WO2020162586A1

WO2020162586A1 - Drone system, drone, control device, and drone system control method

Info

Publication number: WO2020162586A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/004716
Authority: WO
Inventors: 千大和氣; 洋柳下
Original assignee: 株式会社ナイルワークス
Priority date: 2019-02-08
Filing date: 2020-02-07
Publication date: 2020-08-13
Also published as: JPWO2020162586A1; JP7169010B2; JP2022087355A

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a drone system for safely and efficiently carrying out a task using a plurality of drones. [Solution] A drone system 500 containing at least a plurality of drones 100 which carry out a task by flying in a work area 403, and a control device 40 which controls the takeoff order in which the plurality of drones are caused to takeoff. A landing/takeoff platform 406 can store a resource that is replenished in the drones, and the control device may be additionally equipped with a replenishment control unit 44 which controls a replenishment plan for replenishing the resource in the plurality of drones. A movement control unit 45 may be further provided for causing some or all of the plurality of drones to fly separated a prescribed distance from a mobile unit 406a when the mobile unit and the plurality of drones are moving.

Description

Drone system, drone, control device, and drone system control method

The present invention relates to a drone system, a drone, a control device, and a drone system control method.

　The application of small helicopters (multicopters) commonly called drones is progressing. One of its important fields of application is spraying chemicals such as pesticides and liquid fertilizers on farmland (field) (for example, Patent Document 1). In relatively small farms, it is often appropriate to use drones instead of manned planes and helicopters.

With technologies such as the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System and RTK-GPS (Real Time Kinematic-Global Positioning System), drones have become able to accurately know their 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 where 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 have been drone safety technologies that are premised on human control (for example, Patent Document 2), but in particular, address the safety issues peculiar to autonomous flying drones for drug spraying for agriculture. There was no technology to do this.

Also, when multiple drones work, there is a need for a system that will perform the work safely and efficiently without the multiple drones colliding.

In Patent Document 3, when two sets of moving bodies are charged alternately, a remote control device that changes the moving bodies of one set without stopping the operation of the moving bodies of the other set while charging the moving bodies of the other set. Is disclosed. The control unit included in the remote control device, when the alternation time detecting means detects that it is the alternation time of the moving body, causes the moving moving body and the moving body being charged to be changed by wireless transmission.

However, Patent Document 3 aims to always operate one of the moving bodies, and does not describe performing the work safely without collision of a plurality of moving bodies.

Patent publication gazette JP 2001-120151 Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2017-163265 Patent publication gazette JP 1998-143246

　Provide a drone system that performs work safely and efficiently with multiple drones.

In order to achieve the above object, a drone system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of drones that fly in a work area to perform work, and a control device that controls a takeoff sequence for taking off the plurality of drones. , At least.

The control device may be configured to take off the plurality of drones one by one.

The control device may be configured to acquire information on the first drone taking off and take off the second drone when the drone satisfies a predetermined condition.

The control device may be configured to take off the second drone when the distance between the first drone and the second drone exceeds a predetermined distance.

The control device may be configured to control the landing order of landing on the landing platform.

The control device, when the planned stay time zone of the drone information acquisition unit that acquires the information of the plurality of drones and the landing platform of the plurality of drones overlap, the landing based on the information of the plurality of drones. And a landing order determination unit that determines the order.

The drone information acquisition unit acquires return information regarding the cause of the drone returning to the departure and arrival platform,
The landing order determination unit may determine the landing order based on the return information.

The landing sequence determination unit may be configured to land the drone before other drones when the drone returns based on a return instruction from the user.

The landing order determination unit may be configured to land the drone earlier than the other drones when the drone returns based on at least one of a failure and an abnormality occurring in the drone. Good.

The drone information acquisition unit may acquire the amount of resources held by the plurality of drones, and the landing order determination unit may determine the landing order based on the amount of resources.

The landing sequence determination unit may be configured to land the drone having a smaller amount of the resource before the other drones.

The amount of the resource may be configured to include at least one of the amount of energy that drives the drone and the amount of the drug that the drone sprays.

When the scheduled time of stay overlaps, the drone that comes later in the landing sequence may be configured to wait until the drone is ready to land on the departure and arrival platform.

When the scheduled stay time zones overlap, the drone that is later in the landing sequence is configured to hover and wait in the work area until the drone is ready to land on the landing platform. May be.

When the scheduled stay time zones overlap, the drone may be configured to land first on the landing platform and the other drone to land on a different location from the landing platform. ..

▽ It may be configured to shorten the work planned for at least one of the drones of the plurality of drones having the same scheduled time of stay.

The control device may be configured to change the scheduled stay time period by changing the flight speed of at least one of the drones in the plurality of drones in which the planned stay time period overlaps. ..

The plurality of drones having the same scheduled time of stay may be configured to accelerate the flight speed of at least one of the drones.

The drone's departure/arrival base is capable of accommodating resources for replenishing the drone, and the control device is configured to further include a replenishment control unit for controlling a replenishment plan for replenishing the drones with the resources. May be.

The replenishment plan is configured to include at least one of information regarding a landing sequence of the drone on the landing platform, a type of the resource to be replenished to a plurality of the drones, an amount of the resource, and a time point at which the replenishment is performed. It may have been done.

The drone system may be configured to further include a terminal that receives and notifies at least a part of the replenishment plan.

The replenishment control unit is a replenishment plan acquisition unit that acquires the amount of the resource planned to be replenished to the drone from the departure and arrival base, and a mobile unit that acquires the amount of the resource accommodated in the departure and arrival base. Resource acquisition department,
Further, the terminal may be configured to issue a notification when the planned amount of the resource exceeds the contained amount of the resource.

When the amount of the resource planned to be replenished to the drone that is scheduled to land most recently exceeds the amount of the resource accommodated in the departure and arrival platform, the replenishment control unit notifies that fact. May be configured to do so.

The said platform may be a moving body that can move together with the drone.

When the moving body and the plurality of drones move, a part of or the whole of the plurality of drones may be further separated from the moving body by a predetermined distance, and the moving control unit may be further provided.

The movement control unit may be configured to fly the plurality of drones at a predetermined distance behind each other in the traveling direction of the moving body.

The movement control unit may be configured to fly the plurality of drones at a predetermined distance above the moving body.

The moving control unit, in a state in which the moving body and the plurality of drones are moving, when the moving body moves in the opposite direction to the traveling direction, with the drone at the end in the traveling direction as a head. It may be configured to move.

The drone includes an obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle in the vicinity, and the movement control unit is configured to land a plurality of the drones including the drone when the drone detects an obstacle. Good.

The movement control unit is configured to land the plurality of drones when the movement body moves in a direction opposite to the traveling direction while the movement body and the plurality of drones are moving. Good.

When the mobile control unit makes the drone land, it may be configured to issue an alarm.

In order to achieve the above object, a drone system control method according to an aspect of the present invention is a drone system control method including at least a plurality of drones that fly within a work area to perform a work. Controlling the takeoff order for the drone to take off.

In order to achieve the above object, a drone system control program according to an aspect of the present invention is a drone system control program including at least a plurality of drones flying in a work area to perform work,
A computer is caused to execute an instruction to control a takeoff sequence for taking off the plurality of drones.
The computer program can be provided by being downloaded through 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 one aspect of the present invention is a drone that flies within a work area to perform work, and is connected to a control device that controls a takeoff order for takeoff. Take off based on the command from.

