JP7456908B2 - Unmanned aerial vehicle control device for roof inspection - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a control device for an unmanned aircraft suitable for roof inspection.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a method has been known that uses an unmanned aerial vehicle to inspect the position of a high place using a camera (imaging device) mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle. Additionally, various functions to assist the operation of unmanned aircraft are being studied. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a control device that controls an unmanned aircraft that is equipped with an imaging device that can take an overhead image. This control device calculates the relative position of the unmanned aircraft with respect to the reference point on the roof, calculates the position coordinates of the reference point in the bird's-eye view image, and calculates the position of the unmanned aircraft in the bird's-eye view image based on the position coordinates of the reference point and the relative position of the unmanned aircraft. The position coordinates of the aircraft are calculated, and an icon indicating the position of the unmanned aircraft is displayed at the position coordinates of the unmanned aircraft in the overhead image.

JP2019-178998A

By the way, in the control system shown in Patent Document 1, the relative position is calculated from the position coordinates of a preset roof reference point and the position coordinates of the unmanned aircraft, and the position of the unmanned aircraft is reflected in the captured overhead image. be able to. Thereby, the position coordinates of the unmanned aircraft in the bird's-eye view image can be confirmed.

However, when inspecting a roof, an unmanned aircraft may be flown to a specific location on the roof. It is difficult to move the unmanned aircraft to a more accurate position (location coordinates) because the operator must operate the unmanned aircraft while checking the icon.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and its purpose is to fly an unmanned aerial vehicle to a desired position with higher accuracy and inspect the roof based on the captured bird's-eye view image of the roof. Our goal is to provide a control system for unmanned aircraft that can

In view of the above problems, the control device for an unmanned aircraft according to the present invention includes an imaging device that photographs the roof of a building, a coordinate detection sensor that detects horizontal coordinates, a direction detection sensor that detects the direction, and an altitude detection sensor. A control device that controls an unmanned aerial vehicle for roof inspection on which an altitude detection sensor is mounted based on input data inputted by an input device, the control device controlling the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle. and a building information recording unit that records the reference coordinates of the building and the roof height of the roof input as the input data as building information. , a first flight control unit that causes the unmanned aircraft to fly to the reference coordinates and imaging altitude above the roof based on the reference coordinates of the building and the roof height; a first imaging control unit that causes the imaging device to image the roof at the timing when the imaging altitude is reached; an overall image acquisition unit that acquires a bird's-eye view image including the entire imaged roof; a scale calculation unit that calculates a scale of the roof corresponding to the vertical and horizontal lengths of pixels of the bird's-eye view image based on the difference between the two and the angle of view of the imaging device; A coordinate calculating section that calculates position coordinates for each pixel of the image forming apparatus.

According to the present invention, the position coordinates, direction, and altitude detected by the coordinate detection sensor, direction detection sensor, and altitude detection sensor mounted on the unmanned aircraft are used as the position coordinates, direction, and altitude of the unmanned aircraft, and are controlled. The device allows unmanned aerial vehicles to fly above rooftops. The control device can image the roof from the unmanned aircraft flying under flight control at a desired image capturing timing.

Specifically, the first flight control unit can fly the unmanned aircraft to an imaging altitude at which the entire roof can be captured in the image in the reference coordinates. Furthermore, the first imaging control section allows the imaging device to image the entire roof at the timing when the reference coordinates and imaging altitude are reached. Thereby, the entire image acquisition unit can acquire an overhead image of the entire roof to be inspected.

Next, the scale calculation unit calculates a scale corresponding to the vertical and horizontal lengths of pixels of the bird's-eye view image from the difference between the imaging altitude and the roof height and the angle of view of the imaging device. By calculating the scale of the roof corresponding to the vertical and horizontal lengths of pixels, the actual vertical and horizontal dimensions of the bird's-eye view image can be obtained. Next, the coordinate calculation unit can calculate the position coordinates (latitude and longitude) for each pixel of the bird's-eye view image from the scale and the reference coordinates. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the unmanned aircraft can be flown based on the actually captured overhead image of the roof.

In this way, the roof position coordinates can be calculated for each pixel of the bird's-eye view image, and the roof position coordinates corresponding to the pixels can be assigned. As a result, based on the position coordinates of the roof, it is possible to accurately fly the unmanned aerial vehicle to a desired position in the overhead image (specifically, a desired position on the roof), image the roof, and obtain the image. I can do it. The "roof height" here refers to the height related to the roof, such as the height of the building and the height of the eaves of the roof.For example, when calculating the scale of the scale calculation section, the roof height is It is preferable to set it as height. This makes it possible to accurately calculate the scale of the roof along the eaves of the roof.

Here, the imaging altitude is not particularly limited as long as the entire roof is reflected by the imaging device, but in a more preferable embodiment, the building information recording unit records the dimensions of the roof in plan view. The information is recorded as building information, and the control device further includes an imaging altitude calculation unit that calculates the imaging altitude based on the dimensions of the roof, the roof height, and the angle of view of the imaging device.

