JP7359489B2 - Positioning system, moving object, speed estimation system, positioning method, and speed estimation method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a positioning system, a moving object, a speed estimation system, a positioning method, and a speed estimation method.

Applications of small helicopters (multicopters), commonly called drones, are progressing. One of its important application fields is the spraying of agricultural chemicals, liquid fertilizers, etc. onto farmland (fields) (for example, Patent Document 1). In relatively small agricultural areas, it is often appropriate to use drones rather than manned airplanes or helicopters.

When using a drone to perform spraying work on a field, the coordinates of a base station are determined using the coordinates of an electronic reference point, and the position of the drone is determined by relative positioning with the base station. Here, there is a need for a system that accurately measures the coordinate values of a base station.

For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a hybrid positioning device that calculates the deviation between position information of a GPS positioning device and position information of an inertial positioning device, and determines that there is an abnormality when the time-series deviation is larger than a set value. There is. Patent Document 3 discloses a positioning device that selects one piece of positioning result data based on a comparison with a predetermined threshold value from a plurality of pieces of positioning result data. Patent Document 4 discloses a positioning control device for a moving body using composite positioning, which determines positioning accuracy by comparing the difference in positioning results with a threshold, and combines satellite positioning and positioning using an inertial sensor. .

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-120151 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-311734 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-258461 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-64853 Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-57239 JP2019-95278A International Publication No. 2014-132618 International Publication No. 2017-138502

Provided is a positioning system that accurately determines the coordinates of a moving object.

In order to achieve the above object, a positioning system according to one aspect of the present invention is a positioning system for positioning the coordinates of a moving body, the positioning system positioning the moving body based on at least two different reference points. a coordinate acquisition unit that periodically calculates a first coordinate value and a second coordinate value indicating a coordinate value; a coordinate storage unit that stores a history value of at least the first coordinate value calculated before the previous time by the coordinate acquisition unit; a comparison unit that calculates a difference between the first coordinate value and a history value of the first coordinate value; and a coordinate that determines the second coordinate value as the positioning coordinate of the moving body when the difference exceeds a predetermined value. A determination section is provided.

The coordinate determination unit may determine the first coordinate value as the positioning coordinate of the moving body when the difference is less than or equal to the predetermined value.

The coordinate acquisition unit further includes a reference point determination unit that determines the reference point that is used as a reference for calculation, and the reference point determination unit determines the reference point closest to the coordinates of the mobile body determined by independent positioning. The decision may be made based on the following criteria.

a speed measuring section that generates a first speed indicating the speed of the moving object based on a first satellite signal and a second speed indicating the speed of the moving object based on the second satellite signal; The moving body may further include a speed determination unit that determines the second speed as the speed of the moving body when the difference between the first speed and the history value of the first speed exceeds a predetermined value.

a first antenna and a second antenna that receive a satellite signal; the first antenna generates a first speed indicating the speed of the moving body based on the satellite signal received; and the second antenna a speed measurement unit that generates a second speed indicating the speed of the moving object based on the satellite signal received by the mobile object; and when a difference between the first speed and a history value of the first speed exceeds a predetermined value The vehicle may further include a speed determination unit that determines the second speed as the speed of the moving body.

In order to achieve the above object, a positioning system according to another aspect of the present invention is a positioning system for positioning the coordinates of a moving body, the positioning system of the moving body being based on at least two different reference points. a coordinate obtaining unit that periodically calculates a first coordinate value and a second coordinate value indicating the first coordinate value; a coordinate estimating unit that estimates the coordinate value of the moving body based on the acceleration of the moving body; a comparison unit that calculates a difference with the second coordinate value; and a coordinate determination unit that determines the coordinate value estimated based on the acceleration as the positioning coordinate of the moving body when the difference exceeds a predetermined value. Be prepared.

a speed measuring section that generates a first speed indicating the speed of the moving object based on a first satellite signal and a second speed indicating the speed of the moving object based on the second satellite signal; The moving body may further include a speed determination unit that determines the speed estimated based on the acceleration as the speed of the moving body when the difference between the first speed and the second speed exceeds a predetermined value.

a first antenna and a second antenna that receive a satellite signal; the first antenna generates a first speed indicating the speed of the moving body based on the satellite signal received; and the second antenna a speed measurement unit that generates a second speed indicating the speed of the moving body based on the satellite signal received by the mobile body; The vehicle may further include a speed determination unit that determines the speed of the moving body.

In order to achieve the above object, a moving object according to yet another aspect of the present invention is a moving object having a positioning system for positioning position coordinates during movement, the positioning system being any one of the above-mentioned positioning systems. It is a system.

In order to achieve the above object, a speed estimation system according to yet another aspect of the present invention is a speed estimation system that estimates the moving speed of a moving object, the speed estimation system estimating the moving speed of the moving object based on a first satellite signal. a speed measuring section that periodically generates a first speed indicating the speed of the moving object based on a second satellite signal, and a speed measuring section that periodically generates a second speed indicating the speed of the moving body based on a second satellite signal; a speed storage unit that stores a history value of the first speed; a comparison unit that calculates a difference between the first speed and the history value of the first speed; and a speed determining unit that determines the second speed as the speed of the moving body.

In order to achieve the above object, a speed estimation system according to yet another aspect of the present invention includes a first antenna and a second antenna that receive satellite signals, and the speed estimation system includes a first antenna that receives a satellite signal, and a second antenna that receives a satellite signal. a speed measurement unit that generates a first speed indicating the speed of the moving body based on the satellite signal received by the second antenna; and a speed measurement unit that generates a second speed indicating the speed of the moving body based on the satellite signal received by the second antenna; a speed storage unit that stores a history value of the first speed calculated before the previous time by a measurement unit; a comparison unit that calculates a difference between the first speed and the history value of the first speed; and a speed determining unit that determines the second speed as the speed of the moving body when the second speed exceeds the value.

In order to achieve the above object, a speed estimation system according to yet another aspect of the present invention is a speed estimation system that estimates the moving speed of a moving object, the speed estimation system estimating the moving speed of the moving object based on a first satellite signal. a speed measurement unit that periodically generates a first speed representing the speed of the moving object based on a second satellite signal and a second speed representing the speed of the moving object based on the acceleration of the moving object; a speed estimation unit that estimates the speed of the body; a comparison unit that calculates a difference between the first speed and the second speed; and a speed estimation unit that calculates the speed estimated based on the acceleration when the difference exceeds a predetermined value. and a speed determination unit that determines the speed of the moving body.

In order to achieve the above object, a speed estimation system according to yet another aspect of the present invention includes a first antenna and a second antenna that receive satellite signals, and the speed estimation system includes a first antenna that receives a satellite signal, and a second antenna that receives a satellite signal. a speed measurement unit that generates a first speed indicating the speed of the moving body based on the satellite signal received by the second antenna; and a speed measurement unit that generates a second speed indicating the speed of the moving body based on the satellite signal received by the second antenna; a speed estimation unit that estimates the speed of the moving object based on the acceleration of the body; a comparison unit that calculates the difference between the first speed and the second speed; and when the difference exceeds a predetermined value, the acceleration and a speed determination unit that determines the speed estimated based on the speed of the moving object as the speed of the moving object.

