JP7339482B2 - Control device, control system, flying object, control method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention provides a control device, a control system, an aircraft, a control method, and a program for allowing an aircraft that generates downward currents during flight to approach and/or land on a floating body that moves (drifts) under the influence of downward currents. Regarding.

In recent years, the range of use of autonomous or remotely controlled unmanned flying objects (so-called drones) has expanded. For example, the use of multicopter-type unmanned aerial vehicles for relief activities in disaster areas is being considered.

The unmanned flying object needs to periodically return to the charging facility for energy replenishment such as charging. However, if the rescue activity area is far from the charging facility, a large amount of energy and time are consumed by the round trip for energy replenishment, and the rescue activity may not be sufficiently carried out.

For this reason, if the rescue operation area is close to a lake or coast, it is conceivable to place a floating body equipped with a charging facility on the surface of the water and let the unmanned aircraft land on the floating body to replenish energy. By installing a large number of such floating bodies, the distance from the rescue activity area to the charging equipment can be shortened, so that energy consumption can be suppressed and the rescue activity time can be secured.

JP-A-56-154397 JP 2018-176905 A JP 2019-034651 A

However, for example, a multicopter-type unmanned air vehicle generates a downward airflow (downward flow) during flight. Therefore, when landing an unmanned flying object on a small floating body, when the flying body approaches the floating body, the floating body moves (drifts) due to the downward flow of the flying body. When we conducted an experiment to land a flying object on a floating body, the effect of the downward flow of the flying object became stronger as the flying object got closer to the floating body. It became clear that landing the aircraft on a small floating body would not be easy.

Here, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for forcibly landing a helicopter on a ship. Although helicopters generate strong downdrafts, ships capable of carrying helicopters are generally much more massive than helicopters. If there is a sufficient difference in mass between the two, such as when a helicopter lands on a ship, the effect of the downward flow of the flying object on the position of the floating object is considered to be negligible.

Patent Literature 2 discloses a technique for capturing an unmanned exploration device (unmanned aerial vehicle) floating on the water surface with a flying object such as a drone. The flying object of Patent Literature 2 lowers the capture device to the unmanned survey device floating on the surface of the water, and locks the capture device to the unmanned survey device. Patent document 2 does not disclose the influence of the downward flow of the flying object.

Embodiment 2 of Patent Document 3 discloses a technique of recovering a measurement unit floating on the surface of water by an unmanned flying object. The unmanned flying object of Patent Literature 3 flies above a measuring unit floating on the water surface, lands on and joins with the measuring unit, and then leaves the water to recover the measuring unit. The measurement unit has a mass that can be collected by the unmanned flying object, and is considered to be affected by the downward flow of the unmanned flying object. However, Patent Document 3 does not disclose the influence of the downward flow of the unmanned flying object. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to enable an air vehicle that generates a downdraft in flight to approach and/or land on a floating body that is affected by the downdraft.

Of the control device, control system, flying object, control method, and program of the present invention, the control device
A control device for causing a flying object that generates a downdraft during flight to approach and/or land on a floating body that is affected by the downdraft,
According to the landing path, which is a route for the floating body to fly toward its destination under the influence of the downward current, the landing path is determined based on the motion characteristics of the floating body when the floating body receives the downward current. a flight control unit that causes the aircraft to fly;
Prepare.

According to the control device of the present invention, a flying object that generates a downdraft during flight can approach and/or land on a floating body that is affected by the downdraft.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an outline of an aircraft and a floating body that constitute a control system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an outline of a flying object and a floating object that constitute the control system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the control system. FIG. 4 is a side view showing an example of a landing route. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flow for determining a valid landing route. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the control system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a flow for determining whether to change the valid landing route. FIG. 8 is a side view showing the landing flight of the aircraft. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing landing flight of the aircraft. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the control system according to the third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a flow for calculating a landing route. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a flow for determining whether to change the calculated landing route. FIG. 13 is a side view showing landing flight of the aircraft. FIG. 14 is a plan view showing landing flight of the aircraft. FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a computer.

A control device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:
A control device for causing a flying object that generates a downdraft during flight to approach and/or land on a floating body that is affected by the downdraft,
According to the landing path, which is a route for the floating body to fly toward its destination under the influence of the downward current, the landing path is determined based on the motion characteristics of the floating body when the floating body receives the downward current. a flight control unit that causes the aircraft to fly;
(first configuration).

According to the above configuration, the flight control unit causes the flying object to fly according to the landing path determined based on the motion characteristics of the floating object when the floating object receives a downward current. Therefore, a flying object that generates a downdraft during flight can approach and/or land on a floating body that is affected by the downdraft.

In the above first configuration,
a landing path storage unit that stores a plurality of landing paths determined based on the positional relationship between the flying object and the floating body and the motion characteristics of the floating body when the floating body receives the downward flow;
a landing route determination unit that determines, as the effective landing route, one of the plurality of landing routes stored in the landing route storage unit, with the landing route on which the aircraft is scheduled to fly as the effective landing route; ,
with
The flight control section may cause the aircraft to fly along the effective landing path (second configuration).

According to the above configuration, the landing path determination section determines one of the plurality of landing paths stored in the landing path storage section as the effective landing path, and the flight control section flies the aircraft according to the effective landing path. Let Therefore, a flying object that generates a downdraft during flight can approach and/or land on a floating body that is affected by the downdraft.

In the above second configuration,
Further comprising a position information calculation unit for calculating position information of the flying object and the floating object,
The landing route determination unit determines one of the plurality of landing routes stored in the landing route storage unit as the valid landing route based on the position information calculated by the position information calculation unit. (third configuration).