In order to achieve the above object, a mobile body according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of drones that fly in a work area to perform work, and a control device that controls a takeoff sequence for taking off the plurality of drones. And a mobile unit included in a drone system, the mobile unit being capable of accommodating resources for replenishing the drone.

In order to achieve the above object, the control device according to one aspect of the present invention is connected to a plurality of drones that fly in a work area to perform a work, and based on information regarding the plurality of drones, the plurality of drones. Control the take-off order for the drone to take off.

　You can perform work safely and efficiently with multiple drones.

1 is a plan view of a drone included in a drone system according to the present invention. It is a front view of the drone which the drone system has. It is a right view of the said drone. It is a rear view of the said drone. It is a perspective view of the drone. It is an overall conceptual diagram of the drone system. It is a whole conceptual diagram which shows 2nd Embodiment of the said drone system. It is a whole conceptual diagram which shows 3rd Embodiment of the said drone system. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the mode of arrangement|positioning of the agricultural field where the said drone works, and the automatic travel permission area in which the said mobile body travels. It is a schematic diagram showing the control function of the said drone. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the mode of the moving body concerning this invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows a mode that the upper surface plate of the said moving body on which the said drone is mounted is sliding backward. It is a functional block diagram regarding the function which controls the landing of a plurality of above-mentioned drones, replenishment of resources, and movement which the above-mentioned drone, the above-mentioned mobile, and the control device concerning the present invention have. It is the schematic diagram of (a) 1st Embodiment which shows a mode that the said mobile body and several drones move simultaneously, and (b) the schematic diagram of another embodiment. It is a flow chart about landing control which the above-mentioned control device performs. It is a flow chart about replenishment control which the above-mentioned control device performs. It is a flow chart about movement control which the above-mentioned control device performs.

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 drawings.

First, the configuration of the drone included in the drone system according to the present invention will be described. In the specification of the present application, 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 that have multiple rotors.

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 for flying the drone 100, and in consideration of the stability of flight, the size of the aircraft, and the balance of power consumption, eight aircraft (four sets of two-stage rotary blades) are provided. Each rotor 101 is arranged on four sides of the main body 110 by an arm extending from the main body 110 of the drone 100. That is, the rotating blades 101-1a and 101-1b in the left rear in the traveling direction, the rotating blades 101-2a and 101-2b in the left front, the rotating blades 101-3a and 101-3b in the right rear, and the rotating blades 101-in the front right. 4a and 101-4b are arranged respectively. Note that the drone 100 has the traveling direction downward in the plane of FIG. Rod-shaped legs 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, 107-4 extend downward from the rotation axis of the rotary blade 101.

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 a motor, etc.), one for each rotor Has been. The motor 102 is an example of a propeller. 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. 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 for promoting the buckling of the member to the outside of the rotor blade at the time of collision and preventing 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 equipped with four machines. In the specification of the present application, the term “medicine” generally refers to pesticides, herbicides, liquid fertilizers, insecticides, seeds, and liquids or powders applied to fields such as water.

The drug tank 104 is a tank for storing the drug 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 each drug nozzle 103-1, 103-2, 103-3, 103-4, and are rigid. It may be made of the above-mentioned material and also have a role of supporting the medicine 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 drug application of the drone 100 according to the present invention. This figure is a schematic diagram and the scale is not accurate. In the figure, the drone 100, the operation device 401, the small portable terminal 401a, the base station 404, and the moving body 406a are connected to the farm cloud 405, respectively. For these connections, wireless communication may be performed by Wi-Fi, a mobile communication system, or the like, or a part or all of them may be wired.

The drone 100 and the mobile unit 406a transmit and receive information to and from each other, and operate in cooperation with each other. The moving body 406a is an example of a departure/arrival platform and has a departure/arrival point 406. The drone 100 has a flight control unit 21 that controls the flight of the drone 100, and a functional unit that transmits and receives information to and from the moving body 406a.

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 in an emergency. In addition to the portable information device, an emergency operating device (not shown) having a function dedicated to emergency stop may be used. The emergency operation device may be a dedicated device having a large emergency stop button or the like so that an emergency response can be taken quickly. Further, in addition to the operation device 401, a small mobile terminal 401a capable of displaying a part or all of the information displayed on the operation device 401, for example, a smartphone may be included in the system. Further, the operation of the drone 100 may be changed based on the information input from the small portable terminal 401a. The small portable terminal 401a is connected to the base station 404, for example, and can receive information and the like from the farm cloud 405 via the base station 404.

The field 403 is a rice field, a field, etc. 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. Further, there may be an intruder such as a building or an electric wire in the field 403.

The base station 404 is a device that provides a master device function of Wi-Fi communication and the like, 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). Further, the base station 404 may be capable of communicating with the farm cloud 405 using a mobile communication system such as 3G, 4G, or LTE. In this embodiment, the base station 404 is loaded on the moving body 406a together with the departure point 406.

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 farm cloud 405 may analyze the image of the field 403 captured by the drone 100, grasp the growth status 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.

The small mobile terminal 401a is, for example, a smartphone or the like. On the display unit of the small mobile terminal 401a, information on predicted motions regarding the operation of the drone 100, more specifically, the scheduled time when the drone 100 will return to the departure point 406, and the work that the user 402 should perform when returning Information such as contents is displayed as appropriate. Further, the operations of the drone 100 and the moving body 406a may be changed based on the input from the small mobile terminal 401a. The small portable terminal 401a can receive information from both the drone 100 and the mobile body 406a. Further, the information from the drone 100 may be transmitted to the small mobile terminal 401a via the mobile body 406a.

Normally, the drone 100 will take off from a departure/arrival point 406 outside the field 403, and will return 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 stored in advance in the farm cloud 405 or the like, or may be input by the user 402 before the start of takeoff.

As in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7, in the drug spraying system of the drone 100 according to the present invention, the drone 100, the operation device 401, the small portable terminal 401a, and the farming cloud 405 are connected to the base station 404, respectively. It may be configured.

Further, as in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the drug spraying system of the drone 100 according to the present invention is such that the drone 100, the operation unit 401, and the small portable terminal 401a are connected to the base station 404, respectively, and operated. Only the device 401 may be connected to the farm cloud 405.

As shown in FIG. 9, the drone 100 flies over the

fields

403a and 403b and performs the work in the fields. The moving body 406a automatically travels in the automatic operation permission area 90 provided around the

farm fields

403a and 403b. The automatic driving permission area 90 is, for example, a farm road. The

fields

403a and 403b and the automatic operation permission area 90 form a work area. Further, in the autonomous driving permission area 90, the moving body 406a is movable, but the movement permitting area 901 where the drone 100 cannot land and the moving body 406a are movable, and the drone 100 can land on the moving body 406a. The landing permission area 902 is subdivided. The reason why the drone 100 cannot land is that, for example, an obstacle 80 such as a guardrail, a power pole, an electric wire, a warehouse, or a grave is installed between the area and the field 403a.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of

drones

100a and 100b (hereinafter, also referred to as the first drone 100a and the second drone 100b) simultaneously fly to one field 403a (an example of a work area) and perform their respective works. May be. The work performed by the first drone 100a is an example of the first work, and the work performed by the second drone 100b is an example of the second work. The first work includes an operation of flying the first operation route 51 comprehensively set in the first work area 403c which is a part of the farm field 403a. The second work includes an operation of flying the second operation route 52, which is comprehensively set, in the second work area 403d which is a region other than the first work area 403c in the farm field 403a. The

drones

100a and 100b fly along the first and

second driving routes

51 and 52, spray chemicals, and photograph the inside of the field 403a.