According to this aspect, it is possible to calculate the imaging altitude at which the entire roof can penetrate, based on the roof dimensions recorded as building information in the building information recording section, the roof height, and the viewing angle of the imaging device. In addition, if the imaging altitude is calculated using the roof height as the building height, a higher imaging altitude will be calculated than when calculating the imaging altitude using the roof height as the eaves height, so it will be safer. It is possible to image the entire roof of a building from a certain imaging altitude.

The mode of flight control is not particularly limited as long as it is possible to fly the unmanned aircraft and photograph the roof using the position coordinates associated with each pixel of the bird's-eye view image as the target coordinates, but a preferred mode is The control device includes a route setting pixel recording unit that records a plurality of pixels of the bird's-eye view image selected via the input device as route setting pixels for setting a flight route of the unmanned aircraft as the input data. a flight route setting unit that sets a flight route including the direction and altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the position coordinates of the route setting pixel; and a flight route setting unit that sets imaging coordinates for imaging the roof portion on the flight route. a second flight control unit that causes the unmanned aircraft to fly along the flight route; and a second flight control unit that causes the unmanned aerial vehicle to image the roof portion at the timing when the unmanned aerial vehicle reaches the imaging coordinates. and a partial image acquisition unit that acquires a captured image of the roof portion.

According to this aspect, the route setting pixel recording unit records the pixels selected by the operator among the pixels of the bird's-eye view image as route setting pixels, and the flight route setting unit records the pixels including the direction and altitude of the unmanned aircraft. Flight routes can be set. Further, using the position coordinates assigned to each pixel of the bird's-eye view image, the imaging coordinate setting unit sets imaging coordinates for imaging the roof portion on the set flight route. In this way, the second flight control section causes the unmanned aircraft to fly along the set flight route, and the partial image acquisition section causes the imaging device to display a portion of the roof at the timing when the unmanned aerial vehicle reaches the imaging coordinates. It is possible to take an image of the roof and obtain an inspection image of the roof. In this way, it is possible to set the flight route of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the actual bird's-eye view image of the roof, so the situation of the roof of the building can be grasped in real time, and images for inspection of the roof can be easily created. can be obtained.

According to the present invention, the roof can be inspected by flying an unmanned aerial vehicle to a desired position with higher accuracy based on the captured bird's-eye view image of the roof.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an unmanned aircraft control system including an unmanned aircraft control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the unmanned aircraft shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the operating terminal shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a control block diagram showing a control device installed in the operation terminal shown in FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the roof shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a side view of the building showing the relationship between the building shown in FIG. 1 and an unmanned aerial vehicle. 4 is an overhead image of a roof captured by an imaging device mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle shown in FIG. 3 . 4 is a control flow diagram of the control device shown in FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of a control device for an unmanned aircraft according to a second embodiment. 8 is a diagram showing the flight route of the unmanned aircraft in the bird's-eye view image shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 11 is a modification of the flight route according to FIG. 10. 8 is a diagram showing imaging coordinates on the flight route in the bird's-eye view image shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 10 is a control flow diagram of the control device shown in FIG. 9. FIG.

The following describes a control device for an unmanned aerial vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an unmanned aircraft control system 1 including control devices 39 and 59 for controlling an unmanned aircraft 30 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the unmanned aircraft 30 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the operating terminal 50 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a control block diagram showing the control device 59 installed in the operating terminal 50 shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, as described later, there are two control devices: a control device 39 mounted on the unmanned aircraft 30 and a control device 59 mounted on the operating terminal 50. The control device 39 mounted on the unmanned aircraft 30 controls the flight itself (specifically, actuators such as the drive device 36), such as flight stability of the unmanned aircraft 30. On the other hand, the control device 59 of the operation terminal 50 sets the flight destination of the unmanned aircraft 30, sets the flight route, and sets the imaging coordinates of the imaging device 35, and then controls the unmanned aircraft according to the settings. It controls the flight of the aircraft 30. Therefore, the control device 59 transmits control commands regarding flight and imaging timing to the unmanned aircraft 30, and the control device 59 mounted on the operating terminal 50 described below corresponds to the control device of the present invention. In this embodiment, two control devices, the control devices 39 and 59, are used, but they may be integrated into the unmanned aircraft 30 or the operating terminal 50 as one control device.

As shown in FIG. 1, the unmanned aircraft control system 1 according to the present embodiment includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 10 and an operation terminal 50 that controls the unmanned aerial vehicle 30. The unmanned aircraft control system 1 may further include a controller that directly controls the unmanned aircraft 30. In this embodiment, the unmanned aircraft control system 1 is used when inspecting the roof 11 of the building 10 to see if there is any abnormality such as damage.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 30 is a so-called drone, and autonomously flies to above the target roof 11 and images the roof 11 based on data transmitted from the operating terminal 50, which will be described later. The unmanned aircraft 30 transmits the captured image to the operating terminal 50.

