JP7275612B2 - Aircraft landing port and aircraft landing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a landing port of an air vehicle and a method of landing an air vehicle.

Patent Literature 1 describes an unmanned flight system for landing an unmanned flight device. An unmanned flight system includes an unmanned flight device and a landing side device provided with a landing space, and the unmanned flight device has a winding device for a linear body. An object to be restrained is attached to the tip of the linear body, and the landing side device has a restraining device that draws the object to be restrained approaching the landing surface to the landing surface and restrains it at the restraining position. The restraint position is below the landing space or in the landing space.

Patent Literature 2 describes a technique for reliably and safely landing an unmanned flying object at a landing target point through autonomous flight. An unmanned flying object acquires its own direction as seen from a landing target point based on a phase difference between a plurality of first radio signals transmitted from each of a plurality of first antennas provided side by side at the landing target point, A signal is transmitted, a third radio signal synchronized with the second radio signal transmitted from a second antenna attached to the landing target point is received, and a phase difference between the second radio signal and the third radio signal is received. Based on, acquire the distance from the landing target point to itself, acquire the current position of itself based on the acquired direction and distance, and fly based on the acquired current position towards the landing target point in the first flight mode fly autonomously.

Non-Patent Document 1 describes a drone (unmanned aerial vehicle) compatible with wireless power supply for solar panel monitoring and the like. When the drone lands on the charging base, it charges the built-in battery by wireless power supply. The drone's LED lights up green while the battery is charging.

Non-Patent Document 2 describes a wireless power feeding system for drones and robots. Also, according to the wireless power supply system, it is possible to save the trouble of removing the battery from the drone, and it is possible to charge safely because there is no need to expose unnecessary metal surfaces.

JP 2018-122765 A JP 2011-240745 A "Nikkei Technology online", [online], October 09, 2015, Motoyuki Otsuka, [searched January 7, 2019], Internet <URL: http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/ event/15/091600004/100900058/?bpnet&rt=nocnt> "Business network.jp", [online], May 20, 2015, business network.jp editorial department, [searched January 7, 2019], Internet <URL: http://businessnetwork.jp/Detail/ tabid/65/artid/3983/Default.aspx>

As described in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2, attempts have been made to supply power to flying objects by contactless power supply. Power is supplied to an aircraft by contactless power supply by supplying power from a power transmission coil provided at a landing site to a power reception coil provided on the side of the aircraft.

Here, the efficiency of power transmission from the power transmission coil to the power reception coil is greatly affected by the positional relationship between the power transmission coil and the power reception coil. Therefore, in order to perform contactless power supply efficiently, it is necessary to accurately land the flying object at a fixed position at the landing site in an appropriate posture.

However, in order to keep the flying object in a fixed position with high precision every time it lands under variously changing environments (wind force, wind direction, etc.), advanced maneuvering and airframe control techniques are required. In addition, since the positional information output by a positioning system such as GPS has an error, there is a limit to the automatic landing of a flying object with high accuracy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and provides a landing port for an aircraft and a landing method for an aircraft that enables the aircraft to land easily and reliably at a fixed position. With the goal.

One of the present inventions for achieving the above objects is a landing port of an aircraft having a pedestal and a plurality of legs extending downward from the pedestal, wherein Each of the plurality of legs of the incoming flying object has a conical surface formed to be contactable.

As described above, the landing port of the present invention has a conical surface formed so that each of the plurality of legs of an aircraft descending from above can come into contact with each other. The leg contacts the conical surface to correct the position of the flying object, so that the flying object can be easily and reliably landed at a fixed position.

Another aspect of the present invention is the landing port, wherein the landing port has a frustoconical portion, the conical surface is the conical surface of the portion, and The portion is shaped to fit in a space surrounded by the pedestal and the plurality of legs.

Thus, the landing port of the present invention has a frustum-shaped portion, and the portion near the top surface of the frustum-shaped portion fits in the space where the aircraft is surrounded by the pedestal and the plurality of legs. By landing at the landing port, the aircraft can be easily and reliably landed in place.

Another aspect of the present invention is the landing port, wherein the aircraft has a power receiving coil for receiving power by contactless power supply in the vicinity of the pedestal in the space, and the truncated cone-shaped A transmitting coil for supplying power to the receiving coil is provided near the top surface of the portion.

As described above, the landing port of the present invention is equipped with a power transmitting coil that shares electric power with the flying object by contactless power supply, and allows the flying object to land at a fixed position with high efficiency of contactless power supply, thereby efficiently performing contactless power supply. It can be carried out.

Another aspect of the present invention is the landing port, wherein the power transmission surface of the power transmission coil is located in the portion near the top surface of the frustoconical portion in the space. provided to face the power receiving surface of the

By arranging the power transmission surface of the power transmission coil so as to face the power reception surface of the power reception coil in a state where the space is accommodated in the portion near the top surface of the truncated cone-shaped portion, the power transmission coil and the power reception coil are separated. They can face each other with an appropriate positional relationship, and wireless power supply can be performed efficiently.