In order to achieve the above object, a positioning method according to still another aspect of the present invention is a positioning method for positioning the coordinates of a moving body, wherein the coordinates of the moving body are determined using at least two different reference points as reference points. a coordinate acquisition step of calculating a first coordinate value and a second coordinate value indicating a position; a comparison step of calculating a difference between the first coordinate value and the second coordinate value; and a case where the difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value. The method further includes a coordinate determining step of determining the first coordinate value as the positioning coordinate of the moving body.

In order to achieve the above object, a positioning method according to still another aspect of the present invention is a positioning method for positioning the coordinates of a moving body, wherein the coordinates of the moving body are determined using at least two different reference points as reference points. a coordinate obtaining step of periodically calculating a first coordinate value and a second coordinate value indicating a position; a coordinate estimation step of estimating the coordinate value of the moving body based on the acceleration of the moving body; and the first coordinate value. and the second coordinate value, and if the difference exceeds a predetermined value, a coordinate determination step of determining the coordinate value estimated based on the acceleration as the positioning coordinate of the moving body. ,including.

In order to achieve the above object, a speed estimation method according to yet another aspect of the present invention is a speed estimation method for estimating the moving speed of a moving object, the speed of the moving object being estimated based on a first satellite signal. a speed measuring step of periodically generating a first speed representing the speed of the moving object based on a second satellite signal, and a speed measuring step of periodically generating a second speed representing the speed of the moving object based on a second satellite signal; a speed storage step of storing a history value of the first speed; a comparison step of calculating a difference between the first speed and the history value of the first speed; and a speed determining step of determining the second speed as the speed of the moving body.

In order to achieve the above object, a speed estimation method according to yet another aspect of the present invention is a speed estimation method for estimating the moving speed of a moving object, the speed of the moving object being estimated based on a first satellite signal. a speed measuring step of periodically generating a first speed representing the speed of the moving object based on a second satellite signal, and periodically generating a second speed representing the speed of the moving object based on the acceleration of the moving object; a speed estimation step of estimating the speed of the body; a comparison step of calculating a difference between the first speed and the second speed; and when the difference exceeds a predetermined value, the speed estimated based on the acceleration is calculated. and a speed determining step of determining the speed of the moving body.

The coordinates of a moving object can be determined with high precision.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a drone which is an example of a moving object according to the present invention. It is a front view of the said drone. It is a right side view of the said drone. It is a rear view of the said drone. It is a perspective view of the above-mentioned drone. It is an overall conceptual diagram of the flight control system of the said drone. It is a functional block diagram that the above-mentioned drone has. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a positioning system according to the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow which the above-mentioned positioning system measures the coordinates of the above-mentioned drone. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a positioning system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow which the above-mentioned positioning system measures the coordinates of the above-mentioned drone. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a speed estimation system according to the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow by which the said speed estimation system estimates the speed of the said drone. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a speed estimation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow by which the said speed estimation system estimates the speed of the said drone. It is a schematic diagram showing how a drone according to the present invention receives a satellite signal from a positioning satellite, (a) a drone according to a third embodiment, (b) a drone according to a fourth embodiment, (c) FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the state of a drone according to a fifth embodiment.

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

First, the configuration of a drone, which is an example of a mobile object according to the present invention, will be explained. In this specification, a drone refers to a drone, regardless of its power means (electric power, prime mover, etc.), control method (wireless or wired, autonomous flight type or manually operated type, etc.). This refers to all flying vehicles with multiple rotary wings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the rotary blades 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101-2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b (also called rotors) are It is a means to fly 100 drones, and is equipped with 8 aircraft (4 sets of two-stage rotor blades), taking into account the balance of flight stability, aircraft size, and power consumption. Each rotor blade 101 is arranged on the four sides of the housing 110 of the drone 100 by an arm extending from the housing 110. In other words, rotary blades 101-1a and 101-1b are located at the left rear in the direction of travel, rotary blades 101-2a and 101-2b are located at the left front, rotary blades 101-3a and 101-3b are located at the right rear, and rotary blade 101- is located at the right front. 4a and 101-4b are placed respectively. Note that the traveling direction of the drone 100 is downward in the plane of the paper in FIG.

Grid-like propeller guards 115-1, 115-2, 115-3, and 115-4 each having a substantially cylindrical shape are provided around the outer periphery of each set of rotary blades 101 to prevent the rotary blades 101 from interfering with foreign objects. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the radial members for supporting the propeller guards 115-1, 115-2, 115-3, and 115-4 are not horizontal but have a tower-like structure. This is to encourage the member to buckle to the outside of the rotor blade in the event of a collision, and to prevent interference with the rotor.

Rod-shaped legs 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, and 107-4 extend downward from the rotation axis of the rotor blade 101, respectively.

Motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 102-4a, 102-4b are rotary blades 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101- 2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b (typically an electric motor, but a motor etc. may also be used), one for each rotor. It is being Motor 102 is an example of a propulsion device. The upper and lower rotary blades (for example, 101-1a and 101-1b) and the corresponding motors (for example, 102-1a and 102-1b) in one set are for the stability of the drone's flight, etc. The axes are colinear and rotate in opposite directions.

Four nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, and 103-4 are provided as means for spraying the material downward. In the present specification, the term "sprayed material" generally refers to liquid or powder sprayed onto a field, such as agricultural chemicals, herbicides, liquid fertilizers, insecticides, seeds, and water.

The tank 104 is a tank for storing spray material, and is provided at a position close to and lower than the center of gravity of the drone 100 from the viewpoint of weight balance. The hose 105 is a means for connecting the tank 104 and each nozzle 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4, is made of a hard material, and may also serve as a support for the nozzle. . Pump 106 is a means for discharging the spray from the nozzle.

FIG. 6 shows an overall conceptual diagram of a flight control system for a drone 100 according to the present invention. This figure is a schematic diagram and is not to scale. In the figure, a drone 100, a controller 401, a base station 404, and a server 405 are connected to each other via a mobile communication network 400. These connections may be made by wireless communication using Wi-Fi instead of the mobile communication network 400, or may be partially or entirely wired. Furthermore, instead of or in addition to the mobile communication network 400, a configuration may be provided in which the components are directly connected.

The drone 100 and the base station 404 communicate with a GNSS positioning satellite 410 such as GPS, and acquire the coordinates of the drone 100 and the base station 404. There may be a plurality of positioning satellites 410 with which the drone 100 and base station 404 communicate.

The controller 401 is used to transmit commands to the drone 100 through the user's operations, and to display information received from the drone 100 (for example, location, stored amount of spray material, battery level, camera images, etc.). It may be realized by a portable information device such as a general tablet terminal that runs a computer program. The operating device 401 includes an input section and a display section as a user interface device. Although the drone 100 according to the present invention is controlled to fly autonomously, it may be capable of manual operation during basic operations such as takeoff and return, and in emergencies. In addition to the portable information device, an emergency operating device (not shown) having a function exclusively for emergency stop may be used. The emergency operating device may be a dedicated device equipped with a large emergency stop button or the like so that a quick response can be taken in an emergency. Furthermore, in addition to the operating device 401, the system may include a small mobile terminal, such as a smart phone, that can display part or all of the information displayed on the operating device 401. The small mobile terminal is connected to, for example, a base station 404 and can receive information and the like from a server 405 via the base station 404.