The operation terminal 50 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, etc. on which a predetermined program (application software) is installed, and is a smartphone in this embodiment. The operating terminal 50 acquires a video (moving image) and an image (still image) captured by the imaging device 35 of the unmanned aircraft 30, and displays the image on a display device 52, which will be described later.

Below, the unmanned aircraft 30 and the operating terminal 50 will be explained in more detail.

[Configuration of unmanned aircraft 30]
As shown in FIG. 2, the unmanned aircraft 30 includes a communication device 31, a coordinate detection sensor (GPS) 32, a direction detection sensor (gyro sensor) 33, an altitude detection sensor 34, an imaging device 35, and a drive device 36. and a control device 39.

The communication device 31 wirelessly transmits and receives data to and from the operating terminal 50 . The main data that the communication device 31 receives from the operating terminal 50 is data for flight control and imaging control, such as data on the flight route of the unmanned aircraft 30 and imaging timing. The main data that the communication device 31 transmits to the operation terminal 50 includes position coordinate data from the coordinate detection sensor 32, azimuth data from the azimuth detection sensor 33, altitude data from the altitude detection sensor 34, and altitude data from the imaging device 35, which will be described later. image data, etc.

The coordinate detection sensor 32 receives the GPS signal and detects the position (longitude, latitude) of the coordinate detection sensor 32, that is, the position of the unmanned aircraft 30 itself, based on the received GPS signal. The direction detection sensor 33 detects the direction in which the unmanned aircraft 30 is facing (direction in front of the unmanned aircraft 30). The altitude detection sensor 34 is composed of, for example, an atmospheric pressure sensor that measures atmospheric pressure, and detects the height of the unmanned aircraft 30 from the ground. Note that the height of the unmanned aircraft 30 relative to the ground may be detected based on the GPS signal received by the coordinate detection sensor 32 without providing the altitude detection sensor 34.

The imaging device 35 is a camera that can acquire color digital videos and images, and in this embodiment, images the roof 11 as a target object and acquires the videos and images. The imaging device 35 may have a panning function that moves the optical axis of the lens included in the imaging device 35 in the horizontal direction, and a tilting function that moves the optical axis of the lens included in the imaging device 35 in the vertical direction.

Although details are not shown, the drive device 36 includes a plurality of rotary blades, a motor that generates driving force to be applied to the rotary blades, and a storage battery that supplies power to the motor. By individually controlling the rotational speeds of the plurality of rotary blades, the flight height, flight path, flight speed, levelness, direction (azimuth), etc. of the unmanned aircraft 30 can be changed.

The control device 39 includes an arithmetic unit (CPU) 39a and a storage device (eg, RAM, ROM, etc.) 39b. Arithmetic device 39a executes an operation program stored in storage device 39b.

The control device 39 stores the altitude data, image coordinate data, turning angle data, etc. received from the operation terminal 50 via the communication device 31. The control device 39 controls the actuator, the drive device 36, based on commands from the operation terminal 50. Specifically, the control device 39 controls the drive device 36 based on the image coordinate data and flight height data to fly the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 autonomously. The control device 39 controls the image capture device 35 based on the image capture position data (data including position coordinates and altitude) to capture an image of the roof 11 at the image capture position. In addition, the control device 39 controls the drive device 36 based on the turning angle data to turn the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 by a predetermined angle in the horizontal direction. The control device 39 stores the image data acquired by the image capture device 35 and transmits it to the operation terminal 50. The control device 39 stores the detection result (detected direction) of the direction detection sensor 33 as direction data for the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 and transmits it to the operation terminal 50.

The control device 39 moves the unmanned aircraft 30 in a predetermined direction, turns the unmanned aircraft 30 at a predetermined angle, and adjusts the pan angle and tilt angle of the imaging device 35 based on various control signals directly input by the operator from the operation terminal 50. Alternatively, the image may be acquired by the imaging device 35.

[Configuration of operation terminal 50]
As shown in FIG. 3, the operating terminal 50 includes a communication device 51, a display device 52, an input device 53, and a control device 59. The display device 52 and the input device 53 may constitute a touch panel display. When directly controlling the unmanned aircraft 30, display the control button or control lever of the unmanned aircraft 30 on the display device 52, and operate it using the input device 53 (in the case of a touch panel display, by touching the screen). (operation).

The communication device 51 transmits and receives data to and from the communication device 31 of the unmanned aircraft 30, and the data communicated is as described above. The display device 52 displays map data and videos and images captured by the imaging device 35 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 30. Note that the map data may be acquired via the Internet, or may be stored in advance in a storage device 59b, which will be described later. The input device 53 is used for input by an operator, and inputs building information such as reference coordinates (Xs, Ys) that serve as a reference for the building 10 and building height H.

