JP7110072B2 - Aerial photography support device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an aerial photography support device.

Conventionally, Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known as techniques for imaging an object from the sky. In Patent Document 1, an imaging device such as a camera is attached to an unmanned flying object, and an object can be imaged by flying the unmanned flying object. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a system for creating an imaging plan for an unmanned air vehicle, which generates an imaging plan, adjusts the imaging plan, and evaluates the imaging plan.

JP 2013-108927 A JP 2010-61216 A

As shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example, when an unmanned air vehicle is flown over a field to take an image of the field, shadows and the like appear in the captured image due to the influence of mountains, buildings, and the like. Therefore, in some cases, it is difficult to obtain an image suitable for photographing the field.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an aerial photographing support device capable of taking an aerial photograph of a field at an appropriate time.

The technical means of the present invention for solving this technical problem are characterized by the following points.
The aerial photography support device includes an information acquisition unit that acquires peripheral information, which is information about the periphery of a farm field, and an aerial photography farm that is scheduled to be aerially photographed based on the peripheral information acquired by the information acquisition unit. A time setting unit for setting the recommended time for the aerial photography, and an information providing unit for providing the recommended time set by the time setting unit. The information acquisition unit acquires, as the surrounding information, aerial photography obstacles that affect the quality of the aerial photography image when the aerial photography is performed, and the time setting unit acquires information about the water level of the aerial photography field and the The recommended time is set based on the aerial photography obstacle.

The information related to the water filling of the aerial photographed field includes the presence or absence of water in the aerially photographed field.
The information about the water filling of the aerial photographed field includes water level information of the water applied to the aerial photographed field, the information acquisition unit acquires the water level information, and the time setting unit acquires the information acquisition unit. The recommended time is set based on the water level information and the aerial photography obstacle.
Alternatively, the information about the water level of the aerial photography field includes a water level predicted from accumulated water level information.
The time setting unit sets the recommended time based on information about the altitude of the sun and the water content of the aerial photographed field.
The aerial photography support device includes a map acquisition unit that acquires a map including aerial photography obstacles around the farm field, a farm field indicated on the map acquired by the map acquisition unit, and aerial photography obstacles around the farm field. and the information acquisition unit acquires, as the peripheral information, the aerial photographed obstacles around the farm field extracted by the obstacle extraction unit.

The aerial photography support device includes a map acquisition unit that acquires a map including obstacles for aerial photography around the farm field, a farm field display unit that displays the map acquired by the map acquisition unit, and a map displayed by the farm field display unit. an obstacle selection unit that selects a relationship between the farm field and aerial photography obstacles around the farm field, wherein the information acquisition unit is selected corresponding to the farm field selected by the obstacle selection unit. The surrounding aerial obstacles are acquired as the surrounding information.

The information acquisition unit acquires weather information in the vicinity of the farm field, and the time setting unit acquires information about water filling in the aerial photographed farmland, weather information around the aerial photographed farmland, and the aerial photographed obstacle based on to set the recommended time .
The aerial photography support device includes a plan creation unit that creates a plan including a scheduled time for aerial photography in the aerial photography field, and the time setting unit includes the scheduled time included in the plan created by the plan creation unit. to the recommended time.

The information acquisition unit acquires, as the peripheral information, flight obstacles that affect the flight of the aerial photography, and the information providing unit selects either the flight route of the aerial photography or the take-off/landing location based on the flight obstacles. or provide

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, an aerial photography of an agricultural field can be performed at an appropriate time.

It is a figure which shows an agricultural support system. It is a figure which shows the plan screen M1. It is a figure which shows an example of map MP1 containing an agricultural field. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a farm field and an aerial photography obstacle. It is a figure which shows the 1st setting screen M2. It is a figure which shows the 2nd setting screen M2. It is a figure which shows the 3rd setting screen M2. It is an explanatory view explaining sun altitude. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the arbitrary position P1 around an aerial photography field, the solar altitude (theta)1, the aerial photography obstacle D2, and the height H1 of an aerial photography obstacle. It is an explanatory view explaining recommended time. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a recommended time in consideration of solar altitude; It is a figure which shows the periphery of the farm field E (map of the periphery of the farm field E).

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an aerial photography support system for fields. In FIG. 1 , the field aerial photography support system includes an aerial photography support device 1 . The aerial photography support device 1 is a server, a fixed computer such as a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet, a mobile terminal such as a PDA, or the like. In this embodiment, the aerial photography support device 1 is assumed to be a server.

The aerial photography support device 1 is a device that supports aerial photography of a farm field by an unmanned flying object such as a multicopter.
First, the unmanned flying object will be explained by taking a multicopter as an example.
As shown in FIG. 1, the multicopter 10 has a main body 10a, an arm 10b provided on the main body 10a, a rotor 10c provided on the arm 10b, and a skid 10d provided on the main body 10a. there is The rotor 10c is a device that generates lift for flight, and includes a rotor that imparts rotational force and blades (propellers) that are rotated by driving rollers. The multicopter 10 includes a storage battery (not shown) or the like, and the rotor is rotated by electric power of the storage battery.