The first driving route 51 includes a start point 51s, a worked route 51a, an unworked route 51b, and an end point 51e. The first drone 100a starts flying from the starting point 51s and flies to the ending point 51e. The route which the drone 100a has already flown is referred to as a worked route 51a, and the route which is planned to fly from now on is referred to as an unworked route 51b. Similarly, the second driving route 52 includes a start point 52s, a worked route 52a, an unworked route 52b, and an end point 52e. The second drone 100b starts flying from the starting point 52s and flies to the ending point 52e. The route which the drone 100b has already flown is referred to as a worked route 52a, and the route which is planned to fly from now on is referred to as an unworked route 52b.

A plurality of moving bodies 406A and 406b (hereinafter, also referred to as first moving body 406A and second moving body 406B) run in the automatic driving permission area 90. The plurality of

drones

100a and 100b and the plurality of

mobile bodies

406A and 406B included in the drone system 500 are connected to each other via a network, and are centrally managed by a control device 40 described later in FIG.

In this embodiment, the number of drones and the number of mobile units are the same, but they do not have to be the same. When the number of drones and the number of moving bodies are the same, one drone can be installed for each moving body, so all the drones can be loaded on the moving body and the drone can be carried in from outside the work area. Further, although a mobile unit cannot replenish resources to a plurality of drones at the same time, the drone system 500 includes the same number of drones and mobile units, so that all drones can be replenished at the same time.

The control device 40 may be an independent device, a plurality of

drones

100a, 100b, a plurality of

mobile units

406A, 406B or farming cloud 405, etc., is installed in any of the configurations included in the drone system 500. Good.

The drone 100 takes off from the moving body 406a and performs work in the

fields

403a and 403b. The drone 100 appropriately interrupts the work during the work in the

fields

403a and 403b and returns to the moving body 406a to replenish the battery 502 and the medicine. When the work on the predetermined field is completed, the drone 100 rides on the moving body 406a to move to the vicinity of another field and then takes off from the moving body 406a again to start the work on the different field. As described above, the movement of the drone 100 in the automatic driving permission area 90 is basically carried on the moving body 406a, and the moving body 406a carries the drone 100 to the vicinity of the field where the work is performed. According to this configuration, the battery 502 of the drone 100 can be saved. Further, since the moving body 406a stores the battery 502 and the medicine that can be replenished in the drone 100, the moving body 406a moves to the vicinity of the field where the drone 100 is working and waits. The resource can be replenished to 100 efficiently.

The area outside the automatic driving permission area 90 is an automatic driving non-permission area 91. The automatic driving permission area 90 and the automatic driving non-permission area 91 are partitioned by

partition members

407a, 407b, 407c, 407d, 407e. The automatic driving permission area 90 and the automatic driving non-permission area 91 are separated by various obstacles and the like, and the road is continuously formed, and the

partition members

407a, 407b, 407c, 407d, 407e are concerned. It may be arranged on the road. In other words, the

partition members

407a, 407b, 407c, 407d, 407e are arranged at the entrance to the automatic driving permission area 90.

The partition member 407 is a member for partitioning a work area that is a field around the farm field 403 and its surroundings, and that moves when the moving body 406a and the drone 100 work, and is, for example, a color cone (registered trademark) or a triangular cone. , Corn bars, barricades, field arches, fences, etc. The partition member 407 may be physically partitioned or may be partitioned by light rays such as infrared rays. The partition member 407 is used mainly for informing an intruder outside the work area that he/she is working and for restricting entry into the work area. Therefore, it is a member that an intruder can see from a distance. Further, since the partition member 407 is installed by the user 402 at the start of the work, it is preferable that the partition member 407 is easy to install and remove. A plurality of partition members 407 may be included in the drone system 500. The partition member 407 may detect that an intruder has entered the work area and may transmit the intrusion information to the moving body 406a, the operation unit 401, the small portable terminal 401a, or the like. The intruder includes a person, a car, and other moving bodies.

FIG. 10 shows 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, 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. The configuration is such 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 software used by the flight controller 501 can be rewritten via a storage medium or the like for function expansion/change, problem correction, etc., or via 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. In addition, 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 flight controller 501 communicates 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 to prevent illegal acts such as interception, spoofing, and hijacking of the device. 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 flight controller 501 can measure the absolute position of the drone 100 with an accuracy of about several centimeters. Since the flight controller 501 is highly important, it may be duplicated/multiplexed, and in order to cope with the failure of a specific GPS satellite, each redundant flight controller 501 should use a different satellite. It may be controlled.

The 6-axis gyro sensor 505 is a means for measuring the acceleration of the drone aircraft in three mutually orthogonal directions, and is also a means for calculating the speed by integrating the acceleration. 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 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 utilizing 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, switch to an alternative sensor. Alternatively, a plurality of sensors may be used simultaneously, 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 intruder detection camera 513 is a camera for detecting a drone intruder, 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 intruder contact sensor 515 is a sensor for detecting that the drone 100, in particular, its rotor or propeller guard portion has contacted an intruder such as an electric wire, a building, a human body, a tree, a bird, or another drone. .. The intruder contact sensor 515 may be replaced with a 6-axis gyro sensor 505. 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 cost target and performance requirements of the drone, and may be duplicated or multiplexed. In addition, a sensor may be provided in the base station 404 outside the drone 100, the operation device 401, or 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 drug discharge amount and stop the drug discharge. The current status of the pump 106 (for example, the number of rotations) is fed back to the flight controller 501.

LED107 is a display means for informing the drone operator of the status of the drone. Display means such as a liquid crystal display may be used instead of or in addition to the LEDs. 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 519 is an optional component for communicating with an external computer or the like for the transfer of software, for example, separately from 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. Further, instead of the Wi-Fi slave device function, the mobile communication systems such as 3G, 4G, and LTE may be able to communicate with each other. The speaker 520 is an output means for notifying the drone state (particularly, the 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, and may be duplicated/multiplexed.

Configuration of Mobile Object The mobile object 406a shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 receives the information that the drone 100 has and notifies the user 402 appropriately, or receives the input from the user 402 and transmits it to the drone 100. It is a device. Further, the moving body 406a can move by carrying the drone 100. The moving body 406a may be driven by the user 402 or may be autonomously movable. Although the moving body 406a in the present embodiment is assumed to be a vehicle such as an automobile, more specifically, a light truck, it may be an appropriate moving body capable of running on land such as a train, a ship or a flight. It may be the body. The drive source of the moving body 406a may be any suitable source such as gasoline, electricity, fuel cell, or the like.

The moving body 406a is a vehicle in which a passenger seat 81 is arranged in the front in the traveling direction and a luggage platform 82 is arranged in the rear. On the bottom surface side of the moving body 406a, four wheels 83, which are an example of moving means, are arranged so that they can be driven. A user 402 can get into the passenger seat 81.