The control device 59 performs flight control and imaging control of the unmanned aircraft 30 based on input from the input device 53, and corresponds to the control device in the present invention. The control device 59 includes an arithmetic unit (CPU) 59a and a storage device (eg, RAM, ROM, etc.) 59b. Arithmetic device 59a executes an operation program stored in storage device 59b. By the control device 59 executing the program, each process described below can be realized. Such a program is obtained, for example, by downloading via the Internet, and is stored as an application in the storage device 59b. The control device 59 stores image data etc. received by the communication device 51.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the control device 59 of the operating terminal 50 of this embodiment will be described in detail. The control device 59 performs flight control of the unmanned aircraft 30 and image capturing control of the image capturing timing of the image capturing device 35. In this embodiment, the control device 59 includes, as software, a camera information recording section 501, a building information recording section 502, an imaging altitude calculation section 503, a first flight control section 504, a first imaging control section 505, and an overall image acquisition section 506. , a scale calculation section 507, and a coordinate calculation section 508.

The camera information recording unit 501 records device information unique to the imaging device 35 that is input via the input device 53. In the present embodiment, the camera information recording unit 501 stores device information specific to the imaging device 35, such as the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the image sensor of the imaging device 35, the focal length of the imaging device 35, and the angle of view of the imaging device 35. recorded.

The building information recording unit 502 records, as building information, the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys) that serve as a reference for the building 10 and the building height H1, which are input as input data via the input device 53. In this embodiment, the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys) are the positional coordinates of the center point C that is the reference of the roof 11, and specifically are the positional coordinates expressed in latitude and longitude. In this embodiment, the height H of the building 10 is an example of the "roof height" in the present invention, and is the height of the top (top) 14 of the roof 11 from the ground surface.

By specifying the position coordinates in terms of latitude and longitude, the unmanned aircraft 30 flights can be controlled by a control device 39.

When capturing an image of the entire roof 11, the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 flies to an imaging altitude Hc, which is higher than the height H of the building 10. This imaging altitude Hc is the height at which the entire roof 11 is captured by the imaging device 35, and may be set to a height obtained by adding a certain height to the height H of the building 10. The imaging altitude Hc is not particularly limited, so long as it is a height at which the inspection point on the roof 11 can be selected as a pixel in the image of the roof 11 captured at that height.

In this embodiment, the imaging altitude calculation unit 503 calculates the imaging altitude Hc based on the dimensions A and B of the roof 11, the height H of the building 10, and the viewing angle θ of the imaging device 35. In this case, the building information recording unit 502 further records dimensions A and B of the roof 11 in plan view as building information.

More specifically, in this embodiment, the dimensions A and B of the roof 11 are the maximum dimensions of the roof 11 in two orthogonal directions, and are the dimensions in the direction along the eaves 13 of the roof 11. preferable. In this embodiment, the dimension A of the roof 11 is the vertical dimension of the roof 11, and the dimension B of the roof 11 is the horizontal dimension of the roof 11. Further, the roof height may be the height Hr of the eaves 13 of the roof 11, but in this embodiment, it is the height H of the building 10, that is, the height from the ground surface to the top 14 of the roof of the building 10.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, from the difference ΔH between the imaging altitude Hc and the height H of the building 10 and the vertical (horizontal) angle of view θa (θb) of the imaging device 35, the vertical direction is 2ΔH. /A=tan(θa/2) holds true, and 2ΔH/B=tan(θb/2) holds true. From these values, ΔH is calculated for each, and the height H of the building 10 is added to the larger value of ΔH to obtain the imaging altitude Hc.

Alternatively, the imaging height Hc may be calculated from, for example, the following formulas (1) and (2): Here, the vertical length of the image sensor 35b of the imaging device 35 is denoted by la, the horizontal length by lb, and the focal length of the imaging device 35 (the distance from the image sensor 35b to the lens 35a) is denoted by F.
A = (Hc - H) x la / F ... (1)
B = (Hc - H) x lb / F ... (2)

In formulas (1) and (2), la/F and lb/F are values equivalent to the vertical and horizontal viewing angles θa and θb of the imaging device 35, and are values corresponding to the "viewing angle of the imaging device" in the present invention. Here, A, B, and H are values specific to the building 10, and F, la, and lb are values specific to the imaging device 35, so the imaging altitude Hc can be calculated by substituting these values. In this embodiment, the greater of the imaging altitudes Hc calculated from formulas (1) and (2) is used.

In the present embodiment, the imaging altitude calculation unit 503 calculates the imaging altitude Hc from the dimensions A and B of the roof 11. For example, let the area of the roof be S and the area of the image sensor 35b of the imaging device 35 be s. , the imaging altitude Hc may be calculated from the following equation (3).
S=(Hc-H)×s/F…(3)

In a plan view, when the shape of the roof 11 and the range of its aspect ratio are specified, the imaging height Hc can be calculated by using equation (3). Note that s/F is a value corresponding to the angle of view θ of the imaging device 35.

As described above, the imaging altitude calculation unit 503 can calculate the imaging altitude Hc based on the dimensions A and B of the roof 11, the height H of the building 10, and the angle of view θ of the imaging device 35. Note that in this embodiment, the imaging altitude Hc is calculated from the above formula, but the imaging altitude may be a value obtained by adding a predetermined height (for example, 5 m) to this calculated value.

