WO2019073601A1

WO2019073601A1 - Unmanned flying body control method and unmanned flying body

Info

Publication number: WO2019073601A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/037222
Authority: WO
Inventors: 谷口　正和; 大原　久征
Original assignee: 中国電力株式会社
Priority date: 2017-10-13
Filing date: 2017-10-13
Publication date: 2019-04-18
Also published as: JPWO2019073601A1; JP6394833B1

Abstract

The present invention meets flying distance and flying time requirements while effecting safe flight for an unmanned flying body. This unmanned flying body comprises: a thrust generating device; a flight control device that controls the thrust generating device; a current generating device that has an annular ring body with an openable/closable section therealong and a conductive coil wound around the ring body; a ring opening/closing device that opens and closes the section of the ring body; and a power supply device that supplies, to the thrust generating device or the flight control device, electric power from current generated in the conductive coil by means of electromagnetic induction by current flowing through an overhead power line accommodated inside the ring. This unmanned flying body carries out: control for approaching the overhead power line by means of flight; control for opening the section of the ring in-flight and accommodating the overhead power line inside the ring; control for closing the section of the ring in-flight; and control for supplying, to the thrust generating device or the flight control device, the electric power from the current generated in the conductive coil by means of electromagnetic induction by the current flowing through the overhead power line accommodated inside the ring.

Description

Control method of unmanned air vehicle and unmanned air vehicle

The present invention relates to a method of controlling an unmanned air vehicle and an unmanned air vehicle.

Patent Document 1 "provides a transportation system using an unmanned air vehicle which has enhanced the convenience by extending the range in which it can deliver by breaking restrictions such as distance and time," "receive power supply and three-dimensional. A transport system using a movable unmanned air vehicle, wherein the unmanned air vehicle flies while mounting a container for storing a load to be transported, and the container supplies power to the unmanned air vehicle. The storage unit for storing the storage unit is provided, and the storage unit provided in the container is charged at the relay base when not moving.

Patent Document 2 "provides an overhead electric wire inspection system and method using an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of automatically performing an inspection of a tree approaching an overhead electric wire, etc.", "of an overhead electric wire while autonomously flying An unmanned helicopter equipped with a flight control system for flying to an inspection point and an information collecting system for collecting various information including images of the inspection point and distance measurement data, controlling the flight of the unmanned helicopter, and various kinds from the unmanned helicopter A three-dimensional image created by creating a three-dimensional image from an image of inspection points and distance measurement data collected by a control center equipped with a flight control and information collection system that collects and processes information, and an information collection system of an unmanned helicopter Processing means such as approaching trees to check if there is an abnormality in the overhead electric wire at the check point based on the processed three-dimensional image , Various data to be used for inspection in close trees such inspection means are described as. "And a stored memory.

Patent Document 3 "takes out the induction current from the overhead wire flowing to the ground wire of the overhead wire, performs direct current conversion to charge the storage battery, and uses the storage battery as a power source", "for the ground wire of the overhead wire A current transformer with a ground wire as a primary winding is provided for current extraction, and the current transformer is provided in a long shape along the ground wire to take out the induction current of the overhead wire flowing through the ground wire. ing.

Patent Document 4 relates to a power supply CT configured to include a core into which a distribution line is inserted and a secondary winding (a primary winding corresponds to a distribution line to be measured) wound around the core. Have been described.

Non-Patent Document 1 describes a “drone highway concept” that supports a safe flight of a drone by creating a three-dimensional map based on position and height data such as transmission towers and overhead wires.

Non-Patent Document 2 describes a power supply device for an aeronautical fault lamp utilizing an induced current flowing in an overhead ground line.

JP, 2017-105242, A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-265699 JP-A-49-95159 JP 2004-103791

As described in

Patent Documents

1 and 2, when it is intended to use an unmanned air vehicle (drone or the like) for services such as transportation system and overhead wire inspection, the capacity and weight of the power storage device (battery) are used. The problem is that the flight distance and flight time are limited. Recently, as described in Non-Patent Document 1, a "drone highway concept" has been proposed that allows a drone to fly safely and reliably to a destination by using an overhead wire as a "guidepost". However, in this case, how to supply power to the unmanned air vehicle during long distance flight becomes a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of controlling an unmanned air vehicle, and an unmanned air vehicle, which can be made to fly safely while securing the flight distance and flight time. There is.

