JP7242077B2 - Drone system, drone system control method, drone system control program, and control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drone system, a drone, a mobile object, a control device, a drone system control method, and a drone system control program.

The application of small helicopters (multi-copters), generally called drones, is progressing. One of its important application fields is the spraying of chemicals such as agricultural chemicals and liquid fertilizers on farmlands (fields) (for example, Patent Document 1). In Japan, where farmland is narrower than in Europe and the United States, the use of drones rather than manned airplanes and helicopters is often suitable.

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 determine their absolute position in centimeters during flight. Even in farmland with narrow and complex topography typical of , it can fly autonomously with minimal manual operation and can spray chemicals efficiently and accurately.

On the other hand, there were cases where it was difficult to say that consideration of safety was sufficient for autonomous flying drones for spraying agricultural chemicals. Drones loaded with drugs can weigh tens of kilograms, which could lead to serious consequences in the event of an accident such as falling on a person. In addition, drone operators are usually not experts, so a fool-proof mechanism is necessary, but consideration for this has been insufficient. Until now, there have been drone safety technologies premised on human operation (for example, Patent Document 2), but it addresses the unique safety issues of autonomous flying drones, especially for agricultural chemical spraying. The technology to do so did not exist.

Moreover, when a plurality of drones perform work, there is a need for a system that allows the plurality of drones to safely and efficiently perform the work without colliding with each other.

Patent Document 3 discloses a remote control device that, when charging two sets of moving bodies alternately, alternates moving bodies without stopping the operation of one set of moving bodies while the other set of moving bodies is being charged. is disclosed. When the shift time detecting means detects that it is time to shift the moving body, the control unit of the remote control device shifts the moving body in operation and the moving body being charged by wireless transmission.

However, Patent Literature 3 aims at ensuring that one of the mobile bodies always operates, and does not describe how a plurality of mobile bodies can safely carry out work without colliding with each other.

Patent Publication JP 2001-120151 Patent publication publication JP 2017-163265 Patent Publication JP 1998-143246

To provide a drone system that carries out work safely and efficiently using multiple drones.

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

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

The control device may be configured to acquire information of the first drone taking off and to take off the second drone when the drone satisfies a predetermined condition.

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

The control device may be configured to control a landing order for landing on the landing pad.

The control device includes a drone information acquisition unit that acquires information of the plurality of drones, and when scheduled stay times of the plurality of drones at the landing platform overlap, based on the information of the plurality of drones, the landing is performed. and a landing order determination unit that determines the order.

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

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

The landing order determination unit may be configured to land the drone before other drones when the drone returns based on at least one of a failure and an abnormality occurring in the drone. good.

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

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

The amount of resources may be configured to include at least one of an amount of energy to drive the drone and an amount of medicine to be dispensed by the drone.

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

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

It may be configured such that when the scheduled stay time zones overlap, the drone whose landing order is earlier is landed on the landing pad, and the other drone is landed on a location different from the landing pad. .

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

The control device may be configured to change the scheduled stay time period by changing the flight speed of at least one of the plurality of drones having the same scheduled stay time period. .

It may be configured to speed up the flight speed of at least one of the plurality of drones whose scheduled stay time zones overlap.

The landing platform of the drone can accommodate resources to replenish the drones, and the control device further includes a replenishment control unit that controls a replenishment plan for replenishing the plurality of drones with the resources. may

The replenishment plan is configured to include at least one piece of information regarding the landing order of the drones on the landing pad, the type of the resource replenished to the plurality of drones, the amount of the resource, and the timing of replenishment. may have been

The drone system may further comprise a terminal for receiving and notifying at least part of the replenishment plan.

The replenishment control unit includes a replenishment plan acquisition unit that acquires the amount of the resource that is planned to be replenished from the landing pad to the drone, and a moving body that acquires the amount of the resource accommodated in the landing pad. a resource acquisition unit;
and the terminal may be configured to notify when the planned amount of the resource exceeds the accommodated amount of the resource.

The replenishment control unit notifies when the amount of the resources planned to be replenished to the drone scheduled to land most recently exceeds the amount of resources accommodated in the takeoff and landing platform. may be configured to

The landing pad may be a mobile body that can move together with the drone.

The movement control unit may further include a movement control unit that causes some or all of the plurality of drones to fly at a predetermined distance from the moving body when the moving body and the plurality of drones move.

The movement control unit may be configured to cause the plurality of drones to fly at intervals of a predetermined distance behind the traveling direction of the moving body.

The movement control unit may be configured to cause the plurality of drones to fly above the mobile body at intervals of a predetermined distance.

When the moving body and the plurality of drones are moving and the moving body moves in the direction opposite to the direction of travel, the movement control unit sets the drone at the rear in the direction of travel to the front. It may be configured to move.

The drone includes an obstacle detection unit that detects surrounding obstacles, and the movement control unit is configured to land the plurality of drones including the drone when the drone detects an obstacle. good too.

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

An alarm may be issued when the movement control unit lands the drone.

To achieve the above object, a control method for a drone system according to one aspect of the present invention is a control method for a drone system including at least a plurality of drones that fly within a work area to perform work, including the step of controlling the take-off order for taking off the drones.

In order to achieve the above object, a control program for a drone system according to one aspect of the present invention is a control program for a drone system including at least a plurality of drones that fly within a work area to perform work,
A computer is caused to execute instructions for controlling a take-off order for taking off the plurality of drones.
The computer program can be provided by downloading via a network such as the Internet, or can be provided by being recorded on various computer-readable recording media such as a CD-ROM.

In order to achieve the above object, a drone according to one aspect of the present invention is a drone that flies within a work area to perform work, is connected to a control device that controls the order of takeoffs, and the control device take off on orders from

In order to achieve the above object, a mobile object according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of drones that fly within a work area to perform work, and a control device that controls the takeoff order in which the plurality of drones take off. , wherein the mobile body is capable of containing resources to replenish the drone.

To achieve the above object, a control device according to one aspect of the present invention is connected to a plurality of drones that fly within a work area and perform work, and based on information about the plurality of drones, Control the take-off order for the drones to take off.

Multiple drones can carry out work safely and efficiently.

1 is a plan view of a drone included in a drone system according to the present invention; FIG. It is a front view of the drone which the said drone system has. It is a right view of the said drone. It is a rear view of the said drone. It is a perspective view of the said drone. It is the whole drone system conceptual diagram. It is an overall conceptual diagram showing a second embodiment of the drone system. It is an overall conceptual diagram showing a third embodiment of the drone system. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the state of arrangement|positioning of the agricultural field which the said drone works, and the automatic driving|running|working permission area which the said mobile body drive|works. It is a schematic diagram showing the control function of the said drone. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the appearance of the mobile body concerning this invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which an upper plate of the moving body on which the drone is placed is sliding backward; FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram relating to functions of controlling the landing, replenishment of resources, and movements of a plurality of drones, which the drones, the moving bodies, and the control device according to the present invention have. FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of a first embodiment, and FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of another embodiment, showing how the mobile body and a plurality of drones move simultaneously. It is a flow chart about landing control which the above-mentioned control device performs. 4 is a flowchart relating to replenishment control performed by the control device; It is a flow chart about movement control which the above-mentioned control device performs.

Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. All figures are illustrative. In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, certain details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. However, embodiments are not limited to these specific details. Also, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown to simplify the drawings.

First, the configuration of the drone that the drone system according to the present invention has will be described. In the specification of the present application, a drone refers to a power means (electric power, prime mover, etc.), a control method (wireless or wired, and whether it is an autonomous flight type or a manually operated type, etc.), It refers to an aircraft in general that has a plurality of 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 called rotors) are: It is a means to fly the drone 100, and considering the balance of flight stability, aircraft size, and power consumption, it is equipped with 8 aircraft (4 sets of two-stage rotor blades). Each rotor 101 is arranged on the four sides of the main body 110 of the drone 100 by means of arms protruding from the main body 110 of the drone 100 . That is, rotor blades 101-1a and 101-1b are on the left rear in the traveling direction, rotor blades 101-2a and 101-2b are on the left front, rotor blades 101-3a and 101-3b are on the right rear, and rotor blades 101- on the right front. 4a and 101-4b are arranged respectively. In addition, the drone 100 makes the downward direction of the paper surface in FIG. 1 the traveling direction. Rod-shaped legs 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, and 107-4 extend downward from the rotating shaft of rotor blade 101, respectively.

Motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 102-4a, 102-4b are equipped with rotors 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101- Means for rotating 2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b (typically an electric motor, but may be a motor, etc.), one machine provided for one rotor blade It is Motor 102 is an example of a propeller. The upper and lower rotors in one set (e.g. 101-1a and 101-1b) and their corresponding motors (e.g. 102-1a and 102-1b) are used for drone flight stability etc. The axes are collinear and rotate in opposite directions. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the radial members for supporting the propeller guard provided to prevent the rotor from interfering with foreign objects are not horizontal but have a scaffold-like structure. This is to prevent the member from interfering with the rotor by promoting the buckling of the member to the outside of the rotor blade at the time of collision.

Four drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4 are provided and are means for spraying the drug downward. In the present specification, chemicals generally refer to liquids or powders such as pesticides, herbicides, liquid fertilizers, insecticides, seeds, and water that are applied to fields.

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

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

Drone 100 and mobile object 406a transmit and receive information to each other and operate cooperatively. The moving object 406a is an example of an arrival/departure platform and has an arrival/departure point 406. FIG. The drone 100 has a flight control unit 21 that controls the flight of the drone 100, and a functional unit that transmits and receives information to and from the moving object 406a.

The operation device 401 is a means for transmitting commands to the drone 100 by the operation of the user 402 and displaying information received from the drone 100 (for example, position, drug amount, remaining battery level, camera image, etc.). Yes, and may be implemented 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 fly autonomously, but manual operation may be performed during basic operations such as takeoff and return, and in an emergency. In addition to the portable information device, an emergency operator (not shown) having a dedicated emergency stop function may be used. The emergency operation device may be a dedicated device equipped with a large emergency stop button or the like so that a quick response can be taken in case of emergency. Furthermore, apart from the operation device 401, the system may include a small portable terminal 401a, such as a smart phone, capable of displaying part or all of the information displayed on the operation device 401. FIG. Further, it may have a function of changing the operation of the drone 100 based on information input from the small portable terminal 401a. The small portable terminal 401a is connected to a base station 404, for example, and can receive information and the like from the farming cloud 405 via the base station 404. FIG.

A farm field 403 is a rice field, a field, or the like to which the drone 100 sprays chemicals. In reality, the topography of the farm field 403 is complicated, and there are cases where a topographic map cannot be obtained in advance, or there are cases where the topographic map differs from the situation of the field. Fields 403 are usually adjacent to houses, hospitals, schools, other crop fields, roads, railroads, and the like. Moreover, there may be intruders such as buildings and electric wires in the field 403 .

The base station 404 is a device that provides a Wi-Fi communication base unit function, etc., and may also function as an RTK-GPS base station and provide an accurate position of the drone 100 (Wi-Fi Fi communication master unit function and RTK-GPS base station may be independent devices). Also, the base station 404 may be able to communicate with the farming cloud 405 using a mobile communication system such as 3G, 4G, and LTE. The base station 404 is on board a vehicle 406a along with a point of origin 406 in this embodiment.

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 operation device 401 via a mobile phone line or the like. The farming cloud 405 may analyze the image of the field 403 captured by the drone 100, grasp the growth status of crops, and perform processing for determining the flight route. In addition, the drone 100 may be provided with topographical information and the like of the field 403 that has been saved. In addition, a history of flight and captured images of the drone 100 may be accumulated and various analysis processes may be performed.

The small portable terminal 401a is, for example, a smart phone. The display unit of the small portable terminal 401a displays information about the expected operation of the drone 100, more specifically, the scheduled time for the drone 100 to return to the departure/arrival point 406, and the work to be done by the user 402 when returning. Information such as the content is displayed as appropriate. Also, the operations of the drone 100 and the moving object 406a may be changed based on the input from the small portable terminal 401a. The small portable terminal 401a can receive information from both the drone 100 and the moving object 406a. Information from the drone 100 may also be transmitted to the small portable terminal 401a via the mobile object 406a.

Normally, the drone 100 takes off from the departure/arrival point 406 outside the field 403 and returns to the departure/arrival point 406 after spraying the chemical on the field 403 or when replenishment of the chemical, charging, or the like is required. The flight path (entry path) 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 starting takeoff.

As in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the drone 100 pesticide spraying system according to the present invention includes the drone 100, the operation device 401, the small portable terminal 401a, and the farming cloud 405, each of which is connected to a base station 404. It may be a configuration that

Further, as in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 8, in the chemical spraying system for drone 100 according to the present invention, drone 100, operation unit 401, and small portable terminal 401a are each connected to base station 404 and operated. A configuration in which only the device 401 is connected to the farming cloud 405 may be used.

As shown in FIG. 9, the drone 100 flies over fields 403a and 403b and performs work in the fields. The moving body 406a automatically travels in the automatic operation permitted area 90 provided around the fields 403a and 403b. The automatic driving permitted area 90 is, for example, a farm road. Fields 403a and 403b and automatic operation permitted area 90 constitute a work area. Automatic operation permission area 90 includes movement permission area 901 in which mobile object 406a can move but drone 100 cannot land, and mobile object 406a can move and drone 100 can land on mobile object 406a. It is subdivided into a landing clearance area 902 and . Reasons why the drone 100 cannot land include, for example, obstacles 80 such as guardrails, utility poles, electric wires, warehouses, and graves that are installed between the area and the field 403a.