The field 403 is a rice field, field, etc. that is the target of spraying by the drone 100. In reality, the topography of field 403 is complex, and there are cases where a topographic map cannot be obtained in advance, or where the topographic map and the situation on the field are at odds. Typically, the field 403 is adjacent to houses, hospitals, schools, other crop fields, roads, railways, etc. Further, there may be cases where there are intruders such as buildings or electric wires in the field 403.

Base station 404 is adapted to function as an RTK-GNSS base station and provide accurate location of drone 100. Alternatively, the device may be a device that provides a master device function for Wi-Fi communication. The base station function for Wi-Fi communication and the base station for RTK-GNSS may be independent devices. Additionally, the base station 404 may be able to communicate with the server 405 using mobile communication systems such as 3G, 4G, and LTE. Base station 404 and server 405 constitute a farming cloud.

Furthermore, the base station 404 can obtain accurate coordinates through relative positioning with a reference point. The reference point here is a so-called electronic reference point. The electronic reference points are continuous GNSS observation points and are installed at approximately 20km intervals. The relative positional relationship of multiple electronic reference points can be obtained with an accuracy of 1/1,000,000 by performing relative positioning. This accuracy means that the relative positional relationship between two adjacent electronic reference points can be determined with an error of 2 cm. Similarly, the relative positional relationship between the base station 404 and the electronic reference point can also be obtained with an accuracy of 1/1,000,000.

Relative positioning is a method of simultaneously observing four or more of the same GNSS satellites at two points and measuring the time difference between the radio signals from the GNSS satellites arriving at the two points to find the relative positional relationship. be. By performing RTK-GNSS positioning using this base station 404, the position of the drone 100 can be provided with an error of, for example, several centimeters.

In FIG. 6, the coordinates of base station 404 are calculated based on the coordinates of at least one of reference points D1 and D2 located around it. Further, the position coordinates of the drone 100 are calculated by relative positioning based on the coordinates of at least one of the reference points D1 and D2 and the coordinates of the base station 404. Furthermore, the speed of drone 100 is calculated based on the coordinates of at least one of reference points D1 and D2 and the coordinates of base station 404. For example, reference points are installed at intervals of approximately 20 km. Note that the reference point may be a virtual reference point (virtual reference point).

The server 405 is typically a group of computers and related software operated on a cloud service, and may be wirelessly connected to the controller 401 via a mobile phone line or the like. Server 405 may be configured by a hardware device. The server 405 may analyze the image of the field 403 taken by the drone 100, understand the growth status of crops, and perform processing to determine a flight route. Additionally, the stored topographical information of the field 403 and the like may be provided to the drone 100. In addition, a history of flights and captured images of the drone 100 may be accumulated and various analysis processes may be performed.

The small mobile terminal is, for example, a smart phone. The display section of the small mobile terminal displays information on expected operations regarding the operation of the drone 100, more specifically, the scheduled time for the drone 100 to return to the departure and arrival point 406, and the details of the work the user should do upon return. information will be displayed as appropriate. Furthermore, the operation of the drone 100 may be changed based on input from a small mobile terminal.

Normally, the drone 100 takes off from a departure and arrival point outside the field 403 and returns to the departure and arrival point after spraying the material on the field 403 or when it is necessary to replenish or charge the material. The flight route (intrusion route) from the departure and landing point to the target field 403 may be stored in advance on the server 405 or the like, or may be input by the user before the start of takeoff. The departure and landing points may be virtual points defined by coordinates stored in the drone 100, or may have a physical departure and landing pad.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram showing the control functions of the embodiment of the spraying drone according to the present invention. Flight controller 501 is a component that controls the entire drone, and specifically may be an embedded computer that includes a CPU, memory, related software, and the like. The flight controller 501 controls the motors 102-1a and 102-1b through a control means such as ESC (Electronic Speed Control) based on input information received from the controller 401 and input information obtained from various sensors described below. , 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 104-a, and 104-b to control the flight of the drone 100. The actual rotation speeds of motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 104-a, and 104-b are fed back to flight controller 501 to ensure normal rotation. The configuration is such that it is possible to monitor whether the Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which the rotary blade 101 is provided with an optical sensor or the like so that the rotation of the rotary blade 101 is fed back to the flight controller 501.

The software used by the flight controller 501 can be rewritten through a storage medium or a communication means such as Wi-Fi or USB in order to expand/change functions, correct problems, etc. In this case, protection is provided using encryption, checksums, electronic signatures, virus checking software, etc. to prevent rewriting by unauthorized software. Further, a part of the calculation processing used for control by flight controller 501 may be executed by another computer located on controller 401, server 405, or other location. Since the flight controller 501 is highly important, some or all of its components may be duplicated.

The flight controller 501 communicates with the controller 401 via the communication device 530 and the mobile communication network 400, receives necessary commands from the controller 401, and transmits necessary information to the controller 401. Can be sent. In this case, the communication may be encrypted to prevent unauthorized acts such as interception, impersonation, and hijacking of the device. In addition to the communication function via the mobile communication network 400, the base station 404 also has the function of an RTK-GNSS base station. By combining signals from the RTK base station 404 and signals from positioning satellites 410 such as GPS, the flight controller 501 can measure the absolute position of the drone 100 with an accuracy of several centimeters. Because the flight controllers 501 are so important, they may be duplicated or multiplexed, and each redundant flight controller 501 may be configured to use a different satellite in order to respond to the failure of a particular GPS satellite. It may be controlled.

More specifically, the absolute position of the drone 100 can be determined by the GPS module RTK 504 included in the flight controller 501 by combining signals from an RTK base station and signals from a GPS positioning satellite. Due to its high importance, the GPS module RTK504 may be duplicated or multiplexed.Also, in order to respond to failures of specific GPS positioning satellites, each redundant GPS module RTK504-1, 504-2 is It may be controlled to use different positioning satellites 410a and 410b (see FIG. 16(a)).

As shown in FIG. 16(a), GPS modules RTK504-1 and 504-2 are provided with antennas 504a-1 and 504a-2, respectively. That is, as shown in FIG. 16(a), the drone 100 is equipped with two antennas 504a-1 and 504a-2, and each antenna 504a-1 and 504a-2 is connected to a different positioning satellite 410a and 410b. receive satellite signals. Further, like a drone 100b according to another embodiment shown in FIG. 16(b), it is equipped with one antenna 504a-1, and receives satellite signals from a plurality of positioning satellites 410a and 410b by the antenna 504a-1. You may. In the figure, the number of satellites received by antenna 504a-1 is two, but there may be three or more. Furthermore, like a drone 100c according to yet another embodiment shown in FIG. You may also receive satellite signals from

The 6-axis gyro sensor 505 is a means for measuring the acceleration of the drone body in three mutually orthogonal directions, and further is a means for calculating the speed by integrating the acceleration. The 6-axis gyro sensor 505 is a means for measuring changes in the attitude angle of the drone body in the three directions mentioned above, that is, the angular velocity. The geomagnetic sensor 506 is a means for measuring the direction of the drone body by measuring geomagnetism. The atmospheric pressure sensor 507 is a means of measuring atmospheric pressure, and can also indirectly measure the altitude of the drone. The laser sensor 508 is a means for measuring the distance between the drone body and the ground surface using reflection of laser light, and may be an IR (infrared) laser. The sonar 509 is a means of measuring the distance between the drone body and the ground surface using the reflection of sound waves such as ultrasonic waves. These sensors may be selected depending on the drone's cost goals and performance requirements. Furthermore, a gyro sensor (angular velocity sensor) for measuring the inclination of the aircraft, a wind sensor for measuring wind force, etc. may be added. Further, these sensors may be duplicated or multiplexed. If there are multiple sensors for the same purpose, the flight controller 501 may use only one of them, and if that sensor fails, it may switch to use an alternative sensor. Alternatively, a plurality of sensors may be used simultaneously, and if the respective measurement results do not match, it may be assumed that a failure has occurred.