In order to achieve the above object, one of the present inventions is a thrust generator, a flight control device for controlling the thrust generator, an annular ring body capable of opening and closing a part of the ring, and the ring body A current generating device having a conductive coil wound around the ring, a ring switching device for opening and closing a part of the ring of the ring body, electric power based on current generated in the conductive coil as the thrust generating device or the flight control device A control method of an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising the steps of: the unmanned aerial vehicle flying to approach an overhead electric wire; and a part of the ring of the ring body while flying. The steps of opening and housing an overhead wire inside the ring, closing a portion of the ring while flying, and the current based on the current generated in the conductive coil by the electromagnetic induction action of the current flowing through the overhead wire. Supplying a force to the thrust generating apparatus or the flight control device, for execution.

According to the present invention, since power based on the current generated in the conductive coil by the electromagnetic induction action of the current flowing through the overhead wire is supplied to the thrust generator or flight control device, power can be supplied from the overhead wire while flying. , Can extend the flight distance and flight time of a drone. Therefore, for example, the unmanned air vehicle can be made to fly over a long distance or a long time without accessing the charging station or the like, and the work such as the inspection of the transmission and distribution equipment can be efficiently performed. In addition, if the buoyancy is lost due to insufficient storage capacity of the power storage device (battery) or failure or if a gust of wind occurs, the unmanned air vehicle may fall or deviate from the flight route because the ring body is applied to the overhead wire. Can prevent the unmanned air vehicle from flying safely. Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to safely fly an unmanned air vehicle while securing the flight distance and flight time.

Another one of the present inventions is the control method of the above-mentioned unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle flies along the overhead electric wire with the overhead electric wire accommodated inside the ring. Run.

Another one of the present inventions is the control method of the above-mentioned unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises an imaging device for photographing the surroundings, and the unmanned aerial vehicle accommodates an overhead wire inside the ring. The step of photographing the overhead wire is further performed while flying in the above state.

Another one of the present inventions is a control method of the above-mentioned unmanned air vehicle, wherein the current generator is configured using a feedthrough current transformer.

Another aspect of the present invention is a thrust generator, a flight control device for controlling the thrust generator, an annular ring body capable of opening and closing a part of the ring, and a conductive coil wound around the ring body Based on the current generated in the conductive coil by the electromagnetic induction action of the current flowing through the overhead electric wire housed in the ring, the ring switching device for opening and closing a part of the ring of the ring body, and An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising a power supply device for supplying power to the thrust generator or the flight control device, wherein control for flying to approach an overhead wire, part of the ring of the ring body while flying Control to open an electric wire inside the ring, control to close a part of the ring while flying, and the electric current based on the electric current generated in the conductive coil by the electromagnetic induction action of the electric current flowing through the electric electric wire The performing control, supplied to the thrust generating apparatus or the flight control system.

Another one of the present inventions is the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein control is performed to fly along the overhead electric wire with the overhead electric wire housed inside the ring.

Another one of the present inventions is the unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising an imaging device for imaging the surroundings, and controlling the imaging of the overhead electric wire while flying with the overhead electric wire housed inside the ring. Do.

According to the present invention, at the time of work such as inspection of transmission and distribution equipment, while receiving the power supply from the overhead electric wire and securing the flight distance and flight time, the captured image of the transmission and distribution equipment such as overhead electric wire is efficiently acquired. be able to.

Another one of the present inventions is the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the current generator is constructed using a feedthrough current transformer.

Another one of the present inventions is the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein a pedestal portion provided with the flight control device, and a predetermined length extending from the pedestal portion in the outer peripheral direction of the pedestal portion, the thrust generating device Are provided, and a plurality of leg supports provided extending downward of the pedestal portion, and the current generating device is a part of the ring in a space surrounded by the plurality of leg supports. Is provided downward.

Another one of the present inventions is the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein a pedestal portion provided with the flight control device, and a predetermined length extending from the pedestal portion in the outer peripheral direction of the pedestal portion, the thrust generating device Are provided, and the current generating device is provided above the pedestal portion with a part of the ring facing upward.

Another one of the present inventions is the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the power supply device is a storage device for supplying power to the thrust generator or the flight control device, and power based on a current generated in the conductive coil. And a charge control device that supplies the power storage device.

