WO2020090589A1 - Travel route generating system, travel route generating method, travel route generating program, and drone - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To generate a travel route on which a moving apparatus can move efficiently. [Solution] A travel route generating system 1000, which is provided with a route-generating unit 40 that generates a travel route for a moving apparatus 100 to move in a target area 80i on the basis of information acquired on the target area. The route-generating unit travels back and forth multiple times within the target area and generates reciprocating routes 71r-75r, which run so that adjacent reciprocating routes or adjacent outgoing routes and return routes diverge or converge with respect to each other from the outgoing route origin-side to the outgoing route terminus-side. The route-generating unit may also comprise: a peripheral route-generating section 41 for generating a circling travel route 811r for circling a ring-shaped peripheral area 811i that forms the outer margin of a regularly shaped area 81i; and an inner route-generating section 42 that travels back and forth multiple times within an inner area 812i on the inside of a peripheral area and generates reciprocating travel routes 812r that run back and forth so that adjacent reciprocating routes or adjacent outgoing routes and return routes diverge or converge with respect to each other from the outgoing route origin-side to the outgoing route terminus-side.

Description

Driving route generation system, driving route generation method, driving route generation program, and drone

The present invention relates to a driving route generation system, a driving route generation method, a driving route generation program, and a drone.

The application of small helicopters (multicopters) generally called drones is progressing. One of the important fields of application thereof is spraying chemicals such as pesticides and liquid fertilizers on agricultural land (field) (for example, Patent Document 1). In relatively small farmlands, it is often the case that drones are more suitable than manned planes and helicopters.

Technologies such as the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System and RTK-GPS (Real Time Kinematic-Global Positioning System) have made it possible for the drone to accurately know its absolute position in centimeters during flight. Even in a farmland with a narrow and complicated terrain typical of the above, it is possible to autonomously fly with minimal manual operation, and to efficiently and accurately apply a drug.

On the other hand, there were cases in which it was difficult to say that safety considerations were sufficient for autonomous flight drones for agricultural drug spraying. A drone loaded with medicines weighs several tens of kilograms, which could have serious consequences in the event of an accident such as falling onto a person. In addition, the drone operator is usually not an expert, so a fool-proof mechanism is necessary, but the consideration for this was insufficient. Until now, there has been a drone safety technology that is premised on human control (for example, Patent Document 2), but in particular, it addresses the safety issues peculiar to an autonomous flight drone for drug spraying for agriculture. There was no technology to do this.

There is also a need for a method of automatically generating a driving route for a drone to fly autonomously. Patent Document 3 discloses a traveling route generation system that generates a reciprocating traveling route for traveling back and forth in a field and a traveling traveling route for traveling along an outer peripheral shape. This system is assumed to be a ground-running machine such as a seedling planting device.

Patent Document 4 discloses a traveling route generation device that generates a route when a contour line of a field has a concave portion that locally enters inside. Patent Document 5 discloses an autonomous traveling route generation system that generates a traveling route that bypasses an obstacle existing in the traveling region.

Patent publication gazette JP 2001-120151 Patent publication gazette JP 2017-163265 Patent publication gazette JP2018-117566 Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2018-116614 Patent publication gazette JP 2017-204061

Provided is a driving route generation system that generates a driving route for autonomous driving that can move efficiently.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a driving route generation system according to one aspect of the present invention is a route generation unit that generates a driving route in which a mobile device moves to the target area based on the acquired information of the target area. The route generation unit reciprocates a plurality of times in the target area and scans a reciprocating operation route such that adjacent reciprocating routes or adjoining outward routes and return routes expand or narrow from the outward route starting point side to the outward route ending point side. To generate.

The route generation unit reciprocates a plurality of times in an inner peripheral area inside the outer peripheral area and an outer peripheral route generation unit that generates a circular operation route that circulates an annular outer peripheral area that forms the outer edge of the target area It is also possible to further include an inner path generation unit that generates the reciprocating operation path that reciprocally scans such that the paths are adjacent to each other or the advancing path and the returning path are expanded or narrowed from the outward path start side to the outward path end side.

The inner path generation unit divides the inner area into a plurality of reciprocating areas, generates an operation path that reciprocates and scans each of the reciprocating areas, and connects the plurality of operation paths to the inner area. The reciprocating operation route may be generated.

-The round-trip area may be divided into a triangular shape or a quadrangular shape.

The reciprocating operation route is configured by one or a plurality of pairs of reciprocating routes forming a pair of an outward route and a returning route, and in the target area, one or a plurality of overlapping effective widths of the moving devices in the reciprocating routes adjacent to each other. And the one or more gap regions that are not scanned by any of the reciprocating paths that are adjacent to each other may be arranged.

The widths of the plurality of overlapping areas may be equal to each other, and the widths of the plurality of gap areas may be equal to each other.

The inner path generation unit stores in advance maximum allowable widths of the overlapping area and the gap area, and determines that the entire inner area cannot be scanned even if the overlapping area and the gap area having the maximum allowable widths are allowed. At this time, the inner area may be divided into a plurality of reciprocating areas.

The inner path generation unit moves along the longest long side of the edges that define the outer edge of the inner area, and changes the direction on the path along the shortest short side to reciprocate the inner area. However, a reciprocating operation route for scanning the inner area may be generated by sequentially moving in a direction different from the reciprocating direction.

The inner route generation unit may be able to determine the number of round trips of the driving route based on the length of the short side among the end sides that partition the outer edge of the inner area.

The inner route generation unit decelerates when entering the return region from the forward route in a turn region that connects the forward route and the return route of the reciprocating operation route, and accelerates when entering the return route from the return region. A movement plan may be generated.

The inner route generation unit may generate the reciprocating operation route such that at least a part of the turn-back region connecting the forward and return routes of the reciprocating operation route overlaps the outer peripheral area.

The outer peripheral path generation unit moves the movement of the first movement in which the movement apparatus is moved forward and backward to bend the outer edge of the outer circumferential area, and the second movement including the movement in which the movement apparatus is rotated while moving backward. It is also possible to be able to generate a driving route to be performed by the device.

The route generation unit may be capable of generating a sub-scanning route that continuously scans a turn-back region in the reciprocating operation route that returns from a forward route to a return route in a direction intersecting with the forward or return route of the reciprocating operation route.

The route generation unit may generate the reciprocating operation route such that at least a part of the turn-back area of the reciprocating operation route that returns from the outward route to the return route overlaps the sub-scanning route.

In order to achieve the above object, a driving route generation method according to another aspect of the present invention is a route generation for generating a driving route in which a mobile device moves to the target area based on the acquired coordinate information of the target area. The step includes a step of generating a reciprocating path that scans the target area by reciprocating radially.

In order to achieve the above object, a driving route generation program according to yet another aspect of the present invention is a route for generating a driving route in which a mobile device moves to the target area based on the acquired coordinate information of the target area. A generation command is executed by a computer, and the route generation command generates a reciprocating route that scans the target area by reciprocating radially.
The computer program can be provided by being downloaded via a network such as the Internet, or can be provided by being recorded in various computer-readable recording media such as a CD-ROM.

In order to achieve the above object, a drone according to still another aspect of the present invention is a drone capable of receiving a driving route generated by a driving route generation system and flying along the driving route. The route generation system is the driving route generation device described in any of the above.

To achieve the above object, a drone according to yet another aspect of the present invention is a drone including a route generation unit and a flight control unit, and the route generation unit is the route according to any one of the above. It is a generator.

It is possible to generate an autonomous driving route that allows efficient movement.

