, and measures for warming the battery 502 by the user to be executed. Further, when the amount of electricity stored in the battery 502 is less than a predetermined value and it is expected that the temperature of the battery 502 cannot be sufficiently raised, it may be displayed to prompt the user 402 to replace or warm the battery 502 only.

Instead of the above, the warm-up determination unit 25 may be configured to automatically perform the warm-up operation when it is determined that the warm-up operation is necessary. In this case as well, the controller 401 indicates that the warm-up operation is in progress. Further, instead of the above, measures may be taken to prohibit the flight of the drone 100.

When a command to perform warm-up operation is input by the user 402, the warm-up unit 26 starts warm-up operation (step S6). During the warm-up operation, the battery temperature acquisition unit 241 continuously or periodically measures the temperature of the battery 502 (step S7), and the warm-up determination unit 25 determines whether or not the battery 502 is at a predetermined temperature. Is determined (step S8). When the battery 502 has reached a temperature equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, the warm-up unit 26 stops the warm-up operation (step S9). After that, the drone 100 performs an operation leading to takeoff or takeoff (step S10).

When the user 402 inputs to replace the battery 502 or warm the battery 502, the drone 100 puts the battery 502 in a removable state (step S11). Specifically, the drone 100 is shut down.

● Flow chart for determining whether the battery temperature is suitable for flight during flight As shown in FIG. 15, first, the battery temperature acquisition unit 241 measures the temperature of the battery 502 while the drone 100 is in flight (step). S21).

The battery charge amount acquisition unit 242 measures the charge amount of the battery 502 (step S22).

The flight plan acquisition unit 243 acquires the flight plan to be performed by the drone 100 before landing (step S23). The steps S21 to S23 are in no particular order. Further, steps S21 to S23 may be executed at the same time.

The warm-up determination unit 25 determines whether the temperature of the battery 502 is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature based on the battery temperature acquisition unit 241 (step S24).

If the warm-up determination unit 25 determines that warm-up operation is not necessary, the drone 100 continues to fly as planned. In addition, the necessity of warm-up operation is determined periodically and repeatedly.

When the warm-up determination unit 25 determines that the warm-up operation is necessary, the warm-up determination unit 25 determines whether the charge amount of the battery 502 is equal to or less than the predetermined amount based on the battery charge amount acquisition unit 242. Judgment (step S25).

When the amount of electricity stored in the battery 502 is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the labor-saving flight determination unit 27 determines that the labor-saving flight is necessary, and the flight control unit 23 starts the labor-saving flight (step S26). After that, the warm-up operation is started (step S27). When the battery 502 exceeds the predetermined storage capacity, the warm-up operation is started without performing labor-saving flight (step S27).

When the storage capacity of the battery 502 is further lower than the storage capacity described above (step S40), the drone 100 lands (step S41).

Although the flow for determining the temperature and the stored amount stepwise in this order is described here, the stored amount may be determined first, and then the temperature may be determined. Moreover, you may make these determinations at the same time.

After the start of warm-up operation, the battery temperature acquisition unit 241 periodically measures the temperature of the battery 502 (step S28), and the warm-up determination unit 25 determines whether or not the battery 501 has reached a predetermined temperature (step). S29). If the battery 501 has not reached the predetermined temperature, the process returns to step S25. When the battery 501 has reached the predetermined temperature, the warm-up operation is terminated (step S30). If the flight is labor-saving, return to normal flight (step S31).

● Flow chart for monitoring the battery temperature and current value to shift to labor-saving flight As shown in FIG. 16, the battery temperature acquisition unit 241 acquires the temperature of the battery 501 during flight (step S51). Next, the battery temperature acquisition unit 241 calculates the maximum value of the current value that can be output based on the temperature of the battery 501 (step S52).

The current measuring unit 244 calculates the output current from the battery 502 (step S53).

The labor-saving flight determination unit 27 compares the maximum value of the current value that can be output with the output current from the battery 502, and determines whether the difference is equal to or less than a predetermined value (step S54).

If the above difference is large enough, the process returns to step S51. When the above difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the labor-saving flight determination unit 27 notifies the flight control unit 23 that the labor-saving flight is necessary, and starts the labor-saving flight (step S55).

According to this configuration, it is possible to perform warm-up operation after starting labor-saving flight under appropriate conditions.

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 machines that operate autonomously. In particular, it is applicable to drones that fly autonomously. It can also be applied to autonomously operating machines that run on the ground.

(Technically remarkable effect of the present invention)
In the drone according to the present invention, high safety can be maintained even during autonomous flight.

Claims (14)

