KR20170139326A - Autonomous flight system and method of unmanned aerial vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and a method of autonomic flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle, which receive flight information from a light source or a plurality of electronic tags installed in a predetermined position of a target structure and autonomously flight, thereby increasing accuracy of flying to a specific point inside the structure which is difficult to receive GPS and easily understanding a structure state. The system of autonomic flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle. The unmanned aerial vehicle includes: the plurality of electronic tags; and a scanner. The unmanned aerial vehicle flights between the two electronic tags by referring to the flight information.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an autonomous flight system,

The present invention relates to an autonomous flight system and an autonomous flight method of an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Nowadays, unmanned aerial vehicles are used in many technical fields as a result of flexible employability, which is used, for example, in fire suppression or access to disaster areas. In addition, the unmanned aerial vehicle performs various missions by mounting various devices (eg, camera, optical, infrared, radar sensor, etc.) according to application fields.

Especially recently, a small unmanned aerial vehicle such as a helicopter-shaped air vehicle drone and a small unmanned reconnaissance aircraft has received much attention.

The unmanned aerial vehicle can be controlled by the user manually, completely automatic, or semiautomatically by the remote control device based on the GPS position information.

Generally, it is possible to modify the degrees of freedom of 4 to 6 when moving a flying object such as a helicopter, that is, the flying object can be moved back and forth, right and left and up and down. Moreover, the alignment of the flying object can be modified by rotation about the vertical axis. The remaining two degrees of freedom are fixed by the substantially horizontal position of the flight vehicle.

Precise movement in accordance with, for example, a predefined shaft or flight path or precise positioning at a predetermined position is very difficult for the user in the case of manual control.

In addition, applications for automatic GPS-based control are limited to locations where a sufficient number of satellite signals can be received to determine position. Therefore, there is a problem in that it is not generally possible to use, for example, in a closed building, under a bridge or in tunnels.

In Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2016-0034013, a control server provides building information modeling (BIM) information of a specific building to the unmanned airplane through a wireless communication network. The unmanned airplane refers to the provided BIM information, A construction site that grasps the flightable route information of the unmanned airplane in advance so as to prevent the unmanned air vehicle from being collided with the members or the construction equipment of the building, Management system is described.

However, there is a problem that it is difficult to grasp the state of the structure by precisely moving to a specific point inside a structure such as a closed building, a bridge bottom, or tunnels, due to a low accuracy of the position of a flight referring to one BIM information.

Korean Patent Publication No. 2016-0034013

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an autonomous flight system and an autonomous flight method of an unmanned aerial vehicle that can improve the accuracy of flying to a specific point in a structure difficult to receive GPS, The purpose is to provide.

An autonomous flight system of an unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention includes a plurality of electronic tags installed at predetermined positions of a target structure; A scanner for scanning one of the electronic tags and providing flight information to another one of the electronic tags; Wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to fly between two electronic tags by referring to the flight information .

In addition, when the unmanned aerial vehicle arrives at the flying target position according to the flight information, the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle is scanned so that the electronic tag can be scanned within a scanning range of the scanner, The scanning range of the scanner is repeatedly performed a predetermined number of times or less.

Further, the unmanned aerial vehicle includes photographing means, wherein the photographing means operates after arriving at a position where the unmanned air vehicle can scan the electronic tag, thereby photographing the target structure.

Further, the present invention is characterized by further comprising a position indicating light source provided adjacent to each of the electronic tags.

The electronic tag may be a bar code or an RFID.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an autonomous flight method for an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising: a flight information receiving step in which a scanner of a unmanned aerial vehicle is provided with flight information from one electronic tag installed in a target structure to another electronic tag; A flight method setting step of analyzing the flight information and setting a flight method; A flight step of flying with reference to the flight method; A scan attempt step for another electronic tag at a flight target position according to the flight method; And a control unit.

In addition, when the scan failure occurs in the scan attempt step, the process of moving the scan range of the scanner by adjusting the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle so that scanning for another electronic tag is possible, A range adjusting step; And a control unit.

