WO2017026354A1

WO2017026354A1 - Loss prevention device, unmanned aircraft provided with same, and unmanned aircraft loss prevention system

Info

Publication number: WO2017026354A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/072836
Authority: WO
Inventors: 和雄市原; 紀代一菅木
Original assignee: 株式会社プロドローン
Priority date: 2015-08-07
Filing date: 2016-08-03
Publication date: 2017-02-16
Also published as: JPWO2017026354A1; JP6219003B2

Abstract

Provided are a loss prevention device that makes it possible to efficiently search for and retrieve an unmanned aircraft that has gone missing, an unmanned aircraft that is provided with the loss prevention device, and an unmanned aircraft loss prevention system. A loss prevention device that is to be installed in an unmanned aircraft. The loss prevention device is characterized by being provided with: a wide-area wireless communication means; a position-information acquisition means that acquires position information, which is information that is for specifying the current position of the unmanned aircraft; a landing detection means that detects the landing of the unmanned aircraft; and a position-information transmission means that, when the unmanned aircraft is on the ground, transmits the position information to a prescribed destination by means of the wide-area wireless communication means.

Description

Loss prevention device, unmanned aircraft including the same, and unmanned aircraft loss prevention system

The present invention relates to a technique for preventing loss of an unmanned aerial vehicle that has gone away.

Conventionally, small unmanned aerial vehicles represented by industrial unmanned helicopters have been expensive and difficult to obtain and require skill to operate in order to fly stably. However, in recent years, improvements in sensors and software used for unmanned aerial vehicle attitude control and autonomous flight have made significant progress, and this has significantly improved the operability of unmanned aircraft and made it possible to obtain high-performance aircraft at low cost. . Especially for small multicopters, the rotor structure is simpler than helicopters, and the design and maintenance are easy. Therefore, not only for hobby purposes, but also for various missions in a wide range of fields. Yes.

JP 2012-70020 A

When an unmanned aerial vehicle flies out of the radio range of a control terminal due to an erroneous operation, or when an unmanned aircraft that has been flying autonomously outside the visual field due to an autopilot function disappears due to a sensor failure, etc., the aircraft is searched manually. Need to be recovered. This search and retrieval operation is burdensome and does not always succeed. Furthermore, if an unmanned aerial vehicle is equipped with expensive equipment or possesses highly confidential data, the loss due to loss may be significant.

In view of the above problems, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a loss prevention device capable of efficiently searching and collecting a lost unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned aircraft including the same, and an unmanned aircraft loss prevention system. There is to do.

In order to solve the above problems, a loss prevention apparatus of the present invention mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle includes a wide area wireless communication unit and a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information that is information for specifying the current position of the unmanned aircraft. And landing detection means for detecting the landing of the unmanned aircraft, and position information transmission means for transmitting the position information to a predetermined destination by the wide area wireless communication means when the unmanned aircraft is on the ground. It is characterized by.

 Unmanned aerial vehicles lost due to loss of control will crash or land automatically due to the depletion of fuel and power. After the landing of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the loss prevention device notifies the searcher of its current position using the wide-area wireless communication means, thereby narrowing down the search range of the unmanned unmanned aircraft and allowing the aircraft to be easily recovered It becomes.

Moreover, it is preferable that the loss prevention apparatus of the present invention further includes a storage battery, and the storage battery can be charged from a power source of the unmanned aircraft.

In addition to the power source of the unmanned aircraft, the loss prevention device includes a dedicated power source, so that the loss prevention device can continue to operate even after the power source of the unmanned aircraft is depleted. Furthermore, since the loss prevention device includes a storage battery that can be charged by the power source of the unmanned aircraft, for example, even when the loss prevention device is operated even during the flight of the unmanned aircraft, The power of the loss prevention device can be secured. Or, for example, if a lost unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to automatically land before its power source is depleted, the power of the power source of the unmanned aircraft can be used in addition to the power of the storage battery of the loss prevention device. And the loss prevention device can be operated for a longer time.

The wide area wireless communication means is preferably a connection means to a mobile communication network.

By using a mobile communication network such as 3G / HSPA (High Speed Packet Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), or Mobile WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) on the ground after the landing of the unmanned aircraft, The loss prevention apparatus can transmit position information with a low-cost and simple configuration regardless of the distance the unmanned aircraft has traveled.