The passenger seat 81 is provided with a display unit 65 that displays the state of the moving body 406a and the drone 100. The display unit 65 may be a device having a screen, or may be realized by a mechanism that projects information on the windshield. In addition to the display unit 65, a rear display unit 65a may be installed on the rear side of the vehicle body 810 that covers the passenger seat 81. The rear display unit 65a can change the angle with respect to the vehicle body 810 to the left and right, and the user 402 working behind and on the left and right sides of the cargo bed 82 can obtain information by looking at the screen.

At the left end of the front of the loading platform 82 of the mobile unit 406a, a base station 404 having a shape in which a disk-shaped member is connected above a round bar extends above the passenger seat 81. The shape and position of the base station 404 are arbitrary. According to the configuration in which the base station 404 is on the passenger seat 81 side of the luggage platform 82, the base station 404 is less likely to interfere with the takeoff and landing of the drone 100, as compared to the configuration behind the luggage platform 82.

The cargo bed 82 has a battery 502 of the drone 100 and a cargo room 821 for storing medicines to be replenished in the medicine tank 104 of the drone 100. The luggage compartment 821 is a region surrounded by a vehicle body 810 that covers the passenger seat 81, a rear plate 822, a pair of

side plates

823 and 823, and an upper plate 824. The rear plate 822 and the side plate 823 are also referred to as “flaws”. Rails 825 are provided on both upper ends of the rear plate 822 along the upper ends of the side plates 823 to the vehicle body 810 on the rear side of the passenger seat 81. The upper surface plate 824 is a departure/arrival area which is a departure/arrival point 406 where the drone 100 is placed and can be taken off/landed, and is slidable along the rail 825 in the forward/backward direction. The rail 825 is a rib that protrudes above the plane of the upper plate 824, and prevents the drone 100 on the upper plate 824 from slipping out from the left and right ends of the moving body 406a. Further, a rib 8241 is formed behind the upper surface plate 824 so as to project to the upper surface side to the same extent as the rail 825.

A warning light 830 that indicates that the drone system 500 is working may be arranged on the upper side of the vehicle body 810 and on the rear side of the rear plate 822 in the traveling direction. The warning light 830 may be a display device that distinguishes between working and non-working by coloration or blinking, and may be capable of displaying characters or patterns. Further, the warning light 830 on the upper part of the vehicle body 810 may extend to above the vehicle body 810 and can be displayed on both sides. According to this configuration, the warning can be visually recognized from the rear even when the drone 100 is arranged on the loading platform 82. Further, the warning can be visually recognized from the front of the moving body 406a in the traveling direction. Since the warning light 830 can be seen from the front and the rear, part of the labor for installing the partition member 407 can be omitted.

The top plate 824 may be manually slidable, or may be slid automatically by using a rack and pinion mechanism or the like. By sliding the upper surface plate 824 rearward, articles can be stored in or taken out of the luggage compartment 821 from above the cargo bed 82. Further, in the form in which the upper plate 824 slides rearward, the upper plate 824 and the vehicle body 810 are sufficiently separated from each other, so that the drone 100 can take off and land at the landing point 406.

④ On the top plate 824, four foot receiving parts 826 to which the feet 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, 107-4 of the drone 100 can be fixed are arranged. The foot receiving portion 826 is, for example, a disk-shaped member having an upper surface recessed in a truncated cone shape, which is installed one at a position corresponding to four feet 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, 107-4 of the drone 100. is there. The bottom of the frustoconical recess of the foot receiving portion 826 and the tips of the feet 107-1, 107-2, 107-3, 107-4 may be shaped so that they can be fitted to each other. When landing on the foot rest 826, the feet 107-1,107-2,107-3,107-4 of the drone 100 slide along the conical surface of the foot rest 826, and the feet 107-1,107-2,107 on the bottom of the truncated cone. -3,107-4 tip is guided. The drone 100 can be automatically or manually fixed to the foot support 826 by an appropriate mechanism, and even when the moving body 406a moves with the drone 100 mounted thereon, the drone 100 does not vibrate excessively or fall, and the drone 100 does not fall. Can be safely transported. Further, the moving body 406a can detect whether or not the drone 100 is fixed to the foot receiving portion 826.

Around the center of the top plate 824, there is a circumferential light 850 that displays a guide for the takeoff/landing position of the drone 100. The circumferential lamp 850 is formed of a luminous body group arranged in a substantially circular shape, and the luminous body group can be individually blinked. In the present embodiment, four large light emitters 850a are arranged at intervals of about 90 degrees on the circumference, and two small light emitters 850b are equally spaced between the large light emitters 850a. It is composed of a circular lamp 850. The circumferential light 850 displays the flight direction of the drone 100 after takeoff or the direction of flight when landing, by lighting one or more of the

light emitter groups

850a and 850b. The circumferential lamp 850 may be composed of a single ring-shaped light-emitting body that can be partially blinked.

The pair of side plates 823 are hinged at the bottom sides to the loading platform 82, and the side plates 823 can be tilted outward. FIG. 12 shows that the side plate 823 on the left side in the traveling direction is tilted outward. When the side plate 823 falls outward, it is possible to store and take out stored items from the side of the moving body 406a. The side plate 823 is fixed substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the luggage compartment 821, and the side plate 823 can also be used as a workbench.

The pair of rails 825 form a form switching mechanism. Further, a hinge that connects the side plate 823 and the loading platform 82 may be included in the form switching mechanism. The movable body 406a moves in a form in which the upper surface plate 824 is arranged to cover the upper side of the luggage compartment 821 and the side plate 823 stands up and covers the side surface of the luggage compartment 821. When the moving body 406a is stationary, the upper plate 824 is switched to the rearward sliding form or the side plate 823 is tilted so that the user 402 can approach the inside of the luggage compartment 821.

The drone 100 can replenish the battery 502 while landing on the departure point 406. Refilling the battery 502 includes charging the built-in battery 502 and replacing the battery 502. A battery 502 charging device is stored in the luggage compartment 821, and the battery 502 stored in the luggage compartment 821 can be charged. Further, drone 100 may include an ultracapacitor mechanism instead of battery 502, and a charger for ultracapacitor may be stored in luggage compartment 821. In this configuration, when the drone 100 is fixed to the foot receiving portion 826, the battery 502 mounted on the drone 100 can be rapidly charged via the feet of the drone 100.

The drone 100 can replenish the medicine stored in the medicine tank 104 while landing at the departure point 406. The luggage compartment 821 stores a diluting and mixing tank for diluting and mixing medicines, an agitation mechanism, and appropriate components for diluting and mixing such as a pump and a hose that suck up medicines from the dilution and mixing tank and inject them into the medicine tank 104. It may have been done. Further, a refilling hose that extends from the luggage compartment 821 above the upper surface plate 824 and can be connected to the inlet of the medicine tank 104 may be provided.