Also, in the step of adjusting the scan range, when the scanner fails to scan another electronic tag, returning the unmanned aerial vehicle to a starting position; And further comprising:

The method further includes the step of correcting the flight method by referring to the position of the position indicating light source when the position indicating light source is detected in the flight step.

Determining whether a final arrival position is determined from the flight information; And when it is determined that the final destination is the landing position, the unmanned air vehicle is caused to land and fly.

The method may further include photographing the target structure by operating the photographing unit when the scan is successfully performed on another electronic tag in the scan attempt step. And a control unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an autonomous flight system for a unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising: a plurality of light sources installed at predetermined positions of a target structure; A light source sensor for detecting any one of the light sources and providing flight information to the other one of the light sources; Wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to fly between two light sources with reference to the flight information.

In addition, the present invention is characterized by correcting the flying method with reference to the position of the light source when the light source of another one of the unmanned air vehicles is detected.

The unmanned aerial vehicle includes a photographing means, wherein the photographing means operates after arriving at a position where the unmanned air vehicle can receive the flight information from another light source, and photographing the target structure .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an autonomous flight method of an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising: receiving a flight information of a light source sensor of an unmanned aerial vehicle, the flight information being provided from one light source to another light source; A flight method setting step of analyzing the flight information and setting a flight method; A flight step of flying with reference to the flight method; And a control unit.

The method may further include: a flight method correction step of correcting the flight method with reference to the position of the light source when the light source is detected in another of the plurality of flights of the unmanned air vehicle; And a control unit.

Determining whether a final arrival position is determined from the flight information; And when it is determined that the final destination is the landing position, the unmanned air vehicle is caused to land and fly.

The method may further include photographing the target structure by operating the photographing means upon arrival at a flight target position according to the flight method. And a control unit.

The present invention has the following effects.

A plurality of electronic tags or light sources providing flight information are installed in the target structure, and the flight method can be repeatedly corrected according to the actual flight state. Therefore, it is possible to increase the autonomous flight accuracy of the unmanned aerial vehicle inside the structure where GPS reception is difficult.

The electronic tag or the light source can be installed in a vulnerable spot requiring periodic management, particularly in the target structure, so that the user can easily grasp the condition of the vulnerable point of the target structure through the photograph and image taken by the photographing means.

The scan range adjustment step through the repetitive movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle enables the unmanned aerial vehicle to easily find the electronic tag and improve the autonomous flight accuracy of the unmanned aerial vehicle so that it can arrive at the flying destination precisely.

By providing the position indicating light source adjacent to the electronic tag, the accuracy with which the unmanned aerial vehicle can reach the electronic tag can be increased.

1 is a block diagram of an autonomous flight system according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;
2 is an explanatory view showing a step of adjusting a scan range;
3 and 4 are flowcharts of an autonomous flight method according to the first embodiment;
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an autonomous flight system according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
6 is a flowchart of an autonomous flight method according to the second embodiment;
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an autonomous flight system according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
8 is a flowchart of an autonomous flight method according to the third embodiment;

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2, the autonomous flight system of the UAV 100 according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of electronic tags 120 installed at predetermined positions of a target structure; A scanner that scans one of the electronic tags 120 and provides flight information to another electronic tag 120; The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 refers to the flight information to fly between the two electronic tags 120 .

In the present description, the target structure may be inside a building, under a bridge, or in a tunnel. FIG. 1 shows an example of a subway tunnel inside.

The UAV 100 according to the first embodiment includes the scanner for scanning the electronic tag 120 and receiving the flight information, the photographing means for photographing the object structure, A controller for controlling the flight, the rotation direction, the angle and the operation of the photographing means and the scanner, and a control unit for transmitting power to the unmanned air vehicle (100) under the control of the control unit, And an airfield tooth such as a propeller that adjusts the altitude and tilt.

The scanner may be a dedicated scanner capable of scanning information such as a barcode or an RFID, or may be a scanner serving as a camera.