1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a drone according to the present invention. It is a front view of the said drone. It is a right view of the said drone. It is a rear view of the drone. It is a perspective view of the drone. It is the whole conceptual diagram of the medicine spraying system which the drone has. It is a schematic diagram showing the control function of the said drone. FIG. 1 is an overall conceptual diagram of a driving route generation system according to the present invention, showing a state of a driving route generation device, a drone, a base station, a manipulator, and a coordinate surveying device connected via a network. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the driving route generation device. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a farm field in which the driving route generation device generates a driving route, an inaccessible area determined in the vicinity of the farm field, and a movable area generated in the farm field. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing how the movable area is divided into an irregular area, an outer peripheral area, and an inner area. The area division necessity determination unit included in the driving route generation device is an example of a moving area that performs a process of dividing an area, and (a) an example of a moving area having a concave portion with two sides, (b) three sides It is an example of a moving area having a concave portion composed of. 6 is a flowchart showing a process in which the area division necessity determination unit divides a moving area. It is a flowchart which shows the process in which the area formulation part which the said driving | running route production | generation apparatus produces | generates an outer peripheral area, an inside area, and a variant area, and determines a route generation object area. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a route generated in the above-mentioned route generation object area by a route generation part which the above-mentioned driving route generation device has. It is an example of a route generated in the above-mentioned peripheral area by the peripheral route generation part which the above-mentioned driving route generating device has, and is a schematic view showing a state of (a) forward turning, and a state of (b) 4 turn. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a course generated in the above-mentioned inside area by the inside course generating part which the above-mentioned driving course generating device has. It is a schematic diagram showing another example of a course generated in the above-mentioned inside area by the inside course generating part which the above-mentioned driving course generating device has. It is a schematic diagram showing another example of a course generated in the above-mentioned inside area by the inside course generating part which the above-mentioned driving course generating device has. It is a flowchart which shows the process in which the said route production | generation part produces | generates the driving | running route in the said route generation object area. 7 is a flowchart showing a step of dividing the inside area into a plurality of round-trip areas and generating a path by the inside path generation unit. It is a figure which shows the 1st example of the driving route produced | generated in the said route production | generation area by the route production | generation part which the said driving route production | generation apparatus has. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of the driving | running route produced | generated in the said route production | generation area. It is a figure which shows the 3rd example of the driving | running route produced | generated in the said route production | generation area. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a fourth example of driving routes generated in the route generation target area.

Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The figures are all examples. In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, certain specific details are set forth in order to facilitate a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. However, embodiments are not limited to these particular details. Also, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.

In the present specification, the drone, regardless of power means (electric power, prime mover, etc.), control system (whether wireless or wired, and whether it is an autonomous flight type or a manual control type), It refers to all aircraft with multiple rotors. The drone is an example of a mobile device, and can appropriately receive information on a driving route generated by the driving route generation device according to the present invention and fly along the driving route.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the rotor blades 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101-2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b (also referred to as rotors) are It is a means to fly the drone 100, and in consideration of the stability of flight, the size of the aircraft, and the balance of battery consumption, eight aircraft (four sets of two-stage rotary blades) are provided.

The motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 102-4a, 102-4b are rotor blades 101-1a, 101-1b, 101-2a, 101-. 2b, 101-3a, 101-3b, 101-4a, 101-4b is a means for rotating (typically an electric motor, but may be an engine, etc.), one for each rotor Has been. The motor 102 is an example of a propulsion device. The upper and lower rotor blades (eg 101-1a and 101-1b) and their corresponding motors (eg 102-1a and 102-1b) in one set are for drone flight stability etc. The axes are collinear and rotate in opposite directions. Although some rotor blades 101-3b and the motor 102-3b are not shown, their positions are self-explanatory, and if there is a left side view, they are at the positions shown. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the radial member for supporting the propeller guard, which is provided so that the rotor does not interfere with foreign matter, is not horizontal but has a tower-like structure. This is to promote the buckling of the member to the outside of the rotor blade at the time of collision and prevent the member from interfering with the rotor.

The drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4 are means for spraying the drug downward and are provided in four units. In the specification of the present application, the term "chemicals" generally refers to pesticides, herbicides, liquid fertilizers, insecticides, seeds, and liquids or powders applied to fields such as water.

The medicine tank 104 is a tank for storing the medicine to be sprayed, and is provided at a position close to the center of gravity of the drone 100 and lower than the center of gravity from the viewpoint of weight balance. The drug hoses 105-1, 105-2, 105-3, 105-4 are means for connecting the drug tank 104 and the drug nozzles 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4, and are rigid. And may also serve to support the chemical nozzle. The pump 106 is a means for discharging the medicine from the nozzle.

FIG. 6 shows an overall conceptual diagram of a system using an example of a drug spraying application of the drone 100 according to the present invention. This figure is a schematic diagram and the scale is not accurate. The operation unit 401 is a means for transmitting a command to the drone 100 by the operation of the user 402 and displaying information received from the drone 100 (for example, position, drug amount, battery level, camera image, etc.). Yes, and may be realized by a portable information device such as a general tablet terminal that runs a computer program. Although the drone 100 according to the present invention is controlled to perform autonomous flight, it may be configured so that it can be manually operated during basic operations such as takeoff and return, and during emergencies. In addition to the portable information device, you may use an emergency operating device (not shown) that has a function dedicated to emergency stop (a large emergency stop button, etc. is provided so that the emergency operating device can respond quickly in an emergency). It may be a dedicated device with). The operation unit 401 and the drone 100 perform wireless communication by Wi-Fi or the like.

The field 403 is a rice field, a field, or the like to which the drug is sprayed by the drone 100. Actually, the topography of the farm field 403 is complicated, and there are cases where the topographic map cannot be obtained in advance, or the topographic map and the situation at the site are inconsistent. Normally, the farm field 403 is adjacent to a house, a hospital, a school, another crop farm field, a road, a railroad, and the like. In addition, there may be obstacles such as buildings and electric wires in the field 403.

The base station 404 is a device that provides a master device function of Wi-Fi communication, etc., and may also function as an RTK-GPS base station to provide an accurate position of the drone 100 (Wi- The base unit function of Fi communication and RTK-GPS base station may be independent devices). The farm cloud 405 is typically a group of computers operated on a cloud service and related software, and may be wirelessly connected to the operation unit 401 via a mobile phone line or the like. The farming cloud 405 may analyze the image of the field 403 captured by the drone 100, grasp the growing condition of the crop, and perform a process for determining a flight route. Further, the drone 100 may be provided with the stored topographical information of the field 403 and the like. In addition, the history of the flight of the drone 100 and captured images may be accumulated and various analysis processes may be performed.

Usually, the drone 100 takes off from a departure / arrival point 406 outside the field 403, and returns to the departure / arrival point 406 after spraying a drug on the field 403 or when it becomes necessary to replenish or charge the drug. The flight route (intrusion route) from the landing point 406 to the target field 403 may be saved in advance in the farm cloud 405 or the like, or may be input by the user 402 before the start of takeoff.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the control function of the embodiment of the drug spraying drone according to the present invention. The flight controller 501 is a component that controls the entire drone, and specifically may be an embedded computer including a CPU, a memory, related software, and the like. The flight controller 501, based on the input information received from the operation unit 401 and the input information obtained from various sensors described later, via the control means such as ESC (Electronic Speed Control), the motor 102-1a, 102-1b , 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 104-a, 104-b are controlled to control the flight of the drone 100. The actual rotation speed of the motors 102-1a, 102-1b, 102-2a, 102-2b, 102-3a, 102-3b, 104-a, 104-b is fed back to the flight controller 501 to perform normal rotation. It is configured so that it can be monitored. Alternatively, the rotary blade 101 may be provided with an optical sensor or the like so that the rotation of the rotary blade 101 is fed back to the flight controller 501. The flight controller 501 is an example of a flight controller.

The software used by the flight controller 501 can be rewritten through a storage medium or the like for function expansion / change, problem correction, or the like, or through communication means such as Wi-Fi communication or USB. In this case, encryption, checksum, electronic signature, virus check software, etc. are used to protect the software from being rewritten by unauthorized software. Further, a part of the calculation process used by the flight controller 501 for control may be executed by another computer existing on the operation unit 401, the farm cloud 405, or another place. Since the flight controller 501 is highly important, some or all of its constituent elements may be duplicated.

The battery 502 is a means of supplying power to the flight controller 501 and other components of the drone and may be rechargeable. The battery 502 is connected to the flight controller 501 via a power supply unit including a fuse or a circuit breaker. The battery 502 may be a smart battery having a function of transmitting its internal state (amount of stored electricity, accumulated use time, etc.) to the flight controller 501 in addition to the power supply function.

The flight controller 501 exchanges with the operation unit 401 via the Wi-Fi slave unit function 503 and further via the base station 404, receives a necessary command from the operation unit 401, and outputs necessary information to the operation unit. Can be sent to 401. In this case, the communication may be encrypted so as to prevent illegal acts such as interception, spoofing, and hijacking of equipment. The base station 404 has a function of an RTK-GPS base station in addition to a communication function by Wi-Fi. By combining the signal from the RTK base station and the signal from the GPS positioning satellite, the GPS module 504 can measure the absolute position of the drone 100 with an accuracy of about several centimeters. Since the GPS module 504 is highly important, it may be duplicated / multiplexed, and each redundant GPS module 504 should use a different satellite to cope with the failure of a specific GPS satellite. It may be controlled.