The multicopter 10 also has an imaging device 10e and a position detection device 10h. The imaging device 10e is composed of a CCD camera, an infrared camera, or the like, and is detachably attached to the lower portion of the main body 10a, or is incorporated inside the main body 10a. Therefore, while flying the multicopter 10 over the field, it is possible to take an aerial photograph of the field with the imaging device 10e. For example, from a height of about 100 m above the field, the imaging device 10e of the multicopter 10 captures tens to hundreds of fragmentary images of the field. A plurality of aerially photographed images, that is, a plurality of images (aerial photographed images) photographed by the imaging device 10e are stored in the storage unit 10g provided in the multicopter 10. FIG. A plurality of aerial images stored in the storage unit 10g of the multicopter 10 are transferred to an electronic storage medium 11 such as a USB memory or an SD card, and stored in the electronic storage medium 11. FIG.

The position detection device 10h is a device that detects its own position (positioning information including latitude and longitude) using a satellite positioning system. That is, the position detection device 10h receives a signal (position of the positioning satellite, transmission time, correction information, etc.) transmitted from the positioning satellite, and detects the position (latitude, longitude) based on the received signal. The position detection device 10h may detect, as its own position (latitude and longitude), a position corrected based on a signal such as a correction from a base station (reference station) capable of receiving signals from positioning satellites, The position may be corrected using data from an inertial device such as an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit).

The multicopter 10 has an image processing section 10j. The image processing unit 10j is composed of a program stored in a computing unit such as a CPU provided in the multicopter 10, and electric/electronic components constituting the computing unit. The image processing unit 10j associates the aerial image captured by the imaging device 10e with the position (machine position) of the multicopter 10 detected by the position detection device 10h. The image processing unit 10j, for example, associates the mechanical position during the imaging operation of the imaging device 10e with the aerial image. That is, the position detection device 10h associates the machine position with at least one aerial image. The aerial image and the machine position are stored as image data in the storage section 10g.

As described above, by taking an aerial photograph while flying the multicopter 10 over a field, an aerial photograph image of the field or crops planted in the field can be acquired. Also, it is possible to acquire an aerial photographed image associated with the machine position.
Aerial images captured by the multicopter 10 are used for analysis of the growth of crops in fields. The aerial image stored in the storage unit 10g of the multicopter 10 is transmitted to a computer (analysis device) 12 such as a server, fixed computer, or mobile terminal, and analyzed by the analysis device 12. FIG. For example, when the electronic storage medium 11 is connected to the analysis device 12 , data (analysis data) including at least an aerial image stored in the electronic storage medium 11 is output to the analysis device 12 . For example, the analysis device 12 uses an aerial image of the analysis data to perform analysis based on the vegetation index (DVI, RVI, NDVI, GNDVI, SAVI, TSAVI, CAI, MTCI, REP, PRI, RSI, etc.) for each field. . In the above-described embodiment, by connecting the electronic storage medium 11 to the analysis device 12, the analysis data is output to the analysis device 12. The analysis data stored in the unit 10g may be transmitted to the analysis device 12. FIG. Also, the analysis data may be transmitted to the analysis device 12 via a different computer 13, for example, a computer 13 installed in a farmer managing a farm field, a farming company, or the like.

Now, the aerial photography support device 1 is a device that supports aerial photography by an unmanned flying object such as the multicopter 10 as described above. The aerial photography support device 1 includes a plan creation unit 20 . The plan creation unit 20 is composed of electric/electronic parts and electric circuits provided in the aerial photography support device 1, programs stored in the aerial photography support device 1, and the like. The plan creation unit 20 creates a plan for aerial photography (aerial photography plan) in a field where aerial photography is scheduled (aerial photography field).

For example, when the computer 13 is connected to the aerial photography support device 1 , a menu screen for selecting a menu or the like is displayed on the display section 14 of the computer 13 . The display unit 14 is configured by a liquid crystal monitor or the like. When a predetermined operation is performed on the menu screen, the computer 13 requests the aerial photography support device 1 to create an aerial photography plan. The plan setting unit 10 of the aerial photography support device 1 displays on the computer 13 a plan screen M1 for making an aerial photography plan as shown in FIG.

The plan screen M1 has a field selection section 30 that displays a field to be aerially photographed (aerially photographed field), and a time display section 32 that displays the scheduled time of the aerial photographing. The field selection unit 30 displays a list of fields registered in advance in the aerial photographing support device 1 or the computer 13, prompts the user to select one field from the list, and displays the field name and the like of the selected field. The time display unit 32 can display the month, date, and time (hour, minute) as the scheduled time. More specifically, the time display unit 32 includes a date display unit 32a that displays the aerial photography date (date), and a time zone for aerial photography on the aerial photography date (from the start time to start the aerial photography to the end time to end the aerial photography). ) and a time display portion 32b for displaying the time. When the operator or the like selects the time display section 32b using an input interface such as a mouse or keyboard, the time period (start time to end time) shown on the time display section 32 can be set.

Therefore, the plan setting unit 10 can set an aerial photography plan including the scheduled time (start time to end time) of the aerial photography to be performed in the aerial photography field. The aerial photography plan is stored in the nonvolatile storage unit 15 provided in the aerial photography support device 1 or in the nonvolatile storage unit 16 provided in the computer 13 .
In the above-described embodiment, when the aerial photography plan is set, the aerial photography field and the scheduled time are displayed on the plan screen M1, but weather information may be displayed.