A waste liquid groove 840 and a waste liquid hole 841 for guiding the medicine discharged from the medicine tank 104 are formed on the upper surface side of the upper surface plate 824. Two waste liquid grooves 840 and two waste liquid holes 841 are arranged, so that the waste liquid groove 840 is positioned below the medicine nozzle 103 regardless of whether the drone 100 is landing facing the left or right of the moving body 406a. ing. The waste liquid groove 840 is a groove having a predetermined width, which is formed substantially straight along the position of the medicine nozzle 103 and along the length direction of the moving body 406a, and slightly toward the passenger seat 81 side. It is inclined. A waste liquid hole 841 is formed at an end of the waste liquid groove 840 on the passenger seat 81 side to penetrate the upper surface plate 824 and guide the chemical liquid into the inside of the luggage compartment 821. The waste liquid hole 841 communicates with a waste liquid tank 842 installed in the luggage compartment 821 and directly below the waste liquid hole 841.

When the medicine is injected into the medicine tank 104, an air venting operation is performed to discharge the gas filling the medicine tank 104, mainly air, to the outside. At this time, an operation of discharging the medicine from the discharge port of the medicine tank 104 is required. Further, it is necessary for the drone 100 to perform an operation of discharging the medicine from the medicine tank 104 after the work is completed. According to the configuration in which the waste liquid groove 840 and the waste liquid hole 841 are formed in the upper surface plate 824, when the drug is injected into and discharged from the drug tank 104 with the drone 100 placed on the upper surface plate 824, the waste liquid is stored in the waste liquid tank. It can be guided to 842, and drug infusion and excretion can be performed safely.

Configuration of Drone, Moving Body, and Control Device of Drone System As shown in FIG. 13, the drone system 500 includes a first drone 100a, a second drone 100b, a first moving body 406a, and a control device 40. The drone 100, the first drone 100a, the second drone 100b, the moving body 406a, and the control device 40 are configured to be connected to each other via a network NW, for example. The network NW may be all wireless, or part or all may be wired. Further, the specific connection relationship is not limited to that shown in the figure, and each configuration may be connected directly or indirectly. Since the first and

second drones

100a and 100b have the same configuration, only the drone 100 will be described below.

In the present embodiment, the number of drones is two and the number of moving bodies is one, but the number may be more than this. Further, the number of drones and the number of moving bodies may be the same or different. A plurality of drones can take off and land on any of a plurality of moving bodies 406a, and resources can be replenished. Note that the replenishment of resources is a concept including replenishment of the battery 502 and replenishment of medicines.

● Drone The drone 100 includes a flight control unit 21, an onboard resource acquisition unit 22, and a battery 502, respectively.

The flight control unit 21 is a functional unit that operates the motor 102 of the drone 100 to control the flight and takeoff/landing of the drone 100. The flight control unit 21 is realized by the function of the flight controller 501, for example.

The installed resource acquisition unit 22 is a functional unit that acquires the amount of resources installed in the drone 100, that is, the amount of electricity stored in the battery 502 and the amount of medicine. The onboard resource acquisition unit 22 includes a storage amount acquisition unit 221 and a drug amount acquisition unit 222.

The storage amount acquisition unit 221 is a functional unit that acquires the storage amount of the battery 502 mounted on the drone 100. The amount of electricity stored in the battery 502 refers to the amount of energy that can operate the drone 100 without supplementing resources. The battery 502 may be any type of energy supply mechanism such as a primary battery, a secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

The storage amount acquisition unit 221 may acquire information from another configuration that measures the storage amount of the battery 502, or the storage amount acquisition unit 221 itself may measure the storage amount of the battery 502.

The drug amount acquisition unit 222 is a functional unit that estimates the current amount of drug stored in the drug tank 104. The drug amount acquisition unit 222 may estimate the stored amount from the weight of the drone 100 measured by the weight measurement unit 211a. Further, the medicine amount acquisition unit 222 may have a function of estimating the liquid level height in the medicine tank 104, for example. The drug amount acquisition unit 222 may estimate the stored amount by using a liquid level gauge or a water pressure sensor arranged in the drug tank 104. When the drone 100 is working, the drug amount acquisition unit 222 calculates the drug discharge amount by integrating the discharge flow rates from the drug tank 104 measured by the flow sensor 510, and calculates the drug discharge amount from the initially loaded drug amount. The storage amount may be estimated by subtracting.

The obstacle detection unit 23 is a functional unit that detects obstacles around the drone 100. The obstacle detection unit 23 is realized by, for example, an infrared sensor or a multispectral camera. When the obstacle detection unit 23 detects that the obstacle is within the predetermined range around the drone 100, the flight control unit 21 causes the drone 100 to land.

-Mobile Object The mobile object 406a includes a luggage compartment 821, a storage resource acquisition unit 31, a landing detection unit 32, and a replenishment unit 33.

The accommodation resource acquisition unit 31 is a functional unit that measures the amount of resources held by the mobile unit 406a. The amount of resources includes the number of charged batteries 502 and the amount of medicine. Further, the amount of resources may be the remaining charging capacity of the facility that charges the battery 502. When the drone 100 is configured to be driven by a fuel cell, the amount of fuel gas that can be stored in the drone 100, for example, hydrogen gas may be used. The amount of resources prepared in the moving body 406a may be manually input by the user 402 or may be automatically acquired. As an example of the configuration that is automatically acquired, a configuration may be adopted in which the weight of a predetermined range of the luggage compartment 821 is measured in order to acquire the drug amount. In addition, in order to obtain the number of charged batteries 502, a configuration may be adopted in which the amount of electricity stored in the battery 502 is measured in addition to the weight of the luggage compartment 821 in a predetermined range.

The landing detection unit 32 is a functional unit that detects whether or not the drone 100 is landing on the moving body 406a. The landing detection unit 32 is configured to detect the feet 107-1 to 107-4 of the drone 100, such as a touch switch and a capacitance sensor mounted on the foot receiving unit 826, so that the drone 100 lands on the moving body 406a. It is detected whether or not. When there are multiple drones 100 in the drone system 500, the landing detection unit 32 identifies which drone 100 is landing by acquiring the unique information of the drone 100 from the feet 107-1 to 107-4. It may be possible. Further, the landing detection unit 32 may identify the drone 100 landing by acquiring the position information of each drone 100 by RTK-GPS or the like.

The replenishment unit 33 is a functional unit that replenishes the drone 100 landing on the moving body 406a with resources. As described above, the replenishment unit 33 can charge the battery 502 mounted on the drone 100 landing on the moving body 406a. Further, instead of charging the battery 502, a configuration in which high speed charging is performed by an ultracapacitor may be used. Further, the replenishment unit 33 can replenish the medicine stored in the medicine tank 104.

Control Device The control device 40 is a functional unit that determines a work plan for the drone 100 and the moving body 406a. The work plan includes the moving paths of the drone 100 and the moving body 406a, and the moving speeds on the moving paths. The work plan of the drone 100 includes flight speed, flight acceleration, and landing position coordinates, as well as information on the delivery timing and delivery amount of the drug spray. The work plan of the moving body 406a includes moving speed, moving acceleration, and position coordinates of the moving body 406a when the drone 100 lands.

The work plan is independent for each drone 100 so that if there is one drone 100 in the drone system 500, it will return when the resource amount of the drone 100 satisfies a predetermined condition or when the work is completed. It is set. However, if the number of departure and arrival points 406 is less than the number of drones 100, it is not possible to land at the departure and arrival points 406 at the same time. Therefore, the control device 40 can control the drone 100 so that the time zones in which the drone 100 stays at the departure/arrival point 406 do not overlap. Further, the control device 40, when replenishing the resources to the drone 100 at the departure point 406 in the work plan, the resources accommodated in the drone 100 and the moving body 406a so that the resources are replenished according to the work plan of each drone 100. Manage the quantity.