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

The first driving route 51 includes a start point 51s, a worked route 51a, an unworked route 51b, and an end point 51e. The first drone 100a starts flying from the start point 51s and flies to the end point 51e. Let the route already flown by the drone 100a be a completed route 51a, and the route to be flown from now on be a non-worked route 51b. Similarly, the second driving path 52 comprises a start point 52s, a worked path 52a, an unworked path 52b, and an end point 52e. The second drone 100b starts flying from start point 52s and flies to end point 52e. Let the route already flown by the drone 100b be the completed route 52a, and the route to be flown from now on be the unworked route 52b.

A plurality of moving bodies 406A and 406b (hereinafter also referred to as first moving body 406A and second moving body 406B) run within the automatic operation permitted area 90. A plurality of drones 100a, 100b and a plurality of moving bodies 406A, 406B included in drone system 500 are connected to each other via a network and centrally managed by control device 40, which will be described later with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, the numbers of drones and moving bodies are the same, but they do not have to be the same. If the number of drones and moving bodies is the same, one drone can be mounted on each moving body, so all drones can be loaded on the moving body and the drones can be brought in from outside the work area. In addition, although a moving object cannot replenish resources for multiple drones at the same time, if the same number of drones and moving objects are included in the drone system 500, all drones can be replenished with resources at the same time.

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

The drone 100 takes off from the mobile object 406a and performs work in the fields 403a and 403b. The drone 100 interrupts the work as appropriate during the work in the fields 403a and 403b, returns to the moving body 406a, and replenishes the battery 502 and the chemical. When the work of a predetermined field is completed, the drone 100 rides on the moving body 406a to move to the vicinity of another field, then takes off again from the moving body 406a, and starts working on the other field. In this way, the movement of the drone 100 within the automatic operation permitted area 90 is basically carried out on the mobile body 406a, and the mobile body 406a transports the drone 100 to the vicinity of the field where the work is to be performed. With this configuration, the battery 502 of the drone 100 can be saved. In addition, since the moving body 406a stores the battery 502 and the medicine that can be replenished to the drone 100, according to the configuration in which the moving body 406a moves to the vicinity of the field where the drone 100 is working and stands by, the drone Replenishment of resources to 100 can be done efficiently.

An area outside the automatic operation permitted area 90 is an automatic operation non-permitted area 91 . The automatic operation permitted area 90 and the automatic operation prohibited area 91 are partitioned by partition members 407a, 407b, 407c, 407d, and 407e. The automatic driving permitted area 90 and the automatic driving non-permitted area 91 are separated by various obstacles and the like, and roads are continuously formed. It may be placed on the road. In other words, the partition members 407a, 407b, 407c, 407d, and 407e are arranged at entrances to the automatic operation permitted area 90.

The partition member 407 is a member for partitioning the work area, which is the field 403 and its surrounding area, and is moved when the moving body 406a and the drone 100 work, and is, for example, a color cone (registered trademark) or a triangular cone. , corn bars, barricades, field arches, fences, etc. The partitioning member 407 may be physically partitioned or may be partitioned by light rays such as infrared rays. The partition member 407 is mainly used to notify intruders outside the work area that work is in progress and to restrict entry into the work area. Therefore, it is a member that an intruder can visually recognize even from a distance. In addition, since the partition member 407 is installed by the user 402 at the start of work, it is preferable that installation and removal be easy. Multiple partition members 407 may be included within the drone system 500 . The partitioning member 407 may detect that an intruder has entered the work area and transmit the intrusion information to the moving body 406a, the operation device 401, the small portable terminal 401a, and the like. Intruders include people, cars, and other moving objects.

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram showing control functions of an embodiment of the chemical spray drone according to the present invention. The flight controller 501 is a component that controls the entire drone, and specifically may be an embedded computer including a CPU, memory, related software, and the like. Flight controller 501 controls motors 102-1a and 102-1b via control means such as ESC (Electronic Speed Control) based on input information received from operation device 401 and input information obtained from various sensors described later. , 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 104-a, and 104-b, the flight of the drone 100 is controlled. The actual rotation speeds of motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 104-a, and 104-b are fed back to flight controller 501 to ensure normal rotation. It is configured to be able to monitor whether or not Alternatively, an optical sensor or the like may be provided on the rotor blade 101 and the rotation of the rotor blade 101 may be fed back to the flight controller 501 .

The software used by the flight controller 501 is rewritable through a storage medium or the like, or through communication means such as Wi-Fi communication or USB, in order to extend/change functions or correct problems. In this case, protection is provided by encryption, checksum, electronic signature, virus check software, etc. to prevent rewriting by unauthorized software. Also, part of the calculation processing used for control by the flight controller 501 may be executed by another computer existing on the operation device 401, on the farming cloud 405, or at another location. Due to the high importance of flight controller 501, some or all of its components may be duplicated.

The flight controller 501 communicates with the controller 401 via the Wi-Fi slave device function 503 and via the base station 404, receives necessary commands from the controller 401, and sends necessary information to the controller. You can send to 401. In this case, the communication may be encrypted to prevent fraudulent acts such as interception, impersonation, and device hijacking. The base station 404 also has a function of an RTK-GPS base station in addition to a Wi-Fi communication function. By combining the signals from the RTK base station and the signals from the GPS positioning satellite, the flight controller 501 can measure the absolute position of the drone 100 with an accuracy of several centimeters. Due to the high importance of the flight controller 501, it may be duplicated or multiplexed, and each redundant flight controller 501 should use a different satellite in order to cope with the failure of a particular GPS satellite. may be controlled.

The 6-axis gyro sensor 505 is means for measuring the acceleration of the drone body in three mutually orthogonal directions, and is means for calculating the velocity by integrating the acceleration. The 6-axis gyro sensor 505 is means for measuring changes in the attitude angle of the drone body in the three directions described above, that is, angular velocity. The geomagnetic sensor 506 is a means of determining the direction of the drone body by measuring geomagnetism. The air pressure sensor 507 is a means of measuring air pressure, and can also indirectly measure the altitude of the drone. The laser sensor 508 is means for measuring the distance between the drone body and the ground surface using reflection of laser light, and may be an IR (infrared) laser. Sonar 509 is a means of measuring the distance between the drone body and the ground using the reflection of sound waves such as ultrasonic waves. These sensors may be selected according to the drone's cost targets and performance requirements. Also, a gyro sensor (angular velocity sensor) for measuring the inclination of the airframe, a wind sensor for measuring wind force, etc. may be added. Also, 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 switch to an alternative sensor if it fails. Alternatively, multiple sensors may be used at the same time and a failure is assumed to occur if their measurements do not match.