Flow rate sensors 510 are means for measuring the flow rate of the sprayed material, and are provided at multiple locations along the route from tank 104 to nozzle 103. The liquid outage sensor 511 is a sensor that detects when the amount of sprayed material has become less than a predetermined amount.

The growth diagnosis camera 512a is a means for photographing the field 403 and acquiring data for growth diagnosis. The growth diagnosis camera 512a is, for example, a multispectral camera, and receives a plurality of light beams with different wavelengths. The plurality of light rays are, for example, red light (wavelength of approximately 650 nm) and near-infrared light (wavelength of approximately 774 nm). Furthermore, the growth diagnosis camera 512a may be a camera that receives visible light.

The pathological diagnosis camera 512b is a means for photographing crops growing in the field 403 and acquiring data for pathological diagnosis. Pathological diagnosis camera 512b is, for example, a red light camera. A red light camera is a camera that detects the amount of light in a frequency band corresponding to the absorption spectrum of chlorophyll contained in plants, and detects the amount of light in a band around a wavelength of 650 nm, for example. The pathological diagnostic camera 512b may detect the amount of light in the frequency bands of red light and near-infrared light. Furthermore, the pathological diagnosis camera 512b may include both a red light camera and a visible light camera such as an RGB camera that detects the amount of light of at least three wavelengths in the visible light band. Note that the pathological diagnosis camera 512b may be a multispectral camera that detects the amount of light in a wavelength band around 650 nm to 680 nm.

Note that the growth diagnosis camera 512a and the pathological diagnosis camera 512b may be realized by one hardware configuration.

The obstacle detection camera 513 is a camera for detecting a drone intruder, and the image characteristics and lens orientation are different from the growth diagnosis camera 512a and the pathology diagnosis camera 512b, so it is different from the growth diagnosis camera 512a and the pathology diagnosis camera 512b. It's a different device. Switch 514 is a means for user 402 of drone 100 to make various settings. The obstacle contact sensor 515 is a sensor for detecting when the drone 100, particularly its rotor or propeller guard portion, has come into contact with an intruder such as a power line, a building, a human body, a standing tree, a bird, or another drone. . Note that the obstacle contact sensor 515 may be replaced by a 6-axis gyro sensor 505. The cover sensor 516 is a sensor that detects whether the operation panel or internal maintenance cover of the drone 100 is open. Inlet sensor 517 is a sensor that detects that the inlet of tank 104 is open.

These sensors may be selected depending on the cost target and performance requirements of the drone, and may be duplicated or multiplexed. Alternatively, a sensor may be provided outside the drone 100 at the base station 404, the controller 401, or at another location, and the read information may be sent to the drone. For example, the base station 404 may be provided with a wind sensor, and information regarding wind force and wind direction may be transmitted to the drone 100 via the mobile communication network 400 or Wi-Fi communication.

Flight controller 501 sends a control signal to pump 106 to adjust the discharge amount and stop the discharge. The current status of the pump 106 (eg, rotation speed, etc.) is configured to be fed back to the flight controller 501.

The LED 107 is a display means for notifying the drone operator of the drone's status. Display means such as a liquid crystal display may be used instead of or in addition to the LED. The buzzer is an output means for notifying the state of the drone (especially error state) by an audio signal. The communication device 530 is connected to a mobile communication network 400 such as 3G, 4G, and LTE, and is communicably connected to a base station, a farming cloud consisting of a server, and an operating device via the mobile communication network 400. be done. Instead of or in addition to the communication device, use other wireless communication means such as Wi-Fi, infrared communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), NFC, or wired communication means such as USB connection. May be used. The speaker 520 is an output means for notifying the state of the drone (especially error state) using a recorded human voice, a synthesized voice, or the like. Depending on the weather conditions, it may be difficult to see the visual display of the drone 100 during flight, so in such cases, communicating the situation by voice is effective. The warning light 521 is a display means such as a strobe light that informs the state of the drone (particularly an error state). These input/output means may be selected depending on the cost target and performance requirements of the drone, and may be duplicated or multiplexed.

- Overview of Control System As shown in FIG. 8, the positioning system 1000 is a system including, for example, a drone 100, a user interface device 200, and a positioning device 600, which are communicably connected to each other through a network NW. The positioning device 600 may have a hardware configuration or may be configured on the server 405. Drone 100, user interface device 200, and positioning device 600 may be connected to each other wirelessly, or some or all of them may be connected by wire.

Note that the configuration shown in FIG. 8 is an example, and one component may include another component, and the functional section of each component may be included in another component. . For example, some or all of the functions of positioning device 600 may be installed in drone 100.

The user interface device 200 only needs to include a display section, and may be realized by the function of the operating device 401. Further, the user interface device 200 may be a personal computer, and information may be input and displayed on a UI on the Web via a Web browser installed on the personal computer.

●Functional part of positioning device (1)
As shown in FIG. 8, the positioning device 600 includes an arithmetic unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for performing information processing, and a storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory). This includes at least a reference point determination section 610, a coordinate acquisition section 620, a comparison section 630, a coordinate determination section 640, a coordinate storage section 650, and a coordinate estimation section 660 as software resources.

The reference point determination unit 610 is a functional unit that determines a reference point used to obtain the coordinate values of the drone 100.

Reference point determining section 610 selects at least two different reference points. The reference point determination unit 610 may select a reference point that is close to the coordinates of the drone 100 determined by independent positioning. The reference point determining unit 610 may select, for example, the closest reference point and the second closest reference point from the coordinates of the drone 100 determined by independent positioning. In addition, independent positioning uses a single antenna to receive satellite information transmitted from GNSS satellites, and calculates the distance based on the time it takes for radio waves to reach the receiver after being transmitted from the satellite. This is a positioning method that

The reference point determination unit 610 may determine any reference point as the reference point for coordinate value acquisition, without relying on independent positioning. The reference point determination unit 610 may obtain the approximate position of the drone 100 via a user interface device such as the controller 401, and determine the reference point based on this. Alternatively, the position of a field, such as an address display, owned by the administrator of the positioning system may be associated with the system in advance, and a relatively nearby reference point may be determined by referring to the position of the field.