The photographing means may include at least one camera such as an infrared camera, a thermal imager, an image camera, and a fish-eye lens camera.

Although the electronic tag 120 is shown as a bar code in the drawing, the electronic tag 120 may be either a bar code or an RFID, and a QR code or a data matrix may be used. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of electronic tags 120 are installed at predetermined positions of the target structure. The electronic tag 120 is preferably installed on a wall or the like of the target structure.

The electronic tag 120 is installed at a predetermined distance from the flying start position of the UAV 100 to the final arrival position. In particular, the electronic tag 120 may be installed at a key point that the user wants to capture, such as a vulnerable point requiring periodic management in the target structure.

Each of the electronic tags 120 provides location information of the location where the electronic tag 120 is installed and flight information to the electronic tag 120 located at the next location, Recognizes the information stored in the electronic tag 120. The flight information input to the electronic tag 120 is information necessary for flying from the place where the electronic tag 120 is installed to the electronic tag 120 positioned at the next point, Flight time, and flight time.

The direction vector of the UAV 100 is determined by Yaw, Pitch, and Roll. Yaw, Pitch, Roll means a direction of rotation about three axes of a rectangular coordinate system defining a three-dimensional space, and means a traveling direction vector of the unmanned air vehicle 100. By providing flight information from one point to another point on the path of the unmanned air vehicle 100 to the unmanned air vehicle 100, the unmanned air vehicle 100 can be freely operated even in an environment free of GPS signals.

As described above, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 downloads the flight information from one electronic tag 120 located at one point to another electronic tag 120 positioned at the next point through the scanner, The flight information is analyzed and the flight method obtained is set. In other words, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 receives the flight information from any one of the electronic tags 120 to the electronic tag 120 located at the next point and fliers to the final arrival position.

The unmanned air vehicle 100 takes the image of the target structure by operating the photographing means at each of the transit positions via the position where the electronic tags 120 are installed. Points where the electronic tag 120 is installed to pass through the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may be vulnerable points where the user periodically checks the status of the target structure.

When the unmanned air vehicle 100 arrives at the flying target position according to the flight information and then fails to scan another electronic tag 120 within the scan range 150 of the scanner, The position of the UAV 100 may be adjusted so that the scan range 150 of the scanner may be repeatedly performed a predetermined number of times or less.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 may fly according to the flight information provided from the electronic tag 120 and arrive at the flying target position and then scan the electronic tag 120 within the scan range 150 of the scanner mounted on the gimbals, May not be scanned. This is because the unmanned object 100 can not accurately reach the position where the unmanned vehicle 100 can scan the electronic tag 120 located at the next point due to errors and integration errors of the sensors that may occur during the flight of the unmanned air vehicle 100 .

2, when the electronic tag 120 is not scanned, the scanning range 150 of the scanner, which can be ensured through the rotation of the gimbal on which the scanner is mounted, , The position of the unmanned aerial vehicle (100) is moved and the scan is attempted again. The process of moving the position of the UAV 100 to search for the electronic tag 120 is repeatedly performed, and the electronic tag 120 is searched for and scanned.

When the number of movements of the unmanned object 100 reaches the limit number, the number of times the unmanned object 100 is moved and the scan range 150 of the scanner is adjusted is set in advance. And returns to the starting position where the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 took off for the first time. On the contrary, when the scan for the electronic tag 120 is successful, the flight information is corrected or updated based on the scan success position and reflected when the electronic tag 120 is flying toward the electronic tag 120 positioned at the next flight target position.

The unmanned vehicle 100 can easily find the electronic tag 120 through the adjustment of the scan range 150 through the repetitive movement of the unmanned air vehicle 100 and the autonomous flight accuracy of the unmanned air vehicle 100 Can be improved to arrive at the flight destination precisely.