Flow rate sensors 510 are means for measuring the flow rate of the drug, and are provided at multiple locations along the path from drug tank 104 to drug nozzle 103 . A liquid shortage sensor 511 is a sensor that detects when the amount of medicine has fallen below a predetermined amount. Multispectral camera 512 is a means of photographing field 403 and acquiring data for image analysis. The intruder detection camera 513 is a camera for detecting drone intruders, and is a separate device from the multispectral camera 512 because its image characteristics and lens orientation are different from those of the multispectral camera 512 . Switch 514 is a means for user 402 of drone 100 to make various settings. The intruder contact sensor 515 is a sensor for detecting that the drone 100, especially its rotor or propeller guard portion, has come into contact with an intruder such as an electric wire, building, human body, standing tree, bird, or other drone. . Note that the intruder contact sensor 515 may be replaced by the 6-axis gyro sensor 505. The cover sensor 516 is a sensor that detects that the operation panel of the drone 100 and the internal maintenance cover are open. A drug inlet sensor 517 is a sensor that detects that the inlet of the drug tank 104 is open. These sensors may be selected, duplicated or multiplexed depending on the drone's cost targets and performance requirements. Also, a sensor may be provided outside the drone 100 at the base station 404, the controller 401, or at another location to transmit the read information to the drone. For example, a wind sensor may be provided in the base station 404 to transmit information on wind power and 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 medicine ejection amount and stop the medicine ejection. The current status of the pump 106 (eg, number of revolutions, etc.) is configured to be fed back to the flight controller 501 .

The LED 107 is display means for informing the operator of the drone of the state of the drone. Display means such as a liquid crystal display may be used in place of or in addition to LEDs. The buzzer 518 is an output means for informing the state of the drone (especially error state) by means of an audio signal. A Wi-Fi slave device function 519 is an optional component for communicating with an external computer or the like for transferring software, for example, separately from the operation device 401 . In place of or in addition to the Wi-Fi slave unit function, infrared communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), other wireless communication means such as NFC, or wired communication means such as USB connection may be used. Also, instead of the Wi-Fi slave device function, it may be possible to communicate with each other by mobile communication systems such as 3G, 4G, and LTE. The speaker 520 is output means for notifying the state of the drone (especially error state) by means of recorded human voice, synthesized voice, or the like. Weather conditions can make it difficult to see the visual display of the drone 100 in flight, and in such cases, audible status communication is effective. A warning light 521 is a display means such as a strobe light that indicates the state of the drone (especially an error state). These input/output means may be selected, duplicated or multiplexed according to the drone's cost targets and performance requirements.

Configuration of moving object A moving object 406a shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 receives information possessed by the drone 100 and appropriately notifies the user 402, or accepts input from the user 402 and transmits it to the drone 100. It is a device. Also, the moving body 406a can move with the drone 100 loaded. The moving object 406a can be driven by the user 402, or can move autonomously. It should be noted that the moving body 406a in the present embodiment is assumed to be a vehicle such as an automobile, more specifically a light truck, but it may be a suitable moving body capable of traveling on land such as a train, a ship or a plane. It can be a body. The driving source of the moving body 406a may be gasoline, electricity, a fuel cell, or any suitable source.

The moving body 406a is a vehicle in which a passenger seat 81 is arranged in front in the traveling direction and a loading platform 82 is arranged in the rear. Four wheels 83, which are examples of moving means, are drivably arranged on the bottom side of the moving body 406a. A user 402 can get into the passenger seat 81 .

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

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

The carrier 82 has a luggage compartment 821 that stores the battery 502 of the drone 100 and the drug to be replenished in the drug tank 104 of the drone 100 . The luggage compartment 821 is an area surrounded by the vehicle body 810 that covers the passenger seat 81 , a rear plate 822 , a pair of side plates 823 and 823 , and an upper plate 824 . The rear plate 822 and the side plates 823 are also called "tilts". Rails 825 are arranged on both ends of the upper portion of the rear plate 822 along the upper ends of the side plates 823 to reach the vehicle body 810 on the back side of the passenger seat 81 . The top plate 824 is a landing/departure area where the drone 100 is placed and is a landing/departure point 406 from which the drone 100 can take off and land. The rails 825 are ribs projecting upward from the plane of the top plate 824 to prevent the drone 100 riding on the top plate 824 from slipping out of the left and right ends of the moving body 406a. Further, a rib 8241 is formed on the rear side of the top plate 824 and protrudes upward to the same extent as the rail 825 .

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

The top plate 824 may be manually slidable, or may be slid automatically using a rack and pinion mechanism or the like. When the top plate 824 is slid rearward, articles can be stored in the luggage compartment 821 from above the loading platform 82, and articles can be taken out. In addition, in the configuration in which the top plate 824 slides backward, the drone 100 can take off and land at the departure/arrival point 406 because the top plate 824 and the vehicle body 810 are sufficiently separated.

The top plate 824 is provided with four leg receiving portions 826 to which the legs 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, and 107-4 of the drone 100 can be fixed. The foot receiving part 826 is a disc-shaped member having a truncated cone-shaped concave upper surface, which is installed one by one at positions corresponding to the four legs 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, and 107-4 of the drone 100, for example. be. It should be noted that the bottom of the truncated cone-shaped recess of the foot receiving portion 826 and the tips of the feet 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, and 107-4 may be shaped so as to be fittable with each other. When landing on the footrest 826, the feet 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, 107-4 of the drone 100 slide along the conical surface of the footrest 826, and the feet 107-1, 107-2, 107 reach the bottom of the truncated cone. -3,107-4 tips are induced. The drone 100 can be automatically or manually fixed to the foot support portion 826 by an appropriate mechanism, and even when the moving body 406a carries the drone 100 thereon, the drone 100 can be secured without excessive vibration or falling. can be safely transported. In addition, the moving body 406a can detect whether the drone 100 is fixed to the foot support section 826 or not.

A circular light 850 that displays a guideline for the take-off and landing positions of the drone 100 is arranged in the approximate center of the top plate 824 . Circumferential light 850 is formed by a group of light emitters arranged in a substantially circular shape, and the group of light emitters can be individually blinked. In this embodiment, four large light emitters 850a are arranged at approximately 90-degree intervals on the circumference, and two small light emitters 850b are arranged at regular intervals between the large light emitters 850a. Circumferential light 850 is constructed. Circumferential light 850 displays the flight direction after takeoff of drone 100 or the direction in which drone 100 flies when landing by lighting one or more of light emitter groups 850a and 850b. Circumferential light 850 may be composed of a single annular light emitter that can partially blink.

A pair of side plates 823 are hinged to the loading platform 82 at their bottom edges, and can be tilted outward. FIG. 12 shows a state in which the side plate 823 on the left side in the traveling direction is tilted outward. When the side plate 823 falls outward, it becomes possible to store and take out stored items from the side of the moving body 406a. The side plate 823 is fixed substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the luggage compartment 821, and the side plate 823 can also be used as a workbench.

A pair of rails 825 constitutes a mode switching mechanism. A hinge connecting the side plate 823 and the loading platform 82 may also be included in the form switching mechanism. In the configuration in which the top plate 824 is arranged to cover the upper side of the luggage compartment 821 and the side plates 823 stand up to cover the sides of the luggage compartment 821, the moving body 406a moves. When the moving body 406a is stationary, the upper plate 824 is switched to the rearward sliding form or the side plate 823 is tilted, and the user 402 can approach the inside of the luggage compartment 821. FIG.