The first flight control unit 504 flies the unmanned aircraft 30 to the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys) above the roof 11 and the imaging altitude Hc based on the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys) of the building 10 and the building height H. let Specifically, the imaging altitude Hc is a value calculated by the imaging altitude calculation unit 503 based on the building height H, which corresponds to the roof height. The added height may be used as the imaging altitude Hc. The first flight control unit 504 transmits the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys) and data on the calculated imaging altitude Hc to the unmanned aircraft 30 via the communication device 51.

The control device 39 of the unmanned aircraft 30 receives these data as a flight target point (flight command). Thereby, the control device 39 of the unmanned aircraft 30 drives the drive device 36. As a result, the unmanned aircraft 30 can be flown to the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys) above the roof 11 and the imaging altitude Hc.

The first imaging control unit 505 causes the imaging device 35 to image the entire roof 11 at the timing when the unmanned aircraft 30 reaches the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys) of the building 10 and the imaging altitude Hc. Specifically, the first imaging control unit 505 determines that the coordinate detection sensor 32 and the altitude detection sensor 34 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 have reached the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys) of the building 10 and the imaging altitude Hc. Determine based on coordinates and altitude. When the first imaging control unit 505 determines that the unmanned aircraft 30 has arrived, the first imaging control unit 505 transmits an imaging command to the imaging device 35 via the communication devices 51 and 31.

The entire image acquisition unit 506 acquires an overhead image G that includes the entire imaged roof 11. Specifically, in response to the first imaging control unit 505 transmitting the imaging command, the overall image acquisition unit 506 transmits the bird's-eye view image G from the unmanned aircraft 30 via the communication device 31, and sends it to the operating terminal. The overall image acquisition unit 506 records (acquires) the data of the bird's-eye view image G.

The scale calculation unit 507 calculates one pixel of the bird's-eye view image G1 from the difference ΔHr between the imaging altitude Hc and the roof height (in this embodiment, the height Hr of the eaves of the roof 11) and the angle of view θ of the imaging device 35. Calculate the scale corresponding to the length and width.

The difference between the imaging altitude Hc and the eaves height Hr of the roof 11 is ΔHr, the vertical (horizontal) angle of view θa (θb) of the imaging device 35, and the vertical and horizontal actual dimensions Ar and Br of the overhead image G give the relationship 2ΔHr/Ar = tan(θa/2) in the vertical direction, and 2ΔHr/Br = tan(θb/2) in the horizontal direction. By dividing the vertical and horizontal actual dimensions Ar and Br of the obtained overhead image G by the number of pixels Na arranged vertically and the number of pixels Nb arranged horizontally in the overhead image G, the scale of the roof 11 corresponding to the vertical and horizontal lengths of the pixels of the overhead image G can be calculated.

In addition, the actual dimensions Ar and Br in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction in the bird's-eye view image G may be calculated, for example, from the following equations (4) and (5).
Ar=(Hc-Hr)×la/F…(4)
Br=(Hc-Hr)×lb/F...(5)

By dividing the calculated actual dimensions Ar and Br by the number Na of pixels arranged in the vertical direction and the number Nb of pixels arranged in the horizontal direction of the bird's-eye view image G, the vertical and horizontal lengths of the pixels of the bird's-eye view image G are calculated. You may calculate the scale of the roof 11 corresponding to . Similarly to equations (1) and (2), la/F and 1a/F are values that depend on the vertical and horizontal viewing angles θa and θb of the imaging device 35, This value corresponds to the angle of view of .

The coordinate calculation unit 508 calculates position coordinates (x1, y1), (x2, y2), ... (xn, yn) for each pixel of the bird's-eye view image G from the scale and the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys). Here, the radius of the earth is r, the position coordinates to be sought are (xn, yn) as shown in Figure 7, and the distance between the two points of the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys) and the position coordinates (xn, yn) is is D, and the angle formed by the meridian Ls passing through the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys) and the line segment Ln connecting the two points of the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys) and the position coordinates (xn, yn) is Φ, and Δx When xn−Xs, the following equations (6) and (7) hold true.
D=rcos ^{- 1} (sinYs・sinyn+cosYs・cosyn・cosΔx)...(6)
Φ=90-atan2(sinΔx, cosYs・tanyn-sinYs・cosΔx)…(7)

Here, the distance D and the angle Φ are the scale of the roof 11 corresponding to the vertical and horizontal lengths of pixels of the bird's-eye view image G calculated by the scale calculation unit 507, and the position coordinates (xn, yn) from the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys). ) can be calculated by multiplying the numbers of pixels in the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively. Note that the distance D may be calculated using the center position of each pixel as a reference. The latitude and longitude of the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys) are recorded in the building information recording unit 502, and the radius r of the earth is a constant. Therefore, the position coordinates (xn, yn) can be calculated by creating two-dimensional linear simultaneous equations of equation (6) and equation (7) with xn, yn as variables and solving them. By performing this kind of work on all pixels, it is possible to calculate the actual position coordinates corresponding to each pixel.