According to the above configuration, the landing route determination unit determines one of the plurality of landing routes stored in the landing route storage unit as the valid landing route based on the position information calculated by the position information calculation unit. . Therefore, the landing path corresponding to the relative positions of the flying object and the floating body can be determined as the effective landing path.

In the above second or third configuration,
Further comprising a landing route change determination unit that determines whether or not the effective landing route needs to be changed based on the position information of the flying object and the floating object after the effective landing route is determined,
When it is determined that it is necessary to change the effective landing route, the landing route determination unit may determine a landing route different from the effective landing route as a new effective landing route (fourth configuration).

According to the above configuration, when the landing route change determination unit determines that the effective landing route needs to be changed, the landing route determination unit determines a new effective landing route. Therefore, even if there is a disturbance other than the downdraft of the flying object, the flying object can be made to approach and/or land on the floating body with high accuracy by changing the effective landing path.

In the above fourth configuration,
The landing route change determination unit may determine again whether or not the effective landing route needs to be changed when the effective landing route is updated (fifth configuration).

According to the above configuration, when the valid landing route is updated, the landing route change determination unit determines again whether or not the valid landing route needs to be changed. Therefore, the flying object can be made to approach and/or land on the floating object with higher accuracy.

In the above first configuration,
a position information calculation unit that calculates position information of the flying object and the floating object;
Landing path calculation for calculating the landing path based on the position information of the flying object and the floating body calculated by the position information calculation unit and the motion characteristics of the floating body when the floating body receives the downward flow. Department and
with
The flight control unit may cause the aircraft to fly according to the calculated landing path (sixth configuration).

According to the above configuration, the landing path calculation unit calculates the landing path based on the position information of the flying object and the floating body calculated by the position information calculation unit and the motion characteristics of the floating body when the floating body receives downward flow. The flight control unit flies the aircraft according to the calculated landing path. Therefore, a flying object that generates a downdraft during flight can approach and/or land on a floating body that is affected by the downdraft.

In the sixth configuration,
Further comprising a calculated route change determination unit that determines whether or not the landing route needs to be changed based on the position information of the flying object and the floating object after the landing route is calculated,
When it is determined that the landing route needs to be changed, the landing route calculator may calculate a new landing route different from the landing route (seventh configuration).

According to the above configuration, when the calculated route change determination unit determines that the landing route needs to be changed, the landing route calculation unit calculates a new landing route different from the previously calculated landing route. Therefore, even if there is a disturbance other than the descending flow of the flying object, the flying object can be accurately approached and/or landed on the floating body by calculating a new landing path.

A control system according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises:
a control device having any one of the first to seventh configurations;
the aircraft;
with
The aircraft is
a position information detection unit that detects position information of the flying object and the floating object;
(eighth configuration).

According to the above configuration, a flying object that generates a downward current during flight can approach and/or land on a floating object that is affected by the downward current.

A control system according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises:
a control device having any one of the first to seventh configurations;
the aircraft;
the floating body;
with
The flying object and/or the floating object are
a position information detection unit that detects position information of the flying object and the floating object;
(ninth configuration).

According to the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the load on the flying object by causing the floating object to bear part of the control system.

An aircraft according to an embodiment of the present invention is
A control device having any one of the first to seventh configurations is provided (tenth configuration).

A control method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:
A control method for causing a flying object that generates a downdraft during flight to approach and/or land on a floating body that is affected by the downdraft,
A landing path, which is a path to fly toward a destination of the floating body that moves under the influence of the downward current, is determined based on motion characteristics of the floating body when the floating body receives the downward current. a decision step;
a flight control step of flying the aircraft along the landing path;
(eleventh configuration).

A program according to an embodiment of the present invention is
A computer as a control device that causes a flying object that generates a downward current during flight to approach and/or land on a floating object that is affected by the downward current,
According to the landing path, which is a route for the floating body to fly toward its destination under the influence of the downward current, the landing path is determined based on the motion characteristics of the floating body when the floating body receives the downward current. a flight control unit that causes the aircraft to fly;
to function (12th configuration).

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, the control system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. A control system 100 according to this embodiment includes a flying body 10 that generates a downward flow during flight and a floating body 30 that is affected by the downward flow DF from the flying body 10 . The control system 100 is a system related to flight that causes the flying object 10 to autonomously land on the floating body 30 that is moving (drifting) under the influence of the downdraft DF from the flying object 10 . A landing flight is defined as a flight in which the flying body 10 autonomously lands on the floating body 30 . Also, a landing path is defined as a path for flying the flying object 10 so as to autonomously land on the floating body 30 .

In the following description, the system for landing flight will be mainly described. As for flights other than landing flights, there are cases where the operator performs maneuvers using a radio control system, and there are cases where the flying object 10 performs autonomous flights other than landing flights. omitted.

The same or corresponding parts in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated. In addition, in order to make the description easier to understand, in the drawings referred to below, the configuration is shown in a simplified or schematic form, or some constituent members are omitted. Also, the dimensional ratios between the constituent members shown in each drawing do not necessarily indicate the actual dimensional ratios. In the figure, arrow U indicates upward and arrow D indicates downward.

[overall structure]
First, the overall configuration of the control system 100 will be described. FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing an aircraft 10 and a floating body 30 that constitute a control system 100 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the flying object 10 and the floating object 30 that constitute the control system 100 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, the flying object 10 indicated by a solid line shows a state before landing on the floating body 30, and the flying object 10 indicated by a virtual line (two-dot chain line) shows a state after landing on the floating body 30. .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the flying object 10 in this embodiment is an autonomous unmanned flying object (so-called drone). The aircraft 10 is of a multicopter type having a plurality of rotor blades 14 . A plurality of rotor blades 14 generate a downward airflow (downward flow) DF during flight. The descending flow DF becomes stronger as the mass of the flying object 10 increases. As the flying object 10 approaches the floating body 30 , the downward flow DF exerts a stronger influence on the floating body 30 , making it easier to move (drift) the floating body 30 .