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

The drone 100 can replenish the medicine stored in the medicine tank 104 while landing at the departure/arrival point 406 . The luggage compartment 821 stores appropriate components for dilution and mixing, such as a dilution and mixing tank for diluting and mixing the drug, a stirring mechanism, and a pump and hose for sucking up the drug from the dilution and mixing tank and injecting it into the drug tank 104. may have been Further, a replenishing hose that extends from the luggage compartment 821 to the upper side of the top plate 824 and is connectable to the injection port of the chemical tank 104 may be arranged.

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

When injecting the medicine into the medicine tank 104, an air bleeding operation is performed to discharge gas, mainly air, filling the medicine tank 104 to the outside. At this time, an operation for discharging the medicine from the discharge port of the medicine tank 104 is required. Also, after the drone 100 finishes its work, it is necessary to discharge the medicine from the medicine tank 104 . According to the configuration in which the waste liquid groove 840 and the waste liquid hole 841 are formed in the top plate 824, when the drone 100 is arranged on the top plate 824 and the drug is injected into and discharged from the drug tank 104, the waste liquid is discharged into the waste liquid tank. It can be guided to 842 and can be safely drugged and discharged.

Configuration of Drone, Moving Body, and Control Device of Drone System As shown in FIG. The drone 100, the first drone 100a, the second drone 100b, the moving object 406a, and the control device 40 are configured to be connected to each other via a network NW, for example. Note that the network NW may be entirely wireless, or partially or wholly wired. In addition, the specific connection relationship is not limited to that shown in the figure, and each component may be connected directly or indirectly. Since the first and second drones 100a and 100b have the same configuration, they will be simply referred to as the drone 100 in the following description.

In this embodiment, there are two drones and one moving body, but there may be more. Also, the number of drones and moving bodies may be the same or may be different. A plurality of drones can take off and land on any of the plurality of moving bodies 406a, and can replenish resources. Note that replenishment of resources is a concept that includes replenishment of the battery 502 and replenishment of medicines.

●Drone Each drone 100 includes a flight control unit 21, a loading resource acquisition unit 22, and a battery 502.

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

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

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

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

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

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

●Moving body The moving body 406a includes a cargo room 821, a storage resource acquisition unit 31, a landing detection unit 32, and a replenishment unit 33.

The accommodation resource acquisition unit 31 is a functional unit that measures the amount of resources held by the moving object 406a. The amount of resources includes the number of charged batteries 502 and the amount of medicine. In addition, the amount of resources may be the remaining charge capacity of the equipment that charges the battery 502 . If the drone 100 is configured to be driven by a fuel cell, the amount may be the amount of fuel gas that can be stored in the drone 100, such as hydrogen gas. The amount of resources prepared for the moving body 406a may be obtained manually by the user 402, or may be obtained automatically. As an example of an automatic acquisition configuration, a configuration may be employed in which the weight of a predetermined range in luggage compartment 821 is measured in order to acquire the drug amount. Further, in order to obtain the number of charged batteries 502, in addition to the weight of the luggage compartment 821 within a predetermined range, the storage amount of the batteries 502 may be measured.

The landing detection unit 32 is a functional unit that detects whether the drone 100 has landed on the moving object 406a. The landing detection unit 32 detects the feet 107-1 to 107-4 of the drone 100, such as touch switches and capacitance sensors mounted on the foot receiving unit 826, so that the drone 100 can land on the moving object 406a. detect whether or not When there are multiple drones 100 in the drone system 500, the landing detection unit 32 acquires unique information of the drones 100 from the legs 107-1 to 107-4 to identify which drone 100 has landed. It may be possible. Also, the landing detection unit 32 may identify the landing drone 100 by acquiring the position information of each drone 100 using RTK-GPS or the like.

The replenishment unit 33 is a functional unit that replenishes resources to the drone 100 that has landed on the moving object 406a. As described above, the replenishment unit 33 can charge the battery 502 mounted on the drone 100 that has landed on the moving object 406a. Further, instead of charging the battery 502, a configuration may be adopted in which high-speed charging is performed using an ultracapacitor. Furthermore, the replenishment unit 33 can replenish the medicine stored in the medicine tank 104 .

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

If there is only one drone 100 in the drone system 500, the work plan is set independently for each drone 100 so that the drone 100 returns when the resource amount of the drone 100 meets a predetermined condition or when the work is completed. is set. However, if the number of departure/arrival points 406 is less than the number of drones 100, they cannot land at the departure/arrival points 406 at the same time. Therefore, the control device 40 can perform control so that the time periods during which the drones 100 stay at the departure/arrival point 406 do not overlap. In addition, when replenishing resources to the drones 100 at the departure/arrival point 406 in the work plan, the control device 40 controls the resources accommodated in the drones 100 and the moving bodies 406a so that the resources are replenished according to the work plan of each drone 100. Control quantity. In addition, the control device 40 controls the take-off order for taking off a plurality of drones. The control device 40 may take off a plurality of drones one by one. The control device 40 may acquire information about the first drone that is taking off, and cause the second drone to take off when the drone satisfies a predetermined condition. More specifically, the control device 40 may cause the second drone to take off when the distance between the first drone and the second drone is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance.

The control device 40 includes a drone information acquisition section 41 , a moving object information acquisition section 42 , a landing control section 43 , a replenishment control section 44 and a movement control section 45 .

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

The drone information acquisition unit 41 also acquires information on the destination of the drone 100 when the drone 100 is moving outside the field 403 . The drone information acquisition unit 41 may acquire information about the reason for the return of the drone 100 when the destination of the drone 100 is the departure/arrival point 406 on the moving body 406a. The reason for the return of the drone 100 is, for example, replenishment of resources of the drone 100, that is, replenishment of charge or medicine. Further, the cause of the return of the drone 100 may be that a return command is transmitted from the operation device 401 or the small portable terminal 401a. Furthermore, the drone 100 may have a failure or an abnormality.

The drone information acquisition unit 41 can also acquire information on the amount of resources possessed by the drone 100 as the state of the drone 100 . The resources possessed by the drone 100 include flight energy of the drone 100, for example, the amount of power stored in the battery 502. FIG. The flight energy of the drone 100 may be the amount of electricity stored by an ultracapacitor instead of the battery 502 . Also, the resources possessed by the drone 100 include drugs stored in the drug tank 104 of the drone 100 .

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

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

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

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

In addition, the landing schedule acquisition unit 431 also acquires information on when each drone 100 takes off after landing. Furthermore, the landing schedule acquisition unit 431 obtains information on when each drone 100 exits the field 403 from the exit point, when it reaches the departure/arrival point 406, when it takes off from the departure/arrival point 406, and when it enters the field 403 from the entry point. to get The landing schedule acquisition unit 431 can calculate the scheduled stay time zone of each drone 100 at the departure/arrival point 406 from the above information.