Figure 8 is a control flow diagram of the control device 59 shown in Figure 3 of this embodiment. Below, each step will be explained with reference to the flow diagram in Figure 8, and the action and effect of each step will also be described in detail.

First, as shown in step S81, the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys) of the building 10, the height H of the building 10, and the height of the eaves 13 of the roof 11 of the building 10 are input as building information via the input device 53. Enter the height (height of the eaves) Hr and the dimensions A and B of the roof 11. As a result, the building information recording section 502 records this building information.

Next, the process advances to step S82, and the imaging altitude calculation unit 503 calculates the imaging altitude Hc of the unmanned aircraft 30. In this embodiment, the roof 11 is It is possible to calculate the imaging altitude Hc at which the entire area is included. In addition, since the imaging height Hc is calculated based on the height H of the building 10, it is possible to calculate a higher imaging height Hc compared to the case where the height Hr of the eaves of the roof 11 is used as a reference, making it safer. The entire roof of the building 10 can be imaged from a certain position.

Next, the process proceeds to step S83, where it is determined whether there are any obstacles around the building 10, etc. If there are any obstacles, the process proceeds to step S84, where the imaging altitude Hc is manually adjusted. In step S85, the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 begins flying (takes off). The unmanned aerial vehicle 30 flies toward the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys) and the imaging altitude Hc, which are the target point of the unmanned aerial vehicle 30. The series of operations in steps S83 and S84 may be performed immediately after takeoff in step S85.

Then, proceed to step S86 to determine whether the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 has reached the target point. Specifically, step S86 is repeated until the position coordinates and altitude detected by the coordinate detection sensor 32 and altitude detection sensor 34 mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 become the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys) and imaging altitude H, and the control device 59 performs flight control of the unmanned aerial vehicle 30. In this way, the first flight control unit 504 can fly the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 at the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys) above the roof 11 up to the imaging altitude Hc at which the entire roof 11 is captured by the imaging device 35.

Note that at this time, the first flight control unit 504 may set the orientation of the unmanned aircraft 30 so that the nose direction of the unmanned aircraft 30 is perpendicular to the long side direction of the roof 11. The long side direction of the roof 11 may be recorded as building information in the building information recording unit 502. Thereby, the arrangement direction of the slates and roof tiles can be aligned with the vertical direction or the horizontal direction of the bird's-eye view image G.

Next, in step S87, since the reference coordinates (Xs, Ys) and the imaging altitude Hc have been reached, the first imaging control unit 505 causes the imaging device 35 to image the entire roof 11. The entire image acquisition unit 506 can acquire an overhead image G that includes the entire roof 11 to be inspected.

Next, in step S88, the scale calculation unit 507 uses the difference ΔH between the imaging altitude Hc and the building height H and the angle of view θ of the imaging device 35 to calculate a scale corresponding to the vertical and horizontal lengths of the pixels of the bird's-eye view image G. Calculate. Thereby, by calculating a scale corresponding to the vertical and horizontal lengths of pixels, the actual vertical and horizontal dimensions of the bird's-eye view image G can be obtained.

Next, in step S89, the coordinate calculation unit 508 can calculate the position coordinates (latitude and longitude) of each pixel of the bird's-eye view image G from the scale and the reference coordinates. In this way, the positional coordinates can be calculated for each pixel of the bird's-eye view image G. Based on the calculated positional coordinates, the position coordinates can be calculated for each pixel of the bird's-eye view image G. ), the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 can be flown to take an image of the roof 11, and the roof 11 can be inspected using the taken image. As a result, it is possible to fly the unmanned aircraft 30 with high precision based on the captured bird's-eye view image G at the desired position coordinates.

[Second embodiment]
Below, with reference to FIGS. 9 to 13, an unmanned aircraft control system 1 including control devices 39 and 59 for controlling an unmanned aircraft 30 according to a second embodiment will be shown. The difference from the unmanned aircraft control system 1 according to the first embodiment is the control device 59, and only the different points will be described in detail below.

As shown in FIG. 9, the control device 59 according to this embodiment further includes a route setting pixel recording unit 509, a flight route setting unit 510, an imaging coordinate setting unit 511, a second flight control unit 512, a second imaging control unit 513, and a partial image acquisition unit 514.

The route setting pixel recording unit 509 uses a plurality of pixels g1, g2, ... of the bird's-eye view image G selected via the input device 53 as input data to record route setting pixels for setting the flight route R of the unmanned aircraft 30. Record g1, g2,... For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the operator selects pixels g1 to g4 near the four corners of the roof 11 from the overhead image G, and the route setting pixel recording unit 509 stores pixels g1 to g4. Data is recorded.