The coordinate acquisition unit 620 is a functional unit that acquires coordinate values indicating the position of the drone 100 with reference to the reference point determined by the reference point determination unit 610. The coordinate acquisition unit 620 calculates a number of coordinate values corresponding to the number of determined reference points. In this embodiment, the coordinate acquisition unit 620 acquires the first coordinate value and the second coordinate value, respectively, using the first reference point D1 and the second reference point D2 (see FIG. 6) as references.

The coordinate acquisition unit 620 periodically acquires coordinate values. This is to accurately grasp the coordinate values at each point in time of the moving drone 100.

The coordinate values acquired by the coordinate acquisition section 620 are stored in the coordinate storage section 650. The coordinate storage unit 650 stores at least the first coordinate values calculated before the previous time by the coordinate acquisition unit 620, that is, the history values of the first coordinate values. The history value of the first coordinate value may be the previous value of the first coordinate value acquired last time. The coordinate storage unit 650 may overwrite the stored first coordinate value when the next first coordinate value is acquired, or may store a plurality of first coordinate values together with the order in which they were measured. good. Further, the coordinate storage unit 650 may store a second coordinate value in addition to the first coordinate value.

The comparison unit 630 has a function of comparing the first coordinate value obtained based on the first reference point acquired by the coordinate acquisition unit 620 and the history value of the first coordinate value stored in the coordinate storage unit 650. Department. Specifically, the comparison unit 630 calculates the difference between the first coordinate value and the history value of the first coordinate value.

The coordinate estimation unit 660 is a functional unit that estimates the coordinates of the drone 100 based on the acceleration of the drone 100. The coordinate estimation unit 660 estimates the coordinates of the drone 100 by integrating the measured value of the acceleration sensor mounted on the drone 100 twice. In this embodiment, the 6-axis gyro sensor 505 has the function of an acceleration sensor. For example, the coordinate estimating unit 660 calculates the current coordinate value by adding the two-time integral value of acceleration measured from the acquisition time of the previous value of the first coordinate value to the previous value of the first coordinate value. may be estimated. Note that the acceleration of the drone 100 may be measured by, for example, photographing the drone 100 from outside the drone 100 instead of being measured by a sensor mounted on the drone 100.

The coordinate determination unit 640 is a functional unit that determines the positioning coordinates of the drone 100 based on the comparison result by the comparison unit 630. The coordinate determining unit 640 determines the first coordinate value as the positioning coordinate of the drone 100 when the difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value. Since the speed range of the drone 100 is predetermined, the amount of change in the first coordinate value from the previous value can be estimated to some extent. If the amount of change is within this assumed range, it is assumed that the occurrence of multipath due to reflection, measurement error, and disturbance are small, and the reliability of the first coordinate value is ensured by the second coordinate value.

If the difference between the first coordinate value calculated by the comparison unit 630 and the history value of the first coordinate value is larger than a predetermined value, the coordinate determining unit 640 sets the second coordinate value as the positioning coordinate of the drone 100. The predetermined value may be set based on the moving speed of the drone 100. If the change in the first coordinate value exceeds the expected range considering the moving speed of the drone 100, there is a possibility that the obtained first coordinate value does not indicate the correct position due to multipath occurrence due to reflection, measurement error, or disturbance. This is because of the high Further, the predetermined value may be uniformly set based on the moving speed that the drone 100 can exhibit, or may be calculated based on the moving speed at the time of acquiring the first coordinate value or the second coordinate value. good.

Further, the comparison unit 630 determines whether the difference between the second coordinate value and the history value of the first coordinate value is less than or equal to a predetermined value, and the coordinate determination unit 640 determines whether the difference between the second coordinate value and the history value of the first coordinate value is less than or equal to the predetermined value. , the second coordinate value may be the positioning coordinate of the drone 100. According to this configuration, the reliability of the second coordinate values can be made more reliable.

According to this configuration, by referring to a plurality of reference points, it is possible to eliminate the effects of measurement errors and disturbances and accurately determine the coordinates of the drone.

Furthermore, when the difference between the first coordinate value and the history value of the first coordinate value exceeds a predetermined value, the coordinate determining unit 640 uses the coordinates estimated by the coordinate estimating unit 660 based on the acceleration as the positioning coordinates of the drone 100. May be confirmed. Here, when coordinates are generated based on acceleration, acceleration detection errors are accumulated due to integral calculations, so if coordinates generated based on acceleration are used for a long time, this will cause coordinate errors. Therefore, the positioning device 600 measures the time during which the difference between the first coordinate value and the history value of the first coordinate value exceeds a predetermined value and the coordinates generated based on acceleration are adopted, and the If this continues for a period of time or longer, the use of the coordinates generated based on the acceleration for control may be stopped and the drone 100 may be caused to perform an evacuation operation. The evacuation operation is, for example, hovering, but may also be a normal landing operation in which the drone lands on the spot, or an emergency landing operation in which the rotor blades are immediately stopped and the drone 100 is dropped. Further, if the time period continues for a predetermined period or more, coordinates generated by another method may be used for control. Another method is, for example, a method of finding another reference point, but is not limited to this method. According to such a configuration, it is possible to avoid significant deterioration in the accuracy of the position control and speed control of the drone 100.

Moreover, instead of or in addition to the coordinate values, the coordinate acquisition unit 620 may acquire the speed of the drone 100 based on a satellite signal from the positioning satellite 410a or 410b (see FIG. 16(a)). For example, the coordinate acquisition unit 620 calculates the speed within the predetermined time based on the transition of the coordinate values within the predetermined time. At this time, the coordinate storage unit 650 stores the history value of the first velocity determined based on the satellite signal from the first positioning satellite 410a. The comparison unit 630 calculates the difference between the first speed and the history value of the first speed. The coordinate determining unit 640 determines the first speed as the speed of the drone 100 when the difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value. If the difference exceeds a predetermined value, the coordinate determining unit 640 determines the second speed determined based on the satellite signal from the second positioning satellite 410b as the speed of the drone. According to this configuration, the speed of the drone can be accurately measured. Further, the coordinate determining unit 640 may estimate the speed based on the acceleration and determine this estimated value as the speed of the drone 100 when the difference exceeds a predetermined value. Further, the time period during which the speed estimated based on the acceleration is adopted may be measured, and if the time period continues for a predetermined period or more, the drone 100 may be caused to perform a retreat operation. Alternatively, the speed generated by another method may be used for control. This is because even when estimating speed based on acceleration, acceleration detection errors are accumulated due to integral calculations, so using it for a long time will cause speed errors.

●Processing flow (1)
A processing flow for positioning the coordinates of the drone 100 will be described using FIG. 9. First, the reference point determination unit 610 determines a first reference point D1 and a second reference point D2 (see FIG. 6) (S1). Next, the coordinate acquisition unit 620 acquires a first coordinate value of the drone 100 using the first reference point D1 as a reference, and acquires a second coordinate value of the drone 100 using the second reference point D2 as a reference (S2).

Next, the comparison unit 630 calculates the difference between the first coordinate value and the history value of the first coordinate value (S3). It is determined whether the difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value (S4), and if it is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the first coordinate value is determined to be the coordinate of the drone 100 (S5). When the difference exceeds a predetermined value in step S4, the second coordinate value is determined as the positioning coordinate (S6). Alternatively, in step S6, the coordinates of the drone 100 may be estimated based on the acceleration of the drone 100, and the estimated values may be determined as the positioning coordinates. In this configuration, it may be determined whether the time during which coordinates estimated based on acceleration are being used for control as positioning coordinates continues for a predetermined time or more, and if applicable, the drone 100 may be caused to perform an evacuation operation. Alternatively, coordinates estimated by another method may be used as positioning coordinates.