In addition, it is preferable that the loss prevention apparatus of the present invention further includes a short-range wireless communication unit, and the position information transmission unit can transmit the position information by the short-range wireless communication unit.

Depending on the geographical situation of the landing point of the unmanned aircraft, communication using wide area wireless communication means may not be available. At this time, the position information is transmitted using a short-distance wireless communication means such as a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark), so that a searcher at a distance of several tens of meters from the unmanned aircraft is notified of the position of the aircraft. be able to. It is also possible to use a wide area wireless communication unit and a short-range wireless communication unit in combination. In this case, for example, it is conceivable that the position information is transmitted by the wide area wireless communication means, and the distance between the searcher and the unmanned aircraft can be measured by the signal strength of the short distance wireless communication means.

Further, it is preferable that the position information acquisition means has a GPS receiver, and the position information includes GPS information which is information acquired by the GPS receiver.

GPS information generally includes longitude and latitude values and time information. By including these GPS information in the position information transmitted from the loss prevention apparatus, it becomes possible to directly specify the current position of the unmanned aircraft.

Further, the loss prevention device of the present invention includes a storage unit that records the GPS information during normal flight of the unmanned aircraft, and a storage unit that is unavailable when the GPS receiver is unavailable at the landing point of the unmanned aircraft. Current position estimating means for estimating the current position of the unmanned aircraft using the GPS information of the position information, and the position information transmitted by the position information transmitting means includes the estimated current position. Preferably, location information is included.

When the GPS receiver cannot be used at the landing point of the unmanned aircraft, the search range can be narrowed down to some extent by estimating the current position of the unmanned aircraft from the GPS information up to the landing point.

The wide area wireless communication means is a connection means to a mobile communication network, the position information acquisition means has a GPS receiver, and the position information acquisition means further includes a base of the mobile communication network. Base station information that is the current position of the unmanned aerial vehicle estimated based on signal strength from a station can be acquired, and the position information includes GPS information that is information acquired by the GPS receiver, Preferably, base station information is included.

By superimposing GPS information and base station information, the current position of the unmanned aerial vehicle can be identified with higher accuracy.

Moreover, it is preferable that the loss prevention apparatus of the present invention further includes a revealing unit that visually or audibly tells a searcher near the unmanned aircraft the location of the unmanned aircraft.

It is difficult to eliminate the error completely by the longitude and latitude values of the GPS receiver and the triangulation by the base station of the mobile communication network. The loss prevention device includes, for example, a buzzer, a rotating light, etc., and informs a searcher in the vicinity of the position so that the vicinity of the unmanned aircraft can be efficiently found.

Moreover, it is preferable that the loss prevention device of the present invention further includes a crash detection unit that detects a crash of the unmanned aircraft and a buffer mechanism that reduces an impact when the unmanned aircraft is landing.

The loss prevention device can detect the crash of unmanned aerial vehicles, and can operate shock absorbers such as parachutes and airbags. Damage to the device itself can be suppressed.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention includes the loss prevention device of the present invention. At this time, the unmanned aerial vehicle of the present invention is preferably a rotary wing aircraft including a plurality of rotary wings.

The unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present invention further includes distance measuring means for measuring a distance between the unmanned aircraft and the ground surface, and the loss prevention device is configured such that when the unmanned aircraft approaches the ground surface to a predetermined distance of 3 m or less. It is preferable to further include a rotary blade stopping means for stopping the rotary blade.

When landing an unmanned aerial vehicle that is a rotary wing aircraft, the descent speed at the time of landing should be reduced as much as possible. On the other hand, the rotor blades of unmanned aerial vehicles are sharp. For example, when there is a structure or the like at the landing point of the airframe, the rotor blades may significantly damage them. In addition, assuming that there are pedestrians at the landing point, it is necessary to take measures to minimize the damage. When landing an unmanned aerial vehicle, it is possible to achieve both of these by reducing the descent speed as much as possible to an altitude of about the height of a human being, and then stopping the rotor and dropping the aircraft.

In order to solve the above problem, the loss prevention system of the present invention includes the loss prevention device of the present invention, and a management station that receives the position information from the loss prevention device, and the loss prevention device includes: It has a storage means for recording the GPS information at the time of normal flight of the unmanned aircraft, the position information transmission means transmits the GPS information of the storage means as the position information, and the management station It has the present position estimation means which estimates the present position of the unmanned aircraft based on the position information which is the GPS information of the means.