In addition, the subject which this application discloses, and its solution method are clarified by the column of the form for inventing, and drawing.

According to the present invention, the unmanned air vehicle can be made to fly safely while securing the flight distance and flight time.

It is a front view of a drone. It is the perspective view which looked at the unmanned aerial vehicle from the front slanting upper part. It is a figure explaining the structure and principle of an electric current generator. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions (block diagram) of an unmanned aerial vehicle, and a transmitter. It is a figure which shows the function (software structure) with which a control circuit is provided. It is a figure which shows the structure (hardware structure) of a charge control apparatus. It is a figure explaining the procedure which accommodates an overhead wire inside a ring while a drone flies. It is a figure which shows a mode that the unmanned aerial vehicle is charging a battery, inspecting an overhead electric wire. It is a flow chart explaining flight control processing. It is a figure which shows the other structure of a unmanned air vehicle.

Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention will be described. In the following description, the same or similar components may be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof may be omitted.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the appearance of the unmanned air vehicle 3 described as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view of the unmanned air vehicle 3, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the unmanned air vehicle 3 as viewed obliquely from the front and above. The unmanned air vehicle 3 checks transmission and distribution equipment (for example, performs state diagnosis of overhead cables, power transmission towers, power poles, etc. (checks of scratches, arc marks, bird damage, presence of approaching trees, etc.).

The unmanned air vehicle 3 is, for example, a multicopter (bicopter, tricopter, quadcopter, hexacopter, octocopter, etc.), a helicopter, an airplane, a flight robot or the like. In the following description, the unmanned air vehicle 3 is a quadcopter capable of flying by remote control and capable of autonomous flight with an autonomous control mechanism.

The unmanned aerial vehicle 3 extends horizontally at angles of 45 °, 135 °, 225 °, and 315 ° from the pedestal portion 31 and the pedestal portion 31 as the basic skeleton (frame), respectively. And a leg 33 (including a leg support 331 and a horizontal leg 332 described later, also referred to as a skid) provided to extend downward (-z direction) of the pedestal 31. . The arm 32 and the leg 33 are configured using, for example, a tubular (cylindrical, square tubular or the like) or a truss-like member. These are made of, for example, resin, metal or the like.

The pedestal portion 31 has a structure (two upper and lower stages in this example) having a plurality of plates in the vertical direction (z-axis direction). The leg 33 is fixed to the lower end of the leg support 331 and two leg supports 331 extending downward by a predetermined length while extending from the pedestal 31 in the left and right direction (± x axis direction) respectively, and a horizontal leg 332 extending in a predetermined length (for example, a length in the front-rear direction (y-axis direction) of the unmanned aerial vehicle 3) in the y-axis direction.

A flight control device 250 and an imaging device 282 are provided in the upper stage of the pedestal portion 31. In the lower part of the pedestal portion 31, a battery 260 (power storage device), a charge control device 82 described later, and the like are provided. These are fixed to the pedestal portion 31 using, for example, a double-sided tape, a surface fastener, a screw or the like.

In the vicinity of the end of each of the four arms 32, a power motor 255 (a thrust generating device) is provided with the direction of the rotation axis thereof directed in the vertical direction (z-axis direction). A propeller 271 (rotor) is attached to the rotation shaft of each power motor 255. A motor control device 254 is connected to each power motor 255.

Below the pedestal portion 31, a space S surrounded by the lower portion of the pedestal portion 31 and the two leg supports 331 is formed, and a current generator 41 and a ring opening / closing device 42 are provided in the space S. There is.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the structure and principle of the current generator 41. As shown in FIG. The current generator 41 constitutes, together with the charge control unit 82 and the battery 260, a power supply unit 240 for supplying drive power to each component of the unmanned air vehicle 3.

As shown in the figure, the current generator 41 includes an annular (ring-shaped) ring body 411 made of a magnetic material, and a conductive coil 412 wound along the ring body 411. Both ends of the conductive coil 412 are connected to the input terminal of the charge control device 82.

The ring body 411 is coupled to the overhead wire 2 so that the overhead wire 2 is penetrated and accommodated in the hole 415 inside the ring. In a state in which the ring body 411 is coupled to the overhead wire 2, a current (induced current) is generated in the conductive coil 412 by the electromagnetic induction action by the current flowing through the overhead wire 2, and this current is input to the charge control device 82.