The control device 40 includes a drone information acquisition unit 41, a moving body information acquisition unit 42, a landing control unit 43, a supplementary control unit 44, and a movement control unit 45.

The drone information acquisition unit 41 is a functional unit that acquires information on each of the plurality of drones 100. The drone information acquisition unit 41 acquires, for example, the work plan currently planned for the drone 100. Further, the drone information acquisition unit 41 acquires the position and state of the drone 100. The position of the drone 100 may include information on whether the drone 100 is inside the field 403 or outside the field 403, in addition to the three-dimensional coordinates. The state of the drone 100 includes the operating state of the drone 100, that is, information on whether the drone 100 is moving, hovering, or landing. It also includes information on whether or not the drug is being sprayed while the drone 100 is moving in the field 403. Further, the state of the drone 100 includes information on whether the drone 100 is out of order or abnormal. Abnormality refers to all events that impede the flight of the drone 100 other than the failure of the drone 100 itself, and includes various events such as strong winds, extremely low and high temperatures, catching obstacles, and bird strikes.

The drone information acquisition unit 41 also acquires information on the destination of the drone 100 when the drone 100 is moving outside the field 403. If the destination of the drone 100 is the departure/arrival point 406 on the moving body 406a, the drone information acquisition unit 41 may acquire information regarding the return cause of the drone 100. The cause of the return of the drone 100 is, for example, replenishment of the resources of the drone 100, that is, charging or replenishment of medicine. Further, the cause of the return of the drone 100 may be that the return instruction is transmitted from the operation unit 401 or the small portable terminal 401a. Furthermore, the drone 100 may have a malfunction or abnormality.

The drone information acquisition unit 41 can also acquire information on the resource amount of the drone 100 as the status of the drone 100. The resources that the drone 100 has include the flight energy of the drone 100, for example, the amount of electricity stored in the battery 502. The flight energy of the drone 100 may be an amount of electricity stored by an ultracapacitor instead of the battery 502. Further, the resources of the drone 100 include the medicine stored in the medicine tank 104 of the drone 100.

The above-mentioned information acquired by the drone information acquisition unit 41 may be directly or indirectly received from the drone 100 on a regular basis, or the information is received when the state change or the resource amount reaches a predetermined range. It may be configured as follows.

The mobile unit information acquisition unit 42 is a functional unit that acquires information about the mobile unit 406a, for example, speed, acceleration, position, and state of the mobile unit 406a. The position of the moving body 406a may include, in addition to the three-dimensional coordinates, information on whether the moving body 406a is present in the movement permission area 901 or the landing permission area 902.

● Configuration related to landing control The landing control unit 43 is a functional unit that controls the timing and landing order of a plurality of drones 100 included in the drone system 500. The landing control unit 43 includes a landing schedule acquisition unit 431, a landing order determination unit 432, a standby control unit 4333, and a return control unit 434.

The landing schedule acquisition unit 431 is a functional unit that acquires information about the landing schedule of the drone 100 based on the information acquired by the drone information acquisition unit 41. The landing schedule acquisition unit 431 acquires the scheduled landing time determined based on the position of the drone 100, the amount of resources held, or the like, or the time from a certain reference time to the scheduled landing time. The landing schedule acquisition unit 431 may calculate the scheduled landing time etc. or the time until the scheduled landing time by referring to the work plan of the drone 100, or the scheduled landing time etc. or the time until the scheduled landing time from the drone 100. You may get it.

Also, the landing schedule acquisition unit 431 also acquires the information at the time of takeoff after each drone 100 has landed. Further, the landing schedule acquisition unit 431, information when each drone 100 exits from the exit point of the field 403, when reaching the departure point 406, when taking off from the departure point 406, when entering from the entry point of the field 403. To get The landing schedule acquisition unit 431 can calculate the scheduled stay time zone of each drone 100 at the departure point 406 from the above information.

The landing sequence determination unit 432 is a functional unit that determines the landing sequence based on the information acquired by the landing schedule acquisition unit 431 when the planned staying time zones at the departure and arrival points 406 of a plurality of drones overlap.

The landing sequence determination unit 432 determines the landing sequence based on the information on the drone 100 acquired by the drone information acquisition unit 41. For example, the landing order determination unit 432 determines the landing order based on the return information acquired by the drone information acquisition unit 41 regarding the reason for returning. When the drone 100 returns based on the return instruction from the user, the landing order determination unit 432 causes the drone 100 to land before other drones 100.

Further, when the drone 100 returns due to a failure or abnormality that occurs in the drone 100, the landing sequence determination unit 432 causes the drone 100 to land before other drones. This is because returning due to a failure or abnormality requires immediate landing because the risk of a crash or runaway increases due to the delay in returning. The drone 100 that returns based on a failure or abnormality will land before the drone 100 that returns based on the return command.

The landing order determination unit 432 may determine the landing order based on the amount of resources each of the plurality of drones 100 holds. Specifically, the landing order determination unit 432 causes the drone 100 having a smaller amount of resources to land before the other drones 100. The amount of resources may be the amount of energy that drives the drone 100 or the amount of drugs stored in the drone 100. The drone 100, which has a smaller amount of resources, is expected to perform longer work after the resources are replenished, so by performing the replenishment work first and then returning to the work, the drone 100 is performed. The total work can be completed quickly. Further, since the drone 100 having a smaller amount of energy in the battery 502 may not have energy for standby, which will be described later, it is preferable to land the drone first.

The standby control unit 433 is a functional unit that causes the drone 100, which has a later landing sequence, to wait until it is ready to land at the departure point 406 when the scheduled stay time zones of the plurality of drones 100 overlap. .. Since there is a limit to the number of landing points 406 that can be landed at the same time, it is possible to prevent the collision by waiting the drone 100 and return the drone 100 safely.

The standby control unit 433 may hover the drone 100 whose landing order is later in the field 403 and make it stand by when the scheduled stay time overlaps. Since there are traffic of people including the user and the moving body 406a outside the farm field 403, there is a risk of collision when the drone 100 is waiting.Therefore, keeping the drone 100 in the farm field 403 is safe. Can be secured. Further, the plurality of drones 100 have a common exit point, a departure/arrival point 406, and a departure/arrival route from the exit point to the departure/arrival point 406. This is because by making the route for flying outside the farm field 403 common, the user can easily understand the flight route of the drone 100 and give the user a sense of security. On the other hand, if there are multiple drones 100 on the departure/arrival route, they may collide with each other. Therefore, by making the drone 100 stand by in the field 403, it is possible to avoid a collision with the drone 100 entering the field 403 from the landing point 406.

The standby control unit 433 acquires information that the drone 100 can land at the departure/arrival point 406 from the mobile unit information acquisition unit 42, ends the standby of the drone 100, and causes the drone 100 to fly to the departure/arrival point 406. In addition, the standby control unit 433 may cause the waiting drone 100 to fly to the departure/arrival point 406 after determining that there is no other drone 100 at the departure/arrival point 406, the departure/arrival route, and the exit point.

