JP7011040B2 - Small unmanned aircraft - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a small unmanned air vehicle capable of autopilot, and in particular, the unmanned air vehicle equipped with a camera held by the user automatically flies to a preset position and takes a picture of the user. It relates to a small unmanned aircraft that can automatically take a selfie by returning to the user.

Conventionally, many small aircraft that can be maneuvered by radio have been developed and used. In particular, in recent years, many small airframes called drones have been developed and used for photography, etc., and the size of the airframe is becoming smaller, and its applications are now wide-ranging.

In recent years, the number of people who enjoy taking selfies by taking pictures of themselves is increasing, and many tools for taking selfies have been developed. To take a selfie, use the timer built into the camera for a long time, fix the camera in the desired position so that the user can take a picture at the position where the user wants to take a picture, and then set the timer. It was done to press the shutter using.

However, there are problems that it takes time to install the camera and it is necessary to move to the set shooting position within the set time of the timer, so that it is not easy to shoot. Recently, it is often done to point the camera lens toward the subject and press the shutter, but it is difficult to accurately photograph the subject and the distance between the lens and the subject. There was a problem that it was difficult to take a beautiful self-portrait in focus because it was too close.

In order to solve such problems, so-called selfie sticks have been developed and used. A selfie stick is a camera installed at the tip of a rod by installing the camera at the tip of the rod, holding the grip on the other end of the rod by the user, and operating a switch installed at the grip. It is a device that can press the shutter. This solves the problem of being too close to the subject, but it is necessary to carry a rod-shaped device, devise ways to avoid the amplitude of camera shake, and the long device comes into contact with other people around. There was a problem that there was a risk of doing so.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-65467 exists as a technique for solving such a problem. Here, the control unit inside the main body of the drone determines the flight distance according to the magnitude of the external force applied to the drone from the subject person, and also determines the flight direction from the direction of the external force and controls it during the flight of the drone. A technique is disclosed in which a unit controls a digital camera to shoot a subject person, and after shooting, the drone returns to a place where an external force is applied.

Certainly, with this technology, it is possible to shoot the subject accurately without the danger of the stick hitting another person, but the flight distance and shooting angle of the drone will be different each time, so it is not always desirable to be stable. There was a problem that it was not possible to take self-portrait photos.

In order to take a beautiful self-portrait in focus using an unmanned aerial vehicle such as a drone, it is desirable that the distance, direction, and angle at which the drone flies are constant. In addition, it is necessary to follow the subject. Therefore, it has been desired to develop a small unmanned aerial vehicle capable of automatically taking a self-portrait by flying an unmanned aerial vehicle such as a drone to a preset position and taking a picture while following the subject. ..
JP-A-2017-65467

The present invention relates to a small unmanned aircraft capable of autopilot for solving the above problems, and in particular, an unmanned aircraft equipped with a user's camera automatically flies to a preset position to follow the user. It is an object of the present invention to provide a small unmanned aircraft capable of automatically and accurately taking a beautiful self-portrait photograph, which automatically returns to the user after taking a picture while taking a picture.