The charge control device 82 converts alternating current input through the conductive coil 412 into direct current and uses it as a charging current of the battery 260. Such a configuration of the current generator 41 can also be realized, for example, using an existing feed-through CT (power transformer (Current Transformer)) for power supply (for example, Patent Documents See Patent Document 2).

The inner surface of the ring body 411 is made of a material having a small coefficient of friction with the overhead wire 2. Therefore, the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 can fly (move) along the overhead wire 2 while the ring body 411 is coupled to the overhead wire 2. Although the shape of the ring body 411 is not necessarily limited, for example, it is preferable to make it the shape (for example, ring shape, elliptical ring shape, etc.) which does not produce friction easily with the overhead electric wire 2 accommodated in a ring.

FIG. 4 shows the hardware configuration (block diagram) of the unmanned air vehicle 3 and the transmitter 6 used by the user. As shown in the figure, the unmanned air vehicle 3 includes a flight control device 250, a thrust generator 270, a power supply device 240 (current generator 41, charge controller 82, battery 260), a ring opening and closing device 42, and an imaging device. It has 282. The components of the unmanned air vehicle 3 (a thrust generator 270, a flight controller 250, a ring opening and closing device 42, and an imaging device 282) operate with the power supplied from the power supply device 240. The drive power may be supplied to each of the above-described configurations from the battery 260 or directly from the charge control device 82.

The thrust generator 270 includes a motor controller 254 and a power motor 255. A motor control device 254 (also referred to as an ESC (Electronic Speed Controller), an amplifier or the like) controls the rotation of the power motor 255 by, for example, control of the magnitude of the electrical resistance value or PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control. The motor controller 254 generates thrust for flight. The control circuit 251 controls the rotation speed of each of the plurality of power motors 255 based on the information input from the various sensors 253 to operate (posture (pitch, roll, yaw), move (advances) of the unmanned air vehicle 3. , Backward movement, left and right movement, up and down) etc.). The power motor 255 is an electric motor, for example, a brushless motor. The thrust generator 270 may be an engine (internal combustion engine).

The flight control device 250 includes a control circuit 251, a wireless communication device 252, various sensors 253, various interfaces (hereinafter referred to as various I / Fs 258), and a communication circuit 259.

The control circuit 251 includes a processor (CPU, MPU or the like) and a storage device (RAM, ROM, NVRAM, external storage or the like), and functions as an information processing apparatus. The control circuit 251 may be realized, for example, as a microcomputer (microcomputer) in which a processor and a storage element are integrally packaged.

The various sensors 253 include, for example, a gyro sensor (angular velocity sensor), a three-axis acceleration sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a depth camera (Time of Flight (TOF) camera, stereo camera, laser radar ( LiDAR: Laser imaging Detection and Ranging, infrared depth sensor, ultrasonic sensor, etc., GPS signal (GPS: Grobal Positioning System) receiver (hereinafter also referred to as GPS), pressure-sensitive sensor, infrared sensor, etc.

The gyro sensor outputs, for example, a signal indicating an angular velocity of inclination and rotation of the unmanned air vehicle 3 in front, rear, left, and right. The three-axis acceleration sensor detects, for example, the acceleration of the unmanned air vehicle 3 (acceleration in each of front, rear, left, right, up, and down directions). The barometric pressure sensor outputs a signal indicating the barometric pressure. The information of the barometric pressure sensor is used, for example, when obtaining the altitude, the elevating speed, and the like of the unmanned air vehicle 3. The magnetic sensor outputs, for example, a signal indicating the direction in which the aircraft axis of the unmanned air vehicle 3 is currently facing.

The ultrasonic sensor outputs, for example, a signal indicating the distance between the unmanned air vehicle 3 and surrounding objects (transmission and distribution equipment, obstacles, ground, etc.). The depth camera outputs information indicating the distance to an object present around the unmanned air vehicle 3.

The GPS signal receiver (GPS) outputs information indicating the current position of the unmanned air vehicle 3. For example, the current position of the unmanned air vehicle 3 can be specified in real time with an error of about several centimeters by using the GPS signal transmitted from the Quasi-Zenith satellite received by the GPS signal receiver (GPS) .