Another aspect of the present invention is the landing port, wherein the truncated cone shape is a truncated cone shape or a truncated pyramid shape.

By forming the landing port into a truncated conical shape or a truncated pyramidal shape in this way, the productivity and ease of handling of the landing port can be improved.

Another aspect of the present invention is the landing port described above, which has a conical recess whose inner diameter decreases toward the bottom, and the conical surface is a conical surface around the upper opening of the conical recess. be.

In this manner, the landing port can be configured to have a cone-shaped recess with an inner diameter that decreases toward the bottom.

Another aspect of the present invention is the landing port, wherein the conical surface has a ledge on which each of the plurality of legs of the aircraft is placed.

By providing the ledge on the conical surface in this manner, the aircraft can be stably supported at a fixed position.

Another aspect of the present invention is the landing port, comprising a vibration generator for vibrating the conical surface.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the landing port is provided with a sensor device for detecting that the flying object is in contact with the landing port, and the vibration generating device is configured so that the sensor device detects that the flying object is in contact with the landing port. oscillates the cone in response to detecting contact with the landing port.

By providing the landing port with a vibration generator that vibrates the conical surface in this way, when the aircraft lands slightly deviated from the fixed position, the landing port can be vibrated to correct the landing position of the aircraft. can.

In addition, the problems disclosed by the present application and their solutions will be clarified by the description of the mode for carrying out the invention and the drawings.

According to the present invention, the flying object can be easily and reliably landed at a fixed position, and electric power can be efficiently supplied to the flying object by non-contact power supply, for example.

It is a front view which shows the structure of a non-contact electric power feeding system. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a non-contact electric power feeding system. 1 is a perspective view of an unmanned air vehicle as viewed obliquely from above the front; FIG. (a) is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a landing port, and (b) is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of a power transmission device. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the information processing apparatus shown to Fig.3 (a). It is a figure which shows the function with which an information processing apparatus is provided. 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of an unmanned air vehicle; FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing functions of the control circuit shown in FIG. 6; 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a power receiving device; FIG. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of a charge control apparatus. It is a figure which shows the function (software structure) with which a charge control apparatus is provided. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining procedures when an unmanned air vehicle lands at a landing port; 6 is a flowchart for explaining power transmission control processing; FIG. 11 is a front view showing a non-contact power supply system using another type of landing port; FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another form of landing port; FIG. 11 is a front view showing a non-contact power supply system using another type of landing port;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described below. In the following description, the same or similar configurations may be denoted by common reference numerals and descriptions thereof may be omitted.

1A and 1B show a schematic configuration of a contactless power supply system 1 described as one embodiment of the present invention. The contactless power supply system 1 includes an unmanned flying object 3 (drone) that receives power supply by contactless power supply (wireless power supply), a landing port 2 (drone port) that supplies power to the unmanned flying object 3 by contactless power supply, including. 1A and 1B are both diagrams showing states of the contactless power supply system 1 when power is supplied to the unmanned flying object 3 by contactless power supply. FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the contactless power supply system 1 viewed obliquely from above the front of the unmanned air vehicle 3. FIG.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the unmanned air vehicle 3. As shown in FIG. The unmanned aerial vehicle 3 is used for various purposes such as aerial photography and transportation of luggage. The unmanned flying object 3 is, for example, a multicopter (bicopter, tricopter, quadcopter, hexacopter, octocopter, etc.), helicopter, airplane, flying robot, or the like. The unmanned air vehicle 3 may be of a type that is remotely controlled by a wireless system, or may be of a type that has an autonomous control mechanism and flies autonomously. In this embodiment, the unmanned flying object 3 is assumed to be a quadcopter that is remotely controlled by a wireless system.

The unmanned air vehicle 3 has a base 31 as its basic skeleton (frame), and extends horizontally from the base 31 at angles of 45°, 135°, 225°, and 315° with respect to the +y direction, respectively. It has four arms 32 .

The pedestal portion 31 has a structure (in this example, two stages, upper and lower) having a plurality of stages of plate members in the vertical direction (z-axis direction).

A power motor 255 (thrust force generator) is provided near each end of the four arms 32 . A propeller 271 (rotary blade) is provided on the rotating shaft of each power motor 255 . A motor controller 254 is connected to each power motor 255 .

The unmanned air vehicle 3 includes four legs 33 extending downward (−z direction) from the base 31 . Each of the four legs 33 extends downward from the pedestal 31 by a predetermined length while spreading out in all directions from the pedestal 31 .

The arm 32 and the leg portion 33 are configured using, for example, tubular (cylindrical, square tubular, etc.) or truss-shaped members. These are made of resin, metal, or the like, for example.