The aircraft 10 has a main body 11 , an arm 12 , an electric motor 13 , and rotor blades 14 . The body portion 11 is provided with a control device 200 , a battery (not shown), and a position information detection portion 190 . Four arms 12 are provided and radially attached to the body portion 11 . The electric motor 13 is arranged at the tip of each arm 12 so that the rotating shaft faces upward. The rotor blades 14 are attached to the rotating shaft of the electric motor 13 . Electric power for driving the electric motor 13 is supplied from a battery mounted on the main body 11 .

The control device 200 controls the landing flight of the flying object 10 and causes the flying object 10 to land on the floating body 30 moving under the influence of the downdraft DF. During landing flight, the control device 200 controls the attitude, altitude, direction, etc. of the aircraft 10 during flight by controlling the operation of the plurality of electric motors 13 to adjust the rotation speed of each rotor 14 . A specific configuration of the control device 200 will be described later.

The position information detection unit 190 detects position information of the flying object 10 and position information of the floating object 30 .

The floating body 30 is a member having enough buoyancy to support the landing aircraft 30 on the water surface WL. In this embodiment, the floating body 30 has a columnar shape and has substantially the same mass as the flying body 10 . The floating body 30 is provided with power supply equipment (not shown) for supplying power to the aircraft 10 that has landed.

A current position display section 31 is provided on the upper portion of the floating body 30 . The current position display unit 31 is, for example, a laser reflector that reflects laser light from a range sensor 197 provided on the flying object 10 .

Note that the flying object 10 does not necessarily have to be completely autonomous as long as it can fly autonomously during landing. For example, it may be remotely operable by an operator except during landing flight. Further, the flying object 10 is not limited to an unmanned flying object, and may be a manned flying object on which an operator or the like boards. The aircraft 10 is not limited to a rotary wing aircraft, and may be a fixed wing aircraft or a tilt rotor type vertical take-off and landing aircraft as long as it generates a downward flow DF during landing. Further, the drive source is not limited to an electric motor, and may be an internal combustion engine such as a reciprocating engine or a turboshaft engine.

The state in which the flying object 10 has landed on the floating body 30 includes not only the state in which the flying object 10 has directly landed on the floating body 30 but also the state in which the flying object 10 is directly or indirectly connected to the floating body 30 . For example, it includes a state in which the flying body 10 and the floating body 30 are connected via a charging facility, and a case in which the flying body 10 grasps the floating body 30 and recovers it.

Further, the control system 100 may aim not only to land the flying object 10 on the floating body 30 but also to bring the flying object 10 closer to the floating body 30 . The close state includes, for example, a state in which the flying object 10 and the floating body 30 are temporarily close to each other, and a state in which the flying object 10 and the floating body 30 exist within a certain range for a certain period of time. For example, a state in which the flying body 10 approaches the floating body 30 and exists within a range where charging can be performed in a non-contact state is also included.

The floating body 30 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and may have another shape. For example, the floating body 30 may have the form of a vessel having a propulsion device. The vessel may be, for example, a vessel with multiple hulls proposed by the applicant (Patent No. 6332824).

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the control system 100. As shown in FIG. The control system 100 is a system that controls the landing flight of the aircraft 10 . The control system 100 includes an aircraft 10 , a control device 200 provided in the aircraft 10 , a position information detector 190 , and an electric motor 13 .

The position information detection section 190 has an aircraft position information detection section 191 and a floating body position information detection section 192 . The flying object position information detection unit 191 detects position information of the flying object 10 . The aircraft position information detection unit 191 has a GPS sensor 194 , an orientation sensor 195 and an altitude sensor 196 . The floating body position information detection unit 192 detects the position information of the floating body 30 . The floating body position information detection unit 192 has a range sensor 197 .

The GPS sensor 194 receives GPS signals from GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites. A GPS signal received by GPS sensor 194 is input to control device 200 . The control device 200 calculates the coordinates of the current position of the aircraft 10 based on the GPS signal from the GPS sensor 194 .

The azimuth sensor 195 detects the azimuth in which the aircraft 10 flies. A detection signal from the orientation sensor 195 is input to the control device 200 . The control device 200 calculates the direction in which the aircraft 10 flies based on the detection signal from the direction sensor 195 .

Altitude sensor 196 detects the altitude of aircraft 10 . Altitude sensor 196 is, for example, an air pressure sensor. A detection signal from altitude sensor 196 is input to control device 200 . Control device 200 calculates the altitude of flying object 10 based on the detection signal from altitude sensor 196 .

Range sensor 197 detects the relative distance from flying object 10 to floating object 30 . The range sensor 197 detects the relative distance from the flying object 10 to the floating object 30 using laser light, for example. The control device 200 calculates the relative distance from the flying object 10 to the floating object 30 based on the detection signal from the ranging sensor 197 .

Based on the relative distance information L from the flying object 10 to the floating object 30 (the length L1 of the virtual line L in FIG. 4) and the altitude information H of the flying object 10 (height H1 in FIG. 4), An angle θ (θ1 in FIG. 4) formed by a virtual line L connecting the flying object 10 to the floating object 30 and the water surface WL is calculated.

The control device 200 can also calculate the position coordinates of the floating body 10 based on the relative distance information L from the flying body 10 to the floating body 30, the altitude information H of the flying body 10, and the position coordinates of the flying body 10. can.