The pressure sensor is provided, for example, at a predetermined position of the leg 33 of the unmanned air vehicle 3, and outputs a signal indicating that a predetermined portion of the unmanned air vehicle 3 has touched another object.

The wireless communication device 252 wirelessly communicates directly or indirectly with the transmitter 6 present at a remote location. The wireless communication device 252 receives the wireless signal transmitted from the transmitter 6 and inputs the content of the received wireless signal to the control circuit 251. The transmitter 6 may be provided with a video reception display device (FPV (First Persons View) device or the like) for displaying the video sent from the unmanned air vehicle 3 in real time.

The various I / F 258 is an interface for receiving information from the user and providing information to the user, and includes, for example, a push button, a switch, a touch panel, an LED, a speaker, and the like.

The communication circuit 259 is a communication circuit (SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface), I2C, and the like for communicating with other components of the unmanned air vehicle 3 (motor control device 254, charge control device 82, ring opening and closing device 42, imaging device 282, etc.). (Inter-Integrated Circuit), circuits which communicate by RS-232C, USB (Universal Serial Bus), etc.

The battery 260 is, for example, a lithium polymer secondary battery, an electric double layer capacitor (electric double layer capacitor), a lithium ion secondary battery or the like. The voltage between terminals of the battery 260 is notified from the charge control device 82 to the control circuit 251, and the control circuit 251 grasps the remaining amount of the battery 260 based on the voltage between terminals.

The ring opening / closing device 42 controls opening / closing of the ring body 411 when attaching the ring body 411 to the overhead wire 2 (one of the rings of the ring body 411 for inserting and removing the overhead wire 2 into and out of the ring hole 415 of the ring body 411). It includes a mechanism (a servomotor controlled by the control circuit 251, a mechanical opening / closing mechanism, etc.) for performing opening / closing control of the introduction port 416 provided in the unit. In this example, the ring body 411 is formed of a pair of left and right semicircular members, and the ring opening / closing device 42 forms the introduction port 416 of the overhead wire 2 below the ring body 411 by splitting the ring body 411 into two. Structure.

The imaging device 282 communicates with, for example, a camera (video camera or digital camera), a camera control mechanism, a gimbal (biaxial gimbal, triaxial gimbal, etc.) for keeping the photographing direction of the camera constant, and a ground station. Communication devices and the like. The imaging device 282 captures an image of an object that is an inspection target (the overhead wire 2, a transmission tower, or the like), and wirelessly transmits the captured image (image data) to the ground station. In the ground station, for example, the image received from the unmanned air vehicle 3 is analyzed by image processing, AI (Artificial Intelligence), etc. to grasp the state of the inspection object. The photographing device 282 may have a function of recording (recording) a photographed video (video data) on a recording medium.

FIG. 5 shows functions (software configuration) of the control circuit 251. As shown in the figure, the control circuit 251 includes an attitude control unit 511, a steering control unit 512, a flight control unit 513, a ring opening / closing device control unit 515, and an imaging device control unit 516. These functions are realized, for example, by the processor of the control circuit 251 reading and executing a program stored in the storage device of the control circuit 251.

As shown in the figure, the control circuit 251 stores map information 531 and a flight path 532. The map information 531 includes three-dimensional map information. The flight route 532 includes information indicating a route (a route including an inspection route) connecting the departure point to the final landing point.

The attitude control unit 511 controls the attitude of the unmanned air vehicle 3 by controlling the motor control device 254 (power motor 255) according to the signals input from the various sensors 253.

The steering control unit 512 controls the motor control device 254 (power motor 255) according to the signal input from the wireless communication device 252, and controls the operation (movement, rotation, rise, fall, etc.) of the unmanned air vehicle 3. .

The flight control unit 513 controls the thrust generator 270 based on the information acquired from the various sensors 253 to perform autonomous flight control of the unmanned air vehicle 3. This autonomous flight control may be performed automatically or semi-automatically using, for example, AI technology. At the time of passive control such as manual control, the flight control unit 513 controls the thrust generating device 270 in accordance with the instruction from the transmitter 6 received by the wireless communication device 252, and thereby the flying attitude and operation of the unmanned air vehicle 3 Control.