For example, when the GPS receiver cannot be used at the landing point of the unmanned aircraft, the search range can be narrowed down to some extent by estimating the current position of the unmanned aircraft from the GPS information up to the landing point.

As described above, according to the loss prevention device according to the present invention, the unmanned aircraft including the same, and the loss prevention system for the unmanned aircraft, it is possible to efficiently search and collect the lost unmanned aircraft.

It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the multicopter concerning 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of the landing judgment by a loss prevention apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the multicopter concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the analysis procedure of GPS information by a position analysis program. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the multicopter concerning 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the loss prevention system concerning 4th Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of a monitor screen showing the current position of the multicopter.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1st Embodiment is an example of the unmanned aerial vehicle provided with the loss prevention apparatus of this invention.

(Configuration overview)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a multicopter 101 (unmanned aerial vehicle) according to the present embodiment. The multicopter 101 includes a flight controller FC, a plurality of rotors R (rotary blades), an ESC 131 (Electric Speed Controller) provided for each rotor R, a battery 190 that supplies power to these, and a loss prevention device 201. Yes.

Each rotor R is composed of a motor 132 and a blade 133 connected to its output shaft. The ESC 131 is connected to the motor 132 of the rotor R, and rotates the motor 132 at a speed instructed from the flight controller FC. The number of rotors of the multicopter 101 is not particularly limited, and from the helicopter having two rotors R, the octacopter having eight rotors R, or even eight depending on the required flight stability, allowable cost, etc. Even those having many rotors can be changed as appropriate.

The flight controller FC includes a control device 110 that is a microcontroller. The control device 110 includes a CPU 111 that is a central processing unit, a memory 112 that is a storage device such as a ROM or a RAM, and a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controller 113 that controls the rotation speed of each motor 132 via the ESC 131. ing.

The flight controller FC further includes a flight control sensor group 121 and a GPS receiver 122 (hereinafter collectively referred to as “sensors”), which are connected to the control device 110. The flight control sensor group 121 of the multicopter 101 in this embodiment includes a triaxial acceleration sensor, a triaxial angular velocity sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor (altitude sensor), a geomagnetic sensor (orientation sensor), and the like. The control device 110 can acquire position information of the own aircraft including the latitude and longitude of the aircraft, the altitude, and the azimuth angle of the nose, in addition to the tilt and rotation of the aircraft, using these sensors and the like.

The memory 112 of the control device 110 stores a flight control program FCP, which is a program in which an algorithm for controlling the attitude and basic flight operation of the multicopter 101 during flight is stored. The flight control program FCP adjusts the rotational speed of each rotor R based on the information obtained from the sensor or the like in accordance with an instruction from the operator (transmitter 151), and corrects the attitude and position disturbance of the aircraft. The copter 101 is allowed to fly.

In addition to the operator operating the multicopter 101 from the transmitter 151, for example, parameters such as the flight path, speed, and altitude are registered in advance as a flight plan FP, and the operator can fly autonomously toward the destination. It is possible (hereinafter referred to as “autopilot”).

In addition, the flight control program FCP of the present embodiment is configured so that the multicopter 101 is automatically landed when the remaining amount of the battery 190 falls below a predetermined threshold value.

Thus, the multicopter 101 in this embodiment has an advanced flight control function. However, the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present invention is not limited to the form of the multicopter 101. On the condition that the loss prevention device 201 is provided, for example, an airframe in which some sensors are omitted from the sensor or the like, or an autopilot function It is also possible to use a fuselage that can fly only by manual maneuvering, or that does not have an automatic landing function. Furthermore, the unmanned aerial vehicle in the present invention is not limited to a rotary wing aircraft, and may be a fixed wing aircraft including a loss prevention device 201.

(Loss prevention device)
Loss prevention device 201 searches and collects the aircraft when multicopter 101 flies out of the radio range of transmitter 151 or when multicopter 101 disappears while flying outside the visual field by the autopilot function. It is a device to assist.