The surface of the lower end of the leg portion 33 is made of a material that is slippery on the surface of the landing port 2, which will be described later. A member (leg cover etc.) may be provided.

The form of the pedestal portion 31 and the leg portions 33 is merely an example, and for example, the number of the leg portions 33 and the shape of the leg portions 33 (straight line, curved line, shape having a bent portion, etc.) are not necessarily limited.

A flight control device 250 and a photographing device 282 (camera) are provided on the upper stage of the pedestal portion 31 . A battery 260 (power storage device) and a charging control device 75, which will be described later, are provided on the lower stage of the pedestal portion 31. As shown in FIG.

The unmanned flying object 3 is provided with a power receiving device 20 for contactless power supply that receives power sent from the power transmitting coil 111 of the power transmitting device 10 (see FIG. 8). The power receiving device 20 includes a power receiving coil 211, a rectifying circuit 22, and the like. In the following description, the non-contact power supply is assumed to be a magnetic resonance system (AC resonance system or DC resonance system), but the system of the non-contact power supply is not necessarily limited to the same system. For example, the non-contact power supply system 1 may be realized by other non-contact power supply systems such as an "electromagnetic induction system" and a "microwave system".

A space S is formed below the pedestal 31 and is surrounded by the members forming the lower part of the pedestal 31 and the four legs 33 . In this space S, a substantially disk-shaped power receiving coil unit 81 containing the power receiving coil 211 is provided.

The power receiving coil unit 81 has a flat, substantially cylindrical case 811 and a power receiving coil 211 housed inside the case 811 . The case 811 is made of an insulating material such as resin. From the viewpoint of aerodynamic characteristics, the case 811 preferably has a streamlined shape or a shape close to a streamlined shape. A capacitive element 212 of the power receiving circuit 21 to be described later may be mounted at a predetermined position of the case 811 .

A wiring cable 83 (see FIG. 8) extending from a predetermined location of the case 811 is connected to two terminals of the receiving coil 211 inside the case 811 . The other end of the wiring cable 83 is connected to the control unit 82 (see FIG. 8) provided on the lower stage of the base portion 31 .

The power receiving coil 211 is a spiral coil formed by winding a conductive wire, and is arranged inside the case 811 . The power receiving coil 211 is provided so that its power receiving surface and the power transmitting surface of the power transmitting coil 111, which will be described later, are parallel when power is supplied. In this example, the power receiving coil 211 is arranged so that the power receiving surface faces the horizontal direction (the direction of the winding axis of the power receiving coil 211 faces the vertical direction), and the winding axis is positioned at the center of gravity of the unmanned aircraft 3 Alternatively, it is provided on the unmanned air vehicle 3 so as to pass near the center of gravity. In this embodiment, the power receiving coil 211 and the power receiving coil unit 81 are provided in such a manner, but these aspects (the form, the position where they are provided, the method of providing them, etc.) are not necessarily limited.

A control unit 82 (see also FIG. 8) in which the rectifier circuit 22 and the like are mounted is provided on the lower stage of the pedestal portion 31 . The control unit 82 further includes a charging control device 75, which will be described later. The receiving coil unit 81 and the control unit 82 are electrically connected via a wiring cable 83 .

As shown in FIG. 1A or 1B, the landing port 2 presents a frusto-conical shape. The bottom surface 2b of the landing port 2 is, for example, parallel to the top surface 2a. The bottom surface 2b may be open or closed. Incidentally, the configuration of the lower portion of the landing port 2 is not necessarily limited. The landing port 2 may be of a mobile type or of a fixed type fixed to the ground or a structure. The landing port 2 is provided with a power transmission device 10 for transmitting power to the unmanned flying object 3 by contactless power supply, an aircraft detection sensor 14 (sensor device), an information processing device 15, a vibration generation device 16, and the like.

A spiral power transmission coil 111 that is a component of the power transmission device 10 is provided inside the landing port 2 near the top surface 2a. The power transmission coil 111 is provided so that its power transmission surface is horizontal (so that the winding axis of the power transmission coil 111 faces the vertical direction). Although the power transmission device 10 is provided inside the landing port 2 in this embodiment, all or part of the power transmission device 10 may be provided outside the landing port 2 . In addition, in the present embodiment, the power transmission coil 111 is provided in the manner described above, but the manner of the power transmission coil 111 (the form, the position where it is provided, how it is provided, etc.) is not necessarily limited.

FIG. 3(a) shows the hardware configuration (block diagram) of the landing port 2. As shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the landing port 2 includes a power transmission device 10, a body detection sensor 14, an information processing device 15, and a vibration generator 16 (vibration device).