The aerial photography support device 1 can acquire weather information. Specifically, the aerial photography support device 1 connects to a server or the like of the Japan Meteorological Agency via an external network such as the Internet, and acquires weather information provided by the Japan Meteorological Agency. Alternatively, the aerial photography support apparatus 1 acquires weather information by accessing a server of a weather information provider or the like that provides weather information, or acquires weather information provided by other information providers. Note that the method of acquiring weather information is not limited.

The weather information acquired by the aerial photography support device 1 is, for example, wind direction, wind speed, temperature, humidity, clear, cloudy, rain, thunder, snow, amount of rainfall, and amount of snowfall, corresponding to a predetermined area and time (hour). , probability of precipitation, atmospheric pressure, atmospheric pressure distribution, etc. The weather information acquired by the aerial photography support apparatus 1 may be information (weather forecast) that is predicted several minutes, tens of minutes, hours, days, or the like, or information at the current time (current time). At least the aerial photography support device 1 acquires the weather information for the date or time period in the aerial photography plan. As shown in FIG. 2, the aerial photography support device 1 displays the weather information acquired by the aerial photography support device 1 on the weather display section 33 of the plan screen M1. In FIG. 2, the plan screen M1 displays the weather in the morning and afternoon as weather information, but the contents of the weather information are not limited to the example in FIG. or display other weather information. Therefore, the operator or the like can prepare the date of the aerial photography and the scheduled time of the aerial photography while viewing the weather information.

Now, the aerial photography support device 1 can provide support in consideration of the surrounding conditions (peripheral information) of the aerial photography field when performing aerial photography. First, acquisition and setting of peripheral information will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1 , the aerial photography support device 1 includes an information acquisition unit 22 . The information acquisition unit 22 is composed of electric/electronic parts and electric circuits provided in the aerial photography support device 1, programs stored in the aerial photography support device 1, and the like.

The information acquisition unit 22 acquires surrounding information of the field. The information acquisition unit 22 obtains information on topography around the farm (presence of mountains, existence of valleys, existence of rivers, existence of lakes and marshes, existence of forests) and information on buildings (structures) as surrounding information of the farm. (Presence/absence of houses, buildings such as buildings, presence/absence of roads, presence/absence of parks, presence/absence of steel towers, presence/absence of utility poles, etc.) can be obtained. In other words, the information acquisition unit 22 can acquire information on structures provided on the ground as the field surrounding information. More specifically, the information acquisition unit 22 acquires aerial photography obstacles that affect the quality of the aerial image when the farmland is aerially photographed as the surrounding information of the farmland.

FIG. 3 shows a map MP1 including three fields (Field A, Field B, and Field C) and surrounding conditions of the fields. As shown in FIG. 3, for example, focusing on agricultural field A, there are mountains 101 around agricultural field A, so the shadow of mountain 101 may be projected onto agricultural field A depending on the direction of the sun. . When an aerial photograph is taken under a situation where the shadow of the mountain 101 is projected on the farm field A, the shadow of the mountain 101 is reflected in the aerial photographed image, and the brightness of the aerial photographed image is entirely or partially that of the mountain 101. It will change depending on the shadow.

In other words, the mountain 101 located around the field A is an obstacle for aerial photography for the field A, so the information acquisition unit 22 acquires the mountain 101 as an obstacle for aerial photography that affects the quality of the aerial image. . In other words, the information acquisition unit 22 acquires information about terrain and information about buildings around the field A that can be obstacles for aerial photography.
The aerial photography support device 1 can automatically or manually set obstacles for aerial photography. First, automatic setting of aerial photography obstacles will be described in detail.

The aerial photography support device 1 includes a map acquisition section 23 and an obstacle extraction section 24 . The map acquisition unit 23 and the obstacle extraction unit 24 are composed of electric/electronic parts and electric circuits provided in the aerial photography support device 1, programs stored in the aerial photography support device 1, and the like. The map acquisition unit 23 acquires map data. The map acquisition unit 23 connects to a server of a map providing company, a server of an Internet search company, etc. via an external network such as the Internet, and acquires map data provided by the map providing company or search company. That is, the map acquisition unit 23 acquires data including information on topography such as mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes and forests, data including information on buildings such as houses, buildings, roads, parks, steel towers and utility poles, data including information on structures such as fields, etc. Map data including data including field data and data including positional information such as latitude and longitude are acquired.

The obstacle extraction unit 24 extracts the farm field shown in the map data (map) acquired by the map acquisition unit 23 and the aerial photography obstacles around the farm field. As shown in FIG. 3, when acquiring the map data of the map MP1, the obstacle extraction unit 24 extracts a plurality of farm fields, for example, farm field A, farm field B, and farm field C, shown in the map MP1. Further, when mountains, valleys, forests, parks, and steel towers are set in advance in the aerial photography support device 1 as aerial photography obstacles, the obstacle extraction unit 24 extracts the mountains 101, valleys 102, and so on shown in the map MP1. A forest 103, a park 104, and a steel tower 105 are extracted. After the computer 13 is connected to the aerial photography support device 1, the aerial photography obstacle is designated by the computer 13 to the aerial photography support device 1. It can be carried out.