In addition, the photographing means operates after the unmanned air vehicle 100 arrives at a position where each of the electronic tags 120 can be scanned, and photographs the target structure. Since the electronic tag 120 is installed in a vulnerable site requiring periodical management in the target structure, the user can easily grasp the state of the weak point of the target structure through the photograph and the image photographed by the photographing means. Because the plurality of electronic tags 120 installed on the object structure of the present invention has the accuracy to fly to a specific weak point in a structure difficult to receive GPS, such as inside a tunnel, And it is easy to grasp the state of the structure.

Hereinafter, the autonomous flight method of the UAV 100 according to the first embodiment will be described in order with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG.

The method of autonomous flight of the UAV 100 according to the first embodiment is a method in which the scanner of the UAV 100 moves from one electronic tag 120 installed on the target structure to another electronic tag 120 (S30) for flying with reference to the flight method, and a flight step (S30) for flying with reference to the flight method. A scan attempt step (S42) for another electronic tag (120) at the flight target position according to the flight method; .

As shown in FIG. 3, when the autonomous flight method is started, the first step is a take-off step S1 in which the unmanned air vehicle 100 takes off from the start position.

The second step is a step S2 of scanning the electronic tag 120 at the starting position of the scanner of the unmanned air vehicle 100. [

The third step is a flight information receiving step (S10) for downloading the flight information necessary for flying from the scanned electronic tag 120 to the next flight target position.

The fourth step is a flight method setting step (S20) for analyzing the flight information received from the electronic tag 120 and setting the flight method.

The fifth step is a flight step (S30) for flying toward the flight target position with reference to the set flight method.

The sixth step is a step S31 of confirming the flight direction and the travel route with the sensor mounted on the unmanned flying vehicle 100 in flight. A gyro sensor, an accelerometer, a magnetic sensor, and an altimeter are mounted on the UAV 100. The rotational direction of the UAV 100 is calculated by integrating the value of the gyro sensor with respect to time and the speed of the UAV 100 is calculated by integrating the value of the acceleration sensor with respect to time, 100). In order to improve the accuracy of the position of the UAV 100, the direction from the magnetic north is compared with the Yaw value using the geomagnetic sensor value, and the altimeter value is compared with the Pitch value.

The seventh step is a step S32 of determining whether the current position of the unmanned air vehicle 100 is the target position. If it is determined that the unmanned air vehicle 100 has not arrived at the flight target position, the seventh step S32 is repeatedly performed in the fifth step S30.

If it is determined in the seventh step S32 that the unmanned air vehicle 100 has arrived at the flying target position, the flow proceeds to step S40 for checking the wall orientation.

Step 8 is a wall direction confirmation step (S40) of confirming the direction of the wall where the electronic tag 120 is installed with ultrasonic waves or laser sensors. In order to recognize and scan the electronic tag 120 at the next point installed on the wall or the like after the unmanned flying body 100 has arrived at the flight target position by flying according to the flight information provided from the electronic tag 120 at one point, The scanner (or camera) mounted on the air vehicle 100 should face the electronic tag 120. [ Therefore, the direction of a wall or the like provided with the electronic tag 120 is recognized by an ultrasonic sensor or a laser sensor mounted on the UAV 100.

Thereafter, the ninth step S41 is a step of rotating the gimbals on which the scanner is mounted in the wall direction identified in the wall direction checking step S40 (S41). It is necessary to rotate the scanner (or camera) mounted on the gimbals of the unmanned air vehicle 100 in the direction of the wall or the like so that the scan of the electronic tag 120 can be performed. Or a plurality of scanners (or cameras) may be installed on the unmanned air vehicle 100 to simultaneously check various directions.

As shown in FIG. 4, the tenth step is a scan attempting step (S42) of attempting to scan the electronic tag 120 by the scanner.

The scan range adjustment step (S50, S51, S52) is performed when the scan for the electronic tag 120 fails within the scan range of the scanner in the scan attempt step (S42).

The scan range adjustment steps S50, S51, and S52 repeatedly perform the process of moving the scan range of the scanner by a predetermined number of times or less by adjusting the position of the UAV 100 so that the electronic tag 120 can be scanned (Step S50), a scan retry step (step S51), and a limit number confirmation step (step S52).