●Functional part of positioning device (2)
The second embodiment of the positioning system 1001 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 10, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, when the difference between the first coordinate value and the second coordinate value is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the coordinates are estimated based on the acceleration of the drone.

The positioning device 601 in the second embodiment includes a reference point determination section 610, a coordinate acquisition section 620, a comparison section 631, a coordinate determination section 641, and a coordinate estimation section 660. Note that the same components as in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals.

The comparison unit 631 compares the first coordinate value obtained using the first reference point obtained by the coordinate acquisition unit 620 as a reference and the second coordinate value obtained using the second reference point as a reference. Specifically, the comparison unit 630 calculates the difference between the first coordinate value and the second coordinate value.

The coordinate determining unit 641 determines the first coordinate value as the positioning coordinate of the drone 100 when the difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value. If the difference exceeds a predetermined value, the coordinate determining unit 640 sets the estimated coordinate values estimated from the acceleration by the coordinate estimating unit 660 as the positioning coordinates of the drone 100.

Note that when the difference exceeds a predetermined value, the comparison unit 631 calculates the difference between the estimated coordinate value and the first coordinate value or the second coordinate value, and the coordinate determination unit 641 determines that the difference is less than or equal to the predetermined value. In this case, the estimated coordinate values may be used as the positioning coordinates. Since the difference between the estimated coordinate value and the first coordinate value or the second coordinate value is small, the reliability of the estimated coordinate value is further ensured. Further, when the difference between the estimated coordinate value and the first coordinate value or the second coordinate value is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the coordinate determining unit 641 adopts the first coordinate value or the second coordinate value as the positioning coordinate. Good too.

Further, the coordinate acquisition unit 620 may acquire the speed of the drone 100 based on a reference point instead of or in addition to the coordinate values. At this time, the comparison unit 630 compares the first speed calculated based on the first satellite signal received from the first positioning satellite 410a and the second speed calculated based on the second satellite signal received from the second positioning satellite 410b. Calculate the difference between the two speeds. The coordinate determining unit 640 determines the first speed as the speed of the drone 100 when the difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value. If the difference exceeds a predetermined value, the coordinate determining unit 640 determines the speed calculated by the coordinate estimating unit 660 as the speed of the drone. For example, the coordinate estimation unit 660 can calculate the speed of the drone 100 by integrating the acceleration of the drone 100 once. According to this configuration, even if an error occurs in speed calculation by relative positioning, the speed of the drone can be accurately measured. Note that the time period during which the speed estimated based on the acceleration is adopted may be measured, and if the time period continues for a predetermined period or longer, the drone 100 may be caused to perform an evacuation operation. Alternatively, the speed generated by another method may be used for control.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 16(a), the drone 100 is equipped with a plurality of antennas 504a-1 and 504a-2, and the antennas 504a-1 and 504a-2 are connected to the first satellite from the first positioning satellite 410a. signal and a second satellite signal from second positioning satellite 410b, respectively. Further, as shown in FIG. 16(b), in another embodiment, the drone 100b may receive satellite signals from a plurality of positioning satellites 410a and 410b using one antenna 504a-1. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 16(c), a drone 100c according to yet another embodiment includes a plurality of antennas 504a-1 and 504a-2, and each antenna 504a-1 and 504a-2 has one antenna. Different first and second satellite signals may be received from one positioning satellite 410a.

●Processing flow (2)
As shown in FIG. 11, the reference point determination unit 610 determines a first reference point D1 and a second reference point D2 (see FIG. 6) (S11). Next, the coordinate acquisition unit 620 acquires a first coordinate value of the drone 100 using the first reference point D1 as a reference, and acquires a second coordinate value of the drone 100 using the second reference point D2 as a reference (S12).

Next, the comparison unit 630 calculates the difference between the first coordinate value and the second coordinate value (S13). It is determined whether the difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value (S14), and if it is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the first coordinate value is determined to be the coordinate of the drone 100 (S15). If the difference exceeds a predetermined value in step S14, the coordinates of the drone 100 are estimated based on the acceleration of the drone 100, and the estimated values are determined as the positioning coordinates (S16). In this configuration, it may be determined whether the time during which coordinates estimated based on acceleration are being used for control as positioning coordinates continues for a predetermined time or more, and if applicable, the drone 100 may be caused to perform an evacuation operation. Alternatively, coordinates estimated by another method may be used as positioning coordinates.
●Functional part of speed estimation device (1)
A first embodiment of a speed estimation system 1002 according to the present invention will be described using FIG. 12. The speed estimation system 1002 is a system that estimates the moving speed of the drone 100 instead of the coordinates of the drone 100. Note that components similar to those of the positioning system 1000 are given the same reference numerals.

Speed estimation system 1002 includes speed estimation device 602. The speed estimation device 602 includes a reference point determination section 610, a speed measurement section 622, a comparison section 631, a speed determination section 642, a speed storage section 652, and a speed estimation section 662. Note that the same components as in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals.

Speed measurement unit 622 is a functional unit that measures the speed of drone 100 based on satellite signals from positioning satellite 410. For example, the speed measurement unit 622 calculates the speed within the predetermined time based on the transition of the coordinate values within the predetermined time. At this time, the speed storage unit 652 stores the history value of the first speed determined using the first reference point D1 as a reference. The comparison unit 632 calculates the difference between the first speed and the history value of the first speed.

As shown in FIG. 16(a), the speed measuring unit 622 receives the first satellite signal and the second satellite signal transmitted from the plurality of positioning satellites 410a and 410b using antennas 504a-1 and 504a-2, respectively. , generating a first velocity based on the first satellite signal and generating a second velocity based on the second satellite signal. Note that, as shown in FIG. 16(b), the speed measurement unit 622 receives the first satellite signal and the second satellite signal transmitted from the plurality of positioning satellites 410a and 410b using one antenna 504a-1. Good too. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 16(c), a drone 100c according to yet another embodiment includes a plurality of antennas 504a-1 and 504a-2, and each antenna 504a-1 and 504a-2 has one antenna. Different first and second satellite signals may be received from one positioning satellite 410a.

The speed measurement unit 622 periodically acquires speed. The speed acquired by the speed measurement section 622 is stored in the speed storage section 652. The speed storage unit 652 stores at least the first speed calculated before the previous time by the speed measurement unit 622, that is, the history value of the first speed. The history value of the first speed may be a previous value of the first speed acquired last time. When the next first speed is acquired, the speed storage unit 652 may overwrite the stored first speed, or may store a plurality of first speeds together with the order in which they were measured. Further, the speed storage unit 652 may store a second speed in addition to the first speed.

The comparison unit 632 is a functional unit that compares the first speed obtained based on the first satellite signal acquired by the speed measurement unit 622 and the history value of the first speed stored in the speed storage unit 652. be. Specifically, the comparison unit 632 calculates the difference between the first speed and the history value of the first speed.