The flight control unit 513 performs unmanned flight along a preset flight path (a departure point, an inspection route, and a flight path connecting each landing point) based on signals (for example, GPS signals) input from various sensors 253. Make the body 3 fly. The flight path may be manually set or automatically set using AI technology or the like. In addition, the flight control unit 513 grasps the distance between the overhead electric wire 2 with high accuracy and in real time based on the signals input from the various sensors 253.

The ring opening / closing device controller 515 controls the opening / closing of the ring opening / closing device 42 (for example, controls the servomotor of the ring opening / closing device 42).

The photographing device control unit 516 controls the operation (the start and stop of photographing, photographing direction, zoom magnification control, and the like) of the photographing device 282.

FIG. 6 shows the configuration (hardware configuration) of the charge control device 82 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the charge control device 82 includes a charge control circuit 711 and a communication circuit 712. The charge control circuit 711 includes a circuit for efficiently charging the battery 260, a monitoring circuit of the voltage between the terminals of the battery 260, various protection circuits, and the like. The charge control circuit 711 efficiently supplies the received power to the battery 260 while charging the battery 260 while monitoring the voltage between the terminals of the battery 260. The charge control circuit 711 charges the battery 260 while performing, for example, control of a CVCC (Constant Voltage. Constant Current) system.

The communication circuit 712 communicates with the communication circuit 259 of the flight control device 250. The charge control circuit 711 transmits the information of the battery 260 to the control circuit 251 through the communication circuit 712.

As described above, the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 charges the battery 260 using the current induced in the conductive coil 412 by the electromagnetic induction action of the current flowing through the overhead wire 2. The unmanned aerial vehicle 3 approaches the overhead wire 2 from above the overhead wire 2 while flying, and is coupled to the overhead wire 2 by accommodating the overhead wire 2 in the hole 415 of the ring body 411 of the ring body 411.

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining the procedure for accommodating the overhead wire 2 inside the ring body 411 while the unmanned air vehicle 3 is flying. The unmanned air vehicle 3 first approaches the overhead wire 2 from above as shown in (a). Subsequently, as shown in (b), the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 opens a part of the ring of the ring 411 and descends, and accommodates the overhead wire 2 in the hole 415 of the ring 411. Then, the unmanned air vehicle 3 closes the ring body 411 and couples with the overhead wire 2 as shown in (c).

As shown in FIG. 8, after being coupled to the overhead wire 2, the unmanned air vehicle 3 is along the direction in which the overhead wire 2 extends while charging the battery 260 by the current generated by the electromagnetic induction by the current flowing through the overhead wire 2. Fly and check the overhead electric wire 2 etc. (for example, take photographs of transmission / distribution facilities to be checked and surrounding conditions). During the flight along the overhead wire 2, the unmanned air vehicle 3 is controlled based on the information acquired from the various sensors 253 so that the separation distance from the overhead wire 2 is at an appropriate position.

As described above, since the inner surface of the ring body 411 is made of a material having a small coefficient of friction with the overhead wire 2, the unmanned air vehicle 3 can move smoothly along the overhead wire 2. In the state where the unmanned air vehicle 3 is coupled to the overhead wire 2 in this manner, for example, even if the buoyancy is lost or the gust blows due to a shortage or failure of the battery 260, the ring body 411 hangs on the overhead wire 2. Therefore, the unmanned air vehicle 3 never falls or deviates from the flight route.

When the unmanned air vehicle 3 approaches the transmission transmission tower or the like, the reverse operation of the procedure shown in FIG. break away.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart for explaining the process performed by the unmanned air vehicle 3 on a flight for inspection (hereinafter, referred to as flight control process S900). The flight control processing S900 will be described below with reference to FIG.

As shown in the figure, first, at the departure point, the unmanned air vehicle 3 stores the flight path 532 by the user's registration operation or the like (S911), and charges the battery 260 using a charging facility provided on the ground ( Perform pre-flight charging) (S912).

Subsequently, the unmanned air vehicle 3 takes off the departure point and starts flying along the flight path 532 (S913). During the flight, the unmanned air vehicle 3 grasps the current position of itself in real time based on the information of various sensors 253 such as GPS, and determines whether or not it approaches the overhead wire 2 (S914). For example, when the distance between the current position and the overhead wire 2 becomes equal to or less than a predetermined distance, the unmanned air vehicle 3 determines that the overhead wire 2 approaches.