The unmanned aerial vehicle moving step S50 is a step of moving the unmanned air vehicle 100 out of the scanable range 150 of the scanner, which can be secured through the rotation of the gimbals (see FIG. 2). The process of moving the position of the UAV 120 to find the electronic tag 120 is repeatedly performed until the electronic tag 120 is found, which is less than a predetermined limit number.

After the unmanned aerial vehicle moving step S50, the scan retry step S51 in which the scan for the electronic tag 120 is retried is performed.

In the scan retry step S51, when the scan for the electronic tag 120 is successful, a flight information receiving step S70 for downloading the necessary flight information to the next target position is performed.

In the scan retry step S51, when the scan for the electronic tag 120 fails, a limit number confirmation step S52 is performed to determine whether the number of times the unmanned air vehicle 100 has been moved is a preset limit number.

If the number of movements of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 has not yet reached the limit number, the unmanned aerial vehicle moving step S50 and the scan retrying step 51 are repeatedly performed again.

When the number of travels of the UAV 100 reaches the limit number of times (predetermined number of times), an error message is displayed (S60), and the step S61 of returning the UAV 100 to the starting position where the UAV 100 first took off . That is, in the scan range adjustment step (S50, S51, S52), when the scanner fails to scan the electronic tag 120, the unmanned air vehicle 100 returns to the start position.

Returning to the unmanned air vehicle 100 (S61) is performed by reversing the route from the first take-off position to the current position, which is the start position of the unmanned air vehicle 100. [

Also, in the scan attempt step S32, when the scan of the electronic tag 120 is successful, the flight information receiving step S70 for downloading the flight information from the electronic tag 120 is performed.

On the other hand, when the scan for the electronic tag 120 is successfully performed in the scan attempting step 32 or the scan retrying step S51, before the flight information receiving step S70 is performed, the photographing means operates to photograph the target structure (Not shown). That is, the photographing means operates after the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 arrives at a position where each of the electronic tags 120 can be scanned, and photographs the target structure. Since the electronic tag 120 is installed in a vulnerable site requiring periodical management in the target structure, the user can easily grasp the state of the weak point of the target structure through the photograph and the image photographed by the photographing means. Because the plurality of electronic tags 120 installed on the object structure of the present invention has the accuracy to fly to a specific weak point in a structure difficult to receive GPS, such as inside a tunnel, And it is easy to grasp the state of the structure.

After the flight information reception step S70, a final position determination step S80 is performed to determine whether the current position is the final arrival position from the flight information received from the scanned electronic tag 120. [

When it is determined that the current position of the unmanned air vehicle 100 is the final arrival position, a step S100 of landing and flying the unmanned air vehicle 100 is performed.

If it is determined that the current position is not the final arrival position in the final position determination step S80, the position information is corrected (S91) through the step S90 of confirming the successful position information of the electronic tag 120, The flight information is corrected and updated to be reflected in the flight method setting step S20 for searching for the next electronic tag 120. [

Through the autonomous flight method as described above, the target structure can be photographed by the photographing means while autonomously flying to the final destination position.

5, the autonomous flight system of the UAV 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes, in addition to the components of the first embodiment, The indicating light source 130 may be further installed. Hereinafter, description of the same parts as those of the first embodiment will be omitted, and differences will be mainly described.

The position indicating light source 130 functions as a lighthouse for informing the position of the electronic tag 120 to the UAV 100. As the position indicating light source 130, light such as visible light, infrared light, and ultraviolet light may be used.

In order for the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 in flight to recognize the position indicating light source 130, a light source sensor must be mounted. Although only the light source sensor may be mounted separately, it may be desirable to mount a camera having a CMOS / CCD sensor. When the position indicating light source 130 is used as ultraviolet rays, a CMOS / CCD sensor capable of recognizing ultraviolet rays must be mounted.