In order to achieve the above object, the small unmanned vehicle according to the present invention is a small unmanned vehicle equipped with a control device, which includes a plurality of rotary blades, a plurality of drive devices for applying rotational power to each rotary blade, and a drive device. A control device for individually controlling the drive speed of the The control device consists of a ground station, a pressure sensor that detects and signals the pressure outside the vehicle to measure the altitude of the vehicle, and a landing point of the vehicle that measures the altitude of the vehicle. An optical flow sensor installed at the bottom of the front of the vehicle that detects and signals the relative speed between the vehicle and other objects to detect a stop at, and a magnetic force to measure the orientation of the vehicle. A magnetic sensor that detects and signals a magnetic sensor, a gyro sensor that detects and signals an angular velocity to measure the angle of the vehicle, an acceleration sensor that measures and signals the acceleration of the vehicle, and vibrations on the vehicle. A vibration sensor that detects the addition of a signal and signals it, a face authentication camera that detects and recognizes the subject to be photographed by the photographing camera, and a sound that detects and signals the sound outside the vehicle. It consists of a voice recognition microphone, a calculation device that processes signals transmitted from each of the sensors, a camera, and the microphone, and the calculation device operates by detecting vibration applied to the vibration sensor. The initial position of the vehicle is measured based on the signals transmitted from the pressure sensor, optical flow sensor, gyro sensor and acceleration sensor, and the drive device is controlled to set the horizontal and vertical distances from the initial position. After flying the flying object to a position, it is stopped at that position, and the flying object is directed toward the subject based on the signal transmitted from the magnetic sensor and the tracking signal identified by the ground station and transmitted from the face recognition camera. The drive device is controlled so that the installation side of the shooting camera is directed and the distance to the subject is kept constant, the subject is shot based on the instruction signal from the ground station, and the setting is set in advance to be transmitted from the voice recognition microphone. Based on the signal, the flying object flies back to the initial position, and after detecting that the position of the flying object and the initial position match, the energization is released.

Further, the arithmetic unit of the control device made the flying object fly to a position of a horizontal distance of 1 to 1.5 m and a vertical distance of 1 to 1.5 m from the initial position measured by controlling the drive device. It is a configuration that controls to stop at the position above.
Further, in order to prevent the flying object from coming into contact with an obstacle, the control device is installed on all sides of the flying object and above and below, and is a distance sensor composed of a plurality of sensors that measures the distance from each installation location to the object and converts it into a signal. It is a configuration equipped with.

Further, the ground station is equipped with a user interface for transmitting a command signal desired by the user to the control device in order to allow the user to arbitrarily operate the flying object, and the user interface by the user. It is a configuration equipped with a switching means for switching the availability of the above.

Further, the calculation device measures the current position of the flying object based on the signals transmitted from the pressure sensor, the optical flow sensor, the gyro sensor and the acceleration sensor, and the ground station is measured by the calculation device. A control that measures the vertical and horizontal distance between the current position of the vehicle and the ground station, and stops the horizontal movement and / or vertical movement of the vehicle when the distance exceeds a preset value. It is a configuration to perform.

Further, the ground station is composed of a tablet-type mobile terminal or a personal computer, and is also configured to control the control device by software installed in the tablet-type mobile terminal or personal computer.

Since the small unmanned vehicle according to the present invention has the configuration as described in detail above, it has the following effects.
1. 1. Since the barometric pressure sensor, optical flow sensor, gyro sensor, and acceleration sensor are installed, the initial position of the flying object and the current position during movement can be accurately measured, and reciprocating flight to a preset position becomes possible. In addition, since a magnetic sensor and a face recognition camera are installed, the control device can control the orientation of the flying object based on tracking information, etc., and arbitrarily determine the orientation of the camera, and it is also possible to follow the movement of the subject. It becomes.
2. 2. Since the flying object is stopped at a horizontal and vertical distance of 1 to 1.5 m from the initial position, it is possible to stop the flying object at the optimum position for photography.

3. 3. Since the distance sensors are provided on all sides and above and below the flying object, it is possible to prevent the flying object from coming into contact with an obstacle.
4. Since the ground station is equipped with a switching means, it is possible to switch between automatic flight and arbitrary operation according to the user's instructions.

5. When the vertical and horizontal distance between the current position of the aircraft and the ground station exceeds a preset value, the horizontal movement and / or vertical movement of the aircraft is stopped, so the aircraft is within the controllable range. Can be flown.
6. Since the ground station is a tablet-type mobile terminal or a personal computer, the ground station can be easily carried and the flying object can be operated using a familiar device.

Hereinafter, the small unmanned vehicle according to the present invention will be described in detail based on the examples shown in the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a small unmanned vehicle according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a usage state of the small unmanned vehicle.

The small unmanned flying object 100 according to the present invention includes a rotary wing 110, a driving device 120, a control device 130, a shooting camera 140, a frame portion 150, and a ground station 200, and the unmanned flying object is preliminarily composed of a rotary wing 110, a driving device 120, a control device 130, a shooting camera 140, and a ground station 200. It is a small unmanned aircraft that can perform a series of self-shooting processes that automatically fly to a set position, shoot a user, and then automatically return to the user.