The 6-axis gyro sensor 505 is means for measuring accelerations of the drone body in three directions orthogonal to each other (further, means for calculating velocity by integration of accelerations). The 6-axis gyro sensor 505 is a means for measuring the change in the attitude angle of the drone body in the three directions described above, that is, the angular velocity. The geomagnetic sensor 506 is a means for measuring the direction of the drone body by measuring the geomagnetism. The atmospheric pressure sensor 507 is a means for measuring the atmospheric pressure, and can indirectly measure the altitude of the drone. The laser sensor 508 is a means for measuring the distance between the drone body and the ground surface by utilizing the reflection of laser light, and may be an IR (infrared) laser. The sonar 509 is a means for measuring the distance between the drone body and the ground surface by using the reflection of sound waves such as ultrasonic waves. These sensors may be selected depending on the drone's cost goals and performance requirements. Further, a gyro sensor (angular velocity sensor) for measuring the tilt of the machine body, a wind force sensor for measuring wind force, and the like may be added. Further, these sensors may be duplicated or multiplexed. If there are multiple sensors for the same purpose, the flight controller 501 may use only one of them, and if it fails, it may switch to another sensor for use. Alternatively, a plurality of sensors may be used at the same time, and if the measurement results do not match, it may be considered that a failure has occurred.

The flow rate sensor 510 is a means for measuring the flow rate of the medicine, and is provided at a plurality of places on the path from the medicine tank 104 to the medicine nozzle 103. The liquid shortage sensor 511 is a sensor that detects that the amount of the medicine has become equal to or less than a predetermined amount. The multi-spectral camera 512 is a means for photographing the field 403 and acquiring data for image analysis. The obstacle detection camera 513 is a camera for detecting a drone obstacle and is a device different from the multispectral camera 512 because the image characteristics and the lens orientation are different from those of the multispectral camera 512. The switch 514 is a means for the user 402 of the drone 100 to make various settings. The obstacle contact sensor 515 is a sensor for detecting that the drone 100, in particular, its rotor or propeller guard portion has come into contact with an obstacle such as an electric wire, a building, a human body, a tree, a bird, or another drone. .. The cover sensor 516 is a sensor that detects that the operation panel of the drone 100 and the cover for internal maintenance are open. The drug injection port sensor 517 is a sensor that detects that the injection port of the drug tank 104 is open. These sensors may be selected according to the drone's cost targets and performance requirements, and may be duplicated or multiplexed. Further, a sensor may be provided at the base station 404 outside the drone 100, the operation device 401, or at another place, and the read information may be transmitted to the drone. For example, a wind sensor may be provided in the base station 404, and information regarding wind force / wind direction may be transmitted to the drone 100 via Wi-Fi communication.

The flight controller 501 sends a control signal to the pump 106 to adjust the medicine ejection amount and stop the medicine ejection. The current status of the pump 106 (for example, the number of rotations) is fed back to the flight controller 501.

The LED 107 is a display means for informing the drone operator of the status of the drone. As the display means, a display means such as a liquid crystal display may be used instead of the LED or in addition to the LED. The buzzer 518 is an output means for notifying a drone state (especially an error state) by a voice signal. The Wi-Fi slave device function 503 is an optional component for communicating with an external computer or the like, for example, for software transfer, in addition to the operation unit 401. In addition to or in addition to the Wi-Fi cordless handset function, other wireless communication means such as infrared communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), NFC, or wired communication means such as USB connection May be used. The speaker 520 is an output means for notifying the drone state (particularly an error state) by the recorded human voice, synthesized voice or the like. Depending on the weather conditions, it may be difficult to see the visual display of the drone 100 in flight, and in such a case, it is effective to communicate the situation by voice. The warning light 521 is a display means such as a strobe light for notifying the state of the drone (in particular, an error state). These input / output means may be selected according to the cost target and performance requirements of the drone, or may be duplicated / multiplexed.

The drone 100 needs an operation route for efficiently moving in fields of various shapes. That is, the drone 100 needs to fly all over the field when spraying a drug in a field or when monitoring the field. In that case, it is possible to reduce battery consumption and flight time by avoiding the same route. Further, in spraying a drug, if the drug is sprayed on the same route, the concentration of the drug under the route may increase. Therefore, the driving route generation system generates a driving route for the moving device such as the drone 100 to efficiently move based on the coordinate information of the field.

As shown in FIG. 8, the driving route generation device 1 is connected to the drone 100, the base station 404, and the coordinate survey device 2 via the network NW. The function of the driving route generation device 1 may be on the farm cloud 405 or may be a separate device. Further, the driving route generation device 1 may be included in the drone 100. The farm field is an example of the target area. Drone 100 is an example of a mobile device. The driving route generation device 1, the drone 100, the base station 404, and the coordinate survey device 2 constitute a driving route generation system 1000.

The coordinate surveying device 2 is a device having the function of a mobile station of RTK-GPS, and can measure the coordinate information of the field. The coordinate surveying device 2 is a small device that can be held and walked by a user, and is, for example, a rod-shaped device. The coordinate surveying device 2 may be a device such as a cane having a length such that the user can stand upright and hold the upper end with the lower end attached to the ground. The number of coordinate surveying devices 2 that can be used to read the coordinate information of a certain field may be one or more. According to the configuration in which the coordinate information about one farm field can be measured by the plurality of coordinate surveying devices 2, a plurality of users can hold the coordinate surveying device 2 and walk in the farm field. It can be completed in a short time.

Also, the coordinate surveying device 2 can measure information on obstacles in the field. The obstacles include walls, slopes, electric poles, electric wires, and the like at which the drone 100 may collide, and various objects that do not require drug spraying or monitoring.

The coordinate survey device 2 includes an input unit 201, a coordinate detection unit 202, and a transmission unit 203.

The input unit 201 is provided at the upper end of the coordinate surveying device 2, and is, for example, a button that receives a user's press. The user presses the button of the input unit 201 when measuring the coordinates of the lower end of the coordinate surveying device 2.

Further, the input unit 201 is configured to be able to input by discriminating whether the input information is the coordinates relating to the outer circumference of the field or the coordinates of the outer circumference of the obstacle. Furthermore, the input unit 201 can input the coordinates of the outer circumference of the obstacle in association with the type of the obstacle.

The coordinate detection unit 202 is a functional unit that can appropriately communicate with the base station 404 and detect the three-dimensional coordinates of the lower end of the coordinate surveying device 2.

The transmission unit 203 is a functional unit that transmits the three-dimensional coordinates of the lower end of the coordinate surveying device 2 at the time of the input to the operation unit 401 or the driving route generation device 1 via the network NW based on the input to the input unit 201. is there. The transmitting unit 203 transmits the three-dimensional coordinates together with the pointing order.

In the process of reading the coordinate information of the field, the user moves the field with the coordinate surveying device 2. First, the three-dimensional coordinates of the field are acquired. The user performs pointing with the input unit 201 on the end point or the end side of the field. Next, the user performs pointing with the input unit 201 on the end point or the end side of the obstacle.

3D coordinates on the endpoints or edges of the field that are pointed and transmitted are received by the driving route generation device 1 by distinguishing between the 3D coordinates of the field periphery and the 3D coordinates of obstacles. Further, the three-dimensional coordinates to be pointed may be received by the receiving unit 4011 of the operation device 401 and displayed by the display unit 4012. In addition, the operation unit 401 determines whether the received three-dimensional coordinates are suitable as the three-dimensional coordinates of the field outer circumference or the obstacle, and if it is determined that the re-measurement is necessary, the operation unit 401 prompts the user through the display unit 4012. You may encourage surveying.

As shown in FIG. 9, the driving route generation device 1 includes a target area information acquisition unit 10, a movement permitted area generation unit 20, an area planning unit 30, a route generation unit 40, and a route selection unit 50.

The target area information acquisition unit 10 is a functional unit that acquires information on the three-dimensional coordinates transmitted from the coordinate surveying device 2.