FIG. 3B shows the circuit configuration of the power transmission device 10. As shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the power transmission device 10 includes a power transmission circuit 11 , a power measurement circuit 12 , and a power supply circuit 13 . The power transmission circuit 11 includes a power transmission coil 111 , a capacitive element 112 and a control circuit 113 . The power measurement circuit 12 includes a voltmeter 121 and an ammeter 122 that measure power supplied from the power supply circuit 13 to the power transmission circuit 11 . The measured value of the power measuring circuit 12 is input to the information processing device 15 or the like.

The power supply circuit 13 includes, for example, an AC/DC converter and a regulator (switching type regulator, linear type regulator, etc.), and supplies electric power supplied from a commercial power source or the like to the power transmission circuit 11 and the information processing device 15, for example. .

The control circuit 113 generates a drive current with a predetermined frequency to be supplied to the power transmission circuit 11 . The control circuit 113 includes, for example, a driver circuit (gate driver, half bridge driver, etc.), a high frequency amplifier, and a matching circuit (matching circuit).

Returning to FIG. 3A, the information (output signal) output from the body detection sensor 14 indicates whether the unmanned flying object 3 is present near the landing port 2 or whether the unmanned flying object 3 is present at a fixed position ( For example, if the power receiving coil 211 exists in the vicinity of the power transmitting coil 111, or if the power transmitting area of the power transmitting coil 111 and the power receiving area of the power receiving coil 211 exactly overlap, or if power is transmitted from the power transmitting coil 111 to the power receiving coil 211 (Receiving) efficiency is maximized, etc.).

The aircraft detection sensor 14 is configured using, for example, one or more photoelectric sensors arranged at predetermined positions of the landing port 2 . The body detection sensor 14 is configured using, for example, a pressure sensor, a distance measuring sensor, or the like. The body detection sensor 14 is configured using, for example, a sensor (for example, pressure sensor, strain gauge, etc.) that detects a change in the load applied when the unmanned air vehicle 3 lands. The power measurement circuit 12 of the power transmission device 10 may be used as the body detection sensor 14 and the measured value of the power measurement circuit 12 may be used as the output of the body detection sensor 14 .

The vibration generator 16 is provided at a predetermined position of the landing port 2 or a member connected to the landing port 2 to vibrate the landing port 2 . As the vibration generator 16, for example, an electrodynamic type using an electromagnetic effect, a hydraulic type, a mechanical type, or the like can be used. The direction, magnitude, frequency, etc. of the vibration generated by the vibration generator 16 are set to values that can effectively correct the position of the unmanned flying object 3 .

FIG. 4 shows the hardware configuration (block diagram) of the information processing device 15 (computer) shown in FIG. 3(a). As shown in the figure, the information processing device 15 includes a processor 151 , a storage device 152 , an input device 153 , an output device 154 and a communication device 155 . These are communicably connected via a communication means such as a bus.

The processor 151 is configured using, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The storage device 152 is a device that stores programs and data, and is, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), NVRAM (Non Volatile RAM), or the like. For example, the processor 151 and the storage device 152 may be provided as a microcomputer (microcomputer) or the like in which they are packaged together.

The input device 153 is an interface that receives input of information and instructions from the user, such as a keyboard, mouse, and touch panel. The output device 154 is an interface that provides information to the user, and is, for example, a liquid crystal display (Liquid Crystal Display), an LED (Light Emitting Diode), a speaker, or the like.

The communication device 155 wirelessly communicates with a communication device 259 on the side of the unmanned flying object 3 and a communication device 754 of the charging control device 75, which will be described later. This wireless communication is performed using, for example, radio waves in the 2.4 GHz band.

FIG. 5 shows main functions (software configuration) of the information processing device 15 . As shown in the figure, the information processing device 15 includes an operation input reception unit 501, a machine recognition processing unit 502, a machine state detection unit 503, a power transmission control unit 504, a power consumption monitoring unit 505, an information output unit 506, and a vibration control unit. Each function of the unit 507 is provided. These functions are realized, for example, by the processor 151 reading and executing programs stored in the storage device 152 .

The operation input reception unit 501 receives operation input from the user via the input device 153 . For example, the operation input reception unit 501 determines whether or not the user has performed a power transmission start operation (power supply permission operation) or a power transmission stop operation, and notifies the power transmission control unit 504 of the result.

The aircraft recognition processing unit 502 performs authentication processing based on authentication information (for example, an identification number or registration number specific to each unmanned flying object 3) acquired from the unmanned flying object 3 side. The authentication information is acquired by, for example, wireless communication between the communication device 155 and the communication device 754 of the charging control device 75, which will be described later.

Based on the information output from the aircraft detection sensor 14, the aircraft state detection unit 503 detects whether the unmanned aircraft 3 is present and whether the unmanned aircraft 3 is at a fixed position. Get information about the state.