The speed estimation unit 662 is a functional unit that estimates the speed of the drone 100 based on the acceleration of the drone 100. The speed estimation unit 662 estimates the speed of the drone 100 by integrating the measured values of the acceleration sensor mounted on the drone 100. In this embodiment, the 6-axis gyro sensor 505 has the function of an acceleration sensor. For example, the speed estimating unit 662 may estimate the current speed by adding the integral value of acceleration measured from the time when the history value of the first speed was obtained to the present time to the history value of the first speed. . Note that the speed of the drone 100 may be measured by photographing the drone 100 from outside the drone 100, instead of being measured by a sensor mounted on the drone 100.

If the difference between the first coordinate value calculated by the comparison unit 630 and the history value of the first coordinate value is larger than a predetermined value, the speed determining unit 642 sets the second speed as the positioning speed of the drone 100. According to this configuration, the speed of the drone can be accurately measured.

Further, the speed determining unit 642 determines the speed estimated by the speed estimating unit 662 based on the acceleration as the speed of the drone 100 when the difference between the first speed and the history value of the first speed exceeds a predetermined value. It's okay. If the difference exceeds a predetermined value, the speed determination unit 642 may estimate the speed based on the acceleration and determine this estimated value as the speed of the drone 100. Further, the time period during which the speed estimated based on the acceleration is adopted may be measured, and if the time period continues for a predetermined period or more, the drone 100 may be caused to perform a retreat operation. Alternatively, the speed generated by another method may be used for control.

●Processing flow (3)
A processing flow for measuring the speed of the drone 100 will be described using FIG. 13. First, the speed measurement unit 622 obtains the first speed of the drone 100 based on the first satellite signal received from the first positioning satellite 410a, and also obtains the first speed of the drone 100 based on the second satellite signal received from the second positioning satellite 410b. to obtain the second speed of drone 100 (S21).

Next, the comparison unit 632 calculates the difference between the first speed and the history value of the first speed (S22). It is determined whether the difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value (S23), and if it is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the first speed is determined to be the speed of the drone 100 (S24). If the difference exceeds the predetermined value in step S23, the second speed is determined as the speed (S25). Furthermore, in step S25, the speed of the drone 100 may be estimated based on the acceleration of the drone 100, and the estimated value may be determined as the positioning coordinate. In this configuration, it may be determined whether the time period during which the speed estimated based on the acceleration is being used for control continues for a predetermined period of time or more, and if applicable, the drone 100 may be caused to perform an evacuation operation. Alternatively, the speed estimated by another method may be used.

●Functional part of speed estimation device (2)
With reference to FIG. 14, a description will be given of a speed estimation system 1003 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, focusing on the parts that are different from the speed estimation system 1002 according to the first embodiment. Speed estimation system 1003 calculates a first speed and a second speed based on at least two different satellite signals, and determines the speed of drone 100 according to the difference.

The speed estimating device 603 in the second embodiment includes a reference point determining section 610, a speed measuring section 623, a comparing section 633, a speed determining section 643, and a speed estimating section 662. Note that the same components as in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIG. 16(a), the speed measuring unit 622 receives the first satellite signal and the second satellite signal transmitted from the plurality of positioning satellites 410a and 410b using antennas 504a-1 and 504a-2, respectively. , generate a first velocity and a second velocity based on the first satellite signal and the second satellite signal, respectively. Note that, as shown in FIG. 16(b), the speed measuring unit 622 receives the first satellite signal and the second satellite signal transmitted from the plurality of positioning satellites 410a and 410b using one antenna 504a-1. Good too.

Comparison section 633 compares the first speed obtained based on the first satellite signal obtained by speed measurement section 623 and the second speed obtained based on the second satellite signal. Specifically, the comparison unit 633 calculates the difference between the first speed and the second speed.

The speed determining unit 643 sets the first speed to the speed of the drone 100 when the difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value. If the difference exceeds a predetermined value, the speed determining unit 643 sets the estimated speed estimated from the acceleration by the speed estimating unit 662 as the speed of the drone 100.

Note that when the difference exceeds a predetermined value, the comparing section 633 calculates the difference between the estimated speed and the first speed or the second speed, and the speed determining section 643 calculates the difference between the estimated speed and the first speed or the second speed, and when the difference is less than the predetermined value, the speed determining section 643 calculates the difference between the estimated speed and the first speed or the second speed. The estimated speed may be determined as the positioning speed. Since the difference between the estimated speed and the first speed or the second speed is small, the reliability of the estimated speed is further ensured. Furthermore, when the difference between the estimated speed and the first speed or the second speed is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the speed determination unit 643 may adopt the first speed or the second speed as the positioning speed.

The speed determining unit 643 may estimate the speed based on the acceleration and determine this estimated value as the speed of the drone 100 when the difference between the first speed and the second speed exceeds a predetermined value. Further, the time period during which the speed estimated based on the acceleration is adopted may be measured, and if the time period continues for a predetermined period or more, the drone 100 may be caused to perform a retreat operation. Alternatively, the speed generated by another method may be used for control.

●Processing flow (4)
As shown in FIG. 15, the speed measuring unit 623 obtains the first speed of the drone 100 based on the satellite signal from the first positioning satellite 410a, and also obtains the first speed of the drone 100 based on the satellite signal from the second positioning satellite 410b. Obtain the second velocity of (S31).

Next, the comparison unit 633 calculates the difference between the first speed and the second speed (S32). It is determined whether the difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value (S33), and if it is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the first speed is determined to be the speed of the drone 100 (S34). When the difference exceeds a predetermined value in step S33, the speed of the drone 100 is estimated based on the acceleration of the drone 100, and the estimated speed is determined as the speed of the drone 100 (S35). In this configuration, it may be determined whether the time period during which the speed estimated based on the acceleration is being used for control continues for a predetermined period of time or more, and if applicable, the drone 100 may be caused to perform an evacuation operation. Alternatively, the speed estimated by another method may be used.

(Technically remarkable effects of the claimed invention)
In the positioning system according to the present invention, the coordinates of a moving object such as a drone can be determined with high precision. Moreover, in the speed estimation system according to the present invention, the speed of a moving object such as a drone can be estimated with high accuracy. In particular, agricultural drones that spray chemicals in fields or monitor crop growth need to fly accurately with an error of about 1 to 2 cm in order to ensure spraying and monitoring accuracy. In addition, since drones fly using the amount of electricity stored in their batteries, they need to move at a faster speed than land-based agricultural machines in order to complete work in the field with fewer charges. Therefore, highly accurate positioning with high real-time performance is important for drone flight. In the positioning system according to the present invention, since the coordinates of an agricultural drone can be determined with high precision, precision agriculture using the drone can be realized.

In addition, in this explanation, the positioning system, speed estimation system, and positioning method for positioning the coordinates of the drone have been explained, but the positioning system, speed estimation system, and positioning method according to the present invention are not limited to drones, but can also be applied to land-based machines. Applicable.