A plurality of electric motors 13 provided in the aircraft 10 are connected to the control device 200 . The control device 200 controls landing flight of the aircraft 10 by controlling the electric motor 13 .

The control device 200 includes a memory 181 , a position information calculation section 182 , a landing path determination section 183 and a flight control section 187 .

The memory 181 stores data relating to the landing flight of the aircraft 10 . The memory 181 stores landing route data DE1, landing route determination reference data DE2, and electric motor control data DE3.

The landing route data DE1 stores a plurality of data relating to the landing route FR for landing the aircraft 10 on the floating body 30 that is moving (drifting) under the influence of the downdraft DF. The landing route data DE1 corresponds to the landing route storage section of the present invention. Here, the landing route FR will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing an example of the landing route FR. As shown in FIG. 4 , the landing path FR is defined by the downward flow DF generated by the flying object 10 when the floating object 10 moves (drifts) from the position QA1, which is the initial position, to the position QA4 via the positions QA2 and QA3. Predetermined flight path for landing body 10 on floating body 30 at position QA4.

The landing route FR is not a route for flying the aircraft 10 at the initial position PA1 toward the floating body 30 at the initial position QA1, but a route for flying toward the position QA4, which is the position of the floating body 30 after movement from the beginning. characterized by being In other words, the flying object 10 does not fly after the floating body 30 that moves with the downward flow DF, but predicts that the position after the movement of the floating body 30 that moves with the downward flow DF is the position QA4, From the beginning, fly towards position QA4. The flying body 10 flies to the position PA4 at the timing when the floating body 30 moves to the position QA4, and lands on the floating body 30 which has moved to the position QA4 at the position PA4.

The landing path FR is created based on the positional relationship between the aircraft 10 and the floating body 30 and the motion characteristics of the floating body 30 when the floating body 30 receives the downward flow DF. The motion characteristics of the floating body 30 when the floating body 30 receives the downward flow DF can be grasped based on prior experiments or the like.

According to experiments by the inventors, the mass and dimensions of the flying body 10 and the floating body 30, the altitude H of the flying body 10 at the initial position PA1, the distance L from the initial position PA1 of the flying body 10 to the initial position QA1 of the floating body 30, the altitude When conditions such as the depression angle θ calculated from H and distance L are determined, the load applied to the floating body 30 by the downward flow DF of the flying body 10 is uniquely determined, and the acceleration, velocity, and position of the floating body 30 are predicted in advance. It has been found that it is possible to

Based on this knowledge, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the flying object 10 is caused to fly from the initial position PA1 to PA4 via PA2 and PA3, the floating object 30 may move from the initial position QA1 due to the downward flow DF. It can be predicted that it will move (drift) to QA4 via QA2 and QA3. Therefore, it is possible to create a landing route FR that causes the aircraft 10 to fly from the initial position PA1 to PA4 and land on the floating body 30 that has moved to the position QA4 under the influence of the downdraft DF at this time.

A plurality of disembarkation routes FR are prepared in advance under a plurality of conditions, and a plurality of disembarkation routes FR are stored in the disembarkation route data DE1, so that an appropriate disembarkation route FR can be selected under various conditions. It becomes possible. For example, if the mass and dimensions of the floating body 30 are different, the motion characteristics of the floating body 30 when receiving the downward flow DF will change, and if the mass of the flying object 10 is different, the strength of the downward flow DF will change. Further, the influence of the downward flow DF on the floating body DF changes depending on the positional relationship between the flying body 10 and the floating body 30, such as the initial positions of the flying body 10 and the floating body 30, respectively. Therefore, the conditions to be changed to create a plurality of landing paths FR include the positional relationship between the flying object 10 and the floating object 30 and the mass and dimensions of the floating object 30 .

The landing route FR may not only be determined based on experiments, but may also be created using artificial intelligence or machine learning techniques.

Returning to FIG. 3, the landing route determination reference data DE2 stores determination criteria for selecting a flight route for landing flight from among the plurality of landing routes FR stored in the landing route data DE1. The landing route FR selected as the flight route on which the aircraft 10 is scheduled to fly is the effective landing route FRD.

The landing route determination reference data DE2 stores the mass of the aircraft 10 and the mass and dimensions of the floating body 30 to be landed. Also, the landing path determination reference data DE2 includes the mass and dimensions of the flying object 10 and the floating body 30, the altitude H of the flying object 10 at the initial position PA1, the distance from the initial position PA1 of the flying object 10 to the initial position QA1 of the floating body 30. L, the relationship between conditions such as the depression angle θ from the aircraft 10 to the floating body 30, and the optimum landing route FR according to these conditions is stored.

The electric motor control data DE3 stores data relating to control of each electric motor 13 for landing flight along a plurality of landing routes FR. Data relating to control of each electric motor 13 is, for example, data relating to output control of each electric motor 13 for landing flight of the aircraft 10 according to the landing route FR shown in FIG.

The position information calculator 182 calculates the position information of the current position of the aircraft 10 and the position information of the current position of the floating body 30 based on the detection signal from the position information detector 190 . Specifically, the position information calculator 182 calculates the position information of the aircraft 10 based on the detection signals of the GPS sensor 194 , the azimuth sensor 195 and the altitude sensor 196 included in the aircraft position information detector 191 . Also, the position information calculation unit 182 calculates the position information of the floating body 30 based on the detection signal of the range sensor 197 included in the floating body position information detection unit 192 .