The loss prevention device 201 of this embodiment includes a control device 210 that is a microcontroller. The control device 210 includes a CPU 211 that is a central processing unit, and a memory 212 that is a storage device such as a ROM or a RAM. The loss prevention device 201 further includes an IMU 221, a GPS receiver 225, a 3G / LTE module 231, and a wireless LAN module 232, which are connected to the control device 210. Further, the loss prevention apparatus 201 includes a battery 290 that is a dedicated power source.

The IMU 221 is a general inertial measurement device, and mainly includes a triaxial acceleration sensor and a triaxial angular velocity sensor. Registered in the memory 212 of the loss prevention apparatus 201 is a state monitoring program SMP that is a program for monitoring the output value of the IMU 221 to determine whether the multicopter 101 is in a flight state or a landing state. These IMU 221 and state monitoring program SMP constitute landing detection means of the loss prevention device 201.

The GPS receiver 225 is position information acquisition means of the loss prevention device 201, and is precisely a navigation satellite system (NSS) receiver. The GPS receiver 225 obtains current longitude and latitude values and time information from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) or a regional navigation satellite system (RNSS). Hereinafter, such longitude and latitude values and time information are referred to as “GPS information Pg”. Further, information for specifying the current position of the multicopter 101 (the loss prevention apparatus 201) such as the GPS information Pg is collectively referred to as “position information P”. The loss prevention apparatus 201 according to the present embodiment can directly identify the current position of the multicopter 101 by including the GPS information Pg in the position information P.

The loss prevention apparatus 201 of the present embodiment includes a dedicated IMU 221 and a GPS receiver 225 separately from the sensor of the multicopter 101 and the like. Therefore, even when a sensor or the like of the multicopter 101 breaks down, the landing of the airframe can be detected alone and the position information P can be notified. However, the provision of the dedicated IMU 221 and the GPS receiver 225 is not an essential configuration, and a configuration in which necessary information is obtained from the sensor of the multicopter 101 or the like may be employed. Furthermore, a dedicated IMU 221 and a GPS receiver 225 are provided, and the output values of the sensors of the multicopter 101 are also used together to ensure the independence of the loss prevention device 201 and more accurately grasp the state of the multicopter 101. A possible configuration is also conceivable.

The 3G / LTE module 231 is a wide area wireless communication means that can be connected to a mobile communication network such as 3G / HSPA (High Speed Packet Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution) among wide area wireless communication networks. The 3G / LTE module 231 can be replaced with a WiMAX module that can be connected to mobile WiMAX (WorldwideWorldInteroperability for Microwave Access).

In the memory 212 of the loss prevention apparatus 201, a mail program MP that is a program for sending an e-mail to a predetermined destination is registered. The mail program MP is position information transmitting means for transmitting the position information P via the mobile communication network. When detecting the landing of the multicopter 101, the state monitoring program SMP enables the function of the 3G / LTE module 231 and transmits the position information P to a predetermined destination by the mail program MP. Note that the 3G / LTE module 231 is disabled so as not to emit radio waves while the multicopter 101 is flying. Note that the protocol used for transmission of the position information P is not limited to SMTP as used in the present embodiment, but may be another general protocol such as HTTP, or provided uniquely for transmission / reception of the position information P. May be a different protocol. Further, the mail program MP may periodically transmit the latest position information P, or may transmit only once at the time of landing.

Furthermore, the 3G / LTE module 231 of this embodiment also functions as a position information acquisition unit together with the GPS receiver 225. When the function is enabled on the ground, the 3G / LTE module 231 estimates the current position of the multicopter 101 by triangulation from the signal strength of the surrounding base stations. Hereinafter, such current position information is referred to as “base station information Pb”. The position information P of the present embodiment includes the above-described GPS information Pg and base station information Pb. By appropriately combining these pieces of information, the current position of the multicopter 101 can be specified more accurately. Note that the position information P of the present invention may be information that contributes to narrowing down the search range of the multicopter 101, and it is not always necessary to include the GPS information Pg and the base station information Pb.

The wireless LAN module 232 is short-range wireless communication means for transmitting position information P to a receiver (not shown) held by the searcher when the searcher of the multicopter 101 enters the radio wave range.

Depending on the geographical situation of the landing point of the multicopter 101, there is a possibility that communication by the 3G / LTE module 231 cannot be used. When the connection to the mobile communication network by the 3G / LTE module 231 is not successful, the multicopter 101 of the present embodiment tries to transmit the position information P by the wireless LAN module 232. As a result, as much position information P as can be collected can be transmitted to a searcher located at a distance of several tens of meters from the multicopter 101.