Although the small unmanned aircraft 100 according to the present invention is equipped with a control device, it is lightweight with a total weight of 200 grams or less. With this configuration, it is possible to fly a small unmanned vehicle 100 that can be freely controlled at any place and take a self-portrait photograph.

The rotary blades 110 are a plurality of rotary fans installed in the small unmanned air vehicle 100 in order to give lift to the small unmanned air vehicle 100. In this embodiment, four rotor blades 110 are mounted on four sides of the main body of the small unmanned air vehicle 100. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to install three or less or five or more rotor blades 110.

The drive device 120 is a device that applies rotational power to a plurality of rotary blades 110 installed in the main body of the small unmanned aircraft 100, and is installed for each rotary blade 110. In the present embodiment, the drive device 120 is configured to include a motor that operates using electricity, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a small unmanned vehicle such as a small engine 100 has sufficient output to obtain lift. If it is a driving device that generates electricity, it can be appropriately selected and used.

The control device 130 is a device that individually controls the drive speed of the drive device 120, and is a member having a calculation function installed in the entire small unmanned vehicle 100 according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the control device 130 individually issues a command to the drive device 120 to control the attitude of the small unmanned aircraft 100 based on the user's instruction and / or the information from various sensors. It stabilizes the movement of the small unmanned aircraft 100 in floating or enables arbitrary movement by command.

The shooting camera 140 is a camera for taking a self-portrait photograph, and shoots the subject s by an instruction from a user or an automatic operation. In this embodiment, any camera having a weight (lightness) sufficient to be mounted on the small unmanned aircraft 100 can be appropriately selected and used.

The frame portion 150 is a frame member that is the base of the small unmanned flying object 100, and is a member that serves as a housing for holding the plurality of drive devices 120 and the control device 130. In this embodiment, the material is made of plastic in order to reduce the weight of the small unmanned aircraft 100, but the material is not limited to this, and any lightweight material such as carbon can be appropriately selected and used. be.

The ground station 200 is a control base for wirelessly controlling a control device 130 for controlling the flight direction and attitude of the small unmanned vehicle 100 and a shooting camera 140 for taking a self-portrait photograph, and is a small unmanned vehicle. It is provided outside the 100. In this embodiment, as will be described later, the configuration is such that an application (software) for controlling the small unmanned aircraft 100 is installed and used in a portable device such as a tablet terminal or a smartphone, but the present embodiment is limited to this. It is also possible to use a radio (proportional system), which is a transmitter for an aircraft, with a switch for pressing the shutter of the photographing camera 140.

Next, the details of the control device 130 will be described. The control device 130 includes a pressure sensor 131, an optical flow sensor 132, a magnetic sensor 133, a gyro sensor 134, an acceleration sensor 135, a vibration sensor 136, a face recognition camera 137, a voice recognition microphone 138, and the like. It is configured to be equipped with a calculation device 139.

The barometric pressure sensor 131 is a sensor for detecting and signaling the barometric pressure outside the small unmanned flying object 100, and it is possible to measure the altitude of the flying object by using the sensor. Further, the optical flow sensor 132 is a sensor for detecting and signaling the relative speed between the small unmanned flying object 100 and another object, and is installed in the lower part of the front surface of the flying object. As a result, it is detected that the small unmanned aircraft 100 has stopped descending to the landing point. Further, by analyzing the information detected by the barometric pressure sensor 131 and the optical flow sensor 132, it is possible to accurately measure the altitude of the flying object.