As shown in FIG. 10, the movement-permitted area generation unit 20 specifies the movement-permitted area 80i to which the drone 100 moves in the field 80 based on the three-dimensional coordinates acquired by the target area information acquisition unit 10. The movement permission area generation unit 20 has an entry prohibition area determination unit 21 and a movement permission area determination unit 22.

The prohibited area determining unit 21 determines the prohibited area 81b of the drone 100 based on the three-dimensional coordinates of the obstacles 81a, 82a, 83a, 84a, 85a acquired by the target area information acquisition unit 10 and the type of the obstacle. , 82b, 83b, 84b, 85b is a functional unit for determining. The prohibited areas 81b-85b are areas including the obstacles 81a-85a and the areas around the obstacles. The no-entry areas 81b-85b are areas that are defined in the horizontal direction and the height direction and have a three-dimensional spread, and are, for example, rectangular parallelepiped areas drawn around the obstacles 81a-85a. The prohibited area may be a cylindrical or spherical area centered around an obstacle. Since the drone 100 flies over the air, it is possible to fly over the obstacle depending on the size of the obstacle in the height direction. According to the configuration in which the size of the obstacle in the height direction does not consider the sky above the obstacle as an inaccessible area, it is possible to efficiently fly in the field without circumventing the obstacle excessively.

The distance from the outer edge of the obstacle to the outer edge of the no-entry area 81b-85b is determined by the type of the obstacle 81a-85a. The greater the risk of collision of the drone 100, the greater the distance from the outer edge of the obstacle to the outer edge of the no-entry area 81b-85b. For example, in the case of a house, a range of 50 cm from the outer edge of the house is the entry prohibited area, while a range of 80 cm from the outer edge of the electric wire is the entry prohibited area. This is because, in the case of an electric wire, in addition to the failure of the drone 100 at the time of a collision, an event such as a power transmission failure or a breakage of the electric wire may occur, so that the risk at the time of the collision is considered to be higher. The no-entry area determination unit 21 stores in advance an obstacle table in which the type of obstacle and the size of the no-entry area are associated with each other, and determines the size of the no-entry area according to the type of obstacle acquired. To do.

The movement permission area determining unit 22 is a functional unit that determines the movement permission area 80i. Regarding the plane direction of the movement permitted area 80i, it is assumed that the coordinates on the plane acquired by the target area information acquisition unit 10 of the field 80 are at the outer peripheral position of the field 80. The movement-permitted area determination unit 22, with respect to the height direction of the movement-permitted area 80i, the coordinates in the height direction acquired by the target area information acquisition unit 10, that is, the height of the ground of the field 80, the height of the crop, The height-wise range of the movement permitted area 80i is determined by summing the safety margins when controlling flight. The movement-permitted area determining unit 22 determines the movement-permitted area 80i by removing the entry-prohibited areas 81b-85b from the inner area surrounded by the three-dimensional coordinates.

As shown in FIG. 11, the area planning unit 30 is a functional unit that divides the migration permission area 80i determined by the migration permission area generation unit 20 into regions that fly in mutually different route patterns to formulate. The area planning unit 30 can divide the inside of the movement permission area 80i into one or a plurality of shaping areas 81i and one or a plurality of irregular areas 82i, 83) each having a smaller area than the shaping area 81i. ..

-A route pattern is a rule for automatically generating a route according to the shape of a certain area in order to fly comprehensively. Route patterns are roughly classified into route patterns for shaped areas and route patterns for irregular areas.

The route pattern for the shaping area 81i includes an outer peripheral pattern that circulates around the outer periphery of the shaping area 81i and an inner pattern that reciprocates inside the circular route. In the shaping area 81i, an area flying by the outer peripheral pattern is called an outer peripheral area 811i, and an area flying by the inner pattern is called an inner area 812i. The features of the irregular area, the outer peripheral area, and the inner area will be described later.

The area planning unit 30 includes an area division necessity determination unit 31, a shaping area generation unit 32, and a variant area generation unit 33.

The area division necessity determination unit 31 is a functional unit that determines the necessity of dividing the movement permission area into a plurality of shaping areas. The area division necessity determination unit 31 divides the movement permission area particularly when the movement permission area has a concave polygonal shape when viewed from above. The concave polygon is a polygon in which at least one of the inner angles of the polygon is an angle exceeding 180 °, in other words, a polygon having a concave shape.

A process for the area division necessity determination unit 31 to determine the necessity of division of the movement permitted area 90i and perform area division will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 (a), 12 (b), and 13.

The movement-permitted area 90i shown in FIG. 12 (a) has a recess 93i composed of two sides 91i and 92i when viewed from above. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, when the area division necessity determination unit 31 determines that there is a recess 93i composed of two sides (S11), the longer side 91i of the two sides 91i, 92i is the determination target side. As, the length is calculated (S12). The area division necessity determination unit 31 does not perform area division when a recess cannot be found in the movement permitted area 90i.

If the length of the side 91i is greater than or equal to a predetermined value determined based on the effective width of the drone 100, the area division necessity determination unit 31 determines that the area including the side 91i needs to be divided (S13), The movement permitted area 90i is divided into two areas 901i and 902i (S14). Next, it is determined whether or not there is a recess in the area after division (S15). When the concave portion is found, the process returns to step S12. If no recess is found, it is determined that no further division is necessary, and the process ends.

The dividing line 94i is a side that constitutes an edge of the smaller area after division, and is determined to be parallel to the edge 95i that faces the dividing line 94i. According to this configuration, when the drone 100 flies back and forth in the area after the division, it is possible to fly more comprehensively in the area.

At least one shaping area can be generated for each of the plurality of areas generated by being divided by the area division necessity determination unit 31. The shaping area 81i has such a shape and area that an outer peripheral area 811i and an inner area 812i can be generated. The outer peripheral area 811i is, for example, an annular area having the effective width of the drone 100, and the inner area 812i needs to have a width excluding the overlap allowable width from the effective width of the drone 100. Therefore, the area division necessity determination unit 31 divides the area when the length of the side (91i) is equal to or larger than three times the effective width of the drone 100 minus the allowable overlap width. Note that the effective width of the drone 100 is, for example, a drug spraying width in the case of a drug spraying drone. Further, the effective width of the drone 100 is the monitorable width in the case of the monitoring drone.

The movement permission area 100i shown in FIG. 12 (b) has a recess 110i formed by adjoining three sides of a side 111i, a side 112i, and a side 113i in this order when viewed from above. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, when the area division necessity determination unit 31 determines that there is a recess 110i composed of three sides 111i to 113i (S11), the longer side of the opposing sides 111i, 113i of the recess 110i is determined. The length is calculated by using the side 111i of (1) as a determination target side (S12). If the length of the side 111i is equal to or greater than a predetermined value determined based on the effective width of the drone 100, the area division necessity determination unit 31 determines that the area including the side 111i needs to be divided (S13), The movement permitted area 100i is divided into two areas 1001i and 1002i by the dividing line (121i) (S14).

Next, it is judged whether or not there is a recess in the area after division (S15). When the concave portion is found, the process returns to step S12. In the example of the movement permitted area 100i, the area division necessity determination unit 31 determines that the area after division needs to be further divided (S13), and the area 1001i is further divided into two areas 1003i and 1004i by the division line 122i. Divide (S14).

Dividing lines 121i and 122i are defined from both ends of the bottom edge 113i of the recess 110i toward the left and right edges 101i and 102i of the movement permitted area 100i. The division lines 121i and 122i are sides that form the end sides of the smaller area after division, and are determined to be parallel to the opposite end sides 103i and 104i. According to this configuration, when the drone 100 flies back and forth in the area after the division, it is possible to fly more comprehensively in the area.

The area division necessity determination unit 31 may be configured to determine whether or not the target area is divided instead of the movement permission area.

The shaping area generation unit 32 is a functional unit that generates a shaping area for each of one or a plurality of areas generated by the area division necessity determination unit 31.

As shown in FIG. 11, the shaping area generation unit 32 generates, as the shaping area 81i, the convex polygon having the largest area inside the movement permission area 80i. A convex polygon is a polygon whose interior angles are all less than 180 °.

As shown in FIG. 9, the shaping area generating unit 32 has an outer peripheral area generating unit 321 and an inner area generating unit 322. In the example of FIG. 11, the outer peripheral area generation unit 321 sets the annular area having the effective width of the drone 100, which forms the outer edge of the shaping area 81i, as the outer peripheral area 811i. Further, the inner area generation unit 322 sets the inner side of the outer peripheral area 811i as the inner area 812i. The outer peripheral area 811i may have a width equal to or larger than the effective width of the drone 100. In this case, the outer peripheral route generated by the outer peripheral route generating unit 41, which will be described later, may be a route that circles the outer peripheral area 811i multiple times.