In order to find the direction of the position indicating light source 130, it is necessary to scan the vicinity of the UAV 100 in all directions, so that the camera having the CMOS / CCD sensor is continuously rotated to find the position indicating light source 130, A plurality of cameras equipped with sensors can be installed to locate the position indicating light source 130. The camera equipped with the CMOS / CCD sensor can be used separately from or in combination with the purpose of scanning the electronic tag 120.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 obtains flight information such as yaw, pitch, roll, altitude, flying distance, and flight time from the electronic tag 120 to the next flight target position, and sets the flight method from the flight information. When the blinking position indicating light source 130 is sensed during flight of the UAV 100, the vector of the current position in the current position is compared with the vector of the position indicating light source 130, and a flight direction vector, Correct the method. Upon arriving at the flight target position based on the corrected flight method described above, the flight of the unmanned air vehicle 100 is continuously performed by receiving the flight information to the next flight target position by scanning the electronic tag 120.

Hereinafter, the autonomous flight method according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. For the same steps as those of the first embodiment, the description of the first embodiment will be referred to, and a detailed description will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, the autonomous flight method starts, and the unmanned aerial vehicle take-off step S101, the electronic tag scan step S102, the flight information receiving step S110, the flight method setting step S120, And the step S131 for confirming the direction of travel and the travel route to the sensor mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 are the same as those of the first embodiment, so that the first embodiment will be referred to, and a detailed description will be omitted.

During the flight, the UAV 100 scans the periphery of the UAV 100 in all directions using a camera having a light source sensor such as a CMOS / CCD sensor, and a position indicating light source 130). And a position indicating light source sensing step (S132) for making an attempt to sense the position indicating light source (130) during flight of the unmanned air vehicle (100).

If the position indicating light source 130 is not detected in the position indicating light source detecting step S132, the flight step S130, the flight direction and the movement path checking step S131, and the position indicating light source detecting step S132 are performed by the position indicating light source 130 until it is detected.

When the position indicating light source 130 is detected in the position indicating light source detecting step S132, it is determined whether or not the direction toward the position indicating light source 130 corresponds to the current flying direction of the unmanned air vehicle 100 S140). This step compares the future flight direction vector value at the current position of the UAV 100 with the vector value toward the position indicating light source 130.

If it is determined that the direction of the position indicating light source does not coincide with the direction of flight (S140), the step S141 is performed to correct the flight method by referring to the position of the position indicating light source 130 . The flight method correction step S141 is a step of correcting the flight direction vector value by an error value between a future flight direction vector value at the current position of the UAV 100 and a vector value toward the position indicating light source 130. [ Therefore, the direction toward the position indicating light source 130 coincides with the flying direction of the unmanned air vehicle 100.

Thereafter, the unmanned air vehicle 100 moves to the position indicating light source 130 (S142) to arrive at the flying target position (S143). Thereafter, the electronic tag 120 (Step S150).

Since the subsequent steps are the same as those of the first embodiment, a detailed description will be omitted. As described above, since the position indicating light source 130 is provided adjacent to each of the electronic tags 120, the position indicating light source 130 can serve as a lighthouse indicating the flight target position to the unmanned air vehicle 100 So that the accuracy with which the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 can reach the target position of the flight can be increased.

Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, the autonomous flight system of the UAV 100 according to the third embodiment includes a plurality of light sources 170 installed at predetermined positions of a target structure, and a light source 170 And the light source sensor 100 is provided with a light source sensor that receives flight information from the light source 170 to the other light source 170. The unmanned air vehicle 100 refers to the flight information to fly between the two light sources 170 . The unmanned air vehicle 100 may include only the light source sensor, but a camera having a light source sensor such as a CMOS / CCD sensor may be mounted.

The autonomous flight system of the UAV 100 according to the third embodiment is a system having a light source 170 instead of the electronic tag 120 of the first embodiment. Only the light source 170 which differs from the first and second embodiments will be described below.

In the third embodiment, the light source 170 is installed at the position where the electronic tag 120 is installed in the first embodiment and the second embodiment. The light source 170 of the third embodiment is preferably capable of blinking and capable of providing flight information with a change in color.