The landing path determination unit 183 refers to the landing path data DE1 and the landing path determination reference data DE2 stored in the memory 181, and determines the masses and dimensions of the aircraft 10 and the floating body 30 and the initial position PA1 of the aircraft 10. Based on the position information and the position information at the initial position QA1 of the floating body 30, among the plurality of landing routes FR included in the landing route data DE1, the landing route FR that meets the conditions is determined as the valid landing route FRD.

The flight control unit 187 refers to the electric motor control data DE3 stored in the memory 181, and controls the output of each electric motor 13 in correspondence with the effective landing route FRD determined by the landing route determination unit 183. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, by controlling the output of each electric motor 13, the aircraft 10 lands along the landing path FR (effective landing path FRD), and the aircraft 10 lands on the floating body 30 at the position QA4. Let

[Valid landing route determination flow]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flow for determining a valid landing route FRD. FIG. 5 shows a flow for determining the effective landing route FRD among the controls of the control system 100 .

When the effective landing route determination flow as shown in FIG. , the position information at the initial position PA1 of the flying object 10 is calculated.

In step SA2, the position information calculator 182 calculates the position information of the floating body 30 at the initial position QA1 based on the detection signal from the floating body position information detector 192 included in the position information detector 190. FIG.

In step SA3, the landing path determination unit 183 refers to the landing path data DE1 and the landing path determination reference data DE2 to determine the mass and dimensions of the aircraft 10 and the floating body 30, the position information of the aircraft 10 at the initial position PA1, And based on the position information of the floating body 30 at the initial position QA1, etc., the landing route FR that meets the conditions is determined from among the plurality of landing routes FR included in the landing route data DE1.

At step SA3, if any of the landing routes FR included in the landing route data DE1 is determined to be a landing route FR that meets the conditions (Yes at step SA3), that landing route FR is selected as a valid landing route FRD. (step SA4), and the flow ends (END). If it is determined in step SA3 that there is no landing route FR that meets the conditions (No in step SA3), the process returns to step SA1.

[motion]
Next, the operation of the aircraft 10 in the control system 100 will be explained using FIG. The control system 100 determines the effective landing path FRD based on the above-described effective landing path determination flow in a state in which the flying object 10 is at the initial position PA1 and the floating body 30 is at the initial position QA1. Assume that the landing route FR is selected as the valid landing route FRD.

The flying object 10 performs landing flight while descending from the initial position PA1 toward the position PA4 following the effective landing path FRD. The initial position PA1 of the aircraft 10 and the initial position QA1 of the floating body 30, which are the reference positions for the control system 100 to determine the effective landing path FRD, are less likely to be affected by the downward flow DF of the aircraft 10. Position (distance, altitude) is preferred.

On the other hand, when the landing flight of the aircraft 10 is started, the floating body 30 is affected by the downward flow DF from the aircraft 10 and moves (drifts) from the initial position QA1. Since the influence of the downward flow DF becomes stronger as the aircraft 10 descends and approaches, the moving speed of the floating body 30 also increases. The effective landing path FRD is determined so that the floating body 30 reaches the position QA4 below the position PA4 at the timing when the flying body 10 reaches the position PA4. Therefore, the control system 100 can cause the aircraft 10 that generates the downdraft DF during flight to land on the floating body 30 that is affected by the downdraft DF.

In this embodiment, since the effective landing path FRD is determined in a state in which the flying object 10 is at the initial position PA1 and the floating body 30 is at the initial position QA1, It is conceivable that the position of the floating body 30 may be displaced due to disturbances such as natural winds and tidal currents. However, if the interval from the determination of the effective landing path FRD to the landing of the aircraft 10 on the floating body 30 is short, and the influence of the disturbance is sufficiently small compared to the influence of the downward flow DF of the aircraft 10, , the aircraft 10 can be landed on the floating body 30 by landing flight along the effective landing path FRD.

[Embodiment 2]
The control system 100A of the second embodiment selects a new effective landing route FRD from among the stored landing routes FR when it is necessary to change the selected effective landing route FRD during landing flight. This differs from the first embodiment in that the landing flight path is corrected. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted, and only the configurations different from the first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a control system 100A according to the second embodiment. The control device 200A includes a landing route change determination unit 184 in addition to a memory 181A, a position information calculation unit 182, a landing route determination unit 183, and a flight control unit 187. FIG.

In addition to landing route data DE1, landing route determination reference data DE2, and electric motor control data DE3, the memory 181A stores landing route change determination reference data DE4.

After the effective landing route FRD is determined, the landing route change determination reference data DE4 indicates whether or not the effective landing route FRD needs to be changed based on the position information at the current positions of the flying object 10A and the floating object 30A. Criteria for making decisions are stored.

The landing route change determination reference data DE4 stores the relative positional relationship between the flying object 10A and the floating object 30A when the landing flight is performed according to each landing route FR. Also, in the landing route change determination reference data DE4, the actual relative positional relationship between the flying object 10A and the floating body 30A during landing flight is different from the stored relative positional relationship. In this case, criteria are stored for changing the valid disembarkation route FRD. As a criterion, for example, a tolerance value for the difference between the actual relative position of the floating body 30A with respect to the flying body 10A and the stored relative position of the floating body 30A is stored.

The landing route change determination unit 184 refers to the landing route change determination reference data DE4 stored in the memory 181 and the position information of the current positions of the aircraft 10A and the floating body 30A calculated by the position information calculation unit 182, It is determined whether or not it is necessary to change the previously determined valid landing route FRD.