The magnetic sensor 133 is a sensor that detects a magnetic force and converts it into a signal, and is used in this embodiment to measure the orientation of the small unmanned vehicle 100. Further, the gyro sensor 134 is a sensor for detecting an angular velocity and converting it into a signal, and in this embodiment, it is used to measure the angle of the small unmanned flying object 100. Further, the acceleration sensor 135 is a sensor for measuring and signaling the acceleration of the small unmanned flying object 100. With these three sensors, information on the flight attitude and orientation of the small unmanned aircraft 100 is acquired in detail and calculated, and the drive device 120 is individually controlled based on the calculation result to control the attitude. In particular, since the small unmanned vehicle 100 according to the present invention is intended for self-shooting, the attitude of the vehicle body is controlled by controlling the attitude of the vehicle body when it is used outdoors or when the subject s moves. It is necessary to follow the moving subject s while correcting the blur quickly and accurately. By using these sensors in an integrated manner, it is possible to control the flying object in more detail, and it is possible to take accurate selfies.

The vibration sensor 136 is a sensor for detecting that vibration is applied to the small unmanned flying object 100 and converting it into a signal, and by detecting the vibration having a constant swing width, the small unmanned flying object 100 is activated. Perform initial start processing such as.

The small unmanned aircraft 100 is configured to be separately equipped with a face recognition camera 137 in addition to a shooting camera 140. The face recognition camera 137 is a camera that detects a part that seems to be a human face from a digital image detected by the camera, and in this embodiment, it is installed in the same direction as the shooting camera 140 of the small unmanned vehicle 100. It is a composition. It is also possible to use a face recognition algorithm that detects the relative position of each part of the face and extracts features to extract only a specific person. As a result, when the face recognition camera 137 detects a human (or a specific user), a tracking signal is transmitted, and it is possible to output a signal indicating that the shooting camera 140 is capable of shooting. Further, when a face is detected from the digital image detected by the face recognition camera 137, the information regarding the position in the detected image is converted into a signal (tracking signal) and calculated by the control device 130 to take a picture of the subject s. The orientation of the camera 140 can be calculated, and the drive device 120 is individually controlled based on the calculation result to control the posture and follow the camera 140 so that the camera 140 faces the subject s. Is possible.

The voice recognition microphone 138 is a microphone that detects and signals the voice outside the small unmanned vehicle 100. By recognizing a specific voice, it becomes possible to control the small unmanned aircraft 100 to return to the initial position.

The arithmetic unit 139 is an apparatus for arithmetically processing signals transmitted from the above sensors, cameras, and microphones. This makes it possible to control the drive device 120, the shooting camera 140, and the like based on information from various sensors to perform self-shooting.

Next, a series of operations of the small unmanned aircraft 100 according to the present invention will be described. The small unmanned flying object 100 automatically takes off from the user (subject s), moves to a certain position, stands still, detects and recognizes the subject s, and automatically shoots (or shoots instructed by the user). After that, it is configured to automatically return to the user (subject s).

First, the user (subject s) gives a trigger vibration to the small unmanned vehicle 100 according to the present invention. The arithmetic unit 139 issues a command to the drive device 120 by receiving a signal to the effect that the vibration sensor 136 has detected the vibration, and starts the flight. The control device 130 measures the initial position of the small unmanned vehicle 100 based on the signals detected and transmitted by the barometric pressure sensor 131, the optical flow sensor 132, the gyro sensor 134, and the acceleration sensor 135.

Next, the control device 130 controls the drive device 120 by the arithmetic processing of the arithmetic unit 139 to fly the small unmanned aircraft 100 from the measured initial position to the preset horizontal and vertical distance positions. After that, control is performed to stop the small unmanned aircraft 100 at the position.

After the stop, the control device 130 controls the drive device 120 by the arithmetic processing of the arithmetic unit 139, and the signal transmitted from the magnetic sensor 133 and the tracking signal specified by the ground station 200 and transmitted from the face recognition camera 137. Based on the above, arithmetic processing such as the current altitude / position and the direction with respect to the user (subject s) is performed, and the processing for pointing the photographing camera 140 of the small unmanned vehicle 100 toward the subject s is performed. Further, the drive device 120 is controlled so as to keep the distance from the subject s constant.