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

The landing order determination unit 432 determines the landing order based on the information of the drones 100 acquired by the drone information acquisition unit 41. FIG. For example, the landing order determination unit 432 determines the landing order based on the return information regarding the reason for returning, which is acquired by the drone information acquisition unit 41. The landing order determination unit 432 causes the drone 100 to land earlier than the other drones 100 when the drone 100 returns based on the return command from the user.

Also, when the drone 100 returns due to a failure or abnormality occurring in the drone 100, the landing order determination unit 432 causes the drone 100 to land before other drones. This is because a delay in returning due to a failure or anomaly increases the risk of crash or runaway, so it is necessary to land as soon as possible. The drone 100 returning due to a failure or abnormality is landed earlier than the drone 100 returning based on the return command.

The landing order determination unit 432 may determine the landing order based on the amount of resources each of the plurality of drones 100 possesses. Specifically, the landing order determination unit 432 lands the drone 100 with the smaller amount of resources before the other drones 100 . The amount of resources may be the amount of energy that drives the drone 100 or the amount of medicine stored in the drone 100 . Drones 100 with less resources are expected to work for a longer time after replenishment of resources. The total work to be done can be completed quickly. Drones 100 with less energy in batteries 502 may not have enough energy for standby, which will be described later, so they should be landed first.

The standby control unit 433 is a functional unit that makes the drone 100, which comes later in the landing order, wait until it becomes possible to land at the departure/arrival point 406 when the scheduled stay times of the plurality of drones 100 at the departure/arrival point 406 overlap. . Since there is a limit to the number of drones that can land at the departure/arrival point 406 at the same time, by making the drones 100 stand by, collision can be prevented and the drones 100 can return safely.

The standby control unit 433 may cause the drone 100 landing later in the landing order to hover and wait in the field 403 when the scheduled stay time zones overlap. Outside the field 403, people including the user and moving objects 406a come and go, so if the drone 100 waits, there is a danger of collision. can be secured. Further, the plurality of drones 100 share an exit point, departure/arrival point 406, and an departure/arrival route from the exit point to the departure/arrival point 406. FIG. This is because sharing the flight path outside the farm field 403 makes it easier for the user to grasp the flight path of the drone 100 and gives the user a sense of security. On the other hand, if multiple drones 100 exist on the departure/arrival route, they may collide with each other. Therefore, by making the drone 100 wait in the farm field 403 , it is possible to avoid collision with the drone 100 entering the farm field 403 from the departure/arrival point 406 .

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

In addition to the above, the standby control unit 433 moves the drone 100 into the farm field 403 based on the fact that the mobile body 406a is in the process of replenishment or that there is an obstacle such as a user around the mobile body 406a. You can wait.

The return control unit 434 is a functional unit that changes the flight operation of at least one drone 100 when the planned stay time zones of a plurality of drones 100 overlap. The return control unit 434 may land the drone 100 whose landing order is first at the departure/arrival point 406 and land the other drones 100 at a location different from the departure/arrival point 406 . For example, another drone 100 may land near mobile object 406a. Also, another drone 100 may land behind the moving object 406a in the traveling direction with a predetermined distance therebetween. When a plurality of drones 100 and moving bodies 406a move at the same time, the drones 100 move behind the moving bodies 406a, for example. can be started smoothly.

The return control unit 434 may change the scheduled stay time zone by shortening the work plan scheduled for at least one drone 100 among the plurality of drones 100 having overlapping scheduled stay time zones. That is, the return control unit 434 quickly interrupts the work and returns the drone 100 to the departure/arrival point 406 before the resource of one drone 100 reaches a state that requires replenishment. According to this configuration, compared to the configuration in which the drones 100 are on standby, the drones that are interrupted early can complete the replenishment early and resume the work in the field 403, so that the work can be efficiently performed. .

The return control unit 434 may change the scheduled stay time period by changing the flight speed of at least one of the plurality of drones 100 having overlapping scheduled stay time periods. More specifically, the flight speed of the drone 100 decided to land first among the plurality of drones 100 having overlapping landing schedules is increased. According to this configuration, it is possible to return to the departure/arrival point 406 after flying along the route according to the initial work plan and shifting the scheduled stay time zone. That is, the work can be performed more efficiently than the configuration in which the drones 100 stand by and the configuration in which the work of one drone 100 is interrupted early.

●Configuration related to replenishment control The replenishment control unit 44 is a functional unit that controls a replenishment plan for replenishing a plurality of drones 100 with resources.

The replenishment plan is a group of information including at least one of the order of landing of the drones 100 at the departure/arrival point 406, the types of resources replenished to the plurality of drones 100, the amount of resources, and the timing of replenishment. That is, the replenishment plan is information about when which drone 100 will return to the departure/arrival point 406 and how much of which resource will be replenished. The replenishment control unit 44 controls replenishment plans based on information from the drone information acquisition unit 41 .

In addition, the replenishment control unit 44 controls the amount of resources accommodated in the moving body 406a having the departure/arrival point 406. FIG. The replenishment plan includes information on the types and amounts of resources housed in mobile 406a.

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

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

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

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

The small portable terminal 401a may display only a part of the information displayed on the operation device 401, or may report only a part of the information by a separate reporting means such as sound. . For example, the small portable terminal 401a stores information at the time when the user 402 needs to intervene, such as when the mobile unit 406a needs to be replenished with resources, or when the total work is completed and cleanup is required, and each It may be configured such that only the information related to the prediction of the point in time is displayed on the small portable terminal 401a. Also, the user 402 may be notified at the time when the moving body 406a needs to be replenished with resources, when the total work is completed, and when an abnormality occurs.

In addition to the information of the farm field 403 where the work is being performed most recently and the farm field 403 where work is being performed, the operation device 401 stores information about another farm field demarcated by a farm road or the like where work is to be performed by the same drone system 500. It may be possible to display the replenishment plan that is The other field is, for example, a discontinuous area from the field 403 where work is started after the moving body 406a and the plurality of drones 100 move outside the field 403 by movement control, which will be described later. According to this configuration, the amount of resources required for the entire work performed by the same drone system 500 can be grasped centrally by the operation device 401 . In the display, information regarding the field 403 and another field may be displayed continuously, or the display may be switched by a predetermined operation.

When the amount of resources planned to be replenished to the drone 100 scheduled to land most recently exceeds the amount of resources accommodated in the moving body 406a, the replenishment control unit 44 issues a notification to that effect. Even if the resource is automatically replenished by the moving body 406a, if the resource reserved in the moving body 406a is insufficient, it is necessary to request the user to replenish the resource to the moving body 406a. This is because According to this configuration, it is possible to prompt the user to replenish resources to the moving body 406a so that replenishment of resources to the drone 100 returning most recently can be performed as planned.