When the landing route change determination unit 184 determines that the effective landing route FRD needs to be changed, the landing route determination unit 183 changes the landing route data DE1 stored in the memory 181 and the landing route determination reference data. With reference to DE2, a new effective landing route FR different from the previously determined effective landing route FRD is determined based on the positional information of the flying object 10A at the current position and the positional information of the floating body 30A at the current position. Select as route FRD. Of the plurality of landing routes FR included in the landing route data DE1, the landing route FR that meets the conditions at that time is selected as a new valid landing route FRD.

Note that the landing route change determination unit 184 may re-determine whether or not it is necessary to change the effective landing route FRD when the effective landing route FRD is updated.

[Valid landing route change determination flow]
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a flow for determining whether to change the valid landing route FRD. When the effective landing route change determination flow as shown in FIG. Position information at the current position of the flying object 10A is calculated based on the signal.

At step SB2, the position information calculation section 182 calculates the position information of the floating body 30A at the current position based on the detection signal from the floating body position information detection section 192 included in the position information detection section 190. FIG.

In step SB3, the landing route change determination unit 184 uses the landing route change determination reference data DE4 stored in the memory 181 and the position information of the current positions of the aircraft 10A and the floating body 30A calculated by the position information calculation unit 182. By referring to it, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to change the previously determined valid landing route FRD.

If it is determined at step SB3 that the effective landing route FRD is to be changed (Yes at step SB3), the process proceeds to step SB4 to select a new effective landing route FRD. If it is determined in step SB3 that the effective landing route FRD is not to be changed (No in step SB3), the process returns to step SB1.

If it is determined at step SB4 that there is another landing route FR suitable for the landing flight from the current positions of the flying object 10A and floating body 30A (Yes at step SB4), that landing route FR is newly set. The valid landing route FRD is selected (step SB5), and the flow is terminated (END).

If it is determined in step SB4 that there is no landing route FR suitable for the landing flight from the current positions of the aircraft 10A and floating body 30A (No in step SB4), the process returns to step SB1. In this case, the flying object 10A continues the landing flight according to the previously determined effective landing route FR.

[motion]
Next, the operation of the aircraft 10A in the control system 100A will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. FIG. 8 is a side view showing landing flight of the aircraft 10A. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing landing flight of the aircraft 10A. The control system 100A determines the effective landing path FRD1 shown in FIG. 8 based on the above-described effective landing path determination flow in a state where the flying object 10A is at the initial position PB1 and the floating body 30A is at the initial position QB1. do. On the initially determined effective landing path FRD1, the flying object 10A is landed on the floating body 30A at the timing when the floating body 30A moves (drifts) from the initial position QB1 to the position QB3. The flying object 10A performs landing flight while descending from the initial position PB1 toward the assumed position QB3 of the floating object 30A, following the effective landing path FRD1.

On the other hand, when the landing flight of the aircraft 10A starts, the floating body 30A moves (drifts) from the initial position QB1 under the influence of the downward flow DF from the aircraft 10A. At the same time, the floating body 30A receives disturbances such as natural winds and currents. As a result, in the initial effective landing path FRD1, it was predicted that the floating body 30A would reach position QB2 when the flying body 10A reached position PB2. It shall be assumed that Further, as shown in FIG. 9, it is assumed that the floating body 30A has also moved by a distance D1 in a direction crossing the effective landing path FRD1 in plan view due to the influence of disturbance.

In this state, the control system 100A determines the new effective landing route FRD2 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 based on the effective landing route change determination flow described above. The new effective landing path FRD2 is determined based on the position PB2 (altitude H2, depression angle θ2), which is the current position of the aircraft 10A, and the position QB3, which is the current position of the floating body 30A.

It is assumed that the new effective landing path FRD2 is determined so that the floating body 30A reaches the position QB4 below the position PB4 at the timing when the flying body 10A reaches the position PB4. Therefore, the control system 100A can cause the aircraft 10A that generates the downdraft DF during flight to land on the floating body 30A that is affected by the downdraft DF.

In this embodiment, even if the position of the floating body 30A deviates from the predicted position due to disturbances such as natural winds and tidal currents during the period from when the effective landing path FRD1 is determined until the flying body 10A lands on the floating body 30A, By changing the effective landing path FRD1 to the effective landing path FRD2, the aircraft 10A can be landed on the floating body 30A.

In addition, even if there is an influence of disturbance, by changing the effective landing path FRD multiple times, it is possible to reduce the deviation between the predicted position and the actual position of the floating body 30A, and the flying body 10A can be landed on the floating body 30A. can be done.

[Embodiment 3]
The control system 100B of Embodiment 3 does not select an effective landing path FRD from among a plurality of landing paths FR created in advance, but rather uses the current position information of the aircraft 10B and the floating body 30B and the motion characteristics of the floating body 30B. The difference from the first embodiment is that the landing route FR is calculated based on . In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as in the first embodiment, and the description is omitted, and only the configurations different from the first and second embodiments will be described.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a control system 100B according to the third embodiment. The control device 200B includes a landing route calculator 185 and a calculated route change determination unit 186 in addition to a memory 181B, a position information calculator 182, and a flight controller 187. FIG.

The memory 181B stores motion characteristic data DE5, calculated landing route data DE6, calculated route change determination reference data DE7, and electric motor control data DE3.

The movement characteristic data DE5 stores the movement characteristic of the floating body 30B when the floating body 30B receives the downward flow DF of the flying body 10B. The motion characteristics include, for example, the mass and dimensions of the flying object 10B and the floating body 30B, the altitude H of the flying object 10B at the initial position PC1 (H3 in FIG. 13), and the distance from the initial position PC1 of the flying object 10B to the initial position QC1 of the floating body 30B. Conditions such as the distance L (L3 in FIG. 13), the depression angle θ (θ3 in FIG. 13) calculated from the altitude H and the distance L, and the movement (acceleration, speed, position) of the floating body 30B due to the downward flow DF of the flying body 10B relationship is remembered.