The light source 170 of the third embodiment may serve two functions.

The first role serves to provide flight information to the next flight target position to the unmanned air vehicle 100, like the electronic tag 120 of the first and second embodiments.

One way in which the light source 170 provides flight information is to turn on / off the light source 170. The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 interprets the lighting / extinction time of the light source 170 according to a predetermined mapping rule and receives flight information necessary for the flight to the next flight target position. For example, Yaw, pitch, roll, azimuth, elevation, etc. necessary for flight can be expressed by turning on / off the light source 170 according to the Morse code.

In another method, when the length of the wavelength of the light emitted from the light source 170 is changed (color-changed), the CMOS / CCD sensor mounted on the unmanned flying vehicle 100 digitizes the change of the light into RGB values will be. The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 interprets the digitized RGB values according to a predetermined mapping rule, and receives flight information necessary for the flight to the next flight target position. For example, RGB LEDs capable of displaying red, green, and blue can be used as the light source 170, and the lighting time for each color can be converted to a value required for flight. Red is Yaw, Green is Pitch, Blue is Roll, Brown (red + green) is the direction from magnetic north, purple (red + blue) is flying altitude etc. have.

The second role of the light source 170 is to notify the position of the flying target position to the unmanned air vehicle 100 in flight like the position indicating light source 130 of the second embodiment. The UAV 100 can detect the light source 170 during flight and correct the flight method by referring to the position of the light source 170. [ In other words, the flight direction vector value of the current unmanned air vehicle 100 can be compared with the vector value toward the detected light source 170, and the flight direction vector value can be corrected by the error.

One of the two functions of the light source 170 is to provide flight information to the next flight target position to the unmanned air vehicle 100 through a change in light of the light source 170, Based on the location of the unmanned aerial vehicle (100) to inform the target position of the flight.

Hereinafter, an autonomous flight method of the UAV 100 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The autonomous flight method of the UAV 100 according to the third embodiment is a method in which the light source sensor of the UAV 100 transmits the flight information from one light source 170 installed in the object structure to another light source 170 A flight information setting step of setting a flight method by analyzing flight information; And a flight phase that refers to the flight method. In addition, the method further includes a flight method correction step of correcting the flight method by referring to the position of the light source 170 when the unmanned air vehicle 100 detects another light source 170 during flight.

The detailed description of each step of the autonomous flight method of the UAV 100 according to the third embodiment will be made with reference to the above description, and the procedure will be briefly described with reference to FIG.

8, when the autonomous flight method is started, the unmanned air vehicle 100 is taken off (S201), and a step S202 of detecting a change in light of the installed light source 170 is performed. Thereafter, A step S210 of downloading the necessary flight information to the next flight target position through analysis of the change of light is performed. The change in light of the light source 170 may be based on the on / off time, or may be based on a change in the length of the wavelength (color change). For more information on these steps, please refer to the above.

Thereafter, a flight method setting step S220, a flight step S230 flying toward a flight target position, a flight direction and a travel path of the unmanned air vehicle 100 using a mounting sensor S232, Direction matching determination step (S240).

If the direction toward the light source 170 and the flight direction of the unmanned air vehicle 100 do not coincide with each other, the flight method correction step S241 is performed.

Thereafter, a step S242 of flying toward the light source 170, a step S243 of arriving at the target position of flight, a step S250 of detecting the change of the light source light, a downloading of the flight information (S270) are sequentially performed to determine whether the current position of the unmanned air vehicle 100 is the final arrival position. In case of the final destination, the unmanned air vehicle 100 is landed and the autonomous flight method ends.

In addition, if the final destination is not the final arrival position, an autonomous flight process to the next target position is performed in order through the step S290 of confirming the position information succeeding the change of the light source light and the position information correction S291 .