Further, the obstacle extraction unit 24 extracts obstacles (mountains 101, valleys 102, forests 103, parks 104) from the fields A, B, and C for each of the plurality of fields A, B, and C on the map MP1. , the distance (shortest distance) to the steel tower 105). Then, when the calculated shortest distance is within the predetermined distance, the obstacle extracting unit 24 determines that there is an obstacle for aerial photography around the fields A, B, and C. Associate with aerial photography obstacles. As shown in FIG. 3, when the obstacle extraction unit 24 focuses on the field A, the shortest distance L1 between the field A and the mountain 101 is within the predetermined distance L2. , and extracts the mountain 101 as an obstacle in the aerial photography of the farm field A. The predetermined distance L2 can be set by connecting the computer 13 to the aerial photography support device 1 and setting the length of the predetermined distance L2 to the aerial photography support device 1 from the computer 13 .

After the obstacle extraction unit 24 extracts the mountain 101, which is an obstacle for aerial photography corresponding to the field A, from the map data (map), the information acquisition unit 22 obtains the position information of the mountain 101, which is an obstacle for aerial photography. get. That is, the information acquisition unit 22 acquires the aerial obstacles (for example, the mountain 101) around the farm field A extracted by the obstacle extraction unit 24 as the surrounding information of the farm field A. FIG. Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 4 , the obstacle data indicating the relationship between the farm field and the aerial obstacle is stored in the storage unit 15 or 14 .

According to the above, by the aerial photography support device 1 reading predetermined map data by the map acquisition unit 23 and the obstacle extraction unit 24, the aerial photography obstacles can be automatically set for each field. Aerial photography obstacles for each set farm field can be stored and acquired.
Next, manual setting of obstacles for aerial photography will be described in detail.
The aerial photography support device 1 includes a field display section 25 and an obstacle selection section 26 . The field display unit 25 and the obstacle selection unit 26 are composed of electric/electronic parts and electric circuits provided in the aerial photography support device 1, programs stored in the aerial photography support device 1, and the like. The field display section 25 displays the map acquired by the map acquisition section 23 . The obstacle selection unit 26 selects the relationship between the field displayed by the field display unit 23 and the aerial photograph obstacles around the field.

For example, when a predetermined operation is performed after the computer 13 is connected to the aerial photography support device 1, the aerial photography support device 1 causes the computer 13 to display a setting screen M2 as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. The setting screen M2 includes an agricultural field selection portion 40, a map display portion 41 for displaying a map, a first selection portion 42a, and a second selection portion 42b.
The field selection unit 40 displays a list of fields registered in advance in the aerial photography support device 1 or the computer 13 . Further, when one field is selected from the field list, the field selection unit 40 displays the field name and the like of the selected field (referred to as the selected field). The field display unit 25 reads the map data of the selected field and displays a map MP2 around the selected field on the map display part 41 of the setting screen M2.

The obstacle selection section 26 displays the first selection section 42a and the second selection section 42b on the setting screen M2. The first selection section 42a is a section for selecting that there is no aerial photography obstacle. The second selection part 42b is a part for selecting the direction (east, west, south, north) of the aerial photography obstacle.
As shown in FIG. 5A, in the setting screen M2, when the operator selects the field B as the selected field and selects the first selection section 42a using an input interface such as a mouse or a keyboard, the obstacle selection section 42a is selected. 26 determines that there is no aerial photography obstacle around the selected field B, and stores obstacle data indicating that there is no aerial photography obstacle in the field B in the storage unit 15 or the storage unit 14. . As shown in FIG. 5B, in the setting screen M2, when the operator uses the input interface or the like to select the field A as the selected field and select the second selection section 42b, the obstacle selection section 26 selects the selected field is determined that there is an obstacle for aerial photography in the vicinity of the field A, there is an obstacle for aerial photography in the field A, and the direction of the obstacle for aerial photography is the direction selected by the second selection unit 42b. is stored in the storage unit 15 or the storage unit 14.

In the above-described embodiment, the setting screen M2 displays the selection of the presence or absence of obstacles for aerial photography. Instead of this, as shown in FIG. One or more fields, mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes, forests, houses, buildings, roads, parks, steel towers, utility poles, etc. are displayed, and the fields shown on the map display section 41 and the fields shown on the map display section 41 are displayed. By using an input interface, a worker selects mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes, forests, houses, buildings, roads, parks, steel towers, utility poles, etc., and the relationship between the field and the obstacles in the aerial photography. may be set.

For example, when the farm field A is selected and the mountain 101 is selected on the map displayed on the map display unit 41, the obstacle selection unit 26 selects the mountain 101 selected on the map. It is determined as an obstacle for aerial photography, and the mountain 101 is set as an obstacle for aerial photography of the farm field A. When the obstacle selection unit 26 selects the map data (map) to associate the farm field A with the mountain 101, which is the aerial photography obstacle corresponding to the farm field A, by the selection operation, the information acquisition unit 22 selects the sky Acquire positional information, etc. of shooting obstacles. Obstacle data indicating the relationship between the farm field and the aerial photography obstacle is stored in the storage unit 15 or the storage unit 14 also in the manual method.