The variant area generation unit 33 is a functional unit that generates a variant area for each of the one or more areas generated by the area division necessity determination unit 31.

The odd-shaped areas 82i and 83i are areas each having a smaller area than the shaping area 81i, and cannot define the outer peripheral area and the inner area. More specifically, in the irregular areas 82i and 83i, the length of the shortest side of the area is less than 3 times the effective width of the drone 100 minus the allowable overlap width. In the example of FIG. 11, two variant areas 82i and 83i are defined.

The route generation target area determination unit 34 is a functional unit that determines whether or not each of the areas 811i, 812i, 82i, and 83i to be created is a route generation area, and determines the route generation target area. is there. This is because the shaping area 81i and the odd-shaped areas 82i and 83i may not be able to be driven due to their shapes. The route generation target area determination unit 34 determines whether or not the route generation is possible based on a predetermined value determined based on the driving performance of the drone 100. The driving performance of the drone 100 includes an approach distance required for the drone 100 to reach uniform speed operation and a stopping distance required for the drone 100 to stop. In addition, the driving performance of the drone 100 includes the effective width in drug spraying and monitoring.

If the long side of the outer peripheral area 811i is less than a predetermined value determined based on the approach distance required for the drone 100 to reach uniform speed operation and the stop distance required for stopping, the route generation target area determination unit 34 determines the outer periphery. It is decided not to generate a route in the area 811i. For example, when the long side of the outer peripheral area 811i is less than the sum of the approach distance and the stop distance, it is determined that the route is not generated. Further, when the shortest side of the outer peripheral area 811i is less than the predetermined value determined based on the effective width of the drone 100, the route is not generated. More specifically, when the shortest side of the outer peripheral area 811i is less than the effective width of the drone 100, the route is not generated. This is because a route that goes around the outer peripheral area 811i cannot be generated when the value is less than the predetermined value.

Similarly, the route generation target area determination unit 34 determines that the long side of the inner area 812i is less than a predetermined value determined based on the approach distance required for the drone 100 to reach uniform speed operation and the stop distance required for stopping. , Decide not to generate the route. For example, when the long side of the inner area 812i is less than the sum of the approach distance and the stop distance, it is determined that the route is not generated. When the shortest side of the inner area 812i is less than the predetermined value determined based on the effective width of the drone 100, it is determined that the route is not generated. More specifically, when the shortest side of the inner area 812i is less than twice the effective width of the drone 100 minus the allowable overlap value, no route is generated.

Also, the route generation target area determination unit 34 determines whether or not the drone 100 can be driven for each of the irregular areas 82i and 83i to be created. The route pattern for the odd-shaped areas 82i and 83i is a route that travels in one direction in the long side direction or a route that makes one round trip. Therefore, when the shortest side of the variant areas 82i, 83i is less than the predetermined value determined based on the effective width of drone 100, route generation target area determination unit 34 does not allow drone 100 to drive in the variant area. Make a decision. More specifically, when the shortest sides of the irregular areas 82i and 83i are less than the overlap tolerance, it is determined that the operation is not performed. The overlap tolerance may be, for example, 10% of the effective width of the drone 100.

Also, even if the long sides of the irregular areas 82i, 83i are less than the predetermined value determined based on the approach distance required for the drone 100 to reach uniform speed operation and the stop distance required for stopping, it is said that the drone 100 will not drive. Make a decision. For example, when the long sides of the odd-shaped areas 82i and 83i are less than the sum of the approach distance and the stop distance, driving is not performed.

The area planning unit 30 may send information on the area to be defined to the operation unit 401 and display it on the operation unit 401. Further, if there is an area in which driving is not possible, a warning may be displayed to that effect.

In this example, the outer peripheral area 811i, the inner area 812i, and the irregular area 83i are operable areas, and the irregular area 82i is an inoperable area.

The process of acquiring the target area information and confirming the route generation target area described above will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the target area information acquisition unit 10 acquires coordinate information about the field (S21). In addition, the target area information acquisition unit 10 acquires coordinate information regarding the obstacle (S22). Note that steps S21 to S22 may be performed in any order and may be performed simultaneously.

Next, the movement permission area generation unit 20 generates a movement permission area based on the coordinate information on the field and the obstacle (S23).

The area division necessity determination unit 31 determines whether or not the movement permission area needs to be divided based on the shape and size of the movement permission area (S24). When the division is necessary, the area division necessity determination unit 31 divides the movement permitted area into a plurality of areas (S25).

The shaping area generation unit 32 generates a shaping area in each of the movement permitted area or the plurality of areas divided by the area division necessity determination unit 31, and further generates an outer peripheral area and an inside area in each shaping area (S26). ).

The variant area generation unit 33 sets the areas other than the shaping area in the movement permitted area as variant areas (S27).

Next, the route generation target area determination unit 34 determines whether or not the drone 100 can be operated for each of the specified areas (S28). When it is determined that the drone 100 cannot be driven, the route generation target area determination unit 34 removes the area from the movement permitted area (S29). Finally, the route generation target area determination unit 34 determines the drivable area as the route generation target area (S30).

The route generation unit 40 shown in FIG. 9 is a functional unit that generates a driving route in the route generation target area based on the route pattern. The route generating unit 40 includes an outer peripheral route generating unit 41, an inner route generating unit 42, a variant area route generating unit 43, and a route connecting unit 44.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 15, the outer peripheral route generation unit 41 is a functional unit that generates a circular driving route 811r in the outer peripheral area 811i. The circular operation route 811r is a route that makes one or more rounds on the outer peripheral area 811i. Although it is counterclockwise in the present embodiment, it may be clockwise.

As shown in FIG. 16, the outer peripheral route generation unit 41 performs different bending patterns on the drone 100 depending on whether the inner angle defined inside the outer peripheral area 811i is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle or less than the predetermined angle. It may be allowed to. For example, as shown in FIG. 16 (a), when the inner angle of the outer peripheral area 811i is equal to or larger than the predetermined angle, the drone 100 makes a forward turn that bends along the inner angle while moving forward and turning. More specifically, the drone 100 advances to the turning point 410p, turns at an angle corresponding to the interior angle at the turning point 410p, and then moves forward. The forward turn is an example of the first turn.

As shown in FIG. 16B, when the inner angle of the outer peripheral area 811i is less than the predetermined angle, the drone 100 advances to the turning point 411p located near the boundary line of the area, and then retreats along the route 412r. , The direction is changed by moving to the turning point 413p so that the rear part of the drone 100 is along another adjacent boundary line. That is, the drone 100 makes a four-figure turn to draw a "4". The four-shaped turning is an example of the second turning. With this configuration, it is possible to secure the effective area of the drone 100 in a large area even at the corners of the outer peripheral area 811i without the body of the drone 100 deviating to the outside of the outer peripheral area 811i.

The inner route generation unit 42 is a functional unit that generates a reciprocating operation route 812r in the inner area 812i. The reciprocating operation route 812r is a route for reciprocatingly scanning the inner area 812i. The reciprocating operation route 812r is continuously generated along the longest long side 813i direction of each side of the inner area 812i, and follows the shortest side 814i direction of the sides adjacent to the long side 813i. It is designed to make turns on the path. In other words, the reciprocating operation route 812r is configured by connecting one or a plurality of pairs of reciprocating routes to each other. The driving route along the long side 813i direction may or may not be parallel to the long side 813i. Further, the driving routes along the long side 813i direction may be parallel to each other or may not be parallel to each other.

In the present embodiment, the movement permitted area is divided into the outer area and the inner area, and the inner route generation unit generates the driving route that reciprocates and scans the inner area. However, the route generation unit may generate the driving route that scans the entire movement permitted area without defining the outer area.

The inner route generation unit 42 further divides the inner area into one or a plurality of round-trip areas, generates a round-trip route that scans by reciprocating each, and connects these. The polygon that defines the reciprocating area is triangular or quadrangular. The inner path generation unit 42 uses the longest side as a reference side among the end sides that define the outer edge of the inner area, and makes one round trip based on the length of the shorter short side of the sides adjacent to the reference side. Determine the shape of the area.