The power transmission control unit 504 controls the magnitude (output) of power transmitted from the power transmission coil 111 and the presence or absence of power transmission. For example, the power transmission control unit 504 controls whether or not power transmission is performed from the power transmission coil 111 in response to a notification from the operation input reception unit 501 (for example, a notification indicating that the user has performed a power transmission start operation or a power transmission stop operation). The power transmission control unit 504 controls whether power is transmitted from the power transmission coil 111 based on the determination result of the machine body state detection unit 503, for example. These controls are controlled by, for example, the power transmission control unit 504 from the duty ratio in the PWM control of the driver circuit of the control circuit 113, the coupling coefficient between the power transmission circuit 11 and the power reception circuit 21, the capacitance of the capacitive element 112, and the power supply circuit 13. This is performed by changing one or more of the power supply amount to the circuit 113, the power supply amount from the control circuit 113 to the power transmission coil 111, and the like.

The power consumption monitoring unit 505 monitors the power consumption of the power transmission circuit 11 as needed based on the information (voltage value, current value) obtained from the power measurement circuit 12 . The information output unit 506 outputs various information to the output device 154 .

The vibration control unit 507 controls the vibration generator 16 to vibrate the landing port 2 . The vibration control unit 507 vibrates the landing port 2, for example, when the aircraft state detection unit 503 detects that the unmanned flying object 3 that has landed on the landing port 2 does not exist at the fixed position.

FIG. 6 shows the hardware configuration (block diagram) of the unmanned flying object 3. As shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the unmanned air vehicle 3 includes a power receiving device 20 , a charging control device 75 , a battery 260 , a flight control device 250 and a thrust generating device 270 . The flight controller 250 and the thrust generator 270 are powered by power supplied from the battery 260 . The charging control device 75 operates by power supplied from the power receiving device 20, for example.

The flight control device 250 includes a control circuit 251 , a receiver 252 , various sensors 253 , an output device 258 , a communication device 259 and a battery 260 .

The control circuit 251 includes a processor and memory elements, and functions as an information processing device. The control circuit 251 may be realized, for example, as a microcomputer (microcomputer) in which a processor and memory elements are packaged as one unit.

The various sensors 253 are, for example, a 3-axis gyro sensor (angular velocity sensor), a 3-axis acceleration sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a GPS (Global Positioning System) signal receiver, and the like. Note that the unmanned flying object 3 does not necessarily have to include all the sensors exemplified above.

The receiver 252 receives a radio signal sent from the remote control transmitter 6 and inputs the content of the received radio signal to the control circuit 251 .

The output device 258 is an interface that provides information to the user, such as an LED, speaker, or the like.

The communication device 259 performs wireless communication with the communication device 155 on the landing port 2 side, for example. The communication device 259 also performs wired or wireless communication with a communication device 754 of the charging control device 75, which will be described later.

The battery 260 is, for example, a lithium polymer secondary battery, an electric double layer capacitor (electric double layer capacitor), a lithium ion secondary battery, or the like. The control circuit 251 grasps the remaining amount of the battery 260 based on the voltage across the terminals of the battery 260 . The control circuit 251 , for example, transmits information indicating the current remaining amount of the battery 260 from the communication device 259 or outputs from the output device 258 . The control circuit 251, the charging controller 75, and the landing port 2 communicate with each other to share information held by each.

The thrust generator 270 includes a motor controller 254 and a power motor 255 . A motor control device 254 (also called an ESC (Electronic Speed Controller), an amplifier, etc.) controls the rotation of the power motor 255 by, for example, controlling the magnitude of electrical resistance or PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control.

Motor controller 254 generates thrust for flight. The control circuit 251 controls the number of rotations of each of the plurality of power motors 255 based on information input from various sensors 253, thereby controlling the operation (attitude (pitch, roll, yaw), movement ( forward movement, backward movement, left and right movement, upward movement, downward movement, etc.). The power motor 255 is an electric motor, such as a brushless motor.

FIG. 7 shows functions (software configuration) of the control circuit 251 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the control circuit 251 includes an attitude control section 801 and a steering control section 802 . These functions are realized, for example, by the processor of the control circuit 251 reading and executing a program stored in the storage device of the control circuit 251 .

The attitude control unit 801 controls the motor control device 254 (power motor 255 ) according to signals input from various sensors 253 to control the flight attitude of the unmanned air vehicle 3 . The steering control section 802 controls the motor control device 254 (power motor 255 ) according to the signal input from the receiver 252 to control the operation of the unmanned air vehicle 3 .

FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the power receiving device 20. As shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the power receiving device 20 includes a power receiving circuit 21 (including a power receiving coil 211 and a capacitive element 212) that performs magnetic resonance type contactless power supply, rectifies the power received by the power receiving circuit 21, and loads ( A rectifier circuit 22 that supplies power to the flight control device 250, a battery 260, etc.), and a power measurement circuit 24 (a voltmeter 241 and a current including a total of 242).