According to the above, the map acquisition unit 23, the farm field display unit 25, and the obstacle selection unit 26 can manually set the presence or absence of an aerial photography obstacle for a predetermined farm field. Aerial photography obstacles can be stored and acquired.
The aerial photography support device 1 sets the recommended time for aerial photography based on the aerial photography obstacles (surrounding information) in the field set automatically or manually as described above. As shown in FIG. 1 , the aerial photography support device 1 includes a time setting section 27 and an information providing section 29 . The time setting unit 27 and the information providing unit 29 are composed of electric/electronic parts and electric circuits provided in the aerial photography support device 1, programs stored in the aerial photography support device 1, and the like.

When the aerial photography field, which is the field where the aerial photography is to be performed, is determined from among a plurality of fields, the time setting unit 27, based on the surrounding information of the aerial photography field (aerial photography obstacles around the aerial photography field), Set the recommended time for aerial photography. The information providing unit 29 provides the recommended time set by the time setting unit 27 to the outside such as the computer 13 .
For example, when an operator or the like operates the computer 13 on a planned aerial photography plan and the computer 13 requests the aerial photography support device 1 to set a recommended time, in response to the request The time setting unit 27 refers to the obstacle data in the storage unit 15 or the storage unit 14 and determines whether or not there is an aerial photography obstacle around the aerial photography field.

When there is no aerial photography obstacle around the aerial photography field, the time setting unit 27 sets the scheduled time for aerial photography shown on the planning screen M1 as the “recommended time for aerial photography”. That is, the time setting unit 27 does not change the scheduled time for aerial photography shown on the planning screen M1 when there is no aerial photography obstacle around the aerial photography field. The information providing unit 29 then transmits the recommended time (scheduled time) such as the date and time set by the time setting unit 27 to the computer 13 . When the computer 13 receives the recommended time provided from the information providing unit 29, the display unit 14 displays, for example, that the recommended time for aerial photography of the field A is 7/2, 9:00 to 12:00.

On the other hand, when there is an obstacle for aerial photography around the field for aerial photography, the time setting unit 27 calculates the time for a shadow or the like to be projected on the field for aerial photography by the obstacle for aerial photography. The time setting unit 27 obtains the altitude of the sun as seen from the aerial photographed field based on the position (latitude and longitude) of the aerial photographed field and the date of the aerial photograph. As shown in FIG. 7, the sun altitude is the angle when the sun is seen from a certain point such as an aerial photographed field. The sun elevation in FIG. 7 is an example.

The time setting unit 27 obtains the transition of the shadow projected on the ground based on the altitude of the sun, the height of the aerial photographed obstacle, etc. It is obtained from the shortest distance between the photographing obstacle and the aerial photographing field.
For example, as shown in FIG. 8, an arbitrary position around the aerial photography field is “P1”, the sun altitude at the arbitrary position “P1” is “θ1”, the aerial photography obstacle is “D2”, and the height of the aerial photography obstacle is When the height is "H1", the time setting unit 27 determines the time (projection time period) in which the length L3 of the shadow from the arbitrary position P1 to the aerial obstacle D2 is longer than the shortest distance L4. The height of the obstacle for aerial photography may be entered manually when setting the obstacle for aerial photography, or the height of the obstacle for aerial photography may be automatically extracted from the map data. not.

Then, the time setting unit 27 sets, as the recommended time for aerial photography, the time excluding the time zone (projection time zone) in which the shadow of the obstacle for aerial photography is projected on the field for aerial photography. For example, if the projection time period calculated by the time setting unit 27 is 13:00 to 14:00 for the scheduled aerial photography time of 11:00 to 14:00, the projection time is 13:00 to 14:00. overlaps with In such a case, the time setting unit 27 sets, for example, the recommended time for aerial photography to be 10:00 to 13:00, which is one hour earlier than the scheduled time for the aerial photography. When the recommended time is set by the time setting unit 27, the information providing unit 29 transmits to the computer 13 that the recommended time is from 10:00 to 13:00. When the computer 13 receives the recommended time, it displays on the display unit 14 that the recommended time is from 10:00 to 13:00.

According to the above, the time suitable for aerial photography (aerial photography time) can be obtained by the time setting unit 27 . Further, the time setting unit 27 can change the scheduled time included in the aerial photography plan to the recommended time, so that the aerial photography can be performed more accurately. Note that the time setting unit 27 may obtain parameters for determining the recommended time for aerial photography based on weather information in addition to the altitude of the sun and the height of obstacles for aerial photography.