In the present invention, a plurality of electronic tags (120) or light sources (170) providing flight information are installed in a target structure, and the flight method can be repeatedly corrected according to actual flight conditions. Therefore, it is possible to increase the autonomous flight accuracy of the unmanned aerial vehicle (100) within a building, inside a tunnel, under a bridge, etc., which is difficult to receive GPS. In the case of a structure such as a bridge, a point where GPS reception is performed is an autonomous flight through GPS reception, and at a point where GPS reception is not performed, such as under the bridge, Information can be acquired and converted to autonomous flight.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims .

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
100: unmanned vehicle 120: electronic tag
130: Position indicating light source 150: Scanning range
170: Light source

Claims (18)

A plurality of electronic tags installed at predetermined positions of the target structure;
A scanner for scanning one of the electronic tags and providing flight information to another one of the electronic tags; , ≪ / RTI &
The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle Wherein the system comprises:
The method according to claim 1,
The position of the unmanned aerial vehicle is adjusted so that the unmanned aerial vehicle can scan the electronic tag when the unmanned aerial vehicle arrives at the flying target position according to the flight information and then fails to scan another one of the electronic tags within the scan range of the scanner Wherein the scanning range of the scanner is repeatedly performed a predetermined number of times or less.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a photographing means,
Wherein the photographing means operates after arriving at a position where the unmanned air vehicle can scan the electronic tag to photograph the target structure.
The method according to claim 1,
And a position indicating light source installed adjacent to each of the electronic tags.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the electronic tag is any one of a bar code and an RFID.
A flight information receiving step in which a scanner of a unmanned aerial vehicle is provided with flight information from one electronic tag installed in a target structure to another electronic tag;
A flight method setting step of analyzing the flight information and setting a flight method;
A flight step of flying with reference to the flight method;
A scan attempt step for another electronic tag at a flight target position according to the flight method; Wherein the method comprises the steps of:
The method of claim 6,
A scan range adjustment process for repeating the process of moving the scan range of the scanner by a predetermined number of times or less by adjusting the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle so that scanning for another electronic tag is possible at the time of a scan failure in the scan attempt step, step; Wherein the method comprises the steps of:
The method of claim 7,
Returning the unmanned aerial vehicle to the start position when the scanner fails to scan another electronic tag in the scan range adjustment step; Further comprising the steps of:
The method of claim 6,
Further comprising the step of correcting the flight method by referring to the position of the position indicating light source when the position indicating light source is detected in the flight step.
The method of claim 6,
Determining whether a final arrival position is determined from the flight information; Further comprising:
And if it is determined that the landing position is the final destination, the unmanned air vehicle is caused to land and fly.
The method of claim 6,
Capturing the target structure by operating the photographing means when the scan is successfully performed for another electronic tag in the scan attempt step; Wherein the method comprises the steps of:
A plurality of light sources installed at predetermined positions of the target structure;
A light source sensor for detecting any one of the light sources and providing flight information to the other one of the light sources; , ≪ / RTI &
Wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle is flying between two light sources with reference to the flight information.
The method of claim 12,
Wherein the control unit corrects the flying method by referring to the position of the light source when detecting the light source of another one of the unmanned aerial vehicles.
The method of claim 12,
Wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a photographing means,
Wherein the photographing unit photographs the target structure by operating the AF unit after arriving at a position where the AF unit can receive the flight information from another light source.
A flight information receiving step in which a light source sensor of an unmanned aerial vehicle is provided with flight information from one light source to another light source installed in a target structure;
A flight method setting step of analyzing the flight information and setting a flight method;
A flight step of flying with reference to the flight method; Wherein the method comprises the steps of:
16. The method of claim 15,
A flight method correction step of correcting the flight method by referring to the position of the light source when another light source is detected during flight of the unmanned air vehicle; Wherein the method comprises the steps of:
16. The method of claim 15,
Determining whether a final arrival position is determined from the flight information; Further comprising:
And if it is determined that the landing position is the final destination, the unmanned air vehicle is caused to land and fly.
16. The method of claim 15,
Capturing the target structure by operating the photographing means upon arrival at a flight target position according to the flight method; Wherein the method comprises the steps of:

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