Even when the 3G / LTE module 231 can be connected to the mobile communication network, the wireless LAN module 232 can be used together to facilitate the discovery of the multicopter 101. In this case, for example, the 3G / LTE module 231 sends the position information P by mail, and displays the distance between the searcher and the multicopter 101 on the searcher's receiver based on the signal strength of the wireless LAN module 232. Can be considered. Here, the signal transmitted from the wireless LAN module 232 is also a kind of position information P.

The battery 290 is a storage battery separate from the battery 190 provided in the multicopter 101. A battery 190 of the multicopter 101 is connected to the battery 290, and the battery 290 can be charged from the battery 190.

In addition to the battery 190 of the multicopter 101, the loss prevention device 201 includes a dedicated battery 290, so that the loss prevention device 201 can be used even when the battery 190 is out of order or even after the battery 190 is depleted. Can continue to operate independently.

Furthermore, in the loss prevention apparatus 201 of the present embodiment, the state monitoring program SMP constantly monitors the flight state of the multicopter 101 using the IMU 221. That is, the loss prevention device 201 consumes power even during the flight of the multicopter 101. Since the battery 290 of the present embodiment can be charged from the battery 190 of the multicopter 101, the power consumed during the flight of the multicopter 101 can be appropriately charged from the battery 190. It is possible to secure the maximum amount of power of the loss prevention device 201. Furthermore, the multicopter 101 of this embodiment is configured to automatically land before the battery 190 is depleted. Therefore, the loss prevention apparatus 201 can use the remaining power of the battery 190 of the multicopter 101 in addition to the power of the battery 290 after the landing of the multicopter 101. Thereby, it is possible to operate the loss prevention device 201 for a longer time. On the other hand, when the capacity of the battery 290 of the loss prevention apparatus 201 is sufficient, the battery 290 need not be rechargeable from the battery 190 of the multicopter 101.

 Unmanned aerial vehicles lost due to loss of control will crash or land automatically due to the depletion of fuel and power. The multicopter 101 of the present embodiment notifies the current position of the multicopter 101 to a predetermined destination where the loss prevention device 201 is a searcher after landing of the aircraft. Thereby, the search range of the lost multicopter 101 is narrowed down, and the searcher can easily find and recover the lost aircraft. In addition, since the loss prevention apparatus 201 includes the 3G / LTE module 231 and can use a mobile communication network, the loss prevention apparatus 201 can be installed in the service area regardless of the distance that the multicopter 101 has moved away. The position information P can be transmitted to the searcher from anywhere. Note that the loss prevention apparatus 201 according to the present embodiment transmits the position information P to a predetermined destination at the time of landing, even when the landing is not due to loss. Therefore, it is desirable to set a recipient who can discriminate between normal and abnormal from the contents as the transmission destination of the position information P.

(Modification of landing judgment method)
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing another example of landing determination by the loss prevention apparatus of the present invention. The loss prevention apparatus 201 of this embodiment determines the landing of the multicopter 101 based only on the output value of the IMU 221. Here, for example, in addition to the IMU 221, the loss prevention device 201 further includes a distance sensor that detects the distance between the multicopter 101 and the ground surface, an atmospheric pressure sensor that detects the atmospheric pressure altitude of the multicopter 101, and an amount of current to each rotor R. It is assumed that a current sensor for detection and a rotation sensor for detecting the number of rotations of each rotor R are provided, and two or more of the output values of these sensors indicate the landing of the multicopter 101. Then, it is determined that the multicopter 101 is on the ground. Only a part of these sensors may be used. By doing so, it is possible to determine the landing of the multicopter 101 more accurately.

Second Embodiment
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The second embodiment is another example of an unmanned aerial vehicle including the loss prevention device of the present invention. In the following description, components having the same functions as those of the previous embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the previous embodiment, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

(Configuration overview)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the multicopter 102 according to the present embodiment. The machine body of the multicopter 102 is the same as the multicopter 101 of the first embodiment except for the configuration of the loss prevention device 202 described later. Therefore, description of the basic configuration of the multicopter 102 is omitted.

(Loss prevention device)
The loss prevention apparatus 202 of this embodiment has a position analysis program PAP and a flight route storage area FRM in addition to the configuration of the loss prevention apparatus 201 of the first embodiment.