The flight route setting unit 510 determines the flight route R including the direction and altitude of the unmanned aircraft 30 based on the position coordinates (X1, Y1), (X2, Y2), ... of the selected route setting pixels g1, g2, ... Set. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the flight route R may be set such that the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 orbits around the roof 11 so as to sequentially pass through route setting pixels g1, g2, and so on. , as shown in FIG. 11, the unmanned aircraft 30 may be set to fly in a zigzag pattern within the area surrounding the route setting pixels g1 to g4.

Here, the flight route setting unit 510 selects a preset flight pattern, such as the circular flight pattern shown in FIG. 10 or the zigzag flight pattern shown in FIG. may set a specific flight route R based on the selected flight pattern.

The flight route R set by the flight route setting unit 510 includes latitude and longitude information calculated based on the position coordinates (X1, Y1), (X2, Y2), ... of the set pixels g1, g2, ... It is. The flight route setting unit 510 may set the flight route R such that the unmanned aircraft 30 passes through the position coordinates from the pixels on the flight route R among the position coordinates calculated by the coordinate calculation unit 508.

The altitude (flight altitude) set by the flight route setting unit 510 is an altitude obtained by adding a predetermined height from the height H of the building 10 or the height Hr of the eaves of the roof 11, and is lower than the imaging altitude Hc. . The altitude set by the flight route setting unit 510 is not particularly limited as long as it is an altitude at which the roof 11 can be enlarged and imaged.

The orientation set by the flight route setting unit 510 is set based on a preset flight pattern, such as a circular flight pattern shown in FIG. 10 or a zigzag flight pattern shown in FIG. 11. For example, in FIGS. 10 and 11, an icon of the unmanned aircraft 30 is displayed on the bird's-eye view image G, and the arrow direction of this icon is the direction of the unmanned aircraft 30. In the case of the circular flight pattern shown in FIG. 10, the orientation of the unmanned aircraft 30 may be set in a direction perpendicular to the eaves 13 of the roof 11. In the case of the zigzag flight pattern shown in FIG. 11, the orientation of the unmanned aircraft 30 may be set to be in a constant direction.

The imaging coordinate setting unit 511 sets imaging coordinates (s1, t1), (s2, t2), ... for imaging a portion of the roof 11 on the flight route R. Here, the imaging coordinate setting unit 511 may set the imaging coordinates (s1, t1), (s2, t2), ... at a predetermined interval on the flight route R, and may set the imaging coordinates (s1, t1), (s2, t2), ... so that the imaging range of the imaging device 35 is continuous, for example. Furthermore, the operator may select pixels in the overhead photograph via the input device 53, and set the selected pixels as the captured image.

The second flight control unit 512 causes the unmanned aircraft 30 to fly along the flight route R. Specifically, the control device 39 of the unmanned aircraft 30 receives data on the flight route R as a flight command. Thereby, the control device 39 of the unmanned aircraft 30 drives the drive device 36. As a result, the unmanned aircraft 30 can fly along the flight route R.

The second imaging control unit 513 causes the imaging device 35 to image the roof 11 at the timing when the unmanned aircraft 30 reaches the imaging coordinates (s1, t1), (s2, t2), .

Specifically, the second imaging control unit 513 determines that the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 has reached the imaging coordinates (s1, t1), (s2, t2), ... and altitude (imaging altitude) of the building 10 based on the position coordinates and altitude detected by the coordinate detection sensor 32 and altitude detection sensor 34 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 30. When the second imaging control unit 513 determines that the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 has arrived, the second imaging control unit 513 transmits an imaging command to the imaging device 35 via the communication devices 51 and 31.

The partial image acquisition unit 514 acquires an inspection image of the captured portion of the roof 11. Specifically, in response to the second imaging control unit 513 transmitting the imaging command, the partial image acquisition unit 514 transmits the image of the roof 11 portion from the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 via the communication device 31, is received by the communication device 51 of the operating terminal 50, and the partial image acquisition unit 514 records (acquires) image data of the roof 11 portion.

FIG. 13 is a control flow diagram of the control device 59 shown in FIG. 9 of the second embodiment, and is a control flow diagram following step S89 in FIG. 8. The explanation of the control flow diagram shown in FIG. 8 will be omitted, and each step will be explained below with reference to the flow diagram of FIG. 13, and its effects will also be explained in detail.

In step S91, a plurality of pixels of the bird's-eye view image G displayed on the display device 52 are selected via the input device 53. At this time, the selected pixels are route setting pixels g1, g2, . . . assuming the flight route R. In step S92, the route setting pixel recording unit 509 records the route setting pixels g1, g2, .

Next, the flight route setting unit 510 sets a flight route R including the direction and altitude of the unmanned aircraft 30. The flight route R is automatically set based on the route setting pixels g1, g2, . . . . Here, if there are multiple flight patterns for the unmanned aircraft 30, one flight pattern is selected via the input device 53. This selection of the flight pattern may be performed before the start of flight in step S85 shown in FIG.