As shown in the figure, a power receiving coil 211 and a capacitive element 212 of the power receiving circuit 21 are mounted on the power receiving coil unit 81 . Also, the control unit 82 is mounted with the rectifier circuit 22 , the power measurement circuit 24 , and the charging control device 75 . Note that the capacitive element 212 may be mounted in the control unit 82, for example.

FIG. 9 shows the hardware configuration (block diagram) of the charging control device 75 of the power receiving device 20. As shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the charging control device 75 includes a processor 751 , a storage device 752 , a charging control circuit 753 and a communication device 754 . These are communicably connected via a communication means such as a bus.

The processor 751 is configured using, for example, a CPU or MPU. The storage device 752 is a device that stores programs and data, and is, for example, ROM, RAM, NVRAM, or the like. The processor 751 and storage device 752 may be provided as, for example, a microcomputer (microcomputer) or the like in which they are packaged together.

The charging control circuit 753 includes a charging control circuit for controlling the charging of the battery 260 efficiently, a monitoring circuit for the voltage between the terminals of the battery 260, various protection circuits, and the like.

Communication device 754 communicates wirelessly with communication device 155 at landing port 2 . Communication device 754 also performs wired or wireless communication with communication device 259 of flight control device 250 .

FIG. 10 shows main functions (software configuration) of the charging control device 75 of the power receiving device 20 . As shown in the figure, the charging control device 75 has functions of an authentication information transmitting section 781 , a received power monitoring section 782 , and a charging control section 783 . These functions are implemented, for example, by the processor 751 reading and executing programs stored in the storage device 752 .

The authentication information transmission section 781 stores the authentication information and transmits the authentication information to the landing port 2 via the communication device 754 .

The received power monitoring unit 782 monitors the received power based on the voltage or current measurement value input from the power measurement circuit 24 of the power receiving device 20 . The received power monitoring unit 782 notifies the landing port 2 of the measured value (received power) via the communication device 754 at any time.

The charging control unit 783 efficiently supplies received power to the battery 260 to charge the battery 260 while monitoring the measured voltage or current input from the power measuring circuit 24 and the voltage across the terminals of the battery 260 . The charging control unit 783 charges the battery 260 while performing, for example, CVCC (Constant Voltage. Constant Current) control. Further, the charging control unit 783 notifies the information processing device 15 of the landing port 2 of information such as the voltage across the terminals of the battery 260 and the progress of charging, for example. Also, the charging control unit 783 performs charging control of the battery 260 according to instructions sent from the information processing device 15 of the landing port 2, for example. In addition, the charging control unit 783 shares information (maximum charging capacity, appropriate charging voltage, appropriate charging current, etc.) regarding the battery 260 by communication with the landing port 2, and based on this information, the charging control unit 783 or The landing port 2 may be configured to control the charging of the battery 260, monitor the charging state, and the like.

<From landing to start of power reception>
FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the procedure when the unmanned air vehicle 3 lands at the landing port 2. As shown in FIG. The above procedure will be described below with reference to the same figure.

As shown in FIG. 11(a), when landing toward the landing port 2, the unmanned air vehicle 3 gradually lowers its altitude and approaches the frustoconical top surface 2a of the landing port 2 from above. More specifically, the unmanned air vehicle 3 is positioned above the landing port 2 so that the portion near the top surface 2a of the landing port 2 is accommodated in the space S surrounded by the pedestal 31 and the four legs 33. approach from

When the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 descends further, the portion near the top surface 2a of the landing port 2 is accommodated in the space S as shown in FIG. 11(b). At this time, if the position of the unmanned flying object 3 is shifted (for example, the axis passing through the center of gravity of the unmanned flying object 3 is shifted from the central axis of the truncated cone-shaped landing port 2), the lower ends of the four legs 33 contacts the conical surface of the landing port 2, and the drag force received from the landing port 2 corrects the position of the unmanned air vehicle 3 in the direction of approaching the home position. As described above, the surface of the lower end of the leg portion 33 is made of a material that slides easily on the surface of the landing port 2 (having a small coefficient of friction). Therefore, the contact of the lower ends of the four legs 33 with the conical surface of the landing port 2 has little effect on the flight of the unmanned flying object 3, and the unmanned flying object 3 can safely land toward a fixed position.

Subsequently, when the unmanned flying object 3 descends further, as shown in FIG. landed on. After that, contactless power supply to the unmanned flying object 3 is started.

As described above, by flying the unmanned air vehicle 3 so that the portion near the top surface 2a of the landing port 2 is accommodated in the space S surrounded by the pedestal 31 and the four legs 33, the landing port The landing position of the unmanned flying object 3 is corrected by the drag force received from 2, and the unmanned flying object 3 can be easily and reliably landed at a fixed position under variously changing environments (wind force, wind direction, etc.).

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the process (hereinafter referred to as power transmission control process S1200) that is performed when contactlessly powering the unmanned air vehicle 3 that has landed at the landing port 2. As shown in FIG. The power transmission control process S1200 will be described below with reference to FIG.