In the inner area 802i having the shape illustrated in FIG. 17, the reference side is the long side 803i. The inner path generation unit 42 starts from the end of the short side 804i which is the shorter one of the sides adjacent to the long side 813i, moves along the long side 813i, and on the opposite side 805i facing the short side 814i. By changing the direction and returning to the short side 804i, the first round-trip path 71r forming a pair of an outward path and a return path is generated. The route width in the figure indicates the effective width of the drone 100. The effective width of the drone 100 is, for example, a width with which the drug spraying drone 100 can spray the drug by moving in one direction. Further, the effective width of the drone 100 is a width that the drone 100 flying for monitoring can monitor by moving in one direction.

The inner path generation unit 42 generates second to fifth round-trip paths 72r-75r that are connected to the first round-trip path 71r and scan back and forth in the direction of the long side 803i, respectively, in this order. The pair of round trip paths are parallel to each other.

The route generation unit 40 generates a reciprocating operation route that makes a round trip a plurality of times in the route generation target area and scans so that adjacent reciprocating routes or adjacent forward and backward routes spread or narrow from the outward route start side to the outward route end side. .. In the present embodiment, the inner route generation unit 42 generates the reciprocating operation route in the inner area 802i. That is, the first to fifth reciprocating routes 71r-75r are radially generated so that the distances from the short side 804i to the facing side 805i gradually increase. In FIG. 17, the outward route start point is on the short side 804i, the outward route end point is on the opposite side 805i, and adjacent first to fifth reciprocating routes 71r-75r are scanned so as to spread from the short side 804i to the opposite side 805i. .. With this configuration, the drone 100 can be efficiently flown even in areas where the sides facing each other have different lengths.

The first reciprocating route 71r and the second reciprocating route 72r have an overlapping area 81c where the effective widths overlap near the short side 804i. Further, the first reciprocating route 71r and the second reciprocating route 72r have a gap region 91c which is not scanned near the opposite side 805i. The second to fifth reciprocating routes 72r to 75r also have overlapping regions 82c, 83c, and 84c between adjacent reciprocating routes and near the short side 804i. Gap regions 92c, 93c, 94c are provided between the second to fifth reciprocating routes 72r to 75r, which are adjacent to each other, and in the vicinity of the opposite side 805i.

Widths 81d-84d of overlapping areas 81c-84c are equal to each other. The widths 91d-94d of the gap areas 91d-94d are equal to each other. With this configuration, the width of each of the overlapping regions 81c-84c and the gap regions 91c-94c can be made as narrow as possible. The widths 81d-84d of the overlapping areas 81c-84c are obtained by calculating the width on a straight line that passes through the intersection of the long side 803i and the short side 804i and is orthogonal to the long side 803i. The widths 91d-94d of the gap regions 91c-94c are obtained, for example, by calculating the width on a straight line that passes through the intersection of the long side 803i and the opposite side 805i and is orthogonal to the long side 803i.

Widths 81d-84d of overlapping areas 81c-84c are narrower than a predetermined width determined based on the effective width. The predetermined width is, for example, about 1/10 of the effective width. If the widths 81d-84d are wider than this, the area for overlapping movement becomes large, resulting in excessive drug application. Further, the working time increases in the surveillance drone 100.

Similarly, the widths 91d-94d of the gap areas 91c-94c are narrower than the predetermined width determined based on the effective width. The predetermined width is, for example, about 1/10 of the effective width. If the widths 91d-94d are wider than this, the area where the drug is not spread increases.

In this way, the inner-path generating unit 42 uses the reciprocating paths 71r-75r so that the overlapping areas 81c-84c having the same width and the gap areas 91c-94c having the same width are formed between the reciprocating paths 71r-75r. 71r-75r are formed radially. In the inner area 802i, the inner area 802i can be scanned almost comprehensively by arranging the overlapping area and the gap area of the allowable width in various places. Therefore, the inner path generating unit 42 divides the inner area 802i. No, one driving route is generated.

The inner path generation unit 42 stores the maximum allowable widths of the overlapping area and the gap area in advance, and divides the inner area into a plurality of reciprocating areas when it is determined that the entire inner area cannot be scanned even if the maximum allowable width is allowed. To do.
In the inner area 812i illustrated in FIG. 18, a long side 813i that is a reference side, a short side 814i arranged at both ends of the long side 813i, and a facing side 815i that faces the short side 814i are respectively defined. When a radial reciprocating path that scans including the maximum allowable overlapping region and gap region from the short side 814i toward the facing side 815i is generated, the end side of the effective width of the drone 100 becomes the end side 816i. The inner path generation unit 42 determines the area surrounded by the long side 813i, the short side 814i, the opposite side 815i, and the end side 816i as the first reciprocating area 813a, and divides it from other areas of the inner area 812i to reciprocate. Generate a route.

The inner route generation unit 42 generates a round-trip route for the other area by using the end side 816i as the second reference side and separately from the first round-trip area 813a. In the example of FIG. 18, a second short side 817i continuous with the short side 815i and a second opposite side 818i facing the second short side 817i are newly defined. The inner path generation unit 42 generates a reciprocating path that scans between the second short side 817i and the second opposing side 818i. The edge of the effective width of the drone 100 on this round-trip path is the edge 819i. The inner path generation unit 42 determines the area surrounded by the second long side 816i, the second short side 817i, the second opposite side 818i, and the second end side 819i as the second reciprocating area 816a, and determines the area of the inner area 812i. One round-trip area 813a and other areas are divided to generate a round-trip path.

The area 819a of the inner area 812i other than the first and second round trip areas 813a and 816a has a triangular shape. The inner path generation unit 42 uses the second end side 819i as the third reference side and generates a reciprocating path parallel to the third reference side in the region 819a.

In this way, the inner route generation unit 42 divides the inner area 812i into a plurality of round- trip areas 813a, 816a, 819a, generates routes for each, and connects these. With this configuration, the total area of the overlapping area and the gap area can be reduced, and the drone 100 can efficiently fly in the inner area.

The inner route generation unit 42 generates a flight plan related to acceleration / deceleration and turning of the drone 100, in addition to the flight route including position information in the three-dimensional direction. The inner route generation unit 42 accelerates after departure and when entering the return region from the outward route in the turning region that connects the outward route and the return route of the reciprocating operation route 812r, before stopping and when entering the return route from the returning region. The flight plan may be generated to slow down. The turn-back area is a connecting portion of the forward and return paths, and refers to an area in which the drone 100 flies at a speed different from the speed during constant-speed straight flight on the forward and return paths, particularly at a speed slower than the constant-speed straight flight. Since it is difficult for the drone 100 to suddenly start and stop suddenly, it is possible to efficiently fly by including the points where acceleration and deceleration are started in advance in the flight plan. Further, it is possible to prevent the drone 100 from departing from the movement permission area. Further, the flight plan may include information for turning the drone 100 in a turn-back area that connects the round-trip routes.

Further, the inner route generation unit 42 may generate the reciprocating operation route 812r such that at least a part of the turn-back region overlaps the outer peripheral area 811i. Since the vehicle moves at a low speed in the turn-back area, it may not be possible to monitor or spray the medicine in the same manner as in the forward and return paths. For example, since it is difficult to maintain a predetermined density of the drug to be sprayed when moving at low speed, the drug spraying may be stopped. Therefore, by overlapping at least a part of the turn-back area with the outer peripheral area 811i, it is possible to ensure effective monitoring of the turn-back area or chemical spraying by the flight of the circular operation route 811r.

As shown in FIG. 19, when the forward and backward driving directions in the reciprocating operation route 812r are the main scanning directions, the inner route generating unit 42 sets the turn-back region in the reciprocating operation route 812r that is folded back from the forward route to the returning route. The sub-scanning paths 101r and 102r that continuously scan in a direction intersecting the main scanning direction of the 812r may be generated.