If it is determined that the unmanned air vehicle 3 approaches the overhead wire 2 (S914: YES), the unmanned air vehicle 3 couples the ring body 411 to the overhead wire 2 according to the above-described procedure shown in FIG. 7 (S915).

Subsequently, the unmanned air vehicle 3 starts flying along the overhead wire 2 based on the information acquired from the various sensors 253, and checks the transmission and distribution equipment (photographs of the overhead wire 2 and the photographed image (image data)). Transmission to the ground station etc.) is started (S916).

When the inspection is started, the unmanned air vehicle 3 flies along the overhead wire 2 and determines in real time whether it is time to leave the overhead wire 2 (S917). Note that the timing at which the flight from the overhead electric wire 2 occurs is, for example, when the unmanned air vehicle 3 approaches an obstacle (a power transmission tower, a difficult snowfall ring, a twist prevention damper, etc.) or It comes when the inspection of the inspection target section is completed.

When the timing for detaching from the overhead wire 2 arrives (S917: YES), the unmanned air vehicle 3 opens the ring body 411 and detaches from the overhead wire 2 (S918). If the timing for leaving the overhead wire 2 has not arrived (S917: NO), the unmanned air vehicle 3 continues to fly along the overhead wire 2 as it is.

Subsequently, the unmanned aerial vehicle 3 determines whether or not a return timing has arrived (S919). The return timing may be reached, for example, when all scheduled inspections have been completed, when any failure occurs, or when a return instruction is received from the ground station.

If the return timing has not come (S919: NO), the process returns to S914, and the unmanned air vehicle 3 continues the flight for inspection. If the return timing has come (S919: YES), the process proceeds to S920, and the unmanned air vehicle 3 starts the flight for return (S920), and when it reaches over the landing site, it controls the landing. To land on the landing site (S921).

As described above in detail, according to the configuration and method of the present embodiment, the unmanned air vehicle 3 can receive power supply from the overhead wire 2 while flying, and the flight distance of the unmanned air vehicle 3 (flight time ) Can be extended. Therefore, for example, the unmanned air vehicle 3 can be made to fly over a long distance or for a long time without accessing a charging station or the like, and work such as inspection of transmission and distribution facilities can be performed efficiently. In addition, when buoyancy is lost due to a shortage of remaining amount of battery 260 or failure or when a gust of wind occurs, ring body 411 is applied to overhead wire 2, so that unmanned air vehicle 3 may fall or deviate from the flight route. It is possible to prevent the unmanned air vehicle 3 from flying safely. As described above, according to the configuration and method of the present embodiment, it is possible to safely fly the unmanned air vehicle 3 while securing the flight distance and flight time.

When the configuration and method of the present embodiment are applied to, for example, a "drone highway concept" that uses the overhead wire 2 as a "guide indicator", charging the battery 260 while flying along the overhead wire 2 Thus, the unmanned air vehicle 3 can be efficiently and safely flying far.

The above description is intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. It goes without saying that the present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the gist thereof and includes the equivalents thereof. For example, the above embodiments have been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations. Moreover, it is possible to add, delete, and replace other configurations with respect to part of the configurations of the above embodiments.

For example, in the above embodiment, the unmanned air vehicle 3 approaches from above the overhead wire 2 and couples the ring body 411 to the overhead wire 2. For example, as shown in FIG. The ring body 411 may be provided on the upper portion of the flying object 3 and approach the overhead wire 2 from below the overhead wire 2 while flying to couple the ring body 411 to the overhead wire 2. In this way, for example, imaging can be performed from the lower side of the overhead wire 2.

In addition, each of the configurations, function units, processing units, processing means, etc. described above may be realized by hardware, for example, by designing part or all of them with an integrated circuit. Each configuration, function, etc. described above may be realized by software by a processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function. Information such as a program, a table, and a file for realizing each function can be placed in a memory, a hard disk, a recording device such as a solid state drive (SSD), or a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.

In each of the above-mentioned drawings, control lines and information lines indicate what is considered to be necessary for explanation, and not all control lines and information lines on mounting are necessarily shown. For example, in practice it may be considered that almost all configurations are mutually connected.

The arrangement of the various functional units in the embodiment described above is merely an example. The arrangement form of the various functional units can be changed to an optimum arrangement form in terms of hardware and software performance, processing efficiency, communication efficiency, and the like.