Next, in step S94, the imaging coordinate setting unit 511 sets imaging coordinates (s1, t1), (s2, t2), ... for imaging the roof 11 portion on the set flight route R. This setting is performed automatically by the imaging coordinate setting unit 511, but the operator (inspector) may select a pixel of a point to be checked by the input device 53, and the imaging coordinate setting unit 511 may set the position coordinates corresponding to the selected pixel as the imaging coordinates.

Next, the process proceeds to step S95, and the second flight control unit 512 starts the flight of the unmanned aircraft 30 along the set flight route R. If the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 has landed after S89 shown in FIG. 8, the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 takes off from that position, and the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 heads on the flight route R. When the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 is flying at the reference coordinates, the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 heads on the flight route R from that position.

Next, in step S96, the second imaging control unit 513 causes the imaging device 35 to capture an image of the roof 11 when the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 reaches the imaging coordinates (s1, t1), and the partial image acquisition unit 514 acquires an inspection image of the roof 11.

Next, in step S97, it is determined whether the unmanned aircraft 30 has arrived at the end point of the flight route R. Here, if the unmanned aircraft 30 has not arrived at the end point of the flight route R, the unmanned aircraft 30 continues to fly along the flight route R because it is in the middle of the flight route R. Then, in step S96, the second imaging control unit 513 causes the imaging device 35 to image the roof 11 at the timing when the unmanned aerial vehicle 30 reaches the next imaging coordinate (s2, t2), and the partial image acquisition unit 514 In this way, further inspection images of the roof 11 can be obtained. In this way, by repeating steps S96 and S97, images of a plurality of roof 11 parts can be acquired at each imaging point.

Finally, in step S97, when the unmanned aircraft 30 arrives at the end point of the flight route R, the unmanned aircraft 30 autonomously flies to a predetermined point and lands in step S98.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and does not depart from the spirit of the present invention as described in the claims and specification. Various design changes can be made within this range.

In this embodiment, the control corresponding to the control device for the unmanned aircraft of the present invention is performed by the control device of the operating terminal, but for example, these controls may be performed by a control device mounted on the unmanned aircraft.

10: Building, 11: Roof, 13: Eaves, 30: Unmanned aerial vehicle, 32: Coordinate detection sensor (GPS), 33: Direction detection sensor (gyro sensor), 34: Altitude detection sensor, 35: Imaging device, 36: Drive device, 39: control device, 50: operation terminal, 52: display device, 53: input device, 59: control device, 502: building information recording section, 503: imaging altitude calculation section, 504: first flight control section, 505 : first imaging control unit, 506: whole image acquisition unit, 507: scale calculation unit, 508: coordinate calculation unit, 509: route setting pixel recording unit, 510: flight route setting unit, 511: imaging coordinate setting unit, 512: Second flight control unit, 513: Second imaging control unit, 514: Partial image acquisition unit

Claims (3)

An unmanned aerial vehicle for roof inspection equipped with an imaging device that photographs the roof of a building, a coordinate detection sensor that detects horizontal coordinates, a direction detection sensor that detects direction, and an altitude detection sensor that detects altitude. A control device that controls based on input data input by an input device,
The control device performs flight control of the unmanned aircraft and imaging control of the imaging timing of the imaging device,
a building information recording unit that records the reference coordinates of the building and the roof height of the roof input as the input data as building information;
a first flight control unit that causes the unmanned aircraft to fly to the reference coordinates and imaging altitude above the roof based on the reference coordinates of the building and the roof height;
a first imaging control unit that causes the imaging device to image the roof at a timing when the unmanned aircraft reaches the reference coordinates and the imaging altitude;
an overall image acquisition unit that acquires a bird's-eye view image including the entire captured roof;
a scale calculation unit that calculates a scale of the roof corresponding to the vertical and horizontal lengths of pixels of the bird's-eye view image based on the difference between the imaging altitude and the roof height and the angle of view of the imaging device;
a coordinate calculation unit that calculates position coordinates for each pixel of the bird's-eye view image from the scale and the reference coordinates;
A control device for an unmanned aerial vehicle for roof inspection, comprising at least the following. The building information recording unit records the dimensions of the roof in plan view as the building information,
The control device further includes an imaging altitude calculation unit that calculates the imaging altitude based on the dimensions of the roof, the roof height, and the angle of view of the imaging device. Control device for an unmanned aerial vehicle for roof inspection. The control device includes a route setting pixel recording unit that records a plurality of pixels of the bird's-eye view image selected via the input device as route setting pixels for setting a flight route of the unmanned aircraft as the input data;
a flight route setting unit that sets a flight route including the direction and altitude of the unmanned aircraft based on the position coordinates of the route setting pixel;
an imaging coordinate setting unit that sets imaging coordinates for imaging the roof portion on the flight route;
a second flight control unit that causes the unmanned aircraft to fly along the flight route;
a second imaging control unit that causes the imaging device to image the roof portion at the timing when the unmanned aircraft reaches the imaging coordinates;
a partial image acquisition unit that acquires an image of the captured portion of the roof;
The control device for an unmanned aerial vehicle for roof inspection according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

Images