When the drone 100 flies for the purpose of growth monitoring, the drone 100 causes a descending air flow toward the crops growing in the field 80 by the rotor blades 101, so that the crops are laid down to capture the image of the root and the tip. To do. Therefore, in the area where the drone 100 turns the nose, the descending air flow 601 is generated in a radial arc shape centering on the drone 100 toward the rear in the traveling direction. Then, the crops in the area to be photographed are not destroyed as intended, and it is difficult to properly photograph. Therefore, in the turn-back region of the reciprocating operation route 812r, the sub-scanning routes 101r and 102r for performing constant-velocity linear flight are generated separately from the reciprocating operation route 812r. The crop that is swept down by the downdraft 601 returns to a substantially upright state when the influence of the downdraft 601 disappears.Therefore, when flying along the sub-scanning paths 101r and 102r, the descending airflow generated during constant speed operation causes It is possible to obtain an image that allows the crops to be laid down and the growth status can be grasped.

In addition, when the drone 100 flies for the purpose of spraying a drug, the drug is sprayed to the root or the tip of the crop or the soil. In this case as well, the downdraft of the rotor blade 101 causes the crop to fall over. Therefore, depending on the lodging state of the crop, it is difficult to allow the drug to reach the target as intended. According to the configuration in which the inner path generation unit 42 generates the sub-scanning paths 101r and 102r separately from the reciprocating operation path 812r, the crops are laid down as intended to more effectively spray the medicine to the inner area 812i. It is possible to

The sub-scanning paths 101r and 102r may be in the same direction or in opposite directions. The sub-scanning paths 101r and 102r may be in the same direction as the direction in which the reciprocating operation path 812r flies when returning from the outward path to the inward path, or may be the opposite direction.

In the present embodiment, the sub-scanning paths 101r and 102r are paired, but either one may be used. In particular, by generating the sub-scanning path 102r that is generated so as to cross the gap regions 91d-94d, it is possible to effectively supplement the region in which drug spraying or growth monitoring is effectively performed.

The variant area route generation unit 43 is a functional unit that generates the variant area driving route 83r in the variant area 83i. The variant area driving route 83r is a route that flies to one side in the long side direction of the variant area 83i or a route that makes one round trip.

The route connecting unit 44 is a functional unit that connects the orbiting operation route 811r, the reciprocating operation route 812r, and the variant area operation route 83r. According to this configuration, even when the route is generated by being divided into a plurality of areas, it is possible to minimize the duplication of the route and generate an efficient driving route.

● Schematic Flowchart of Route Generation by Route Generation Unit As shown in FIG. 20, first, the outer peripheral route generation unit 41 generates a circular operation route 811r that circles the outer peripheral area 811i (S41). Next, the inner route generation unit 42 generates a reciprocating operation route 812r that reciprocates in the inner area 812i (S42). The variant area route generation unit 43 generates a variant area operation route 83r that flies in one direction in the variant area 83i or makes one round trip (S43). Note that steps S41 to S43 are in no particular order and may be performed at the same time. The route connecting unit 44 connects the revolving operation route 811r, the reciprocating operation route 812r, and the variant area operation route 83r (S44).

According to the configuration in which the shaping area of the convex polygon is generated, and the driving area is divided into the shaping area and the irregular area, the inner area can also be generated as a convex polygon similar to the outer periphery of the shaping area. Therefore, the reciprocating operation can be performed by minimizing the overlapping routes. Therefore, the target area can be comprehensively driven in a short time. That is, it is possible to generate an efficient driving route in terms of working time, drone battery consumption, and drug consumption. Further, in the drug spraying drone, the risk of spraying the drug in duplicate is reduced, and high safety can be maintained.

The route generation unit 40 shown in FIG. 9 may be capable of generating a plurality of types of driving routes in the route generation target area. The route selection unit 50 can select which driving route to determine. The user may visually determine the plurality of generated driving routes to determine the driving route.

Also, the route selection unit 50 may be capable of inputting priority information by the user. For example, the user inputs into the operation device 401 which of the working time, the battery consumption of the drone 100, and the medicine consumption is to be given the highest priority. In addition, the operation unit 401 may be able to input the second priority index together. The route selection unit 50 selects a driving route that most matches the input priority order from the plurality of driving routes. According to this configuration, it is possible to efficiently generate a route according to the policy of the user.

● Flowchart showing a process in which the inner route generation unit generates a route in the inner area As shown in FIG. 21, first, the inner route generation unit 42 determines the longest long side 813i of the sides defining the outer periphery of the inner area 812i. Is determined as the reference side (S51). In addition, the inner path generation unit 42 determines whether the inner area 812i (see FIG. 18) is a polygon having a quadrangle or more (S52). When the inner area 812i is a triangle, a round-trip path parallel to the longest side is generated in the entire inner area 812i (S53).

If the inner area 812i is a polygon with a rectangular shape or more, the short side adjacent to the long side 813i is determined as the first short side 814i, and the long side is determined as the first opposite side 815i (S54).

The inner route generation unit 42 determines the number of round trips of the drone 100 based on the first short side 814i (S55).

When the length of the first facing side 815i allows the overlap region and the gap region having the maximum width, the inner path generation unit 42 determines whether or not the length can be scanned by the reciprocating path having the above-described number of reciprocations (S56). .. When the first opposing side 815i can be scanned by the reciprocating path having the above-described number of reciprocations, the inner path generating unit 42 determines the positions and widths of the overlapping area and the gap area so that the drone 100 scans to both ends of the first opposing side 815i. The reciprocating route is determined, and the reciprocating route is generated in parallel or radially according to the number of reciprocations (S57).

When the length of the first facing side 815i is longer than the maximum width that can be scanned by the reciprocating path having the above-described number of reciprocating times, the inner path generating unit 42 causes the reciprocating path having the overlapping area and the gap area as the maximum width in the reciprocating area 813a. Are generated radially (S58).

The inside route generation unit 42 sets the end side 816i of the effective width of the drone 100 in the generated reciprocating route as a new reference side (S58), and returns to step S51.

The inner route generation unit 42 connects the reciprocating routes generated in one or more reciprocating areas 813a, 816a, 819a (step S60). When the inner path generation unit 42 generates a sub-scanning path for each of the one or more reciprocating areas 813a, 816a, 819a, the sub-scanning path is connected in addition to each reciprocating path.

22 to 25, examples of the outer peripheral area and the inner peripheral area created by the area creating unit 30 and the circular operation route and the reciprocating operation route generated by the route generation unit 40 will be described.

Fig. 22 shows an example of a field 80-1 that is divided into a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above. A departure / arrival point 406-1 is arranged at a certain point around the farm field 80-1. Since there is no obstacle on the outer edge of the field 80-1, a movement permission area 80i-1 is defined inside the field 80-1 in a substantially rectangular shape which is a substantially similar shape to the field 80-1. Inside the movement permission area 80i-1, one outer area 811i-1 and one inner area 812i-1 are defined. A circular driving route 811r-1 is generated in the outer peripheral area 811i-1, and a reciprocating driving route 812r-1 is generated in the inner area 812i-1. The orbiting operation path 811r-1 and the reciprocating operation path 812r-1 are connected to each other, and an operation start point S and an operation end point G are defined. A four-figure turn is planned for the turn of the circular operation route 811r-1. In this example, the inner area 812i-1 has a substantially rectangular shape, and the short sides facing each other have the same length and are substantially parallel to each other, so that the reciprocating operation paths 812r-1 are generated to be substantially parallel.

-The reciprocating operation route 812r-1 projects to the outer peripheral area 811i-1 in the turnback area. In other words, at least a part of the folding area overlaps with the outer peripheral area 811i-1. Drone 100 slows as it flies toward the turn area and accelerates as it flies away from the turn area. When the flight speed of the drone 100 is lower than a predetermined value, it may be difficult to spray the medicine with the intended spray density and monitor the growth. Therefore, the folded region is projected to the outer peripheral area 811i-1, and the flight speed in the inner area 812i-1 is maintained as much as possible, so that the effective area for drug spraying and growth monitoring in the inner area 812i-1 is secured.

Fig. 23 shows an example of a field 80-2 that is divided into a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above. A landing point 406-2 is arranged at a certain point around the farm field 80-2. An obstacle 81a-2 is arranged near one side of the field 80-2. Therefore, the movement permission area 80i-2 is defined so as to avoid the entry prohibition area 81b-2 around the obstacle 81a-1, and a part of the outer edge of the movement permission area 80i-2 is defined around the obstacle 81a-1. It shares the edge with the prohibited area 81b-2. Inside the movement permission area 80i-2, one outer peripheral area 811i-2 and one inner area 812i-2 are defined. A circular driving route 811r-2 is generated in the outer peripheral area 811i-2, and a reciprocating driving route 812r-2 is generated in the inner area 812i-2. The orbiting operation path 811r-2 and the reciprocating operation path 812r-2 are connected to each other, and an operation start point S and an operation end point G are defined. A four-figure turn is planned for the turn of the circular operation route 811r-1. In this example, the inner area 812i-2 has a substantially rectangular shape, and the short sides facing each other have the same length and are substantially parallel to each other, so that the reciprocating operation paths 812r-2 are generated to be substantially parallel.