In addition to the above, the standby control unit 433 places the drone 100 in the field 403 based on the fact that the moving body 406a is in the process of replenishment or there is an obstacle such as a user around the moving body 406a. You may wait.

The return control unit 434 is a functional unit that changes the flight operation of at least one drone 100 when the scheduled stay time of multiple drones 100 overlap. The return control unit 434 may cause the drone 100, which comes first in the landing order, to land at the departure point 406 and another drone 100 to land at a location different from the departure point 406. For example, another drone 100 may land near the moving body 406a. The other drone 100 may land on the rear side of the moving body 406a in the traveling direction with a predetermined distance. When a plurality of drones 100 and the moving body 406a move at the same time, since the drone 100 moves continuously behind the moving body 406a, for example, the drone 100 and the moving body 406a move by landing at the position in advance. Can be started smoothly.

The return control unit 434 may change the scheduled stay time zone by shortening the work plan scheduled for at least one drone 100 in the plurality of drones 100 having the same scheduled stay time zone. That is, the return control unit 434 causes the work of the drone 100 to be interrupted early and returned to the departure point 406 before the resource of the drone 100 reaches the state where the drone needs to be replenished. According to this configuration, compared to the configuration in which the drone 100 is on standby, the drone that has been interrupted earlier can complete the replenishment earlier and restart the work in the field 403, so that the work can be efficiently performed. ..

The return control unit 434 may change the scheduled stay time zone by changing the flight speed of at least one drone 100 in the plurality of drones 100 having the same scheduled stay time zone. More specifically, among the plurality of drones 100 with overlapping landing schedules, the flight speed of the drone 100 that is decided to land first is increased. According to this configuration, after flying along the route according to the original work plan, it is possible to return to the departure/arrival point 406 after shifting the scheduled stay time. That is, the work can be performed more efficiently than the configuration in which the drone 100 is on standby and the configuration in which the work of one drone 100 is interrupted early.

● Configuration Regarding Replenishment Control The replenishment control unit 44 is a functional unit that controls a replenishment plan for replenishing resources to a plurality of drones 100.

The replenishment plan is an information group including at least one of information on the landing order of the drone 100 at the departure/arrival point 406, the types of resources to be replenished to the plurality of drones 100, the amount of resources, and the time at which replenishment is performed. That is, the replenishment plan is information regarding which drone 100 will return to the departure point 406 and which resource will be replenished. The replenishment control unit 44 controls the replenishment plan based on the information from the drone information acquisition unit 41.

The replenishment control unit 44 also controls the amount of resources contained in the moving body 406a having the departure/arrival point 406. The replenishment plan includes information on the type and amount of resources contained in the mobile unit 406a.

The replenishment control unit 44 includes a replenishment plan acquisition unit 441 and a mobile resource acquisition unit 442.

The replenishment plan acquisition unit 441 is a functional unit that acquires the amount of resources planned to be replenished from the departure point 406 to the drone 100.

The mobile resource acquisition unit 442 is a functional unit that acquires the amount of resources stored at the departure/arrival point 406.

The replenishment control unit 44 transmits at least a part of information on the replenishment plan to the operation unit 401 or the small portable terminal 401a. The operation unit 401 and the small mobile terminal 401a may sequentially display the replenishment plan, or may be configured to separately issue specific information.

The small mobile terminal 401a may display only a part of the information displayed on the operation device 401, or may issue a sound or the like by a separate reporting means such as only a part of the information. .. For example, the small portable terminal 401a, when it is necessary to replenish the resources to the mobile body 406a, when the total work is completed and tidying up, such as information at the time when the user 402 requires intervention, and each It may be configured such that only the information related to the prediction of the time point is displayed on the small mobile terminal 401a. Further, the user 402 may be notified when the mobile body 406a needs to be replenished with resources, when the total work is completed, and when an abnormality occurs.

In the operation unit 401, in addition to the information of the field 403 to be most recently worked and the field 403 being worked, the same drone system 500 is used for the work, and is planned in another field that is defined by a farm road or the like. It may be possible to display the replenishment plan. Another field is, for example, a region discontinuous with the field 403, in which work is started after the moving body 406a and the plurality of drones 100 have moved outside the field 403 by the movement control described later. According to this configuration, the amount of resources required for the entire work performed by the same drone system 500 can be collectively grasped by the operation unit 401. In the display, information on the field 403 and another field may be continuously displayed, or the display may be switchable by a predetermined operation.

When the amount of resources planned to be replenished for the drone 100 that is scheduled to land most recently exceeds the amount of resources accommodated in the mobile unit 406a, the supplement control unit 44 reports that fact. Even when the resource is automatically replenished by the mobile unit 406a, if the resources stored in the mobile unit 406a are insufficient, it is necessary to request the user to replenish the resource to the mobile unit 406a. Because there is. According to this configuration, the user can be urged to replenish resources to the moving body 406a so that the drones 100 returning most recently can be replenished with resources as planned.

The replenishment control unit 44, when the operation device 401 or the small portable terminal 401a is expected that the replenishment work of the resources from the departure point 406 to the drone 100 is not completed by the scheduled landing time of the drone 100, that effect is notified. You may be notified. With this configuration, when the drone 100 is replenished with resources by the user, it is possible to prompt the user to replenish resources with the notification. Further, even when the drone 100 is automatically replenished with resources, the progress status of the work can be transmitted to the user.

The replenishment control unit 44 also replenishes resources when the amount of resources planned to be replenished in the drone 100 that is scheduled to land most recently exceeds the amount of resources accommodated in the mobile unit 406a. A standby command may be sent to the drone 100 when the work is not completed. The drone 100 that receives the standby command hovers in the field 403, for example, and waits until the standby command is released. When replenishing resources to the moving body 406a, there is a high probability that the user is present near the moving body 406a. At that time, if the drone 100 approaches the moving body 406a, the refilling work by the user may be hindered. Therefore, by making the drone 100 stand by in the field 403, work efficiency and safety can be ensured.

● Configuration Related to Drone Movement Control The movement control unit 45 is a functional unit that controls the movement routes of the moving body 406a and the plurality of drones 100 in order to safely move the moving body 406a and the plurality of drones 100 simultaneously. The movement control unit 45 acquires the position information of the drone 100 and the moving body 406a by the drone information acquisition unit 41 and the moving body information acquisition unit 42, and feeds back the speed and the acceleration and its direction to the position and speed of each component. And control so that the acceleration satisfies a predetermined condition. The moving body 406a may move autonomously based on the control of the moving control unit 45, the moving body 406a moves by the driving of the user, and the drone 100 follows the movement of the moving body 406a. Then you may move.

As shown in FIG. 14(a), for example, when there are a plurality of drones 100 in the drone system 500, the first drone 100a moves while landing on the landing point 406 on the moving body 406a. The second to

fourth drones

100b, 100c, 100d fly at a predetermined distance from the moving body 406a. The movement control unit 45 may cause the plurality of drones 100 to fly side by side in series at predetermined distances behind each other in the traveling direction of the moving body 406a. According to this configuration, the drone 100 will fly following the moving body 406a on the route traveled by the moving body 406a, so there is a low possibility that an obstacle exists, and it is possible to fly safely. ..