After that, a process of photographing the subject s is performed based on an instruction signal from the ground station 200 based on a user operation or a signal automatically generated by detecting a state in which photography is possible. After the shooting is completed, when the user (subject s) emits a predetermined voice, the voice recognition microphone 138 detects the voice, and the control device 130 is based on the preset signal transmitted from the microphone. In addition, the arithmetic unit 139 performs arithmetic processing to move the small unmanned aircraft 100 to the initial position by flying back and forth. After detecting that the current position and the initial position of the small unmanned flying object 100 match by the arithmetic processing of the arithmetic unit 139, the processing of de-energizing the small unmanned flying object 100 is performed.

By performing the above series of processes, for example, the small unmanned flying object 100 placed on the palm of the user (subject s) is shaken (vibrated) to start the flight, and the user holds the flight after moving to a certain distance. A small unmanned person can take a selfie by issuing a shooting instruction from a tablet or smartphone, or automatically perform a shooting process, and then the user (subject s) gives a voice instruction to return. After the flying object 100 returns to the position of the palm of the original user (subject s), it is possible to perform a process of turning off the power, and it is possible to easily take a selfie.

The arithmetic unit 139 of the control device 130 is configured to fly the flying object to a position of a horizontal distance of 1 to 1.5 m and a vertical distance of 1 to 1.5 m from the initial position and stop it at that position. The arithmetic unit 139 controls the drive device 120, measures, for example, the position of the hand of the user (subject s) as the initial state, and then starts flying with the signal output by the vibration as a signal, and the user (subject s) starts flying. It is configured to stop diagonally upward. With this configuration, the small unmanned flying object 100 can be stopped at a distance and angle most suitable for self-shooting, and self-shooting can be performed.

The control device 130 is configured to be equipped with a plurality of distance sensors 300. The distance sensor 300 is a sensor that measures the distance to an object and converts it into a signal. It is installed on all sides and above and below the small unmanned flying object 100, and measures the distance from each installation location to another object. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the small unmanned aircraft 100 from coming into contact with obstacles, for example, preventing it from coming into contact with another person and causing injury, or coming into contact with another object. It is possible to prevent damage and crash.

The ground station 200 is configured to include a user interface 210 for transmitting a command signal desired by the user to the control device 130. The user interface 210 transmits a command signal by various buttons displayed on the liquid crystal screen in the case of a tablet terminal or the like, and sends a command signal by a lever in the case of a radio (proportional system) which is a transmitter for an aircraft. It is a configuration to send. Further, the switching means 220 is a means for the user to switch whether or not the user interface 210 can be used. In the case of a tablet terminal or the like, a switching instruction is transmitted by a button or the like displayed on a liquid crystal screen, and a transmitter for an aircraft. In the case of a propo (proportional system), a switching instruction is transmitted by a lever. With this configuration, it is possible to switch between automatic flight and arbitrary operation according to the user's instruction.

In this embodiment, the arithmetic unit 130 measures the current position of the small unmanned vehicle 100 based on the signals transmitted from the barometric pressure sensor 131, the optical flow sensor 132, the gyro sensor 134, and the acceleration sensor 135. Further, the ground station 200 measures the vertical and horizontal distances between the current position of the small unmanned aircraft 100 measured by the arithmetic unit 130 and the ground station 200. When the measured distance exceeds a preset value, the control device 130 controls to stop the horizontal and / or vertical movement of the small unmanned aircraft 100. With this configuration, it is possible to fly the small unmanned vehicle 100 within a range that the user can control.

In this embodiment, the ground station 200 can be configured to include a tablet-type mobile terminal or a personal computer. The control device 130 is controlled by the software 230 installed in the tablet-type mobile terminal or the personal computer. With this configuration, the ground station 200 can be easily carried, and the small unmanned aircraft 100 can be operated by using a familiar device.