Fig. 24 shows an example of a field 80-3 which is divided into a substantially polygonal shape when viewed from above. Around the field 80-3, in the lower left of the figure, a departure / arrival point 406-3 is arranged. Plural obstacles 81a-3 are arranged on the left and right sides and below in the figure of the field 80-3. The movement permission area 80i-3 is defined so as to avoid the entry prohibition area 81b-3 around the obstacle 81a-3.

Inside the movement permission area 80i-3, one outer area 811i-3 and one inner area 812i-3 are defined. A circular operation route 811r-3 is generated in the outer peripheral area 811i-3. The inner area 812i-3 is divided into three round-trip or square-shaped reciprocating areas 813a-3, 814a-3, 815a-3, and reciprocating operation routes 813r-3, 814r-3, 815r-3 are generated in each. .. In the figure, the three round-trip areas 813a-3, 814a-3, 815a-3 are shaded differently for convenience. Since the short sides facing the reciprocating areas 813a-3, 814a-3 have different lengths, the reciprocating operation paths 813r-3, 814r-3 are generated slightly radially. In addition, the reciprocating operation routes 813r-3 and 814r-3 project to the outer peripheral area 811i-3 in the turn-back region. That is, at least a part of the folding area overlaps the outer peripheral area 811i-3.

Fig. 25 is an example of a field 80-4 that is divided into a concave polygon having a depression when viewed from above. A landing point 406-4 is arranged at the upper left of the field 80-4 in the figure. An obstacle 81a-4 is arranged at the lower left of the field 80-4 in the figure. The field 80-4 is largely divided into shaping areas 81i-4 and 82i-4, and an outer area 811i-4 and an inner area 812i-4 are defined in the shaping area 81i-4, and the shaping area 82i-4 is formed. Has an outer area 821i-4 and an inner area 822i-4. Circular operation routes 811r-4 and 821r-4 are generated in the outer peripheral areas 811i-4 and 821i-4, respectively. The inner area 812i-4 is divided into three reciprocating areas 813a-4, 814a-4, 815a-4 having a triangular shape or a quadrangular shape, and the reciprocating operation paths 813r-4, 814r-4, 815r are divided into respective areas. -4 has been generated. In the figure, the reciprocating areas 813a-4, 814a-4, 815a-4 and the inner area 822i-4 are shaded differently for convenience. Since the lengths of the opposite short sides of the reciprocating areas 813a-4, 814a-4, 815a-4 are different, the reciprocating operation routes 813r-4, 814r-4, 815r-4 are generated in a slightly radial pattern. Further, the reciprocating operation paths 813r-4, 814r-4, 815r-4 project to the outer peripheral area 811i-4 in the turn-back area. That is, at least part of the folded area overlaps the outer peripheral area 811i-4.

According to this configuration, it is possible to generate a driving route for autonomous driving that enables efficient movement.

In this description, the agricultural drug spray drone has been described as an example, but the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to this, and is applicable to all machines that operate autonomously. It can be applied to drones other than agricultural ones that fly autonomously. It can also be applied to a machine that runs autonomously on the ground.

(Technically remarkable effect of the present invention)
In the driving route generation system according to the present invention, a driving route for autonomous driving that can move efficiently is generated.

Claims (18)

1. A route generation unit that generates a driving route in which the mobile device moves to the target area based on the acquired information on the target area;
   The route generation unit reciprocates a plurality of times in the target area, and generates a reciprocating operation route in which adjacent reciprocating routes or adjacent forward and return routes are scanned so as to spread or narrow from the forward route starting point side to the forward route ending point side,
   Driving route generation system.
   
2. The route generation unit,
   An outer peripheral route generation unit that generates a circular driving route that circles an annular outer peripheral area that forms the outer edge of the target area,
   The reciprocating operation route that reciprocates a plurality of times in the inner area inside the outer peripheral area and reciprocally scans so that adjacent reciprocating paths or adjoining forward and backward paths spread or narrow from the outward path starting point side to the outward path ending point side. An inner path generation unit to generate,
   Further comprising,
   The driving route generation system according to claim 1.
   
3. The inner path generation unit divides the inner area into a plurality of reciprocating areas, generates an operation path that reciprocates and scans each of the reciprocating areas, and connects the plurality of operation paths to the inner area. Generating the reciprocating driving route of
   The driving route generation system according to claim 2.
   
4. The reciprocating area is divided into a triangular shape or a quadrangular shape,
   The driving route generation system according to claim 3.
   
5. The reciprocating operation route is configured by one or a plurality of pairs of reciprocating routes forming a pair of a forward route and a return route,
   In the target area,
   One or a plurality of overlapping regions in which the effective widths of the moving devices overlap in the reciprocating paths adjacent to each other;
   One or more gap regions that are not scanned by any of the reciprocating paths that are adjacent to each other;
   Is placed,
   The driving route generation system according to any one of claims 2 to 4.
   
6. The widths of the plurality of overlapping regions are equal to each other, and the widths of the plurality of gap regions are equal to each other,
   The driving route generation system according to claim 5.
   
7. The inner path generation unit stores in advance maximum allowable widths of the overlapping area and the gap area, and determines that the entire inner area cannot be scanned even if the overlapping area and the gap area having the maximum allowable widths are allowed. At this time, the inner area is divided into a plurality of reciprocating areas,
   The driving route generation system according to claim 5.
   
8. The inner path generation unit moves along the longest long side of the edges that define the outer edge of the inner area, and changes the direction on the path along the shortest short side to reciprocate the inner area. However, it is possible to sequentially move in a direction different from the reciprocating direction to generate a reciprocating operation route for scanning the inner area.
   The driving route generation system according to any one of claims 2 to 7.
   
9. The inner route generation unit can determine the number of round trips of the driving route based on the length of the short side among the end sides that define the outer edge of the inner area.
   The driving route generation system according to claim 8.
   
10. The inner route generation unit decelerates when entering the return region from the forward route in a turn region that connects the forward route and the return route of the reciprocating operation route, and accelerates when entering the return route from the return region. Generate a travel plan,
    The driving route generation system according to any one of claims 2 to 9.
    
11. The inner path generation unit generates the reciprocating operation path such that at least a part of a turn-back region that connects an outward path and a return path of the reciprocating operation path overlaps with the outer peripheral area,
    The driving route generation system according to any one of claims 2 to 10.
    
12. The outer peripheral route generation unit moves the movement of the first rotation that causes the movement device to move forward and backward to bend the outer edge of the outer peripheral area, and the second rotation that includes the movement of turning the movement device while retracting the movement device. It is possible to generate a driving route that the device will perform,
    The driving route generation system according to any one of claims 2 to 11.
    
13. The route generation unit is capable of generating a sub-scanning route that continuously scans a turn-back region that returns from a forward route to a return route in the reciprocating operation route in a direction intersecting with the forward route or the return route of the reciprocating operation route.
    The driving route generation system according to claim 1.
    
14. The route generation unit generates the reciprocating operation route such that at least a part of a turn-back region of the reciprocating operation route that is turned back from the forward route overlaps the sub-scanning route.
    The driving route generation system according to claim 13.
    
15. A route generation step of generating a driving route in which the mobile device moves to the target area based on the acquired coordinate information of the target area;
    The said route generation step is a driving route generation method which produces | generates the reciprocating route which reciprocates and scans in the said target area radially.
    
16. Based on the acquired coordinate information of the target area, the computer is caused to execute a route generation instruction for generating a driving route in which the mobile device moves to the target area,
    The route generation command is a driving route generation program that generates a reciprocating route that scans the target area by reciprocating radially.
    
17. A drone capable of receiving a driving route generated by a driving route generation system and flying along the driving route,
    The drone, wherein the driving route generation system is the driving route generation system according to any one of claims 1 to 14.
    
18. A route generator,
    A flight controller,
    A drone comprising
    The drone, wherein the route generation unit is the route generation unit according to any one of claims 1 to 14.
    
    

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