The state monitoring program SMP of the loss prevention device 202 continuously records the GPS information Pg during the flight and landing of the multicopter 102 in the flight route storage area FRM. The position analysis program PAP is current position estimation means for analyzing the GPS information Pg recorded in the flight route storage area FRM and specifying a longitude / latitude value or a range having a higher probability as the current position. In the present embodiment, the GPS information Pg included in the position information P transmitted by the mail program MP includes a plurality of GPS information Pg acquired from the flight route storage area FRM, and a latitude / longitude value specified by the position analysis program PAP or That range is included.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for analyzing GPS information Pg by the position analysis program PAP.

After the landing of the multicopter 102, the position analysis program PAP confirms that the GPS receiver 225 is operating effectively (S210). More specifically, the position analysis program PAP confirms that the GPS information Pg can be acquired from the GPS receiver 225, and that the longitude and latitude values and the time information are valid values.

When the operation of the GPS receiver 225 is valid (S210: Y), a plurality of GPS information Pg is acquired by tracing back to the past GPS information Pg from the latest GPS information Pg in the flight route storage area FRM. It is confirmed that the error of the longitude and latitude values of Pg is within a range of several meters (S220).

When the error of the longitude and latitude values of these GPS information Pg is within the above range (S220: Y), the position analysis program PAP specifies the longitude and latitude values of the latest GPS information Pg as the current position of the multicopter 102 (S221). ). On the other hand, when the error of the longitude and latitude values exceeds the above range (S220: N), a value obtained by averaging the longitude and latitude values of the plurality of acquired GPS information Pg is specified as the current position of the multicopter 102 (S221). .

When the GPS receiver 225 is not operating effectively after the landing of the multicopter 102 (S210: N), the position analysis program PAP goes back to the past GPS information Pg from the latest GPS information Pg in the flight route storage area FRM. A plurality of GPS information Pg is acquired, and the moving direction and moving speed of the multicopter 102 before landing are calculated (S211). And the predetermined range according to the moving speed on the extension line of the calculated moving direction is estimated as the current position (S212).

After the above processing by the position analysis program PAP, the mail program MP includes a plurality of GPS information Pg acquired from the flight route storage area FRM, the longitude / latitude value specified by the position analysis program PAP, and its range, and the base station Information Pb is transmitted to a predetermined destination. Here, when the connection to the mobile communication network is unstable, the plurality of GPS information Pg is omitted, and only the longitude / latitude value specified by the position analysis program PAP and the base station information Pb are transmitted. May be.

<Third Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The third embodiment is another example of an unmanned aerial vehicle including the loss prevention device of the present invention. In the following description, components having the same functions as those of the previous embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the previous embodiment, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

(Configuration overview)
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the multicopter 103 according to the present embodiment. The machine body of the multicopter 103 is the same as that of the multicopter 101 of the first embodiment except for the configuration of the loss prevention device 203 described later. Therefore, description of the basic configuration of the multicopter 103 is omitted.

(Loss prevention device)
The loss prevention device 203 of the present embodiment includes a distance sensor 222, a buzzer 280, a parachute 260, and a parachute injection device 261 in addition to the configuration of the loss prevention device 201 of the first embodiment. The control device 210 of the loss prevention device 202 is connected to the control device 110 of the multicopter 103, and is configured to be able to interrupt the control processing of the aircraft by the control device 110.

The distance sensor 222 is a distance measuring unit that detects the distance between the multicopter 103 and the ground surface, and is a distance sensor using various methods such as infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, or lasers.

The state monitoring program SMP of the present embodiment also serves as a rotor stop means for the multicopter 103. The state monitoring program SMP monitors the distance between the body of the multicopter 103 and the ground surface by the distance sensor 222. Then, when the distance becomes 3 m or less, the controller 110 is interrupted, the multicopter 103 is hovered once at the altitude, the rotor R is forcibly stopped, and the aircraft is dropped.