In the above-described embodiment, the time setting unit 27 sets the recommended time based on the aerial photography obstacles around the aerial photography field. In addition, the recommended time is set based on weather information. may A first modification will be described in which the time setting unit 27 obtains the recommended time based on aerial photography obstacles and weather information.
As shown in No. 1 in FIG. 9A, at the stage of the aerial photography planning by the plan creating unit 20, it is expected that the morning of July 2 (until 12:00) will be sunny and the afternoon (after 12:00) will be rainy. Therefore, it is assumed that the scheduled time is set to 9:00 to 12:00, excluding rainy hours. In such a situation, assume that the time setting unit 27 sets the recommended time from 10:00 to 13:00 in consideration of the reflection of the shadow of the aerial photography obstacle on the aerial photography field. As shown in No. 2 of FIG. 9A, if the weather does not change from when the aerial photography was planned, it will rain from 12:00 to 13:00 out of the recommended time (10:00 to 13:00), so it will rain during the aerial photography work. There is a possibility that it will become. Therefore, in the first modified example, the time setting unit 27 determines a more appropriate recommended time in consideration of weather information in addition to obstacles for aerial photography.

Specifically, in the first modified example, the time setting unit 27 requests the information acquiring unit 22 to acquire weather information around the aerial photographed field. When the information acquisition unit 22 acquires the weather information, the time setting unit 27 calculates the recommended time (first recommended time) based on the obstacles for aerial photography, and the weather information for the first recommended time meets the predetermined aerial photography conditions. It is determined whether or not the As indicated by No. 3 in FIG. 9A, for example, the time setting unit 27 determines that the first recommended time is between 10:00 and 13:00, and if the weather at the first recommended time is fine and the aerial photographing conditions are met, the first recommended time is satisfied. 10:00 to 13:00 is set as the recommended time in consideration of the weather information. In addition, when weather information is taken into account as aerial photography conditions as described above, aerial photography can be performed even in cloudy conditions other than fine weather. In addition to the first recommended time, the cloudy time zone from 15:00 to 17:00 is newly set as the first recommended time. That is, as shown in No. 3, a plurality of recommended times may be set.

In this case, the information providing unit 29 transmits to the computer 13 the recommended times set by the time setting unit 27, "7/2, 10:00 to 13:00 and 7/2, 15:00 to 17:00." .
On the other hand, as shown in No. 4 in FIG. 9A, when the first recommended time is from 10:00 to 13:00 and the weather at the first recommended time does not satisfy the aerial photography conditions, the time setting unit 27 sets the first recommended time. calculates a different second recommended time. Here, if there are two time zones, 10:00 to 12:00 and 15:00 to 17:00, in which the weather can satisfy the aerial photographing conditions, the time setting unit 27 sets 10:00 to 12:00, Two time periods from 15:00 to 17:00 are set as the second recommended time. In this case, the information providing unit 29 transmits to the computer 13 the recommended time set by the time setting unit 27, “7/2, 10:00 to 12:00, 15:00 to 17:00”.

In the above-described embodiment, the time setting unit 27 sets the recommended time based on the aerial photography obstacles around the aerial photography field. You can set the time. A second modification in which the time setting unit 27 obtains the recommended time based on the aerial photography obstacle and water level information will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the case of the second modified example, the aerial photography support system includes a water level detection device 28 that detects the water level. The aerial photography support device 1 can regularly or irregularly acquire the water level detected by the water level detection device 28, that is, the water level information, via a network or the like. As shown in No. 10 in FIG. 9A, at the stage of the aerial photography planning by the plan creation unit 20, the scheduled time of the aerial photography is from 9:00 to 9:00, which is a time zone in which there is no water in the field, that is, the water level is zero. Assume that the time is set to 12:00. Under such circumstances, it is assumed that the time setting unit 27 sets the recommended time from 15:00 to 17:00 in consideration of the reflection of the shadow of the aerial photography obstacle on the aerial photography field. In this case, as indicated by No. 11 in FIG. 9A, there is a possibility that the water level will be high between 15:00 and 17:00, which is the recommended time, since some time has passed since the start of water filling. In a field, when the water level rises, the amount of light reflected by the water in the field increases, which affects the quality of the aerial image. Therefore, in the second modified example, the time setting unit 27 determines a more appropriate recommended time in consideration of water level information in addition to obstacles for aerial photography.

Specifically, in the second modification, the time setting unit 27 requests the information acquisition unit 22 to acquire water level information of the aerial photographed field. When the information acquisition unit 22 acquires the water level information, the time setting unit 27 calculates a recommended time (first recommended time) based on the aerial photography obstacle, and the water level information corresponding to the first recommended time matches the aerial photography conditions. to determine whether or not they are consistent. Note that the aerial photography support device 1 stores in advance the water level that affects the brightness of the aerial photography image. That is, the aerial photography support device 1 stores the water level threshold value obtained by experiments and theory.

As shown in No. 11 in FIG. 9A, for example, when the first recommended time is from 15:00 to 17:00 and the water level at the first recommended time does not satisfy the aerial photographing conditions, the time setting unit 27 A second recommended time different from the first recommended time is calculated. Here, if the second recommended time is from 12:00 to 14:00 and the water level at the second recommended time satisfies the aerial photographing condition, the time setting unit 27 sets the second recommended time as indicated by No. 12 in FIG. 9A. A certain time from 13:00 to 15:00 is set as the recommended time considering the water level information. In this case, the information providing unit 29 transmits to the computer 13 the second recommended time set by the time setting unit 27, “7/2, 12:00 to 14:00”.