Claims (17)

A positioning system that measures the coordinates of a moving object,
a coordinate acquisition unit that periodically calculates a first coordinate value and a second coordinate value indicating the position of the moving body using at least two different reference points as reference points;
a coordinate storage unit that stores history values of at least the first coordinate values calculated before the previous time by the coordinate acquisition unit;
a comparison unit that calculates a difference between the first coordinate value and a history value of the first coordinate value;
a coordinate determination unit that determines the second coordinate value as the positioning coordinate of the moving body when the difference exceeds a predetermined value;
Equipped with
Positioning system.
The coordinate determination unit determines the first coordinate value as the positioning coordinate of the moving body when the difference is less than or equal to the predetermined value.
The positioning system according to claim 1.
further comprising a reference point determination unit that determines the reference point that the coordinate acquisition unit uses as a calculation reference;
The reference point determination unit determines a reference point closest to the coordinates of the moving body determined by independent positioning as a reference point for the calculation.
The positioning system according to claim 1 or 2.
a speed measurement unit that generates a first speed indicating the speed of the moving object based on a first satellite signal and generates a second speed indicating the speed of the moving object based on the second satellite signal; 4. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: a speed determination unit that determines the second speed as the speed of the moving body when a difference between the first speed and the history value of the first speed exceeds a predetermined value. The positioning system described in .
comprising a first antenna and a second antenna for receiving satellite signals;
generating a first speed indicating the speed of the moving object based on the satellite signal received by the first antenna; and generating a first speed indicating the speed of the moving object based on the satellite signal received by the second antenna. a speed measurement unit that generates two speeds;
Claims 1 to 3 further comprising: a speed determination unit that determines the second speed as the speed of the moving body when a difference between the first speed and a history value of the first speed exceeds a predetermined value. The positioning system described in any of the above.
A positioning system that measures the coordinates of a moving object,
a coordinate acquisition unit that periodically calculates a first coordinate value and a second coordinate value indicating the position of the moving body using at least two different reference points as reference points;
a coordinate estimation unit that estimates coordinate values of the moving body based on the acceleration of the moving body;
a comparison unit that calculates a difference between the first coordinate value and the second coordinate value;
a coordinate determination unit that determines the coordinate values estimated based on the acceleration as the positioning coordinates of the moving body when the difference exceeds a predetermined value;
Equipped with
Positioning system.
a speed measurement unit that generates a first speed indicating the speed of the moving object based on a first satellite signal and generates a second speed indicating the speed of the moving object based on a second satellite signal;
Further comprising: a speed determination unit that determines the speed estimated based on the acceleration as the speed of the moving body when the difference between the first speed and the second speed exceeds a predetermined value;
The positioning system according to claim 6.
comprising a first antenna and a second antenna for receiving satellite signals;
generating a first speed indicating the speed of the moving object based on the satellite signal received by the first antenna; and generating a first speed indicating the speed of the moving object based on the satellite signal received by the second antenna. a speed measurement unit that generates two speeds;
8. The positioning system according to claim 6, further comprising: a speed determination unit that determines the second speed as the speed of the moving body when a difference between the first speed and the second speed exceeds a predetermined value.
A mobile body having a positioning system that measures position coordinates while moving,
The positioning system is the positioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
mobile object.
A speed estimation system for estimating the moving speed of a moving object,
A speed at which a first speed indicating the speed of the moving object is periodically generated based on a first satellite signal, and a second speed indicating the speed of the moving object is periodically generated based on a second satellite signal. A measurement section;
a speed storage unit that stores a history value of the first speed calculated before the previous time by the speed measurement unit;
a comparison unit that calculates a difference between the first speed and a history value of the first speed;
a speed determining unit that determines the second speed as the speed of the moving object when the difference exceeds a predetermined value;
Equipped with
Speed estimation system.
comprising a first antenna and a second antenna for receiving satellite signals;
generating a first velocity indicating the velocity of the moving body based on the satellite signal received by the first antenna; and a second velocity indicating the velocity of the moving body based on the satellite signal received by the second antenna. a speed measurement unit that generates speed;
a speed storage unit that stores a history value of the first speed calculated before the previous time by the speed measurement unit;
a comparison unit that calculates a difference between the first speed and a history value of the first speed;
a speed determining unit that determines the second speed as the speed of the moving object when the difference exceeds a predetermined value;
Equipped with
Speed estimation system.
A speed estimation system for estimating the moving speed of a moving object,
A speed at which a first speed indicating the speed of the moving object is periodically generated based on a first satellite signal, and a second speed indicating the speed of the moving object is periodically generated based on a second satellite signal. A measurement section;
a speed estimation unit that estimates the speed of the moving object based on the acceleration of the moving object;
a comparison unit that calculates a difference between the first speed and the second speed;
a speed determination unit that determines the speed estimated based on the acceleration as the speed of the moving body when the difference exceeds a predetermined value;
Equipped with
Speed estimation system.
comprising a first antenna and a second antenna for receiving satellite signals;
generating a first velocity indicating the velocity of the moving body based on the satellite signal received by the first antenna; and a second velocity indicating the velocity of the moving body based on the satellite signal received by the second antenna. a speed measurement unit that generates speed;
a speed estimation unit that estimates the speed of the moving object based on the acceleration of the moving object;
a comparison unit that calculates a difference between the first speed and the second speed;
a speed determination unit that determines the speed estimated based on the acceleration as the speed of the moving body when the difference exceeds a predetermined value;
Equipped with
Speed estimation system.
A positioning method for positioning the coordinates of a moving object,
a coordinate obtaining step of calculating a first coordinate value and a second coordinate value indicating the position of the moving object, using at least two different reference points as reference points;
a comparison step of calculating a difference between the first coordinate value and the second coordinate value, and determining the first coordinate value as the positioning coordinate of the moving body when the difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value; a confirmation step;
including,
Positioning method.
A positioning method for positioning the coordinates of a moving object,
a coordinate acquisition step of periodically calculating first coordinate values and second coordinate values indicating the position of the moving object, using at least two different reference points as reference points;
a coordinate estimating step of estimating coordinate values of the moving body based on the acceleration of the moving body;
a comparison step of calculating a difference between the first coordinate value and the second coordinate value;
If the difference exceeds a predetermined value, a coordinate determination step of determining coordinate values estimated based on the acceleration as the positioning coordinates of the moving object;
including,
Positioning method.
A speed estimation method for estimating the moving speed of a moving object, the method comprising:
A speed at which a first speed indicating the speed of the moving object is periodically generated based on a first satellite signal, and a second speed indicating the speed of the moving object is periodically generated based on a second satellite signal. measurement step;
a speed storage step of storing a history value of the first speed calculated before the previous time in the speed measurement step;
a comparison step of calculating a difference between the first speed and a historical value of the first speed;
a speed determining step of determining the second speed as the speed of the moving body when the difference exceeds a predetermined value;
including,
Speed estimation method.
A speed estimation method for estimating the moving speed of a moving object, the method comprising:
A speed at which a first speed indicating the speed of the moving object is periodically generated based on a first satellite signal, and a second speed indicating the speed of the moving object is periodically generated based on a second satellite signal. measurement step;
a speed estimation step of estimating the speed of the moving object based on the acceleration of the moving object;
a comparison step of calculating a difference between the first speed and the second speed;
a speed determining step of determining the speed estimated based on the acceleration as the speed of the moving body when the difference exceeds a predetermined value;
including,
Speed estimation method.

Images