When landing the multi-copter 103, which is a rotorcraft, the descent speed at the time of landing should be reduced as much as possible. On the other hand, the rotor R of the multicopter 103 is sharp. For example, when there is a structure or the like at the landing point of the multicopter 103, the rotor R may damage the rotor. In addition, assuming that there are pedestrians at the landing point, it is necessary to take measures to minimize the damage. The loss prevention device 203 of this embodiment causes the multicopter 103 to hover once at an altitude that exceeds the height of a human being, and then stops the rotor R to drop the fuselage. As a result, even when the lost multicopter 103 arrives due to a decrease in the remaining amount of the battery 190, it is possible to achieve both protection of the aircraft and suppression of damage at the landing point. In addition, when the remaining capacity of the battery 190 exceeds a predetermined threshold value, it is desirable to disable the interrupt processing to the control device 110 so that the rotor stop function does not operate except when the multicopter 103 is unscheduled. . The rotor stop function may be provided in the multicopter 103 instead of the loss prevention device 203.

The buzzer 280 is a manifestation means that audibly appeals to the searcher of the lost multicopter 103 about the location of the multicopter 103.

It is difficult to completely eliminate an error between the GPS information Pg and the base station information Pb and the actual position of the multicopter 103. The loss prevention apparatus 203 according to the present embodiment can notify a nearby searcher of the position by a buzzer sound emitted from the buzzer 280. As a result, the searcher can efficiently find the multicopter 103. Here, the timing of sounding the buzzer 280 is arbitrary. For example, when an operation instruction is received from a searcher via the wireless LAN module 232 or the 3G / LTE module 231, or the landing of the multicopter 103 is detected. For example, it may be possible to sound intermittently at regular intervals after a predetermined time has elapsed. Note that the revealing means of the present invention is not limited to the buzzer 280, and may be means for visually informing the searcher of the location of the multicopter 103, such as a rotating light.

The parachute 260 and the parachute injection device 261 are buffer mechanisms that alleviate the impact when the multicopter 103 crashes.

When the state monitoring program SMP detects the crash of the multicopter 103 from the output value of the IMU 221, the loss prevention apparatus 203 of this embodiment automatically operates the parachute injection apparatus 261 and deploys the parachute 260. Thereby, it is possible to suppress damage to the body of the multicopter 103, the equipment mounted on the multicopter 103, and the loss prevention device 203 itself. The buffer mechanism of the present invention is not limited to the parachute 260, and may further include, for example, an airbag. In addition, in preparation for a crash, the loss prevention device 203 is desirably mounted on the multicopter 103 in a state where a robust case body is packed with a cushioning material. Furthermore, it is desirable that each component of the loss prevention device 203 has a waterproof measure. Note that the control functions of the parachute 260, the parachute injection device 261, and the parachute injection device 261 may be provided in the multicopter 103 instead of the loss prevention device 203.

<Fourth embodiment>
Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The fourth embodiment is an example of the loss prevention system of the present invention. In the following description, components having the same functions as those of the previous embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the previous embodiment, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

(Overview)
The loss prevention system S according to the present embodiment includes a multicopter 104 in which the loss prevention device 204 is mounted, and a management station 300 that can communicate with the loss prevention device 204 wirelessly.

(Multicopter)
The machine body of the multicopter 104 is the same as that of the multicopter 101 of the first embodiment except for the configuration of the loss prevention device 204 described later. Therefore, description of the basic configuration of the multicopter 104 is omitted.

(Loss prevention device)
The loss prevention device 204 of the present embodiment is configured such that the position analysis program PAP is omitted from the loss prevention device 202 of the second embodiment. In the loss prevention apparatus 204, when the state monitoring program SMP detects the landing of the multicopter 104, the mail program MP goes back to the past GPS information Pg from the latest GPS information Pg in the flight route storage area FRM, and a plurality of GPS information Pg. And the GPS information Pg is transmitted to the management station 300 together with the base station information Pb.

(Management Bureau)
The management station 300 of this embodiment is a general-purpose computer such as a general personal computer or tablet PC. The management station 300 includes a CPU 311 that is a central processing unit and a memory 312 that is a storage device such as a ROM or a RAM. The management station 300 further includes a receiver 320 that can communicate with the loss prevention device 204 via the mobile communication network, and a map display that displays the current position of the multicopter 104 in a state where the position information P is mapped on the map data. A program PDP and a monitor 330 are provided.