In addition, when the sun is at a high altitude while the field is filled with water, reflection of sunlight may occur, which may affect the quality of the aerial image. Therefore, the time setting unit 27 may calculate the recommended aerial photography time based on the altitude of the sun at which reflections start to occur, and may display the calculated recommended aerial photography time on the computer 13 or the like. .
For example, as shown in FIG. 9B, as shown in No. 20, at the stage of aerial photography planning by the plan creation unit 20, the scheduled time for aerial photography is set to 11:00 to 13:00, which is the time period when the water level is low. . Under such circumstances, the time setting unit 27 assumes that during the time period from 11:00 to 13:00 when the altitude of the sun is 70 degrees (deg) or more, reflection occurs because the altitude of the sun is high even if the water level is low. Then, as shown in No. 21, the recommended time is set to the time period from 8:00 to 10:00, which is a time period in which reflection does not occur because the water level is low and the sun's altitude is high.

In the above-described embodiment, the recommended time was obtained based on the water level detected by the water level detection device 28, but the transition time may be obtained by predicting the water level at the time of aerial photography from the current water level, or the server The recommended time may be obtained using the result of predicting the water level at the time of aerial photography from the water level accumulated by (cloud).
Now, in the above-described embodiment, aerial photography obstacles that affect the aerial photography image are acquired, but flight obstacles that affect the flight of the aerial photography may be acquired as peripheral information. As shown in FIG. 10, on a map MP3 including fields, mountains, forests, buildings, steel towers, and utility poles that obstruct the flight of the multicopter 10 are flight obstacles. Specifically, the information acquisition unit 22 detects at least the tower 105, the building 106, the utility pole 107, and the electric wire, which are likely to be obstacles when flying over the field or when taking off and landing, from the map data, that is, the image data on the map. Automatically extract and acquire the position, size, etc.

The information providing unit 29 provides either the flight route or the takeoff/landing location of the multicopter 10 based on the flight obstacles. As shown in FIG. 10, when the information acquiring unit 22 acquires that there are a plurality of utility poles 107 and electric wires around the field E as flight obstacles, the information providing unit 29 causes the display unit 14 of the computer 13 to display the field E and the utility pole 107 and electric wire which are flight obstacles are displayed, and the flight route R1 of the multicopter 10 that does not overlap with the electric pole 107 and electric wire is displayed. Specifically, the information providing unit 29 sets an area separated from the utility pole 107 and the electric wire by a predetermined distance L5 as a flight-permitted area. The information providing unit 29 sets a flight route R1 in the flight permitted area around the field E. As shown in FIG. The information providing unit 29 displays the set flight route R1 overlaid on the field E. FIG. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 11, the information providing unit 29 sets a place (vacant land, etc.) that is away from the utility pole 107 and the electric wire by a predetermined distance L5 or more and is not the field E as the takeoff/landing place TF1 on the display unit 14 of the computer 13. , to display the set take-off/landing place TF1.

The aerial photography support device 1 includes an information acquisition unit 22 that acquires peripheral information, which is information about the periphery of a farm field, and an aerial photography farm field that is a farm to be aerially photographed based on the peripheral information acquired by the information acquisition unit 22. A time setting unit 27 for setting the recommended time for aerial photography in the , and an information providing unit 29 for providing the recommended time set by the time setting unit 27 .
According to this, since the recommended time for aerial photography is set based on the surrounding information indicating the surrounding conditions of the farm field, it is possible to perform aerial photography corresponding to the surrounding conditions of the farm field. In other words, in the conventional aerial photography of a field, the surrounding conditions (peripheral information) of the field were not taken into account, so the aerial photography was retaken depending on the surrounding conditions. Since the aerial photography is performed by the camera, it is possible to reduce the number of retakes of the aerial photography. For example, if there are mountains around the aerial photography field, if the aerial photography is taken during the time period when the shadow of the mountain is projected onto the aerial photography field depending on the direction (position) of the sun, the aerial photography will have to be retaken. In this case, it is possible to take aerial photography outside of this time period.

The information acquisition unit 22 acquires, as peripheral information, obstacles for aerial photography that affect the quality of an aerial image when aerial photography is performed. According to this, it is possible to prevent the aerial image from having to be retaken due to the influence of the quality of the aerial image after the aerial image is taken.
The aerial photography support device 1 includes a map acquisition unit 23 that acquires a map including aerial photography obstacles around the farm field, a farm field indicated on the map acquired by the map acquisition unit 23, and the aerial photography obstacles around the farm field. The information acquisition unit 22 acquires the aerial photography obstacles around the field extracted by the obstacle extraction unit 24 as peripheral information. According to this, aerial photography obstacles that hinder aerial photography are extracted based on a map of the surroundings of the field. In other words, it is possible to easily set aerial photography obstacles in the aerial photography field, which is a predetermined field, from a plurality of fields from the map, and easily recommend the aerial photography field using the aerial photography obstacles. You can set the time.