The replenishment control unit 44, when the operator 401 or the small portable terminal 401a is expected not to complete the resource replenishment work from the departure/arrival point 406 to the drone 100 by the scheduled landing time of the drone 100, notifies that effect. You can report. According to this configuration, when the user replenishes the drone 100 with resources, the notification can prompt the user to replenish the resources. In addition, even when the drone 100 is automatically replenished with resources, the progress of work can be communicated to the user.

In addition, the replenishment control unit 44, when the amount of resources planned to be replenished to the drone 100 scheduled to land most recently exceeds the amount of resources accommodated in the moving body 406a, or A wait command may be sent to the drone 100 when the task is not completed. The drone 100 that receives the standby command hovers, for example, within the field 403 and waits until the standby command is cancelled. When replenishing resources to the moving body 406a, there is a high probability that the user will be present near the moving body 406a. At that time, if the drone 100 approaches the moving body 406a, there is a risk that the user's replenishment work will be hindered.

Configuration Related to Drone Movement Control The movement control unit 45 is a functional unit that controls movement routes of the moving object 406a and the plurality of drones 100 in order to safely move the moving object 406a and the plurality of drones 100 at the same time. The movement control unit 45 acquires the position information of the drone 100 and the moving object 406a by the drone information acquiring unit 41 and the moving object information acquiring unit 42, and feeds back the speed, acceleration, and direction thereof to obtain the position, speed, and direction of each component. and control the acceleration so that it satisfies the prescribed conditions. The moving body 406a may move autonomously based on the control of the movement control unit 45, or the moving body 406a may be moved by the user's driving, and the drone 100 may follow the movement of the moving body 406a. to move.

As shown in FIG. 14(a), for example, when there are a plurality of drones 100 in the drone system 500, the first drone 100a moves while landing at the departure/arrival point 406 on the moving object 406a. The second to fourth drones 100b, 100c, and 100d fly at predetermined distances from the moving object 406a. The movement control unit 45 may fly a plurality of drones 100 in series with a predetermined distance behind the traveling direction of the moving object 406a. According to this configuration, the drone 100 flies following the moving object 406a on the route traveled by the moving object 406a, so that the possibility of obstacles being present is low and the drone 100 can fly safely. .

As shown in FIG. 14(b), the movement control unit 45 may cause a plurality of drones 100 to fly above the moving object with a predetermined distance therebetween. A route along which the moving object 406a and the drone 100 move is mainly assumed to be a farm road around the farm field 403 . Since there is a low possibility that an obstacle exists above the moving body 406a on the farm road, the moving body 406a can fly safely. In addition, even if the drone 100 crashes during movement, it will fall onto the moving body 406a, so the possibility of harming the structure outside the drone system 500, such as people and buildings, is low and safe. be.

When the moving body 406a moves in the direction opposite to the direction of travel, the movement control unit 45 may move the last drone in the direction of travel to the front. At this time, when the drone 100 detects an obstacle by the obstacle detection unit 23 of the drone 100, a plurality of drones 100 including the drone 100 are landed.

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

When landing the drone 100, the movement control unit 45 may notify the user of an alarm to that effect via the drone 100, the controller 401, the small portable terminal 401a, or the movement control unit 45. The alert may be any suitable means of notification, such as sound and display. When the user pays attention to the drone 100, for example, collision between the moving object 406a and the landing drone 100 can be prevented, which is safe.

●Flowchart Concerning Landing Control An example of the operation of the control device 40 when scheduled stay times at the departure/arrival point 406 overlap will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the control device 40 may perform the steps described below at the start of all work, or may perform the steps periodically during the work. Further, the control device 40 may perform the following steps when a specific event occurs during work. For example, the control device 40 may perform the following steps when a certain drone 100 malfunctions or malfunctions, when a return command is issued, or when a waiting time different from the plan occurs.

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

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

If there are no drones 100 with overlapping scheduled stay time zones, the landing order determination unit 432 ends the process without changing the landing order of the drones 100 . The drones 100 land at the departure/arrival point 406 in sequence according to the original work plan.

If there are drones 100 whose scheduled stay time zones overlap, the landing order determination unit 432 determines whether there is a drone 100 whose return cause is malfunction or abnormality (S13). If there is a malfunctioning or abnormal drone 100, the landing order determination unit 432 determines the landing order of the drone 100 to be first (S14).

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

Next, the landing order determining unit 432 determines to land the remaining drones 100 in descending order of the amount of loaded resources, and ends the process (S17).

●Flowchart Concerning Replenishment Control An example of the operation of the control device 40 that controls the amount of resources housed in the moving body 406a will be described with reference to FIG. It should be noted that the timing at which the control device 40 performs the following steps may be at the start of all work, or periodically during work, as in landing control. The process of landing control and the process of replenishment control may be performed at the same time or at different timings.

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

The mobile unit resource acquisition unit 442 acquires the amount of resources accommodated in the mobile unit 406a (S22). The order of steps S21 and S22 is random and may be performed simultaneously.

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

●Flowchart Concerning Movement Control An example of the operation of the control device 40 for moving the moving body 406a and the drone 100 will be described with reference to FIG. Movement control is performed when the mobile object 406a and multiple drones 100 move simultaneously. Specifically, the movement control is performed when the drone system 500 moves between fields 403 to work.

First, the plurality of drones 100 and moving bodies 406a move simultaneously (S31). At this time, the movement control unit 45 controls the position, speed, acceleration, etc. of each drone 100 and moving body 406a, and moves them apart by a predetermined distance. When the drone 100 detects an obstacle while moving (S32), the drone 100 lands (S33). Also, the operation device 401 or the small portable terminal 401a notifies an alarm to that effect.

In this description, an agricultural chemical spraying 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 general drones for other purposes such as shooting and monitoring. . It is particularly applicable to machines that operate autonomously. Further, the moving body is not limited to a vehicle, and may be of any suitable configuration.

(Technically Remarkable Effects of the Present Invention)
In the drone system according to the present invention, in a system for replenishing resources from a moving body to a drone, even if the resources housed in the drone and the moving body run short during work, resources are efficiently supplied to the drone and the moving body. can be supplemented.

