JPH04334652A - Guide for ground travelling aircraft - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To guide an aircraft or the like at the ground travelling time automatically without providing special ground equipment. CONSTITUTION:A ground travelling aircraft is provided with a pattern indicating a runway described from the runway surface, a detecting device (a camera 1 and an image processing circuit 3) for detecting the dislocation of the ground travelling aircraft from the above-mentioned pattern, and a control device (a control computer 4 and an actuator 5) receiving a signal from the detecting device so as to control the travel direction.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a guidance system for ground vehicles, such as a guidance system for unmanned/manned aircraft when traveling on the ground, and a guidance system for road vehicles such as unmanned road transport vehicles in factories.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventional guidance technology for aircraft taxiing involves placing a radio wave beam on the main runway center line and controlling the direction of the aircraft taxiing along it. This is being implemented as part of the project.

[0003] In addition, various methods of guiding general ground vehicles have been implemented, such as providing a mechanical guideline, an optical or an electrical guideline, and controlling the direction along the guideline.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the above-mentioned conventional guidance technology for taxiing aircraft, it is necessary to install a radio wave beam to indicate the runway center, which requires ground equipment and has problems with curved taxiways, etc. The problem is that there is no means to deal with the road surface.

[0005] Also, the above-mentioned general guidance system for ground vehicles requires ground equipment for providing mechanical, optical, or electrical guidelines on the ground.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a guidance device for a ground vehicle that can solve the above problems.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] A guidance device for a ground vehicle according to the present invention includes a pattern indicating a running route drawn on a running road surface;
The ground vehicle includes a detection device for detecting deviation of the ground vehicle from the pattern, and a control device to which a signal from the detection device is input and controls the running direction.

[0008]

[Operation] The detection device equipped on the ground vehicle detects the deviation of the ground vehicle from the pattern indicating the running route drawn on the road surface, and inputs this signal to the control device equipped on the ground vehicle. Then, the running direction of the ground vehicle is controlled so that the deviation is eliminated. In this way, the ground vehicle
To surely run on a running road surface along a pattern indicating a running route.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention as a guidance system for use when an aircraft is traveling on the ground will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a center mark 10 is drawn on a runway 11 and a taxiway 12 of an airport, which serve as running surfaces, to indicate their center lines.

On the other hand, the aircraft 30 as a ground vehicle is equipped with a digital screen camera 1 and a camera control unit 2, as shown in FIG. It has become.

[0012] The camera control unit 2 is connected to an image processing circuit 3 mounted on an aircraft 30. The image processing circuit 3 is configured to input images taken by the camera 1 via the camera control unit 2, and the image processing circuit 3 allows the screens 20 of the camera 1 shown in FIG. Orthogonal center line 2
The amount of deviation Δψ between the intersection of points 1 and 22 and the center mark 10 is calculated. This image processing circuit 3 is connected to a control computer 4 mounted on an aircraft 30, and signals from the image processing circuit 3 are input thereto. The control computer 4 controls the actuator 5 for steering the aircraft based on the input signal of the deviation amount Δψ and the speed of the aircraft 30 being monitored.

In the embodiment configured as described above, the device 1 mounted on the aircraft 30 photographs the center mark 10 drawn on the runway 11 or the taxiway 12, and sends the image to the image processing circuit 3. It will be done. In the image processing circuit 3, as shown in FIG. Road 12
The magnitude of the center line deviation is calculated and the signal is input to the control computer 4.
The computer 4 communicates this signal with the aircraft 3 being monitored.
An appropriate operation amount is calculated based on the speed of 0 to operate the actuator 5 for steering the aircraft, and the traveling direction of the aircraft 30 is changed so that the deviation amount Δψ becomes zero. Further, this change in the traveling direction is fed back to the image processing circuit 3 as an image from the camera 1, thereby improving control performance.

In this manner, the aircraft 30 automatically and accurately travels along the center line of the runway 11 and taxiway 12.

Furthermore, this embodiment does not require any special ground equipment, and even in the case of a curved seita line, the aircraft 30 can accurately travel along it.

[0016]Furthermore, the above-mentioned correction of the traveling direction
This is carried out autonomously by equipment mounted on the aircraft, making it easy to maintain orientation even in the case of an unmanned aircraft.

Although the above-mentioned embodiment relates to a guidance system for use in ground running aircraft, the present invention can be widely applied to guidance systems for general ground running aircraft.

[0018]

Effects of the Invention Since the present invention has the configuration described in claim 1, (1) the necessary guidance of the ground vehicle is autonomously and automatically executed without the need for any special ground equipment; can do. (2) The target travel range is not limited to straight lines, but can also be any curved line. (3) All that is required on the running road surface, such as the ground, is a pattern indicating the running route, and the purpose can be achieved with only minor ground equipment. The following effects can be mentioned.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the principle of outputting pattern recognition results in the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of operation in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of operation in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Camera 2 Camera control unit 3 Image processing circuit 4 Control computer 5
Actuator 10
Center mark 11 Runway 12 Taxiway 20 Images 21, 22 Image center line 30 Aircraft

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A detection device for detecting a pattern indicating a running path drawn on a running road surface, a deviation of a ground vehicle from the pattern, and a control device to which a signal from the detection device is input and controls the running direction. 1. A guidance device for a ground vehicle, comprising a ground vehicle equipped with a ground vehicle.