The aerial photography support device 1 includes a map acquisition unit 23 that acquires a map including aerial photography obstacles around a field, a field display unit 25 that displays the map acquired by the map acquisition unit 23, and a field display unit 25. and an obstacle selection unit 26 for selecting a relationship between the selected field and aerial photograph obstacles around the field. Acquire surrounding aerial obstacles as peripheral information. According to this, it is possible to easily set the relationship between the farm field (aerial photography farm field) and the aerial photography obstacle from the map displayed on the farm field display unit 25 .

The information acquisition unit 22 acquires weather information around the field, and the time setting unit 27 sets the recommended time based on the weather information around the field for aerial photography and obstacles for aerial photography. According to this, when setting the recommended time, it is also based on the weather information around the aerial photography field, so the aerial photography can be performed at a more appropriate time.
The information acquisition unit 22 acquires the water level information of the field, and the time setting unit 27 sets the recommended time based on the water level information of the aerial photography field and the aerial photography obstacles. According to this, since the recommended time is set based on the water level information of the aerial photographed field, it is possible to reduce the influence of the reflection due to the water or the like in the field in the aerial photographed image.

The aerial photography support device 1 includes a plan creation unit 20 that creates a plan including the scheduled time for aerial photography in the aerial photography field, and the time setting unit 27 calculates the scheduled time included in the plan created by the plan creation unit 20. to the recommended time. According to this, when a plan including a scheduled time is created, the scheduled time of the plan can be changed to a time more suitable for aerial photography.
The information acquisition unit 22 acquires flight obstacles that affect flight for aerial photography as peripheral information, and the information provision unit 29 provides flight routes and takeoff/landing locations based on the flight obstacles. According to this, aerial photography can be performed while avoiding flying obstacles, and an operator or the like can immediately determine where to take off and land an aircraft such as a multicopter for aerial photography. In other words, when an operator takes an aerial photograph, it is easy for the operator to grasp the flight route and takeoff and landing, and the aerial photograph can be easily taken.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims.

1 aerial photography support device 20 plan creation unit 22 information acquisition unit 23 map acquisition unit 24 obstacle extraction unit 25 field display unit 26 obstacle selection unit 27 time setting unit 28 water level detection device 29 information provision unit 30 field display unit 32 time display Section 32a Date display section 32b Time display section 40 Field selection section 41 Map display section 42a First selection section 42b Second selection section D2 Obstacle for aerial photography L1 Predetermined distance L2 Length of shadow from arbitrary position to obstacle 2 for aerial photography L3 Shortest distance H1 Height of aerial obstacle P1 Arbitrary position θ1 Sun altitude

Claims (10)

an information acquisition unit that acquires peripheral information, which is information on the periphery of the field;
a time setting unit that sets a recommended time for the aerial photography in the aerial photography field, which is a field where the aerial photography is scheduled, based on the surrounding information acquired by the information acquisition unit;
an information providing unit that provides the recommended time set by the time setting unit;
with
The information acquisition unit acquires, as the peripheral information, an aerial obstacle that affects the quality of the aerial image when the aerial image is taken,
The aerial photography support device , wherein the time setting unit sets the recommended time based on information about the water content of the aerial photography field and the aerial photography obstacle . 2. The aerial photography support device according to claim 1, wherein the information about the water content of the aerial photography field includes the presence or absence of water in the aerial photography field. The information about the water filling of the aerial photography field includes water level information of the water that is filled in the aerial photography field,
The information acquisition unit acquires the water level information,
3. The aerial photography support device according to claim 1, wherein the time setting unit sets the recommended time based on the water level information and the aerial photography obstacle acquired by the information acquisition unit. 3. The aerial photography support device according to claim 1, wherein the information about the water level of the aerial photography field includes a water level predicted from accumulated water level information. 5. The aerial photography support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the time setting unit sets the recommended time based on information about the altitude of the sun and the water content of the aerial photography field. a map acquisition unit that acquires a map including aerial obstacles around the field;
an obstacle extraction unit that extracts a farm field indicated on the map acquired by the map acquisition unit and an aerial photographed obstacle around the farm;
with
The aerial photography support device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the information acquisition unit acquires aerial photography obstacles around the farm field extracted by the obstacle extraction unit as the peripheral information. a map acquisition unit that acquires a map including aerial obstacles around the field;
a field display unit that displays the map acquired by the map acquisition unit;
an obstacle selection unit for selecting a relationship between the field displayed by the field display unit and an aerial photograph obstacle around the field;
with
6. The information acquisition unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the information acquisition unit acquires, as the peripheral information, the surrounding aerial obstacles selected corresponding to the farm field selected by the obstacle selection unit. Aerial photography support device. The information acquisition unit acquires weather information around the agricultural field,
8. The time setting unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the time setting unit sets the recommended time based on information on the water content of the aerial photography field, weather information around the aerial photography farmland, and the aerial photography obstacles. Aerial photography support device described. A plan creation unit that creates a plan including a scheduled time for aerial photography in the aerial photography field,
The aerial photography support device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the time setting section changes the scheduled time included in the plan created by the plan creating section to the recommended time. The information acquisition unit acquires, as the peripheral information, flight obstacles that affect the flight of the aerial photography,
10. The aerial photography support device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , wherein the information providing unit provides one of the flight route and takeoff/landing location for the aerial photography based on the flight obstacle.

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