As shown in FIG. 14( b ), the movement control unit 45 may fly a plurality of drones 100 above the moving body by a predetermined distance. The route along which the moving body 406a and the drone 100 move is mainly assumed to be a farm road around the farm field 403. Since it is unlikely that there is an obstacle above the moving body 406a on the farm road, it is possible to fly safely. In addition, even if the drone 100 crashes during movement, it will fall onto the moving body 406a, which reduces the possibility of harming people and buildings outside the drone system 500, and is safe. is there.

When the moving body 406a moves in the direction opposite to the traveling direction, the movement control unit 45 may move with the drone at the rear end in the traveling direction as the head. At this time, when the drone 100 detects an obstacle by the obstacle detection unit 23 included in the drone 100, a plurality of drones 100 including the drone 100 are landed.

The movement control unit 45 may be configured to land a plurality of drones 100 when the moving body 406a moves in the direction opposite to the traveling direction. According to this configuration, even when the drone 100 does not include the obstacle detection unit 23, it is possible to ensure safety when the moving body 406a moves backward.

When the drone 100 is landed, the mobile control unit 45 may notify the user of the alarm via the drone 100, the operation unit 401, the small portable terminal 401a or the mobile control unit 45. The alarm may be an appropriate notification means such as sound and display. By paying attention to the drone 100 by the user, it is possible to prevent a collision between the moving body 406a and the landing drone 100, for example, which is safe.

Flowchart regarding landing control With reference to FIG. 15, an example of the operation of the control device 40 when the scheduled time zones at the departure point 406 overlap will be described. It should be noted that the control device 40 may perform the steps described below at the start of all the operations, or may perform them periodically during the operations. Further, the control device 40 may perform the following steps when a specific event occurs during the work. For example, the control device 40 may perform the following steps at the time when a certain drone 100 has a failure or abnormality, when a return command is issued, or when a standby time different from the planned time occurs.

First, the drone information acquisition unit 41 acquires planned stay time zones for a plurality of drones 100 included in the drone system 500 (S11).

Next, the landing schedule acquisition unit 431 determines whether there is a drone 100 that has the same scheduled stay time period (S12).

If there are no drones 100 with the same scheduled time of stay, the landing sequence determination unit 432 ends the process without changing the landing sequence of the drones 100. The drone 100 will land at the departure/arrival point 406 sequentially according to the original work plan.

If there are drones 100 that have the same scheduled time of stay, the landing sequence determination unit 432 determines whether or not there is a drone 100 whose return cause is a malfunction or an abnormality (S13). If there is a malfunctioning or abnormal drone 100, the landing order determination unit 432 determines the landing order of the drone 100 to be 1 (S14).

Next, the landing sequence determination unit 432 determines whether or not there is a drone 100 to be returned by a return instruction from the user (S15). If there is a drone 100 to be returned by the return instruction, the landing order determination unit 432 determines that the landing order of the drone 100 is to land next (S16). That is, when there is a malfunctioning or abnormal drone 100, the drone 100 is determined second, and when there is no malfunctioning or abnormal drone 100, the drone 100 is determined first.

Next, the landing sequence determination unit 432 determines that the remaining drones 100 will land in the order of the smallest amount of resources installed, and the process ends (S17).

Flowchart Regarding Replenishment Control With reference to FIG. 16, an example of the operation of the control device 40 for controlling the resource amount stored in the moving body 406a will be described. The timing at which the control device 40 performs the following steps may be the same as in the case of landing control, at the start of all operations, or at regular intervals during operations. The landing control process and the replenishment control process may be performed at the same time or at different timings.

First, the replenishment plan acquisition unit 441 acquires the time when each of the plurality of drones 100 returns for replenishment, and the type and amount of resources to be replenished (S21).

The mobile resource acquisition unit 442 acquires the amount of resources contained in the mobile 406a (S22). Note that steps S21 and S22 are in no particular order and may be performed simultaneously.

The supplementary control unit 44 determines whether or not the storage capacity of the moving body 406a is sufficient (S23). When the accommodation amount of the moving body 406a is not sufficient, a request for resource supplement is issued to the operation unit 401 or the small portable terminal 401a (S24).

-Flowchart regarding movement control With reference to FIG. 17, an example of the operation of the control device 40 performed to move the moving body 406a and the drone 100 will be described. The movement control is performed when the moving body 406a and the plurality of drones 100 move at the same time. Specifically, the movement control is performed when the drone system 500 moves between the fields 403 where the work is performed.

First, the plurality of drones 100 and the moving body 406a move at the same time (S31). At this time, the movement control unit 45 controls the position, speed, acceleration, etc. of each drone 100 and the moving body 406a to move them by a predetermined distance. When the drone 100 detects an obstacle while moving (S32), the drone 100 lands (S33). In addition, the operation unit 401 or the small portable terminal 401a notifies an alarm to that effect.

In the present description, the agricultural chemical 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 drones for other purposes such as shooting and monitoring. .. In particular, it is applicable to a machine that operates autonomously. Further, the moving body is not limited to the vehicle and may have an appropriate configuration.

(Technically remarkable effect of the present invention)
In a drone system according to the present invention, in a system for replenishing resources from a moving body to a drone, even if the resources accommodated in the drone and the moving body are insufficient during work, the drone and the moving body can be efficiently provided with resources. Can be replenished.

Claims

Multiple drones that fly within the work area to carry out work,
A control device for controlling the operation of the plurality of drones,
A drone system including at least
When the moving body and the plurality of drones move, a part or all of the plurality of drones is provided with a movement control unit that causes the moving body to fly at a predetermined distance.
Drone system.
The movement control unit causes the plurality of drones to fly at predetermined distances behind each other in the traveling direction of the moving body,
The drone system according to claim 1.
The movement control unit causes the plurality of drones to fly over the moving body at predetermined distances apart from each other,
The drone system according to claim 1 or 2.
The moving control unit, in a state in which the moving body and the plurality of drones are moving, when the moving body moves in the opposite direction to the traveling direction, with the drone at the end in the traveling direction as a head. Moving,
The drone system according to claim 2.
The drone includes an obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle in the vicinity, the movement control unit, when the drone detects an obstacle, land a plurality of the drones including the drone,
The drone system according to claim 3 or 4.
The movement control unit, in a state where the moving body and the plurality of drones are moving, makes the plurality of drones land when the moving body moves in a direction opposite to the traveling direction,
The drone system according to claim 5.
When the mobile control unit lands the drone, an alarm is issued.
The drone system according to claim 5 or 6.
[Replenishment under Rule 26 24.03.2020]
A drone that flies within a work area to carry out work,
Connected to the control device that moves the drone,
A drone that, when moving with a moving body, flies at a predetermined distance from the moving body based on a command from the control device.
[Replenishment under Rule 26 24.03.2020]
Connected with multiple drones that fly within the work area to perform work,
A control device that causes a part or all of the plurality of drones to fly a predetermined distance apart from the moving body when the moving body and the plurality of drones move.
[Replenishment under Rule 26 24.03.2020]
A method of controlling a drone system including at least a plurality of drones that fly within a work area to perform work,
When the moving body and the plurality of drones move, including a step of flying a part or all of the plurality of drones, a predetermined distance away from the moving body,
Drone system control method.