Reference Signs List 2 overhead electric wire, 3 unmanned aerial vehicle, 31 pedestal, 41 current generator, 42 ring switch, 82 charge controller, 240 power supply, 250 flight controller, 251 control circuit, 260 battery, 270 thrust generator, 282 imaging device, 411 ring body, 412 conductive coil, 415 hole, 416 inlet, 513 flight control unit, 515 ring opening / closing device control unit, 532 flight path, 711 charge control circuit, S900 flight control processing

Claims

A thrust generator,
A flight control device for controlling the thrust generator;
A current generating device having an annular ring body capable of opening and closing a part of the ring, and a conductive coil wound around the ring body;
A ring opening and closing device for opening and closing a part of the ring of the ring body;
A power supply device for supplying power based on a current generated in the conductive coil to the thrust generator or the flight control device;
A method of controlling a unmanned air vehicle comprising
The unmanned air vehicle is
Step to fly and approach overhead wires,
Opening part of the ring of the ring body while flying to accommodate an overhead wire inside the ring;
Closing part of the ring while flying;
Supplying the power based on the current generated in the conductive coil by the electromagnetic induction action of the current flowing through the overhead wire to the thrust generator or the flight control device;
How to control the unmanned air vehicle to perform.
The control method of a unmanned air vehicle according to claim 1, wherein
Performing the step of flying along the overhead wire with the unmanned aerial vehicle housing the overhead wire inside the ring;
Control method of unmanned air vehicle.
The control method of the unmanned air vehicle according to claim 1 or 2,
The unmanned air vehicle comprises an imaging device for imaging the surroundings,
The unmanned air vehicle further executes the step of photographing the overhead wire while flying with the overhead wire housed inside the ring.
Control method of unmanned air vehicle.
The control method of the unmanned air vehicle according to claim 1 or 2,
The current generator is configured using a feedthrough current transformer.
Control method of unmanned air vehicle.
A thrust generator,
A flight control device for controlling the thrust generator;
A current generating device having an annular ring body capable of opening and closing a part of the ring, and a conductive coil wound around the ring body;
A ring opening and closing device for opening and closing a part of the ring of the ring body;
A power supply device for supplying power to the thrust generator or the flight control device based on the current generated in the conductive coil by the electromagnetic induction action of the current flowing through the overhead wire housed inside the ring;
Unmanned air vehicle with
Control to fly and approach overhead wires,
Controlling to open a part of the ring of the ring body while flying and to accommodate an overhead wire inside the ring;
Control to close part of the ring while flying, and
A control for supplying the power to the thrust generator or the flight control device based on the current generated in the conductive coil by the electromagnetic induction action of the current flowing through the overhead wire.
Do unmanned air vehicle.
The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 5, wherein
Control to fly along the overhead wire with the overhead wire housed inside the ring
Unmanned air vehicle.
The unmanned air vehicle according to claim 5 or 6,
It has a shooting device that shoots the surroundings,
Control to photograph the overhead wire while flying with the overhead wire housed inside the ring
Unmanned air vehicle.
The control method of the unmanned air vehicle according to claim 5 or 6,
The current generator is configured using a feedthrough current transformer.
Unmanned air vehicle.
The unmanned air vehicle according to claim 5 or 6,
A pedestal portion provided with the flight control device;
A plurality of arms extending from the pedestal in a circumferential direction of the pedestal by a predetermined length and provided with the thrust generator;
A plurality of leg supports provided extending downward of the pedestal;
Equipped with
The current generator is provided in a space surrounded by the plurality of leg supports with a part of the ring directed downward.
Unmanned air vehicle.
The unmanned air vehicle according to claim 5 or 6,
A pedestal portion provided with the flight control device;
A plurality of arms extending from the pedestal in a circumferential direction of the pedestal by a predetermined length and provided with the thrust generator;
Equipped with
The current generator is provided above the pedestal with a portion of the ring facing upward.
Unmanned air vehicle.
The control method of the unmanned air vehicle according to claim 5 or 6,
The power supply device
A power storage device for supplying power to the thrust generator or the flight control device;
A charge control device for supplying power to the power storage device based on current generated in the conductive coil;
Further comprising
Unmanned air vehicle.