The calculated landing path data DE6 includes the position information of the flying object 10B and the floating body 30B calculated by the position information calculating unit 182, and the motion characteristics of the floating body 30B when the floating body 30B receives the downward flow DF. The landing route FR calculated by the route calculator 185 is stored.

In the calculated route change determination reference data DE7, the actual relative positional relationship between the aircraft 10B and the floating body 30B during landing flight is different from the calculated relative positional relationship on the landing route FR. Criteria for changing the landing route FR are stored. As a criterion, for example, a permissible value for the difference between the actual relative position of the floating body 30B with respect to the aircraft 10B and the relative position of the floating body 30B with respect to the aircraft 10B on the calculated landing path FR is stored.

The landing path calculator 185 calculates the landing path based on the position information of the flying body 10B and the floating body 30B calculated by the position information calculator 182 and the motion characteristics of the floating body 10B when the floating body 10B receives the downward flow DF. Calculate FR.

The calculated route change determination unit 186 calculates the calculated landing route data DE6 stored in the memory 181B, the calculated route change determination reference data DE7, and the current positions of the aircraft 10B and the floating body 30B calculated by the position information calculation unit 182. By referring to the information, it is determined whether or not the previously determined landing route FR needs to be changed.

When the calculation route change determination unit 186 determines that the landing route FR needs to be changed, the landing route calculation unit 185 calculates the current positions of the aircraft 10B and the floating body 30B calculated by the position information calculation unit 182. A new landing route FR different from the current landing route FR is calculated based on the information and the motion characteristics of the floating body 10B when the floating body 10B receives the downward flow DF.

Note that the calculated route change determination unit 186 may re-determine whether or not the landing route FR needs to be changed when the landing route FR is updated.

[Arrival route calculation flow]
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a flow for calculating the landing route FR. When the landing route calculation flow as shown in FIG. Based on this, the position information of the flying object 10B at the initial position PC1 is calculated.

In step SC2, the position information calculation section 182 calculates the position information of the floating body 30B at the initial position QC1 based on the detection signal from the floating body position information detection section 192 included in the position information detection section 190. FIG.

In step SC3, the landing path calculation unit 185 calculates the initial position information of the aircraft 10B and the floating body 30B calculated by the position information calculation unit 182, the motion characteristics of the floating body 10B when the floating body 10B receives the downward flow DF, A landing route FR is calculated based on.

At step SC4, the calculated landing route FR is stored in calculated landing route data DE6, and the flow ends (END).

[Calculated landing route change determination flow]
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a flow for determining whether to change the calculated landing route FR. 12 is started (start), first, in step SD1, the position information calculation unit 182 receives the detection from the aircraft position information detection unit 191 included in the position information detection unit 190. Position information at the current position of the flying object 10B is calculated based on the signal.

In step SD2, the position information calculation section 182 calculates the position information of the floating body 30B at the current position based on the detection signal from the floating body position information detection section 192 included in the position information detection section 190. FIG.

In step SD3, the calculated route change determination unit 186 determines the calculated landing route data DE6 stored in the memory 181B, the calculated route change determination reference data DE7, and the aircraft 10B and floating body 30B calculated by the position information calculation unit 182. By referring to the position information of the current position, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to change the previously determined landing route FR.

If it is determined in step SD3 that the landing route FR is to be changed (Yes in step SD3), the process proceeds to step SD4 to calculate a new landing route FR. If it is determined in step SD3 that the landing route FR is not to be changed (No in step SD3), the process returns to step SD1.

In step SD4, the landing path calculation unit 185 calculates the current position information of the aircraft 10B and the floating body 30B calculated by the position information calculation unit 182, and the motion characteristics of the floating body 10B when the floating body 10B receives the downward flow DF. , to calculate a new landing route FR.

At step SD5, the calculated new landing route FR is stored in calculated landing route data DE6, and the flow ends (END).

[motion]
Next, the operation of the aircraft 10B in the control system 100B will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG. FIG. 13 is a side view showing landing flight of the aircraft 10B. FIG. 14 is a plan view showing landing flight of the aircraft 10B. Assume that the control system 100B determines the landing path FR1 shown in FIG. 13 based on the landing path calculation flow described above, with the flying object 10B at the initial position PC1 and the floating body 30 at the initial position QC1. In the landing path FR1 initially calculated based on the initial position PC1 of the flying object 10B and the initial position QC1 of the floating body 30, the flying object 10B moves to the floating body 30B at the timing when the floating body 30 moves (drifts) from the initial position QC1 to the position QC3. land. The aircraft 10B performs landing flight while descending from the initial position PC1 toward the position QC3, which is the assumed position of the floating body 30B, following the landing route FR1.

On the other hand, when the landing flight of the aircraft 10B is started, the floating body 30B moves (drifts) from the initial position QC1 under the influence of the downward flow DF from the aircraft 10B. At the same time, the floating body 30B receives disturbances such as natural winds and currents. As a result, in the initial landing route FR1, it was predicted that the floating body 30B would reach position QC2 when the aircraft 10B reached position PC2. shall have been Further, as shown in FIG. 14, it is assumed that the floating body 30B has also moved by a distance D2 in a direction crossing the landing route FR1 in plan view due to the influence of disturbance.

In this state, the control system 100B calculates the new landing route FR2 shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 based on the calculated landing route change determination flow described above. The new landing path FR2 is determined based on the position PC2 (altitude H4, depression angle θ4), which is the current position of the aircraft 10B, and the position QC3, which is the current position of the floating body 30B.