When the management station 300 receives the position information P from the multicopter 104, the position analysis program PAP specifies or estimates the current position of the multicopter 104 from the GPS information Pg according to the flow of FIG. Then, the map display program PDP maps the current position of the multicopter 104 specified or estimated by the position analysis program PAP and the base station information Pb on the map data and displays them on the monitor 330.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a monitor 330 screen showing the current position of the multicopter 104. In the example of FIG. 7, detailed features are not shown for convenience of explanation. In the example of FIG. 7, the GPS receiver 225 has failed in the multicopter 104 before landing, and the position analysis program PAP is based on the flow of FIG. 4 (S210: N), and the current position of the multicopter 104 is determined. Assume that the range is estimated.

Here, the triangle symbol in FIG. 7 indicates the base station B of the mobile communication network, and the broken circle indicates the base station information Pb. The black dots indicate the most recent GPS information Pg acquired from the flight route storage area FRM. A solid line arrow indicates the flight path FR of the multicopter 104 calculated from the GPS information Pg by the position analysis program PAP. A broken arrow indicates the estimated current position Pe of the multicopter 104 calculated from the GPS information Pg by the position analysis program PAP. A solid circle indicates a search range A that is a range in which the multicopter 104 should be searched. The search range A is not actually displayed on the monitor 330 and is a range determined by the searcher. The searcher examines a highly probable range as the current position of the multicopter 104 based on conditions such as the base station information Pb displayed on the monitor 330, the estimated current position Pe, the flight route FR, and surrounding features. The search range A is determined.

In the present embodiment, the management station 300 includes the position analysis program PAP, and the GPS information Pg is analyzed on the management station 300 side. Naturally, the position analysis program PAP is executed on the multicopter 104 side for management. The station 300 may be configured to simply display the result on the monitor 330.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the wide-area wireless communication means of the present invention is not limited to a means for connecting to a mobile communication network, and for example, a satellite communication system may be used.

Claims

A loss prevention device mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle,
Wide area wireless communication means;
Position information acquisition means for acquiring position information which is information for specifying the current position of the unmanned aircraft;
Landing detection means for detecting landing of the unmanned aircraft;
A loss prevention apparatus comprising: position information transmission means for transmitting the position information to a predetermined destination by the wide area wireless communication means when the unmanned aircraft is on the ground.
A storage battery,
The loss prevention device according to claim 1, wherein the storage battery can be charged from a power source of the unmanned aircraft.
The loss prevention apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wide area wireless communication means is means for connecting to a mobile communication network.
Further comprising a short-range wireless communication means,
The loss prevention apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position information transmitting unit can transmit the position information by the short-range wireless communication unit.
The position information acquisition means has a GPS receiver,
The loss prevention apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position information includes GPS information that is information acquired by the GPS receiver.
Storage means for recording the GPS information during normal flight of the unmanned aircraft;
Current position estimation means for estimating the current position of the unmanned aircraft using the GPS information of the storage means when the GPS receiver is unavailable at the landing point of the unmanned aircraft,
6. The loss prevention apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the position information transmitted by the position information transmitting unit includes the estimated current position.
The wide area wireless communication means is a connection means to a mobile communication network,
The position information acquisition means has a GPS receiver,
The position information acquisition means can further acquire base station information that is a current position of the unmanned aircraft estimated based on signal strength from a base station of the mobile communication network,
The loss prevention apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position information includes GPS information that is information acquired by the GPS receiver and the base station information.
2. The loss prevention apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a revealing means for visually or audibly appealing a searcher in the vicinity of the unmanned aircraft to the location of the unmanned aircraft.
A crash detection means for detecting a crash of the unmanned aerial vehicle;
The loss prevention device according to claim 1, further comprising a buffer mechanism that reduces an impact when the unmanned aircraft is landing.
An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising the loss prevention device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a plurality of rotor blades.
It further comprises distance measuring means for measuring the distance between the unmanned aircraft and the ground surface,
The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the loss prevention device further includes a rotary wing stop unit that stops the rotary wing when the unmanned aircraft approaches the ground surface to a predetermined distance of 3 m or less.
A loss prevention system comprising: the loss prevention device according to claim 5; and a management station that receives the location information from the loss prevention device.
The loss prevention device has storage means for recording the GPS information during normal flight of the unmanned aircraft,
The position information transmitting means transmits the GPS information of the storage means as the position information,
The loss prevention system, wherein the management station has a current position estimating unit that estimates a current position of the unmanned aircraft based on the position information that is the GPS information of the storage unit.