As shown in the figure, the aircraft recognition processing unit 502 of the landing port 2 determines in real time whether or not the unmanned air vehicle 3 is recognized (S1211: NO). When the aircraft recognition processing unit 502 recognizes the unmanned flying object 3 (authentication succeeds) (S1211: YES), the aircraft state detecting unit 503 of the landing port 2 checks whether the unmanned flying object 3 exists at a fixed position. Determine (S1212). If the aircraft state detection unit 503 determines that the unmanned air vehicle 3 exists at the fixed position (S1212: YES), the process proceeds to S1214. On the other hand, if the aircraft state detection unit 503 determines that the unmanned air vehicle 3 does not exist at the fixed position (S1212: NO), the process proceeds to S1213.

In S1213, the vibration control unit 507 controls the vibration generator 16 to vibrate the landing port 2 so that the unmanned air vehicle 3 stays in a fixed position. In this way, when the unmanned flying object 3 does not exist at the fixed position, the landing port 2 is vibrated so that the unmanned flying object 3 stays at the fixed position. Even if the unmanned flying object 3 is not in the fixed position for some reason, the unmanned flying object 3 can be fixed in the fixed position without fail.

In S1214, the power transmission control unit 504 starts power transmission by contactless power supply (energizes the power transmission coil 111).

After starting power transmission, the power transmission control unit 504 determines whether or not to stop power transmission based on information such as the state of charge of the battery 260 acquired through communication with the power measurement circuit 12 and the unmanned air vehicle 3. Determination is performed in real time (S1215). For example, the power transmission control unit 504 determines that power transmission should be stopped when the amount of electricity stored in the battery 260 reaches a target value or when it is determined that continuing power transmission may cause a risk of fire or the like. do. For example, a known technique is used for this determination logic. If it is determined that power transmission should be stopped (S1215: YES), the power transmission control unit 504 stops power transmission (S1216).

As described above, the landing port 2 of this embodiment has a truncated cone shape with a conical surface formed so that each of the plurality of legs 33 of the unmanned air vehicle 3 descending from above can come into contact with each other. The unmanned flying object 3 is landed on the landing port 2 so that the portion near the top surface 2a of the landing port 2 is accommodated in the space S surrounded by the pedestal 31 and the four legs 33. The final landing position of the flying object 3 is corrected to be the fixed position, and the unmanned flying object 3 can be easily and surely landed at the fixed position. Accordingly, the power transmitting surface of the power transmitting coil 111 and the power receiving surface of the power receiving coil 211 can face each other in an accurate and appropriate state in non-contact power feeding, and the non-contact power feeding can be performed efficiently.

The truncated cone-shaped landing port 2 is excellent in portability, and it is easy to install the power transmission device 10 and the power transmission coil 111 in its internal space. Further, the truncated cone-shaped landing port 2 has a simple configuration, and is excellent in productivity.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the above description is for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention. It goes without saying that the present invention can be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and that equivalents thereof are included in the present invention. For example, the above embodiments have been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations. Moreover, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of the above embodiment with another configuration.

For example, the form and size of the landing port 2 can be arbitrarily set according to the form and size of the unmanned air vehicle 3, the size of the receiving coil 211, and the like.

For example, as shown in FIG. 13, a ledge 201 on which the leg 33 of the unmanned air vehicle 3 is placed may be provided on the conical surface of the truncated conical landing port 2 . By doing so, the unmanned flying object 3 can be supported at a fixed position with an appropriate attitude, and non-contact power feeding can be performed efficiently.

Also, for example, the landing port 2 may have other frustoconical shapes, such as a frustoconical shape. FIG. 14 shows an example of a landing port 2 having a truncated square pyramid shape.

In order to correct the landing position of the unmanned flying object 3, basically (in principle) the landing port 2 is formed so that each of the plurality of legs 33 of the unmanned flying object 3 descending from above can come into contact with each other. It suffices if it has a conical surface that is

Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, a cone-shaped concave portion whose inner diameter decreases toward the bottom may be formed in the landing site 8 (eg, the ground) of the unmanned flying object 3 so as to function as the landing port 2 . In this case, as shown in the same figure, a platform 7 is provided to face the power transmitting coil 111 and the power receiving coil 211 in an appropriate positional relationship, and the power transmitting coil 111 is supported on this platform 7 to support the unmanned flight during landing. Power may be efficiently supplied to the body 3 by non-contact power supply. Also in this case, a shelf-like portion on which the leg portion 33 of the unmanned air vehicle 3 is placed may be provided on the conical surface of the landing port 2 .