On the newly calculated landing route FR2, it is assumed that the floating body 30B reaches the position QC4 below the position PC4 at the timing when the aircraft 10 reaches the position PC4. Therefore, the control system 100B can cause the aircraft 10 that generates the downdraft DF during flight to land on the floating body 30B that is affected by the downdraft DF.

In this embodiment, even if the position of the floating body 30B deviates from the predicted position due to disturbances such as natural winds and tidal currents during the period from when the landing path FR1 is calculated until the flying body 10B lands on the floating body 30B, By changing the landing route FR1 to the landing route FR2, the aircraft 10B can be landed on the floating body 30B.

In addition, even if there is an influence of disturbance, by calculating the landing path FR multiple times, it is possible to reduce the deviation between the predicted position of the floating body 30B and the actual position, and it is possible to land the aircraft 10B on the floating body 30B. can.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of computer 300. As shown in FIG. Computer 300 is included, for example, in control system 100B described above. As shown in FIG. 10, computer 300 includes CPU 310 , storage device 320 and interface 330 . The operations of the control device 200B included in the control system 100B are stored in the storage device 320 in the form of programs. CPU 310 reads the program from storage device 320 and executes the above process.

In addition, CPU 310 secures a storage area corresponding to memory 181B in storage device 320 according to a program.

[Modification]
The control device, control system, flying object, control method, and program according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments.

In the above embodiment, the control device is provided on the flying object, but part of the control device may be provided on the floating object. For example, the flying object and the floating body may be connected by wireless communication, the effective landing path transmitted from the floating body may be received by the flying body, and the flying body may land and fly according to the effective landing path.

Although the landing path is a straight path, it may be a curved path in consideration of the downward flow caused by the aircraft.

In this embodiment, the flying object and the floating body have been described as having approximately the same mass, but the mass and dimensions of the flying object and the floating body are not limited. In addition, the flying object and the floating object may have a size and facilities that allow an operator to board and perform various operations.

The purpose of a flying object landing on a floating object is not limited to replenishment of energy. For example, equipment for conducting an underwater environment survey may be mounted on a floating body, and the flying body may land on the floating body to collect underwater environment survey data.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-described embodiments are merely examples for carrying out the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is possible to modify the above-described embodiment appropriately without departing from the scope of the invention.

10 Flying body 30 Floating body 100 Control system 187 Flight control unit 200 Control device DF Downward flow FR Landing route FRD Effective landing route

Claims (12)

A control device for causing a flying object that generates a downdraft during flight to approach and/or land on a floating body that is affected by the downdraft,
According to the landing path, which is a route for the floating body to fly toward its destination under the influence of the downward current, the landing path is determined based on the motion characteristics of the floating body when the floating body receives the downward current. a flight control unit that causes the aircraft to fly;
A control device comprising: The control device according to claim 1,
a landing path storage unit that stores a plurality of landing paths determined based on the positional relationship between the flying object and the floating body and the motion characteristics of the floating body when the floating body receives the downward flow;
a landing route determination unit that determines, as the effective landing route, one of the plurality of landing routes stored in the landing route storage unit, with the landing route on which the aircraft is scheduled to fly as the effective landing route; ,
with
the flight control unit causes the aircraft to fly along the effective landing path;
Control device. The control device according to claim 2,
Further comprising a position information calculation unit for calculating position information of the flying object and the floating object,
The landing route determination unit determines one of the plurality of landing routes stored in the landing route storage unit as the valid landing route based on the position information calculated by the position information calculation unit.
Control device. The control device according to claim 2 or claim 3,
Further comprising a landing route change determination unit that determines whether or not the effective landing route needs to be changed based on the position information of the flying object and the floating object after the effective landing route is determined,
When it is determined that the valid landing route needs to be changed, the landing route determination unit determines a landing route different from the valid landing route as a new valid landing route,
Control device. A control device according to claim 4,
The landing route change determination unit re-determines whether or not the effective landing route needs to be changed when the effective landing route is updated.
Control device. The control device according to claim 1,
a position information calculation unit that calculates position information of the flying object and the floating object;
Landing path calculation for calculating the landing path based on the position information of the flying object and the floating body calculated by the position information calculation unit and the motion characteristics of the floating body when the floating body receives the downward flow. Department and
with
the flight control unit causes the aircraft to fly according to the calculated landing path;
Control device. A control device according to claim 6,
Further comprising a calculated route change determination unit that determines whether or not the landing route needs to be changed based on the position information of the flying object and the floating object after the landing route is calculated,
When it is determined that the landing route needs to be changed, the landing route calculation unit calculates a new landing route different from the landing route,
Control device. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7;
the aircraft;
with
The aircraft is
a position information detection unit that detects position information of the flying object and the floating object;
A control system having A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7;
the aircraft;
the floating body;
with
The flying object and/or the floating object are
a position information detection unit that detects position information of the flying object and the floating object;
A control system having A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
Airplane. A control method for causing a flying object that generates a downdraft during flight to approach and/or land on a floating body that is affected by the downdraft,
A landing path, which is a path to fly toward a destination of the floating body that moves under the influence of the downward current, is determined based on motion characteristics of the floating body when the floating body receives the downward current. a decision step;
a flight control step of flying the aircraft along the landing path;
A control method comprising: A computer as a control device that causes a flying object that generates a downward current during flight to approach and/or land on a floating object that is affected by the downward current,
According to the landing path, which is a route for the floating body to fly toward its destination under the influence of the downward current, the landing path is determined based on the motion characteristics of the floating body when the floating body receives the downward current. a flight control unit that causes the aircraft to fly;
A program that works as

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