Perspective view of a small unmanned aircraft according to the present invention Diagram showing the usage status of a small unmanned aircraft

100 Small unmanned flying object 110 Rotating wing 120 Drive device 130 Control device 131 Pressure sensor 132 Optical flow sensor 133 Magnetic sensor 134 Gyro sensor 135 Acceleration sensor 136 Vibration sensor 137 Face recognition camera 138 Voice recognition microphone 139 Computing device 140 Shooting camera 150 Frame part 200 Ground station 210 User interface 220 Switching means 230 Software 300 Distance sensor

Claims (6)

A small unmanned aircraft (100) equipped with a control device individually controls a plurality of rotary wings (110), a plurality of drive devices (120) that apply rotational power to each rotary wing, and a drive speed of the drive device. Control device (130), shooting camera (140), frame unit (150) holding the driving device and control device, and outside the vehicle body for wirelessly controlling the control device and shooting camera. It consists of a ground station (200) to be installed.
The control device (130) is a pressure sensor (131) that detects and signals the pressure outside the vehicle in order to measure the altitude of the vehicle, and measures the altitude of the vehicle and goes to the landing point of the vehicle. An optical flow sensor (132) installed at the bottom of the front of the vehicle that detects and signals the relative speed between the vehicle and other objects to detect the stoppage of the vehicle, and to measure the orientation of the vehicle. A magnetic sensor (133) that detects magnetic force and signals it, a gyro sensor (134) that detects and signals angular velocity to measure the angle of the vehicle, and a gyro sensor (134) that measures and signals the acceleration of the vehicle. An acceleration sensor (135), a vibration sensor (136) that detects and signals that vibration has been applied to a flying object, and a face for detecting and recognizing a subject (s) to be photographed by the photographing camera. An authentication camera (137), a voice recognition microphone (138) that detects and signals a sound outside the vehicle, and a computing device (139) that processes signals transmitted from each of the sensors, the camera, and the microphone. , And with
The arithmetic unit (139) operates by detecting the vibration applied to the vibration sensor (136), and the pressure sensor (131), the optical flow sensor (132), the gyro sensor (134), and the acceleration sensor (135). ), The initial position of the flying object is measured based on the signal transmitted from), and the driving device (120) is controlled to fly the flying object to a preset horizontal distance and vertical distance from the initial position. Based on the signal transmitted from the magnetic sensor (133) and the tracking signal identified by the ground station and transmitted from the face authentication camera (137), the flying object is directed toward the subject (s). The drive device (120) is controlled so as to face the installation side of the photographing camera (140) and keep the distance from the subject (s) constant, and the subject (subject (200) is based on the instruction signal from the ground station (200). s) was photographed, the flying object flew back to the initial position based on the preset signal transmitted from the voice recognition microphone (138), and the position of the flying object and the initial position matched. A small unmanned air vehicle characterized by de-energizing after detecting. The arithmetic unit (139) of the control device (130) is a position at a horizontal distance of 1 to 1.5 m and a vertical distance of 1 to 1.5 m from the initial position measured by controlling the drive device (120). The small unmanned air vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the air vehicle is controlled to fly and then stop at the position. The control device (130) is installed on all sides and above and below the flying object to prevent the flying object from coming into contact with an obstacle, and measures the distance from each installation location to the object and signals the distance. The small unmanned aircraft according to claim 1, characterized in that it is equipped with a sensor (300). The ground station (200) is equipped with a user interface (210) for transmitting a command signal desired by the user to the control device (130) so that the user can arbitrarily operate the flying object. The small unmanned aircraft according to claim 1, further comprising a switching means (220) for switching the availability of the user interface by the user. The arithmetic unit (130) measures the current position of the flying object based on the signals transmitted from the pressure sensor (131), the optical flow sensor (132), the gyro sensor (134) and the acceleration sensor (135). , The ground station (200) measures the vertical and horizontal distance between the current position of the vehicle and the ground station (200) measured by the arithmetic unit (130), and the distance exceeds a preset value. The small unmanned air vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the control device (130) controls the horizontal movement and / or the vertical movement of the air vehicle. The ground station (200) is composed of a tablet-type mobile terminal or a personal computer, and is characterized in that the control device (130) is controlled by software (230) installed in the tablet-type mobile terminal or personal computer. The small unmanned vehicle according to claim 1.

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