A battery that supplies drive power and
An information acquisition unit that measures the temperature of the battery,
Based on the value acquired by the information acquisition unit, a warm-up determination unit that determines the necessity of warm-up operation for raising the temperature of the battery, and a warm-up determination unit.
When the warm-up determination unit determines that warm-up operation is necessary, a notification unit that notifies the user of the necessity of warm-up operation, and a notification unit.
And said user-selectable input one of the instructions in an instruction to replace the instruction with the battery that performs Kidan press run before Te state odor that landed,
When the input unit receives the input of the instruction to perform the warm-up operation, the warm-up unit that performs the warm-up operation and the warm-up unit
It is a drone equipped with
The warm-up unit raises the temperature of the battery by applying a load to the battery and performing the warm-up operation.
Drone.
In addition to the notification of the necessity of warm-up operation, the notification unit notifies a message prompting the replacement of the battery.
The drone according to claim 1.
The warm-up determination unit determines the temperature of the battery based on the value acquired by the information acquisition unit when the notification unit notifies the necessity of the warm-up operation and the drone is restarted. Redetermine the necessity of warm-up operation to raise,
The drone according to claim 1.
A propulsion device for flying the drone is further provided, and the warm-up unit drives the propulsion device within a range in which the drone does not take off.
The drone according to claim 1.
Further comprising determining takeoff judgment section whether the drone is off, the warming-up portion refers to the result of detection by the pre-Symbol takeoff judgment unit, operating said thruster to the extent that the drone does not take off Let,
The drone according to claim 4 .
A battery that supplies drive power and
An information acquisition unit that measures the temperature of the battery,
Based on the value acquired by the information acquisition unit, a warm-up determination unit that determines the necessity of warm-up operation for raising the temperature of the battery, and a warm-up determination unit.
When the warm-up determination unit determines that the warm-up operation is necessary in the landing state, the warm-up unit that performs the warm-up operation and the warm-up unit
It is a drone equipped with
A tank for storing medicine and
A pump that flows the drug in the tank and
A discharge path for discharging the drug to the outside and
A circulation pathway that circulates the drug inside the drone,
A drug control unit capable of driving the pump and selectively inflowing the drug into the discharge path and the circulation path.
With more
When the warm-up determination unit determines that the warm-up operation is necessary, the warm-up unit drives the pump by the drug control unit to allow the drug to flow into the circulation path of the battery. Raise the temperature,
Drone.
A battery that supplies drive power and
An information acquisition unit that measures the temperature of the battery,
Based on the value acquired by the information acquisition unit, a warm-up determination unit that determines the necessity of warm-up operation for raising the temperature of the battery, and a warm-up determination unit.
When the warm-up determination unit determines that the warm-up operation is necessary in the landing state, the warm-up unit that performs the warm-up operation and the warm-up unit
It is a drone equipped with
The warm-up unit raises the temperature of the battery by applying a load to the battery to perform warm-up operation.
The information acquisition unit has a flight plan acquisition unit that acquires information on a flight plan for the drone to fly after takeoff, and the warm-up determination unit determines whether or not the warm-up operation is necessary based on the flight plan information. To judge,
Drone.
The warm-up determination unit determines the necessity of warm-up operation based on the maximum current predicted value predicted from the flight speed or flight acceleration of the drone in the flight plan.
The drone according to claim 7 .
The warm-up determination unit determines whether or not the warm-up operation is necessary based on the scheduled flight time of the drone in the flight plan.
The drone according to claim 7 or 8 .
The warm-up determination unit detects that the temperature of the battery exceeds a predetermined target temperature during the warm-up operation, and stops the warm-up operation.
The drone according to any one of claims 1 to 9 .
A battery that supplies drive power and
An information acquisition unit that measures the temperature of the battery,
Based on the value acquired by the information acquisition unit, a warm-up determination unit that determines the necessity of warm-up operation for raising the temperature of the battery, and a warm-up determination unit.
When the warm-up determination unit determines that the warm-up operation is necessary in the landing state, the warm-up unit that performs the warm-up operation and the warm-up unit
It is a drone equipped with
The warm-up unit raises the temperature of the battery by applying a load to the battery to perform warm-up operation.
It is further equipped with a labor-saving flight determination unit that determines whether or not to start a labor-saving flight in which the power consumption of the battery is smaller than that of a normal flight.
The labor-saving flight determination unit determines whether or not to start the labor-saving flight based on the amount of electricity stored in the battery while the drone is flying.
Further equipped with a current measuring unit for measuring the current value output by the battery,
The labor-saving flight determination unit refers to the temperature of the battery, and the difference between the maximum value of the outputable current calculated based on the temperature of the battery and the current discharged by the battery is not more than a predetermined value. Decides to start the labor-saving flight based on,
Drone.
A propulsion device for flying the drone is further provided, and the upper limit of the command value to the propulsion device in the labor-saving flight is smaller than that in the normal flight.
The drone according to claim 11 .
A method of controlling a drone that has a battery that supplies drive power.
The step of measuring the temperature of the battery and
Based on the acquired temperature measurement value of the battery, a step of determining the necessity of warm-up operation for raising the temperature of the battery, and
When it is determined that warm-up operation is necessary in the step of determining the necessity of warm-up operation, the step of notifying the user of the necessity of warm-up operation and
Instructions or instructions for exchange of instructions between the battery performing pre Kidan machine operating Te state odor that landed from the user-selectable input unit, a step of accepting an instruction,
When the input unit receives an input of an instruction to perform the warm-up operation, the step of performing the warm-up operation and
Including
The step of performing the warm-up operation raises the temperature of the battery by applying a load to the battery and performing the warm-up operation.
How to control the drone.
A drone control program with a battery that supplies drive power
The command to measure the temperature of the battery and
An instruction to determine the necessity of warm-up operation to raise the temperature of the battery based on the acquired temperature measurement value of the battery, and
When it is determined that the warm-up operation is necessary based on the command for determining the necessity of the warm-up operation, the command for notifying the user of the necessity of the warm-up operation and
An instruction to accept an instruction from an input unit that can be selected by the user, an instruction to perform the warm-up operation or an instruction to replace the battery while landing, and an instruction to accept the instruction.
When the input unit receives the input of the instruction to perform the warm-up operation, the instruction to perform the warm-up operation and the instruction to perform the warm-up operation
Let the computer run
The command to perform the warm-up operation raises the temperature of the battery by applying a load to the battery to perform the warm-up operation.
Drone control program.