Further, for example, in the above embodiment, the power receiving coil 211 provided in the power receiving coil unit 81 is described as being of a spiral type, but the form of the power receiving coil 211 is not necessarily limited. For example, a helical coil may be used as the power receiving coil 211 . When a helical coil is used, for example, the power transmitting coil 111 and the power receiving coil 211 are arranged so that the winding axis of the helical coil of the power transmitting coil 111 and the winding axis of the power receiving coil 211 are coaxial. to charge the battery.

1 Non-Contact Power Supply System 2 Landing Port 2a Top Surface 2b Bottom Surface S Space 3 Unmanned Aircraft 20 Power Receiving Device 211 Power Receiving Coil 31 Pedestal 32 Arm 33 Leg 75 Charging Control Device 781 Authentication Information Transmitter 782 Received Power Monitor 783 Charging Control Part 81 Power Receiving Coil Unit 811 Case 10 Power Transmission Device 111 Power Transmission Coil 14 Aircraft Detection Sensor 15 Information Processing Device 16 Vibration Generator 250 Flight Control Device 260 Battery 270 Thrust Generator 501 Operation Input Receiving Part 502 Aircraft Recognition Processing Part 503 Aircraft State Detecting Part 504 Power transmission control unit 505 Power consumption monitoring unit 507 Vibration control unit S1200 Power transmission control processing

Claims (10)

A landing port for an aircraft having a pedestal and a plurality of legs extending downward from the pedestal,
each of the plurality of legs of the flying object descending from above has a conical surface formed so as to be in contact with each other;
A truncated cone-shaped portion is provided, the conical surface is the conical surface of the portion, and a portion near the top surface of the truncated conical portion is a space surrounded by the pedestal and the plurality of legs. It is a shape that fits in
A shelf-like portion is provided on which each of the plurality of legs of the flying body is placed at a position separated by a predetermined length from a bottom surface of the truncated cone-shaped portion of the conical surface that faces the top surface. ,
Aircraft landing port. A landing port according to claim 1 , comprising:
The flying object has a power receiving coil that receives electric power by contactless power supply in the vicinity of the pedestal in the space,
A power transmitting coil that supplies power to the power receiving coil is provided near the top surface of the truncated cone-shaped portion,
Aircraft landing port. A landing port for an aircraft according to claim 2 ,
The power transmission surface of the power transmission coil is provided so as to face the power reception surface of the power reception coil in a state where the space is accommodated in a portion near the top surface of the truncated cone-shaped portion.
Aircraft landing port. A landing port for an aircraft according to claim 2 ,
The truncated cone shape is a truncated cone shape or a truncated pyramid shape,
Aircraft landing port. A landing port for an aircraft according to claim 1, comprising:
It has a conical recess whose inner diameter decreases toward the bottom, and the conical surface is a conical surface around the upper opening of the conical recess.
Aircraft landing port. A landing port for an aircraft having a pedestal and a plurality of legs extending downward from the pedestal,
each of the plurality of legs of the flying object descending from above has a conical surface formed so as to be in contact with each other;
A vibration generator for vibrating the conical surface,
A sensor device that detects that the flying object is in contact with the landing port,
The vibration generator vibrates the cone surface in response to the sensor device detecting that the aircraft is in contact with the landing port.
Aircraft landing port. A method for landing an aircraft on a landing port having a pedestal and a plurality of legs extending downward from the pedestal, comprising:
The landing port has a conical surface of a frustoconical portion formed so as to be in contact with each of the plurality of legs of the aircraft descending from above, and The portion in the vicinity of the top surface has a shape that fits in the space surrounded by the pedestal portion and the plurality of legs, and is a predetermined length from the bottom surface of the frustoconical portion of the conical surface that faces the top surface. a shelf-like portion on which each of the plurality of legs of the flying object is placed at a position spaced apart by
the aircraft is lowered from above the landing port and landed so that each of the plurality of legs is placed on the shelf;
Aircraft landing method. A landing method for an aircraft according to claim 7 ,
The flying object has a power receiving coil that receives electric power by contactless power supply in the vicinity of the pedestal in the space,
the landing port comprises a power transmitting coil proximate a top surface of the frustoconical portion that powers the power receiving coil;
power is transmitted from the power transmitting coil to the power receiving coil when the aircraft lands at a fixed position of the landing port;
Aircraft landing method. A landing method for an aircraft according to claim 8 ,
The power transmission surface of the power transmission coil is provided so as to face the power reception surface of the power reception coil in a state where the space is accommodated in a portion near the top surface of the truncated cone-shaped portion.
Aircraft landing method. A method for landing an aircraft on a landing port having a pedestal and a plurality of legs extending downward from the pedestal, comprising:
The landing port has a conical surface formed so that each of the plurality of legs of the flying object descending from above can come into contact with each other, and a vibration generator for vibrating the conical surface; A sensor device that detects contact with the landing port,
the vibration generating device vibrating the cone surface in response to the sensor device detecting that the vehicle is in contact with the landing port;
Aircraft landing method.

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