Claims (34)

A plurality of drones that fly within the work area and carry out work,
a control device that controls a takeoff order for taking off the plurality of drones;
including at least
The control device is
a drone information acquisition unit that acquires work plans of the plurality of drones;
a landing schedule acquisition unit that acquires information about a landing schedule for the drone to land on the landing pad based on the work plan of the drone, and calculates a scheduled stay time period for the plurality of drones on the landing pad;
a landing order determination unit that determines the landing order of the plurality of drones when the scheduled stay time zones of the plurality of drones overlap;
with
The landing schedule acquisition unit refers to the work plan of the drone and extracts information on when each drone reaches the landing pad and when it takes off from the landing pad. calculating the scheduled stay time period of the drone;
drone system.
The landing schedule acquisition unit refers to the work plan of the drone, extracts the scheduled landing time of the drone at the landing platform, and calculates the scheduled stay time period of the drone based on the scheduled landing time.
The drone system of Claim 1.
The landing schedule acquisition unit refers to the work plan of the drone, extracts the scheduled takeoff time point of the drone from the landing pad, and calculates the scheduled stay time period of the drone based on the time point.
3. The drone system according to claim 1 or 2.
The control device causes the plurality of drones to take off one by one,
A drone system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The control device acquires information about the first drone that is taking off, and when the drone satisfies a predetermined condition, causes the second drone to take off.
A drone system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
the control device causes the second drone to take off when the distance between the first drone and the second drone is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance;
The drone system according to claim 5.
The drone information acquisition unit acquires return information regarding the cause of the return of the drone to the departure/arrival platform,
The landing order determination unit determines the landing order based on the return information.
A drone system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
When the drone returns based on a return command from a user, the landing order determination unit causes the drone to land before the other drones.
The drone system according to claim 7.
When the drone returns based on at least one of a failure and an abnormality occurring in the drone, the landing order determination unit causes the drone to land before other drones.
The drone system according to claim 7 or 8.
The drone information acquisition unit acquires the amount of resources held by the plurality of drones,
The landing order determination unit determines the landing order based on the amount of resources.
Drone system according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
The landing order determination unit lands the drone with a smaller amount of the resource before the other drones.
The drone system according to claim 10.
The amount of the resource includes at least one of an amount of energy for driving the drone and an amount of the drug dispensed by the drone,
Drone system according to claim 10 or 11.
When the scheduled stay time zones overlap, causing the drone whose landing order is later to wait until the drone becomes ready to land on the landing platform;
Drone system according to any one of claims 1 to 12.
When the scheduled stay time zones overlap, causing the drone whose landing order is later to hover and wait in the work area until the drone becomes ready to land on the landing pad;
14. The drone system of claim 13.
When the scheduled stay time zones overlap, the drone whose landing order is first is landed on the landing pad, and the other drone is landed on a place different from the landing pad.
Drone system according to claim 13 or 14.
Shortening the work planned for at least one of the plurality of drones whose scheduled stay time zones overlap;
16. A drone system according to any of claims 1-15.
The control device changes the scheduled stay time period by changing the flight speed of at least one of the plurality of drones having the same scheduled stay time period.
17. A drone system according to any preceding claim.
Changing the scheduled stay time zone by increasing the flight speed of at least one of the plurality of drones whose scheduled stay time zones overlap;
18. The drone system of claim 17.
the landing pad of the drone can accommodate resources to replenish the drone;
The control device further comprises a replenishment control unit that controls a replenishment plan for replenishing the plurality of drones with the resource.
19. A drone system according to any preceding claim.
The replenishment plan includes at least one piece of information regarding the landing order of the drones on the landing platform, the type of the resource replenished to the plurality of drones, the amount of the resource, and the timing of replenishment.
20. The drone system of claim 19.
further comprising a terminal that receives and notifies at least a portion of the replenishment plan;
Drone system according to claim 19 or 20.
The replenishment control unit
a replenishment plan acquisition unit that acquires the amount of the resource planned to be replenished from the landing pad to the drone;
a mobile resource acquisition unit that acquires the amount of the resource accommodated in the arrival/departure platform;
further comprising
When the planned amount of the resource exceeds the accommodated amount of the resource, the terminal issues a notification to that effect.
22. The drone system of any of claims 21.
When the amount of the resource planned to be replenished to the drone scheduled to land most recently exceeds the amount of the resource accommodated in the landing pad, the terminal issues a notification to that effect.
23. The drone system of claim 22.
The landing platform is a mobile body that can move together with the drone,
24. A drone system according to any of claims 19-23.
Further comprising a movement control unit that causes some or all of the plurality of drones to fly at a predetermined distance from the moving body when the moving body and the plurality of drones move,
25. The drone system of claim 24.
The movement control unit causes the plurality of drones to fly at intervals of a predetermined distance behind the traveling direction of the moving object.
26. The drone system of claim 25.
The movement control unit causes the plurality of drones to fly above the moving body at intervals of a predetermined distance.
27. Drone system according to claim 25 or 26.
When the moving body reverses its traveling direction from a state in which the plurality of drones are moving in series behind the moving body with the moving body at the front, the movement control unit controls the movement of the moving body. moving the plurality of drones, starting with the drone furthest from
27. The drone system of claim 26.
The drone includes an obstacle detection unit that detects surrounding obstacles, and the movement control unit moves the plurality of drones with the drone that is farthest from the moving object at the head. When the drone detects an obstacle, landing a plurality of the drones including the drone,
29. The drone system of claim 28.
The movement control unit causes the plurality of drones to land when the moving body reverses its traveling direction while the moving body and the plurality of drones are moving.
27. The drone system of claim 26 .
generate an alert when the movement control unit lands the drone;
31. A drone system according to claim 29 or 30.
A control method for a drone system including at least a plurality of drones that fly within a work area to perform work,
controlling a take-off order in which the drone system takes off the plurality of drones;
The controlling step includes:
a drone information acquisition step of acquiring work plans of the plurality of drones;
a landing schedule acquisition step of acquiring information about a landing schedule for the drone to land on the landing pad based on the work plan of the drone, and calculating a scheduled stay time zone of the plurality of drones on the landing pad;
a landing order determination step of determining the landing order of the plurality of drones when the scheduled stay time zones of the plurality of drones overlap;
including
The landing schedule acquisition step refers to the work plan of the drones and extracts information on when each of the drones reaches the landing pad and when it takes off from the landing pad. calculating the planned stay time zone of the drone;
How to control a drone system.
A control program for a drone system including at least a plurality of drones that fly within a work area to perform work,
causing a computer to execute a command to control the takeoff order for taking off the plurality of drones;
The command to control
a drone information acquisition command for acquiring work plans of the plurality of drones;
a landing schedule acquisition command for acquiring information about a landing schedule for the drone to land on the landing pad based on the work plan of the drone, and calculating a scheduled stay time period for the plurality of drones on the landing pad;
a landing order determination command for determining the landing order of the plurality of drones when the scheduled stay time zones of the plurality of drones overlap;
on the computer, and
In the landing schedule acquisition command, by referring to the work plan of the drone and extracting information on when each drone reaches the landing pad and when it takes off from the landing pad, calculating the scheduled stay time zone of each of the drones;
Drone system control program.
Connected to multiple drones that fly within the work area and carry out work,
A control device that controls a take-off order for taking off the plurality of drones based on information about the plurality of drones,
a drone information acquisition unit that acquires work plans of the plurality of drones;
a landing schedule acquisition unit that acquires information about a landing schedule for the drone to land on the landing pad based on the work plan of the drone, and calculates a scheduled stay time period for the plurality of drones on the landing pad;
a landing order determination unit that determines the landing order of the plurality of drones based on the work plan of the plurality of drones when the scheduled stay time zones of the plurality of drones overlap;
with
The landing schedule acquisition unit refers to the work plan of the drone and extracts information on when each drone reaches the landing pad and when it takes off from the landing pad. calculating the scheduled stay time period of the drone;
Control device.

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